Home Again Home Again...Jiggity Jig

Well we made it back home. Tired and worn out thanks to a traffic jam there at the end of the trip but we made it. Greyson and Michele played wii for a while and then we crashed and burned. Greyson is currently on this thing where we have to watch Bee Movie nightly to take the scary thoughts out of his head. (This is what he has told us anyway... :)...) He claims he cannot stop thinking about Mr meaty, spiders, zombies, and whatever else he is freaked out about each night at bedtime so we have to watch bee Movie to counteract the scary thoughts which turn into bad dreams...gotta love it! Anyway....I will be able to recite the entire movie before long. I am sure he can already do it. Last night we put Bee movie in and then he had another twist. He has taken to closing all of the doors so nothing can get us. The bedroom door, the closet door, the bathroom door, etc.....We were on lock down and he still was scared. He fought sleep even though we all were walking zombies....pardon the joke there. Poor Michele just hid under the covers once he had asked for the millionth time for either water, the covers to be off because he was sweating and hot, the covers to be back on thanks to him needing the whole cocooning thing going on, etc...etc...It's fun I tell you! For those who think we should be handling things differently...don't waste your time on us...worry about somebody else. Better yet, take a long hard look at how you are handling things. I spend alot of time reading, researching, going to therapy sessions etc to ensure that we are doing what we need to do. We may not always be handling every situation perfectly, but I am sure we are doing what we need to do to the best of our abilities. Greyson will be fine contrary to what some may believe. We are good parents with some difficult challenges but we can handle it. It is funny to me that the most support for us comes from people who are of no relation to either Michele or me. They are parents who have faced similar situations and truly understand. To those of you who have offered words of encouragement instead of the normal "words of wisdom" (haha) we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You know who you are and we love you all! Thank goodness for extended families. They tend to save us in our most trying times! Tonight we will be ringing in the New Year...2009! Here's to 2009 being a little better than 2008 was. I don't know about you all but our year was a little on the crazy side...with the exception of the most wonderful election in history! Obama mama's that's what we are! Cheers to our friends, extended family, our new school and it's awesome staff & teachers, the wonderful parents there, change, hope, compassion, and last but not least open minds! A closed mind is a useless one. Happy New Year everyone!

What I have learned....that I did not know.

I have learned that our parenting skills our insufficient according to some. I have learned that we along with a few others are the only ones who really believe Greyson has Aspergers. Most others and some family included feel that we are to blame for some of his behaviors since we do not parent him as we should. Funny though...it stands to reason since I do not totally agree with some of their ways of handling things or their kids either. Therefore we will agree to disagree. I am not saying we do everything correctly. We do make mistakes when handling certain situations. I will say that we do do the best we can given our and Greyson's situation. For those who think it is wrong I say, "We are his parents, you are not so no need for you to worry about it." If we screw it up royally then it will be on us. No one will ever be asking you to fix any of our mistakes. We love him unconditionally and I will never apologize for that. If we are guilty of loving him too much then so be it. We know he is a good boy and he does not do things maliciously. He does not always make good choices but most kids suffer from that. I am exhausted of the feeling I get when people seem not to understand. i shouldn't worry about what they think but it does bother me. I want his family to be somewhat understanding but they struggle with it as well. After all he seems as though nothing is wrong short of just being misbehaved at times. Oh well...I need to spend my energy elsewhere. Just to let you know....Greyson is fine except for wanting to go home badly. We will be headed home soon enough.

In Ohio visiting family...

Michele, Greyson and I are in Ohio visiting Michele's family for Christmas. Greyson is doing pretty good so far. There are alot of grand kids and things get a little crazy and overwhelming at times for him especially. He is doing good so far and not too out of sorts. Tonight Shel's brothers will come with their families adding to the party. that will make 12 grand kids at grandmas and sometimes it makes for a wild time. (Most of the kids are very young so it is understandable.) Greyson will definitely be ready for bed tonight once the time comes. We are going to have dinner and some fun with everybody. I will check in later for an update. Hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday. Enjoy your weekend and we will be talking with you soon. Hugs...

Say a prayer for me...I get frustrated with the feeling that everyone thinks we baby him too much. Yes we are guilty of some of that but alot of what we do is necessary for him right now. Oh well...I suppose I should get used to the masses feeling they know the best way to handle what we are dealing with since he seems perfectly normal to the those unknowing...and even those who have been told. Ridin' the wave...ridin' the wave....

Greyson playing wii boxing Christmas morning...

Christmas Vacation...Mommy is almost crazy!

Can I get a little PEACE! I need that Buddha on a spring that is in my Jeep stuck to my forehead! Ohmmmmmmm...Ohmmmmmmm...
Well...the past few days here leading up to Santa coming have been quite interesting. Greyson is in rare form and making me almost insane. I have needed to get a few last minute things but shopping has been more than an adventure. He cannot seem to listen, focus, stand still, stop singing, talking etc...etc... Lord knows I love him more than anything but I have come very close to losing most of my hair the past few days. My patience has been tested to its limits and I am proud to say I did not ever get too crazy. I did have a few moments of raising my voice but nothing like I thought. I was on the verge of screaming by the time Shel got home though...She probably thinks I am psycho...haha Anyway....he has been really funny and very cute. He cleaned and straightened the entire living area for Santa to come. He hung signs all over directing Santa to the cookies and welcoming him to our home. Michele and I have been laughing remembering how he locked us in the bedroom last year praying that Santa would not come in there. He is excited but secretly scared to death of this strange man entering our home. :) He is too funny. He just told me he doesn't think he is going to be able to sleep because he is too worried about Santa coming. Now he is crying because he is scared he will not be able to sleep. I told him he will be fine and that he has to sleep so Santa will be sure to come here. He is too funny....just too funny. Now he is checking on the cookies and wants to put them out right now. By tomorrow hopefully he will be back into somewhat of a normal routine. Ok...maybe I am dreaming but it shouldn't be too long. :) we leave for Ohio in a few days so that should tweak him into a frenzy with all of his cousins around to play with. It is inevitable that they all get crazy and run, play, scream, and just get plain wild. 12 grand kids and most of them are under 10...what do you expect? It's fun though while it lasts. Well...here's wishing all of our friends and family and very Merry Christmas. We will be checking in soon with Christmas news ans updates. Hugs and love to you all....Good night...Hope Santa is good to all our buddies! :)

Weekend Fun before Christmas

Hello everyone...we have been having a fun weekend doing some things to get ready for Christmas. Grandma Griffin came up on Saturday morning to take Greyson Christmas shopping to get Michele and I something from him. I went along with them to the Supa....Taaaget! We love Supa Taaaget. :) haha Anyway....Grandma bought all kinds of things unexpectedly so we were very appreciative even though she did not need to do that. She loves it though so...Thank you Grandma! After that we came back to the house and ate a "delicious lunch"...(Greyson picked McDonald's) and for those of you who know me...there is some sarcasm involved there. Not my favorite place but it was his pick so we rolled with it. He watched some TV while mom and I talked. He did really well yesterday even though going out to the Target with all the people and Christmas stuff. All that stimulation tends to create alot of fun in our world. :) He gets excited and is looking every direction and trying to go every direction all at the same time. It cracks me up and then I have to rein him back in. He did well yesterday though. Not to much wild. After grandma had to get home he wanted to watch a movie so I sat with him and watched Power Rangers. Gotta love that! Me and Power Rangers....that's an entire chapter for my book. They, the Power Rangers, are somewhat reminiscent of the old Japanese "Godzirra" movies for me. Quite entertaining... I don't think he felt well because he laid with me for almost the entire movie without moving, talking, singing, or reciting any other lines from commercials, movies, etc.... Amazing!!!! I normally am entertained and can barely keep up with what's going on. (Although Michele would beg to differ...she thinks he is a mini me) He can be all over the place and we here at the house normally have to buckle up for safety. OSHA has been in to inspect things and see whether we need to have safety harnesses installed for the safety of all involved. I will let you know the results of the report later. (Film at 11!) haha Anyway...today we are off to the Equal Families gathering at the Gay Community Center. Equal Families is a group of Gay & Lesbian couples that have kids and we get together once a month in the park or somewhere to share stories, network, and get to know each other better. It helps the kids realize they are not the only ones with two mommies or two daddies here in the area as well. That is important to us but more importantly is that he know there are all kinds of families and we will take time to be around all kinds of people and families. Diversity is a great thing and a great lesson for kids to know that it takes all kids of people to make up the world. Compassion and love for your fellow man is important and key to getting along in this world. So....off we go today to mingle with our Equal Family group for Christmas pot luck. Thanks for visiting us today....talk to you soon. :) Have a great Christmas vacation and hugs to you all. "Love you to the moon and back again!" as Greyson sometimes says...

