Jojo's Circus

Updates!

2009-07-21T14:22:00.002-06:00

It's been so long since I've posted anything on my blog that I forgot my password to sign in. Luck was on my side though and I finally figured out what it was (note to self: next time pick and easier password). We've had a busy, fun summer that hasn't left me much time to get online. Things are slowing down a little bit though and I decided to take some time to do an update.

Miss Rylee got a toddler bed yesterday and slept in it for the first time last night. She cried for about 2 minutes after we left her in her room, and then crawled in bed and slept perfectly for most of the night. I think she fell out of bed twice last night, but she didn't even really fuss, she just crawled back in bed and went to sleep again. I'm a proud mama, can you tell?? And what's really great about this is that right now she's taking a nap in her bed! She just got in it and went to sleep. I love this! Rylee is such a big girl now- she's started new words every day and she even shakes her head yes and no when you ask her questions (which is the cutest dang thing I've ever seen). She turns 18 months next week and I just can't believe it. She'll be 2 before I know it.

Brandon's getting ready for school to start- he reminds me every day that he wants to ride the bus. His preschool starts up again 1 month from today (not that I've been counting down the days or anything) and he'll be going to a new school this year. He'll still have a long commute- about an hour- but we've heard many great things about this school. His speech has come a long way since even a year ago. It's amazing to hear him talk now! He's still behind, but he'll have speech therapy at school again this year, and I think it will do wonders for him. Brandon has an appt. with his developmental specialist next week and we should be learning more about what other programs are out there for him. We're also going to work on potty training this week, although it hasn't gotten off to a good start. I'm hoping that things will get better, but I guess we'll find out in the next few days.

Richard officially celebrated 4 years at Internet Truckstop in June. For his hard work, he received a well earned raise and a little bit more vacation time. We're proud of him for all that he does. I know things have been a little stressful for him at work lately, but he still works as hard as he can to provide for us. Richard's also taken on bike riding this year to get back into shape. He wakes up way too early nearly every morning ride before he heads off to work. I don't know how he does it, but I'm glad he's found something to make him feel good.

I've recently started selling tutus and princess wands at the Wild Ivy in Kuna. It's kept me busy doing something I love to do, and I'm extremely excited about this new prospect. I also recently went on a quick whirlwind trip to Salt Lake to visit friends (more on that later) and have a couple baby showers I'm helping with this summer. Things have been busy!

The one thing I haven't posted on is the loss of Richard's brother. Ben was one of the most supportive people in our lives and we miss him greatly. For those that don't know, he passed away after a tragic accident on May 16th. We still feel the sadness of his loss, as I'm sure we will for a long time to come. Things won't be the same without him, but I hope that we can help his legacy live on through memories that we shared with him.

Fun at the zoo!!!

2009-04-30T10:33:00.003-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iPLB7EsCBE

I hope Charlotte doesn't mind me posting this, but she made this video about our trip to the zoo last week. She took such cute pics of the kids that I wanted to share with everyone. We had a really fun time on our zoo trip, and near perfect weather (we were actually complaining that it was a little too hot!). And best of all our kids made some great memories together! We look forward to more fun times with Alison, Jamin, Travis, Charlotte, and Brock.

Bye bye Petalprincess!

2009-04-19T18:38:00.002-06:00

I won't be selling for thepetalprincess.com anymore because the owner wants to focus more on selling her products in a couple stores instead of online. You can still find cute flower clips on her website, but her stock seems to be pretty limited at the moment. I have quite a few clips and headbands in stock that I would like to sell, so if there is anything you can't find online, chances are that I probably have it. I also have a few discontinued items as well. Right now I'm selling all of the headbands I have for $1 each with the purchase of a clip at regular price (no shipping charges or tax).

Brandon goes to school...

2009-04-16T14:27:00.004-06:00

Brandon started preschool at the end of March and he LOVES it! His face lights anytime we even mention the word "school"! When the bus comes to pick him up, he jumps up and down and screams "there it is, there it is" over and over! And when he get's home in the afternoon, his face is beaming with happiness! This is such a good experience for him, and I'm so glad that he likes it so much.

The only bad thing about it is that I always get a little emotional when I see the bus pull away. It's a little bittersweet to let him go. It's for the best though, and it is nice to get a little bit of a break twice a week. =)

Miss Rylee turns 1!

2009-04-15T16:23:00.005-06:00

Actually she turned 1 back on January 29th, I'm just really slow at posting lately. It was a special day though, so I wanted to share the fun with everyone. The day of her birthday fell on a Thursday, but we decided to celebrate with our family on the following Saturday. Rylee's grandma and grandpa (my parents) were there, along with her great-grandpa, her great aunt Debbie, her aunt Jeni and uncle Ben, and their kids.

Rylee wasn't too sure about opening presents, but she loved to pull the bows off!

And she liked playing with the wrapping paper once I pulled it off the presents!

She also loved hamming it up for everyone. Unlike her usual somewhat reserved self, she danced, sang, and went around showing everyone what she got for her birthday! It was super cute!

She also enjoyed her cake, although she wasn't quite sure how to dig in at first. She got the hang of it eventually though.

Here's her cute birthday cake, and...

her own little smash cake!

I can't believe my baby is a toddler now! I say it all the time, but really, where does the time go? Rylee has grown into such a sweet, loving, good natured little girl in such a short time. We love her and we love watching her grow every day. Happy Birthday "Littles"!!!

Catching up with long time friends...

2009-04-06T14:59:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I'm more then a little behind on my blog- I still have Rylee's birthday to blog about and that was back in January. I'd like to blame it on being busy (that's part of it at least), but I think it's more because I can't seem to find my creative juices lately. I have fun things to write about, but when I start to type it all out, it just comes out looking lame. Not that I have that many blog followers, but it bugs me to read my lameness. Anywho, I'm giving the ol' blog thing another try today.

A dear friend of mine, Jessica, from years and years ago came into town on vacation and I, along with another very close friend of ours, Katee and her friend Kim, were able to get together for a visit. It was so fun to catch up with these girls! I'm lucky enough to be able to talk to them on a weekly basis, but it's been way too long since I've seen either of them.

Saying goodbye...

