Life Group Camping Trip

Our Sunday school class decided to go on a camping trip with all our kids (and let me assure you that most everyone in our class is procreating at a rapid rate!) Sean and I had decided last week it probably wasn't a good idea for me, Dallas and Asher to spend the night but we decided to come out for a little bit after my reunion. Tiffany did a great job of planning all the activities and the kids were having a great time. When I got there they were playing some games, swinging and then had a big kick ball game.

Relay race! Helton's and Whitman's on a team together
Dallas swinging on the rope swing
After that we built a big bonfire and had smores. I left soon after that and Sean and Boston stayed the night and had a lot of fun. Boston talked non stop about it when he got home and how much he wanted to go again soon.

High school Drama Reunion

This afternoon I met up with some old friends from high school for a drama reunion of sorts. Not many people were able to come so we are thinking of repeating it again over the holidays when more people are in town. It was fun to see everyone and catch up. I had Asher and Dallas there with me while Sean and Boston were already at our Sunday School (Life Group) camping trip. I was a little bummed that Jen and I were the only ones from my graduating class and that no one else above our class was there. I'll have to work on that for the next reunion.

Jen, Cricket and Jessica

Greg playing with Dallas (Dallas LOVED this!)

Monster Hands

Today was Boston's snack day at school and we repeated a snack he took last year. They are called monster hands. You take kitchen plastic gloves and put a candy corn in each finger slot and then fill with popcorn and tie the top off. It's really cute. (I'll try and post a photo for this later. I forgot to take a pic so I'll have to make some more :-)

Dallas' trip to Green Meadows Farm

Today was Dallas' field trip to Green Meadows farm and once again I chaperoned. This time I wasn't in charge of any other kids because there were several other moms there and we didn't have as many kids. Dallas' class only has 9 kids. He was SOOO excited about going and couldn't wait to get there all morning. He also got to ride on the bus and mommy rode with some other mommys. It was fun because my neighbors son's class was also going with them and a friend of mine way back from Lamaze class' son is also in Dallas class. (I realized when I got there that I left the sim card for my fancy camera so these were all taken with the iphone)

Dallas got to see a lot of animals that Boston didn't get to see on his trip. Here we are looking at the cows

Talking with the Llama
Chasing the ducks. Dallas never tried to pick them up, he just loved chasing them around. But mommy actually picked one up this time and Dallas got to touch it. He thought that was great!
The Ostrich was so funny. He cocked his head like he was really observing US!
Chasing Chickens. I picked one of these up too. They were so docile
Feeding the goats
Mommy holding the baby chick on Dallas shoulder. He didn't want to hold it so mommy did the holding
Baby duck liked to try and eat Dallas shirt and he thought that was so funny. Did you know that only the male ducks make quacking noises.
Riding the train. Ya for trains!

Dallas first time riding a horse! His name was Mocha. Dallas had the biggest smile on his face the entire time.
Mrs Sheff (Dallas) class and Mrs Sue's (Boston's PreK teacher from last year) class
Dallas milking a cow
He picked out the only white pumpkin they had and even the guides were jealous he found it!
We had such a fun day together. It really was what I needed with him. After a rough week and weekend it was really nice to be one on one with him and he was just wonderful today. He minded better than even a lot of the other children. His teacher says he's the best in her class, always doing what she says, a master puzzle man, quiet in circle time and perfect when lining up. I just love spending time with him, especially when I can do it one on one. What a sweetie his is!

On the way home from the farm all the kids feel asleep on the bus...so funny!

Tears

Today I think many things hit me. I'm so overwhelmed with so much at the moment. I've been reading a lot about sensory integration disorder and Asperger's and such and I'm hearing a lot more even about this gluten free/casin free diet and how it works wonders. I really think we need to do that. But I'm overwhelmed at the thought of that, what an undertaking. And I'm overwhelmed with things that need to change in the house to help it not seem overwhelming to Dallas, like more structure in the house. Of course we don't even know if there is a "specific" thing that is effecting his behavior or if any of these things will help so that of course makes me question to what degree to even do them. If someone said to me, "change this and the result will be this." I think I might be able to handle it better and go with the change a little easier. But it's all a guessing game at this point. We won't know anything from the behavioral specialist until early December, 2 MONTHS AWAY. That seems like a lifetime sometimes.

