i'm on a boat

Should I be worried that Chase knows how to drive a bass boat?

While Wayne is getting ready for his big tournament, the boys and I decided to help him with his boat. Chase absolutely loved this. Like this is his thing, his element. Needless to say I think I have another fisherman in the family, and Wayne is excited to get him on the water.

I on the other hand, am not really prepared for this adventure and since Chase isn't a big fan of his life vest, I think I have a little while till this trip happens. Although, others seem to think it will happen before summer is over.

Fisher, however, loves the water but isn't a big fan of the boat just yet. Put him in the bathtub and he is one very happy little boy.

Signing bubbles, splashing water and just enjoying this time is something I love to look forward to. Bath time is one of the best times in our house.

Love my water babies!

And Fisher is learning so much in his new school! Today was a great day for both Fisher and mommy! Although he didn't want to let go of my hand and he kept looking at me as, "come on mom, come with me", he didn't cry this morning. He didn't whimper. He just gave me one last look over his shoulder and then he took his aid's hand and walked with her to his classroom. He is growing up so fast and becoming such a big little boy.

And speaking of growing. Baby girl Crowder is moving and growing along! She has become quite the active little girl. Especially when the boys are screaming and running around. I think she is trying to keep up with them already!! It's crazy to think that in three months we will have another little one occupying our home. Making it that much more hectic and cozy.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

while daddy's away...

Wayne took advantage of the three day weekend and headed up to the Flaming Gorge to get some pre-fishing done for his big tournament in a couple of weeks, and so the boys and I decided to make the most of it by getting in some outdoor fun!

Fisher didn't have school on Friday and so we decided to go to the Hogle Zoo and see all of the animals. We went early enough to beat the heat and the crowds and the boys seemed to enjoy being outside with all of these wild animals.

Both boys just loved the elephants. Especially the new baby Zuri. We stayed and watched them eat and play and then my smart little Chase remembered the noise elephants make and began making it with them. I love how fast he catches on to things and remember things. He sure is one smart kid!

The zoo was a lot of fun and it's so nice to go now that the boys are interested in the animals and are learning new things everytime we go. When we went and saw all of the little animals, I pointed out one that looked like a cat and I told Fisher, "Look, a kitty!". Fisher then proceeded to surprise me by saying "meow, meow". I screamed in excitement how happy I was that he knew that cats say meow! It was definitely a happy moment of the day.

And our day of fun continued with going out to lunch with some of our favorite friends. Eating cheeseburgers and fries, and sharing the yummiest chocolate shake. Picking out our favorite color balloons and letting the vibration of the drive home welcome us to the sweet slumber we so desire.

And the night continued with great friends. Sharing pizza, a walk through the local farmer's market and some new and interesting music. It made for a great day and a welcomed break in our routine.

And Fisher completed his first week of school! Although it hasn't been the easiest of mornings, with Fisher holding so ever tightly on my fingers. Trying his hardest to not let go, to not see me leave, he is slowly adjusting to his new routine.

He is surprising me everyday with new mimics, and signs and words. He now says "ouch" every time he pulls my hair, because he knows it hurts. And "airplane" is sounding more and more like "airplane", plus he has the new word "balloon"! I am getting excited that he tries to repeat almost everything we say. This is definitely helping me see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am enjoying this, I really I am!!

new things

Today was the first day of ABA School for Fisher. It's a preschool that is specially designed in Autism Behavioral Therapy for Autistic kids and they meet five days a week for four hours. I was always prepared for the day that Fisher would start preschool, going for a couple hours and just a couple days of the week. But this is preparing me more for kindergarten!

I am so excited for Fisher to attend this school and apparently he already loves it! He was excited to see me when I came to pick him up, but he just didn't want to leave the fun he was having. I am hoping it is like this every time. That he enjoys it so much and is learning and playing. The director of the school said Fisher did great! He took to his aids right away and was intentive and social. This is huge for an autistic child! He begins his assessment tomorrow, where they will design a curriculum based on his needs. Most likely for his communication skills and social behaviors.

I am thrilled that the first day went so well. Although I miss him terribly when he is there, Chase and I are having a great time bonding. I think this will be a good adjustment for everyone!

Wayne has found yet another new hobby to keep him and the boys pretty occupied. It's a great thing the boys love planes!

Both boys are just obsessed with planes. I think we have every book about planes and that is all Fisher wants to read. Plus we have little toys planes everywhere! So Wayne invested in some model planes that you can fly, and the boys absolutely love going to the park to watch these little things buzz throughout the sky.

