Service and Such

So this time of year is usually a time when most people think of doing service for others. We usually wait until the holiday's to think about what we could do to help our family, friends, and neighbors. But why do we do that? Why can't it be an all year thing. With my current calling in my church as compassionate service leader over pregnancy's I have the wonderful opportunity to make this and all year event. I get the phone calls from the ladies who are pregnant and heaven forbid have a problem or complication and I get to help assist them in getting what they need. This last week I had two. One of my neighbors who is 7 mo preggo was in a car accident! And while she didn't sustain any serious injury to her or the baby she did have some contractions on the day of the accident and then was just stiff for a while. And then another girl due the same day as the other one fractured her foot. And so it was hard for her to get up and around. So I got to call people to line up dinner for them for a few days. I love helping others and I love getting others involved.
And then I had two ladies who had babies in November. And I get the wonderful opportunity of bringing the first dinner when they arrive home from the hospital. I love this because I get the first peak at the baby's!! That's why I love this calling. But it extends even farther than just the church. My new neighbors across the hall from me are from India and they are expecting their first baby! And I thought well why couldn't I use my resources to help them also. So I have put out the word to help get some baby items for them as well. And we plan on helping them with meals when they get home from the hospital. The other thing we have been able to help them with is driving them to the store when they need a ride. The husband is taking driving lessons now but in the mean time we help out when we can. We have introduced them to the DI to get things like a T.V.

And all of this gets me thinking why I wasn't doing it before it became a "calling". I mean I don't think of it as a chore now because I find pleasure in helping others, but why wasn't I thinking of others before like this. And I realized it was because I was so wrapped up in my own life. I would dread getting the e-mails about someone needing dinner. I would delete it before even reading it. I would think it was so hard to plan a meal and then walk it the 50 feet or so to my neighbor's house. But now I think of it as Ok I'm making chicken in my crock pot so I'll just add a few more chicken breasts so I case I need a dinner for some one it's already there. And I heard a great thing at church yesterday. When your grocery shopping buy one can for you and one for your neighbor just in case you find some one who might need extra food. And why not, why couldn't you do that. If you are not able maybe your the one needing the extra food then think of other ways to serve. I also pass along clothes that my boys wear out to others who may not be able afford new clothes. I mean why not give perfectly good clothes to those who need it.

And I want you to know this is not a post to say how great I am at helping others. It is my way of hoping to inspire you to get out there and find ways to serve. And not just at Christmas time. People need help all year and if you have the resources you should get out there and help!! Even if it's a small effort of just saying Hi to some one new and making a new friend, or listening to a friend. Everyone is capable of helping someone!! You will never feel better about yourself then when you forget yourself and think of others! Now I encourage you to go out and find ways to help others and then post in on my comments section we can all use a little inspiration form you all!

To medicate or not to medicate

I haven't updated in a few weeks because it's just been so crazy around our house!! So Isaiah got his casts on and only had to wear them for two weeks instead of three. his range of motion in his heels was much improved after two weeks. So now we just wait for his night splints to come in. Not sure how long he'll have to wear them but we will see if the help also. And the newest thing with Isaiah is that his school has said they have done all they can for him at this point. He was going to a special therapeutic pre-school to help him with peer interaction and his ADHD. Well now he plays well with the other kids and gets along with them which is great! But on the other hand his teacher has said that they have done all they can to help him with his ADHD but they feel as though it might be out of Isaiah's control. That he might now be able to just work on it by himself. They want us to talk to the phychiatrist at the school again about putting him on some medication. The problem we have with that is the psychiatrist only gave us one option that she recommends. And I would like to know more options before I say yes to medication for him. So in talking with the occupational therapist she suggests that we have him seen by a Nurophycologist first. She said they might have some other things we could try before jumping into medication right away. So we'll see if we can get in soon for that.

