"Jesus, Will You Be My Best Friend Forever?"

It was another trip to Easter Seals. What was once a quiet van ride only filled with the music of The Go Fish Guys, was now becoming Ethan's time to ask me questions about God. I was starting to look forward to these trips. Not only was it nice to have a "typical" back & forth conversation with Ethan, it was interesting to hear what questions he had for me. Almost like an inside peek into how his amazing mind works.

The day before my sister told me that her little girl had asked Jesus to be in her heart. This was something that I wondered if Ethan would understand or even WANT to do, but I had been praying for since he was created. And this is a pretty typical up/down feeling for a mom of a child on the spectrum. Most of your friends' kids are hitting milestones & achieving progress.......first steps, saying "Mommy," reading, writing, developing relationships, etc......and I am always so genuinely happy for them. I love seeing the kids in my life growing up....I love being Aunt Wo in my family or Miss Jessica at church or Mrs. Wolfe when I teach. But then there is ALWAYS a punch in the gut that comes with it. It's another reminder that my child is a bit different. That my precious Ethan may never achieve the milestones his peers are reaching. Up/Down feelings.....another quiet prayer in my heart.....my infamous broken record....."Please Lord, I want Ethan know you at an early age. And I want him to love you & serve you the rest of his life.

Discussing God with Ethan

What does God eat?

What is his favorite color?

Does he go potty like a big boy?

What do you ride on to get to heaven? A rocket?

LOVE. These are some of the questions that Ethan has been asking me about God, Heaven & salvation. On our 2 times a week drive to Easter Seals, we have a good solid 30 minute drive. Ethan, never being much for conversation in the car, prefers to listen to music. Our favorite groups of all time is The Go Fish Guys. They are a group of Dads that create Christian music...and some silly songs too....specifically for kids. BUT....they don't drive you crazy. I actually really enjoy them as well.

Something wonderful has happened this past month during our drives. Ethan has been asking a TON of questions about the words in their songs.

When All Else Fails, Use YouTube!

I have been a bit absent from writing for awhile. Like a lot of this country, we have been getting a LOT of rain. I hate to even mention it because there are so many families that are dealing with much worse rain damage than we are.....much worse. I am simply explaining what has been going on with our family.

1. Our basement filled with water. Not a lot but enough to ruin carpeting & such.
2. Our ceiling started leaking. Boo.
3. Our air conditioning went out.

All of this happened during the middle of one of our home projects.....replacing our flooring in 5 rooms. If any of you have ever done a home improvement project, you know what it is like to live among that mess. Nothing is where is should be, and your routines are off. Especially when it's the bathroom....which is where our project was when this rain business started.

He hated the roofers making noise,
but he LOVED the dumpster! LOL!

So, the flooring has been halted & our attention has been turned to all things "de-watering." Calling people, taking bids, learning way more about my home than I ever thought I needed to know.....it's wearing & super stressful. But we are making progress. We have had the roof replaced & the gutters are next. This will take care of a LOT of our water issue...but not all of it. We have a couple of plumbing issues that need to be uncovered & addressed as well. Baby steps, right?

Well, that is all things house related....only one portion of our life. We also have Ethan's birthday in 3 days...which I have done ZERO shopping. Oh...his birthday party too....I've done nothing. Mom of the year...right here.

Join Our Walk With Me Team 2013

This will be our 2nd year participating in Easter Seals Walk With Me! Ethan is an ambassador for this event, and we are putting together a team! Here is a link for more information about our team! We would love for you to join us!!!

http://es.easterseals.com/site/TR?team_id=126429&fr_id=3216&pg=team#.UbspbOe1FJs

I asked Ethan why he loves Easter Seals so much.

Here's how that conversation went....