So it's been crazy since we got back from Aunt Jill's. We had a GREAT time. Jack got to spend the night with my friend from H School's kids. Who would have ever thunk that when we were hanging out in HS. :-) Sally got to bum with her daddy and help set up and be in on all the behind the scenes.
Aunt Jill and I got there around 12 and walked around and saw ALL the stuff for raffle. If it wasn't there - you didn't need it - that's for sure. Seed for fields, gravel, fertilizer, tvs, spa packages, basketballs, you name it - and one that I thought was really cool: A baseball signed by Swisegood - the winning est baseball coach in IL. :-)
So after we got all settled in - Jill went to get Mike. Melissa and I sat at the table and tried to hold spaces. When Jill came back (she had taken Maddux and Sal) we got in line to get Sal something to eat. Dick and Laurena and Mom and Jackie were all out in the cafeteria and Sal saw them - but still got in line - didn't pay much attention--- until she saw Grandpa. "Hi There, Granpa!" She ran over to him and gave him a hug. Too cute.
It's now several weeks later and there are STILL checks coming in. So far they've raised over $64,000. In an area where $35,000 is a GOOD yearly income - that says a LOT! Not to mention that times are tough down there. I'd say the majority of our unemployment is in areas like that.
So, on to the next event. Swimming. Sally competed in the Special Olympic swim meet in Palos Heights. She won bronze. It was SO cool. I think she likes swimming the best. When she came back up to the stands with her coach after her heat she said "I swim again?" :-) I'm just SO proud of her on this. I also noticed that Jack was no place to be found most of the day - he was with a friend playing DSI and hardly saw him at all - UNTIL Sal swam. I then noticed that he was right up front at the rail, squatting down and cheering her on - with no prompting from us. He talks a big game about not wanting to be around her and how she bugs him so much (which is true) but I can tell there's a soft spot for her still. I'll never forget when he was smaller he called her his "big hero". :-)
Fast forward to last weekend. We all truckstered down to ISU in Bloomington for the STATE Special Olympics in which Sally's team (Jr Jaguars) played and the older group(Sr Jaguars) played. We went down Friday after work and checked in and watched the kids discover the hotel room. This was their first hotel stay ever. We got two queen beds and decided we'd each sleep with a child. With Sal and her "sleep alone and away" I was a little nervous.
The kids immediately got changed and headed for the pool. Where we met Tommy and his mom - a player on Sal's team. We stayed in for a while and then Sal and I headed upstairs to watch "Naughty Kids" (Supernanny to most of you). Figured I'd wind her down a little and get a grasp on how the night was to go. Jack and Daddy hung out in the lobby. Jack fascinated with the room key (credit card key) and was constantly visiting the coaches on the 3rd floor and coming in and out. He also enjoyed giving his key to the lady at the cafe and telling her to "charge it to the room". :-)
Had to play the bad a$$ on Friday night when Jack and Bill neglected to come back to the room in a timely manner. :-) We *played* at 8 a.m. on Sat which meant if we were following the bus we needed to be up early and it was obvious that Sal was NOT going to sleep until Daddy and Jack were safely tucked into bed. But as much as they grumbled they were seeing that the next morning the people they were "partying" with were nowhere to be seen. My Dad always says: If you stay up late with the Turkeys you can't soar with the Eagles in the morning. :-)
Saturday's game was a joke. I do believe the refs had never called a special needs game. They called "illegal screen" on us! Our kids don't even know what a screen is let alone an illegal one. Ugghh. So we lost - and Tony came very close to fouling out (NEVER have had even close to fouling out in the past). After the game
we went back to the room and got some lunch and just hung out. I was the mean Mom again who wouldn't let them go swimming. We had to play again at 12:30 and I felt like they would tire out too much.
Our 12:30 game was a LOT better - AND we had the same refs. But they had settled down and were obviously schooled about exactly what Special Needs ball is like. Our team took silver medals home. Sally was ALL smiles getting that silver medal hung on her neck as she stood on the podium. It was cute.
The next day we went to Wesleyan and watched the Senior team take gold. Aaron thanked the ref for calling a foul on him and was apologizing all over himself. They are a very quick and entertaining team to watch. Sally got to see Mark play. Mark and her have the same number - 21. They're a lot alike too.
And now to tell about what *I* think was the best part: The Opening Ceremony. All the teams from the state were marched in and introduced. They stood together in their areas (IL has 17 areas. Sally wore her jersey and her gold medal. She looked SO proud of herself. Mark sang the National Anthem. I do believe that was the first time I cried at that song. It was BEAUTIFUL! The Bloomington mayor welcomed us and the Pres of the Olympics gave a speech. Then the lights went out. In the far corner there was a policeman with THE TORCH! He brought it down the arena and gave it to one of the Athletes who brought it around the arena and through the tunnel and then up the stage and lit the cauldron. GOOSE BUMPS!!! HUGE lump in my throat. It was amazing! The cheering was deafening!
I can't explain just how energetic these kids are. The excitement from them hung in the air like stripes of gold. Even Jack was taken in by it. I think his mouth was in a permanent O for a while. After the ceremony there was a dance for all the kids but we decided we'd go back to the hotel and swim. Getting through the crowd was no easy task but they are the kindest and most polite kids. It was just a FANTASTIC experience. Our coaches Danielle, Heather and Oscar are just the BEST! What a fun group. They're always up for anything and they have the patience of Job.
We all had "favorites" from the weekend. Sally's was: Sleeping. I'd say because she didn't sleep alone like usual. Jack's was: Swimming (of course) Bill's was: the games Mine was the torch (and maybe how the beds were made when we came back to the motel - why can't that happen at home) :-)
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