Beginning of December 2014 update and Results of The Adaptive Behavior Test (Brendan 2.7 years old)

       December is here and it is already flying by so fast. Brendan absolutely loves Christmas. He loves to watch any show that is a Christmas episode. His favorite of course is Mickey's Twice Upon Christmas Movie. We have watched it for the last month more times than I would like to share. He is really enjoying looking at the christmas lights everywhere. We have gone to the Mormon Temple and enjoyed the light display as well as the McCormick Ranch Train park. The train park had a special night just for special needs kids. It was really such a treat. They had so many volunteer out with tables that you could decorate cookies, do holiday crafts and visit with Santa. The best part was it was all free. As a mom these events make my life so much easier. Brendan was having a complete anxiety meltdown when I was trying to get him to ride the train. But that is why we enjoy these nights because everyone around understands what you are going through. We also went to visit Santa Claus yesterday and Brendan was not a big fan. Santa didn't seem thrilled with the screaming kid I was about to put on his lap! But everyone survived and it could have always been worse!

     Brendan is continuing to make some great progress. He is doing a lot of vocal imatation which is great. Our goal is to try and get him to do more vocal requesting on his own. He won't talk or say a word without someone prompting the word first. He will use his PECS cards and request things all day long but getting him to vocalize is what we are really trying to work on,
      We had our 3 month follow up at the Melmed Center and this appointment he was getting some testing done. I wasn't sure exactly what testing he was going to get done but anytime he has to get a test done it brings so much fear and anxiety to me. Even though I know he has autism already they just magnify how far behind your child is compared to typically kids during these tests. As a parent that is hard to have to here ALL THE TIME!!!! They gave him the Adaptive Behavior Test! This test is broken down into 4 categories which are Communication, Daily Living Skills, Socialization, Motor Skills. Within each of these areas they have separate categories in them broken down.  This is so they can see from year to year what areas he is improving on. He will get this test done every year. The physcologist that did the test total me he scored really good on the motor skills(which isn't a surprise because that is his strength) and he scored really low on the other categories.  After the test was done we then saw his doctor. She was explaining the test to me in more detail and said he is scoring really low but also wanted me to tell her what progress he has made in his therapy. She then told me in the next 6 to 8 months she wants him to take a non verbal test! Which she said that she can almost bet that he will score extremely high on this kind of test. She said he is extremely smart and has so many non verbal skills that most typical kids don't have. So that made me feel a little bit better. She just kept telling me that I am doing everything I am supposed to be doing for him and he is getting all the right therapies. As his mom I know he is making progress so that is all I can ask for! I am so proud of everyone on his team. They have all devoted so much personal time and energy. I truly feel so lucky to have such a great team. With all the anxiety, nerves and sleepless nights leading up to this test I got in the car called my mom and just had a good cry. I may appear to be strong all the time and look like I have it all together but I am human and I cry more than most of you would think. I know any other autism mom would understand our behind closed doors cries!
        A couple days after the test I received his test scores and report in the mail. I know both doctors told me he scored low but looking at this report I was completly devastated. They were so much lower than I had ever imagined. In Communication he scored at 1 year old level. In Daily Living Skills he scored a 7 month old level in two categories and a 1 year old in another. In Socialization he scored a 6 month old level, 7 month old and a 10 month old level. In Motor Skills he scored a 2.5 year old level and a 3 year old in another level. He is currently 2.7 years old! Now you can all understand why I HATE THESE TEST!!!!

Brendan loves to Dance

Brendan Loves to run. He does this all day long!

      I am so excited for Christmas and for Brendan to get a couple days off of therapy. He has no clue what is going to go on or even what Christmas is but I am excited to watch him with his gifts! Thank you to every single one of you who have given support to my family!!! You all mean the world to us!!! 