2009-03-16T16:31:00.004-06:00

Brandon turns 3 this Friday, which marks the end of our time with The Infant Toddler Program, and everyone involved with it. It will be a big change for us, as our 3 therapists have been coming into our home for a year now. We will miss them greatly and it will be hard to fathom what we will do with our time in place of therapy, since it's been a routine for so long. These people hold special places in my heart now, I'm beyond grateful for everything they've done.
Our speech therapist, Kristi, has been one of our biggest advocates and we are truly sad to see her leave. Brandon has loved her from the start (literally, she was the first person he ever said "I love you" to), and it's because of her that his language has blossomed so much in such a short time. Kristi has always gone above and beyond her job to help us in any way possible- there aren't enough words in the English dictionary to express how thankful I am for that!
Christine, Brandon's Occupational Therapist, is another person that I am unequivocally thankful for. I'm sure I would have pulled my hair out long ago if it weren't for her! Chris comes into our house on a weekly basis to help Brandon with anything from simple tasks, like brushing his teeth, to next to impossible tasks (for Brandon, at least) like transitioning with ease and playing nicely with Rylee. She's done everything from stay late to help me with paperwork, to listen to me vent on a regular basis. She's an absolute super-hero in my book, and I don't know what I would have done without her.
It will be hard to say goodbye, especially for Brandon- he talks about Chris and Kristi all the time. I hope that his new preschool will have people just as devoted in helping Brandon as these ladies have been.

Such a silly little man!

2009-02-24T21:46:00.002-07:00

With Brandon's new found vocabulary has come quite a few funny conversations! For example:

The other night when Richard got home from work, Brandon was just waking up from his nap. Richard opened up Brandon's door to let him out of his room, but Brandon wouldn't get up from his bed. Richard sat down on the bed with him and asked him what was wrong. Brandon, in a very dramatic voice, said "I just can't take this anymore" and laid his head back down on the bed.

Then last night Brandon was cuddled up with me being all sweet and lovey. Trying to be sweet back, I said "are you mommy's big boy?". And here's how the rest of the conversation went:

Brandon: "No"
Me: "Oh? Are you mommy's little boy?"
Brandon: "No"
Me: "Are you Mommy's baby boy?"
Brandon: "Nope"
Me: "Are you a girl then?"
Brandon: "Yep Mommy, I'm a big girl!"

Guess we'll have to work on that one. =)

He made us laugh again tonight when he randomly came up and asked me if I have DirecTV. I think that means that we should probably stop watching so much TV. lol

Homemade fun!

2009-02-18T10:28:00.002-07:00

I stole this from Dana's blog- I thought it was a fun idea! I've kind of been feeling crafty lately, so you never know what you might get. *wink*

Homemade Fun!! The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations: 1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make! 2. What I create will be just for you. 3. It'll be done this year. 4. You have no clue what it's going to be. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure! 5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange ! The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and extend the same offer to 5 people! You know, keep the cycle going!So the first 5 people to leave a comment, and post this on their blog, win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! *Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!*

A much needed reprieve...

2009-02-13T12:55:00.002-07:00

I think I've been so stuck in my own little world, that I haven't been a very good friend lately. I seem to have let Dr.s appts., school meetings and Brandon's therapy take over my life. So when Britney called me up to get together for lunch on Wednesday, I was ecstatic! Britney, you are awesome, and you have no idea how bad I needed someone to help me get out of my rut!
She made an awesome lunch for us (thank you, thank you, thank you!!!), our kids got to play together, and best of all I got to slow down and spend time with my dear friend that I've missed very much. So, I concluded that I need to take time to find identities other then just being "mom" all the time, and that I need to put more effort into my friendships (oooooh, 2 lessons in 1 day, yay!).
Wednesday also happened to be the day of our anniversary, and a friend of ours offered to watch our kids so we could go out. It was our first date since Oct. 2007! Sad, I know. We were planning to go to Olive Garden, but decided on Chapalas last minute, and I'm so glad we did. When we got there, there were only 4 other people in the whole place. I think we spent 2 hours there just talking and reconnecting. We had both been looking forward to our night out, and it was every bit as wonderful as we had hoped for.
After we left Chapalas, we weren't exactly sure what to do (really, what do adults without kids go do???), so we opted to just go wander the mall for awhile. It sounds lame, but it was actually a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the mall does have to close at a certain time, so we had no choice but to say goodbye to our night out. We did resolve to make date night a regular occurrence at our house after we realized how crucial it is on our marriage.

This is what happened 9 years ago...

2009-02-10T17:54:00.005-07:00

It was 9 years ago today that Richard and I got married. It's kind of funny, now that I think about it, how our marriage started. We were young, too young maybe? And in love, and we couldn't wait any longer to tie the knot- even though we already had a church reserved and a wedding date of June 10th picked out. My wedding dress was picked out as well, but wouldn't be altered for another 3 months at least. I don't really know what we were thinking, but on a whim, we decided one night (Feb. 10th, 2000 to be specific) that we would just go down to the court house the next day and have a judge marry us on our lunch break, then we would go back to work, and then spend the weekend looking for an apartment to rent, you know, so we could actually live together. Well, we did go to the court house on our lunch breaks, with 1 witness in tow, and found out there would be an hour wait and a $50 fee for the next judge to marry us. We decided to go for plan B and have a friend of ours marry us that night instead. So we made some phone calls, found a church that was available and went back to work. That night after I got off work, I made a mad dash to the store that had my dress reserved, and luckily found out that it would fit well enough for me to be able to wear it that night. Then I ran home and had my room mate, Kirsten, try to come up with some way to style my newly cut, very short hair. We couldn't come up with much, so she just put it up in 2 braids- kind of tacky, eh? I wasn't in the right mind set to safely drive, so Kirsten volunteered to drive me across town to the church. When we got there, I discovered that somebody had called all of our friends (luckily they did, because we forgot too! Woops!) and there was quite a crowd waiting for us. We still don't know who made all the phone calls for us, but we are eternally greatful for it!
So our friend that was going to marry us had one condition for us before he would acutally let us take our vows, and that was that 1 of us would have to call 1 of our parents to tell them what we were up to. I was too scared to call my parents, so Richard called his- and happily they were elated for us. I knew mine wouldn't be so thrilled, so we opted to tell them about a week after we got hitched, which is not one of the better decisions I've made in my life time (sorry about that mom and dad). Anywho, we went through with the ceremony and it was short but beautiful. We were surrounded by our friends and fortunately at least 1 family member, my husband's brother. We had a short, low key reception after that and then we were on our way to West Yellowstone for our Honeymoon (actually we stayed at a very nice hotel in Boise for the first night, thanks to arrangements made by my BIL). I won't go into details about our Honeymoon, because it's an entirely different story, but I will say that it involves strep throat, a blizzard, 4 tornadoes, a 5 hour long power outage, and nearly being fired from my job.

