summer stuff

After VBS ended we continued with a flurry of summer activities.

Father's Day. It was quite a feat getting Luke to pose for a photo with "just boys." That boy has always loved the ladies. Finally got him to display his Father's Day painting we did.

For the past two weeks Luke has been in Buddy Club at the clinic where he does OT. I'd really hoped to work on some his most problematic social issues, especially latching on to one friend and copying her every move. Buddy Club was not cheap, but worth every penny if it could help.

Well things didn't go according to plan. Luke did not like Buddy Club at all. He did not bond with any children in the class, and he cried most days when he had to go. Lamar or I ended up sitting at the door of Buddy Club just to keep him from leaving the room. He had a tummy ache and tears most days.

I was glad to hear last Wednesday's topic--being a good sport. Luke definitely needs to work on this. After Wednesday's session the therapist said, "I think Luke could teach that class. He knows all the answers about what to do and say when you don't win or can't go first." Sigh.

Buddy Club was very well done. The environment just didn't provide a chance to work on what I deemed our priorities. It did give many opportunities to work through anxiety with a team of professionals there to assist him. And perhaps anxiety is still a much bigger issue than I realized. I wonder if anxiety is driving force behind some of his other social behaviors. Perhaps copying a friend is a coping strategy.



Here's a kind of cute, kind of creepy craft from Buddy Club.

Luke is having 2 private OT sessions each week this summer. He's working a lot on handwriting. I thought the tape on the glass door with the dry erase markers was pretty brilliant. This was a part of a obstacle course. Luke LOVES an obstacle course.

Last week Luke started swimming lessons. I didn't mean to schedule swimming lessons the same week as Buddy Club, but it was kind of unavoidable due to VBS, travel, and some schedule changes.

The Vanderbilt Swim School had been recommended by several friends. I called and explained our situation and they were very supportive and understanding. So I signed him up and hoped for the best.

He was a little nervous the first day, but lined up with his class and marched to the pool.

Blurry, but I can see the enthusiasm.

His first time out with the instructor. He's made a lot of progress since this photo and is now floating on his back.

After completing his first class. Big success!


After a few lessons here his is "swimming" with his face in the water.

It's a little hike from the parking lot to the pool. (Parking at Vandy is so fun.) But Luke marches with enthusiasm to the indoor pool. He's so glad the pool is inside so that no birds can fly into the pool. The bird phobia is a new one. Luke quickly closes any door to the outside (cars, home, garage) for fear a bird might fly inside. Good thing he doesn't know about the time we had birds in the dryer vent.

Luke has also kind of fallen in love with Vanderbilt this week. He's begging us to join the rec center so he can go play table tennis, racquetball, basketball, and any other activity we pass on the way to the pool. And we pass the football practice field on our walk to the pool. One day Lamar returned a couple of footballs that had come over the fence and some players yelled "thank you." Luke was thrilled. I'm not sure how well Luke will do as a Vandy fan. He really likes for his team to win. And one day we saw the team doing some sort of running in the sand volleyball court, without shirts on. Luke was fascinated by the activity and the clothing.





All smiles after another fun swimming day of swimming. Check out the hip pose there.

We're enjoying the summer, even if it doesn't always go like quite like I planned. I'm enjoying lots of time with my boy. Many, many hours with him right by my side. Sigh. But I know I'll miss him when school starts in August.

vbs time again

Last week was VBS. A busy, fun, exhausting time.





Luke and I spent lots of time together. I was his group leader, which basically entailed leading the kids from one activity to the next. And lots of standing in the hall and waiting for crowds of people to pass. And counting heads to make sure we didn't lose anyone.



Luke claimed his favorite part of VBS was the games and activities, although he chose not to participate in two of the games.





The relays suited him well. But he opted out of the two activities that involved everyone running at the same time. When I asked him why he didn't want to play he told me, "Because those boys are running really fast and I can't run really fast." And while that makes me sad for him, he's never going to be as fast as the other kids. At least he's able to assess the situation and calmly decide not to play. He totally inherited the slowness from me. So sorry Luke. I wish I could pick the traits I passed on to you.



