September's Transitioning

September was a month of transition.  I don't think we've successfully transitioned yet, but hopefully soon. 

Of course, September tends to be a transition for most families, as kids start school, so I know we're not unique in that.  I'm still gonna share our new schedule, cause hey, it's a big deal to me!

I got a new job in September, and that has been an ADJUSTMENT.  Munchkin started school, joined the after school program for 3 days, and is also enjoying a SIBS of Autism program on Fridays.  Buddy Boy started school and is adjusting well to riding the bus.  We've had two fundraisers so far, one Walk to School Day complete with news interviews, a few PTA and Community Council meetings, one carnival to attend, a lunch date for the grown ups (talk about an adjustment...I don't know the last time we did a date!), etc, etc.  Life as we know it.  September was also the first full month of me eating gluten-free, and although I can feel the difference, it still sucks! 

Okay, so...new job:
     - I started a part-time job working as a Para Educator for 6th grade students at a local elementary school.  Wish is was the school Munchkin was at, but alas, it's not.  My very first day involved saving a student from another student attacking them with a chair, a wrestling match with a substitute teacher and a student, the police being called in, the substitute being hauled off for touching the student, and me being put in charge of the entire class while we waited for a new sub.  I won't lie, I was tempted to quit right then.  Thankfully, the 8 days since then have been much more calm, although there were also incidents involving students trying to stab each other, graphic pictures drawn by students being confiscated, and lots of cussing by kids.  One highlight of the new job is running into a teacher who I recognized...because she was MY teacher from FIRST GRADE!!!  That was pretty flippin' cool!

Munchkin stuff:

     - Munchkin signed up for a "Glee for Me" after school class, a class introducing kids to the performing arts.  The after school staff kept putting her in different classes, and so it took awhile to get it straightened out, and there were tears for the first two weeks.  It eventually was fixed, and now she loves going to after school class!  Last Friday she started attending a Sibs of Autism group, held at Buddy Boy's school.  She has made a lot of friends, and we hope she'll enjoy the social time, the fun, and the opportunity to finally not be the only kid who has a brother with a disability.  She's loving 3rd grade and her teacher is AWESOME.

Buddy Boy stuff:  

     - Buddy Boy has been working on being potty trained for a year now.  He pees in the toilet, but has refused to sit on the toilet and poop  We couldn't figure out why, since he had started potty training sitting.  Turns out the school stopped having him sit, cause it was faster for them to have him stand.  We expressed concern and asked for their help in having him sit on the toilet at school, to reinforce what he was doing at home.  Because he never had a poopy accident at school, they weren't willing.  So we were very, very proud of him when he had two huge poopy accidents at school, ha ha!!!  And what a shocker, the next day his teachers contacted me letting me know that they agreed with me and that they would be helping to reinforce sitting on the toilet and trying to poop in it.  Go Buddy Boy!!  He's loving school and while playing he'll suddenly burst out into song, singing stuff from High School Musical, Justin Bieber, Plain White T's and Bruno Mars.  I'm constantly hearing how cute it is.  He has started saying "I'm so glad to see you!" every time time he gets off the bus.

Other stuff:

     - I was put in charge of decorations for a Walk to School Day happening at Munchkin's school.  Two local news stations came and the kids were all pretty excited about it.   I've been involved with the PTA and Community Council.  We went to the Sahara Cares Carnival for Autism on the 17th, and they did such a great job!  Buddy Boy started having meltdowns about 2 hours into it though, so we had to leave early.  It was fun while it lasted.

Gluten free:  
     - I thought that once I ate gluten free, I'd feel better.  It's crazy, because although there is definite improvement in some areas, there are other issues that have not gotten one bit better.  All the digestive troubles I've had for years are still here, except for the bloating.  I'm SO glad to have that gone!  My migraines have disappeared too. My stomach cramping has not gone away, but it's definitely a LOT less severe.  Going out to eat is practically non existent for me now, but that's probably a good thing anyway.:-)

Clay stuff:
     - So as to not leave Clay out, I'll be sure to share with you that there has not been much new going on with him. :-)  He's been helping his mom "move", but that isn't even news, since it's been going on for a year!  He's really excited for the new year to start so that he'll get an extra week of vacation at work. That'll be nice!

Our Summer in Pictures

I feel like I need to update on how our summer went, but honestly, I am so busy I haven't found the time.  Since I managed to find the time to write a huge ole' post about filming, I think I owe it to my family to spend some time on our summer as well.

Here's a summary of our summer in pictures:

Lots of trampoline jumping.

We went to our cousin's wedding,

sneaked onto our Stake's parade float...

had a lemonade stand, 

and did some hiking.

The girls enjoyed a Girls Night Out at Spaghetti Factory, all dressed up....

while the boys did their first annual Father's/Son's campout.

