Brady's Seven

  Brady's special day came early....since his actual birthday is on a school day (boo and double boo.) So, after a spoiled trip to church (our van died in a very precarious place) and a trip in the tow truck and an almost two mile walk...all of his best buds gathered to celebrate.

  I went and picked up the three littlest littles in the truck while Zac and Brady stayed with the van and then went in the before mentioned tow truck. Koala and Squirrel helped get the house ready and decorate the cake...

  And some other friends joined ...Brady's most favorite buds in all the world - The Super Mario Bros.

  Squirrel and Bug kept a careful eye on our driveway so that we would know exactly when to hide. Hide we did and surprised he was - I think we may have momentarily scared him.

  Brady's smile was so big the whole time - his gratefulness for every Mario themed gift was so genuine and wonderful - and the biggest smile came when he saw his cake. He had told me at least two months ago that his wish was for a yellow cake with chocolate frosting and for there to be a big star on the top for "Super Star Power" from his game. So...imagine his excited that his "oh so simple" dream came true PLUS the little character guys on top.

  He blew out all seven candles with just one big breath (see him proudly supporting his new Angry Birds t shirt from his daddy?) It was a wonderful time.

 My Brady boy .... I can't believe it was seven years ago that I first met him and Zac and I giggled over his little elf ears and just stood in awe of his beautiful wrinkled up little hands. And then just a week later celebrating Christmas and understanding what a precious gift God gave the world when he gave his son - at that moment I understood that love and I knew I could never EVER sacrifice my son....just thinking of living without him make my heart hurt and I find myself having to remember to take a breath and to shake off such a terrible horrendous day dream. Brayden has our very hearts and he makes them so big and full and squeezes them so tight Zac and I are often completely confused how to feel about such a huge love.
 Just last night we talked extensively about how much we want the best for our Brady not just what's "acceptable." We are re thinking the possibility of homeschooling him in the next couple of years when Zac's job is steady and we can possibly have a nice computer for brady to do his schooling. I'm not happy with what the public school is providing with Brayden and I feel like after meetings and meetings and me explaining the answer always is "he doesn't need that. He's fine."
 Zac and I are grieving all the children and adults who were lost this past week in Connecticut. The day it happened I watched an interview with the shooter's neighbor and all she said was "the mother had to give her son a lot of attention and he was always alone - he seemed to not connect with the other children." I told Zac I was almost positive the boy had Aspergers.
 Last night close friends of the mother and the son told 60 Minutes that the son was "disabled" and that his life redefined his families. When they reporter asked what the disability was they said "He had Aspergers and he wasn't doing well in the public schools so the mom took him home to teach him." This wasn't though until after he had been in high school at least for two years.
 Zac and I had such heavy hearts after watching that interview. For one, people who know nothing about autism spectrum disorders may now jump to the conclusion that children with Aspergers are violent and dangerous. I was sad that in our country it's okay for a mother to have registered guns in a home with a child that has a diagnosed neurological issues. And third, I'm sad that more isn't done for our kids who have special needs.
 I went to a place called Firefly last week (a school for children with severe autism all the way to kids on the higher end of the spectrum) and it was AMAZING watching the teachers work with the kids. They have a 1:1 ratio meaning each child is helped with what he needs the most. They help them with structure and just learning simple tasks like making a sandwich (brady has a hard time with those kind of motor skills) and they have social groups available for kids with Aspergers. They have early prevention for kids like my Tristan. Unfortunately, because our government doesn't help pay for this kind of help - there is no way just lower class to middle class families can afford it. Even after insurance it would still cost us at least 7,000 a year.
 So, we are re evaluating what our little boy needs. Birthdays always make me think a lot - I ask for God's guidance and that no decisions we make for him will come from fear.

Happy Birthday my little boy - your parents love you more then life.