“Life is like a canvas. It begins blank and every day is like another brush stroke.”
~Unknown Author~
“Life is like a roller coaster; you get jerked one way and another, and you never know whats around the corner, but you just have to sit back to enjoy the ride.”
`Unknown Author~
Music Player: Dont forget to pause this before playing videos!!!
We had a very busy Saturday but still found the time to stop and have some FUN.....
Lexi had her first friend party that she went to all by herself. She was a little nervous at first but she had a blast. It was a fairytopia party, she got to play dress-up with the rest of the girls (her friends from school) and that is one of her favorite things to do. There was a blow up bouncy slide which is always a hit. She also came home with lots of fun goodies. It was a day to remember for her.
And while she was gone we took Sean to Chuck E Cheese so he wouldnt feel left out. He had a blast getting his own special attention. He loves to play all the games and get special treats at the end. But he was still very excited when we went to pick up Lexi.
After a long day its always nice to cuddle up in blanket sleepers and relax the night away with the ones you love.
Hope you all had a wonderful Weekend. Love ya XOXOXOX
SO..... I have been waiting for this moment for almost a year. We had the perfect cut out in our garage that was just waiting for floor to ceiling shelves to be installed..... Well wait no longer..... Thanks to my AMAZING husband we have custom built shelves in our garage. He did the plans, He bought the supplies and with a limited amount of help from me he built it ALL himself. Its 95% done, done enough that I could finally organize everything. They still need some of the trimming, and the doors, and we have the stuff to put the walls on the broom closet portion, but I think they are beautiful. I am so excited.... YAY!!!! Thanks Honey, YOU ROCK!!!!!
Before I was a Mom, I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom, I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.
So most of you know that I have a brother with Autism, so I love watching stories of other children with Autism that overcome their obstacles and accomplish amazing things. My uncle sent me this video and I just had to share. Enjoy!!! All things are possible if someone just believes in you enough to give you a "shot".
My sister and her fiance babysat the kids for me yesterday while I was at work since they had early release and Brandon was still out of town. She was also watching them while I picked Brandon up at the airport, so inbetween we decided to take the kids out to dinner. It was a blast, they had never been to Red Robin, and my kids love it there.
(Debi gives it her vote of approval)
Then we got silly in the car, thats typical when all of us get together. The car rocks from the dancing, and there is singing always. Its a blast. We love Aunt Debi and Uncle Daniel.
We love balloons...
Sisterly Love <3
"NO MORE PICS DEBI"....LOL
Shortest sillyest singing video in the history of music videos, Thanks Debi, We love you.... LOL
I am raising little home bodies..... Dont get me wrong, as you have seen before they love to go outside and play and mess around...... But....
They are are just as content to stay inside and read and draw. Those are two of their favorite things to do. Does that seem weird to anyone else? One of my neighbors said that they thought it was weird that they never see the kids out playing with the other kids in the neighborhood.
Well that is for many reasons, I am an overprotective mom, the kids in the neighborhood are a little whacko and dont all share our same moral compass; but the main reason is they just dont ask to play with the other kids in the neighborhood (minus their friends that live at the end of the next street, our buds Andrew and Christopher, we love them). They have their specific friends that they like to play with. We dont use our community park much either, when we go outside to a park we take them to a bigger (better maintained) park where they can run and be wild and have more "safe" room to roam with their scooters and their kick balls and park toys.
I just thought maybe someone was seeing something that I am not. I know that I tend to shelter my kids a little and I have been accused of babying them too much in the past.... I just wondered is anyone else on the same page with me on this. They get plenty of time outdoors playing.... I dont think it is my job as a mom to push them into being around a bunch of kids that I am not crazy about. And am I expected to tell them "No you cant read that book you want to read, and No you cant draw me that beautiful picture taht you want to for me to hang on the fridge, you must go out and run around like a normal child so the neighbors dont think we are weird." I dont know, to me that just doesnt seem right? Whats your take on this? Has anyone else been in a similar situation.... What do you think?
Its a new year and we are getting used to a new church time and sunday schedule. We go at 2pm nowvs. noon last year; which means we have the whole morning to play around, take a nap and actually manage to get lunch down the kids before we have to get ready for church.
The kids are getting SO big. I cant believe they are both in Senior primary now, CTR 8 and CTR 9. We have another baptism to look forward to the end of this year. Good things are coming. Its gonna be another exciting year in our house. We cant wait. Hope you all have a GREAT sunday. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Its back to school and work for us manana. Loves to you all... XOXOXOXOX
Our little family consists of the Happily Married couple: Jennie and Brandon; and the kiddos: Sean (age 11) and Lexi (age 10). Both of us come from BIG families and have lots of fun going on always, Check out the Pics and see for yourself.
So far 2012 has been a good year for us, Not without its struggles BUT I think we are on an up swing. The kids are settling into their new school nicely (just in time for the end of the year.... lol) and we are settling into the new house and neighborhood also. Hoping things stay on this path.....
We still have our struggles and will still take things day by day but after what we have been through this last couple years we can manage.
They say what doesnt kill you makes you stronger.....
We should be Hercules by now : )
Sean is doing AMAZINGLY well (considering), If you missed the last couple updates Sean has been diagnosed with Aspergers (High Functioning Autism). It was a tough road to get to that end result, but we are picking ourselves up and dusting ourselves off and moving on in the direction that is best for the little man. Always making sure that the end result will be in his best interest.
