Great Big Massive Update

On a very cold Minnesota morning -- with the temp hovering at -14 and windchills in the -30 range -- I'm typing quickly to generate heat. Here's what Frankie has been up to since last October ....

Swim Meet

Frankie went to his PCA Noel's swim meet at Hamline University. Frankie is an amazing swimmer, so being on a swim team like Noel is definitely in his future. He had a great time watching the diving, competitive swimming -- and coed swim team members....

Hungry Dude

Frankie now weighs 50 pounds! He's a great eater. And he doesn't tolerate poor service very well ...

Listening Therapy

Frankie started Listening Therapy last fall as part of his occupational and speech therapy at the The Therapy Place. He listens to music that has been specially modulated and recorded to help his brain process information differently.

It has been amazing for Frankie! He is vocalizing more, concentrating better and able to follow instructions with more complexity.

Plus, he just looks cool ....

Classic Sick Day

On a day home from school when Frankie wasn't feeling well, we built a couch fort ...

After Christmas Fun

Frankie and I enjoyed a week of no school and no work after Christmas. We took a day to shop and ride rides at the Mall of America. Frankie loved going on the big rides -- even a roller coaster. Next stop ... Six Flags in Saint Louis this summer :)

You Know You've Lived in Minnesota a Long Time When ...

You run to the playground when the temperature rises above 40 degrees in January. One Sunday afternoon, we had a heat wave -- 45 degrees! So Frankie and I went to one of his favorite playgrounds. It was a fun of mix of seasons -- we played on the swing, then walked out onto the frozen lake.

Saturday at the Playground

Last weekend was cold and rainy in Minnesota -- except for a few hours of much-needed sunshine. Frankie took advantage of those hours by going to one of our favorite playgrounds right on Lake Calhoun.

I'm not quite sure how this iconic/blashpemous picture came to be, but it is pretty funny. It makes Frankie's priestly Halloween costume from a few years back seem more believable.

Frankie loves the tire swing at this playground. It's even more fun when there are other kids on the swing, but we had a great time with just him going around and around and around and around.

Frankie Throws!

After lots of hard work in PE at school and occupational therapy at The Therapy Place, Frankie has learned how to throw a ball over his head.

He's really proud of himself. He brings a ball over to play catch a few times a day. It has been especially fun to play catch when we swim.

Last Days of the Boot

Frankie got rid of his boot for good in September. Here's a pic of us playing in our front yard on one of the last days Frankie was stuck with the boot.

Needless to say, Frankie is thrilled not to be dragging around that big ol black boot any longer.

Mini-Vacation, Day 2

On Friday, we joined Aunt Mary Ellen and Frankie's cousin Kristy at the Minnesota State Fair. Who wouldn't love a day of high fat and sugar foods, plus lots of farm animals?

We didn't have a baseball hat for Frankie on this beautiful sunny day, but we found this awesome cowboy hat at the fair.

Frankie was a lot more interested in the animals this year. We spent a lot of time checking out bunnies, chickens, pigs and petting sheep ...

We ended our day at the fair with a fun ride on the Giant Slide ....

Like a true cowboy, Frankie kept his hat firmly in place, even on a wild ride down the slide.

Mini-Vacation, Day 1

Frankie and Dad played hookey from school and work on Thursday and Friday this week for a mini in-town vacation.

On Thursday, we went to Grand Rios, a huge indoor waterpark in Minneapolis. Frankie loved all the slides and the small pool with basketball hoops. He especially enjoyed soaking in the hot tub.

It was a rainy summer day, so there tons of other kids there. Frankie had a great time exploring all the small and large slides. We swam and slid for almost four hours!

Bad News Makes Good Kick Ball

We didn't get the answer we wanted from Frankie's orthopedist on Monday (Aug 13). Frankie's leg is healing well, but he still needs time for it to heal complete.

So...we'll be slipping on the boot when Frankie is at school. He can still have it off whilst he is at home and when we swim.

But look at how much he rocks playing kickball at school!

We go back on September 13, when we should be done with the boot for good.

First Time Swimming after Breaking His Leg

Frankie got the green light from his foot doctor to have his "boot" off when he was at home -- and to swim!

Right after that doctor's appointment, we went to Lifetime Fitness in Plymouth, MN and got ready to swim. Frankie was understandably hesitant about putting weight on his leg. But as soon as the pool opened, he was ready to go!

Whole Lotta Catching Up

I have been telling people for a while that Frankie's blog is "woefully in need of updating". So here's an attempt to catch up....

Right now, today, at this very moment, it is Sunday evening, August 12, 2007. Since I have posted since January, let me try to recap some of the major things that have been shaking.


Frankie Takes a Tractor Ride!

Uncle Larry gave Frankie a tractor ride at his estate outside Forest Lake, MN.

Frankie Goes to the Playground (again and again)

This is a shot from early spring at the playground in Linden Hills.

The Night Before ...

On a beautiful Monday night in June, Frankie strolls near the Lake Harriet bandshell.

...Frankie breaks his leg.

Sometime on June 26, 2007, Frankie broke his right leg. Luckily, he didn't have to get a full cast. He just got stuck with a "Wee Walker" boot.

So our summer plans changed a little bit. Instead of swimming 3 or 4 times a week, we found other fun things to do. We attended lots of concerts at the Lake Harriet bandshell. We made picnic dinners and sat on a blanket, taking in the scenery and the tunes.

As you can see, Frankie adapted to walking on his boot pretty quickly.

We saw RATATOUILLE and then had dinner at Hooters. Long story ....

We visited the Como Zoo in Saint Paul. Frankie's favorite part by far was watching the polar bear swim. We probably watched that polar bear swim and do flips for 30 minutes.





