The eyes really are the window to the soul...
Our Life
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The Eyes Have It
The eyes really are the window to the soul...
Monday, December 19, 2011
I Believe in Santa
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| Marc saw Santa a church one day and asked if he could get a picture with him. |
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| Me, Sister and Baby just had to sneak a picture with Santa because we couldn't let Marc be the only one to get in on the act. Besides, I matched and thought it would make for a good picture... It's times like this that I wish I had my camera instead of an iPod. You know it is interesting when you get into the whole "meaning" of Christmas. Some say it is about the gifts. Some say it is about family. Some say it is about the feeling. I think it is all those things. In Spanish "mas" is more. So if you break down the word Christmas it is, basically, "Christ more" or "more Christ." Christ gave many gifts, taught the importance of love and family, and lead many through the feeling they felt around him. Some say that Santa detracts from a Christ-centered Christmas but, I see him as a figure who encourages Christlike attributes of giving, loving, knowing everyone by name, encouraging us to be good, working hard for the benefit of others, giving his time to help the children and asking them to gather 'round him. If Santa can represent all those things then... Yes! I believe in Santa! |
Forgotten Picture
I forgot that Marc took this picture with his iPod the night of my Grandma Vivian's viewing.
I ran across it tonight and it just made me smile.
Sister and Brother LOVE my cousin, Nicole. Sister just kept giving her kisses and hugs the night of the viewing. They have a "special" bond that I don't think the two of them realize just how deep their bond is. It is a very sweet thing to watch.
I truly hope that, when Sister grows up, she is as wonderful, sweet, outgoing, and beautiful as Nicole is. Becky and Dan, you have done a fabulous job!
I'm Dreaming of a White Elephant Christmas
I just love parties where you give white elephant gifts!
I get such a kick out of how creative people get. But the ones I saw this year were just down right funny!
I didn't get a picture but, Marc got a bunch of batteries with a label that read, "toys not included." Tee hee!
You'll have to check out last years post to see the other funny gift Mariah gave that Marc received last year here. (It's about half-way through the post.)
I get such a kick out of how creative people get. But the ones I saw this year were just down right funny!
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| Janice got the cool gift of 'stache and sunglasses ... don't leave home without 'em |
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| Ummm... gold fish... real gold fish... |
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| The T-shirt |
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| Michelle borrowed Janice's sunglasses so she could get into the true feeling of Pro-wrestling... it even has "6 animated superstar light shows!" this belt was awesome (totally sarcastic... but man, I must say that Mariah does take the cake on the best white elephant gifts, my favorite one is next) |
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| Do you see the picture? It is of Marc, from our Vegas Trip. That's his (fake) autograph across the shirt! Bwa ha ha ha!!! This one took the cake. |
You'll have to check out last years post to see the other funny gift Mariah gave that Marc received last year here. (It's about half-way through the post.)
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Two and a Move
Baby starts crying that kind of cry that I remember so vividly coming from Brother and from Sister at this age.
Two.
It's like there is some kind of "on" switch for my kids at this age that says, "over-stimulation and hyper-arousal set in now."
I sat consoling Baby for almost an hour just waiting out her inconsolable rage and frustration, tears and screaming, writhing and rolling, aimlessly wandering and falling on the floor.
She was sound asleep 15 minutes prior to the fall-apart.
I remember when Brother would do this, it would freak me out. I had NO idea what was going on. Sometimes his rage would go on for hours through the night. It was as if he were having a horrific nightmare that he couldn't completely wake up from. We called them "night terrors." It became the norm to rarely get a good night's sleep once he was almost 2 years old. I remember when Kelsey and Bryan came to live with us these "night terrors" had just started. Kelsey, being the sweet, patient and motherly girl that she was made her the best candidate to share a room with Brother. I was always amazed at how she mostly slept through these "terrors" of Brother's and sometimes would be up trying to soothe him. There were a few times I thought I should take him to the Emergency Room because of his inconsolable freak-outs in the middle of the night—I had no idea what in the world was causing such a young child to have these, almost nightly, melt-downs. We did not have the diagnosis of Fragile X at the time so there was no explanation or reasoning for this behavior that I could understand.
