Playing Catch Up!

I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile... I want to say I've been really busy but seriously... I have one child at home now... how busy could I really be, right? :) I do have to say that I find myself running around town and doing random things with Kailyn, which is something I've not ever been able to do with all of them (or even 2) at home. It's very freeing. I couldn't remember what it was like to have just one child at home. It's been so long... 5 years, since I've experience that. Well let me jump into the lives of each of my children, as I am sure many family members read this.

Justin: Oh, my boy. He's doing so well with school. Even after the change in curriculum. They have him on track with where he scored in his testing. He's very good in math so they have him doing multiplication now. He's excellent in reading/sight words... and they have DEFINITELY upped the difficulty on that. A few of his words the past week or two were "advantage", "argument", etc... He loves it... and the photographic memory is ridiculous! He can see the word on a note card a few times and he's got it. His school has introduced an incentive program in which the children "earn dollars" for their great disposition, concentration, help, grades, transition, social behaviors, and even if they were caught doing something nice for another student. At the end of the school week, on Friday, the children get to go into the "Life Skills Store" where items have been donated by parents, companies, stores alike... and depending on how much money they earned in school, they can "shop" and find an item (or two) that they can afford from their weeks earnings. Great tool. Teaches them about great work ethics, saving money, and calculations. Well the first week, Justin bought a bat. He was HAPPY! He also found while he was shopping a BRAND NEW copy of Midnight Club 3 Dub Edition Remix for Playstation 2... and decided that he would work his tail off to do whatever it took to earn the $50 needed to buy it. And boy you know he did! He earned $50 in one week and earned himself a brand new playstation game. Of course they approached me Friday morning to make certain it was ok for him to purchase. And of course I COULD NOT say no.... he earned that money and he deserved to buy whatever he wanted to with it... doesn't mean I cant put stipulations on it when he gets home. ;) And I did, he can only play on the weekends, while during the week, we are concentrating on school work and learning resposibilities at home. And he has done really well with it. (Although this is something we already have implemented at home with his other games). Overall, Justin is brilliant. He's a hard worker. And he's just so darn cute when he smiles and those dimples show....


Asilyn: Oh my adorable little girl. The first week of school, she did awesome! She had no problems going, had no issues at school, and loved telling me all about how her day was. Although on Friday, she woke up with a sore throat, cough and low grade fever. So she missed her first "swim" day. And she also became acclimated to being back at home without having the rigid routine... and being "top dog" again. Because on Monday, second week of school, she broke my heart. We walked into her classroom, I kissed her goodbye and turned to leave and the look I got, I KNEW she was going to cry. I, of course, asked her what was wrong, and she began to cry saying she wanted to go home with me and Kailyn, she didn't want to stay... I had to leave her with alligator tears streaming down her cheeks, and my heart in my throat... it was tough. I don't like it... and because of my past, things that happened to me when I was her age, all sorts of thoughts began rushing through my mind, possible explainations as to why all of a sudden my baby didn't want to go anymore... She continued to cry Tuesday and Wednesday... she had a field trip on Thursday so she was excited to go that day, but it was back to crying on Friday... I finally had a talk with her this weekend. Our talks tend to bounce around from subject to subject as her mind thinks thoughts that sometimes do NOT pertain to the subject at hand. But luckily, I was blessed with the patience of Job, and so I just go with it and eventually steer the conversation back toward the direction I originally wanted it to go. Well this day (Friday afternoon), I decided to ask her straightforward if anyone has ever tried to touch her (and I was more specific than I am going to be here) and she told me no... After asking several questions with soft spoken answers to my satisfaction, I eventually explained that only mommy can look/touch there... and even then, it was only when she had a "boo-boo" or during baths or whiping after potty (which is rare now). And if ANYONE else tries, to YELL no RUN and scream... and we practiced that part (which she rather enjoyed). And then the conversation turned toward why she was crying at school. I had my guesses (because like I said, my mind began coming up with it's own scenarios)... and I definitely guessed it correctly. Asilyn has been a little unsure about one of the teachers there, Ms. Tina. I sense her standoffishness, and have for awhile now. So this past week, I've made the efforts to talk a little bit more with Ms. Tina, become engaging in conversation with her rather than JUST with Ms. Angela (Asilyn's favorite). And the more I got to know Ms. Tina, the more I realized that she just takes some time to open up to people. As Asi has witnessed this display of open conversation, she has definitely warmed up to her. And now for the past week or so hasn't cried at all. Thank God for small prayers.


