So last year Caleb had the opportunity to try some "extreme sitting" at the Life Rolls On: They will skate again event, hosted by Rise Adaptive Sports. He had a blast and has talked about it almost weekly for the past year. He was so excited to learn that the event was coming to our area again this year. So Saturday we headed out so Caleb could shred it at the skate park.
Sportin' his new "Wheelz" t-shirt. It seemed appropriate.
(good grief, could this kid be any bigger!)
Stalling at the top of a ramp...not too sure he wants to go down.
Sometimes even a 7 year old needs to hold Daddy's hand.
Sometimes you need a little pep talk from an experienced extreme sitter. A big thank you to Christiaan Bailey for offering his time on Saturday.
Sometimes you need a little push too.
All smiles.
Um...that ramp is a little steep folks. Don't worry, there were a ton of volunteers out there to help the kids up and down the ramps.
Take a wheelchair down some steps? Hmmm...what could possibly go wrong here?
It ain't extreme sitting until you flip over in your chair and take a volunteer down with you. Don't worry, he was fine. Lesson: Wheelchairs and stairs are not friends.
Benjamin had his own kind of fun.
Putting leaves down a drain hole.
Running up ramps.
Caleb had so much fun. He was most upset when it was time to go. I'm so thankful he has these opportunities. It is so fun to watch him challenge himself and try new things.
Last fall we applied (through Challenged Athletes) for Caleb to get a grant for his very own sports chair, specifically for basketball. We have been waiting months to hear back and we recently found out that he was awarded a grant! We are so excited. The grant doesn't cover the full cost of the sports chair (those babies are pretty pricey) but it gave us enough that we could cover the rest on our own. Caleb went to Per4Max last week to get fitted for his new chair.
While we were there we got a sneak peek at how they make all the chairs in-house.
It was really neat.
It's remarkable how they can transform these plain pipes into amazing sports chairs!
This is the style of chair Caleb will be getting. He chose Royal Blue for the frame with white rims on the wheels. We can't wait to see it. It should be ready in just a few weeks! Yay!
Every year Caleb's school has a "Sweetheart Dance". It's a Father/Daughter, Mother/Son dance. We went last year, and Caleb was excited to go again this year.
My date and I before the dance.
Let me just tell you that Caleb knows how to sweet talk the ladies...even when the lady is his mom. I tried out my new curling rod for the special occasion and when I walked into the living room all dressed up with my hair curly, Caleb said: "You are so beautiful. Will you marry me?" So sweet. Of course we had a quick talk about why he can't marry his mom! :)
At the dance.
Last year at the dance, Caleb pretty much stayed by my side. This year, he left me in the dust! He was off with his friends almost the entire time. I loved it.
Of course I had to decorate his chair.
Caleb makes a Valentines Box every year to take to school. One year we did a Batman box. Last year we did a space shuttle. This year when I asked Caleb what he wanted to do for his box, his answer: "I don't know." He didn't have any ideas. I didn't have any ideas. What to do, what to do. Well, it turns out that when you don't have any ideas, you end up making the most awesome Valentines box ever!
Best. Box. Ever.
I love it.
So awesome right! And it just may be the easiest box ever.
We covered a shoe box with red paper. I took several close-up photos of Caleb with his mouth wide open and his eyes all crazy. I had the photo printed at a 8X10 size (for a small box you could do 5X7). He glued the picture on the top of the box. I cut out the mouth. He added the stickers on the sides. Done!
Caleb loved it and Benjamin thought it was hysterical. He kept shoving pieces of paper, Hot wheels cars, and Legos into the mouth. Benjamin doesn't need a box for school but I may just make him one anyway because he liked Caleb's so much. Seriously, you can't look at that box and not smile. You're smiling right now.
And for the Valentines, here is what both boys will be passing out to their classmates.
Caleb's wheelchair basketball team had some special visitors after practice. All of the kids got an opportunity to try fencing. How neat is that!?
Putting on all the necessary safety equipment.
Before they got started, I noticed that Caleb seemed really nervous about it. I wasn't sure what was making him anxious at the time but later in the car he told me that he was worried the swords would hurt. Once he realized this was just for fun and no one would get hurt, he was ready to give it a try.
He's ready to go!
En garde!
Facing off with his opponent.
Caleb can now say he has tried fencing. Man this kid gets to do a ton of fun stuff!
We took the boys to the annual Spina Bifida Association of North Texas Holiday Party. It was at the Airplane Museum again this year, the perfect place for a plane-lovin' Benjamin.
