Happy New Year! This is probably going to be a pretty short post because there’s not much going on here. We all survived the holidays without any illnesses or trips to the hospital, and I think we’re back into our normal routine. I’m back at work; James is back at school; and Stacy is back to whatever she does while I’m at work and James is at school.

School

Speaking of school, we had James’ IEP meeting on Wednesday. An IEP is an individualized education plan. Because James can’t learn and do most of the things that normal kids can, his IEP is geared toward the things that he can do. His teacher and all of his school therapists (OT, PT, vision, hearing, etc.) all have a part in his IEP, which also includes goals that they want to see him accomplish.

Stacy and I both think the meeting went well. Such a big difference when compared to the last school year. So far this school year has been a good one and we think the rest of it will be good as well.

Dentist

James had a checkup with the dentist on Thursday and left the office with two less teeth! They were loose enough that the dentist was able to just pop them out. Poor kid is almost out of teeth.

Giving Back

We’ve been extremely fortunate with all the help and support we have received over the years. Raising a special needs child like James is hard, stressful and expensive and we are very appreciative of everything we have been given. We always look for ways to give back when we can.

Operation North Pole, the organization that sent us on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the North Pole last month, is having a fundraiser in February that we’re thinking about attending. It’s kind of expensive, but we had such a wonderful time, and we want to help them continue with their efforts to send other families like our on this awesome adventure.

Day of Acceptance

Mark your calendars for January 20^th, the International Day of Acceptance.

Turning 40

It was bound to happen sooner or later, but I have finally entered a new decade in my life. The big 4-0. I thought turning 30 was hard. Not quite sure how I feel about turning 40 yet. Some say that age is just a number. True, but the average life expectancy in the United States (as of 2015) is 78.7 years. Assuming that I make it to that age, my life is now more than half over. How has my life been up to this point? Are there things I want to accomplish before I leave this world? What can I do to make this world a better place? All these questions running through my mind.

Enough about me struggling with getting older.  Let’s enjoy some pictures of this amazing cake that Stacy bought me.