I am only about a month behind in posting these pictures, but we're getting close to being all caught up.
Hector's graduation from Harvard was quite an event. There were a total of 4 ceremonies and 2 receptions. It started on Wednesday night with a service for the Divinity School in the Memorial Church which was followed with a short reception. Then the opening ceremonies began on Thursday morning (at 8:30am). All of the graduates meet together (including undergrads) in Harvard Yard and it is quite a sight to see. There is a lot of tradition involved (as well as a lot of top hats) and the President of Harvard conferred all of the degrees.
The next ceremony was specifically for the Divinity School and was held in the Memorial Church once again. Here he received his diploma and there was a student speaker. Then there was a break for lunch before the final ceremony. The final ceremony is actually the annual alumni meeting (since all of the graduates are now officially alumni) and this is where the president and guest speaker gave their addresses. Then there was another reception at the Divinity School to celebrate the graduates.
It was a long, but enjoyable day and I am so proud of Hector for all of his accomplishments. His official degree (in case you were wondering) is a Masters of Theological Studies. Here are a few pictures from the 2 day affair.
Hector's family came for the graduation and here are a few pictures from their visit.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
What's Next?
So now that Hector and Alexander have both graduated, what's next for the Amaya familia? I wish I knew.
When Hector started school (long before the kids were born) we came up with a 3 phase plan. Phase 1 was North Hennepin Community College, Phase 2 was a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Minnesota, and Phase 3 was a Master's Degree. As for Phase 4, well we figured we would just cross that bridge when we came to it (it seemed like something so far into the future that it wasn't worth planning for). So here we now stand at the foot of the bridge.
We had originally made our master plan without knowing that it would include 2 children and an Autism diagnosis. I know that I mention it often, but Autism is truly exhausting, so we made the decision last Summer to take a break from school. The plan was for Hector to find a job in California so that we could be closer to family and build a stronger support system. We decided on a 3 year break (Alexander will then be 8 1/2, and most services reduce greatly at the age of 9) before Hector would return to school to complete his studies.
Unfortunately the job market is not exactly booming, and Hector has not been able to find employment in California (he has been looking for teaching positions), even with the help of a job placement agency. Plan B is to remain in Massachusetts for another year and then apply for a Doctorate program next Fall. The reasoning behind this is that, if we remain at a low income, Alexander qualifies for one more year with the Autism Waiver Program (which provides up to $25,000/year for therapeutic services).
That being said, Hector just returned from California and had a job interview on Friday. He found the job posting on Craigslist and after applying received a call asking him to come in for an interview. So 5 days later, he jumped on a plane and will be home again tomorrow. The job seems to be perfect and exactly what we are looking for, but it is between Hector and 2 other applicants. We should know the answer in the next 2 weeks.
As for Alexander, he will still be in school until the middle of August here in Boston. He qualifies for an Extended School Year, because of his special needs. We just had his annual review and he has made improvements in every area, but is still, developmentally, at the level of a 2 1/2 year old. We have been fighting with Boston Public Schools for the past year and half in an attempt to get him more services and have decided that if we do stay in Massachusetts it would be more worth while to change school districts. We are also planning on sending him to Kindergarten (even though he is not quite ready). If the new school district can provide him with the necessary support, we believe that he would benefit from the challenge and hopefully improve at a faster rate. Next year we will look at the evaluations again and decide if he should repeat Kindergarten or move on to the First Grade.
During these uncertain and discouraging times, we covet all of your prayers and will keep you posted as we learn what will come next in Phase 3.1.
When Hector started school (long before the kids were born) we came up with a 3 phase plan. Phase 1 was North Hennepin Community College, Phase 2 was a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Minnesota, and Phase 3 was a Master's Degree. As for Phase 4, well we figured we would just cross that bridge when we came to it (it seemed like something so far into the future that it wasn't worth planning for). So here we now stand at the foot of the bridge.
