Happy Thanksgiving!

I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving! It will be a quiet one for us this year. For the first time that I can recall, it will be just our immediate family. We are usually treated to the culinary talents of a good friend, but he was not able to join us this year. My husband does not particularly care for turkey, so I will instead roast a chicken and serve it with a few of the typical side dishes: mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes..

I have not posted in a while, but we are all doing well. We went on a two week vacation in October and I am still "catching up" from that. So, I am very thankful today for the quiet time that we are able to spend together.



Samuel continues to make leaps in his school work with reading and spelling. His handwriting seems to have made some improvements lately too. I continue to place dots on the paper where he should start his letters ( something that is done in Handwriting Without Tears) and he is doing better at properly placing them within the lines. At the same time, we are challenged by him being "in his own world" with his VHS tapes. He constantly talks about them, doing "reviews" like he watches on You Tube videos. He continues to be motivated to do his school work by checklists that reward him with a purchase of a VHS tape.



I wish everyone the best with the upcoming Holiday Season, especially those whose children with autism may have a difficult time. The Autism Society and other organizations are good about giving tips for how to deal with the holidays, so be sure to check those out when you have a moment!



I'm going to be traveling with my two youngest children for a quick visit to my parents this weekend. I'm trying to prepare Samuel for our separation, the first since I went into the hospital to have my youngest child four years ago. Later in December I plan to visit my parents again with all four children. Both of these occasions will require some planning ahead. I'll let you know how it goes!

The photo: This mountainous stack of videos is one of the many ways Samuel goes about organizing them as he "reviews" them. Another variation is for him to stack them according to who produced them, for example.. Nickelodeon, Universal Studios, etc..