Newsflash...

I am happy to report that we have great plans for Corey's education and therapy in the coming year.  We just had his yearly ARD/IEP meeting where we go over his progress and set his new goals for the coming year.  He has been doing such a great job at school and is making great strides!  We are going to keep pushing him, of course, and are adding some new services to help him continue to grow and claw his way out of the curtain of autism.  He is such a smart child, and we are so proud to be able to give him the opportunity to overcome so many obstacles that he faces due to autism.  In the coming year, we are planning to add music therapy to his curriculum and are also going to help him learn the keyboard so he can type more, as handwriting is a real struggle for him due to his fine motor processing issues.  We will continue to help him work through the handwriting challenge, but it isn't fair to have that holding him back academically at this point.  The other super news on his school plans for fall is that Corey will not be changing schools and programs for fall, which was the district's original plan.  Corey is doing so well and we did not want him to have to change schools again after only one year at Fern Bluff.  We are over the moon about this!  The school has been so great for Corey -- the teachers and staff are amazing and he has made friends both in special ed class and in his regular ed 2nd grade class. (Hi Shelby and Natalie!)

Another great development is that I have finally worked out an out of network referral for Corey to receive ABA therapy and have insurance pay at 90% - this is huge!  (http://www.childrens-autism-center.org/) We will finally be able to get him the kind of hours we want this way.  We are getting this started asap, so between ESY/summer school and therapy, we will be able to keep Corey's learning and progress going throughout the summer.  He is making such great strides right now, we want to make sure we keep going!

At the same time, we have Corey seeing a really amazing doctor... Dr. Kendal Stewart at Neurosensory Centers.  (www.drkendalstewart.com)  Dr. Stewart is treating Corey on the Biomedical side, which is another piece of the autism puzzle for Corey. We are treating Corey, healing his mind and body.  Autism is a stumbling block for him, but autism does not define Corey.

We feel so blessed to have found a great place to live, good services for Corey, great friends and a wonderful community spirit.  What more could we ask for?

Gotta love Spring Baseball!

What fun times we have going to Corey's baseball games...

Happy Birthday, Papa!

We celebrated my Dad's 70th Birthday this week... Mia helped me bake and decorate the cake and it was yummy.  As always, GFCF!

Family Fun at a Crawfish Boil

We had so much fun at the Crawfish Boil at the Elks Lodge in Austin.  Our dear friends Shelly, Adrian and Pam put on a great party, and grownups and kids alike had a ball!

Jungle Java Night - Benefiting Autism Speaks

In observance of Autism Awareness Month, we held a FUNdraiser at Jungle Java to raise funds for my Autism Walk in the fall.  It was such a great night, and a big success to boot!  How awesome to have so many friends and others from the community come out to support our cause!

Happy Bunny Day!

Happy Easter! The kids were thrilled with Easter baskets and yummy treat filled eggs this morning. After a nice leisurely morning at home, we went over to a friends house for some food and egg hunting fun... I made one of my yummy gluten free/casein free/soy free cakes for the occasion, and a good time was had by all. Later in the afternoon, we headed over to Grandma and Papa's house and the kids enjoyed a third Easter celebration of the day with baskets and had fun hanging out with Grandma and Papa. The day was capped off by a super yummy prime rib dinner with twice baked potatoes, followed by homemade apple pie and my chocolate cake. What a fun day!

Advocacy

Mia and I had a really neat morning. We (and our good friend, Steve) attended a Rally for Autism Awareness and then spent the remainder of the morning in the Texas State Capitol building dropping off goodies and information flyers about several bills relating to autism that are currently up or going up for vote soon. Mia was a tremendous helper and quite the cutie helping bring the goody bags and informational cards in the Senators' offices, and was really proud to be representing her brother and all the other "friends" out there with autism. We walked and walked and she was such a little trooper.

A beautiful Spring day in Central Texas...

After Corey's game yesterday, we met up with some friends at a nearby park. We did a little impromptu fishing in a pond with some folks we met there, took a nice walk and even saw some turtles. Afterwards, the family headed to Z-Tejas and had a really yummy lunch. The staff members at the restaurant were really remarkable in their willingness to work with us on Corey's dietary restrictions, and everyone had a really yummy lunch.

Spring baseball!

We had such a great time at the Miracle Field yesterday - it was the first game of the spring season. We are excited to have Corey, Jimmy, Colter and Adrian all on the Rangers. This is the first season for Colter and Adrian and they did great. Corey and Jimmy are returning players and got back in the groove nicely. We were thrilled to have Gabi back as Corey's buddy - she is just great, and Corey loves her. The Miracle League buddies are truly amazing kids - teenagers who commit their Saturdays to helping special needs kids, and do it with smiles, laughter and loving hearts. We feel so blessed.
























Mia and Shelby are super fans for the boys, and great Chicken Dancers, to boot!

April is Autism Awareness Month

In observance of Autism Awareness Month...