Softball

Kaitlin officially started her softball season last night! It is fun to see her get so excited about something that she truly loves. Our family loves to go to her games and cheer her on. I think it is so important to always be your children's biggest fans! She has so much natural talent in sports and has always been quite the tomboy in our family. I love to watch her play! She would play tackle football if I would let her...she is too funny! Good luck this season Kaiti! I love you!

My little Rainman

Raymond is absolutely obsessed with country music right now. When he gets something in his head he just can't let it go. We have gone through many different phases with him: sports, video games, food network, collecting books, and now he has discovered CMT and GAC. He started getting addicted to the Weather Channel...yes, the Weather Channel. Thank goodness that one did not last very long. He was constantly talking about tornados in Omaha and Hawaii. I am glad that phase was short-lived for sure. He has always loved music. He is not autistic but he always reminds me of the movie Rainman. He dances like he does..side to side...with his radio in his hands. If he is not watching country music videos on the TV, he is listening to songs through the computer. He is such a joy to watch. I was watching TV in bed last night and Raymond had his headphones listening to country music through the computer...sampling different songs from different country artists...and he was singing. The words weren't clear, but the melodies were...it just made me smile! I could watch him all day long. He is the funniest kid. I love to hear him sing. I don't think he even realized that I was listening to him so intently and that I was smiling and lost in his world with him. Do you remember how Rainman loved Kmart...that is how my Raymond is with Walmart. Rainman had to watch Judge Wapner everyday...that is how Raymond is with TV in general. It brings him some sort of comfort. When we go to Walmart Raymond always has to get a "treat" of some kind. He buys himself a new CD every Friday and I suggested that maybe he needs an I-pod for his birthday next month. My little Rainman is growing up and I am thankful each and every day that I have him and his little quirks! I get to see Jason Aldean on Friday and I don't even have the heart to tell Raymond I am going without him. That just might break his heart. :)

Jolly Rancher

I had not intended for this blog to be so serious all of the time. I don't want to bring people to tears ALL of the time...although I truly believe that tears are healing to the soul. :)

So here is a cute little story:
Raymond was riding in the van with my parents coming home from my cousin's wedding reception. He had a Jolly Rancher candy in his mouth and was trying to tell his Grandpa something very important. He repeated himself twice and was saying the exact same thing each time, but his language is difficult to understand sometimes. My dad asked him again what he was trying to say. Raymond was so funny! He spit that Jolly Rancher out of his mouth into his hand and continued to say the same thing again. The exact same way as before! Ray and my dad were laughing so hard because the Jolly Rancher was definitely NOT the problem here...they STILL could not understand a word he was trying to say. All three times the words came out the same way in his "gibberish" kind of language that we have all come to love. After a car full of laughter...we still do not know what he was trying to say.

Ups and downs

Today was a tough day for me. It is hard to put into words the feelings that I have when it comes to my sweet son. His body is growing up and maturing into a young man. He is growing taller and he has the most amazing sweet spirit about him. His smile can light up any room that he enters. He can make even the darkest of days seem a little bit brighter. He will always have a "little boy" brain...he was born into innocence and he will leave this world in innocence someday. I am responsible for his safety and his happiness during his time here on earth. I can't believe that I have been entrusted with such a gift...me...who would have thought something like this could happen to me. There are some days that I look at him and he seems so "normal" to me. There are also the days that I look at him and he seems so lost in this world. I celebrate all the small milestones that he reaches. It is the simple things in life that matter in Raymond's world. I will never forget the day, about a month ago, when his teacher texted me and told me I needed to check my emails immediately. She had sent me a video of him writing the letter "R" for the very first time. I was jumping up and down! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. For so long...his teachers, aids, and therapists have been trying to get him to write. This is a difficult task for him and he did it! As we celebrate in the ups...we have to prepare ourselves for some downs. Sometimes new skills are short lived in his world...it is as if new skills are forgotten as quickly as they appear. I am thankful for the special moments that we have with him. I don't really care if he will ever be able to write an "R" again...I was able to see it once and that is enough for me. His brain is not complete...it never will be. Doctors and specialists can't explain why his brain works the way it does. They can't fix it and make it better. The only thing that matters is that he loves me and I love him! I don't think that I could ask for anything more than that.

Our "Ray" of Sunshine

My main reason for this blog is to make a keepsake for my family about our life with our "Ray" of sunshine...Raymond. There are so many milestones that I want to be able to remember over the years. We rejoice in all of the little things that he does. It is amazing to see the world through his eyes. When I look into his eyes I swear that I can see into heaven. This blog is dedicated to him and my thoughts about what it is like to be "Raising Sunshine"...

Inspired

I have been inspired by so many blogs and people lately. I would love to inspire others in my blogging, but to be quite honest, I am doing this for me...myself...and I. I am hoping this might be therapeutic for me. I have battled depression and a weight problem for so many years. Last year I kept telling myself...this is the year...I am going to get the weight off and focus on myself for a change. Well let's just say...alot of it was so much talk and no desire to really make the life changes that needed to take place to reach my goal. I have a wonderful life, but my heart would break every time I would look in the mirror. When did this all happen??? How did I let this all happen??? Why had I given up on myself and my talents??? Why have I let myself go??? I have a lot to offer this great big world and THIS WILL BE THE YEAR for me to make those changes. I started taking a Zumba-Latan dance inspired aerobic class twice a week. I finally found something that I really enjoyed! I think it is so important to find something that clicks for you when it comes to exercise. So to date I have lost 23 pounds since last November and I am feeling fabulous! I have some pretty amazing friends and family who have been a huge support in keeping me focused on all of my long-term goals. So today I am feeling pretty blessed and happy! There is sunshine in my soul today!

My first blog post

I love so many things about all of this social networking. I love Facebook, but I feel that I have so much more to say...more than what can fit in a small thought box that only holds 140 characters at a time. Join me in laughter, smiles, and maybe even a few tears along the way. I want to take you through my day to day journey as a mother of two beautiful girls and a special needs little boy. He is my sunshine...my only sunshine...he makes me happy...Everyday!