Christmas Joy

So, last Saturday, in the scurry of getting Matty packed for his trip to Seattle, we discovered the photos on this adorable invitation are actually REAL PHOTOS. They are so cute that I just assumed they were stock.
But, believe it of not, the cute little boy, in the center wearing a top hat, doing jazz fingers is my Alex.
So maybe this is a touch wrong, but I am SO proud! (with a dose of genuine joy of course.)
We have known for some time that our Alex has an affinity for dancing and singing however, who knew that he could look that cute doing it? Come to find out, the trick to getting him to wear the outfit is a little Cody Magic.
Cody is one of Alex's Respite & Habilitation Providers. By some miracle, at least for Alex, Cody has just the magic.
You see, when Cody puts on his sweatshirt, Alex temporarily forgets that he hates wearing clothing and willingly puts on his own sweatshirt.
And since Cody, is willing to model the costume. Alex knows that the costume must be cool.

Guthrie Mainstream offers amazing programs for children and adults who qualify for DDD funded Respite and Habilitation. Thanks to Heather and Patricia, the creators of of Guthrie Groovers, Guthrie now provide an amazing dance class.
The best part, is there is no additional out of pocket cost to the parents and those sweet children have the opportunity to dance and be themselves without being laughed at or misunderstanding by people who don't understand that kids like Alex dance to the beat of a different drummer. Heather Stewart, the photographer, and program director at Guthrie's Learning Center told me that those very concepts were what inspired them to create Guthrie Groovers this year.
The care providers at Guthrie, have become a part of our extended family.
This week, with Matthew working from Seattle, Josh has arrived each day at 6:15am to help me get Alex off to school. What a blessing this has been!
*An interesting bit of trivia about the Guthrie's Children's Leaning Center is the majority of their care providers are between the ages of 18 and 23.
Most of them are also full time students who maintain hectic schedules and challenging course work. And yet, with as finals and semester projects upon them, with the sleep deprivation that is a package deal, they still manage manage to be so punctual that you could set your clock by them.

Since Christmas Magic has become my theme this month,
I would love to add Guthrie to my list.
Their have an amazing staff of people who are Making Magic Happen in the lives of children and families that live and love in a slightly different way.