By the time Sister was two, we had the diagnosis for both her and Brother of Fragile X Syndrome. I had learned about hyper-arousal, over-stimulation, and the affects of ADHD. So when Sister started these "night terrors" I felt a little more patient and understanding because I knew partly what was causing her to wake in these fits. But, when these fits turned into her ramming her head into the walls, throwing herself against the cupboards and furniture, I was now having to worry for her safety an mine as she would lash out at me in her fits at times.
I had been used to sleepless nights when we found out we were having another baby so the thought of being up at night didn't bother me so much as being up trying to feed the baby while the other one was up in a screaming fit putting herself in harm's way.
I found out there was a medicine that could help Sister sleep at night and for Brother too. I was so relieved to know that I would have some kind of rest.
There were still wakings at night but nothing like I had been dealing with.
So tonight when Baby woke in a "night terror" fashion that was leaning towards harmful behavior I started to panic but quickly regained myself and remembered that I know why this is happening. I wasn't completely in the dark as I was with Brother and I had seen the extreme side of it with Sister. I knew that I just had to remain calm and soothe Baby the best I could until she could gain composure.
I understand why she had a hard time tonight. I just hadn't thought about it being that age where it set in with the other two.
Sister had a concert with the mainstream first graders today (post, video and pics coming soon for that). She was absolutely amazing and you wouldn't have known for even a second that she has Fragile X. She sang, did the actions, and was right on beat and on queue. I was so proud of her I cried, seriously, it was completely and totally amazing to watch her.
But, during all this I could see Baby getting overwhelmed by the noise, the lights, the crowd... it's weird how I recognize it now.
I also know that all my kids are a bit anxious and overwhelmed by all the boxes beginning to pile up in our house...
Boxes?
Yep, lots of them.
We are moving.
I do think that Baby is starting to catch on that there is going to be a big change.
Marc and I decided a few months ago that we needed to make a move for the kids to grow up in an area with more opportunities for adults with disabilities so that when they grow up there are more options for them. We also decided it was a good financial decision for us as we would be saving on gas and would be able to change up our loan a bit to be able to save more money for the kids' futures.
After making an offer on a short sale in the area we want to move to, we put a for sale sign in our front yard.
It was so hard to do.
We have been here over 8 years and love all our friends and neighbors dearly.
We LOVE, with all our hearts, our children's teachers whom they have grown with.
It was a very tough decision.
We knew it would be hard on us and the kids.
I am just now realizing how exactly tough it is going to be on the kids.
We had 3 offers come in on the house before a week had even passed and by the end of that week we had accepted an offer and had agreed to close at the beginning of January.
We don't have a house to move into yet.
The kids are confused.
We will be living with my parents until the house we made an offer on can go through. (Short sale? Whatever!!)
It's all going to be so hard on the kids.
Which makes it hard on me...
I KNOW this is the right decision, but, I have noticed that sometimes the right things are the hardest to do.
So as I wade my way through the sea of emotion and hyper-arousal I will try to remember the big picture and know that Heavenly Father will bless us in our efforts to ultimately do the best thing for our kids.
Two.
It's like there is some kind of "on" switch for my kids at this age that says, "over-stimulation and hyper-arousal set in now."
I sat consoling Baby for almost an hour just waiting out her inconsolable rage and frustration, tears and screaming, writhing and rolling, aimlessly wandering and falling on the floor.
She was sound asleep 15 minutes prior to the fall-apart.
I remember when Brother would do this, it would freak me out. I had NO idea what was going on. Sometimes his rage would go on for hours through the night. It was as if he were having a horrific nightmare that he couldn't completely wake up from. We called them "night terrors." It became the norm to rarely get a good night's sleep once he was almost 2 years old. I remember when Kelsey and Bryan came to live with us these "night terrors" had just started. Kelsey, being the sweet, patient and motherly girl that she was made her the best candidate to share a room with Brother. I was always amazed at how she mostly slept through these "terrors" of Brother's and sometimes would be up trying to soothe him. There were a few times I thought I should take him to the Emergency Room because of his inconsolable freak-outs in the middle of the night—I had no idea what in the world was causing such a young child to have these, almost nightly, melt-downs. We did not have the diagnosis of Fragile X at the time so there was no explanation or reasoning for this behavior that I could understand.
