A Bicycle Built for .... Jingles???

Pssstttt... Don't tell Kylie, but Jingles had a little help from one of Santa's helpers to get into place on this particular morning.

Notice his green Grinch pants??  (He's looking a little Grinchy too! but really... he's just trying to get down off our couch without having to file a medical claim)

On this day, Jingles had a note for Kylie.  It basically told her that Because she was 5 and because it was December 5th, that she could open door # 5 on our gingerbread house countdown.

I found this gem of a Christmas Countdown in a little shop in Valley Junction several years ago.  It was one of those purchases that I put away for "someday when I have a little one"...

Kylie is finally old enough to "get it" and I was SO EXCITED to get it out this year.

I love that it is oversized and that there is lots of space to put things.

This is the tag that is on the back... I thought it was cute. 
(you might have to click on the photo for it to be big enough for you to read)

It was so much fun figuring out where each little trinket would fit.

Kylie has just LOVED opening up the little doors each day. 

I actually think she enjoys opening the doors more than she likes receiving the presents. 

(This is how children with Autism play... instead of rolling the car across the floor, they prefer to turn the car over and spin the wheels instead.)  Kylie prefers to open and shut the doors on the gingerbread house.

Sometimes this (a-typical play) makes the holidays really hard as people expect a "reaction" from Kylie like they would from a typical child.  Kylie will have a reaction, but it will probably come 2-3 days later. 

Kids with Autism take time to warm up to new things.  They need repeated exposure in small doses in order for the item to become familiar and less threatening.

While sometimes this is difficult where others are concerned, it is also something that I really treasure about Autism: It forces our family to SLOW DOWN.  It gives us the opportunity to really enjoy our surroundings and the events and decor of the holiday season. The "Hustle and Bustle" of the season has been replaced with "Silent Nights" and "All is Calm" - it HAS to be or our family (particularly Kylie) suffers.

Kylie has given us the gift of really experiencing the holiday in a sensory way: Seeing, Listening, Touching, and Enjoying the scents of the season.

Our holidays with a child are very different from how we always envisioned they would be, but we love them just the same, and we love our precious girl even more!

Stay tuned to learn more about our experiences with Jingles, Our Elf on the Shelf (and our experiences with Autism too)!

More Elf on the Shelf Adventures

Soooo... Where did we find Jingles hanging out on this particular morning?  Well I'll give you a hint.... He's on a SHELF!! 

It totally makes sense that he would want to be near his pals from the North Pole.  Here he is visiting with our Patriotic Santa (A distant, but close, cousin of Santa) and our snowman friend.

I wasn't aware that Jingles was so patriotic, but it turns out that he agrees with something Martin Luther King, Jr. once said:

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter"

Maybe that is what Santa meant when he mentioned the possibility of  losing the magic....

Definitely something I will be thinking about...

On a lighter note, As we were getting ready to head out the door for therapy, I happened to turn around and notice Kylie modeling her little faux fur scarf!

That girl was cracking me up with her little runway turns and poses!  I couldn't grab the camera fast enough!! (Where do they learn this stuff?)

A little CHEESE for the camera! 

Kylie is learning about emotions and facial expressions, so we say to her "Show me your happy face" and she glues on/mirrors what she has "learned" (not necessarily what she is "feeling"... )

Such is the life of kiddos who experience Autism. 

We'll take what we can get!! 

Love her to pieces and love doing life with her!!

A Post Card From "Jingles": What has our Elf on the Shelf been up to?

Soooo... What has Jingles been up to lately???

Day One: 
Jingles meets Tinkerbell and takes her for a spin in the Barbie Car.

Kylie thought it was so neat that the car said "Buckle Up for Safety".  This is what Daddy says to her every time he buckles her in her carseat.  (He is hoping it will be so ingrained into her head that it will be instinct to buckle up every single time she sits in a car - especially when she is a teenager and seatbelts aren't a fashion statement- maybe we'll bedazzle her seatbelt... hmmmm....)

I don't know about you all, but I'm thinking something's going on between these two.  There seems to be mistletoe hanging from the rear view mirror and (*gasp*) Jingles has pink lip prints on his cheek!!
Maybe... just maybe.... we will have "little baby BELLS" next year.  (get it? Jingle BELL and Tinker BELL?)

Kylie kept telling me "no magic! no magic!" - I knew that meant she remembered that she was not supposed to touch Jingles (or he would lose his magic, according to the Elf on the Shelf Story Book). 