I think the miscarriage is also effecting me now as well. Of course God probably knew I couldn't handle being pregnant and then having a new born while trying to adjust to all this going on in our lives. And then of course China being closed was yet another dead end.

So lately I have felt many doors being slammed in my face and the picture of my future changing before my eyes. And I think maybe I'm having a hard time accepting that. So this morning when I woke up I knew I could feel the emotions welling up inside of me. I felt angry at God for throwing so much at me in these last two months. And it's Sunday, time for church. So I prayed this morning for him to speak to me in a big way because I'm just so confused, overwhelmed and the anxiety is killing me. I needed him to move me, talk to me, comfort me and tell me its all going to be okay.

I don't think I can ever recall crying at church but this morning the water runnith over! I couldn't stop. And I SO hate to cry in public, hopefully no one saw me. Our music minister said, I know some of you out there today are hurting. So lets take a moment to pray for you (this is not something they do regularly) He asked for those around them to lay hands on them and pray. Suzanne moved in between Sean and I and the then the minister started singing the one song that has kept coming to my mind lately. "Word of God Speak, would you pour down like rain, washing my eyes to see, your majesty, To be still and know, That You're in this place Please let me stay and rest, In Your holiness, Word of God speak" Wow did he speak to me this morning. Then later in the service several members of the church had signs that they walked on stage with saying things they had struggled with and then turned it over to reveal God's majesty in them. It was so powerful for me. I know he's in control and he will make all things good.

We were supposed to go to Disney today with Sean's parents but Sean said I really needed the day to myself. And he was right. I probably wouldn't have made it through the week without that. So I went to the mall, ate, shopped, sat in the car and read a bit, and went to Whole Foods to research Gluten Free stuff. It was refreshing and just what I needed. Now I feel like I have perspective and I'm not so caught up in how I'm "feeling". I need to guide my heart and not focus on the emotions so much. I'm ready week...bring it on!

Winter Garden Music Festival

Late this afternoon we headed out and went to Twistee Treat with the kids before heading to the library. Sean mentioned the festival that was going on that he saw while he was running (14 miles!) this morning. So we decided to check it out. Wes and Suzanne also met us up there. It was a lot of fun with lots of music going on, fun things for the kids to do and shopping, food and more. We ate dinner outside at a sidewalk table at the Winter Garden Pizza place and I had the best calzone I've ever had. Then Wes and Zanne came over to play cards and Apple to Apple and hang out. So glad they live close to us!

Asher in front of the Winter Garden Theatre. My dad grew up in Winter Garden and its been fun to watch them bring the downtown back to its old splendor

Of course, right away my boys found the train! FIRST thing they spotted. So we followed it all over to finally find where they loaded. We bought tickets and all 5 of us rode. Of course the rest of the night Boston was trying to get more money from anyone to ride again. LOLDaddy and Asher. he loved it as wellMe and AsherThe boys riding in the Caboose together

Boston's Green Meadows Field Trip

Today was Boston's first field trip and we went to Green Meadows Farm. I got to go as a chaperone and was so excited to spend some time with his class, getting to know the teacher and the students better. I didn't get to volunteer in the class last month because of the craziness of the month and I'm really looking forward to that as well this month. Boston was really excited I was going on the trip as well, and he was looking forward to riding the bus over as well.

I was assigned to have Boston, Logan and Alisha in my group. Logan is one of the boys I've heard Boston talk about. Bad and good. Sometimes they are friends and sometimes he says Logan doesn't want to be his friend.

Boston and his friend Logan on the hayride

Boston riding a horse, her name was Peanut

Boston was amazing at catching all the animals. He must have picked up a dozen different chickens. And we learned today that you can tell what color eggs they lay by the color of their earlobes. Who knew!
Boston with yet another chicken
Chasing around the goats and sheep
Feeding some goats

Boston with a baby chick. They were so cute and soft.
Mrs Ramdehal
Catching the ducks

Another duck, again, he caught more animals than anyone in his class.Milking a cow named Sweet Lips

The weather was BEAUTIFUL today and we had so much fun! We had enough time to do most everything. I think Boston's favorite part of riding the train...who would have guessed right...HahahaHere's some of the pumpkin patch and Boston looking long and hard for the perfect pumpkin to take home

Boston and the chosen pumpkin (I love taking picture in pumpkin patches!)