Sean was able to be a part of a program this last couple years that has helped immensely with his sensory needs, coping mechanisms, language helps and keeping him on track educationally without the chaos of a "normal" classroom getting in the way. He made so many friends, friends that understand him and his quirks and LOVE him despite them. He was finally able to see that there are people out there like him and he is not alone in the world. We were SO blessed to have that oppurtunity. After a couple months of waiting for the new school year and homeschooling he is back in the program at a new campus and loving it (Pieceful Solutions) they are a God send for us. This next school year they are going private BUT due to a scholarship program offered by the state we are able to continue him in this amazing program AND their new campus is right around the corner from us. Couldnt be happier for them or for our little man. New adventures on the horizon. SO exciting!
Check back to see how our Aspie survives the new school year at his new campus!!!
Lexi has had a rough school year last year BUT she is LOVING her new school and her new teacher, her and her BFF (in Florida) are enjoying being pen pals still. Miles cannot come between them, they are still forever friends and always have each others backs. Its nice for her to have a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen from someone who is her "two peas in a pod" bud and will always get what she is going through. She loves her and misses her terribly, but they are making it through. They are both SO excited (AND so are us moms) that we will be taking a vacation to Florida in July to see them. Its been over a year and we miss them SO much. Cant wait. It will be a great adventure; first trip to Disney World, first flight and reuniting with great friends.
After a couple months of being homeschooled last year (which really turned out to be a great experience for both of us despite the added stress at times) Lexi is very excited about being back in a brick and mortar school. She is enjoying the cheer and dance club as well and chapel time on Fridays. Its been great for her to make new friends. This year has been tough again, ups and downs with friends. BUT she is learning to make it through and cope with the fact that not everyone is nice and kind all the time. She has had a boyfriend this year and they are adorably cute together. This year has not been without its drama, but we are expecting that to be the new norm as the kids get older. If we can just make it day by day, step by step we will make it through. Keep checking back for updates on her going ons at school and with her friends.
For both kids this new school year is a BIG change and an oppurtunity for them to grown in their own ways, It has been good for them to have much different experiences and growths. As much as they grow apart in some ways they are growing closer in others. Its been a struggle, but a good life lesson for Sean to be attending Lexis class for some parts of the day. Its good to watch her friends reach out to him, and to hear her want to stand up for him with the couple kids that dont understand him. Hopefully this trend will continue and they will remain close. As much as they get on each others nerves, they both know they have each others backs. We have made it through most of the year and in one peice, thats progress in and of itself =) Hoping this will continue next year as Lexi moves onto her Middle School Campus and Sean moves onto his new campus. This will be the biggest change ever for them, Two totally different schools, new adventures around the corner.
Brandon has been working hard and traveling ALOT (still, some things never change). We have been VERY blessed that he has been able to keep steady work this last couple years or so with the economy the way that it is. And we are hoping that it just stays that way. He is looking forward to our vacation this summer and a break from work. He is getting close to burn out but hanging in there. He is AMAZING and we appreciate the hard work that he does for our family. We love him dearly and miss him like crazy!
As for me: I have been enjoying just being a mom and having the oppurtunity to help my kids learn and grow this last year or so. I was blessed with the oppurtunity to give them all of me and everything they needed this last year. And they blessed me right back with a few lessons I needed to get out of life on perserverance and endurance. I love those guys to peices; and none of it would have been possible without the hard work of my loving husband. He is amazing, and although things arent always perfect between us he never gives up and always fights hard to provide us with everything we need. I love him more than words can describe.
I am looking forward to this school year and being able to take a more stand off approach. Still being involved but seeing how much they can flourish on their own. Still being there to help them with homework and attend their fieldtrips and events. Still helping occasionally in the class, but allowing them space to thrive. The stand off approach has been good for all of us, they are settling into that well. They know I am around when they need me but they are becoming much more independent. Love those little monkies!
Thanks for Checking in with US!!!
Keep Checking Back!!!!
Professional Family Pic at the Mesa, AZ Temple Still Life Studios (click)
Valentines Day 2009
The Happy Couple
Eternally In Love
Happy Kids
Playing with Babe Universal Studios March 2007
Brandon
Trying to prove he is King of his Castle atleast : )
Jennie
On the road to Tuscon August 2009
Sean
Spring 2009
Look at those muscles : )
Alexis
Spring 2009
She should be a model I think : )
Bugga Boo and Doodle Bug
Christmas Outfits 2007
Easter of 2008
Love Bugs 12-23-08
Waiting on another winter storm they love the clouds!
Are YOU Aware???
Autism Info and Help....
Click here for: the Autism Society of America (ASA) With Seans new diagnosis the info they have has been incredibly helpful Read up, even if you are just curious about Aspergers!
Signing Videos for Young Children Put to music, Awesome Product My kids still remember the songs & signs! Great Product, New Additions Often.
American Cancer Soceity
(Click Here for More details)
Please do all that you can to help, we have children (and adults) dying from this horrible disease everyday, lets help find a cure, an early detection, a treatment more suited for children, and give back to our community so that those we love wont have to lose the ones they love prematurely.
