Family Christmas Letter (written by Munchkin)

Dear family and friends,

We hope you have a Merry Christmas.  Here are some things good about this year:

Because of Buddy Boy's autism, we were given an Ipad from a very special person!  We have found some educational apps to help him read and write new words.  He's very special to everyone, and he's the best little brother ever!

I (Munchkin) started the year by getting baptized.  I got on the honor roll this first trimester at school by getting 98% and above on ALL my subjects!  I have been kind to my wonderful and crazy cats.

Evelyn (mom) has gotten a wonderful new job at my school.  She found out about a carnival held at Wheeler Farm for families with autism, and we all went and had a blast!  She's gotten to be in the Mormon Messages for the church.

Clayton (dad) is still working at Verizon Wireless.  He took us on a weekend trip to Bear Lake over the summer.  He taught me to swim a lot better that trip!  He's the best dad...give all the cheers to our wonderful and great dad!

Hope you guys have a Merry Christmas!

Love, Cox Family and our two wonderful cats

Men's Hearts Shall Fail Them

St. Luke 21:25
"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth..."

Elder Nelson shares his thoughts on this scripture in an eloquent and heartfelt way:



To see other inspirational videos, along with many "good reminders", you can go to LDS.org, or you can subscribe to the Youtube channel, Mormon Messages.

Setting Up Christmas Stuff

Getting out Christmas decor,and Parker sees a plate that says, "Dear Santa, Here is a treat for you and carrots for your reindeer." The first "for" is missing the O and R. So he sounds it out and reads " Dear Santa, here is a treat. F You and carrots for your reindeer." Gotta find some replacement lettering!

 

Also, Akaila put on Christmas music and the song "Noel" came on. She listened for awhile, then came to me in clear distress and upset. "Mom, you know that Noel song? I don't think we should listen to it anymore. You know, cause of how it says 'Born is the kingdom of h**l'" I explained it's "born is the king of Israel", EL, not with an H.:-)

My Gratitude List

Throughout this month I've read hundreds of gratitude lists from friends.  I chose not to participate, because I didn't trust myself to remember every day, and quite honestly, because I didn't want to simply 'follow the crowd'.  I have, however, truly enjoyed reading so many thoughtful statuses, so many kind words, and feeling the feelings that were meant to accompany them.  I thank all of my FB friends and family who posted every day, because you really lifted my heart.




I'm not gifted in the way of words like some are (Yes you, Andrea Aquin and you, Kambree Miller).  I read the words of others; they are harmonious and melodious, they paint a picture, they tell a story, they speak to the heart.  You will not see that from me today, because that isn't something I'm good at, and that's okay.  You're just going to get a simple bullet-pointed list, because making lists, well, that's something I know how to do:

• I'm thankful for my kids.  There is no greater gift in my life than the gift those kids are to me.  With every breath they take, they take my breath away.  Their thoughtfulness, their humility, their eagerness to learn, everything about them sets me in awe.
• I am thankful for those around me who love my kids.  When aunts and uncles and cousins and friends treat my children with respect and admiration, I see it and my heart soars.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, for loving my kids. 
• Last Sunday I was (and still am) thankful for a positive strep throat culture.  Oh, the relief of knowing I was not going to be sent home without antibiotics!  It was a big deal.
• I am thankful to see Buddy Boy learning to read.  We were still working on him writing letters correctly, but he decided it was time to move on and just started.  It's so exciting to see his progress.
• I am thankful that Munchkin is such an amazing student.  I certainly never had all 98% and above in every school subject.  She's not only smart, but she's well behaved, and I've only heard RAVES about her as a student.
• I am thankful for good, kind, loving, and dedicated teachers (Ahem, Shelly Prettyman).  The difference in my children when they have a teacher who cares vs. a teacher who is simply working for a paycheck is HUGE.  We've been so blessed to have good teachers 80% of the time.
• I am grateful for the opportunities I've had in the last few months to be involved with a couple of church productions.  No big parts, mind you, but no matter the role, the spirit is there, and it's very uplifting.
• I am thankful for so many good people surrounding us.  From the neighbor who always leaves goodies on my porch when I'm down to the neighbor who invites Munchkin over to play to the friend who gave Buddy Boy an iPad....how can we NOT be grateful?
• I am thankful for good music.  For the Jack Johnson's out there to provide me music when I need to just enjoy the mellow, relaxing waves of life.  For the many Christian artists whose music uplifts me when I need it.  For the APPROPRIATE teeny bop music I can feel okay with my daughter listening to.  For the stuff that makes me wanna move, for the sounds that motivate and challenge me, and for those that soothe and inspire me.  I'm grateful to be a lover of music.
• I am thankful to have discovered how wonderfully soothing herbal chamomile tea is on a sore throat.
• I am thankful that Buddy Boy's trip and stay at the hospital did not lead to surgery as initially thought, and that he's already completely recovered.
• I am thankful for family in general.  I am thankful to have a home to live in.  I am thankful that my husband has a stable job with good insurance.  I am thankful for the gospel.  I am thankful for my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ.

