Tonight was the dreaded Battle of the Books competition with our local library.  Alex was nervous, the team had been doing really crappy in practices, and the set-up turned out to be nothing like what we had planned and prepared them for.  Those of you with Asperger's kids know how important preparation is for things like this.

Alex was such a winner!  He was the team captain, which meant that he did all of the writing, directing of answers, and final say in answering.  One of the other kids with Autism and some other disorders thrown into the mix had a very difficult time, and Alex handled it so well.  He was quite the leader.  When this boy turned his chair away and refused to play anymore, Alex told him, "I miss you and I wish you would come back."  This made the kid feel very special.

Afterward, we all went to the local coffee shop for hot cocoa and unwind time.  The boys ran around like nuts playing superheroes, their cheeks rosy and their mouths full of laughter.  It was such a wonderful, happy experience.

The parents had been having doubts over the last month as to whether we should have the kids actually DO the competition.  We were worried about embarrassment, meltdowns, self-esteem, etc.  I am so glad we decided to let them all finish it out. 

I am so proud of them all!!

Alhumdullilah!