The entire class!

Just enjoying each other

After school today I took the boys by my parents house. They are out of town but the boys really wanted to play over there. We never even made it into the house. The weather was just so amazing and nice today that we all played in the front yard together. Asher found a mound of dirt that attracted him and he sat himself down right in it and had a ball.

Boston and Dallas had a blast riding the motorized vehicles around. Dallas and I enjoyed laying in the grass looking up at the clouds and laughing and tickeling each other. Then we played tag in their big front yard. Everyone joined in on this, including Asher and Dillard. Although we realized that Dillard wasn't trying to play tag, she was trying to herd us all into a corner together. But we had so much fun and the running, laughing and playing in this beautiful weather was more than I could ask for!!!!

A Gluten Free Diet

This afternoon I talked to my friend Jackie (the same friend that prompted me to put a hold on vaccinating Asher until he is 2 years old at least. She has an autistic child and also a child with Sensory Integration Disorder and ADHA). She has a lot of experience in dealing with this spectrum of syndromes. We talked a lot about the child's diet and how it effects their mood and more. It was like a light going off. I new Dallas diet is not well balanced because he is an EXTREMELY picky eater and VERY stubborn. So getting him to get some things is IMPOSSIBLE.

I already feel pretty well versed in the Biology of Behavior after having heard Diane Craft speak several times. http://www.diannecraft.com/ She is amazing and her cds are so wonderful. I've known for sometime that Dallas defiantly needed to do her supplemental program (probably all of us in the family and most people in general because most of are body guts are off balance which sends are serotonin levels so low.) I will never forget the first time I heard her talk at the homeschool conference when she mentioned that infants who had acid reflux, projectile vomit and thrush would probably end up with a gut problem, needing these supplements. Dallas had all three severely as an infant. Boston too had acid reflux but after I changed my diet (no dairy, caffeine, or acidy foods like tomato or oranges) he was able to go off of the medicine and seemed cured. Dallas on the other hand wasn't. He would scream for 5 and 6 hours at a time. He would crawl into corners in pain and nothing ever seemed to work. I remember even videoing it at one time because I new no one would believe me and taking him to the doctor insisting that something was wrong. We had an x-ray of his stomach because nothing else showed a problem. But still, it turned out fine. So we just pushed through and endured it. He finally out grew it somewhere around 7 months old. He's never liked milk very much or dairy for that matter.

A year later I saw someone talk on acid reflux on a tv show and she talked about how they are now saying to eliminate wheat from the diet. That was it! That was the missing link!!! He was probably needing me to eliminate wheat. So now when Jackie mentioned the importance for some children to go on a gluten(wheat)free and casin(dairy)free diet it made so much since!!!

But now, after having done some research on what has wheat in it I do feel very overwhelmed. Wow-this will NOT be an EASY task!!! Just the thought of mixing all these different grains to make bread seems like a daunting task - will he even EAT it? But I know this is what I need to do. If a child has a wheat allergy it can cause them a lack of appetite and be like a drug to them. It can effect their mood, attention span and so much more. And how much better this is for a child then medicating them (and the pediatrician was already talking about medication when he mentioned that Dallas may end up with ADHD in the future) So I am game to do anything to correct the balance of nutrition in his diet. I know it will be a long road ahead and a lot of work, but aren't our kids worth it?

I found this encouraging piece from a lady online:

My son was a picky eater also and now is not. We used to call him a Carbivore because he only focused on snack type food, or bread. About 3-4 months after being gluten-free (he was 3 1/2 at that time) he began trying a lot of different food. I don't think he just developmentally changed, but rather was feeling better and/or his brain was processing things differently.

One night I got the urge to ask, "How about a taco salad tonight?" He said "Sure!" Well, that response surprised me, but I was really surprised when he began eating this huge plate of salad with all the fixings on it. And the salad wasn't just iceberg lettuce, either! My regret is that I didn't take a picture. I literally stood there with my mouth open watching him. I was shocked. He was on a roll then (no pun intended) and began trying other "green" things like guacamole and broccoli. Good heavens!!

Well, I don't know if your child will follow in this vein, but I had to share because it certainly is true that gluten affects a lot more than just the stomach.