vermillion rules

Lately

2012-01-28T07:07:00.001-08:00

Since meeting with the principal and teacher last week we haven't had any other problems with the bullying issue. Thank goodness. I pray every day that it stays this way.

Storey reading to Monkey-January 2012

Storey and I finished reading Charlotte's Web together. I was surprised at her desire to have me read a chapter book aloud, but she loved it and now we are moving on to her next selection, How to Eat Fried Worms. Although she chose it, she keeps telling me how gross it's going to be. This should be interesting.

Playing with Grandma and Grandpa Criddle-December 2011

Speaking of Storey and books, she was the line leader at preschool last week which means the teacher also asks Storey some questions and posts her answers on the wall. Sort of a "star of the week" deal. While dropping her off, I noticed the poster and stopped to look. One of the lines read, "Storey went to the library and checked out a 'self help' book." I stood there trying to decipher the meaning until I realized that her terrible lisp was misinterpreted. She actually got a "shell" book but the teacher couldn't understand her, so it was translated into "self" which turned into "self-help". I did wonder....

The kids with Aunt Leanna.

Jakson and I have been watching the rides at Disneyland on YouTube. I am never more grateful for tourists who video tape random rides (why do people do this???) then the month before our Disneyland trip. And pin trading. Grateful for those videos too. It was the only way I was able to get Jakson anywhere near the pins. A strange thing to be afraid of---your guess is as good as mine on that one. Last year one of our big mistakes was not watching every.single.ride before our trip. We only watched MOST of the rides. This year we're making up for it by watching all of them. Multiple times. I may be sick of Disney before we even go. But I am determined to ride Peter Pan this year without a meltdown.

Zak and I have been making our way through a couple of Top 100 Movies of All Time lists, skipping the R rated and those we've already seen. It's been great fun. There are so many fabulous movies I would have never watched otherwise. I think our favorite new discovery so far has been All About Eve.

Jakson has figured out that a kid from his kindergarten class lives a few houses down from us. While this sounds fun, it's actually a terrible headache. The little boy doesn't seem to want to play with Jak but social cues are definitely not something Jak excels at interpreting. And because he becomes fixated on things quite easily, he is constantly asking to go outside to see if the little boy is in his front yard. If he's not, Jak stands in front of his house yelling his name over and over again. It's quite awful. A couple of days ago the little boy finally came out while we were riding bikes out front, but only long enough to capture his dog that had escaped from the backyard. Jakson was sure that his moment to play had come and was so excited. But despite his best efforts, the little boy completely ignored him and retreated back into his house without even acknowledging Jak. Jakson lost it. Full meltdown in the front yard. If you haven't had the privilege of dragging your five year old kicking, crying, and screaming across your front lawn and into the house, then you haven't lived. I told Zak that night that I want to move again. Arg.

Project 32-One Week, 32 Acts of Kindness

2012-01-23T14:56:00.000-08:00

I have to be honest. It's kind of difficult to do 32 random acts of kindness in one week. Mainly because I didn't want to count things like "smile at a stranger." I wanted these to be BIG. Noticeable. Out of the ordinary.

Well, I failed. Most of them are not. I doubt any of these things made a large difference in anyone's life. Besides mine that is. It's amazing how much self-reflection occurs when serving others. I hope to make some permanent, good changes.

A complete list of all of the random acts of kindness for Project 32.

At the beginning of the month, I set up the Love Project to take nominations of local families that deserve a free photo session. I'd like to do this three or four times this year. So far I have received nominations for some very inspiring families. If you know a local family (or couple) that you feel deserves a free photo session, please nominate them. You can fill out the (short) form here.

A friend of mine is going through a difficult time. When I prayed, I felt strongly that I needed to do something for her. I left flowers and a note anonymously at her door. I hope it cheered her a bit.

Our women's group at church was collecting shoes to donate. The kids and I went through our shoes and selected a few nice ones that had been outgrown (or not really worn) and donated them.

A few years ago, one of my friends happened to mention to Zak that she made her husband breakfast every morning. And I say, "Good for her. Sorry buddy." Though I still refused to wake up at 5 to make him breakfast, I did make a nice omelet on his day off. Hope it made up for the last seven years.

Made mini loaves for Storey's teachers.

Took Storey through the drive through for a Happy Meal and paid for the car behind me.

Gave away 32 patterns from my Etsy shop.

Wrote my mother a much deserved thank you note.

Hid money along the toy aisle at the Dollar Tree for other children to find.

Gave away a used infant car seat that I had sitting in my garage.

Donated to charity: water (if you donate, please read Samantha's story first. It is amazing.

Let the kids each pick a hideous Disney sweatshirt at the thrift store for our trip next month. Believe me, this is a definite act of kindness.

Gathered a bunch of scraps of flannel and gave them away.

Went out to dinner for my birthday and left a hefty tip.

As we were driving home from dinner Saturday night, we turned into our neighborhood only to find a young man crouched over a small dog that had been hit by a car, screaming. It was one of the saddest things I think I have ever seen. And I don't even like dogs. We stopped the car and asked if he needed anything. We waited until a few minutes later when an older woman (I'm assuming his mother) found them, scooped the poor animal up, and started walking home. I'm not sure if there was more we could have done. Hopefully showing concern helped a little. Unfortunately, we cannot fix everything.

Sent a friend battling breast cancer a ribbon banner. I tried to think of the happiest thing I could sew, and that was it.
Gave away Chick-Fil-A free stuff coupons on the Screamin' Deals Facebook page.

Mailed a friend having a baby girl a handmade package of girliness.

Left a loaf of bread for a friend who needed a pick me up.

Bountiful Baskets-normally I wouldn't count this since I do it every other week, but last Saturday was insane. The truck was 40 minutes late dropping off our produce and then we found out that only half of the food needed for our 89 baskets had been ordered. I had to deal with that mess and then ask half of the contributors to come back that afternoon for round two. Like I said, it was crazy. I am so very grateful for all of the other wonderful volunteers that come each week.

I'm in charge of little teacher appreciation days each month at Jak's school. This week I arranged to get Panera bagels donated and set them up at the school for their weekly staff meeting.

My friend's little boys are collecting magnets from all over the world to display at their county's fair. I purchased them a Houston magnet 4 or 5 months ago. I finally mailed it this week. Oops.

Gave away a $20 credit to Shutterfly on Facebook.

My mother's assignment (calling) at church is to be in charge of the women's activities in our area. She sets up service projects, speakers, classes, etc. This past weekend was her large annual conference. I helped her out with the set up and taking photos during the activity. It was a big success (my dad and brother volunteered too-photo proof of their hard work).

On Monday I had so much editing that needed to be done. But Storey really wanted me to play a board game with her. After ignoring her requests a couple of times, I put the computer down and played with her for about an hour instead. I should do that more often than I do.

My friend Sabrina is taking nominations for families who deserve a free photo shoot as well. After seeing a post of a family (a friend of a friend) whose young son is battling cancer, I got all of their contact information and set them up with her. A very small act of kindness on my part-large on Sabrina's. If you know someone who deserves a shoot with an amazing photographer in DFW, please nominate them here.

Mailed all of my expired coupons to military families (they can use the coupons for up to three months after the expiration). You can do it too.

Sent bread and a thank you note to Jakson's teacher (there was a lot of bread going around this week).

Tried to be more aware of the people around me. Remembered to compliment on new haircuts, things I admire, and just pay attention. This is something I'm hoping will continue-working hard to make it a habit.

Picked a past photo client to give a $20 Shutterfly credit.

Allowed myself to use an afternoon naptime to read. A rare occurence. (Hey, sometimes you have to do something nice for yourself, right??) I read this, (just in case you were curious). Very, very good.

Went through my closet and donated tons of clothing items. As part of my mid life crisis (can that happen at 32?) I've decided to get rid of anything that doesn't fit my preferred "uniform". Why did it take me 32 years to get to this point???

While I was trying to figure out nice things I could be doing for others, I started realizing how much is done for me. Often without acknowledgement. My mom watches Storey every week while I take Jakson to therapy even though she's ridiculously busy, Zak cleaned the entire house while I was gone Saturday and did ALL of the laundry (a chore I hate), a good friend took me to lunch even though it's my turn to treat, my brother was able to retrieve all of the photos off of a hard drive that I thought were lost forever (and didn't charge me a dime), my parents babysat so that we could go out to dinner Saturday night despite the fact that they had spent the entire day running a conference for 300 women, and that's just a small sampling of the kind words and deeds that I am blessed with on a weekly basis.

I am so grateful for the amazing examples of service I have in my life and for the opportunity to do this again to celebrate my 32nd birthday. I definitely plan on continuing the tradition next year.

"Man’s greatest happiness comes from losing himself for the good of others." -David O McKay

If you want to read about last year (Project 31), you can see the post about it here.

Project 32-Trip to the dollar store

2012-01-18T12:41:00.000-08:00

I'm not writing a separate post for each of the 32 acts of kindness this week (though I will post the entire list on Sunday or Monday), but the dollar store trip deserves a little write-up because it's definitely one of the best activities of the week. It's fun because it really involves Jak and Storey and they get excited to serve other kids (well, once Jakson gets over his initial "I'm freaking out because I don't understand what's going on").

The kids would not look at me once we stepped into the toy aisle. They were busy checking out the loot and looking for good hiding places for the dollars. Next year I'll remember to take the photo outside of the store, not surrounded by toys. BTW-Each kid left three dollars either hiding in or taped to a toy for other children to find.

I hope that this week of service is making somewhat of an impact on them.

DIY Disney Pin Lanyard

2012-01-16T12:09:00.000-08:00

We're doing something at Disneyland this year that we've never done before----pin trading. The kids are so excited. I was able to get a great deal on the pins on Ebay, but when I went looking for lanyards, I discovered that they are kind of pricey. And not available in the Disney Store online, so we'd have to wait until arriving at the parks to purchase them, attach all of our pins, arrange them according to which ones should be traded and which ones should be kept, and so forth. Not something I want to mess with.

I figured they would be easy enough to make myself, so sat down this afternoon and spent an hour sewing up a couple of kid sized lanyards out of Disney fabric already in my stash. FREE! And I kind of like them better than the real thing!

Such an easy project-and thought others could benefit from a little tutorial (though it is ridiculously simple).

One piece of fabric, 32" x 3" (if you are going to buy fabric, buy 1/8 of a yard-only because that's the smallest cut a shop will normally make).

Fold in half lengthwise (right sides together) and sew along the edge, using 1/2" seam making a long tube.

Attach a safety pin to one end and push it down the tube to easily turn the fabric right side out.

Remove safety pin and fold one raw edge back into tube about 1/2" (to hide the raw edge). Leave the other edge raw.

Iron folded end and tube flat.
Fit the end of the tube with the raw edge inside of the folded end creating a circle.

Sew the tube together where you fitted the two ends together.

I wanted more of a lanyard look, so I top stitched around the circle in 1/2" increments. Mine had five seams doing this. Definitely not a necessary step.

Locate the seam where the two ends were sewn together to create the circle and measure an inch above that. Sew the top and bottom layer of the circle together along that measured point creating a small loop at the bottom of your lanyard.

The loop can be kept for your keys, but we will be using it for the kids' emergency cards that we made last year.

You can see how we made the cards and what info we included here.

Project 32

2012-01-16T06:32:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: All 32 patterns have been given away. But I will be writing about Project 32 all week, so if you want to read more, check back!

Today is the first day of this year's Project 32, where I commit to do 32 random acts of kindness the week of my birthday. Last year I did this and it was the most rewarding birthdays I've ever had. If you want, you can read about it here.

I've got a list of possible random acts, but I'll be praying and watching this week to find those who might need a little something to lift his/her spirits. And of course involving the kids as much as possible. Maybe one day they will want to do this instead of get birthday gifts (I can dream, can't I???).

To kick it off (and because this was so fun last year), I'm giving away patterns to 32 lucky people. There are four patterns to choose from:

Reversible Pouch Sling-pattern works for all sizes (make great gifts!)
Flip Flop Skirt-girl sizes 12 months-5T
Cinch Skirt-girl sizes 6 months-8 years
The Favorite Skirt-a women's skirt pattern, sizes XS-XL (all sizes are included in pattern)

You can see them here. All four of them are full of pictures and step by step instructions, so even if you haven't sewn much (or ever), these are great to start with.

To get your free pattern, just leave me a comment with your email address and choice of pattern. I'll be giving away patterns to the first 32 people who comment.

Spring Mini Sessions in Las Vegas and Phoenix

2012-01-13T07:25:00.000-08:00

Worry

2012-01-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

Jakson and Grandpa

Parenting a child with special needs is emotionally exhausting. First you worry about everything that MIGHT happen. And then when those worries become realities, you worry that they are happening.

I fully expected to be dealing with our current reality at some point, though I wish I was writing this post two or three years from now. I never foresaw Jakson dealing with bullying as young as kindergarten, yet it has begun.

Last week Jakson started telling me every morning that he was sick and couldn't go to school. He's not quite old enough to do the old "stick a thermometer on a light bulb to warm it up" trick, so his complaints of being hot were pretty obviously untrue. A couple of meltdowns later, the real reason for his desire to stay home was uncovered.

A 5 year old bully.

For Jakson to notice that someone is mocking or making fun of him is kind of a big deal. He's generally socially oblivious. Or maybe just generally oblivious. But whichever, unless it was repetitive and over the top, I don't think he would bother noticing.

These types of situations are made more difficult by Jakson's lack of verbal skills. He speaks, but is often difficult to understand and tends to use as few words as possible to get his point across. Which usually results in his point falling short of "across". I'm not sure if I have yet to learn the whole story, but the gist is that a boy at school is mocking and "repeating" Jakson. And according to Jak has"been mean" on repeated occasions.

