#tbt stories - school days

Talking about Caleb's school year had me thinking back to past school days.  This picture is from May of 2012.  It was the last day of his first pre-k year.  This was a tough year for him, but he had an incredible teacher who holds such a special place in my heart.  She ended up being his teacher for just over two years, and I know that he is where he is today in large part because of her.

It's so easy when you're caught up in all of the day-to-day happenings to forget where it is you actually started.  But when I look at this picture, it really does all come back to me, and I realize all over again just how far our boy has come.

first grade wrap-up

I know I'm a little behind on this, but I just have to take a minute and talk about our sweet boy.  He totally rocked his first grade year and we could not be more proud of him!  All of the choices and decisions that go along with school have not always been easy on this mama's heart.  We haven't always been quite sure what to expect from our boy - he has changed so much and has kept us all on our toes!  We've often found ourselves hoping for the best while still preparing for all sorts of different scenarios.  But he has continually surprised and amazed us with how far he has come and what he is able to do!

He is now officially a second grader, and we have less than a month of summer left until he goes back to school.  I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous about this next school year.  A new classroom, a new teacher, all of the changes and expectations - it all definitely makes me anxious for him.  But he has shown us again and again that he can and will rise up to the challenge, that he is capable of more than we could have ever hoped for, and that he is confident in himself and his abilities.

I'm so thankful that God entrusted this sweet boy to us.  I see the work that God is doing in him, and it is a daily reminder of what a good and gracious God we have.

#tbt stories - his first word

I was looking back through some pictures from summers past and came upon this one.  Caleb is about sixteen months old here, and oh man, what a squishy little chunk he was!  I remember this day so well.  Right before we took this picture, Bobby had been walking across the field towards us.  When Caleb looked up and saw him, he was so excited and yelled out "dada!".  That was his very first word, and actually, it was his only word for a really long time.  We had no idea at that time what was in store for us, and it's almost a little strange to think back on those days.  We've sure been on one wild ride since then, but I am so very proud of our boy and the incredible chatterbox that he is today!

this is our story

Today is Autism Awareness Day.

I haven't talked about autism here on the blog before, but it feels like it's time that I do.  Our sweet Caleb was diagnosed with autism a little over three years ago, just before his third birthday.  It was not a complete surprise to us, and yet, it was completely shocking.  His diagnosis was simply confirming what we already knew to be true, but no parent can ever be completely prepared to hear the words or to read it in print.  

A lot of time has passed since then, and life for our family looks a whole lot different these days.  We have been through some really difficult days, and we have been through some pretty amazing ones.  There have been days when I didn't know what to do, and I felt like I was failing Caleb in every way possible.  They usually ended with me in tears, praying for God to show me what in the world I was supposed to be doing for him.  And there have been days when Caleb has done something so incredible - something that we weren't sure he would ever be able to do or something to show us how smart he really is.  Those days probably ended with me in tears as well, thanking God for his faithfulness and marveling at the work that He is doing in my son.  

 

 The newest numbers show that one in sixty-eight children has autism.  If those numbers don't make you stop and think, they should.  If your family hasn't been affected by autism, it will be.  It's only a matter of time.  Maybe not directly, but in some way, we are all being affected.  These children deserve for us to become more aware, more tolerant, more understanding, and more accepting.   

 

This boy is my little rock star.  He is my life and my love, and he walks around with a piece of my heart wherever he goes.  He is the most precious gift from God, and I am so very grateful that I get to be his momma.

 

He is our one in sixty-eight. 

{all pictures are from the Autism Walk we participated in last October}