Mid October to Beginning of November Progress is by far the BIGGEST jump Brendan has even taken!!! 29/30 months old

     

     I don't even know where to start! This past month has been my craziest month to date! So much has happened. So bare with me this might be a long post. Back in April Brendan's occupational therapist requested for him to get a special needs stroller. He is labeled as a "flight risk" which is why I have to take the stroller everywhere! A special needs stroller will hold a child up to 100lbs. They actually did measurements on him and custom made him his stroller. It took 6 months but he got his new ride and he loves it! He actually doesn't want to get out of it thats how much he loves it!! The best part is it doesn't really look like a special needs stroller. They had told us that the Brendan's state insurance will more than likely pay for it but they have to go through our private insurance first. They told me most private insurances will never pay for it. My answer was, "well our insurance doesn't pay for anything related to autism, so I am sure they will deny it." Well low and behold my insurance won't cover any therapy but they decide to cover a $2,000 stroller. Really??? This makes absolutely no sense to me. Insurance company's really love to make my blood boil!

    Brendan's speech and occupational therapist had the opportunity to attend a feeding conference which they were excited about because they were hoping to get some tips and ideas that might help  Brendan. Brendan is only eating 3 different meals. He eats the same breakfast and lunch every single day and then for dinner he only has 2 different things I rotate. He has also started to gage in his mouth when I get to close to him when I am chewing. It is actually the weirdest thing ever. I am not making him touch it, eat it or anything just the thought of me chewing close to him makes him throwing up in his mouth. He has such bad sensory issues that he won't go near any food that is soft, chewy, cold, sticky liquid or mushy. For example he will only eat a banana if I am holding it for him, it has to be in the peal. If it breaks and I still hold it for him he will not eat it because it is out of the peel. While his therapist were at the conference they were given the opportunity to discuss Brendan's case with the experts. They offered to do a private therapy session with Brendan and his therapist while they were in town. Of course I was 100% on board with that!! So we went to the one on one session and Brendan's speech, occupational and developmental specialist therapists all came. Which was so cool because they all rearranged their schedules to be there for us. The 45 minute session was extremely informative and emotionally draining. They put Brendan in what I called a straight jacket looking chair. He couldn't move in it. The reason behind it is because they wanted to be in full control. He was not allowed to touch the food or feed himself. They had me bring the food he normally eats and they fed him tiny little pieces while rotating each of the food. Well Brendan HATES when anyone comes close to his face with your hands. Needless to say he kicked and screamed gave me the look of mom please help me. It was heartbreaking to watch. I do understand how it will and does work but it is so hard to watch your child have to go through that. We got in the car after the 45 minute session and I looked back at Brendan in his carseat and he looked like he had just had 10 shots and blood work done. Poor kid looked so drained. The problem was it was only 8:45 in the morning and he had a full day of therapy starting with the minute he got home. His developmental specialist therapist is the one who is doing the feeding therapy with him at the house. Well we have done it twice now and lets just say each time has gotten worse if it can get any worse. He gets so upset that last week when we did it he basically shut down and wouldn't do therapy the rest of the day, he wouldn't take a nap or even eat anything he was just a mess. I don't know how I am going to continue with this. But you all know me if I feel this is just making things worse then I am going to have to stop it.

          Next we had the Autism Speaks Walk!! The love and support we had for this event is something that gives me the strength to get through each day!! We had such a big Team walking for Brendan! You all made the walk so special for us! We raised $3,500 for TEAM BRENDAN!!!! Also a big thank you to the company my mom works for IES who brought there own team in support of Team Brendan and they raised $1,450 of our $3,500! She works for such an amazing company. They get involved in so many local charity's. I had Team Brendan backpacks made for everyone who walked this year. It worked out great because the bright yellow made it so easy to find everyone during the walk. After the walk we all went to the railroad park where we could just have lunch and say thank you to everyone. I had a crafting table for the kids where they were able to make and design their own Autism charm bracelets. The adults had corn hole to play and then the kids were able to ride the train and carousal. We also got to look at the most beautiful Autism cake you have ever seen. My girlfriend has a friend who was so sweet and donated the cake to our walk lunch. When I arrived and the saw the cake my mouth just dropped to the floor!! It was HUGE and GORGEOUS. Thank you to Juanita for donating the cake! You can find her business on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cakemojo or you can reach her at cakemojo@gmail.com. I know you all hear me talk about Dr Gentry Brendan's developmental doctor well him and his family came to our picnic. Who else has a doctor that does that! I am so lucky to have such an amazing team for Brendan. Thank you, thank you to everyone who came to enjoy such a special moment in spreading Autism Awareness!

