Gabriel's 9th Birthday

So this "no longer little boy" turned 9.  I have realized so much lately that he is no longer a little kid.  I don't know if it should have taken until now for me to know this, but it did.  This school year so far seems to have been a big turning point for him.  His school work is more intense and challenging compared to last year, he is much more independent, and he is developing closer friendships

Just playing some Green Ember.  Rabbits with swords.
I sent this picture to the author and he wrote Gabriel
back a message, which he thought was pretty cool

Just getting dirty at the park

Gabriel has had a lot of changes in the past year.  We had talked with the pediatrician toward the beginning of the year about how the occupational therapy seemed to have taught us what it could and we were wondering if there were some other resources for his quick moving mind, energy,  and emotional regulation. We decided to put him on a list at Virginia Tech for a Child Development Study.  We were told that they were booked until at least the fall of 2021.  We got a call at the end of March that they had a cancellation and asked if we could do it the next week.  This worked out perfectly since that next week was spring break.  All of the session were conducted over zoom, some with me and some with Gabriel.  They were all done by a grad student named Delshad that we instantly loved and she really connected with Gabriel.  The next week they called and asked for a follow up session.  We were told that if they could not adequately do the evaluation over zoom that we could come into the office, but the zoom option actually really worked. Gabriel really enjoyed the challenging math and logic puzzles, which Delshad really liked because she said usually kids don't like them and it's hard to get them to participate.  Gabriel actually told her how much fun it was and she said that was very helpful to her to have a child that enjoyed himself.

Waiting at the pediatricians office, stuffed Stitch and a book in hand

It took several weeks for VT to get back with us with their final report.  It was very long and detailed and we had another session after that to ask questions and talk about results.  The diagnosis is what we had anticipated.  Moderate ADHD with some sensory processing struggles, but high intelligence and processing speed.  Hearing Delshad explain all of this helped us to start understanding the unique and awesome way that Gabriel's mind works and processes.

Delshad recommended a course of family therapy, which involves sessions with just Gabriel and sessions just for the parents talking about strategies.  I called VT and put him on the wait list for this, which they said could take up to 6-8 months. Delshad called us in June and said that she can pull people off of the list if she feels that it is necessary and that she thought she would be a good fit to work with them.  She wanted to know if we'd like to start going through the program with her.  Of course!  So we started in the summer and actually have our last meeting next week.  We have all learned for much from her.  She helped us make a 504 plan for Gabriel at school, has guided us in making some changes in how we structure things at home, and has given us a lot of insight into how to move forward.

Some days I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing trying to help Gabriel learn and grow, but in the past several months I have seen so much maturity from him.  He still has hard days, like all of us do, but I see him trying, using coping skills that he has practiced, and responding in very calm and mature ways.

Enough of that part.  This is about him and his birthday.  Gabriel is a fun loving kid.  He likes to create and make up stories, make comic books, listen to audio books, read, play the violin, play with Legos, play board games, talk about anything and everything, motivate and encourage others to a task, and is overall a kind, warm, and friendly guy.  His class is much larger at school this year and he was enjoyed all of his new friends.  The boys are all about talking about Nintendo and Minecraft so we got out our device that lets you play old Nintendo games and he has had fun with that.  His biggest wish for his birthday was Minecraft, but I don't that that he actually thought that he would get it.

He has had many different kids that he plays with this year but one in particular is his friend Aiden.  They just connected right from the start of the year and they call each other their best friend.  Aiden came home from school with us one day and they were talking in the back seat.  Aiden said something about having ADHD and being on the spectrum.  Gabriel immediately got excited and they started talking about therapy they have done and medications, etc.  Gabriel's teacher and Aiden's dad have commented to me how remarkable their friendship is.  They both have very outgoing and determined personalities which makes them the ones that usually make up the rules and ideas of what is being played, but they actually have a system where they take turns making decisions and it works well for them.  Their teacher had lunch with the two of them one day to explain to them that sometimes their systems are too complicated for their classmates to understand, but they seem to speak the same language and agree about a lot of things.  After Gabriel's friend Grant moved over the summer I was hoping that he would find another good friend and he certainly did.

