Life As I See It

Wow February already...

2012-02-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

Things have been crazy so far this year. We have all been battling the flu... each of us having our turn with it and Jesse has had it twice now. Its been going around like crazy in our area.

This winter has been really nice and mild. We are expecting our first snow storm Sunday into Monday. Could get up to 4 inches. A little worried because Chuck will be flying home Monday from Orlando... hoping that his flight isn't delayed.

Jesse will be turning 5 on Monday! I can't believe how fast time has gone by. No more baby. We will be celebrating his birthday on the 19th with a small get together. Nothing to big because we don't want to stress him out.

Bryan is still doing really well at school but has had a hard year with friends. A boy at school isn't being really nice... one minute he is his friend the next he is bullying Bryan or telling others not to be friends with him. I hate seeing how much it hurts him. We have told him to stay away from the kid that he is not and has never been his friend. Bryan is just so forgiving.

I have been sticking to a exercise routine and have made changes in my diet. So far I have lost almost 10 pounds! Very excited about it and have been feeling better too. Maybe this time I can stick with it.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-17T05:53:00.000-08:00

We have had a very eventful start to our year. Chuck and I got memberships to the local gym and have really been focusing on making positive changes in our lives. Changing our diet, committing to eating healthier and setting a good example for our boys. I have really enjoyed going to the gym more then I thought I would. I have also decided to try and expand my cooking skills... I am not fond of cooking but its healthier to cook at home.

After my annual eye appointment the DR started suspecting that I had Keratoconus, which happens when the cornea of your eye changes from round to more of a cone shape and the cornea thins causing blindness. Yesterday I went and had a eye scan done and found out that my eyes are showing the signs, so I am high risk and will need to have a scan done every year.

The boys have been really enjoying the warmer weather this winter. We have only had one snow this winter so far and it barely covered the ground... definitely not enough to build a snow man or go sledding. I have been enjoying the weather, even though I missed having a white Christmas. Its nice to be able to take them to the park and let them run.

Bryan's report card came back with straight A's and he has placed all advanced except one area which he brought up from basic to proficient. He has finally found a group of friends that seem to be a nice group.

Jesse is doing a lot better now that the DR has put him back in glasses. He is starting to read again and is having an easier time focusing. We had our first IEP (Individual Education Plan) to close out this year and start preparing for him to enter Kindergarten. I can't help but see how much he has changed over the last few years in preschool and therapy. Can't even imagine where he would be with out it.

As the year comes to a close....

2011-12-26T18:51:00.000-08:00

This year has certainly flown by! From the blizzards that started the year to the 60 degree Christmas we had yesterday, it was definitely quite an interesting year. And I am looking forward to the many memories that 2012 is sure to bring.

Chuck is managing the Taco Bell at the Travel Center he has been working at. He is doing very well and is one of the top ranking restaurant managers in the district for his company. He has been enjoying joining the men from our church Tuesdays for coffee and prayer (when he can) and he has started "guys" night at our house which has been great for Bryan.

Bryan is now in the 3rd grade and has become quite the writer. He has a wonderful imagination and enjoys story telling. I am very proud of him! He is getting straight A's in school and enjoys attending church activities. He is really growing up fast and is a very big help around the house and with his brother. His favorite show (right now) is WWE ... mostly because of the time he gets with his dad while watching it. He loves Star Wars, drawing and playing with legos.

Jesse is in his last year of preschool. I can hardly believe he will be in Kindergarten next August. He is doing really well with his speech, talks up a storm now and loves being with other kids. He loves Mickey Mouse, building with blocks, doing puzzles and play cars. He enjoys singing and making jokes. Loves to count and spell. He has made lots of big steps into being more independent and loves announcing that he is a big boy and not a baby.

I have been enjoying teaching the Mission Friends class at our church and spending time with the ladies in the book club I attend. Other than that the kids keep me pretty busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I am very blessed with being able to be home with them. I know it will be difficult for me to have both kids in full day school next year but at the same time look forward to not having to fit errands into a 3 hour time slot.

Christmas time is here again....