We had originally made our master plan without knowing that it would include 2 children and an Autism diagnosis. I know that I mention it often, but Autism is truly exhausting, so we made the decision last Summer to take a break from school. The plan was for Hector to find a job in California so that we could be closer to family and build a stronger support system. We decided on a 3 year break (Alexander will then be 8 1/2, and most services reduce greatly at the age of 9) before Hector would return to school to complete his studies.
Unfortunately the job market is not exactly booming, and Hector has not been able to find employment in California (he has been looking for teaching positions), even with the help of a job placement agency. Plan B is to remain in Massachusetts for another year and then apply for a Doctorate program next Fall. The reasoning behind this is that, if we remain at a low income, Alexander qualifies for one more year with the Autism Waiver Program (which provides up to $25,000/year for therapeutic services).
That being said, Hector just returned from California and had a job interview on Friday. He found the job posting on Craigslist and after applying received a call asking him to come in for an interview. So 5 days later, he jumped on a plane and will be home again tomorrow. The job seems to be perfect and exactly what we are looking for, but it is between Hector and 2 other applicants. We should know the answer in the next 2 weeks.
As for Alexander, he will still be in school until the middle of August here in Boston. He qualifies for an Extended School Year, because of his special needs. We just had his annual review and he has made improvements in every area, but is still, developmentally, at the level of a 2 1/2 year old. We have been fighting with Boston Public Schools for the past year and half in an attempt to get him more services and have decided that if we do stay in Massachusetts it would be more worth while to change school districts. We are also planning on sending him to Kindergarten (even though he is not quite ready). If the new school district can provide him with the necessary support, we believe that he would benefit from the challenge and hopefully improve at a faster rate. Next year we will look at the evaluations again and decide if he should repeat Kindergarten or move on to the First Grade.
During these uncertain and discouraging times, we covet all of your prayers and will keep you posted as we learn what will come next in Phase 3.1.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Catching Up - on hold
Unfortunately, Hector took all of our pictures with him out of state, so my catch up blogs will have to wait until his return. In the meantime, I thought that I would write about something current. This morning, Alexander graduated from Preschool.
It was an adorable ceremony where each class took turns on stage singing songs. Then all of the kids put on paper caps and were each called on stage individually to receive a certificate of completion. The teachers were a little nervous, but all of the kids did great and everything went smoothly.
It was an adorable ceremony where each class took turns on stage singing songs. Then all of the kids put on paper caps and were each called on stage individually to receive a certificate of completion. The teachers were a little nervous, but all of the kids did great and everything went smoothly.
Alexander is the one in the yellow. He didn't sing (as Lilly points out) or do any of the movements, but I was thrilled to pieces that he was able to stand with everyone and didn't run to off the stage.
Proud graduate.
With his teacher, Ms. Kaplan.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Catching up
It has been a busy couple of weeks for the Amaya family. I had a friend from Minnesota visit for a couple of days followed by a friend from Pennsylvania. Hector had finals, we all got sick (Alexander's school even closed due to a Swine Flu outbreak), Hector's family came to visit, Hector graduated from Harvard and we went to New York City. Needless to say, I have a lot of blogging to catch up on...so let's get started.
Jill is a great friend from Minnesota who came to visit for a couple of days in May. Hector watched the kids so that the two of us could get out and have some girl time. We visited the Green Monster on Mother's Day to see a Red Sox game (and we won!), did the Freedom Trail and toured Harvard.
Shortly after she left, my dear friend Ajja came to visit from Pennsylvania. I've known Ajja since I was 7 years old (we grew up together in Hawaii) and haven't had a chance to see her in a little over a year, so I was thrilled that she was coming to visit. Lilly was equally thrilled, because Ajja brought her friend Kristin with her, and Kristin is a real live ballerina. Plus, Ajja is a great photographer and snapped some fabulous pictures of the kids for us.
