welcome to camp luca

luca turned eight years old on st. patrick's day and we celebrated with a backyard campout party the night before.  it was a simple gathering of friends using things we had around the house and yard.  but oh so memorable.

printing in block letters with a permament marker on a fabric strip + a few staples into wood posts = a "welcome to camp luca" sign
 made just before the party started, it was a last minute addition that rounded off the look of the backyard.  all of the prep was done the day of, which is an approach that works well for me.  i thrive under the time constraints.  plus it guarantees i won't spend any money on decor.

 we gathered all sorts of seating around our campfire and stocked up on firewood.  comfy blankets, a basket of smores fixin's and chalkboard art drawn by luca help set the stage here.

as the campers arrived, they made up two bags of trail mix - one for their favor packs and one to munch on around the campfire.  they were able to choose their own ingredients, helping me with allergies and such.  plus it is just fun to pick exactly what you want.  we offered various nuts and dried fruit, along with pretzels, sunflower seeds, chocolate and marshmallows.  the marshmallows were the most in demand.

the burlap covered board hung in my studio in illinois but has yet to find a home here, so i brought it out for the food table backdrop and draped it with a string of lights.  the plaid bunting was reused from enzo's tailgate party and the pinned up signs were made from fabric strips, permament marker and an arrow stamp.  the yellow plaid tablecloth is a thrifted wool blanket.  i used galvanized buckets, brown paper bags, and baskets to hold the food.

they munched while jesse built the fire.  he made it instructional and the boys had fun sharing what they knew.  and throwing bits of trail mix into the flames was a hoot.

next up - roasting hot dogs and drinking root beer by the bottle.  and playing with carbonated fizzies.

 

corn on the cob seemed like a good idea and most of the campers enjoyed it.  but the former illinoisans of the group were mega disappointed and unable to eat more than a bite.  i had been warned of the taste difference between the sweet corn i grew up with and that of everywhere else.  now i know.  yes, i am a corn on the cob snob. 

that is a lot of boys for two adults.  next time i for sure ask a friend to stay and help.

because the enzo-boy alone needed one on one attention.  he broke at least 2 mason jars and created much mischief throughout the evening.  he lived out his little brother role quite nicely, i suppose.

our gigantor tent was filled with pillows and blankets to provide a comfy chill zone.  it also served as the present opening zone.  and present playing zone.  the camp counselors (aka jesse and annalea) had a brief break from the chaos while the boys sequestered themselves in there. 

i baked up a giant gooey smores brownie to hold eight candles.  the wind was picking up, but we managed to keep them lit for the happy birthday singing.

smores brownies: crumble graham crackers at the bottom of greased pan, pour brownie batter on top and bake as usual.  when done, sprinkle chocolate chips on warm baked brownies and spread as they melt.  top with marshmallows and stick under broiler until puffy and browned.  (watch carefully so they don't burn or catch on fire.) voila! you have decadent smores brownies for days.

and of course we also had to make some regular smores around the campfire.

two very tired camp counselors at the end of a long fun day.

the favors turned out pretty neat.  i'll share a close up of them and their contents next week.

brave, brave jesse led the boys down the street to an open field for an end of the night game of flashlight tag.  they survived with minor injuries!  i think that part felt particularly adventurous for this group of campers.  and a way to work off some of that sugar before pick-up.

 the only thing missing from this night, was a group of boys from champaign, illinois.  our luca was homesick for his friends leading up to the weekend, but our goal of creating a positive memory of his first new mexico birthday was met.  he celebrated with new friends in our new home.  

the birthday boy deemed it a major success which is all that really matters to me.

the practice of patience

here's the truth. we accomplished more homeschooling in the first month of 2013, than the previous 4 months combined. it had little to do with new year vigor. instead i attribute this january success to being further removed from the chaos of moving cross country with short notice. we were a bit out of our minds last fall. not that we are quite steady yet, but much closer to sanity for sure.

it is not unusual to find me in pjs on the couch earnestly praying for patience while coaching luca through reading and writing. he is such a bright kid. he knows his stuff and then some. but we have much anxiety to work through that 30 minute lessons drag on for hours. this is no joke. our commitment to homeschooling has been regularly challenged, but the calling remains the same.