So on that note he will start at a different school in January. He will go to Ensign Elementary to special needs pre-school. And this class will have speech and occupational therapy in the class room.We will see if this is enough to stop going to private therapy. We love the therapists he has now but would love not to have to drive out to Sandy 3 times a week. And also today was our primary program and of course he wouldn't be Isaiah if he didn't march around clapping and yelling the songs. And while is highly entertaining for the rest of the parents we are just hurting inside because we don't know what to do right now to help him pay attention better. Sometimes I just want to cry inside knowing that my son is "different". I mean I see the way other 4 yr olds act and then I see Isaiah who can't stay focused on one thing for more than 30 seconds. And he makes silly faces all the time and sings to himself while he's rolling around on the floor. I love him to death and I think that's why it's so hard to watch him go through this stage in life so "different" from all the other kids. I wish he came with a handbook so I could know what to do at every stage in life. But part of being a parent is to learn with your child and help them find their way in life by guiding them in the right direction. I'm his mom and it's my responsibility to make sure he has everything he needs. And even though at times it seem overwhelming, I'm very happy when things go right and something for Isaiah is improved. He is so much better that he was when we started this whole process when he was 16 mo. old and he couldn't walk or talk.

Other new things are that Sariah is talking now. She can say uh-oh and mommy and daddy. And the rest is alsdflkj laskdfj woeiru mxcnbm. But none the less it is the cutest thing. And she is just running around all over the place! And Micah's football season came to and end last week. They improved a lot over the season. He still has one more year of flag football before he can play contact with pads but he's doing great! And it's fun to watch Dwayne in his element coaching the team!
And thanks to every one for the great birthday wishes yesterday!! This was the year for jewelry. I got some great purple necklaces and bracelets! And Isaiah helped Dwayne make me a cake, and it was edible! So that's what's new around here. Thanks again for reading my blog everyone!!

Like a Champ

Today was Isaiah's appointment to get the botox injections in his calf's. And I was kinda nervous for him because I didn't know what to expect. But as usual Isaiah was so good. They cam in and explained what would happen and then they called for a music therapist to come in to "distract" him while they did the injections. They first sprayed his calf with this stuff the called "Snowman", which is cold and I think it helps numb the area little. He looked for a min when the first spray came and then he went back to singing with the therapist. And he didn't flinch a bit. He was so brave. And when he was done the doctor said,"I can't believe how good he did." And I told her that last time he was in the hospital he slept through the blood draws every morning. He has a high tolerance for pain. And when it was done he was up and running. And as I said in my earlier post he will start the serial casting next week to help pull his Achilles muscle down so hopefully he won't walk up on his toes anymore. But if the botox doesn't work we have to wait three months to do it a gain and if that doesn't work we have to way the decision of doing surgery to correct the problem.
But for now he's doing fine. I'm sad he has to get his casts on right before Halloween but we had to do it now before the snow comes and he can't get the casts wet. Thanks for all the support of our friends and family. I know it's not always easy to keep helping when he has so many things going on. But we love you for it!! And one side note we had lots of fun in St.George last week for fall break. I told Dwayne we had to go before we have to hibernate for the winter here in Utah. Which isn't really true because we have therapy twice a week some time three times. But you know what I mean. Sometimes you just need a recharge with a change of scenery when you have so much going on at home.

Update on Isaiah

This is a post about Isaiah so I went with yellow, his color. So we had the appointment with the physical medicine doctor today and now he is getting a brain MRI tomorrow. This will help see why his leg muscles are so tight. And then in October we will get the botox and the casting done. So again never a dull moment with Isaiah. The other day Isaiah said to me,"Where is my calender?" He knows my pocket book is mostly so I know where I'm taking Isaiah that day. So glad I have good friends that I live by that are able to watch Sariah for me, she is a pill lately and doesn't like to just sit in the stroller for his appointments any more. I think she's getting more teeth at the moment because she is a leaky faucet! I'll be so glad if they all come in together. It is sheer torture some times when she won't stop crying. But I know it's short lived until those teeth come in. So that's the update on Isaiah. Please keep him in your prayers as he will be sedated for this MRI tomorrow.

New happenings

Well I still can't find my camera so for the time being my post will be picture less. So another year of school has started for everyone but me and Sariah. Dwayne is doing two classes with labs this fall, and it is hard not to have him around as much. He is super busy and he works every weekend, so we don't see much except in passing to eat a quick meal. Micah started first grade this year and he couldn't be happier. The second week of school was hard for him the teacher called and said he was acting up in class. I was sick and so Dwayne just happened to be home and was able to go to his class. Micah was shocked to see him. But after talking to Micah Dwayne found out that Micah would finish his math faster than everyone and then bug his friends to talk to him in class. And that he was reading on a 3rd grade level so the books in class were to easy for him. So we told the teacher to challenge him in class. She asked if we wanted to move him up a grade but we decided to keep him right where he is with kids his age for now. We will see how the rest of this tri goes and then see if we need to in fact move him up.

