Year: 2011
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Made My Son Cry Today …
We all know how much Dylan loves LEGO’s … especially Star Wars LEGO’s! He has spent all his money on new Star Wars LEGO’s and they are now displayed in his room. (that is for another day’s post) However, there is one particular set that he really wants and has been asking for. Every time we go in the LEGO store or into Target he just stares at it. He keeps asking and I keep saying no. Dylan is learning the value of the all mighty dollar and that money must be earned. Yes, I even said ‘money doesn’t grow on trees ya know’ … wow, just like a parent huh?
Well, today we had to run some errands to get a few things for our vacation and once again he asked to go look at the LEGO’s. As he stared with awe he said, “Mom, I’m going to keep saving until I have enough money and buy this. It’s on sale for $35.99” He then proceeded to walk away and I put the LEGO box in the cart. We continued our shopping and I told him that maybe if he helped clean the house today and kept doing so well in school that he could earn the LEGO set. Mind you, he has been walking alongside the cart moping like he just lost his best friend. Just then he looked in the cart and tears began to roll down his face. He ran to me and hugged me so tightly. I asked why he was crying and he said, “Because I’m so happy” This is when I knew I made the right choice when I put the box in the cart.
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Open House!
I remember being a child and getting so excited for Open House. This was the one night that I could really show off all my talents and hard work to my parents on my playing field … my classroom! This year, the theme for Dylan’s Open House was the ocean and all the wonderful creatures who call the ocean their home. Being the little brainchild that he is, Dylan volunteered to help each student with the research for the individual reports. The teacher gave him a list of all the ocean animals and he brought in his books (with pages marked for each student) and shared his wealth of knowledge.
I have only seen Dylan this excited to go to school a few times. He kept asking me if it was time to go yet. Knowing how much I love the ocean, Dylan was super anxious for me to see all of the wonderful things he had been doing in class. The classroom was completely transformed into an underwater world and I was so amazed at what Mrs. Fratantaro had done with the kids. Orca whales on one wall, jellyfish hanging from the ceiling, starfish and sea urchins lining the ledges, sea otters on another wall … all beautifully made by the students. Oh, and the reports … wow!
Dylan and his Viper Fish 
Love this painted fish and on the back is a story. 
Handmade with love. A ceramic fish I will treasure always. I am so proud of Dylan. I can’t wait for him to bring home all the other things he made!
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Dylan’s Perfect Day
Take a child who loves LEGO’s more than video games and who eats and sleeps Star Wars … put the two together and you have one very happy boy named Dylan.
Imagine his delight when I told him that Mom wasn’t doing any homework today, that instead we were renewing our annual passes and spending the day at Legoland. Wow, I do believe I just became the World’s Best Mom! Dylan has been seeing commercials for months about the Star Wars Mini Land coming soon to Legoland and he has been begging to go see it. What an amazing day. Words can’t even describe the things we saw today. From the spectacular sandcastle we saw as we entered the park, to the LEGO murals, to the life size Star Wars characters, and of course the amazing LEGO creations made by the Master Builders depicting scenes from the Star Wars movies … WOW, what a day!
Yes, these murals are made from LEGO’s! 
The LEGO’s were even in the trees! 
Like I said, words can’t even describe…And what would a trip to Legoland be without a casual drive through the city? Learning all the rules of the road so he can get his drivers license.
Last but not least … a priceless portrait of my Jedi!
And that was Dylan’s Perfect Day! -
Dylan Rocks!
So this past week and a half has been a total blur for me. Finishing up my Psychology Capstone class and starting my final Humanities class on Tuesday. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but the assignments are killing me. Not just a paper about what I learned this week or last, but a paper about what I have learned over the past 2 1/2 years along with a PowerPoint presentation. My life has been nothing but coffee and this laptop. Oh, and someplace in there I made it through days of work in a zombie-like state of mind.
I have reminded myself to eat and survived on 4-5 hours of sleep each night. I have managed to get Dylan’s homework done, get him fed, and get him to Cub Scouts. I have blogs to post, but this must wait a few more days. My business has fallen behind, but this too must wait. I have come so far. I can’t give up now.
All this time, Dylan has been nothing but a supportive and loving son. Doing what I ask, leaving me alone so I can do my homework, and rushing in the morning to get out the door without as much as a complaint. He has been nothing short of awesome during my blur of a life these past 10 days. He is my support system and my encouragement. Always there to give me a hug and that smile melts my heart every time.
Dylan Rocks! -
Disabilities Awareness
So this month’s theme is Disabilities Awareness. After visiting the Braille Institute, the Wolf Den was told that they would be teaching the Cub Scout Promise to the entire pack at the next Pack Meeting … in sign language!
Dylan really enjoyed learning about sign language and he was the first in his den to memorize the entire Cub Scout Promise in sign language. Actually, he had it memorized after only two tries. I swear this kid has a photographic memory or something.
The leaders were so impressed that they asked Dylan to lead the Wolf Den during the Pack Meeting. So proud of him. Way to go Dylan!
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A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away …
What better way to introduce Dylan to the fine art of live performances than to take him to play put on by children in our community through the Arts and Learning Program … and the theme of Star Wars was a sure bet to get him interested. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – The Musical Edition. The perfect mother/son date night. Dylan prepared himself by wearing his Yoda t-shirt and Jedi Academy sweatshirt. So cute! Of course the waiting to get in was a test of his patience, but I knew to go early for the pre-play extras.
The play was good, but it was the before part that really got Dylan excited! Real live Star Wars characters … walking around and taking pictures with the kids. They even had droids, very cool if I do say so myself. We could not take pictures inside, but the ones from before the play are priceless!
Cool Car Mom! 
The Droids (fully remote controlled) 
C-3PO 
Planning their next move … 
Storm Trooper 
Boba Fett 
Darth Vader All characters are volunteers from the 501st Legion and the Rebel Legion who have made their costumes themselves. Darth Vader told me he had over $5,000 invested in his costume. They were amazing!
I was able to locate this picture through a promotional site for the play so you can see the actors, all ranging from age 5-13 … some are natural born Broadway talents!
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The Braille Institute
What an amazing experience for Dylan and myself to have the opportunity to visit the Orange County Braille Institute in Anaheim as field trip for Cub Scouts. The kids had so much fun learning how blind people read, watch movies, tell time (talking watches), and even play games. My favorite was the Monopoly board all in braille. Also, we got to watch part of a movie, the Lion King, which had been formatted for the blind. The movies are narrated so that even in a scene where there is no talking the descriptive narration allows a blind person to see the Savannah in a way that I found almost better than watching the movie.
We got to meet Wayne, a man who slowly starting losing his sight in his late 20’s, and is now almost completely blind. Wayne also brought his sight dog, Tuesday, who was the highlight for the boys.
The large braille board was very cool too. We learned about how each letter is made up of six positions. The positions that do not have bumps are just as important as the ones that do.
Life with Dylan 
