King Noah and King Opie

Dear Noah...you still sleep in strange positions sometimes

I have gone in a few times to check on you and still find you in strange sleeping positions...like on your back with your legs crossed and up over your chest....or like this....sitting and leaning over ....you also still usually completely cover up including your head with your afghan.

You must be comfortable as you were sleeping really well...I would think it would cut your circulation off.

You still rarely sleep under the covers on a bed. I am the same way. We sleep on top and cover up with an afghan.

Love you Noah ...to the moon and back again...and again and again and again and again...forever and ever and ever.......

Mom
XOXOXOX

Dear Noah.........

As I sit here today on a misty Monday morning I am thinking back on your life and our time so far together and how incredible it has been. How challenging it all started out and while there are still some challenges, it is nothing like it all began. You have made huge progress in your personal life and also with school and I am grateful for that and so happy for you. I feel more assured you will be "just fine" as you get ready to be out on your own one day. This does ease my mind to a great degree.

I also have noticed such a huge difference when we started to home school you compared to when you were still attending public school. So much LESS stress all the way around and you have actually thrived. I would highly recommend homeschooling to anyone to consider.

I am proud of you Noah and know you will accomplish whatever you set your mind to.

I love you!

Mom
XOXOXOX

Dear Noah........ACT scores are in...........

Got Noah's ACT test scores and he scored VERY well and is ready for college according to those scores as well - In fact, I always worried a bit about reading, even though he does well (due to his comprehension needing a lot of work over the years) and English (because he had a huge speech language delay starting out) but he always loved books and reading and was very good with grammar and context and vocabulary. I have to say he scored in the top 10% in the NATION on that. We were both a little stunned but also happy and thankful to know he is indeed learning a lot being homeschooled and has retained it! Anyway...he had been afraid to look at his scores so I looked first...and then called him in later to look and he left with a big smile on his face.

Towards the end of each school year, about now, I always start to as myself, "Have we done enough?" or I wonder if he has learned anything ...etc. Then I get his portfolio together of his assignments and work he completed throughout the year, his test scores, etc. and I am always so surprised to see how MUCH he completed in each year. That affirmation is HUGE and keeps us going. I am NOT a big supporter of test taking and placing kids with certain numbers here or there on some graph or scale or chart...as there are so many more important things in the mix to vary those results.......but I do admit that Noah's test scores have built up his confidence level and make him feel good about himself and makes me realize I am teaching him apparently well enough that he is where he needs to be in life at this moment at least. He has come a LONG way for sure! With each step he takes we are getting him closer to his goals. That is a good thing!

Dear Noah........driving.......and college admission testing......

I cannot believe how well you are doing and how fast you are becoming a young adult man. Does not seem possible to me. Since you decided you wanted to go to college we began that process. Next year for your senior year you will actually be doing college courses for college credit that you can one day transfer towards a degree you have tentatively picked out. Since a photo ID is required...and  you decided to start driving now after all instead of waiting till later...we decided you may as well go take your written test and get your temps so you can have a photo ID and start driving.

You did very well on the test...and now have your temps.

Next up was the Compass test for our local/state community college admissions requirement. You took that on Thursday afternoon and finished in like half the time it normally takes and you passed it very well.

Even though you would not have to take the ACT test..or at least not now...we had scheduled you for it anyway so you took that today. You feel you did very well on it...but we don't have those scores yet. Time will tell.

However, with each success your confidence is building. You become more comfortable with yourself and growing up...with driving...with realizing you are learning and retaining things here with homeschool......and it is wonderful to see all this come to pass right before my eyes.

Looking back I often wondered what things might be like when you got older. I am becoming much more confident too that you will accomplish anything you set your mind to.....and you will be just fine.

You certainly have lots of plans.....and while our lives are changing and maybe even our roles to some degree....I am so thankful I have you in my life and have been able to share it with you and be able to teach you here at home. I really have loved that. We don't spend nearly the time together now as we did in the past...and I do miss that...and yet I know it is inevitable and something I need to just accept and go with that flow...as it prepares to take you down the waters of your life one day.

SO my little man........I wish you only the very best life has to offer.

I love you more than ever.

Mom
XOXOXO

Dear Noah..........you got your temps today!

and I cannot believe you will be 18 by the end of the year and will get your license shortly after that. Where has the time gone? Whether I or you are ready for this or not........you are almost grown and ready to be on your own!

