Merry Christmas

Christmas is so much fun when you have children. Watching the wonder in their eyes, and their little heads popping over a toy, etc. The kids made out like bandits this year. Big gifts were a kids digital camera for Mia and an Arcade Basketball game for Corey, and they are still checking everything out at this point - every day is Christmas all over again - LOL. Mommy and Daddy scored big this year, too - thanks to Grandma and Papa. Joe is thrilled with his new 42 inch TV for the bedroom and I am loving both my iPod touch and my new Garmin.

Caribbean Cruise, here we come!

We have booked our family vacation, and are so excited! We haven't been on a "real" vacation since Corey was a baby. Traveling with an autistic child brings a host of challenges, but we think we have found the perfect thing for us - a Disney cruise that is set up to cater to passengers (and families) challenged by Autism. How cool is that? We will be cruising out of Orlando to the Bahamas - lots of sun and fun for the whole family, special food for Corey - the whole shebang. If you want to check it out, go to www.autismontheseas.com - we are taking the July 19th cruise out of Port Canaveral, FL. Anyone want to join the fun?

Family Fun

We took the kiddos bowling today. They had so much fun and Mommy won, much to Joe's chagrin. LOL We play Wii bowling at home, but going to the lanes is a special treat for the kids. In the afternoon, we headed over to the Outlets so the kids could throw some pennies in the fountain and ride some toys. The simple things...

Christmas Vacation begins...

OK, I know it isn't called that anymore, but Corey is now off school until January 5th. Mia and I headed over to Corey's school for his "Winter Party" and had such a fun time. We brought lots of GFCF treats - sugar cookies, cupcakes and gingerbread men for decorating. Yes, I know I went a little bananas, but since I seem to have been the only mom who brought GFCF treats, I guess I did the right thing. The other moms with kids on the gfcf diet were thrilled that I brought homemade treats their kids could enjoy - it made me feel really proud of myself. Of course, Corey and Mia loved the treats. All of this has me thinking more and more about a launching a GFCF baking business - hmmmm. In addition giving the children nice sugar highs, I had fun chatting with other moms and with Corey's teachers, etc. This is his first year at a new elementary school, so I am still getting to know everyone, and the lay of the land. I am really happy with his placement and with the fantastic staff at Fern Bluff - Corey is learning so much and growing by leaps and bounds. We are going to make a change on his In-Home Therapist in the New Year, but I am confident that Corey will adapt nicely - he has gotten so much better with transitions. Here are a couple of pics from the party today...

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes....

The princess said goodbye to Ms. Amanda's Mom's Day Out program today. She will surely miss her friends and Ms. Amanda, but is excited to start "big girl school" after the holidays. Here are a few pics from today of Mia with her friend Megan and with Ms. Amanda. Oh, and have I mentioned that Mia is a HAM for the camera?

Tis the Season...

We did the requisite visit to Santa with the kiddos, and such a good time! Mia, of course, charmed him to no end, and politely informed him that he is to bring her Waterbabies this year for Christmas. I think she would have spent a great deal longer with Santa, given the chance. Now, we didn't know how Corey would do - being autistic, new or different experiences can be hard for him to deal with. Being expected to sit on the lap of a stranger - are you kidding me? But - Corey has been making such big strides this year, and he impressed us yet again. He was great with Santa, and enjoyed the experience. Yay Corey!

More baking and a change coming for the Princess...

Today was cookie baking day here - we (Mia and I) baked a double batch of (gluten free/casein free/soy free) sugar cookies for the kids' parties and to share with some friends and neighbors. Yummy! I am betting I will end up doing one more batch before Christmas, but we shall see. I also made a batch of Gingerbread men (and women) cookies. The other bit of news is that tomorrow is Mia's last day at Ms. Amanda's Mom's Day Out program. We toured a new preschool this morning and have decided that she will start there Tuesdays and Thursdays after the New Year. She is super excited to attend "Big Girl School". Should be fun!

The holiday baking begins - GFCF, of course

I am in the midst of prepping for kids holiday parties, and today was cupcake day. They are chocolate chocolate chip with, what else, chocolate frosting. Add an assortment of sprinkles, peppermint "snow" and decos and voila! And don't forget - these cupcakes are completely free of wheat and dairy, but missing none of the yummy taste. Food allergies/intolerances shouldn't mean that kids can't be kids, right? Wait until I get the cookies done tomorrow!

Sometimes you can go back in time...

So - I went to Freebirds World Burrito today. You should understand that I haven't had a Freebirds burrito since my college days at UCSB, and this was a LONG time ago. How cool is it that they are here in Austin now? And - was it as good as I remembered???? Yep, I almost wished I was hungover so it could be my cure, just like the good old days... The only difference is that I paired it with a diet Dr. Pepper today, instead of a fully loaded Root Beer like I did back in the day. Gotta cut calories where I can, right?

Have I mentioned that my girl is funny?

We had dinner at Jimmy John's sandwiches the other night and... Miss Mia demonstrated that there is more than one way to eat a Jimmy John's sandwich. Nuff said. Maybe Mia should do there next ad campaign.

Yes, it does get cold here...

Some of my friends and family will be surprised to learn that we get actual weather in Central Texas - not just endless HOT summers. It snowed here last week - not a ton, but still... It was a beautiful night.

Good weekend... but could I get a little more sleep?

It was so nice to have Daddy home! We went and picked out our Christmas tree on Thursday and Mia and I decorated it on Friday while Corey was at school and Daddy was working. We think it turned out just beautifully. One of the many things I like about living here in Central Texas is the difference in service you get at places like Christmas Tree Lots... Back in SoCal, I was happy when the workers would help me get the tree up on top of the car before they bailed. Here, the guys brought it to the vehicle, put it on top and helped us (read "did most of the work") get it strapped down securely enough for us to take the freeway home. Nice!

Saturday was a quiet day, partly because my boy got up at... wait for it.... 3:41 am - aaaccckkk! Corey has always been an early riser, but Yipe - this is just not good for mommy. Now, I know we have him a little off kilter right now, as we have started a new treatment regimen recently, and it is not uncommon to have these kinds of things crop up, but it isn't easy to deal with, I have to say. Oh, well - this too shall pass, right? Just keep swimming, Chrissy.

Yesterday, we went to a holiday party at a fun place called Hoppin Hippo. They have bounce houses, a treehouse complete with dressup stuff, swings, etc. The kids had a ball, and I had fun chatting with some of my fellow California transplant moms.