And then there is Isaiah he's still going to the Children's Center for pre-school and behavior therapy. He is liking being the only one who didn't "graduate" to kindergarten this summer, so he is the oldest kid in the class.The newest thing with him these days is that we had a physical therapy evaluation last month to see if we could correct his walking on his toes. And the therapist measured his Achilles and said that his heal muscle is not stretched out enough. That is why he walks on the toes and balls of his feet. Now I thought to my self another thing we need to tackle with him, oh great!! So this is what she said we do for that. First she sends all her patients who walk on their toes to the physiology clinic at Primary's to get an evaluation of their body as a whole. How all the parts work in conjunction with each other. And if the doctor feel in necessary they will inject his heals with botox, yes botox. That strengthen the muscle, as they can stretch out he heal. This is done with a series of casts that each last a week for three weeks followed by night splints to hold the heal in place and lots of physical therapy. Pros of the casts: It will help his heals so he can walk better, he won't trip over everything, and he will stand up straighter. Cons of the casts: You can't shower for a week so I have to sponge bathe him. You can't get sand or water in them and Isaiah loves both, and it might be hard for him to sleep with those on. In the end it all comes down to the fact that we have to do it now before it becomes a problem we can't correct. And they said there is a chance that this won't work or it's already not correctable with the casts and then it would be surgery. And we of course don't want that outcome but we will do what we have to to help him. So the evaluation is next week so we'll see what happens. It is so hard to watch you kid in pain or be helpless when they have to have surgery even to know that the pain is short lived for a better outcome. But it's more hard to watch your son sit out of playing with his friends because he can't keep up or he can't ride the bike fast enough. And I want so badly for him to feel like he's accepted by the other kids. He said to me the other day I used to like Eli but now Jamie is my best and only friend because she understands me. And as cute as that is it brakes my heart that he knows that he's different and other kids can see that about him. He amazes me every day how smart he is and how resilient he is to what others say about him.

And for Sariah we just celebrated her 1st birthday!! I can't believe my baby is one all ready. She got a walker toy that she loves to take outside and just cruise around with. She can take about 5 steps on her own right now so I'm confident that she'll start walking on no time. And her new favorite thing is to climb onto Isaiah's bed and play. And if you just look at her on there she giggles up a storm. It's the cutest thing ever! She is such a good little girl except that she on;y naps for about 1-2 hrs a day at the most. But I can't complain to much she does sleep through the night.

And as for me I just got a new calling in my ward. It's sort of compassionate service oriented but I guess you could just call me the Pregnancy Coordinator. I get the fun calling of making sure all the pregnant ladies in the ward are taken care of.( meals, help with cleaning, babysitting, ect.) We have at the moment 11 preggos in our ward and I'm sure that number is climbing. And with the mommies in school of hubbies in school. They need more help. And we have a lot who get really sick similar to me which is why I have this calling. I can sympathize with the best of them. Are you taking Zofran? If not I have and it works wonders for that all day sickness. So it's kind of fun because I can think of all the things that would have been nice while I was preggo and pass it to these mommies. On the flip side I also get to tackle the hard task of discussing infertility and depression that can go along with this. I have never had a miscarriage but I know that is is very common. More common than we think. I have several good friends who have gone through this and I can't even begin to imagine what that must have been like. And so I need to make sure that if that happens in the ward these families have the support they need. Because we are a student ward a lot are not from Utah or have family close by. And they need that support of a ward family through their difficult time. I'm sure I will learn a lot through this calling. I'm excited to dive right in and get started!!

So that's what is new with us right now. If you made it this far in my post thanks for sticking with me as I had a lot to update on. I think now that life is sort of settled down some what, I won't go that long between posts again.

We are still out here

Just to let you all know we are still out here. I lost my camera momentarily I'm sure it will turn up soon. So I don't have any pictures of our day at Lagoon, or Micah's birthday party to post yet. But we are alive and well right now. Life is full of excitement and today I could have sold my boys for all the messes they made that I had to clean up. But life goes on I'm sure this week will bring a whole new set of challenges my way. Look out life here I come!!

