It doesn't get better than this!

I really am supposed to be writing these on Sunday, but I needed the extra time just to organize myself. So much happened on the Elder Teddy front that it took me some time to process.
One of the joys/blessings/curses of having a child that has certain disabilities (or in Ted's case, Autism) is that teaching them to be independent takes awhile. They are usually at least 3 years behind socially, (Aspies, that is) and usually plagued with nerves when it comes to new experiences and transitions. Well, a mission has been a bit of a transition, but Ted has done really well dealing with the stress of it. He has loved going to his mission everyday and learning about his ancestors. He has done well on the floor and on the phone (oh happy day) but this week I had to push him out of his comfort zone once again. It was always our intention that when I got out of school for the summer we would teach Ted how to ride the bus. For most people not that big of a deal, but for Ted and ME it was a big deal. I could easily take care of him for the rest of his life, driving him where he needs to be and making sure he is safe, but he will not grow if I do that. He needs to be able to be independent. So I taught him the bus this week. I really threw him right into the middle of it. Took him to the library on the bus and told him to come home on the bus at night. The first day, he did get a little lost. He got off a mile early. But you know what? It was okay. He had some money with him, and he walked to a Circle K and used the pay phone to call me. He wasn't nervous, he wasn't that upset, and he handled it manfully.... I was so proud of him! He even knew the cross streets of where he was to tell me so I could come find him. The next day he did it perfectly, and I think by the end of this week he will not even be phased at all by it. Maybe I won't be either....

In other Ted news, Saturday was one of the greatest days of my life. He went through the temple for the first time. He is a profound boy, so it effected him profoundly. He said it was an extremely interesting experience. Seeing him come into the Celestial room in his Temple whites was one of the most wonderful feelings I have ever had. The only thing that could have made it better was if all of the family could have been there. Yesterday he got set apart as a missionary so now he is official. This has all been such a good experience for him and I am so happy that he gets to learn all this new stuff and practice changing things up! That's all for this week!