Field trip and chatting with Aiden

Trick of treating downtown with Aiden

Watching the World Series

Last soccer game and some Waffle House

At church.  He does such a good job of sitting in the service and paying attention.  Pastor Chris even said to him one day that he could really tell that he was listening to the sermon.  On Sundays that I work and Taylor is preaching Corban goes to children's worship and Gabriel sits in the service with no issues.  He is playing his violin with the pianist for Joy to the World during the Lessons and Carols service this Sunday.  He had a communicants class with one of the elders a couple months ago and then met with the Session about taking the Lord's Supper.  So many big things for him.

Alexa call with his cousin Drew.  They were discussing Minecraft

For his birthday this year he really wanted a party with friends.  We have done things with family the past couple of years so it seemed like a good idea to us too since he has so many new friends this year.  He originally only wanted to invite the boys but a couple of the girls in his class didn't like that idea.  I looked into the local pools but they were booked and there aren't a ton of options for cold weather parties.  We decided to go withe the trampoline park and they had so much fun.  Only two kids in his class couldn't make it.  They jumped, at pizza and cupcakes, and played arcade games

The kids in Gabriel's class knew that Minecraft (and Harry Potter) are current things that he is into.  He got 4 of the same set of Minecraft Legos.  The boys were all saying "just give us each one!"  The girl who gave it to him started crying because other people gave him the same thing so I told her we'd keep the one she gave and return the others.  She asked how I'd know which was hers and told her it was on the bottom of the pile since she gave him her gift first.  Gabriel returned the other Lego sets and got a remote control car that he's really enjoying

His actually birthday day was the day off of school before Thanksgiving day.  Grandma Cheryl was here.  We asked him what he would like to do and he wanted to go bowling and eat at Outback.  So that's what we did.  He built Legos in the morning, bowling before lunch, some chill time to play, and then dinner

His friend Aiden got him this since he himself has the same
set and he said that they could play with them together

Blanket with a map of Middle Earth

She got a strike!

At Outback.  He loved his bloomin onion, steak, and loaded potato

At dinner we gave him one last present, which was a birthday card with a Minecraft code inside.  He was stunned for a second and then kept saying that we were the best parents ever.  When we got home it took some time and computer updating to get it to work and it was looking like he might not get to play before bed.  Showing great patience he said, "well, if I can't play tonight Dad will have it working by tomorrow and I can just play then."  Thankfully Taylor did get it working and he got to stay up and play for a while

So that was this funny, sweet, creative, energetic kids birthday.  Taylor pointed out that he is halfway to adulthood.  No ok with me :)

Fall 2021

My goal with these posts lately was to be caught up by the time Gabriel's birthday rolled around again (since that was the last time I had posted anything).  His 9th birthday is tomorrow so it looks like it's actually going to get done!

Excited that we could (temporarily) eat inside Chick-fil-a again

The fall was filled with what seemed like "normal" things.  School, soccer, field trips, pumpkin patches, etc.  Every Monday Gabriel had violin and Corban had soccer.  On Tuesdays we had a meeting with the psychologist at VT and then our home group in the evening.  On Wednesdays Corban had piano and Gabriel had soccer.  On Saturday mornings we had soccer games.  The boys really enjoyed these things.

Watching Gabriel's soccer game

Both of the boys really enjoy school and their friends there.  The second week of school (just a few days after his birthday) Corban got RSV and was home for the week.  A couple weeks later there was a Covid "outbreak" in Gabriel's class.  Five of the eleven of them got sick (Gabriel thankfully did not).  They did class over zoom for a little over a week.  

Digging in some corn

Corban's class went to a sunflower farm.  Since lots of parents wanted to go I just got to have that time in the car with Corban (it was about an hour away).  Everyone stopped down the street from the farm and got ice cream on the way home.  They took a tractor ride in the sunflowers, learned about the sunflower life cycle, played in corn, got to pet some goats, and ran around having fun even though it was HOT.  At one point Corban scared me when he went into the portable toilet.  About 5 seconds after he went in there I heard a scream of terror.  Lots of parents turned and looked concerned.  He came out with his pants around his ankles.  I thought he had been stung by something.  Turns out there was a HUGE grasshopper on the toilet seat.  That would have surprised me too.  Corban is not the biggest fan of bugs. 

Some of his class with their teacher

Besides just enjoying spending time with them, I like doing lunch with the boys classes and going on their field trips because I like seeing their interactions with their peers and understanding the personalities of their classmates.  It helps us to talk about it when there are problems going on with certain people at school.

