A Little, and at times...alot, on the Wild Side...

We have been going, going, going lately and yesterday we decided to slow down some. It was nice. But it does remind me of how important an energy release is for Greyson. It has been sweltering hot here for early summer so anything we do usually involves water. Otherwise mommy would burst into flames when we are outside in it. He has been doing really well but he does miss alot of his friends from school. We try to set up play dates here and there when we can and that helps. He is really into Pokemon mainly because some of his buddies love it. He has really no clue what they are or how to really play. He just happily trades the cards and thinks he is doing something spectacular. That's fine...or at least it is when he isn't hassling me to buy more of them. Seems a boy can never have enough of them much to my dismay. Some days I just say no...others I cave. What can I say?
A good lesson came out of it the other day for both of us though...mainly me. I boldly claimed to him, "I don't have the money to buy you cards today. Besides, you just got new ones yesterday." He screams, "You lied to me! I saw $10 in your wallet just now!" This led to me telling him to calm down and explaining that I did not lie. I had to explain to him that the money I had was to buy our picnic lunch and if I used it for cards we couldn't get lunch. I told him feeding him was more important than buying the cards. He totally got it and calmed down immediately. I swear he is here for me and my communication skills, listening skills, (or lack there of) etc...etc... I have to thoughtfully plan my words before talking to him but I forget alot. I get caught in his literal traps and have to back my way out constantly. At least I am starting to figure out how to make sense of some things for him. I still feel I fail alot and that isn't a good feeling. I so want to make sense of this world for him and how things are and I can't always do that. It's just so in his mind and sometimes there is NO changing it.
I have loved spending this extra time with him over the summer so far. It has been rewarding and exhausting all in one. The exhausting moments aren't always fun and I find myself loosing patience at times. But thank goodness not too an excess. I want to limit my "crazy mommy" moments to a bare minimum if any at all. hahahahaaaa I strive to have none of that but I can't say I am successful 100% of the time. I wish I could though. He is a great guy but he still has plenty to teach me. I hope I am a good student. I was a great student in school but this time it is way more important. It could help shape me into a much better me and that would be an awesome accomplishment. A PhD in my mind!
Hats off to all the parents who learn wonderful lessons from their children day in and day out. To those who have a little more on their plate than others...here's to you! We all have different levels of stuff that we are dealing with. Just remember, some have it easier than others, some have it much tougher. The important thing is that we all learn from these great kids and take those lessons with us into life each and every day. The world will be a better place for it. Oh the love, patience, understanding, and compassion that would abound and surround us! It would be the change the world needs. We should embrace Peace, Hope, Love & Compassion for our fellow man...Today, tomorrow and into our futures. (((hugs))) :)

A Fun Fun week so far...

Greyson and I have had a great week playing in water at the spray grounds, hanging out at Target, playing Poke'mon, playing Thomas, watching cartons, movies, etc...etc... We went to OT on Wednesday and he did great. He was very bummed because his time flew by. Mainly due to them playing with water balloons and having alot of fun and doing things they normally do not do. He had been at the spray ground prior to our going to OT so he was worn out good. Afterwards i wore him out some more by heading out to Plaza Midwood Park. Suzy had planned a Peace picnic which was really awesome. You had to wear your favorite outfit or something lovely, bring a picnic, and be conscious of the three R's...(Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) so that being said...we played, Suzy took pictures, and we ate great food. We saw some folks we had not seen since school was out and had a blast. We hope to do it again soon so be on the lookout... :) Thursday, we met Kathy, Ethan and Cameron at the spray ground near our house. (Niven's Park) It was really fun and Kathy and I had a chance to plot and scheme some more for Suzy's birthday...which is today officially. Happy Birthday Suzy!!!! We got our plans ready and set them into action. We met Suzy at Phat Burrito for a few beers and dinner and headed home. All the time preparing for the attack. hahahahahaaa It was great. Greyson was at home with Michele which works out great. He has been really needing time with her lately and can't seem to get enough of her. She is attacked from the moment she walks through the door...poor thing. I try not to bother her anymore right after she arrives home since she has enough craziness with him. I used to ramble on about the day and add to her craziness. Those of you who know me know I am good at talking/rambling. Always feel free to tell me to shut my pie hole if need be. :) So...today Greyson and I are meeting Kathy and Cameron at Angela's Apt. to go swimming all day. We will take our lunch and hang out until in the afternoon. It should be lots of fun and we are excited. The summer has been very busy and I hope will continue to be busy. We still have the zoo, Lazy 5, The Raptor Center, The Nature Museum, Discovery Place, Several City Parks and Carowinds to attack! So watch out folks...if you see a white Jeep blaze by we are on our way to our next adventure!

