Christmas Day in Doodleville

  

The Doodle had a great day. 

We let him sleep in until 10:30 and then he got up and opened his presents.

He liked tearing the paper and he loved his DVD's. 

Jimmy wrote us a touching fictional story and read it aloud and made us a cool Christmas Tree out of clay. 

I love how creative he is.

Jimmy got a Play Station 3 from Santa so he was pretty happy.

They all played video games, including the Doodle.

Jim got a Snuggie.

And I got this necklace I have been wanting so badly from Jim and the kids,

it's made by one of my favorite jewelry designers and fellow-bloggers Lisa Leonard

It's hand stamped and says "Mama - Hand Holder, Dream Soother, Love Giver..."

It's my favorite thing ever.

It's cold and raining here so Coco opted to stay inside; she took a nap under the tree.

Our tree is getting dry and crispy and I can't wait to get it out of here.

I also can't wait for our family vacation to Disney Land and Palm Springs.

I hope the weather is nice.

Looking forward to 2011-

a fresh start, a new year,new dreams, new hope.

God Bless.

Happy Holidays from the Doodle Bug and his Family

Been busy getting ready for the Holidays.  It's usually my favorite time of year--but this year has been more busy than most.  Work was crazy--my annual holiday sale seemed to go on and on and I still haven't had a chance to clean up after the sale...

We're taking a much needed family vacation soon and I'm trying my hardest not to get my expectations up too high.  I'm just going to take it one day at a time and hope for the best.

Have a Merry Christmas!

INTEGRITY

Sorry Dr. Griffith, you may have noticed,
but I'm not signing your Agreement.
I'd rather pay you for the bogus consult and keep my integrity.
I have a hard enough time sleeping well at night with an autistic child,
I don't need the weight of selling out on my shoulders.

Starting Early

I'm starting my New Year's resolution early this year...seems silly to wait until January 1st to change my outlook. It's never too late to find Joy and give gratitude. Each day, I am going to make it a personal practice to stop, be still and be thankful for all that I have.  I'm going to make 2011 more joyous for myself and my family by learning to accept things for what they are and not go so crazy trying to fix them.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Finally picked up our Christmas Tree tonight.  I just love the smell of a fresh tree.  The Doodle loved picking out the tree and running around with the tree cart in the mud but he had no interest in decorating it.  He'd rather take the ornaments off the tree then put them on it.

Jimmy can be such a good brother when he wants to be and it amazes me how fickle the Doodle is with him.  Sometimes he loves him, sometimes he wants nothing to do with him.  It's the moments when he accepts him that I love it when the camera is handy.

This will be an interesting holiday.  I'm not sure what the Doodle Bug will think of presents and the holiday festivities this year or how many ornaments he will throw on the floor.  But true to autism form, behavior will be unpredictable and trying; yet completely expected.

What I'm Reading

There's a reason for everything, right?  Yet, I struggle every day with wondering why. If I could just understand the reason, it would make this easier.

I'm still trying to find the hidden blessings in the autism--and come to terms with it.  I'll be honest. I can't always see the positive aspects and "blessings" of this disorder.  Maybe reading this will help me open my mind and understand why other people can see the Good in autism when I want to be rid of it.

We are still nonverbal - completely.

We still have behavior and OCD issues.

We still have seizure activity.

But, we still have hope.