Once again this post is all about Isaiah

So I'm posting about Isaiah once again because it's never a dull moment with him. This last week on Wednesday I went to get my hair done and Dwayne called me and said that Isaiah had thrown up. I didn't think much of it because he does that from time to time and he just get up and goes right after it. But this time when I got home he was laying on the couch looking so sick. He threw up two times on the couch because he couldn't make it to the bathroom quick enough. And then I got him a bucket and he just kept on throwing up every five min. So I immediately called the pediatrician on call. And to no surprise the doctor was of no help. He kept rambling on about watching him for 24 hrs and making sure he doesn't get dehydrated. And then when I told him about Isaiah's liver condition and that he had had a Kasi done. He didn't know what a Kasi was. So after wasting 5 min of my life I hung up and called Primary children's hospital. I talked to the Liver doctor on call and he said just come to the ER right now. I knew there was something wrong and I knew that we were going to go to the hospital. So we went in and he was still throwing up every five min so the gave him Zofran( wonder drug) to help him stop throwing up and it helped he stopped. Then the took some blood and put in an IV to give him fluids. The nurse doing the IV asked me to hold his other arm and his legs while she poked him and she asked him to look at me, but he didn't want to he just watched her. And he didn't flinch or cry. He is so brave. Then they sent us upstairs when his room was ready.

When we got upstairs they told us that he did have a liver infection called Cholangistis. He's had this before but it has been two years. So they hooked up an antibiotic to his Iv. And then about an hour later he started itching on his head. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. But the nurse knew exactly what was wrong. She said it's Red mans. Which is a reaction not an allergic reaction where your face turns red and then your head itched really bad. So they had to stop the antibiotic and give him some bendryl before they could finish it. Meanwhile he was crying really hard because they wouldn't let him eat or drink anything. But once the Benedryl kicked in he was fine and went to sleep. By this time it was 3 in the morning. So I left to go home, take a shower and get some clean clothes. And then I went back to the hospital to get 2 hrs of sleep.

They came in at 6 am to draw some more blood from Isaiah and they asked me if they should wake him up and I said no. And he slept through the blood draw. I hat needles but they don't phase him. So they made us stay in the hospital for 48 hrs to make sure all his blood tests were negative. But Isaiah was back to being Isaiah. He was eating good and all he wanted to do was go to the play room all day. Then Isaiah got diarrhea. And the doctor said he could have a virus on top of the Liver infection. When he gets a liver infection his immune system goes down so he is susceptible to catching things easier. So they gave us some medicine to help the diarrhea. And then they sent us home on Friday night. So he came home with two antibiotics and we have to follow up with the Liver doc in 2 weeks.

There is never a dull moment with Isaiah. I was just freaking out about the fact that we could get his OT and ST(previous post) on the same day which means I have to take him to Sandy 2 mornings a week instead of one. And then this happens. Like I said before he hadn't been in the hospital for 2 yrs until this week. Having Isaiah with all his special needs is defiantly a test of my patience and faith. Dwayne gave Isaiah a fathers blessing right before we left for the hospital which is why I think he did so well this time. And I know Heavenly Father was blessing me because I don't know how I made it on so little sleep.

While we were in the hospital Dwayne took over the house. He was so good with Sariah and Micah. And our wonderful neighbors brought in dinner and helped Dwayne when he had to go to class. My mom also came over in the midst of catering my Aunts wedding to help out when needed. We are so grateful to all who stepped in to help!! Thank you form the bottom of our hearts! So now Isaiah is home and doing better. And this is just another bump in the road that we got over with Isaiah. Every day with him is a new challenge but I know I was picked to be his mom and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm so glad he's my son!! I'm sorry for the long post but I figure this way everyone will know what happened and I won't have to tell it over and over again. Thanks to everyone's prayers I know they helped!!

BT, ST, OT and many more

BT, ST, OT??? What does this all mean you ask?? These are the abbreviations for the different therapies that Isaiah goes to. BT stands for behavioral therapy. That is to help with the ADHD. We talk about things that might help simplify his life to reduce the number of outbursts and help him stay focused on more things. ST is speech therapy which is helping him with the sounds he can't make right now with his mouth. His favorite color in Isaiah's language is yeyo (yellow). And it's dama to him instead of grandma. And then there is OT which is occupational therapy which is to help him with his fine and gross motor skills. He has a hard time dressing him self everything is backwards. And eating is a challenge, he can't hold his utensils very well. He also has a hard time writing, which isn't a real big concern because he has another year of preschool but if it continues then it will need to be addressed more seriously. And we wanted to work on his clumsiness but the OT therapist wanted his vision checked first. So today we went to a Developmental Optometrist to have his depth perception tested and he is indeed far sided. That explains a lot! He spill s everything on the table and he runs in to things. And that's because he couldn't judge how far away things really were. So the answer to that problem is glasses. So he was fitted for them and he should have them in two weeks or so. I wasn't really surprised at this point. I mean I know that there is always something more with Isaiah. You can never go to an appointment and leave with out something new to grasp about him.