Dreamer of things...Intense old soul

Here lately Greyson has been doing great but I have noticed something. something he has done occasionally at times for a while and is doing again right now. he can be extremely private, even with us. He daydreams while in the car, staring off out of the window, while listening to some slow song. you see he loves the tunes from movies that he can dance to, but he also loves slow ballads and instrumentals. lately he has been listening to that Nick Lache song, What's Left of Me. WTH? Anyway...i made him a CD and he wanted that on there among a wild list of other songs, none of which really fit together. (Except one thing...he loves them all!) I think he is thinking about a girl when he listens to it because the other day he came home and drew alot of sweet pictures of a girl that said, "I love Greyson". i think this sweet boy has a crush...again...then again it may still be the first girl that he found to be sweet. i don;t know as he will not discuss it. He says it is extra top secret when I try to talk to him. It's really sweet but it also worries me. He seems sooooo thoughtful about the whole thing. Like he's an old soul or something. He is such a complex individual that I could never get across on here how complex this boy can be. Other times he is carefree and just having fun, others he is so deeply in thought that it worries me. It is intense and you have to witness it to understand. Well...even though I worry I can only ask and respect his not wanting to discuss it as he seems to be embarrassed by it. He's a sweet guy. i watched him play today on the playground, stalking and chasing the kids as he normally does when he doesn't know them yet. He doesn't know quite how to approach them always so he chases and stalks until they hopefully talk to him. If not I normally try to prompt him or intervene to help him learn names. He was chasing them roaring...the norm as well, and saying..."I am half T-Rex, half man....Rarrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" they had not idea what to think of him but they loved playing with him anyway. He had a great time too. We played in the spray ground in Dilworth and on the playground for about 2 hours before heading to play therapy. we had a great day with lunch, playing, play therapy, and then a round of Karate. He should be ready to pass out soon. I know I am. I love him sooo, I love this summer spending time with him, and I love my life. It isn't always easy...but it is great and I couldn't ask for more right now. Now if I can always remember to stay present things will work out just fine... Good night friends and extended family...Thank you all for your support and love. Without you we would be lost! Hugs!

Late trip to Carowinds...Too hot I tell you!

