Spending Sunday Together

Sunday was a great experience. We went to church with my parents to the Spanish Branch they attend. I loved being there, My mom translated some patriotic hymns into Spanish and the choir she is in charge of did a great job. We met wonderful people and I enjoyed brushing up on my Spanish. I could understand so much, the kids weren't catching it all, but hopefully they'll get a desire to learn this wonderful language! We had Mexican food after and I enjoyed watching Churchy type show with my parents, a nap, and relaxing. They do so much service in the church, its nice to celebrate the holiday and worship with them.

Enjoying Twilight Knott's Berry Farm.

Day Two of our trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house was pretty fun too. Each Morning Grandpa makes us breakfast and then the kids swim a while. It is so beautiful and relaxing in their backyard. We shopped all afternoon getting Joseph some church clothes, visiting Henry's Shoe experience, our favorite shoe store around there, and grabbing some ultra yummy seviche for lunch. My kids are fish eaters and gobbled it all up! They love to have paletas in between their swims and the taco bar is a big hit as well. Who can pass up beef Chile and Chile Verde tacos, tostadas and nachos? Yum!

In the afternoon, Grandpa headed off to the Temple and my mom and I took the kids to Twilight Knott's Berry Farm. We got a great discount, a lady I didn't know gave me a coupon too, gotta love that. We went on many rides, enjoyed a couple funnel cakes, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The Highlights were; The Calico train ride where we watched an extreme bike show to the song "For you and your Denial" by Yellowcard while we waited to ride, the Log Ride(Celia said how much she loved this ride the entire time), the bumper cars (Celia and Emmy vs. Mama and Joseph), and the tumultuous ride called the wipe out. Joseph liked the foot massager while we waited for Emmy to go on the Ferris wheel, and Emmy and I got wet on the Big Foot Rapids right before it was time to go home.:)

We got Celia a stroller and a lollipop and she thought it was a good as Disneyland.:) We left around 10:30pm and we were happy campers. Grandpa made spaghetti for us and we went to bed having full tummys and having been fully entertained. Now this is vacation!

Hacienda Hills Hike

We went to the La Area to visit my folks for fourth of July. I was so afraid of holiday traffic on a Friday we left on Thursday. It turned out to be a great idea. We didn't hit any slow downs or traffic despite the signs of upcoming delay( we took a detour) and the looks of on going construction. The kids were great and we made it there without problem. On the way into town Celia decided we should go hiking since she had a new over the shoulder pack and Joseph had just got a new back pack in the mail to prep for his Colorado trip. So the next day Tanya and her kids and our crew went to the Hacienda Hills trail. It was hot and steep and I think Celia changed her mind about hiking. I was impressed about the kids not complaining, except for Celia. Its great to hike with buddies, we sang songs for Celia on the way down when she thought she couldn't make it and she had to take bites of cinnamon apple waffle grandpa made to make it through such a hard endeavor. It made for a nice afternoon of swimming in the grandparents pool. Tanya and I got to volleyball and yogurt that evening. It was a wonderful active day, Loved it.~

Like Mother like Daughter

I love the outdoors. I love to beautify, renew, and grow something beautiful. My friends and family must know that because I do it so often and I'm starting to receive presents of that nature. I received a cute red daisy potted plant from Joseph's fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Talley. It is so cute I planted it in the front yard where my lavender failed to come up after being smashed because the kids were filling up water balloons, its all fun. Spence was able to choose a gift for me before mother's day at his school and he chose the exact red flowers(begonias) we already have in the back yard that one had died. His teacher said he was adamant about picking that one out of other options. I told Spence he chose great and he just smiled.

Yesterday, I worked on the backyard and made a little room out of the furniture we had that I didn't have room for in the house since we redid our tile. Joseph and Emmy helped and we got all the leftover construction mess and materials out of the way and made a beautiful area to sit and to have friends hang out in. I was glad I did it and realized that my mom had been working on beautifying her yard the same day. Her pictures were beautiful, her yard looks amazing and I realized I get the creative bug from her and the love of planting and beautifying. What better way to renew then to take after my mother. I am happy to have children to pass down traits and talents too. It is all very fulfilling.:)

Underwater

Who doesn't love swimming? You are weightless, and it can be such a refreshing experience on a hot day. We have had high temps around here this week and and swimming as been the theme of the week, for Emelie at least. She's been to two aquatic centers more than once, two other pools and boating. It's multiple times a day that she is swimming and she experienced her first sun burn. I think it will turn into just a nice brown tan by the end of the week, Lucky girl.

