The Farm

We have taken Jon to the farm a few times. The first time he was interested only in the barn fan. Next time he did look around at the animals. We will continue to take him until he is familiar with the surroundings and be able to enjoy his visits.

This farm has horses, cows, sheep, lambs and a cat. The lambs were born this month, in fact the little white one was born just a few moments before we arrived. The cutest little thing..Kaila named him Peter.

Eating Outdoors

Jon loves to eat outdoors! He doesn't mind even when it's windy or cool, in fact he is usually eating outside even before the snow has melted! He is a bit of a messy eater so we don't mind when he heads out!

Oh yes and then there is always the shirt protector..sometimes I think there is almost as much food on there as what has gone into his mouth.

Things that amuse Jon..

 Jon heads to the washer..I think the swishing sound alerted his attention.

 He loves to watch the clothes washing. He knows to shade his eyes because of the reflection.

Walks away satisfied that the washer is doing its job.

New Marble Maze

Jon received a generous gift of money this Christmas from friends of ours. They said he could spend it on whatever he would like. Jon's first choice was to update his supply of marble mazes. His old ones were fixed again and again and it truly was a labour of love as his Dad repaired those splintered marble mazes.  After numerous throws they just can't be fixed anymore, if only Jon could understand this. So Jon 'went shopping' and ordered two new marble mazes. A kind gentleman agreed to build them when John approached him with a broken marble maze in hand. In fact he built a few extra and we purchased them all. Jon has only 1 for now, the rest are hidden away until needed. You should have seen the joy on his face when he saw his new marble maze..his hands fluttered wildly, he looked at me with a wide grin and made grunting sounds of joy! The rest of the evening was spent rolling those marbles over and over again. He was so fun to watch!

Jon's Rocking Chair

Jon's rocking chair is very important to him. This is where he likes to sit and listen to his music or watch his movies. Rocking is soothing to his soul and a place of refuge for him. And because he rocks a lot those chairs really do wear out. His Dad has fixed them so many times replacing springs over and over again.

Can you see Jon's intent look, he loves to watch when the tools come out. And see the little plastic hammer with the red handle? Wonder what he was thinking he could do with that?? Oh and that plastic bin on his lap..one of his favorite things to carry around. Likes putting items into it and is happy when he can swipe a wet dishcloth. Then smiling will hurry off to his room.

Jon's Christmas

 Jon's staff made up Christmas cards for Jon to give away this year.

Christmas Eve Jon joined us just in time to open gifts. He looked all around the room and never once covered his eyes. He looked at everyone and stared a bit longer at the one person he had never met before. Then sat down to open his gifts. We try to think of 'Jon type gifts' which are unique to him only:) A cardboard roll from wrapping paper with a few punched holes in it, a plastic bottle filled with shiny streamers and a book that has buttons to press for different tunes. And gloves and clothes..which he will enjoy later when he wears them but for now the other things meant more to him. Some of the gifts weren't what you would call age appropriate but who cares, they make him happy and that is what counts.

After he opened gifts he wanted to eat and when he discovered the perogies and cream gravy he gave me a big smile..that is all he wanted!!

Once everyone left he got changed into pj's and I tucked him into bed and prayed with him. Throughout the prayer he leaned his forehead against mine..aww:) He was too excited and didn't sleep well, he came to our bed every hour, poking me till I came to tuck him in again. In spite of not sleeping well he was up early and had a great day. We took him home late afternoon, I think he wasn't quite ready as he had hidden his backpack in the farthest corner of our bedroom closet:)
And that was our 2011 Christmas with Jon!

This Wednesday Jonathan was convinced, well convinced makes it sound like he didn't want to go and that's not right, he loved the idea of going to visit my work place. This wasn’t his first visit to the place I work, except this is the first time I was there to tour it together with him. 

He arrived around 4pm and I was excited to see him. I went to greet him and introduced him to my employer Robert Jowett. We then proceeded on our tour of Country Meat & Sausage , the processing plant I work at. Jonathan showed no hurry in rushing to his favorite room from his previous visits. He took his time and enjoyed peeking into every room that was presented. The sausage kitchen was first, we noticed hams and sausages hanging on a rack waiting to be put into the smoke house. We then moved onto the cut floor where Jonathan noticed the man cleaning the equipment. Now this was very unJonathan like in my opinion, he rushed over to greet this man by staring into his face, placing his face just inches away. I think it may have surprised the cleaner, but he just smiled right back at Jonathan. I loved his response and explained this was my brother and he was getting a tour of the building.

