Jake's 1st day - La Maternelle!

Today was pretty low key for Jake even though it was his first day of Kindergarten. He's old hat at this school business, having been to JK last year. They don't have JK/SK out here, so for a lot of the kids in his class, this was their first time being separated from Mom and Dad. Not for Jake. He barely looked back when I dropped him off. Admittedly, he was a little shy and i think it might take a few more days before he really acts himself and meets some new friends. Jake will be attending French Immersion this year and we have no qualms at all that we will adjust to that as easily as he does everything else that is thrown his way.

Jake enjoying a moment and a pep-talk with Dad before going to school

Jake with his new teacher, Mme. Heather

We are still trying to figure out how I'll be juggling the transportation/before and after school care situation for Jake every morning. I just can't be at two places at once with having to drive the Brothers to their program downtown every morning, so we are trying to find a fun program for Jake to go to. The school bus situation is terrible in this city at the moment. Given the current boom in Calgary, coupled with the terrible labour shortage, they do not have enough bus drivers for the kids and I heard today that they have cancelled something like 49 school bus routes even though there has been a 2% increase in enrollment. Aunt Shelley - you sure you don't want to move out here???

Owen & Auntie Boom - Resemblance?

Boom Chica Boom

Thank you Jen!!!

Auntie Boom's friend Jen was kind enough to bring Steph out for a visit on one of her passes (she works for an airline). They arrived last Monday and left on Wednesday and we were all so happy to have them with us. The boys all took to Jen immediately and Auntie Boom will probably wish for me to ignore the fact that Jake was quite taken by her. We know Auntie Boom is still his favourite.. don't worry.

We spent a lazy first day with the girls and Owen, Will and Jake enjoyed some quality time. Diane, Dana and Emily were all in Edmonton for a few days, so we took the opportunity to leave Dad at home with the Brothers, since we know how much they hate long car rides, and we drove to Banff for the day. The weather was up and down, cloudy then clear, cold then hot, but we managed to enjoy ourselves all the same. We took another gondola ride up Sulpher Mtn in Banff and still got to see some great views.

The only downside to the day was having to put up with Jake's whining. He's been getting better since we moved out here, but ick.. it's still there when he wants to turn it on.

I'm happy to say that we got another person hooked on the show Nip Tuck. I have become absolutely addicted to this show, I must say. Thanks to Bronwyn for giving me her copy of its 1st season, which I watched on our drive out west.. now I can't get enough of it. I got Diane and Jonathan on board and we spent nearly every single night watching it, then we made our way through season two. (Yay! Finally a show Jonathan will watch with me!). Jen got suckered in while she was here and I promised that I will be mailing her the dvd's when we are finished with them so she can continue to get hooked on the drama, as am I. --For those of you you have never seen it, don't watch it in front of little ones.

Our second night with our visitors had Dana, Emily and Diane back with us and we feasted on a fondue that wasn't as easy to prepare as we thought it would be. Let's just say that the cheese just didn't do what it was supposed to. But that's alright.. everyone was there for the chocolate anyway. We also enjoyed a night around the firepit and Jen hid the marshmellows from Jake. Hmm.. I wonder where they could be?
We really did have a great time with the girls. We put up with a lot of bad singing, one too many songs down memory lane from the old William G. Miller days.. but we paid Jen and Steph back with instilling the Signing Time songs permanently in their brains. "Do you know the colours of the rainbow?" or "1-2-3-4-5 a day. Eating in a healthy way".
Even though she isn't a good singer, despite the fact that our Nanna told her she was, and even though she's a pain in the butt.. I couldn't be happier that Auntie Boom has this job with the airline so that we might hopefully enjoy a lot more drop-in visits like this one. And Jen is welcome to stay with us anytime, with or without her singing partner. Besides, it would be more relaxing than lugeing around Calgary with your husband's buddy...

Strike a Pose

Animal Watch

We have seen a lot of cool things since we've been here and we have really enjoyed keeping our eyes peeled for animals while on our drives. We've seen countless elks, mountain sheep, roaming cows and horned bulls crossing the highways and grazing in the shoulder, deer, one grizzly, pelicans (did you know that they migrate to Calgary in the summer??? who would have thunk it?) and far too many ground squirrels to care about. It's always cool when you spot one and on our drive into Banff with Dana and Emily, we were so lucky to see at least 8 elk, grazing in the trees alongside the Banff Springs Golf Course. We grabbed a couple of shots:

not such a clear pic, but this is a mother and her baby

isn't he beautiful?

Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

The boys have enjoyed a few trips to the Calgary Zoo already this summer. Thanks in large part to their very affordable annual passes for the kids and because they are special needs, we (as parents) get in for free as their aides! You can't go wrong when you get a family annual pass for only $36!!!