I love you Noah and only wish the very best life has to offer you....I hope all your dreams come to pass as you have them planned and you will be happy and be loved always.

Mom
(I will love  you to the moon and back, again and again, forever and ever and ever ........)
XOXOXO

Dear Noah...........college prep? oh my

Not even finished with your junior year and we are already talking about college prep classes next year at our local college starting in the fall.

I cannot even begin to process all the upcoming events and changes. Life is a bit of a whirlwind right now.

Hanging on tight for this ride!

love you my little man....yes...you will always be my little man to me

Mom
XOXOX

Dear Noah.....high school and getting ready for college

I still cannot believe you are a junior in high school and now you have changed your mind and DO want to go to college...and not just like a local community college, but you would like to go "away" to college, like Ohio State University's MEGA bucks college. "Away from home." Key words for me...AWAY from home.

My job as your MOM has been to continue to homeschool you but also teach you life skills to get you ready to be on your own one day, which would probably be difficult enough with your high-functioning autism, but now we add into the mix getting you ready to attend college, and possibly "away" from home one day. We have a lot to do and we are busy preparing you now to begin college next year locally as part of the College Credit Plus program. We are hoping you can complete 2 years of local college here and then you can transfer if you still want to and have financing arranged, to OSU one day. This will allow you to bypass some of the more traditional university requirements, and hopefully be a slightly easier transition. I still have a lot of anxiety not only about the living away from home, as there are many things you still flat our refuse to do for yourself, but also some of the more stringent requirements any college will place in your lap.

So, we are moving ahead, getting a little more anxious sometimes as time passes but trying to hang in there. This year you will also probably begin to learn to drive, trying to time that just right for many reasons, including insurance, financial, etc.

Taking a big, deep breath here.........and let's just try to do this!

I love you!!  Always will.

Mom
XOXOXO

Dear Noah.........getting settled in after the move.......

So we finally got moved into our new apartment. You are slowly getting your room put together the way you want it. I gave you  my bed and mattress and you even wanted my satin bedding.......next will be the satin sheets lol.......the top pic is before you put some of your plushies back in your room. I asked if you still wanted to put them in your room and you said yes......so the 2nd pic is after some of their arrival! Your shelves are going into your closet. Once we bring over the things from our storage locker your home design books and some other things will go inside the closet on those shelves. We got a hanging cubby for your socks and some items of clothing...you want to hang most of your T-shirts you said...so it is all working out little by litte.

I still feel like we are living in a hotel of sorts. It has taken me the last few weeks to recover from the move....so I have not yet gone to our locker to bring over more items to put away and I have not really hung anything yet on our walls. All that will come in time.

Looking forward to this next chapter of our lives....and getting you ready to graduate and go to college...which I still partly refuse to accept or process haha.

Love you my little (young) man!

Mom
XOXOX

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

So....I have been absent because we have been moving. It just worked out that we had to move then right between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I would never advise anyone to do that. We did still manage to get a simple tree up and a couple of decorations. I have actually already unpacked everything I brought here so far, but still have some things to organize and other things to bring over from the storage locker. We did not officially even get the keys to the new place till Dec 17....and we took small loads over till the 20th when all the large stuff went. Little by little we got moved  but wow.....talk about stressful and it did not seem like Christmas because we had no downtime to even think about it much. I did try regardless, because I love Christmas.....it just seemed so odd this year....and no snow but TONS of rain and high winds!



Anyway, making time to just wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas and hope you have a blessed and Happy New Year!

Dear Noah - Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great Thanksgiving this year....your aunt and uncle came up from Florida along with your cousin and his girlfriend and daughter....we had a great visit and they brought some cool gifts from Florida and Columbia....and T-shirts that said I Survived the Lincoln Family Thanksgiving 2015 ......of course there were poses of every person taken with funny turkey hats on..... all in all another good time....wow..your 17th birthday is quickly approaching. Where has the time gone? I love you! Mom XOXOXOX

Dear Noah....third time's the charm!

Finally got your new extra pair of glasses. Your vision has not changed in the past couple of years, which is good, but you wanted a 2nd pair of glasses to change things up from time to time. The ones you originally chose though, only lasted 2 days before cracking and the lens falling out. When we got the replacement for that pair, upon picking up the glasses at the eye doctor's office, that pair cracked before we even left. You picked a 3rd pair but chose a slightly different design from another company and those so far have held up great.