2011-12-13T06:20:00.000-08:00

The kids are still in school but its starting to wind down for Christmas break. We have all our decorations up and I have some gifts already wrapped. We went Christmas tree shopping the other day and unexpectantly ran into Santa.... and were able to get a picture with him. Jesse wasn't as open this year to sitting with him so Chuck joined the picture. Despite Jesse's reluctance over meeting Santa, he is really excited about Christmas and has started singing a few Christmas carols. Bryan on the other hand is at the point where he is to old for Santa but doesn't want to ruin it for his brother. He is really kind of enjoying being in on the "secret". We are all really excited that Chuck will be on vacation for the week of Christmas. The only thing we are missing is the snow! Its been a warm winter so far and we have only had a dusting of snow that was gone with in hours.

School is going better for both boys. Bryan's midterm grades came back a week ago and I am proud to say that he had straight A's. He was placed in a book club which was for the more advanced readers. He has more work because of it but he is enjoying it. He loves his class but has been having some problems with another little boy... one day will be his friend, and then the next he is making fun of him. Jesse took a while to readjust to school after summer and is now starting to do better. He is talking a lot more and playing with the other kids. And is completely potty trained now!! He will be starting Kindergarten next fall with a one on one assistant which will be good for him.

A lesson learned from a beautiful person

2011-11-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

Thankful that I got a chance to meet Danny. What an amazing man who was cherished by many. Inspired me with his faith in Christ that remained child like and allowed me to see how big an impact a special needs person can be on a community no matter where they end up in this life. He knew what was truly important and was happy in life because of it. Celebrating knowing that he is with Jesus now.

Paper flowers and Autumn cookies

2011-10-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to a nice quiet weekend with my family at home. Last weekend our church had the Harvest carnival. Jesse dressed up as a farmer and Bryan won the costume contest for his chicken.

Had a fantastic day with the kiddos. Because of parent teacher conferences last Monday and Tuesday there wasnt any school today. The boys watched the old 1940's Casper cartoons for a little bit then we had a nice hot breakfast together. Bryan and I finished watching a Discovery channel series called The Colony. He loves Science Fiction. Poor guy cried when it was over. He wanted more! :) So I introduced him to the show Jericho this evening.

The boys helped me make some Halloween cookies. Bryan lining them up on the baking sheets and Jesse counting them. Then we made some Coffee filter flowers. The boys loved watching the colors spread and the design change as I sprayed the filters with water.

Jesse tried a new ploy today to get out of his quiet time. He purposely ran into his door was quiet for a long time then said meekly "I'm okay... I'm alright." He thought I would open the door and rescue him from having to have 30 mins of down time. Didn't work ... and in a little bit I heard him singing to himself "Ho-wee Ho-wee Ho-wee Lord God

almi-ee."I love hearing him singing praise songs. Another new thing he started this week is randomly coming up to people and saying "HI! I am ME! Jesse!"

I am very excited to spend an actual weekend with my family. 2 days of having everyone home will be wonderful!

By far its my favorite fall activity....

2011-10-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

I love taking the kids to the pumpkin patch, its definitely my favorite fall activity. Last year I was so sick that we missed out on going so I made sure that we went this year. Bryan is getting a little to old for some of the activities there but still had a great time. It was the first time Jesse didn't get overwhelmed by it. He LOVED seeing the animals and playing on the slides and other climbing structures they have. We didn't stay long because the clouds rolled in that it got so cold it felt like it wanted to snow. Was happy that Chuck had a 3 day "weekend" so that he could come too. I hate that he has to go back to work today. Whenever he has days off they seem to go by so fast.

Getting ready to change over the kids clothing to their winter clothes. We had our first frost advisory last night and tonight there is a freeze warning. Chuck and I talked about it and we decided to wait out the winter in this house and then start really working on moving. Don't want to have to move when its so cold outside.

Lots more fun activities coming up. Our church is doing a Harvest carnival this weekend and then we have a friend's birthday to celebrate.

Halloween is just around the corner!

2011-10-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

Halloween isn't my favorite holiday at all but the kids love it. I would be content to just skip it and move on to Thanksgiving, except I love seeing the kids dressed up. This year both boys have 2 costumes. One for Halloween and the other for a church Fall Carnival which has a farm theme. Bryan is going to be a clown and a chicken and Jesse is going as a pirate and a farmer. I am really excited about the Carnival. :)

First quarter just ended at school and Bryan is doing very well. All A's and B's. He is struggling with sentence structure. Not that he doesn't know how to do it ... just being lazy. Jesse is having some trouble focusing and is very distracted at school but has had some break throughs. He is finally potty trained (YAY!!!!), can walk down stairs with one foot on each step (instead of both feet on every step), he has also taken an interest in outer space! :)

Chuck is finishing up his big yearly inspection by the Taco Bell corp. to make sure his store is up to company standards. Its been crazy with him working so many hours to make sure everything is the way it should be. He has been told that his manager will be training him soon for a General Manager position on the retail side of a store. Which he has been wanting for a while.

