Fire Truck Love

Who says big boys can't play with firetrucks? I got this 3 foot long firetruck probably 12 years ago at a garage sale. It has been a favorite at our home! I brought it upstairs the other day when we had a little boy visiting and Nathan suddenly seemed to remember that he LOVES fire trucks. He has held it and played with it the past two days after school like it was a new toy. Don't you love it when kids rediscover old toys?

#OldNewToys #FireTruck

Baking with Natural Yeast

Look at these yummy muffins! The coolest thing about them is they are made out of whole wheat AND I can eat them. This is significant because I have been off of any wheat products for over 6 years now because it gave me indigestion. I took a class on baking with natural yeast a few weeks ago and learned that when you mix wheat flour with natural yeast and let it rise, the yeast "eats" the gluten and breaks it down into amino acids which humans can digest. This solves the modern problem of gluten intolerance in people like me. If we baked like our ancestors did with natural yeast for 6,000+ years we would be healthier.

I can't tell you how excited I am to bake again. I used to do it more often, but really slowed down because I was baking two separate things--one for my family and one for me. Problem solved! I can now bake with natural yeast for all of us! AND, my kids LOVE the food I am making (even though it is made with whole wheat). I have made Banana Nut Muffins, Zucchini Muffins, Chocolate Date Muffins (Noelle's favorite), Pumpkin Muffins and pancakes, bread, and waffles.

Are you looking for a good cookbook to start baking with natural yeast? Might I suggest "Baking with Natural Yeast" by Caleb Warnock and Melissa Richardson. If you order the book, you can also request a free natural yeast sample from Caleb. If you live by me, I can give you a sample. Happy baking!!!

#NaturalYeast #BakingAgain

Tantrum at the Play & Counting Blessings

Yesterday evening I took the kids to Noelle's 6th grade Shakespeare play. We arrived a little early to get good seats--and then Nathan started throwing a major tantrum. He didn't want to be there (yes, I had it on the calendar--but that doesn't solve all the problems). The difference between a 2 year old tantrum and a 17 year old tantrum is that I can't just pick Nathan up and take him out because he outweighs me by over 50 pounds. I had tried to get the password to the guest WiFi when we first arrived, because I brought his iPad with me. Unfortunately none of the teachers I asked knew the guest password. Well, after our unsightly tantrum in front of 50 people one of the teachers had pity on me and came and typed her password into Nathan's iPad. After that he was just fine and sat through the entire performance happily.

Too bad you couldn't just type a password in my brain to tell it to calm down. I sat there with adrenalin pumping through my body--feeling jittery and almost sick. I'll confess that I glanced up and saw a mom sitting in front of us with her sweet daughter sitting happily on her lap and was filled with a stab of jealousy. "It's not fair," I thought. I don't have those kind of feelings often anymore, but after a huge tantrum it came. I had to banish that thought and count my blessings. Blessing #1: At least we showed up early enough to not tantrum in front of 300 people and disrupt the play. Blessing #2: The teacher that saved me by typing in her password on Nathan's iPad. Blessing #3: I was able to watch Noelle's play without having to take Nathan out. Lesson learned: Always show up a little early because you never know what kind of mood Nathan will be in.

#CountingMyBlessings #Tantrum #Autism

Of Socks & Service

Nathan has gotten to the point where he can put his own shoes and socks on (for the most part). We had to get special super-stretchy socks that he is able to put on by himself. Well, his church socks are harder to put on because they are normal. I looked over Sunday morning and this was the scene that I saw. Sweet Jordan helping Nathan get those stubborn socks on his extra wide feet. It was a tender moment when I thought of how much I love both of these boys. It was bitter-sweet when I realized that in 80 days or so Jordan will be leaving on his mission and won't be there to have these sweet moments with his brother for 2 years. Yet, I realize that if he is humble enough to serve a special needs brother he will do just fine serving God's other children.