Final Day at CCS before Christmas Vacation...

Greyson had his Winter production last night with his school. the band debuted with it's first performance and then each class put on a mini play/fairy tale for the audience. It was great and we had a great time sharing cookies and juice with everyone afterward. The people there are so nice and we feel extremely blessed to have found the school for him. Words will never express how much the school, it's teachers, (especially the ones that deal with Greyson day to day), and just the environment in general there means to our family. I am at a loss each time I try to explain to people how wonderful they have been. Greyson has a team of people who have brought him totally out of his shell and helped him make advancements in his reading, writing and math that are unbelievable. I am stunned at what just a little perseverance, a loving environment, people/teachers that believe in the individual child, and some sincere caring and investment in each child will do. Greyson is proof that he is now surrounded by teachers who are truly students of each student they have been entrusted with. God bless them and their efforts to truly change the world and these children's futures, one child at a time. You all represent all we ever wanted and/or expected out of the educational environment we chose for him. We finally landed in the right place. Can I get an amen! :) Thank you...Thank you....Thank you.... Oh, did I say thank you yet? Here's to the teachers that are there because of their love and passion for the children because we all know they could never be compensated properly for what they are giving back to the world daily.

Today we went over for the authors tea and winter party in Ms Suzy's class. It was wonderful and all the kids shared their Fairy tales they had written with their parents and the other parents. Afterward we went outside where they had a pie throwing contest to raise money for the kids who need tutoring at the school but cannot afford it. $1.00 per pie throw and the teachers donated their faces...well...some of them did. I had no desire to throw a pie at these wonderful people...hugs maybe....pies....no. Greyson did throw 4 pies though and had a great time. Poor Ms Kristi the principal took alot of pies at $2.00 a throw. All of them were covered in whip cream as you can see in our pictures off to the side. Enjoy....Lord knows we did! Happy holidays everyone! hugs & love to all...

Corn dogs....Corn dogs...and more Corn Dogs

Greyson is on a corn dog binge right now. Just thought you all might want to know. haha...Oh...and not only is he on a corn dog binge...he will only eat the hot dog out of the middle. I have to peel the corn off of the outside before he will even eat it! I have now taken to wearing my short bus helmet daily as not to hurt myself or pull out anymore of my hair. :) Anyway...other than our corn dog drama everything else seems to be fine. Michele is working hard....I am at home feeling useless as tits on a boar hog as we say here in the south. I think my brain is finally fried. You know it's bad when the highlight of your day is painting and checking your crops on facebook's my farm application! I am a farming fool on there though! My grandmother Griffin is up in heaven freaking out and screaming...go back to school you idiot! What the hell are you doing? or....she may be laughing her ass off...I'm not sure which. Anyway...I hope all of you are ready for Christmas...we are not. It's coming up way too fast and my wallet is a little skimpy right now. then again...who's isn't? Merry Christmas....9 days and counting.

Ginger Bread Baker...Singer, Thespian, Musician, & Race Car Driver

Well...I spent the weekend with wild man and momom worked alot. On Saturday he even baked gingerbread and it turned out pretty darn good. I am not a big fan of gingerbread but his was wonderful if I do say so myself. :) Sunday...he played on the computer which he loves and he and I also played some other games. We did not do alot. Mostly lazy I guess. He has been really sweet lately and Saturday we had gone to Monkey Joe's to meet his friend from Countryside, "brutha from another mutha", Campbell. They played for almost 2 1/2 hours jumping and running all around. Greyson found some money on one of the slides and gave it to the manager. I think she was shocked. she asked his name and gave him a little toy as a reward. She also said she would give him the money if none claimed it later. He took it to her without me even knowing what was really going on so I was proud of him. He is turning out to be quite a great guy. he always was a great guy but here lately he has been extremely in tune to the needs of others for some reason. He is very sweet although he can have moments of crazy. Don't they all. We love him dearly as you are well aware. Do I make you all sick with that. If so....too bad. haha...Today he went back to school for the last week to end out the first half of the year. It is going by very fast so I need to figure out who might be a good fit for him next year. He would probably be leaving Ms Suzy's class...as long as his academics continue coming along as they have so far. We went today and got him a library card so I can take him to the public library sometimes. We are trying to ramp up his reading some. It's a slow process but he is responding better this year and has improved greatly already. He was proud to get his library card too. You would have thought he had gotten his first drivers license. What a grin! After that we stopped in and saw Stephanie, Blake and Ms Cathy. He loves Blake and likes to help with him. He is playing big brother already and has taken to telling me he needs a little brother or sister. How do I explain that #1...I am older than dirt and cannot do that at my age....We know because we tried....and #2...I think he is plenty for Michele and I to try to handle. At times he is like having more than one worth all of the extra fun he brings to the table. Like those moments of him in the bathroom scared yelling...I need to hear you mommy Lynn....I love you....I love you...I love you...I love you...Well it's kinda like that with about 20 more I love you's!!!!! or the moments when I cannot get him prised off of my leg because he saw a small spider...or a Mr Meaty commercial...(he hates puppets) or shall I say...is scared to death of them....and clowns...let's not forget clowns! We found that out during the parade in Davidson at Christmas. He hid from them until they had passed whispering to us the whole time....are they gone?...don't let them come over here...are they gone yet? There are times I am almost peeling him off my leg. But...most of the time...he entertains us with his beautiful voice by singing...others it is his reciting lines from all the movies he has seen and changing his voice to match each character. He is unbelievable, wonderful, multi talented, and quite the fellow. I have to go now and read to Mr man.....he is awaiting my reading with him. we are going to read his first library book....The Missing Piece by Silverstein. Good night friends...and remember..."You better watch out, You better not cry, You better not pout I'm telling you why....Santa Claus is coming to town! HOHoHoooooo! 10 more days till' Christmas! :0

Polar Express Song by Greyson

Friday....end of the week and finally sunny again!

Today Greyson headed off to school and I scrambled to figure out what we could do to fix momom's phone situation. She accidentally dropped her cell phone in the torrential rains yesterday causing her phone to check out early. I called At&T and got some information. Thank goodness I was able to use my old phone and put her sim card in it so that it would work under her number. Yeah....one problem solved. Now on to the next...Greyson was getting out of school early so I wanted to get some shopping done for the families the school is adopting for the Christmas holiday. I ran by REMAX Classic to drop off something and then headed to Target. I got lots of goodies...some for Greyson but most for the Christmas families. I ran a few more errands, dropped off the loot at home and then headed back to pick up Greyson at school. He was getting out at 1pm for early dismissal so I went to eat lunch with him and then took him with me. I took him shopping for his angel tree boy he picked and then we came home. He had a good day but was really upset when his art teacher told me about an incident at lunch where he and another boy decided to throw some food. I told him not to do ever again and that was the end of it. He got really upset and cried because he knew he had done wrong. I told him it was over with and that I was not angry but he could not behave that way ever again. I explained that people had to clean that up and if he did it again it would be him. He was with his buddy who he is great friends with but they are not very good influences on one another. If there is trouble to be had they will find it. They do not reinforce each other in positive ways unfortunately. He has a really hard time making proper choices when he is with this guy. Michele and I try to remind him and reinforce to him that he needs to stay away from him if he cannot behave when he is around him. He has to remember to make good choices in life and in friends. It's a hard lesson especially when he struggles to have friends and strives to have people like him. He is doing alot better on that front though at his new school. It definitely is a much better environment and the way the handle the kids teaches them to respect one another and each others differences. They learn how to accept people for who they are as individuals. It's great and his teacher is sooo wonderful. I probably make you all sick saying that all the time, but for those who know where we have been as opposed to where we are now, it's understandable that I am almost giddy. Greyson still has his moments since he does have some challenges, but he is in such a better frame of mind now. It is truly unbelievable and so much a blessing. Community Charter School is a wonderful place and Ms Suzy, Ms Cymantha, Ms Susan, Ms Sloan, Ms Eileen, and the OT have my blessings. There are not enough words, thanks, praise, etc....to express to them how much we all appreciate their efforts. well...today is going well. Greyson and I talked about Christmas and how important it is to help others who are not as fortunate during the holidays and all year round. I want thim to grow up and be willing to give back to others. Those are the gifts the definitely keep on giving. Merry Christmas friends and family. We love you all. Good night and sweet dreams. Remember take the time to share your love with the people around you. You never know when just a smile or a kind word may change someone's whole day. So.... :) (that's me smiling at all of you)

Wednesday & Thursday...Rainy Yucky Days :( Ok...so we are having a bit of liquid sunshine. I say bring on the real thing now!

