My Happy Superman

Nathan tried on his Halloween Costume the other day and was immediately thrilled about the cape that was hanging from the back of his t-shirt. He proceded to "fly" back and forth quite happily.

Making Haunted Houses

Decorating Haunted Houses is so fun! Have you ever made "Haunted Houses" with graham crackers and burnt sugar? It is edible fun! Happy Halloween!

Taping Homework

No, I didn't sprain my ankle. Jordan has a Sports Medicine class right now, and I am helping him do his homework:). He had to practice taping an ankle.

The first time he practiced at home, he did Jacob's ankle (and he got a little tape on his hairy legs). Needless to say, there was some howling going on in the living room as Jordan took the tape off:). He did much better taping my ankle. Practice makes perfect.

My New Pumpkin Cleaner-Outer

Confession: I got a new "tool" that helped us clean out our pumpkins a little faster the other night. It worked really well, and what can I say? I loved using my drill to clean out the pumpkins. Tamara likes her tools--just ask my husband. I brought the toolbox to the marriage--and I love it when I find little gadgets like this beauty!

Carving Some Pumpkins

We had a fun evening yesterday carving pumpkins. When Nathan was little he used to LOVE to get his hands in the pumpkin guts and pull out the seeds and stuff. Now, he has to rinse/wipe his hands after he touched the pumpkin each time. It is funny how even on children with autism, they can change what they prefer over time.

Nathan's favorite thing now is to help punch out the big pieces. So, anytime one of us had a piece to take off of the pumpkin, we would call Nathan over to "help" us. He really did enjoy it. You can see Nathan and I holding "Mike Wazowski" from Monsters Inc. (one of Nathan's favorite shows). We had some scary carvings, happy pumpkins and some Star Wars jack-o-lanterns.

Ever since the carving of the pumpkins, Nathan kept looking at the calendar and saying "Happy Halloween." I'm glad he remembers some good things from Halloween because when he was little he DID NOT LIKE IT. I think it just wasn't fun to him to dress up and be drug through the neighborhood. Now, he goes happily with his bag for candy...yes, I know he is 16, but he is a 4-year-old at heart, so yes, I take him trick-or-treating.

Prayer Request

Prayer request for my wonderful mother, Karen Klein today and tomorrow. She has been at the doctor and ER all day. The doctors found she has a hernia and is going to have surgery Tuesday morning at 7:30am.

I believe in the power of prayer. Almost 16 years ago my husband and I were in a serious car accident. I am thankful for the prayers of many, many friends and family that helped miracles occur in our recovery. I know God hears and answers sincere prayers.

Scouting Along

Cute Jacob received his 1st Class in Boy Scouts last night. His scout master said Jacob was always full of interesting facts. Yup! Blame that on the high-functioning autism. Jacob's mind is like a magnet of facts and he will spout them randomly, very accurately, and probably with more detail that you really cared to know.

He was sitting two rows in front of me during the court of honor and just kept making these loud comments throughout the meeting (we have chats about using our indoor voice frequently). I really wish I would have been right behind him to help quiet him and perhaps help him "filter" what was coming out of his mouth. Unfortunately, kiddos on the spectrum don't always have a filter on what comes out of their mouth--so you never know what you are going to get.

We have been very blessed with supportive Boy Scout leaders and young men that have embraced him just the way he is. They put up with him and his quirks and I am very thankful as his mother for the kindness and support he has been given.

Singing With My Boy

I had a sweet mama moment today when I was able to sing a duet with my son, Jordan Anderson, in church. We sang a really pretty arrangement of "Abide With Me," one of my favorite hymns about inviting Christ to stay with us. I love this boy! He is a bit of a spaz and is fun, silly and talented. I also must confess it is fun to have a child that is musically competent enough to pull an arrangement together in a week.

He is growing up way too fast! These are some silly photos he took during a photo shoot this weekend...can you see the silliness just oozing out of him? Thank goodness he has a serious side too:).

Hiking Along

This summer we spent some time down in Arizona with family. We went on a few little hikes. Hiking with our kids is always an adventure. Nathan is always our "wild card." Sometimes he goes along the trail with us happily and other times he is MAD and doesn't seem to think we should be hiking right then. On this particular hike he was mad and kept grabbing my arm and dragging me down the trail to make it go faster so he could be done.

I finally had to count down the minutes left until we would turn around. "Just 5 more minutes," "4 more minutes," etc. When we stopped at a creek he finally took a break and threw rocks in the water. This seemed to calm him down. I was thankful that he was able to finally sit back and find the peace that comes from being out in nature (and more selfishly, I was thankful he wasn't yelling at me and dragging me down the path and I was able to enjoy it too).