I was even more impressed later in the day when Tinkerbell had been gently removed from the car, but Jingles was still fastened in tight. 

Kylie knew she couldn't touch Jingles, but Tinkerbell was fair game!  ha! ha!

The Treasure Chest of Christmas

Several years ago, my Prince Charming and I, came up with a way to sparkle up our holiday giving for each other.

Face it, usually in a relationship one person is blessed with creativity and the other half is... well NOT so gifted in that area. (don't raise your hands)

So, this idea gave each of us a little hint/guideline to follow when gifting for each other, but also left room for some creativity.

We call it "The Treasure Chest of Christmas"

I really need to re-do this frame.  I threw it together in a hurry and it is not my style at all, but for now, it works.  I'll add it to the project list.

We purchased a small set of white drawers (a little bit bigger than the traditional Advent calendar/box) and wrote a poem with a stansa to accompany each drawer's theme.

The Treasure Chest of Christmas

written by Dan and Amy Stout

 December 2000

We have a chest of small white drawers

Whose panels look like little doors.

Christmas takes so long to come

Nine drawers will help to make it fun.

On day ONE, my wish would be

Something special for our tree.

Day TWO comes - What a treasure,

Something for our listening pleasure.

Day THREE hosts our "Special Night"

Dating's best by candlelight

Day FOUR reveals a little toy

Played with by both girl and boy

Day FIVE has come, we're halfway there

Something new we have to wear

Day SIX has treats for our tummy

Candy, cookies...oh so yummy!

Day SEVEN reminds us of forever

When we open our love letter

Day EIGHT is very "scent"-imental

Soft and sweet and oh so gentle

Day NINE has come, the time is fleeting

How I love to spend time reading

We've finally opened all nine drawers

Whose panels look like little doors.

Now it's time to go to bed

I think I hear Santa's sled.

So, the basic idea is that each day/drawer has a theme and each of us is to come up with a gift for each other that fits that theme.  If the gift doesn't fit in the drawer, then you might have to get creative.

Here are some ideas:

* Put clues in the drawers and send the person receiving the gift on a scavenger hunt

* Use Scrabble letter tiles and have them arrange them till they figure out their gift.

* Write a riddle and have them guess.

* Write the gift on the back of a jigsaw puzzle and have them put the puzzle together.

A funny story: One year, we forgot to put the Scrabble tiles back into the game and we played an entire year of Scrabble games without the letters that make up the word "Bill Engvall" (how in the world did we play without all those L's?)

Don't worry, I don't leave you hanging... Ideas for each day are as follows:

 Day ONE: Something special for our tree

* An ornament
* If you have an ornament that is a box (like I have- wink, wink), the box could hold money, jewelry, tickets to an event, or etc.

* A Photo

· Day TWO: Something for our listening pleasure

* A cd purchased from a store 

* A homemade cd with your loved one's favorite songs
* Tickets to a concert or symphony

* CD of a comedian or your favorite radio show

· Day THREE: A "Special Night" and it's better by "Candlelight"
* A favorite candle (soy, of course)
* A candle lit dinner
* A date (the sky is the limit on what you do, the point is to get away and enjoy the holiday together

* A drive to see Christmas lights (pack a thermos of cocoa, warm blanket and christmas cookies)

· Day FOUR: A little toy played with by girl and boy Something you can do together such as...

* Wii game
* board game
* card game
* I-Phone App
* sport equipment

* karaoke machine

· Day FIVE: Something new to wear

* Gloves/hat 

* Jewelry/watch/pin
* Perfume
* Lotion
* Trip to salon or spa

* Shoes

* Clothing

* Pajamas

· Day SIX: Treats for our tummy

* Favorite chocolate or candy 

* Gift certificate to coffee shop, bakery, bistro or stam
* A new belt

* Restaurant gift certificate

Word to the WISE... Do NOT give your loved one a Gift Certificate to the gym or a piece of exercise equipment... That is a BIG no no!!

 · Day SEVEN: Love letter

* Love letter 

* Thank You note
* Poem
* Favorite inspirational story

* Favorite fairy tale

· Day EIGHT: "Scenti"-mental
* Something meaningful
* A memory-making outing of your choosing.

* Perfume/Cologne 

* Lotion
* Candle
* Bubble bath

* Baked goods

* coffee

· Day NINE: Reading
* Favorite magazine
* Newspaper

* Book

* Gift certificate to download book on electronic device

* Comic book

* Internet time

* Letter

The secret to the success of the Treasure Chest of Christmas idea is that you have a guide! The poem directs you to the category to purchase/make from.

