Birthday Party

Today we went to Dylan's friend Diezel's birthday party. They are in the same class together, and are good friends. The party was so much fun. It was a circus party and the kids loved it! They had fire blowers, games, jumpers, blow up slides, face painting, balloon animals, jugglers. The whole party was amazing. Dyl was in love with the slide and kept going on it over and over. He actually got kicked off it at the end, because he kept trying to go up the wrong way. We all got our caricatures drawn, (as you can tell from above.) We couldn't believe Dylan sat there for that long. Livie was scared of the juggler man, because he was on stilts. At one time, Dyl just stood there fascinated, looking up at the juggler, then out of the blue he threw his noise maker at him. Needless to say, the guy was a bit jilted. I think all of the workers were secretly happy when we left. It was a great party though. Again, I have pictures, but, you will have to wait to see them until the cable comes.

Girls Night

We had a girls night on Thursday night to celebrate Kate, Denette, Amy, and Emily's birthday. I am a little late posting about this because we didn't get home from bowling until 1:15, and I don't function very well on only 5 hours of sleep. It was so much fun though. I have so many great pictures to show for it. The downside, the usb cable they gave us for our new camera is the wrong one. But never fear my friends, I have ordered a new one, and it will be here by Tuesday. You will have to wait to see all your lovely faces until then. We went to B.J.'s and everyone got something delicous. There was about 32 women there. The bishop and the 1st counselor also came and sang a beautiful rendition of Happy Birthday. After the food, about 9 of us went bowling at Red Rock. It was such a fun night. I can't wait to be able to show everyone the pictures.

The Downside

Okay, so after re-reading my last post, I realized that I made Vegas sound too much like the Garden of Eden. Therefore, to balance everything out, I will tell you some of the stuff, that I do not love about Las Vegas.

*Green? What Green. When I lived in Utah, I saw green everywhere. Green grass, mountains, fields, etc. Here everything is brown. From the ground, to the houses all the way to the mountains. We have occasional green grass and plants, but not what I'm used too.*June, July, and August. These months are torture. You can't even leave your house. The temperature rises up to 116 or so. The tap water won't even get cold.

*Blue Diamond. This road is my nemesis. I have to drive on it two times a day, to take Dylan to and from school. It is always under construction, and takes forever each way. Also, don't even get me started on the train that decides to stop on the tracks crossing every day. Why don't I take another road you ask? Because there is no other road that goes across the tracks besides Blue Diamond.

*Traffic. It doesn't matter what road, or really what time of day. There is going to be traffic. Coming from a town that has three stop lights, this was a big adjustment for me.

*Price of Living. Regular gas is $3.36. Do I need to say more.

So those are my cons. I decided to list those, just so everyone doesn't think that we live in Adam-ondi-Ahman.

Las Vegas

Jon and I have lived in Las Vegas for about four and a half years now. Since I have been here, I have noticed that it gets a pretty bad rap. Every time I tell someone where we are living, their response is almost always the same. "Oohhhhh, really? Do you like that?" Even my mom and mother in law are convinced that Las Vegas is going to burn to the ground. So, on that note, I would like to list a few reasons, why I love the Fabulous Las Vegas.

*The weather. Yes, we do have three months of torturous heat, but the other nine months of the year are fantastic. I try really hard not to laugh at my parents when they are getting snow on one of the last days of March, because they always rub it in June-August.

*My friends. I have made some of the most wonderful friends down here. They are all so supportive and helpful and would do anything to help each other.

*The church. The constant joke in our family is that the church is truer here then in Utah. I don't really believe that, but I love the wards down here. Both of the ones I have been in have been wonderful. The bishop treats everyone like they are a member of a big family.

*The strip. I know, before you go crazy one me, there are some great, family fun things to do there. They have an FAO Schwartz, the M&M Factory, Coke Factory (my personal favorite), and let's not forget, the Auto Collection Museum.

