R. Massengill x 3 + P

Our New Home

2017-09-03T19:48:00.002-05:00

Last night we hosted our first cookout in our new home. Friday, our new carpet came in, so we had our families over to see the house now that it is finally coming together.

Nonna bought the kids a bubble machine as their housewarming gift. They absolutely love it. We now have plenty of yard space for them to enjoy it, too.

The food was great, but the company was better. Everyone seemed to have a great time and the night really could not have gone any better.

The kids were excited that there were a few presents to unwrap. We are so spoiled by our families!

Ryan is excited about his new "toy". We are so thankful for the people in our lives who are always there. Ryan's parents came over Friday night after the carpet was installed and helped me get all the furniture where it needed to be and put beds back together. They are always here when we need them and that is the best feeling in the world. It's something that has been hard for me to get used to because I never had that. I am truly blessed with the best parents (I can't even call them in-laws anymore because that doesn't cover it at all.) in the world!

They also surprised us with this awesome fire pit! We are going to spend so many nights out on the patio enjoying this. I am so thankful for our little family and for our new home and I'm so very grateful for all the people who love and support us and came to celebrate our newest adventure. We have worked so hard on this house. I've never worked so hard on anything in my life. But it is so rewarding to see all our hard work pay off, and now we get to enjoy our beautiful home.

The living room picture from the realtor posting vs the living room now.

The dining room picture from the realtor posting vs the dining room now.

The second bedroom picture from the realtor posting vs Payton's room now.

The first bedroom picture from the realtor posting vs Rylee's room now.

The master bedroom picture from the realtor posting vs the master bedroom now.

The hall bathroom picture from the realtor posting vs the hall bathroom now.

It might not look like much, but this is one of favorite additions to the house. I don't have a before picture of this space because before it was just an unused entrance area, but adding these cubbies and hooks has made it the perfect drop zone for us so that we have somewhere to keep our school stuff organized and ready to go. Before we got the house, every wall was a very blah pinky-beige color with dirty off-white trim. We painted all the walls with more flattering colors and painted all the trim bright white. The carpet was so gross and stained and starting to wrinkle up. We put in new carpet that is a bright, light gray. It has given the house such a nice face lift. We have more remodeling we plan on doing in the future, but for now we are very happy with the results. I can't believe this is ours!

Solar Eclipse

2017-08-21T17:30:00.000-05:00

Today there was a Solar Eclipse over much of the United States. We weren't in an area that was able to see 100% totality, but it was very close to it. Everyone put on their special glasses and went outside to see.

I was a little nervous about taking my Pre-K students outside because of all the talk about possible eye damage, but they did great with keeping their glasses on and I'm glad they got to see it.

Our class was seated near Rylee's so we got to watch it together. She was so excited. Until it was over. Then she was very mad. She expected there to be something more and was mad she had to go in without seeing what she had expected to see. She had a complete and total meltdown that lasted the rest of the day. She screamed and kicked and cried and had to be carried back into the building and spend the rest of the day out of her classroom because she was so upset.

Payton Joy was having nap time during the eclipse, so she missed it, but she wanted a glasses picture, too. Haha! My little ham! She can't miss an opportunity to have her picture taken.

First Day of School

2017-08-07T20:00:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday was registration day which is a half day for students. Rylee was in a great mood that morning checking out all the decorations at the school. Our theme this year was PEACE- Positive Energy Always Creates Excellence. Everyone was dressed up in tie dye, and it was super cute..

Rylee wanted to take a picture with Ms. Beth and Ms. Tiffany, but when it came time for her to go to Ms. Jaime's class she got very anxious. I had to leave her in her class so I could go lead Pre-K Orientation for my incoming students' parents. And when I had to leave, she got very upset. I am so thankful we have such amazing caring teachers at MES, because while Ms. Jaime was busy helping her incoming students get their paperwork complete, others stepped in to help Rylee stay safe and eventually calm down. I went to get her after she had been in there for about 2 hours, and she was playing with some of her classmates. I'm glad she came around.

Today was the first full day of school for this school year. Payton Joy is moving up to the 3's & 4's class at PreSchool this year and Rylee Love is starting 2nd grade.

Aren't they just the cutest?! I can't believe how growny they are! It doesn't seem right. Payton Joy doesn't actually officially start Preschool for a couple more weeks, but she wanted to take her pictures with sissy. She loves school and is a little social butterfly. She is very smart and the only complaint I ever get from her teachers is she is very talkative. I'm so proud of her and how big she is getting!

Rylee was still pretty anxious today. She was very resistent to me leaving her in class. She didn't want to sit with the other kids, so she chose to sit at a table in the corner by herself, and she didn't want to complete the task Ms. Jaime had put out, so she was given a blank piece of paper to draw on. It's hard for me to see other kids interacting and excited about a new school year, and her hiding away from everyone else. It doesn't seem to bother her though, so I guess I shouldn't let it bother me.

After a slow start, Rylee actually ended up having a great day. I came to check on her at lunch and she was all smiles. She was so excited that she got to see Ms. Beth and she LOVED that Ms. Jaime let her hold her hand in the hallways. It looks like this is the start of another great school year!

Goodbye, Summer Break

2017-07-31T09:29:00.000-05:00

We spent our last weekend of Summer Break enjoying every minute. Friday morning, we finally got the last load of stuff from the old house and got it all cleaned up so we could turn in our keys. Whew! Friday night, we went to bounce With Us with the Joneses. The kids jumped and played their hearts out.