It's funny to look back on this now. This was remarkably out of character for me at the time, but now I think that it sums us up pretty well.

An update

2009-02-01T21:40:00.003-07:00

Brandon's Dr. appt. was on Thursday and it went really well. He was officially diagnosed with autism, and the Dr. thinks that it's severe enough that Brandon will need special ed. We went in thinking that he would be diagnosed with something else, like ADHD or just a sensory disorder, but Dr. Felix said that it's 100% autism. In all honesty though (I hope this doesn't sound heartless), having a diagnosis like that won't really change anything for us. He's still our sweet guy, and we already knew that he had a learning disability, so we'll just continue working with it. We are hoping that he will be accepted into the developmental preschool here, and we'll be meeting with them in Feb. to find out if he qualifies. Keep your fingers crossed for us. =)

Rylee also had a Dr. appt. this week, for her 1 year check up. She weighs 21 lbs (60%) and is 28 inches long (35%). She's just a little tiny thing to me, but I love that she can actually wear her clothes for a good amount of time before she grows out of them. Brandon was wearing 2T and 3T clothes by his first birthday, so I'm not used to this at all.

I was worried about the possibility of Rylee being autistic, but our pediatrician reassured us that there's only an 8% chance, and that Rylee is right on track for normal development. I was thrilled to hear that!

Happy Birthday Littles!!!

2009-01-29T15:21:00.003-07:00

How did my little girl grow so fast? It really seems like it was just a few months ago that she entered our lives. It's crazy how 1 year can go by in such a hurry! It's been a fun journey with Rylee by our sides, and we can't wait to see what next year has in store for us. Stay small for just a bit longer though Littles, momma isn't ready for her baby to grow up just yet.

Happy 1st Birthday Rylee!!!

We have a big day tomorrow!

2009-01-28T14:27:00.007-07:00

First, and most importantly, my little Rylee girl officially turns 1 at 10:01 tomorrow morning! I can't even believe it's already been a year. She's brought so much joy into out lives though, and a lifetime worth of memories all in such a short period of time. Who knew such a little girl could bring so many blessings into our lives?

The second reason tomorrow is such a big day for us is because we are taking Brandon to see the Pediatric Developmental Specialist. I'm stressed beyond reason about what he'll say. All of Brandon's future therapy will depend on what diagnosis he receives. It's like a catch-22 for us- if he doesn't have autism, we will of course be over joyed, but he will no longer be qualified for any of the services that help him with his daily life. It's hard for me to imagine everything being hinged on what one Dr. says, but I guess he is the specialist, so we'll see what happens. Wish us luck!

Friends and fun on Friday!

2009-01-19T21:16:00.003-07:00

Friday was a fun filled day for us (but especially me)! After speech therapy got over with, I took the kids to Pizza Hut to meet up with Charlotte, Alison and their kids. It was so much fun to just be able to talk with adults! The kids had fun too, although we were a little bummed that Pizza Hut did away with their kids play area. Rylee made eyes at Travis the whole time we there and kept stealing food off of Alison's plate, silly girl! =) Brock, Jamin and Brandon had fun bouncing off the walls (I mean that literally) and playing with Brock's dinosaurs. It was so good to see my friends, it's not very often that I get to catch up with my girls!
After that, I took the kids shopping in Boise and found the cutest little pink raincoat for Rylee (see picture)! I was hoping to find some nice pants for Brandon, but no luck there. It gives me a good reason to shopping again though! When our shopping adventure was over, I took the kids home and they both slept for 3 hours! I guess they were a little tired from our fun day out and about!
Later that night I went out with some other friends of mine, first to Applebees and then to the movies to see Bride Wars. It was a blast! The movie was so much fun, I can't wait until it comes out on DVD! It was the perfect way to end such a great day!

Some cuteness for the day!

2009-01-09T17:23:00.002-07:00

One of Brandon's favorite things is watching the garbage truck (which he fondly refers to as the diaper truck) pick up our garbage. Today was no different- like radar he heard the "diaper truck" coming down the road and at about a 100 miles an hour he ran into the living room to watch it. The cutest thing happened though- the garbage man turned around and waved at Brandon and since then he's been on cloud 9! He hasn't stopped talking about the "diaper man" all day! We can't really understand what he's saying, but "diaper man and diaper truck" keep coming up, and he's been all smiles since that magical moment!

Miss Rylee has also surprised us today with some cuteness! After I got her up this morning, I set her on the floor and she immediatly said "hello" to Brandon! She's also been saying "hi" and waves at the same time! I love it!

Friday night fun!

2009-01-04T21:03:00.002-07:00

We decided on an impulse to take the kids swimming at our local hotsprings on Friday night. We were thinking that because it's winter and our hotsprings is located out in the middle of nowhere that there wouldn't be many people there, but boy were we wrong! The place was packed! There was hardly anywhere to swim when we first got there so we ended up just hanging out in the kiddy pool for awhile. There were 3 or 4 boys that were there with the Scouts that wouldn't stop splashing water and throwing balls (they hit Rylee and I several times even after I asked them to stop) inside the kiddy pool so we ended up going into the deeper water. The kids enjoyed that a lot more! We rented a little floaty thing for Rylee to sit in and she had a blast in it! She was splashing water and kicking her feet everwhere! Brandon was scared at first, but he seemed to lighten up a little bit towards the end. And even though we know that he doesn't care much for it, we hope that in time he will start to like it more. Of course I forgot to take any pics of our fun night together! Taking more pictures is on my list of new years resolutions! =)

This is good too...

2009-01-02T14:11:00.002-07:00

Amazon is offering the top 50 MP3 download albums of 2008 for $5.00 each! Here's the site: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&ref%5F=amb%5Flink%5F83144631%5F2&docId=1000325061

Check this out!