Today was a great day and we hung out here at the house for a while, went shopping to run some errands and took Greyson to Nascare Speedpark. Afterward we came home as everyone was tired and Michele laid down for a short nap. Greyson played while I surfed the net. We decided we would do a fun thing when momom (Michele) woke up. They were convinced we should head out to Carowinds but I was not so sure. Thanks to the heat, and possible crowds, I was not convinced this was a good idea. However I headed off with them regardless of my apprehension. We didn't arrive until about 5:15 and had to wait in line for tickets. It was weird because all of the ticket lines were shut dwon but one and no one working there seemed to know why or have any orginization about how they funneled us in. Frustration arose but I let it go fast thank goodness. it served no purpose other than to make a bad situation worse. So....it was what it was. We got inside and they were off...he rode several roller coasters...his favorite thing, except for the tunnels, and we got some frozen lemonade and then some water later. By the time they had ridden most of the coasters they wanted to ride it was almost 8pm. We decided we should go since we had not had dinner. We let Greyson get a mix it up icee and then he wanted to ride the swings one time before we left. He did it all by himself...HUGE for him...and then we headed out to the car. Once we left we headed over to El Cancun because momom was having a hankering for Mexican. Greyson had made some comments about wanting to go straight home because he felt sick. He claimed the icee made him feel sick. I figured he was just hungry and tired and somewhat dehydrated. Well...I need to listen! How often have I told you guys I need to listen! we went into El Cancun and he immediately starts saying, "I want to go home. This place stinks and is filthy." (It wasn't filthy but the building is very old) hahahahaaaaa He said, "I am gonna puke!" Seriously mommy...I am feeling like I am gonna puke!" Michele left to get him some KFC while I ordered us 2 margaritas on the rocks. We needed them for sure! Well...once she got back he was freakin' out about the chicken and how it smelled, the El Cancun and its "stench" as he called it and puking. I told Shel to order our food to go and I took him to the car. I left her to finish off the margaritas as I KNEW she really needed both drinks at that point! Greyson and I spent out time waiting getting in and out of the car, him spitting int he grass, claiming he was gonna puke, etc... Finally momom showed up and we started to drive off only to stop immediately again because he thought he was gonna puke. Once he got back in the car without puking we decided then to take the baby wipes out of their container to free it up for possible incidents on the way home. Off we headed home...he feel asleep, thank goodness, and we were almost there when he popped the top on the wipes container. Oh Noooooooooo! He starts puking....I pull over, approx. 3 miles from home, and once he was done we proceeded with caution. We made it home, showered and started to eat dinner. He said he felt better and was ready to eat so....we cautiously gave him his dinner. Only to see it again 5 minutes later. Yes...I did have to shower again after my cleaning of the bathroom. Needless to say we headed off to be shortly after all this. Yesterday was quite eventful. Here's hoping today is much calmer. Hugs to all.

Friday is such a great day..

Friday is a great day. It brings an end to the week and a beginning to the "weekend". Greyson has had fun the last couple of days. We met Kathy and Cameron at the park for fun. we played in the spray ground with Gingers beasties for a while and he spent QT with Michele, Uncle Rich and cousin Richie last night at Nascar Speedpark. i had gone out with a friend to watch our buddy Myra do karaoke at Hartigans. I do not get to see my buddy enough as I stay busy with Greyson so this was really fun for me. I missed Greyson and Shel, but thanks to our last visit to NAscar Speedpark I did not miss that. hahahahaaa It was nearly a disaster but was averted thank goodness. I am sure you read it a few weeks ago...if not it is worth a laugh. Today we shall find some things to get into. We had planned to go to a pool party family night tonight at a friends only to realize we had double booked ourselves. Bummer....Greyson will be going to his movie night at MATI, his Karate facility, to share pizza and a movie with his buddies there. Which reminds me, yesterday, when we were at the park he was complaining of his foot hurting and saying he couldn't walk or run. well...when we got to Karate he was struggling again. Master Hartsell checked it out and thinks he sprained his Achilles area. Poor guy...I thought he was just being his normal limpy self. Then Michele discloses that he hurt himself playing wii fit with Uncle Rich trying to run as fast as he could. So....Mr man is on no running or over doing his foot right now. Which, of course, he has no issues with. hahaaa Exerting himself physically is not his favorite thing to do you see...We really have to push to get him outside, to the park, etc...Hence the reason he has a little bulge around the middle. This summer I am committed to working on him getting out more. We shall see how it goes. For now...we are having great fun and a great summer so far. Lots of friends and swimming and park dates. Maybe even a trip to the zoo! It's gonna be great and we look forward to sharing it all. Have a great sunny Friday and weekend everyone! Hugs....

Fun Day at Imaginon...