i often hear mamas tell me that they do not have the patience for homeschooling. more than any other reason, this is what i am told in a "why i can't/don't/won't homeschool" discussion. seriously folks, i am not a patient person. ask my husband, my parents, my good friends. it is not natural for me. at all. and guess what? God has given me ample opportunities to refine this shortcoming through homeschooling. 

thank you, Father, for the daily practice of patience.

a lego police party

luca turned seven in march and we were finally to celebrate with friends over the weekend.  while i am not sure i can break last year's record of planning a party in a day, this one came pretty close.  we had about 5 days notice to pull it off.  party planning ideas and execution come pretty naturally to me, so this was not a huge deal.  and this helps me keep a healthier balance between making it special for my kiddo and not going overboard with details.  plus i just have limited time.

the invitation was simply a photo taken on luca's birthday, edited in picasa with text, and emailed out to friends. 

all of the physical prep was done the day of, because my weekdays have very little extra room.  i did make a detailed list on friday night, but saturday morning was go time.

no better decorations for a lego police party than lego police mini figs, right?  we added  some yellow crime scene tape here and there, with a remnant of navy and white polka dot fabric for the refreshment and gift table.

when the boys arrived, the table full of craft supplies was totally ignored.  the plan was for them to decorate their favor bags with police stamps and colored pencils.  i also printed out some coloring pages from lego.com to keep them busy while waiting for guests to arrive.  the backyard and unfinished tree fort were too enticing, however.  we brought them back to the patio after some of the wiggles were expended.

luca was pretty adamant on what games were allowed.  "guess the legos" was acceptable.  barely.

next up was a police investigation (aka scavenger hunt).   party city sold a lego police mega favor pack for $10 that included 6 different items in quantities of 8.  great deal, right?  each of the boys was given one type of item - police pad, eraser, marker, crayon, sticker sheet, or mini book -  and told to run an investigation in search of the hidden stolen goods.  i liked that this was a team activity, but also gave each boy a chance to take the lead.  they searched the backyard and filled their favor bags upon finding.

after the investigation was complete, they were tasked with the rescue of lego citizens on the front porch.  (the individual bagged mini figs were only $1.50 at meijer last week!)  these were added to the bags and the games were complete. :)

then the big surprise!  i had this crazy brilliant idea on friday night. . .

call the local police station and ask if an officer could stop by!
turns out they thought it was an acceptable use of time.  i whole heartedly agree.

luca was SO surprised and this was his fave part of the day.
i love finding these special ways to love my kiddos.

the officer was super patient with the rambunctious boys and answered lots of questions.
many of the "have you ever been in a car chase?" and "have you caught lots of robbers?" sort.

we also asked why he went into law enforcement, what would be important skills for kids who want to be police officers, and what could they do now to help the police.  this was a great discussion with good advice.  he made a point to tell them that they should be good observers and reporters of their surroundings.  he also said to keep their brains and bodies strong.

then they checked out the cruiser and luca was able to run the lights + sirens.  oh the excitement.  and noise.  surprisingly luca was kay with it.

what else do you serve at a police themed party?  coffee and donuts, of course.  no, we did not give these boys coffee, but hot chocolate made a good substitute.

luca did not want candles or singing.  his party, his choice.

if luca had to pick, he would prefer a position in the forest police force (aka park ranger. but in lego-ese they are called forest police).  so we brought our refreshments fireside and opened gifts around the firepit.  it seemed forest police like.  this is much more luca's style than playing extra games and it was a neat ending to the afternoon.

a party truly catered to luca and celebrates all that makes him him.
and that, my friends, is a successful party.

i love this boy.

linking up to:
get your craft on

how to make a photo flip chart

this year we have been working on a healthy morning routine for luca.  starting his day off smoothly helps start our whole family's day off smoothly.  we know luca does well with visual cues and needed to incorporate them.  he is also a very literal kiddo.  generic symbols or stock photos confused and frustrated him.  last month i took the time to make a personalized photo flip chart.  this simple DIY has made a huge difference.
i began by choosing his must-do morning tasks - getting dressed, making his bed, eating breakfast, etc. - taking a representative photo of each.  then came cropping, printing and laminating each photo.  (i used a picasa collage.)  the laminated cards were hole punched and combined with a binder ring.  this ring is hung next to his bed, so he can grab it upon waking.