During this time, we kept track of the days until Frankie got his "boot" off with this calendar. We were hoping he would get rid of the boot on July 23. At that time, though, an x-ray revealed that Frankie had healed well, but that his bones still needed time to finish mending.





So we got the green light to take off his boot while he was at home and while swimming. You can see a video of his first time swimming in a separate post.


That's where we are tonight. Frankie goes back to the foot doctor tomorrow (Monday). We're hoping he'll politely hand the boot back to his foot doctor and say, "Thank you."

Frankie Sleds -- Angle 2

Frankie's Personal Care Assisstant (Aaron) took some great video of us sledding on our favorite hill over in Saint Louis Park. Frankie does a great job of telling me when he's ready to go down the hill ("Ready, Set ... Go -- he taps my hand). He's also much better about walking up the hill himself this winter.

You're a Happy Helper

... you all recognize that song from BARNEY, right? If you don't, you really don't know what you're missing.


Frankie is learning so many great things at school. He can really follow a task all the way through to completion. This pic was taken at McDonald's in Champlin on our standard Friday Night Date Night. We go swim at Lifetime, then have dinner at either McDonald's or Arby's.

I like Arby's because I can get a baked potato. Frankie prefers the fries at McDonald's -- and I really can't blame him.

The more I worry about Frankie leading an independent life, I like to go back to pictures (and memories) of simple things like this. Frankie is only 7 and has so many things to learn and so much brain development still to come.

Watching him do something as simple (but potentially useful to a future employer) as throwing away the garbage, I know that he can be trained to have some sort of job. He's already The Happiest Kid in the World. I just want him to have a great life and some sort of job or hobby that he finds really fulfilling.

Pajama Time

Paul gave Frankie these very cool fireman pajamas for Christmas. He looks so amazingly cute in them ... and somehow so grown up!

Sledding with Frankie

A day off school + 4 inches of fresh snow = the perfect afternoon for sledding!

A Boy and His Dog

This is a great shot of Frankie and Ashely....


Frankie has really "discovered" Ashely over the past few months. He'll pet Ashely and even lean on him when he's watching BARNEY.

As for Ashley, he's the same patient dog he always has been. When Frankie gets a little too rough, Ashely just walks away.

What a good boy! Such a good boy!

Sledding on New Year's Day

On New Year's Eve, it finally snowed here in Minnesota! Even though it was only four or five inches, it was enough for everyone to haul out their sleds and get outside.



We have a huge bowl-shaped park near our house which is perfect for sledding. Frankie and I got there around 400pm and sledded for about 90 minutes. By the time we left, the full moon was out on a perfectly clear night. It was a beautiful winter night.

The big change for this year is that Frankie can climb up the hill all by himself! It makes sledding a little more fun for everyone.

Boys' Night Out

Frankie and I spent a fun afternoon and evening in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday. We went downtown to see CHARLOTTE'S WEB. Frankie enjoyed most of it, but got a little bored in the middle. A quick trip to the concession stand for a big ol' pretzel seemed to solve that problem.

Then we did a little after-Christmas shopping. Frankie especially liked watching the cars and trucks and buses pass underneath Minneapolis' famous downtown skyways.



We then settled in for some dinner and dessert before heading back home. Frankie was in great spirits the whole time and loved having room to run around and explore.

Frankie Swims!

Lunch with a Purpose

We made it to Hannibal, MO for lunch on the second day. The minute we opened the car doors, I knew I was getting closer to home. The temp was around 93 and the humidity was well over 100%. It was a far cry from the mid-70s that we left behind in Minnesota the previous day.

Before we left Mount Pleasant, I had searched the web for places to stop for lunch in Hannibal, MO. I found a place called Twainland Cheesecake Company. From the map, it looked like it was right on the historic Mississippi Riverfront. And they had cheesecake. I was sold.

What we found was an amazing small-town story of determination. As this article and another article elaborate, the woman who runs this restaurant was once herself on welfare and didn't have a high school diploma. She founded her business to lift herself up -- and now helps women in similar situations.



The walls of the restaurant are filled with pictures of Lynn (the owner) receiving accolades from sentors and governors. She was the focus of a speech given in the U.S. House of Representatives on people moving from welfare to work.

We got the chance to meet her as we left (after an excellent slice of Oreo cheesecake). I told her she had led an amazing life and I was really impressed by her story. She thanked me, but then came around the corner and knelt down by Frankie. She said "hi" to him and he waved "hi" back.

She was nice enough to tell me that I was leading a pretty amazing life. All of her staff had been talking about what a nice guy Frankie was -- and how patient and loving I was with him (Frankie had had major ants in his pants during lunch).

As we left, Frankie blew her a kiss and she returned the favor. We told her we would definitely stop again on our next trip down to Saint Louis.

You know, in the movie CARS one of the themes is how people miss out on small town life and small town gems by just traveling on freeways. Our chance encounter with an amazing person like Lynn Carr is proof of that.

Great Start to Day 2

We left Mt Pleasant, Iowa around 10am, after a fine breakfast of freshly-made waffles in the hotel lobby -->

Frankie Graduates!

Wow ... in the rush to leave town, I can't believe I forgot to post the fact that Frankie has graduated from kindergarten! I don't know which is more odd ... Frankie being done with kindergarten, or the fact that he'll soon be in FIRST GRADE!

Here's a pic of Frankie with his diploma ...

... and his cap, which he was not crazy about wearing:

The day after the graduation, Frankie's class celebrated with a picnic in Loring Park. Here's Frankie with one of his favorite teachers, Miss Gloria:

Frankie's school (Fraser Academy) is a year-round program, so he'll be back in school on July 17. That still gives us two more weeks to hang out and enjoy lazy summer days!