Well...I am really slack here lately thanks to all of the painting I have been doing. Hard to get my brain going etc... anyway...back to sharing. This week has been pretty good so far. We went to OT yesterday, hump day, and he had a great session. He has been working on trying new foods or at least being introduced to them. it is almost like they do a regression and let him explore all aspects of the food like a baby would. It makes perfect sense to me because he never really did that. he was always very neat and careful when he ate. He never did the normal playing in his foods like babies do and that is how they learn about all those things and become familiar with the different textures, tastes, smells, etc. So...he is doing all of that now. He smashed Cheetos yesterday and karate chopped them to watch them explode. He touched one to his lips but would not eat it. It's a start. After OT we headed to swimming lessons. He is doing great but still having a time with holding his nose. He will put his face in and count to 10 while he blows bubbles, but he still will not swim underwater or dive without holding his nose. I suppose it will come in time. A few good nose fulls of water always sets him back 10 steps and we have to go again. Oh well. We are so proud of his progress this year at school and at home so we will be glad to take some baby steps when need be.
Greyson has been having good days at school until today. He did not get into trouble but I picked him up for therapy with Mr Mike and he said everyone in his class had a bad day. He proceeded to tell me that several of the kids did not feel well, some were just having bad days, and some were upset. Therefore he concluded that the whole class was out of sorts and having a bad day. He then said it really worried him and upset him that everyone was so upset and feeling poorly. I think the whole thing got him out of sorts and he did not know how to express his concerns. Once he got to Mr Mike's he talked with him about it. Mr Mike had noticed he was a little out of sorts too so they discussed his class situation. After we left Greyson was really upset about going to Karate and stated he did not feel good doing the push ups and sit ups because there are too many. He claims it makes his face turn red and his voice sound funny...(due to him straining to do the exercises) and he did not want to go. He said it hurt his heart to have to do those sit ups and push ups. Oh the drama....but I have no idea whether to push him farther or what exactly to do. He does well at Karate so I do not want just those things to discourage him from going. I guess we will figure it out. I know those exercises are hard for him due to his motor skills being limited right now and he definitely is lacking in the strength category. It has gotten better though thanks to the Karate and swimming. I want him to keep trying since it will improve all of those things more and more. Everything is such a fine line to me....when to push him...when to back off....it is all very confusing and hard at times. Some days I want to scream! Some days what we wouldn't give for the athletic kid who can do anything and everything and is never discouraged. The one who can already ride his bike, tie his shoes by himself, go to the restroom by himself, sleep in his own room....etc, etc....

Instead...I was blessed with something better. A boy who each and every day reminds me that the world is so much more than just the bells and whistles, the fancy things, the so called perfect people, the people who cannot see past their own little sheltered worlds, the work, the day to day grind. He has helped teach us that the world is about compassion for your fellow man. Remembering each and every one of us has a story to tell and it effects who we are to our soul. None of us are any better than another...regardless of our possessions or our worth. Our worth should be measured by how we treat one another no matter where we are from, religious background, skin color, sexual orientation, etc.... Isn't the message about LOVE. No matter who you worship, isn't it all about loving one another. Greyson reminds me of all that. He is our grounding....we may have been grounded before but he grounds us even further. So that said....We love him for it. We love him for who he is...every inch of him. Do we sometimes long for the boy who could already do things that he cannot? Do we long for him to have things a little easier? Well hell yes we do, what mothers wouldn't....but it doesn't change the fact that we do accept him and are perfectly happy with him just as God gave him to us. We still would not change a thing about him! We love you sweet boy! So now that I have been on my soap box again....I say to you all. Thanks for coming by....good night, and we will be back tomorrow hopefully to add some more G-R wisdom and humor.

Merry Christmas from the Griffin-Roberts Elves!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Getting our Christmas Tree...& Back to School Monday

Well...we headed out on Sunday once grandma got here to go and get our tree. We go each year to Cedar Lake Tree Farm in Iron Station. It's great and the prices are fairly good. We get to see all of the farm animals, play on the big ol' hay bale mountain that they put out for the kids, pick out the tree and wreath, and then head back home. Once we got back Greyson and grandma Griffin made cookies together and he helped momom and I decorate the tree. Grandma pitched in on that too. we had a great time and before long everyone was ready to crash and burn. Greyson's allergies were in full swing thanks to the hay I think. He was a little out of sorts and not feeling too well but hung in there. I pumped some Bendryl in him to combat the itchy throat and runny nose. After grandma left momom passed out on the sofa and I just hung out with Greyson. At 8:30 we headed off to bed and got ready for...you guessed it....MONDAY! We got up and got Greyson ready for school. Momom took him and I headed of to the store for groceries. I came home and was going to paint but I decided to be lazy. I made dinner and waited to pick big man up from school. When I picked him up he wanted me to tell all of you about his class winning the first "stick of honor" at lunch for being good and cleaning up after themselves. He was very proud! He always gives me a blog story of the day..unless of course I have targeted something he has done that cracks me up. That happens alot too. His EC teacher told me today that he is quite the dancer at school when she plays a tune from Shrek for him. At home he dances alot...Michele seems to think I have had some influence on this...I on the other hand do not take any responsibility for these actions. :) Well...maybe a little. haha Well we are headed to another end of the day and getting ready for our Tuesday of school and Karate. I will be back tomorrow evening with more stories from a day in the life... Love & hugs to you all...Goodnight.

What a week!

Sorry we have been MIA for several days. I have been sooo busy doing some painting for a friend of mine. She is paying me for them so I have to get them done. :) There are 8 of them and I am trying to finish them for her for their new house before Christmas. Greyson claims I am a wonderful artist and says he thinks I am going to be famous. Little does he know most of us do not achieve that until long after our death! haha...He has been having a great week and did really well at school. We took him Friday night to his Karate school where he stayed, ate pizza and watched Kung Fu Panda with his buddies. At first he did not want us to leave but he finally said it would be ok. He had a great time and did not want to leave once we arrived to pick him up. Shel and I took the time to actually go out and eat together without him. We had Thai food which we love! Mine was really hot and my nose was running before it was all said and done. That's how I like it though...HOT! We went today and saw his old classmate form Countryside in the Davidson NC parade. Momom and I had a mental lapse and left our winter coats behind. Needless to say we froze our hind ends off for several hours until finally we saw the beloved Megan....and of course Santa. I do believe Megan ranks higher than Santa in Greyson's eyes though. :) He so has a little boy crush and it is very sweet. We had a great time regardless of freezing and afterward took him to build-a-bear to build a Christmas bear. He has been wanting to do it for quite a while so we gave in. He took it over to the little bath area and brushed it's fur and was so lovingly caring for it. It was really sweet to see. He picked out a Santa suit for his bear and off we went to eat. We are home now and ready for some r&r and football. tomorrow if it is not raining we will go with my mom to pick our Christmas tree. If it is raining she and Greyson will stay in and bake cookies. Even if it isn't raining they will bake some once we get home with the tree. She wanted to spend some quality time with G man baking cookies. They should have fun and he will love baking and eating them.

Sunday "hair nets" & Monday "healthy choices"...