And many, many more, but I'll leave it at that.  Happy Thanksgiving.

Temple Grandin and Autism

Thursday I took a day off work and went to Buddy Boy's school to meet a very special someone...named Temple Grandin.

Before you say "Who's Temple Grandin?" (because that just might tick me off), let me tell you a little about her.

Temple Grandin has Autism.

She is the author of at least half a dozen books, her most recent one being "The Way I See It"

(Photo)

She is the subject of a recent movie, Temple Grandin - The HBO Movie, 

which just happened to win a bunch of  Emmy awards.

She has achieved what many didn't believe someone on the Autism Spectrum could achieve.  She leads the way for thousands of families, bringing hope to so many. 

THAT is who was at Buddy Boy's school on Thursday.  And it was fantastic meeting her and being able to talk with her.  She had a lot of very blunt, but incredibly helpful advice for all parents there, and I've already made changes to how we do some things with Buddy Boy as a result. 

These are a couple of pictures of her before the meeting actually began.  I also made video, but it was with my little phone and unfortunately, you can't really hear anything she's saying.  SOO, I'm going to borrow this video that the gal sitting next to me made.  It just happens to be the same thing that I had recorded, only The Autie Project made it MUCH better than I ever could have.

The Last Few Weeks

I hate that I can't seem to keep up on this blog. I'm gonna do it again...give some quick run downs from the last few weeks:

• At work I've been "assigned" to work with a student who moved from Mexico just a week or so ago.  He doesn't speak a word of English, and I just happen to not speak a word of Spanish, so it's been interesting.  I REALLY like working with him though!  It's fun to work one on one with the students...something I didn't know I would like, but have found that I LOVE.

• Clay has been working his butt off trying to not take a day off work for the rest of the year.  If he doesn't, he'll get a free phone from Verizon....and of course, there's a new phone coming out, so he's hoping!  He's been sick though and had to come home early last night, but he's planning to make up the 4 hours so he'll still be on track.  The things that motivate us!

• Buddy Boy has had his FIRST THREE successes going POOP in the toilet!!  It's definitely not consistent, but it's something.  He's very excited when he has a success and he yells to the world (seriously, outside while other adults stare, chuckle, and yes, even glare), "MOM, I went POOP in the TOILET!!!"

• Munchkin got her first "report card"/progress report from school, and her overall grade is 98%.  We're so proud of her!  She got 100% in all areas except reading comprehension, and she got 97% in that, so we're thrilled with how well she's doing.

• I did a 2-hour filming project with the church a couple of weeks back...it was a segment for the Mormon Messages.  It was a lot of fun, but I learned something about myself: I'm a terrible actor when it comes to lovey dovey scenes. :-)

• Our family received an Ipad2 from a friend!!!  This gal, our Autism Angel, wanted Buddy Boy to have another tool to help him, and because she's had so much success with her child, she knew it would bless Buddy Boy as well.  I bawled for a full day!  We are still in shock over the generosity and love of this Angel, and it's awesome to see how loved that Ipad is, and how much use we're already getting from it.

• Our ward did the Primary Presentation, and both kids did a great job.  It still amazes me to think that last year it was a miracle that Buddy Boy could even talk, and now he's rattling off primary parts without hesitation.  I can't believe how far he's come.  My verbal baby!!

• Munchkin has been very hard at work on her Craft Blog. She's done probably a dozen or so crafts, but we got behind on posting them.  We'll be working hard to catch up before Halloween!

Until next time,