My Guys Were On The Local News!

Ethan tells us that he thinks the car is "Grrrrr-ific!"

Word has spread quickly about Corey's Light It Up Blue car! A local news station contacted Easter Seals where Corey's car was featured on their Facebook page for Autism Awareness Day. Easter Seals then contacted us, and an interview was set up for today! We spent about 30 minutes with the reporter & camera man as well as a few friends from Easter Seals. Ethan was acting so silly being the center of attention...and that was pretty amusing.

So, here is the link to see my two guys on TV!
 http://centralillinoisproud.com/fulltext?nxd_id=316132

Happy World Autism Awareness Day 2013!!!

Ethan Lighting It Up Blue!

Well, I knew 2 things this morning when Ethan woke me.....It was 7:00am, and I would need to dress us both in blue. Awhile back we bought Ethan a digital clock and told him that he had to stay in his bed until the first number was seven. Now my daily wake up call is...."It's Seven! We can get up!" (Yesterday, I told him that I knew we COULD get up, but did we HAVE to???.....to which he, of course, replied, "YES!")

And naturally we dressed in blue to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day! Ever since Ethan's diagnosis, we have been "lighting it up blue" to celebrate the amazing child that God gave to us! In fact, Ethan even PICKED out this shirt...he liked that it had the world on it for WORLD Autism Awareness Day...and there was blue in it! We all wore blue, my friends & family texted me that they were wearing blue, and some of us even accessorized with Autism Speaks wrist bands &/or other items. Ethan even wanted blue underwear. :0)

Light It Up Blue - Car Transformation

One of the best things about this is how much Ethan LOVES this car!

April is Autism Awareness month, and TUESDAY, April 2nd, 2012, is Autism Speaks Light It Up Blue. This is a specific day dediated to cheering for those who have austism! All you do is change your outdoor light to a blue light bulb & keep it lit with the blue glow all evening long! In fact, THE HOME DEPOT sells specific Light It Up Blue light bulbs each year!!!

Last year was our first year to celebreate this day as a family living with autism, and we have been excited for this year's day as well! I, personally, was excited to use my new Autism Speaks cookie cutter & hang up some blue outdoor Christmas lights that my friend gave me.

Oh.....but this is nothing compared to what my husband had in mind.

Corey's creative juices have been brewing since before Thanksgiving...when he discovered a new car product. Are you ready to see what he has done???

This is Corey's car before he started his Light It Up Blue project.

This is the car when Corey and his friend Matt started "lighting it up blue."

Here is the car painted blue.

And here is the finished car design. Corey made & placed 88 decals of puzzle pieces to put on the car. This represents the 1 in 88  children affected by autism.

The car was named Sublueru by Corey's friend, Matt.
Special thanks for discounts/donations by A Warehouse Full and DipYourCar.com.

 

Corey also took a picture of Ethan's hand and made a decal of it. Ethan actually picked the color he wanted his hand to be....green of course (his favorite). He even helped Corey apply the decal and text. He was so excited he was GIGGLING!

Corey put over 50 hours into this project. To say that he is proud of his son is a slight understatement :)

WILL YOU LIGHT IT UP BLUE WITH US??? YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAINT YOUR CAR....JUST CHANGE YOUR OUTDOOR LIGHT BULB!!!!

***UpDaTe - Corey's car was recently featured on our local news. To see his interview, click here!

Did You Light It Up Blue?

Maybe it didn't seem like much. A simple blue bulb lighting your porch. Why go to the trouble of changing out your bulbs for blue ones? What difference did it make? Well.......I can tell you friends.....that is not only means the world to my family......but to so many others as well. And guess what......you were not alone in participating! To see what the world did this past April 2nd, 2012, watch this video. It is so awesome to see the world coming together to shine a light on autism. And next year, we are going bigger! We are going to be buying out the blue Christmas lights this December!!!!!

Light It Up Blue Family & Friends

Here are a few pictures of how our family & friends participated in Light It Up Blue 2012!

