Matthew's Birthday Weekend

What a weekend! We celebrated Matthew's 4th birthday on Saturday with a trip to Disneyland. The heat was mind numbing so we got there early and left by noon. We got annual passes for his birthday so we plan to have lots of return trips when the weather cools.

We bought him Mickey Mouse ears and he loved them. He wore them all day!

Of course being his birthday he wanted a lollipop!

What a face!

Of the attractions we visited, his favorite the the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. We crossed overe to California Adventure to see it. We were not sure if he would sit still but WOW! He loved it!

After coming home and cooling off with a swim, we headed over to the Tabari's home to spend the evening with them. Matthew was so thrilled he reminded us a million times that day....I guess he wanted to make sure we did not forget.

Matthew loves the ladies...especially his "Coach Miss Weesa" and Coach Yazz.

It was Shab's birthday so everyone sang to both of them. Matthew had his own special GFCF cake which he of course sucked the frosting off of in a split second.

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The next day we had our families over to celebrate. All of the kids went swimming and enjoyed a reprieve from the heat.

Matthew is getting so brave in the water. Here he is swimming to Zach.

His boy cousins hung out in the back yard. How cute are all of them? I can't get over how grown up they are becoming.

Matthew was eating inside and saw the boys outside. He picked up his plate, took it outside and says "I go eat with boys. Cousins...I am coming". So wonderful to see his increasing interest in spending time and playing with others.

Matthew can be a little sound sensitive so he sang Happy Birthday solo but everyone clapped and he blew out his candle, then inhaled his cake.

Matthew and cousins

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I can hardly believe that 4 years have gone by since this beautiful boy was born. They have certainly been the happiest of our lives.

We could not be more proud of you sweet boy!

We love you!

My little T-ball star

In wanting to keep things authentic, I should state how excruciating this week was with Matthew. It was hard and we were feeling very discouraged. It was continual meltdowns, rigidity and tantrums. Mark and I were NOT looking forward to t-ball practice today....we just could not imagine another difficult morning. Then, the skies parted and the sun came out. Matthew had a GREAT practice and we had so much fun watching and cheering him on.

There were a few kiddos missing today but seriously....how adroable are these boys?

That is a smile of great accomplishment!

Look at my boy throw!

I love that mischevious smile!

What a little stud he is! His favorite part is hitting the ball with the bat!

The practice ended with a group hug and a "Go Team!"

We are so very proud of you our little man.

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Had to include some fun pictures of Matthew at Lake Mission Viejo.

I think they look like they could all be related.

Matthew had so much fun on the boogie board and was feeling pretty brave.

My little bathing beauty! I love you Matthew!

Fun, Fun, Fun!!!

We spent today with friends in Pasadena at Kid Space, a children's museum. It was really cool and the kids had fun. It is very interactive and had many fun things to do.

There was lots of indoor crawl and climbing equipment, painting, sensory things and exploring.

Matthew enjoyed the climbing strustures, one of them went up to the third floor.

There was lots of outdoor fun too. A bike road, slides, water tables, etc.

There was a little creek that the kids could walk down and get wet. Matthew and Aiden loved it and could have probably stayed for much longer.

This is Aiden....what a cutie! We had such a great time with our friends and seeing the kiddos enjoy themselves. Matthew said "I have fun museum mom!"

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We went to a birthday Party at Pump it up on Saturday. Matthew had a ball and was all smiles the entire time.

Matthew loves doing that type of play with his Daddy!

Snuggles are for Mommy!

Truth be told, it had been a really hard week with behaviors and I was a bit worried about taking Matthew. I was concerned that he would get overwhelmed and have a melt down. Wrong! He had so much fun and was elated to be there. He was saying "Wook at me. I go on big, tawy side!" (Look at me, I go on big, scary slide). He was quite the clown trying to snake the party girl's hat and just loved when everyone laughed. He sang Happy Birthday and sat with the other kids for a photo. For that 2 hours, he seemed like every other child at the party. It encouraged me after a week that left me a little depleted emotionally.

Those are the moments we live for.....when we forget that autism is even in our lives and see that beautiful child just loving life.

I love this boy more than anything and I am so proud of how very hard he works and how very far he has come.