Well...Sunday we took Greyson to Monkey Joe's to let off some excess energy. You can never do enough of that. :) Anyway...he had a great time all by himself and did what he normally does when he is solo...he chases girls the whole time he is there. He finds a girl that he thinks he wants to play with and chases them around. He never goes up to introduce himself and he normally will not let us do it...so...the chase goes on. Its fun for him but he never finds out any ones name and they just chase each other the whole time with no communication taking place. We try to help but he just gets embarrassed and runs away so now we just let him have a fun time on his own. We left and went to dinner and that is where the fun started. You see....Greyson tends to take in everything even when it is the first time he goes somewhere or whatever. You think he hasn't because he gives no clues that he is taking in everything until he feels the need to disclose what he learned. That being said...Michele decided that she wanted cafeteria food from K&W. Yes...she is old, way old, before her time! anyway...Greyson hears this and starts screaming...I hate that place....I am NOT going there! and on and on....He was really freaking out and yelling and Michele and I both were very irritated. We finally said he needed to tell us why we couldn't go there and why he hated it so much. He said, and I quote, "I am not going to that place and stand in that long food line with all those people and their hair nets! I hate hair nets alot! Hair nets...nothing but hair nets and old people there! and,,,it has alot of seats, millions of seats there! I am not going I tell you!" I thought I was going to pee my pants. We both thought he probably would not have a very good reason for hating it when in reality he hit that place right on the money! I could have died...who would have thought he had paid that close attention when we were there. We've only been one time! What the heck is that all about? Hair nets....I hate all those hair nets and smelly old people! haha Lord he is a piece of work. Monday he had school and all was well. I picked him up and he gets in the car telling me..."No more juice at school mommy Lynn....I need to drink water. It is a healthier choice!" I was like... what? Are you serious? OK then...healthy choice it is. We head home and he proceeds to tell me that Mr. Robert his PE teacher explained about choosing healthy foods and drinks. He got home and said he was going to work on being a kung fu master. he started immediately doing tons of push ups, sit ups, jumping jacks, touching his toes, and running through the house getting his exercise. He was breathing heavy...on purpose so I had to make him stop before he hyperventilated himself. When Shel got home he was still going strong giving us both lectures on healthy choices and our big bellies. haha....He said we should join him in his exercise regimen. It was a hoot. You kinda had to be there though....Funny thing about Greyson. You never know when that something you have said or done is going to spark some kind of reaction in him like that. He can go on for days, weeks, and months hearing or seeing something when all of the sudden he gets it and he is in high gear with it. He never ceases to amaze either of us. What a guy....we love you Greyson Griffin-Roberts. You are truly one of a kind and quite the eccentric fellow. the world is lucky to have you in it and we are even luckier to share each and every day with you. Here's to you big man! Kungfu master to be! Good night all....and stay away form the K&W...hair nets! lots & lots of hair nets!

I'm scared....I'm scared!

These weird puppets are from the Mr Meaty show on Nickelodeon. They scare Greyson to death...which looking at them is understandable to me. More of this later though...
Well today Greyson and I hung around the house watching TV, playing some games, etc... I did get my canvases out so that I can start the series of paintings I am doing for Heidi. Once I got them out I ended up drawing some pictures on some canvases I had bought to paint as well. I wanted to go to Cheap Joe's to get the rest of the paint that I need but the weather caused me to opt for staying in the house. anyway...we hung out but Greyson had one of his days were he was terrified of everything. It is maddening....he screams for you to come with him into any room of the house he needs to go in...for a toy, to use the restroom, whatever.... He claims he is scared to death and we try our best not to jump and save him each time. Instead we say, "You're fine....you can hear my voice...I'm right here"...etc...Unfortunately that does not always work so it can get quite exhausting mentally and physically...Imagine that. So...that being said he is in here with us again tonight because he claims again...he is too scared to watch TV in the other room solo so that Michele and I can catch up on our shows that we DVR. Bummer....Oh well...I think we will have to watch while he hangs out in the room with us. Ahhhhhh! Some days it's just not worth chewing threw the restraints! But most days it is so....here I am. :) The past few days have been nothing but Greyson being scared of everything from spiders, to zombies, to Mr Meaty...(I know...i know....weird huh? It's a show on Nickelodeon with puppets that look really creepy...it terrifies him for some reason) Needless to say we DO NOT watch it...but he still thinks about how weird the puppets look every so often and for days to come he is traumatized. Damn you Mr Meaty! Well....anyway....Hopefully the rain of terror will be done soon. Until then....we will say good night to all. Once our lights are out you may hear Greyson screaming about being scared...but don't worry....it normally only lasts about 20 to 30 minutes. :)

Black Friday...Turkey Coma Recovery Day

Today was black Friday, the day when everyone flocks to the stores to take advantage of all of the deals...well...except for me. I would rather be tapped slowly in the head with a ping ball hammer until a small hole appears. Enough said? Anyway...Greyson and I got up...ate breakfast and then headed to the grocery store for some things we needed at our house. I would have gone to "Supa Taaaget"... "the circle store", as Greyson calls it, but see the beginning of this excerpt to understand why I hit Food Lion instead. Yes...you are right....the hammer thing. So...we got our goods and then came home. Yes...I stayed home all day and did absolutely nothing. I did catch up on some reading which I love! Too bad I can't stay at home and read with benefits included. Maybe paint a little too...man would that be the best or what? Throw in some guitar playing and I may just be put right over the edge! haha...Anyway...today was good. ...and all in the world of drama turned out just fine. For instance: Our great friend called last night upset that she had left a door open and let her significant other's cat out. She was balling and sure that she would have to be moving soon if the cat was not found. I was sooo worried bu somehow I was also sure that the darn cat was still in their home somewhere hiding and terrified due to the extra guests in the home for Thanksgiving. Well....guess what. Sure enough the "kit kat" was hiding in the sleeper sofa while their whole world went to hell in a hand basket briefly due to it's disappearance! Hell...I let them borrow my...'All cats have Aspergers' book....did they not read that damn thing? Hello! Anyway...in all seriousness...i am very glad that they found that cat. Otherwise my friend would be sleeping on my son's bed....needless to say to most of you...it wouldn't matter since he does not currently occupy the spot. He is still very scared of the dark, among other things, and also needs to be wrapped in tons of covers and slammed in between us each night. Do we like it? NO....Have we been able to correct it and have him sleep alone yet? NO....Are we working on building his skills so he will sleep on his own and get out of our bed? YES! It cannot happen fast enough for us let me tell you. We love him but lord! I took a head to the lips the other night before Thanksgiving and just knew I was gonna have some fat lips for the big holiday. Fortunately...I must have been just far enough away to prevent any swelling...I got away with only the pain of the moment thank goodness! How sexy would I have been looking like Angelina Jolee' for a day....Well...we are winding down for the night. Greyson is watching some mind altering cartoons while I type away. He is ruined for life by TV and I will take full responsibility for it. I am also addicted. HBO will be here next month for an intervention. Neither of us will leave without a fight though. :) Good night fans....we love you all dearly!

Almost Thanksgiving.... :)

Seriously...this cat and dog need to get a life. First the damn cat is showing off at swimming, now he talks the dog into dressing as an Indian posing in this pic for Thanksgiving. Show off! I just want to know where his little pilgrim shoes are huh?
First let me say we are thankful for all of our extended friends and family here in the Charlotte area. You guys have been great since Shel's dad passed and we do not know what we would do without you. Thank you all for you thoughts, kind words, love and blessings. Our family is also thankful to be so blessed in general. We have a home...plenty of food and lots of love to share. What more could a couple of girls and one sweet boy ask for huh? :) Happy Thanksgiving to all of you from our family. We love you tons! Now go get yourselves ready to be in a turkey induced coma complete with parades and football...

Greyson had a great day off from school. He watched some TV, played DS, and Star Wars and then we headed to McDonald's with Ms Cathy to eat a special birthday lunch. She wanted to take Mr man to his favorite restaurant to eat...haha So off we went. Afterwards Greyson and I headed to his OT appointment where I enjoyed the holiday traffic from hell on I-77. It took us an hour to get from Exit 16 to Exit 33 in Mooresville. Gotta love that. (All those ET's phoning home I guess!) He did great at OT. He rode a bike, played on the bull swing to work on his vestibular stimulation, played a social game on the trampoline with some other boys, and tried tying his shoes at the end. We're still working on that! We got in the car to head home and found all of our holiday friends again. So....we stopped and went, stopped and went, ordered some pizza, stopped and went. finally we were at the pizza exit so we took it. We got our pizza, came home for dinner where momom was awaiting our arrival. By then I needed a frontal lobotomy but I am coming out of it now. Between Greyson stressing over his star wars game, traffic, and lord knows what else I was ready to pull out some of my hair. He tends to think I can help him kill some bad guys, drive the car, answer my phone, all at the same time. Go figure....Nothing like a screaming boy yelling help me help me and sticking a DS your way while you are driving on the Interstate at 70 MPH....I am almost sure the HP would never understand. We are winding down and getting ready to make the journey to Raleigh in the am. we will go see my sister for Thanksgiving with her new husband and his family. It should be fun. At least as long as no creepy things happen....Some of you know this story...others will here it soon I am sure. For now just know this...."I totally under estimated the creepiness" Good night all...sleep tight...and enjoy your food coma & parades tomorrow. I know we will. Cheers and thank you all for being a our friends.