Our friends, The Eyes, changed out their light bulb. They even had to replace the entire light fixture in order to be able to participate!!! Talk about going the extra mile!!! :0)

Corey's brother changed out all 3 of their outdoor lights in order to Light It Up Blue! (And apparently some of those bulbs were not a typical size & involved a lot of searching for blue in that size. Thanks for not letting that stop you!)

These are a few of Ethan's cousins wearing blue (and I see a wristband!) & Lighting It Up Blue for Ethan. I gotta be honest. This picture sent me into instant tears! Them holding up Ethan's picture just got to me! The kids have been wearing their Autism Speaks wristbands since we gave them to the family a couple of weeks ago. Our oldest nephew (on the left) was asked by several people at his school what the wristband was all about. Eventually, this led to him giving a presentation to his 5th grade class all about Light It Up Blue & how they could participate. AWESOME!!!! What a great bunch of kiddos! I'm so proud to be their aunt!!!!

This is my sister's oldest kiddo wearing all blue (and another wristband!) for Autism Awareness Day. He kind of looks like a Light It Up Blue superhero! My sister told me that her entire family wore blue that day, and they, too, are all wearing their wristbands! YEAH!

Here are a few more cousins of Ethan. (We have a lot of cousins! Eight in all!!!) These two cuties are showing their support by wearing all blue! LOVE IT!!!!

Corey's other brother (he has 3) changed out their front porch light for a blue bulb. He told us that he has been Lighting It Up Blue for several weeks now! Awesome! He & his wife have been wearing their wristbands since we delivered our blue baskets to them. People have even asked them where they bought them so they could get some too! YEAH!

This is my uncle & aunt who created this picture & posted it on their Facebook pages in order to spread the word about Autism Awareness Day! What a cool idea!!! Thanks for all of your support!!!!!

My mom's outdoor light was too difficult for her to reach, so she changed out the bulb in one of her lamps. Then, she placed it in front of her big window in order to Light It Up Blue! Great idea!!!!

This is my dear friend, Sara's house. Even though it looks green in this picture, she & her family participated in Light It Up Blue as well! She also spread the word by sharing about this day on her Facebook page! What a friend!!!

This is Sara's daughter (and Ethan's friend) wearing all blue in support of Autism Awareness Day! How adorable is she?!

This is the Autism Speaks blue flame-less candle that Corey had on this desk at work. He said that within the first couple of hours of work, five people asked him what it was all about. It's working! Spreading autism awareness!!!!

Corey's Light It Up Blue work attire. The Autism Speaks pin was a gift from a couple at our church who manages a jewelry store. The wife gave it to me last year as a gift, and I immediately put it on my coat's lapel. However, this has been such a warm spring, that I haven't been wearing my coat. So, Corey has been wearing it as a tie tack. I think it looks great!!!

I received so many messages about people who were participating in Light It Up blue. Friends & family....all showing their support of Ethan and spreading autism awareness. My step-mom told me that she hasn't stopped wearing her wristband since they got our blue gift package! AWESOME! My In-Laws changed out ALL of their outdoor lights, and they wore blue that day as well. They sent me a text reminding me how much they love Ethan & who he is. And that is what I see & feel from each of you as I look at these pictures & read your messages. Love & support. Not only for our Ethan, but for every person & family learning to live with autism. I am deeply grateful & humbled for all of you taking the time to participate in Light It Up Blue 2012. What a great celebration! Now....let's keep our bulbs for next year!!!!

Light It Up Blue Treasure Hunt

I can't decide if I'm tired due to Spring Break home projects or if I have cried so much today that I am spent....maybe both. I am so overwhelmed at the amount of support that was displayed today for Light It Up Blue. Even my husband was moved to tears. It was a very emotional & amazing day, and I want to thank you for all who participated. Thanks for your pictures, your texts, your emails, and (most importantly) your talking about autism in your homes, at your jobs, and within your communities. Thank you.

