Free Friday

I am loving the free Fridays. I have no meetings or tutoring sessions on Fridays. This morning Celia and I organized our things (mainly my closet)and made a bag to give away. She was very willing to give away her shoes that didn't fit her anymore to other children that may need it. Joseph had a half day since he just got back from an overnight field trip to pioneer camp. We went to DI and had a great time checking out the thirft store like we do. I found a table that matches my decor and style. Joseph was a strong boy helping me bring it in the house. We missed him, everyone who came over was asking about him. He decided he was glad he didn't live in the pioneer times, but his favorite part was making candles out of beeswax and buying souvenirs! Here is our table with Joseph's rabbit pelt from pioneer camp used beneath the flowers as a centerpiece.

Easter 2011

It was nice to have Easter at home this year. We were keeping it pretty low key. I tried to take a few pictures, but even though all were home and got dressed up for church, I seemed to miss my opportunity to catch everyone dressed up. I decided it was better to just have a relaxing day than to push it. We went to church and had some yummy corned beef, it was my first time making that. I knew it was salty, but didn't realize how salty it was until I tried to make gravy from the drippings. Emmy liked it, but the rest of us ate our potatoes sans gravy.

My mom made wonderful Easter baskets and sent them to us. They were chuck full of candy, chocolate eggs, and a ton of amazing souvenirs from their recent trip to the Amazon and other places in Brazil and the Caribbean. The kids loved their baskets and all their loot especially the unique looking recorders and boat. Celia loved her Dora Brazilian T-shirts and said she is going to keep her basket for forever and that she loved it. Its great to not make a big tahdo each holiday, its more relaxing for me and we can focus more on the meaning of the holiday, like the Resurrection of our Savior in this case. We were ending the kids spring break from school and having so many birthday celebrations, it was nice to get everyone back into their routines (going to school)after the weekend(on Tuesday) I am enjoying it being a bit more quiet around here!:)

13th

Spencer has a few favorite things, one of them being his family visiting him at school. Emmy, Joseph, Celia and I brought cupcakes to his class and we had a surprise birthday party for Spencer. He was looking at us and smiling. He tried to get a picture of us all together that was pretty funny as we are notorious for being unable to take a group photo very well. I loved seeing Spencer so happy. His teacher had balloons which all the kids in Spencer's class loved to pop, I thought that was just his thing! They had cute purple plates, a special conductor's hat for the birthday boy and a medal that said winner on it. We also has chips, lemonade and our cupcakes we brought that Celia turned over in the car.. lol we are not buying Winco cupcakes anymore, every time we've bought them they've been dumped over!

I bought Spencer his favorite snacks and drinks as some of his presents, which all the other kids were jealous of. Who knew food would be a fantastic envied birthday gift? Well, I did because Spencer got something similar to this year for Christmas gifts a few years back when he loved to line up bottles. All the kids were ditching their gifts to see what Spencer had and to open it. Brian took Spencer for a ride in his car in the evening and we had cheese pizza and a cake for him. He crashed early before he could really use his new Blue ray player, but I'm sure it will get a lot of use in the boys room! Happy teenager Birthday Spencer!!

Not too Tiring

We take community outings with the kids to practice being out in public, staying safely by me, and we were off to the library today when.. I could feel my tire was flat and sure enough Emmy was telling me that the car had a message saying one tire low pressure. It was completely flat, we were about a mile from home with all the kids and it was pretty warm out. I called AAA which is a total necessity by the way and they said I'd be an hour. I was so happy to have the tutors there. We talked and played with the kids and Yvonne came and had pink and blue playdoh, windup Easter toys, kid's sudoku, and sidewalk chalk in her car. There were three adults and four kiddos. It was very manageable and we waiting patiently and I was off to buy new back tires in no time. I got some good ones and our front tires are looking good, so hopefully it'll be a while before we'll have to get new tires. Things happen that are inconvenient, but I was glad we made it through this one with ease thanks to my friends and children's tutors Yvonne, Andy, and Lindsey. What angels they are!