Munchkin had a great time doing the annual Daddy Daughter Backyard campout.

We took an overnight trip to Bear Lake.

The kids spent a lot of time playing in the water.

We grew a garden that had quite pathetic results as well.  (Better than nothing, though, I guess)

There you have it!  The gist of our summer. :-)

Filming The New Testament

So, I signed up to be an extra for the church's filming of the New Testament.  A long time ago. Turns out that another 10,000+ other people did too. So, I was quite surprised (pleasantly!) to get a phone call last Monday night from LDS  Casting, asking me if I'd be willing to come in and film on Thursday.  I was able to work out Clay's work and babysitters so that I could go.  I later got a call asking me to come Wednesday as well, but was unable to rearrange things for two days.

Anyway, I received an email at 9:30 Wednesday night informing me of the call time.  I was to be in Goshen, UT by 7:00 am Thursday morning.  I won't lie, I was worried about the early morning, since Tuesday night I started feeling sick. And get this:  I felt good the entire day of filming, until driving home.  The cold has taken hold since.  I just somehow managed to skip a day. Just try and tell me that's not a miracle!

I was up at 5:00 am and on the road at 5:20. Upon arrival, I was ushered into a tent that I would be sharing with 250 others.  I was among the first of the extras called to wardrobe, and so I didn't really know what to expect.  What I found was incredible.  I was assigned at "African Temple Background", and was given sandals, and outfit, hair, makeup, and jewelry.  The outfit I was given was not exactly modest...but I suppose it fit the time period!  How ironic that I had to show my temple recommend to be in the film, and almost immediately afterward was given clothing that I couldn't even wear my garments with!  Heck, I couldn't even wear my bra completely. My dress was sleeveless on one side and it came down under my arm on the other side, leaving me a nice, bare shoulder.  It also came above my knees.  I tried bargaining for something different (Are you sure you want me in this?  My arms are pretty flabby!).  Didn't work.  :-)

Anyway, I received my clothing and went to change, after which I was sent to hair and makeup.  I was given a plain turban-style wrap over my head, covering my hair completely.  At makeup, I was told that I was way too light and would be washed out, so they darkened me up.  That was definitely a first in Utah!  Although seeing everyone else that was African background, I can see why.  I didn't exactly look the part until they darkened me.  They covered me in a dark stain from head to toe.  It was nice having an instant tan, but it was a shock looking at my face!

Walking back into the extras tent was pretty cool.  Being one of the first ones put in costume, I got a lot of stares.  And yes, I loved it. I felt like a star!  (It doesn't take much to make me feel special.)  As time went by, we started seeing more and more costumes, and it was incredible.  The Roman soldiers walking around were my favorite, but there were also pharisees, temple guards, Jewish men and women, Africans, and Persians. The Persians received really fancy bright clothing, and they got makeup. I got a lot of pictures, but can't post them...contract!:-)

After a while, we were taken to the set, and my gosh, it was incredible.  I mean, how many people can say they've visited Jerusalem? How many can say they've seen ANCIENT Jerusalem? It was just like being there.  The man playing Jesus was on set also, and people were so excited to see him!  Initially, I thought it seemed a little silly, these hundreds of starstruck people. But as the day went on, I began to see him differently.  Not as an actor who was playing an amazing part, but as a representative of the Savior.  I mean, you have to understand.  Standing on set with hundreds of others, ALL of whom are dressed and playing parts just like me, it began to feel as if I was REALLY there...as if the Savior was truly walking among us, cleansing the temple!  And so, when we wrapped and left the set for the day, I was so thrilled to have the chance to exchange a few words with this man (his real name is John). One of the other extras waved at him, and later said he could cross "meet Jesus" off his bucket list....ha ha!

But before the wrap, we filmed two scenes.  Yes, two scenes total, and it was a 12.5 hour day!  If that isn't testament to the detail that has to go into filming, I don't know what is.  For the first scene, we were walking through the temple where the money changers were, the animals, and everyone else, when suddenly we heard a crash and ran off, scared.  The crew members didn't tell us that anything was going to crash, so when it happened, my response was not acted. In fact, I jumped and looked back, and then panicked, thinking I'd screwed up.  But no, that was exactly what they wanted!

The second scene was an extension of the first, but just from a different angle, and a little further into the cleansing of the temple.  They were filming people running and scattering out of the temple while the Pharisees challenged Jesus.  They sent me off at the end of the scene, as one of the stragglers still running around.  They then ended the scene with the sheep scattered, tables overturned, the temple empty of people and everything, except for Christ and one perfect little lamb. The poor lamb was scared to death...all of his sheep friends had taken off running and he had to stay!

Speaking of the lamb, it was awesome working with animals on scene!  I loved it.  On set were donkeys, pigeons, sheep, and doves. There were two camels there too, but they weren't on set.

