I Can't Believe It's Almost Been a Year!

I can't believe that it has almost been a year since I have posted to Riley's blog,  So much has happened this year that I don't know that I remember it all.

We celebrated Riley's seventh birthday in January with family and friends.  The Star Wars: The Clone Wars theme party was a hit as well as the LEGO models that I bought as party favors!  Toward the end of January we got the results from Riley's Autism Testing, and they found him to be ADHD with a reading disorder.  We pondered awhile and then decided in March to put Riley on medication because his reading level was not improving in school.  I felt that he may be paying so much attention to behaving that he was not concentrating on learning.  I am happy to say that medication has worked for him.  His reading level has gone from D/struggling E to instructional level K, which is practically on grade level.  Through the use of medication he is now able to sound out words or break them up in to hunks and chunks.  He has always enjoyed reading and listening to stories being read, but now finds new pleasure in reading by himself.

Riley participated in the first grade music program at school and although he was nervous; he stood in the front row and did what he was suppose to do, sing!  We also went to see Jack and the Beanstalk at the children's theater, and Riley went with his class to see Charlotte's Web at the high school.

Riley graduated as a Tiger Scout in the spring, but decided not to go back to scouting this school year.  He is in his second year of Parish School of Religion classes and is preparing for his First Communion in the spring.  Over the summer Riley passed level 1 swimming classes and looks forward to taking level 2 next summer.  This fall, Riley started wrestling kid's club and seems to enjoy it, but looks forward to taking tai kwon do in the future.

First grade was the first year for play dates.  He started going to other children's houses on his own and inviting children to come and play at our house also.  At the end of first grade Riley went to his friend's house for his first sleepover!  He asked me to chaperone his first grade field trip to the zoo and wanted me to bring his sister so that his classmates could meet her.  We went and really enjoyed ourselves.

We started our summer by going on vacation to Las Vegas.  We went to Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon as well as the pirate show at Caesars and swimming in the pool!  Although our trip was delayed by a day, we all ended up having a great time.  In July we went with the grandparents to Chicago.  It was a short trip, but we got the chance to see the Legoland Discovery Center, and it was worth it!  Riley was especially interested in the Titanic Exhibit at COSI and we went to see that together.  We finished up our summer attending library programs, going to swimming lessons and swimming afterward, completing the summer reading program at the public library, and hanging out with friends.

The start of fall brought second grade and the ability to help Mommy out more and take care of himself.  He was able to help me pass out postcards on windshields in a parking lot, build his own LEGO mini models, and learned how to tie his shoes!  Riley also started to earn an allowance of $3.00 a week to put away his laundry and toys as well as help out with other chores.  Most of the time, Riley uses his allowance every two weeks to buy a Star Wars graphic novel (comic book).  He enjoys his collection and likes to take them to school to read during self-selected reading.  A limit had to be put on how many Star Wars books he could take to school so that he can expose himself to other topics and genres of reading.  Second grade also brought some difficulty in making friends.  I think it has passed somewhat, but he has not found his niche with friends who are interested in the same things in which he is interested, namely, Star Wars.

In mid-September Riley completed his first 5K.  He walked the COMAPC 5K Race for a Pro-State of Mind with me as I pulled his sister along in the wagon.  We completed it in about an hour and were the last ones to finish.  We also celebrated his sister's 4th birthday this week, and Riley was able to help her put her new sheets on her bed.

For Halloween Riley was Jango Fett.  This is the third year that Riley has picked out a Star Wars related costume, and although this was by far the most I have spent on a costume, I bought it for him because he plays in them all year, which makes it worth my money!  This was the first year that Riley chose to go trick or treating with friends rather than with Mommy.

Riley started November with a cold or so I thought.  By the first Saturday in November, when he was breathing heavy, it was no ordinary cold.  After a trip to the doctor's office and to the emergency room Riley was admitted for two days, and we came home with an asthma action plan.  So far, since the episode in November, we have not had any other problems.



We stayed at home this Christmas, and our extended family came to us.  Santa was very good to Riley and brought him the spinning double-headed light saber that he wanted.  He also got the Bobo Fett helmet and gun.  His grandparents got him more games and accessories for the Wii.  Although Riley got mostly toys, he did get a pair of tennis shoes and a sweatshirt!

We look forward to Riley's eighth birthday in a few days to end our year.  My, oh my, where does the time go!

Riley's Sixth Birthday

This was originally published as Hawaii Day Seven: Riley's Sixth Birthday on Penny's Next Phase.

My son got to celebrate his sixth birthday on Maui. We started out the day with breakfast at Kihei Caffe where Riley got his favorites, French toast, bacon, and sausage. I was also impressed because Reese actually ate the same thing. She has not been eating much since we have been here, and her favorites are usually rice and pasta related.

After breakfast we traveled along the coast to see Kapalua, where the Mercedes Championship is being held the weekend after we leave, Napali, where we saw some whales off the coast, and Ka'anapali, where I believe that one of the Big Breaks was held. We stopped off at Whaler's Village for some shopping, and where Riley got a special birthday gift from his dad, a Hot Wheels Airport. We left Whaler's Village to go to Lahaina to have lunch. Ron and I have fond memories of Lahaina from our honeymoon when we had dinner at the Lahaina Fish Co. right on the ocean. Lahaina was very crowded because there was a cruise ship in port. We ended up eating lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise, which says it is the original one. We ate on the second floor where it was open and you could see out into the ocean. (Earlier in the week, we discovered that the hotel that we stayed at for one night on our honeymoon is on the main strip in Kihei directly down the hill from my sister in law's house.

Once lunch was over, the kids had enough car riding and we dropped them off at home. My sister in law ordered a cake for Riley at the Four Seasons Hotel because it was the only bakery she could find that would make a special cake that tasted like mainland cake without having a grocery store cake. She said that most of the bakeries in the area bake a traditional Hawaiian cake that was spongy, and she wanted a homemade cake for her nephew/godson. The cake was absolutely beautiful, tastefully decorated and just right for a six year old at the same time. Riley really enjoyed the cars/trucks that came with the cake and finally being able to open his presents. He now has a complete collection of Thomas the Tank Engine videos as well as a new big wheel and more construction toys. We also had pizza at home for dinner which is what Riley wanted, pepperoni, of course.