Last week Emmy was at camp and went canoeing there too. We are planning to go to Mammoth in August and kayaking is something we want to do there. Its official, we love water. Emmy's friend Kimberly bought an underwater camera and took these pictures of Emmy and her friends. It reminds me of the movie twilight when Bella is under water.:) I'm glad they make those kind of cameras, it captures just a little bit of the feeling and look of being under water. I think we'll play in our Jacuzzi this week too if the high temperatures hold up. It'll be a good opportunity to teach Celia to swim.~

Magnificent Men

What makes a great father? Is it the support they give day by day, the time spent with each child, and the support to the wife? Absolutely. Mothers do what they do best no matter the time of day or how the day has gone. Fathers that are fantastic do the the same. They go to work when they're tired, they take the time to show interest in the children's day despite what has gone on in their day. They read stories to little ones, they cook meals when needed and occasionally spoil the family to death with their favorite things. I am fortunate to have one of those type of fathers. My Dad cooked for us growing up. He supported us having friends over and cares about our family and their well being deeply. He supported us through all the expenses of teenage girls and big wedding receptions. He taught us to pray and read the scriptures and to be honest. My Dad is so honest , kind, full of Truth, loves to smile, and be happy.

I am doubly blessed to be married to such an amazing man that is an extraordinary father to my children. We have such wonderful monkey kids, its not always easy to have family home evening, game nights, and give quality time to each child but he does it and does it well. He has charity, is strong, extremely intelligent, loving, and such a great example to our children and a great support to us all. I am grateful for these men in my life all all they do not only once a year but every day and the diligence it takes to be these magnificent men. :)

Parent Testimony

I was asked to give my Parent testimony about the in home program we have from Captial Autism Services. This is my first hand account, thoughts, feelings and perceptions of those whom I've worked with while they work with my two children; Celia and Spencer. It has been over a year that we have had them coming to our home doing parent training, lesson with the kids, community outings, and many other teaching opportunities.

I love Capital Autism services! I love how they are there for me for my children's collaboration meetings and IEPs. I love that because of the knowledge they have taught me I am able to come up with solutions that work for my children's school, home, and church environments. It is great to have consistent help from professionals to teach and mold my children.

We have seen considerable growth in both my children. Celia who was really lacking in language and had some major anxiety issues is now able to request before starting a behavior. Many social stories have helped her. We have benefited from schedules for the children, visuals for self help skills and Yvonne my consultant even made us up some Davis dollars to use as reinforcement for the kids for chores and acting appropriately. They look like money but have the children's pictures on it where the president's face would be. Not only have these helps worked but they have lasted.

I am impressed with how professional the employees are with CAS. I have had two programs come into my home in the past and I would refer CAS first to everyone needing services for their child or children with Autism. I feel they respect my beliefs, my home, and my desires for the growth in my children. I feel they are facilitating me and my family to be professionals on Autism. We can cope, come up with ideas and brainstorm our way through each developmental challenge in my family's life. I say family because how our children grow affect the entire dynamic of the family.

We work each week to building a better future for my children and our community. Our children are learning to become better classmates, peers, and members of our society through the great behavioral interventions we have receive through Capital Autism Services. Spencer is non verbal but is currently using his PECS book to ask for things he wants and is becoming more proficient and specific with his contant use. Spence is less self injurious, aggressive, and high strung. My daughter Celia is generalizing to kindergarten at our nearby elementary school. She has made significant growth in language and in many areas of concern. I can attribute help from CAS to these great milestones in my children's lives. I am grateful to have them come to my home and help bring a better life for my extremely special children.

Audrey Davis
Stay at Home Mom of four and behaviorism enthusiast.~

Feeling like Summer.

