ok, to comment a little on the photo, my brother is working on a project and needed a family picture from me. I didn't have one that included Daniel, SO...., we pulled out the camera and tripod and played with the timer. Not only is everyone looking at the camera, and smiling, there was actually no screaming or whining involved. Goose actually looks like he likes his little sister Tank! LOL. And the baby wasn't crying. It will probably never happen again, so this has officially been dubbed the one in a million shot. :)

one in a million shot taken today

Interview with a Tank

An interview with the most girly tank you can imagine.





What is something dad always says to you? Eat your hotdog
What is something mom always says to you? Eat lunch (asked just after lunch, can you tell)
What makes dad happy? cleaning up the house
What makes mommy happy? playing the wii
What makes dad sad? owies (she thought really hard about that one)
What makes mommy sad? cleaning up the house
How does dad make you laugh? He tickles me
How does mom make you laugh? tickle me
How old is your dad?5
How old is your mom? 6 (um, older than dad?)
How tall is your dad? 5
How tall is your mom? 5
What is daddy's favorite thing to do? wii
What is mom’s favorite thing to do? wii
What does your dad do when you're not around? stop spinning around (uh, ok)
What does your mom do when you're not around? nothing (all living comes to an abrupt stop if Tank is not around)
What is your dad really good at? wii
What is your mom really good at? wii
What is your dad not very good at? soccor (I'm hoping she heard me wrong, but it did give me a chuckle)
What is your mom not very good at? no answer
What does your dad do for his job? clean up the house
What does your mom do for her job? cleaning up the house
What is your dad's favorite food? psgetti (I *love* the way she says this)
What is your mom’s favorite food? mac and cheese
If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be? A Dad
If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? an astronaut in outerspace (dad would be a dad, but I would be an astronaut, wow.)
How are you and your dad the same? same black eyes (ok, I prompted her a little on this one, but she knows she got daddy's eyes)
How are you and your mom the same? same dresses
How are you and your dad different? no answer
How are you and your mom different? no answer

A peek inside

So, you've all gotten to know our Goose a little better this week, so I thought I'd go ahead and share a little more. Some of you are familiar with my hubby's family, some are not. Turns out his family is chalk full of a syndrome called Aspergers. Several of Benson's aunts and uncles have a lot of the characteristics, though, in their generation there wasn't a diagnosis to give. Benson's mom is self proclaimed to at least have some characteristics, and of Benson's 5 other siblings, 2 are diagnosed and all of them have at least a few characteristics. If I continue to the next generation, of the 22 cousins on his side, there are 8 diagnosed with Aspergers (I think I counted that up right). So, where am I going with this?

Because of the history, I was always aware that it was a very real possibility that we could pass aspergers on to our kids. I never worried about it because most people with aspergers live a relatively normal life and are only considered to be a bit excentric. I didn't think a label would be helpful at all.

Well, this year in school, Goose's's teacher had a few problems with him. He was having trouble staying on task in school, and she also noticed he didn't seem to play with the other kids at recess. To make a long story a little shorter, Benson and I decided it was time to have Goose evaluated to see if he has Aspergers.

Your next question (actually, maybe it came much earlier) may be What is Aspergers? here is the definition as gotten from http://www.aspennj.org/aspergers-syndrome.asp

Asperger Syndrome (AS) is a neurobiological disorder on the higher-functioning end of the autism spectrum. An individual's symptoms can range from mild to severe. While sharing many of the same characteristics as other Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD's) including Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA), AS has been recognized as a distinct medical diagnosis in Europe for almost 60 years, but has only been included in the U.S. medical diagnostic manual since 1994 ("Asperger Disorder" in the DSM-IV).
Individuals with AS and related disorders exhibit serious deficiencies in social and communication skills. Their IQ's are typically in the normal to very superior range. They are usually educated in the mainstream, but most require special education services. Because of their naivete, those with AS are often viewed by their peers as "odd" and are frequently a target for bullying and teasing.
They desire to fit in socially and have friends, but have a great deal of difficulty making effective social connections. Many of them are at risk for developing mood disorders, such as anxiety or depression, especially in adolescence. Diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorders should be made by a medical expert to rule out other possible diagnoses and to discuss interventions.
Characteristics of Asperger Syndrome
Each person is different. An individual might have all or only some of the described behaviors to have a diagnosis of AS.
These behaviors include the following:
1. Marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as: eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction.
2. Extreme difficulty in developing age-appropriate peer relationships. (e.g. AS children may be more comfortable with adults than with other children).
3. Inflexible adherence to routines and perseveration.
4. Fascination with maps, globes, and routes.
5. Superior rote memory.
6. Preoccupation with a particular subject to the exclusion of all others. Amasses many related facts.
7. Difficulty judging personal space, motor clumsiness.
8. Sensitivity to the environment, loud noises, clothing and food textures, and odors.
9. Speech and language skills impaired in the area of semantics, pragmatics, and prosody (volume, intonation, inflection, and rhythm).
10. Difficulty understanding others' feelings.
11. Pedantic, formal style of speaking; often called "little professor," verbose.
12. Extreme difficulty reading and/or interpreting social cues.
13. Socially and emotionally inappropriate responses.
14. Literal interpretation of language. difficulty comprehending implied meanings.
15. Extensive vocabulary. Reading commences at an early age (hyperlexia).
16. Stereotyped or repetitive motor mannerisms.
17. Difficulty with "give and take" of conversation.

