Dinner with family

We went to my brother-in-law's for dinner Saturday night. Carson really adores his cousin Henry. Henry just turned 14 and Carson made a rocket for him that he so graciously accepted. Henry plays clarinet and at the end of the evening, he played a little for us. Cameron loved the music and danced to the beat.

Open Gym

We went to Eagle's Wings open gym last Friday. Carson really likes to go there. I was surprised when he chose to run and jump on the trampoline as he usually just jumps in the foam pit or builds forts with the giant building pieces.

Pen Pal

Carson has been corresponding with a family that moved to Ohio last year. They have 2 little girls and a brand new baby boy. Recently, they sent a thoughtful care package for the boys. Carson was so excited to open it and see all the things that were sent, Cameron even had a good time. Thanks Glancy family of 5!

Playing in the backyard

We played a lot in the backyard today. It was gorgeous!

Storm damage

The strong winds last night ripped a large branch from our Bradford Pear tree. Carson decided to play on it. Cameron was squealing with excitement as Carson jumped. Carson was trying to break the branch into firewood.

Our friend, The Squirrel

We have a corn cob feeder hanging from a tree a couple of feet from Carson's treehouse. It is for our squirrel. Carson gets a bird's eye view!

Friends at the park

Cute!

The garden is finished!

Yeah! I didn't think we would ever be finished with the garden!
We have tomatoes, bell peppers, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, and many varieties of herbs. Everything is doing well and made it through the rough storms from last night.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

As you know, Carson does not watch TV or movies. Mark and I have been thinking about introducing a movie night that the 3 of us could enjoy. Carson has had the soundtrack to the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for over a year. He loves the music and knows all the songs so we felt like this movie would be a good first choice. Last week, I told him that in addition to the music, there is also a movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I told him that after we got Cameron to bed on Saturday night, we could have a movie night if he wanted to. He has been to plays, so I explained to him that it was like a play but it was on TV. I don't think he even realized that stories can be played out on TV.
He was happy about it and was thrilled when we made nutritional yeast popcorn - his favorite. We started the movie and although he enjoyed the songs and dancing, he did not enjoy the movie itself. We only watched half as it was getting late. I felt like this was a calm and easy movie to introduce to him, but I had no idea how upsetting it would be to him. There are moments when people are arguing (i.e. Mr. Potts and Truly in the beginning) that had him extremly upset. Also when the man wanted to buy old car No.3 to melt down into scrap metal, he lost it! He was crying and desperate to help the car. I felt so bad for him. There were parts that he enjoyed - like when Mr.Potts fixed the car up and the car drove on the water like a boat. Needless to say, he says that he does not like movies and that he would rather play.
Bottom line, I think that he is just too young for it and not emotionally mature enough. He just is not desensitized to it like many young children. I think that we might go ahead and stick to documentaries in the future.

Dinner/Playday

We had some friends over for dinner last weekend. They have 2 beautiful daughters that Carson adore. I made a cuban meal consisting of pork tenderloin, brown rice, black beans, fried plantains, and flan. My friend completed the meal with a delicious salad. Carson really enjoyed playing with his friends.

Steel-String Guitar

Mark showed up recently with a pricey real steel-string guitar for Carson. Although I am still not convinced that it was an appropriate gift for a 4 year old, I can't help but love his enthusiasm. Here is a little taste of one of their 'Jam Sessions' playing CCR's "Midnight Special". Of course, Cameron is usually close by to lend a helping hand.

The famous 'Sand Park'

There is a cute little park not far from our house we've been to a few times. However, it seems lately that we always seem to pass it by while going somewhere else. Carson has been wanting to stop and play for a while and we finally got a chance this week to go. Even though it was chilly and a little wet, we had a great time. We also looked for a 4-leaf clover. Carson thought that was fun since he's wanted to do that since St.Patrick's Day.

Library Storytime

We try to make it to the library at least once a week. Sometimes we make the preschool storytime there. Carson really enjoys it and Cameron tolerates it. Sometimes, Cameron and I stand outside the glass door and watch because those baby noises get loud sometimes. Carson really enjoys it and sits front and center (as you can see in the pictures).

Jenny McCarthy on Larry King Live

Jenny McCarthy was on Larry King Live last night to talk about Autism. Things got a little prickly when Jenny said that her son, Evan, would not be autistic if it wasn't for medical vaccinations.

Video from Larry King:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/04/02/lkl.autism.long.cnn

Part of video cut from Larry King Website:
http://www.redlasso.com/ClipPlayer.aspx?id=6d1afd0c-23d5-40f4-8471-4a6c3bddb626

Baby shower

I took the boys to a double baby shower yesterday. Two sisters both having girls! It was really fun and my mom was there and really enjoyed seeing the boys. During the gift opening, Cameron was trying to help! Carson said that he really likes baby showers. He had a great time and played with the other children that were there.

Dandelions

Cameron loves to sit on the porch and crawl around to the edge of the grass to find a dandelion. The little guy is fast and can eat a dandelion in a split second!

Kapla

We have these cool building planks called Kapla. Carson makes the coolest things - he builds, he makes roadway, you name it...he makes it with these pieces. He began building one of the creations from the book. He was doing pretty well, but soon was frustrated at following the picture. Together, we ended up building a rocket. Since his Abuelo brought a rocket on easter, he loves everything rocket!

Playday in the mud

Carson's friend, Cody and his little brother Carter came over for a playday last week. Per Carson's request, Cody brought his bike so they could ride in the cul-de-sac. However, they didn't get a chance to bike because they were too busy playing in the mud they made. Carson continued to play in the mud after his friends left. It amazes me how dirty a little boy can get! I love that summer is coming. I am looking forward to making a mud pie with him like when I was a little girl :)

Spring Ants

Carson has a pump sprayer that he fills with water and soap to spray fire ants (Mark uses a homemade blend of organic ingredients that includes soap to spray for ants). He spent hours walking around the yard picking up stepping stones and spraying for ants. He is very serious and just like a little man when he is working.

Learning to write

Well, my compulsion for list writing has finally paid off! Carson has been taking pieces of paper and writing his own lists. I can actually read them. For example: "ETL" = "Eat Lunch". "BHCP"="Buy hovercraft parts". "FCT"="Fly Kite".
Again, like most of our learning, this is totally initiated by Carson.

Pump it up JR

There is a cute little play place called Pump It Up JR that we went to last week. It is only for children 6 years and under. We met up some friends and the boys had a great time. Cameron LOVED it. He really like the car that they had and tried to beat up a few babies to get into one. Carson had a good time, but being one of the few BIG kids was hard for him since there were so many little ones to look out for. He has so much energy and he is so strong.

Preschool Co-op

One of the moms in our homeschool playgroup organized a preschool co-op. The host organizes an activity or craft. We meet weekly and today I hosted for the group. We had 11 children ranging from 7months old - 8years old. The children played for about an hour and then we painted large stones with acrylic paint to decorate our gardens or patios. Then we took paper cups that we decorated with stickers and scooped in soil and rye grass seed to grow pretty grass. It should look a little like a chia pet. After the crafts, we played a few games (bug-in-the-rug and duck, duck goose). We also put together Carson's large train that his Abuelo and Abuela bought for his birthday. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures until after it was over. However, I have pics of Carson's creations and my rock examples that I did the night before.

Update: Carson giving his grass a haircut picture uploaded

How does that word sound?

Here are a few observations from Carson today:

"Why do they call it a toilet when there are no toys in it?"

"Why do they call it bratwurst when it is the best?"

"Why do they call it a plate when you can't even play with it?"