Kailyn: Oh what do I say about the most socialized, little talkative butterfly to ever grace this household! lol Her and I have had so much bonding time these past 3 weeks. Her 3rd birthday was August 26th and after we dropped "bubba & sissy" off at school, her and I (even though I was severly sick with acute bronchitis) went to the grocery store where I let her pick out her own birthday breakfast and drink (donuts & yoohoo). We had a small celebration for her that night with a mini-cake and a present (as her party was on the weekend). A Dora fleece blanket. And oh my! I have NEVER in the life of raising babies, living with brothers, and seeing other peoples children, seen a smile and heard a high-pitched girly squeal as I witnessed that night. The look on her face was priceless and one I hope to never forget. It was so adorable as she buried her face in the lush pink softness of what seemed to be the softest manmade material ever made! And boy did she want to carry this thing around everywhere even though it was big enough to cover about 4 of her!

On another note, my husband has been spectacular to me this past week. As I mentioned, I've been sick with acute bronchitis and it really was horrible for about 2-3 days. I don't know how I managed to continue to take the kids to school every morning as well as pick Asilyn up in the afternoons when I seemingly felt worse! But God gave me the strength to do it, but believe it when I say I crashed right back into bed when we got home. Tommy has really taken the lead during this time, cooked dinner, cleaned up, given baths, and tucked the children in bed at night. It was truly a blessing to be able to sleep/rest away this sickness. Another reason I believe God gave us a partner, for times like these, in order to not do this alone. We leave for our annimoon (or honeyversary) next week... our celebration of 10 yrs of marriage. There we plan to try out all types of things that at this point in our lives, we have not done or couldn't do because of our kids (and their young ages). We hope to surf, paraglide, catch every movie we could ever want to see, date, IMAX, and even quietly and personally renew our vows to last us another 10 yrs. ;) I am so excited, as is my husband, and we've not been able to stop talking about it. It's fresh on our minds at every turn, making every sacrifice we make to save another buck for our trip all that more worthwhile. We want to do it right. Not everyday we get to celebrate a 10 year anniversary. Especially still being so in love with one another, if not more than the day we said our wedding vows 10 years ago. I truly am a bundle of nervous energy because I can't wait to have 9 days of just me and my man.... heaven! (Believe that I will be calling my kids at least every night).


Anyway this post has grown rather long and I'm sure many of your eyes have crossed nearing the end of this. =) To enhance this post, I'm adding pics of the bday girl, the cake I made her, and some others! Have a blessed day! I'll be sure to post more often so as to prevent another post as long as this one in trying to catch up. LOL

She's Growing Before Our Eyes!

As I said, I am now posting about my baby girls first day of Pre-K. Friday I got THE phone call from Bright Star (the Pre-K we enrolled Asilyn in months ago). In order for you to understand the joy & excitement that my heart is feeling, I have to backtrack to 3 weeks ago...

It was 2 weeks prior to the first day of school and we were so happy! My son, as you know, would be starting Stepping Stones courtesy of the state of GA. My daughter was accepted into Bright Star, a christian based academy. All was well. And then we get a letter in the mail. According to the state, they were postponing any additional funding towards any additional Pre-K classrooms. At first I didn't understand, but after a detailed conversation with the director of the academy, on one hand I did understand even though it meant there was a high possibility that Asilyn would not be in school this year. Basically its this; many parents are so determined to get their child into Pre-K (whether it be that they need the break, just want their child to have the early education, or that it means no more childcare payments), they will enroll their child in several facilities, in hopes of having a few to select from or just having one accept their child. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there in this arena. :) BUT the problem lies within the fact that parents stubbornly do not take their child off of any lists until after they've started at the preschool they so choose from their list of acceptances, "just in case" something happens and they needed a quick backup prior to the start of school. And because of this, you have ONE child enrolled at several facilities, which totally throws off the state funding, making them believe that there are more children enrolled in Pre-K than there really are, and then they go and fund these classrooms (enough to cover the list of applicants) and then all of a sudden after the first week of school, you have several facilities with a fraction of the children on their list actually attending, yet these facilities are receiving funding as if they have more. See the problem? Hence the reason why the state began denying funding for additional classrooms in a single facility until after they've had a "headcount" which typically happens after the first week. And this, my friends, is what happened to us.