right now he has nine tasks on the ring.  we didn't suddenly spring these tasks on him.  they are age appropriate and have accumulated over months and years.  there was training involved in helping him learn the how of each task.  and when something begins to slip, we come alongside and retrain.

the ultimate goal is for him stay focused without needing my constant nagging reminding.  the flip chart also creates opportunities for increased independence.  we are giving luca the chance to take charge of his needs.  this is a great benefit.

this tool is also super helpful for me.  it frees me up to care for the littler ones.  too much multi-tasking makes me a cranky and stretched too thin mama.  i am still part of the process though.  yes, he does need encouragement to empty the dishwasher every.single.morning.  (that is okay.  we have a deal that as long as he doesn't complain, he earns screen time for later in the day.)  i love that i have confidence we are not missing anything key in the midst of the busy mornings.


instead of him choosing his favorite tasks first, then drudging through the others with less energy and enthusiasm, we mix the enjoyable with the not so enjoyable.  when he is dressed and the bed is made, he gets to come eat breakfast.  after brushing his teeth, he gets to feed the hamster.  he empties the dishwasher, then therapeutic listening while building legos or drawing.

my hope is to make morning flip charts for both gia and enzo soon.  this is by no means an asperger's specific tool.  but it has been extremely useful for our luca boy and we expect to add flip charts for other times of day as well.

but let me not get ahead of myself.
it is time to stop and celebrate.
finding something that works is cause for celebration indeed!

world autism awareness day

 

today is world autism awareness day.
april is autism awareness month.

i am much more aware this year than last.
life has forced it on me.

there are a hundred ways i could give autism a face.
there are stories and photos aplenty.
 here is one.

at casita hart, autism sometimes looks like a boy on a swing.
a skinny, yet strong seven year old boy pumping his legs back and forth.

in this moment, luca looks a lot like other kids.

you wouldn't know about the mega meltdown 2 hours earlier.
the kicking and screaming and spitting at the home improvement store.
the mama carrying him outside to keep him safe.
the papi sitting in the back of the van to calm him down.
the little sister playing and helping with her littler brother.

 i have been asked if we could have known at a younger age.
if there were signs we missed in toddlerhood.
if we could have been more aware.

these are great questions.
know the signs.

we went six years before even guessing this was part of our life.
i thought i knew what autism looked like.
for the most part, i did.
most of those checklists did not really apply to our son.

but my understanding was limited.
i did not (really) know what asperger's syndrome looked like.
i am learning.

that said, i do not think we could have known much earlier.
  because, for the most part, luca looks a lot like other kids.

and, odd as it sounds, that is what makes it so hard for me.

with 1 in 88 school aged children living with autism, you probably know someone on the spectrum.
go love on that family today.

on the day you turned seven

dear luca,

you are seven years old now.  seven!  it has been a gift to be your mama each and every day of your precious life.  a gift i don't deserve nor fully appreciate.  please be patient with me as i continue to figure out what i am doing.  because seven years is not nearly enough time.  the days have been long - oh so long - but the years are short.  with each birthday, i realize how much i still have to learn.

you were so tired this past saturday, my st. patrick's day baby.  since you were still recovering from a three day fever and still suffering from a yucky head cold, we aimed for a low-key birthday celebration.  there was the breakfast in bed and the opening of gifts, playing with clover and buying lumber for the tree fort.

but there was this beautiful moment earlier in the afternoon.  you asked me to watch you build a lego truck and i was completely drawn in.  your focus and passion were so intense.  i found myself overwhelmed with mama-love.  how is it you have such an effect on me? 

i attempted to decorate the back porch with crepe paper but the wind had other ideas.  you liked it anyway.  our family guests arrived and they are still figuring you out too.  (uncle cameron did not mean to scare you.)

as requested, we ordered your favorite pizza.  i am sorry you could only eat a few bites.  cake was strictly forbidden - you didn't even want to look at it - so we braved the custard cup right before a storm, watching the lightning streak across the sky.  then you announced you were going to bed and told us to finish up the party by ourselves. as long as we would be quiet.

the hard times are hard.  so much harder than we ever expected at this time in your short life.  to be honest, i am just as confused as you are most of the time.  but know this. . . 

i am so incredibly heart-bursting proud to call you my son.

love always and forever,

mama