We then went to the cooler to see the sides of hogs ready to be processed for selling retail or wholesale.

Next is the room were the pigs are gutted, halved and cleaned. This room was also in the process of being cleaned. The floor was littered with pig pieces and the person cleaning was greeted in the same way as the last. Except this time I was a little worried about the safety of Jonathan’s rushing over to greet the man cleaning, as the floor was unsafe to move through so quickly with improper shoe wear. He was a little shocked and surprised by Jonathan’s quick and personal greeting, I noticed he was unsure how to respond and I explained this was my brother and he was just saying hi. It was comical after I realized Jonathan had not slipped and fallen, but arrived at his destination in safety.

Moving along to the next room.... this is Jonathan’s favorite room in the entire building and I thought twice about posting a picture of Jonathan’s view into the container he loves to peer into, but Mom figured it was OK. So here is pre warning … it’s gross, disgusting, stinky(although you need to use your imagination for that online), and, by the way, Jonathan loves those words.

 Don't continue to scroll down if you do not want to view this , but you will miss the rest of the story... so it's your decision.

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This is a picture of the offal's. The waste part of the pigs after slaughter. Jonathan's view point into the container.






 When the fan in this room was turned on, Jonathan's joy increased. He loves to hear the sound of a fan starting up. I would have to say the highlight of the tour would be this room. It's smells and sounds ignited Jonathan's senses.




Then it was off to the barn to see the live pigs.

  






Jonathan’s actions, expressions, and desire to stay longer in each room showed that the tour was greatly appreciated.
 I am thrilled he came to visit me and my work place and we both enjoyed it all.

Kitchen Help

He's trying to decide what to bake..I'm thinking banana muffins.

One Happy Guy!

 Does this guy look happy? The reason? Check out the next photo!

Jon loves his Mom, she baked cinnamon buns and he polished off one large cinnamon bun just like that! A dozen went home with him..hope he shares!

Anger Management??

There are times when Jon just can't control his anger and in that moment he will either throw or destroy something. The photo of the broken chair was that moment. You see his shadow in the picture looking at what he did. After his anger is spent he shows remorse when we sit him down and talk to him about it. The ceiling tile was not so much an angry moment..he likes to pull or rip on stuff. He does that with other things, he especially likes ripping paper off drywall.

Jon should have a job in demolition..would someone pay him for this??

Field trip to the Bison Farm

 Jon went on a field trip to see the bison.  Stop..they are leaving!

 One stayed to watch us.

 Then decided it was okay and bent his head to eat.

And where was Jon? Hiding in the van and refusing to come out. Oh Jon..

On being thankful..

It doesn't take much to make this guy happy. No expensive 'toys' needed for this boy!  Give him a cardboard box, cut a hole in it and hand him a bag of toys from the thrift store and he's totally thankful.

If only I could see the world through his eyes..

Happy Thanksgiving!

Watching..

 Watching someone fix the blind..Jon is excited when the electric drill comes out. That's when his shyness seems to be forgotten.

 Jon loves looking into tunnels or culverts. He's at the other end looking in and listening to the 'hello' echoing through.

And here he is looking through the culvert.

Fun in the Country

Jon came to spend an afternoon with us in the country. Dad took him on trail rides with the quad. Mom took him walking through the bush looking for treasures. He found a piece of wood with an interesting shape and a long stick. He kept peering around for more things of interest. After some time of clomping through the bush we headed back to the shed. Of course he wondered if Mom brought food and of course she did..he sat in the screened porch and enjoyed a dish of enchiladas with 'shmaunt fat':)
It was a good afternoon and he went home smiling..carrying his treasures.

Father and son..enjoying a thunderstorm together!

 Waiting for the next crack of thunder..

 Dad, did you see that lightning?

Dad says..'yes Jon I see the lightning and I hear the thunder.'