2009-01-02T13:58:00.002-07:00

If you like Coldwater Creek, they are offering a 75% off coupons (use this code: WXH6446) for anything online, including everything in their outlet store. Better hurry though, this expires January 5th!

Good news for the day!

2008-12-23T13:28:00.002-07:00

I just got a call from the Pediatric Developmental Specialists in Boise and they want to see Brandon on the 29th of January. We were told that there is up to a 6 month waiting list to see them, so we are pleasantly surprised to get in so soon! All kids in the Boise area have to be diagnosed for autism by these specialists in order to receieve any benefits from the state, and since Brandon turns 3 in March he will lose all of his current benefits through the Infant Toddler Program. If he is officially diagnosed in January, it means that his benefits will continue after he turns 3, so you can see that this couldn't have come at a better time for us! It also means that he will most likely be accepted into the local developmental preschool (provided he's actually diagnosed with autism by them). I'm overjoyed by this, mostly because we'll finally get an answer, one way or the other, to what our son has.

Fill it in...

2008-12-10T22:00:00.002-07:00

Fill it in!

I am not: very patient
I hurt: after having surgery
I love: my family!
I hate: where this country seems to be going
I fear: death
I hope: we can get debt paid off soon
I hear: Brandon talking to himself when he should be sleeping
I crave: McDonalds, Sonic and chocolate covered anything
I regret: not speaking up for myself at times
I cry: when I laugh sometimes- like the other night when I was looking at cake wrecks!
I care: about being a good mom
I always: seem to be cleaning my house and yet it's still always a mess!
I feel alone: sometimes
I listen: to MP3's every night!
I hide: in my room when I need some time to myself
I drive: a mini van and love it!
I sing: not very often, because I know I sound horrible!
I dance: with my son all the time
I write: in my blog when I get time
I breathe: deeply when I know I'm stressed
I play: with my kids
I miss: my grandma, especially at this time of the year.
I search: for good books and good music all the time
I learn: a lot from Brandon's therapy
I feel: a wee bit stressed at the moment
I know: that Rylee is getting sick again. Blah!!!
I say: "Are you kidding me" all the time!
I succeed: at being lazy!
I fail: in the patience department
I dream: about sleeping in until noon!
I sleep: horrible!
I wonder: why there are so many crappy drivers in this town?
I want: a good Christmas for my kids!
I worry: about how much debt we have. Dang medical bills!
I have: a busy week!
I give: my kids hugs and kisses all the time.
I fight: with my poor husband when I'm stressed.
I wait: for stuff to go on clearance- there's nothing like a good deal.
I need: to get more sleep!
I am: a little on the weird side
I think: Robert Pattinson is so hot!!!
I cant help the fact: that I'm blind as a bat, but I can blame my parents for it!

Our fun Saturday

2008-12-08T17:54:00.002-07:00

My friend Alison invited us to come along with her family to a holiday parade in the town that she lives in, and then back to her house for dinner on Saturday. It ended up just being Alison and her son Jamin, and me and my 2 kids that went to the parade, but we still had a great time! The boys were so excited, I wish I had remembered to bring my camera just so I could capture the looks on their faces! They LOVED the firetrucks and police motorcycles, and even started making siren noises everytime they saw one, which still cracks me up. The parade was fairly short, which was completely ok, because we were all freezing our butts off by that time. After the parade was over, we walked back to Alison's house to meet up with our husbands and some other friends, Amanda and Rob. Brandon and Jamin were being wild boys at that point, buzzing all over the house, pretending they were in the parade (what imaginations they have) and calling each other Santa! We couldn't stop laughing at how silly they were! We ended up leaving right after dinner because Rylee was so tired, but we had such a fun time and can't wait to see our friends again!

Thankful Thursday

2008-12-04T16:30:00.002-07:00

1. Good customer service! I ordered a couple of things from Downeast Basics and they sent 1 wrong thing. When I called, they were not only extremely nice, but they also told me to keep the wrong item since it was their mistake. I thought that was incredibly generous of them, especially since the cost to ship it back to them would have been a lot less then what the item is worth.

2. We're feeling better! The kids still cough throughout the day, but it's not at all as bad as it was. Yay! I think we're on the mend.

3. School! Brandon starts his pre pre-school class up again tomorrow. I think he'll have fun, but it will also be a really good learning experience for him. I'm also excited because Miss Rylee and I are going shopping while he's at school (an added bonus!).

4. Fun times on Saturday! We're meeting up with Alison and her family (and hopefully Charlotte and her family) on Saturday to take the kids to a parade and then dinner. I'm looking forward to it! Jamin, Brock and Brandon are like best friends too, so it's a blast when those 3 get together!

5. Whole milk! We switched Rylee to whole milk yesterday (I know it's early, but we couldn't afford formula anymore) and she loves it! She hasn't had any problems with it, and she actually seems to like it more then she did formula.

Oh, I thought I was in heaven!

2008-11-29T22:37:00.003-07:00

My neighbor, who happens to be one of the best cooks in the world, just learned how to make homemade Taquitos and therefore passed the info onto me. First, let me start by saying that I do not make homemade much of anything, but these are so easy, I can make them! And second, I'm drooling right now just thinking about them, they're that good! Sadly though, my deep fat fryer died, which is the key part (well, one of them anyways) to making these little pieces of heaven. We're a little on the poor side right now, and I'm pretty sure that Richard would give me the evil eye if I brought a new fryer home, so that won't work. The only thing I can hope for is that Santa brings me one for Christmas, because I'm dying to get my hands on those tasty little morsels!

I'm sad.

2008-11-27T22:08:00.003-07:00

My grandpa had a stroke last Sunday, and I feel like I'm losing him. Watching him go though this just sucks. I miss the grandpa that used to take me on grand fishing and Huckleberry picking adventures, or the one that used to pick me up every Friday so that I could spend the weekend with him and my grandma. I'm not ready for him to die, it's just too soon. I want him to watch my kids get older, and I want them to have their own special memories of him. But I also don't want him to suffer anymore either. This just stinks!

A Twilight what???