Of course, I took this to the teacher. Mainly for the fact that it was hindering Jakson's desire to attend school. And I don't believe any bullying incident should go unreported. I wanted the issue addressed before it escalated.

Jak's teacher took the bullying seriously, addressed it with the child, spoke with Jakson about coming to her, and put preventative measures in place to ensure the two children weren't placed together in groups, etc. We went for a couple of days with Jakson going to school without meltdowns or fake sicknesses.

But teachers cannot be everywhere. Yesterday Jak told me on the way home that during lineup in PE, the same boy shoved Jak to the ground and then cut in front of him. Unfortunately he didn't tell any adults (and according to him, no teacher saw it), but saved it for me because (his words, not mine), I'm "the best". Well thanks, Jak but I don't have any power over consequences for this child.

This morning we were back to being "ill" and throwing fits about school.
Emotionally exhausting. For all parties involved.

I have written to his teacher, left a message for the principal, and reminded Jakson that he needs to tell an adult when these things happen. Having a child that does not feel safe at school is unacceptable. Especially in kindergarten. I'm not sure what else I can do at this point short of pulling him out completely and homeschooling. I am praying that the bullying can be resolved at the school and I will not have to take such drastic measures. When Jakson told me his story yesterday he asked, "Mom, why is he so mean? I'm a nice boy." My heart is breaking for my sweet little boy who is sadly learning that other kids can be cruel.

Top Chef?

2012-01-06T20:45:00.000-08:00

Channeling her inner Julia Child.

Top 10(ish) Books of 2011

2012-01-05T08:42:00.001-08:00

At the beginning of 2011 I made a goal to keep track of all of the books I've read on Goodreads. One New Year's resolution I actually followed through with. Because of it, I know that the total tally of books read in 2011 was 70. For 2012, I've set a new literary goal- read a lofty 100 books. We'll see if I make it. That's a book every 3-4 days. It's January 4th and I've yet to finish one. Like I said, we'll see.

*Disclaimer: I may just be the world's worst book reviewer. I love to read, but don't love to write about the books I read. Flashbacks of high school English trauma??? If you want to read a brief synopsis of the book, click on the title to go to the Goodreads summary.

These books are in no particular order, though my favorite did end up at the top.

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's/John Elder Robison-Non-fiction-Adult
Best book of the year. Hands down. Now I may be a little biased toward this particular topic, having a son with autism that reminds me very much of Mr. Robison, but I think those who just want to understand a little more about Asperger's or love a good memoir would love this as well. He had some incredible experiences as the product of an abusive/crazy home, touring with Kiss and working as an engineer for a toy company. This is one of the books I recommend to parents who write me regarding their child's diagnosis. A must read for any parent of a child with ASD. P.S. The hard back version has A LOT of swearing in it. The language in the paperback is much cleaner.

The Kitchen House/Kathleen Grissom-Adult
This was that latest addition to the list. Historical Fiction. Takes place in the South on a plantation before the Civil War. I love reading about this era of time. It is horrifying to me what the black slaves went through and how they were treated-a part of American history that needs to be remembered in order not to be repeated towards any group of people.

I Am Number Four/Pittacus Lore-YA
Sort of fantasy, with enough realistic fiction to keep my attention. If you saw the movie and wrote this book off because of it, take the time to pick up the book. You won't regret it. After finishing this one, I was so excited to see the movie. I should have known that it would be awful (most movies based on books are). I also read the next one in the series The Power of Six. Not as good as the first.

Chasing Lincoln's Killer/James Swanson-Non-fiction-YA
The YA version of Swanson's Manhunt, which I have not read. Very well-written and kept my interest (unlike some other non-fiction history books which can get boring). I felt smarter after finishing this one.

The Wednesday Wars/Gary Schmidt- Juvenile Fiction
Quick, fun read. Enough substance that even adults will enjoy reading. Good message, well written.

Unwind/Neal Shusterman-YA
I would tell you what this book is about, but my description would probably turn you off from reading it. It's that weird/disturbing of a premise. Feel free to read the Goodreads description of it-but give the book a chance. It reminded me a little of The Giver. Decisions that a future society makes in order to make things "better" for everyone. Very very interesting.

The Distant Hours/Kate Morton-Adult
One of my favorite authors. I have loved all of her books and this was no exception. A gothic novel that flips back and forth through present and the past lives of three sisters that live together. A good twist and mystery throughout. Loved.

Out of My Mind/Sharon Draper-YA or Juvenile
At the beginning of 2011, I was a judge for The Best Overlooked Book Battle. I loved it. I read a ton of books I wouldn't have read otherwise AND discovered this gem by Sharon Draper. In fact, when all was said and done, it actually won the battle. Written from the perspective of Melody, an eleven year old with cerebral palsy. Your perspective about people whose disabilities rob them of speech will forever change.

Bright Young Things/Anna Godbersen-YA
The guilty pleasure book of this list. I love a good early twentieth century era novel (another good one from this year is Ten Cents a Dance). This one is #1 in a series (even better!). Kind of a mix between a mystery and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Fun, quick read.

Infidel/Hirsi Ayaan Ali-Non-fiction Memoir-Adult
Probably the most challenging book I read year. Emotionally challenging. Ms. Ali was born in Somalia as a Muslim. Her memoir describes her upbringing with the abuse and oppression of women being a dominant theme throughout. She has suffered death threats and has lived much of her life in hiding because of her determination to expose the true experiences of Muslim women. Very eye-opening.

My Name is Mary Sutter/ Robin Oleivera-Adult
I love books about strong women from history. Mary Sutter defied the norms when she decided as a young women that she wanted to become a surgeon at a time when women were not accepted into medical practice. She would stop at nothing to achieve her goal, finally ingratiating herself to a practicing surgeon during the Civil War on the battle front. I'm not big into needles and wound descriptions (both of which this book had abundantly), but I was able to muster through without passing out. It definitely didn't gloss over war like so many other novels do.

Curl Up and Dye

2012-01-04T15:47:00.001-08:00

Storey and I got our haircut today. Her first real haircut (I've trimmed her hair in the past). I was hoping for a cute A line bob or something, but the stylist said her hair is way too thin for such a cut. Darn. Next time I'll save the $12 and do it myself at home.

Obviously, she loved posing. Though her haircut isn't so much the focus of this photo. Her tongue is. Ever a Vermillion.

Who has a beard that's long and white?

2011-12-29T18:38:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, the kids found Charlie under the tree hanging out with the Nativity. We figured it was a good mix of the religious and secular.

After Santa's delivery (but before he finished the orange and cookies. Oops!).

Christmas morning was wonderful. The kids were so very excited about everything (though Jakson wasn't as thrilled about his frogs to begin with as we had thought he would be). Storey had the best "surprise" facial expression with every gift she opened.

I was pretty proud of myself budget wise. I was able to use coupons, etc to get their presents and only spent about $50-$60 on each kid. It also helps that they have very generous grandparents, aunts, and uncles who always spoil them. And that we never watch any commercials, so really they don't know what they are missing. Makes them easy to please.

Possibly the most talked about gift this Christmas? Cheetos left in the stocking.

It looks like the color pink vomited on Storey's presents.

My favorite gift to give this year had to be this shirt for Zak. Only Harry Potter fans will understand. Shirt found here.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T18:53:00.000-08:00

This year we acted out the Nativity story on Christmas Eve. Jakson was very adamant that he was not going to participate. Too much pretend. We at least convinced him that he should be in the same room with the rest of us. Zak stepped in as the part of Joseph and Storey was all over the part of Mary. She was very cute and reverent the whole time. Of course, Grandpa took his usual role as the donkey.

My brother, Jon, read the account from Luke aloud. He was able to "trick" Jakson into participating by asking him to help read the words of the angel. It was great, though Jakson denies having any part.

Oh well. There's always next year.

A very un-Christmasy Christmas dress

2011-12-26T07:57:00.000-08:00

Tutorial from here. Modified to fit Storey (original pattern is for 2T).

Is it bright in here?

2011-12-25T19:53:00.000-08:00

When putting together a gingerbread house, be sure to don your most festive beach attire.

Yesterday the kids and Zak made a very small gingerbread house (seriously, the thing looked so much bigger on the box!!). A lot of the candy intended for the house ended up in Storey's mouth, but they had a fabulous time and since she was already on a sugar high from all of the other junk she had eaten, the extra candy didn't make much of a difference.

Have I mentioned that I'd like to completely skip Christmas Eve Day next year? Talk about naughty children. Jakson was definitely overstimulated/high on anticipation and extremely difficult to deal with. If the naughty/nice list was based on one day, these two certainly wouldn't be getting presents. They would get "a cold" (as Jakson says) instead.

My boy

2011-12-23T19:37:00.000-08:00

I'm taking pictures all the time, but, lately, not many of my own kids. I have been making a conscious effort the past couple of weeks to take more photos of the kids and their comings and goings. Here's one of my favorites of Jak. I may be biased, but he's beautiful.

I know he doesn't look it, but Jakson is super excited for Christmas. This morning he ran in, woke us up, and yelled "It's Christmas! Santa came and left us presents!" Which taught us a valuable lesson: never wrap all of the presents from the Aunts in one night and put them under the tree. In the morning, it really does look like Santa came. He was quite disappointed when we informed him that Christmas morning was, in fact, two days away. Thank goodness he went right back to bed.

I wonder if our elf aspires to be a dentist.

2011-12-19T20:29:00.000-08:00

Writing a blog post is on my to-do list, but it's one of those things that gets skipped over for more important items. Like shower (which sadly, gets skipped over more often than it should).

A few weeks ago I started noticing a trend on Pinterest. The Elf on the Shelf. Everyone was pinning ideas-places for him to hide, naughty things for him to do, etc. December 1st came and went. Friends posted on Facebook the child-selected elf names and photos of where he'd been found in the mornings. It all looked cute, but Jakson gets freaked out by princesses and dry heaves when he sees babies, so I figured he probably wouldn't be so keen on a little elf that watches your every move.

But school does amazing things. Jak started coming home talking about Rudy. At first I thought it was a kid in his class, but this Rudy character did some crazy stuff. I think what tipped me off was Jakson's description of Rudy sleeping on the book box. This was not a child. It was an elf! Then Jakson wanted to write a letter and ask Santa for an elf at home. Only Santa hadn't exactly planned on having one...... But wanting to take advantage of the believing years as much as possible, I knew Santa would love to send an elf to our house. So, I postponed the letter writing with various excuses until the North Pole (a.k.a. Barnes & Noble) was notified of our elflessness. The letter was written and lo and behold, Charlie (the elf) appeared on our Christmas tree the next morning. Amazing how that works (and how quick B&N shipping is!).

If only I would have videotaped Jakson's face. Or Storey's reaction when Zak tried to take Charlie off the tree. He didn't know the rules, apparently (touching=lost magic). Storey berated him for at least 5 minutes, complete with a hip shake and a finger wag. Zak will never make that mistake again.

A few of the places our elf, Charlie, has been found.

Charlie isn't naughty. In fact, he's too tired after doing all that flying back and forth to really get creative at all in his hiding, but the kids love searching for him in the morning and (knock on wood), he hasn't yet flown to the exact same spot two days in a row (although we had a near miss this morning when I realized I left him hanging on the light fixture in the kitchen overnight and quickly moved him to the pantry).

Thankful 30-the final 11

2011-11-30T20:42:00.000-08:00

20-Children that still believe in magic.

I've got to appreciate it now because I don't know how much longer it will last. Really looking forward to this Christmas season with two kids that believe.

21-Small miracles

Towards the beginning of the month I said we are now paying only $40/week for Jakson's therapy. Well, I was wrong. Last time I went in, the receptionist let me know that I had actually been overpaying (?!??!?). Now my co-pay is only $20/week.

Let's do the math. Utah therapy=$1200/month. Texas therapy= $80/month. That's a 93% savings!!

22-A new car

Goodbye you Stupid Subaru.

P.S. Come to find out, not only did the mechanics who replaced our transmission overcharge us, they also put the completely wrong transmission into our car. What a debacle. And these people call themselves professionals... So so so very glad to be rid of that car.

23-My mother

I've put this one off because I could fill pages and want to keep it short and sweet.

What a blessing it is to live close to my mom. She listens, she sacrifices, she cares, she babysits, she feeds us....it's wonderful. Thank you mom for 31 (almost 32) years of nurturing. If I do half as good of a job, I will be happy

24-Good neighbors

Somehow we left our garage door open after going to bed a few nights ago. Our sweet next door neighbor, Emily, came home late and texted us to let us know so that we could get up and close it. Nice to know that someone is looking out for us and our home.

25-A caring school nurse.

I've already received five calls from the nurse this year regarding various "injuries" that Jakson has been sent to her with. He's never really hurt (and never cries), but it's nice to know that someone at the school is concerned and will let me know what is going on.

26- Supportive friends.

I truly have some amazing friends. Many of them don't live anywhere near me (okay, MOST don't live near me), but through blogs, Facebook, gmail chat, etc, we manage to keep in touch . They've prayed for me, given me advice, let me complain, laughed at my jokes....I don't know what I would do without these girls. Most of them I hardly ever see. Some it's been years, but I know that I can count on them to love me no matter what.

27-Video chat

We weren't able to spend Thanksgiving with Zak's family, but we still got to experience their craziness through the wonders of the internet. Although Jakson and Tyler making faces at each other for 15 minutes straight isn't all that entertaining, I'm glad that the kids still get to "spend time" with the Vermillions through video chat.

28-Tithing

Over and over again, I've seen the miracles that paying a tithe can bring. I have a deep and unwavering testimony that it is a law of the Lord and that he will keep his promises to pour down blessings upon those who abide by it. The blessings are not always monetary and not always immediate, but they always come.

