Route 66 Road Trip

To celebrate the end of school & beginning of summer, we decided to kick things off with a quick road trip to Pontiac, IL. Just a couple of hours away, the thing that attracted us to this small, rural town is it's the home of the Route 66 Hall of Fame. I thought my car crazy guys would enjoy this kind of getaway. We decided to leave right after Ethan got out of school. We got there about dinner time, ate at a restaurant, and then checked in to our hotel....complete with a pool. Of course Ethan wanted to swim ASAP, so we did. The place was so quiet & we had the pool & hot tub all to ourselves. It was wonderful. We just decided to lounge around in our hotel for the rest of the evening.

The next morning, after breakfast & a Ethan "swim" in our room's whirlpool tub, we were ready to head downtown. I think this place is the friendliest place on Earth! You should visit! It was VERY low cost (all museums were FREE), and lots of things to do! Now, I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves....get ready for a Parade Of Pictures From Pontiac!

Our First Road Trip....Just the Two of Us!

Our life with autism is filled with many firsts.....first conversation with a peer, first handshake with a "new"  person, first verbally expressed emotion, and so on.

Today, Ethan & I experienced our first road trip! Just the two of us!

My dad lives about 6 hours away from our home. Ethan's school was dismissed for this Thursday & Friday due to Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences. We have Ethan's IEP meeting next week, so we opted to not participate in this week's conferences. Plus, we just met with his teacher last week. So, the plan was for Corey, Ethan & me to all go to my Dad & Step-Mom's house this weekend....for a 4 day weekend.

However, Corey has 100 billion things to do, and just not enough time to do it all. One of the things he is working on is a very special Autism Speaks Light It Up Blue project....more on that to come.

Anyway, I was able to convince Corey to stay at home & "let" Ethan & I go by ourselves. My poor husband was a nervous wreck, but I promised to constantly check in with him while on the road.

Folks, this 6 hour road trip in our van was AWESOME!!! We had SO much fun together! We played the favorite game, I spy, & other made up games. I showed him mile markers & other road signs....of which he giggled every time a new one would pass us. He loved it! Of course, we had his iPad, DVD player & a toy bin full of fun "play in the car" activities. The time just flew by, and we had not one meltdown issue at all!

So, now Ethan & I are on vacation from our day-to-day routine. I love visiting my Dad's house because he lives in the country & it's so quiet and peaceful. People ask me what we are going to do, and I literally say, "nothing." It's a change of scenery, it's a break from the ordinary, it's getting away from things.....and I so need that right now.

Ethan & I have giggles all day. We are like a couple of kids at Disney World.....or in Ethan's case....a Nascar race. Today, Ethan helped my Dad start a fire in the fireplace. Tomorrow, we may walk around the acreage or paint with water colors. Ethan saw a Save-A-Lot & was excited about that....so we may shop there tomorrow. Who knows what we are going to do....but I love that part of vacation.

No plans, nowhere to be, no household to-do list hanging over my head, no laundry to fold or dishes to wash.....just country fresh air, hot coffee and stillness. Hum.....maybe I have a little autism in me after all.....;0)

Ethan crumpling newspaper & throwing it into the cold fireplace.

Papa Steve & Ethan breaking up sticks to put into fireplace.

Papa helping Ethan break up the thicker sticks.

Ethan & I driving in the van looking for our next exit. As soon as I got my camera out, he went right back to his iPad. But you can see he was having a lot of fun in his van....look at the sticker filled window!

A Blessed Week - Wednesday Through Saturday

Well, Wednesday I came down with the flu....even though I had my preventative flu shot! ARG! So most of Wednesday entailed me sleeping, getting sick, and trying my best to answer Corey's questions regarding Ethan's daily schedule.

By Thursday, I was feeling better but not yet recovered. Corey had quarentined me to our bedroom, and he was fast & furious with the Lysol & bleach in our home. (I think I should get sick more often!) But I was more awake than the previous day, and I was able to listen to the 2 men in my lives talking to each other throughout the day. It was the sweetest sound in the world. My two guys talking in typical conversation. I heard them laughing, playing, talking, and bonding....it was the best.

