It's so hard believe how these past 5 years have flown by, but yes, Sam and Gabby turned 5 on June 10th. As I sit and type, I'm reflecting on these past 5 years realizing in all honesty just how tired and sometimes stressed Adam and I both are with all that we do in raising our little tike's. Adam has his role with working day and night painting cars and I have my role in managing everything else that comes along with being a parent to twins. But...being tired and stressed is so worth it when it comes to Sam and Gabby. They also bring so much joy to our lives that we just couldn't ask for anything better than that. The smiles on those little ones faces is enough to melt any one's heart... and how lucky are we to see those smiles every single day? And our little Sam, well let's just say this child is a true fighter with this Autism business. Over the past 3 years since he was diagnosed, he has come so far...so fast. The reason for this is because we as parents work so hard to get the very best education for him and give him all the love and support he needs. The other reason is for the family and friends that have stood by him and us from the very beginning. We've all needed you in so many ways, and you've all been there and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for never turning your backs on us...especially Samuel. And for the new friends from Whispering Pines that have come into our lives and taken us in like family, we thank you for your understanding, love and support and for caring for our children the way you all do. It warms my heart every time I hear one of you say that you've noticed a positive change in Sam and how it excites you when he does something new and great. This means the world to us.
We continue to enjoy our camping weekends at Whispering Pines and even had a whole week to spend there last week. The weather was terrible and Sam became very sick 3 days into vacation, which turned into a visit to the urgent care center. We aren't sure if Sam had a simple virus or had the H1N1 Virus aka "Swine Flu". He was treated with medication to treat the Swine Flu and started to perk up within 2 days. However, we all ended up on the medication so that the rest of us wouldn't get the virus, which resulted in a $160.00 prescription bill! All in all, we had great company to keep us going throughout the week and we were still very happy to be there.
Some great school news to post...yesterday Sam was moved out of the classroom that he had been in for the past 2 years and moved to a classroom with higher functioning children who are mostly verbal. The children in the class he was in were mostly non-verbal children. This was a great move for Sam as he now can't wait to get out of my car and into school since he is now in the same class with all his buddies! We couldn't be happier for him and it was getting harder to get him to go into the school without the help of a behaviorist and lots of tears.
We are all looking forward to a nice long 4th of July weekend...at the campground of course. We all love being there and it's turning out to be great therapy for Sam. I've even been told that we could possibly write the campground fee and camper cost off on our taxes next year as therapy for Sam...hmmm...not a bad idea!
We hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend!