P.S. This makes a GREAT wedding or first baby gift!!

P.P.S- Someday, I want to have little brass plates made, to attach to each drawer, with the clues engraved on them.  (Big sigh... someday!!)

Jingles (Our Elf on the Shelf) is back!!

Look who came back to our house last night!!

Jingles!!  Our Elf on the Shelf!!

Kylie found Jingles on her bed (We don't know HOW he got in there!  He's pretty sneaky!)

Jingles arrived in a sleigh full of Jingle Bells.  (well, duh!)

Kylie was so happy to see Jingles!!

Giving Jingles a "Welcome Back" Kiss! 

Jingles brought a few presents for Kylie in his sleigh.  She's checking them twice!! (see the Letter that Jingles wrote to Kylie -at the end of this post- to find out what the presents were!!)

Making sure he is alright from his long trip (notice her bright blue finger nail polish)

Everything seems to be ok!!

For anyone who is wondering... we allow Kylie to touch Jingles the first night he arrives, but from then on, we can't touch him or he loses his magic!!

Kylie LOVED reading the "Elf on the Shelf" Book.
Here is the Letter that Jingles wrote to Kylie.  We found it in his sleigh!!

The letter says...

Dear Kylie,

Yay!  We get to be together again!!

Do you remember me?

When you were 4 years old, you gave me a very special name.

My name is Jingles!!

Santa sent me all the way from the North Pole to help you count down the days till Christmas!

If you look in my sleigh, you will find a few presents!

It gets really cold at the North Pole, so Santa wears his cozy Santa Socks! 

He thought you might like a pair too!

Now you and Santa can have the same Santa Socks!!

Santa also told me that you sharpen pencils really well!

So, I brought my favorite pencils from the Elf Workshop for you to sharpen. They are sparkly and pretty, just like YOU are!!

We are going to have so much fun together!!

Snuggle up with Mommy and Daddy and listen while they read my Elf on the Shelf book to you!

Every night, I will travel to the North Pole and tell Santa if you have been naughty or nice. (I know you will be nice)

Be sure to look for me every morning, but please don’t touch me or I will lose my magic!

Don’t forget to make your Christmas list (Mommy and Daddy will help you)

I’m so happy that we are together again!

Love,

Jingles

P.S. My friend, Buddy the Elf, told me that …

“The best way to spread Christmas Cheer

is singing loud for all to hear.”

Will you sing to me???

 Kylie was hilarious!!  When she put on the Santa Socks, she exclaimed "I'm so adorable!!" (she's only heard THAT a few times - ha! ha!).  The Santa Socks were a big hit (she is slumbering in them as I type)

Her two favorite activities in life (right now) are stripping crayons of their labels and sharpening pencils with a hand sharpener.  Both activities are GREAT small motor exercise so we let her have at it!!  (Thank Goodness Dollar Tree sells crayons!  Dollar Tree is also where Santa shops for his Santa Socks and pretty, sparkly Christmas pencils)

It is so special that Santa and Jingles knew just what to give her!! (wink, wink)

At the end of the letter (in the P.S.) when Jingles asks her if she will sing to him, Kylie chose to sing "Jingle Bells" - She thought of that all on her own and I thought it was a great idea - not to mention fitting to Jingles' name!!  Good Thinking Kylie!!

We asked her if she wanted to tell Jingles what she wants for Christmas so Jingles could tell Santa.  She said yes, and told Jingles she wants a "Blair Barbie Doll" and "Songs of Praise" (A Cedarmont kids DVD/CD)...It was sooo sweet!!

We plan to use the Jingle Bells that were in the sleigh for a lacing activity!  It will be a very festive necklace!

Hope you will check back in with us throughout the month of December to see what Jingles is up to!  It will be a fun adventure!! 

P.S.  When we asked Kylie if she was naughty or nice today, she promptly responded "nice"  =0)

Sweet Dreams Everyone!!




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The Daddy Dilemma

My heart really went out to my husband today as he was put in a heartbreaking predicament. 

Kylie woke up unusually early this morning.  When she came into our room it was still pretty dark out, but it was time for Dan to start getting ready for work.

He graciously and lovingly changed her diaper and fixed her a formula sippy cup and gently laid our drowsy, bed-head girl in bed next to me so we could be cozy and snuggle. 

I wrapped my mama wings around her and curved her body to mine in an attempt to keep her warm.

As Dan was about to turn away, we heard a soft pause in the fervent pull of milk and her little baby voice say ...

"You snuggle too dad??"