Friday, I was feeling my strength return, and Corey was able to go back to work. But guess who was sick with the flu now? Ethan. He woke up vomiting, and he continued to be sick all day....even though he would tell you that he was healthy & not sick. :0) Because he was sick, he actually took a nap that day. It was very late in the day, and we didn't even realize that he was sleeping. He had covered himself completely with a blanket on the couch, but he does that a lot in order to self calm. But we soon realized that he wasn't moving or making any noise. When I pulled back the blanket, he was sound asleep on our couch. I can count on one hand how often that happens.

You can probably guess what our night was like...since Ethan took a late nap, he was up late at night. Since my sleep schedule was off as well, Ethan & I stayed up late while Corey went to bed. Poor guy...he had been the sole caretaker for 2 days and was trying to stay on top of work stuff at the same time. This man needed his sleep!!!!

But a magical thing happened at 11:30pm on Friday night. Ethan & I were snuggling on the couch watching Top Gear (Ethan's choice), and he asked to play "The Favorite Game." This is a game that was created when Corey & I were dating. On many of our dates, Corey's younger brother would come with us. He & Corey were very close, and dating Corey usually meant taking Curtis with us. I joke with him that he is really our first child. He was around 8 years old when we got married, and he was our Junior Best Man. I love that kid. Anyway, on our dates, I started asking Corey what his favorite things were as part of trying to get to know him better. But Curtis was also part of this game, and we got to know him better as well too! It just asking a series of "What is your favorite______?" Color, snack, cartoon, flower, board game, etc. Well, this game has become a regular game with me & any kiddos that I have taught or babysat. And now, my own child loves this game. So, at 11:30pm on Friday night while snuggling & watching Top Gear, Ethan asked to play this game.

What happened has been seared in my memory for all time. I began asking Ethan questions which typically result in Ethan giving me one word answers.....which is a miracle in itself, to be honest. But on this evening, Ethan began to expand on his answers. For instance, I asked him what his favorite thing thing was to play in the Gross Motor Room at preschool. He told me it was playing house with 2 other friends.....an answer I had heard before. But then he said, Friend A is the Daddy, Friend B is the kid, and I am the mommy! (Many things ran through my head as he told me this...including why are you the mommy?!?! But also excited that he playing with other kids & PRETEND playing with others!...so it's fine that he is the mommy.) He told me many other things in more detail than I had ever heard before! He was telling me how things made him feel, how he liked some things & not others, more details about his school days....it was SUCH a blessing!!!!

I think we talked for an hour on the couch before both of our eyes began to feel heavy. It was the most that I had ever talked with Ethan. It actually felt like a real, genuine conversation. It was the first time that I saw Ethan as a boy....and not a preschooler. He has grown up in so many ways this year, and this conversation helped me see him for who he is....a great kid! For a brief moment in time, the autism fog was lifted off of him, and I got to see the boy underneath this covering. The person inside. I wished that moment would have lasted for hours, but I will take what we can get.

This glimmer of hope, this pause in his autism, this rare opening up....it has been permanently cemented into my memory & heart. As I went to bed that night, still exhausted from the last 3 days, I cried myself to sleep. But not tears of sadness for once. These were tears of joy & thankfulness. I was so overcome with gratitude that all I could say as I talked with God that night was, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." I could say nothing else. But as much joy as I was feeling, I somehow think He was even more excited.....for more reasons than I realize.

A Blessed Week - Monday & Tuesday

As I mentioned earlier, last week was one that I will remember always. It started out really rough, but turned out to be one of the best weeks ever. To read about Sunday, click here.

Monday night, I hosted a Thirty-One Party fundraiser for our July Walk With Me Team for Easter Seals. It was a last minute idea, but my friends came in support even with the last minute notification! Several of my friends who couldn't make it placed online orders which helped us raise more money for our team! The fundraising it done in a bracket type fashion. For example, if your party spends $100- $300, you earn $15 for your charity. (NOTE: These are not actual figures, just an example to explain how it works.) Our party raised $55 for our team! It was so wonderful to have an evening with my friends, indulge in a little girl talk with coffee & dessert, and raise money for Easter Seals! I was overwhelmed by my friends charitable-ness....is that a word? THANKS to everyone who bought a cute bag & donated to charity at the same time!!!

