ANOTHER ONE LEAVES THE NEST

On Wednesday, we helped get Abigail settled into her new apartment for her 3rd year of college.  

We also brought Stephen to his college for the start of his 1st year.  

It wasn't any easier for the 2nd child....

All packed up and ready to leave home

All moved in and time for us to leave Stephen

Stephen's sweet note he left for us in his bedroom.  

It's hard giving up the pilot seat to your kids.  

God bless you Stephen as you start your amazing adventure and to Abigail has she enters 

her last half of college. 

Time flies!

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

There is just something about a boy and his dog...

Because Stephen is leaving soon for college, we wanted to catch some good pictures of him and his dog.  Of course, the little boys wanted to also be part of the photo shoot! 

VISITORS AND VACATIONS!

Andrew's Aunt Joyce came to visit from San Francisco for a few days this July.  This was the 1st time she met Ben, and only the 2nd time she has seen Jonah.  Aunt Joyce has a strong and interesting personality.  Our Ben has this same type of personality.  To our surprise, these two hit it off tremendously.  Ben was very charming and sweet during the visit, and he seemed very comfortable with Aunt Joyce.  Who can figure?

We just got back from our vacation to WINONA, MN!  Winona is located right on the Mississippi River so it is a very beautiful area.  We did hiking along the bluffs during the mornings and went swimming at the lake in the afternoon.  Simple but fun vacation!  And so grateful we could all be together for this time- the older the kids get, the harder it gets to schedule family time...

RESOURCES: PARENTING A CHILD FROM A HARD PLACE

As I am constantly trying to analyze and figure out Ben's behavior issues and how to best help him, I came across these interesting articles.  

The 2nd article talks about Reactive Attachment Disorder.  

PLEASE NOTE, Ben has not been diagnosed with this disorder, nor do I think he has this disorder.  Of course, since his adjustment to his new life is a very long processwith lots of ups and downs, there is always the possibility we may have to consider this more seriously down the road...

I do believe though that Ben has some of the tendencies related to RAD.  

So in the 2nd article, I thought there were some very valuable points about how parents and teachers should react/respond to a child who needs to always be in control.

The third article discusses how difficult self-regulation can be for kiddos with traumatic pasts.  A great resource for classroom teachers...

What continues to amaze me with Ben is the fact that him having Down syndrome is probably the least of what we deal with with him.  Most of Ben's issues are a result of being an orphanage for his first 6 years.  

That being said, probably the best information I found regarding kiddos coming from a hard place was this simple saying:

"Sad presents as mad."  

I would do well to remember that as I deal with the many power struggles and acts of defiance from Ben during the day.  What is really going on his mind?  What is he really trying to communicate to us?   

5 Things You Should Know About How Orphanage Life Affects Children

Ways to Deal with Attachment Disorders


Trauma Informed Teachers

RESOURCES: DOWN SYNDROME

I found these great resources that are concise and straight to the point.  I don't have much time to read so short and sweet is best for me!

These might be a nice thing to provide to classroom teachers as they prepare to have your child in their classrooms this fall.

Managing Behavior and Down Syndrome

Behavior Guide for Down Syndrome

Behavorial Issues and Down Syndrome

BAY BEACH!

We took the boys to a great amusement park up in Green Bay.  Rides cost only 25 cents- yes, you did indeed read that correctly!  What a bargain!

The boys had lots of fun, although their expressions were very serious while on most of the rides.   I think they really believed they were flying the airplane or driving the race car, etc.

FISHING!

Andrew and Grandpa were able to take Ben fishing at my brother's pond.  They caught 6 fish!

Don't worry, Jonah will get his chance to go sometime this summer.

As promised, Jonah's fishing photos!