My Little Helper

In between the rain, and cold spells we have had this spring, I have tried to get a little work done in our yard. It's a good thing I have Ben around to pitch in...

He takes his work VERY seriously.

But no picture captures his true personality like this one does...

He is all boy, and so much fun! I am so glad we have this little guy around.

My Oldest is Eight!

Vanessa turned eight on Monday! I just can't believe it! We gave Vanessa a choice of having a birthday party with her friends, or going to a special day camp called "Kid vs. Wild". She chose to go to the camp and she had SO much fun. It was right up her alley. They went to Cabelas and learned about wild animals. She got to explore caves, and build a shelter in "the wild", where they had lunch. She also got to do some rock wall climbing, which was her favorite. She really loved it, and it was also a great learning experience for her as well.

On her actual birthday, we left Ben and Evan with a babysitter, and took Vanessa out to dinner. She really seems to love it when we just take her. We love Ben and Evan, but they aren't the most fun to take out to a restaurant.

She enjoyed a big platter of shrimp. She is such a seafood lover! Later, we had the servers come and sing her happy birthday, and they brought her a big ice cream treat. She was pretty embarrassed, but I know she loved it.
Later we came home, had cake, and opened her presents. There is a long story that goes along with the cake she asked me to make her. Let's just say a caterpillar she caught last summer on a camping trip made quite an impression on her.

She loved all her presents. She has not outgrown her love for stuffed animals. She sleeps with about 20 of them every night. And of course, she loves her video games.
Overall, I could tell she really loved her birthday this year. In her prayers that night she thanked Heavenly Father at least 3 times for giving her such a wonderful birthday.

A Lesson in Art

I've started a bit of a new hobby and it has taken up a big chunk of my time this past month. I've started to sell a little on ebay, and so I have found that it has been harder than usual to keep my blog updated, but I will try to do a better job this month.

Marty's clinic is building a new clinic that should be opening within the next month or so. It should be quite a bit of an upgrade from the building they are in now. On Saturday, his clinic offered their employees kids ages 5-12 a chance to create new artwork that will be framed and displayed throughout the new building. "Real" artists were there to assist the kids and show them new techniques for creating their artwork. At first, Vanessa was the only kid there, but soon after the table was filled.

Every child was supposed to complete two paintings, however Vanessa was the only one who barely finished one. Ahhh, that is how she is about everything she does. She is a bit of a perfectionist. Hmmm,... I wonder where she gets that from?
In the end she came up with a beautiful jungle-themed picture. It will be really exciting (especially for her), when she gets to see it framed, and hanging on the wall in Marty's new clinic.

National Autism Awareness Day

Today is National Autism Awareness Day, and April is Autism Awareness month. Families all over the world struggle with autism everyday. You may wonder at times what you can do to support this cause. Of course there are ways you can help financially by donating to autism research and various autism charities, but really there is a much simpler way you can help.

I came across a statement from a women named Dara Michalski, who is the author of a food blog I follow called Cookin' Canuck. She also happens to work with children with autism. She wrote in her blog today how others can support the cause of autism.

"Whenever you see a child out in public, whether it's at the grocery store or the park, who is clearly having a difficult time behaviorally, be gentle in your judgment. While it may just be a typical child throwing a tantrum over a coveted candy bar, it is also possible that this may be a child with autism. Be aware that the parents are doing the best that they can do and that the child is NOT just being naughty. Don't watch them with judgmental eyes. All they ask for is a little understanding and acceptance."

I could not have said that better myself, (that's why I quoted her) :). We all need a little more understanding, kindness, patience and a lot less judgment by others in our lives no matter what our current circumstances may be. We never know what personal struggles anyone is going through at any given moment.

And then there was grass...

After months of staring out the windows of our house into a yard full of dirt, and sometimes mud, WE FINALLY HAVE GRASS!!!!

Our front yard before:


After:
Backyard before:

After:

Now we just need the flowers, the garden, the trees, the scrubs, and the fence. One thing at a time...

Who is this kid?

Ok, so we finally admitted that Ben's hair was getting a little out-of-control. So after weeks of going back and forth, we took the plunge today and cut off Ben's beautiful locks. His hair has just been coming in like crazy, with lots of curls. I couldn't stand the thought of touching them..., until now. I felt it was time.

So here are some befores:

Is a little boy supposed to have hair this luxurious?

Now he's begging for me to make them stop...


And now... I feel like I have a different kid...

Wow what a transformation! He's starting to look like a "little man", and not a baby. Kids grow so stinkin' fast!

Enjoying all the sweetness!

Well, honestly it seems like life has been a bit boring lately. Even though February is the shortest month of the year, I swear it usually seems like the longest to me. The weather has been so "blah" here lately. We have had a very mild winter, unlike my friends and family who live in the midwest and eastern part of the U.S.. So if it isn't going to snow like it means it, then I say bring on Spring already!

So, yeah, my life has been a bit uneventful lately, except for all the sickness that keeps swirling around our family. However, this week has been somewhat noteworthy because Evan has had such an amazing week! It is not that he has done anything earth-shattering, but he has been so pleasant and just so stinkin' happy! There has been no whining, no melt-downs, no hitting, no incessant humming. He has just been so incredibly sweet and loving! I am not exactly sure why... I have been doing some music therapy with him, and maybe... We'll just have to wait and see, but for now I am just enjoying all the sweetness!

I took some pictures of him, so you could all see what I am talking about. :)




Love this kid!

365 days of pictures

I was watching a local morning show a couple of weeks ago and they did a segment on journaling/scrapbooking. I have long since given up my days of scrapbooking. I really did enjoy it while I had the time, but now it just seems impossible. Anyway, the show that morning presented a simpler, more manageable way to journal with pictures. I really do want to start keeping track of all the wonderful moments that are taking place while my kids are young, so I decided I am going to give this "new" way of scrapbooking a try. It basically involves taking a few pictures, everyday, for one year. And I know that taking pictures EVERY day sounds a bit extreme, but I like the idea behind it. Some day it's not going to be just the big moments we want to remember... it's going to be the everyday little moments as well. I don't want to forget the "little" moments. Those are sometimes the most important and precious!

There are different ways to go about this, but I wanted the "easiest" way, so I went with a 365 day kit that is already made for just this project. It is called "Project Life" by Becky Higgens. If you go to her website she gives lots of suggestions of the day-to-day things you might want to preserve in a 365 day memory book. Many of her suggestions are not things I would normally think about as picture worthy, but I can see how many years from now, those pictures would be very valuable on many different levels.

So I have been taking pictures like crazy! And it has been so much fun. Here are a few random ones from the last few days.

Ben and Luna, both, enjoy looking out the window together. Luna just has a much better view.

Anyway, many more pictures to go...