I have no fear

The boys' first mouse ears! Consequently they won't let me come near them with ears in hand.

Tyler after his first ride ever-Splash Mountain! He thought it was great and wants to go again on the "big fountain".

Tyler and I on Big Thunder Mountain. First he went with Andy then we "switched" and he rode with me. He put his hands in the air and said weee when we weren't in corners!

Meeting Brer Fox and Brer Bear; Jackson was too scared to come up.

Controlling the "magic carpet" on Aladin's Magic Carpet ride-I think he liked this one too.

Meeting Magic Makers

Jackson after Snow White's Scary Adventure-BTW he loved it and wanted to go again!


Meeting Minnie



Meeting Mickey



Chip 'n Dale


Epcot-they are having a wine festival and the hedge in the back is colored to look like cheese.

Living The Magic

At the Magic Kingdom-Decorated for Halloween



Full Body Shot Baby



In front of "Big Monster Castle" AKA Cinderella's Castle



More Castle




Andy and Tyler on the Dumbo in front of us

Are you smarter than me?

Am-I-Dumb.com - Are you dumb?

Disney World

We leave in 4 days!

Autism is not contagious

Read this on fark

Op-ed: You can't 'catch' autism from a play date

BY LISA DOWLER Lisa Dowler lives in Dix Hills.
September 8, 2007

My son is a sweet 10-year-old who plays baseball, loves to go bowling, and is a happy child.

He is also autistic.

Autism affects a child's social abilities, making it difficult - and sometimes impossible - to form friendships. The primary socialization that Jeffrey receives is from his 8-year-old brother. Other play dates are hard to come by. This is something that every parent of a child on the autism spectrum must deal with every day.



I recently attempted to help Jeffrey pursue a friendship with another boy his age. This boy seemed to be very kind to my son and always acknowledged him, even around his peers. At camp, he went out of his way to say "hi" to my son, and he even stopped to tell me that he knew Jeffrey from school.

I gathered up my courage to call the mother, whom I didn't know. I introduced myself and explained that my son has special needs and is in a self-contained class. I also told her that he is mainstreamed for music, art and gym, where our sons know each other. I let her know that her son seemed to have an interest in befriending Jeffrey.

The mother sounded as if I was taking up too much of her time. And she was certainly not receptive to the idea of getting our boys together.

It's hurtful to realize that people like her are out there. It seemed as if she didn't want her son socializing with mine because she feared that her child might "catch" Jeffrey's disability. Autism is not contagious, nor are the other conditions that land children into special-needs classes.

My son would have enjoyed the 90 minutes or so it would have taken to go bowling with this other child. He would have gained so much from it. And so, I think, would her son.

The positive role model of a typical child is important for a child with autism. And in my experience, typical children are more than willing to play with a child with a disability - it's their parents who are resistant. They don't realize what their children stand to gain from developing a friendship with a child who is autistic or different in some other way. They can develop a sense of caring and understanding that leads them to become more compassionate adults.

The mother I spoke with didn't want to continue our conversation and wouldn't even take my phone number. Unfortunately, that wasn't the first time I've had that kind of response.

Jeffrey has come a long way with the help of his younger brother. Because my typical son has a brother with autism, he has become a kinder, more sensitive and caring child. He understands that he has helped his brother, and he feels good about that. He understands that a child's disability doesn't define him or her.

These are the valuable lessons that Jeffrey has to offer his potential friends. If only their mothers would let him.