So, we had a parents only meeting with the psychiatrist today. He spent an hour and a half with us discussing my awesome little Goose. I'm hoping that regardless of the outcome that I will get some help in dealing with some of the problems I've encountered with him. I've realized that Asperger's is not a label. . . it is a medical disorder that can be improved with proper treatment. He may not understand a lot of social cues by instinct the way you and I do, but he can learn. *I* just have to learn how to teach him. Next week the doctor will meet with Goose... I'll keep you informed on how it goes.

Sweetie's interview

I think her "interview" was my favorite. She was very thoughtful about her answers and came up with some really good ones. :)

Enjoy!



What is something dad always says to you? At night he always says good night
What is something mom always says to you? Sometimes clean our room
What makes dad happy? When I give him hugs
What makes mommy happy? when I give her hugs and kisses at bedtime
What makes dad sad? I never make him sad (good answer, don't you agree?)
What makes mommy sad? when I don't do something you ask me
How does dad make you laugh? he makes up jokes, like skipping my birthday, but not for real
How does mom make you laugh? you tickle me mom!
How old is your dad? 30
How old is your mom? 29 (you can keep that answer indefinetly!)
How tall is your dad? like 28
How tall is your mom? I'm going to measure with my feet (procedes to use her foot to measure me.) You're 7 feet mom.
What is daddy's favorite thing to do? To trick us
What is mom’s favorite thing to do? to cook I think - do you like cooking? (apparantly I put up a good front because cooking is not on my favorite things to do list.)
What does your dad do when you're not around? I don't know because when I'm not around, I don't see him. (duh)
What does your mom do when you're not around? cook or something
What is your dad really good at? tricking us
What is your mom really good at? cooking
What is your dad not very good at? I don't know
What is your mom not very good at? games sometimes (*sigh*)
What does your dad do for his job? work at the bank and takes care of us too
What does your mom do for her job? keep us safe
What is your dad's favorite food? Pizza I think
What is your mom’s favorite food? Nachos
If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be? Billy becaue he's funny and Dad's funny
If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Daphne (hmm. scooby doo characters again, what does this mean?)
How are you and your dad the same? we're both silly
How are you and your mom the same? sometimes I cook for you
How are you and your dad different?Dad cooks sometimes, but I usually cook with mom.
How are you and your mom different? I like playing the games you don't.

An interview with the birthday goose

Some answers I would love to edit a little to make me look better, but I'll just leave this as it is and let you enjoy. Since I'm not editing, you have to give me the leeway of adding a comment here and there.

What is something dad always says to you? No
What is something mom always says to you? No (this coming right after all the glory of his birthday... so sad!!)
What makes dad happy? I don't know
What makes mommy happy? cleaning up messes

What makes dad sad? I don't know

What makes mommy sad? messes (true)
How does dad make you laugh? I don't know
How does mom make you laugh? I don't know (ok, he likes easy answers, and he was writing his own at this point)
How old is your dad? In the 30's
How old is your mom? In the 20's
How tall is your dad? 6 feet
How tall is your mom? 5 feet (not too far off!)
What is daddy's favorite thing to do? Soccor
What is mom’s favorite thing to do? Press flowers (right on!)
What does your dad do when you're not around? Work
What does your mom do when you're not around? make the girls work (ok this did make me laugh, but its not true... no really, its not!)
What is your dad really good at? wii play
What is your mom really good at? wii sports
What is your dad not very good at? Nothing (aww!!)
What is your mom not very good at? picking things out at the store
What does your dad do for his job? Gives peoples money to other people to make more (bright kid! and a great description of the banking business)
What does your mom do for her job? Nothing now (right, nothing except cook, clean, play, create artwork, cheauffer. . . )
What is your dad's favorite food? Squirt, pepsi and sprite
What is your mom’s favorite food? Pepperoni (hmm.. I don't think so)
If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be? Danny Phantom
If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Velma (scooby do, what a compliment, at least he thinks I'm smart)
How are you and your dad the same? we are both boys
How are you and your mom the same? I don't know
How are you and your dad different? He's a pro in tennis and golf (wii sports) and I'm not
How are you and your mom different? She's a girl, I'm a boy.

