Decorating the Memory Tree

I love having the family decorate the Christmas tree! I don't ever have any super-fancy or coordinated tree. Mine has always been a memories tree with ornaments the kids have made over the years and others that I have bought at places we have visited like, The Alamo, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, etc.

I remember when my kids were little that I would scour garage sales to try to find unbreakable ornaments (they weren't as popular when my kids were young), because back then the bottom half of the tree always seemed to get flung across the room by little hands. Now those little hands have gotten a little bigger and can now place the more fragile ornaments at the top of the tree. My how time flies! 'Tis the season to be jolly!

#DecoratingTheTree #MemoryTree

Pie Catastrophy

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Arizona with family. I helped make the pies. Memo to self: Don't make pies late at night when you are battling a migraine! Why? Well, I forgot to add sugar to the pumpkin pies. Needless to say, they didn't taste very good. I had to make a second batch of pumpkin pies the day after Thanksgiving to redeem myself. This time, I remembered to add the sugar.:)

#ThanksgivingBlunders #MakingPie

Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I thought this quote was appropriate. We can find things to be grateful for today if we simply look for them. Today I am most thankful for God, family, a beautiful world, eyes that see, ears that hear, mouth to eat and speak, beautiful music, and the list goes on and on. Be sure to thank God for your blessings today and always. Sometimes when we count our blessings, the hard things we are going through seem a little less overwhelming.
#Gratitude #Thanksgiving
Gratitude Quote
“No matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it.”—President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Moment of Joy

Sweet Noelle entered our local PTA Reflection Contest. She was so excited to come home the other day with some ribbons and a certificate of participation. For a girl who is a little shy, this was an exciting day! She composed a little piano piece and submitted it. We were excited and surprised she gets to progress to the district competition. Go Noelle!

#MomentOfJoy

Impromptu Football Game

I came downstairs the other day to find Jordan and Jacob playing with the plastic guys on the air hockey table and having a "football game" with them. It was so cute that I had to snap a photo. I am thankful that God sent Jordan as a brother to these two boys I have with autism. He is so sweet with them and sensitive to whatever they need. How many 18-year-old boys would take a few minutes to play with their sibling?

#FeelingBlessed #GreatBrother

Show Going On

My cute Jordan is so accident-prone. Last week while performing in his school's production of Les Miserables, he missed the last step coming off the stage and landed on his knee. He ended up missing the second half of the performance that night and hobbled through the last 3 performances after that....but the show must go on! He is still hobbling a little bit, but we're hoping it isn't anything serious. MRI is scheduled though.

We jokingly told him as he left to his last 3 performances to "Not break a leg."

Stories From The Spectrum

"NO EAT. NO EAT. NO EAT. NO EAT!" This went on for 20 minutes with Nathan yelling at the top of his lungs in the car. Justin and I took the 3 younger kids out to eat tonight....made it to the restaurant, but by that point my nerves were shot and I told Justin to just take us home. My brain couldn't even think properly with all his yelling. We couldn't change his mind or get him distracted--even with his trusty iPad.

So, we went home and I made him Beef Stroganoff (his favorite) and all was well with the world again. Yes, just a glimpse into our world. You never know what will set them off...but being spontaneous is definitely one of those things. Sometimes I feel like a spontaneous person trapped in a rigid schedule because of my kiddos on the autism spectrum. Sigh! We will survive!

Mothering Moments

I never knew mothering was so difficult. There are days that are joyfully fun and there are days that are bitterly hard. But, oh, the lessons I have learned! One of the most important things I have learned is that God knows my children better than I do, and that He can help me know how to parent them if I turn to Him. I'm far from perfect, but I do love my kids perfectly. I needed this quote today and thought I'd share it.

Mothering quote by Jeffrey R. Holland

"To all mothers in every circumstance, including those who struggle—and all will—I say, 'Be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are.'" —Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

Why do bad things happen to good people? That was our discussion with our kids Sunday evening. It is a question I think we have all asked in light of recent events. Here are some conclusions that we discussed:
1. God values our agency enough to let people choose do bad things (Joshua 24:15), but he will also hold them accountable for that choice (Romans 14:12).
2. At the judgement day, all will be made right and fair (Revelations 20:12-15).
3. God can make any hard thing we experience be for our good (Romans 8:28).
4. Jesus Christ understands and can help us bear any sorrow or hardship we experience (Isaiah 53:4-6).