29-Spiritual guidance

Earlier this year, before our move to Houston, we were given an amazing job opportunity. It seemed to be the answer to thousands of prayers. But for some reason, we felt like it was not right for our family. I still don't understand all of the reasons why. Or even any of the reasons why. But I know that our family is now in the right place at the right time. I am grateful to have that assurance and to have the knowledge that my Father in Heaven cares enough about our family to lead and guide us.

30-My children

I can definitely be snarky about those two, but I have an enormous amount of love for them. Days may be difficult, sometimes I just want to go back to bed and get away from the whining and fighting, but I know someday I'll look back on these years with little people and have selective amnesia. I'll remember the wonderful moments. The cuddles, hugs, arms reaching up to be held, tears that can only be rid by mommy's kiss, and really miss it. I need to be better about living in the now and appreciating each stage as it comes (rather than wishing this three year old diva phase would hurry up and end!).

Thankful 30-19

2011-11-19T20:22:00.000-08:00

Well, I've really slacked off. Things are just super busy with PTO stuff, photo shoots, holiday preparations, wrapping presents....I'm sure I have other excuses as well. I'm going to try and catch up to 30 in the next couple of days.

19-Bountiful Baskets

Part of the basket from a couple of weeks ago.

I had no idea when I started picking up a basket every Saturday morning that a few short months later I would be running my own site. But I love it. Because of Bountiful Baskets we have great produce to eat (which makes us eat more healthy), I have a chance to serve the community, and I have gotten to know some really wonderful people. It would be absolutely perfect if it wasn't so dang early in the morning and the truck would show up on time!

Thankful 30-18

2011-11-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

Zak's flexible job

I'm sick. Being sick is no fun. Being sick and trying to wrangle kids is even less fun, which is why I was so glad to see Zak walk through the door at 11am with his laptop and a stack of roadway plans. He worked from home and I slept. So wonderful. Sometimes his long hours and late nights drive me crazy, but I'm grateful he can be here when I need him.

Thankful 30-17

2011-11-17T17:50:00.000-08:00

That today is over

I have been dreading today for the past three weeks or so. I was put in charge of the teacher appreciation activities at Jak's school and I was told that the theme for this first event would be something about "coffee and desserts." This posed two problems: One, I know NOTHING about coffee and two, the desserts were to be donated by parents and I only had 6 sign up. And over a hundred teachers to be fed. Thankfully, I was able to get some bread/pastries donated from a local bakery and the custodian stepped in to make the coffee (trust me, you do not want this Mormon making coffee).

The best part? It's over.

Thankful 30-16

2011-11-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

Friends who take pictures (and put up with my ridiculous triple chin rants)

My friend Sabrina was in town last weekend and took our annual family photos. She did an amazing job despite the fact that Jakson was super distracted by all of the fascinating spinning rides (that boy loves spinning) and Storey was being a little grumpy. I really love the way they turned out-she's amazing!! If you live in the Ft. Worth area, be sure to book a session with her.

You can see more here.

Thankful 30-15

2011-11-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

G chat (Gmail chat, if you will).

I love G chat. Definitely my favorite technological advancement. It's the way that I communicate with friends far away, video chat with family, and talk to Zak while he's at work. It's probably the method I use to talk to him the most. We chat back and forth all day long.. It's nice to know that I have an instant way to communicate besides the phone.

Thankful 30-14

2011-11-14T18:10:00.000-08:00

Pinterest

It's probably ridiculous to be thankful for a website, but I will never again lose my bookmarks when my computer crashes! I also love that my bookmarks are more visible because of the photos, which means I'm more likely to actually use them.

Like this one. I made Jakson his very own sight word parking lot this week and he loves it.

Thankful 30-11, 12, 13

2011-11-13T20:28:00.000-08:00

Behind. Again.

Thankful 30-11

Running, clean water
I think we take this for granted. Correction: I think this is something I take for granted. Maybe you don't. I was thinking about it as I took a hot shower today. In many parts of the world, a hot shower is a foreign concept. Water period that hasn't been hauled in by jugs after walking a few miles is a foreign concept. Aren't we lucky???

Thankful 30-12

Health Insurance
Although our insurance in UT didn't pay for Jakson's therapy, I was still very grateful to have it when both kids had to get tubes, Zak needed blood work done, and every time someone got sick. Not I'm even MORE grateful fot it because instead of paying $1200/month for Jak's therapy, we pay $120. What an amazing blessing.

Too bad all of that extra money goes towards fixing the stupid Subaru (obviously, I have not found a way to be grateful for that car yet).

Thankful 30-13

Chocolate Chip Cookies/Sunday Baking Day
Earlier this year, I implemented Sunday Baking Day in an attempt to lose a little weight. I don't think it's working, but it is fun to contemplate what our dessert for the week will be. Today we made chocolate chip cookies because Zak's are the best. And sometimes that's all I need to make a day just a little better. We use this recipe sans the swirl chips (semi-sweet instead). Yum.

Thankful 30-10

2011-11-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

Great In-Laws

I am so lucky. I have heard many horror stories about in-laws and I can honestly say that I love mine as much as my own family. They are awesome. And hilarious (mainly Zak's siblings-though when the snowflake sunglasses come out, all bets are off.). My mother/father in law are such incredible examples for us and for our kids. I miss them a lot. It was so great to be able to live close to them for a couple of years.

Thankful 30-7, 8, 9

2011-11-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

I'm a little bit behind. I've spent the last two days up to my eyeballs in 80 lbs of chicken. Canning, freezing, making freezer meals..... I have a blister on my finger from cutting it all up. Battle wounds.

Thankful 30-7

Alone time
I'd never really had alone time before we moved to Houston. Now I have 8-9 hours/week!! It's amazing the amount of stuff I can get done. I've even been able to go out to lunch and once used the hours to go on a date with Zak. It's like an entirely new life. Of course, I've added enough responsibilities to my plate to successfully fill all of the extra time. One of these days I'll learn to relax.

Thankful 30-8

A clean bill of health
Every year Zak goes in to his gastroenterologist and every year they tell him the same thing---no problems, but come back in 12 months for more tests. I always feel very nervous before each appointment, thinking THIS is the year they will find something wrong. In March, rather than give the expected instructions, Zak's doctor instead told him not to worry about coming back. Ever. He should have blood work done every few years with the family doctor, but no longer has to see a specialist. The doctor is confident that there will not be a relapse. What an enormous blessing.

Now if our life insurance could just get on board and quit charging us so much for Zak!

**If you have no idea what I'm talking about when it comes to Zak's health, you can read this post about it (and our dog who also suffered from an auto immune disease)

Thankful 30-9

My first nephew
My brother and sister in law just found out they are having a boy! Jakson will be so excited to have an impressionable young cousin to teach bad things (i.e. how to climb pantry shelves to get the snack you want). I'm excited to be an aunt again!

Thankful 30-6

2011-11-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

Sundays

I love having a day of rest, although "day of rest" is a term I use loosely. Zak leaves before 8 for church meetings (which means I get the kids ready for church and there on time alone) and tonight we didn't get home until 7:30 from a meeting regarding our new assignment with the youth. BUT it's the one day of the week that I don't write a to-do list. No photo editing, no shop orders, no grocery shopping, just family and serving God. A nice break from real life.

Thankful 30-5

2011-11-05T12:58:00.001-07:00

No more snow.

As I see the photos of friends and family in Utah from today (it's been snowing), I am reminded of how grateful I am that we will not be dealing with that kind of weather this year. It's a beautiful fall day in Houston. Our windows are open to let in the cool breeze, not a snow cloud in sight. I will NOT miss sliding all over the road or scraping ice off the car windows. Or bundling the kids in 6000 layers so they can go play outside, only to have them come back 5 minutes later and say they are done. Give me humidity any day....

Thankful 30-4

2011-11-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

A husband who puts up with my harebrained schemes.

Zak says I just randomly decide to do things. Like start a Bountiful Baskets site, or an Etsy shop, or bust a hole in the wall under the stairs to create a play space, or contrive an entire two week three state, vacation during sacrament meeting complete with hand drawn calendar---I wouldn't say I'm spontaneous because an enormous amount of research and thought goes into the plans before they come to fruition, but the ideas do tend to come out of the blue. And Zak just rolls with the punches, supports me, pitches in, and we make it happen. I love him for that.

Yesterday, I was hit with another insane/possibly awesome idea. I came up with a way to make a Disney trip for our family happen this year. Our funds will be sucked dry by the unexpected purchase of a new car (stupid Subaru. I'm tempted to go kick its tires again. If it wasn't late and I wasn't lazy, I would.), which makes me very sad. When I told Zak, he told me to go for it. So, we're going to try and round up a bunch of photo sessions in Las Vegas on the way to Disneyland to pay for our vacation. I know, pretty nutty. If you happen to live in the area and want a family shoot the last weekend in February, let me know. bethvphotography@gmail.com

Zak is a good and patient man to put up with me.

Thankful 30-3

2011-11-03T19:06:00.001-07:00

Funny kids

My kids drive me crazy but I have to admit, they are hilarious. The laughter around here balances out the insanity.

How can she even see? Did that not bother her at all?!?

Some examples of late (sorry if you read these previously on Facebook. I add them there first so I can remember them for the blog later).

9/29/11
Looks like we won't be moving to the Hamptons so that Jakson can play tennis after all. Apparently, I misunderstood him. He doesn't want to play tennis, he wants to play ping pong. That's right, my five year old wants to play competitive PING PONG.

10/12/11
During Jakson's parent teacher conference today, we discovered that Markdrew, the kid Jak always talks about is actually TWO people. Twins, in fact. Not sure how to break that to him.

10/20/11
Storey informed me this morning that I'm "like, 40 million inches tall" When I asked her where she found the tape she was measuring with, she said "my office."

Didn't realize we had so many rooms in our house.

11/3/11
Scene: Walking out the door on the way to preschool this morning. Storey is carrying her monkey, a bear, and a purse full of odds and ends she's hoarded.

Me: Storey you cannot take all of that crap with you.

Storey (as she drops the bear): I'm just going to take 2 craps. My monkey and my purse.

Thankful 30-2

2011-11-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

A sense of permanence

Living in Utah was a struggle for us for a myriad of reasons, but a big one was the state of limbo. Because Zak was constantly applying for jobs and we were always hoping to get one, I had issues signing the kids up for classes or buying theater tickets in advance or even planning a vacation. It was very very annoying. Not a way to live.

I'm so relieved to finally be in a place where we are not constantly wondering what the next month will bring. I know where we will be living, where the kids will attend school, and that we can purchase a cruise for next spring without moving in the meantime across the country (I CAN do this in theory, but our bank account is holding us back).

Until the next move.....

Another perk of living in one place for a little while-we can plant things! And they grow!

Just in case you're curious: Today we counted cars, bikes, strollers, and scooters. Things that get us around. Eleven pennies for the jar. Though I was tempted to only count the Subaru as half a penny. That stupid car.

Thankful 30-1

2011-11-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

I look forward to November and December as months to reflect on the year's blessings and do a couple of service projects as a family. Thankful 30 has sort of become a November tradition for me. It's nice to really focus on the positives-we are so very blessed.

Jakson's teacher

Jakson's first day of full day kindergarten was today. That may sound odd, but he's been on a parent-inflicted shortened schedule until now. The original plan was to keep him at the half day until after Christmas, but we also decided that if he ever expressed the desire to stay the whole time, we would revisit the issue. Last Thursday and Friday he suddenly started asking to stay. In fact, I got a note from the teacher letting me know that he had started to cry because he wanted to continue the day at school when I came to pick him up. After a long discussion, Zak and I are willing to have him try it out. His teacher has set up a "break room" for Jak and we are in constant communication about how he is doing. I would not feel comfortable with this change at all if I didn't know he was in good hands.

If there is a picture in the dictionary next to "kindergarten teacher," it's probably of her. I'm so glad that she enjoys having our quirky guy in her class.

P.S.-Today we are starting a little family service project. Every day in November we are going to be counting a different category of items in our home and putting a penny for each one in a jar. For instance, one day we will count all of the puzzles/games and put that many pennies in a jar. Another day all of our jars of peanut butter, etc. At the end of the month, we will be donating that money to a local food bank. Depending on how much it is, we may replace each penny with a nickel or dime. We think it's a good way to remind our children (and ourselves) of the many material things we have been blessed with. Just in case you are curious, today we're counting shoes.

He's not an astronaut, he's just dressed like one.

2011-10-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

Jakson is not the biggest fan of Halloween. Never has been. In fact, I would venture to say that it's his least favorite holiday. He doesn't love candy, hates parties, and is scared of most costumes. Which rules out just about everything fun about October 31st.

Mostly, he doesn't like it when people comment "oh, so you're an astronaut." Because he is not, in fact, an astronaut. He is Jakson. Dressed as an astronaut. Every year we have the same exact meltdown. This year we had two. One for him, and he also had one for Storey. Because she called herself a pink owl. And, you guessed it, she is not really a pink owl. Actually, "There is no such thing as a pink owl!!" Oh, the joys.

Jakson's distaste for Halloween means that he may or may not wear a costume. Rather than spend hours making something that might not get worn, I have opted the past couple of years to buy his costume. He decided pretty early on that he wanted to be an astronaut this year (after watching Bill Nye's space video over and over again). He also wanted a real helmet, but the only tutorials I found online used a glass fish bowl. Kid with sensory issues + glass fish bowl = a lot of broken glass. We opted for a fabric, kind of ugly helmet instead.

We didn't end up doing any trick or treating tonight, but we did have a major breakthrough when he chose to walk from car to car with Daddy and Storey at the very end of trunk or treat Saturday. Maybe next year he won't run and hide every time he sees a princess. Baby steps.

She's a hoot.

2011-10-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

Behold! Storey's requested "pink owl" costume.

The beanie was not part of the O.G., but was added out of necessity because it's "cold" here in Houston. Cold is a term I use very loosely.

I love how everything turned out, except the mask. It's completely wonky, but after 3 or 4 attempts to remake it, I gave up. I used to be a perfectionist. Then I had children.