*The little places. There are endless things to do here. Not only do we have some of the best parks and shopping places, but Vegas has tons of little things to do everywhere. Like Bonnie Springs, Spring Mountain Ranch, The Springs Preserve and lots of others.

*The school district. I have nothing but praise for the Clark County school district. Dylan has been in the system for over a year now. He has had two fantastic teachers who have helped him immensely and are so supportive.

*Shannon. Anyone who knows me knows who this great lady is. She is Dylan's Occupational Therapist. She is amazing! She goes above and beyond the limit for Dylan.

Those are just a few of the reasons I love it here. Although I miss my extended family terribly, home is here, with my little family.

Book Club

We had the best book club last night. We reviewed the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. It is a more difficult book to read, but completely worth it. It has such an incredible meaning in it and I found the book so humbling. The discussions we had last night were amazing. I felt like I was being taught a lesson the whole time. So many girls had such inspiring comments. I left the meeting feeling like I could do better and knowing what I needed to do to feel that way. I highly recommend this book for anyone that wants to take the time to learn more about themselves.

BOB

We have a little birdie who comes and visits us every single day. He always comes around the same time for about an hour or two. We have been feeding him cracker and bread crumbs until we can get some birdseed. The point of this is that we have all fallen in love with him. We have decided to name him Bob. (Since Dylan goes around the house saying, I'm not happy Bob, courtesty of the Incredibles.) My kids just stand in the window and talk to him. (If we go outside he flies away.) For those of you living in Utah, you are probably thinking, whats the big deal? We always see birds in our yards. That is not the case here. We hardly ever see any birds except pigeons. Bob is now a highlight of our day. P.S. If anyone knows what kind of bird this is, let me know!

Back to school

Dylan went back to school today. He just had a two week break. Now I know that doesn't sound very long, but it felt way too long. He has such a hard time being out of school. Every time they have a big break like this, Dylan always regresses. He was excited to be going back to school too. He kept asking for it. I think Livie was very pleased as well, to have her mommy all to herself. This morning, Dylan was completely in his own world. He would hardly talk to me and was just mumbling to himself. I was putting away laundry and he was sitting on the bed, when out of the blue he said, yep, mommy's going to leave you, mmmhhhh. Yep, mommy's going to leave you. I think he was preparing himself for being dropped off. I thought I would be so happy when he was back in school, but I find myself missing him terribly. When I see his dozen or so Auto Mart magazines spread around the house, I have this longing feeling for him. I guess that is what is so great about children. Just when you think it's good that you get a break, you wish they were with you even more than before.

Easter

Easter was so much fun this morning. Both kids were excited and knew what was happening. Although, last night, Livie kept telling us she was scared of the "eater" bunny. They came running down the stairs and started to fill their baskets with eggs. Livie only got as far as the banister and plopped down. We had hid some eggs there, and she was pretty content to just sit there and eat the candy. Both kids were happy with what the Easter bunny brought them and we had to go outside immediately and start blowing their new bubbles. Church was wonderful. They had the best musical program in sacrament meeting. All of the lessons were perfect. I substituted in Primary today, and the leaders there did such a great job. I think they really got what Easter is really about into the kids heads. I hope everyone has had a great day. Happy Easter!

Car museum

While my family was here, we decided to take them to the Auto Collection in Imperial Palace. Since my dad loves cars almost as much as Dylan, the place was a hit. Dylan had to make sure that he saw every single car. He loved all of them and was so excited, he kept wringing his hands together. The little girls didn't think it was quite as cool, but they had a fun time being together. Dylan and Livie miss all of them already.

Sleepover

My mom, dad, brother Cody, his wife Shiloh, and their daughter Lexie came to visit us this week. We had so much fun. Lexie and Livie got along great. They were instant best friends. We decided to let the girls have their first sleepover. Needless to say, the first night was a disaster. They didn't even end up sleeping in the same room. The next night was still rough, but they both slept in Liv's room. They were so proud of themselves the next day. They kept saying, I slept with Livie, I slept with Lexie. I am so glad they are friends. I had a cousin close to my age and we had so much fun together. Hopefully, they just keep getting closer.