But on the flip side things could be worse! I heard about a little boy this week who is 5 and has the same liver disease that Isaiah has. But his condition is worse. His liver didn't heal itself after surgery it just made things worse. His hart had to over compensate for the liver which in turn caused a hols in his heart. And then he got an enlarged spleen. So now he is in need a of a living donor to donate part of their liver right away. So they had this benefit concert tonight to raise money for all his medical bills and I thought what a great way for us to help someone else out there more deserving than us. And yes people it's hard to think there are such people but there are!! So I talked to the boys about giving some of their money in their piggy banks to this little boy who is sick. And Isaiah with his sweet spirit said he can have it all!! Micah was hesitant at first. And I had to explain to him if that were Isaiah we would want people to help us out. So he agreed to one dollar. But Isaiah still insisted on all of his money going to this little boy. And then on our way out to the car I told my neighbor what we were doing and she dug into her purse and gave us all her cash which was five dollars. I mean how generous. She had no idea who this kid was she just did it because! We didn't make it up there to the benefit due to car troubles (explained in following paragraphs) but we are going to the bank first thing tomorrow to put the money in the account set up for this little boy. It's amazing how much this means to Isaiah. When I explained to him this little boy has the same Liver problems you do, and that he was very sick and need money to pay for the doctors to fix him he was more than willing to give his $20.47.

So yes my car died on the way to the benefit! I have had so much trouble with my car lately. It stalled on me a while a go and when I took it in they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it on the diagnostic test. So it didn't happen again after that for a while. So when we got ready to go to St.George two weeks ago, I had my mechanic look at it and check the A/C also. And he said it was fine. So in St.George I only had one time it stalled and then it was fine. But when I got home it stalled a lot. So I took it in again and they said the diagnostic showed nothing,but my fuel filter needed to be replaced. And then I was fin until today, and I was on the freeway and it died two times. So then I turned around and took side streets home and it was fine. So mow I have to take it to the dealership to see what's wrong with it. Ughhhhh!!! I really hope they find whats wrong and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Because if it does I might as well get a new car, right?? No, we can't afford that with all that goes on with Isaiah but, then I need my car to get Isaiah to all of his appointments. I really wish we could go down to one car but we can't. Dwayne's car wont fit all the kids, and he works nights so he can't take the bus or Trax to work. It doesn't run late enough for him at night. Sometimes life isn't what you expected but you just roll with it. My house won't be clean all the time, Sariah won't have a nap schedule except for riding in the car to and from appointments for Isaiah. And Life is chaotic right now. I guess now after my little pitty party, I'm saying I need help finding a good deal on a new car(pref, mini van). I need one that has low miles and doesn't need work done. And needs to be between $2,000-$10,000. If you can help me post a comment or e-mail me. Oh and if you know anyone who wants a 2001 BMW 325. Black 4 door. Let me know I really want to unload Dwayne's car. It just isn't practical for us right now. I know this is a long post, but if you read my blog thank you for listening when I just need to vent!!

Girls night out

Tonight I had a girls night out for my friend Jamie's birthday!! And when the girls and I get together we talk about everything under the sun and I mean everything. We have the best time talking and laughing! I just love it when Melisa confronts random strangers or I get Fetus poster. So tonight was another great GNO, and I have to thank my girls for a wonderful night! I really needed to get out of the house for a while. And then I saw this really funny video on my cousin's blog and I had to steal it because this reminds me of what it's like when my girls get together, but the best part is it's guys doing the dishing! Be prepared to laugh hard and possibly pee your pants a bit!

