Life with Dylan

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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!

  • 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!

  • Wordless Wednesday – Marshmallow Skies

  • 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!

  • 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!

  • 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.

  • Wordless Wednesday – 120 New Crayons

  • Longing for Childhood

    As I sit on the floor surrounded by bills that need to be paid, piles of receipts for my tax return that I have yet to file, laundry that needs to be folded, and a term paper that needs to be written I find myself wanting to cry. Then I catch a glimpse of Dylan out of the corner of my eye. He is sitting at the table drawing a comic strip about a marshmallow. The marshmallow who is about to become a s’more over a campfire. Suddenly I find myself laughing and listening to him tell me what will happen next.

    Why are we all in such a hurry to grow up? To be independent and free from our parents? Oh, how I remember counting the days until I was 18 and could move out on my own. Freedom. Nobody to tell me what to do or when I had to be home. Now that I am a ‘grown up’ I realize that I also have nobody to cook for me, do my laundry, clean my living room, wash my dishes, buy my food, or pay the bills to keep the television and lights on so I can watch my favorite shows.

    I find myself longing for childhood and the carefree days of playing with friends. Not a care in the world except for what game I would play at recess or wondering what my Mom packed in my lunch box.

    Take time to be child with your child. Forget about the dishes and the laundry for just one day. Sit on the floor and build LEGO’s, color a picture, go to the park and toss a ball, play a mindless video game, watch Tom and Jerry, whatever makes you feel carefree and childlike. If I can do this just one day a week maybe, just maybe I won’t be longing for childhood so much and the responsibilities of adulthood won’t seem so undesirable.

    So again I ask, why are we all in such a hurry to grow up?

  • Fill In The Blank Friday

    I Love Random Fridays …
    Join the Fun Here!
    1. My biggest accomplishment in life thus far is … my son Dylan! I know, hard to believe isn’t it? Haha. Aside from raising an amazing child, my biggest accomplishment is going back to school at 38 years old and earning my Bachelors in Psychology. (I will graduate May 2, 2011).
    2. My favorite place to sit in my house is … on the couch with Dylan watching movies or alone on the couch when he is sleeping. I can sit and reflect on everything in complete peace.
    3. My fashion philosophy is … keep it simple. Comfy, casual. Give me a good fitting pair of jeans and a cute top and then I am a happy girl. Simple jewelry too.  
    4. Something every girl should have is … a great pair of black pumps! They dress up jeans and make your legs look great in a skirt.
    5. If you looked in my purse right now you’d find … not too much because I just cleaned it out this morning! Wallet, checkbook, small makeup bag (with lipstick, lip gloss, and rubber bands), cell phone, business cards, kleenex, receipts from today, gum, small note pad and black pen.
    6. My favorite music right now is … Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, and Carrie Underwood.
    7. My favorite part of my body is … my eyes. They are the one thing that doesn’t fluctuate in weight!
    Share your random thoughts in the comments below or over at