Therapy at Mighty Oaks

Cameron and Brendan

When Cameron was diagnosed just after his 4th birthday, we had some friends from church who's son was diagnosed with autism at the same time. It seemed so cooincidental (but we know it was devine intervention) that both boys got on a waiting list for therapy at the same therapy center at the same time and were then signed up for Speach and Occupational therapy with the same therapists at the same two hour block each week. (one boy was in for speach while the other was in for occupational) Eventually someone came up with putting the boys together for a period of time each week and that grew into the whole two hours being a colaborative session with both boys and both therapists. What miricles we have seen from these sessions! We are so grateful for how focused and commited Beth and Martha have been in maximizing the time they have with the boys and creating activities that both stretch the boys and set them up for success!
This past week was their last session all together. Beth is having a baby and the boys will be seeing Martha alone now. We are glad that Martha will have some time to work with Cameron on what appears to be an emerging stutter, but we are sad to not have Brendan and Beth every week! And I will be sad to miss my visits with Brendan's mom, Dawn.

Star Wars!

We have an almost constant star wars roll play going on at our house
Even Heather gets in on it
this morning they were all playing together so funny. Ewan had his light sabers tucked away for safe keeping, Heather came out of the bedroom at one point with four light sabers at the same time. Ewan yelled "Cameron! Look out! It's General Grievous!" (a starwars character who has four arms and four lightsabers) and Heather said "Oh yes, dat's wight. I dievous dat's wight" Cameron came out of my room and I cracked up. He had our hawaiin massage stick and he was limping along on it and anounced he was "Yoda" For so many years Cameron lived in a constant imaginative world of Thomas the tank engine. It's so fun to see the other children meet him and his imagination in his new found passion for star wars.

happy almost valentines day! Heather Cameron Ewan

about two years ago we discovered that swiming had a very calming effect on cameron. we have learned that it can often be a great help for a condition called "sensory integration disfunction" (most people with autism suffer from this). when we moved to portland, we were determined to find an appartment that had an indoor swimming pool so he could swim year round. when school started last fall i began taking the children swimming every morning and we have been amazed at how much cameron has benefited (we notice a huge difference when we don't go). you can imagine what determination it takes for me to have three little kids all bundled up over their swim suits every morning by 8:00 with floaties and towls and dive sticks and goggles. i have some great stories of these (sometimes mis-)adventures. here are some quotes from today's jaunt to the pool.

"Heady's a whale!"
"I wuv you supah doopah!"
"mom did you know the largest creature in the ocean is a whale? mom, did you know the fiercest creature in the ocean is a shark? mom, when i grow up, i think i'll be an ocean psychologist."

scratching cameron's back

Tonight for family home evening we talked about how our prophet, Gordon B. Hinkley died this week and we have a new president of our church, Thomas Monson. We made cookies and talked about what would happen if we didn't fallow the recipe (ie if the oven was too hot, the cookies would burn) and how our prophet gives us the directions for us to have a happy family. We talked about how the prophet told us to be kinder to each other and to serve each other. we then watched a small portion of President Hinkley's funeral where the mormon tab. choir sang and they showed pictures of him. Cameron was so sweet. He cudled up to me and said "this song makes me want to hug you." Then he started hugging his dad and saying how sad he was that President Hinkley died. He started to cry a little and Evan and I were so touched, we started to cry too. After the song, we ate our cookies and the children were all wanting to "fallow the prophet" and be kind and serve each other. They all started sharing their cookies with each other (no small act of service for our Cameron) and then they all wanted to scratch each other's backs. I am so grateful for President Hinkley and for his undeniable goodness and for his challenge to each of us to "stand a little taller, and be a little kinder."

brotherly love...
horray for me, Evan's off today. Cameron and Ewan were driving me crazy. Ewan kept teasing Cameron, Cameron decided to make a "Ewan sandwich"...they really needed an outlet for their energy today so Evan has taken them to the zoo.

My mom called me to tell me some news and Heather to0k the opportunity to go in my bathroom and "wash Heady's hair"
The shampoo? hand lotion.
The Water? from the toilet. (scoop, pour, scoop, pour)

sugar and spice...

and bubbles...
and mom's mascera...

and nanny's lipstic...
never a dull moment :)