ArtQuest

Today was a beautiful Spring day and a teacher work day, so we decided to have some fun.  First,  we played at a little park in the middle of downtown Greensboro.  The kids ran around,  played tag, and watched the dancing fountains.  Then we went across the street to ArtQuest,  which has all kinds of art stations set up.  This event was sponsored by the local Autism Society, so we got to see lots of familiar faces.  Alana loved painting,  while Chace got really creative and did all sorts of story drawings.  Then back home where the kids played for a couple more hours outside.  Everyone should sleep well tonight!

Bouce U

Saturday morning we went to Bounce U,  which is filled with inflatables for the kids to jump and slide on.   We were using up an expired gift certificate I had finally found,  so Chace's friend Ginny and her brother came along.  They all had a blast.  I  got a couple of pictures before the battery in my camera died.  Here are Ginny and Chace trying to duke it out with gloves they can barely lift.  Alana loved the slide, but its hard work carrying a toddler and two slide mats up, so we found a quiet spot with balls for her to play with. 

Unsupervised Two-Year-Old

You think this looks silly?  Afterwards we went to the grocery store, where she added green goggles to complete the look.  

Chace's Pet Puffles

Chace may not enjoy real animals all that much - I think they're too unpredictable for him, but he loves other kinds of pets.  These are Puffles from Club Penguin, an online game.  He loved the Puffles on the game, delighted in "feeding" and "playing" with them, until one ran away.  That was the last time he played Club Penguin.  Then we found the plushy version of the Puffles, which he earned through our reward program.  He likes to style their hair and each one in the photo has a different hairstyle.   The purple and pink ones are actually Alana's, but they usually hang out in Chace's bed with the rest.  "They are just so cute!" is what he always says.

Hermit Crab

Chace has always been sort-of not-really interested in pets.  As a toddler,  he was much more interested in the toys the zoo animals had in their cages than the animals themselves! (Look at the tiger Chace!  His reply -A Ball, A Ball!).  Alana, on the other hand, loves animals.  She is always pulling out the hermit crab to look  at.  Chace won't have anything to do with his hermit crab after it pinched him (it may not have actually pinched him, its just has sharp little claws).  He felt betrayed because he thinks it doesn't love him anymore.  Alana isn't brave enough to hold the hermit crab yet, but she's working up to it.  Here she is pointing to the crab after she's filled his water bowl with sand (and dumped the rest of the sand all over the carpet after I vacuumed).  She also feeds the fish in the morning,  makes sure I feed the dragon his crickets, and loves to give Tony treats.   She keeps her distance from Lolly though.  We had a fun day at the pet store last week looking at all the animals.

New Car

Newton's first new car,  a Honda Civic Si.  Sporty and practical. 

Trip to McDonalds

Oops!  Tristan's Quest was canceled tonight, but the kids were quickly cheered up by a trip to McDonalds.  Chace had fun playing with the other kids, Alana loved the ice cream. Unfortunately,  we've learned that Tristan's Quest is having money issues.  They just lost a major grant, so their SKIP (Support for Kids of Incarcerated Parents) Program is in trouble.  There will also be no summer camp this year,  which is very disappointing for us.  

Driving Miss Alana

Gymnastics

One of the mother's at gymnastics thought Chace seemed a lot calmer today.  He was playing with her son, and didn't get upset when Elijah bumped into him and knocked him off the runway. Chace loves the new open gym format Tumblebees has now for the special needs class.  He likes that he doesn't have to wait,  and he's still working just as hard.   

New Pet!

We just got a new pet - a bearded dragon.  Originally named Falkor, he's already been renamed Spyro.  He's a friendly little guy,  kind of spiky.  The kids are fascinated, especially when he munches crickets.   When Spyro is nervous, he flattens out like he's been stepped on.  

St. Patick's Day

The kids were all dressed up in green for today.  Once Chace put on his new St. Patty's Day vest made by Nana, he ran around pinching us until we put our green on.  Alana also had a new shirt from Nana.  

Consignment Sale

The Covenant Kids Consignment Sale was last week.  This is my favorite Bi-Annual Sale.  I  made out like a bandit this year.  My favorite find was a teeter tooter for $5- both kids love it and can actually play together.  All together we got a teeter totter,  Pokemon Battle Dome,  Hard DS Case, Spongebob Tent and Sleeping Bag, 2 pairs of sneakers (one StrideRite),  4 Shirts, 2 Skorts, 3 Sets of PJs, 4 Dresses,  1 Bathtoy, and a shirt,pant, jacket and backpack outfit for $64.  What a bargain!  Even better, most of my consignments sold this time, so I probably broke even.

Potty Training

Alana has used the potty two days in a row!  We're trying the laid back approach with her, and it seems to be working.   She actually asked to use the potty.  The hard part is after, when she gets her candy.  She wants to keep sitting on the potty and keep more getting candy.  

Neurofeedback Therapy Started

We are trying Neurofeedback therapy at home for Chace.  According to a lot of trials, Neurofeedback can retrain the brain and actually cure ADHD,  and some practitioners have started using it for Autism as well.  We bought a SmartBrain system that runs on a playstation 2.  Since its the only time Chace gets to play Spyro,  he is really motivated and very cooperative.  He even sits quietly as I adjust the funny head gear and cold wet sensors.  Didn't quite get it set up correctly the first time,  but the second session went better.  It'll be many weeks before we will see any progress, so keep your fingers crossed.  I'll keep you updated!

Monday Snow Day

We got around 5 inches of snow today.  The kids were so excited.  Alana did manage to put on shirt, shoes and pants on addition to her hat and gloves,  but balked at the boots.  The best part was making snow angels.  Chace did a great job making a couple so Alana decided to try to make one.  Of course,  she first plopped down in an icy wet spot on the drive way.  We moved her to some snow, where she sat with her arms and legs up,  not quite sure what to do.  When the kids were thoroughly soaked through, we went back inside and gave the kids a warm bath.  All before 9AM.