Today Greyson and I ran errands. We got momom's glasses fixed and took them to her. While we were at the mall waiting on them to be fixed he made me laugh. we were walking down the stairs and he had a drink in hand. he stopped abruptly to tell me, "Hold this! I cannot do all of this at once and I need to come on your side to hold on. this is my bad arm side mommy." He is funny. he has always had a hard time on stairs and it takes all of his concentration to walk down without falling. He has to hold the handrail but always with his right hand. The other hand is bad and he will tell you that. (Reason is because he is right handed and the left has no coordination) He will tell you his whole left side is bad very matter of factly... (Which always cracks me up.) I took his drink while he walked down with a spastic gate one step at a time. I am used to this too. He is coming along but some very simple things we take for granted are a struggle to him. Not so much that it stops our world though. After that we headed off to Concord Mills to return some things. We got him some fun things like a cool new Wall-E bathing suit and a swim mask & fin set. Yay! He is excited because some good friends of ours are letting us have the swim pass to their neighborhood pool for the summer. he loves to swim so this gift is huge for us. I had already been wondering where we might go on a regular basis...now we have an option close to home that is great. After we ran errands we headed off to Imaginon to meet Ginger, H and the beasties for some fun. He played on the computers and had fun with Umberto, Ian, Camille, and Piper. I took some silly photos of him as you saw and we finally left around 3pm. It was fun and we will have to go back to soon. The summer hopefully will bring lots of fun play dates with friends new and old...

Brushing teeth...the kittens teeth!

Well we have been pluggin along day to day here at the beginning of summer. Playing in the sun, playing in the water, visiting friends and having a great time. We have shopped, hung out at home, relaxed and just been around...chillin' per say... last night Greyson finally cracked me up for the first time in a very long time. I walked into the bathroom to check on him and he was sitting int he floor with the kitten and an old tooth brush of his, blue crayola tooth brush to be exact, and he was actually brushing the kittens teeth! The kitten, Alex, was not sure what to think. he was biting the brush and yet letting Greyson brush his teeth all at the same time. I just turned and walked back out laughing. I had just recently laughed and told my friends a story about my buddy Wayne and his brother doing a similar thing, but on a much larger scale. They waited until their mother left for the grocery store and brought their pony into the trailer where they lived to brush it's teeth. Not only that...they used an electric toothbrush which resulted in a terrified pony tearing that trailer apart trying to get back outside. Our kitten incident was no where near as crazy as that but really funny none the less. Alex probably has the cleanest kitten teeth around. Funny guy...

Today Greyson and I headed to the DMV to take care of our lost/stolen? tag from Michele's hoopty truck. You remember the one...the one that the tail gate fell off in the middle of I-77 and slid across 3 lanes of traffic luckily not hitting anything or anyone. Yeah...that one. I say we are going to report the tag being stolen. Greyson corrects me and says, "Mom, you should call it the license plate...we are going to replace the license plate." Ok...I say...OK. You see he has to have things stated just so so...it's all black and white in his world, no short cuts, he is VERY literal and things mean exactly what you say to him...EXACTLY. I am sooo struggling in speaking almost all of the time. I need to loss the sarcasm and the little things you blurt out without thinking like..."In a minute." That to him means in exactly 60 seconds we will be doing/arriving and/or taking some action. He is my lesson in conversation and I feel I am not getting it as quickly as I should. Thinking before speaking to him is not an option...it is a necessity. I struggle alot...but oh I need this lesson so badly. He was a a friends house whose daughter we think may have Aspergers. She said she was howling listening to a conversation her daughter was having with Greyson. Her daughter spoke for about 10 minutes on something that was important to her and interested her while Greyson sat there and nodded. Then he started in with a conversation to her daughter having nothing to do with what she had spoken of and she sat and nodded for him. Too funny...her mom said they went back and forth like this for a while sounding like two little old people being cordial. I would have loved to had that on tape. Greyson is definitely doing well and I will try my best to keep him very busy this summer playing with buddies form his school. We plan to go to Lazy 5, the zoo, the parks, spray grounds, and lord knows where for lots of fun. Maybe the Raptor Center or Nature Museum. There is plenty to do that's free and/or cheap so we should take advantage of them all. Until next time folks...enjoy the sun and fun with the ones you love! :)