The zoo is in a great location; it is nearly right downtown and right off the main highway that runs through the city. They have a great assortment of animals and I would say it is very comparable to the Toronto Metro Zoo, but it is a lot more family-friendly feeling. It doesn't feel like you are walking miles and miles in the hot sun to get from one pavillion to the other, either. I am told that we have to make it an annual tradition to go to the "Zoo Lights" at Christmas time, where they open it up in the evenings and the whole zoo is alit with Christmas lights. Can't wait!!!

Jake doing his impersonation of "Where's Waldo?"

Diane and Will in one of the beautiful garden pavillions. This one was next to a butterfly pavillion that was especially pretty, but reminded us of Ontario with its humidity! We don't miss that!

more Golden and Boo

One of the coolest points of the trip up Kicking Horse is that the gondola passes over a grizzly refuge that is home to BC's infamous Boo the Bear. I had never heard of Boo before, but even in the short time that we have lived here, we have heard several references to him on the radio. He is the subject of many controversial conversations in Alberta and BC, from what we gather. Here is Boo's bio:

THE STORY OF CARI AND BOO
Orphaned Grizzly Bear Cubs

Cari and Boo became orphans on June 4, 2002 when a man illegally shot and killed their mother off the side of Highway 26 outside of Wells near Quesnel, BC. The frightened cubs scrambled up a 50-foot-tree and would not budge. It took conservation officers a full day to retrieve them from their hiding spot.

The Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife was contacted by the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection to see if a permanent home could be provided for the two orphaned cubs. Grouse Mountain agreed and the baby bears were flown to Vancouver.

The cubs were named Cari and Boo after the region in which they were born. The bears can be differentiated by the colour of their fur. Cari's coat is slightly darker than Boo's.
At the time of their rescue near Quesnel, the cubs weighed about 12 pounds each. In late August 2002 when they moved into their habitat atop Grouse Mountain, they weighed approximately 90 pounds. As of June 2003, both cubs weighed approximately 225 pounds and are expected to reach an adult weight of 600-900 pounds.

Cari and Boo have moved to their permanent habitat at the Kicking Horse Mountain Grizzly Bear Refuge, the world's largest enclosed protected grizzly bear habitat.
The man who shot and killed their mother has been convicted of two B.C. Wildlife Act violations and fined $9000.

...sadly, Cari died in 2004 of an accidental spontaneous twist in his small intestine while in hibernation. Boo continues to live in the refuge and can sometimes be spotted by 'eagle eyes' riding the gondola above. Fortunately for Dana, Emily and I, Jake is the proud wearer of the 'Eagle Eye' title and he spotted Boo for us on our trip up on the mountain. The picture may not be clear, but it was still exciting for us!



We weren't nearly as lucky as Diane was. Her cousin who she went to visit in Golden, is married to one of two refuge staff whose entire job is to monitor and care for Boo. When Diane went to visit, she was brought right to the refuge (where only staff are allowed) and was able to take some amazing pictures:

Diane's view of Boo

On Top of the World!

You'll have to check out the link in this post's title to get more information on Kicking Horse Resort. At the top of the mountain, we enjoyed a delicious brunch in their Eagle's Eye Restaurant. You'll also find a weekly journal that charts Boo's activities and you can read about all the controversy that surrounds Boo.

Yoho & Kicking Horse

Our pictures just don't do it justice.

Lucky for us, while Diane was staying with us, her aunt and uncle also flew into town from Ontario to make the drive out to Golden, BC, where Di's cousin lives. I volunteered to drive them all to Golden. They didn't believe me when I said it was no trouble, but I wasn't lying when I said I was selfish because it was the perfect opportunity to see somewhere I had never been before. Golden is situated about an hour/hour and a half past Lake Louise, right off the Trans Canada Hwy. When making the drive, you actually get to go through Banff National Park and then Yoho National Park. What I didn't realize until I made the trip, was that the mountain ranges take on a completely different look as you transition from one to the next. Forgive my lack of geographical knowledge and I know many people will think I'm an idiot.. but I had no idea that mountains could look so different!

The views were absolutely stunning and we were very fortunate to have such beautiful weather. After doing the drive with Diane and her family, I decided to do it again with Dana and Emily and Jake. Again, the weather didn't disappoint. Take a look at some of the scenery we got to see.

This view was taken from atop Kicking Horse Mtn

Jake on the gondola ride up Kicking Horse Mtn

Those little people you see are Dana, Emily and Jake

This site won't let me add any more photos, so I will include them in another post.

Our Little O-Dog

So here's a quick Owen update. Without a programme to talk about, it's tough to sum up how the boys have been progressing. It reminds me of the early days in the boys' lives where everytime a grandparent called, we had to give them their latest birth and weight updates from their latest doctor's appointment.

