Summer's Ending - And We're Crying

This summer has been so boring for the poor kids - or probably mostly for poor Clay.  In years past we've gone on a hike a week, played at playgrounds and other stuff multiple times a week, and just spent a lot of time outdoors.  

This year the kids have decided they are DONE with the hikes, ha ha.  Works out for me since I can't do it anyway, but Clay's about losing his mind with envy when he hears about his friends' outdoor adventures.  

And yet, I'm still completely and utterly depressed that school is starting again.  Why?  Because I have to go back to work, of course!  I used to look forward to school time, but that was before I worked at a school.  I suppose it serves me right, that one year of me being unsympathetic to the kids as they began their time of learning.  

We did have a FEW outdoor adventures, though:

 Zion National Park, 

 Soccer clinics and birthday parties.

Buddy Boy went horseback riding this year, Munchkin started gymnastics (not pictured cause we can't take pictures while they're practicing - bummer), we caught a bunny in our backyard (as did our neighbor!), the kids enjoyed sampling chocolate during the chocolate factory tour, and we had fun trying out new pinterest ideas (the noodles on the trampoline springs fall off a lot.  Put these on when you're first setting up the trampoline so you don't have to slice it down the middle).

 We also went to the Enchanted Fairy Forest for the first time.  We'll definitely be making a trip back there again next summer!  The kids loved it. 

I guess it's also good for us to get back into a routine, eh?  It'll be good to be organized again!

Oh Happy May

I'm singing Oh Happy Day over here, and hoping and praying that it'll be an Oh Happy May.  What a great start to the month!

The day actually started off on a rough note.  Yesterday, April 30, was a no good, bad, rotten day for me.  Painful and frustrating, and ugh, I was glad to see it end.  I woke up early this morning after having a dream that Buddy Boy had gone missing from his school and was found in a field.  To then find an email from my mom sharing the very real news that a local young man with a mild form of autism had gone missing was shocking and sad.   

When these kinds of things happen, I want SO badly to do something.  To help somehow.  However, I have a job, and I have kids and well, responsibilities, and I'm never able to go and volunteer.  I made the choice to put this situation in the priority seat however, and went up to help search.  I'm SO glad I did.

Shortly after 10 am, he was found!  What a great thing to hear! 

The day continued on, warm and sunny.  People, I WASN'T COLD for more than an hour the ENTIRE DAY!  It's been over 6 months ago since I could claim that.  It is a big deal.  (of course, I'm cold now, but hey, it's bedtime, it doesn't count.)

While Munchkin was at gymnastics (which we were ON TIME to for the first time in forever - name the song), Buddy Boy and I decided to explore a section of the Jordan River walkway that we hadn't before.  It was a blast!  He was so agreeable and sweet and cute.  He found a tree and asked me to take a picture of him swinging in it:

After getting back, we had a simple meal of leftovers and guess what?  Not one complaint.  NOT ONE!  Kids both ate their dinners and Munchkin went in her room to do her homework.  I didn't even have to remind her.  I know, twilight zone, right?  In a very, very good way.

In the midst of all this, I was receiving news of very dear friends on my ItWorks team receiving promotions, some for the first time!  I received my first promotion last month, and it is a big deal!  I can't express how excited I am for everyone, including myself.  We're changing lives, people!  New sales, new customers - check.  Great business start to the month.  

To top off the day, my kiddos worked out with me and helped me as they showed me their moves for workouts.  Then we went outside and cut some lilacs off the bushes and they are now sitting on my dresser and my room smells a little like Heaven. 

Another fun photo...Buddy was drawing a hot dog on his ipad, and then decided to draw someone holding it, but alas, the hot dog was already so big and front and center...so he improvised:

Sigh...this was a good day. :)

Spring Break and U-Fit

So...we've got spring fever.

Which is why we were incredibly excited for spring break.  I personally had so many awesome plans:  clean out the garage, rip out the old garden boxes, build in some new, hand-til the garden (since we don't actually own a tiller), clean and vacuum out the car, go on a few walks, have a few picnics, enjoy a few playgrounds, etc.

And then the cold front came in. 