 Dr. Gentry

    Then came Halloween. I was actually slightly dreading Halloween because in my head I pictured Brendan having a meltdown putting his costume on, wanting to run down the middle of the street, and freaking out because he wanted to go in every house. Well he was actually a complete angel! He started to freak just a little bit when we put his costume on but once we got him in the wagon and got him moving he was all good. We had worked on saying "Trick or Treat" for a day or so before Halloween. Which by the way when he said trick to treat for the first time I was so shocked. He has never really tried to put 2 words together so that was a HUGE moment for me as a mom!!! We went headed out to get candy that Brendan couldn't have but he actually really didn't care, thank goodness! I rolled up to every house with the wagon and had him say Trick or Treat and he said it at every single house. It was a moment that I could of only dreamt of. You would have thought he was a typical kid. The best part was when we would turn around after receiving the candy everyone would read the back of his cape and the sweet words, "ahh his cape is so awesome" was actually the biggest weight lifted off my shoulders. The fact that everyone knew he had autism actually gave me such a sense of freedom. It is actually hard to explain but when we go to places nobody has an clue that Brendan has special needs. Because autism isn't something that you can see by just looking at a child. It isn't always a visible disability which for me makes me super stressed out. I know you are all reading this going why would she think this, and again it is something that is just hard to explain. I know any other autism parent reading this can understand. I recently read a blog from a friend who has a child who was born with a cleft lip. She was saying that a grocery store employee asked if her son had a boo-boo on his lip and when she realized what she was talking about was his cleft lip it broke her heart and wondered if everyone would look at his lip and think that. I actually sat and read her blog and almost wished that people could see some sign of autism on Brendan because then it would just be known and he can be different without people thinking he is weird or I am a bad parent because I can't control my kid, or understand why he isn't doing things kids his age normally do. You can disagree with me and think I am crazy but that is how I feel!

Brendan saying, "Trick or Treat"

           The last 2 days Brendan has been starting to TALK. It is so amazing, he will attempt to repeat almost everything you say. When I mean everything I mean even if you sniff or clear your throat he will copy you. We will have to work on that not happening! He will look at his books and in his own version count, say his abc's. I can understand him but most of you won't. But the best part is I taught him how to say, "I LOVE YOU", can you say water works, Yup I cried the biggest happy tears ever!! All of the hard work is showing!  I couldn't be any happier than I am right now!!

Brendan saying, "I love you momma"

Brendan saying, "my name is Brendan"

          Today we had to take Brendan to down to the school district pre school where we had to have what they call a Transitional Meeting. He will be eligible to start school when he turns 3. But of course it is a process. He has to go through a bunch of testing and meetings which is why we are starting now. As they sat there today and explained what school will be like for him I couldn't help but get chocked up. It is so scary to think he will go to school, I have the option to have him not start at 3 years old but we will make that decision as we continue to do our own research and get a feeling of what we think will be the best move for Brendan.
     I am sorry this post was so long but I just haven't had a second to write so I will try my best to post more!

September/Beginning of October Progress 2014-Brendan 29 months old(2 years old)

     

      The month of September just seemed to fly by so fast. We hosted our first fundraiser event to raise money for our Autism Speaks Team Brendan Walk.  I want to THANK EVERYONE who either came to our fundraiser event or who ordered online. The event was not only successful but it was also fun! We have been getting ready for the walk which is just 2.5 weeks away. My goal is to have this years walk be even bigger than last year. I hope you all come out and support Team Brendan and bring awareness to Autism!
                                          Brendan Loves this book!