They both had to "help" us make breakfast.

Take a good look.....

Because it may be your last. My incredible friend Kate decided to start a little clinic and try to teach 4 and 5 year olds the basics for soccer. Of course Jon and I wanted Dyl to try it. All of the kids were so darling. Kate ordered them matching shirts and she was so awesome teaching them. Dylan did pretty good for about 6 minutes. Then he started running up and down the hill, laying on the ground and watching a kite and pretty much refusing to participate. He goes back to school this week and will be back on his schedule, so we are going to try it for another week. Maybe he is not quite ready for it yet, but the shirt is so cute on him, that the whole experience is worth it.

My Dylan

When we first found out that Dylan was autistic, we were both devestated. We went through a lot of denial and sadness, but of course, things got better. Lately, things have been going so well with him. He has been in school for about a year, and it has worked wonders for him. Anyone who knew him a year ago is amazed at the difference. His Occupational Therapist, Shannon, has also been an angel sent from heaven. I have recently come to a very important realization. I am so proud to have an autistic son. He is such an incredible little guy. He is amazingly smart. Even though he qoutes lines from movies quite often, he qoutes them with perfect comedic timing. Every time he does something unusual, such as make it through the grocery store without a complete and utter meltdown, Jon and I are estatic. We are so proud every time he tries to engage another child, when he doesn't yell at Livie, and when he tries a miniscule amount of new food. I know that I am so lucky to be Dylan's mommy. He has made me such a better person. I have way more patience then I did before, and I think I am more understanding of the trials that people go through. All in all, I am so proud to have my Dylan as a son. He has taught me so many things, and I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Party in bed

Every night, Livie has a party in her bed. This picture may not be very clear, but if you look closely, you can see her bed is filled with stuffed animals. Jon and I usually give her one to sleep with, but when we go in to check on her, before our bedtime, she has a full house. It is so funny. I usually just line them up on the end of her bed. She doesn't think she can get out of bed when she wakes up, so she crawls to the end and brings all of her toys onto her bed. It reminds me so much of me when I was a little girl. I loved stuffed animals and always had one with me at all times.

My Talented Family

This last Saturday was our wards "Untalented" show. It was so much fun. There was so many fantastic acts. We had to leave early due to "Dylan complications". Jon actually had to sing. He was part of the Young Men's skit. They did an American Idol spoof. He did such a great job. He is so relieved that it is over. My kids were an unofficial part of the show. A talented woman in our ward played the fiddle with her five boys dancing along. Dylan and Livie were dancing along with them, when one of my friends lifted Dylan up on the stage. He stood next to her boys and pretended to play a violin. During the last song, Livie and a couple other kids got up there as well. They all danced so cute. Dylan stood at the front of the stage and just clapped along. He has really good rhythm. And for Livie being as shy as she is, she really shaked her booty. I have video of both of these acts, but I am not computer savvy enough to get it from my camera to my computer. I think Jon is pretty grateful for this fact. I'm so proud of my very talented family.

Dumbo

I was on the Autism Speaks website, just browsing through the coping with autism section, when I saw this amazing post. It had inspirational song lyrics. They had so many wonderful ones, but there was one that completely stood out to me. It was from the movie Dumbo.
Baby Mine
Baby mine, don't you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine
Little one, when you play
Don't you mind what they say
Let those eyes sparkle and shine
Never a tear, baby of mine
If they knew sweet little you
They'd end up loving you too
All those same people who scold you
What they'd give just for the right to hold you
From your head down to your toes
You're not much, goodness knows
But you're so precious to me
Sure as can be, baby of mine
I'm sure almost every mother can appreciate this song. I think Disney really got it right with this one.

