Ending preschool party

 I wanted to do something special for my last baby graduating preschool. Just something to honor all her handwork and being her.  In the middle of the week, we did just that!  She thought it was just our normal time to play:

Little did she know, I snuck out to set up the surprise.  For the first time in her entire life, she was truly speechless!  She was SO surprised, happy, and thankful she didn't even know what to say.  I have a video  that captures that very well.  We let her know how proud she has made us and how far she has came during her first year of preschool.

She was so taken back because she really had NO idea.  She saw the cute little bag in front of the bike and dug into that first.  Here she is pumped about a pinwheel:

and her first My Little Pony:

She then got to the bike, and just smiled and looked and smiled and looked. She could not believe she got her own bike!  We have been telling her if she wants her first ever bike she has to be good all summer.  This was something she asked for her birthday which is at the end of summer. This is another reason why she was speechless. It will be a moment Daddy and I will remember forever!  Needless to say she loved the bike. It wasn't one she picked out or had ever seen before. We bought her a new helmet a few weeks ago because she was riding her brother's bike so much.  This bike is big (I am sure you can tell by the above picture), it's a 16" bike.  But she is tall for her age and we wanted her to be able to use this for a couple of years.  This is the same size as Gannon's bike so she is familiar with things.  For us, we aren't so focused on her riding without training wheels like most children her age.  I have no doubt she will pick that up one day.  She is already learning to say balanced and with the addition of trying sports soon I think she will be just fine.

After taking the bike for a quick spin, it was back to playing:

she is just soaking up all the attention and realizing how blessed she is.  She kept saying "wow, I am such a lucky girl tonight!"  To honor her special day I also went up to our favorite bakery and got her a little treat to try.  We have been really sticking to her diet (egg and dairy free) so I thought I would let her try a cake.  It is a baby cake but still a perfect single serving for a special occasion:

and what end of the year party isn't complete without sugar cookies:

In true Elise style she loved it all!  She ate about two bites of cake and was done. Her bites are so small it wasn't even a full adult bite. And she ate a tiny bit from each corner of the blue star and said she was full. The next day she asked for the rest of the cake and another cookie.  I said of course it was hers.  Well, this time she didn't even get a bite in.  She literally just put it up to her mouth and said "no thanks Momma, you eat it. I think this has eggs and milk in it which will upset my tummy".  So with that, her treat trying is over.  It's been months since she has tried eggs or milk in a baked good.  She did pass the baked allergy test and the doctor has given us clearance. For me though, if one has an allergy than one has an allergy...baked or not.  I know Gannon has failed the baked challenges before because he has true allergies not just an intolerance.  For her, I am not sure if it's more anxiety or her being picky.  She doesn't like new foods or things we don't have very often.  She is a true creature of habit. Special occasion meals such as a ham or turkey and all the works, is not what she wants or will try really.  One other reason I tried this now was to plan for her birthday party.  She is having her first party which is not just family members and I wasn't sure what to do about her cake.  This gave me the answer I needed.  I will bake some allergy free cupcakes that will be perfect for her party.  They will be gluten, egg, and dairy free so both her and Gannon can enjoy them.  I will then buy a regular cake or cupcakes for her friends and other guests.  Looks like we aren't getting rid of food allergies any time soon around here.

A snapshot of structured learning

 This day just so happens to be his very last day of first grade.  Today he has the end of the year party in his regular ed class so his day will look a little different, but still very structured.  I did get one picture of him in front of the building (he was confused as to why we stopped), but still a little half smile:

He then makes his way down to his class.  Unpacks his backpack which includes putting his communication book on his teachers desk and taking his lunch out and sitting it in the right cubby. Then a quick bathroom break before heading to regular ed. Here he has to decide if he needs a "hot lunch"or "cold lunch". This is also the way Mrs. C takes attendance.

By this time Mrs. C's class is in code 0. This is where the students must be very quiet and do their morning work.  This includes matching, writing skills, and workbook/sheet time.  Gannon has special folders that are adapted to his level but based on what Mrs. C is teaching at the time. His peers are amazed he can do the same type of matching and concepts (I just learned this).

He of course flies through his work and doesn't waste anytime.  So he is now able to leave and go back to structured learning room.  This is what his PECS book looks like at school:

Next another bathroom break before starting his first one to one. Usually this is with his teacher, but this time a para helped him complete his tasks.