      In September Brendan had an appointment with Dr Melmed. It was really just his normal 3 month check up. However these appointments bring me so much anxiety, nervousness and fear to me. I just can never prepare myself for these appointments. I just never know what they are going to say. I made Brian come with because it does help when I have someone there for support. Dr Melmed does a lot of talking with us and asks us questions on how everything is going. I felt as if I was giving him a pretty good update and letting him know that Brendan has made good progress. We got on the subject of his supplements. He asked me what he was taking, "we give Brendan a multivitamin and DHA all liquid form every morning." Dr Melmed said so you are not giving him any calcium?  I got a little flustered and said, "no, no one had suggested we give him any." He then began to explain to me that they had done a study at SARRC and kids who received 600mg of calcium a day showed an increase in there language skills. So he said go home and calculate how much you think he is getting a day and  to start giving him the amount to total 600mg a day. He then said he wanted to start Brendan on a supplement called DMG(Dimethylglycine). He wants to just do a trial for a month. He said they also did a study at SARRC and kids that took DMG showed an increase in their focus and better behavior. I was totally on board with both of the supplements. I did feel a little overwhelmed but knew I was going to go home and research the supplement for myself and then make the final decision. He then started to play and talk to Brendan. He then said when we come back in 3 months in December he wants Brendan to see the phycologist first and get a behavoir test done along with ADOS test again which will gives a better idea of where he is at on the spectrum. When he had the test done last year he tested on the severe side of the spectrum. So my fingers are crossed that we get a better result. I will keep you all posted when that happens. When we got home we discovered Brendan was only getting about 200mg of calcium a day so we immediately started him on the 600mg a day. We did that for about a week before we started the DMG to make sure he didn't have any reactions. We started the DMG and honestly I don't know if it is just coincedient but after the 3rd day of being on it 2 different therapist who didn't know he was on it made a comment about how engaged and focus he seemed. So I guess it is working. I have also noticed a difference in his focus. So we will continue the supplement and see how it goes.

         Brendan has decided to basically stop sleeping at night. He has been getting his 2 year old molars now for a couple months. The pain he has with them coming in really sends his sensory and sleep to another whole level. He has been waking up at 3:30,4am for the day or waking up 3-4 times a night. It really isn't fun for Brian or I. This has been going on for over a month. I am just at a loss of what to do. He goes to the dentist next week so I am looking forward to them looking at his molars and telling me how much more he has to go. When Haley was teething I would just give her Tylenol  or Motrin but with Brendan it is different. His gut(stomach) is so sensitive that I just don't have those options.
         Brendan's new favorite thing is to count 8,9,&10 and he also loves to say "bye, bye". His imitation skills have gotten so good. He will try and repeat most of the words you say. But the crazy thing is he will not speak unless you say the word first. So if I didn't speak to him all day he would be completely silent. So yes you all see him saying words on the videos that I post but he will not say them without someone helping him. I just hope that this will change someday. He has also started what I would call the bratty 2 year stage. Since it is natural as a mom when we don't want our kids doing something we say, "Brendan STOP". Well since he is so good at repeating he will just whine and say, "STOP" back to me and cry at the same time. I think because he has started to make some of his own choices that when he is wanting something and can't have it he really doesn't understand. This has been leading to LOTS of tantrums. But overall he is doing good. He brings such joy to my life and his therapist life. It is so nice when his therapist get just as excited as I do when he does something for the first time!

