Category: Mother of Boys

Mother of Boys

Rocky Top Therapy Center

Laurie2 Comments

This semester Davis was accepted into the Rocky Top Therapy Center.  It’s an amazing program that our school district provides for kiddo’s who lack specific types of social development.  Such as improvement in the individual’s confidence and discipline while improving gross and fine motor skills, posture, balance, and coordination.

 

Davis went every Tuesday morning from 7 – 9am for nine weeks.  He picked his horse, Swifty, and every week he cleaned, fed, and took care of him.  At the ranch Davis was taught how to learn the body language of Swifty, build trust, and developed a strong bond with him.

Davis’ confidence skyrocketed thanks to this experience and the therapists were so incredible to see the specific needs of Davis and taught him how to find his “calm place” that he uses on the horse in real life experiences as well.


At the end of every session, they ended their day with “ups and downs” where they gathered in a circle and shared one high point in their life or for that day, and one low point.  This has really helped Davis to verbalize his feelings and see the great parts of life as well.


On the last day, we as a family were invited to come and meet Swifty and see Davis in action.  He was so wonderful with the horse and it was amazing at how well Swifty responded to Davis.  You could tell how well they knew each other and enjoyed each other.  It was really cool to see.

The boys loved seeing Davis work with his horse!

Dylan was completely adorable during “ups and downs”.  He said that his “up” was being able to watch Davis work and ride his horse and his “down” was that he had to wait 2 years until he could attend Rocky Top.  {{giggle}}  


I didn’t have the heart to tell Dylan that he may not be able to get in.

It was such a cold morning but seeing Davis in an environment that he was completely confident in and hearing the stories of the therapists on how much Davis has grown and learned – warmed my heart.

Mother of Boys

Trying New Things

Laurie3 Comments

This is a very short video clip of Davis catching his first football during a game!

A while back I overheard my oldest son, Davis, say that he “would never be a sports person”.  I’ll be honest, I gasped and it made me really upset.  What really bothered me was that at 10 years old he had already decided something so profound about himself.

Naturally, I took that boy aside and we had a chat.  You see, I have raised Davis with the drive to allow him to experience the world so that when he gets older, he’ll have all the facts to decide for himself what kind of person he does or does not want to be.  I feel so passionately about this and have  sought out specific experiences to try and make them well-rounded individuals.

I’m not fully explaining myself the way I’d like to.  But raising a child with high-functioning autism – I decided when he was toddling around that he would live in OUR world and I would not allow him to slip away and live inside his own reality.

The time try out flag football was now upon us.  It’s the one sport that I’ve been dreading to make Davis try.  All of his close friends at church and Scouts play on a football team.  Davis says he is scared to play football.  {{um, I am scared for him to play too!}}

I’m at the YMCA signing Davis up for football and wondering how on earth I’m going to be able to spin this in a way he’ll accept.  {{cuz it’s all about the way you present it}}  Later that day I saw a Cowboy’s Jersey his size and I bought it!  Then when he was in a great mood, I took him aside and told him that now that he’s approaching Young Mens he’ll need to have another life experience that will help turn him into a man.  Then I presented him with the football jersey and told him that I signed him p for flag football with his best friend.

{{the boy was in shock!}}

Davis is always good for a dramatic reaction and this time was no different.  HA!  He dropped his jaw and stood there a bit of a panic.  Jason explained a few rules of flag football and gave him the confidence that he’ll do a great job.

The flag football season is now over and Davis LOVES football.  He had an excellent coach that took great care to make Davis feel important in the game.  Davis was the center and got to hike the ball at every play.  Because Davis held the ball every single time he was out on the field – he felt completely connected to his team and really tried his best.

Davis team was 6:2 and he ended up catching the ball twice!  This was more than we could hope for.  After every game Davis and I talked about how important it is to try new things and do the best we can every time.  He is no longer afraid to play football with the boys at Scouts and since this experience was so encouraging – he even wants to play next season.

{{whew!}}

I am so proud of this young man and the courage that he has to overcome the challenges that he faces.  Who knew that playing something as simple as flag football could completely change a young man’s outlook on life and now allow him to see himself as “a sports person”.  {{giggle}}

Mother of Boys

Trying New Things

LaurieLeave a comment

This is a very short video clip of Davis catching his first football during a game!

A while back I overheard my oldest son, Davis, say that he “would never be a sports person”.  I’ll be honest, I gasped and it made me really upset.  What really bothered me was that at 10 years old he had already decided something so profound about himself.

Naturally, I took that boy aside and we had a chat.  You see, I have raised Davis with the drive to allow him to experience the world so that when he gets older, he’ll have all the facts to decide for himself what kind of person he does or does not want to be.  I feel so passionately about this and have  sought out specific experiences to try and make them well-rounded individuals.

