Do you remember when?

Memories

This seemed like a really fun thing to do... I got it off of my friend Stephanie's blog. Here's how you do it-

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Wall*E

We did something today that we have never done before. We took both kids to a movie. This is only Dylan's second time going to one, and the first time was a nightmare. We started preparing him the night before, and told him what to expect, so he was prepared. He did so incredible! We saw Wall*E, and it was such a cute movie. During the last 10-15 minutes, Dylan told us he was ready to go home, but Jon got him to stick it out until the end. Usually when he tells us he is done, we have to leave right then, or else a meltdown occurs. But he held it together so well. As soon as he got home he went to his room and has been playing there by himself since. I think he needed the down time. Livie does really well during movies, as long as she has popcorn. It is so amazing to me that he was able to do this. A year ago, we could hardly take him out in public, and now he is starting to do such typical things. I'm so proud of him.

ABC Tag

A - Attached or Single? - attached
B - Best Friend - my husband Jon
C - Cake or Pie? - cake, especially chocolate
D - Day of choice? - Christmas Eve
E - Essential item? - book
F - Favorite color? - cerulean or lilac
G - Gummy bears or worms? - gummy worms
H - Hometown? - Tremonton, UT
I - Favorite Indulgence? - coke and a book
J - January or July? - July -January (I may be saying this because I hate the heat right now.)
K - Kids? -Dylan 4, Olivia 2
L - Life isn't complete without? - My family
M - Marriage Date? - November 17, 2000
N - Number of Bros & Sis? - 2 brothers (Coby and Cody, they are twins), 1 sister (Stacie)
O - Oranges or Apples? - Oranges
P - Phobias and Fears? - Snakes, and public speaking
Q - Quote? -"Being Normal is vastly overrated."
R - Reason to smile? - Jon will be home in 20 minutes.
S - Season of choice? - Fall
T - Tag Ten People? - Anyone who hasn't done it, and wants to.
U - Unknown fact about me? - When I drive on the freeway, I am convinced that a semi is going to run me off the road.
V - Vegetable? - Squash
W - Worst habit? - Returning phone calls.
X - X-Ray? - Ankle
Y - Your favorite food? - Cheese, Italian
Z - Zodiac sign? - Cancer

Best Birthday Party Ever

My birthday isn't officially until Monday, but my friends had a birthday party for me on Saturday. It was so much fun. We went shopping at Town Square, and found some really good stuff. Afterwards, we went to Olive Garden (my favorite) for dinner. I told my friend Rachel that I didn't want any fuss, or anyone to know that it was my birthday, and she promised she wouldn't tell anyone anything. Unfortunately she found a loop hole, and had my friend Stephanie bring Happy Birthday balloons to the restaurant. There was this one waiter in particular named Gary who was determined to make me as embarrassed as possible. He took some pictures for us, and also one of himself. He then had a gaggle of waiters come and sing to me. One of them was even dancing. So much for remaining inconspicuous.
Afterwards we went cosmic bowling. Rachel guilted me into bringing my balloons into the bowling alley with us. She even had Emily bring a cake. It was so incredibly sweet. We had so much fun, and I almost broke into triple digits with my bowling score. Towards the end of the night, I forgot about people looking at me, and we just had fun. Thank you so much to Rachel, Kelly, Emily, Taren, Natalie and Stephanie, for making it the best birthday party ever.

This is my present from my friend Stephanie, it is a

beautiful collage on canvas. I love it!

The kids enjoying my leftover party balloons.

Days of Doctors

We have had two days of doctors appointments. Tuesday, we were finally able to go to the Lili Claire Foundation. We have been on their waiting list for over a year! We had to do so much paperwork, and get every medical record or evaluation that Dyl has ever had. Dr. Frickie is a neurological and developmental specialist, and the only one in Nevada. Needless to say, it was a lot of work, but I think it was way worth it. We were there for about four hours, and it was really tiring for Dyaln. But he did a fantastic job. He did really well on the cognitive puzzle solving skills. He was scoring at a sixth grade level. Not bad for a four year old. We go back to get the results on July 25Th. It is a long wait, but I think they will be able to help us figure out Dylan better.

This is the statue they have outside of their building.

Today, Dylan had to go get his kindergarten shots. Kind of weird, since he has another year before kindergarten, but the program he is in requires it. He was so brave. After the doctor checked him out, he said: "Mom, when are we going to see the real doctor, so he can get my sick off?" Hopefully, the doctor wasn't offended by that. The nurse promised him two suckers if he was brave during the shots, so of course, Livie wanted two as well. When Dylan started crying during the shots, Livie started sobbing. I thought she was sad for her brother, but when I asked her what was wrong, she told me that she just needed her suckers.

Jon has gone out of town until Sunday to build a shed for his parents. Livie was devastated to tell him goodbye, and was only soothed with a promise of a cookie and the movie Snow White. Tonight when we were saying our family prayers, Dylan pointed out that we only made a triangle. He got really sad and said that we couldn't make a diamond without daddy here. Then during his prayer, he prayed that daddy would come home and make our diamond. (Jon, if you are reading this, I promise it is not meant to make you feel guilty for abandoning us, ha ha ha.)

I know my daughter is almost always in Dylan's old jammies, but for some reason when she picks out her jammies at night, those are the first ones she goes for.

My Dad

I couldn't go through Fathers Day without a tribute to my own dad. He is the most amazing man. He has such a tender heart, and loves everyone. He is so funny and non judgemental. He is always there to listen to me, and always manages to lift my spirits. I think he is the best bishop in the world, even if he isn't mine. He always makes time for family. He has such an amazing connection with Dylan. Even when Dylan was at his worst, my dad manged to break through his barriers. Not only is he a great father, but he is an amazing grandpa. He loves to be with the kids, and is interested in everything they have to say. I know I am so lucky to have grown up with a dad like him. I'm lucky I have such a great role model in my life. I love you so much dad. Happy Fathers Day!

