eSpecially Ben

June 2010 June 2010 Hindsight is 20/20: These photos should have been our warning. The day we arrived in NY for the Thanksgiving holiday, we saw my sister's children - Jackson, Ethan and Samantha. Samantha is two years old and loves Ben. We have been fortunate to see the cousins quite a bit this summer so the kids feel comfortable around each other. We also reinforce the relationships with family videos from our times together. Samantha has known how to say Ben's name for a long time and talks about him to my sister quite a bit. Seeing Ben is a big deal to her. My sister does a good job talking to her kids about Ben and helping them understand that he communicates differently than other kids. She explains how Ben loves each one of them, but may express it differently. Ben loves his cousins too. We watch the same videos and look at the same photos they do. Ben's favorite home video is Family #4 which features a mountain trip with the cousins. Ben literally gasps

Since before we had children, Ryan and I visited McAdenville , a small town south of Charlotte, that calls itself, Christmas Town, USA. This 55 year old tradition of displaying lights and decorating each house on the main street is described on the website . It is a fairly remarkable endeavor for this town to take on each year. I can only imagine what the fine print reads on the real estate agreements for purchasing a house on the main route. Since having children, our tradition has morphed into dining at the local restaurant and taking a walking tour of the town with friends and neighbors. Many of the people who join us know Ben from when he attended preschool at 3 and 4 years old. They are the teachers who have become part of our family. The smile on Ben's face is not surprising - he is surrounded by people who love him very much and eating peanut butter pie. Life does not get much better than this.

A morning ritual at our house is the making of the smoothies. Ben drinks a smoothie every morning before school. His favorite flavor is a derivative from a favorite dish he has eaten since he was one year old - peanut butter and banana blended together. It is full of calcium, protein and calories and a whole lot better than other breakfast alternatives promoted to kids. Unfortunately for Ben, Sean has taken to drinking this drink also. Ben does not seem to mind sharing because Sean brings him his drink and watches Bob the Builder with him. Ingredients: 2 bananas 2 large tablespoons of yogurt (I use whole milk vanilla ) 2 large tablespoons of peanut butter (usually creamy) 2 cups of whole milk (this is a guess) Directions: Blend all above items in blender and serve immediately in 2-4 cups depending on size of cups. You can sneak in flax seed or other healthy additions to the smoothie.

At this time of the year, the title of this post may have another meaning for you.  This mobile is made with felt, glue, string and glitter. The kids' grandpa made these a few years ago. Click here for more works of art.

Sean, age 2 Sean  made this tree at school, using his hands. In his own little way, he was able to tell me what the tree was all about - his family. Logan, age 5 Logan made one of these for each of his grandparents to thank them for his visit at Thanksgiving. I made him make me an extra one to keep, I liked it so much. Check this out for more works of art.

  For over 13 years, Ryan and I have been buying our Christmas Tree from the same lot near our home. This tradition has a lot of details to it: we get it the Sunday after Thanksgiving Day, we take a photo of us at the lot and we choose a Charlie Brown tree from the sale rack. Sometimes we get short and stout, others times, full on one side and naked on the other. This year we have tall and skinny. It's a 4 week commitment, we can cope. What's your Christmas Tree tradition?

Amazing Race in Charlotte Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation - Therapeutic Recreation Department : November 6 marked the beginning of a new TR fund raising tradition - The Therapeutic Recreation’s Amazing Race. This "dry run" Amazing Race started and ended at Marshall Park . Fifteen teams piloted the 4 mile course around Uptown Charlotte, solving clues and riddles to help them find their way through town. Each clue instructed teams to take a picture of or answer a question about a specific piece of Charlotte history or art, and check their answers in at 6 stops along their route. Over 150 children with special needs attend camp though Park and Recreation’s TR Department. Children from ages 3 to 21 with physical, mental and emotional issues are able to participate in an all day summer camp for up to 7 weeks. The camp features field trips to Lazy 5 Ranch , Space Kidets and other fun places in the Charlotte area. Campers are kept active with developmentally appropri