2008-11-20T12:25:00.002-07:00

Last Saturday Kristen, Jeni and I decided to go check out a Twilight event that was being held at Borders book store in Boise (try saying that 10 times fast). It was a blast despite the fact that the event had not been advertised in any way, and in all reality it was pretty cheesy- in a good way of course. The second best part of the night (I'll get to the best part in a minute) was when Margo (another friend of ours) started jumping up and down because she knew that she had won the grand prize- tickets to see the movie- before they even called her name! She did indeed win them, which is awsome because she's the biggest Twilight fanatic that I know!
Now on to the best part of the night- Costa Vida! If you've never heard of it, it's one of the best Mexican food places I've ever been to! We decided to stop there after our Twilight fun, and I'm so glad we did because I'm still dreaming of the yummy goodness they serve there!
All in all, we had such a great time! It's always fun to reconnect with old friends, and even better when it's to celebrate hot vampires and good food!

Rylee cuteness!

2008-11-12T12:20:00.002-07:00

I've been trying to teach Rylee to wave lately, and though she's been close, her wave looked more like the Heil Hitler (which is not so cute). Last night, however, when I layed her down in her crib she smiled and then waved at me just like I had been teaching her! It was one of the cutest things I had ever seen! And then this morning, while we were watching Sesame Street, she kept waving at all of the characters and then she would wave at herself. She seems pretty fascinated by her new skill!!!

For the love of Caillou!

2008-11-12T12:06:00.003-07:00

Brandon's favorite thing in the world is the show Caillou (if you've never seen it, count yourself as blessed). He's even gone as far as renaming both our cats Gilbert and occasionally calls Rylee "Rosie"! He insists on watching it everyday, and when he misses an episode, he'll repeat the word "Caillou" on and on throughout the day. I found a website recently that has nothing but dolls, books, DVD's, and apparel from the show. I'm debating whether or not I should get Brandon a Christmas present from there (can one person really stand that much Caillou in their home though?). I'm wondering if any stores around here carry Caillou merchandise, just so I don't have to pay for shipping. If you see any, let me know!

First day of school!

2008-11-10T14:47:00.004-07:00

Brandon started his pre preschool class last Friday! I wish I had pictures to share, but I completely forgot to take any. Anyways, he was absolutely excited when we got there- he could hear the little kids playing on the playground and he kept saying "play, play play"! When Shelly, his Developmental Therapist, arrived, he took her by the hand and pulled her to the front doors! So cute! When I came back to pick Brandon up later that day, Shelly said that Brandon was overwhelmed with everything once he got inside. I chalk it up to first day of school jitters, although I'm not sure that he has any idea what school is. He'll be going almost every Friday from now on, so I'm hoping that next time will go better.

A somber day for us...

2008-10-27T16:08:00.002-06:00

Brandon was diagnosed with autism today. It really shouldn't have come as any surprise, but just that word "autism" sounds so final to me. I know there are millions of kids out there that have it, but it hurts a little more when it's so close to home. This is another bump in the road, and we'll deal with it. I just wish we didn't have to. We have to see another specialist and we have to start a new therapy after that (Another one- that makes 4! How do I balance that and time with my kids and everything else I need to take care of?). I keep telling myself that it's all for the betterment of my son, but right now it's exhausting to think about. I have faith that everything will be fine, but my heart just breaks for my little guy that has to deal with this.

Happy news of the week!

2008-10-21T16:11:00.002-06:00

Headstart is starting a new class for kids like Brandon that need a little help preparing for preschool, and we found out that he was on the top of the list for it. He starts November 7th! I think he'll only go one day a week for now, but the good news is that it increases his chances of actually being excepted into Headstart once he turns 3. Our other happy news is that he starts occupational therapy this Thursday! We've been on the waiting list for this for quite some time now, and it's pretty exciting that things have finally come together for us. Now I'm wondering how to juggle 3 therapies a week- it will be completely worth it though no matter how busy it keeps us.

My other good news for the week is that I'm half way done with my Christmas shopping!!! Last year we waited until Novemeber to start which was probably the dumbest idea I've ever had! Nothing like waiting until the last minute! I'm probably jinxing myself by saying this, but it looks like it may be a low stress holiday after all! =)

Happy Friday!!!

2008-10-17T11:27:00.002-06:00

I have nothing else to write about, but I just wanted to say thank goodness it's Friday!!!! This week was loooooooong and I'm ready for some R & R! Oh, and GO BRONCOS of course!!!!

Busy!

2008-10-06T15:57:00.002-06:00

We've been so busy lately that it hasn't left much time for blogging. There's not a lot to update on, just the usual stuff.

I'll start with Brandon first, since he's usually what keeps me the busiest. We had our occupational therapist come out and do a sensory delay test on him to see which sensory disorder gives him the most trouble. She said that he has a significant delay in all aspects of the sensory spectrum. In most regards, I think that he handles the hand that life dealt him really well. I'm sure he seems out of control, and maybe even a little bit slow due to his speech delay, to most people, but underneath it all he's got such a great personality. I love my big guy! He's patiently waiting for the return of his favorite person in the world, Kristi (aka speech therapist), who's currently in Texas adopting a little boy. Other then that, he'll be starting pre pre-school soon at Headstart. We're hoping that he will qualify to go to actual pre-school there when he turns 3, but if not there are a couple other options we can look into.

Now onto Rylee. My sweet girl turned 8 months just last week. She's also recently started pulling her self up onto furniture, and she's trying very hard to stand up without the help of furniture. They grow up so fast! She's been drooling and biting everything in site, and we can feel just a sliver of her second tooth coming in. She also has a huge appetite and will eat anything in front of her- honestly, she's not picky in the least bit! She's such a petite little thing though, she hasn't gained more then 2lbs since April. We were concerned, but our pediatrician reasured us that it's just how Rylee is. Quite the contrary to how Brandon was at this age. =)

As for Richard and I, I guess we're just busy with normal adult life stuff (ie work, housework, kids, etc.). Nothing too interesting! Richard will be leaving town on Sunday for his job, and I'm already worrying about losing my sanity while he's gone. I've been burying my head in Twilight lately, so maybe I'll just have to reread them while he's gone to keep myself occupied (if you haven't read them yet, you should! They are the best books!). Anyways, that's it for us. We're boring people, can you tell?!

Tag!!!

2008-09-21T21:24:00.002-06:00

1- Where were you when you first found out you were pregnant? I was at home both times.

2- Who was with you? I was alone.