Just hoping I earn a lot of candy from this one.

I like marshmallows too.

2011-10-27T19:50:00.001-07:00

And unfortunately, I've eaten so many in the last 10 years that I can no longer fit into the skin tight animal print pants I am wearing in this photo. One more victim on the long list entitled awesomeclothesthatdon'tfitpost-kid.

My roommate Brooke and I were teaching in New Zealand at the time and hosted a little party for all of the American girls and some Kiwi friends. Our friends Jen and Danielle came dressed as "Your Mom" in honor of our favorite comeback. Their hideousness was even more profound against our 1980's beauty queen glamour. Probably the most hilarious Halloween to date.

Well, there was that time that Zak shaved male pattern baldness into his hair......

Alligators like marshmallows. And small dogs.

2011-10-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

Almost a family portrait. I'm in the photo due to sunglasses reflection. Definitely the way I look best.

A couple of weeks ago, we took advantage of Zak's Friday off and pulled Jakson out of school to spend the day together as a family. (He's in kindergarten. How much could he possibly be missing???). Across town there's a state park called Brazos Bend. There's not a whole lot of "hiking" here--highest landmark is an overpass, not Squaw Peak anymore--- but this state park is even cooler because it boasts of over 200 alligators. No fences. No walls. Just you and the gators.

Sort of related sidenote: Have I mentioned we have a neighbor with a fan boat? The kind seen on Swamp People? We're not in ~~Kansas~~ Utah anymore, people.

A great time was had by all. Especially since we basically had the place to ourselves. The only negative was that we weren't able to use our awesome bike stroller. We discovered the night before that somehow we left Utah without the handlebar and one tire. Oops. That brings our tally of missing stuff to about $300. Great, just great. Thankfully, my mom swept in to save the day with a wagon.

Storey loved the wagon. She used it as a chaise lounge-it's tough being three. I think at one point she may have asked me to fan her with palm fronds.

And yes, she ALWAYS wears her sunglasses upside down.

I'm an idiot and didn't take a zoom lens (or our binoculars) with us. I certainly didn't want to wade into the weeds surrounding the water to get a closer shot, so a cropped photo will have to do. This was just one of the 32 alligators (you know Jakson took it upon himself to count them all) that we saw.

Come and visit us and we'll take you. No fences! Alligators! There are signs all over to keep an eye on children and small dogs, though I did read that no deaths or injuries had ever occurred in the park. Safety first.

Storey's Lisp

2011-10-16T05:59:00.000-07:00

She's memorized the book "Knuffle Bunny" and in her first public performance, will be reciting it for you.

This kid is hilarious. And crazy.

Storey has been sick for the past couple of days. Friday night she woke up around 9:30p screaming bloody murder about frogs in her room. She was literally pointing at them ("them" being the invisible frogs) and shaking. One of the frogs even jumped on me apparently. After we settled her down (I sprayed "frog repellent"-aka water, all over her room and we said a prayer), she continued to wake up almost every hour all night long screaming about the frogs. Weird. And freaky. Fever hallucinations? I have no idea. Still she is convinced that there was a frog sitting on her blanket and no amount of rationalizing will sway her otherwise. I am thinking this is what happens when you have an overactive imagination. Thankfully, last night the room was void of frogs and we were all able to get some sleep.

Getting ahead

2011-10-12T05:48:00.000-07:00

Allow me to complain:

Zak has been working long hours. Long, as in, he literally spent the night at the office last week. It's been difficult, but I have been telling myself that this is a blessing in disguise because we will finally be able to finish paying off our students loans and be COMPLETELY debt free (he is salaried, but also bills/gets paid for overtime). We have spent the last 5 years since Zak graduated throwing every extra cent at the students loans and I am looking forward to putting those dimes somewhere else. So, every night/weekend that Zak has been gone, I've just repeated to myself "no debt, no debt, no debt" and the desire to walk out of the house and let the kids fend for themselves lessens a little.

Yesterday, Zak was finally able to take a day at home (he still worked, just remotely) because we needed to take the Subaru in to get safety/emissions done. To make a long story short, the mechanic discovered that the car will not pass and it needs about $1500 worth of work. Which brings our repair tab on this car SINCE JULY 2011 to a whopping $6500. Not to mention the $2000-$3000 paid to repair it in months previous. On a car that is worth MAYBE $3500. That we've only owned for 15 months.

Thinking about this makes me want to go out to the garage and spend my morning kicking the tires. In fact, I may just do that.

So instead of having a debt free celebration when Zak gets paid this weekend, we'll be looking for a new car to purchase. At this point rather than get the car repaired again, we've decided to cut our losses. We've thought over and over that this absolutely has to be the last costly repair, but it doesn't seem to be the case. The car is a lemon. We've come to terms.

But we wonder-when we will ever be able to get ahead????

End of rant.

Because there's some unwritten rule about blog posts needing photos, here's a couple of the aforementioned children that have not been walked out on...yet.

While Zak was working Saturday, my parents took us to a festival that was going on at the local community college. The kids loved it. Bounce houses! Balloons! Candy! The science department even had microscopes set up with slides of bones and blood. Jakson was in heaven. And I was in heaven because the kids were so tired afterwards that naps were longer than usual. At this point, that's how I gauge the success of an activity.

Wow.

2011-10-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

I never blog anymore. Things around here have been crazy. Between Zak working 80 hours/week (including a 36 hour sleepoverattheoffice stint), teaching my photography class, Jakson's therapy starting, and regular busyness of school and life, I haven't had a whole lot of time.

A couple of weekends ago (when Zak actually had a Saturday off), we drove up to Camp For All in Brenham. A friend of mine was running a camp for kids with autism and invited us to come and check it out. I loved being up at Camp For All again. It had been 7 or so years since I had been there last with Camp Champions (I was the director for a camp for people with disabilities). I spent many, many summers there and have so many fun/crazy memories. Oh, the stories I could tell you.

It's an amazing facility, built to be accessible to all people. Extra wide sidewalks, cabins with wide doorways, accessible showers and toilet areas--they've really thought of everything. Zak was very impressed and Jakson wanted to stay and live there. He's not quite old enough to attend camp, but I am glad he was able become more familiar with the site and activities. He's a lot more open to things if they aren't completely new concepts. I am really excited for him!

Jakson and his trusty goggles. They apparently make him invincible.
Fun family times.

Some stuff-the IEP version

2011-09-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

After an abrupt and semi-bullying meeting with the administration at Jakson's school last week regarding the shortened day we have him on, I sat down and composed an email to his teacher and the admin explaining our reasons for the decision (again). Basically, I told them that I understood it was not what the admin recommended, but we were doing it anyway. I asked the teacher to let me know if he falls behind (ha ha) and we will readdress the shortened day if that problem should arise.

Then I didn't sleep for a couple of nights.

Knowing his IEP was coming up and afraid the short day was going to be discussed again, I called an educational advocate here in town to get some advice. Per her suggestion, I spent Thursday and Friday rounding up letters from his pediatrician and various therapists supporting our decision to keep him on a shortened day to give to the school.

Another sleepless night came on Friday because Saturday was our first Bountiful Basket pick up. I was so afraid that it wasn't going to go smoothly. My biggest fear was that the truck wouldn't show up on time (or at all). I seriously laid awake for hours thinking of all of the worst case scenarios.

I should not have worried-everything went perfectly and without a hitch. The produce was fantastic quality (dare I say, even better than Utah) and it was fun getting to know the volunteers who came to help out. I'm even more excited about doing this now that we've had one successful week!

Photo from my friend Cathy of her BB produce.

Finally! I got one good night of sleep!

Jakson's IEP (ARD) meeting was Monday. I was so nervous that I didn't sleep Sunday night at all. All morning, I felt like I was going to vomit. Thankfully, Zak and I had a moment in the parking lot before we went into the school to say a prayer together and ask God to lead us. I felt impressed to put away my therapist/pediatrician letters and not bring up the subject at all. By the time we reached the doors to the classroom, I was feeling calm and the meeting went surprisingly well. They did not mention the shortened day schedule and neither did we. Thank goodness for that email I had written the week before and the prayer said in the car.

Sleep!

Since the more pressing matters were taken care of, Storey and I went and rounded up all of the supplies for her pink owl costume. Jakson is still undecided about Halloween this year. He thinks he might want some candy, but possibly not enough to dress up for it. Right now, he's tossing around the idea of dressing as an astronaut. Of course, one of the most difficult costumes to make. I really have no idea where to even begin. An upside down fish bowl? I am trying to convince him otherwise. Bill Nye (or Bill Bob as he is referred to around these parts) the Science Guy would be so much cooler. And easier to diy. Lab coat, safety goggles, red bow tie, done.

Help Wanted: Seeking part time diva.

2011-09-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

Update: position filled.

Jak's Room

2011-09-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

For fun and documentation's sake, I took a few photos of Jakson's new room. All it's missing is a big poster of the human body, then it will include all of his current obsessions (not pictured are the glow in the dark planets on the ceiling that Grandma gave him).

Just in case you're wondering:

clipboards: DownEast Outfitters Clearance Outlet in West Valley City (best kept Salt Lake Valley secret)-they are originally from Pottery Barn Kids, but I only paid $3 each.
I Am A Child of God print: Persimmon and Pink
dinosaur flash cards: thrifted (from a book)
laminated Eeboo! maps: garage sale score, $1 each!
dinosaur alphabet print: Olives on a String
green bed: IKEA loft bed with the legs cut down (he kept breaking his teeth out. no, really). Spray painted green by popular request and ends covered in wrapping paper.
Number bedding: IKEA-discontinued

The missing letter

2011-09-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

This is the one document I thought was missing from Jakson's paperwork the day he was diagnosed. A letter from a mom telling me "Everything is going to be all right". I've had quite a few emails the last couple of months from friends and strangers asking me to give advice to moms dealing with a new diagnosis. I feel terrible that I haven't had a chance to answer given the recent craziness of moving and starting school. This is my reply.

P.S. I'd love to answer any specific questions or act as a sounding board-please feel free to email me. I love meeting other Aspie/ASD/Autism moms. We gotta stick together.

Dear Mom,

Today your world has changed. Whether you came into this appointment suspecting an autism diagnosis or not, it hits you hard. Something about hearing those words pronounced by a professional makes it so much more final. Concrete. Real. Even if deep down you've known all along, it's tough to swallow.

In a way, an official diagnosis is a relief. How many times have you wondered why other mothers seem to have such an easy time with their kids? Social outings, park group, play dates, even running errands-all done without a worry. You usually don't see other moms chasing their kids out the door as they run away from story time screaming even though you've been coming to the same libary, with the same kids, with the same routine for almost a year. Oh, and that meltdown in Target last week about something that happened six months ago? It's not just your parenting. There really are some issues that other moms aren't dealing with.

There will be guilt. Get ready for it. You'll wonder-Did I do this to him? Did he inherit it from me? Could I have done something differently to help him? Should I have just changed his diet and he'd be fine? The answer to these....no, no, no, and no. And don't let other autism parents tell you differently. One of the first things I learned after my son's (Jakson) diagnosis was that there are a lot of conflicting opinions among parents about causes, therapies, and "cures" and frankly, a lot of them are guilt inducing. I don't understand why (shouldn't we be supporting each other?), but you have to take the articles and advice with a grain of salt. If it sounds crazy, it probably is.

The worst part (at least for me) was when the future questions set in. Will he be able to make friends? Will he get teased? Get good grades? Go to college? Move out of our home? As soon as we walked out of the autism clinic, I had fast forwarded 20 years and Jak was still living in my house! The only way I've learned not to get overwhelmed by the future is to literally never think about it. Take one day at a time.

You'll have plenty to deal with one day at a time anyway. You are your child's BEST advocate and the schools will be proving you. Become educated about autism, about your rights, the laws, and know exactly what you want before you step into a single meeting about your child. No one knows your child or cares as much as you do. Make this your mantra: I am right. I know what is best. They will push, but be prepared to push back.

For me, the most effective way to heal grief was to read about adults with autism and what they have done with their lives. I can't tell you how much comfort John Elder Robison's Look Me In The Eye gave me. Or The Way I See It by Temple Grandin. In fact, after reading those books, I was excited about Jakson's autism!! Eventually you will be able to gather enough information that you will be able to figure out how you feel about autism, find therapists and other professionals that share your beliefs, determine your own, unique philosophy (how does our family approach autism, what are the long term goals for our child, etc) and come to grips with your "new normal".

Don't be mistaken that once your initial struggle is over it's all rainbows and unicorns, because that's not true. There are times when I still find myself starting over----coming to terms with our reality all over again. But, thankfully with the help of a great support team (my husband, family members, Jak's therapist), we can get through any setbacks and realize that the goal we all want for Jakson is attainable. Happiness.

My personal autism philosophy has not changed much in the past couple of years. I'm not looking to find the "cause" of Jakson's autism nor am I searching for a "cure". Autism is not cancer, it's not a cold, this is basically my child's whole being. His personality without autism would be completely different. Sometimes it would be easier to deal with, yes, but Jak wouldn't be Jak without the dinosaur obsessions, his organizational skills, or his need for a tight squeeze---all things that can be attributed to autism. This doesn't mean that we won't involve Jak in therapies. I don't believe that we should deny that he has some challenges that need to be addressed so that he can function in society, but my goal isn't for a "cure", instead it is for Jak to lead a happy life. Even if it isn't the life that I had originally envisioned for him.

Everything is going to be okay. Take a deep breath, let yourself cry, realize that other parents will never understand what you are dealing with, give yourself a break and give yourself a little credit, do a lot of research, know your rights. You are the mom and mom's always know best.

Much love,
A mom who has been there

Some stuff

2011-09-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

Storey insisted on wearing a princess dress today to run errands. She wanted to wear the matching shoes, but I do draw the line somewhere. Princess shoes + 3 year old = injuries.

