Life With Max... At the Age of Thirteen

Max makes everyday worth living.

He says the most beautiful, warm hearted things. Like...

"Mom you should be a happy woman, because I accomplished a lot.

I vacuum my room, I did the extreme course and that is pretty much it."
or
"Mom when you have your clothes on you are ude and when you have your clothes off you are nude."

A couple of months ago after family prayer, Max told me I was a blessing from God.

Max will be fourteen in less than a week.
I have tried to figure out the best way to celebrate and I have come up empty handed. He really truly has no friends he can count on. He has never had a desire to call someone on the phone to have a get together. I take that back he loves talking to his friend Irvine who is a man who worked with Max when he was little.
He has never had the same wants and needs that my other four children had when they were 13-14. I want to throw him a birthday party with his friends, but I wouldn't know who to invite.
 He wants to have a Minecraft party where everyone dresses up like a Minecraft. I am not sure how to put that into action.
Breaks my heart to even think about it. I want Max to be normal, but he is normal in his own way.
He is a joy and a blessing.
I want him to experience life like my other four children did, but I know that isn't possible.
Here is a recap of his first year at being a teenager.
He has kept me on my toes,

with his activities in karate,

swim team, baseball, orchestra, scouts.

He earned the Town Council Citizenship Award given by
the Mayor John Lewis
of Gilbert. 

 He swam on the Special Olympics Gilbert Roadrunners swim team.

Max swimming in the relay.

Max bought the Gold in for his team.

He has been interviewed and will be in a commercial for

 Special Olympics.

Here is the officer who interviewed Max

Max and I went ice skating and he loved it.

Max went to his first hockey game and watched the Coyotes...

we both had a awesome time.

He got to meet the players and Mascot who visited us in the suite and signed his ticket.

 Eating pizza while watching the game.

 

  He is active in karate and has earned his green belt.
 

  

He has held two positions in Deacons Quorum, Secretary and First Counselor.

It warms my heart each Sunday to watch him show the Deacons the chart of where they are to pass the Sacrament.

He has sang the National Anthem at the Diamondback baseball game,

he has held a banner in a parade,

he has given the Special Olympic Oath at a Opening Ceremony and talked with the Mayor of Goodyear.
Max thinks the city of Goodyear always has a good day, week, and year because it's Goodyear.

Max and the Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord.

 

Max has been active in the School Orchestra and has been in several concerts one that was at the State Fair.
 

After they performed they went on the rides.
 Max is in the green swing near the pole

Max had fun driving the bummer cars.

He went on all the rides with Tabitha.

Max has played basketball with the Phoenix Suns on their court.

Max had first Viola Recital

Max was able to be in the Cultural Celebration for the Gilbert Temple. He came home many times wanting to close him self down in his bed with a blanket over his head and  playing Minecraft on his iPod.

He would say, "Mom I need to be strong and handle all the people around me.

It's hard mom, it's hard."

When I saw the pictures of the Cultural Celebration I noticed Max was alone, by himself. He is not able to carry a conversation unless it's on a subject 

he likes to talk about.

 
His clothes were wet and dirty from dancing on the field for the Prophet
at the Cultural Celebration.

He came home soaked to the bone. His hands were ice cubes.

This is what the field looked like that he danced on.

Never did I think Max would be where he is today. 
When Max was little he banged his head on the floor, screamed, climbed in the dryer, ripped the living room curtains down and the pictures off the walls.
He couldn't talk or express what he was thinking.
 The behavior that was the hardest to have him break was trying to stop him from pulling clothes off the hangers. 
There are many more behaviors, I could talk about, but they are gone now left our life.

I remember his first grade teacher refusing to him in her class. I guess he hit her, flip a table and threw a toy at another student.
 She missed out on a wonderful little boy who grew out of those behaviors.

