Horse Show!

As you know, Owen receives Hippotherapy at Special Strides since September of 2009. Http://www.specialstrides.com/ It's a great place in Monroe. This year was the 2nd Annual Country Fair and Horse Show and Owen participated. It was a fundraiser for Special Strides as they are a not for profit organization.

He had a blast, and everyone came out to see our little man ride. We got to the Fair late because of horrible traffic, and just walked around and played some games until it was time for Owen's show at 4:10pm. Sarah came with us as well. Aunt Daneen, Uncle Pete and the girls were there when we arrived along with Aunt Corey. Grandma and Pop Pop came later and we were surprised with Uncle Brian and Danielle! Uncle Brian pretended he had to work but came! The girls just adore the ground he walks on and both jumped to see him. Overall, I think Jenna had more fun than anyone because she kept winning at the stands.

Owen ran around like a lunatic. He got a great tee shirt for riding and the girls showed their support by getting one as well and wearing it!

Mary and Co. also came out from the DD Board. Her girls were SUPER cute as usual matching in the best little outfits. I tried to get a photo of the two O's together but this was the best I could get.

We got a great shot of everyone who came to see Owen but not with my camera.
I'm waiting for Aunt Daneen to send it. Hint, Hint!

Owen also handled the Bounce House really great. He did great with all the kids in there and really was playing. The girls did a great job in making sure he didn't get crushed!

We couldn't forget about Miss Laurie and Miss Maureen. Miss Laurie is in red and she's the founder of Special Strides and Owen originally started with her in therapy, then Miss Maureen came and stole his heart.

Then, he rode and it was so great to see! He got a little noodlelike at first I think because he didn't know what was going on, but then he did great, followed directions and showed his stuff!

Then, he received his ribbon and wouldn't cooperate as shown :)

When he was done, he ran out of the area, out the barn door and directly to where Rich normally parks the car for his weekly therapy session and when Rich asked him where he wanted to go, he looked him square in the face and replied "Home".

Overall, I'd say it was a great day :)

Next--PRETEND play!

The other night Owen came up to Rich with his backpack and was motioning for help to put it on before bed. Rich helped him and he ran off into the living room and started dancing around in front of the tv.

This was while he was watching Diego who was wearing his backpack! You could see how happy he was that he was just like Diego. He was thrilled!

Appropriate Play makes for a great Mother's Day...

Well, today being windy and cold we decided to venture to the Monmouth Museum in Lincroft, NJ. www.monmouthmuseum.org I had heard that it was a great little joint and being so close to home, we gave it a go. Also, the price wasn't bad. $7 a person.. $20 bucks for an afternoon is right in our budget as of late.

We got there and there wasn't really any cars in the lot. Owen thought he was going to school at one point and started to cry which is hilarious since he loves school. But anyway.. we arrive and the fun ensued!

We went right into the Wonderwing and it's for kids ages 2-6. Owen was an appropriate playing champ. Sometimes he's really hesistant and just sort of wanders. Not today, he dove right in and let the fun begin. He ran right into the kelp forest and thought it was funny..

From there, he just sort of explored a bit but was really interested in everything and wasn't stimming at all, which was great!

He really enjoyed the whale slide. You slide through the mouth of a whale and it's red and lit up and fast so he thought it was the bee's knees.

Then, he was on the climbing nets that connected the pirate ship to the lighthouse. He was a little nervous at first but once he realized that he could do it.. He seriously did it about 10 times!

After that, he moved on to the tree and lighthouse to climb up and down. He was little nervous in the tree because it was really confined. He made it about 1/2 up and then came down.

After this section, we decided to hit the big kid's section ages 6 and up just because we could. He liked it, but not as much as the other part. This was a Space Exploration theme. He thought the tunnel slide was great because it landed on "the moon" and was really dark..

Then, there were more nets to climb, and this time, he STOOD! He knew it was special because when he was done, he in typical Owen fashion, applauded his great job.

And, then it was time to go, but not before getting the most appropriate photo of them all...

The post brought to you by the letter O and the number 1

Reason for this? Our O went to Sesame Place yesterday for the 1st time and had a blast!

We got to the park and he could tell something was up, but didn't know what. While we waited on line to get in he was enthralled with watching the Vapor Trail roller coaster. He just didn't know what to make of it..

So we got into the park and we made our way around, just taking it all in. He loved Snuffy's Slides. That was the clear winner. He loved walking up the stairs and seeing one of us at the bottom waiting for him to come on down.

After he went on that about 20 times, we moved over to Big Bird's Balloon Race. He wasn't sure about it at first, but then thought it was pretty neat to be up in the air.

From there, since it was so hot, we thought it would be a good idea to get out of the heat and went to see Elmo's World. He was stunned to see Elmo walking in front of him. He kept staring at his feet! He also thought it was really funny when Mr. Noodle came out.

The best part was after the show when he got to walk around the set. He loved the piano!

From there, it was time to eat and it was nice to be able to eat somewhere and get a GFCF meal. They had a grilled chicken kids meal that Owen loved and a cute little plate and cup to bring home. It was $8, but totally worth it.

After we ate, we made our way to Big Bird's Nest. Owen had a ball running like a madman with his shoes off and playing on their slide. He climbed the ladder like a champ-barefoot!

We then made our way to get a few photos with some characters. Big Bird and Elmo were available. He was fascinated to see Big Bird and touch his beak and he didn't give a crap about seeing Elmo again.

Then we decided to tackle the Flying Fish. Owen was a little unsure of this one. But, we got him on and he loved it! He clapped at the end..

Owen was tired, and HOT as shown so we decided it was time to leave. We made our way toward the entrance and snapped our family photo on the iconic steps.

Owen did great. I was really happy with how he handled such sensory overload. He had a meltdown leaving the park, but I think it's overwhelming for many kids, especially the 1st time. I also loved that they offer a band for kids of Special Needs to wear so if needed they can jump the line. I used it once to get on the Flying Fish, because I don't want Owen to think just because he has Autism he just cut in front of everyone. I realize he doesn't know this yet but I think it's important for him to learn to wait his turn. It was so fun, and I can't wait to go back with Caroline and Jenna.

Note to Aunt Neen: He's just hot, I slathered him in sunscreen every hour. He has no sunburn! :)