Max Blak

This is Max practicing for King of the Groms. In case you're totally out of it, that's a skateboarding competition. I don't go to the Skatepark because if I saw him doing this in person I would probably faint. As he was walking out of the skateboard park today, a kid stopped him and said " Are you Max Blak?" and Max said " yes" and he said "I saw your videos on Youtube, dude, you rule". When we named him Max Blak it was out of nostalgia for my Danish heritage.  Turns out it's quite useful as a skateboarding name. 

old timey minnesot-ey apple orchard

Some friends of ours took Max and Maddie to an apple orchard. Here's the video: http://gallery.me.com/the studio5/100006

The Girl Scouts of America

There are a lot of things I never pictured myself as. A midwesterner, a mother of a special needs child, an expat...perhaps the most surprising though is my latest metamorphosis. Yes people, you heard it here, I am an adult Girl Scout of America. I signed the papers tonite! Maddie wants to be a girl scout and there was no one to lead the troop, so I went to my first training tonight. I learned the Girl Scout pledge and the hand signal. Those of you who have known me for a long time probably could have seen this coming, with my high moral standards and my burning desire to be a role model for young women everywhere. And, of course my love of Thin mints. I'm pretty sure we get a discount on the cookies. 

Russell

What do you call Oskar laying in a pile of leaves?

enigma

This is a picture of the tree in our front yard. In the last few days it has turned all brown and orange and now the leaves are starting to fall off. I think it must be some kind of disease. What freaks me out is that the last time this happened, about a month later it got really cold and there was this white stuff all over everything for months... I'm not sure what to do about it. 

Maddie's religious education

Maddie was looking through a catalog today for things she might want for Christmas. She got really excited when she saw this and yelled "Look Mom, a Jesus boat!" 

Successful baby

This is Oskar with Jim Reed, his physical therapist from the Edina school system. Oskar just had his yearly review and I don't mean to brag, but phrases like "substantial progress" were thrown around like confetti at a New Years party. Really,  it was mostly the people who know Oskar, his O.T Joan, his P.T Jim and his teacher Kate and me sitting around telling funny Oskie stories. They have become like my family here in a weird way and I am so grateful for them. I think so many people look at Oskar and only see the things he can't do, and I can't tell you how nice it is for me to sit around for an hour and talk about all the things he CAN do. Things like pass a toy from one hand to another, or choose a toy with his eye gaze, or be attentive to a toy for 3 minutes ( his new goal is 5!) These things we so take for granted with our "typically" developing kids. They are like precious gems to me now, when Oskie does them. They give me hope.