Adventures of a Special Day~

Yesterday was a Special day, April 22nd!. Our sweet Celia jean jelly bean turned five. The boys were occupied with other things so Emmy, Celia, and I headed out to Stinson Beach for a day of fun and celebration. In the morning Celia opened one present that was sparkly jeans and Dora silly bands. She is crazy for both of these things, but was a little concerned there weren't more gifts! I assured her it was going to be a great day.~

I was surprised how I found my way there with no trouble, I must have a radar for the ocean. We enjoyed the bridges and the wonderful smell of Muir woods before reaching the northern California coast. Celia thought the winding roads down to the shore were a roller coaster and she was a little nervous being on the cliffs. It was cute and Emmy comforted her and was a great older sister! We had breakfast there. The girls loved the hot chocolate. I loved the ambiance, they had a fire going and it was such a cute little beach cafe. There was a down syndrome boy next to us. He was so cute and sweet. He sat better than our sweet Celia hehe. She is such a wiggle worm, so she loved playing at the little park nearby and running around on the sand looking for sticks to surround her sand castle. I think she was expecting a real castle to be built, because she said we didn't build one. Emmy and I decided she may have watch too much Dora the Explorer or some other cartoon. We assured her we made a great sand castle. We traveled home over the Golden Gate bridge and through a little bit of San Francisco. Celia said we're in the city! We sure were, lots of traffic on a Friday there, but it was nice to pass through.

We stopped at Walmart on the way home and got Celia a Disney princess key (she can now access our garage..) that she had been wanting ,and a big fluffy beanie pig. She was pretty happy. We topped off the day with decorations at home, the sister missionaries for dinner, and a yummy red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting from Costco, mmm.

I was pleasantly surprised that Young our respite worker, who is quite the cook had marinated some chicken for us for dinner. She used many flavorful spices and encouraged me to plant a herb garden so she can make some marinades with fresh basil, rosemary, thyme, etc. Sounds like a good plan to me. We had a great meal and the four chicken breasts were like the feast of the loaves and the fishes. We had mash potatoes and salad too, but seemed to have leftovers, which doesn't happen very often around here.:)

We were glad to be all together again, Brian had been gone for training at work for two days and we all came together for dinner and opening presents. Celia got a pink DSI with a hello kitty case. She settled down and enjoyed playing her games, taking pictures and listening to the music Emmy put on her SD card for her. We love our family and our adventures, what a great day!

How are You?

Perception and perspective are interesting to consider when we are deciding how our day is going. We hear the traditional;"How are you doing"at that point we can either say fine which is the typical answer or we can be accurate and elaborate. We have to decide then and maybe before then how we feel about our day. If for instance I have been having an eternal perspective, I would relish the love in my life and learning opportunities that raising of my children brings to me. I could say, today is a great blessed day! If I thought how spring break should be full or relaxation and peace, I may find myself less than satisfied on the days events. I might say I'm fair to midland and counting down the days until school resumes!

I can choose to have a great day despite any mishaps or challenges a long the way. I have been practicing thinking of happy times while embracing the challenge that comes from physical exertion necessary that day,or weathering the weather of the day. For instance I love to recall using the hot tub on a cool summer evening with the delta breeze helping the experience be all the more relaxing. It calms me and makes me smile despite a gloomy day or the fact that I have an inoperative clothes dryer, or have a worry of my boy suffering from terrible seasonal allergies.

I've found reading the scriptures very helpful in gaining perspective on how my day is going. Also, music such as hymns give me clarity on how I am doing. "Have I done any good in the world today, have I helped anyone in need? Have I cheered up the sad or made someone feel glad? If not, I have failed indeed." Being a mother and a wife helps me to do things that bring me joy. I admit cleaning up after kids is not joyful for me yet, but teaching them all they need to know to succeed in life and beyond is a great pursuit and I love to see their progress.

