Fire Drill

Ryan has quite a sensitivity to loud noises, especially ones that are unexpected. We learned this last year, when all of a sudden, a School Fire Drill sent him into a tail spin of anxiety. This year we have been working with him a ton. We audio recorded the fire drill noise from school and practiced listening to it every day. We also have helped Ryan learn to put in his own ear plugs. After six month of daily practice and desensitization, it was time for Ryan to give the School Fire Drill another try. He has quite a passion for Ice Hockey (which he has never played), but saw on the movie "The Tooth Fairy." So, we told him that if he could be brave enough to listen to the loud noise of a fire drill, that he could probably also handle the loud noises at a real Hockey Game.

Success! It's hard for me to relate the feelings of relief that I felt, once he had overcome this huge obstacle.

Ryan was given the special job of holding this bucket. Man it was cold that day!!

Off to the Idaho Steelheads game downtown. I'm bummed that this picture ended up blurry. I guess when someone else is taking it, you're never sure what you are going to get. :)

The boys chillin'. We actually saw quite a bit of fighting in the game that night. I had never been to a Hockey Game. Kind of exciting!

Lydia May was also there to cheer on the Steelheads.

We bought Ryan a souvenir hockey stick that he now has in his room. We were lucky to catch a picture with blue (yes, apparently it starts with a lower-case b), the mascot. He was on cloud nine.

Ryan, we are so proud of you! Way to go!