I’m not fully explaining myself the way I’d like to.  But raising a child with high-functioning autism – I decided when he was toddling around that he would live in OUR world and I would not allow him to slip away and live inside his own reality.

The time try out flag football was now upon us.  It’s the one sport that I’ve been dreading to make Davis try.  All of his close friends at church and Scouts play on a football team.  Davis says he is scared to play football.  {{um, I am scared for him to play too!}}

I’m at the YMCA signing Davis up for football and wondering how on earth I’m going to be able to spin this in a way he’ll accept.  {{cuz it’s all about the way you present it}}  Later that day I saw a Cowboy’s Jersey his size and I bought it!  Then when he was in a great mood, I took him aside and told him that now that he’s approaching Young Mens he’ll need to have another life experience that will help turn him into a man.  Then I presented him with the football jersey and told him that I signed him p for flag football with his best friend.

{{the boy was in shock!}}

Davis is always good for a dramatic reaction and this time was no different.  HA!  He dropped his jaw and stood there a bit of a panic.  Jason explained a few rules of flag football and gave him the confidence that he’ll do a great job.

The flag football season is now over and Davis LOVES football.  He had an excellent coach that took great care to make Davis feel important in the game.  Davis was the center and got to hike the ball at every play.  Because Davis held the ball every single time he was out on the field – he felt completely connected to his team and really tried his best.

Davis team was 6:2 and he ended up catching the ball twice!  This was more than we could hope for.  After every game Davis and I talked about how important it is to try new things and do the best we can every time.  He is no longer afraid to play football with the boys at Scouts and since this experience was so encouraging – he even wants to play next season.

{{whew!}}

I am so proud of this young man and the courage that he has to overcome the challenges that he faces.  Who knew that playing something as simple as flag football could completely change a young man’s outlook on life and now allow him to see himself as “a sports person”.  {{giggle}}

Mother of Boys

Trying New Things

LaurieLeave a comment

This is a very short video clip of Davis catching his first football during a game!

A while back I overheard my oldest son, Davis, say that he “would never be a sports person”.  I’ll be honest, I gasped and it made me really upset.  What really bothered me was that at 10 years old he had already decided something so profound about himself.

Naturally, I took that boy aside and we had a chat.  You see, I have raised Davis with the drive to allow him to experience the world so that when he gets older, he’ll have all the facts to decide for himself what kind of person he does or does not want to be.  I feel so passionately about this and have  sought out specific experiences to try and make them well-rounded individuals.

I’m not fully explaining myself the way I’d like to.  But raising a child with high-functioning autism – I decided when he was toddling around that he would live in OUR world and I would not allow him to slip away and live inside his own reality.

The time try out flag football was now upon us.  It’s the one sport that I’ve been dreading to make Davis try.  All of his close friends at church and Scouts play on a football team.  Davis says he is scared to play football.  {{um, I am scared for him to play too!}}

I’m at the YMCA signing Davis up for football and wondering how on earth I’m going to be able to spin this in a way he’ll accept.  {{cuz it’s all about the way you present it}}  Later that day I saw a Cowboy’s Jersey his size and I bought it!  Then when he was in a great mood, I took him aside and told him that now that he’s approaching Young Mens he’ll need to have another life experience that will help turn him into a man.  Then I presented him with the football jersey and told him that I signed him p for flag football with his best friend.

{{the boy was in shock!}}

Davis is always good for a dramatic reaction and this time was no different.  HA!  He dropped his jaw and stood there a bit of a panic.  Jason explained a few rules of flag football and gave him the confidence that he’ll do a great job.

The flag football season is now over and Davis LOVES football.  He had an excellent coach that took great care to make Davis feel important in the game.  Davis was the center and got to hike the ball at every play.  Because Davis held the ball every single time he was out on the field – he felt completely connected to his team and really tried his best.

Davis team was 6:2 and he ended up catching the ball twice!  This was more than we could hope for.  After every game Davis and I talked about how important it is to try new things and do the best we can every time.  He is no longer afraid to play football with the boys at Scouts and since this experience was so encouraging – he even wants to play next season.

{{whew!}}

I am so proud of this young man and the courage that he has to overcome the challenges that he faces.  Who knew that playing something as simple as flag football could completely change a young man’s outlook on life and now allow him to see himself as “a sports person”.  {{giggle}}

Mother of Boys

The Boys Wish List ~ Grandparents Please Read

Laurie3 Comments

Davis ~ Spy Gear
Last year the boys and I started {quite accidentally} a tradition of going to Toys R Us and letting them take pictures of their Christmas wish lists.


Davis ~ Mind Flex
The two older boys scoured the store with the camera while Jason and I tried to convince Drake that he does indeed want something other than Batman.

