One last post on summer vacation. . .

Continuing in birth order from the last blog entry, here is Nephi, age 9. (Pi Pizza again.) He is into building Bionicles and Legos, playing computer games, riding his bike around the neighborhood, and he loves his orange snorkel and goggles. We took him, Bobby, and Emma to Journey to the Center of the Earth, in 3-D and he was thrilled we got to keep our glasses after the show. He has a great talent for figuring out and building things and was given a whole bunch of Bionicles, from which he creates all kinds of robots and other creatures. It amazes me how easily he can take up a number of plastic parts and create something so complex with parts that flip back and transform.



This is Sarah at Pi Pizza, where all 10 of us had lunch one day. She was belted to the chair, but was content to stay there most of the time. I must agree that Sarah very possibly might be the first classic autistic super model. She's tall; we're wondering if she might wind up being 6 feet. She has great hair and a delightful smile. I love the way she sits on Bob and me and snuggles in. She definitely knows us. In the picture of Nephi, above, you can see her in the background. It was one of those bonus pictures where I got a clear shot of the repetitive movement she makes; I couldn't have grabbed that shot on purpose if I tried! Doesn't she look happy?









This is Ammon's disappointment over not being able to escape. He brought over a bottle of bubbles to me. At first I was blowing the bubbles and it caught his attention. He was laughing and watching bubbles fill the room. When I put the wand in front of the floor fan, we got more bubbles faster. What a thrill! He was so satisfied for so long. I was floored when I was out there last May to have Ammon look at me, smile, and put his arms out to be lifted up. He did the same in July when Bob and I came out. When I lifted him and hugged him, he put his head down on my shoulder and squeezed a hard hug. We kissed each other and held tight for about 10 seconds. I know he knows us in some real sense. This behavior from a classic autistic would have been totally unexpected a generation ago. Today, though, we are learning these children connect in their own way.


















Mary calls herself "Minnie." This tickles me because my mother's mother (Mary's great grandmother) was also nicknamed "Minnie." Mary repeats just about anything you ask of her, which naturally causes wide smiles on grandparents' faces. She called out "Grandma!" the first time we came to their house. "Grandpa" came next after Robin reminded her of his name. She loves to climb and be silly and is full of love. The smile in this picture says a lot. She'll be in preschool this year.








Finally here is John. He's relaxing in a gigantic foam-filled Lovesac. He is the family member who can best wrestle the bag fluffy and push in just right so one can sit. Three of these are in their living room, and every one of the Kirton clan loves them. Bob and I preferred the recliner and conventional sofa, being somewhat older and less limber. Heaven forbid I should get down into the sac and have everyone leave before I get OUT! Maybe next year. (Yeah, sure.) John was in and out with his business, but managed to spend a lot of time with Bob and me and the family.


The Discovery Health Channel filmed a show about the Kirton family which will be broadcast in November. I will post the time of the program in our area then. I was able to watch a "fine" copy of it on their computer while on vacation. I plan to get a DVD of the show also, to loan out to those who are not able to watch it. It does a pretty good job of explaining what their family life is like, what the level of autism each child has, and how that affects their interactions and responses. Very interesting!

It's a grandmother's place to love to visit and talk about her grandchildren. These are the 6 grandchildren who live outside of Minnesota, so we only get to visit them once a year. You will have to excuse my bragging. ALL of our grandchildren are exceptional, of course. The other 9 of them live in the Twin Cities area. We couldn't be more proud of the parents our children and their spouses have become. Family is what life is all about.