Watchin' the Clock

This is Buddy Boy watching the clock and announcing as it changes. He got mad when he discovered me filming him:-)

The Great Outdoors

Akaila and I had our yearly camp out.   It started with Mom making a delicious chicken and rice dinner, with fruit from our garden, Parker and Akaila swam in the backyard swimming pool, we then jumped on the trampoline.  Akaila has been itchen for some one on one attention, and has always wanted to sleep on the trampoline.   She then came up with a great idea to have the tent on the trampoline.  We read books until we fell asleep.    Last year we had the portable dvd player (it is now broken).  Books were much more fun anyway.  The next day Akaila said she has never been on a hike.  So I was racking my brain where to go on a fun small hike that was close by, and came up with Ensign Peak.  If anyone knows of any other, please feel free to let me know.  Akaila was amazing!  She had no problems with the hike.  I was nervous with Parker, he was a little trooper.  Half way through the hike I thought I better carry him.  But of course the most fun the kids had was at the park after the hike. 

What a week!

Well, it was a whirlwind of a week last week...and crazy fun!  Here are some highlights:

• Sunday we had a family dinner with Clay's fam...it was to celebrate his birthday.  No pics, sorry!

•  Monday we cleaned and cleaned, getting prepped for  Tuesday. 
And nope, no pictures there either:-)

• Tuesday we had the film crew from The United States of Autism come out and spend the day with us.  It was really, really awesome! 

• Wednesday we had dinner at my mom's house while my sis and her family were in town....what a blast! Munchkin was thrilled that we were able to have 3 of her cousins over for a sleepover that night.  It was SO FUN.

•  Thursday night Munchkin had a sleepover at Grandma Woods' house with her cousins again.  Boy, can I even express the excitement that she felt all week??? She LOVES her cousins! While she was gone, Buddy Boy and I spent the evening wearing funny hats and watching the clock and counting each time the minute changed. (seriously, for more than a half hour...I'll have to post the video of that).  He loves clock-watching!

•  Friday morning we had a family breakfast, and then we went to the zoo.  Buddy Boy, Clay and I didn't stay very long, since Clay had to work and Buddy Boy started getting tired.  Aunt Mae was kind enough to keep Munchkin so that she could stay longer.  Cousin Vicky came with her two cuties, and cousins Dawn and Aspen came with Dawn's little girl.  A big THANK YOU to Grandma Linda and Grandma Woods for such a fun day!

•  And last, but not least, was Saturday.  We were able to support my nephew as he was baptized!!!  It was wonderful.  His Grandpa Miller and Uncle Willy gave wonderful talks, and got me thinking about ideas to use when Munchkin gets baptized.  Afterwards, we had a family barbecue.  Buddy Boy amazed me for the 3rd or 4th time this week by being absolutely amazing.  One of our old friends was shocked when he heard me talking about Autism.  He couldn't believe Buddy Boy had autism, or any other disability!

So after a great week like that, I have NO idea what we'll do this week...the poor kids are already bored and missing family! ;-)

The United States of Autism in Utah

A short time ago, I mentioned days that are unforgettable.  Days that will forever be etched in memory; days that provide you with hope, inspiration, and motivation.  Days that leave an imprint on your heart. 

The good Lord must be shining down on us, because my family had ANOTHER of those yesterday.

(photo courtesy)
We were blessed with the good company of the filming crew from the United States of Autism documentary. They are traveling over 10,000 miles and talking to 20 families to share with the world our stories, our hopes, and the dream that we all share...the idea of being able to create a better world for our family members and friends affected by Autism.  The cause is an amazing and beautiful one.  The sacrifices being made are great.  And when this movie is finished, you'll see why it was worth it.

So....yesterday my family was filmed.  What a day!!  Although I didn't know exactly what to expect, I had a basic idea of how things would work...

I had NO CLUE.