3- How did you find out that you were pregnant? I was late with Brandon and had suspected that I was pregnant, but every time I took a pregnancy test it came up negative. Finally, 2 weeks after Aunt Flo was supposed to arrive I got a BFP!!! With Rylee, I had been temping and could tell by my high temps that something was up. I got a BFP with her a couple days before AF was set to arrive.

4- What was your first reaction to finding out you were pregnant? With Brandon, I was thrilled but really scared because I didn't know what to expect. That was such an exciting time though! With Rylee, I was really excited, but then once it hit me that I was pregnant, I was a little scared because I didn't know how I was going to handle having 2 kids.

5- Your Husband's reacton? My husband doesn't really show much emotion usually (lame, I know) but I know he was happy and excited. With Rylee, he was completely shocked, but I'm pretty sure he was excited too.

6- Who was the first person you told? With Brandon, Richard was the first person I told. With Rylee, I think I told everyone online first lol. Don't tell my husband that though...

7- Did you plan to get pregnant? Yes!

8- Was everybody happy for you? Nope, my parents were quite upset about it.

10- Did you go out and celebrate? Not that I remember.

11- Did you want to find out the sex? Yes, I couldn't wait to find out with both of them!

12- What was the sex? A boy and a girl.

13- Did anyone throw you a baby shower? Yes, I had a surprise baby shower for Brandon, and a friend threw me one for Rylee.

14- If yes, who? Friends and family- too many people to name.

15- Did you get any outfits at the baby shower that you just knew you weren't going to put on your baby? No, I was beyond thrilled with everything.

16- How much weight did you gain? 25 lbs with Brandon and 20lbs with Rylee.

17- Did you loose all of the weight that you gained? I lost all of my baby weight the day I gave birth to my kids. Not sure how that happened because I ate like a pig!!!

18- Did you get a lot of stretch marks? Yes, only on the right side though lol.

19- What did you crave the most? McDonalds!!!

20- Did you crave anything crazy? Nope, but I felt like I was going to go crazy if I didn't get my McDonalds!

21- Who or what got on your nerves the most? My husband was just because he didn't understand what I was going through (I wish he had been a little more sympathetic) and work did when I was pregnant with Brandon.

22- Were you married at the time? Yes.

23- Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Yes, I had pre-eclampsia with Brandon and I had severe morning sickness my entire pregnancy with him. Thank goodness for Phenergan!!!

24- Where were you when you went into labor? I was induced with Brandon, so I was at the hospital with him when I finally went into labor. I had a scheduled c-section with Rylee.

25- Did your water break? The Dr. broke my water with Brandon, and I was in surgery when it broke with Rylee.

26- Who drove you to the hospital? Richard.

Where is # 27?

28- Did you go early or late? I was about 3 weeks past due with Brandon, and I had Rylee on her due date.

29- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth? Richard, my labor nurse, my Dr. and an on-call Dr., NICU Dr.s and nurses, the anesthesiologist, and a few other people- not sure who they were.

30- Was it video taped? No, c-section can't be video taped.

31- Did you have any drugs for the pain? Oh yes, lot's and lot's of drugs!

32- Did you go Natural or have a c-section? c-sections with both

33- What was your first reaction after giving birth? I cried because I was so happy to see my baby's- it was such a huge life changing moment for me seeing both my kids.

34- How big was the baby? Brandon was 9lbs 12 oz and 23 3/4 inches long. Rylee was 7lbs 12 oz and 20 inches long.

35- Did your Husband cry? I'm not sure, he had a surgical mask on so it was hard to tell.

36- What did you name the baby? Brandon Porter and Rylee Grace.

37- Did the baby have any complications? Since Brandon was so big, his blood sugars were way off. They had to keep him in the nursery for a couple hours after he was born. Rylee was good though.

38- How old is the baby today? 2 years 6 months, and almost 8 months **sniff sniff**

39- When is the next one coming? I'm not sure. If we have any more it will probably be in a few years.

40- Are you married now? Yes

41-If you could, would you do it all over again? Of course!!!

I select every mom who wants to, to do this survey!

It's been 1 year...

2008-09-17T16:57:00.003-06:00

We miss you so much baby Kaitlyn. Nobody should ever have to lose a child- it's really not fair.

If tears could build a stairway And memories were a lane
We would walk right up to Heaven And bring you back again
No farewell words were spoken No time to say goodbye
You were gone before we knew it And only God knows why
Our hearts still ache in sadness And secret tears still flowWhat it meant to lose you
No on will ever know
But know we know you want us To mourn for you no more
To remember all the happy times Life still has much in store
Since you’ll never be forgotten We pledge to you today
A hallowed place within our hearts Is where you’ll always stay
Author Unknown

I hate picture day!

2008-09-11T09:01:00.002-06:00

My kids were scheduled to have their pictures taken at JC Penny's on Tuesday afternoon, so I had the added stress of trying to keep them clean until their 4:00 appt. It turns out keeping them clean wasn't what I should have been stressed about. That morning just started out horrible which should have been my first clue that maybe it wasn't the best day for pics. It began when I lost about half the eye lashes in my right eyelid because my stupid eyelash curler was a little stucky (it was brand new, what the heck would make it sticky?!), and then Rylee fell and hit her head on baseboard in our family room, and ended up with a huge red and blue bump on her forehead! I decided to put my kids down for their naps so they would be happy for their pictures, and apparently Rylee pooped in her sleep because she woke up with massive diaper rash and didn't want to sit up because it hurt too much (poor girl, I don't blame her one bit). On top of that, as we were walking out the door, Brandon decided to poop which I thought was going to make us late getting there- it's such a fight to change that boy's diaper! When we got to JC Penny's I decided that I only wanted a picture of my kids together, not individual pics, since I don't have many of my kids together. I guess Brandon had other ideas, because he refused to sit with Rylee- the photographer tried putting Rylee in his lap and he just pushed her onto the ground. My poor baby had already been through enough that day, so we decided that maybe individual pics would just have to do. Of course, Brandon would sit still for those when it was his turn. When it was Rylee's turn however, he took the time to try to break their camera and pull down their backdrop. Sigh! We did get some cute pictures of my kids, but NONE of them together. I guess I'll just have to wait until they're a little older. So on top of all this stress, when I got home I discovered a letter from our mortgage company saying that one of their former employees sold our identities (social security #'s, address, etc.) and now we have to watch our credit in case the above mentioned employee used our info to buy stuff. Tuesday just wasn't my day!