Back to school...Monday Monday....lalaaaaa..lalalalaaaaa

Ok...I know there is a baby, in a basket, in a tree but you will get it in a moment once you have read further. Because...I couldn't find a baby in a basket, in a lake, eating fish in Alaska! Oh...and I almost forgot the alligators that were attacking him as he ate the fish once he landed in the lake in Alaska! Go figure...
Well it's Monday folks and things are going along as usual. (...or kinda anyway) Greyson headed back to school after a very hectic 2 weeks and an extremely exciting birthday celebration at Monkey Joe's. Note to parents of young children: Monkey Joe's is the greatest place to burn tons of excess energy when it is cold and/or rainy outside! haha Anyway...he did fine at school today and was telling me the craziest stories when I picked him up. A friend of his, (name withheld to protect the innocent), told him when he was little that his mommy swung him around and around in a basket all the time. He said one day she swung him right out of the window and he flew all the way to Alaska where he landed in a lake and ate fish. He was just a tiny baby at the time supposedly. I said, "Greyson, sometimes people tell you stories that aren't true just to make you laugh." He tells me...."No mommy Lynn, this was for real! It really happened! He told me it is the truth!" Then he laughed and says, "Can you believe he ate fish mommy Lynn when he was a tiny baby out of a lake?" What the hell am I supposed to say at that point? This is a kid who thinks everything is the gospel and is extremely honest even if it means he gets in trouble. Oh well....at least he is being entertained. I did ask who all heard the story and it seems it was all for Greyson's listening pleasure. All I have to say is I hope that kid isn't any kin to Sarah Palin. He may grow up to be quite the "Maverick" haha...but then again...who cares about her now anyway. I know I don't and never did. I am thankful she gave Tina Fey such great material to play on though. :) Well...we are home now. tomorrow we have Thanksgiving Feast at school and then we are off for a few days. Me and Greyson hanging out. sounds like Monkey Joe's may get some more of my money... :O To all of our pals and followers...have a great Monday evening. Sweet dreams, love & hugs and all that stuff...we love you and we will be chatting soon.

Birthday Party at Monkey Joe's!

Greyson had his birthday party at Monkey Joe's yesterday and he had a blast. Some of his buddies from Countryside as well as his new classmates from CCS came to celebrate with him. They all seem to have so much fun and Greyson was loving it. He received alot of really great gifts and just kept screaming awesome each time he opened one. Megan gave him a huge robot and we have been playing with it at home. It dances, walks, grabs things, makes crazy robot noises and we have been guilty of chasing the cat with it! She, Gabby, is not amused! haha....I even took a short video to send to Megan of it dancing in our living area. That thing is a trip. He also got lots of LEGOS, a new DS game thanks to some Money and gift certificates, and it goes on and on. Poor guy....he has nothing to do. Overall, even with added sugar, (i.e. the cake and juice) he did great and behaved very well. The day was a huge success for him and he really enjoyed being able to share it with his friends.

Friday he had another huge accomplishment that I have not talked about yet as well. He tested for his green belt at MATI, his Karate school, and is now a green belt in Shorinji Kempo Karate! Go Greyson....he has been doing great in both swimming and Karate. His Karate teacher focuses on alot of the things that he needs to work on some such as self discipline, self confidence, and self control. He is coming along well and we hope he can continue on through his black belt. Well...I think I will go and spend some time with my sweet boy. I have alot of excess energy to help him burn off...and I could use some activity in my world as well. I seem to be adding instead of loosing or maintaining my mid-section. haha...What's with that anyway? You hit 40 and you have to do double time to keep your girlish figure. I so don't get it! Oh well....ridin' the wave. Good day all.....we love you to the whole wide world, as Greyson would say!

Happy Birthday Greyson!

Well...it has been a while since my last update. We have been in Ohio since November 14th due to the death of Michele's father. I was a little apprehensive about taking Greyson as he has not experienced anything like that. I was not sure how that would effect him and did not want him to be too out of sorts and/or misunderstood. I picked him up from school on Thursday and explained that pawpaw had died. He was very sad and concerned about Michele on the way home. he is really such a tender hearted boy and kind sole. It is unfortunate that people do not always take the time to see, or for whatever their reason cannot see, that side of him. We were at a stop light where we always see a homeless man standing and he said, "Mommy Lynn I am worried about momom since pawpaw died. I am worried about that man too mommy Lynn because he doesn't even have a home to go to. You need to help him." I said, "Greyson, I don't have any cash with me right now to give him honey." He said let's give him this...He reached out and handed me his wallet that had 50 cents...(his ice cream money for school) in it. So...I called the guy over and told him my son wants you to have this. The guy was really happy and he told Greyson about a million times...Bless you son...Bless you! Greyson grinned all the way home and I of course had the little tear in my eye. It was very sweet and I was extremely proud of him for doing that. Then again...I am always extremely proud of him. So...on with the novel.
We left on Friday at 7am to head out to Ohio. It is a long trip but Greyson did very well. The weather was not so great starting out here but eventually it got better...colder...but better. No snow or rain after we got out of NC. We got to grandmas and everything was very chaotic. That was expected given what had happened. Lots of family, friends and neighbors calling and coming by. It was very sad. Momom was glad to see us although she had alot on her plate helping grandma get things finalized and done before the viewing and funeral. Greyson played and played with his cousins and had a great time. On Sunday we had the viewing in the evening. Greyson was not doing well and was ready to leave early on. We needed to be there for Michele so we tried to stall him while we greeted family and friends. He finally got very overstimulated and tired and found comfort under all the pillows of one of the sofas at the funeral home. In OT that is called deep pressure and helps alleviate some of his sensory issues. He seems to need the deep pressure more at bedtime or when taking a nap. He will almost cocoon himself up into a ball of covers at times...even though he is sweating profusely. Go figure. People there thought it was cute but they still do not realize some of these behaviors are due to his Aspergers/Autism. It still frustrates the mother in me at times when I feel people are looking thinking...why aren't you doing this or that to make him behave or whatever. They have NO idea. Their solutions to things will not normally fix what we are faced with day to day and to see him you cannot tell anything is wrong. Therefore we continue to have those who think they have better answers and those who think we are slack as parents. To them I say...walk a mile in our shoes. A book I read said to remember...Those who matter don't care and those who care don't matter. I try hard to remember but I am not always successful at it. Each of these kids is different and reacts differently to certain things. We have to find what works for Greyson.
Back to the subject at hand. We made it through the visitation and he slept for the most part of it. We headed home and got ready to have most of the family over for family time. There must have been around 45 people there or more and alot of small kids...all cousins. Greyson immediately got out of the car and saw the cars pulling into the drive. He screamed, "This place is gonna be a mad house!" Shel and I laughed but we are used to his brutal honesty. Again...part of his Aspergers. He means no harm...he just calls it like he sees it. We fed everyone, visited with all of them and had a great night. The one good thing if you can say that, to come from pawpaw's passing is that Michele's brother Rich and his family are back with the family. They had been estranged for several years and came back when pawpaw had his heart attack. It is going to be rough but I think things will work out. There are bridges and fences to mend with others in the family but life's too short to carry grudges. I hope they can all see past their differences. In all relationships it takes both sides to break and both sides to mend if that is going to happen. Hopefully things will be mending as time goes by. It was great to see them because Michele is very close to her brother Rich. They are alot alike and I know she is glad to have him back around.
After our Sunday night dinner, family left and we all went to bed to prepare for Monday, the day of the funeral. We woke up on Monday and got ready. We had to be at the funeral home by 10ish and it was to start at 11. Greyson got a little squirmy once we arrived and so I let him walk around. At some point we sat down and time seemed to drag on. We were on the front row and I was concerned because all of the immediate family was not there yet and there were not enough seats. I offered for Greyson and I to sit elsewhere but Michele said no. She wanted us with her. So there I sat uncomfortably....felling like I had robbed one of the siblings or their spouses of a seat. Funny how I always feel like we should take a back seat to everyone else. Yes we are a family, although non-traditional in their eyes- but I always feel around both of our families, mine included, that we do not count in some way. It is almost like I feel no one takes our family or our love for one another seriously. Granted there are a few exceptions in both families but overall I feel very tolerated and discounted most of the time. When you are not one of the norm, you tend to feel that way I think. Almost looked down upon..probably because no one wants to acknowledge it. If we don't talk about it it feels better...You know...."don't ask, don't tell theory". Even after they know about your lifestyle you only feel comfortable sharing a small part of things. We are always making sure that the "normal" family members aren't uncomfortable....It's a full time job....don't hug me here...don't touch me in front of them... whatever....you stand guarded at all times. We probably do most of it to ourselves but it still wears on you. The mere fact that you feel their uncomfortableness puts you in that role. It's no fun and for those that think we choose to live this way....I laugh at your ignorance. What a miserable decision that would have been...trust me...it's not one we, nor any other gay person, have made consciously. The way we are living feels as normal to us as your marriage/relationship does to you. We no nothing else. That being said...we plugged along.
Greyson got really antsy shortly before the funeral so I told him to get up and walk some. Was the funeral the time or place for him to be walking in circles around the chairs?... Probably not....Did Michele need us there so I made a call on letting him do it anyway? Yes I did. The service had not started, people were still up socializing, so I saw no harm in letting him walk around several times to calm himself. That's what he does. He walks in circles. I thought no one cared but his Uncle Rich made him sit down which caused Greyson to cry. I am sure Rich had no idea what I had done to help Greyson. I am sure he thought Greyson was just being bad and out of control and that we were not doing enough to stop him. Well...unfortunately I was trying to calm our son and be there for Shel all at the same time. None of them know or understand the things we have to do...so I am sure he will be seen at times as just a bad kid. It saddens me but I know they don't understand. To understand you would have to be living it or studying about his Autism/Aspergers, neither of which is possible. Everyone has their own lives to live and their own problems to deal with. So life goes on....without pawpaw, life goes on.
We will miss pawpaw dearly. We loved him and Michele had a great friend, father, and buddy in him. We love you pawpaw....you will definitely be missed more than we could ever say. To all of our followers...I apologize for the soap box at times...it is just that being around family, mine or Shel's, brings about revelations in me that shake my world up sometimes and make me realize just how frustrating living in our lifestyle can be in certain situations. Just what is it that people call normal anyway? Aren't we all living our own normal? Should normal even exist with as many faces, shapes, names, places, etc...as it can have? Who knows...for now I say...
Good night...or shall I say good day...No it's a great day! This is the day our son, Greyson Chambliss Griffin-Roberts was born. All 10lbs 4ozs of him! Without him, our worlds would have been much different and I wouldn't change this journey for anything...Aspergers and all! Here's to you Greyson....what a great day this is, your 8th birthday!