We also enjoyed some fun activities in the "Nazareth Marketplace."



Luke with a saw. Just a little scary. His adult assistant there was one of his Bible class teachers whom he loves. He's so patient and kind with Luke.

He liked the bead making shop a lot. All the Nazareth booths were so well done and many people put hours into making them a success.

This was a night he decided to skip out on the game. But he loved cheering on our group members. And he sported the popular sash-on-the-head look. Very nice. And a good shot of the new carpet in the gym.

This was the "marketplace drama" the last night of VBS. The formerly evil tax collector converted to Christianity and thus was throwing (plastic) gold coins into the crowd. You can imagine the frenzy this caused. Our "evil tax collector" was Pharaoh last year in Egypt and an evil Roman guard two years ago. Type casting.

What amazed me most about VBS is how well Luke did with all the noise and crowds. Our assemblies were REALLY loud, with lots of shouting "Booster!" and what not. It frequently hurt my ears. But he just loved it. He was so full of VBS spirit.

After our final night of VBS, Luke found Miss Suzanne, our children's minister, to tell her that he loved VBS and he really loved the games but he did not play two of them. She told him that was fine and she was really glad he enjoyed it. Then he told me he needed to find Mr. Jonathan (another minister who was the "master of ceremonies"). He boldly walked up and said, "I really loved VBS. Everything was my favorite." Mr. Jonathan loved getting some positive feedback.

But I think his favorite portion of VBS was tearing down the decor the last night. Most everyone had left and a skelton crew remained to disassemble Nazareth. One of his fabulous Bible teachers gave the kids important jobs to do and he just loved it.

So Luke's been asking me if I will be his group leader at next year's VBS, and what kids will be in our group. Sigh. . . .

a trip to GA

Just two days after Luke's final day of kindergarten, we headed to Georgia. It was a nice distraction from mulling over the year of kindergarten and what lies ahead. We had a very important wedding to attend.

Our first stop was the ATL airport to pick up my brother and his family. Luke was so incredibly excited about seeing his cousin Maggie.


Here they are together again.

After some creative luggage shifting, everyone and their bags had a spot for the ride to Macon, my hometown. Luke crashed about 20 minutes into the ride. Maggie successfully fought sleep for quite a while, but both were snoozing soundly when we arrived and were carried to their hotel beds. Luke woke up just long enough to learn our room number, then zonked back out. Not the first time he's done that when travelling.

Friday we enjoyed some Nu-Way hot dogs and a little shopping at Macon's new mall (very nice, but an outdoor mall when it's 95 is not ideal). Friday night we headed to the rehearsal dinner.





These two girls are dear family friends. I baby-sat them for years and years. We went to church together and they quickly became a part of our family. Our families spent holidays together and they were in my wedding. Precious friends. So proud of these girls. And I cannot possibly old enough for the baby, who was born when I was high school (I still remember calling from the school pay phone on the day of her birth to find out if she'd arrived safely), to be a married woman.

On Thursday morning as I packed for our trip, Luke asked me what he was going to wear to the wedding. I told him he'd wear his Easter outfit. I actually kind of coordinated our outfits this year, even got a new tie for Lamar, knowing we'd were them again at the wedding. The first time I've ever pulled this off and I was feeling just slightly proud. Luke told me he needed to wear a tie to the wedding. I am not a fan of little boys in suits. My family used to tease me about it, threatening to buy those little baby suits for Luke. But Luke was so adamant that he needed a tie for the wedding, that he and I made a quick run to Kohl's.




He actually looked pretty cute I think.


After quite an adventure finding the quaint country church the bride selected for the wedding (our GPS took us a less than direct route), we arrived just in time to take our seats and enjoy the ceremony (except for sleeping Maggie). Luke was very intrigued by the ceremony and wanted to know at what exact moment they were married.