By the time Sister was two, we had the diagnosis for both her and Brother of Fragile X Syndrome. I had learned about hyper-arousal, over-stimulation, and the affects of ADHD. So when Sister started these "night terrors" I felt a little more patient and understanding because I knew partly what was causing her to wake in these fits. But, when these fits turned into her ramming her head into the walls, throwing herself against the cupboards and furniture, I was now having to worry for her safety an mine as she would lash out at me in her fits at times.
I had been used to sleepless nights when we found out we were having another baby so the thought of being up at night didn't bother me so much as being up trying to feed the baby while the other one was up in a screaming fit putting herself in harm's way.
I found out there was a medicine that could help Sister sleep at night and for Brother too. I was so relieved to know that I would have some kind of rest.
There were still wakings at night but nothing like I had been dealing with.
So tonight when Baby woke in a "night terror" fashion that was leaning towards harmful behavior I started to panic but quickly regained myself and remembered that I know why this is happening. I wasn't completely in the dark as I was with Brother and I had seen the extreme side of it with Sister. I knew that I just had to remain calm and soothe Baby the best I could until she could gain composure.
I understand why she had a hard time tonight. I just hadn't thought about it being that age where it set in with the other two.
Sister had a concert with the mainstream first graders today (post, video and pics coming soon for that). She was absolutely amazing and you wouldn't have known for even a second that she has Fragile X. She sang, did the actions, and was right on beat and on queue. I was so proud of her I cried, seriously, it was completely and totally amazing to watch her.
But, during all this I could see Baby getting overwhelmed by the noise, the lights, the crowd... it's weird how I recognize it now.
I also know that all my kids are a bit anxious and overwhelmed by all the boxes beginning to pile up in our house...
Boxes?
Yep, lots of them.
We are moving.
I do think that Baby is starting to catch on that there is going to be a big change.
Marc and I decided a few months ago that we needed to make a move for the kids to grow up in an area with more opportunities for adults with disabilities so that when they grow up there are more options for them. We also decided it was a good financial decision for us as we would be saving on gas and would be able to change up our loan a bit to be able to save more money for the kids' futures.
After making an offer on a short sale in the area we want to move to, we put a for sale sign in our front yard.
It was so hard to do.
We have been here over 8 years and love all our friends and neighbors dearly.
We LOVE, with all our hearts, our children's teachers whom they have grown with.
It was a very tough decision.
We knew it would be hard on us and the kids.
I am just now realizing how exactly tough it is going to be on the kids.
We had 3 offers come in on the house before a week had even passed and by the end of that week we had accepted an offer and had agreed to close at the beginning of January.
We don't have a house to move into yet.
The kids are confused.
We will be living with my parents until the house we made an offer on can go through. (Short sale? Whatever!!)
It's all going to be so hard on the kids.
Which makes it hard on me...
I KNOW this is the right decision, but, I have noticed that sometimes the right things are the hardest to do.
So as I wade my way through the sea of emotion and hyper-arousal I will try to remember the big picture and know that Heavenly Father will bless us in our efforts to ultimately do the best thing for our kids.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Mustard and Lemonade
One of the things about Fragile X Syndrome that has always been an issue for my kids (and many others with FXS) is their hypo-sensitivity.
For my 3 FX-ers this affects only their mouth.
Everywhere else they are hyper-sensitive—clipping their toenails would make you think it was a sheer form of torture, clothing they wear has to be just right or it affects their entire day, loud places or situations send them through the roof, and the breeze can feel like a hurricane to their skin. You have to try to make their physical environment as pleasing as possible.
So when you get to the other end of the spectrum with their under-sensitivity in their mouths you have to think opposite.
When brother was in pre-school and kindergarten the teachers would use techniques like letting him taste lemon juice or mustard before a speech session or lunch/snack to "wake-up" his mouth. Once he had tasted one of these strong tastes the senses in his mouth were more alert and he was more aware of his tongue and how it was moving around in his mouth.
Quite ingenious if you ask me.
At early intervention for all three of my kids they would "wake-up" their mouths before snack by singing, making faces, puckering their lips and touch their face and mouth with their fingers. This makes children with low tone or an unawareness of their mouth muscles to "realize" where they are.