Saturday, we went swimming at Nonna and Granddaddy's. It was so much fun. Rylee was so excited to show her daddy her "new trick". She spent the entire afternoon treading water. I can't believe her legs didn't get tired!

Yesterday, we went to church and then came home and changed and ate some lunch before heading to The Emoji Movie. It was so much fun. After the movie, we did some back to school shopping. It was a lot of fun. Today is the last day of Summer Break. We are just taking it easy and trying to make sure we are caught up on everything before the craziness begins tomorrow. Wish us luck!

Catching Our Breath

2017-07-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

The last few weeks have been absolute insanity. We have been working on the new house from the time we wake up every morning until late most nights, but we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

We started sleeping in the new house last Thursday night, so we've been living here for about a week. We moved the bulk of our stuff in last weekend. Moving is so exhausting. I pray we never move again! We still have a few things left at the other house, but we are mostly moved in at this point.

Tuesday, Liz had to work, so Kaden came and spent the day with us at our new house. The kids had a blast playing games and keeping each other occupied while I was busy unpacking and organizing.

After another long day of trying to get the house together on Wednesday, the girls and I went for little swim at Nonna and Granddaddy's Wednesday afternoon. It was a lot of fun and a much needed break from the madness.

Rylee Love even learned how to tread water on her own. She also jumped off the latter and went under a few times. I'm so proud of how brave she is getting. At this rate, she will be swimming by the end of next summer.

Thursday, we went up the the school to start working on my classroom. I had some great helpers, and I was really glad Ryan could come with me this year so I didn't have to move all the furniture around on my own.

Tonight, we went to dinner with Mary and Bailey and then to Bounce With Us. The girls had a blast together. I am so proud and Rylee and Payton and how well they have behaved throughout all the work we have been doing lately. I am glad they have gotten a couple of fun nights in this week and hopefully life will slow down a little soon, so we can enjoy more time together.

Discovery Park of America

2017-07-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

We have been working on our new house nonstop since we got the keys, but today the kids and I took a little break to spend the day at the Discovery Park of America with Nonna, Granddaddy, Austin, and Callie.

It was so much fun. The kids were running from exhibit to exhibit because they were so excited to see everything. I wish I had as much energy as they do, but it was a blast seeing how excited they were.

They played and explored every single exhibit that they could. It was so great to watch them learn and be excited about learning. Their favorite was this water cyclone that they could throw the balls into and watch them rotate.

They loved making silly faces in this thermal camera. And the kids were impressed that Rylee could actually play this antique piano.

Then we headed outside and they bounced in bouncy houses, ate ice cream, and played on the playground. They had an absolute blast. It was definitely a quiet ride back home. When we got back, we brought some dinner to Ryan who was working at the new house and we did a few more things over there before calling it a night. Overall, it was a great day!

4th of July

2017-07-04T22:00:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend! Sunday we went to church. Afterwards, we went to Jackson to buy some paint and other supplies for our new house. The girls' favorite part was our trip to Baskin Robbins before we headed home. I must say, I enjoyed that part, too!

Monday, we went to see Despicable M3. It was so cute. We all had a good day spending time together. I love family days.

Today is the 4th! We started our day with some swimming with the Joneses at Nonna and Granddaddy's pool. Then we went home to change and headed to Covington to run a few errands.

Then we headed over to the Jones residence to spend the evening celebrating the holiday. Brandon made some barbecue...

The kids swam and played in the sprinkler and on the slip-n-slide...

It rained for a little bit, and then this beautiful double rainbow appeared...

And of course, we lit a few fireworks. Rylee Love was obsessed with the sparklers this year! She used to be terrified of them, so this is a big difference.

Rylee Love stayed over for a sleepover with Kaden, and little Joy was ready to pass out as soon as we got home. It was such a fun day!

Summer Fun

2017-06-30T19:00:00.000-05:00

We have had a fun week enjoying our Summer break. Next week, we get possession of our new home and all the painting and cleaning and hard work will begin, so we made sure to really enjoy this week. Monday, the girls had a dentist appointment and they ran into Bailey while we were there. They love the dentist but they were even more excited to see Bailey! When we got home, we set up Rylee's new ant farm that she got for her birthday. She is in love with her "pet ants".

Tuesday morning, Liz had a meeting at her school, so Levi and KAde came to play. The girls were thrilled to spend the morning playing with their cousins. And I was thrilled because this is the first time since he was a little baby, that Levi would willingly stay with me without his mama!

After the boys left, the girls decided to get the slip-n-slide out. They played on it for hours while I cleaned out Ryan's car. They had a blast.

Wednesday, we went to Atoka to the splash pad. This was the first time Ryan has come with us. Working second shift actually works out better during summer break because he gets to come do fun things with us!

Yesterday we worked on cleaning and packing up the house some more. And today we have been pretty lazy. I absolutely love summer break!

AG Family Day at a Jackson General's Game

2017-06-25T19:53:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to the Jackson General's baseball game for American Greeting's family day. It was a lot of fun. We started by heading to Jackson a little early to do some furniture shopping for our new home, then we headed over to the ball field to enjoy the company picnic.

