We went there

Let's see, it's been a little bit since I posted. A combination of nothing going on and too much going. We got Jude's wheelchair. Holla! It is so great having some wheels, again! And the fact that it collapses into something small enought to fit in my car is awesome!
Yesterday, Jude didn't have basketball practice, because everyone who participates in it, both coaches and players, went to the Adaptive Sports Rollout that was held yesterday afternoon. We hit Owen's soccer game, then went straight to the Rollout. The boys got to try out an erg (indoor rowing machine), and we found out that there is a rowing team here in town! Even better, they can both be on it! The conundrum is that the times coincide with basketball. :( We'll have to see what's what, there. 

Jude got to ride a hand-propelled bike, as well! I've been looking at those, on ebay, etc. and they are cost prohibitive, but an organization called Ambucs tries to provide qualified applicants with them, so we are going to apply and see what happens! He had a great time on it! 

Lastly, a Paralympian named Dennis, who competes in shotput and discus, was there, and let the boys use his stand and throw. As expected, our itinerant athlete surprised everyone (except us) with his ability to heave the 'put and throw the discus, even though the discus was waaaay too big for his hand. Owen even got up there and gave it a try. He was embarrassed, but the fact that he did it is a huge step out of his comfort zone. :)

We wrapped up the day with a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. No, I ended up neither suicidal nor homicidal. It really went OK. Jude spent the first hour freaking out over all the games, Chuck E. and the tickets, but he settled down and became no more manic than every other kid in the place.

 We came home and I threw the boys in the tub. They concluded the evening by opening two belated birthday gifts, which were a big hit, no surprise there. :) Money for their wallets, and a pair of crossbows. 

Does life get any better than this? :)

Bonus Post

So, Jude had his first basketball practice this morning. Turn out was a little skimpy due to the game today. Jim and Owen got drafted to play. ( Have I mentioned what a good daddy Jim is, lately? )

In case you can't read that body language...."I am AWESOME."

For anyone wondering how Owen is doing with all the adoption stuff....Owen is good. Our inherently shy boy will try anything, if Jude is doing it. He missed out on some stuff, before, because he wouldn't try. He tries now, as long as his brother is. :)

Please look at Jude's face. This is his personality, in a nut shell.

Looking for the open man.

Jude "just call me Michael Jordan" Byers. This momma's heart feels pretty doggone good this morning. :)

Learning curve

The boys were given a tent that had a tunnel. They immediately went into construction mode, breaking out their own tent, then moving on to utilizing every spare blanket, board, table and chair to expand it into an empire. 

I'm quite certain Jude would be deeply offended by The proximity of Owen's armpit, if he were awake to notice.

The boys are making a cake. It is Owen's turn to mix.

Jude is cracking the eggs.

You probably didn't notice, but there is a dog in the bathroom. This is one of the photo-ops Jude has been longing for. It is unfortunate that I only got the dog's ears, but in the name of decency, I had to aim high. 

This is Jude's sense of humor, for those of you who haven't had the pleasure.

The knife in the photo is incredibly dull, and Jude is, in effect, squashing the sausage, not cutting it. He was giddy to have a knife in his hand however, pointing out that he wasn't allowed to handle a knife in Hangzhou. You could watch him swell in size exponentially as he completed this task.

Home made ice-cream at the coolest home on the planet, per Jude!

And this photo epitomizes the learning curve in the title of this post. It is very strange to have a 2 year old, a 4 year old, a six year old, an 8 year old, a 10 year old, and a 12 year old who is going on 16.....all occupying the same body. And I never know which child I will be dealing with, moment to moment. The specialists say that this is a by-product of not being parented; not having parents who coach you through these emotional and developmental stages. It can also result from just never having had the opportunity to BE the age in question. Either way, in the 20 minutes preceding this picture, Jude expressed concern over what the girls would think of his current hair-style and attire ( I don't know what age this is, but certainly 8 or above), then Jude held out his hand and introduced himself, unprompted, and said, "Nice to meet you. How are you?" to a new acquaintance, like a veteran politician; he then promptly vanished Into a rack of clothes like a 4 year old, to hide and not come out, then lost his train of thought completely when the activity table pictured caught his eye. This is a toddler table, whose knobs and buttons kept him fully engaged for a solid 10 minutes. It makes it difficult to allow "age-appropriate" freedoms. Something he can do with great facility on one day, is just beyond him, from a self-control or emotional standpoint, the next. 

 

Owen wanted to try cutting the grass. He is certainly big enough and innately cautious enough, but not there from a decision-making stand point, yet. 

Jude, in his 12-going-on-16 mode. He can do anything anybody else can do, and do it better, and FASTER, to boot.

He has the major wants for a riding mower like our neighbors....I shudder at the thought. George Jones would have NOTHING on him, I tell ya. He'd be in the next county before you blinked.

And this is a family portrait. No, not of OUR family, in case you were trying to quickly assign names to the figures. This is a family portrait of the "Moba-lees". Notice the not-so-subtle insertion of self into the family portrait. He actually drew our family first, but I didn't document it with pictures, as I feel I was GROSSLY characturized, with an ENORMOUS head, easily four times the size of all the other family members drawn. While i am trying to be forthright and honest int this accounting, As the official documenter of this journey, I get to skip over the parts that I feel could not POSSIBLY be true. :)