Then, Tuesday came....and so did another NEPHEW!!!! I received a text that morning that our family was blessed with another baby boy! So, now I am a VERY PROUD aunt to 7 nephews & 2 nieces!!! I love that we have a large family, and Ethan has so many cousins!!! We are so blessed!!!

A Blessed Week - Sunday

Last week will be one of those weeks that I will remember forever. I can't wait to tell you why!

Sunday - This was an extremely hard day for Ethan. It seems to me that as Ethan gets older, the less often his meltdowns occur. However, when they happen, they are longer & harder. This last Sunday, Ethan had 3 meltdowns....one lasting 40 minutes. And once a meltdown begins, there is nothing to do but let it happen & keep him safe. It is so hard for us a parents to hear him crying, screaming, banging his body, hitting himself, and so on....and there is literally not a thing we can do until it's over. If we try, it usually makes things worse...it's similar to a seizure. It was a very difficult day.

The thing was that Ethan had signed up to participate in our church's Talented Treasures...an evening service dedicated to showcasing our church's children's talents. We were very excited to participate in this event because it was Ethan's first year to be old enough to showcase his talent. And we were SO excited to show him off!!!!! His ability to commit things to memory is outstanding! However, we quickly realized that this would not happen due to the day he was having....and I was very disappointed because he had worked to memorize The 23rd Psalm.

However, I am happy to report that Ethan DID participate!!!! Our children's pastor called me and asked for the link of Ethan reciting Psalm 23. She, along with our church's tech guy, worked it out so Ethan's video was part of the evening's service! I'm so glad that I thought to grab the camera & get that video! And, we are so blessed that our church family is so understanding and supportive! We were able to be a part of something special even though we didn't think it would happen!

A lot of times, I feel that autism has separated us from our church & it's many activities. We are unable to attend many functions due to loud noises, unfamiliar people, long amounts of sitting & being quiet, and that is just the environoment of church. That isn't bringing the factors of Ethan having a "good" or "bad" day. This fact is very difficult for me. I LOVE my church. Corey & I have always been very active & involved in our church. In fact, this is were we met! And knowing that going to church is so difficult for Ethan is just painful to me as his mommy. Church has always been a place of joy, love, and comfort! A place to worship God with other believers and feel His presence. To hear a sermon and be encouraged & uplifted!

But for Ethan, most of the services & activities are painful for him to endure. And that is hard for us to endure. We do our best to stretch Ethan so that one day he will be able to sit in a church service or participate in the church's activities. But, honestly, we miss more church than we would like. We have tried one of us going while the other stays home & switch off services. However, that is difficult on our soul as well. Sitting in church by myself just re-iterates how lonely being a parent of a special needs child can be, and seeing other children in church breaks my heart. I long for the day that we are in church like we once were.

But my church is so awesome & so supportive, and they are always going the extra mile to make sure that church is for EVERYONE. I love that! In fact, we have started a special needs ministry, and have taken steps that will hopefully help church be a warm & comforting place for all. And when our church reached out to us...wanting to include Ethan in the service via video......Corey & I were literally in tears. It brought a truely awful day to a wonderful end. We were so touched by this outreach, and I couldn't wait to tell you about it!!!

X-Rays! Stat!

Corey & I have decided to call this month....THE MONTH OF DOCTORS! LOL!!!

Last Monday, Ethan tripped & fell right on his elbow. Ethan was holding his arm close to his body & not moving it much at all. So, after seeing our pediatrician, we were sent to the hospital for X-Rays. Oh boy.

Anything new causes Ethan's anxiety to increase....which then increases his "autism" characteristics, and he is difficult to work with in the new situation. So, thanks to the wonderful advice of a friend who works with children with autism, I had already bookmarked a X-Ray video on our iPad.....and it was ready for just this moment.

http://kidshealth.org/kid/feel_better/things/video_xray.html

After we left the pedicatrician's office, we decided to try & make this event a bit more fun! While Ethan began to watch the X-Ray video on his iPad in the van, we drove to a gas station & got snacks! Ethan loves these specific drinks that the gas station sells, and we also bought special "X-Ray" Skittles.