My Gift from God

This is Isaiah at his 3rd birthday and with his Gampa (Great grandpa his buddy)
I'm posting in Yeyyow (yellow) as Isaiah calls it because this post is another post all about my little boy and best buddy, Isaiah! If I don't stress it enough he is my favorite little boy. I mean yes I love all my kids, but Isaiah holds a special place in my heart. Most people would look at all the things that Isaiah has as problems. But I do not. I look at him as a gift from God! I believe that children who are born with birth defects or special needs were hand picked form God! They were so special to God that he knew they could withstand these obstacles in life. He is so special that sometimes I just can't help it but give him the biggest hug and kiss and thank God that I was picked as his mother in his earthly life!! I am currently looking for ideas of things to do with Isaiah over the summer when school is out and he no longer has that structure in his every day activities. And as I'm doing research I came upon this website about how to home school children with ADHD. And I read this part on there that made me think that is exactly how I feel about Isaiah and I had to share it with you.

You will undoubtedly come in contact with others who do not see your child as a "gift". I know that many other moms watch with horror as I calmly extract my child from the top of the refrigerator upon which he has climbed. They grow weary as he shares with me the 3 millionth thought which just flashed into his head. They even comment that they could never handle a child with the energy level of my son while I harbor the belief that they also think I should just make him "straighten up!"

Others have responded that I seem to hold the reigns of discipline too tightly. I do indeed keep "a shorter leash" with this child, for I know that there is a line of excitement where, once crossed, he will act on any impulse immediately, without concern for consequences or dangers. So to these parents of calm, compliant children, I do seem to respond too quickly to what appears to be a very minor infraction. But I know what comes later, if things aren't kept in check now.

So I have learned to smile politely when their well meaning comments are sometimes way off base. I have learned that my child is special. I really believe that my son is destined for something wonderful...something that would be impossible for those calmer, regular-energy level children. I can think of several occupations where boundless energy would be an incredible asset. I delight in the fast pace of his thought. I am even jealous of his tireless enthusiasm for life and wonder what more I could accomplish if I were so blessed. And I am most especially delighted that I am able to help him reign in and shape this gift of boundless energy. Carol Barnier

I mean it's almost like she read my brain!! She just said everything I've ever wanted to say to the parents who give me dirty looks in the grocery store or at the park. You don't know what things are going on with that child so who are you to judge the parents!!!!!!!!! For us we want Isaiah to feel as "normal" as possible if there is such a thing as normal. As we go to our family therapy I feel that we are making progress with him slooooowly but surely. Kids with ADHD thrive on consistency so we try not to change things too often. We work on one thing at a time until he feels comfortable with that and then try something else. I am confident that this will help him learn the things he needs to thrive in school. And it helps me as a parent know how to make the home environment best for him to thrive in.

I love Isaiah with all my heart and I wouldn't change him for anything in the world. He is my buddy and I couldn't ask for a better son!!!

My little boy

Today I had to take Micah to the dentist to get some cavities filled. I took him on Monday and they made him take Versed ( a sedative) and laughing gas but it just made him hyper and the couldn't fill the cavities. So today they out him under for the procedure. When they first out the mask on him and he was a bit restless but hen 30 seconds later he was out. It took about 45 min to fill the cavities and then when I went in to see him he was crying and he was hysterical. But that's to be expected. I brought him home and I had to carry him in from the car. And if you know where I live you know that the parking lot is not near my apartment so lugging a 51 lb kid was really hard for me. He has been laying on the couch for a while but I think he is feeling better because he is up and whats to eat more than just yogurt. When I was little I don't remember it being this nice, when I had cavities filled you sat in the chair and you sat still and you just had to buck up even if it hurt. Now a days they want you sedated or under so you don't feel it. I'm just glad that we3 have insurance to pay for all this!! When I was explaining to Micah last night about the fact that they would give him medicine to make him sleepy Isaiah came to me and said " When are you going to give me medicine to make me sleepy? Why can't I have the sleepy medicine?" I said because you don't have cavities. He doesn't know that he's been under more than his fair share. But he does really well when it comes to needles and medical things. I think he's use to it. I hope Micah is well enough to go to school tomorrow. I know it's hard to stay home even though you are in a little bit of pain. My little boy is not so little anymore he's so big!!