Tonight, Corey decided that we should go on a treasure hunt, so we drove around & looked for homes that were lighting it up blue. We drove by our family & friends homes, but we also saw other homes that had changed out their typical lights for blue ones. It was kind of strange to feel connected to a home that you have never been to or even met the people living inside. It was an indescribable feeling to see other "stranger" homes with blue light bulbs. They too know and love someone with autism. That was powerful. Corey & I mostly drove in silence as we were so overcome with emotion. It was truly amazing.

The only sound was coming from Ethan as he was playing a game on his iPad2. Even though he doesn't fully understand what today is all about, he was excited every time we would see a blue light. And the game he was playing was similar to a Mad Lib. There were blanks in the story & he had choices to fill in the blanks. At one point during the night, I heard the story read back to him after he picked his choices. As the lady's voice read the story, I realized that every single blank had been filled with the word "BLUE".....and I had to search in the darkness of my mini-van for my tissues. :0)

One day, he will understand what this day is all about. And I will be able to show him pictures from today, the first day that we celebrated World Wide Autism Awareness Day. I will proudly be able to show him pictures of today from our friends & family & complete strangers....all who are supporting autism awareness & all that means. He is such a lucky kid.

I took a few pictures of stranger homes in our community. Forgive my camera.....we were trying to get some clean shots but still maintain the blue glow in the dark.

This is our home. Light It Up Blue 2012.

This home used blue rope lights around the windows of their porch. It was VERY blue!

This home was diagonal from the previous home. I'm assuming that they are friends/family & showing support for each other. Wonderful.

This is outside the door of one apartment in an apartment complex. I could see this blue light from 3 blocks away.

One tiny blue bulb lit the entire porch of this home.

For more pictures, check out our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/courageandcoffee. I will post more pictures on this blog tomorrow of what our family & friends did today! What a great day!!!

Light It Up Blue 2012

IT'S HERE! TODAY'S THE DAY! 

Today is our first time to participate in Autism Speaks Light It Up Blue campaign to spread autism awareness. We have already changed our light bulbs, too. In fact, we had to replace our outdoor porch light because a bird decided to take up residency in it....crushing the existing bulb & the glass. (I mean, come on, bird. We have 5 trees in our yard & a whole tree line in the back of the property....geesh!) I can't wait to light the outside of our home blue tonight!

Our family is also wearing blue today, we are wearing our Autism Speaks wristbands, my husband has a blue flame-less candle for his desk at work, I've changed my blog to be blue, and we passed out those blue gift baskets awhile back for our family to be able to participate as well. 

I realize that today (and the month of April) is about spreading autism awareness, but to be honest, it's a little more than that for me. Today, I am celebrating my son. It's like his birthday. Each time his birthday rolls around, we celebrate Ethan. Not only do we celebrate the day that he came into our lives, but we rejoice in the fact that we all "made it" another year. It's like our parenting anniversary. New challenges arrive each year, and the birthday milestone is a victory for us as a family. Today is similar to Ethan's birthday. Today we are celebrating one specific part of Ethan.....his autism. We are also thankful that we "made it" through our first year as a family living with autism. So, as I see the blue light filtering in from outside, I am overwhelmed with emotions as I think about all that this small blue light bulb means to me & my family.  It means victory.

So.....are you participating in Light It Up Blue today? If so, I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT!!! :0)

Send me your pictures or tell me what you are doing!

You can do this several ways......

1. Email me through this blog at imjwo80@gmail.com

2. Post your pictures &or stories on our facebook page. It's http://www.facebook.com/courageandcoffee. You will need to "LIKE" us first & then post your pictures or stories. (PS....if you can't see our posts, you will need to check your settings. Here is a link to the "how-to"... http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=188147907920585.)

3. Comment on this blog posting at the bottom.

I can't wait to see what everyone is doing today!!!!!!!!! 

Happy Light It Up Blue Day!!!!!!!

Will You Light It Up Blue with Me?

The last couple of weeks, our family has been preparing for April 2nd, 2012...our first time celebrating Light It Up Blue. Since our family has been directly effected by autism, we thought it would be awesome if our entire family would help spread awareness by taking part in this day as well. So, we have put together Light It Up Blue Baskets (and one box to be shipped) to take to our extended family members in hopes that they too will participate.

