Monster Jam in Philly!

Cody loves to watch Monster Jam on TV so we have been looking for a show nearby. All of them were little indoor type shows and not worth the money. Then I saw a commerical for a show at the stadium the Eagles play. Advanced Auto had a deal for kids to get in for cheap so we two days before the show we bought tickets. We didn't tell the kids, we just loaded them up and said we were off for a day of errands. The show was a blast! It was loud and we have a full view of what was going on. Then towards the end Cody fell forward out of his chair and split above his left eye open. I scooped him up and ran out to see if they had a first aid station. After they cleaned the blood up they said he would have to have stitches. Our choices were go by ambulance to CHoP or take him to an ER closer to home. He wanted to stay and watch the freestyle part so they gave us some ice, a clear bandaid and upgraded our seats so we were closer to the first aid place. The seats were great especially for the freestyle event!










We each got a T-shirt at the pit party and got to meet some drivers. It was HOT and miserable, but once we got to our seats and the sun started setting it was much better. And they had a Papa Jonhns right outside where we were sitting so you can't beat that! I had never been in a football stadium before and this one was huge! I think they said it seats 70,000! It was a great surprise for the kids and we all slept in after spending till almost 1am at the ER with Cody! Lucky for him they opted to do suture tape for less trauma and becuase it was high enough they weren't concerned it would come open. He'll always have his special souvenir from Monster Jam!

Dover, DE with the Dehns!

Since Zach was working Sunday and Monday I decided to take the kids to Dover, De to see our friends the Dehns. Cody was so excited to see his friend Matt! It's a 2 hour drive and even though it was a holiday weekend traffic was not too bad. We arrived Sunday around 3 and stayed until almost 5 on Monday so it was quick, but a nice little get away. The boys had a lot of fun and hopefully we will get back to Dover to see them soon!

Memorial weekend campout

Since Zach doesn't have weekends really we opted for a quick camping trip to Ft. Dix. The McCalebs came along too. Their son Jackson is in Ryan's class at school and the dad works with Zach. They started off fishing and I think Cody was the only one that didn't catch anything. His mind was on smores more than fishing. Zach caught a huge catfish!





Next time maybe we will eat the fish we catch. It was a nice little camping trip and although we weren't far away it was enough!

Walk for Autism Now 2010 was a success!!!!!

I am so proud of my team! We almost reached our goal of raising $1000 and to me we more than did our part to raise awareness! This was without any support from local businesses so a HUGE thank you to our familiy and friends that reached out to support us! I went to local businesses, but some had already made donations, others just said no. We did a great job anyway!

It was fun to walk with friends even though the ones with kids couldn't make it the whole 3 miles,but one mile was still a trek for those guys! Tyler made it all three miles although I can't say he was too happy about it. Zach, Cody and Ryan took in the entertainment and then met up with us to walk the last mile. Cody ran almost the entire lap! My friend Jen's little boy was just diagnosed with asperghers and as we talked and walked it made me see even more how far Cody has come. I completely understand where she is at right now and I have thought a lot about how good friends and family were so important in those first few months. We are very fortunate to have caught Cody very early. Asperghers is usually not seen as young and time is really of the essence. I don't claim to be an expert, but recently I have been asked by three different families for help. It is also nice to have someone to talk to that understands. Leaving Germany meant leaving behind the only people that knew the ups and downs and struggles of daily life. Now I am gaining a new circle of friends that I can identify with and we can talk and share our feelings to deal with it better.

The pictures above are from my designated photographer. I almost dind't even get a team photo since Zach took off with Cody to get snacks! The others on the team got photos as well so will send them to me. It was a great day, a great three miles and I can't wait to do it all again next year. I learned one valuable lesson. Spend the money for T-shirts to be made! I did have fun making the shirts, but it was stressful!

Congratulations Tyler!

Report cards came home this past week and we are so proud of Tyler! Last quarter he had all A's and a B. This time he told me his goal was to have all A's. I was a little taken back because I didn't think he really watched his grades or cared. Well he did have a hidden agenda......he asked if he could get the play station in his room if he earned all A's. Zach and I talked and decided that was reasonable. So Tyler watched his grades on the internet and when the report card came home he was so excited to see all A's. His teacher said he would like for Tyler to set a goal of high honor roll this quarter which is 93% or higher in everything and I think he can do it. He only has two subjects that are below 93%. We were also very impressed by the teacher comments.

His teachers said "Congratualtions Tyler on making the Honor Roll a second time in a row. You can be proud that Tyler places such a high value on personal integrity. He is very concerned about what is right and expects the same from others. Tyler is a wonderful model for the whole class."

I often feel like I am not getting anywhere with the kids so this tells me that maybe I am doing something right. I hope he continues to care about his grades this way so he can be keep being successful.

Tyler's Aquarium field trip

The 5th graders went to the aquarium in Camden this past week and Tyler took a lot of pictures! The battleship New Jersey is right down the water and Philadelphia is across the water. They got to touch sting rays, sharks, and jellyfish. I think he said his favorite parts were the sharks becuase at one point they are swimming above you and he like Penguin Island. I wish I could have gone as a chaperone, but they only allowed two parents and Thursdays are really bad days with Cody's therapies. He still had tons of fun!

Fishing Easter Weekend

This is a recap since I just now found the pictures on the memory card. While I took Cody to the doctor which ended up at the hospital, Zach was fishing with Tyler and Ryan. I believe the count for the day was 9 for Tyler, 8 for Ryan and 4 for Zach. Zach says he was so busy helping worm the hooks and cast lines that he didn't get to catch as many. I guess since I wasn't there I can't argue that response!