Maggie woke up as we applauded the newly married couple. She was fascinated by Kelcy's dress and told her "You are my princess." And Luke was totally untucked by reception time, but still insisted on sporting the tie. Quite a look.



Me and sweet Kelcy. I don't know that smiley guy in the back, but he's happy!

Kids getting a little punchy toward the end of the reception. Luke wanted to be with Maggie all the time, and she wanted, well, smaller doses of Luke. He actually took rejection much better than he has from other friends in the past, but not without some drama here and there. They were both absolute champs at the wedding though.

Sweet, sweet Tawny, sister of the bride, and my boy. She was so great with both kids. It just warmed my heart to see them enjoying her.

After the wedding we relaxed and made a Sonic run. Luke was adamant he wanted to order exactly the same meal Maggie did, which included a banana and a strawberry slush. I knew he would not like either of those, but he was certain that was exactly what he wanted. So we ordered them and he did not touch them. And then he wanted my diet coke. Sigh.

Sunday morning we checked out of the hotel and headed to church. Lamar was complaining of a headache that morning as we feasted on the hotel complimentary breakfast buffet. I had to go to Bible class with Luke of course and after class found Lamar in the car with an intense migraine. So I left Luke with the family and headed to get Lamar some medicine and a Coke. We spent church time in the van, AC on max, as he recovered. I am sad I missed worshipping with a church I love so much. But I was able to visit briefly with many folks I've known since I was a small child. And Luke weathered all the craziness and changes like a champ.

A very precious family invited us to their home for lunch after church. I explained Lamar was sick but Mrs. Beverly quickly offered her guest bedroom for Lamar to rest. And when Lamar has a migraine, he needs to sleep.

There are very few houses I would take Luke to for a meal without first explaining our "situation". But I could tell Luke and Mrs Beverly had already become fast friends during church. And Beverly and Dave truly have the gift of hospitality and put everyone at ease, including this nervous mom.

After lunch we headed out on a boat ride.

Life jackets and freeze pops for the kids.

We fed the ducks.

Some sweet baby girl love from Maggie. About 2 seconds after this photo, Luke had to climb in my lap too. Sigh.

Maggie and Mrs. Bev talking about princesses I think. That's the back of Luke's head, right there beside them.

Papa and the grandkids enjoying the ride.

Mr. Dave gave Luke a turn driving. He drove for a minute, but Maggie didn't want to drive so he went back to sit with her. Do you see a pattern here?

Lunch and the boat ride were wonderful, the highlight of my trip, except for Lamar's migraine obviously. So after the fun Mr. Dave and Mrs. Beverly loaded us up with ice cold bottled water and diet Cokes and we headed to Atlanta. They are just the kindest folks and the best hosts ever.

Since Lamar was sick I drove (wife of the year, huh?). Lamar always prefers to be the driver on car trips, though he claims it has nothing to do with my driving skills. And I certainly don't mind always being the passenger. It had been years since I'd driven in Atlanta. I blindly followed my GPS and we safely arrived at our hotel. And from this experience I gleaned it is easier to be the driver than the one attending to the kids' needs!

Monday morning we all went to the Georgia Aquarium, thanks to Mimi and Papa! What a super aquarium. We loved it.

The trip was slightly rocky at first with the kids arguing over riding in the stroller. Luke has not ridden in his stroller in over 2 years, but once Maggie got in it, it was his new favorite thing. But we weathered that storm without too much drama (for us) and had a nice time. Luke actually touched a stingray in the touch tank. First time he's done that.

We loved the penguin exhibit. Luke wanted Maggie to do the penguin crawl tunnel with him, and when she didn't want to he was going to back out too. Then Mimi said, "Luke if you don't do things just because Maggie won't do them too, you're going to miss out on some great stuff." That seemed to resonant with Luke and off we went.