Here is your new 2nd look....

 

We went to the local public school last night for information on transitioning from high school to life on your own and college. It was somewhat informative and we picked up some information that we will definitely be able to investigate further. 

On our way into the building there were cheerleaders outside. You were very worried about them seeing you..or so I thought. In reality you were afraid I think of having to see them....because as we walked past them to get inside the building, you told me you were going to try to not pay any attention to them and you actually turned your head and looked away. I asked you why this would bother you so much and you said you felt like if you looked, you were betraying your girlfriend.

Wow...I think I have brought you up right! What girlfriend would not want her boyfriend to think like that and actually take steps to prevent themselves from perhaps being tempted? I did explain to you later at home it is pretty natural for men or women to "look" at the opposite sex, but the fact that you were aware of it and wanted to keep it in check and took steps to do so was pretty impressive to me. Any girl would be lucky to have you as a boyfriend!

I love you my young man who is growing up to be quite the adult.

To the moon and back, again and again, to infinity and beyond!

Mom

XOX

Dear Noah...where has my little man gone?

Dear Noah........where has this little boy gone???

Dear Noah - Doctor Who begins again ........and you and your scarf are ready

You were all set for the Doctor Who Season to begin last week.........yes...we are both Whovians.....

Dear Noah........I donated all my old preschool and elementary teaching resources to Goodwill today.........

Bittersweet day today. I took all my old preschool and elementary teaching resources over to donate to Goodwill. Part of me did not want to ever let that part of my life go, as I really loved teaching Noah and using all those resources. I am one of those who loves it when school supplies come out in the fall, as I love to find all sorts of teaching resources to buy. I was thrilled when I was finally able to have an excuse and reason to actually BUY things to use when I decided to homeschool Noah. I had everything all organized, all sorts of books, many unused with worksheets and CDs, papers, stickers, backpacks, notebooks, maps, microscopes, telescopes, invisible frogs and human models, games, puzzles, reading books, and even an entire set of Bible cards and notes that came in these tiny trunks, many unopened and unused. I hope I got anything Noah did out from the boxes I donated. I believe I did. I guess if not oh well, too late now. We had some wonderful resources in there, including when we studied Egypt and all the wonderful things Noah created during that time. Many great history resources. Anyway....... Part of me thought well maybe I should keep all of these, as maybe I will use them again one day...not sure how or when or with whom, but then I decided no, they have all been sitting here in boxes for some time now, and someone else could surely use them and appreciate them and be excited to receive them. Not sure the Goodwill was the best place to donate them, but they seemed excited to get it all. I hope they set up a little Back to School or Teacher's Aid section in their store, and not just dump and mix these things in with everything else. lol When I saw them wheel the boxes away and into their receiving area, I think they took a piece of my heart right along with them on that cart.

Dear Noah - First official field trip of the year, The Lincoln Funeral Train exhibit

 

Today we took our first official field trip for the school year to see the Lincoln Funeral Train exhibit in Troy, Ohio. It was pretty awesome and we got to go inside as well and check things out. They have re-created everything (they said) as it would have been on the real train. The Presidential bedroom suite Lincoln never got to sleep in the bed. He was killed before that ever happened so his ride was in the casket.

Great Darke County Fair 2015

I always have Noah pose so I can take a photo of him at the same spot every time we go to the fair.

I found this interesting to look back at just the past few years so here are photos from him posing at the same spot from 2010, 2012 and 2015

Noah you have turned into a young man ......

Dear Noah.........I keep wondering where my little man has gone

I know you are in there somewhere still.......hard to believe in December you will turn 17 years old!

I love you , to the moon and back again, and again and again and again, to infinity and beyond, forever and ever and ever.

Mom
XOXOXOX

Dear Noah.......SCHOOL is out for summer!

Well...I am happy to say you successfully completed another year. We have a few things planned for summer.......but you did a great job and I look forward to next year of school with you! You will basically be done with your required subjects at the end of next year to graduate....so we may do your senior year with post-secondary or college courses. We will see......maybe we will do a more specialized study of sorts.

I love you!

Mom
XOXOXOX