Anyway, that's the gist of my day.  I won't lie, it was hot in the sun, and physically I was not comfortable in the outfit I had.  But the day was about so much more!  Too see the camaraderie among people was inspirational. People from all over the world (literally, there were people from as far away as Ghana!!), all walks of life, all ages, coming together.  I shared friendships with so many people.  At the end, some gals asked me how old I was, and were shocked to hear how old I am (31 if anyone is interested). As we took turns guessing each others' ages, it struck me that these were people who I may not necessarily be friends with in the real world.  We are different ages, have different interests, different styles, and so much more.  Yet that day, we were simply humans, all grateful for the opportunity to celebrate our Savior's love and life.  Friends. Brothers and sisters.

I'll never forget that feeling of unity.  I'll never forget the feeling of walking the streets of Jerusalem, as the Savior walked among us. It was...I can't even think of an accurate word for it. Amazing?  Awesome? Awe inspiring? All I know is, I want to carry the feeling with me.  Forever.

More Munchkin-isms

I may have the cutest girl in the world...I really might.  She's certainly among the silliest.  Here are some of her quotes from the summer:

One day I was lying in bed sick (shocker, right?).  She came in and asked what was wrong.  I told her I was sick and she got really worried.  She felt my forehead and said, "You don't have a fever.  Oh no!  What if you're getting the Weasles??"

In July we drove by a Texas Roadhouse.  Munchkin mentioned that she'd gotten a coupon from school for a place like that...but couldn't remember the name of the place.  I gave her some ideas:  "Spaghetti Factory?  Outback Steakhouse?"  She replied, "No, it was, um, let me think.  It was Obama-Rama, that's right!"  I nearly wrecked the car I was laughing so hard.  When we were safely parked, I asked if she had meant "ChuckaRama.  Yes, yes she had.

During my gluten binge (which a whole other story in itself), we went to Arctic Circle and I got some halibut.  I explained to Munchkin that it was fish.  As we were eating and enjoying our meal, she very politely tried stirring up some conversation:  "So Mom, how are you enjoying your Malibut?"

You know, given my own history with word mix-ups, I'm hardly able to judge.  Some of you may remember my Fahu Tahi song from The Grinch. 

At least we know where she got it from.

For past Munchkin-isms, go here!

Buddy Boy and Home Depot

I love, LOVE the free kids workshops that Home Depot and Lowe's do!  Both of the kids enjoy them, but Buddy Boy in particular looks forward to it.  To see the sense of pride and accomplishment in his face after making something is something I'll never tire of:






(I personally prefer the Home Depot ones, simply because you don't have to sign up nearly 4 weeks in advance to reserve a spot...but that's just me!)

Autism and more

June 30th,  me and Eve had our 11th anniversary.   To celebrate we went as a family to Trafalga, and for lunch at KFC.   Whenever we go anywhere we try to take precaution about what to do if Buddy Boy has a meltdown.  It was 30 min away from home.  A lot of times one of us takes Buddy Boy in the car until he calms down, but it was a very hot day, and couldn't sit in the car.  We packed food and juice and an extra diaper, and headed out early to avoid the crowd.  By the time we arrived it was already hot, and crowded.  Buddy Boy started with a good attitude and was okay waiting for a little in line without causing a scene.  He was so excited to go on the rides and while on the rides was having the time of his life.  After one hour it was more crowded, and very hot and Buddy Boy wanted to still have fun but with no one there to interrupt, or make him have to wait in line.  After the first hour he started to have meltdowns, so we went to lunch.  Whenever we take him out to eat we try to go somewhere that is not very crowded,  unfortunately this time KFC was crowded, and a kid sat down at a table next to ours and this caused another meltdown.   We decided to go back for some more torture, and meltdowns persisted.   One time I turned my eye on him for only a second and he ran up to a toddler and shoved him down to the ground.  It was embarrassing explaining it to the tot's mother. We were all exhausted and came home and took a nap.   Buddy boy is a generally happy boy.  While he is home he finds things to entertain him, and very seldom has a meltdown while we are home.  Whenever there is the time to go somewhere, library, gas station, grocery store, park, or any place in general with people, I think, "should I take Buddy Boy, he will probably be miserable, and there is a 50% chance he will cause some sort of a scene."  But then the thought comes to my mind that he needs to experience the world and so most of the time I take him.  Sometimes he does great, and others not so great.  When taking him places he gets very excited to go and wants to explore the world.  The only problem is it has to be under guide lines, and conditions.  At the store he used to want to run up and down and touch everything, and play with everything.  He has since learned he cannot do that.  As Buddy Boy continues to grow, hopefully he will learn some more social rules of how society works, and hopefully I will continue to take him with me to "experience the world."   ~Clay

This one he is at a park and there was some animals to pet.