Belly Washers

Wild Berry Skittles

Ethan watched the X-Ray video over & over again.....asking me questions & memorizing several phrases from the video.....even in the short time between the doctor's office & the hospital.....maybe 20 minutes. We decided 3 things....

1. X-Rays do NOT hurt
2. X-Rays are quick
3. Mommy & Daddy will be there with you

These 3 things he kept saying.....to self calm. Mommy & Daddy were saying it too.....to self calm. :0)

We were all very nervous. Ethan for the unknown & his parents for how Ethan would handle the X-Ray.

Ethan watching the video on my phone in the hospital's waiting room.

Ethan, still holding on to my phone playing the x-ray video, hides in the play area for additional calming.

Well, Ethan did fine at the beginning. We looked in the X-Ray room while the technicians got things ready. We located the "big camera", talked about where we would lay down, and how he would get special X-Ray Skittles when it was all done.

Ethan & I looking into the X-Ray room

Once the 2 techs were ready, he nervously walked into the room. On the video, the boy is sitting in a chair during the x-ray, but Ethan needed to lay down. This change threw him into panic, and started things into a downward spiral. We were able to lay him down on the table, Daddy at his head, one technician & myself on each side. The tech then showed Ethan how the big camera moves & the sounds it makes. Ethan's anxiety began to creep up even more...becoming more & more overtaken with fear. But these 2 things were just the precurser for what happened next.....the technician moved the bed Ethan was laying on.....yikes.

Poor lady thought that Ethan would enjoy it, and maybe most kids do! It would be like a ride! But the issue was there was no warning before the bed moved. As she was saying, "Look, the bed moves too!"....she was moving the bed. Ethan began to SCREAM. Here we go!

Having taken my big girl pill earlier that day, and having our friends & family praying for us, Corey & I were able to get to work. Corey plugged Ethan's ears for him (since he couldn't do it himself), and I tried to get his mind off of what was happening but asking him state capitals....he gave me two answers before he screamed, "Mommy, I'm so scared!"

B-R-U-T-A-L

I love that Ethan is now able to voice his emotions, but in this case there was literally nothing to be done. I just told him, "I know you are scared, Buddy, but remember what we know about x-rays? It's not hurting you & it's fast.....we will be done soon! And then you will get special Skittles." I was trying to be as positive & encouraging as I could muster....regardless of how I was really feeling inside. Then, Ethan says, "I want Daddy to carry me!"

B-R-U-T-A-L

As Corey & my eyes met each other, we knew how we were each feeling. Corey wanted to pick him up & carry him....and remove him from this crippling fear.....and I wanted to start crying. But even Mommy and Daddy had to remember.....He's not being hurt & it's a short amount of time.

The whole picture taking process probably took 1 minute, but it felt like an eternity. We ALL had to muster all of our courage & strength to get through it, and when it was finally done.....so were we. It was about 8:30pm by this time, and we were all ready to just go home & crash.

The wonderful technicians let Ethan see his X-Rays which I thought was neat because in almost every ABC book, what does X stand for? X-RAY! So, I really thought Ethan would think this was pretty cool. But as we were looking at his x-rays, the computer next to his x-rays had a advertisement for a hospital movie night on it....and Ethan says, "Look! Popcorn!" Well, so much for the x-rays being cool.

After it was over, we waited in a waiting room for the radiologist to read the results at home & our pediatrician to call us with the results & what to do next. By 9:00pm we were told that there was no break or fracture & to give Ethan pain meds around the clock for the next week....and to keep him as immobile as possible for the next couple of days. My thought was...a 4 year old? Immobile? Yeah right! But we did our best.

He stayed home from school for the next couple of days, and then we got a phone call saying that something called a "fat pad" had appeared on the x-ray. We were being sent to a bone specialist for further x-rays & possible cast.

I'm sure you can imagine how we were feeling at this news. Awesome. (note the sarcasm)

Well, after 2 more days of keeping Ethan "immobile" and home from school, we were able to see the bone specialist. She decided that no more x-rays were needed because he passed all of her arm-moving tests with perfection! YEAH!!!

So, x-rays are over. No cast or sling is needed. Thank you, Lord!