Speaking of injuries.....while we were at the library, I got a call from the school nurse. Jakson was walking with his class outside and somehow managed to slip off the curb and face plant into a parked car. That's my boy. Frankly, I'm surprised a visit to the nurse hadn't come earlier. Two whole weeks without an injury! (He's fine, by the way).

I've been in a book rut the past few days. Every book I've picked up, I've lost interest in quickly. Because I'm no longer assigned these books by teachers, I can just turn them back into the library without finishing them, but I always want to give the thing a chance. After getting half way through one of them last night, I gave up and started on a YA biography. Not my usual genre, but I'm really enjoying it. Finally!

After Jakson got home from school, I asked him how he managed to run into a car and he informed me that the the sun was bright so he was walking with his eyes closed. Wow. Not sure what to say about that.

This week I had my very first day alone in five years. Both kids were finally healthy and both went to school. I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to be able to grocery shop without screaming children. Maybe you don't know because yours don't scream all the time, but I will attest: it is fantastic. Then Thursday, I went and had brunch with a friend!! I know! BRUNCH! WITH A FRIEND! AND NO SCREAMING CHILDREN! This is what freedom feels like.

My Bountiful Basket site is set to open next Saturday! I'm a little nervous seeing as it's the first in Houston and I'm worried about everything going smoothly, but excited to finally be getting cheap produce again!! Contributions (basket orders) open on Monday at noon. If you want more info about the BB site in Houston, sign up for my newsletter here. Bountiful Baskets is completely volunteer run--anyone who is interested in volunteering at the site is welcome to come help out!

I'll be teaching a photography crash course class locally in October. If you are interested in learning about using your camera's manual settings and taking better photos, head over to my photo site to get all of the details.

Once again, Storey gets the shaft.

2011-09-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

When you have one child with special needs, unfortunately the other child often doesn't get as much attention as she ought (you know, squeaky wheel and all that). Poor Storey. Jakson was sick last week, which threw off his routine, which made him anxious about life, which caused more meltdowns than usual, and dealing with that caused me to overlook the momentous occasion that was her first day of preschool.

Ah well. Eventually I'm sure she'll forgive me (if she even noticed that I forgot to pose her in front of the door for the token "first day photo"). I did remember on her second day of school and she was just as excited as the first, so that should count for something.

Like, gag me with a spoon.

2011-09-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

Storey and I have been spending a lot of quality one on one time now that Jakson is in school every day. And truth be told, our time together has taught me that she is even crazier than I previously suspected.

Here is a sampling of the conversations I've been having with her....

Scene: Driving to the store/running errands.
Storey: Mommy, I have a magic wand. I am going to turn you into Baff (Beth). Waves her tin foil Daddy-made wand. Now you are Baff.
Me: Mmm hmm.
Storey: Baff, I'm going to give you a black computer. Baff, what will you do with the black computer? Baff, now I'm going to give you a cack-cack (backpack). You are going to school Baff.
Me: Okay.
Storey: Baff, I'm going to wave my wand and you'll be Mommy again. Waves her wand. Hi Mommy!!

Scene: Walking out of her first day of preschool.
Me: Storey, did you like school today? What was your favorite part?
Storey: I like school, but I did not learn ANYTHING!

Scene: Helping her change into pajamas for her nap after school (she insists on wearing pj's at naptime)
Me: Since you didn't learn anything today, what did you do at school?
Storey: We aren't supposed to put our fingers in the cage with Skeeter (the class guinea pig). He will bite your finger because he thinks it's a carrot. So leave him alone. Don't get close to the cage. He's asleep. Leave him alone. LEAVE.HIM.ALONE!!!

Scene: Getting dressed in the morning.
Me: Storey, how about this shirt? It's got some pink on it.
Storey: No, I WANT TO WEAR A DRESS!
Me: Okay, why don't you wear this pretty dress?
Storey: That's from Old Navy and I don't like Old Navy.

What??? Next she'll be banning girls from the bathroom because they aren't wearing Osh Kosh B'Gosh (True story. I never was part of the cool kids club. Even in kindergarten.).

Jakson's Letter

2011-08-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

One person we are really missing (especially on Fridays) is Jakson's therapist, Erin. She was so wonderful and we feel like Jak benefited immensely from his therapy with her. In just one year his reciprocal speech, pretend play, and our handling of his behaviors had really improved. I also loved having someone to talk to who completely understood my circumstance. Erin really made me feel a lot less like I was a terrible, horrible parent and gave us practical ideas we could implement at home. Needless to say, Jakson is not the only one who misses our weekly sessions. I think every autism mom needs an Erin in her life.

Jakson has asked us numerous time since our move if we are "going to questions" (what he called therapy) to see Erin. It's so sad. Tonight I wrote her an email about Jakson's first week (which went swimmingly, by the way) and Jakson wanted to add a letter of his own. Getting him to talk is like pulling teeth (he won't tell us anything about school. Ever. It's slightly annoying), but he really wanted to compose a note. Warning: Jakson is incredibly random.

Dear Erin,
I'll come to your house someday. Come and fly on a plane to see us. I want to fly to Utah. My teacher is Mrs. Schneider. I love you. And I go to kindergarten. Ride a dinosaur for me. I play at the playground and I have a globe. I write my letters. Come to Houston and make a library fort with us.
Love, Jakson

Carnival Photo Shoot

2011-08-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I drove past a temporary carnival in a local abandoned grocery store parking lot and decided I needed to do a photo shoot there. So I called my sister in law and asked if she and my brother would model for me, warning her that the carnival looked a little ghetto and the whole experience would be one big experiment. She's into adventure and agreed to meet me later in the evening.

Awesomely, she came in adorable hot pink heels. Love the juxtaposition of the rides and those high heels. She and my brother handled the 100+ degree weather without complaint and we had a great time (not to mention the whole place to ourselves!!). It was funny because at one point a carnival worker started following us around giving us pointers about shooting (take a photo over by the motorcycle ride. how about with the sun behind the ferris wheel?). Was wonderful that they were so friendly and didn't mind us wandering around taking pictures before the carnival officially opened.

See more here.

He did it!

2011-08-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

Jak walked in, sat down, and started playing with the Play-doh the teacher had laid out. So far, so good. And most surprisingly, I was able to hold onto my tears until we left the building.

A good first day.

Things will never be the same

2011-08-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

My boy starts kindergarten on Monday. My little tiny baby. I feel.... Actually I'm not quite sure. Excited, sad, worried, unprepared, nervous, proud, old. I'm feeling very introspective. Did I use my time with him at home wisely? Did I play with him enough? Did I instill a sense of self strong enough that mean kids won't phase him? What will our mornings be like without him?

How did he get to be so big?

I didn't think I'd be feeling so sentimental. The whole school thing has just been one more task to mark off my list for quite awhile. Probably because getting to this point was a fight and very stressful. Deciding on a school and then convincing the administration to accommodate Jakson the way he needs was the source of many weeks of distress. My biggest obstacle, a shortened school day, was also the most important. Jakson is not ready for a full day of kindergarten. He gets overstimulated so easily and a long playdate often results in a 45 minute meltdown in his room. Not a pretty scene. It was best for the teacher, classmates, myself, and, most importantly, Jakson, to take the time to ease him into a full day. But according to them, the district "just doesn't do that".

Well, they do now, my friends.

Once that problem was solved, I figured it would be smooth sailing. Drop him off. Wave goodbye (hopefully without any sort of anxiety attack on his side). The end. But I am feeling more and more unprepared and sappy. A lunch? What the heck do I put in his lunchbox? He's just a baby! Should I make him a special breakfast? He's just a baby! Will I be able to keep from crying? He's just a baby!

Gosh, this is harder than I thought.
He's my little baby. When did he get big enough to leave me for school???

Family Photo Holiday Mini-Sessions | Cypress and Houston Photographer

2011-08-17T18:01:00.000-07:00

Just FYI

See more of my photography here.

The great outdoors

2011-08-17T05:41:00.000-07:00

We had to be out of our rental about three days before we actually left UT, so after packing the van we stayed up at "The Cabin" (as it is referred to) in the Salt Lake area that Zak's family owns. Staying at The Cabin (something I will do) is different than camping (something I prefer not to do) because there is running water, a shower, and an indoor bathroom. It's also beautiful and up in the mountains, meaning it's about 15 degrees cooler during the summer than the Valley. Perfect. We spent a lot of weekends there the past couple of months.

Of course, the kids LOVE it. Lots of dirt, not a lot of rules, roasted marshmallows, open fields for running....every kids' dream.

Plus, it has the added perk of Grandma and Grandpa V. We will sorely miss them, especially since they will not be able to visit until the end of their mission (9 more months).

Now you know why I married Zak. For his cabin. Hey, he claims to have married me for my money (my amazing teacher's salary).

In one piece

2011-08-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

We made it. There was puking, terrible customer service, and a new $4000 transmission involved, but we have arrived in Houston, unpacked most of the boxes, and started a new job. (Have I mentioned that Zak's new job is actually his old job from Phoenix? The same company that laid him off, hired him here. Lesson: Never burn bridges.) We are very happy to be Texans (or back in The Motherland as Zak likes to call it).

A little girl also turned one year older.

Next year she'll be fifteen. Or so she acts. We had a fun family party to celebrate the momentous occasion and were instructed to refer to her as the "birthday girl" all day. What a diva.

I am still catching up on laundry and emails and slowly getting the kids' rooms put together. Since Storey is now pseudo potty trained, I have to make good on my big girl bed promise/bribe. Thank goodness for parents who have an entire garage filled with scrap wood, a handy husband, and pink spray paint.

Busy, busy, busy

2011-07-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

Storey wearing her brother's helmet backwards. She finds herself very amusing.

This past week I:

packed stuff. A lot of stuff.
sold Zak's commuter car (for more than we bought it for a year ago!)
spent hours looking at houses online
dealt with a number of moving-induced meltdowns and night terrors
purchased flights for three of us (while Zak drives the truck) because I would rather eat attic insulation than have to ride with the kids all the way to Houston by myself. Flying solo doesn't sound all that appealing either, but in this case I believe it to be the lesser of the two evils. Could I be wrong? Most definitely, yes. Ask me again in a week.
bought a bright pink suitcase covered in Dora and Boots for our flight to Houston ($2 at D.I.)
taught Storey the word "hideous" (see aforementioned Dora suitcase)
reserved a moving truck
talked with a couple of district offices and educational advocates about Jak/school. Got nowhere.
panicked about finding a house in time for school to start.
panicked some more that the timing of the move/lease/school/job will not work out.
set up last minute doctor/therapy appointments
took a much needed break to see Harry Potter and say goodbye to Cafe Rio
finished the second week of my Bountiful Basket volunteer site coordinator training
picked up a 16 lb box of peaches that we ordered before getting this job. Looks like we'll be canning this week. In our free time, of course.
panicked when our computer just.stopped.working.
made a very expensive semi-impulse buy: a new computer. We've been researching, saving, and talking about it for over a year, just never actually done it. Hey, I had to find a house online!! Hard to do without a computer.
suffered from buyer's remorse for about two days (without fail, this happens every time we make a big purchase).
sent my mom into the blistering heat with a realtor to look at a dozen houses, none of which had the air conditioning on.
witnessed the absolute worst meltdown Jakson has ever had. I can't wait until we settle down again and he's not feeling so anxious.
found these awesome calming drops on Abe's Market. I wish they were going to arrive before the flight next Tuesday.
rehearsed what will happen on the plane for Family Home Evening. Most repeated instructions? Don't kick the seat in front of you and no screaming on the plane.
found a house!! Sight unseen, but I trust my mother's opinion. So glad to have that done.

And because Storey has the worst timing of any child, she has decided that this is the week o' potty training. I believe in the method of potty training that requires no method. As in the kid is ready and does it their own dang self. I'm a sideline observer and an occasional cheerleader. Unfortunately, I have found her stripped down and sitting on the toilet numerous times recently. Though I'm not real keen on the timing, I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. I may not believe in potty training methods, but I still firmly believing in a good bribe. So, I've promised to trade diapers for a princess bike helmet because this girl has been asking for a princess bike helmet for months and I aim to please.

I'll take that Mother of the Year Award now.

It's official

2011-07-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

We're moving to Texas!

It's been a long time coming. We are so grateful that after two years our prayers have been answered. The Lord's timing is not always ours (definitely not this time), but we are thankful for the strengthened faith this experience has given us.

10 days to pack, sell a car, find a house, and move. Whew!

More details soon...

Home again, home again

2011-07-10T22:17:00.000-07:00

We've been vacationing in Nevada and Arizona for the past 10 days without internet access most of the time (it was kind of nice!). We are now back in UT, surrounded by mounds of laundry and the smell of rotten potatoes (rotted while we were gone). Worst. smell. ever.

Fun times were had by all. Pictures to come.

Our last stop was Snowflake, AZ-the location of many summer memories as a kid. My grandmother still lives there, so we went to see her. I love it there.

My grandmother

Whenever I visit, I wonder what it would be like to live in a little town. Would I love it? Hate it? I know I like the idea of it, but the reality is probably much different. Only one grocery store in town, but no traffic. No Target, but local businesses that know you.... It would be interesting.

It's funny how driving is tiring. And I didn't even drive-I just rode and yelled at kids who were yelling at each other. Sound fun? It wasn't. I often wish that "Beam me up Scottie" actually did something. Especially on car rides with children. Someone needs to invent that. Along with the glass partition available in cars between the front and back seats I wrote about a couple of years ago. I'm telling you, these are money makers.

Back to real life (and lots of laundry) tomorrow.

Pick your battles.

2011-07-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

During our drive to Vegas, I decided to tackle the Halloween question with the kids. Normally, I make the costumes and like a little bit of notice before October 31st if I have to come up with something elaborate.