 
 Davis – Transformers Devastator Showdown


Dylan ~ Nerf Dart Tag
 
I think it’s so much fun seeing how the boys pictures turn out and what they end up asking for from Santa. {Neither of whom believe anymore but they play along.}

 
Dylan ~ Ultimate Mission Spy Set
I used to do an e-mail wish list and every November I would e-mail all the grandparents what they wanted.  I have become a lot less obsessive compulsive and now just post their pictures in hopes of making their shopping trip a little easier.

 
Dylan ~ Spynet Laser Strike

Dylan & Davis ~ Halo Toys from Mega Blocks
You see, we have 7 sets of grandparents!  So they end up getting a lot of gift cards but they’d rather get a toy.  It’s so cute because they remember for years later who bought them each toy. It’s actually quite adorable that they put so much love into the toys they receive as gifts from their grandparents.
You might have noticed that there aren’t any pictures of what Drake wants.  Um, yeah.  We’re still working on that.  At this point, anything with a blue or black cape will be just great.  {{giggle}}
Mother of Boys

Life is Sweet with Gingerbread Cookies

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Today I had a lovely lunch with my girlfriends at Panera Bread and saw these yummy gingerbread cookies. I immediately thought of my little sweeties at home and bought them.  They were soft, gingery, and delish!
The rest of the day, I shopped for the next gift guide segment I’m doing for TJ Maxx and Marshalls.  I found the coolest gifts for men and will feature them on Tip Junkie on Monday with some crazy cool prizes.  
With every job I accept, I find myself learning a new skill and stretching myself even farther.  Working with TJ Maxx and Marshalls so far has been a dream job and I’m terrified that I’m going to mess it up.  
Right now I’m working hard to stay true to myself, deliver relevant content to my readers, and make the brand happy.  This is all so new to me that at times I’m a little lost.  Hopefully, my geniune excitement for the project with show through and people will like the final product.  {{crossing fingers}}
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A Peek at My Techy Family

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Chevy Malibu is Perfecft for my Techy Family from Laurie Turk on Vimeo.

This is the last video that I did for Chevy.  Honestly, I had SO much fun making them.  I’m no Spielberg or anything but man it’s fun to make fun of yourself!  {{evil laugh}}

As I get closer to 40 I find that I’m really quite ridiculous and I think it’s hysterical!

I was supposed to show off the USB port for your iPod but um… I thought it would be more fun to poke fun at how techy my family is and how we utilize ALL FOUR of the charging stations in the car.  I mean, really what other family would use all of them at once.  {{bwaahaa!}}

So I hope you enjoy my little white and nerdy video.  This was all done in one take as the boys did a great job playing along.

Mother of Boys

Happy 10th Birthday Dylan

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Dylan is now in the double digits as he turned 10 years old!

To my dismay, he wanted his friend party at Main Event.  I guess good-bye are the days of home parties with decorations, props, and handmade goodie bags.  {{drat!}}

The kids had a blast at laser tag, bowling, and arcade games.

It’s just what 12 boys want to do for a party.  They were in dude heaven.

To set the party up for success, I made sure that both Davis and Drake had a friend to entrain them.

Lisa and Billy came and I’m pretty sure they had just as much fun as the boys did.

Main Event took care of everything.  So it was absolutely the easiest party I’ve ever thrown, although the ugliest.  {{shhh – don’t tell Dylan}}

Davis is a natural bowler and did an amazing job.

Jason bowled with the little boys.  He says he was a great bowler until he took a bowling class in college.  HA!  I guess he lost his natural talent and hasn’t scored as high since.

Drake loves to bowl!

On Dylan’s birthday, he woke up to his favorite breakfast on his “You Are Special” plate.

We went to dinner as a family to his favorite restaurant, Chili’s.

Dylan is truly the peacemaker in our family.  He’s an understanding older brother and a kind younger brother.  I honestly don’t know what I would do with out him.  He’s the glue that holds the brothers together.

Dylan is also so appreciative of everything he receives.  He has the kindest heart and really cares about the people around him. 

Gramma Betty – this is Dylan opening up your present.  Um, I think he liked it. {{wink}}

Grandma Karen – This is Dylan all dressed up in your present.  He’s so excited about it and can’t wait to cook something.  Maybe he’ll take after his dad and be a great cook.

Mother of Boys

Drake’s Meet the Teacher

Laurie2 Comments

Sadly, Drake’s preschool teachers last year were not the best fit. They were a little rigid and weren’t as loving and accepting as his personality requires. {{snicker}}
This year we are delighted at Drake’s teachers as they are scheduled yet loving, firm yet accepting.  They seem to be working with his stubborn personality appropriately and enjoying his little quirks.

He looks forward to school three times a week and is learning to be flexible and to follow direction.  I can tell a huge difference in him already.
Drake is more agreeable at home, at karate, at soccer, and at school.  It just goes to show that when you love and accept someone for who they are – they thrive!