My sister & Grandma

We had the best time this week. My sister, and her three kids, Gunner, Savannah, and Maverick, and my grandma came to stay for a few days. It was so good to see them. My sisters kids, and Dyl and Livie got along great. It was amazing. There wasn't one fight, disagreement, or tension. They all had so much fun together. On Thursday we went to Build a Bear, to, well, build a bear. The kids loved it. The sales lady came up to me, and referring to Dylan said, Wow, he's kind of in his own world, isn't he. (Ding Ding Ding, we have a winner! What do we have for her Jonny?) When I told her he was autistic, she felt horrible. It was actually kind of funny. Compared to some of the comments I get from strangers, this one was actually nice. On Friday we went to the Leid's Childrens Discovery Musuem. All of the kids absolutely loved it. For those of you Las Vegans that haven't been there, you must go. It was so awesome. I think I would like to go back there without the kids and read all about everything and try all of the experiments for myself. Dylan was fascinated. He watched how everything worked and he loved the build the race car and drive it down the ramp display. They had so many spinning things there, he was in heaven. I was so sad to see my family go. Dylan plays so amazing with Gunner and Savannah. He is almost like a different kid (that can socialize normally), when he is around them. I can't wait until we get to see them again.

Jon vs. Trixie

Every single night, there is a fight in Jon and I's bedroom. It starts at about 10:15 or so. Jon and I hop into bed and begin our nightly chat. (Or to put it more accurately, I chat and Jon tries to answer while dozing off.) As soon as Jon is snoozing the fight begins. Trixie comes to the bed and buffs for me to lift her up. Once she gets up there she slowly tiptoes her way up the bed, if Jon stirs, she pauses and waits for his heavy breathing. When she thinks she is safe, she begins her ascent to the top of the bed. She makes it to Jon's pillow, turns around three times and then plops down right on his head. She then starts licking her chops victoriously. Jon wakes up, gets mad at Trixie and throws her to the end of the bed. Trixie is dilligent though, and doesn't give up easily. As soon as Jon is breathing heavily, the whole process starts over again. I lay on my side of the bed and just laugh. Although Trixie gets the last laugh. Jon gets up around six in the morning, and both Trixie and Zoey run to his pillow. I guess we will see who wins the fight tonight!

Happy Birthday Dylan

Dylan turned four today! (or 1, or 29, or 9, it depends on what day you ask him). He had such a fun birthday. We had a little birthday party for him at his school on Friday. On Saturday, we took him to FAO Schwartz and let him pick out a car. He was in heaven! Today, he just got to do what he wanted, and then we had cake and presents when Jon got home. He was so happy it was his birthday, and kept asking me if I was excited. He even sang Happy Birthday to himself. When I put his cake in front of him, he said Oh mom, I love you. It was so cute, even if it was because I was loading his body with sugary sweets. Happy Birthday Dyl! We love you!

Two of my Nephews

My brother Coby and his wife Tangi stopped by for a little bit last week, and then they stayed over on Saturday night on their way back from California. It was so good to see them. Especially my two sweet nephews. My kids had so much fun with them. Beckham is a little roly poly ball of cuteness. Denver is so funny. I can't wait until I get to see them again. Hurry back Denver and Beckham! (Coby and Tangi, you guys can come too.)

Look at those cute chubby cheeks!

The kids were helping me put down the air mattress. What good little helpers!

Livie's First hair cut

Livie got her first hair cut tonight. I waited a long time, considering she is two, but I love the way it turned out. She was such a good girl. She was a little scared at first, but then she did great. I had Erin Buck cut it for me, and she was incredible. She made Livie feel so comfortable. She tried to blow dry it under with a round brush, but it seems Livie has inherited her mommy's flip in the back. No matter what we do, we can't get it to stay under. She was so proud of it when it was done. She couldn't wait to show her daddy. Thank you again Erin, you did an incredible job!