After his one to one and a choice. It's morning group. This is where they do a little computer/Promethean work before doing morning songs. All of the students really enjoy this. Today was no difference.  Do you see that yellow disk on his lap?  This is extra sensory support for him along with the rocking chair. All of the other students around the table sit in regular chairs.

He is getting so much better at waiting for his turn, which makes this Momma very happy!  He finally gets his turn. His para gives him a letter and he has to match it to the alphabet board. Once he does that he can cruise on through the letter.  This was very fun for me to see. Last time I took pictures during his day he couldn't complete that beginning task without help.

While waiting for another turn, Gannon does a stamping activity with help from a para. He loves to stamp but isn't the best at aiming:

Him and one other friend really love doing this activity, so they get a few extra turns.  At this point 2 other students have moved on and no longer in the room.  Which makes group even more personable.

After this he does calendar. They review the days of the week, months of the year. Sing/clap/stomp to 5 songs. This helps with sensory things as well. Lots of high/low, crossing midline, and gross motor skills to get their bodies going for the day.  Then it's bathroom time again. At any point in Gannon's day he can request a sensory break. He does, so we go on a walk.  At this point I leave for a few hours. Gannon kept requesting "all done" or "backpack" and I didn't want to cause any more problems for him.

When I got back, it was bathroom time and then independent time. Here is works on 5-6 things he has mastered but still needs practice on.  Before you know it, it was time to venture off to Mrs. C's class for the party.  He makes it into the room without a problem (last party that didn't even happen). He sits down and enjoys his special snack I brought.  This time he didn't really pay any attention to his peers. I don't blame him though. It was packed!  Almost each student had a Mom or Dad their to accompany them during the party. It was very loud and chaotic.  He stuck to his routine of having a snack in there but was quickly tired of all the commotion.

As soon as his cookies were gone, he was d.o.n.e. We honored his request and went back to his structured room.  I wanted to take a picture of some of Gannon's things in his class. He is orange. The things in the pocket are his transition card. Anytime he receives one of these he knows to come here and see what is next on his schedule.

After another one to one session it was recess time.  I didn't get too many pictures because there were so many kids out I didn't want to post another child's face.  But this is at the end of his day.

After recess they have specials. Everyday he goes to PE or music and then goes home. He doesn't really like either one sadly, so he sure lucked out this year. Since both G and E's school ends at 3:45pm I had to pick up one early.  I alternated each week who would miss something on Monday and Friday. Wednesday was early release so Gannon got out of school at 3pm. He loved me picking him up early everyday, compared to sister. But go figure. Elise ended her day with recess, so when I picked her up early she didn't get to go play with her friends on the playground. That is a very big deal when you are four years old!

With that, Gannon is in full summer mode!

First grade field Day

 Gannon and one of his friends from his structured learning class went out to field day early before all 200 plus kids joined them.  There were tons of big kids there as well who were helpers. Gannon was not happy about field day. In fact it was a struggle to get him to try any of the events.  So he only did two different ones long enough for me to get pictures. First was the hurdle races:

I am not sure if the boy was in 5th or 6th grade but he was awesome!  He cheered Gannon on and even let him win all of the races.  Next up were these little things you step on.  He loved these:

He did several races of these. I thought they would be fun to have them at home in our backyard.  So we will see what I can come up with. We have stepping stones right now and he loves those too.  Must be a sensory thing.

This was a fun obstacle course which is also a race. He went so fast I didn't get any pictures except the very end. He kept trying to run across the field to the playground near by because on his communication book we told him first walk then playground. He was a bit confused.

Literally after this picture he was done!  He ran away from his para into the street (thankfully no cars were there) until she caught him. She tried to bring him back but it wasn't happening. So we retreated to a playground near by that he enjoys.  It was empty, just the way he likes it.  Now we have a smiling boy:

Gannon's teacher gave me a surprise. All year my little guy has worked very hard on this alphabet book:

I can't tell you how much this warmed my heart!  For a child to do an entire binder full of crafts who has autism and dislikes all things art related is a big deal.  His teacher said they lay out all kinds of crafty things and the kids pick out what they want their letter to be.  All of these are definitely Gannon:

His book is complete from A to Z.  I just picked out the letters in his name to give you an idea of this book.  I think this would be a great idea for kids to do ages 3-5. Obviously children who do not have autism would not need the PECS on each page for reference.  I would have loved to do this with Elise.  She is very different and it would be fun to see what she would have came up with. I am so thankful his teacher thought of this idea.  We now have a treasure to keep forever.