At times like these when I watch the lines between good and evil become more pronounced, I really find myself hoping and praying that the Second Coming of Christ will come sooner vs later. God bless and comfort the people of Paris, and the refugees from Syria.
‪#‎BadThingsHappenToGoodPeople‬ ‪#‎ChristStrengthensUs‬

Mom's Priorities....Last on the List

For some reason when I am dealing with my kids I've noticed that all their priorities quickly move to the top of my list and take over my day (usually it is "Mom...this is due today"). Then I wonder why in the world it takes 6 months to get some of my priorities done. So, today (before anything else crops up) I am working on doing some of my priority things. I made my list last night while I was praying (God helps me so I don't forget things).

Wish me luck (and the ability to keep my focus long enough to get some stuff done).

Music and the Spoken Word

Last Sunday I took Jordan, Jacob and Noelle to hear "Music and the Spoken Word." This broadcast is put on every Sunday morning by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square. What a phenomenal treat! It is free too!

Last Sunday was their Veteran's Day concert and it was just wonderful. They even brought the bell choir out for a couple of songs. Jordan plays the bells at his high school and especially enjoyed that part of the concert. I could seriously go to this concert every week and just be thrilled. I am glad that I can instill in my kiddos a love of the fine arts!

The IEP

I'm currently laying on my bed reading through Nathan's IEP in preparation for our annual meeting tomorrow. For those of you who don't know, and IEP is an Individualized Education Plan. This is a document that lays out measurable goals for students that have some kind of disability. It can also "modify" the education they receive at school. It is quite a gem. Honestly though, I don't envy the poor teachers that have to go through all the legal mumbo-jumbo to put the IEP together.

As a parent, I am part of Nathan's IEP team along with his teachers, therapists and administrators. I take my responsibility to be his advocate quite seriously. I am thankful to have good people to work with to help Nathan keep progressing.

Thank You Veterans

Happy Veteran's day! It is another day of gratitude towards those who have served to keep our country safe! I am thankful for the veterans in my family: my husband, my father, and my grandfather. My husband's grandfather also served. God bless you all for your service!

Saying Thank You

How can you possibly simply say "thank you" when someone just possibly saved your child's life? Somehow these two words don't quite adequately express the depth of gratitude my husband and I feel towards Tina and her associates at Walmart, the Layton PD, and Kathy from the Davis school district. They came to Nathan's aide when he was left at Walmart last week by his class.

Last night we dropped some "Thank You" notes off to two of these wonderful people. The third will be delivered today. Nathan wasn't exactly thrilled to be back at Walmart. In fact, as we pulled into the parking lot and he said, "I'm police officer Dave." (Quoting a movie). "Yes," I told him, "this is where you met the police officer, isn't it?" He is able to communicate in his simple way. There was a tearful reunion with Tina and some hugs and gratitude expressed.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention God at this point. I am thankful he put these wonderful earthly angels in Nathan's path. Together they had the skills necessary to ensure he was safe and that he was eventually able to communicate who he was (on paper). After seeing how agitated he was at Walmart last night I am also sure of one other thing: Nathan had some heavenly angels there to help calm him as well through that 2 1/2 hour ordeal. He never sits still for that long, that peacefully, especially without entertainment of some kind. But, that is what he did.

Calendar Boy

This is my cute Nathan every month when it is time to change the calendar. He is very dependent on our calendar, because like most kiddos on the autism spectrum, he likes a visual schedule. He likes to know when something different is going to happen. As long as I write it on the calendar, he is usually okay with it (unless it is something he doesn't want to do).

So, lucky me! I don't ever have to turn the page on my calendar because every first day of the month my little buddy does it for me.