      We got the chance to take our family photos as we always do this time a year. We attempted to have them taken in June when we were in Huntington Beach but unfortunately Brendan wouldn't cooperate at we didn't get any pictures without Brendan crying. So I had no idea what Brendan was going to be like the second time around. I basically prepared myself for another disaster. Well let me just tell you he was in great mood that morning of pictures. Marnee Marriott who has taken my kids pictures since birth has the MAGIC touch. She was making Brendan laugh, he was telling her to "go" which he wanted her to run and tickle him. We had the best time getting our photos done. The pictures turned better than I ever could have imagined. I definitely can't wait to share the pictures but you all will have to wait until you get your Holiday card. Thank you Marnee for capturing such amazing memories of my family. She is absolutely the best and if you are in Arizona then you need to hire her www.marriottphoto.com
           I just really want to SAY THANK YOU again to everyone who has donated to Team Brendan. We have definietly made a name for ourselves in this autism community and I couldn't be more proud to share this journey with everyone.
You can donate here for Team Brendan:
http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/arizona/teambrendan14 

Get your Team Brendan Shirts, Tank Tops & Hats and help us raise money for Autism Speaks 2014

TEAM BRENDAN Shirts, Tank Tops & Hats

We now have Team Brendan shirts for sale. The money we raise for the shirts will be donated to Team Brendan Walk Now For Autism Speaks foundation walk. Even if you are not walking or live in another state you can still purchase a shirt and show your support. We have men's, ladies, children and toddler sizes. The adult short sleeve shirts are $20, The ladies Racer back tanks are also $20 and the kids shirts are $15. If you would like to purchase a shirt please email me at Brendanslifewithautism@gmail.com with your size and choice of shirt. If you would like me to ship it to you please include your address. I will send you an invoice with the options of how to pay. All orders must be placed by October 8th, 2014. Thank you for showing your support.

Short Sleeve Shirts for Men & Ladies-$20

 Youth & Toddler Shirts-$15

Mens sizes

Small, medium, large,X-large,2X-Large,3X-large,4X-large,5X-large

Ladies sizes

X-small, small, medium, large,X-Large,2X-large,3X-large

 *ladies if you don't want this fitted ladies shirt you can order the men's shirt

Youth sizes

X-Small(2-4),small(6-8),medium(10-12),large(14-16)

Toddler sizes

2T, 3T, 4T

Ladies Racer Back Tank Tops-$20

Ladies sizes

Small, medium, large, X-large, 2X-l

Mens Adjustable Hat-$15

Ladies Adjustable Hat-$15

The Racer Back Tanks will have the same design as the shirts!

  The Hats will have the autism ribbon on the front and it will say Team Brendan on the back!

   The Mens Hat is a structured mid-profile adjustable hook and loop closure!

The Ladies Hat is a unstructured low-profile adjustable tuck in strap

Brendan's Progress from End of July 2014 to the Beginning of September 2014-2 years old(28 months old)

   

           I honestly can't believe I am so far behind on blogging about Brendan's progress. But I am happy to report that overall he is doing great. He is making progress everyday! Life for the Schroeder's have just been extremely CRAZY! With Haley starting 2nd grade and all her after school activities has been a big adjustment. The homework she has been getting so far is completely overwhelming for me. But we are finally getting into a routine. Wedding season has arrived so I am back to working again. Taking most of the summer off was nice but time to get back to work on the weekends. As most of you know I have also started selling IT Works products. I am extremely passionate about this company. I LOVE all the products myself so I wanted to start selling them so my family and friends can enjoy them too. My goal was just to make an extra $200 or $300 a month but I have to tell you I passed that up in just under month and a half with the company. I now make a lot more in only being with the company for 3 months. The best part is I can do it all when the kids go to bed. It doesn't take anytime away from my crazy schedule during the day. This company is changing our lives and giving us the opportunity to add more therapy for Brendan. Thank you to all our family and friends who are helping me get my business going. Visit www.wraptogetfit.com and join my team if you are interested in making any extra money.
               This is Brendan at his cousin's birthday party at Pump it Up. He has no fear!

This is Brendan;s new favorite gesture he puts his finger by his mouth and says,"hmm" when he hears or is asked a question. It is so funny!

          Brendan has been doing amazing during therapy. He is mastering so much of his program that his therapist can't even keep up with him. My little man has a personality that will brighten your day. He makes me laugh 99% of the day. He is starting to imitate words however they are so random and sometimes are only a onetime thing. With his additional diagnoses of Apraxia it is really challenging for him to talk. But he is working so hard everyday to beat this. I mean I just can't express how proud of him I am. I know I have said it so many times but he is the hardest working 2 year old! I couldn't be a more proud MOM! Of course we have had our days that the last couple months that have been physical and mentally exhaust me but it is so worth it.