"Look at this one mom!"
Benjamin was all dressed up for the party. He got a lot of compliments on his shirt.
Caleb watching the "Weird Science" show. I love the grin on his face.
With my boys.
(sidenote: why is it so hard to get a decent picture with my kids? Caleb is always making crazy faces and Benjamin's eyes are closed!)
I have no idea why Caleb is making this face...maybe I stepped on his foot or something.
In the control tower.
Silly face.
"Can I touch it?"
Watching a plane land.
The boys had a lot of fun. Benjamin was in heaven with all the planes to look at. We are so thankful to have the SBANT. Because we have such a great local SB chapter we are able to stay connected with local SB families. It is such a blessing.
Because I like to reminisce, here are the links to previous years parties.
This past weekend was our favorite weekend of the year...Spina Bifida Family Camp! We have been going to Family Camp since Caleb was 2 years old, this was our 6th year. It gets better and better every single year. As Caleb has gotten older he enjoys it more and more. He was so excited about going this year. We all were. Prepare yourself for a lot of pictures.
Glenn actually designed the t-shirts for camp this year. They came out really cute.
Family Camp is at Camp John Marc. CJM is specifically designed for a variety of special needs camps. It is an amazing place. Once Caleb turns 8 we are no longer eligible for Family Camp. At that point he is old enough to go to a week long SB camp during the summer. Without mommy and daddy. So, this was our second to last year we can go to camp as a family.
We saw these guys right as we were driving up to our cabin.
Caleb and Bryce joking around at dinner on Friday night.
There is a big get-together on Friday night. It allows all the families time to visit and play games. My favorite part of camp is seeing all the families and the kids. I feel like I have watched so many of these kids grow up. It's amazing to see how far they have come and I love seeing the new faces of all the younger kiddos coming to camp for the very first time.
Benjamin playing with the stacking cups, only he made a train out of them. He played with these same cups last year at camp.
Getting some snuggle time with my boys on the giant bean bag chair.
Benjamin at the bean bag toss.
I was pretty impressed with Benjamin's building abilities. He had a pretty decent tower going.
After breakfast on Saturday morning we have a scavenger hunt. There are a list of clues that take you all over the camp.
Caleb and I being silly in the costume room.
Silly with daddy.
(Benjamin refused to put on any costumes...he was being stubborn)
Silly boy.
Next was this.
The Challenge Course. Also known as "The Ropes Course"
The climbing wall. You have to tackle this bad boy before you can do the zip line.
Giving the thumbs up before it was his turn.
I'm not going to lie, I had my doubts that Caleb would really go through with this. He's not crazy about heights and this was really, really high. Luckily we were scheduled on the ropes course at the same time as several of his SB buddies, they were all there supporting each other.
Working his way up the climbing wall.
Benjamin chillin' while we waited for Bubba to make it to the top.
Whew, he made it.
(this is where I thought Caleb could potentially freak out and refuse to zip line down)
Let's watch and find out what happened
I couldn't believe it! I was so proud of him. There is no way I would have done that at only 7 years old.
I think he had fun.
Seriously so proud of that kid.
After some extreme sports, it was time to settle down with some pottery.
And cooking class (Caleb's favorite)
He is excited to try the dessert nachos he made.
Benjamin with a mouth full of sugary goodness.
The boys were allowed to eat all kinds of junk over the weekend. They were loving it.
Our last activity for Saturday was fishing.
Caleb and his buddy Nathan.
Teamwork
Benjamin's big catch of the day.
Benjamin quote after touching the fish: "It feels wet."
Caleb racing down a giant hill at break-neck speed.
Benjamin moving leaves around.
A camp favorite is s'mores and songs at the campfire.
Sunday morning is very relaxed, with just breakfast and visiting time.
Our dining hall.
All of the families gather after breakfast to visit and say their goodbyes.
On our way out we stopped by the chapel to take a few photos.
(again Benjamin was being stubborn and wouldn't get in the photo)
Oh, there's Benjamin. I don't think that smile is genuine though, it looks a little forced.
Pictures in front of the Camp John Marc sign.
I love this photo of Caleb with his arms crossed. He was made at me because I wouldn't let him hold a giant rock while we took the picture.
It was an exhausting but incredibly fun weekend. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful SB family. It is so fun to see all the kids each year. And what a blessing for them to get an entire weekend of being around other kids that are just like them. It's wonderful.
Should you want to see photos from the previous years...
