When you're a special needs family, it can be tough to find activities that can bring everyone together, regardless of their personal challenges. With Lizze being in so much pain all the time, it can be hard for her to find something to do with two very active little boys with #Autism.  One of the things she has found to help bridge that gap is the xbox 360.  Today, on a day that was particularly bad for her, pain-wise, she was able to engage with Emmett by playing a game with him on the xbox 360. It was fun for both of them and it was a pain free experience.  Emmett really enjoyed his time with Mommy.

The past few days have been filled with Emmett and Elliott fighting. I dont even know if they know why they are fighting. Most of today has been spent the same way.  However, at about 2pm this afternoon, both boys snuggled up to me on the couch, each armed with a tablet.  Elliott is watching Super Monkey Ball videos on YouTube and Emmett is counting sheep.  They are actually getting alone pretty well right now and I wanted to share this image and our little victory.

Look, I haven't written one of these posts in awhile but I'm feeling inspired.  Unfortunately, guilt is my muse tonight and deservingly so. Elliott is so disagreeable anymore.  If we ask him to do anything, literally anything, he just melts down.  I don't believe that he's trying to be difficult.  You can see it in his eyes.  He's completely overwhelmed and doesn't know what else to do. We're working so hard to provide the boys with as much stability as humanly possible and then some.  However,  life becomes very difficult with this type of problem because we can't do anything without setting him off.  At least that's how it feels.  We try to give him as much control over his life as possible because so much of his life is…

I'm so stressed out and pissed off right now I'm shaking.  I'm literally shaking.  I'm going to share this with you all because I just need to purge and and release a bit of pressure before I explode.  Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not asking for help.  All I'm doing is venting.  I'll never make it of I can't purge. The Great Purge You may recall a few weeks ago, I had a problem with my bank (PNC).  I don't have the link to the post on me, but you can do a search for something about overdraft fees.  Right before our van was stolen last January, we had about $2,000 worth of work done on it.  2 weeks later, it was stolen.  I made payment arrangements with the shop…

Lizze made a very interesting observation this morning.  It's more like a way to describe something we have been seeing as of late.  I wanted to share this because I thought maybe someone can relate to this. For many years, Gavin's level of functioning has been a moving target.  Sometimes he's very high functioning and other times he just seems to lose skills that he has previously mastered.  To say this is frustrating is an understatement.  It's also heartbreaking to watch as your child struggles with even simple, 1 or 2 step tasks.  Lizze asked me earlier today if I've noticed how Emmett is like Gavin? I wasn't sure what she was talking about.  She explained that Emmett is like a bead on a string. This means that his level…

Lizze and I took the boys to the grocery store this morning.  It was really hard on Lizze but she made it.  The boys did pretty well, considering. After we were done,  I had to fill the tank up for our ventures to the Cleveland Clinic this week.  I filled the tank with Premium for around $30, thanks to Giant Eagles fuel perks.

Our dogs are as unique as our family.  They each have their little quirks. Bella happens to like covering herself in a blanket,  an electric one to be more specific.  However, any blanket will do in a pinch.