There have been times when we have also given him a little iPod while we hike--and that does seem to help him come along with us a little more easily.

I guess our adventures hiking are very typical of life--sometimes we are running down the path of life mad as a hornet, and other times we are just moseying along enjoying the scenery. I think I tend to enjoy the times when I am able to slow down and enjoy myself.

Hopefully you have an enjoyable hike on the path of life today--although if you do have someone dragging you along, maybe they will eventually slow down and you can catch a breather.

Understanding "Nathanese"

Last night just as we sat down for dinner I went to grab the rice and Nathan runs up to me and says, "Wet. Dry. Hair. Better." At first I thought he was quoting some movie, but then he looked me in the eyes and said it again, "Wet. Dry. Hair. Better." Usually when he makes eye contact I know something is up. Then, when he knew I was listening to me he turned around and ran into my bedroom.

I thought, "I think he wants me to follow him." So, I did--right into my bathroom where he stopped in front of the hair dryer. Then it dawned on me--he must have gotten his shirt wet (and he HATES to have any part of his clothing wet or he takes it off or you have to dry it for him). So, I asked him, "Did you get your shirt wet?" He then pulls out his t-shirt and I see 3 little drops of water on the hem (Heaven forbid!) I turned on the hairdryer and within 20 seconds it was "Better."

Sometimes I feel like I need a degree in "Nathanese" so that I can understand this cute 16-year-old boy with autism. I was so proud of him for using his words and trying to communicate with mom. We love to celebrate Nathan's baby steps that are HUGE accomplishments for him.

Bowling Game

Cute Nathan LOVES bowling! Here he is playing with his little bowling game. The pins have a magnet below them that you can turn on when you set the pins up and off when you bowl. I'm glad he finds joy in simple things.

Older Is Better

Sometimes older is better. I have three essentials that I have in my kitchen and use on a regular basis that are probably over 30 years old. Why?? I purchased them in the past year or so at a second-hand store because all the "modern" ones kept burning up and dying on me.

They don't make crock-pots like they used to. My modern one always burns around the edges, whereas this "old" one cooks the food perfectly (even on high) and has never once burned the edges.

My modern hand mixer died 6 months after I bought it...it probably had plastic gears. This old one keeps going and going and is fantastic!

When my 2nd modern electric knife died within a year of purchase (I was cutting something that was obviously too "hard" for it and stripped the plastic gear) I went to read reviews on the internet. I read too many reviews that said that they don't make them like they used to. That is when I went looking at a second hand store. I will tell you that my old knife cuts 20 times better than the modern one and I think I will have it for years to come.

So, next time one of your "modern" kitchen accessories dies, try the second hand store. Sometimes older is better.

Sweet Siblings

Sweet Noelle wanted to play a game last night. I told her to go choose one from the game closet. Since Nathan was the only other person home at the time she came upstairs with a game that he could play. This game is called, "Bert's Bottle Caps" and Nathan did play with us. It is simple, fast and only involves you matching your bottle caps/colors.

Here are my happy kids after the game finished. I am thankful that my typical kids really do love and look out for my kids on the autism spectrum.

Autism and Going to Church

There is never a dull moment at church with a child with autism! Our cute Nathan sang out in full voice Sunday during our Sacrament Meeting, "Goodnight! Don't let the frost-bite bite." Yup--and it was loud enough that even the people in the back heard him. We got several smiles from fellow-worshipers. Hey! We are entertaining to sit by, what can I say?

Taking my children to church hasn't always been easy though. I remember vividly trying to keep Jacob from escaping our row--my husband and I had to have lightening reflexes to keep him with us. We came to church prepared with a bag full of toys, snacks, and almost everything but the kitchen sink...but we came each and every Sunday. There were times I cried because it was so hard. I can remember like it was yesterday having an older man in our church congregation come up to me after church and simply asking, "Sister Anderson, how are you?" I burst out crying. Yup, it was that hard! It was like a football game each and every Sunday--I had to suit up and prepare myself mentally and physically to go to church.

I know families with kids on the autism spectrum that have given up on church. There were times I felt like giving up, but then I would ask myself, "What pattern are you trying to establish for your kids and for yourself?" I knew that if I stuck with it that they would eventually learn. I clung to that hope that it would someday get easier and better--and I wanted my kids to come to know God and feel Him near them, even my kiddos on the spectrum. And ever so subtly it did get easier--week by week, month by month and year by year. I'm glad I didn't give up because I'm sure that teaching a 16-year-old and 13-year-old child with autism to go to church now would be much harder than it was when they were younger. You can carry a tantruming 3 yr old out much more easily than a tantruming 16 yr old. Although we made it much more miserable for them "outside" the worship service than in or they would have tantrumed just to be taken out--we just would sit in an empty classroom with them on our lap until they calmed down. Tough love and tough parenting....but it worked for us.

