Meska . . . Mooska . . . Mickey Mouse!

  For Halloween this year Alex got to be Mickey Mouse!  I engineered a costume that worked pretty well.  Alex had practiced trick-or-treating at school and definitely got the hang of it.  He loved getting candy!  He didn't understand that he couldn't go into the neighbor's house for a visit and as sad when we pulled him away from each door. One big achievement was that Alex started WALKING up the stairs on his own!  It was a year ago that he took his first steps in a pumpkin costume and this year he took his first steps up the stairs.  Halloween is an exciting holiday for Alex . . . who knows what he'll do next year. :-)

More Fall Fun!

Alex's school is really close to one of our favorite parks, Como Regional. There are tons of walking trails, a free zoo, and an awesome playground. We try to go after school on every beautiful day for an hour or so.  It's so fun watching Alex learn and explore. His favorite thing is the rubber bridge that wiggles as you run.

  

  Beautiful midwest fall color from Roseville Central Park.

In August Alex started an intensive home listening program. 30 minutes, twice a day of listening to random modified music designed to help with motor skills, behavior, emotional regulation and lots more.  It really seemed to help Alex; it's amazing what's available these days.

Alex is our little budding musician. Hearing loss has no bearing on his love for music. :-)

Birthday Weekend

Around my birthday we went on family excursion. I not only love the outdoors but also love exploring new places. . . it makes me feel more "at home" when my exploration radius increases.  Just an hour northeast of the metro is a place called Interstate State Park.  It is actually a park that straddles the St. Croix River and spans across both Wisconsin and Minnesota. For this visit we only saw the Minnesota side but look forward to seeing the Wisconsin side.  Interstate Park is part of the Ice Age National Science Reserve because of the very unique formations in the Basalt rock.  You can explore the glacial potholes along the river. . . Alex wasn't in a great mood by that point, but we plan to go back again.  The fall colors were beautiful and Alex LOVED playing in the leaves.

Alex was pretty grumpy after our hike. . . probably because I forgot to pack snacks and it was lunch time, and we still had to hike back. For whatever reason he LOVED this spot.  Wether it was the squishy pine needles or the big bolders, he was really happy. He liked giving me pinecones and asking "what" (his newest sign).

Here he is signing "so strong" his version of flexing his muscles.  Too cute!

Here he's begging to be picked up. . . after begging to walk.  Silly boy!

Picnic Time!

Alex and his PB&J face. He adores PB&J !  He would eat it for every meal if we let him.

On our way home, I was looking for a pumpkin patch. We stumbled across a GREAT one in Wyoming, Minnesota called Lendt's Pumpkin patch.  Every pumpkin—regardless of size—is $3.  They have stands with pre-picked squash, mini pumpkins, etc and a huge field full of u-pick pumpkins. Since his field trip, Alex has loved pumpkins and here he was surrounded.  He loved riding in the wagon with them, and also helping daddy push the wagon.  Such a big boy!

Trying to "fix" the pumpkin stem he found on the ground.

And the winning pumpkin is . . . .

Giving hugs to the pumpkin