However, we are supposed to keep an eye on it over the next year because where they are seeing a concern is the actual place he hit on his elbow. If a tiny fracture is indeed there, but is not yet showing up...it could effect the way that bone grows. So we need to keep an eye on it & watch for him favoring it....and then go back to the bone specialist for more x-rays at that point.

But for now, I am sooooo happy that Ethan's arm appears to be fine, and no more x-rays are in our immediate future. Now, we are getting ready for our appointment this Friday with a Gastro Increnologist for Ethan's potty issues. I'm praying that this too will all turn out to be nothing major.

HAPPY MONTH OF DOCTOR'S VISITS!

Seems like this is our life lately.....sitting in waiting rooms & trying to keep my child occupied while waiting for the doctors! Here, Ethan & I are reading a book.

Independence Day

If you ask me to pick my favorite holiday, I couldn't give you an answer. I love them all. I get excited for each & every one! Just like the four seasons...I love them all! One of the reasons why I love living in the mid-west is so I can experience all of the seasons. However, if you asked me which holiday makes me the most nervous for Ethan???? It would be the 4th of July, for sure. The typical cook-out food....he doesn't eat. The loud fireworks & firecrackers....it pushes him to the brink. And talk about a day off of a typical schedule! So....how do we still get to enjoy our Independence Day? Here's how we did it this year....

First, after a bad experience last year, we decided to keep it pretty low key. Me? I want to do it all, see it all, fit it all in! But, wanting to have my family enjoy this day as much as me, I have to adjust. So, we tried to make it as close to a Saturday-type schedule as much as possible. Plus, now that Ethan is really using his picture schedule, we were able to prep him for the day ahead. We spent most of the morning & early afternoon at home. We swam, had a cookout (Ethan ate his chicken nuggets, but outside with us), and Corey bought non-noisy firecrackers such as sparklers & growing black snakes.

Then, late afternoon, we went to my brother-in-law's grandparents house to swim with their family. They have a "real" pool, and Ethan had so much fun going down a small slide into the pool. Over & over & over again. We were even able to get him further along in his swimming skills though he still can't swim yet.

After that, we went home for a quick dinner & got ready to head out to the fireworks. This is the dreaded part. Last year, during the fireworks display, we changed our viewing location to as far away as possible so the noise wouldn't be as loud for our noise sensitive kiddo. However, Ethan was still so afraid of the sound, that he literally peed through his diaper & onto Corey (even though Ethan had ear plugs in). So, we were a bit worried. It had been a year ago, and Ethan is able to handle noise so much better now......how would he do this year? Should we even attempt it? Should we stay home & watch it on tv? Hum??????

Well, we decided to go & if we needed to leave early, we would. Plus, we were meeting some friends & my sister's family there, so Ethan could at least play with some other kiddos before the fireworks started...even if he didn't make it through the display. It was SOOO hot, but here is how it went......

Ethan is trying out his headphones & wearing one of his favorite light up toys. I think he looks a bit like an air traffic controller!

Aunt Rachel brought more glow toys! Say cheese!

 

As we waited for it to get dark, Uncle Scott was playing catch with the kids. Without being told, Ethan went over & lined up with the other children....see him on the far left?

Here, you can see Ethan is now watching what is going on....

And eventually, he got IN the line & was playing catch too!!! Unfortunately, I took this picture just as a practice firework went off, and Ethan is covering his ears. But he was playing catch with the other kids & WITHOUT being told to do so!!!

The fireworks have started!

This year, we have Ethan sound-proofing headphones, and he did GREAT!!!! In fact, he was laughing at them!!!

The city does a ground show that you can see if you get in the arena, but we could still see a lot of it from where we were sitting. These are the ones that Ethan really liked.

Ethan watching the ground show.

When the fireworks would go off up in the sky, Ethan would cover his eyes & peek through them....kind of like watching a scary part in a movie. But he never cried or got upset! He just kept laughing!

 

I brought this pop up tent for the kids to use as a bathroom, so we didn't have to walk to one.

However, Ethan & his cousin (who also doesn't like loud noises), climbed in here to watch some of the fireworks. It seems that "hiding" either in a tent or behind sunglasses/hands eases the loudness of the noises. Glad we brought it!!!

Part of our group watching the fireworks!