Rylee knew there was going to be a fireworks show at the end of the game and was pretty on edge. She cried a little, whined a lot, and even screamed a few times. She was in a pretty bad mood all around. Her daddy saved the day by letting her play her game in his lap for a little while. After that, she seemed to loosen up little by little, until soon she was back to her happy, goofy, little self.

The girls loved the music and dancing that went along with the game. Payton was lap-hopping from person to person until she settled in Rylee's lap. These girls are so silly. They keep me smiling. They lasted in the seats for about 4 innings until they wanted to head over to the play area.

They had an absolute blast in the play area. The jumped, climbed, slid, and ran around to their hearts' content. It definitely helped them get some energy out. Afterwards, I got them some ice cream and we headed back to our seats just in time to watch the final inning and wait for the fireworks show to begin.

I copied my post from facebook about last night below.

We took a big risk last night and it actually paid off.
We went to the Jackson Generals baseball game last night. After the game there was going to be a fireworks show. Both girls are scared of loud noises. Rylee was showing some signs of major anxiety before the game ever started. Her sister was playing off of her anxiety and was pretty anxious herself. (That's the [not so] fun thing about having a child with autism. Even though all signs currently indicate Payton is neuro-typical, she wants to be just like big sister. Therefore when Rylee is anxious or melting down, oftentimes Payton displays similar behaviors. It's truly exhausting.) We told them we could leave before the fireworks started if they were too scared, but we had brought their ear protection just in case they wanted to stay. The night went on and both girls started to loosen up and have lots of fun. When it came time for fireworks, Payton was still pretty anxious (I think she may have been more tired than anything.), but Rylee was pretty calm, so we decided to stay. Once we put their 🎧 on, they were both fine. They watched the entire fireworks show with nothing but sounds of wonder and amazement. At the end both girls said the fireworks were the best part!
There is no instruction manual to being an autism parent. Sometimes it can be very isolating. People don't understand why your child may scream at them instead of greet them when they say hello. People don't understand why a 7-year-old may still need to be held and carried around. People don't understand that she wants to be out and about with everyone, even though she may not want anyone to look at or talk to her. People don't understand how intense her anxiety can be and how tough it is for her to deal with "fun" activities. Sometimes, it just sucks. But in moments where she faces her anxieties head on and comes out with happy memories to replace the fear, it's all worth it. At this point, I honestly don't care what people think of me and my parenting choices. Rylee Love will always have autism. Our goal is not to "cure" her of autism. Our goal is to teach her how to cope with the symptoms of her autism and embrace things she was once too afraid to like. Last night we accomplished that goal.

Rylee Love is 7!

2017-06-21T19:49:00.000-05:00

Rylee Love is 7-years-old!! Where did my little baby go?! I sure hate how time flies, but she really is growing more gorgeous by the day, so I guess that's a plus. ;)

Liz had a training to attend on Rylee's birthday, so Kaden spent the day with us. Rylee was so excited to spend her birthday with her BFF. They spent the entire morning playing video games together and having a blast.

Goodness I love this goofy child! I spent the day trying to make sure she got everything she wanted, starting with her favorite breakfast: cinnamon rolls. I love birthdays, and I love to spoil my baby!

Kaden and Payton both made Rylee special handmade cards. She was so happy to look at what they made her.

Kade was so into her opening her presents, you would've thought they were for him. He was so happy for her about each gift. We got her a Rubik's cube, a Zelda themed carrying case for her 3DS, a Zelda Triforce nightlight, a Nintendo EShop giftcard, and Super Mario Sunshine. She was so excited.

After they opened her gifts an played with them for a while, we headed to Pizza Hut for her birthday lunch. These 3 tore up the pizza buffet, eating 5 pieces of pizza a piece! Where do they put it all?!

After lunch, we headed back home where they played for a few more hours. Then we headed to Dyersburg for a special Chik-Fil-A dinner for the birthday girl. We almost had a meltdown when I ordered the wrong drink with her dinner(only autism moms will understand this struggle), but she quickly calmed when I got her the drink she wanted. Luckily, we made it through her entire birthday meltdown free! Yay! After we ate, the kids played in the play area for over an hour. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day for our sweet Rylee Love.

Rylee Love, you are such an amazing blessing from God. You have taught me so much more than I could ever teach you. You continue to amaze me every single day with how smart and resilient you are. You refuse to let anything hold you back. I wish you could be my little baby forever, but since you can't, I am excited to see what you grow up to become. You have already done so much to teach me and those around you about embracing uniqueness and loving unconditionally. I am so proud to be your mama. Happy Birthday, my little Love-bug!

VBS, Pool Fun, & Father's Day 2017

2017-06-18T19:45:00.000-05:00

Last week, we had VBS at Mary's Chapel. I led the 1st and 2nd grade group. It was so much fun! The kids in my group were at that age where they were asking lots of really good questions. It was so exciting to watch them get excited about learning about God. The kids had a lot of fun and learned a lot, too. It's the perfect combination!

Tuesday, we went swimming in Nonna and Granddaddy's pool for the first time this year! Liz and her boys joined us, and it was a lot of fun. The girls were kinda whiny at first, but soon everyone was having an absolute blast. I LOVE SUMMER!

Yesterday we went to Dyersburg to eat at Cracker Barrel for an early Father's Day dinner. It was so delicious. Then we went shopping to spend some of Rylee's birthday money. She had so much fun picking out exactly what she wanted. It was a perfect day!