A blurry Luke and me in the penguin exhibit. Maggie later decided to try the crawl tunnel too.

The most impressive portion of the aquarium was the ocean voyage section, built by Home Depot. Wow. Here we are on the moving sidewalk watching sea creatures swim above us. The staff was really helpful too and we learned a lot about the fish. I remember nothing now, but at the time I found it interesting. But based on the photo, I think the music was a little loud for Maggie though.

The tunnel ended in a huge observation room with a giant glass wall for viewing the fish. Luke tried out some poses in front of the tank. This was our favorite.

Maggie was certain this room was a movie and she was so excited to see it! Precious.




I think this tank was supposed to be Nemo and Dori. Luke took the photo as the line to the small tank really long (thanks Disney!) and Luke waited with Papa to see these fish.

Tuesday morning we did some shopping. Hoping to avoid any stroller conflicts, we planned to rent some strollers at the mall. Luke about 5 inches taller than the "recommended" height. So here's how he rode:

And he never once complained about it.

Luke did really great shopping, especially considering we shopped for hours and he's accustomed to very short shopping trips. He even did fine when our little family of three separated from the group. Separating our group has always been hard for him, but he managed.

Tuesday evening we took a picnic to Stone Mountain park. We planned to stay for the laser show. But I saw in the brochure that there were some fireworks during the show. So I called Stone Mountain and asked when the fireworks were in the show. The answer was a few at the end, but not a lot. So we decided to give it a try.

Mimi got the kids these fun light up necklaces.

But they really wanted light sabers, which Mimi also bought them. Traveling with grandparents is pretty awesome. We warned Erik not to instigate a battle with Luke, but he did not head our advice. And Luke got just a bit carried away. Surprise, surprise.


The kids enjoyed the music and dancing before the show. They loved the chicken dance, but I will not be posting any photos of me chicken dancing with Luke.


The laser show finally started and almost immediately there were a few fireworks. I tried helping Luke use the earplugs Erik gave him, but they didn't fit his ears too well. A few minutes later there were a few more fireworks. It seemed fireworks were used throughout the show. And not knowing when they were coming was making Luke very nervous. He asked Lamar to take him to the car. Knowing he was asking to leave the group, even his beloved Maggie, I knew he was struggling. So Lamar, Luke, and I made our way through the darkness back to the car, covering Luke's ears the entire way.

Just after we got the car, the rest of the family appeared. Maggie was upset about the "flames and fireworks" too. So we headed back to the hotel, the kids happily watching Tangled in the van. Luke fell asleep moments after getting back to the room.

We checked out of our hotel Wednesday morning. Erik and Jeanie's flight didn't leave til that evening, so we headed to Lenox mall to kill a little time and eat at a favorite restaurant.

We rewarded Luke successfully giving Maggie some space by letting him try out the Xbox Kinect display.

Big hit. Huge hit. And kind seems like it would help his coordination. He loved the dancing game and the race we tried. I failed at getting my character to run. I ran in place as fast as I could, but my onscreen character would only shuffle. Typical.

We dropped Jeanie, Erik, and Maggie at the airport and said our good-byes.

Luke slept a good portion of the drive home. Vacation is hard work.

What a trip! It was a blessed time with family, adopted family, and church family. After we arrived home, our dear friend, the mother of the bride, sent me an email I will always cherish. She commented how comfortable and happy Luke seemed the wedding, how good his eye contact was, and how well he interacted with everyone. She said, "I don't think anyone around him realized what he/you have gone through."

Oh how I needed that reminder! Because sometimes even I forget what we've gone through. And sometimes the challenges we battle today really try my patience and I wonder if we're making any progress. But I have to remember where he's been. God isn't finished with him yet. And he isn't finished with me either. I know I have a lot more to learn from this boy's life. He continually reminds me that my plans are not my own and the only way to live is trusting God for each step of this journey.

I hope Luke has many memories to savor from our great trip to Georgia. I know I do.