Baby girls is 6mo. already

So at the end of February Sariah turned 6 mo. And so now she is eating solid foods, which I'm not sure why they call them solids because they are so liquefied that you could drink them. But anwho she is eating rice cereal and oatmeal now and some fruits and veggies, and we've yet to find one she doesn't like. Hopefully she will be a good eater like the boys! I took her to the doctor yesterday and these are her stats: weight 14.0 even which is 9% for her age, height 26 in 51% and head is 16.5 in 30%. So she is on the small side but that's o.k. She will just be our littlest one. When Micah was 6mo. he was 21 lbs and he need to go in an upright car seat. The doctor said Sariah could be in an infant seat past her 1st birthday. Sariah is now putting every thing in her mouth and she screams very loud and high pitch. She loves playing with Micah he can make her laugh so hard. As for Isaiah she can only take so much of him he loves her so much that he's a little to rough with her some times, bless his heart! And as for progress with Isaiah and his behavior therapy for his ADHD this week we are working on making it easier for him to clean up his toys without whining and rolling around on the floor. She suggested that we put like toys in bins and only have out about three bins at a time in the room and out the rest up and rotate them every couple of months. And to separate Micah's toy's from Isaiah's. And label Isaiah's bins with pictures so he knows where to put everything. She said kids with ADHD look at a mess of toys and they get overwhelmed and don't know where to begin so it's easier to just not do it. And so we have to consistent in making him clean up his elmo's or his farm animals. We are just working on one thing every two weeks to help him get more focused at home.Micah is now working on counting by fives and tens at school. Math is going really well for him as well as reading. He reads to us every night before bed. And he has a tooth coming in behind his baby teeth so hopefully he will loose the baby tooth soon so they don't have to pull it. I can't believe that my little boy is getting so big! So that's about it for the kids right now, healthy and happy is always good!!

As for Dwayne and I we had Stake Conference last week and we sent the boys to church with my mom so I could sing in the Stake choir and so we could listen this time. 2 hrs is a long time for little kids to sit still especially Isaiah! So it was good we went because most of the talks were about how to make things work even though your in school and you live in the University Village. Funny how most of our Stake presidency and high council lived in the Village while going to school, so they knew what we were going through. And then we heard this one talk from a guy who shared a story that just shows me that what ever I get thrown in my life there are people who have things that re more challenging and they make some how. He said that when he met his wife she had always wanted to adopt children so she started and adoption fund. So after they got married they decided that they would adopt their first child. And so they had enough money to do that from her fund. Then when the little girl was about 1 1/2 they decided to try for one of their own and they got pregnant. The had another little girl. They had always been saving money really well and they said if they ever had the opportunity to adopt siblings they would. So when there second baby was just four months they received a call from the adoption agency telling them that the birth mom for their first daughter was about to deliver a boy and wanted them to adopt him. They looked in their savings account and saw that the had just enough money to cover the legal fees for the adoption. So a week later they brought home a baby boy. So now they have a 2 yr old girl a 7 mo old baby girl and a 3 mo old baby boy. But some how they make it work. And they couldn't be happier about the way their family turned out. I guess the lord was on their side. Because they did all they could and then they relied on the lord he blessed them with the funds to adopt two beautiful children. It really makes me realize that I need to do all I can and the lord will bless me. Even when I think I can't handle it, which is often with my kids!!! Life works different for everyone. I know some of you out there are wondering how come I don't have kids, why can't I get pregnant, why does my kid have problems??? But I feel like you have to trust in the lord and it may not come the way you want or when you want, but the lord knows what's best for you. And if you don't believe in God then what ever it is you believe or don't believe in know that when you do all you can things will work out!!

I'm not sure if it's good news or bad

So I took Isaiah to this place called the Children's Center a couple of weeks ago. They have Psychologist and therapists to help children and they have a therapeutic preschool. So they asked me to fill out a bunch of different questionnaires. And they wanted Dwayne and his teacher to fill some out as well. I thought this is so tedious and I couldn't figure out why I was answering the same questions over and over again. But this last Thursday I went in to meet with the psychologist and talk about the results of the questionnaires and get her input on how to best help Isaiah. He has a hard time sitting still for any amount of time, and he just goes from one thing to the next so fast. He also has a hard time with not getting his way, he would wine all day until you give in. And yes lots of kids have these same behaviors but not to this extreme. And we were getting worn out trying to find ways to deal with Isaiah's behavior. And so after talking with the psychologist she has made the decision that he does have ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder). This should come as no shock to anyone who has spent more than 30 seconds with him! People who watch him for an hour or two say the are worn out just cleaning up one mess after the other that he has created. So now our plan is to attend family therapy with him to work on ways to help expand his attention and help him focus better. And to also help him with the whining. The psychologist feels that he can stay in the school he's in and that the help he receives is good for now. And that the therapy will help supplement what help he gets at school.She offered us to talk to a psychiatrist also but I want to do all we can before we just give in to giving him meds. His ADHD is not severe so I'm confident we can do it without meds. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. I mean on the one hand we know what is wrong and now we can get the help we need to help Isaiah and on the other hand I don't like putting kids in categories that might make them feel stupid. I want Isaiah to have the same opportunities as other children even though he's a little different. When you have kids you hope that they will all be healthy and happy but when one is different you just want the best for them. So for now we work on a plan to help Isaiah and hope that he will respond to the help. I can definitely say life with Isaiah there is never a dull moment!!!