Our baskets include our homemade soap, a blue light bulb, Autism Speaks bracelets, Blessed Are Those magnetic poem, and blue M&Ms. (It has been too hot to bake our brownies this week, so I went with blue store bought candy.) All of our items are sitting on a blue disposable plate.

I wrapped it all in blue cellophane wrap & tied it with blue ribbon. Here is the completed Light It Up Blue Gift Basket.

Ethan is only 3 years old & unaware of his diagnosis. However, we still thought it was important for him to understand about helping others & giving to others. So, we drove around our city & had Ethan deliver our gift baskets.

Teachable Moment - Ringing a doorbell & waiting

 

"Will You Light It Up Blue with me?"

We told him to ask the question, "Will you light it up blue with me?" Who can say no to a cute little 3 year old, right?! So, now we are asking you.....Will you help us spread autism awareness and Light It Up Blue on April 2nd?

Courage & Coffee has started a Facebook page. If you are participating in Light It Up Blue, take a picture & post it to our wall! I would love to see what you all are doing!!!! Remember, it's Monday, April 2nd (the Monday before Easter), and the entire month of April is autism awareness month!!!!

Corey, Ethan & Me...ready to Light It Up Blue!!!

Light It Up Blue Magnets

The last thing we are making for our Light It Up Blue baskets will be a print of the Blessed Are Those poem.I printed these poems out on my printer, had them laminated, hot-glued a blue puzzle piece to the front, and added magnetic strips to the back of it. I am hoping that our family members will place this on their refrigerators, and, when they look at it, remember how important they are in Ethan's life....and mine too.

First, I printed the poem (in blue ink) & had it laminated. Then, I grabbed some of the blue painted puzzle pieces & a roll of magnetic tape.

Then, I fired up the hot glue gun, and glued one puzzle piece at the bottom of each poem.

I liked the 3-D look of adding an actual puzzle piece to the top of the paper.

Then, I added 2 strips of magnetic tape to the back of the poem...at the top & the bottom.

The magnetic tape kept curling due to it being packaged in a spiral. So, I place the poems under some heavy, flat dishes for a couple of hours in order to flatten them out...worked great.

The final product on my refrigerator!

The poem is listed below. Be sure to have some tissues handy....I cry EVERY time I read it.

Blessed Are Those

I. Blessed are those who stop and listen to my chatter. You may not understand me; but I love when people talk to me, for I long for companionship, too. 

II. Blessed are those who take my hand and walk with me when the path is rough, for I easily stumble and grow weary. But thank you, too, for letting me walk alone when the path is smooth, for I must learn independence. 

III. Blessed are those who take the time to tell me about special happenings, for unless you make special effort to inform me, I remain ignorant. 

IV. Blessed are those who wait for me. I may be slow, but I appreciate your patience. 

V. Blessed are those who are not ashamed to be seen in public with me, for I did not choose to be born thus. It could have been you as well. 

VI. Blessed are those who do not pity me, for I don't want pity. All I want is understanding and respect for what I have learned as well. 

VII. Blessed are those who notice my accomplishments, small as they may seem to you. I must work long and hard to learn many of the things you take for granted. 

VIII. Blessed are those who include me in their games, even though I may not understand the rules, I still like to be included in your activities. 

IX. Blessed are those who think of me as a person who loves, and hurts, and feels joy and pain just like you do, for in that respect I am normal. 

Author Unknown

Light It Up Blue Brownies

Well, this isn't really a great thing to do while focusing on eating a more balanced diet, but....what goody basket would be complete with out....well....goodies!!!! As part of our Light It Up Blue baskets that we are making, I figured that we HAD to include a delicious treat of some sort. So, still trying to think outside the box as far as what to do, I came up with brownies. What is so out of the box about brownies? Well, other then they actually came out of a box (I don't bake), it's the decoration on the top.

Start with a pan of brownies, powdered sugar, and puzzle cleaned puzzle pieces.

Place the puzzle piece where you want your design to be & sprinkle over it with powdered sugar.

Here is the final result!

Autism Awareness good enough to eat!!!