I admit I was slightly disappointed.... ok, really disappointed. It's not that I don't love my Asi, because I so do. I just had my dreams set on spending a good 10 months alone with my baby girl Kailyn, as she has NEVER been home alone with me (with the exception of those rare occasions when daddy would take Justin and Asilyn to the store with him or when I just took Kailyn with me) and I was so looking forward to giving her that opportunity to find herself. She's always been about "being just like Asilyn", so I knew she would need this time before SHE starts school next year to just be who she wants to be. And not to mention, Justin had 4 years of just me and him, Asilyn had 2 years of just me and her (as Justin started school the year she was born), but Kailyn hasn't had a solid moment... and she needs that too!

But luckily, Asilyn's school called Friday and said it was a "go" and her first day would be Monday.... which is today. I've had to do some rearranging of my schedules, not so much timelines... as it is rushing, beating traffic and making sure Asilyn is more presentable... (ie. not just brushing her curly hair into a matte of ponytail... :)). So we still got up at 6. Still got Justin dressed and ready. And then got Asilyn ready as well. And then we were out of the driveway by 7, beat a majority of the traffic on the way to Justin's school, dropped him off at the front door, and drove safely but quickly back to Locust Grove to get Asilyn there by 8. Whew! But we made it! :) I kept asking her if she was excited... I believe that she's done with me asking that. lol Just looking at her in my rearview, so grown-up like... hands crossed in her lap, quietly gazing out the window, and all I can wonder is what is going through her mind. Is she scared? Nervous? Timid? Is she excited? Ready? Rethinking the whole situation like I am and thinking it may just be better for her to stay home with me and be homeschooled and enjoy life in a shelter of her mothers love and never have to worry about bullies, boys or mean teachers? Ok, so maybe the last one was more my thinking but, ya know... ITS MY BABY! And she's.... not a baby anymore! Do you know how sad that is?? When all you wanted in life was to have children, raise them, watch them grow... having moments in the infancy of not being able to "wait" til they do this or do that.... and yet... here it is, the moment you've been waiting for and everything inside of you is screaming No!!! and wanting the world to just stop spinning for a moment so you can catch your breath and memorize every ounce of baby fat, every cute mispronounced word... and yet, time just continues to pass...

Anyway, I dropped my daughter off in the hands of women I've never met in my life, watched as my shy little 4 year old timidly walks across the room to join children she's never met in her life... and tried to keep a brilliant smile on my face just in case she looked back for guidance, approval, assurance from my face. But she never did. My brave little girl joined with eyes wide open, never looking back... she didn't need me. Siiiiiiiiiiigh! And now I find myself anxiously waiting for 2:30 to come around so I can pick her up, hug her, kiss her, tell her how much I missed her, and hear all about how her first day at school was. Both Kailyn and I have been wandering around this house, looking for things to do. I've done laundry, I've done dishes, I've cleaned rooms... Kailyn's watched HER shows, played with an extension cord, played with me, tried to potty a few times, and asked "can we pick up Asilyn now?" at 10 oclock in the morning. :) We're lost without her. LOL I'm sure it will get easier... I know it will because I felt this way with Justin as well. And because I had a brand new baby Asilyn to tend to, it got easier as my responsibilities became larger. Yet what am I supposed to do when Kailyn goes... then I'll have nothing... an empty house, a clean empty house, but an empty house. :) Ahhh... I have a year before I have to fret about that. For now, I have Kailyn. ;) With that, I'm going. She's eating her lunch by herself for the first time in her entire life, and I think I should be there to keep her company. Now on to some pictures... I wish I could post them all...

Until another moment,

City Farmin'!

This weekend has been wonderful! Got the BEST phonecall ever on Fri letting us know that Asilyn will begin Pre-K on Monday (I'll tell you about that in another blog). It set our entire weekend off right! And Saturday, we spent the day at my mom's and step-dad's ("Me~Gamma" and Pappy), swimming and grilling out and just spending time with family. I love those days. Today, after a fantastic morning at church, we got some housework done (after some time spent with my brother, Josh) and grilled out a wonderful dinner of Salmon. :)