Primary Party

I just wanted to thank all of the primary people that had such a fantastic primary party today. It was so much fun! All of the kids loved it. Even my little guy who has a hard time staying focused on things for very long loved it. The activities moved along and the things you had them do were perfect. I just wanted to thank everyone who made the thing happen and everyone who helped. It was so much fun. Thanks for all of the effort and time you put in for our kids.

The Torture Chamber

I tortured my children today. The torture chamber in our house is a striped pale pink and mint green room. I hold my children down, and I do the unthinkable. I CUT THEIR TOENAILS AND FINGERNAILS!!!! When I cut Dyl's fingernails and toenails, his hands and feet are no longer able to function. I know that Dylan's problem is a sensory issue, but it is kind of funny to watch. He holds his hands out and splays his fingers. Then he has a hard time walking. He has to use the palms of his hands for about an hour. Livie thinks that she needs to take after her brother in everything that she does. Therefore, she sobs and cries and says no tingernails, no tinernails. Luckily, after I'm done with her she is fine. Oh will the torture ever end!

Autism and Vaccinations

It seems like there has been a bombardment of this issue in the news. I was watching Larry King on CNN, and there was a family on who were convinced that the vaccinations worsened their daughters condition. I don't know why, but this has always been such a touchy subject with me. Personally, I don't think that the vaccinations caused Dylan's autism. He was showing a lot of different signs before his MMR vaccination. A lot of them were sensory related. One thing that really bothers me about the vaccinations, is that if they did cause it, then I am somewhat responsible. I know there was no way that I could have known, but I could have stopped it. Anyway, this is just something that has been on my mind quite a bit lately, and I was hoping if I got it out, then it wouldn't bother me so much. I appreciate everyone putting up with my post.

Ha, Ha, uhhh

Yesterday was a bad day. That is one of the only ways to describe it. Dylan has been doing so incredible at school, and then yesterday, it all went downhill. I have been expecting a meltdown, but it is still hard when it happens. So, I have been trying to see the humor in the situations. For example, Dylan threw some chairs at the kids in his class. The way I see it, he is just getting prepared to be in the WWE. Another thing, I know I shouldn't let Dylan eat crackers in bed, because it gets crumbs everywhere. But there is something so insanely cute about the way he eats them at night. He holds the little square cracker in both hands, and nibbles. He doesn't look at me, and his eyes dart back and forth. He looks like a little squirell. When we got to school yesterday morning, Dylan saw this old white car that he fell in love with. (Dyl has this ability to make anyone feel good about their car, even if it belongs in the dump.) When we started to walk to the door, the car drove away. Dyl awas heartbroken. He told me to get in my car and catch it. When I told him it was time for school, he fell to the ground and cried. It took me ten minutes to convince him that school was cool. I still haven't seen the humor in this situation yet. Anywho, I think I need to try harder to see the humor in situations, that way, my kids may live to see another day.

Car for sell

I am doing this post for a favor for my sister. She is coming down to Las Vegas next week and is trying to sell her Torrent. It is a 2007, burgandy, with 7,200 miles. She is selling it for $19,500. It has black interior. It is just too small for her family. I will try to post some pictures when I can. If anyone is intrested, please leave me a comment.

Bubbles

The kids wanted to take a "ginantic" bubble bath with lots of bubbles the other night, so being the crazy mom I am, I obliged. I put in two different kinds and it was huge! They were so happy. Dylan decided that Livie needed a hat. He just started piling the bubbles on. Livie just acted like nothing strange was happening. We managed to get a few bubbles on Dylan's head, but Livie's looked like a wig that they wore in the 1800's. I love moments like this, when they are getting a long with each other and having fun.

First Scripture

Dylan gave the scripture in Primary yesterday for the first time. I was so proud of him. He started to say a prayer when he got up to the microphone, but then repeated after me, when I read him the scripture. I could not believe how well he did. When I look back, I know that even six months ago, he would have had a meltdown. I am just so proud of how much he is accomplishing, and how far he has come. Let's have a big hand for early intervention! Yea!