Greyson has reached his limit for momom being gone...

Well...today Greyson and I hung out here at the house, and early we had conference with Ms Suzy his teacher this year at his new school. We love her and the school as most of you already know. she really had alot of wonderful things to say about how he is progressing well in her class. He is really coming out of his shell and is a much happier boy this year. Ms Suzy said she can tell a difference in him just since the first of the year. his therapist and some friends of ours have commented on his well being and overall happiness being better as well. We are pleased with the progress he is making in reading, writing and in school in general. What a great guy and wonderful boy he is and I am glad he is starting to feel that way as well. He took a hit to his self esteem last year but he is recovering and feeling pretty good about himself now thank goodness. We are all much happier now that he is feeling like he can do things and is a good boy. He was having a time today though. He has reached his limit of his momom being gone. She has been in Ohio since Thursday of last week due to her father's heart attack. he was really sassy a few times today and down right angry a time or two. I said to him...when you can speak to me in a normal tone of voice and be calm I will talk to you. After he came to me and apologized for being disrespectful and angry he said he really missed momom. He has a time with trying to figure out where certain feelings need to be expressed and how to tell us what he is feeling. I knew the whole thing was centered around him missing her....and I am proud that I read that one to a tee. It helped diffuse the entire situation. Now...on a side note....if any of you close to me find him at your door step for a night....he loves chicken nuggets, pepperoni pizza, Pb&J (cut in squares only!)...I promise I will only be gone a day or 2 at most! :) haha... Just kidding...I may stay 3 to 4 days! Seriously...we will be fine. He did make me laugh by telling me when I handed him my phone..."Mommy Lynn, That's my bad ear give it to my other ear." I said....you only have one good ear? he said..."yep....and this arm is bad, and this leg is bad....as a matter of fact mommy Lynn...this whole side of me is bad!" It was his left side and he is right handed...I figure since that side is probably weak...he has decided it is the "bad" side. Who knows. I know I laughed until I cried though....he keeps us in stitches. Go figure. Well....I gotta go play the double mommy role. We will be sleeping again with "bob the builder/momom stand in"...Let me tell ya' people...it aint workin'...he knew it wasn't her right away. Damn it I can't have nice things! Good night all...love ya' mean it, don't go changin'!

Keith Olbermann on Proposition 8 Issue

Day to Day at Casa de Griffin-Roberts

Well...it is now Monday morning and we are still awaiting news on how pawpaw is doing. He has had some positive steps since yesterday but it still not out of the woods per say. Greyson has been doing fairly well without momom around and I still have the large majority of my hair. Kudos for our sweet boy for being so good while Michele is away. we have moments of insanity but overall things are great. He normally only decides to go crazy on me when I receive a phone call. Pretty normal for a kid huh? Anyway...we have played, read many a book, done vision therapy together, made a movie, watched several movies and read some more. He is quite the entertainer as he performed a scene form Madagascar II for me today. It was sooo funny sent it out to several of our peeps. Lord he cracks me up. I am going to try to post it for all to see here but we will see if I succeed. Today we will go play with Campbell, Greyson best buddy and "brutha from anutha mutha", haha. we will meet them in the park for some energy burn off. That is always good for a guy his age! we burned boy energy at Monkey Joe's on Saturday and he was sweating to beat the band... I on the other hand sat my fat behind on a bench and kept track of the heels score....and yes. They beat Georgia Tech. My heels are ranked for the first time in ages! Gotta love that! Go heels... Well...we will be checking back in possibly tonight with an update. Fro now we continue to circle the airport in a holding pattern....Have a great day friends and family...we love all and appreciate the thoughts and prayers coming our way.

Saturday...Chillin', Playin', Readin' and makin' movies!

Well...here we are. It's already Saturday and Greyson and I are still missing momom. she is in Ohio with her family and has been since Thursday evening. her father suffered a serious heart attack and we are still waiting to see the outcome. He is very ill and unstable currently so it is very touch and go right now. Greyson and I are plugging along here at the house. I cleaned today while he played and watched TV. After that we headed down to Monkey Joe's to get his birthday party invitations. He turns 8 on November 20th....Fun fun....Monkey Joe's...here we come. (Saturday Nov 22nd - big man's party day) Tonight we are hanging out and making a movie about Stitch...the Disney character. This is all Greyson's imagination at work so once I upload it be ready for anything. He also wants one of himself dancing to Disturbia by Rhianna. Go figure....he is one dancin' machine I tell you. Unstoppable! He is currently drawing on our huge dry erase board, normally used for some of his OT and vision therapy work. Tonight it has been transformed into the backdrop for his movie....a Galaxy he tells me, complete with stars, planets, Stitch's ship and Earth where he will land. Unbelievable...I do not know if I will be able to keep up...he is relentless in his endeavors sometimes. I have beer...and that helps....or at least that is what dad taught me. haha...Well I better go get ready for the filming. Where is my girl Leslie at a time like this? She is a famous squirrel videographer here in Charlotte and most of you probably know her form her creative works. :) If not...you are truly missing out! Many a squirrel has made it big form working with Leslie. Many squirrels have given their left nuts to work on her films! But I digress....Well I better go...the director is calling for me and crackin' the whip. No rest for the weary!
One last thing...we love you pawpaw and hope you are feeling better soon!