Many of you probably know that we've taken to living off our land this past year or two. Created a nice garden perfect for our family of 5. And to further our ventures in City Farmin', we built a cute chicken coop and purchased 4 baby chickens. They, of course, are not babies now. Practically full grown and clucking ever so quietly in our backyard. They haven't yet produced eggs, although we anticipate that they will within the next few months, and soon we will be stocking our refridgerator with fresh organic home-grown eggs. How nice! So today, as we do at least once or twice a week, we opened the doors to their coop, and slowly but surely, out waddles Petals, Daisy, Lily, and Tulip. They love picking the honeysuckle off our back fence as well as picking on our minpinchuahua. :) But it also gives them some free-range time to pick at fresh grass clippings and random bugs. They love it. The best part is a simple "Here Chick-chick-chicks" and a tap of their feed bucket has them running for their coop and hopping inside without any issues. Took a little learning on their parts in the beginning, but not much. Easier than dogs! Anyway, today, the girls got involved. They are so good with the chickens. Not afraid of them at all. Well, with the exception of their pecking when they are trying to feed them by hand... kinda hurts when they pinch a finger instead of the food. :) I snatched my camera up and snapped a few pics of the girls doing their thing... playing with their chickens. Btw: Petals is Asilyn's favorite. I love City Farmin'. And notice the coop my husband and I made with complete guestimation and simple photo observation. We're a good team! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Look for a post soon all about Asilyn's first day of Pre-K and more than likely pics of her first day as well!


Until another moment,

Butterflies & Blue Skies!

What a wonderfully long day it's been today! Luckily, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the girls had a blast chasing butterflies in the front yard. It amazes me, their imaginations so vibrant, their speech so intelligent. Asilyn is ridiculous. The words she has used this week and surprisingly in context has just floored Tommy and I. "Concentrate" is probably one of her favorites, as well as "horrible" and "infection". The last two, yeah probably from me. ;) And Kailyn, bless her little beautiful soul, loves Asilyn so much and wants to be like her in every way, will copy everything she says. I truly love hearing my 3 year old tell me that I need to "be quiet because I can't concentrate! I'm busy right now!" And I do mean that in the most sarcastic tone I can muster. :) Anyway, I do enjoy a lovely day outside, because more times than not, the girls are playing well together, my tan gets a little bit deeper, and the neighborhood couldn't be more quiet now with all the kids in school. And not to mention one very important fact, with the kids outside, the inside is left untouched. Can I get an Amen?! Being outside in nature is my way of decompressing.


Which brings me to my next thought. Something that has NEVER happened before in my life prior to this day. And in fact, with the exception of butterfly house tours, I don't know anyone who has experienced this. But on this day, I had a visit from a beautiful butterfly. I watched it awkwardly flutter around me, trying to see a closer glimpse of it's colorful beauty. And before I knew it, this butterfly landed on my toe. Don't laugh. I watched in amazement at how I could barely feel this tiny creature on my toe, yet here it was, just looking at me from the position it had taken. About 3-4 minutes it jumped up and fluttered off as I sat astonished that I was just visited by one of God's most delicate creatures. And during that brief thought, it came back!!! But this time landed right on my hand. So I sat with her, talked to her for nearly half an hour as she fluttered her wings brilliantly for me. Just in awe of how interested she was in me, if not more than I was in her. But it wasn't long before she was scared off... *cough~girls~cough*. I managed to snap a million pics and a video of her, because after all we're talking 30 minutes! So I posted a couple of the better non-fuzzy ones below.


And my lesson for today? Sometimes, it doesn't take a megaphone or sounding alarm for God to catch my attention, sometimes all it takes is a small flutter and a gentle touch. And I found that it is in those quiet "awe-like" moments that I get the most gratification, that even though I may not "feel" it, He's still there, watching and listening. And just knowing that, understanding that regardless of how busy our life is as I'm making memories for my children, He still takes moments like this to create memories for me! Hope you all have a great night! PS. Sorry my toes were dirty (walking outside without shoes on) and the butterfly wouldn't allow me the opportunity to clean them prior to picture taking!


Until another moment,

The Good Kinda Pride!

Second post of the day... wow, I'm on a roll! Well, I said I would post about my boy, so here it goes! Never a better time than right now, when my heart is swelling with so much pride! Today was day 3 of his 3rd grade experience. Most of you (whoever may read this) know my son is Autistic, and some of you don't if you happened to miss that in a previous post. He is truly on the line of being typical and Autistic, also known as Asperger's. As of now, his only "delays", or as Tommy and I like to call it, "limitations", is that he is behind about a grade level in comprehension, meaning being able to read a story and accurately answer questions about it, he is still a bit socially awkward with his peers, meaning unable to initiate conversation about something or activities and a little awkward in his play with them, and finally, he still has a few sensory issues. (His hearing is super hypersensitive, meaning going to a grocery store is unbearable for him, the noises of the people talking, buggies squeaking, cash registers dinging, flourescent lights buzzing, kids crying, shoes squeaking, items dropping, phones ringing, temperatures changing, well..... you get the point... I could keep going, but basically he hears each individual thing going on around him and his only way of coping is something we like to call "stemming", an Autistic's way of handling the situation without losing his mind... similar to the compulsions an OCD sufferer would do to deal with the anxieties of their obsessions. Luckily, I've become very adept at keeping him occupied with helping me find items off the shelf which is another, more acceptable way of dealing with his anxieties. But other than those main components, he is otherwise undetectable in the spectrum of Autism.