I am also thankful I had lots of help from other people in our several congregations helping me and teaching my kids simple lessons in their Sunday School classes. They called/asked special teachers to sit with my boys and they had special "bags" full of fidget toys and all sorts of entertainment that helped them "go to class." Every one of their "teachers" gained such a love for my boys--and I am thankful that I got to share them with others.

All in all, I'd do it again--those younger years with all my tears and persistence. My hope paid off. My two boys now sit fairly quietly with their typical siblings (except for the occasional singing outburst from Nathan). So, if you need to smile at church, come sit by us. You never know what Nathan will sing for you.

Naked Toes Rule

I kicked off my shoes at Noelle's last soccer game of the season on Saturday. Yes, I realize that I haven't painted my toes in a really long time...in fact they didn't get a dab of color all summer. Why? Well, I was just too busy doing other things. I guess it also goes to show that toenail painting must just be something that doesn't really matter to me all that much or I would do it. Most of the things in my life rank higher than painting my toenails, and I'm okay with that. Naked toes rule!

Card Game Humor

Justin: "Play a heart."
Noelle: "I don't have a heart!" (ha ha ha)
Yup, this happened around the dinner table Sunday evening. Who says we don't have a sense of humor when playing card games?

Another Book

Yup! I was bit by the reading bug again the last few days. I was at Costco a few days ago and I had to go through the book section (of course). I found this little gem and I HAD to buy it. Stephenie Meyer released a "reimagined" version of Twilight to celebrate the 10 Anniversary of it's release. This time it is about a boy named "Beau" moving to Forks and meeting a girl named "Edyth." It has a fun twist at the end. No spoilers here...you will have to read it. I might even like it better than Twilight--did I just say that? Hmmmm. Enjoy!

Word Search King

Kids with autism can do amazing things! Even though Nathan cannot communicate verbally very well, he has always been fascinated by letters and words.

One of the things that Nathan LOVES is word search books...and he is very good at them! He finds and circles the words in order and starts at the front of the book and goes clear through it. I can't even tell you how many books and pens he went through this summer, but here he is with a photo of just a few of the books he completed. Go Nathan! Of course, by the end of the summer he was burned out and didn't want me to pull out any more word search books. I just hope he is ready to tackle some more word search books by the time next summer rolls around.

Doing All Things

"I can do ALL THINGS through CHRIST which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13). This is my every day mantra!

I cannot tell you the number of times I have felt overwhelmed by the tasks in front of me..whether it was staying patiently awake with my son Nathan who was up for the day at 2:00am, moving my schedule-dependent children across the nation for a new job, or recovering from a life-threatening accident. I have felt discouraged, depressed, and exhausted beyond my ability to think clearly. At these moments of greatest need I have found great power and strength in prayer. And I have found that perhaps I have the strength to go on after all...only this strength wasn't coming from me. It came from my Savior.

For those of you who have felt similar exhaustion, may I encourage you to try prayer. I promise that God answers those desperate prayers. There is power that comes through Christ's mercy and love--Power to face what may seem like an insurmountable mountain. Have faith, courage and carry on dear friends!

Letting it Go

You know, farting out loud in our culture is not exactly socially acceptable...and then there are these kiddos that have no inkling about what is socially acceptable. They bring a smile to our face. I got this note from Nathan's peer tutor at school (that takes him to his "normal" classes). I'm sure that was an exciting day!

Like most kiddos on the spectrum, Nathan has issues with his bowels and has been known to release some toxic gas here and there. It makes our life exciting, and we have learned to quickly roll down the windows in our car if we want to be able to breathe.

My response to the peer tutor, "Sorry, he has no shame in 'letting it rip' as far as farting goes...and they usually are quite toxic. Sorry! Nothing you can do about it." 

Taking a Nap

Two brothers...one is napping, one is trying really hard not to wake his brother up. I looked over and saw them in exactly the same position and had to snap a photo. Sometimes you just need a nap...this was after a long weekend with some late nights. Being a teenager is tough and sometimes you just need a nap:).

Bowling

My three youngest took a bowling class this summer that they really enjoyed. Bowling is one of the few things that Nathan really enjoys, and we even got him to the point that he would use the finger holds this summer, but he still bowls with the bumpers up. On our last bowling day Nathan bowled for almost 3 hours straight and LOVED IT!