Sad News at Casa de Griffin-Roberts

Yesterday Greyson had school which seem to go well. I got there early to pick him up for therapy and got to witness him sitting in circle while Ms Suzy read to the class. They all were behaved quite well. I watched Greyson because I noticed one of his friends that he gets into trouble with sometimes was sitting off to the side and could not be still. Making faces, rolling his head around and being a little silly. I figured at any minute Greyson would be laughing or getting into trouble watching him but he maintained. I was glad he was able to keep his composure. After that we went to see Mr Mike and I told him the readers digest version of some of our wedding stories/slight drama. He was amused and thinks I should be a comedian or something along those lines. I left and let Greyson take over the session since it is his date...not mine. it does work well for me at times too though...haha. When we were done we headed off to home to get ready for Karate. he got another strip added and is getting close to testing for his next belt. We hope he will be ready...if not....he can get it next go round. I think he will be fine though. When we left there we headed to the mall for Michele's glasses and to eat some dinner. We then bought some books and headed back home for a good night's rest. Once we got there things went crazy. Michele had messages that her father had suffered a serious heart attack and was hospitalized. It was very serious so we got her a flight out to Ohio right away. Greyson was really upset seeing her upset but we worked through it. He gets really out of sorts when mommy or momom get upset. It rocks his world. Anyway...we took Michele to the airport around 9:30pm to head out and waited her for news. We have talked to her several times today but things are not looking really good. She is preparing for the worst I think. Greyson and I will wait here until we need to go up and be with her. At some point we will have to go get her either way. She and her dad are very close so yesterday was a sad, sad day for us all. Well...for now I am hanging out with my beatle and having some fun. trying to anyway. we went to see Madagascar II today and now are eating some pizza...his favorite. I love pizza too but I need it like I need a hole drilled into my head! Go figure. I also decided yesterday to stay home and get some things done. I will work now only if they need me and right now...they do not need me. Nothing happening currently so there is no need for them to pay me. We are all struggling so I told them I thought it would help them out if I just came to work when and if they needed my assistance. they agreed so I am hoping to paint ALOT! Granted that pays nothing but the therapy advantages are great! :) Maybe I'll pick some on my guitar too...I should be mentally rich if nothing else...but yes....I do have some ground to cover. :)

Monday...Tuesday Updates...

Well Yesterday was Monday and it was back to school for Greyson after his debut performance at the wedding. He danced so much and so did I. It is a wonder he can walk because I am definitely having trouble! Can you say fossil lezbo! haha...anyway...school went well for him. I took a friend to the doctor so I did not see him until around 4pm. After that he and I went to swimming lesson and had the whole place to ourselves. It was great....he got a private lesson unexpectedly. He did really well too. Jennifer had him blowing bubbles and putting his face down into the water again without holding his nose. He also swam the length of the pool with flippers on doing the crawl stroke...(freestyle). He is so peaceful in the water...I know I keep saying that but I just love watching it and cannot get over it. Each lesson I just love watching him play and swim around. After swimming we came home and Michele came in not too long after. We got dinner, baths, and then got ready for bed. It was off to sleep in no time and before you knew it we were ready for our day today.

It 's Tuesday, election day, and we got up and got ready for school. I headed out to volunteer with Susan in Davidson while Michele took Greyson to school. I had been ready to take him and we were headed to CCS when he had an accident in his pants and we had to turn back. Michele was voting so we turned around and headed to the house to change. I got him changed and started out again realizing we were going to be late when Shel called and rescued me. I love that woman and she is such a help when it comes to him. She does sooo much and I do not thank her enough for her help. Therefore...thanks Boog! (Love ya' To the whole wide world!)
Now...she also had to take him today to his eye doctor appointment. I knew it would not go well since we have not done any of his eye therapy hardly at all at the house. Yes...I will take full responsibility as I should have been stricter and set some formal schedule but let me explain one thing. (aka...make some excuses)...We do alot of different therapies each week as well as paying for Karate and swimming once a week. He also has homework too and reading both of which I have3 a time getting him to do. He certainly cannot accomplish any of it on his own yet which puts me there trying to enforce the completion of these things and make them happen timely. It is no fun I tell you...and adding yet another thing that he has no desire to do just puts that much more pressure on the situation. Seriously though...I have to figure out something because not doing it just will perpetuate his problems and challenges. I cannot allow for him to win these battles so I will have to figure out what to do to make them fun. I am sure Michele will be helping but she has enough on her plate with the business and her new love...fantasy football....haha Anyway...she took the brunt of the doctors scorn today when he said," How do you all expect ?Greyson to do any better if you are not doing his therapy on a regular basis?" Dude...walk a mile will ya'? It isn't always that easy even though I do know he is 100% right. So...mommy Lynn is going to work out a strict schedule for the beatle and we will adhere as best we can so that his vision issues can be worked out and his reading can improve. Keep your fingers crossed for us will ya'. Our guys is a pistol but a very lovable one! So...I am now sitting here watching the results of the election trickle in....wondering if Susan is having heart palpitations and needing a portable defibrillator...don't worry sister. You did an awesome job as always and it will pay off! For now friends Here and family...good night and hugs to you all.

Home again, Home again, Jiggity Jigg

Well we made it through the wedding and all is well. We had a great time at the reception so enjoy the photos I posted for that. it may be one of the last time's you see me soooo dolled up. haha Greyson did great at the wedding and at the reception. he actually ended up being the life of the party. he danced non-stop from around 6 to 10:15 or so....then again...so did I. We all had a blast! But back to Greyson....He was on the floor doing the running man, splits, break dancing, jumping around, singing, dancing with all the women and some of the men....he was hysterical. he really showed off like he loves to do. A real showboat I tell you. We were shocked because he normally does it at the house but not in front of so many people. When he saw that everyone was starting to dance he just jumped right up and went to town. At times he was in the middle of the dance floor surrounded by us clapping and cheering him on while he threw down in the middle of the floor. I think he gets it from Michele I am not sure... :) Anyway, thankfully there were no fists fights, bitch slapping incidents, extreme drunkenness, etc...etc...Just alot ...and I mean alot of dancing the night away. We shock our grove things until I can hardly walk today. I am NOT getting any younger! Seriously...I am almost paralyzed from dancing so much. Every part of me is sore but it was soooo worth it. Everyone had a blast dancing. My sister is off to Cancun tomorrow with her new husband Matt and we are back to work. All is well so enjoy the pictures everyone. Good night and we will check in again tomorrow with more fun in the life. Good night & sweet dreams...

Rehersal Day for the Wedding

Today we had a bridesmaid luncheon scheduled at a cafe' here in Raleigh. My sister when we got to her home was obviously out of sorts. I could tell last night she wasn't quite right but this morning it was really obvious. Mom got worried Cham was not wanting her around so I reminded her that Cham had alot going on with the wedding and all of the guests she has staying at their house. I told her that this is Cham's time and it's all about her. She is just stressed with things getting closer to the actual wedding and all. Cham just doesn't have the time or the patience to be trying to make sure mom is fine right now. I told mom Cham has to be worried about herself and the wedding right now and not to take anything personally. Hopefully all will be well through tomorrow...i think the whole wedding stuff is just too much drama. Hell....get married at the JoP, save all the money, and later throw a big party/reception for friends and family. Drama...not so much my thing but whatever....

We came back to the Hotel and rested and later headed out to meet Joy....the Nazi wedding planner. She found no humor in me or Cham's buddies that are bridesmaids...we actually have a sense of humor. Joy does not. I actually called her Hoy a couple of times sense she has been mispronouncing my sister's name since she met her. I finally explained how Cham should be pronounced to her and the pastor so I think they get it now...I don't know. When we got done practicing we headed towards the restaurant for dinner. Paula, Karen, Tiffany and I had wigs on for Halloween...the rest of the party kinda stared at us but it was all in Halloween fun...Cham loved it. I stood out since I had a rainbow Afro wig...the other girls were the ladies of darkness...they all had black wigs. We had fun and laughed most of the night. It was fun but my sister is in full zombie mode given she had been up since 6am doing alot of stuff and tending to her guests. She is now in moms hotel room spending the night. I had I promised to hang out with them but she wanted to go right to bed so I am in here blogging away.

Greyson and Michele went trick or treating tonight. It was up in the air for a while but they went and had a good time. Greyson was tired so they will be up tomorrow for the wedding. I think he did fine and he dressed up like Peter Pan. He claimed to have gotten lots of candy which he does not need. Hopefully momom will help him eat most of it. :)

I guess I should try to get some sleep as well...Good night all. By the way...I have more stories...not to be aired here. When you see me, they will come. :)

Drivin' Miss Daisy...

