Lamb kids =0)

I payed Drake and Seth a dollar each to get their pictures taken, is that bad?
No, he is not "smiling", but Drake is trying his best which is all I ask=0)
This has got to be one of my most favorite pictures of Adree!=0)
Seth is such a handsome little man!=0)

Okay, so I really don't have much to blog about other than I've been trying to go through things and finish any half finished projects in order to get them packed up. These pics were taken at the kids daycare and normally I don't pay much attention to what they do (they take pictures like 4 times a year), but when I noticed how cute they were dressing up the kids and posing them, I made sure that all of the kids had theirs done. Normally I just get the kids pictures from school and I always take like a thousand others during the year, but last year Drake's pictures turned out to be such a fiasco that I decided I would save myself the trouble of doing it through the school this year.
Drake has High-functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome, he is such a good kid, but last year Drake had a a regular teacher who knew that it was obvious that Drake had a problem. Honestly I feel bad for his teacher because Drake does need special treatment. For instance, Drake went to go have his picture taken at the school..you send money before hand and Drake's teacher decided that the 4Th graders were responsible to take their own money to the photographer! BIG MISTAKE!! This is a child who cannot remember to bring his coat home, backpack, homework, etc. consistently. Big deal right? Okay, most kids forget things right? Drake is incapable of remembering anything at all unless I, his sister, one of the daycare ladies, his teacher, or Lee remind him several times before and after school or where ever he is going that day. Anyway, back to the pictures last year...Drake must have forgotten to take his picture money with him (it was a money order) and it wasn't until Adree and Seth had brought home their pictures that I realized Drake didn't have his. I called his teacher and asked what happened to his pictures...his teacher said he didn't have any. I prodded Drake until I finally figured out that he had forgotten his money and when he realized what he had done, Drake threw away the envelope with the money! Urgh! I was mad, but also at his teacher.
It wasn't until the end of the year after they let Drake fail for quite sometime and us calling the school multiple times to have him tested and had several very long meetings with the school counselor...that we were able to determine through a pediatrician's visit what the source of Drake's problems are. I am glad to know once and for all what it is and what we can do for it, but at the same time I don't want Drake to labeled for the rest of his life. He is a great kid, very smart, happy, never gets in trouble...but he doesn't know how to talk to kids his age (he only likes adults and little kids) he looks like he's scowling all the time, but really it's more he gets overwhelmed easily and overstimulated. He has the emotional capacity of a six or seven year old, in essence he is not a pre-teen at all. His motor skills are poor in several areas such as, writing, using scissors, drawing as well as he has a speech impediment. I had a friend point out to me that he is still the exact same kid as always, which is true...it' s hard for others to understand him if they don't deal with him on a regular basis though.
Adree has friends in the ward that invited us over for dinner and I just took Adree and Seth with me and left Drake with Lee at home. These friends asked why I hadn't brought Drake too and sometimes instead of worrying him with a new situation and listening to him shout (he has no volume control, not sure why on that..) random things at these poor people all the way through dinner, I just let him stay home in his own little world. I work on Sunday mornings while Adree goes to church (she usually takes Seth too) and Drake asked me why I don't have him go too "Well", I confessed to him "I'm not sure what's going to come out of your mouth when I'm not there and so, you can just stay home unless I'm going too." Which is sad...but true! He just shrugged and went back to playing with his Legos.
I really didn't mean to sit here and spill my guts, but I' m sure at least my family has wondered why I haven't shared what is going on with Drake. My friend is right..he hasn't changed and labeling him only explains things, it doesn't define him as an individual. I love you DrakeE. =0)