Today we went to church, then had lunch at Subway. We had a lazy afternoon before heading back to church for VBS family night. The kids sang their songs from VBS, we watched a slideshow of pictures from the week, then we ate. At the end, the kids got to throw water balloons at the male leaders because the girls raised more money than the boys throughout the week. It was a blast!

Rylee and Maddy's Pool Party

2017-06-11T15:30:00.000-05:00

This year, we decided to combine Maddy and Rylee's birthday parties since they both have June birthdays and many of the same guests attend each party. It turned out to be a lot of fun!

Rylee is feeling much better since having her tonsils and adenoids removed less than 2 weeks ago, but she still wasn't feeling 100%, so she was a little on edge. She didn't want to blow out a candle, she didn't want to sit for this picture, and she didn't want to open presents, so of course we didn't make her. After all, we want her to enjoy her party... It really worked out that we had a joint party, so at least Maddy enjoyed doing those things and everyone cold watch her.

She did however, eat 4 pieces of pizza and then she had a blast participating in the water gun war. All the kids (and adults) had a blast playing with the water guns until it was time to head over to the pool.

The water was cold, but it was a lot of fun. We swam and played and laughed.

After swimming for about an hour, Rylee Love got too cold and tired and was ready to get out. She wrapped up in a towel and enjoyed snacking and dancing to the music until it was time to go.

Towards the end of the party, another water gun war broke out. It was so funny to watch. Everyone seemed to have a blast.

When we got home, Rylee opened her presents. She was so excited to see everything she got without the pressure of having anyone watch her. She thoroughly enjoyed every gift. I am so glad everything went well and that we have such amazing, understanding family and friends who are willing to accommodate Rylee and her needs. If she had been pressured to participate in activities that she was uncomfortable with, the night could've gone way differently...

Rylee's Tonsilectomy

2017-06-08T18:52:00.000-05:00

Last Tuesday, we went to the Perfect Cut to have Rylee Love's summer color put in. She chose teal and was so excited to how it turned out. I knew she was nervous about her surgery, so I thought scheduling this appointment the day before her surgery would help keep her mind off it, and it really worked. I can't get over how cute it turned out!

Early Wednesday morning, we headed to Jackson to the surgery center to get the process started. They gave her something to calm her nerves, and boy did it work. She was so silly. It was cute, and it helped to calm our nerves some, too.

She had her tonsils and adenoids removed. When she woke from anesthesia, the nurses said she was very disoriented and got a little crazy, so they sedated her. She slept on and off most of the time in recovery, but they asked us to wake her every 15 minutes to try to get her to drink. That was terrible. She cried and cried. Once she finally woke up some, she wanted to watch tv, so we watched How to Train Your Dragon. She was so into it, it helped keep her mind off of the pain somewhat.

Bro. Ryan came to check on her and pray with us and his little Rylee sent this beautiful picture with him for our Rylee. She actually smiled when he showed it to her. It was so sweet!

Finally after being at the surgery center for over 8 hours, we were able to head home and pick up Payton. She had a sleepover with Nonna and Granddaddy Tuesday night and it was such a relief to know she was having a great time so we didn't have to worry about her and could just focus on Rylee throughout her surgery.

Rylee's recovery at home was hard. There were a lot of tears from her and a lot of sleepless nights for me. It was incredibly difficult to convince her to drink or eat popsicles or do anything that would help keep her hydrated. I finally resorted to syringe feeding her pedialyte while she slept. It might sound crazy, but it kept her hydrated enough to avoid having to go back to the hospital for another iv.

Finally, Wednesday morning she woke up and seemed to be in a better mood. She was drinking great and actually ate an entire gogurt. This was the first time she had eaten since her surgery! I was so excited. Then she asked her daddy to make peanut butter cookies for her to eat! It was like she was a new kid!

Today it has been almost like the surgery never happened. She has been playing and eating and her little personality is finally shining through. I am a very happy mama today!

She got better just in time, too. Because she has a birthday party coming up on Saturday!

Memorial Day Weekend 2017

2017-05-30T18:35:00.000-05:00

Saturday, we ran a few errands and spent some quality time together as a family. Sunday we went to church and then headed home to change clothes so we could drop the girls off with Nonna and Granddaddy and go to dinner alone for the first time this year. Unfortunately, Rylee had a meltdown as soon as we got our departure was delayed, but after I drove her home to get her 3DS which she had forgotten, all was well and we could head off on our way.

We both absolutely adore our children, but we also know it is important to invest time into our marriage as well. It was great to get some alone time and enjoy each other's company. When we got back, Nonna and Granddaddy had started a fire in the fire pit, and we enjoyed sitting around it with them for a while before we headed back home to put the kids to bed.

Monday we headed back to Nonna and Granddaddy's for some family fun! The kids played on the water slide for hours. They had such a blast. I might've even gone down the slide, too. It was such a beautiful day! We also took the cover off of the big pool so Granddaddy could start getting it ready for lots of summer swimming. I can't wait! We enjoyed steaks on the grill, and lots of fun and laughs with each other before the night was done.

This weekend could not have been more perfect. I so enjoy getting to spend time with my family. And I love all the outdoor time we get to enjoy this time of year.

Rylee's First Grade Awards

2017-05-23T18:26:00.000-05:00

Today was First Grade Awards Day at MES. Rylee was able to participate with her classmates in the awards ceremony.

