Last week of summer

Well, we tried hard to make the last week of summer a good, fun one for the family, but also a fairly productive one.  Not sure how well we did, but we certainly enjoyed ourselves!

On Tuesday we went to Trafalga.  We'd been lucky to find a deal at Screamin' Coupons, and got the tickets for half off, so it was definitely time to use them!  We played miniature golf, did the 4D theater ride, and raced go carts.  Munchkin and Buddy Boy were definitely good sports about kissing in front of the castle for me:-) 

Wednesday we went to Buddy Boy's school open house.  He did really well once he was warmed up, and we have really high hopes and goals set for him!  The kids had a great time playing dress up while there:

Afterwards we went to the This is the Place park with Grandma Woods and played with the "pioneers" for awhile. 

Saturday we went to the vet, which kinda sucked, but hey, it's productive, right?  That afternoon Munchkin went to Granny's to swim.  Sunday we had a family dinner with Grandma Woods while Reggie and Michelle were in town, and had a blast! 

And now it's Monday and school has started (for Munchkin, anyway).  Back to the world of learning, achieving, and homework!:-)

Our Summer...Summarized

So....I really can't believe summer is over.  Usually I'm SO ready, but this year I'm not so sure.  I am excited to get Buddy Boy back in school, though.  I can see the difference it makes!!  Anyway, here's a little of what my summer looked like:

(sold a lot of Mary Kay, went out of business, sleepover with cousins, hanging at the zoo...)

Discovered a couple of birds nests in the yard...

Planted a good-sized garden...

                                                      

                         25 playgrounds and ten million excursions to the backyard.

Too much fast food, a hike up ensign peak

 A 10-year anniversary

A trip to the Alpine Slide.

 Swimming lessons for Munchkin

An awesome experience watching The Lion King, Broadway with my girl....(don't feel bad for my boy, he would have been miserable, I swear!)

And some of the non-picture stuff:

• United States of Autism filming crew
• Offered part time work for a friend.
• Got put on another PTA (OY)
• Attempted to learn to say NO and not overextend myself (and said no twice today!!! )
• Started Qui-Gong and saw promising results.

That's about the summary.  I know I missed stuff, but I am "almost a grandma" as my 7-year old tells me.  After all, I'm 30 YEARS OLD!  Memory is the first to go, right?


And now, to make sure fall/autumn is just as memorable!

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.