School days

These are some of the most recent photos of Sariah. She has the cutest smile and she coo's all of the time. She is mostly a good baby. I can't believe that she sill be 6mo old next week.
The other morning I woke up and Micah had been up for a while and wrote us this letter it was so cute! I love you because you (he forgot make) breakfast everyday. He is so sweet!!
And this is Micah's first school project. He was assigned to make a poster with three facts about the President William H Taft. He did all the writing and he was so proud. He is a good little student when he puts his mind to it!!

Things at our house have been a little crazy Isaiah was home last week with a cold and Micah had three early days last week and he had yesterday and today off of school. I'll be so glad when both boys go back to school and I can get back to my routine!

New childresn clothes website

I found this new website via my friend and I want to pass it on to all of you. Use this link so get a free account you must have the code to sign up. They have such cute baby and kids clothes as really good prices!! https://www.theminisocial.com/myaccount.php?invitation=39757
Happy Shopping!!

What's new

Well Life has a funny way of showing you what is necessary to move ahead in life. Dwayne has now realized what he needs to do make his career goals a reality! He now gets up and goes to school early to study and studies in between classes. And when he comes home at night he gets ready for bed and actually comes to bed instead of watching movies till 2 or 3 in the morning. It had made such a difference. Now he doesn't do homework on Sunday's and we have more time to spend together as a family. It really makes life easier that he can actually go somewhere with out the "BACKPACK"!LOL He used to be attached to that thing even if we were going to dinner he would bring it. Now we can enjoy his company with the family. We just also just celebrated Isiah's 4th birthday. He got the fire truck he wanted and a fun fishing game. We also got him a new back pack for school. Which wasn't easy because they don't carry kids back packs with cool characters or anything like that when it's not back to school season. I of course forgot my camera when he opened presents and did cake but it was low key. And then when the earthquake in Haiti hit that was very sensitive subject for our family. Dwayne served his mission in the Port-of Prince Haiti mission. And he lost a lot of people he taught on his mission. He is registered with a group called Healing Hands for Haiti as a translator for Doctors who go to Haiti to provide medical help. And he wishes he could go right now but because of school he can't take time off. But he hopes to be going back this August or September. Even though he had a tough mission I know that Haiti holds a special place in his heart! They were a very poor country to begin with and this tragedy just makes it worse. It will take years to get that country functioning again. So our year started out with a bang but I hope things calm down soon.

Christmas 2009

These are pics from Christmas morning.This is Isaiah with his batar(guitar). He loves music so much!
This is Micah with Bakugan. He's is getting so big now and all he wanted were things from cartoons!
Isaiah got a bunch of plastic food for his Elmo restaurant.
They got some playdough tools for Grandma's house so they don't have to use every cooking utensil grandma has.
They got Thomas the train and Bob the Builder movies.

And this is Baby girl in her cute Christmas dress. She wore it on Christmas eve when we went to a Christmas non-denominational program. And she got lots of toys she can put in her mouth. And all the kids got clothes and socks of course! My mom was able to spend Christmas eve at our house and spend the night so she could watch the kids open there presents on Christmas morning! We love having her come to our house every year! We are so great full for the wonderful Holiday season and the family we were able to spend time with!!

Winter fun

The boys had a fun Saturday out in the snow with Daddy! I came out just long enough to take some pics. They made a snow man but I didn't capture it before Micah decided to tackle it to the ground!

December 2009

These are some pics of Micah's Kindergarten Holiday program. They were all cute little reindeer. Micah wasn't paying attention because be was looking at me taking his picture. I shouldn't have waved to him, but I wanted him to know I was there.