eSpecially Ben

Sean was too young to remember his first visit to Tweetsie Railroad . He made up for any lost memories. They all look scared because this was the Free Fall ride. It was not that bad. This was as bad as it looks. A lot of spinning! Panning for Gold. Bank robbers took over the stagecoach. Someone offered to take the entire family... We spent most of our time at the theme park on these horses. And if this was not all enough, Thomas the Train was here too. Carousel ride for Ben. I had no idea these were the faces they were making.  Ben's driving these two lunatics around. We took the kids to Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock, NC on Sunday. It has a country western theme complete with cowboys, Indians, forts, steam train and plenty of fake horses for the kids to ride on. This may have been our 4th time going - I worried the kids may have outgrown the park, but they proved me wrong. We had a great time and lasted for a record 7 hou

Sean decided to snap a few photos today and he used Ben as his model.

I've worked with your flower, And helped it to grow. I'm returning it now, But I want you to know... This flower is precious, As dear as can be. Love it, take care of it, And you will see... A bright new bloom, With every day. It grew and blossomed In such a wonderful way. In September just a bud, January, a bloom; Now a lovely blossom I'm returning in June. Remember, this flower, As dear as can be, Though rightfully yours, Part will always belong to me! --Author Unknown Ben's teacher sent this poem home, along with a letter describing her experience with our children this first year for her as a teacher. She also included a photo album for Ben filled with pictures from this year. Here are a few of my favorites: I won't include photos of other children from Ben's class, but there were several in there - always with the other classmate giving Ben the biggest hug. I know one little girl includes Ben in her prayers every night. I am glad to have a ph

This is an essay written for a graduate program application by someone who has known Ben for about 4 years. With Nicole's permission, I am posting this. I changed the name of the university. Working for the YMCA of Greater Charlotte exposed me to a lot of children. One of my many jobs at the YMCA is to teach swimming. As a swim instructor, I started teaching three-five years old how to swim. It was an amazing feeling and I enjoyed seeing the big happy smiles on their little faces. The Aquatics Coordinator had one specific child named Ben that she was assigned to instruct. Ben was five years old and has Cerebral Palsy. He does not talk, but makes loud noises in the water, which was a sign of his happiness. As time went on, I would say hello to Ben. I begin meeting his family and I would always give Ben hugs while he would pinch my cheeks and grab my hair. One day the Aquatics Coordinator came up to me and said that she had a new job offer in New York and was leaving in a mont

Three years ago, my sister and I surprised my mom for her "big" birthday (I'd be disowned if I listed which exact big birthday) and whisked her away to celebrate in Washington, DC. We had so much fun that we decided to make it an annual tradition. This year, they visited me in Charlotte and we shopped, ate and worked it all off doing Zumba and Pilates. Next year...perhaps DC again, it is smack in the middle for all of us, making travel plans easy.

I love everything about camping - sitting by the fire, eating outside, cooking on the grill, hiking, listening to the night noises and even the shower houses. Just give me a real bed to sleep on after I've eaten my very last s'more. I found the perfect solution - all the camping fun with a small cabin filled with a set of bunk beds and one full-size bed. No bugs or rain to worry about. And did I mention that these little cabins have air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter? I do need some comforts. (I just went down a few notches with my friend Carla, who thought I was superwoman for camping. She did not have the full story. I do believe in full-disclosure and the cabin will be seen in the photos ;)

We are fortunate to have a local nature museum in Charlotte that is wonderful for kids (and adults). Well, wonderful for some kids. Ben hated this place from the very first time we set foot there more than 6 years ago. Each time, I convince myself that he will love the animals and exhibits. It is an easy place for me to take all three boys by myself and watch them safely. Usually he is in his walker and he spends the entire time at the doors trying to get out. Since he was in his chair on this visit, he cried, yelled and whined to make his position known. This photo serves as a reminder to avoid the nature museum when Ben is in the group. The next week I took Ben to another kid museum and he loved it. He sat at the make-believe restaurant table, made several rounds at the fire truck and seemed happy to be a part of the fun. I cannot figure out why one place is fun and the other not. Ben likes the zoo so I don't think it is the animals. Perhaps it is a smell, noise or someth