October 30 2017:
Ms. Crescent and Mr. Bill. …. Now. To figure out how to make a tiara.
October 31 2017:
Finished the tiara! Added bling to the wand also.
The finished creations! Thomas loves creating masks with paper plates. Now we’re home having an encore showing of Arsenic and Old Lace.
**THROWBACK POST**
October 22 2013:
My words to Thomas as we had our nightly pre-bed time chat ..
“We cannot control what people do with kindness once we share it with them. If we use our time thinking and wondering why they responded in a certain way or why they weren’t honest with us, we have missed the opportunity to enjoy those moments and will never get them back. I told him I know this is a hard one as I still struggle with remembering this at times too. Told him how much I loved him and that I don’t want him to EVER forget how awesome he is” ….
Fairy Princess Lillian had a melt down tonight. After that, Thomas was trying to be helpful. He took Lillian’s pillows off her bed for her and stacked them so beautifully at the foot of her bed … just like she does. She has some kind of singing ritual she does when taking them off and he didn’t do that part. She was upset with him and he was sad that she didn’t appreciate his help.
I gave Lillian a suggestion for handling the situation differently next time. Suggested she thank Thomas for his help and after he had gone to bed she could re-do the pillow removing ritual. She understood. Poor sweet girl was just tired and those darn missing chromosomes have her lacking in the coping area of life some times …
I’m just so blessed and grateful I get to have these two in my life to learn from and teach and to be a mirror for one another when we need it! xoxo
**THROWBACK POST**
October 21 2015:
Today we drove through downtown Reno going from Rancho San Rafael Park to Lillian’s therapy appointment in Midtown.
Thomas saw a sign that said something like “Inexpensive Family Fun”.
He says, “Fun is free. What are they talking about?”
Yes, Yes, Yes!!! xoxo
November 12 2017:
Not a flattering photo, yet the cheesecake is made! I tried to make a big letter “T” on the top for the one who requested this. Tomorrow is the day we celebrate Thomas’ 12th year of jumping into his Earth Suit! We’ll top this with shaved dark chocolate or wild blueberries tomorrow! Hope to be finished tomorrow with the blog post dedicated to Thomas.
I should have sweet dreams tonight as I kinda make a wee mess when using the hand mixer. Cheesecake in my hair and all over my night shirt.
On another note … Going to the grocery store at 9:00 at night is a great non-crowded time to go!!
It is indeed yummy! A no bake version and I use coconut sugar instead of white sugar; which gives it a beautiful tan color!
I have been using coconut sugar in place of white sugar for at least 3 or more years. Works beautifully and so much better for us than processed white sugar. It has a hint of a brown sugar flavor. And if everyone is okay with drinking tan lemonade … It’s great for that too!
November 13 2017:
The 12th year celebrations have begun!! Cheesecake with a ginger snap pie crust, topped with shaved dark chocolate for breakfast and ‘100’ candles to closer represent his soul age (his choice for the candles!!)
A handmade notebook from Lillian; LEGO set and money for a new coat from The Romano Duo; handmade card, a “new” phone, big bag of sour cream chips (one of his favorite gifts – HA!), and new pair of flip flops from me. Part 1
Then, car picnic lunch with one of our favorite views in Reno.
The 12th year celebrations ended with Great Full Gardens South Meadows Reno!! Vegan Cheesy Bruschetta and Totally Tomato soup for me. Smoked Salmon Roll-Ups and Vegan Organic Root beer Float for Thomas.
**THROWBACK POST**
October 21 2013:
Lillian was creating artwork yesterday … Her piece is the index card abstract art. She titled it “A Jolly Painting”.
A few minutes later I noticed Thomas had joined her. He said “When I saw Lillian making art it made a spark go off in my mind and I had to make some too!” His are titled “The Colors Joining” and “Triangles of Color”. It was beautiful to watch the magic of inspiration! ♡
October 27 2017:
It was volunteer day!! Thomas is in love with Angel. She’s 15 years old and she’s in kidney failure. Her placard says she does not like to be disturbed when napping; which is all she does at this point.
But, when Thomas sat next to her she slowly stood on frail and wobbly legs and sat next to him. He wants to bring her home for cat hospice so she has a home before crossing the Rainbow Bridge. 💜😭
And then there was Molly. I sat down and was petting another cat when Molly, the black cat pictured, slowly emerged from the cat house where she was sleeping. She walked over to me, jumped in my lap, and curled up next to my chest. She’s 10 years old and is under vet care right now. Not sure what’s up with her.
She seriously kept hugging me and staring into my eyes. She even put her paw on my chin while looking up at me a couple of times. Then, she curled up in my lap. Her placard says she’s shy and takes a while to warm up to someone. Um, wow!
I radiated as much love as possible from my hands and heart to her heart. Hope it stays with her til our next visit. She was hard to put down. 😭💜
The other cat pictured is Coco. Isn’t she a beauty??
**THROWBACK POST**
October 19 2015:
And then there was this tree. We made gratitude lists tonight and discussed them. Thomas listed “hot sauce”. I said, “Tell us about the hot sauce Thomas.” He says, “It spices up life.” I think Thomas and Lillian both need a shirt with “Hot Sauce” on it. They sure spice up my life. Here’s to Hot Sauce!
Oh!! And his duck friends came back to hang with him. They even got out of the water to come closer. So funny as we don’t feed them.
**THROWBACK POST**
October 17 2014:
I subbed today at High Desert Montessori in lower elementary (1st-3rd grade) where they were completing the Caine’s Arcade Cardboard Box Challenge – http://cainesarcade.com/. An event arranged, organized and lead by a 3rd grader named Thomas Darnell. He approached his teacher, gathered all the information, put together fliers, and went to all the other lower el classrooms to let them know about it. And, spent a lot of time yesterday helping other kids make their creations.
Today he helped clean up the gigantic mess from all the fun. I absolutely support whatever education style is best for each child and I’m a HUGE believer in the Maria Montessori method. It works for both of my kids. One who lags a bit behind and one who is pretty far advanced.
from the below article … “A number of the innovative entrepreneurs also went to Montessori schools, where they learned to follow their curiosity,” Mr. Gregersen said. “To paraphrase the famous Apple ad campaign, innovators not only learned early on to think different, they act different (and even talk different).”
https://blogs.wsj.com/ideas-market/2011/04/05/the-montessori-mafia/
**Update** November 8 2017: Both Thomas and Lillian are homeschooled now. This is Thomas’ second year and I’ve lost count for Lillian … Our current method is unschooling, child led schooling, interest based learning … it has many names.
Thomas attended HDMS for 1st – 4th grade and it was the perfect fit for him! During his 4th grade year I sensed it was time for something different to allow him to stay connected to his soul purpose and not be distracted by conformity.
Lillian attended HDMS for 2 and 1/2 years. At that point, she made it clear that she needed something different. And, I listened …
**THROWBACK POST**
October 16 2015:
These fun ducks followed Thomas from the moment we started our walk, across 3 bridges, and back to where we started … All the way around!! (A little under a mile) He talked with them and cheered them on. So fun!!
**THROWBACK POST**
November 12 2015:
“I like you. You make my life feel good.” -Thomas …
Ending his last day in the single digits on an amazing note. So blessed and grateful.