It snowed the first day of our spring break.  Bummer, but you know, it's cool.  Spring in Utah.  It's what happens.  But then it stayed cold.  It stayed rainy/snowy.  It stayed windy and cloudy.  Wait a minute, if there's one thing that's constant about Utah spring, it's that it's always changing.  But oh no, not spring break week.  We had consistent, steady cold.  It was so sad.  :( 

Sad, sad, sad. 

Ah, well.  We still managed to do some stuff.  We watched a lot of movies too.

The weekend just before spring break, we took a walk.  It was so cold and windy, but hey, it was sunny! 

The kids love Red Robin!

We used our two free kids' passes and went to the Utah Natural History Museum.  (And no, the kids aren't standing in a meadow of flowers.  They're standing next to a painted wall of flowers.  I had someone ask about that.)

On the 2nd, Autism Awareness Day, Munchkin and I went to a play up at Weber State, Mockingbird.  It was great!  Buddy Boy and Dad went out to eat for their "playdate".



The kiddos have been doing U-Fit again this semester, and loving it as usual.  The other night was the end of the program for the semester, but we're definitely planning to do it again in the fall.  Thank goodness for generous college volunteers!

Many of you know this, but one of the struggles with autism (at least in Buddy Boy) is a struggle with coordination.  He gets so frustrated when he can't do the physical things that so many other kids can do, but he tries so hard!  He'd never been able to successfully jump rope, for example, and whenever he tried, the moment would eventually end in tears.  So to see this on the last night of U-Fit made my heart SING:

Pictures of...us!

Because I've been awful at keeping up, here's what's been going on the last few weeks with us:

Celebrated at Jungle Jim's.

Munchkin started soccer.

Buddy Boy started baseball.

We toured a local news station and enjoyed free food afterwards.

Other stuff:

• We're all anxious for summer to start, and wish that Dad worked at a school so he could get a summer break like the rest of us!  
• Buddy Boy lost his 2nd tooth, thank goodness, because he's got four other loose ones!
• We did 2 news interviews with another local station (those kids were stars and did great!)
• We did a lot of autism awareness spreading (does that even make sense?).
• 2 trips to Home Depot to do kids' workshops
• Prepped a lot of the garden...the peas are looking great and the tomatoes are currently being hardened to get ready for transplant.  Yeah, we've got spring fever!

United States of Autism Premiere

The documentary, The United States of Autism, has been premiering all over the nation, and has received great reviews all over as well.  How awesome that we've had a chance to be a part of it!!

The first night it premiered was at the beginning of April in NYC.  The theater sold out!

It came to our area last Thursday, April 18, and it was so fun to get to see it.

 /*

Our family's sweet friend Margie took the above pictures for us.  She also bought tickets to support us.  She promoted the event like crazy to help as well.  Oh yeah, and she's the ENTIRE reason we were even given the opportunity to be in the film.  She was the one who told me about the applications being accepted for families.  So you know, we pretty much owe all of this to her.  Thank you Margie!!! :-)

Here she is posing with us.  

I feel like I owe thanks to so many, and I'm not sure the best way to do it.  I am planning to send personal thank-you notes, but there were so many who were supportive who I don't personally know and cannot properly thank.  So...I'll say THANK YOU here.  Thank you for supporting our family on this special night; THANK YOU for supporting The Tommy Foundation and those who were involved in making the film.  THANK YOU for caring about autism and about the amazing, wonderful individuals all around us who deal with autism on a daily basis.

I've had a lot of people ask...YES, the film will be out on DVD/Blu Ray in the fall.  Can't wait!! 

Smith's Easter Egg Hunt

So, it's officially a tradition.  Every year the day before Easter for the last 3 years, we've headed over to our local Smiths Food and Drug store.  They put on an Easter egg hunt, and every year they've impressed me.  

You know the city-sponsored Easter egg hunts at local parks?  We tried those once.  When the whistle was blown to start the hunt, so many kids took off running that every SINGLE egg was gone within the first 30 seconds of the hunt!  Our two kids came home crying and empty handed.  
Once, a local park was "prepared" and had extra bags of candy for kids who didn't get anything.  We got in line to get a piece of candy since there were no eggs to be had, and they ran out of the extra stuff too!
Another time it was raining/snowing and freezing cold.  That wasn't fun.