She received 2 awards: the "A" Honor Roll award for staying on the Principal's List all 4 nine weeks of the school year and the Paw Award for earning the most AR points in her class this school year. She was absolutely thrilled.

We are so proud of our hard working girl! She was so excited that her daddy was able to come to see her get the awards. She doesn't usually get to see him on a weekday because of his work schedule, so she was overjoyed to get to spend a few minutes with him afterwards.

From her first day of first grade until now... Wow! I can't believe she is going to second grade! Time sure flies! We have absolutely loved Ms. Beth. She has done so much for Rylee and helped her to grow tremendously. I can't believe Rylee's time in her class is coming to an end. We are sure gonna miss her!

Mother's Day 2017

2017-05-14T18:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Ryan had to work, so the girls and I kicked off Mother's Day weekend with a mother-daughter date night! We had dinner at Chik-Fil-A and then headed to the movies to watch Boss Baby. We all had so much fun. It was such a cute movie, and both girls were so well-behaved the entire time. It was the perfect way to celebrate being their mother!

Today we went to church. During the service, Payton helped pass out flowers to all the mothers in the congregation. Rylee got a little over-stimulated by all the activity in the church, but Aunt Liz came to the rescue and helped her calm down.

In Sunday school, the girls filled out these little surveys about me. I love seeing how their little minds work. I sure do love these precious girls.

When we got home, we decided it was the perfect time to break in the sprinkler and kiddie pool for this year. The kids had a blast and I may have gotten a little sun kissed while watching them play. Overall, it was a perfect day! Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Easter 2017

2017-04-16T20:44:00.000-05:00

We started our Easter Celebrations with school egg hunts. Rylee Love had her class egg hunt Wednesday. She unfortunately caught the stomach bug and had to leave school shortly after her egg hunt, but at least she got to have fun and hunt eggs with her friends before it hit.

Payton Joy's class party was Thursday and she had a blast hunting eggs with her friends and then eating treats with her class.

Saturday morning, we went to the Resurrection Celebration at Mary's Chapel. We have so much fun there every year. The kids ate, participated in crafts, then went outside to hunt eggs. Rylee still wasn't feeling 100%, but she still had a lot of fun.

Saturday afternoon, we headed over to Liz and Brandon's for our annual cousin Easter Egg hunt. The kids had so much fun playing together and hunting eggs. Rylee seemed to be back to herself and having a blast.

After a while, Aunt Liz started riding the kids around on Kaden's fourwheeler. After Levi got tired of it, she needed to get off, so Ryan took over. Then he got off and left Kaden and Rylee to ride alone. Liz had the kill switch in her hand, and we were all outside watching them, so we thought it would be fine. Then Kaden accidentally misjudged how fast he was going and tried to make a sharp turn and the fourwheeler flipped, throwing Rylee off and pinning Kaden underneath. Thank the lord, neither one of them was badly hurt, but it was definitely a very scary moment. Liz saw it happening and pressed the kill switch, but for some reason it didn't work. We are all just glad they are both okay.

Today is Easter! We started the day by going to church of course! It was a beautiful service. We had a special music production that was very powerful. Then Bro. Ryan preached his Easter sermon. I can never grow tired of hearing the message of Christ's unfailing love for us. It is so amazing.

After church, we headed to Nonna and Granddaddy's for Easter lunch with the family. It was so precious to have all the kids together and in matching t-shirts. We sure have some cute kids! ;)

The kids had so much fun playing together and Jeff taught them how to squirt each other with water bottles. They were all soaked and having a blast! The kids played and played for hours.

Towards the end of the day, Ryan got the fourwheeler out, and we convinced Rylee to ride. It's so easy for her to develop deep anxieties after a traumatic event, and we didn't want her to be scared to ride. Luckily, she didn't resist, and she had a blast riding. We had a wonderful Easter with those we love!

Paw Paw's Birthday Celebration at Reelfoot Lake

2017-04-09T17:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Paw Paw's birthday, so we celebrated today after church by heading down to Reelfoot Lake. We ate an absolutely delicious lunch at Boyette's and then walked over to the lake to check out the views. It was so beautiful. The girls were in awe.

After we walked around by the lake for a while, we headed to check out the wildlife indoors. Rylee petted an owl and both girls loved looking at the different animals they had to see. It was a lot of fun.

Family is such a precious gift. I'm so thankful for a day filled with fun and making memories with this amazing family. Happy birthday, Paw Paw! We love you so!

Light It Up Blue!

2017-04-02T19:20:00.000-05:00

April is Autism Awareness month, and April 2 is the official Light It Up Blue for Autism day!

I made special t-shirts for me and the girls and a few other people who wanted one, too. I am so excited with how they turned out. I may be new to this Autism mom thing, but I know how important awareness and understanding are with this disorder.

At church, my entire Sunday School class came in wearing blue!

These 3 are Rylee Love's biggest fans! I sure do love them so! Kaden is starting to try to understand Autism and what that means, but his overall analysis was "I don't think Rylee is different. I like her!" Goodness, that boy knows how to melt my heart.

After church, we headed to Olympic in Alamo to celebrate Ryan's birthday with his family. We were all in our blue!

I also posted on social media asking our friends and family to send me pictures of themselves in blue so I could add them to this blog. I was overwhelmed with all the love and support we received. Thank you everyone who participated! I have posted this pictures below. There were so many more who wore blue, but didn't want to send in a picture, and I completely understand that. I am still so thankful for all the support in bringing awareness to autism! Happy Light It Up Blue day!

