Jackson said,

"I want to go bowling."

"No, not tonight."

"I want to go bowling."

"No, it is too late."

"No, it is high noon."

Apparently he recons time in Wild West terms now.

I said,

"I lost my keys"

"Mommy, you win your keys."

Lost has two opposites- found and win. All about the context.

Jackson said,

"I want to go to archery."

"Archery?"

"Yes, go to store archery."

We just drove by Target.

Jackson said,

"A Forest!" As we drove by a Christmas tree lot.

Some Nights

like tonight, I just can't get my mind to shut off and allow me to sleep. I thought if I got my ramblings out it might free up some room to just turn it all off and go to sleep. Here is what is going on in the ol' noggin tonight.

Have you ever realized that the name Amy had it's run and is now a thing of the past? Think about it. Do you know anyone named Amy under the age of 25? I don't ,but growing up they were a dime a dozen. I was always Amy R. because there were at least 2 other Amys in my class. Now I would venture to say that you wouldn't find a one in the halls of the local elementary.

Makes me wonder if it is just taking a respite and will make a mighty comeback someday. Maybe it will become one of those classic but trendy names like Lila, Ruthy, Ava, that are popular today. Someday I may have a great-granddaughter named after her sweet but senile grandma Amy. Or, maybe it is one of those names like Melba that is better left unresurrected. I guess only time will tell.

Item #2. Today I have a headache. I have a about 2 down-and-out migraines a month. That is 24 a year. Almost a month worth of headaches a year. If I live until I am 80 that is 1920 days of my life that will have a headache. A little over 5 years worth of headaches! What a waste! Find a cure already will ya.

I also came up with a couple of variations of witty openings for my talk on Sunday. Wow, glad I got that all out. Goodnight.

That Works

Last night was Jackson's preschool Christmas program, if you remember last spring he had quite the grand performance so I was all geared up, totting double camera bags, awaiting the next fabulous installment of preschool productions.

I could hear him before the curtain even opened....crying. The crying got louder and the curtain came up.

"You know Dasher, and Dancer........" the crying got even louder. Teachers wiped his eyes and tried to redirect but now his crying was drowning out the already muted singing of the distracted kids. Mark turned the video camera off and I put my camera back in it's bag and just waited it out.

Through three songs he persisted and at the end Mark met him at the edge of the stage and carried him off swollen eyed, and snot smeared. His cries continued to echo through the hall as Santa handed out gifts so we called it a night and headed home.

My own tears of frustration crept up on the way home, "Every field trip, every activity, starts and ends with screaming and tears! What are we doing wrong? Out of three classes of kids with autism ours seems to handle things the worst." I complained to Mark. He knows better than to encourage my pity parties so he just held my hand.

Frustrated and disappointed I asked a friend for advice. Her reply: "Just remember you stood before God and promised to love and care for that boy. That work?"

Ya that works. I remember.

If She Won't I Will

Hey it's Jackson. Probably thinking ya right. Aren't you like 4? Four, shmore this computer stuff is a breeze. I can read ya know and I have been navigating the web since before I went in the potty (still struggling with the latter part of that one).
Anyway, my mom keeps saying that she needs to update this thing but she never gets around to it and I have some time on my hands before the next installment of Little Einsteins so here you go. A quick run down of the last 5 months.
Let's start with mom: Seems like she has been busy, at least too busy to play Sequence and Go Fishing 25 times a day. Don't get me wrong, she played with me but she also ran her first half marathon, did an open-water triathlon, refinished the entire stock of DI crap (I mean stuff), won the 4th of July watermelon eating contest, and just did mom stuff.


Next Dad: If you ask me that man is a saint. He always plays with me and puts up with mom's crazy ideas and even crazier moods. He did his first triathlon this year and beat mom by 2 seconds, not that it matters. He also turned the big 30 this year and took me to Classic Water slides in celebration. At least I think it was for me, everything usually is. I'm sure glad I will never be that old. He works hard and despite everything I throw at him he loves me even more.

Charlie: Guess what? I am actually starting to like that little squirt. He mostly just follows me around and wants to do whatever I do but I don't mind it so much. He will chase me around and eat goldfish with me and even jump on the couch when mom isn't looking. If I am being honest, he talks about as well as I do but the kid can't even read and he will be two next month so I am not worried. He is a cute little stinkpot.

And finally me, last the best of all the game. Summer was spent swimming and playing at the park. Big productions stress me out so we just hung around here. I am back in school and by far the cutest one in my class. Mom is all impressed because I am starting to talk in sentences but no big deal to me, I just didn't have much to say before. I turned 4 and we went bowling...way better than Disneyland if you ask me. I am master of the Wii even though I let dad win once in awhile.

I guess that about sums it up. Oh ya, one more thing, we moved. I would tell you all about it but I heard mom say that it would be pretentious to have the first post back about a new house so I will let her tell you about it. It is pretty cool though. And as they say on Glee: Now ya know.