Anyways.. Owen has been a happy little boy. I would say that his favourite part about moving to this new house is the backyard. We have a great layout now, that allows the boys to come and go out the back door that runs from our rec room (if we leave the door unlocked) and the boys can play in the fenced-in backyard. We have windows all along our main floor from the kitchen through to the rec room and we can keep our eye on them. Owen particularly loves this freedom and he spends a lot of time playing in the sandbox (which was in the yard before we got here), or playing on the slide. He loves it and I love watching him.

Owen has been really playing well with Jake as well and it has been fun to watch the two of them interact. It seems that socially, Owen is coming along really nicely. His relationship with Dad has really blossomed and that is probably one of the nicest things to see. It's hard to believe that this is the same little boy who months ago, would not let Jonathan even pick him up. Now they cuddle on the couch together.

We are pretty anxious to get the new picture exchange programme in place once the behaviour consultant starts working with O. I can't wait to see how he progresses with his communication and I am sure he'll love the independence it gives him. One thing that we can say for sure about O and the changes he has recently gone through with this move is that his tantrums have got so much worse. That cry that he has can really drive you CRAZY! He milks it for all its worth too. We typically go through an hour long cry every morning while he tries to wait us out in an effort to have a bottle of milk. We have successfully been beating him at this game (mostly), by outlasting him until he gives in and eats breakfast first. Feeding and expanding Owen's diet continues to be our most difficult challenge. We have succeeded in giving him at least 20 mL of Ensure (a nutritional supplement drink) in his milk at every bottle.. it's a start! We are hoping to increase that to half a bottle. Next step will be from bottle to cup.

We hope that soon we'll have lots of positive updates on Owen for you!

Life in Calgary is Good!

My excuse for not keeping up with the blog is that everyone that usually reads this has been here with us!! Just kidding.. but we have had visitors with us since the day we moved in and we have been so busy enjoying our time with them, that I haven't had time to sit at the computer. But sadly, Emily and Dana left us this morning, Diane left us on Friday and now we are all on our own. Don't worry though. We are doing alright and actually looking forward to settling into real life, or at least, creating our new life. It will be interesting to see if we remember what life is like when it's just the five of us.

So here we are, six weeks into our new home and we love it as much as we did the first week. I can't say it enough. This city is the place to be. I love that we can hop in our car and go for drives into the mountains and always find new stunning things that we haven't seen before. We feel spoiled rotten.

The boys are all doing great. I'll post some separate blogs on each of their progress. Things are moving along wonderfully in regards to the funding and establishment of the programs for the kids. Jake starts kindergarten at a French Immersion school this week and the twins start their Nursery School program on Thursday. It looks like it might be one more month before the final implementation of funding/programming kicks in with our ABA provider and we have yet to know how much of that we will be granted, but I am more than hopeful that it will be exactly what we need for Owen and Will. In the interim, our agency provider and social worker have been advocating for us and have got the approval to give us a behavioural consultant for 10 hours a week for each of the twins. This person will be the same who will eventually work with the boys full time once the real programme kicks in. She will be working on some specific behavioural goals with the boys, in our home, every afternoon. Some of the goals we will be working on with Owen, for example, are the implementation of a picture exchange communication program, the reduction of tantrums, etc. The difference between the behavioural consultant and the programme that starts in a month will be that it will lack the really specific strategies to achieve these goals and the psychology/programming behind it. We are just thrilled that they were able to provide us with this service in the meantime.

This service has already been granted to us in addition to respite care, a community aide who will work with the boys out in the community, a small clothing allowance, light housekeeping and a diaper grant. It's unbelievable and we are thrilled that all of our income might actually be able to go towards typical bills and expenses and not just all the extras that have come with the boys.

Jonathan is still stressed about his job situation. He has a placement at a private school to begin on Tuesday so there is no need to worry. He is still hoping to find a placement within the board, but it looks like they are still in the process of filling positions with pre-existing/returning teachers first. I am sure he will hear something in the next two weeks.

Me? I'm still the housewife/taxi driver/administrator/nurse/hostess/researcher/blogger. Life goes on as per usual, no matter where I live. :) I'm happy. I am thinking about registering for a class or two for the winter semester through correspondence though. It would be nice to get my brain working again without it being totally preoccupied by household or autism related stuff. We'll see.

Life In Our New Home:

When Owen and Will are not fighting, they are really learning how to play together nicely. Okay, maybe not exactly play, but at least tolerate each other's presence. Diane took this picture and she swears that the boys sat for over an hour together like this.

What will we do when the boys outgrow the wagon???

Diane and the boys pose for a pretty pictures in front of a garden at the Zoo. There's Owen's Popeye pose

Dad continues to impress - scratch that, embarrass us - with his rediscovery of his high school cheerleading moves. Actually, what you can't see is the trampoline in front of the pool that he bounced from and Owen and Will signing "more" over and over again. They love it!

Will and Jake at play with Popeye in the park

We love our backyard firepit and have spent several nights making Smores. We miss Bronwyn's expertise!