Last year at some point, Jakson determined that princesses are extremely scary, which complicates things since Storey heard "costume" and immediately told me that she wants to dress as....you got it, a pink princess. I am already anticipating the meltdown this will cause. She loves to bug her brother-do you suppose this is all part of her evil plan?

Jakson's always been a little wary of Halloween, but apparently he has decided to boycott the holiday entirely this year. He explained that he already finished Halloween and if I push the matter further, he just yells "nothing!" A typical response when he's done with a discussion. Even my suggestion to dress as a paleontologist was met with a negative reply. He doesn't even want to pass out candy.

Oh well. It's just a holiday. There are a lot worse things he could refuse to do. Like go to school, acknowledge his sister's existance, pee in a public bathroom.... Been there, done that. Glad we're over those stages. This one I can live with. He is a lesson in learning to pick battles.

Truth be told, I am going to try and convince Storey to be a pink owl like this one. That's a battle I might win.

Revised: Vote for my cute kids!

2011-06-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Sabrina encouraged me to enter a photography competition recently and since there were over 300 entries, I was pretty sure my photo wouldn't be chosen for the top 30. BUT today I found out that it was (!!!) so now I need your help. Please take a moment to click over to the contest and vote for my photo of Jak and Storey. There's some stiff competition-I'm up against some amazing images!!

Vote here. Really it only takes a moment. You don't have to sign up for anything, just click next to #23 Beth V Photography. Thank you!!

P.S. Voting ends Wednesday.

Spray Paint Season

2011-06-26T07:52:00.000-07:00

Before we got married, Zak and I bought a bed frame that is really beautiful, but now A-doesn't fit in our very small bedroom and B- isn't really our style anymore. So, it's in storage, along with the majority of our other possessions. Our bed really looks bare without a headboard though. After a trip to IKEA as-is (my very favorite place to find stuff to repurpose) and one can of gray spray paint, we now have the perfect headboard. And the price was definitely right. The total for the whole project was less than $10!

Because we are going to be moving again soon, I didn't want to spend a ton of time sanding and priming the headboard (it will certainly get scuffed in the move), so I just cleaned it with a little Windex to get any dust off, let that dry, and sprayed it. Frankly, even if we weren't moving, I probably wouldn't have primed or sanded this piece. I reserve that for things that look hideous to begin with and will need a lot of paint to thoroughly cover. Zak attached a couple of 1x4 pieces (that we also found in the IKEA as-is) to each side of the back of the door to make it taller.

One of my favorite spray paint tips: If you've ever done a lot of spray painting, you know that your finger really starts to get sore after awhile. Ouch. I picked up a nozzle attachment (Walmart-$2.50) a few projects back and it makes all the difference!! No more sore fingers and the paint goes on with more even strokes. I will never spray paint without one again. Super cheap and attaches to all spray paint brands (the attachment I have is Rustoleum brand, but I always spray with Krylon). If you are planning on doing a lot of painting this summer, I highly recommend getting one (And no, they aren't paying me to say that. But they should).

Saturday Snapshot

2011-06-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

Why isn't there a Wiggles mural on more of my furniture?

2011-06-23T13:33:00.001-07:00

After posting about the little doll bed makeover for Storey last week, a friend of mine suggested that I start painting things and reselling them. Always interested in ways to make a few extra bucks, I went the next day to the local thrift shop in search of the perfect item for a trial of her idea. And found this desk. A beaut, ain't it?

I know the poor little desk was passed up by other customers because frankly, it is hideous. But the trick when looking for something to re-do is to look beyond the colors/fantastically horrible Wiggles mural and decide if the lines are right. Try to picture the desk white. Would you like it then?

Why, yes. Yes, I would.

Unfortunately, it was at this point (the desk had been primed) that I gave up my original intention of selling and decided to keep it. Hey, a kindergartener to-be needs a special place to do homework, right? With Jakson's help, we decided on a green dinosaur desk.

Tuesday night, I finished up all of the spray painting and it was ready for the dinosaur decal. But like the total idiot perfectionist that I am, when I got up the next morning I decided that the inside of the lid (on the seat) needed to be painted as well. I should have left well enough alone because the overspray caused the paint from the day before to bubble, ruining the whole front of the desk. Epic fail. Trying to fix my mistake, I scraped off the paint that had bubbled and tried to paint over it only making it worse. I scraped that paint off, sanded it, and painted it again, but then the lid fell open leaving a huge mess where the paint was still wet. I was so so done and just wanted to throw the stupid thing across the yard. After calming down, I ended up sitting in the hot sun, scraping the paint off the entire front, sanding it down, and then left the rest for Zak to take care of. I counted that as my exercise for the day. I was sweaty and my arms are still sore. Sounds like a workout to me!

Thankfully, it was all worth it.

From beginning to end.

P.S.-I created a Facebook page with all of my before and after projects. Some have been posted on this here blog and some have not. I thought it'd be a fun way to keep track of my makeovers and maybe give other people ideas for things they can do with a can of spray paint. And if I ever don't fall in love with something I makeover, I'll post it on the page for sale. Check it out here.

Real.

2011-06-22T22:47:00.000-07:00

Blogs are funny things. You know people, but you don't. You think you are getting glimpses into a person's life, but they only show you what they want you to see. Mainly the perfect parts. Not the parts you'd see if you peered through the window without them knowing. The messy house, the rocking chair that collects clothing, the screaming kids, a mascara streaked face. Those things are left out.

In other words, don't believe everything you read.

The reasons why people blog are funny too. For some it's money, followers, popularity...almost like being an anonymous celebrity. For others it's to journal and share photos of their kids. In the past 5ish years since I started blogging, my motives have changed a bit. At first, it was strictly about Jak's comings and goings. A way to share his growth with family far away. Once I realized that people I didn't know had started reading my blog, I sort of lost my purpose for awhile. I checked the stats all the time, started hosting giveaways, wondered why I wasn't as popular as other people....it was a little like high school. And I hated high school. My little family blog had turned into something I didn't want it to be, less about kids and more about having more readers than the next blog. Not a motive to be proud of.

A couple of years ago, I discovered my blog purpose again-keeping a record of life. No more giveaways or checking stats. A lot of things get left out, but I try to be as real as possible. Motherhood is not always easy. Heck, life is not easy. But the blessings of both far outweigh the challenges. Or at least it all evens out in the end.

I've noticed as the decisions Zak and I make become increasingly difficult, I become more private. I have so many worries running through my head at any given time, but don't always want to share. So, if I'm not writing as often or as personally, rest assured we are fine, just dealing with the curve balls life has thrown. With our Father in Heaven's help, everything will work out for the best.

Blessed.

2011-06-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

To a man who keeps his cool despite being poked in the face and used as a human jungle gym.
Happy Father's Day!!

Mushrooms are marvelous, but....

2011-06-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile, I find something truly hideous at a garage sale that I just know can be awesome. Especially if the price is right.

Fifty cents?!? Sold.

I was going to save it for Storey's birthday, but our house is too small to really hide anything. Instead I worked on the cradle transformation while the kids were at preschool this morning.

I love how it turned out. A great fifty cent investment. I made a little "mattress" out of batting and some heavyweight twill I had around, a doll quilt out of scraps, spray painted the cradle, and added an iron on "S" (like the wall letters in the shop). No more mushrooms. Or marker signatures.

The best part was Storey's reaction. She immediately laid her babies in it and commanded everyone to "Be quiet! Baby Norah and Baby Storey are sleeping." The naming creativity in our house is astounding.

I'm too tired to come up with a title.

2011-06-10T19:45:00.001-07:00

I've written about 5 different posts this week that I haven't finished/not sure if I'm ever going to publish. So while I debate with myself about those, here's a photo of a rare moment when the kids are not yelling at each other. I had to take a picture of it to remember that it actually does happen.

Highlight of the week that proves how lame I really am: Last night there was a crazy deal grab on Amazon for baby gear. Cribs for $18, strollers for $8, swings for $11...it was awesome. And so much fun. There were a bunch of us buying until almost midnight and following prices on the Screamin' Deals Facebook page. Unfortunately, many of the orders were canceled, but a lot of people still got some incredible deals. Most excitement I've had in a long time. I'm such a nerd.

Just call her Pixie Voice

2011-06-05T19:13:00.000-07:00

Storey is crazy. Seriously, the girl has personality that never ends. I just can't wait until she's a teenager (I say sarcastically).

Scene: Vermillion family gathering.
Me: Tyler, can you hand me that water bottle? It's mine.
Storey rushes over to me and puts her finger over my mouth.
Storey: Mommy, we do not say "mine!". That is berry berry naughty! You do it again, I will wash your mouth out with soap.

It's so strange hearing all of your words repeated back to you.

A couple of days ago Storey informed us that she was going to "eat out" with her friends. She put on a hat, slung her purse over her shoulder, headed into the bathroom, and shut the door. I am assuming that it where the restaurant is located.

Zak's joke: Must be some "crappy" food.

We are all comedians around here.

Last Saturday after driving around to garage sales all morning, we discovered that Storey had taken and hidden a little unpaid-for stuffed animal in her purse. In order to really drive the point home, we showed her a police car parked on the side of the road and told her that people who steal get arrested by the police and go to jail. She was very remorseful, took the animal back, and apologized to the sellers. Unfortunately, we didn't count on Mr. Literal who then took it upon himself to berate and threaten her with a trip to the police station over and over again. He wondered why we drove home instead of taking her downtown. After that traumatic experience, I have a feeling that Storey will never be shoplifting (garagesalelifting?) again.

P.S. Jakson also asked me if he was going to get a new little sister since Storey was going to live with the police. I guess since she's so flawed, he needs an upgrade.

Her favorite past time lately? Twirling. If you ask, she's a ballerina. And she wants her nickname to be "pixie voice."

She's very persuasive. Even Uncle Tyler couldn't resist a few twirls.

Last

2011-06-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

These are the last photos my camera took before it was accidentally knocked out of my camera bag, hit the cement, and ceased working. I'm glad the last images the camera saw before its untimely death were adorable.

My niece, Baby Norah.

The silver lining: The memory card was not damaged, all pictures survived. It's just a camera and can be replaced. I was able to purchase an upgrade (used) for a great deal. Hoping it arrives soon.

Thirty, flirty, and thriving.

2011-05-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

Zak turned 30 on Sunday. Gettin' old, though he loves to remind me, not as old as I am.

His entire family was in town, so we celebrated together with a dinner out at Tepanyaki and an ice cream cake. I think Zak ate 1/4 of it by himself. We weren't able to find someone to watch the kids, so they came along to dinner. With food cooking right in front of us, I figured it would go one of two ways-Jakson would either by totally entertained or have a complete meltdown. As soon as we sat down, he immediately covered his ears, a sure sign that he was incredibly nervous. Fortunately, after the chef made a volcano out of vegetables, he warmed up and even moved over to Grandma and Grandpa's table to watch their "food show." The only issue came when the chef tried to throw some food into Jak's mouth and he dived under the table to avoid it.

Storey, on the other hand, completely jumped out of her high chair when the flame went up on the cook top. Oops. We were so focused on Jak's anxiety, we didn't even think about her. Poor neglected child.

Overall, it was the best behaved they have ever been at a restaurant. Their birthday present to Zak, maybe?

Zak posing for the camera with his cake.

While he was smiling for the camera, Jakson snuck in and blew out his candles!

Life with Jak

2011-05-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

One of the few survivors of the graduation memory card debacle.

Jakson: I know how to read.

Me: I know. Tell me the words you can read.
Jakson: And, the, I, to, yea..... But 'yea' is my favorite word. Like 'Yea, behold!'

Me: Jakson how many times have I asked you not to stack those up and jump off of them?

Jakson: 100?

If I have, in fact, told him one hundred times-why doesn't he remember???? Why child, why?

A couple of days ago Jakson decided to use almost an entire roll of toilet paper to wipe himself and when he flushed the toilet, it flooded the bathroom. Remember before I had kids and never had to stand around in poop water yelling about the advantages of using 10 squares rather than 850?

Jakson informed us that he may or may not have pooped in the backyard because he was pretending to be a dog. We have been working on pretend with his therapist, but it looks like we'll have to tone it down. After a thorough investigation of the yard, we're pretty sure he made it up (very unlike him-we deal in concretes around here), but I'll be sure to step lightly.

*If we're friends on Facebook, some of these anecdotes may be reruns for you, but I'm documenting them here so they end up in our next Blurb book.

Just my luck

2011-05-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

In the past three weeks:

Zak got a call from a firm in Houston wanting to interview him over Skype. We were quite confident that he was going to get the job and that the interview was more of a formality.

The day before the interview, he got an email explaining that the hiring manager was not going to be available and the interview would be rescheduled for the following week. Annoying, but whatever.

After hearing nothing for a couple of weeks, Zak received another email basically saying, Sike. We actually aren't going to interview anyone until August. Maybe not even then.

Frustrated that this out of state move seems to always elude us, we put a bid in on a HUD home here in Utah this past weekend. Not our dream home, but something we could live in for a year, fix up, and make some money off of. Mainly, we are sick of the limbo state and would like a little permanence. I spent upwards of ten hours on the phone with the lender and gathering paperwork to send off to the underwriters.

We lost the bid. Back to square one with the home search and back to limbo.

Jakson's preschool graduation was yesterday. He did a fantastic job and I managed to hold it together the entire time. But, after uploading the pictures from the event, I found that 28 of the 30 photo look something like this Apparently, unbeknownst to me, my memory card had gone bad. Awesome. Couldn't it have done this when I was taking photos of the kids riding bikes rather than a cannot-be-repeated type occasion?

Also during this time our scanner quit working (something I determined while trying to scan our info for the loan), I discovered that somehow half of our taxes got thrown away, our power steering went out, and watched as the lady in front of me purchased the perfect Moses basket--the exact item I've been scouring thrift shops to find.