Fun at the park!

2008-09-07T22:08:00.013-06:00

Charlotte and I took the kids to the park for some end of summer fun! The boys had a great time playing and chasing each other (and bubbles), and Rylee was happy just hanging out in her car seat. It was nice to have to some time to catch up with Charly since I don't get to see her very often any more! We look forward to seeing Brock and Charlotte again soon!

The happiest 50 years!

2008-09-05T16:18:00.007-06:00

Last weekend we drove up to Sugar City (that's in Eastern Idaho) to celebrate my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary! It was a lot of fun to see everyone and only the second time since Richard and I have been married that all 11 (yep, they have 11 kids!!!) of their kids have been together at one time. Brandon made friends with all of his cousins that he's never met before, and Rylee was happy just sitting there taking in the scenery for the most part. I wish we had been able to spend more time with my in-laws, but what time we did have with them was really nice! They seem so happy and loving to each other, even after 50 years. I only hope that Richard and I can be like that when we celebrate our golden anniversary. Here's to the happiest years of their lives, with many many more happy years to come!

Good news for Brandon!

2008-09-01T23:10:00.004-06:00

One of the ladies that we work with through the Infant/Toddler Program called me on Friday and said that they want to start doing Occupational Therapy with Brandon! This is awsome news for many reasons, but the main one is because they will finally be able to give us insight on whether he has autism or just a sensory disorder. This means that he will most likely qualify for a special pre-school were he will continue to get the help he needs with speech. YAY!!! She also said that they are looking into buying him a weighted vest to help with his sensory issues, but we'll find out more about that on Wednesday when the therapist comes. I'm so happy that we are getting the help that we need, this couldn't have come at a better time in our lives!!! Now we're just praying that Brandon doesn't have Autism...

Doctors must love us!

2008-08-28T11:29:00.002-06:00

Our family has been trading off being sick all summer! I can't even count how many times we've all been to the Dr. in just the last 3 months. Between Richard hurting his ankle, me having sinus infections and asthma problems, Brandon repeatedly having pink eye, sinus infections, and allergic reactions to who knows what, and now poor Rylee has a UTI. We had to take Rylee in to Urgent Care last night because she's been running a fever that's been between 102-104 since Monday afternoon. I couldn't get her temp to go down at all last night, and she was starting to become lethargic. The Dr. and nurse we saw last night stayed way past closing time so that they could help Rylee out, and we are so thankful for that! The poor girl had to have an antibiotic shot, which we were told will make her very sore for the next few days. She is acting like herself once again though!
I'm crossing my fingers (but not holding my breath) that this will be it for a little while!

Things I never thought I'd have to say to my kids:

2008-08-09T23:35:00.002-06:00

"Brandon, please do not drive your truck down mommy's shirt!"

"Please do not bounce the ball off of Rylee's head!"

"NO, babies do NOT eat banana peels!!!"

"We do not eat out of the dog's dish!"

"Stop eating out of the garbage!"

"We do not use Rylee's head to play golf with!"

Yes, we've entered the terrible two's, and they are very very terrible! It's a good thing Brandon is so cute, because I don't know how he or I would survive this if he wasn't! =) And poor Rylee is going to need a helmet to survive this, the poor thing (luckily I caught him before he actually followed through with his golf swing)!

Swimming... Part II

2008-08-05T18:06:00.003-06:00

We decided to try the swimming thing again. Brandon was pretty scared last time, so we decided to ease him into the water by bribing with candy. Not my greatest parenting moment, but hey, it worked! =) He ended up loving the water (and his candy too)! He even started paddling with his feet! We had a blast this time, and didn't want to leave! But alas, it was closing time, so we had no choice. We will be back though!!!

Happy 6 months Rylee girl!

2008-07-30T18:19:00.002-06:00

My sweet little girl turned 6 months on the 29th! Rylee and I marked the special day by going to a mother-daughter spa party! Rylee didn't participate much, but she had a great time playing in the grass. I'm sure she'll get into the "girly" stuff more as she get's older. =) It's been so fun having this little lady in our lives, she's such a blessing. Brandon loves her too, he's even willing to share his toys with her most of the time. Happy 6 months "Littles"!!!

Goodbye Heidi!

2008-07-21T15:30:00.002-06:00

A year and a half ago I developed severe asthma and we recently found out that one of the major contributing causes was our beloved dog Heidi. It was recommended by my Dr. that we get rid of her, so we ended up finding her a very nice home last Thursday. We miss her dearly though! She's been with us for over 7 years (I spent 2 years doing Search and Rescue with her, 2 years in obediance training, and another year doing agility with her!). Brandon misses her a lot too- he keeps saying "Heidi, where are you?" all day long. Her new family called us Friday evening though, to say that they love her so much and that she's adjusting really well to her new home. Hopefully this is all for the better, because our home just isn't the same without Heidi laying at our feet.

A budding gymnast

2008-07-03T17:10:00.002-06:00

Brandon and I had our first Mom and Tot gymnastics lesson today! It was so fun, but also a lot of work. Brandon learned how to do a headstand, a front roll, balance on the small balance beam, and also on the large one, hang on the bar, do a kart wheel, and stretch! Whoo! What a day! He was so good at it, but he also wanted to just run all over the place too, silly boy! We go back next week, and I'm hoping it will go a little smoother next time. =) I think he loved it though, and it was a great outlet for all of his energy.

Another month goes by

2008-06-30T23:12:00.002-06:00

Rylee (aka The Littles) turned 5 months yesterday! She's learning so many new things, I love it! Lately she's been trying to sit on her own (once I put her in the sitting position), and she's trying very hard to get up into the crawl position! And the girl loves her solid food! She's doing so well with Stage 1 foods! She loves her big brother so much- he's the only one that can make her laugh hard. I hope those 2 will continue to be good buddies. =)

We went swimming at a hot springs this past weekend and had a blast! Brandon was a little bit scared of the water, so we pretty much kept him in the shallow part of the water where he could stand up. Rylee played in her little floaty and liked splashing the water with her feet. This was the first time we have ever taken the kids swimming, and the first time Richard and I had been in 3 years. It was a fun day and we are hoping to go back soon!