This is by far one of my favorite videos Brendan saying, "My Turn" for the first time

I have watched this video 50 times!!!!

Brendan Loved looking at Toys in a magazine

Brendan and Haley playing at the splash pad

     
Brendan is now learning to using his PECS cards on a sentence strip. So he is communicating with his pictures in a sentence!

Brendan mastering sorting!

     I am working really hard to make our 2nd annual Autism Speaks walk a success. Raising money and awareness is so important for Brendan's future. We would for you all to join us and walk on October 26th at 9:30am at Tempe Beach Park.  Please message me and I will give you more details.

Our 2nd Annual Autism Speaks Walk for Team Brendan 2014

 

       
            I honestly can't even believe it is that time of year again. We are preparing for our 2nd annual Autism Speaks Walk for Team Brendan. We had such an amazing first year last year. Our family was so overwhelmed with the amount of support everyone showed us. I have been working hard to make this year even bigger and better.
          The walk helps raise money for treatments, causes and finding a cure. We will be walking one mile in a group in support of Brendan at Tempe Beach Park. It will take place Sunday October 26th, 2014 at 9:30am.  This a walk is for the whole family to come out and enjoy. Strollers and wagons will be allowed however no pets, bikes or scooters are allowed on the walk. I will have Team Brendan shirt available if you haven't gotten a shirt yet. I am also adding women's tank tops and men and women's hats. I will be posting those soon for purchase.We would really love for you to join our team. Please register all walkers even kids. When you are on the home page of the walk website go to the left side and enter Team Brendan and then you can join our team.

http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1103084

            You are all invited after the walk to join us for a picnic lunch at Scottsdale McCormick Railroad park. We will have crafts and fun activities for the kids. This lunch is say thank you to you for supporting Brendan in his journey with Autism thus far. We couldn't have done this without all your support.

         This year I have put together a fundraising party. We are having the party on Sunday September 21st. You will have the chance to purchase Thirty-One bags, Origami Owl Jewelry and IT Works wraps. All of us distributors of each of the company's are donating a portion of our profits to Team Brendan. This is a chance to get a head start on some Christmas shopping. If you are unable to attend you can purchase all 3 of the products from the links I have listed below. Since I am the distributor of IT Works I am going to donate a portion of my sales for the whole month of September. So if have been wanting to sign up now is the time to do it! If you are already a loyal customer of mine your September orders will be included in this as well. So if you wanted to try out more of the products this is the month to do that! I hope you all will participate and help Team Brendan meet its fundraising goal.

Click here to start shopping Thirty-One Bags
http://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/eventhome.aspx?eventId=E4814119&from=DIRECTLINK

Click here to start shopping Origami Owl Jewelry
http://www.harkitsjen.origamiowl.com/parties/AutismSpeaksWalk444394/collections.ashx

Click here to start shopping IT WORKS
www.wraptogetfit.com 

             

Thank You EWING for Everything You Did For My Family!

     
           I am so excited to share with you a company that not only has amazing products but a company that is 100% involved in the community! A couple months ago I came a across a Facebook post that Autism Speaks posted about a company called EWING Irrigation who had close to 500 people participate in the P.F. Chang's Rock n Roll Marathon & half marathon. They were running to raise money for Autism Speaks. I immediately started to follow their company on Facebook. In late April I sent the company a letter sharing with them that I think it is amazing that they have a company who all gets together and supports a cause that will help change a child's a life. I shared how autism has effected my life. I shared some of Brendan's story with them and how much he LOVES being outside! I also explained to them that my husband works two jobs at 70 hours a week and that I would love nothing more than for him to spend his only day off once a week with his family and not outside doing yard work. I was inquiring about having them put artificial grass in our backyard. This is something I wanted to do for my husband and especially for Brendan. Within about 15 minutes of sending them my inquiry I got a response saying that they would love to help my family out! They offered to give us there cost on the green and they would do the installation for free. I was in complete shock! I was of course in tears and couldn't believe that they would offer to do something like this! You just don't hear of company's doing things like this anymore. I had decided to keep this a surprise from my husband and give it to him as a father's day gift/birthday gift since those were only 2 day's apart. He was so excited when he opened his gift and realized he was getting artificial grass. This truly meant that we could focus and enjoy more time as a family.