Ethan & I watching the fireworks. I was so happy that we didn't have to leave early!

What a great Independence Day!!!

Camera Updates

I was updating my camera & found many pictures that I wanted to share. Most of these were blog post beginnings but none of them ever seemed to make it on here......so here they are!!!

Occasionally, we will have family sleepovers in the living room. We pull the mattress off of our bed & we all lay on it while watching a family movie. Ethan rarely falls asleep, but he LOVES to jump & crash on this huge mattress. During our last sleepover, I got out my foot bath....and Ethan LOVES my foot bath. I usually have to get it out AFTER he is asleep if I don't want to share it. But this time, I got it out just for him! Here is is enjoying a foot bath.

This is his face during the foot bath. It completely relaxes him. He is so mellow!

One day, during lunch, I read Ethan a few books. This one we checked out from the library, and he really likes it. As I was reading it, I decided to get out a few apples for him to play with while we read the story.

Ethan is stacking the apples....he couldn't stack until just this past year!

Trying to stack the apples "Up On Top" of his head like in the story.

He kept asking for more apples to stack. It was great fun!

One game that Ethan loves is Boggle Jr, but we don't have it...it's at my sister's house. But we do have original Boggle. So, one day while I was trying to get stuff done, I got out our Boggle cubes & let Ethan play with them. I would give him a word to spell, and he would spell it out. He loved it! I should have taken a picture of the whole floor because there were words everywhere. Here, he had to borrow from the word MOM to spell NASCAR.

Ethan spelling NASCAR with Boggle cubes.

This was the BEST! Ethan has difficulty with imaginative play or empathy...and here he demonstrated BOTH!!! While playing in the living room, Ethan decided to lay down with Elmo, and he covered both of them with the blanket. It was awesome!

After doing the above, he decided he needed to find Cookie Monster too. Here he gave Cookie a pillow & covered him over as well! We never see this kind of play from Ethan, but it's something we strive for!

Ethan laying down with Elmo & Cookie.

A couple of months ago, my mom & I cleaned out my grandparents apartment. My step-grandma had passed away, and my grandpa is in a nursing home (now in the town where we live). Ethan came with us, and he loved all the boxes. So, we made him a little fort, and he stayed in there off & on all day for long bouts of time.

A little blurry, but here is Ethan in his fort. We have noticed that he really likes forts & hiding under blankets, so we are planning on incorporating one in our living room soon.

That same cleaning out day, Ethan fell asleep on the couch & took a nap...and the only sleep aid he had was his pacifier. AMAZING!

I just had to snap another picture of him sleeping...he's so cute!

My cousin took this picture of Ethan and me. I love that kid!!!

Swimming in the Dark

We have been waiting for it all week! Friday night.....our family date night. And I was so excited for it! Corey had the idea earlier in the week. It was so awesome to see him excited about it. Typically, I'm the over the top excited parent, so it was nice to have TWO super excited parents. You would have thought it was Christmas morning!

Here is what we did....a late night swim in the pool with all things that glow! It was so much fun! At one point, we even saw an airplane fly directly over us, and we saw all the lights on it. Ethan thought that was pretty cool. He also kept commenting on the "full moon" and the fact that it was dark but it wasn't bedtime. I think he enjoyed staying up "late." (Earlier in the evening, he crawled up on my lap & fell asleep for about an hour.....it was the perfect day for him to actually nap & then stay up late.)

Here are a few pictures of our late night swim!

Corey added 4 tiki torches around the pool

Me & Ethan playing in the pool

These were from my step-grandma, and I wish I knew where she got them (she passed away a month ago). These 8 flowers float in the water & only light up when IN the water...I love them! We have green, yellow, red & blue.

Here are some of the glow sticks at the bottom of the pool.

Ethan playing in the pool...he loved it!...especially not having to wear sunblock!

That's my boy!

I loved having the tiki torches. It was so much fun!