Here's a slide show from the two visits, and I promise more to come in the near future.
Jill is a great friend from Minnesota who came to visit for a couple of days in May. Hector watched the kids so that the two of us could get out and have some girl time. We visited the Green Monster on Mother's Day to see a Red Sox game (and we won!), did the Freedom Trail and toured Harvard.
Shortly after she left, my dear friend Ajja came to visit from Pennsylvania. I've known Ajja since I was 7 years old (we grew up together in Hawaii) and haven't had a chance to see her in a little over a year, so I was thrilled that she was coming to visit. Lilly was equally thrilled, because Ajja brought her friend Kristin with her, and Kristin is a real live ballerina. Plus, Ajja is a great photographer and snapped some fabulous pictures of the kids for us.
Here's a slide show from the two visits, and I promise more to come in the near future.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Preschool Daze!
In April, Lilly officially started preschool. Three times per week our dining room is converted into a school house and I become the teacher of a very excited three year old. We are working our way through The Great Books Academy's nursery program.
It's a home school program that Hector had found years ago and includes workbooks to teach numbers, letters, colors, and handwriting as well as reading materials. The focus is on classic literature, so the workbooks are based on stories like Snow White and Cinderella which is perfect for my princess loving daughter. We have added on a catechism program and I try to prepare at least one project to go along with the reading each week.
Lilly loves doing it and asks for school every day. I am enjoying the freedom that homeschooling provides and am realizing that it's a lot more work than I had anticipated. Most recently we have been reading through the Beatrix Potter Collection and have planted a little garden on our porch. I got some books from the library that show how a seed becomes a plant, so we have been checking our seeds every day and Lilly shows our bean plants to everyone who walks through the front door.
Doing her workbooks.
Our garden. A bird ate our sunflower seed that was planted on the left.
The bean plants.
*On a completely unrelated note, the ivory dress from J.Crew was the pick for Lilly's flower girl dress. Unfortunately the date of the wedding has changed, so we returned both dresses since we aren't sure if they will still fit next year.
It's a home school program that Hector had found years ago and includes workbooks to teach numbers, letters, colors, and handwriting as well as reading materials. The focus is on classic literature, so the workbooks are based on stories like Snow White and Cinderella which is perfect for my princess loving daughter. We have added on a catechism program and I try to prepare at least one project to go along with the reading each week.
Lilly loves doing it and asks for school every day. I am enjoying the freedom that homeschooling provides and am realizing that it's a lot more work than I had anticipated. Most recently we have been reading through the Beatrix Potter Collection and have planted a little garden on our porch. I got some books from the library that show how a seed becomes a plant, so we have been checking our seeds every day and Lilly shows our bean plants to everyone who walks through the front door.
Doing her workbooks.Our garden. A bird ate our sunflower seed that was planted on the left.The bean plants.*On a completely unrelated note, the ivory dress from J.Crew was the pick for Lilly's flower girl dress. Unfortunately the date of the wedding has changed, so we returned both dresses since we aren't sure if they will still fit next year.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Lets get physical!
The kids had their annual physical last week and here are the latest stats:Alexander:
height - 44.75 inches, 79th percentile, grew about 2 inches
weight - 44.5 pounds, 72nd percentile, gained about 3 pounds
Lilly:
height - 35.75 inches, 17th percentile, grew about 2 inches
weight - 28 pounds, 19th percentile, gained about 4 pounds
Both kids are healthy and growing steadily. Lilly is right on track developmentally and I was pleased that the doctor noticed a huge improvement in Alexander since she saw him last (about 8 months ago).
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Happy Boy's Day!
Alexander had a very special Boy's Day today since it happened to be the same day as Harvard's Ice Cream Social. I was all set with cookies and snacks for Alexander (since he is allergic to ice cream), but we were thrilled to see that they also had mango sorbet! Plus they had temporary tattoos and crafts. Thank you Harvard Divinity for a great party!
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