This was just a cute little caterpillar he also made this year.  I LOVE these little hand prints!

No more preschoolers here!

 To mark Elise's last day of preschool, she wanted to dress up.  I let her pick out everything from head to toe.  This was one day I was going to keep my mouth shut and let her choose.  Secretly hoping she would at least match, I was pleasantly surprised with her choices.  We were loading up to leave and she shouted "don't forget to take pictures Mom!"...silly me!

My littlest Warden is four years nine months old. How did that happen?

Nine months ago I expected to have a first year run of preschool followed up with another year. I figured jumping from 3 days to 5 days would be perfect with her late birthday.  My how fast things can change!  In just four months, things drastically changed.  I was still in denial.  As I have mentioned before we as parents were really thinking about holding her back a year and red shirt her.  But we let God lead us. We prayed.  We saught answers from our Heavenly Father.  Thankfully we also had people surrounding us praying for us as well.  It has officially been decided Elise will move onto kindergarten for the 2012-13 school year.  She is officially enrolled as of May 10th.

I love this picture because she wanted one last picture at her preschool.  Yet the expression on her face, is exhaustion.  She had so much fun this year and looks forward to all the  new things she will get to experience.  Going all day everyday will be a huge adjustment.  Hopefully she will continue to grow and mature and that will help the transition a little easier.  She hasn't been a napper in years, so we aren't worried about that. However, jumping from 3 hours of school 3 days a week is much different that going to kindergarten all day everyday.  Her new school is having all day kindergarten starting this next year. We have known for sometime that she prefers to go to school everyday like her big brother.  So she will get her chance.  I know she is a determined little girl and I think she will handle this all with grace.  On the way home from her very last preschool day, she looked at me and said "it's been a great year but I can't wait for next time!  I am SO ready for kindergarten."

I will be honest, on the drive home it hit me. I almost let a tear run down my face, but just prayed instead. The reality of not having a preschooler is hard.  But I also have to remember I have a summer birthday and I too was itching to be in school at her exact age.

My sweet girl is officially on summer break!

My first run at writing

 For one of my classes this past semester I was asked to write a science book for elementary students.  The subject matter had to be physical science or earth science.  Several things crossed my mind when thinking about this project but I had no idea how much goes into writing a simple 20-30 page children's book.  One thing that I wanted was this book to be adapted to special needs, mainly autism and those who require PECS as their communication.

One of the all time favorite for my two children is Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle.  I also know the school district Gannon is in loves it as well.  For the past 4 years he has read this book in his class and then made crafts to go along with the book.  This was always in the back of my mind when it came to my book.

The other was what are the science standards for early elementary students in my state.  I wanted to make sure I incorporated those into the book.  This would not be a introduction book for kids but more so towards the end or a wrap up book.  I really had fun making this and can't wait to finish it.

My teacher had specific requirements.  He wanted the print very large and the pages big enough he could grade them.  He also said "do not print this book like you would in real life".  So what I did was just laminated all the pages and then three hole punched them and put them in a three ring binder.

My teacher was very impressed with the book.  I was too with my grade because I received a perfect score.  He loved it and said that was very responsible to want to write a book for students to use in the classroom which also followed the standards in teaching.

All I know is my kids both love it and that is what matters.  I wrote the book for them.  If they are the only ones who appreciate it and love it then my project was a success.  I will complete my original plans within the next week or so. I also will take the book to Gannon's teachers and see what they think of it.  Wish me luck!

Last Friday of 1st Grade

 Gannon is going through an anti-camara phase. He wants me to take his picture but he then wants to kiss the camera which makes for very unclear photos (silly boy).  I realized I hadn't taken too many pictures of this little guy before going to school. So what better way than on the second to last school day!

Of course sister had to get in the pictures as well.  I know I have a lot of pictures of the kids hugging, but honestly they do this every single day!  They are getting closer and closer as they get older.  I am very blessed by seeing the relationship grow.

The youngest is not afraid to sometimes act like the oldest. She is very aware her brother is special because he has autism. She is learning to let him try and do things for himself too. She just loves to help him and he of course loves the help. But in life, there are just some things you have to do by yourself.  If she had her way however, he would not ever have to do anything he doesn't want to do or that is too hard for him.  She is a pint sized bottle of sassiness but she does love big brother and looks up to him.