So you can understand why Brother loves sour green apples, sweet tarts, sour gummies, pretzels, salt and vinegar chips, and ...
mustard salad...
mmm, mm...
He like mustard with his salad and to dip chips in along with all the other regular mustard stuff like hot dogs and hamburgers.
We store a lot of mustard around here.
We also keep a lot of lemon juice on hand for Brother's homemade lemonade.
Side note: Brother won't drink milk (I've tried all kinds of flavors and varieties) but I did find that he loves this Propel with calcium drink mix... they have it in lemonade flavor. (smile) Oh, and thanks to Uncle Joel for taking the picture. (2 smiles)
For my 3 FX-ers this affects only their mouth.
Everywhere else they are hyper-sensitive—clipping their toenails would make you think it was a sheer form of torture, clothing they wear has to be just right or it affects their entire day, loud places or situations send them through the roof, and the breeze can feel like a hurricane to their skin. You have to try to make their physical environment as pleasing as possible.
So when you get to the other end of the spectrum with their under-sensitivity in their mouths you have to think opposite.
When brother was in pre-school and kindergarten the teachers would use techniques like letting him taste lemon juice or mustard before a speech session or lunch/snack to "wake-up" his mouth. Once he had tasted one of these strong tastes the senses in his mouth were more alert and he was more aware of his tongue and how it was moving around in his mouth.
Quite ingenious if you ask me.
At early intervention for all three of my kids they would "wake-up" their mouths before snack by singing, making faces, puckering their lips and touch their face and mouth with their fingers. This makes children with low tone or an unawareness of their mouth muscles to "realize" where they are.
So you can understand why Brother loves sour green apples, sweet tarts, sour gummies, pretzels, salt and vinegar chips, and ...
mustard salad...
He like mustard with his salad and to dip chips in along with all the other regular mustard stuff like hot dogs and hamburgers.
We store a lot of mustard around here.
We also keep a lot of lemon juice on hand for Brother's homemade lemonade.
Side note: Brother won't drink milk (I've tried all kinds of flavors and varieties) but I did find that he loves this Propel with calcium drink mix... they have it in lemonade flavor. (smile) Oh, and thanks to Uncle Joel for taking the picture. (2 smiles)
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Picture Perfect...
not yet, but, dang it, I'm gonna be!
I am bound and determined to become a photographer!
I have recruited several families to let me experiment on them for free photo shoots.
Today I snapped an unsuspecting bald eagle and a heard of cattle...
hey, I'm learning how to do manual shots here, I am working on everything.
Here are my latest learning shots:
Photography has been such a fun, new hobby for me. I am really enjoying it, and I hope to turn it into another side job along with my design work.
I am so thankful that among all my responsibilities of raising a family and being a wife that I can have things for myself to be proud of and have fun doing!
Every mom needs an out, a hobby, something that reminds her that she can still have dreams and goals.
I am bound and determined to become a photographer!
I have recruited several families to let me experiment on them for free photo shoots.
Today I snapped an unsuspecting bald eagle and a heard of cattle...
hey, I'm learning how to do manual shots here, I am working on everything.
Here are my latest learning shots:
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| This family was on Friday afternoon. They were a lot of fun and were good to help me learn. This photo was done on full manual ( I was so proud) and later some filters in Photoshop |
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| My sister and her fam. I have been trying to get them for a couple of weeks now, so I am glad it finally worked out. This is one of my favorites and was shot with my shutter speed in manual and the rest was the camera... then Photoshop |
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| See the bald eagle in the tree? This was full manual and then a little Photoshop boost |
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| Cattle in full manual and no editing... yep, I am proud. |
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| full manual and then some Photoshop magic, this is actually one of Pioneer Woman's actions -- Old West |
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| full manual and some Photoshop magic |
Photography has been such a fun, new hobby for me. I am really enjoying it, and I hope to turn it into another side job along with my design work.
I am so thankful that among all my responsibilities of raising a family and being a wife that I can have things for myself to be proud of and have fun doing!
Every mom needs an out, a hobby, something that reminds her that she can still have dreams and goals.
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