4th Birthday Party

Birthday parties.....ugh! Can I just say what every mom is thinking? I HATE BIRTHDAY PARTIES! Whether it's my kid's party or we are invited to another kid's party, I loathe birthday parties. And here's why:

1. Lots of Noise
2. Kids jacked up on sugar
3. Constantly comparing my kid's behavior to other kids
4. Having to "remind" my child not to open the presents
5. Not being able to talk to my adult friends due to being on "Ethan pushing" patrol

Needless to say......I dread birthday parties. But I hear of terrible stories where kiddos with autism are left out of party invites, so I am also very thankful when we receive a party invite in the mail. He is lucky to have so many friends! But then the stress begins.....Can Ethan handle it? Do I have the strength to endure 2 hours running interference so Ethan doesn't have a meltdown? Is it worth it? And so many more questions I ask myself....UGH! Come on parents! You know I'm not alone!!!

So, when it came time for me to plan Ethan's party, I decided to go "off book," and do what I thought Ethan would actually enjoy. Here were my 3 rules:

1. Keep the noise/commotion as limited as possible by inviting less people.
2. No singing Happy Birthday (that's a big meltdown trigger for Ethan)
3. Keep it low key & hands off meaning put out a bunch of stuff for the kids to play with, but let them play as they wish....no "order of events."

I gotta say people.....it worked like a charm! Ethan didn't have any meltdowns, and everyone had a great time! And we were even able to sing Happy Birthday! We just had to do it FAST & QUIET! But it worked!

Me & Ethan during the Happy Birthday song!

For Ethan's 4th birthday party, I ironically did a POP party! It started with his favorite foods....popcorn & poptarts. Then, it grew......POPsicles, POP the Top Oreos, POP em in your mouth fruit snacks, Soda POP, Cheese POPS (balls), Blow POPs, and POP it open juice. Then, since Ethan requested his party be at Aunt Rachel's house, we knew that the kids would want to POP on the trampoline. So, my sister also offered up her BOUNCE HOUSE.....so the kids could POP in there too! To go with our theme & because Ethan loves it, I created several BUBBLE stations. The first one was the Bubble Foam Rope found at Family Fun. The second station was a BUBBLE buffet. I had a tub of soapy water with TONS of bubble wands next to it for the kids to use. We also included pipe cleaners for the kids (and adults) to make their own bubble wands. I think the pipe cleaners worked even better than the plastic wands!!! The last bubble station was a kiddy pool filled with bubbles solution & hula hoops to make BIG BUBBLES. That was the most popular one, I think. I didn't get pictures of everything (because I was playing too!), but here are a few things we were able to capture!

Food Table

Ethan's Logo Cupcakes & Road

Ethan loves logos & cars so this was a great way to do both. And he was so excited to pick out the logos!

All of our POP food!

We only invited our parents & our siblings' families. Here is Ethan playing with some of his cousins.

The kids doing all of the bubble stations

The BIG BUBBLE station!

Corey blowing bubbles with his niece & nephew.

This year, I had Ethan open his presents WITH the people that brought them. I thought this would be a good way for Ethan to know who gave him the gifts. Here he is with Corey's parents.

Opening gifts with my Dad & Stepmom

Opening gifts with my sister & her family

My mom & Ethan opening presents

Ethan, how old are you?

After the kids played, ate some food, and we did gifts/cake, I pulled out Firework POPPERS. These pop when you throw them on the ground, but not very loud so they didn't bother Ethan. I actually think the adults had more fun with these than the kids! HA!

After that, the party began to wind down....but the kids were just itching to get into that baby swimming pool filled with bubble solution. It was only a matter of time before this happened.....and they LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!

Ethan & a few of his cousins playing in the bubble solution!

And then this! HA!

And as the night went on.....

 
It was hilarious! The adults were laughing & the kids were having such a ball! It was great fun!

As our sunlight faded & the kids became piles of soap, we rinsed everybody off & put them in some dry clothes (thanks Aunt Rachel!). That's when we got out another Ethan favorite....glow sticks! As the kids were ALL jumping on the trampoline, Corey threw handfuls of glow sticks onto the netted trampoline & the kids were so excited! From a distance, all you could see what glowing lights bouncing up & down!

Here's Corey with ALL of the kiddos on the trampoline!

I would say that Ethan's 4th Birthday Party was his best one yet! No meltdowns, lots of fun, and he keeps asking to do it again! I guess that means he had a good time! Happy Birthday, Ethan! We love you!!! Now.....mommy needs to put her feet up with a cup of coffee!