I hope that gives you an idea of what our awesome firstborn is like. He is very literal, hates to be wrong, and thinks I would be a perfect Velma. :) More interviews from the girls coming later this week!

June 20th...Goose's birthday

Ok, I'm a little late, but I had to do a tribute to my firstborn son for his birthday. where does the time go? Like is youngest brother, Goose was very anxious to join our family. He was 5 weeks early and had some problems with jaundice and eating... He weighed in at only 4 lbs 12 oz. Despite the rough start, it didnt' take long for him to get big and strong and show us his personality.

I've never seen a child so drawn to the computer at such a young age. He knew how to handle a mouse before age 2, and now is probably as proficient as I am at the computer! He is able to get on the internet himself and loves to play all sorts of games including webkinz and lego.com

Goose has a love/hate relationship with animals. He absolutely adores them in theory. His favorite toys as a toddler were those small plastic animals. However, when he sees them in person, he would rather just look. No touching please.

Goose is a mama's boy. He has a funny and adorable habit of trying to get my attention to tell me something, then momentarily forgetting what he was going to say, then filling in with "I love you" only to call "mom" again to tell me what he forgot.

Goose has always been a GREAT brother. He often plays with his sisters and is very loving and helpful with babies.

Goose is a genius. Well, at least I think so. He LOVES to read and does really well in school. I think the only problem we sometimes have is that he gets bored too quickly. The things he gets interested in, he can't get enough of, but if it doesn't interest him, there's no need to learn about it, right?

Seeing Goose with his little brother is heart warming. He loves to hold him, burp him and talk to him about how much he loves him and all the things he is going to teach him when he is older. I should tape record it before Daniel gets old enough to "borrow" his toys so I can play it back. lol.

Goose got his nickname because calling him "silly goose" was getting all to frequent. He loves to be silly and make people laugh. Goose, we're so glad you are part of our family! We love you very much, happy birthday!

More photography compliments of my little "tank"

Translation of "the look": are you supposed to have the camera?


Pretty good pics for a 3 year old! and she's getting better!

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

picture compliments of "tank"


This wii thing is just a little too fun! With all the rain lately, we've gotten pretty good at some of the games. The best thing is that we can all play together and we are up and moving too...

by request

Check out this chunky little boy! (relatively speaking of course)

Gratitude

I was on my way to a dentist appointment for the older 3 kids today. I came up to a light where I was waiting to make a left turn. The light turned yellow and I debated over waiting for the oncoming car and truck to make their complete stop before turning in front of them. The car stopped as it should have, but the truck (a semi that wasn't carrying a load on its back) shot right through the light. Not only that, but the car behind him went through the VERY red light as well.

I usually do wait for the cars to stop at a yellow light, but I had a moment of feeling the horror of what could have been. Tank was asleep in the far back on the side that would have been hit the worst, she wouldn't have even seen it coming. Goose and Sweetie are now too old for the 5 point harness and sit on the seat and in a booster respectively... not nearly as safe as their old car seats. Daniel and I would have been on the far side, but certainly not out of harms way. I'm sure the truck would have "won" that encounter with my mini van, and the car behind him would have been totalled for sure.

My point, I guess that I'm grateful that this is only a what could have been post. That, and, stop at the yellow light. You never know who might be in the other car that thought you would obey the law and slow for the yellow and stop at the red light. On a lighter note, at least we all had on clean underwear.

June 10th . . . Sweetie's birthday

June 10, 2002, Sweetie joined our family. She was a very good baby.
She was born with a bit of her mother's genes, which gives her an abnormal amount of flexibility.

She has this funny way of avoiding looking at the camera directly.

She is very sensitive. . . she cried on her brother's first day of Kindergarten. She doesn't like to be alone at all. When she was younger, she wouldn't go to the bathroom without me, simply because she didn't want to be there herself. She didn't need my help. She is very shy in new situations, but will be your friend forever once she is comfortable.

This is her beloved blanky. Its VERY loved as you can see, she still sleeps with it every night.

Sweetie's best friend is her sister. They have been soul mates from the moment they met.

Sweetie is also my little model. She knows how to work the camera!

She is also my best helper around the house. She is the first to react when I ask for help. She is pro at getting the phone for me when I am nursing, or giving the baby his binky when I am busy cooking. She loves to do her part to keep Mom happy.

Sweetie, you are beautiful inside and out! Happy 6th birthday!

In the hands of a 3 year old

My camera ended up in the hands of my little "Tank". How do I know this, you may ask? Well, here is the evidence. LOL.

I think she could qualify for some under 4 year old abstract photography award, don't you? :)