Jon's Birthday Party

We celebrated Jon's birthday last week. He was thrilled to have so many come to his party..40 in all! As a rule he doesn't like large crowds but when it's his birthday he doesn't seem to mind..knowing it's 'his day' makes the difference. It took some time for him to eat..the table was filled with food waiting to be served. So once everybody had picked up their food and went back outside we cleared up part of the table so Jon could sit down and eat. That made all the difference, he sat down and ate! Anything revolving around food is often an issue for him. Jon did enjoy the food which was made with his 'likes' in mind..taco salad, bean dip, pork bbq, hotdogs and peanut butter eclair dessert. The pork bbq was amazing and prepared by one of Jon's staff.

After eating, he opened his gifts..he was funny to watch..if it was clothing he just threw it but the things that were precious to him went on his lap and after opening a few gifts he got up and left with his favorites. His Dad convinced home to come back to open the rest. His favorite gifts?..Rubber snake and a plastic sword! And of course he could hardly wait for the fireworks which he had received as gifts.

At the end of the party we had a great show of fireworks. One of the photos shows us all looking up in awe:)

I think Jon went to bed dreaming of his birthday party and sniffing the used firework tubes!

Who, please tell me WHO?! Does not love their mum like this kid does????

This Kid loves Jesus!

 CAN I GET AN AMEN! 

Chainsaw's Apple Tree's and happy Brother

When it came time to cut down the old apple tree in my back yard I knew just who to call Dad with his Stihl Chainsaw and my brother Jonathan.

I decided to record the fun and share it with all of you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHW5UlBF7UQ

Jon's Pad

A few photos of Jon's pad..home sweet home!

Jon's Staff and Shedule

A photo of Jon and some of his staff. Jon has 9 staff that rotate. They usually work 6 hour shifts. Weekends and nights are longer shifts. His night staff is awake, to be aware if Jon should have a seizure or need help. His staff are a great bunch and desire to make Jon's life as happy and fun as possible!

Jon has his own program mapped out for him more or less as his mood dictates. There are routine things that he does like helping with the grocery shopping, taking recycling to the depot, taking his clothes to the laundry room and has learned to start a load of wash, taking his dishes to the sink and such.

He lets staff know whether he wants to go somewhere or stay home. Of course he is willing to go out when it's something he thinks will be exciting. In the past few months he has already been to see fireworks a few times, to the Red River Ex where his main interest is going on all the crazy rides and has made a trip out to the snake pits.  And tomorrow he is going horseback riding.

Sometimes it's a challenge to come up with ideas for things to do and that Jon will want to participate in.

Jon moves again..

After some searching the right house for Jon was found. A little house in the country with a big yard, lots of bush and a shed just for Jon. He was delighted with the place and as some renovations took place before he moved in, he was allowed to see the carpenters work their magic. Jon was right in there almost bumping elbows with the carpenters not wanting to miss anything.

Some walls were removed for bigger spaces, fresh paint applied, new furniture purchased..everything for a manly look. The day came that the house was ready and Jon could move in. This house was refinished for Jon's needs. The walls were finished with plywood and painted to prevent holes from head banging, windows were protected with plexi-glass, light fixtures covered with a 'nautical look'..really it's to prevent him from unscrewing the light bulbs. (isn't that a nifty idea??) And he has a built in box for a lava lamp and a marble maze in the wall..now that's what I call thinking 'out of the box':)

Another special feature of this house is that it has only a crawl space instead of a basement..Jon loves to open the trap door, lay on his stomach, peer into the empy space as he dangles ropes and cords.

That day when he first entered his new finished home you could tell the joy on his face..everything was in place, even his clothes were in the closet. He is happy with his new home and hasn't ever indicated that he didn't want to go back to his place after a visit to Mom and Dad's house.
We are so thankful.

Beautiful Everytime

The way I see it, life is a beautiful adventure. A chaotic, madly beautiful unplanned adventure.

There is something great and inspiring about watching parents raise a child that will never fully be able to take care of himself.  That’s how my grandparents – the relentless, never-say-die fanatics of all things unique, got caught up in a boy that has taken their lives down a path they never could have planned for. There were no stodgy conventional parenting plans for the ride, there couldn’t be – just starry eyed faith and a strong heart. They set out to help Jon live the most ‘normal’ life he could, but instead gave him a unique life (what is normal anyway??)