When he began Pre-K, he was virtually misunderstood, his speech completely undecipherable. In fact, according to his therapists, at 4 1/2 years old he was on an 18 month old child's level in speech. We enrolled him into an expensive yet capable school, Stepping Stones Therapy Educational Center, that in less than one year taught him so much! He gained over a year and a half of speech! It was incredible. We kept him in Stepping Stones for his Kindergarten year, although at that time, our daughters were both here and paying the huge tuition was becoming harder. Thank God for family! After Kindergarten, our lovely state of GA passed a grant that, with the condition of being in a public school environment for one full school term under an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), will provide funds to pay for tuition to any private school of our choice until he graduates or turns 21, whichever comes first. We had a lot of praying to do! Because although we needed that grant, the thought of putting our son with diabilities into public school, with all the hype of school shootings, bombs and teachers that "don't care", was almost enough to have us reevaluating the benefit of the grant. But in the end, our monetary status had us enrolling Justin into the local public school and praying for the best! Just one year! That's all we needed and then he'd be out of there and back at Stepping Stones.

What we did NOT expect, however, was how well he did in a typical peer classroom, with limited special help, and speech therapy one hour a week. We did NOT expect to have overly-involved teachers, willing and able to hand me their personal numbers should any questions or concerns arise. We did NOT expect to fall in love with the school and teachers. And we definitely did NOT expect the HUGE gains he made from being around typical social situations. We were in shock... and most definitely in awe. And so after passing 1st grade all on his own, seeing his speech flourish, making friends, and loving every minute of it, we made the decision to keep him in just one more year. So his 2nd grade was also in public school. The special help was even more limited than before, yet the teachers and therapists that had helped him out the year prior were quick to jump in and lend a hand when needed. And we made the decision to let him ride the school bus. Scary I know! But he LOVED it! We were second guessing the idea of placing him back in Stepping Stones at all!

And then it happened. We knew one day it would, HOPED it wouldn't. He was bullied. In the bathroom. Away from teachers and any aid available. He fell, the details of said fall a bit sketchy, but fell he did, hitting his head pretty hard on the floor. Enough to make him pass out for a brief moment (his words "fell asleep"). He was on the floor crying when a student told the teacher he needed help. A phone call was made to me, I picked him up and struggled for hours to keep him awake. Afraid of a concussion, my husband came home and took him to the ER during which he vomited on several occasions. It had me in tears. A CatScan provided a bit of relief as no trauma was caused other than the swelling on the outside of his head. And immediately after he became severely ill and was out of school for 4 days. It was the answer we needed. Could've appreciated a not-so-traumatic answer, but an answer nonetheless. Justin was truly scared to go back to school, but in keeping up with correspondence with his teacher, I soon learned that the child in question was extremely sorry and very worried about Justin. I found this, if any, was a perfect time to teach my son proper social interactions. I had Justin's teacher read a book about children with Asperger's to the class, and had a question/answer session with one of his therapists with his peers in order to help them to understand why he was different and the way he is. I also read some books to my son at home, preparing him for the inevitable return. I convinced him that the best way to handle it was to ask the child if he would be his friend. (I prepared him for both answers, but PRAYED for a positive outcome.) Sure enough when Justin came home that first day back, he was happy and glad to be back in school, as the child had accepted his offer of friendship and apologized for what had happened. And then they hugged. (Go ahead, now would be the perfect time to "awwwe"). But again, that incident was enough to have us tucking tail and running. I never want my son to backtrack all the improvements he has made, or to withdraw from children because of fear. And I know the older children get, the worse it can be.