The teacher that accepted the challenges with Max was Ms. Sheri. She was an amazing lady who helped Max develop. She ended up being his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade teacher.
I never ever thought Max would be able to have the experiences he has had.
The therapies, behavioral specialist, hab workers, special ed teachers and his siblings and in-laws have been a wonderful strength in helping him develop
into an amazing young man.

When people would ask me how many children I had, I would always say,
 "I have two boys, two girls and a Max."

 Max has taught me patience.

He has helped me to see that even with disabilities
he has desires, wants and needs like everyone else.

Max spoke at a stake youth fireside on genealogy.
He did an awesome job sharing what genealogy means to him.

I always wondered if Max would ever say a word when he was little...

And now he can speak and express what he feels.

Never did I think that would happen.
He is a gift from God.

Two Gold Two Silver

 Max started the school year off with a Orchestra Concert at the end of September. Then, in October I got to shadow him at school. It's where I spend the day with him going class to class with him. It was pretty cool to be with him and see how he interacts with other students and teachers.
 Not much interaction with other students, but he loves his teachers.

 

 

Max's Orchestra He is in the back on the left.

Max and his Math teacher...one of his favorite classes.

Max practicing in orchestra class. I loved sitting next to him and hearing him play.

Max and his Orchestra teacher.

Last picture of the day after Shadowing Max. What a blast it was to be with him.

 

Max and Special Olympics 

 Max had Special Olympics regional swim meets at the beginning of October.
 He won a gold medal for freestyle and a silver for relay and he was the last to swim in the relay so he had to bring it home.
Even with the beating sun on us, it was worth it to watch him shine.
I'm so grateful for the Special Olympics Program.
They have made it possible for Max to feel important. 

 

 Max getting his Gold Medal. What a thrill it was to see him shine.

Max's Gold Medal

Max and his friend.

 

 

In-between his Regional and State Max got sick with Strep. He fought it so he could attend the State competition and opening ceremonies for Winter Olympics.

 

The hotel we stayed at put this sign up for the athletes.

 

 

Max swimming.

 

Max got Silver medal in Freestyle.

 

Max loves baseball.

 

Max had to step on this for three minutes without stopping.

He did a wonderful job.

 

Max having fun!

 

The Gilbert Roadrunners Swim Team

 

Magnificent Max

 

Max with Ronald McDonald

 

 

 

Max ready for the parade.

Max was asked to hold the banner. He loved it.

 

The Torch.

It was breathtaking watching them light the Torch.

Fireworks!

 

Max's glow in the dark balloon.

 

Here is a picture of Aunt Delia who came with Aunt Vivian to see Max. They watched the ceremonies too. Max calls Aunt Delia, Aunt Dil.

Max was happy to see them.

 

Max swimming to finish the relay.

Go Max Go!

 

The Relay Team that won Gold.

 

Max ready to go home after a fun filled weekend with friends.

 

I'm so grateful that Max was able to be apart of this swimming event. I loved watching him interact with his friends.

Max said, "Mom I now have a Gold and Silver Medal, now I need to get a bronze, so I can have a complete set of medals."

 

 

Max's New Adventures.

Max went on a scout camp out up in Flagstaff with his scout troop and father.  They both came home tired, but happy. Max completed the Flagstaff Extreme obstacle course. 

He had to go through four large circuits within their Adult courses, each containing a mixture of approximately 10-17 different obstacles. The obstacles range from rope swings, scrambling walls, hanging nets, wobbly bridges and suspended “surprises”.

The skill level and height of each circuit is marked using a color coded system indicating the challenge based on elevation and difficulty. Check-in, safety briefing, demonstration course and all four Adult Course can be completed in approximately three hours.

GREEN = Minimum Elevation/Minimum Skill BLUE = Medium Elevation/Medium Skill RED = Advanced Elevation/Advanced Skill

BLACK = Advanced Elevation/Advanced Skill

On The Adult Course which Max did all of the courses.