Well today was Thursday and I had to get all my ducks in a row for my sister's wedding. She is getting married on Saturday and so I drove my mom up to Raleigh today. Before we left I had to take care of Greyson and ensure he wouldn't be too freaked out at my leaving. So....I went to meet him at Imaginon where his class was watching Billy Jonas and brought him lunch. I got there and the show had run late...so...I ended up taking him with me after the show was over. we went to the hair salon where Michele picked him up to take him to the house. I met them there later after my quaff was did! haha...Mom showed up and I sprung a surprise on her. I took her to see Greyson at karate class. Hopefully it did not rock her world. :) After he was done we headed to Raleigh...I drove us since it was going to be later when we arrived. we got here safely but I am sitting here late drinking beer and missing my family. Funny how I do not know what I would do without either one of those sweet people. I love them dearly...not to be too sappy as Michele would say. Sappy Lynn....yes I am sappy...that is one reason she loves me so no matter what she says! :) We are here and we have lots of events to attend while we are here. I have lots of lessons to be learned...I already found that out on my first night. It's OK though...I will figure it all out. Family...it is a beautiful yet complicated thing huh? and to make it even more fun we all have degrees of dysfunction to deal with...It is all about the love...we all have the "stuff"...but the love overrides it all, or at least you hope it does. Well...I think I have had one too many...2 was all it took to take me out and put me into laalaa land... goodnight friends and family....Night #1 is ending...but the fun is just starting...stay tuned...News @ 11!!!!! hugs....kisses...and lots of love to you all!

Hump Day at Casa de Griffin-Roberts

Greyson had a rough day at school yesterday trying to control himself. He had to go to the office several times and finally Ms Maureen called me so I could speak with him. He is still trying to decompress from his trip I think. Not keeping his schedule gets him out of sorts but hopefully he will be able to get himself together today. He had swimming last night which always helps him get back his calm. Right now he needs his calm back really badly! He did great at swimming and we headed back home to get our bath and go to bed. He slept better and even laughed and talked in his sleep. No nightmares thank goodness. Today he has a fresh start at school and goes to see Billy Jonas at Imaginon. He is excited and I will meet him afterwards for lunch. I am leaving for Raleigh tonight so I am trying to spend as much time with him early as I can. He is a sweet guy...we just need to work some more on his self control. If he starts laughing he has a hard time getting himself back together. He has some buddies at school that he finds to be quite amusing and we are trying to explain that he has to be careful of laughing at others. It can be disruptive to his class and if he can't stop then he will end up getting in trouble with his teacher. He will get it eventually. He wants friends badly and sometimes he sacrifices the wrong things to get them. Hang in there beatle...we love you. I will be back tonight but for now I am checking out. Gotta run some errands.

We're Back....and now for the rest of the story...

Well, we made it back form Ohio. We played it by ear and as we figured....Greyson was overwhelmed and ready to come home by Sunday evening. That's fine with us as we have discovered, as most families have, that 3 days is the max we can stay there and still be sane. Imagine that. You see, Michele's sister has 4 kids all under age 11 and her brother has 4 around the same age. Needless to say when we go they all converge on grandmas which turns grandmas home into a 3 ring circus. Greyson can be found at times just staring into the TV not talking to anyone. He ends up staying up past midnight almost nightly. That's OK though since we are there to play with cousins, but it does wreak havoc on him. It isn't pretty and usually after a few days he is almost a zombie from all of the stimulation and sensory overload.

This trip was interesting due to his 11 year old cousin Mackie and her 4H projects. Let me start at the beginning. Michele's sister Nicole, husband, and 4 kids live on about 80 acres there in Ohio not to far from her parents. Mackie her daughter, and the oldest of the 4, is now involved in Barrel racing and 4H. Her first project in 4H was a hog she raised and it sold for 2nd highest price at the fair. Little did they know what that hog went through getting to the fair. You see...Mackie and her dad were taking the hog to the fair when unbeknownst to them it jumped...yes...I said jumped....out of the trailer, fell onto the road and into a ditch. They got to the fair, backed the trailer up and said we're here to deliver this hog. The guys at the fair said, "What hog, there is no hog in here." To their surprise there was no hog and they had no idea where it was. It was in there when they left. They back tracked and found a crowd of people surrounding a hog in a ditch with a slight case of road rash. Yes....it was their hog! Go figure. So they loaded it up and headed back. This story ended well as I said before. The hog brought the 2nd highest price, for those of you who know about this stuff. I myself am a city slicker and I know nothing about farms. Now, we go up there this weekend and her latest 4H project, an approx. 400lb steer, has somehow escaped it's pen and is running around their land which backs up to 500 more acres. Therefore it has free rain of a huge area of wide open space to roam. Nicole said they almost had it corned at one point but it scratched its hoof on the ground and snorted at her so she just left it there. Haha...hell I would have left it there too. I'm not in for wrestling any farm animals, especially the big ones. NOT! So long story longer....Sunday was round up the entire township, friends, family, and anyone who volunteered to help to find, lasso, and bring this damn thing home. We headed up to there house to witness the fun. Nicole cooked a huge pot of chili with cornbread and desserts for all of the volunteers and they had a bring Howie home party. (Howie is the steer) They found Howie at a neighbors and one of the guys lassoed him and got him into the trailer. The guy that lassoed Howie was a "real cowboy"...seriously....I was impressed. The drove Howie home and he was brought out of the trailer and put back in his pin. Not without a fight though. He knocked around about 6 big guys getting him back in that pin. Howie was pissed to say the least. Now...to add some fun to this story...they also have fainting goats at their house. You know the ones that when you startle them they fall over stiff and lay there until they can get up again. They have some sort of genetic disorder that causes their muscles to stiffen when startled. It's hysterical!

We also carved pumpkins on Sunday with all the cousins and had a great time. Greyson was a little out of sorts because they had alot of Halloween decorations that screamed and yelled or sang when you walked by. They had big fake spiders everywhere and webs. Those things scare him to death so Sunday night he slept none and had tons of nightmares. It is really sad to me that we have to guard every little thing like that for him. It totally freaks him out and unfortunately Halloween is Michele's favorite holiday if you will. He on the other hand would be happy to never go out. He even had the only silly happy face pumpkin...Here is a picture of his pumpkin.

I have plenty of other stories too concerning our trip. Especially with Greyson and how he just is painfully honest. He actually asked Michele's brother when he and his family were going to leave on Saturday night because he wanted to eat his sucker. You see, all Greyson understood was, I cannot have it since there are not enough of them for everyone, therefore, they need to leave...problem solved! Haha...Funny...but not funny. Michele and I laughed about it though since her brother and his wife have been unkind to us in the past. (We aren't living right you know!) (You know, the whole...hand basket condo gig) How did I get here, and what am I doing in this hand basket? Most people know me well enough to know, if you think like that...You'll get there before me....so bring some marshmallows! :) Gotta love it. Greyson also rode his cousins 4 wheeler. That is big for him, and unfortunately, he even flipped it. I nearly was having a heart attack but I maintained. I ran over to him in a internal panic because he was not moving and was face down in the grass. I got to him just as he jumped up screaming to the top of his lungs, "That was awesome!" Seriously kid....what the hell is that all about! I needed the paddles of shock, (portable defibrillator), by that point! Clear! Rampart... we have a victim here... female approximately 46 years of age, eyes bugging out and pupils dilated, crazy curly hair turning white before our eyes, mumbling uncontrolably...ETA...15 minutes. Can't you just see it. You see, I have decided that God, along with my grandmother Griffin, are up in heaven laughing hysterically at the fact that one minute Greyson is clinging to my leg like he will never have the courage to break free and the next minute he is flying off of a 4 wheeler in mid air like a rag doll and then jumping up after playing dead for what seemed to be 30 minutes to an hour screaming..."That was awesome!" He is some cruel joke my family has sprung upon me and Michele to assist us in areas such as patience & self control. In the humor area I needed no help so I do get the humor in all of this...Thank God! Funny does not even begin to describe some of what happens at our house. If I wrote it all for you I would have a book. Now there's an idea. ("Ass-Burgers"...It's not just for breakfast anymore!) Haha Good night friends...I have lots o' sleepin' to do! Sweet dreams to all.