The Zoo and Grace’s Music Program

Keeping up a blog is tough work!  I am sorry that it has been so long since we posted.  I could give a lot of excuses like Randy was out of town for ten days or I have been trying to come up with more challenging lessons for Ryan for RPM for his homeschool (which requires a lot of research on my part) or that helping to maintain the social media for my dad’s situation has consumed a lot of my time, but the truth is, it really is all of the above and there is just not enough time in the day.  I am sure that many of you can relate to this.

In our homeschool, we have recently done lessons on some wonderful topics like different kinds of maps, the pros and cons of Nuclear Energy, Peyton Manning (did you know that he was born with a cleft palate?), Andrea Bocceli, Neil Peart (of the band Rush), Ancient Greece and some Mythology, The Great Pyramids of Giza, the Thyroid gland and Hypothyroidism (Ryan and I are affected by it), the Iowa Caucuses, the artists J.M.W. Turner and Henri Matisse (whose work Ryan was not a fan of, spelling CALLING ABSTRACT ART BOGUS PAINTING).  I am certainly learning a lot alongside Ryan.

After we finished the thyroid lesson yesterday (in which he sat for 45 straight minutes with me, without trying to get up or needing a break), Ryan spelled CAN WE ALWAYS DO CHALLENGING LESSONS LIKE THIS?

Sheesh!  I thought that we were.

*****

A week and a half ago, Ryan and I went to the Fort Worth Zoo.  The weather was perfect and on Wednesdays, there is half price admission.  We got there and started exploring.

 

But hands down, Ryan’s favorite part was feeding the ducks.  They had the little machines that you insert a quarter into and you get a handful of duck food.  I was slightly concerned that Ryan might try to eat the food, but sure enough, as soon as I put it in his hand and I told him to throw it, he did. Over and over and over again.

Ryan wrote the following once we got home from the zoo:

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING ME.  MY FAVORITE PART WAS MEANINGFULLY FEEDING THE DUCKS.

*****

Last night, we went to Grace’s First Grade Music Program at her school.  Ryan has been excited to go for a while.  When we got there, Grace went to the music room with her class while Randy, Granny, Ryan and I proceeded to the cafeteria, where the program was to be  held.  Well, once 6:00 hit, we were informed that they were going to do the PTA meeting first, then the music program.

I was concerned.  I was not sure how long that Ryan would be able to sit without possibly being disruptive or just having a difficult time with his body.  I was extremely surprised that he was absolutely amazing the entire time, which was about 50 minutes between the PTA meeting and the program.  I asked him his thoughts immediately after the program ended.

I AM STORING UP MY LOVE FOR GRACE.

So we waited until she came out.  He then spelled:  I AM SO REALLY PROUD OF YOU GRACE.

But, in the midst of him trying to spell, Grace’s friends came up and starting being 7 year old girls together:  yelling, giggling, etc.  I could see Ryan struggling a bit, but he did get his message out.

And then he spelled:  SO MOM ONE OF MY FEARS IS KIDS BEING TOO LOUD.

So we quickly went to the Book Fair that they had in the library.  Grace picked out two books and after showing Ryan the different sections (some labeled Grades 3-6 and some labeled Grades 6-8) we asked Ryan if he wanted to get a book.

CAN I PLEASE GET BOOKS FOR OLDER KIDS?

Randy and I thought that it might be a good idea to try the series I Survived, which is based on real life events with the main character being witness to the event that the book is based on.  We decided that since Ryan and I are reading a book for his book club, Randy would read this one with Ryan.  The book that we chose is I Survived The Great Chicago Fire, 1871.

We hadn’t eaten yet, so all five of us headed up to the local Cotton Patch Cafe for dinner.

Now that might not seem like a big deal to most, but Ryan had just sat through 50 minutes at the school and now we were chancing a sit down dinner.  He did absolutely wonderful.  This would not have been possible two years ago.  I would have completely shut down the idea of a sit down restaurant at all with Ryan.

Each night, before bed, Randy and I sit down with Ryan to talk with him and to make sure that he has a chance to say anything that he needs.  Last night he spelled:  MEANINGFUL TO ME TO GO TO GRACE’S MUSIC PROGRAM.

Things just keep on getting better and better and I know that they will continue to do so.

We are very thankful.