The start of a new adventure...

Today my little man got braces and the "lovely" (sarcasm implied!) expander. I was so proud of him. He was really scared, but he did great. The colors of his bands are Colt's colors. His choice, I promise!
I wasn't sure we were going to get ther because of the slick road conditions. I made it fine to the entrance, but once I made it to the hill in front of the office, I began to slide. I ended up sideways on the road. I tried several times to either turn into the office parking lot or just go backward into another lot. I tried to no avail. A young gentlemen and his wife came by and said that they had been tyring for half an hour to get her car up the hill. yikes! The young man tried everything to get me moving. He eventually got into the van (with Andrew screaming...) and got the van down the hill and into another parking lot. I was very thankful for him!
I had to bring Andrew with me (that was not part of our plan) because my friend had to wait for the bus and couldn't leave her children. :) I was very surprised and delighted at how well Andrew did. There were some loud and tense moments, but overall he did amazing.

Jarod is being such a trooper tonight. Eating only yogurt and applesauce can be kinda boring. He hasn't even asked for meds to help with the pain. I am so proud of my big guy! Here's hoping to no more sliding and randmon generous strangers on our next visit!

my long lost blog...

Okay, so it hasn't been exactly lost, but I seem to have been slacking off in the journaling department lately. Not because there hasn't been anything to write about! I just haven't been wanting to write.
Things have been a little rough around here in the world of autism lately. I feel like we are stuck in the never ending age of 3. (Drew is 5 1/2). I know that he gets frustrated when he can't tell us what he wants or when he can't find something he is so desperately looking for. There are times when I just want this roller coaster of emotions to stop. I want to crawl inside his brain and see what he sees, think what he thinks. I feel at a loss for what do to do for him. I feel helpless.
I realized the other day when he wasn't invited to a birthday that Drew doesn't have any friends. When I drop him off at school, there is absolutely no contact with the other kids. He spins around in circles and talks to himself. I want him to have friends! I know it will take time...I know that in my head, but my heart aches for all that he is missing.
I guess this is why I haven't been writing. I don't want to be vulnerable. People say to me that they don't know how I do it. To be honest, I don't know either. It's all the Lord!! Those people don't see me when I lose it in the van or at home.

so, there you go...it's been a hard month. I am not feeling very thankful much. I'm working on it and maybe I can post something a little more positive soon. Thanks for listening.

Another Monday...

Monday mornings are usually a grumpy filled, not wanting to get up day. But today, the boys slept in a little, I am dressed and ready for the day, Jarod volunteered to practice piano and Drew is in a delightful mood. thank you Lord for a great start to the week!

Thankful Friday...

Here's my 5 things I'm thankful for on this raining, grey day...

1. I am thankful for a good parent teacher conference with Jarod's teacher. He got all A's on his report card. (This is a first for actual letter grades.) We are so proud of him!

2. I spent time in Drew's class on Thursday at the fall party. It went really well. I hadn't been helping in his class yet because I was anxious of his reactions to me in the class. But I was pleasantly surprised. He went to all the centers and seemed to enjoy himself. And then we were able to go home a little early! I realized the other day that I didn't want to miss out on Drew's activities in his class just because I was afraid of his reaction to me being there.

3. My friend's son came over yesterday and raked leaves for us. That was a blessing. However, there are now more leaves on the ground, plus the ones he didn't get to. I guess Eric and I will have finish the job this weekend!

4. I helped out in the children's department at BSF on Thursday. I always enjoying helping out down there. It almost makes me miss teaching!

5. This weekend has nothing on the calendar! That hasn't happened in a long time!! Looking forward to having family time!

Six on Saturday

1. I am thankful for a lazy Saturday at home. We watched some movies and then had some friends over. After the kiddos are in bed, we have a friend coming over so Eric and I can go out for a mini date. We won't be gone long, but at least we'll be out of the house!

2. I absolutely LOVE the fall. I am always in awe at God's amazing creativity and imagination when the leaves turn colors. This is my favorite time of year when the colors just explode on the leaves. I love the smells of fires burning, hot apple cider and the cold of the air on my nose. This season just doesn't last long enough for me!

3. Eric's been busy these last couple of weekends with scout training. He really loves helping out! I'm thankful that he takes volunteering with Jarod's scout troupe seriously. It's neat to hear other moms talk about how much they respect Eric. Some of those moms are single moms and it makes me proud to know that he is making a difference in these boys' lives.

4. Before we left to visit Magic Kingdom for the first time, Jarod's glasses broke in two. They were old and needed to be replaced, but having them break in FL was not on my agenda. I am so thankful for Disney and their kindess in getting us to WalMart to get new frames. I am also very thankful for the effort of the lady at the optical center at WalMart that fitted Jarod's lenses into the black frames! Jarod could have had purple lenses!

5. I just love our eye dr. We were able to move up our appointment to last week so we could get new frames and lenses. Jarod can wear his black frames as a back up. I'm so thankful!

6. I am thankful that we have not been struck with the flu at our house. We all have the sniffles to some degree, but we can handle that! Thank you Lord for keeping the Hansen's healthy!

I'm back!

I know, I know. What happened to blogging? I don't have an answer. All I know is that I want to start blogging again.

I'm missing Rachel today. She passed away 6 months ago. Hard to believe that she's not here. I'm thankful for my hope in Christ!

I'm happy that we went on vacation, but Jarod is still trying to catch up on homework. I don't think his teacher is all that worried about it. But I still want him to get it done.

I went to my friend's house today for their "welcome back home" open house. they had a fire last spring and lost just about everything. it was wonderful to see them back in their house with all the new things. So happy for them!

Well, now that I've started, I think I'll give my brain a rest. Just some rambling thoughts today.

Six on Saturday

I haven't had much time to sit and reflect on God's faithfulness recently. I need to do that more. We've been traveling some and with both boys on summer break, I don't get a whole lot of time to sit down.

So, I have some time now between loads of laundry, the dishwasher running and Drew watching a video.

1. I am so thankful for some "me" time this last week. I went swim suit shopping by myself. Not that I love shopping for a new suit, but I could take my time and try things on without having a child in tow.

2. We were able to take a mini vacation last weekend to Eric's cousin's wedding. it was a beautiful outdoor wedding at her home. There was a DJ and has soon as the music started playing, Drew was up and dancing. It was great to see him having such a great time. The disco lights were a hit too. Jarod made friends with a second cousin who also loves star wars. The two of them spent several hours on the front porch playing with star wars figures. Eric and I were able to visit with family and had a great time. Then we spent the rest of the weekend visiting our friends, the Billman's, in MI. They live in a beautiful home with land and a pool. The boys had a blast. It was good to reconnect with them. When the Billman's were living in Fort Wayne, we would get together almost every Sunday evening for dinner and cards.

3. I am thankful that we are in a financial place that is relatively safe. I'm thankful that we can continue to support missionaries and their work. I feel humbled and blessed.

4. I am thankful for the summer school program that Drew is involved in. The program is at Haverhill this summer, where Drew will go in the fall. It is also in the kindergarten classroom that he will be in when school starts. How cool is that?! Everytime I start to freak out about kindergarten, I remember that he's already got a start and knows where his classroom will be!

5. A few weeks ago, I was able to reconnect with a special friend from college. She has moved back to the area. I am so thankful that we were able to catch up and talk. I am looking forward to spending more time with her!

6. We are still looking for a new church home. We have visited some wonderful places! We will go back to Emmanuel tomorrow. There will be a buddy for Drew. I am so thankful for that!