We have the worst luck.

Bountiful Baskets Dinner One

2011-05-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

We purchased a Bountiful Basket for the first time this past Saturday and we will absolutely be doing that again. It's great because we received a variety of fruits and vegetables and only spent $15! This week we are trying to menu plan around the produce, which is kind of fun and exciting. Meal planning = excitement = we're really lame.

Here's what we made last night.

Cashew Chicken Salad Lettuce Wrap and Mango Lassi (recipes below)

Homemade Cheesecake with Blackberries

Used 3 mangoes, container of blackberries, and romaine lettuce from the Bountiful Basket.

Now if I can just figure out what the heck you do with swiss chard.

Cashew Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

1 head romaine lettuce (I'm sure iceburg would work as well)
1 T mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. curry powder
2 cups skinless roasted chicken breast, chopped (we used a rotisserie chicken)
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup cashew pieces

Combine mayo, sour cream, and curry powder in small bowl with whisk. In medium bowl, combine remaining chicken salad ingredients, gently tossing with spoons until well blended. Cover bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to serve. When ready to serve, spoon amount desired into the middle of the lettuce leaf and wrap.

Mango Lassi (served at Indian restaurants, kind of a mango smoothie)
Serves 4.

2 cups plain yogurt
1 cup milk
2 cup chopped mango (peeled and stone removed)
8 teaspoons sugar, to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender for two minutes. Chill and serve.

Beth V Photography Giveaway and Promo

2011-05-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

I'd love for you to support me in getting the word out about my little photo business. As soon as the Beth V Photography Facebook page hits 200 fans, I'll be giving away a patchwork camera strap cover with a lens cap cover (a must!). It'll look similar to this one, only the winner can pick the fabrics!

And, an awesome referral promotion.....

Contact me for more details.

Saturday Snapshot

2011-05-14T21:48:00.000-07:00

Today I took photos of my niece, Norah. I figured since the whole family was accompanying me and I would have the backdrops handy, I'd try to get a nice photo of all three cousins together. Preferably, one where Jakson was not dry heaving over baby feet.

I had an exact vision in my head of what I wanted the photo to look like. In fact, earlier in the week I staged it with just Jak and Storey to sort of "prepare" them for things to come. It wasn't going to involve Jakson touching Norah, just being within 2 feet of her (no passing out allowed), but bribes were involved and I hoped it would go off without a hitch.

Ha. Did I forget whose kids I was dealing with?

Yeah, so needless to say, my vision did not become reality. Norah was a perfect angel. The other two....

In this one, Storey is reenacting a scene from Gone with the Wind. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again. And Jakson? Your guess is as good as mine.

Unfortunately Storey was laughing so hard that she forgot about Baby Norah, who had to be rescued from an accidental shove. Thankfully, no babies were harmed during the photo shoot.

More Norah, sans other obnoxious children.

Quirky, but cute.

2011-05-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

Auntie Beth. That has a nice ring to it.

2011-05-10T15:40:00.001-07:00

In a few minutes, we are off to meet my new niece Norah. I'm an aunt!

Since this is the kids first cousin, it's quite a special occasion. We've spent the last couple of days talking to them about meeting Norah and while Storey is excited, Jakson is just a little wary. He insists that Norah is not his cousin because she "is a baby" and says he doesn't want to hold her. Oh, Jakson. We hope he changes his mind once he sees how cute she is.

Storey and I went to pick out some flowers this morning for Norah and her mommy. She was disappointed not to find any pink ones, but settled on the happy daisies. After we got home, I realized I didn't have a vase and handing someone flowers in the hospital without a container isn't very nice. Because I didn't want an extra trip to the store, I used a crafty idea that's been floating around on the internet.A spray painted canning jar. I love how it turned out. I'll be making one for myself as well. It's amazing how creative people can be.

The kids drew pictures for Norah as well. Jakson's is a rainbow. I'm not sure what Storey's is because she kept changing her mind-at first it was a picture of Storey brushing her teeth and then it was a rainbow, so who really knows. Storey also insisted on writing her Aunt Suzy (Norah's mom) a letter. It reads (as dictated to me by Storey): Suzy, I want to play with you and Baby Norah. Can you paint my toenails someday? I want to brush my teeth. (at this point she also went off on a tangent about her bedtime routine-I want to read scriptures. I want to say prayers and go to sleep.-but I didn't write all that down. It was just too random) I love Baby Norah. -Storey

Update:
So I didn't have a chance to publish this before we went to the hospital. Baby Norah was very cute, Jakson was terrified, and Storey, well, she thinks that she is Norah's true mother. Thankfully Jak held it together and didn't vomit, although he looked pretty close a few times during the visit. We were trying to get him to see that Baby Norah was just a small person like him (seriously, he was ridiculously frightened) so took the blankets off to show him her toes and I think he dry heaved a little. For a minute, I thought he was going to pass out. It was drama. Who knew that baby toes would set him off? Needless to say, he spent the entire time keeping his distance.

Storey was totally in her element. She asked to wash her hands every time she wanted to hold Norah and was very gentle. I think she would have attempted to smuggle the new baby home with us if we would have turned our backs for too long.

Baby Norah, Mom Suzy, and Storey

Yay for cousins!

Saturday Shot

2011-05-07T22:13:00.001-07:00

Jakson's new "cheese!" face. Great, just great.
Taken on his field trip this week to the fire station. He acquired a plastic fireman hat that has turned into one more thing he and Storey fight over. It's currently smashed and in time out in the pantry.

Spring?

2011-05-06T08:21:00.001-07:00

Jakson got an awesome (green-his favorite!) Razor scooter for his birthday, but we haven't been able to use it much because Utah's weather has issues (Snow in May? C'mon).

We purchased his scooter from CSN, though I was tempted at first to go with a cheaper version from Walmart. Then I realized that the less expensive Razor scooters don't have adjustable handle bars, making it really only appropriate for a couple of years. This scooter should last until Jak is a teenager (if scooters are still "in" that is). He also has a skateboard, but the scooter seems to be so much less frustrating to learn to ride. I assume that this is a great precursor to help him learn balance so that later he can "do jumps on the skateboard," something he often talks about. Hence, the helmet. This kid does not know the meaning of danger.

As always, working with CSN was great. Quick shipping, great customer service, and a fantastic product. Can't wait to see him ride it to kindergarten next year!

While Jakson was riding his scooter, Storey was busy pedaling her trike (she's tried the scooter a couple of times but doesn't seem to excel in coordination, just like her mom). She really takes her role as her preschool classes "Star of the Week" seriously. The paper hat has been donned literally every minute since I picked her up yesterday. She even asked to sleep in it (the answer was no). Storey is nothing if not dedicated.

Disclosure: CSN Stores provided me with the scooter to review. All portions of this review are 100% my opinion. Pictures don't lie people-obviously the kid loves it.

Lately

2011-05-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

Jakson's been perfecting his George McFly laugh. Now Biff....

There were a couple of days last week when Utah represented every season in one day, including a morning of unexpected snow. So. annoying. How are you supposed to dress for that? Shaky fist to you, Utah.

I've been spending hours on the internet and phone trying to figure out all of the ins and outs to an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for Jakson's kindergarten year. Thank goodness I have an amazing advocate to accompany me, but I'm still feeling quite lost. Sorting through all of the laws and my rights is basically my full time job right now. I'm also having a lot of internal debates. P.E. or no P.E.? Lunch with the other kids or a pull out? Jak is so unpredictable in large social situations that he'll either do great or meltdown. I wish I had a crystal ball. Maybe I'll pick up a Magic 8 Ball on my next shopping trip and make all decisions based on its answers. Signs point to yes.

A couple of nights ago, Zak turned on the radio after dinner and Jakson asked him if we could listen to Dave Ramsey. Raising my child right. Check.

Storey's current favorite phrase is "Don't talk to me like that, Mommy." To which I reply, "Oh no you didn't." Yikes. What will her junior high years be like?

We had so much fun canning jam that we've decided to can again this week. We think tomatoes might be next. Any suggestions? Canning is so romantic.

Saturday Shot

2011-04-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to take newborn photos today for a friend I haven't seen in over 10 years. It was great to catch up and meet her adorable little girl.

Three newborn sessions in one week. I think I've found my new calling in life. A baby fix without the sleepless nights? Yes, please.

See more newborn photos here.

Canning is good for your marriage

2011-04-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

Learning a new skill, working together, adding to your food supply...better than therapy.

Happy Lay Off Day!

2011-04-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

April 27th, 2009. The day of infamy that turned our lives upside down. Who knew that the next two years would bring so many challenges and change? I will never take Zak's employment for granted again. I thank my Father in Heaven every day for a steady job. But, truth be told, I've also been asking that he blesses us with a steady job somewhere else. Ha.

Today we commemorate that day with a self-reliance activity--canning strawberry jam. Not something we've ever done before (freezer jam is so much easier!), but if Zak ever gets laid off again, at least we can survive on PB&J.

P.S.-I packed my first box today. I've decided that if I start loading boxes maybe a job will come. Hey, it worked in Field of Dreams.

Pretty in pink

2011-04-26T20:04:00.001-07:00

This post could also be called "the time I was dumb and used an actual pattern to make Storey a dress ending up with a humongous thing that won't fit until she's thirteen and I had to go back to the tried and true trace a dress that she already owns method resulting in two dresses and hours of wasted time" but I wasn't sure if that run on sentence would fit in the title box.

Should I be worried that one of Storey's favorite facial expressions is "devious"?

For Easter we painted eggs, wore fancy clothes, and talked about Christ's sacrifice and resurrection. A good day
.

Required Reading

2011-04-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Many moons ago, I ran camps for people with disabilities during the summer. I worked for the Arc (an organization that provides social and recreational activities for people with disabilities) for about 6 years and developed an enormous, enormous love for the children and adults I had the privilege of spending time with. Isn't it amazing how the Lord prepares us for the challenges we will face in life? Because of the time I devoted to camp, I was able to cultivate a better understanding and regard for children with autism even before I had my own.

I could go on, but the point is, if I ever run camps again (I hope to someday), I will require that all of my staff read Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. I just finished the novel and it was one of the most amazing, touching, revealing books I have ever read. Obviously (since I mentioned camp) it is about a girl with a disability, specifically cerebral palsy, and the conclusions those around her make because she cannot communicate verbally. It literally made me question everything I've ever assumed about those with special needs. I especially wonder what I don't understand about the way Jakson processes the world and the inferences I constantly make about him and the reasons for his behavior.

It is such a quick read and can be found in your library's juvenile or young adult section. Five stars and two thumbs up.

Revival

2011-04-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you can regrow green onions? Me neither. But apparently, you can. Even when it is still snowing outside.

Proof: I used the green part of the green onion in a recipe last week, stuck the bottoms (white part with the roots) in a jar filled about halfway with water, and stuck it in the windowsill. A week later, they look like this.

Amazing! And no maintenance besides changing the water every so often. I will never buy green onions again-I can grow them in my kitchen!

Saturday Shot

2011-04-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

ISO 400, 1/800, f/3.2

5 Year Photos

2011-04-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Jakson Clyde!

Make it do

2011-04-11T18:23:00.000-07:00

Since moving to Utah, we've suffered from the lack of Goodwill Saturdays. In Phoenix, every other Saturday was 1/2 off everything in the store. And I'm so cheap that I don't even shop full price at a thrift store (I'm not willing to pay more than $1.50 MAYBE $2 for an article of clothing for a child. They just go and ruin it the first time its worn. The only exception I'll make is with jeans and shoes. Never more than $5). As a result, while I used to collect clothes one year out, I haven't been able to for a long time.

While going through Storey's clothes a couple of weeks ago, I realized that not only do I not have clothes for a year from now, I didn't even have a summer wardrobe for her. Everywhere I looked there were long sleeved shirts, sweaters, pants, coats...appropriate for our current April weather, but hopefully not too much longer.

So I set out to create a wardrobe from clothing she already has-"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." I grabbed a bunch of too-short pants and chopped them off, making shorts and capris. Then I collected all of the outgrown onesies (without stains) and created a bunch of play dresses (onesies fit a lot longer if you don't take into account the length-when you cut them off to make dresses, the length of the onesie is insignificant). I absolutely love the way they turned out. I have a few more left to make, but her summer wardrobe has quadrupled in size. Here are just three of the dresses I finished (in one weekend-they are quick projects).

Dress supplies: a long sleeve 12 month onesie and strips of three old t-shirts. I cut off the onesie sleeves to make them short and used a little elastic thread for a gathered edge (no need to hem, jersey doesn't fray).

Dress supplies: 12 month onesie and a jersey bedsheet used for the skirt. The main purpose for these dresses was comfort. I want one in my size.

Dress supplies: long sleeve onesie (with sleeves cut off and gathered with elastic thread), vintage bed sheet, eyelet lace I had laying around

Inspiration from here, here, and here. The best part? They were free! And y'all know I love free.

Party People

2011-04-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

Well folks, we have survived a birthday party. And I will just state for the record that Jakson is not a birthday party person. I mean, at.all. Fast forward 1 hour and 15 minutes in and he's done and melting down. Good thing the party was over 15 minutes later.

Besides that the only issue was that I specifically asked for no presents on the invitation (in order to avoid the meltdown that seems to follow a session of opening said gifts). Well, apparently, parents read directions about as well as 6th graders. Meaning: not at all. And it was a little awkward when the two parents who DID comply with my written instructions showed up in the middle of Jak opening the well-intentioned, but overwhelming presents. Not real sure what Ms. Manners would have suggested on that one. Notwithstanding the small hiccups, the party overall was a success. Kids came despite the lack of RSVPs (man, I was nervous about that!) and Jakson jumped to his hearts content (the party was held in warehouse full of bounce houses). It was a sensory needy kid's dream celebration. And he loved having so many of his friends to play with.
A few of the details (there weren't too many, this was a low key event)....

