Looking Back on 2012 and Forward to 2013

Here we are again at the end of another year! Overall, I would say it has been a good year. There have been several milestones this years for all of us. Jacob took driving classes and got his permit. He is now a junior and got his class ring! He is taller than me and growing up way too fast. He has a friend that is a girl, who has been over to our house several times. He and I have had some really good talks lately and he showing signs of becoming an adult and other times he is still such a teen. Next year brings him taking his test for his driver's license and turning 17. He still plans to referee soccer and then possibly getting a job in the summer.



Elijah is in sixth grade and will enter middle school next year. He will soon enter his teen years when his birthday rolls around in April. He told grandma today that he will be 13 in 2013! He is still such a little boy though. Children with Tourette Syndrome act 2/3 their age when it comes to maturity and I can definitely see this with Elijah. He is 12 but sometimes act more like an eight or nine year old. I guess he will grow up soon enough. He has had his ups and downs this past  year and we have made many changes in medications, but through it all we just keep on going. We recently made a new change in his medications and I think it has been a good change. We will know more when he goes back to school. He still sleeps with his stuffed animals and likes for me to tuck him in. One of these days he will grow up and not want me to "mother" him too much, so I think I will try to enjoy it while I can. Here is playing with a castle he made using styrofoam. He has a good imagination.

 

Things continue to go well with me and my honey. We have had a wonderful year together and are looking forward to many more years. We have fixed up the house and have plans to fix things up even more. We talked today about putting money away to travel to Germany in a year or two. I enjoy our family and I see such a difference in all of our happiness since my honey came along. My job is going well and keeps me busy. I enjoy my job and it brings me much satisfaction when I see growth in our students.

I am not sure what 2013 has in store for us. Jacob will have to start thinking about what he wants to do after he graduates. He still plans on being in ROTC next school year. Elijah will change schools in the Fall and have new teachers to get used too. I am sure something will change at work, it always does, but I will just have to roll with it. I know my honey will be there to support me through all of this as I will support her.

Please be safe tonight and Happy New Year!

Counting the Days

Well we are counting the days until Summer break! I think I am as ready as the boys. Jacob has refereed several soccer games and his savings account is growing. I also signed him up for a driver's education class this summer. He should be out of his braces soon too!!! He has his state testing this week and will be glad when it is over. Elijah is busy at school too. His behavior has been fairly good. He has about one "off" day a week which is a big improvement. He has testing this week too. He seems to be having a few more tics, but nothing too serious so far!

We are not planning much for this summer. We went to a family wedding back on the 14th of this month and drove 11 hours to Alabama. I saw just about all of my family on my mother's side and some family that I have not seen in YEARS! It was a lot of fun and the boys enjoyed it.  We got to east some Krispy Kreme donuts too! My partner enjoyed meeting my family too! I have a three day workshop in June that is only about 30 minutes from the house, so that won't be too bad. I then travel to Houston in July for a three day conference for Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. It is a statewide conference and I will be presenting!!! I am excited, but nervous. I will be presenting at our regional service center next week.

Overall, things are going well and we have no complaints. My mystery shopping keeps me busy too! I am hoping to pay down some of my debt!!!(crossing fingers)

Things Continue to Go Well

Elijah continues to be doing well in school. He had a few instances where he screamed/yelled in class and calling names, but no aggression! We go back to the doctor on March 12th. I am curious to see how this coming week goes. His right ear processor has had not more instances of blinking! That is a good thing!

Jacob spent his second Saturday at the soccer fields refereeing. He has earned some decent money. He is a bit more motivated to work now that he has a PayPal account. I can't believe how tall he looks compared to the kids on the soccer teams he referees for.

We are all ready for Spring Break to start next weekend. We don't have anything planned for Spring Break, except to try to get some rest.

So Far, So Good!

Elijah had four great days at school. I am hoping I don't jinx it! He had all greens each day except for Tuesday when he had one yellow! It has been two weeks since we increased his medication and I think we are finally seeing that this increase was a good thing. We are continuing with the ticket system at home and I think that being consistent with that has helped. He also earns some gummy bears to put in his ice cream if he has "green" days!

I took him to the movies today as a reward for such a good week. We both enjoyed it and I needed some time with him. Jacob doesn't like to go off to the movies with us!He is a such a teen. He refereed three soccer games today and earned $45. Half of the money went into his savings account and the other half into his PayPal account. He wasn't too excited about earning money, until we set up a PayPal account for him.

Crossing my fingers Elijah continues to have good days and Jacob enjoys his referee job.

Team Sports--what it teaches kids

I signed Elijah up for soccer three years ago as a way to teach him social skills and to get him out more with boys his own age. For the last 4 seasons(2 Fall and 2 Spring) he has been with the same team--The Dragons. We were a smaller team when he first started and new boys have come on to the team as they have gotten older. Now he is playing U10 soccer and there are twelve boys on the team. Being on this team has helped Elijah a great deal with social skills and to follow along with others during a game. He is not the greatest player in the world, but is getting better at following with the game and running where he needs to be. Today he got to do a throw in and he did it correctly! I wear a mic and he wears a receiver on each processor so I can talk to him from a distance. It hasn't always been easy, but I think it has been good for him.

Since the beginning of this season I have seen so many boys who work well with Elijah. One night at practice, Elijah was the goalie and one boy, who is a really good player was heading towards the goal. He could have easily have scored on Elijah, but he chose not to kicking it in such a way that Elijah was able to snag it and keep him from scoring. Another boy today during the game, gave directions to Elijah on wear to stand. Elijah did demand to do a throw in and kept getting in one of his own players way. This same boy walked over and said something to Elijah, that made Elijah move and get out of the way. For a nine year old I was quite impressed. None of the boys get upset with Elijah if he misses a kick or isn't paying attention. This same boy always makes a point to talk to Elijah and interact with him. Another new boy on the team is always nice to Elijah and doesn't get upset if Elijah is having an off day and seems to be getting into people's faces(thankfully this doesn't happen much).

All of the parents know of Elijah's issues and are great with him. They don't treat him different and they always tell him he has played a good game. Looking at things now, I think playing soccer has been good for Elijah as well as his teammates. It has taught them acceptance and compassion. Something not easily taught and something I think they need to learn at a young age. I also have to say, his coaches are wonderful. They play him as much as they play the other boys and always high five him when he does a great job. No one minds that I sit with on the coach's side of the field to be close if Elijah has a melt down. I think this has been a good experience for everyone!