I could feel my husband's heart rip in two as he knew he had to do a hard thing.

He leaned over, gave Kylie a squeeze and explained that he had to go to work, but that mommy would snuggle with her.

Our precious girl, our gift from God who we literally waited years for and who loves us best when we are all "togever" whimpered  "No! You snuggle too!!"

She really wants Dan to quit his job =0)

Lying in the dark, I felt him squeeze her again and I could sense how torn he was feeling. 

I knew he was thinking of throwing it all to the wind and climbing back into bed with us to "snuggle some more"

But... the responsible, loves us so much he is willing to give up more to provide, worlds best daddy and husband, stepped away to do what had to be done.

I know as he walked away he was thinking that if, Lord forbid, something would happen to us today, he will regret forever not fulfilling that request to "snuggle too"

I felt so sorry for him;  my heart was just breaking for the love of my life!

How difficult those steps away from us must have been!

Sometimes love means doing a hard thing.  And sometimes it is a REALLY hard thing.

I love my man!!

Giving Thanks - An Autism Experience

In the month of November, we focus on giving thanks. 

I attempted to teach Kylie this important lesson, but very quickly ran into some roadblocks that were placed in our path by Autism.  This post will focus on how we plowed through those roadblocks and learned an important lesson about giving thanks.

Dispersed among this post will also be some recent fall pics - enjoy!! 
(I am an amateur, but I sure enjoy photography)

Our Lil' Pumpkin

On November 1st, Kylie awoke to find her new fall themed sensory box.  You can read about it (and see it) here.  I also began the day talking to Kylie about Thanksgiving and what it means to give thanks.

Happy Fall Day

As giving thanks is such an abstract concept, I knew I would have to provide examples so I told Kylie that some kids are thankful for their toys and some kids are thankful for their mom and dad and then I asked Kylie what she was thankful for. 

Without hesitating, Kylie answered "My house". 

I have to tell you that her answer brought tears to my eyes as we have been fighting to keep our house since my husband lost his job last October.  To hear that our simple home is precious to her touched me deeply. 

Kylie and her scarecrow buddy



Admiring all the colorful leaves - God's creation is so breathtaking!!


So, on November 2nd, I asked her again what she was thankful for?  She again answered "My house".  I knew then that Kylie was having a hard time with the concept of "giving thanks" being so abstract.  She thought there was only one correct answer to the question.

A "Kylie Size" pumpkin!

So, I talked to Kylie's Speech Therapist, Julie, and got her advice on how to help Kylie understand better that there can be more than one answer to the question of "What are you thankful for?"

Julie suggested that we make cards of things that Kylie really enjoys and also include cards of things that Kylie does not enjoy and then let her pick each day something she is thankful for.

I told Julie that I knew that would be what she told me but that I was a little disappointed as I really wanted the question to be open ended.   I was so curious as to what Kylie would say. 

Julie explained that open ended questions are really difficult for children with autism, but that maybe after several days of  choosing pictures, the idea of what it all meant would "click" for Kylie and by the end of the month, she might start thinking of things on her own.

Here we are together! 
We don't often have pics together as I am usually the one behind the camera! 

So, we created cards of things she likes:
Candy Corn, Chocolate, Tigger (her cat), Grandparents, Veggie Tales, Disney on Ice, Popsicles, Smelly Markers, Aqua Sand, Climbing, Going to the park, Barbies, Mom and Dad, Pizza Ranch and etc

So happy together!!

And we created cards of things she doesn't like:
Baths, loud noises, babies crying, broccoli, bright lights, elevators, flash on a camera, and etc

I love how in all three pics, Kylie has such a different expression!


Then we created a blank calendar where we could post each days picture selection so Kylie had a visual of what she is thankful for (and doesn't repeat the things she has already said).



Each day we ask Kylie what she is thankful for. She can either choose from the pictures we have created, or she can tell us something else.  It has been really neat to see what she chooses to be thankful for. 

Julie was right.  At first, Kylie stuck to the pictures but as time went on, she began to look around the room and select other things. 

A few of the things she has been thankful for are: House, Thanksgiving, Toys, Mom and Dad, TV, "Me", Ipad, Tigger, Car, Barbies and etc.

It has been really neat to watch her acquire knowledge and understanding of the abstract concept of "Giving Thanks". 

I am so thankful for the team of people who surround us on this journey of experiencing Autism.  God has been so good to place just the right people in our family's circle of influence!

Kylie is thriving because of her loving family, therapists, doctors, counselors, respite providers and our friends.