Okay, so it was pretty craptastic driving through that mess. I'm talking stuff like, "Am I still on the road"? I actually asked the hubs that a couple times. Thank goodness the boys were sleeping, I don't think I would have stayed sane with a trip through western Colorado paired with hearing Thomas the Train saying...'Fenders and Fireboxes'!
The smiles on the boys' faces and Gamaa and Papa's were totally awesome when we finally arrived!
The week was a whirlwind! And I didn't even really get to see most of my friends! But....we, all 4 of us, had a lot of fun.
Monday: Went to see SE's old speech therapist. What we thought would be a fun reunion was marred by SE's relentless resistance to actually go in the building. The source of the contention you ask? A playground outside. Playgrounds or Papa Golfs and we call them now....are his most favorite thing in the world. And being a kid on the Autism spectrum, he doesn't get over stuff like this easily. Luckily, Pam was awesome (since she works with kids like SE and C all the time) and he came around and showed off some speech skills. Last time Pam saw SE she was working on vowel sounds...not even words with him. Now he has a large somewhat functional vocabulary. C was just happy to play with all the toys and as we told Pam of C's diagnosis I could almost see the heartbreak in her eyes. Yep, it's tough..but with the help of early interventions I'm sure both my boys with go far.
After the speech reunion we went to see another friend who works at a newly built Autism center. Now, when we lived in CO, SE was diagnosed 1 1/2 months before we PCS'd. So I didn't even have a chance to look for a center. But I tell you what, if we ever got stationed there again, both boys would go there. And the best part?? They only take Tricare (military health insurance) AND they work in conjunction with the Wounded Warriors and other military services to offer some awesome other programs. One they provide...support groups for parents! Um.....THAT'S AMAZEBALLS!!!!! While I have friends here with kiddos in my situation, I have yet to meet any other military spouses with younger kids with Autism. And while I know many fantastic moms here in KC, dealing with having a special needs kid with the military is a special situation and there are many intricacies that are unique to Tricare/military life. It would be nice to have someone to talk to on that level.
This is me and and the boys at Colorado Autism Center with Lee Anne, a family friend of many years (the hubs has known her they were in 6th grade!), one of the great people that love our kids for the unique individuals they are and helps them to develop into the great people they can be! C and SE were totally loving the center's gross motor room.
Tuesday: My mom and I went up to Denver. I absolutely had to go to IKEA and my mom wanted to check out the Charming Charlie up there. (Sidenote: Colorado Springs really needs a Charming Charlie). We had lunch at IKEA...no, not the meatballs...they looked a little dry. I got some more of my dinnerware (light blue and lovely), some chairs for the boys' therapy room and some misc stuff. Then we headed to Charming Charlie and then to Park Meadows.
Let's talk about trying on ridiculously priced hats in Nordstrom's. Yes.We.Did. And we looked fabulous doing it.
Wednesday: Build a Bear day. Autism Speaks teamed up with Build a Bear for an Autism Awareness Bear. All was well until we walked into the mall on the wrong side......the indoor Papa Golf was RIGHT THERE! UGH!!!! We should have checked the location before we went. Poor planning on our part. Needless to say....that set the tone and the hubs had to wait outside the store with SE while C, Gamaa and I made 5 bears.
How cute are these little guys?!?!?! A portion of the proceeds go to Autism Speaks! WOOT!
Thursday: Went to lunch with my mom at Uwe's German restaurant for some wiener schnitzel, fried potatoes and veggies. YUM! And that evening we went to dinner with our good friends Vince and Amber. (Why is everything revolving around food??? LOL) Vince is in law enforcement and Amber, well....she's one of the most courageous, loving, inspirational women I know. Without divulging her whole health history to the public, I'll just say that she's a cancer survivor who has also battled some pretty serious other health issues, yet every single time we are together you'd never even be able to tell all the trials she's been through. I'm a better woman for knowing her. :)
And I would have taken a photo, but I forgot....if you can believe it. We were too busy talking, eating and laughing!
Friday: 2nd Amendment Day for the Os! We headed to Sportsman's Warehouse to pick up some ear protection for myself, mother in law and the boys. I also got a new Mossy Oak hat.
As we went further back in the store I saw some freaky stuff. 1. The sign that said 'Gun line starts here' at the end of the counter with a fence like rope separating the merchandise floor from the gun cases...never seen that before! 2. The absolute lack of selection in handguns or really any gun for that matter. Wow. And 3. The ammunition shortage. I thought it was bad at Specialty Sports the previous day, but holy cow it was bad at Sportsman's too! And the sad thing is, it's like that everywhere!
Empty ammo shelves.
Then it was up to my in laws' cabin for a short time, then off to the "range". We went to a place in the National forest that had obviously been used as a range before, as people had left plenty of casings around. UGH!!! Nothing drives me crazier than people that don't leave things as they found them. BTW-we cleaned up all of our casings. C was still napping when we started shooting (kid can sleep through a F-22 Raptor at an airshow, what's a couple rounds fired?) and my mother in law and I took turns watching SE who loved sitting in the driver's seat of Papa's truck pretending to drive.
When C woke up, we put his ear pro on and sat him in the stroller. How redneck is that?!?! "Here, watch my baby while I shoot this .45"! LOL. But he was safe and we had fun.
Saturday: Goodbyes to Gamaa and Papa and the long drive across Kansas back home. At least I-70 was open on the way home. :) After a long drive we stopped in Cabela's and I got to pick out the newest addition to our family.
It's a Ruger SR40C. Now, I know that not everyone who reads this is a gun fan. But we are.
We both grew up with guns in the house and have developed a healthy respect for them and will teach that along with proper safety to our boys. We have a safe and it is WAY out of reach for them. My feeling about guns, etc will be discussed in a later blog.
I will eventually get my CCW and this will be my companion. :)
Sunday: Easter and lack of unpacking. Missing family already.
So that's our Spring Break summed up. It was SO fun. Next time we go out to CO we're gonna have to stay for 2 weeks. I didn't get to see so many people that are important to me!!! Summer isn't too far away right?!?!?
Love you all!!!
love,
Supermama
rosie
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