Beth wakes up slowly. She usually sits on the end of her bed for a few minutes before heading upstairs. She uses the bathroom, then washes her face.
Then she goes back downstairs to get dressed. I'm trying to get her to change this part of her routine. I wish she would eat and brush her teeth first, before getting dressed so if she spills something on her clothes, she won't have to change them. But for now, this is her routine.
After she's dressed, she gets her purse and bag and comes back upstairs. She'll put everything by the front door, then go into the bathroom to brush her teeth. (Another part of her routine I'm trying to get her to change. But change is not easy.)
Then it's into the kitchen to fix breakfast. She cuts up a banana and puts it in the bottom of her bowl before pouring in the Cheerios. But she always saves a small piece of banana for Sugar, Diana's dog. (Sugar is a Westie and her favorite foods are fruits and lettuce. We think she's a little strange.) Beth will always put a small piece of banana in Sugars bowl.
After eating breakfast, Beth will put her bowl in the sink, then announce to everyone that she is ready to go!
Beth is a Greeter at our church and she greets every other week. It has brought her out of her shell and people
love greeting her! You think about how often people stare at our kids; well now they get to shake her hand, engage her in conversation and maybe even give her a hug! People will tell me how she'll just randomly go up to them in the foyer and give them a hug. They're people she knows and feels comfortable with. They love it and it's really helping Beth.
After church we went out to eat. We've really been trying to eat at home a lot more but today we just wanted to go out. So we ended up at Panera. Soup, salad, sandwich - You Pick Two. The food is SO good and it's inexpensive. At Panera you go up to the cashier first and place your order. Then you pay and go sit down to wait for them to deliver your food. Today Diana helped Beth figure out what she wanted to order and Chuck told her how much money she needed. (Diana and Beth both bought their own lunch.) Diana spoke to the cashier and helped Beth answer the questions, 'Did she want bread or fruit for a side', etc. When we go to a sit down restaurant, Beth reads the menu and tells the waiter what she wants, but Panera was super busy today and we decided to just help her.
After lunch, Diana, Beth and I went on a photo shoot! Chuck and I went walking around this lake earlier this week and I thought it would be a great place for pictures. Unfortunately, it was packed today so there weren't as many places to take pictures as I hoped. But I think we got some cute shots.
I couldn't get her to smile, but when she looked at Diana - big smile!
Maybe next time I'll have Diana take the pictures.
(I'm still learning about shadows and lighting.)
We came home and Beth headed right downstairs. I think she was done for the day. She loves being around family, but she also loves her alone time! After a little while, I went downstairs to see what she was up to.
(That's her bowling ball at the bottom of the stairs.
She's getting it ready for Tuesday.)
She was counting her change.
This is her desk, where she spends most of her time. She sits here to watch TV, to write, to sing. We've been listening to her sing at the top of her lungs for most of the evening. I think it's her favorite thing to do.
She rarely goes to bed before we do. After we're all in bed and the upstairs is dark and quiet, she'll come upstairs, go into the kitchen and get a large glass of milk. Back downstairs, she drinks her milk and goes to bed. Hope you had a great Sunday too!