And so, my boy is back to his home school! He loves it. "It's so easy!" is his answer to me everyday now since day one when I ask him how his day was. He's in the testing mode right now, as they try to find where he is at in his grade levels with each subject. His teachers are impressed. He actually leaves his classroom to go "one-on-one" with another teacher that has been teaching him his main subjects since he is so far ahead of the others in his classroom. We were told today that he would be in the 10+yr old classroom if it wasn't completely full right now. Which is why he is receiving this additional teaching. The are tailoring his curriculum to fit his needs, which is why it's so "easy" this week. He's a doll! We even had the teacher ask us why he was in Stepping Stones, because he surely didn't need it. It is so nice to hear when you feel everywhere you turn, your child is being labeled. It is so refreshing to see that when strangers look at him, they don't see his disability, they see Justin. We are so glad he's home! Right where he belongs! And I appreciate (those of you still reading) the moment to allow me to pridefully brag about my son! I've always wanted to. ;) *Posted a pic of my handsome little man, snuggling his little sister*



Until another moment,

Where's the Dynamite?

Not exactly sure how to begin this post. I would love to always begin with something cleverly written and well versed... but the thoughts are fleeting at the moment. So I'll just move right onto the point of this particular post. As much as I wish I could keep a clean house, I know with three young children the dream is just as fleeting as my thoughts are. I've learned to accept that, as well as the fact that cleaning is a huge part of my day. But I do try. Because I like the feeling of relaxing in a clean home. However, there are two individuals in my family that love to test my limits. My beautiful lovely daughters. :) Well last night, Asilyn's room was in shambles! Looked as if her room vomited, profusely. The projectile kind. My husband had a pretty intense conversation with her over the dinner table. Threats, reiterations, repetitions, plenty of talk about how he wanted her room clean before he came home today. My objective today is to make sure that happens, because as much as I love her, I know discipline is an intricate piece to raising children, but I really don't want to see her... disciplined. I would like for her to just learn the spoken lesson the easy way. I've repeated the ultimatum several times today... and still.... nothing. She doesn't seem phased by the looming threat that daddy placed over her head, or that he'll be home within a few hours.


Rabbit Trail: Speaking of discipline, my husband and I do have one goal in mind when disciplining our children, to introduce responsibility, create awareness of others, respect, and to contribute to our family in a beneficial and productive manner. The methods of getting there, however, vary. Over the many years of doing this together, we've learned that regardless of our own beliefs and preferences, we never confront the other in front of the children, on the discipline taken. No small feat, as when it happens, and you don't particularly agree with what was said or done to remedy this situation, all those motherly/fatherly instincts well up inside and makes you want to jump in and be the hero. And again, over the years we've learned to compromise and accept what works for a particular parent, because we've definitely found that what works for one, doesn't always work for the other. My husband began this awhile back that whenever discipline was required, he would sit the child at fault down, explain to them what they've done, say a prayer together, asking for forgiveness and future understanding, and then proceeds to spank them in a non-violent, non-scarring manner. Afterwards, once the crying has calmed, they hug, kiss, and re-explain the situation and how better to handle that in the future. Brilliant! I, however, am more of the mind to follow all those above except the spanking, replacing a minute per their age in years timeout routine. It's not that I'm against spanking, it's just that my past helped to dictate my stance on the subject, that it would require something quite severe to deserve physical punishment. That if my job as a parent is to teach my children how to be productive members in society, learning how to manage mistakes and learn from them in the outside world doesn't have to resort to physical punishment. I'm the explain-er of the family, for sure, and I will explain til my voice was raw if it dawned a new understanding in my child's mind as to "why" this is the way it is and "why" it's to be done (or not to be done) this way. Their minds are sponges, and my method seems to work best for me and my children. I've had to learn that the hard way with my Autistic son who, upon being spanked, would go into a whirl spin, spiraling down into his own little box, closing himself off from me and what I was trying to explain. And then all was for naught as a simple spanking turned into a 2 hour ordeal. But that method doesn't work AT ALL for Tommy. They don't respect him enough to believe he'll follow through with keeping them in that time out seat or whatever the case may be. To each is our own. And we've learned to accept it, and the kids have learned to accept it as well. *End Rabbit Trail*


Anyway, back to the original story, I'm sure you were a little curious as to why my post is entitled "Where's the dynamite?". Well as I have been gently reminding my daughter this morning of what daddy said last night, and that he would be home soon, I walk into her room to see what all the fuss was about. As I said, the room vomited. I asked Asilyn and Kailyn as innocently as I could, "Asi, what happened to your room?!" and she looked up at me with her army green/brown eyes, so big and "precious moments" like, and in her tiny little voice, girly high-pitched and all, she replied, "It exploded! I was asleep and it exploded!" How can any mom be mad at that answer? Granted, it's the tell-tell signs of future excuses and lies as a coverup, but truly... what a doll-baby! And of course, typical me, I snatch up my camera and snap a few pics of the "exploded" room with two very sneaky little girls in the shot. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I have. ;) Oh and I have also posted pics of my girls having their morning chat with daddy on the phone... so like me!


