Luke's 7th birthday party!! (Pirate themed)
The Birthday Boy!!
I truly can not believe I am the mother of a 7 year old! Luke is one of the most hardworking and genuinely sweet boys I know. He puts forth such an effort every single day to do what is expected. We are so incredibly proud of him. From the time he was diagnosed with autism(at the age of 3) until now he has made such amazing progress! When he was diagnosed he was barely verbal. He would label a few things and would use a few single words to communicate what he wanted. (He did echo a few phrases also) Then he began early intervention preschool and he slowly began coming out of his shell. I'll never forget the day that I asked him for a kiss and he leaned in and gave me one for the first time! Before that day he would allow you to kiss him and hold and cuddle with him but never gave kisses. When he started kindergarten we also began private ABA therapy twice a week which provided really great results. He now is able to answer many questions, observe and comment, label most things, request and ask a few Wh questions. Which is really amazing considering where we started. He has always had a good sense of humor also! He makes us laugh all the time! He is always smiling and loves birthday parties and family get togethers. You should see the way his face lights up when everyone sings Happy Birthday!(and not just at his own party lol) He does blow out everyone's candles for them though! At school he is placed in an autism inclusion class which means for most of the day he is in a smaller class, but is integrated in to the regular ed first grade. The other children are so kind and accepting which I am so grateful for. My biggest fear was that he would not be treated well or be misunderstood. The kids are also extremely encouraging. They take note that they share commonalities and want to see him succeed. Luke learns so much from them also. He presented a show and tell project to the whole class recently. Which included telling his classmates about our family beach vacation. I was so nervous for him, but the teachers said he did amazing.(They actually said he gave a rockstar performance lol) All the kids clapped and from what I was told at the IEP meeting he's already a bit of a ladies man(always gravitating towards the group of girls in morning meeting) and they will ask Luke to demonstrate known skills and he happily complies and loves the attention they give him lol. He has a certain charming quality. This year he has really shown an increased desire to share things with us and chooses to be involved in more and it's just really nice to see.
This little man is always cracking everyone up with his observations. You never know what to expect to come out of his little mouth. The other day he was being babysat my my mom and she commented that there was a hippo on tv(she just looked to quickly ha) and he corrected her by saying "Mommom that is not a hippo that is a rhinoceros..Awkward!" Lol! He also has to be the most dramatic boy that ever existed.
Cole
Emily( Queen bee )
She's tougher than she looks lol. I have no worries in life this girl will stand up for herself with the attitude she already has at 14 months!
Treasure map cake
Note: I did not dry out my fondant decorations, because I made them the morning of the party ..(Yes I'm that last minute) lol Which posed a problem with the mermaid tails. They were falling over. I made a little stack of rocks to hold them up, luckily I'm pretty good at solving creative problems. lol
Pirate tattoos are a must have!
as well as eye patches
No i wasn't crazy enough to give these out lol (My mom bought them)
They did look cute out on the table though!
You did such a wonderful job with the pirate theme!! So happy to hear that he's doing better and improving every day!! It's really wonderful that the other kids are supportive of him - especially at such a young age - because kids can be really mean...glad that's not the case for Luke!!
ReplyDeleteSuch a cute idea! The cupcakes and cake look awesome!
ReplyDeleteWow! Amazing job on all the sweets!
ReplyDeleteI love that pirate ship cupcake stand, so cute! So happy to hear that Luke is in such a wonderful environment that meets his needs so well! That really makes a huge difference in any child!
ReplyDeleteWow! What an awesome party! I can't believe you decorated those cupcakes - super mom much?! ;-)
ReplyDeleteYour kids are so cute!! How wonderful that the kids at Lukes school are so kind to him, and accepting of their differences. Kids these days can be such little shits (excuse my language), so it's great hearing that there are still respectful and well raised kids out there.
Cracks me up that your mom brought pixie sticks - my mom would definitely pull the same thing!! Grandmas...I swear!
Have a great day!! XO
Thanks so much! Lol I know! I think that the reason they are so accepting is due to the fact that they are included from the start. As compared to when I was in growing up and the special needs class was basically secluded. It seems like when you introduce them when they are little, they are more willing to be accepting and are more curious. As opposed to never being exposed to someone that is a bit different until they are older and not feeling able to relate.(Which is why it just drives me crazy that some people are opposed to inclusion!) The school plays a big part in the children's involvement. They encourage the kids to ask questions and give opportunities to volunteer in the IU classroom. They start out having kind of a care taker like relationship(where they are so excited and encouraging when Luke and his classmates get a task accomplished) but over the years it progresses to friendship(from what I've been told). They are like their little cheerleaders! They even push the kids that use wheelchairs to the lunch room and classes. They literally beam with pride and they do their best to engage them. I saw them taking some of the kids to the lunchroom once when I was there for a meeting. It was adorable!
DeleteOh and the Pixie sticks, haha only grandparents!
i kinda want a pirate cake for myself!! this turned out wonderfully, and congrats on all of luke's progress!
ReplyDelete