Girl's night out!

2008-06-26T22:14:00.002-06:00

I spent the evening with some friends at a card camp, where you get to learn new card making techniques. It was a ball! Girl's nights out have been few and far between lately due to busy schedules, so this one was much needed! And I got to do one of my favorite hobbies as an added bonus. It's nice to get away from the kids once in awhile.

On a side note, I just wanted to send hugs to Charlotte. She's had a very difficult week, and I just wanted her to know that she's in my prayers.

We finally have answers...

2008-06-19T20:45:00.004-06:00

Brandon's developmental therapist came by today to work with him and ask some questions about his behaviors. I think she knew right away what was wrong, but it wasn't until the end of our session that she said that she is pretty sure that he has a sensory disorder. We can't "officially" dignose him until he undergoes more tests, but she's pretty certain that that's what he has to some degree. Now it completely makes sense why our ped. thought he had autism. I have a list of symptoms that he has, and even though I'm sure it's probably boring stuff to other people, it feels good to just get things typed out so that I can make sense of it all. Anywho, here they are: high pain tolerance, cleansing of hands and/or other body parts often, dislike of grooming (brushing teeth and/or hair, etc.), placing hands or fingers in mouth often, continuously in motion, walks heavily or on toes, avoids particular textures in food, Over or under reacts to loud noises, tantrums easily, repeated humming or singing to self, tearing and/or crumpling paper or other such items, and keen to sounds others disregard, positions objects in rows, repetitive opening and shutting of doors and/or drawers, continuously turning lights on and off, enthralled by shiny and/or reflective items (mirrors, glass, etc.), prefers to eat only a few select foods (finicky eater), trouble brushing teeth: gags, chokes, etc., repeatedly jumps and/or spins (may appear calmer after such activities),prefers rough play, often breaking toys and other items, positions body in strange stances, gets pleasure from falling down, dangling by arms, and/or jumping, has trouble using silverware correctly: prefers hands, and has a tendency to support self by clinging to other people, furniture, and other secure items.

Sorry that's so long. =)

A good helper!

2008-06-17T15:43:00.002-06:00

Brandon's been so good lately about helping out around the house- he loves to help unload the dishwasher, he puts his pants and jammies away once I'm done folding them, and he even picks up any kind of trash or wrappers laying around and throws them away. He even loves to help out in the yard! Last night he helped his dad mow almost the entire front yard. I was such a proud mama when I saw that- if my camera battery wasn't dead I would have taken a million pictures of it. 2 has been such a hard age for us, but then there are parts of it that I just love. And I guess I better take whatever help I can get from him now, because I'm pretty sure that in a few years it won't be like this.

A Newborn's Conversation With God...

2008-06-11T17:42:00.001-06:00

A baby asked God, 'They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I
Going to live there being so small and helpless?'
God said, 'Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.'The child further inquired, ‘But tells me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but
Sing and smile to be happy.'
God said, ‘Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel
Your angel's love and be very happy.'Again the child asked, 'And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk
To me if I don't know the language?'
God said, 'Your angel will tell you the most beautiful
and sweet words you will ever hear,
And with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.'‘And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?'
God said, ‘Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.''Who will protect me?'
God said, 'Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.''But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.'
God said, 'Your angel will always talk to you about Me
and will teach you the way to come back to Me,
Even though I will always be next to you.'At that moment there was much peace in Heaven,
but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked,
'God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.'God said, 'You will simply call her, ‘Mom.'

Brandon speaks!!!

2008-06-10T23:10:00.002-06:00

My son pretty much doesn't say anything other then car, water, door, and Elmo. We've really been working hard on teaching him new words and phrases, but he didn't seem to understand them at all. Yesterday morning, however, I heard him waking up over the baby monitor and all of a sudden he said "Rylee, where are you?" as clear as day!!! I'm still in shock, I've never heard him say any of those words, let alone a full sentence, in my entire life! And then on top of that, he was playing with my cell phone last night and as soon as he put it to his ear, he said "hi, I'm Dandon"! We had no idea he even knew how to say his name (or attempt to anyway). It's crazy how all of a sudden he's picking these things up. Guess I better watch what I say now lol. I think his speech therapist will be quite impressed! =)

This is so fun!

2008-06-10T23:02:00.002-06:00

This is pretty random, but you've got to check this site out: http://www.thisoldtoy.com/L_FP_Set/T_year-0childhood.html

It brings back so many memories from my childhood! I wish I had kept some of my old toys, I really miss them now.

Rylee's 4 month appt...

2008-06-06T17:33:00.004-06:00

The poor Littles had her 4 month appt. today, and of course she got 3 shots! She was so brave though, she only cried for a couple of minutes and then everything was ok. She's growing pretty good, she weighs 13.8 lbs (50%) and is 25 1/2 inches long (90%). I was a little bit surprised that she didn't weigh more, but I also keep wanting to compare her to Brandon, who was and still is huge! I've got to remember that each kid is different! Our Dr. also informed us that we should probably start letting Rylee cry it out, because the little turd doesn't want to nap at all! So today is day 1 of crying it out, and so far so good, she cried for about half an hour and then fell right to sleep. Let's hope it get's better each day. =)

One more milestone...

2008-06-03T22:15:00.004-06:00

Rylee slept in her crib for the first time last night!!! I'm sort of thrilled, but also a little sad not to have her sleeping next to me in her bassinet. She's growing up way too fast!

And in other news, the social worker from the Infants and Toddlers program called me today to tell me that Brandon will be starting speech therapy within a month from now. I'm beyond excited for him to be able to finally learn to talk!

To the future!

2008-06-02T14:59:00.001-06:00

My little cousin graduated from high school on Saturday!!! I'm still in shock that he's old enough to be out of school ( I can remember changing his diaper for goodness sakes!). It's such a cliche' but seriously, time goes by way too fast! It wasn't that long ago that we were at Six Flags and he wasn't even tall enough to go on any of the rides yet! Gosh, that makes me feel old! Oh well, congrats Jarret!!!

Special day today!

2008-05-29T21:35:00.000-06:00

Baby girl Rylee turned 4 months old today!!! She also tried rice cereal for the first time, and loved it! *Sigh* Why do they have to grow so fast?