Until another moment,

A Snuggle Worth Saving!

Second day of school for my little man. He is so excited to be going to this new private school, and frankly so are we. We've waited 2 long years to be able to do this. (Again, I will be posting additional details about this later.) And luckily my daughters weren't too grumpy this morning. Off to school we went, and then it hit me on the drive back that today was the last "free summer movie" at the local theatre. Oh what a special treat, just us girls! Back to the house we went for breakfast and a quick pack of some snacks and soon we were pulling into the parking lot. "Ov*r Th* H*dge" was playing and granted we've seen it a thousand times (one of many in our collection of home dvd's), it still was a moment we could spend together, and not to mention it's always different on the big screen. I began to worry slightly, as I realized just how much I depend on Justin. He's the one that will hold Kailyn's hand as we cross the street while I have Asilyn's hand and our "luggage". He's the one that runs off to find 2 childseats for the dreaded foldup theatre chairs since carrying so many things at once plus managing 2 little ones in a sea of at least a hundred people is no easy task. Such a big helper he is! Luckily though, my oldest daughter, Asilyn, surprisingly picked up the slack. She quickly realized the same thing as we set off across the street, and grabbed Kailyn's hand... our little train of three. She realized as I stood in line to surprise them with a treat of popcorn/candy/drink meals that my hands were going to be extremely full with the added items, and quickly grabbed up 2 seats as we passed by. I was fully prepared to make 2 trips. Thank God, the theatre was actually pretty quiet, I assume because most children were back to school like my Justin. We ended up making that second trip because somebody (one guess) had to potty as soon as our hindends were settled in our seats. :) Quite alright as we were early anyway!

But it occured to me, as the movie was nearing it's end and I found that both girls (one on either side of me) were tightly clinging to my arm and resting their heads on me, that no matter how stressful the "getting there" may be, as long as we got there and enjoyed yet another memory, it was all a snuggle worth saving! I quietly lifted the armrests dividing us all, and slipped my arms around each of my babies, who are getting so big, and fought back the prideful tear that threatened to fall... everything that I have been through in my lifetime, every heartache, every pain, every trial, if it meant bringing me to this moment in time right now, then it all was worth it. I have said it time and time again, I love my life. There is nothing that I could want for more than what I already have been blessed with. And with that, I leave you, hoping that you, too, will realize that God has led you down your own specific road of heartache, pain and trials to bring you to this very moment. That had it not been for those moments, quite possibly, you would appreciate what you do have a bit less. I pray for those of you in the heartache, unable to see the clear direction, to understand where all this leads, that you will have the faith to know it will lead you somewhere, to a point when you can look back as I have and say, "I'd do it all over again if it meant right now."

Until another moment...

A Typical Day!

Now that you've been filled in on the past 12 years... more or less, I'd like to relive my "yesterday" today, the very reason that inspired me to create this blog in the first place. My typical day, as of the start of the school year has been waking up at 6 a.m., getting the kids up and driving a 30 min drive (one-way) to take Justin to school. (I'll fill you in about that in another post). Then we come home and it's breakfast for the girls, usually an early morning phone chat with one of my girlfriends while the kids are eating. Then my morning typically consists of a daily load of dishes, a load of laundry (or two depending on the time of the week), a quick cleaning of the girls rooms and bathrooms while the girls are usually squealing and playing.