Rylee Love, you are one very loved child. No matter what challenges you may face, always remember there are so many people in this world who are rooting for you and who believe in you. Kid, you can move mountains!

Spring Break 2017

2017-04-01T19:19:00.000-05:00

We started our Spring Break out right by heading straight to Liz and Brandon's house for a cousin play date Friday after school. Unfortunately, our Spring Breaks didn't line up this year, so theirs was ending just as ours was beginning, but we made the most of it. The kids played outside for hours and even got into the freezing cold sprinkler. After that they went inside to warm up with some Pizza and played soem more.

Rylee stayed behind for a cousin sleepover and Payton Joy came home for some special mommy-and-me time. Rylee says Kaden will always be her best friend and I hope that's true. I so love the bond that these two share!

Saturday we headed to Memphis to celebrate Ben's birthday! He got a day pass from Teen Challenge and we went to the Children's Museum. I don't know who had more fun, the adults or the kids, but it was a blast!

Unfortunately, since she didn't sleep much at her sleepover and it had been a very stimulating day, Rylee had a pretty big meltdown as we were leaving the museum and heading to dinner. This meant I spent the first 20 minutes of dinner in the car with her, trying to calm her down. She eventually agreed to go into the restaurant, but only if I hid her under her silky so no one would look at her. She hid in my lap for another 10 or minutes, but eventually warmed back up and ate her food and was pretty much back to her happy little self. Autism is a tricky thing because once she melts down, it is so difficult for her to bounce back, but she continues to impress me with how well she copes and adjusts time after time.

Monday we spent the day driving around, scoping out potential houses for sale and then we went to lunch and later to piano lessons. Tuesday, we spent the day at home as a family. Rylee Love cooked herself some grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch and the girls spent lots of time outside playing. Then when Ryan went to work, the girls helped me clean the house and we spent some time together watching cartoons.

Wednesday, we had a girls' day and went to get hair cuts. The girls both did so well for their hair cuts and even behaved wonderfully while I had my hair cut and colored. I was very impressed with them.

And I just love how my hair turned out. No more yellow hair! It's a beautiful shade of ash blonde! The girls thought I looked silly under the dryer, so they just had to take a pic. I sure do love time with my little princesses!

Thursday was Ryan's birthday! We made him blueberry muffins for breakfast, then woke him up with presents in bed. He was happy to read the sweet cards both of the girls made him and he was very excited to get Zelda: Breath of the Wild and a new phone from me. We spent the day playing his new game together and making sure he was spoiled in every way. We sure do love him!

Friday we went with our realtor to look inside some houses. This was our first official house hunting experience and it went pretty well. We are being pretty picky and are taking our time to find the perfect home for us, so we didn't find exactly what we're looking for yet. But it was good to see some houses and get some ideas of what we are looking for. The girls had a blast checking out the new houses and especially the yards. After we finished, we went for a family lunch at Pizza Hut. It was a really good day.

Today we slept in late, and then spent the day together as a family. Ryan cooked dinner on the grill and we all ate way too much, but it was awesome. I love time with my little family. I am so thankful for this week to spend together. Now, only 8 more weeks of school until Summer Break! I can't wait, but I sure will miss my sweet class as they head on the kindergarten.

Payton Joy 0 Stomach Flu 1

2017-03-15T18:27:00.000-05:00

Friday afternoon Payton Joy began to get sick. She was up much of Friday night, but seemed to be on the mend Saturday morning and even went outside to play in the snow as it began to fall Saturday evening. We figured it was just a 24 hours bug and she would be good as new shortly.

Then Saturday night she woke up sicker than before. I knew it was really bad when she chose to take a morning nap instead of go outside and play in the snow with Rylee before it all melted away. She began to have difficulty staying conscious. She would wake up only to get sick and then pass out. We began to get worried, so we took Rylee to Nonna and Granddaddy's and took Payton to Jackson to Urgent Care.

The Urgent Care doctors ran a few test to rule out strep and flu. Then they took a urine sample to test for UTI, and decided from the ketones found in her urine that Payton was too dehydrated for them to treat, and sent us on the the ER.

When we got to the ER, they took us back very quickly and immediately put an IV in even before running any tests. Once they took some tests, they said Payton was just 1 point away from being so dehydrated that she would need to be admitted. Her CO2 was at 16, and at 15 they automatically admit. As soon as the bag of fluid was in her, she began to perk up and immediately begged for Cheetos. The doctor said this was a good sign and sent us home. She was still getting sick, but the virus was starting to slow down. Monday morning she woke up with a rash, so I took her to her pediatrician and he said it was a result of her virus and usually once the viral rash appears, the rest of the symptoms stop.

He was right! She went back today for a final check up to make sure her hydration status was improving, and it is! He said she should be good as new soon. After her appointment, we all ate at Pizza Hut and she pigged out. I'm so happy to have our silly, sassy little girl back. And I hope to never see her that sick again. It was terrible!

Read Across America Day

2017-03-02T18:44:00.000-06:00

Today is Read Across America Day! Rylee Love's class got to dress up like their favorite book characters. Rylee chose Little Bea. Payton Joy didn't want to miss out on a chance to dress up, so she dressed up, too. She said she was a Minnie Mouse Flower Princess... ha!