We have a few major changes coming up. We are going to try to sell our house so that we can be ready to transfer when that time comes. Until then we are going to rent. We hope that it helps us save some before a possible move. Bryan knows about it and is keeping positive. He said he doesn't mind moving as long as we take our furniture (he was to young last move to really remember) and our cat which I assured him we would. I am kind of excited about the move and have no emotional connection to the house after all we have been through with the bank. I am fighting the urge to start packing. Excited about whatever adventures are coming.

Our week (so far)

2011-09-14T06:39:00.001-07:00

Jesse has had some issues readjusting to the school routine and has digressed some over the summer. He isn't staying focused or participating and is having laughing fits that are hard to gain control over. Was feeling pretty stressed about it all but yesterday he finally got a good report from school. Another thing he has been doing is randomly repeating a number sequence. Its always the same numbers in the same order. Asked his teacher if she has noticed and she has not. We have heard it come out in the middle of a sentence or sometimes out of no where. When he does it he blinks his eyes rapidly. Not sure if this is a form of stiming.

Bryan was home sick from school yesterday after he over indulged on the snacks during "guys night". Hopefully that wont happen every Tuesday. He is back at school today though.

Yesterday I cleaned house and was even able to do some touch ups on the paint in the bathroom. Next week we will be taking apart the bunk bed in Bryan's room. Top part will go in Jesse's room and the bottom will stay in Bryan's. The captain's bed Jesse has will be moved in to the playroom as a guest bed/couch. Just got a little tired of kids getting injured by the ceiling fan as they played on the top bunk... that and Bryan not being able to make his bed because "its to hard." LOL

Complete sentences, please

2011-09-06T06:17:00.000-07:00

Bryan and Jesse are off to a fantastic start to the school year.

Bryan, who is now in 3rd grade loves the extra homework (weird I know, but he is my little scholar). Every night he has math, vocabulary and spelling homework and has 3 monthly book reports due. He was working on his first book report last night. Their reports aren't the type I remember that needed to be done in paragraph form telling about the book. It is more of a worksheet where they fill in the blanks. However, the answers need to be written in a complete sentence. Trying to get Bryan to do this is like pulling teeth, but give him a hundred math problems and he is done in a matter of minutes.... (4 minutes to be exact, we timed him once).

Jesse is happy to have friends in his class this year and was excited to see his teachers and therapists again. Jesse has recently started talking in complete sentences... I would say in the last few weeks. I love hearing him really talk after having waited this long to hear his thoughts. He comes home and tells me about his school day now too... however he does it in question form. So instead of saying "Today we played on the playground" he would say, "Did you play outside at school?"
He has also started making up his own stories. When ever he tells me one we write it down and have him draw pictures to go with it, then read it back to him. He LOVES this. So far he has told us a story about a bird who sleeps in a bed in a tree and falls down to be eaten by our cat, another about a bird who flies to the moon to get a lollipop and one about a bug who sits all day long. LOL :) I love all his stories!

Mowing the yard and other things get snipped....

2011-08-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

Today is Chuck's 3rd day of vacation. He spent it outside making sure our yard looks nice even as it was pouring rain. Last night we celebrated our anniversary by going out kid free!!! We walked around a near by town's festival, ate at a restaurant, and saw the new Smurf movie.

Got Jasper home today from the vet. He had to have his de-claw redone because he had a claw growing back in... had never heard of it happening before but the vet did it free of charge. While he was there he also got neutered. He will never be a daddy but hopefully we wont have to deal with him spraying the house again. He was so mad at me he refused to even look at me! When they brought him out he stood up in his carrier, and turned his back to me ... he didn't even acknowledge me until I had feed him and gave him clean water and litter. He is now sleeping off the drugs.

Been a nice quiet day with the boys. They are playing wii together (well Bryan is playing and Jesse is holding a remote and saying he is).

Celebrating 10 years!

2011-08-19T13:10:00.001-07:00

Today Chuck and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary. Time has flown by. We have been through so much together. We have so many blessings in our life. Thank you sweetheart for being my best friend. I look forward to seeing where God leads us.

A day of firsts!

