Fe-Fe's World Of Craft, Creations and Kids.

This blog was started mainly for my crafting, however I also find myself writing about my family life too and in particular about my son Josh. Josh is just Josh to us and we're used to his quirky behaviour. As I don't want to have to mention Josh's autism every time I post about him, I thought I'd mention it here. Hopefully you will bear this in mind as you read and it may give you a little insight into the wonderful world of the autisic child in a very gentle way!

Sunday, 6 April 2008

Just When You Thought Spring Had Sprung...

... we have snow again!

This was at 8 o'clock this morning. Since the kids missed it last time they decided they'd get dressed early and go out in it this time before the sun melts it all.

They had great fun in their "Snow Castle"

I asked Josh if he'd like a snow shower. Of course he said yes so I told him to stand under the tree and pull one of the branches. He thought this was great!

Ellie soon joined in too.

She wanted to pull one of the branches for a snow shower but couldn't reach the branches of the Weeping Willow so she found a smaller tree to get under.

My snow baby before she came back inside.

Josh enjoying his snow shower.

My snow angel after his snow shower.

Please note he's wearing my wellies. We realised yesterday that his current wellies are now too small after he was trying to squeeze his feet into them with two pairs of socks on and he just couldn't get his feet in them. He took one pair of socks off and still had problems getting them on. However that was nothing compared to trying to get them off again!!

When I got Josh to measure his feet against mine later they were actually the same length. His are slightly narrower but heal to toe we match! I thought this morning it would be safer for him to wear mine. I still can't believe they fit. They grow up so fast don't they?!

11 comments:

caroline said...: looks like great fun was had,what bootiful children you have x; 6 April 2008 at 12:27
pescbrico said...: If it can confort you we still have like at least 2 meters of snow on the ground right now!! LOL
Have a wonderful weekend :); 6 April 2008 at 14:32
Em said...: We had snow too - how fab??!!

Gorgeous photo's Fe, the children look so happy!

Am loving the cards you've been making lately, although I am not sure I can forgive you for the Xmas ones already!!!!; 6 April 2008 at 15:26
Bee's Zen Garden said...: Oh waow!! Here it is 28 degrees celsius, and already humid, yuck...
My dad said they had flurries today also!
It seems like we live in a different world sometimes! :-)
Your kids are cute, mine grow up too quickly also! ;-); 6 April 2008 at 19:12
Deborah said...: It is about 65 degrees here, a bit cool for San Diego! You look real nippers there with the snow! The kids sure love it! Have fun! Deb; 6 April 2008 at 19:49
Lee said...: Oh is that just precious!!! I LOVE those snowy photos!!! Your babies are sooo cute!!! Yes, they do grow up quickly....far too quickly!! It's still wintery here too.......we're supposed to get snow showers off and on for the next few days.; 6 April 2008 at 20:52
ScrapMomOf2 said...: What GREAT photos! I love them! Snow showers . . . how FUN! Yes, they grow up way too fast!; 7 April 2008 at 02:07
ScrapMomOf2 said...: By the way, we finally had such a nice weekend! It was sunny and in the 60's! It was so nice for a change!; 7 April 2008 at 02:07
Mrs. Nancy G said...: Looks like fun for the kids! You all are lucky that it melts... no snow drifts to shovel!

:-); 7 April 2008 at 08:17
Debbie said...: Fabulous pics Fe - the kids look like they are really having fun. :) :)

Debbie x; 7 April 2008 at 19:51
Dee said...: Just love the photo's Fe... looks like you had as much fun taking the photo's as the children had playing in the snow. Especially love the one you've captured with Josh and the snow cascading from the tee....

Mum XXX; 7 April 2008 at 22:31

Ode to Special Mums

Ode to Special Moms(by Erma Bombeck)

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit. This year, nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint, Matthew.
Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, patron saint, Cecilia.
"Rudledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint, give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."

The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," says God. "Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But has she patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it.
"I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."

God smiles. "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."

The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word.' She will never consider a 'step' ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations."I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice...and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."

"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, pen poised midair.

God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."

"Welcome to Holland"

"Welcome to Holland" By Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. But...if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.