                                                                        BEFORE

           The regional manager Jake Ray had contacted me and said he was the one who was going to be handling the installation of our grass. We set up a time for him to come over and take a look at our backyard and do some measuring of the area we were putting the grass. Jake arrived at the house with Jeramy Webb who was a Ewing Service Professional from their Tucson location . I introduced them to Brendan and then we headed to the backyard. Jeramy who to me looked so young said to me, "I really enjoyed reading your blog. You have a lot of great information in it." I was honestly a little taken back because I thought what would a young man find so interesting about a blog with a child who had autism. It completely warmed my heart that my blog was spreading the awareness across all ages of people. He then says to me,"I sent your blog to Playfield USA the company that manufactures our grass and they have decided to donate your grass to you." I looked at Jeramy and Jake and immediately start to cry. There were no words that I could even form at that time. I really couldn't believe that this was happening. I express how grateful I was to Jake and he said,"you need to thank Jeramy he is the one that submitted your blog." I turned and gave Jeramy a big hug and of course continued to cry.  They both came inside and actually spend time with Brendan. They were amazed on how Brendan was communicating with his PECS(pictures) to get his wants and needs. It was super special that they asked questions and wanted to learn more about autism.
           July 22nd was here and it was the day the Ewing crew arrived to install the grass. I had the pleasure of meeting Roy Mosel the Manager of Ewing Scottsdale, Brian Lemieux Ewing Service Professional, Kyle Ellsworth Videographer with Ewing and of course Jake Ray and Jeramy Webb were also here. They had asked me prior if they could video the installation process because they wanted to do a "how to video" on installing the grass. Of course I said yes. These poor guys were outside working so hard in what ended up to be the hottest day of the year so far at 113 degrees outside. I just kept feeding them food and drinks to keep them alive in this heat. Brendan was having his therapy inside as he normally does except that he just kept asking to go outside. He wanted to go out and help the guys! lol When the guys were finished I asked them how they work in this heat all the time and they all said, "we don't we all work inside in the stores. We just came out to do your house." So if I already didn't feel special enough then they tell me that and I wanted to hug each one of them.

                                                                       AFTER

         My grass turned out better than I could of ever imagined it. Ewing is by far the most amazing company. Every single staff member that I have had the pleasure to work with as been generous, helpful and so nice. If any of you are wanting to get artificial grass or anything done to your yard, you or your landscaper can get materials and supplies at Ewing! They will not disappoint you. They will WOW you in every way possible!
    From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for everything you did for my family! Thank you for your all your support with Autism. I hope your company inspires other company's to get this involved in their community.

     Here is the information on the grass that was installed. The turf is Ewing Premium Synthetic (EPS) Turf www.epsturf.com and the manufacture is Playfield USA.  Also here is Ewing Irrigations website www. ewing1.com. Please visit their Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/ewingirrigation. They have locations all over Arizona and all over the United States.

 I also want to give a special thanks to Doug Fleming from Fleming Sprinkler/Landscape for doing all the prep work prior to our grass going in!

So much progress in just 3 weeks mid July-Brendan 2 years old

                          I have decided that every couples months Brendan just needs to take a vacation from therapy. Since we have come back from vacation he has been working harder than ever and making lots of progress. A break definitely works for him to just let go and have fun! Brendan has been introduced to lots of new skills the last couple weeks and he has exceeded everyones expectations. I normally over load you with lots of words but today I am going to over load you with videos of Brendan!