Special needs mutual

Preston goes to a local special needs mutual once a week. They assign him up with a buddy (youth) who watches over him and helps him throughout the night. It is a calling for the youth and you would think most would not like this calling but everyone ends up loving it and so grateful for the opportunity to work with these special kids. It is a great opportunity for the youth to interact with these kids and for kids like Preston who have autism, interact and associate with peers and "normal" kids. He really enjoys it because, quite honestly, they let him do whatever he wants. He already has earned a merit badge with them. Yippee!
They did a road show for all the parents one night. The theme was Who is your hero?  Each one of the special needs kids would go up and say in the microphone who their hero was. Some with and some without help from their buddy. Preston, who is very shy in uncomfortable situations, would not say anything so he whispered to his buddy who then replied "Preston's hero is Elijah." Now to those who do not know Preston probably thought-Wow, he must really love the scriptures and love the prophet Elijah BUT to his parents, who know him well, know he actually whispered...My hero is Aliza (his baby sister). Yep, makes you want to cry.

Projects & Pinterest

I am addicted to Pinterest. Every great idea I get from pinterest. Hairstyles...pinterest; color schemes...pinterest; home decor...pinterest; recipes...pinterest. You get the idea.
We started to decorate/paint the downstairs. We have had renters since we have lived here but the last year we decided to move ourselves in.. It's been fantastic. I have loved all the extra space for the kids and me. I love painting and changing a room. Here are the results...

 

We also did the bathrooms with tile around the mirror. LOVE IT! Also got the idea from pinterest. The best part is those tiles were on sale so it only cost us $20! We painted the bathroom blueish gray. Wow, color really changes a room!

 

Subway art is really big (well, has been for years but I'm just finding it out because of pinterest). Made these myself! :) They are hung in the bathroom.

Drops of Awesome

This blog post has been circulating cyberspace for some time now. It has made an impression on me which is why I wanted to post it on my blog. We even did it for an enrichment night for Relief Society. I love the object lesson of the atonement. I will never do enough but with the Savior, my cup runneth over. Now I notice the drops of awesome on a daily basis and fill my life with positive encouragement because I am awesome! Enjoy!

http://www.daringyoungmom.com/2012/12/19/drops-of-awesome/

(I made these for the Relief Society...turned out pretty cute)

Sea World & Las Vegas - Spring Break 2013

This year for Spring Break we decided to go to Las Vegas, to visit Paul's brother and SIL and new baby born in December. After spending a day with them, we flew to California and went to Sea World. I haven't been to Sea World since I was a little girl. I loved it but can not believe how expensive it is (we got free tickets for our whole family from a family friend). I don't know how my parents afforded taking us places!! Everything is better when it is free. The shows were awesome, the rides were so much fun. The kids loved the manta ride. Sterling was nervous at first but then he rode it over and over. The weather was perfect...warm enough to want to get wet but not too hot. We were exhausted after being there all day (we had to catch the early flight so Paul and I didn't even sleep that night so we could get to the airport in enough time. Not to mention, Paul forgot his JetBlue badge which is a NO NO and we were afraid and stressed all night worrying they would not let us on the flight but they did, thankfully!) I love making these fun memories. We stayed at Christy and Adam's house that night (so fun!) and caught the morning flight back to Vegas. Swimming and BBQ ended our trip. Great to be with extended family.

 

Clear Horizons Academy

After MUCH prayer and consideration, we decided to move Preston to a private school. Preston has been going to the same school since 3rd grade, same teacher (LOVE MISS B) so we knew it would be a hard transition for him to move to junior high. A bigger school, new teachers, new expectations. Towards the middle of October, I was getting phone calls and notes from his teacher that he was misbehaving during class. I guess he was teasing the other kids in class (he is in a special class for special needs, most are autistic). Okay, so here comes the mama bear...ARE YOU KIDDING ME? HE'S AUTISTIC! IF YOU GET ANYTHING OUT OF HIM (even teasing), HOW GREAT IS THAT!?! I just didn't feel right about this school so I started looking into other schools. Everything happens for a reason.
I've heard about Clear Horizons since it opened but it was in the RiverWoods in Provo so I was not interested (too far) but it recently moved to Geneva in Orem, much closer. My husband and I took a tour and KNEW it was right. But even knowing still we had our doubts. Financially this was going to be hard and it will be more time carpooling him to and from school. I know we made the right decision, I feel good about it every time I think about it, but it sure is easy to second guess your decision. It is such a wonderful school. Instead of focusing on math and reading and writing, they focus on life skills...cooking, cleaning, hygiene, being social, functional things (for him). What really made the decision easy was they go on field trips EVERY week. Now you have to know something about Preston. He L O V E S field trips. He can talk your ear off about past or future field trip. He can't sleep the night before because he is so excited and we usually can use it as leverage if we need him to do something. :) They usually go to places to learn how to function in life...shopping, library, fast food restaurant, etc. It has been a good fit for Preston and I feel The Lord has answered my prayers.

Update: And since Preston has been in school, I have been able to carpool with other moms which has helped me considerably. The Lord is very mindful of our concerns and needs.

2nd update: Since Preston has been at this school for 4 months now, I have fallen more and more in love with CHA. I am learning so much about my son that I had no idea. Like he likes pressure, it helps him feel his limps. Such a bizarre concept for me but he can't feel his limps...as explained to me, it's like having your arm/leg fall asleep. Also, they can read his body language perfectly and when his body is done learning, they move on, usually to a swing or trampoline (yes they have a swing and trampoline in the classroom!). They have noticed that his body shuts down but by doing active movement it regenerates itself. I'm sure it was torture for him in his old school to sit at a desk and learn hour after hour. He also likes visual stimulation which is why he does "flapping" and watching TV. A week into his school, I asked Preston if he likes his new school or old school. Every time he answered his new school. Makes me happy that he is happy.

Favorite quote

"There are moments of such pure, sublime, unparalleled perfection that they will force you to close your eyes and hold on to them as best you can. Life is a series of these moments. Everything else is just waiting for them."
Iain Thomas

I have had these moments...6 times to be exact. Every birth is exactly that... pure, sublime, unparalled perfection. It is such a miracle each time and then to hold such a perfect being that came straight from heaven. I close my eyes and hold on to those memories as best I can.

Family pictures 2012

Finally got family pictures. It was cold. Everyone was a good sport and I think they turned out great!!