Taking the Scenic Route

Learning new things

27th September 2010

Learning new things

Zach doing a lesson with Zane.

Zane suddenly developed an interest in chess. YAY!    He took the cheaper chess set (the “No Stress Chess Game”) and set it up next to his computer, ran a computer chess game that we have had on there for a while, mirroring the moves on the chessboard next to him.  After doing that for several hours, he asked his Dad to play a game with him.  Then Zora heard “play a game” and wanted to also join, so we went into storage and dug out our nice chess set, from Zach’s mom.  Zach ended up playing with both of them at once, Zane an actual game, and Zora a pretend game.

I am SO excited to see him be interested in chess.  When he gets a little better it would be a great social outlet for him, besides the obvious brain building benefits.

posted in Board/Card Games, Homeschool, Zach, Zane | Comments Off

15th September 2010

State Fair

My folks took our family to the fair this year.  As usual, it was a lot of fun.  The only unfun thing was dad having an injured eye.  He got a scratch on his cornea and it was ulcerating, causing him a lot of pain, and the drops he has to put in hourly were also painful.  It was in his “good” eye, which rendered him, effectively, blind.

They got ride-o-rama bracelets for the three kids the kids and Zach, so Zach could help, especially on the bigger rides Zane wanted to go on.

We have a photo of him looking forward and happy on this ride, but I was tickled by the picture of him smelling the ride before settling in.  One of those quirks inherited from both sides of the family.  (Even Zach’s dad, Zane’s grandpa, was known for smelling everything.  lol)

Before Zach & Zane split off to go on big rides, Zane rode a few of the kid ones with Zora.

One of the only rides that Zane has never really liked is the carousel.  When he does ride, he rides on the bench, but he prefers not to ride it.  I actually agree with him on this one.  I can ride the wildest roller coasters and other adrenaline rides, but the carousel gives me horrible vertigo and I hate it.  Zora and Zach both love the carousel.

Dad and I hung out with the kids and mom for a while, until the brightness and the dust was just more than he could take.  We found a spot just off the midway, in the shade and away from the people where we sat for most of the afternoon.  I realized later that the hours long conversation was the longest uninterrupted conversation I have had with my dad in decades.  We also laughed at the idea that he could never have guessed, when I was Zora’s age, that I would ever sit still for that long.

As darkness fell, we headed back to the cars, with one last stop:  the train.  Mom has taken this ride every year since she was a little girl, she always took us every year, and now my kids have gone every year.  However, I don’t remember being able to go in the “coal car” part of the train, so I am a little jealous.  We ended up going on the last loop of the night.  I think the kids behaved better than the “grown-ups” this time.

And, as we pass by a “photo board” thing, we decided to give it a shot.  I will leave out the nice photos because the bad ones were so much funnier.

Our family’s submission to “awkward family photos” website (a website of horrible family photos).  Zane was not really into the photo thing, as you can tell.

but we did get one last smile out of him before leaving.

posted in Autistic Life, State Fair, The 2 Opas (J's Parents), Zane, Zora | Comments Off

11th September 2010

First Dance Class

Oma made Zora one happy girl.  She chose dance over gymnastics this fall, so Grandma got her some ballet clothes and she was set for the new experience.  (She also paid for Zane to continue in gymnastics at the YMCA)

Trying out the twirl factor of the new skirt before leaving.

posted in Dance, Zora | Comments Off

11th September 2010

Art

First, one picture from Zane.  This cartoon is a reaction to his vocabulary work in Speech Therapy.  They learn a new science term and do a related experiment (among other things).

The word is “repel”

Now, the gallery:

posted in Art, Zane, Zora | Comments Off

8th September 2010

Sweet Face

posted in Zora | Comments Off

2nd September 2010

First Day of Preschool

Carrying her nametag (that she has been asking for since it arrived in the mail a few weeks before), she excitedly sets out for a new year.

Daddy’s reaction to dropping his baby off to school.

posted in School, Zora | Comments Off

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