Easter Weekend

Saturday we took Matthew to the Irvine Railroad Park to meet up with friends for the Easter Eggstraveganza. The kids were so excited! They were adorable!

Matthew could hardly wait to find those candy filled eggs!

My handsome little bubba!

We went with several people but Matthew really stuck close to Natalie. When she got in our car to go there, he said "Natawie, you are butiful". :)

I think the highlight for him was riding the horses. It makes us so excited to try hippotherapy this summer. He is such an animal lover and I am hoping he really benefits from it.

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Matthew has always been a person who does things in his own time. For a few months Mark has been trying to talk him into agreeing to remove the training wheels from his bike, to which he adamantly refused. Out of the blue Saturday he asked Mark to take them off. Said he wants to ride with two wheels now. We went to my mom's house and decided to give it a try.

He had no fear, was determined and in 15 minutes was up on the bike and riding with no support.

We were so proud of him~ Here is the video.

Matthew, you never cease to amaze us. We are so proud of you. You give your 100% at everything you do.
I am almost afraid to say it but I think we may have finally found the right medication for him. He has been so much more relaxed and less agitated. I can see that he is so much happier and almost back to his sunny, vibrant self. It is hard to see him dis-regulated, poor little guy feels terrible and it isn't fair. I would do anything to make it easier for him.
Matthew, we love you more than words can say, you have taught us so much and we are grateful that we get to be mom and dad to you!

The Patch

Look who was in the local paper called The Patch for coverage on the Etnies Skate Day.
Thank you to Etnies and Askate for giving our beautiful kiddos a day of new experiences, fun and above all acceptance.

Spring Break

This week was Matthew's spring break so of course...a trip to Disneyland was in order. We went with our friends Trish, Martin and Brenna. Matthew had a great time and enjoyed spending the afternoon with his buddies. He was so friendly and social....
I was over the moon!

And the best, these pictures were not posed for. The kids all grabbed hands when we met up by Thunder Mountain and had fun choosing what rides to go on.

They all loved roller coasters!

Smiles all afternoon.

Such a couple of hams.

It was truly an afternoon to remember. Matthew had a great time and it was wonderful to see him so engaged and happy! A great start for a spring break week.
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W had so much fun that we went back on Wednesday with Brenna.

Of course we rode the Matterhorn a few times but Matthew actually chose to try 2 new rides which totally shocked us.

It was a fun night and we topped it off with a sleep over. I was VERY nervous because we had never tried one. Matthew is very particular about the bed time routine so I wasn't sure how it would go. Especially after an exhausting day at Disneyland. It was a huge success. Matthew and Brenna giggled and played their DS games until they both fell asleep. They were so cute and happy to be together. It was the most interactive we have ever seen Matthew with a friend. He had fun and was asking when Brenna will come sleep over again.

Look at the joy in his face!
Great job precious boy.
I love you and am so proud of you.

Legoland and Skate Day

It has been a rough few weeks. Matthew hasn't been himself, he really has been off since about December when he experienced some big changes at school which ultimately created a need for change with medication. :( I feel so bad for him and it hurts to see him so dis-regulated. A friend had free tickets to Legoland so I thought a break would be a great diversion. We headed down to Carlsbad with our friends Suzanne and Riley for the day. It was wonderful, and just what we needed. Matthew and Riley had a fantastic time.

The weather was BEAUTIFUL and the park was not crowded at all. It couldn't have been more perfect!

The boys went on so many rides and had a ball.

Matthew and Riley love the crazier rides....look at those smiles!

Suzanne was kind enough to take Matthew on all the rides I couldn't (I get sick as a dog on rides). It was such a fun day. It was one of those times that Matthew had such a phenomenal day, I forgot about autism. I love those days, it reminds me what we are working for.
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April is autism awareness month. Etnies, Askate and Autism Speaks put on a skate clinic for kids with autism on Saturday, National Autism Awareness Day. It was fun and Matthew had a great time. We were able to go with friends which made the day even better!

Matthew was teamed up with Mr. John, he was such a nice young man and they were buddies right off.


My little guy had a good time.

It is so heartwarming to see so many people come and volunteer their time and resources to bring awareness to this disorder and to support the kids affected by it. They really made sure the kids had fun.

Matthew did great. Towards the end he got frustrated with the wrist band and helmet (sensory issue) but overall had a blast. When we got to the car....that was a different story. :(

Autism can be frustrating because of all the unknowns....However this I do know, I love that boy more than my life and I will never give up.
Matthew, you have taught me so much and I am the most blessed person in the entire world because I get to be your mom.