As a special treat for Read Across America, Ryan came to read to my class today. Sadly, many young children don't get the chance to hear men read to them. They ate it up! Ryan reads with lots of expression and silly voices and the kids were so into it. It was absolutely precious.

After he finished reading to my class, he went to read to Rylee Love's class. She was so excited to have her daddy at school. Her class loved it just as much as mine did. It is so important for young children to have stories read to them and have good reading role models. I am so thankful that I have an awesome husband who is willing to step out of his comfort zone and entertain our classes.

After all the reading was done, Ryan went to lunch with Rylee so she could eat on the stage with him. Because he works second shift, she doesn't usually get to see him on weekdays, so she thoroughly enjoyed this special one-on-one time with him. It just melts my heart to see their precious bond. She is for sure her daddy's girl!

A LONG, Short Week

2017-02-25T16:40:00.000-06:00

Why does it always seem like "short" weeks last 10x longer than normal weeks?! Monday we were out of school for President's Day. It was great to have some extra time with my little family and to finally get some time to relax. As much as I love a 3 day weekend, 4 day work weeks always seem to be way crazier than others, and this one was no exception.

Tuesday morning, my attendance clerk came in with a withdrawal form for one of my students. He was moving away! I embarrassed myself a little by tearing up when she told me, but she seemed to think it was endearing that I care so much. The whole process happened very suddenly, and it was super hard for me to say goodbye to him and his older brother who I taught last year. The students in my class are my babies, and I love them all. It is hard enough for me to say goodbye when the end of the school year comes in May, and even then the only thing that makes that a little easier is the excitement of the upcoming Summer break! But having to say goodbye early and unexpectedly makes me sad. I have been told more than once I get way too attached to my students, but I really can't help it. I have such a heart for children, and I absolutely love my students.

Wednesday we started the day with a LeBonheur Heart Fundraiser Celebration. The whole school participated in the fundraiser throughout the first 2 weeks of February, and we were celebrating that we reached and surpassed our goal of raising $5,000 to support LeBonheur Children's Hospital! There was a school wide incentive that students who raised more than a certain amount were going to be able to pie the principals in the face. Well, even though Rylee Love met that goal, she chose not to pie a principal. I knew she wasn't going to participate, but watching all the other kids who met the goal have so much fun and knowing she was missing out because she was too anxious to participate really hurt my heart. This picture of her class from that day absolutely breaks my heart. It's kinda hard to see, but she has her chin down and her bottom lip out in a full pout while most of her peers have huge smiles on their faces, and even though a few look like maybe they weren't ready for the picture to be taken, at least they don't look sad like she does. As if that wasn't enough for one day, as the day went on I had not one, but two different issues come up with parents of some of my students. Obviously, I wouldn't discuss those issues, but I left Wednesday with a huge headache and a thought in the back of my mind that maybe I should've been an accountant. It was just one of those days.
Unfortunately, the day didn't get better when we left school. At church Wednesday night, Rylee was being super clingy so she decided to come into the preschool class with me and Payton Joy instead of to her regular class. It was going alright for the most part until after the activity when all the children were given balloons. We left activity to go to craft, and the craft included working with pipe cleaners. You can imagine what happened next as the kids touched their balloons with the pipe cleaners and nearly all of their balloons popped at once. As if the noise from a balloon popping isn't enough to send Rylee Love into a meltdown, add that with the fact that she now did not have her beloved balloon any longer, and cue the screaming. We tried to calm her, but finally I gave up and just took her and Payton home. We got home and Rylee was still crying. I tried to put her to bed, but she started to freak out and came to me begging me to help her calm down. I held her in my arms in my bed and we both cried together until she finally fell asleep. By the time she fell asleep, she had been crying for nearly an hour and a half.
This is what I don't think most parents understand. Autistic meltdowns are not the same as tantrums. A tantrum is an attention seeking behavior; a meltdown is a complete loss of control. Until your child begs you for help because they don't want to be screaming and crying anymore than you want them to, until your child hyperventilates because they are so upset about not being able to make sense of their emotions in that moment, until your child becomes so overstimulated that even the slightest sound, smell, touch, or sight can set them off into a panic attack, please don't tell me how "proper discipline" can "fix" my child's autism.

Thursday afternoon, we had our initial review of Rylee's psychological evaluation with the school. Ryan and I met with Ms. Beth, the school counselor, a speech and language pathologist, and the SPED consulting teacher. We discussed what her test results were, what the doctors had recommended, what deficits and behaviors we were seeing at school, and what we thought would be the best plan of action in the future to best support her. Ms. Beth has been so awesome with Rylee this year, she has provided her with some much needed support, and that has made Rylee very successful in first grade. However, to protect Rylee and insure she always gets the support she needs, we will need to put an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) in place. It's not like I heard any new information in that meeting, but sometimes the simple reality that Rylee is not like her peers and will need these extra supports in order to be successful just gets to me. I love my child for who she is, and I wouldn't change a single thing about her, but I sure do wish I could make life easier for her. I have fought every single day since her diagnosis and even before then to try to raise awareness. I wish this world was more accepting of people's differences, but I do know that even now it is much more accepting than it was when my generation was growing up, and I hope that in time it will be even more so. Different is not less.