#CalendarDependent #AutismScheduler

Nathan on the News

One more news story from Fox about Nathan being left at a Walmart after a school outing. I have woken up the last few mornings just re-thinking the whole thing, wondering HOW this could have happened and feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude that Nathan was watched over by earthly and heavenly angels.

http://fox13now.com/2015/11/05/school-district-apologizes-after-teen-with-autism-left-at-wal-mart-during-field-trip/

Lost and Found

Today was a very scary day for my husband and I. It was also a day of miracles. We got a phone call from the Layton Police department about noon saying that they had our 16-year-old autistic son, Nathan, over at Walmart and that he had been left there by his school. We were shocked!!! His Special Ed class had taken a class outing to Walmart and had left without him because he had wandered off just as they were leaving. I must thank Walmart at this point. A couple of their associates found Nathan very quickly and took him to their security folks. They called the police and together, they were able to quickly watch their security camera footage and see that he was part of a school group and that he was left. Thank you Walmart & the Layton Police!

The challenge with Nathan is that he is pretty non-verbal when it comes to communicating. Because Nathan is autistic he will only echo back if you ask him a question. They couldn’t get anything out of him so they called a lady from the school district to come over and help. She was familiar with non-verbal folks and asked him to write down his name and his parents names, which he did. Unfortunately he kept giving them our phone number and address in Arkansas. (Sigh! This is something we have worked on since we have moved here to Utah, but obviously something we need to work on some more). Eventually they got his full name and were able to contact us directly. We drove over there really fast, got Nathan (we about cried when we saw him), talked to the folks there, and then brought him home for the day.

It has been a very emotional day for us as parents of a child with autism. We can't tell you how thankful we are for the people who kept him safe and for God and angels (seen and unseen) that kept Nathan calm for 2 hours until we were located--this is a major miracle! We also can't begin to tell you how frustrated we are that this happened to begin with—yes, we’re pretty mad at his teachers for not only leaving him but then for not even noticing that he was missing.

We have already met with the school administrators and teachers and are asking for better processes and execution in keeping track of ALL their Special Ed students on outings. We want to ensure this won’t happen again to any student in our district, state, or nation. It could have been disastrous! We again want to thank God, Walmart, and the Layton Police for their heroic efforts in keeping our Nathan safe and calm.

Perhaps it's no small coincidence that one of Nathan's favorite books is, "The Berenstain Bears and The Spooky Old Tree." He reads this book just about every day. The last page of the book reads, "Home again. Safe at last." That is how we feel tonight. We are thankful he is, "Home again" and that he is "Safe at last" after a crazy day.

Darn Daylight Savings

Dang you daylight savings! I keep waking up at 4:00 or 5:00 all week...and I wonder why I am so tired. Sigh! I think we should all be like Arizona and not change our clocks at all. This is ridiculous! Does anyone else agree?

Babysitter for Autistic Kiddos

I have taught her well...on Saturday, Noelle watched Nathan while Justin, Jordan and I went to a church meeting for 2 hours. Nathan was busily engaged in doing a 500 piece puzzle when we left, and when he was done, Noelle wrote him this little note.

I am thankful that she has watched and learned how we communicate with Nathan and was quite capable of helping him get his lunch. Although she is only 11, with two brothers on the autism spectrum, she has learned a lot about how to help these kiddos.

Using Fall Leaves

Don't throw those leaves away! Seriously. Did you know that you can mulch your leaves (I mow them up with my lawn mower), dump them on my garden, cover with a little grass clippings/soil/manure/compost and then sprinkle with nitrogen to begin the process of decomposing. This way your leaves aren't going to waste. The nutrients just go back into the garden and you are ready to plant in the spring. Happy Fall!

Happy Halloween

Better late than never....Jacob the Diamond Minecraft guy, Nathan the Superman, Noelle as Professor Sprout (Hogwarts) carrying a "Mandrake", Me as Princess Leia. Never did get one of my handsome pirate husband. Halloween miss there!

Justin and I took Nathan trick-or-treating. It is quite an experience to take your 16-year-old son with autism trick-or-treating. He acts like he is 4, maybe 3 and I had to coach him to knock on the door and then say "Trick-or-treat" and "thank you." He did very well and he LOVED getting candy. Not like the good old days when he was 4 and screamed and cried and hated it (and we only lasted 3 houses). No, this time he ran from house to house. I got my exercise just keeping up with him.