Never again, my friends.

Smith's does it indoors, so I don't have to worry about weather.  They divide the hunt into different age groups so that I don't have to fear my young kiddos getting run over by teenagers.  They have kept it fairly small so the place isn't overly crowded.  They offer free breakfast (well, free donut holes and orange juice/chocolate milk, anyway).  They have PLENTY of stuff for EVERYONE to find, and even when the hunt is done and the kids are leaving with full baskets of goodies, the employees come around and give kids coupons for free products at the store!  They are so nice, so sweet, and I LOVE them for it. :-)

My kids, as usual, have highly enjoyed their haul!  Thank you, Smith's, for providing a stress-free hunt that even my anxiety-ridden boy can enjoy!

U-FIT again

It's spring time again, which means the kids are enrolled at U-FIT again.  Just like last time, they are lovin' it! Munchkin has completely transformed from this time last year in her swimming abilities.  She's a total fish, and I'm so proud of her.  One year ago she was willing to put her head under water, but wouldn't jump into a pool (even the shallow end) and needed a life jacket.  She's all over the pool now, and it's awesome!

Buddy Boy has really loved it, too.  Last year he would get sensitive at the beginning of the night and took some time warming up.  He also wouldn't ever let go of his friend in the pool.  Now he can't wait to see his "girlfriend" and leave me to go play.  He'll play in the pool without hanging on to anyone, and although he still despises his face getting wet (I don't blame him), he is SO much more comfortable in the water.  The one thing that HASN'T changed since last year is that his swimming shorts still come loose too easily and he regularly almost loses his shorts! :-)

Our Last Few Days

Wednesday - Munchkin diagnosed with Strep Throat.

Wednesday - Car brake squealing gets REALLY bad all the sudden.

Thursday - Buddy Boy diagnosed with Strep Throat.

Thursday - Car's rear brakes are worn all the way through, need replacing along with the rubber and encasing around them...also needs a complete transmission flush and servicing.  $$$

Friday - I get a nice gluten cross contamination while eating ice cream from a restaurant.  Migraines, bloating, and pain for me.

Friday - Buddy Boy wakes up from a nap in a complete panic because he can't breathe.  It's the worst I've seen it in him, so we rush him to the after hours clinic.  After two breathing treatments, one shot and 4 X-rays, we're sent to the hospital ER because the muscles around his lungs are retracting (concave), indicating that they are working way too hard.

Saturday - Still feels like Friday, but technically it's Saturday...we return home from the hospital.  No answers, just more steroids and meds to help Buddy to breathe.  


So....we're broke for the rest of the month...ha ha!

They say that when it rains it pours.  I believe that.  I think, however, that after the rain comes the rainbows and blue skies...right?  


RIGHT?  :-)

2012 Review

Yeah, so I'm sorta WAY slow on posting the review for last year, but whadya gonna do?  I've fallen behind, what can I say? Ah, well, better late than never.

Basically I asked the kids to tell me a few things that stood out for them in 2012:

Munchkin:

• Went to Bear Lake 3 times, went to Logan, Moab, and Goblin Valley
• Favorite teacher in 2012 was Mr. Campbell
• Started 4th grade
• Got on the honor roll 3 times.
• Learned to swim.
• Grew her first set of crystals.
• Favorite "vacation":  Going to Bloomington and riding a horse for the 1st time, playing with kittens and puppies, and finishing the day at Bear Lake.

Buddy Boy:

• Went to Bear Lake 3 times; went to Logan, Moab, and Goblin Valley.
• Favorite teacher:  Ms Kynzie.
• Started Kindergarten
• Began reading really well (2nd grade reading level)
• Started U-FIT - favorite part of U-FIT was getting in the pool.
• Favorite "Vacation":  Bear Lake

Mom:

• Lost 20 lbs.
• Monetized her blog.