This Morning we went to Lake of the Pines. Its really beautiful up in foothills and who doesn't love sun, sand, and water! I gave my name at the gate and they thought I meant I was Ruth since we are both Davis' and I agreed when they asked me her name. The man figured it out when she came by though.:) What a great place to be with friends. Ellen intorduced me to Michal who I thought looked awfully familiar. It turned out she was in my Stake growing up! Its a small world, and its so great to see friends from long ago and from recently too. I got to see Jaynie, Ruth, Napa and Melanie there too! Celia loves to make friends and will do just fine in Kindergarten coming up. I was having a hard time keeping her away from the bigger girls who were trying to race. She thought they were having fun and wanted to join in! Joe was too cool with his funny expressions and relaxxing eating cheetos. He packed us lunches even though we stopped at Carl's Jr. on the way home. We made it home in time to get Spencer off the bus, bathe, and enjoy the rest of the summer day.:) I'm sure Spence had fun at summer school & Emmy at girls camp.~

Outta School

School is out and Summer was here. We had a lot of community outings with the tutors because of the remodeling going on at home. We went to the grocery store, a few parks, home depot, and Tower mart. After being out in 88 degree weather everyone enjoyed the whole room of refrigerated drinks in Tower Mart. I am still keeping the rule of no kids eating or drinking in the car, which Spencer was pretty mad about after picking out treats at tower mart. We made it home with the help of Andy his tutor ad are teaching him to sit appropriately in my van.

Joseph spent the first three days with Rah Rah and Papa. He had a grand time spending time over there doing puzzles, going for a walk and playing with his cousins, especially Holly and going to Wacky Tacky with them a highlight for him. Emmy got invited Camping with her friend Kaitlyn and was gone for several days hiking to a lake, observing squirrels and their behavior and having a fun time in the Sierra Nevadas.

On Thursday we barricaded the Hall so the kids wouldn't touch the wet tile and we went to see the Rivercats. It was a beautiful night and we saw a bunch of runs. I love music and fun of the games there. The bridge looked like gold in the sunset and even though the wind coming off the river was quite cool , Joseph wanted a snow cone When he has money, it burns a hole in his pocket! He got one and was a happy camper for a second then looked at all the other things the vendors passed by with he he. Silly kid.

On Friday we had a play day at the park with Benjamin and Joseph got to spend the rest of the afternoon at over with him playing. I was invite d to a girls night out and enjoyed Costa Vida and great conversations outdoors with the girls. Afterwards, we had Starbucks hot chocolate which was my first time. It was pretty yummy with adding vanilla and hazelnut to it.:) It was pretty chocolaty and I'm sure Emmy would have been a fan of it! She came home on Saturday from camping with just enough time to pack her bags for girls camp on Monday. She will spend a week there and when she gets back Joseph will go to twilight camp for cub scouts.

Phew summer is beginning and already we are as busy as the school year. Celia and Spencer will have extended school year for a month, then comes fourth of July and before we know it we will be going to Mammoth in August. I'm glad we will have time to spend and make memories with every family member this break!

Nothing bad happens that good doesn't come of it.

Last Monday we embarked on a big project in our home. We actually it started way before that with preparation, but Monday was when the extraction of the floor and the installation began. It was an interesting week having tutors and meeting while under construction. We had some hard days and some great days but we were blessed and it turned out fantastic! Some thing good did come of our floor getting flooded. I love porcelain Spanish tile! We also sealed it and had polyblend grout so hopefully it'll be protected from dirt and stains.:) It will be easier to clean and its so warm colored and light compared to the look of the other floor. If you've ever done home improvement you know things go slow and there are always hiccups. I was amazed at the strength of the man that did ours. He truly had the help of the three nephites to complete everything and show up each day ready to put in 12 hours. Its hard to know what to say other then it was a great and crazy 5 days, but I couldn't be more happy with the results.:)

Emmy the Highschooler

On Thursday, Emmy went to her last day of Middle School at ACMS. The promotion ceremony felt like a graduation ceremony to me, it was a bit long for Celia bear. They played music from the nineties. I really liked it and Emmy said she hadn't heard of any of them. It was neat to see all the wonderful kids and hear of their accomplishments and greatness from their principal and the teachers. We had amazing weather considering we had a tornado warning and hail the day before. Here are a few pictures of our sweet Emmy in her Promotion dress. After the ceremony her and I went out to lunch to Olive Garden, she ordered pepperoni pizza which I think is silly seeing as she has pepperoni pizza all the time, but she thinks that's what Italian restaurants are for. The place was packed celebrating all the junior highers in the area with their families. It was nice to have time together on her last day. She had fun with her friends and is going to have a great summer then embark on the adventure of High School, I can't believe it!