Behold! A cake that was not a total disaster! Facebook came to the rescue after Jak insisted on having a Hot Wheels cake. I am terrible terrible terrible at decorating cakes, so asked for advice from Facebook friends and I got some amazingly creative ideas. My friend Covey even sent step by step instructions for making marshmallow fondant, which is totally awesome, but I think slightly out of my non-cake making league. The best part was that most of my messy frosting job was covered up by candy and Oreo road.

I made the invite using Picnik. So easy and totally free.It's kind of random (like the lone dinosaur??? what is that?), but I was trying to integrate some of Jak's favorite things. Green and dinosaurs. He was very pleased.

Diva

2011-04-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

She did not inherit this from me. Zak's genes strike again. She has dressed exactly like this for the past 5 days straight. Complete with the klonky princess shoes that don't work with the snowy weather we've been having.

And I thought I was getting a tomboy....

I love lists

2011-04-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

I've put together a free photo "class" of sorts. Every other day there will be an "assignment" or theme and some photo tips hints emailed to every one who is subscribed to the class. You just need a camera (any kind of camera) to play along. I'm hoping that this will be a good way to get more practice taking photos and maybe learn a little more about your camera. If you want to read more or sign up, head on over to my photography blog for details and the registration form here. Should be fun!!

My friend Sabrina (of Noodles and Milk) is cleaning out her fabric and selling it off for cheap! She has some amazing fabric left and is donating part of the proceeds to the Red Cross for Japan Relief. Check it out here.
I was just selected as a judge for the YA Book Battle 2011!! I'm so excited to read the nominations for the award. This year's theme is Best Overlooked Book. I nominated Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, one of my all time favorites. If you'd like to nominate a couple of books for the award or even apply to be a judge, check out all of the details at The Shady Glade.

I've found another awesome use for Pinterest, my weekly menu plan!! We've been trying a lot of new recipes lately, so I'm keeping track of them and planning our dinners on a separate board. If you want to take a look, go here. The recipe I'm the most excited to try this week is for butter chicken-something I've been duplicate at home unsuccessfully since I got back from New Zealand 10 years ago. Crossing my fingers that this will be a winner! Hope you are having a great Monday!

Saturday Shot

2011-04-02T16:09:00.000-07:00

What autism has taught me.

2011-03-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

**I wrote this post a while ago, but never published it. With Autism Awareness Day coming up this Saturday (please wear blue and show your support!), I thought the timing was appropriate to share.

Yesterday Jak plopped himself next to me on the couch and, without prompting, listed off the planets of the solar system. In order. He's four. He's adorable. He's brilliant. And he has autism.

I wouldn't change a thing.

10 Things Autism Has Taught Me

Judge not. Autism is known as the "invisible disability." Most children with autism look and (at first glance) seem to act like everyone else. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten those stares. Looks that say, "obviously that mother is terrible". Little do they know.

But I have realized that this is true of everyone I come in contact with. I don't know all of their daily, private struggles. In fact, I've started considering that every out of control kid I see might have autism. Since the statistics are so high, I could be right.

Patience, grasshopper. I struggle with patience on a daily basis (doesn't every parent?!?). Patience with myself and patience with my son. When I start to lose it, Lamaze has come in handy.

At least that class was good for something.

Small victories are still victories. On Sunday my son freaked out. I can't remember why, but the tantrum lasted about 30 minutes. It felt like an eternity. I tried everything we've been told to do-squeeze him tight, talk calmly, try to communicate...I even laid on him in hopes that the extra pressure would help him calm down (and believe me, that's a lot of extra pressure). Nothing. It just had to run his course and then he was fine. Unfortunately, I was not. I felt like a total failure. I wondered why I was picked to parent this child and cried.

Jak normally doesn't notice any sort of emotion and definitely doesn't acknowledge it, but as he left the room he loudly announced, (to all my in-laws) "Mom's sad!" That was it. No comforting words, no hug, but it was a huge breakthrough-he actually noticed!! Albeit embarrassing, it was a victory.

Take it one day at a time. This was invaluable advice a good friend gave me when Jak was first diagnosed. And she was right. If I dwell on what he will be struggling with 6 weeks, 6 months, or 6 years from now, I start to get extremely overwhelmed (I'm so worried about bullying!). But as long as I just take it day by day, life is easier to handle.

Laugh. Or else you will cry.

You can alter more than clothes. Before his diagnosis, I had specific expectations for Jak. Get good grades, play team sports, have lots of friends, go to college, get married, give me grandkids (I hear they are better than regular kids!) and I still believe that many of those things can happen. But they might not.

And that is okay.

Instead he may be a hermit scientist (his current career of choice), or a garbage man for all I care-as long as he is happy. That is my only expectation now. His happiness.

Let others help. This is been the hardest lesson for me. And I continue to resist it. I'm independent, I can do it on my own, and I don't need anyone else. But actually, I do.

You see, other people love my son too and want to serve. We've had to accept everything from babysitting to financial help (therapy is not cheap, folks). It's been humbling. It's been hard. But necessary.

Count your many blessings. After an especially difficult month, realizing I'd been dwelling on all the crap and not seeing any silver lining, I decided that I needed to write down a blessing every day. I'm on the computer a lot, so I created a private blog just for me-my husband doesn't even know about it (until now-hi!). Every day I log in and write one blessing--from the fact that our new house only takes 5 minutes to vacuum because it is so small to finding a fun, free pumpkin patch. Because I have to write something down, I end up thinking about my blessings more during the day.

Pray. All the time. The Lord wants to ease your burdens and worries. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30).

If all else fails, bake and eat Bakerella's Chocolate Chip Pie . It makes everything seem better. You can thank me for sharing that piece of wisdom later.

Love, September Ready Made Sale!

2011-03-30T14:02:00.000-07:00

I have a few leftover, ready made shop items that I want to sell off. They are all priced at huge discounts! If you're interested in any of them, just leave me a comment with your email address and I'll send you a Paypal invoice or I can list it in the shop reserved for you (that way you have the option of paying with a card). If these don't sell by next week, I'll list in the shop, but thought I'd give you guys first dibs! All items also will include a shipping fee of $1.50.

Reversible Skirt Size 1-3: $10 (50% off!!)

**SOLD**Reversible Skirt size 3-5: $10 (50% off!)

Reversible Skirt size 3-5: $10 (50% off!)

**SOLD**ONE onesie-slightly flawed, there is a tiny snag in the back of the onesie, Size 6-9 months (Circo so generous sized) $5 (75% off!)

Brown and aqua 9 ft ribbon banner: $16 (almost 50% off!)

Christmas half apron: $10 (50% off!)

ONE onesie in orange and gray-nothing wrong with this one, I just don't make them anymore. Size 9-12 months (Circo brand): $10 (33% off!)

Dinner Lately

2011-03-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

We've been trying to mix it up a bit and try some new recipes for dinner. And when I say "we" I really mean Zak, because let's be honest, he does the cooking around here and I do the baking. Two words: stress baker. Wish more of you lived closer. Then I'd have someone to pawn all the treats on. Instead I have to eat them to prevent wastefulness. If there's anything I hate more than beans, it's wastefulness.

Back to the subject at hand. Dinner recipes. This week we sampled not one, but two new recipes and both were DELICIOUS! In fact, I would venture to say that both have won spots in our menu rotation.

First up Chicken Tikka Masala. Yes, I was skeptical as well. We've attempted Indian at home many times and failed miserably (to the point of tears once-mine not Zak's and I was pregnant at the time. I get very emotional about food when I'm pregnant). But this is THE recipe. Try it. You will not disappointed. Although you might want to pick up some Naan at a local restaurant. Not perfected that one yet (if you have a recipe for that-please share!).

Photo Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Chicken Tikka Masala (adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips or chunks

Combine all ingredients except chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and refrigerate for 1 hour. Grill or cook chicken in frying pan. Discard marinade

1 tablespoon butter
2 small cloves garlic, minced (or 1 large)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 cup cream

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic for one minute, until you can smell the garlic cooking. Season with cumin, paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over hot rice.

I'm always looking for new ways to cook chicken because it's the meat of choice in our house. And this was a dang good way to do it. I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day and it was just as fabulous as I had remembered. Hold your applause, but I actually cooked this one, not Zak! Miracles occur in March too.

Photo Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon Butter Sauce (adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup seasoned flour (1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper)
3 eggs
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons parsley flakes or 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup butter

Place the seasoned flour in a large gallon-size ziploc bag. Set aside. In a shallow pie plate, beat the eggs until mixed and add the Parmesan cheese. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Let it begin to heat and sizzle while you prepare the chicken but be careful not to let the butter burn and turn brown.

Put the four chicken breasts in the bag with the seasoned flour, close the bag, and shake to coat the chicken in the flour. One by one, take the chicken out of the bag and dip into the egg/Parmesan mixture. Place the chicken carefully in the skillet with the hot oil/butter. Repeat with the other chicken breasts. Let the chicken cook on the first side, without moving or flipping the chicken, for 1-2 minutes until a nice, golden crust has formed. It will smell quite eggy (not a word, just go with it) while it's cooking, but doesn't effect the taste once the chicken is baked. Carefully, using a wide spatula, flip the chicken and let it continue to cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side until it is golden brown.

Remove the chicken to a 9X13-inch pan. Set aside while you make the sauce. In the same skillet that you browned the chicken, melt the stick of butter (1/2 cup butter). Add the garlic, lemon juice, and parsley. Simmer the sauce for 1-2 minutes, stirring and scraping up any browned bits that were on the bottom of the skillet. Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken breasts and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over noodles, rice or potatoes. Drizzle excess sauce from chicken over noodles.

And because I just can't resist a good dessert, here's one we've been loving lately.

Photo Source: Pioneer Woman

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake-just like the little cakes you get on a cruise! (adapted from Pioneer Woman)

*I cut the recipe in half, making only two cakes because there are only two of us (we don't share this one with the kids).

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chip
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1 whole Eggs
1 whole Egg Yolks
3 Tablespoons Flour

Preheat over to 425 degrees. Spray 2 custard cups (I don't have custard cups, I just use small glass Pyrex bowls, about the same size as a custard cup). Microwave chocolate chips and butter on high for about 1 minute, until butter is melted and then stir until chocolate is also melted. Stir in powdered sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and eggs yolks. Stir in flour. Pour half of batter into each cup.
Bake 13-15 minutes until the sides are firm (they look brownie like) and the center is soft. Let stand one minute. Serve with ice cream (original recipe calls for whipped cream, but I like ice cream with them so much more!)

Any recipes you've been loving lately? I'm always looking for something new to add to our weekly menu.

And we're back

2011-03-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

Finally got my camera from the repair shop. How I've missed being the kid paparazzi.
P.S.-Jak's shirt is on backwards. Didn't figure that one out until I was walking behind him on the way into preschool. And yes, I left it that way. Figured no harm, no foul.

How Carter Beat Cancer

2011-03-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

My friend Jen and I met ten years ago when we both traveled to New Zealand with a group of teachers from BYU to do our student teaching. She is one of the funniest, most positive women I've ever known.Halloween in New Zealand-Me, Danielle, Jen, and Brooke

And her amazing attitude continues through her most recent, and probably most difficult trial. Jen found out a couple of weeks ago that her son, Carter (5 1/2) has leukemia.

Since the discovery, Carter has undergone two surgeries and started chemotherapy. As a mom, I can only imagine how she must be feeling. The stress of having two small children at home, a sick son in the hospital, and medical bills piling up.

The girls from New Zealand and I have been trying to come up with something to help. In the end, we decided that monetary donations are always the right size and color. I have set up a Paypal account in Carter's name. If you'd like to donate to help cover his medical bills, every little bit helps.If you'd like a different way to donate, the proceeds from the two printable posters and one set of posters pictured below from my shop will be going directly to Carter's fund. Please feel free to share the links on your Facebook pages and blogs to the prints in my shop-I'd love to raise as much as possible for the family. Fairy Tale set of 4-$16

Rise and Shout-$5.00

John 14:18 (Jen's favorite Bible verse)-$5

I'm sure Jen would also appreciate any prayers on Carter's behalf. You can follow Carter's story on her blog here.

Just for fun

2011-03-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

I needed a little humor today.
Found a funny quote on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago, but when I went looking for the original source this morning, it was unGoogleable (not a word, go with it).

So I made my own.

Click for the larger, printable version. Then right click to save.
Sized to 8x10.

P.S. This isn't funny unless you know the awful, but slightly awesome song.

Mommy Guilt

2011-03-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

I was feeling guilty about not doing anything really creative for St. Patrick's Day. Like dying my kids' food green or something. I told Zak that I was feeling bad about it and he started laughing at me.

Then I remembered. Oh yeah, my kid doesn't eat things that are green. That would have been a lot of wasted food.

Saturday Shot

2011-03-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

Not taken this week (still don't have a camera), but cute nonetheless.

Scientist

2011-03-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

Jakson has a new icebreaker. A joke.

Why did the brachiosaurus cross the road?
To get to the other side. (of course)

It gets better.

Why did the velociraptor cross the road?
To get to the other side.

And can't leave out.

Why did the triceratops cross the road?
To get to the other side.

Unfortunately, Jakson knows about 100 different kinds of dinosaurs. This joke has the potential of going on for a very long time.

Also....
A couple of days ago, I was downstairs making dinner when Jakson ran in excited about his "experiment." Normally these sort of things involve aspects that I am not happy about (massive amounts of water, broken furniture, etc), but I was pleasantly surprised to find that A) the kids were playing together semi-nicely and B) the "experiment" involved nothing destructive. In fact, I was quite proud that Jakson came up with it on his own. Because I don't have a camera at the moment, I took a little video (which I realize most of you won't watch and am not offended-grandparents on the other hand love this sort of thing).