You know the moment you read about, when two people meet and there is an instant bond?  Love at first sight?  A feeling that you've known someone before?  Apparently something like that happened with my Buddy Boy.  (Keep in mind, he's 3 years old, Autistic, afraid of unfamiliar people, and terrible with transitions)  He seemed unsure when he first met the crew, but then in walked "Cas".  (I don't want to use her real name just in case of copyright issues....better safe than sorry, right?)  She walked in, and the walls came a tumblin' down!  Buddy Boy began doing things he's NEVER done before!  Playing games with a complete stranger.  Babbling more than most of my family has ever heard him do.  Dancing and showing off.  It was incredible.  He loved his Cas.....and not surprisingly, the first thing he said this morning upon waking:  "Where's Cas?"

As for my 7-year old Munchkin daughter, she became fast friends with "Rose".  Rose taught me how to do a fishtail braid (lame that I didn't know how, I know), and played with Munchkin's hair.  Anyone who knows Munchkin knows that hair stuff is a quick way to the girls' heart!  They talked about boys, hair, and other girl stuff and really had a great time!  After the crew left, Munchkin realized that Rose had left her hair piece in Munchkin's hair.  She cried and said "Dad, look, Rose left this for me to remember her by.  I miss her so much!"

The other two members of the crew amazing as well.  One of them reminded me of my Uncle Bob, with his quiet, kind, sweet, and yet SO SMART demeanor.  The guy is an absolute artist, with an eye for beauty like I haven't seen before.  They did a great job getting him involved in the film.  He not only knows his stuff, but he also has an obvious love for children, and made my kids feel so comfortable and such a part of things.  Seeing him watch my Buddy Boy really melted my heart.

The director of the film is astounding.  He has a very personal connection...and it shows.  It's such a fantastic thing when you can meet someone and feel an instant love, acceptance, and understanding radiating from them.  That's how it was with him!  I felt comfortable opening up (which is good, considering they're doing a DOCUMENTARY lol) and really just being ME with him.

I took a ton of pictures and they turned out SO great.  I really wish I could share them on here, but there are copyright issues there.  But you know what, I'll do the next best thing.  I'll steer you on over HERE to see the pictures that the crew took.  You can "meet" the crew, see their real names, and see the pictures they took of my beautiful family.  Be sure to also read up on the cause and more of what they're doing.

10 years later

Well, Clay and I recently celebrated our 10-year anniversary.  I was looking back, and had some random thoughts:

• 10 years ago, we were making a lot more money than we are now.
• 10 years ago, we had only 2 mouths to feed.
• 10 years ago, we were a combined 30 lbs skinnier.

I could only think of one thing for now:

• 10 years later, we are HAPPIER.

That really sums it up.

What have we learned and achieved in these 10 years?  The accomplishments may seem small, and many things that have happened are not unusual, but they really have added up to a more fulfilled life.

• We've learned to garden (46 tomato plants this year!!!)
• We've become more practical.  Don't believe me?  I got a food strainer for my anniversary gift and I LOVE IT!
• We've lost loved ones.

• We've gained loved ones.

•  We've bought a home for our family.
• We've FINALLY followed the prophet's counsel and built a food storage.
• We've been humbled....big time!
• We've learned how precious the simple things are...playdates at the park, baking fresh bread together, watching the kids eat from the garden, the sound of a baby laughing, the joy of watching our kids dance together, watching thunderstorms from the garage, and the days when Clay isn't working.

We've become a real-life, true FAMILY!!!!

The day of our anniversary was fabulous.  We started the day with pancakes and sausage.  I made them extra thin because Clay likes flat pancakes:-).  We exchanged gifts. Like I mentioned, Clay got me a strainer, and I got Clay a huge photo collage and a movie.
Later we took the kids to the playplace at Carl's Jr.  You know they loved that!  Clay surprised me by telling me he'd gotten the day off.  Oh yeah!!!
The kids drew us pictures as gifts, and they are oh, so sweet.  After lunch, we all took a nap.  Seriously, could it get any better than a nap???
That evening, we ate peas from the garden and hung out in the backyard.  We took some family pictures and played in sprinklers.  Munchkin had Clay help her set up a tarp.  She hung it up with rope so that it created an umbrella.  Then I helped her make a "Hawaii" sign, so that we could pretend we were at the beach.  We filled up the kiddie pool and the kids splashed away.

Here's to another amazing 10 years...