Tuesday, July 24, 2012

my boy

Yesterday I was very grumpy with Jonathan.  Everything he did and said (and how he did and said it) annoyed me, and I couldn't wait till he went to bed.  Then he got up twice AFTER going to bed.  It was hot and sticky and I felt so irritable with him I could hardly stand it or myself.

This morning he went off to Extend-a-Family camp with a big smile on his face, and I got thinking about how, no matter what, I'm always eager to see him when 4:00 rolls around -- even though he immediately starts quizzing me about whether I've gone to the library and what we are having for supper and whether there will be a newspaper tomorrow and whether it's garbage day and whether he can have Cheesies for a snack and so on and so on.

EAF camp has many special needs children -- some are verbal, some not; some are independently mobile, some not; some are social; some not.  Without actually comparing people (which is a waste of time), I can't help thinking of all the positive qualities Jonathan has:
- He is affectionate and friendly, not aloof or off in his own world.  He loves to snuggle.
- He takes pleasure in simple things and remembers those simple pleasures months and years after they happen (going for ice-cream with Grandma & Grandpa in PEI, going to McDonald's on the trip out east, doing a giant hockey puzzle at his cousins' house, having hot dogs and sausages at someone's house after church, etc.).
- He can communicate.  He understands everything said to him and verbalizes his own needs and ideas more and more clearly all the time.
- He holds no grudges and keeps no record of wrongs; he only remembers the good things.
- He treats everyone the same regardless of age, ability, or status.
- He is honest.  He never pretends or deceives.

Anyone who is reading this probably already knows all this.  So really, I guess, I wrote it for me.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

lazy days of summer

It's hard to believe July is over half gone already!  So far we have had a good month.  Jonathan has been attending Extend-a-Family day camp every day since July 3 and, as in past years, he is really enjoying it.  He looks forward to going every morning and to greeting his special staff friends like Susie and Eric and Sam, and his "classmates" like Ish and Max.  This year they have done lots of water outings -- splash pad, beach, outdoor pool, indoor pool -- so he has enjoyed that.  He's very proud that he now has his own lifejacket.

Allison went to Quintilian Summer Club last week and will go again next week.  During the times she's not at camp we've been trying to plan some fun outings, and we've actually done quite a lot in the last 3 weeks:
- She went to Grass Creek Park beach with her friend Alexandra
- Allison and I went with Alexandra and her mom to see the movie "Brave" (excellent movie!)
- Allison and I went to see "Mamma Mia" (the musical) here in town at the K-Rock Centre
- We drove to Napanee and took Caroline and Cara to a coffee shop for Caroline's birthday
- Rich and Allison went to Canada Day fireworks and to the Buskers Festival
- We've gone to Tim's and to lots of different library branches
So it has been a good summer thus far.