Friday wasn't as bad as the other days. It was actually a pretty good day. My students were awesome, like always, and I got the chance to meet my new student who will be starting Monday. But during my students' rest time, I happened to walk by the first grade restroom just in time to see Rylee run in with tears in her eyes. As she stood in the corner of the restroom crying softly, I called her to me and took her into the teacher work room, and as tears rolled down her little cheeks she said, "I've been in trouble all day, and I feel bad about myself, and I just want to go home!" I was genuinely confused. Her teacher uses a Class Dojo app that updates parents about their child's behavior throughout the day, and since my students were asleep at that time, I had just checked it. She hadn't received any "bad points" that day. I just hugged her tight and told her she was doing just fine, and reminded her we were almost to the weekend. Thankfully, that worked, and she was able to pull herself together and have an uneventful rest of the day. Later I found out she was having trouble with her 2 friends in her class. It has been pretty challenging for Rylee to make friends in the first place, so I really hate that this is going on. Apparently the drama starts in first grade these days. I really wish they would save this mess until middle school like we used to...

Today is Saturday, or as the girls like to call it, "Daddy Day!" I am thankful for another weekend to spend with my precious little family and very hopeful that next week will be better than this one was.

First Grade Field Trip Fun

2017-02-18T17:01:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I took a personal day off from work to spend the day with Rylee Love and her class at the Fire Museum of Memphis. The Museum was great, there was a lot to see and a lot for the kids to do. Rylee loved the play area. There were games, pretend fire trucks they could climb in, a pole to slide down, and dress up.

Unfortunately, it seemed like the staff was rushing us through all the exhibits, so it was kinda hard to enjoy everything, and there were some parts of the museum we didn't even get to go into. So after being rushed from exhibit to exhibit, the kids got to play for a short time, then we rushed up into the room upstairs where we were going to eat lunch. Only there was still over an hour before lunch was scheduled to arrive, so the teachers had to act fast and try to entertain the students.

All this rushing around and then not being able to play for very long, left Rylee Love frustrated. She got very close to having a meltdown and even tried to run away from the group at one point. I think she was just over stimulated and looking for solitude. But using some sensory items I had brought in her backpack, she was able to keep hr cool for the most part and at least we didn't have a full-on screaming, crying meltdown in a museum full of people. Even though, the pace of tour was too fast, and we had a rough ending to the trip, it was a lot of fun in the beginning and while we were seeing everything. I really enjoyed the museum itself. After Rylee Love napped all the way back to school, she was feeling better, too. And we made it home in time to see Ryan before he headed to work last night, so that was a major plus. Today we have had a lazy day, and it was exactly what we needed. I am glad this is a 3-day weekend! And I am so thankful for time to relax with those I love the most!

Valentine's Day 2017

2017-02-16T16:34:00.000-06:00

Sunday, we had a Valentine's Day themed lesson in church, so of course the girls had to dress for the occasion. Unfortunately, after all the fun we had Saturday and with Rylee Love still not feeling very well, both girls were very whiny, so we went home after Sunday School. But they did get a good start on learning John 3:16. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my babies learn about Jesus! When we got home, we gave them their Valentines from us since Ryan wouldn't be home on Valentine's Day. Payton Joy got Inside Out, a Shimmer and Shine DVD, and gummies. Rylee Love got Minecraft and Kitkats. Then Monday, I got them the Troll movie to share.

Tuesday was Valentine's Day. Since we had school, both girls got to celebrate at school with all their friends. We labeled cards, and of course I had to make them special shirts to wear. Their shirts say "I am SO loved. John 3:16" There is no greater love than that...

I got spoiled at school by my students, and then I came home to more. Ryan had baked my favorite peanut butter cookies and arranged them in a heart around a photo from our wedding, and he bought me flowers! I sure do love him! He got spoiled too. I bought him his favorite Reeses, and cooked then packed his favorite dinner for him to take to work: Salisbury steak, white rice, and green beans. I also included some chocolate chip cookies and a little love note. <3 p="">

Last night at church, we had a Valentine's party for the kids. They ordered pizza, and had treats, and games, and a craft. Unfortunately, Rylee Love was set off when the pizza arrived, and it was Dominos and not her favorite: Pizza Hut. I know this sound trivial, but sometimes with Autism, the triggers to meltdowns aren't the big things, it's the little stuff that the rest of us really wouldn't think twice about. She started to scream. And when she is having a meltdown, it becomes impossible to reason with her. I tried to bribe her to stop, I tried to hold her and calm her, I tried to be tough on her and tell her to dry it up, I offered to just take her home. Nothing worked until the meltdown had passed. Once it had passed, she did the craft with her friends, and then had a blast playing duck-duck-goose. But it was hard to deal with her being so upset and not being able to "fix" it. That's the thing that gets to me about her having autism and why I fought for answers before I knew it was autism, I knew when she would have these meltdowns that it was different than a tantrum. Discipline can prevent tantrums, but the only thing I have found to prevent meltdowns is to avoid triggers. This trigger was a new one. She's eaten Dominos pizza in the past without a problem. I'm not sure why it warranted screaming and crying for half an hour last night, but that's the hardest part is that her triggers are constantly changing, and lately it seems she's even more prone to meltdown than she ever has been before. I am hoping that with some new strategies, and extra sensory breaks, that soon she will be able to recognize when she is close to melting down and be able to use a strategy to avoid going into full meltdown mode.