Ok so that is a quick synopsis of pre-naptime activities. Now what I have NOT told you is what the "squealing and playing" being had by my daughters is consisted of. Yesterday for instance, Asilyn apparently snuck some dry erase markers out of my bedroom while I was cleaning it - so literally right behind my back - and took them into my living room and decided to color... on my walls, on my furniture, on her SISTER! (Yes I have pics, posted beneath this post). As I walk into my living room doing my normal "kid-check" I find Kailyn sitting ever so still as Asilyn is drawing an image on her forehead in blue dry erase marker. Oh the enjoyment on her face as she skillfully drew circles on her dear little sisters face, and the welled up aggravation in my mine... and then Kailyn turned around. Barely containing my laughter is putting it nicely. My daughter... is a smurf. And the look of uneasy-headed for certain disaster-looks on both their faces as they watched me intently, waiting for my next move, trying to discern whether now would be a good time to run, I quickly grabbed my phone, snapped a couple pics of Kailyn and immediately went into my daily... no, hourly rant! I think my daughters have grown accustomed to hearing the words "I can't get anything done with you guys! Everytime! I'm tired of it!" and will readily admit that I have heard the exact same words come from both their mouths periodically. Although it's humorous, I know that it's necessary for them to be disciplined despite the fact that I couldn't keep the smile from my lips as I'm scrubbing foreheads. The aggravation came when it wouldn't come off the walls. Thats when discipline is easiest.

As I began my new task of scrubbing walls instead of toilets, I noticed everything else my pretty little girls were up to in the 15 minutes I was otherwise engaged... my drink (always my drink) was on my kitchen floor (not in it's container, mind you... no, literally, Coke Zero, on the floor), and toys.... o m g the toys. So my lessons for the day; dry-erase marker does not come off of my green living room walls, slightly comes off the khaki hallway walls but not entirely, and easily off of skin and furniture. :) That, again, all markers, pens, pencils, and any marking utility should be locked away with a dead bolt. That quite possibly if it was WATER I was drinking, the girls would not be so quick to drink it and/or spill it. AND that I need to get rid of some toys, FOR REAL! Life is always an adventure with these two... they make Justin look easy-going and laid-back, and if it's ever quiet in my house, they are sleeping, sick, or up to no good! ;) I love them to death no matter what they do... always! Now on to pictures...

All About Us!

To begin this, please allow me a moment to appreciate the past 12 years in a quick summary of all that has transpired that brings us to this moment in time... a chance to catch up the unknown, refresh the uninvolved, and reminisce with life-long friends. Bear with me.

It began on a hot summer day... I met my husband when I was 15 years old, immediately in love. It was then that I became a believer in the mythical "love at first sight". Truly from the moment I laid my eyes on him, I knew that this would be the man I would marry. God truly laid that on my heart and soul, and soon enough I was avidly praying for him on a daily, if not hourly, basis. And on August 29th, 1997, after I turned 16, my dreams, hopes, wishes, and prayers became a reality and our journey together began. Before we knew it, we were walking down the isle 2 years later, ready and willing to experience life as a unit, taking all the good and bad that came our way and battling life's battles at each other's side. A little over a year after we said "I do", our firstborn son, Justin, came along. He was everything I had hoped for and then some, the best child any 19 year old mother could ask for. Life was grand. When I was 23, my precious baby boy was diagnosed as Autistic/Asperger's Syndrome. It was definitely a battle that knocked the wind out of our chests, absolutely heartbreaking with the uncertainty of what lay in store for us. Months later our precious little girl, Asilyn, arrived. Life as we knew it became a little more complicated, as Asilyn was busy from the moment she opened her eyes. Very observant. Very... somber. I think some of you know exactly what I am talking about. She would look through you, and the older she got, the better she was at it. Not even the funniest of people could make this child laugh, with the exception of mom and dad of course. She was a ball of fun at home. So in dealing with our son's limitations, therapies multiple times a week and special schooling, and having a brand new baby, our schedules were as full as anyone would expect. And then 14 mos after Asilyn was born, we found out we were expecting again. Very unexpected, as it were. And 8mos later, Kailyn arrived. Bundles of energy and excitement from the moment she could hold her head up long enough to watch her "big sisi" run around and play, laughter in a high-pitch-squealing sense... she brought just that much more laughter to our household. As of now, my children are 8.9 yrs, 4.9 yrs, and 3 (this August). Now if you haven't figured it out by now, and if you happen to still be reading this, I think it is obvious what my next statement will be, and in fact the very purpose for this blog and in the URL we named it. Things became VERY busy...

It's not just about having three beautiful children, it's about my life as I know it, completely chaotic, unbelievably restless, yet undeniably satisfying. If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. Everything that has brought us to this moment have been life lessons we will one day pass along to our children. I'm currently in the process of making memories here, for three wonderful children, that daily bring a smile to my face, a tear to my eye, a strange vein that pops out of my neck from time to time, and most importantly the greatest love I have ever felt on the face of this planet. And so, I begin... Keith Family Chaos. Come Join Our World...

Brande