#autism #service #GettingThoseSocksOn

Nathan Singing

Cute Nathan loves to sing while he is doing his puzzles. I was able to catch a clip of him singing a famous song...do you recognize it?
#Autism #Singing

Ignoring the To Do List for the Day

There are days when I just ignore my "to do list" and do something else. I had one of those days last week--I was looking in my closet and just got a hankering to change these pants from a pantsuit I have into a skirt. Yes, I know it is absolutely crazy the way my brain works. My husband just shakes his head and patiently comments, "What is it like to live in your brain?"

Anyway, so I dropped everything--left the dishes in the sink and my bed unmade and pulled out the seam ripper, my scissors and my sewing machine and took a stab at it (I'd never done anything like this before). It actually turned out okay! Hurray! It was fun to try something new. Oh, and I did eventually get my bed made and the dishes done and dinner on the table.

#IgnoringTheToDoList

Dance, Dance Revolution & Autism

Cute Nathan LOVES Dance, Dance Revolution. Anytime we are anywhere that has an arcade he has to run and check to see if they have his favorite game! He doesn't have to be the one "dancing" but he somehow gets a big kick out of it. Oh--and he also tells me "camera" which means he wants me to record him so he can watch himself later;). So, here is Nathan doing a little dancing. Enjoy! #DDR #Autism

Nathan Dancing DDR

Autism and Amusement Parks

The kids have been saving their money and bought a season pass for a local amusement park for the summer. We went on Saturday for the first time this year. The funny thing about taking Nathan is that he has to follow the same pattern and ride the same rides in the exact order every time that he goes--and he hasn't forgotten it from last year. So, I guess I'm in for an autistic summer at the amusement park:). Don't you dare vary the rides or the schedule!;) The blessing is that they aren't on "electronics" while we are there and are super happy.

#Autsim #AmusementPark

Growing Up

This little girl just keeps on growing! Now she is 5'3"--almost as tall as Grandma...and not even 12 years old yet. Cute Noelle just keeps stretching taller and taller. I'm sure she'll be as tall as me soon.

#GrowingUp

I Love Spring!

Spring, glorious Spring! I love to see the blossoms in bloom in the spring. It makes my heart rejoice! Here are some photos from my walk this morning--just as the sun was creeping up over the mountains and shining on all the beautiful flowers in bloom along my walking trail. I think Spring is symbolic of life and the renewal that comes from enduring long and wintery seasons of our life. So, hang in there if you are having a bad year, a trying month or a hard season of life--take heart that Spring will come!

#LoveSpring

Recovery

Nathan update: He is back at school finally. He seems to be recovering well from having his 5 teeth out. Part of his hardest recovery has been letting his bottom lip heal. He chewed on it so much the first day of the surgery, because it was numb, that he has had to heal from that as well. I feel like most of what I did the first day was sit by him and about every 15-30 seconds prompt him, "Don't bite your lip." It was still swollen to about 4 times the size it was supposed to be by the end of the first day--poor baby.

I then got a terrible cold and both of us have been "recovering" together. Now my challenge is knowing when to stop giving him Ibuprofen. At least he has been willing to take the 6-8 chewable children's Ibuprofen when I give it to him. He won't swallow pills, so we gotta do the chewable stuff. It is hard to get him to let me know how much pain he is still having because he doesn't communicate verbally very well. Thanks for all the prayers!

#Recovery #Autism

Post-Op Update

Surgery is over and went well--5 teeth removed (4 of them wisdom teeth). We are home now. Nathan is resting on the couch. The hardest things so far is keeping him from biting his numb lower lip and dealing with him drooling blood (yuck!) He also had a hard time taking his liquid medicine because swallowing without dribbling half of it out of his mouth right now is a challenge.

Now I am just hoping we can medicate him enough to keep him comfortable as the numbing wears off. Thank you for all the prayers! Keep them coming. I think we are in for some long days and nights the next few days.

#Autism #TeethOut #MommyVigil