And here are the plans/goals for this new year...once again, the kids' goals are their own:

• Family - Go to Disneyland (probably for the last time).
• Buddy Boy - Get completely potty trained.
• Munchkin - Go skiing for the first time (did it and had a blast!!)
• Mom - face fear of heights by going hang gliding.
• Buddy Boy - Learn art
• Munchkin - Learn to do a back flip on the trampoline.
• Munchkin - Memorize 12 times tables
• Munchkin - Learn to do more new hairstyles.
• Munchkin - Learn to cook more dinners.
• Munchkin - Go camping (preferably in Wyoming or Montana)
• Mom - Lose 10-15 more lbs
• Mom & Munchkin - Begin learning to play piano.
• Parker - Have Green days at school.
• Munchkin - Do a one handed cartwheel.
• 
  

Go Munchkin!!

Proud of my sweet pea...

These Kids are CRAZY!

These kids...man, they're crazy.  They make me crazy.  They make me insane.  They're cute and sweet, too. So I still love them. :-)

Seriously though, they've been home from school for fall break and they're nuts!  A sampling of the last two days:

 - Munchkin was playing Mario Cart Wii this morning, a game that Buddy Boy is scared of (yes, scared).  
Buddy Boy - "No, no, please don't die!!"
Munchkin- "CALM DOWN Buddy Boy, I'm a professional!"

Seconds later Munchkin says, "Oh, dang it!!" and Buddy Boy runs off screaming at the top of his lungs cause he's so scared and upset that Munchkin crashed.  



 - Yesterday Buddy decided to wear his Halloween "monster" costume for part of the day.  Begged me for it, and then wanted to watch Monsters, Inc while wearing it.  What a cute idea, right?  Well, halfway through when Mike and Sully were banished, he started sobbing, yelling, and hitting things (not people, so that's something).  I asked him what in the world was wrong, and he said "I'm SCARED!!!"  I replied, "Scared of what?"  His response:  "Mom, don't please shut the closet and shut me in the closet and banish me in the snow forever!"  Took me TWENTY minutes to calm the kid down and convince him that he's not really a monster, and I would never banish him.

- Today as I was coming into the kitchen to make lunch, Munchkin (who had been sitting at the table painting a sunset over an ocean) said to me, "Mom, I'm so sorry.  I've been daydreaming and imagining what it would be like to have a sister.  I want one so badly, I'm just desperate."  (HUGE SAD SIGH) "I sure wish you could have more kids.  In my dreams my sister, Shiloh is my identical twin, and we have an older brother, Jonathan and he's 12.  He's the best big brother ever, and whenever Buddy wants to play him him, he gets to."  Munchkin is nearly in tears at this point, so of course Buddy  not to ever be out-drama'd, pipes in  "I LOVE MY JONATHAN!!!  He's the best brother I never seen!"  


 - We received a canvas print in the mail today and because Buddy was hanging over Munchkin s shoulder driving her crazy, I called him over to help open it.  It's a picture of our family.  He loves it, but started pretending it was a trampoline for his fingers.  I told him no more "jumping" on it or I'd take it away.  He ran from me, hugged the picture close and cried, "No, NO, don't take away my family!!"  He then proceeded to kiss the dang thing and rub his runny nose on it, so he lost his family really quick.

Buddy showed me his displeasure by hanging himself upside down from my bed.  I asked him why he was upside down, and he told me it's because he's so mad at me for taking away his family.  Boy, he sure showed me.:-)


Of course, I guess I love them too.  We had our moments of cuddles, hugs, playing calmly together, reading, singing, all that good stuff.  So it's all good. :-)

Summers' Summary

Well, it's official....Munchkin is back in school, with Buddy Boy to follow in a week.  Our summer vacation is (gulp) OVER.



A moment of silence to mourn.



This was the first summer in many years that I have not had health problems, and I gotta tell you, I'd forgotten how great summer can be!  Maybe that's why it seemed to fly by faster than ever before.  I'm already gearing up and making plans for next year, ha ha.

We took a couple of trips to Bear Lake and Bloomington, ID, 

 enjoyed eating fresh produce,

explored the Clark Planetarium,

played with Grandma and cousins,

had fun at yard sales and at making random treats,

 took a trip to Moab,

explored Utah's beauty,

and tortured the kids with too many pictures.

Ahh, summertime.  Can't wait to do it again.