Jon was raised in a hard working, down-to-earth family.  They didn’t know it back then, but all of us (including Jon) were learning the basics of life first hand.  Basics that can’t be taught in a textbook.  Country life, homemade food, and honest people laid the foundation for the road ahead.  My grandparents worked hard together and finally, after years, decided it was time for Jonathan to be independent, as independent as he could be and move on to new latitudes.

Jon Boy now resides in his own home. The raucous and rowdy home out in the sticks. He believes every mans trash is truly a treasure, being outdoors is a way of life, and balloons are his rodeo drive.  He’d rather be outside in the quiet country air then in a loud, over-packed place with people. (I think he may be on to something)

As you’ve read, you know the journey hasn’t been easy. A few wrong turns, a few road blocks along the way, but my grandparents have fought the trenches with their never-give-up attitude and always dreamed BIG for Jon Boy.

They believe in learning something from every pitstop and every path along the way. They believed in his beautiful, wild human spirit and that it only grows richer and stronger day after day, year after year. 

I TOTALLY and FULLY believe Jonathan is where he belongs.

Finally.

Kaila

Jon Moves Out

When Jon was 22 years of age an opportunity opened up for him to move into a home with 3 other men with special needs. I was nowhere even close to saying yes but after a lot of prayer we decided that we would try. I cannot begin to express how very hard this was for Jon and for us as parents. I must say that in the beginning it seemed like Jon adjusted quicker than I did:) He had some good times here but after some time we knew that he was not adjusting as well as he should. Because he shared the home with 3 other men he found it much too busy and too loud which he doesn't do well with at the best of times.

The last year that he lived in this home was a very difficult one and he called out for help in the only way he knew how, by being very destructive and injuring himself as well. In these moments of frustration he would throw whatever he could lift and bang his head against walls. Twice he broke the living room window, by banging his head against it really hard. He also put a lot of holes in the walls with his head. His home started to resemble a war zone. I'm sure he must have had some concussions. One time he struck his head hard on a broken chair and ended up with black eyes and we believe a broken nose. The doctor checked it and seemed to think it was better to let it heal without surgery. When outside, he would frequently bang his head on a rock. He visited the ER so many times. One time I remember the doctor saying that he couldn't keep doing this as the flesh was so 'mushy' and wasn't healing well enough in between gashes and that he couldn't stitch it properly. Try to imagine those hospital visits..not pleasant. He had started wearing a helmet during this time and had to wear it most of the time especially during those times of frustrations.

Jon came to stay with us every weekend and when it came time to take him back to his home he didn't really want to and often put up a fight. Our walls at home didn't fare any better then at his house!

It was decided by all involved that it would be better for Jon to move to a new home where he would live by himself with 24 hour staffing. Getting funding and a suitable home had to happen first. After applying for funding, the 'go ahead' was eventually given to search for another home for Jon. We are very thankful to enVision who worked hard to accommodate Jon's needs.
These were very difficult times but God supplied the strength needed.

Philippians 4:13 ' I can do everything through him who gives me strength.'

Day Program

After Jon graduated from high school he was ready to enter the day program. He had been going there once a week for some time with an EA from the school so that he could adjust to the new environment. He was hestitant to become involved. His first 'job' was to help make plastic flowers. Jon was not impressed and everyone around him found that out very quickly. They came up with different 'jobs' for him and some worked okay. Some of the jobs were recycling and paper shredding. I think that for Jon there was just too much extra sensory overload for him at this day program as there were many clients in the same building and the noise disturbed him. He seemed to like it best when he had something to do outside or was taken out for drives in the country. Staff had to find ways to keep him busy and entertained and they did a wonderful job. One staff used to put items in the trunk of her car that she knew Jon liked and would let Jon rummage around in there and take what he wanted. Jon enjoyed many outings..swimming, going to the snake pits, the planetarium, amusement parks, the zoo, bowling, movies, visits to parks and lakes and many others. Jon was in this program for a number of years before it was decided that he would do better with his own program managed from his home.