eSpecially Ben

My mom sent this link to me recently. It is pretty wonderful and really unbelievable. Take the time to watch the video and then check out the blog: Carlys Voice .

Ben's Aunt Olivia and Grandma made this cake for his 7th birthday. Check out other works of art at www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com

Ben's 7th Birthday Party: Local Fire Engine Visited Our House (on purpose) Check out other photos: www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com

We spent last week at the beach near Atlantic Beach in North Carolina. At Fort Macon Park , they have a special chair for people like Ben who may need extra help moving in the sand and water. The chair is made by Landeez . We were amazed by this chair. It did travel over the sand and in small amounts of water with ease. We bought an inexpensive strap to go around Ben's waist so he would not fall out.  I thought that Ben could go farther in the water sitting in the chair, but it does eventually float...away if in too deep of water. Ben got tired of sitting in it and wiggled his way under the strap. For the most part, it is a great invention and it made it easier for us to keep Ben safe on the beach. If he had been interested in a long walk on the beach, this would have worked great for him.

For Ben's 7th Birthday, his guests were given the opportunity to paint a wooden fire truck from Michael's . Ben declined from painting - he was a bit too excited to focus on painting. Here are some of the artists with their work:  Jackson, age 6 1/2  Logan, age 5  Ethan, age 4 1/2 Samantha, age 2 Check out other works of art at www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com .

Last October, I applied for Ben to be accepted to the Grin Kids Disney World trip, sponsored by Grin Kids, a non-profit organization, coordinated through Ace & TJ , a morning radio show in Charlotte. The organization’s name comes from the hosts’ favorite saying, “You Grin, You’re In.” Since 2000, Grin Kids has raised money each year to fund the children and their families who are accepted to go to Disney World. Their fund raising events include a "2nd Chance Prom", golf tournament, raffles and other events throughout the year. Ace is a member of the band, Charity Case, and all their profits go to the Grin Kids organization. The children who are selected are terminally ill or are chronically handicapped and are between the ages of 5 and 12 years old. If you have the time, take a look at the websites for Grin Kids and the band, Charity Case. Both sites tell stories about amazing human beings who have taken on this mission in life to help children and families take a

Not only did I run my first trail race today, I saved a life. The same type of turtle pictured above was crossing the street on the way into the US National Whitewater Center . Traffic was fairly heavy at 7:30am on a Saturday because of the race. The turtle's head, legs and arms were completely withdrawn into its shell so it really looked like a rock in the road. I passed it at first, then realized what it was. I hesitated, then thought of my boys and how we saved another turtle once while driving to the park and how they still talk about the experience. I did a U-turn, scooped up the turtle and placed him in the grass, far from the road. Hopefully, he was able to get his bearings after that frightening experience. Back to the race - so different than the road races I have been running. Less people running, but most participants were athletic. On a road race, there may be people who will walk and run the race. This was strictly a running race. Luckily, before the race started, a