We went to a Salem Red Socks game one night and had a lot of fun.  Without realized it we picked the section where they broadcast a lot of the giveaways and things between the innings.  One inning a local radio DJ was waiting in our section to have a contest between innings.  It was to see if our section could yell louder then the section next to us.  The winner was told that they would get free fried chicken, which was all the motivation Corban needed given his love of fried chicken.  Well our section won but to his disappointment all we got was a coupon to a local fast food chicken place.  Besides that though, while the DJ was waiting he was sitting on the steps right next to our seats.  Corban was really chatting it up with him.  At one point he said to Corban "You know, I'm on the radio.  Do you ever listen to the radio on the way to school?"  Corban's reply was "No, I listen to Prince Caspian."  I think he really thought Corban was an interesting kid.  Every time he passed by the rest of the night he said "hello" to him.

One weekend the Bergerons came to visit and we had fun playing outside, going to their soccer games, and riding bikes

Riding his bike is something that Gabriel's was proud to accomplish this summer.  He has struggled with it the past few years, but we honestly don't have a good place to ride right around us.  We have to pack the bikes up and drive them somewhere to practice.  A friend had told me about an old high school track where people run and ride bikes, which was great because it was flat and mostly straight.  After going there twice Gabriel got it and has asked to go back many times.

October marked our 15 year wedding anniversary.  For our 10th we went to New York.  This time we took a few days go to go Savannah, a city where we went many times before the boys were born.  As the trip was getting closer the boys knew that we were going away together and that they would be staying with grandparents (always exciting).  When talking to one of the secretaries in the school office one day she asked Corban about his upcoming trip and he said "My parents are going away this weekend to get married again.  It's good they aren't divorced yet.  My mom stays with my dad because he makes the bacon.  But sometimes he makes turkey bacon and that's no good."

Prohibition Museum in Savannah

While we were gone we ate lots of delicious food, went to several museums, went on a ghost tour, went on a historical walking tour (with Savannah Dan), went to a local PCA church, read in coffee shops, and went to the Wormsloe Plantation.  It was nice to have a few days to take things at our own pace.

Later in October we all went to a local pumpkin patch one Saturday and enjoyed lots of fun games.  The next weekend the boys went back to the same place for a birthday party for Gabriel's friend, Aiden.

Next up was Gabriel's class field trip.  They went to another pumpkin patch called Joes Trees.  The woman there taught them about the pumpkin life cycle and about sheep.  They got to pick out a pumpkin and a gourd to take home, play in the corn maze, and just play outside.  This was the first time I took Gabriel on a trip and he didn't want to be with me the whole time.  I'm glad that he has friends that he wants to do things with

There was a dinosaur exhibit for a couple days in Roanoke.  It was a little random but it was something new and fun to do.  They especially liked the bounce houses and the large "life size" dinosaurs.  There was also a woman at a station with fossils and they had fun asking her questions.

Digging for "fossils"

Snacks and cards after school with Daddy

Ready to watch the World Series.  The Braves won!

We hadn't bought Halloween costumes in a couple years because they had both seemed happy to wear some of the many costumes that we have around the house.  This year though Gabriel was adamant that he wanted to be Spider Man with a cloth mask that he could pull over his face.  Corban wanted to be Iron Man.  We did lots of Halloween things.  On Friday we went to a trick or treat in downtown Christiansburg.  On Saturday Taylor to them to a similar (but much larger one) in Blacksburg.  On Sunday they went trick or treating around the neighborhood.  We still have too much candy around here. 

Soccer ended the first Saturday in November (it was soooo cold).  The boys both had great coaches, tried really hard, and improved so much

Last game day

Gabriel's coach got them all trophies

Corban's coach gave them each a special award 
(I cannot get the picture to flip)

New PJs from Gammer!

The week before Thanksgiving was Service Day at school.  This is something that didn't happen last year due to so many Covid restrictions.  The two years before that I enjoyed going with Gabriel's class to do crafts and socialize at a local nursing home.  It was a little more "low key" this year but I was so happy that they could do it again.

Gabriel's class made a "thank you" banner and took it to a local hospital

Corban's class colored and make butterflies out of beads to send to a children's hospital

Elementary school sang over zoom to some nursing home residents

Hopefully I will stay more caught up in the future but on to Gabriel's birthday tomorrow and then Thanksgiving and Christmas