Being under the weather always puts a damper on my day and my feeling of happiness. Yesterday, My ears were hurting me, and my world was spinning with vertigo. It was difficult to focus through Three hours of meetings at my house for my children's benefit. I was starving and ill by the end. It is great to have that in home support and to have her come to our home to meet, but I wasn't thinking that at the time. After, the kids and I went and got some lunch (Teriakyi Turkey burger..Mmm)and brought it home, since I don't let the kids eat in my car.:) A clean car is a happy place too! I felt better after some food and Joseph assured me I could rest a little while he had everything under control. He is so cute and I could hear him turning on a TV show and manning the front room.

Soon after it was time for tutoring to start and I was amazed at how the kids were doing so well at Winco with the help of he tutors on our community outing. It brightened my day and ended up having a fantastic evening. Brian and I, Joseph and Emmy ate homemade chicken green chili enchiladas and Caesar salad then got to go out to shop for Celia and Spencer's birthdays coming up. We had respite and after we came home we played a game together called Dominion and it turned out to be a great day! I am grateful for prayer, for support, for eternal perspective, and the knowledge that all is well. I am doing very well today, if anyone asks.~

Showing Progress~

Spencer had school this week while my other kiddos are on spring break. I wanted to come visit him today at school and was happy to find out they were having a party. I brought Emmy and Celia with me and we all had a great time. Spencer loves his teacher Barb. She does great things for those kiddos. My kids loved the cupcakes, chips and pretzels. I loved seeing Spencer use his PECS book to ask for things he wanted. He asked for pretzels and tickles and had been asking for me with my picture earlier that day! After the party Spencer had leisure and circuit time. I figured we would leave then and he could travel home on the bus. He heard my plan and looked at me very surprised and concerned. He went to his book and made the sentence I want car ride that has a picture of our minivan on it. It was so exciting and he was very happy to see that I was going to wait for him and take him home with us. There is so much he wants to communicate and I am so happy that PECS is the beginning of that journey for him. He is less frustrated and more understood when we know what he is thinking or wants. Even if the answer is no, we just say its not available and put it on the red page. It helps a lot. Eventually we'd like to transfer that to an I pad with apps and have him bring it with him everywhere, but this little binder if a great start!

Who dosen't love water

I drained our hot tub a few weeks ago since we needed to clear the water up. Yesterday, Celia Joseph and I cleaned out the tub and filled it with hose water. The kids were so cute and we had a lot of fun doing it. I haven't decided whether we are going to use this like a pool for the summer time this year or to keep it warm and sparkling for evening use with the cool breeze we get every night off the delta. The kids are hoping for full access. I suppose that depends on if we get a new cover or not. With most purchases around here we have to weigh the pros and cons and decide if he children will destroy it. Spencer and Celia have climbed on the current hot tub cover and then the heavy rains weigh it down in the middle until it doesn't lay straight and cover well. I'd have to be on cover protection duty twenty four seven. I have to be militant in protecting and defending things around here hehe. Am I up to the challenge? I say yes!:) It is nice to be out near water on a beautiful day, it is very relaxing and I'm glad we have a hot tub.~

Avery Pond Hike

I'm part of a hiking group, so when schedules allow I go hiking with some fabulous ladies (Tammy,Misty,Heidi, & Angie)and explore the gorgeous nature nearby. We have had a ton of rain lately and haven't been able to get out and hike. We went to Avery pond that you can access from rattlesnake bar in the Folsom lake area. It was a beautiful day out. We saw so many butterflies, at one point I had four surrounding me. We saw a beautiful crane take off and some cute turtles that like to layout on a rock in the pond. We went four to 5 miles and stopped for a snack at some picnic tables (for like 10mins)half way through. My favorite part was talking with friends while we took in the beautiful surroundings. It was good exercise too! My feet weren't used to the ups and downs so my shins and the top of my feet were pretty sore. It was a great Friday topped off by no tutoring sessions or parent trainings. Sometimes its just nice to be in nature and fill my cup! All these beautiful pictures were taken by my friend Heidi. I brought my video camera and captured some of our talking and messing around on the hike as well as some great nature shots. There was a lot of poison ivy that we did a good job avoiding as well as the mountain lions which there were many posted warnings for!:)