They have a brief 30 minute training session, you begin on the GREEN course where you get comfortable with the equipment and the rhythm of moving through each element. After defeating the green course you will move on to the BLUE course. Suddenly childhood memories of swinging on ropes and climbing trees comes back to you. Your agility and sense of freedom return and away you go!Up further into the trees you head on the RED course. Climbing higher into the trees, try not to let your emotions get the best of you. Balance comes into play when crossing wobbly bridges and swinging surprises. You're feeling confident now, you have defeated the first three courses and can't help laughing out loud as you zip through the forest or watch your friend try to walk gracefully across a moving obstacle.Yes, you have made it through the entire course, No, wait, you are not done yet! Now it’s time for the ultimate in focus and fitness: the BLACK course. Before you set off, your senses take in the natural beauty and harmony of your surroundings. You climb up even further into the tree canopy discovering that your movements are even more fluid than before.As your journey ends at Flagstaff Extreme you leave with a smile, a sense of achievement and memories that live on.

The courses are meant to be used progressively and the cost of admission covers one loop or rotation through all four Adult courses. At any exit point along the courses, you can descend. Walking paths will take you back to the guest services and welcome center.

This information was on the web page. It will give you an idea of what Max did. He completed the whole course along with two other boys in the scout troop the other ten boys couldn't finish even the past the first two courses and ended up dropping out.

 Max was over 30 feet in the air.

 

Max right after he got home. 



Here is the black band he got from completing the courses. 

 

Karate and Special Olympics



Max keeps busy with
Karate, Swimming, Orchestra,

Scouts, and spending time with his family.





 Max enjoying practice

 Max making one last lap after two hours of swimming.

 Max showing a Karate move

Max got his Orange Belt

Its A Hundred And Five

Every morning before the bus arrives. Max has to search on my I-pad for the forecast for the day. This morning he read that it was going to be 105 or higher and cloud cover.

I love how he will ask the same questions at the breakfast table each morning. "Mom is it going to rain today?"  And each day I give him the same answer. "I don't think so."

Today while we sat on the couch and waited for the bus we looked at the next week forecast. He liked it when there was a little cloud with blue lines coming down out of them on the forecast below the temperature. When the bus arrived he jumped up and ran to his bedroom going in the opposite direction of the front door.

I call him to come and warned him the bus might leave without him. After about two minutes of calling him. He leisurely walked into the living room and had one arm in the sleeve of his thick coat and was getting ready to put it completely on.

I asked him why he felt a need to take the jacket. His response was. "Mom it might rain and I don't want to get wet." Somehow I was able to convince him to leave without his coat in hand and make it to the bus carrying only his back pack and viola.

Years ago when Max was about seven maybe a little older. He would always want to wear a thick jacket when playing outside when it was a hundred plus degrees. I had learned to pack up those winter clothes before the heat struck the valley of the Sun. Over the years I had grown more relaxed and stopped packing up those winter clothes. I guess I'm going to have to pack them up again and hope for the best.

I honestly can say there is never a dull moment with Max. I love every second, minute and hour of the day with him. He is one amazing young man.

I'm grateful for Max and I feel blessed to have him.

Max sang the National Anthem

Tears were present on July 28th as I watched my son

walk onto the Diamondback field to sing our national anthem.

The hours we spent reading over the words to the national anthem

every night had paid off.

After Max got the words down we started to sing to the tune of the song.

What a joy it was to hear him sing the national anthem by himself.

I wish they would of let the four athletes sing without the man named Steve. He drowned them out and made the meaning of the event disappointing.

After all the hard work, Max and the others put into practicing.

We had practices and it was amazing to hear these special, awesome athletes sing.

 

 Max and the other three who sang with him.
Left to right.
Conner, Rebecca, Sarah, and Max

 

 Max walking out to the field.

 

 Max taking a stroll on the Diamondback field

 

 

Max and Rebecca

 



Special Olympics Singers getting ready to sing the

National Anthem