I am pretty sure the feelings are mutual. Gannon loves to play with his sister. And by play I mean chase her around the house, play tag, or hide and seek.  Their all time favorite game is called "get you" of course coined by Elise.  Gannon has always been on the receiving end of the tickle game  and then a good run around the house. Well now he has stepped up to the plate and is the one initiating the game.  He will tickle her tummy and then run off. It's so fun to watch.  Game time is limited to these type of activities though.  Sitting down and playing a game or coloring is not in the cards. To brother, that looks like work time.  So for now they enjoy running, chasing each other, riding bikes together, and playing at the playground together.


I am fortunate enough to have two kids who love books.  Gannon has favorites that we have to read over and over and over. Elise likes a very wide variety of books and loves to change them up. However, both kids love the author of If you Give A Cat a Cupcake

and all of the other books as well. I think we have about 4 of them.  One of my favorite sayings to the kids' just as they are packing their backpacks for school is it's time for school mouse!  I say this everyday to both kids.  They laugh and smile and follow up with a big hug.  Sometimes my little helper likes to shout it a bit too early.  She is just so excited everyday about school or her brother going to school that she likes to beat me to the punch.  Anyways, when my soon to be second grader came home with this picture on Friday I just laughed!  I knew he had been reading that book all week and I just loved how he put his own touch on it.  True fashion for my little guy.  I am so happy he has came around to tolerate and even enjoy craft time!  I look forward to the summer break with my kids.  I am taking summer classes but will be able to focus more of my time on them which will be good for all four of us!

Summer is almost here for the Warden family!

Babies everywhere!

 The kids have been asking to go to the zoo for over a week now. Everyday Gannon gets his shoes and will put the "zoo" picture on his schedule. Then on the opposite days, Elise is asking to go there because she misses her animal friends. I tell you what, I will be very surprised if she doesn't go into something animal related when she grows up. She loves them so much!  This trip I let both kids pick which exhibits we visited. First choice was by sister:

They were very active this morning and were quite funny! Right next to the elephants was the Rhino. He was also very active. We were able to witness our first mud bath. He started stomping his feet to splash up mud. Then he started rolling around in it. First time we have ever gotten to see it and both kids were just glued to it.  There is a saying no two trips to the zoo are alike. After being members here for 4 years, we had many firsts!

Next up we visited the hippo's. Usually we see really nasty water, but this time....

the tank water was being changed out. We have never seen it completely empty before!  We watched them move down to try and drink a little bit of water. Elise was very concerned with the fact while they were trying to get down there, they slid a little and fell into the bottom area (not much just a little sliding). After these huge animals went to the bottom, up came a ton of baby ducks!  Brand new....and man were they cute!  We of course had to watch for several minutes to ensure the babies made it up to the top without getting smashed or hurt.  At one point Elise shouted "no baby duck don't go down!"


Gannon picked the lions. So that is the next stop:

Elise's next pick was the penguins because she knew they were her brother's favorite.  I tell you what that kid is just amazing!  She has such a good heart.

I secretly think they are becoming her favorite too.

To close out our trip we made our way over to the Farm/petting zoo.  Let me tell you, babies were everywhere!  I didn't take any pictures of the baby lambs, they were surrounded by a ton of people, so we quietly went inside and visited the horses, ponies, and cows.  We noticed a few newer ponies as well. Man are those things funny to watch.  While walking out of the gated area of the barn, the worker said make sure you stop over and visit the newest additions. Sure enough a baby camel was just born this morning. It was only a few hours old when we were there. It was almost all white with just a tiny hump. I didn't take any pictures of it because the Momma was being quite protective.  Plus it was in the very back corner of the exhibit and I couldn't' really get a clear picture.

But these cute little guys were everywhere!  There had to be over 15 new babies running around.  I haven't even seen in real life a baby goat this tiny either. Oh my you just want to pick them up and take them home!

This one really loved Gannon and his stroller!  She kept chasing us all over. If she wasn't nibbling on the stroller, she was on his pants or his hands. He kept reaching out and sure enough, she would come a running. Which by the way is very funny!  Their little legs don't move that well but it was priceless.

This was Elise's favorite. He kept curling up trying to take a nap. 

I can't wait to have another trip to the zoo with my kiddos.  They had a great time and I did too!