What's New

My posts lately have been more pictures and "fluff" and I haven't really talked about what's going on in our lives. So, whether you want it or not, here it goes!

*Jack is currently in summer school through the school district's special education program. He LOVES it. He loves school. He loves his teachers and his friends. He loves the bus. We have no doubt in our minds that putting him in this program was the right decision. He will start the regular school year in September and will most likely have the same teacher as last year...which we are super excited about. He'll be in preschool another year and then we will need to make the decision if we want him going to kindergarten or waiting another year.

*Jack is also currently on a waiting list for an autism evaluation with Fraser Child & Family Center in Minneapolis. Their wait list is forever long and he probably won't get in until the end of fall or beginning of winter. We are looking forward to this opportunity, though. It will provide a medical diagnosis for Jack and also will help refer us to other therapies that will help him (and us).

*Autism is something we never thought we'd have to deal with, and now we are becoming very familiar with it. Having Jack diagnosed by the school district was not an easy decision and not one that we came to lightly. However, the help that we've received from the school has been wonderful and we know that we've made the right decision. Jack has learned A LOT at school and we are all learning how to cope. Our days are very difficult, but we are learning how to deal with things. Life with Jack is stressful. Life with any 3 (almost 4) year old is stressful, but we are also working through a lot of speech, emotional and cognitive behaviors that just aren't typical. We know that God has made us Jack's parents for a reason. We believe that one reason is to shape us into better people. Jack requires us to use some of the qualities that we lack the most in - patience being #1.

*Lonnie's work is going well. He works from home and we've figured out how to make this work for us! It's been a wonderful thing having him work at home and I've become spoiled. When something in the house breaks, I don't have to wait for him to get home from work...I can just bug him in the middle of the day!

*I am becoming more involved with MOPS and I love it. I am going to be on the "Steering Team" next year and I am excited for the opportunity to work with other moms in our community. I am looking forward to strengthening friendships and meeting new people.

*Lonnie and I were able to go to Kansas City at the end of June - ALONE! Lonnie's mom flew out to watch Jack for the week and we drove to KS. Lonnie was scheduled to go there for a business trip, so I was happy to have the opportunity to tag along. We enjoyed quiet dinners, quiet drives and quiet nights. It was quiet. We could have adult conversation when we wanted to. We could go to bed late and wake up late (7 am IS late in our world). I was able to swim in the pool and lay out by myself. It was fabulous. Of course, we were anxious to get home and be with Jack again. But, our time away was priceless. I would encourage any couple with young kids to do everything they possibly can to get some overnight time away as a couple.

That's about it! We are enjoying summer and all that is has to offer. We've been to the water park several times, we picked strawberries, we've been to the park many times, and are soaking up the warmer weather. Of course, as I type this, it's thundering and raining outside...but who doesn't love a good summer storm?

Visit with Grandma!

Lonnie's mom came out to Minnesota for the past week. She stayed with Jack while Lonnie and I went on a little mini-vacation to Kansas City (Lonnie had to go there for work and I tagged along). Here are some pictures from her visit!

Small Town Parade

Last Saturday there was a parade in town. The State Firefighter's Convention was hosted by our city this year and so they had a parade to celebrate! Jack had a great time and almost lasted through the whole thing. It was a really long parade (over 1 1/2 hours!) and he made it through about an hour. Honestly, we were all ready to go home at that point. :)

Like Father....

Hope

Homemade Hummus

This is one of my favorite things to eat. I make it with homemade pita bread and YUM. I eat way too much of it. It's kind of a taste-as-you-go-along recipe, so the measurements aren't exact. I just kind of use them as a starting point and add as I go.

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) - drained
Juice of 1-2 lemons (I used 1 1/2 last time)
2 garlic cloves
Olive Oil (1/4 cup?)
3-4 Tbsp. Tahini Paste
Salt & Pepper to taste
Paprika (optional)

Put everything in the food processor, except for the olive oil. Turn the food processor on and slowly add the olive oil. Blend until texture is acceptable. You can also add the liquid from the garbanzo beans if you want it creamier without adding too much oil. Taste. Add more of whatever you think it needs. Just be sure not to add too much salt. :)

Eat with crackers, pita bread, veggies, or whatever you have around!

A New Adventure

Since Jack has been diagnosed with autism, we have heard a lot about the gluten-free/casein-free (gfcf) diet. It's a very popular diet used by many families with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and some families swear it helps their children function better. The theory is that children with ASD aren't able to properly digest gluten and casein proteins, which causes an opiate-like effect in their bodies. In turn, their behavior, immune system and development are affected.

SO. After a lot of thought, a lot of prayer and reading a lot of information, we are exploring starting this diet with Jack. Today, we went to Whole Foods (over an hour away) and picked up some of their pre-packaged gfcf foods. Our thinking is that we'll slowly ease into it before going "cold-turkey." We want to see what foods Jack likes and will eat. Once we figure out what he'll eat, then I can dive deeper into this and start making those foods at home, instead of buying them pre-packaged. Jack is a VERY picky eater to begin with, so this should be interesting.

Here's what $60 buys you in the world of gfcf. :)