2011-08-18T13:22:00.001-07:00

Today was a day of firsts. Chuck has enjoyed his first day of vacation by going golfing and will be off for another 10 days! Bryan attended his first day of 3rd grade. He says he has had a fantastic day and really likes his class. Jesse wont be going back to school until Monday. Which is better for him since then he will attend a full week and get back into the routine. After Bryan left for school, I took Jesse to the park. While we were there Jesse actually went up to a little girl and said "HI, wanna play" this is major... he has never initiated playing with another kid like that before. Later he made his first phone call and actually had a short conversation! :) Made this mom proud that both my boys had a great day.

Summer

2011-07-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

Summer has come and is almost over already! It has flown by. Got to visit with my sister who flew in from CA. It was a short visit but it was great seeing her. Then came VBS which I had an impressive 18 kids in the 2nd grade class I was teaching. Bryan was in my class.... I don't think it bothered him that much that I was his teacher..... hope he had a good time. Jesse really LOVED VBS. It was his first time in an actual VBS class instead of the nursery. I have also been helping every Tuesday night with our church's Basketball Ministry and Backyard Bible club. I have had about 16 kids in the older kid class each Tuesday night.

Still ahead a visit from my father and stepmom.... and then the kids head back to school. Really love seeing family and having them come visit. Its hard being so far from almost everyone.

Jesse and Bryan have both grown and matured. Bryan will be starting 3rd grade and is a fantastic reader.... still my little drama king though. :) Jesse is coming out of his shell more and more. He is really talking well and trying to communicate better. He loves music and cars. Still dealing with some quirks having to do with the autism but he is not having as many "bad" days. He is almost potty trained.

One more thing I am really looking forward to.... a visit from my friend, Mindi and her son at the end of August!!! :)

Summer is coming

2011-05-09T06:09:00.000-07:00

So excited for summer to get here. Can't wait to have the boys home so we can do lots of fun things. This summer is filling up pretty quick already with Vbs, Basketball, family reunion, visitors, trips.....

Hoping that this summer goes well for Jesse... and that Bryan gets the much needed time with us. They have both grown so much this year!

Thoughts

2011-01-18T11:12:00.000-08:00

Re-evaluating where I am at, looking back to see where I have been and trying to make positive changes. Trying to get things together in my head. Lots to think about.

What a fantastic day!!!

2011-01-15T19:30:00.000-08:00

Spent the day with my boys and my nephew. They were so well behaved!!! Got a lot done around the house and then watched movies with them. Jesse was very verbal today as well and even said the entire pledge of allegence!!! Made me so proud of him!

Tomorrow is church and then a family day on Monday since there is no school.

Quiet House

2011-01-14T06:17:00.000-08:00

Just sitting and enjoying a quiet house. The boys are at school. Gives me time to actually hear myself think. Bryan has become such a chatter box. When he is home he is constantly chatting away... he doesn't even care if any one is listening. Yesterday I heard him talking to himself while in the bathroom!

Bryan is so funny. A few days ago he decided that he was a robot. I opened up his folder to look at his school work and on the tops of all the papers he wrote his name as "Bryanoid". He has such a wonderful imagination. Wish i could get him to sit long enough to start writing stories. Can't wait until he is old enough to be in the local drama group.

2010 has flown by and its now 2011!

2011-01-13T17:01:00.000-08:00

So.... Updates!
Lots to write since I didn't really write much in 2010.

Chuck is now the manager of the Taco Bell at the travel center he was employed by. He works a lot, but he is really good at what he does. He is getting ready to go to a conference next month in FL. Wish I could go.

Bryan is now in second grade and is doing fantastic. Every year he amazes me. He is outgoing and creative and is always a ball of energy. He's current loves are Stars Wars and of course still into pirates. He loves to read and I reading at a 5th grade level. He loves the Lord and is always looking for someone to talk to about God. He wants to be a cryptozoologist, soldier, missionary, inventor and a dad when he grows up. I know that no matter what he ends up doing he is going to do great at it!

Jesse is in preschool and is progressing in leaps and bounds. He is talking so much more! He is starting to spell and is doing well in school. I love to hear him talk about how he views the world and he has such a funny sense of humor. He loves Mickey Mouse, Curious George, Boz, and playing with cars. He really loves music. Can't believe he will be 4 in exactly a month!

I have been staying busy working with Jesse and Bryan with their school stuff as well as coordinating a local Mom's group. I am hoping to eventually go back to school but still have yet to decide a career for myself. Diffenately one that will give me lots of time at home.