Jonny

I think that my Jon is the best husband and father in the world. Since it is Fathers Day, there couldn't be better timing for me to brag about him. I decided to make a list of some of the things that I love about him.
He is an excellent provider.

He is a worthy priesthood holder.

He makes me and the kids laugh everyday.

He is never too busy to help other people.

He makes me feel like I am the most important person in the world to him.

He has taught Livie to waltz.

He pretends to be her "Beast" so she can be "Belle."

He can sense my mood before I even say anything.

He knows when he can tease me out of crabbiness, or when it is best to stay back.

He will watch chick flicks with me and tries to keep the sarcastic remarks quiet.

He is my support when I don't think I can make it through.

He is extremely handy.

He lets me sleep in on Saturdays.

When Dylan is having a bad day, he is the only one who can calm him down.

He has such a tender heart for children, especially those with disabilities.

He and I have the same sense of humor.

He won't dance in public, but you should see him pop and crump.

He makes dinner every Sunday.

He lets me talk out all of my frustrations, even if he has heard it five minutes earlier.
He has a darling dimple, exactly where Livie's is.
He calls me a nerd when I wear my glasses, but he just got his own pair, so now the joke is on him.

His laughter makes any funny show even funnier.
When I am sick he turns into Super dad and manages to do everything, including taking care of me.

He massages my neck when I have a headache.

He talks in his sleep.

His night time dreams make mine look more normal.

His hair is crazy in the morning.

He has taught Dylan and Livie to be tough and how to wrestle.

He can answer almost any gospel question I have.

He lets me tell him about the books I have read, even though I know it doesn't interest him at all.

He can tell by the way I look at the kids, that the outfits he picked, do not match at all.

He is still close with his mom and his family.

He would do almost anything to make me feel better about bad situations.

He loves our dogs, but tries to show it in a manly way, like throwing pillows at them, or tripping them when they go up the stairs.

He is teaching Dylan how to draw.

He makes up crazy words and sayings that make our kids go into hysterics.

We are complete equals in our marriage.

He is my best friend, and I love him more than anything in the world.

Happy Fathers Day Jonny!

Princess Fifi

My sweet little girl does not call herself Livie, or even Olivia. Oh no, she calls herself Fifi. And if that isn't enough to encourage a career in being a Vegas showgirl, she also walks around the house dressed like this. Of course, she thinks she looks like June from Little Einsteins.

Last Week

This week has been pretty crazy. My parents stopped by for a surprise visit on Wednesday. They were taking a little vacation and zoomed down. The kids were so excited to see them. My sister Stacie and her family stopped by on their way back from Disneyland. We had a BBQ with them on Friday night, and then hung out for awhile on Saturday. It is always so fun to see family.



When they left on Saturday we took Dyl and Livie to see the flamingos at the Flamingo. Livie was so excited. She loves flamingos. Mostly because they are pink. The picture we took of me and the kids will not be posted. Not only did I look crappy in it, but the kids weren't looking at the camera, so I think it is fair. We then decided to take the kids to see the lions at MGM. That didn't go so well. It was nap and lunch time and the kids were cranky. Not to mention we got lost. (Curse you casinos for being built like labyrinths.) Jon and I went on our date that night. It was so much fun. We had dinner at Olive Garden and saw Prince Caspian, Chronicles of Narnia. It was such a great movie. Today was another crazy day. Livie was sick with a bad cold, she picked it up from her cousin Maverick. (Thanks again for visiting Stace.) (Just Kidding.) So Jon and I had to do a shuffle for the church schedule. But luckily, everything is calmed down and we can start another crazy week.
Funny Sayings:


Dyl: Look at all of those sacraments mom.
Me: Are you talking about the bread Dyl?
Dyl: No, all those kids in white shirts. That is a lot of sacraments. They wear white shirts, not stripey ones.
Me: Good observation kid.


Dyl: Mom, everything is broken, like broken parts of some machiney thing.





Livie: Get out of my bed mom.
(Said while I was tucking her in.)

Dylan's Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for this day.

I'm thankful for mommy, daddy and Livie.

Please bless the ambulance to come get Livie.

And take her to the hospital.

So that she can get her cry off.

Then they can shoot water in her mouth.

With the big red fire truck.

We'll miss her.

I am a pirate.
I love thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Ups and Downs

Dylan has made a huge leap in his fine and gross motor skills. Because of his autism, these skills come slower for him. But he has been working really hard and it is paying off! He drew his first picture of our family. I'm the only one who has a body, but he thinks the most important part is the feet "so they can run." He is even starting to hold his pencil correctly. Although his teacher tells me he still writes with both hands. I am so proud of my smart guy.

On another note, he did something not so smart today. I got a call from his school telling me to come get him, because he stuck something up his nose, and they couldn't get it out. The school nurse was trying, but if she couldn't get it, I was going to have to take him to the emergency room. Luckily, we got it out, and it was a bead. When I asked him why he put it up there, he told me it's because he's silly.

Some more funny Dylanisms-

-I don't like my life mom, it is the pirate's life for me.

Me: Dyl, what did you do to Livie's doll house?

Dyl: I'm just screwing it up mom.

While we were in the doctor's office today, Livie was enthralled with a magazine featuring great white sharks. She was so excited and kept saying how cute they were. Everyone was laughing because she kept petting it and saying she loved it.