New Family Member!

2010-10-02T15:48:00.000-07:00

We have a new family member... he is cute, furry and so sweet! This is my newest baby.... Jasper!

Random Thought

2010-09-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

This morning I remembered something that I had not thought about in a while, not sure why it came to me. When I was four years old I went to a friend's swim party. I wasn't a good swimmer yet and was told to stay in the shallow end of the pool. Everyone else was older and having a great time on the other end of the pool. I was satified playing where I was for a little while, but soon wanted to be closer to the action. I noticed a little round dot on the wall and in my head figured that it marked the end of the shallow part of the pool like a public pool that marks the depth on the wall. So I inched my way closer and closer until it seemed suddenly my feet no longer touched the floor of the pool. I tried to get back over to where I could reach but it seemed that the more I tried the harder it was. I quickly became exhausted and panicked and lost control. I went under, then slowly resurfaced but not long enough to get a full breath. Over and over I went under and resurfaced never long enough. I was drowning and it felt as though some one was holding me under the water and not letting me up, yet the funny thing was, it was me that was causing it. Everything was dark and I was feeling dizzy and did not know how long it had been going on for. But then I felt an arm around me and was lifted up out of the water. The friend's mom had noticed what was going on and dove in fully clothed to help me. The first full breath I took after I was out of the water hurt yet felt so good at the same time. I was exhausted and cold but felt free.

Then I realized that THIS is exactly how I felt going through learning about Jesse's Autism. It felt like I was drowning and for a long time that feeling has held me down in a depression. But slowly while watching Jesse grow and progress over the past 9 months I have been taking little breaths and relized today that I am "out of the water" and no longer drowning. Not sure when or how long its been but I am finally feeling free again. I know that Jesse is going to be who ever God intended him to be despite, and because of, the Autism. Its just part of who he is.

Summer Approaching

2010-05-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

So here we are with 2 days of school left in the year and even though I am so excited to have my little ones home and be able to spend more time with them, I find myself worrying about Jesse. He has done so well since starting in the Special needs class that I am worried a break in school is going to make him back track. The school has said that they don't think he needs ESY (extended school year) and that they will be sending a packet home with him with what to work on during the summer. He has just come SO far!!!

I have been so encouraged by friends saying that he is totally a different little boy then he was a few months ago. I see it too. He is talking more, putting more words together at a time and starting to do more social play. Last night a friend was watching Jesse and she said that he actually played with the other kids, took one girl by the hand and held her hand. In fact some one else who was there was surprised when she told her that he is autistic.

I know that he will always be a little different then most kids (besides who set the standard of what is normal anyway...)but with everything going on I can see that he will be just fine no matter what.

God has truly blessed our lives and is teaching us so much about Himself through Jesse. I see miracles everyday in the simplest things because of it!

Update

2010-05-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

Jesse started at the local school in the ECSE (Early Childhood Special Education) program in February. They have worked so hard with him!!! When he first started he was not able to sit at circle time, did not play with the toys, say more then one word at a time, or jump with both feet off the ground (to name a few).

They decided that when he is in the classroom he would have a one on one assistant so the para has become his classroom buddy. He is showing so much improvement its incredible! I love hearing reports back from the school. "Today Jesse was able to stay with circle time for 20 mins!", "Jesse jumped with both feet off the ground 3 times in a row today!" and so on. He is now, more often then not, saying 2 or more words together. He can answer simple questions and has begun some pretend play!!!

Last week I got a note home saying that they believe that Jesse does not need Extend School Year, basically they think he can handle the change in routine and be okay!

Still working on potty training him. He has tummy issues that make it harder to potty train. We are looking into making some diet changes to see if those will help.

He has become more cuddly at home as well as with others. I love when he crawls up in my lap and plays with my hair. He will make eye contact during those times.

He sings and has started doing hand motions to some of the songs now too!

Its so exciting to watch him grow!

Happy Birthday Bryan

2010-05-13T15:44:00.000-07:00

Happy 7th Birthday to my sweet and spunky Bryan. You always brighten my day! I love you!

Love

2010-05-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

I am amazed by the fact that something as simple as loving a person can be so powerful in their lives. No matter how many therapies, instutites and professionals work with a special needs child if love isn't present it all goes to waste. Thank you to everyone who works with/ has worked with Jesse and has shown him love.