So I shouldn't be too surprised that Fisher's first real word is "Airplane". I say this is his first word since he actually says it repeatedly and points to the airplane when he says it.

And Chase has many words right now. Including "Airplane", "dog", "ball", "what is that?" and "Daddy". I am still waiting on the word "mommy", but you know what? Airplane isn't that bad!

These two boys make me laugh. And I love that they are learning so fast! I am enjoying these moments. It seems like it is going by so fast!!

Follow Up

So this morning both Wayne and I took a very sleepy 2 year old to Primary Children's to get his EEG done. And I have to say that the two technicians were great with Fisher. He hates having anything touch his head, so getting the many little wires attached to his head was not a fun event. Once the wires were all attached they wrapped up Fisher's little, wired head with some bandage and tape which left our poor little boy looking so scared and so sad.

They wanted Fisher to sleep a little for the study. Apparently this is the best way to monitor the brain and the activity of seizures. So I took our sad little boy, held him tightly in my arms and we laid down on the little hospital bed. It took a little bit to get Fisher to calm down. We turned off all the lights and he clinged his tiny fingers tightly around his little blankie and my left hand. Wayne turned on some music to softly drown out the sound of the clock ticking and the computer buzzing next to us. I softly stroked his arm and face and after a few minutes his grip began to ease, his breathing became lighter and I could tell that he had succumb to deep slumber.

As I was laying there with Fisher in my arms, the total darkness and soft sound of music, I finally felt at peace. Like everything is going to be okay. I wanted to remember this feeling, I didn't want Fisher to let go of my hands, I wanted him to know that I am always going to be there for him. Through the good and the scary times.

So when the test was all done, and the scary part of getting all the wires off of his head, Fisher was rewarded with stickers! And he was excited because for the first time ever, Fisher said the word "stickers" excitedly when they handed them to him. And both Wayne and I celebrated with "Yays" and huge smiles.

So, we are on to the waiting game as to the results from this EEG. But, I have the most amazing pediatrician in the world. He is truly wonderful and amazing at making a worried mother feel very at ease. When we were done with the test we were told to make an appointment with a neurologist to go over our results. When I called to make this appointment we were told that we couldn't be seen till sometime in September and that they don't even have the schedule to make appointments that far in advance till next week. So I panicked and called our pediatrician, who calmly stated that he was going to call sometime Thursday to find out the results of the EEG. If it comes back abnormal, he was going to make an appointment with the neurologist for us, and he assured us that it would be before the end of the month.

So thankful for him! And so thankful for the wonderful support and thoughts sent our way! Fisher is in great hands with all of these caring people around us! We will keep you posted as to what happens next, as for now we have a very sleepy boy in our hands who is so excited to be sleeping in his own bed!

Come What May, and Love it!

Back in February I started a journal. A much needed journal. One to jot down my thoughts, emotions and questions I have. My journal is mostly my way of dealing with all the things going on around me, and with this blog and photography, they have become kind of a release to me.

Today, I needed that journal, and well, this journal knew that. I opened right to the first page, where this quote was written. (And I so wish I would have written down who wrote it). It was the first thing I wrote when I found out that Fisher had autism and I am glad that it's there to remind me.

"Every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don't sing and bells don't ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are the happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser and happier as a result"

"The way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life." -Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

And so we have one more peak to climb over as we move along on this crazy journey. Last night ended up be a scary night for me with Fisher. He is normally one our best sleepers in our house but he woke up three times, all in crazy tears and feeling very hot. The last time I took Fisher with me to lay on the couch to see if I could calm him down. After a few minutes, Fisher began panicking again and his arms and legs began to jerk in a weird motion. This experience prompted us to meet with our pediatrician and discuss the possibilities of seizures.

And as we discussed the possibilities it occurred to us that Fisher may be experiencing silent seizures or moments when it looks like he is zoning out.

So this Monday Fisher will undergo an EEG test on his brain to determine the possibility of seizures. Although this is definitely a stressful event for a mother to go through, both Wayne and I are staying positive and looking forward to ruling one more thing, either out or contributing, to Fisher's development.

On some great news and development, Fisher has some new words and signs he has learned!

This last Wednesday Fisher went to his third speech therapy session and surprised both me and the therapist! Fisher was able to mimic every hand gesture both the therapist and I presented him with. He was able to sign "ball", "bubbles", "wet", and "dog". He also said the word "bubbles", "woof woof" and all of "ee-i, ee-i, o" in Old MacDonald! And the part that just brought the biggest smile to my face was when the therapist would show him a picture of an animal in a book and he was able to point it out that animal on a worksheet in front of him! It took a lot in me to hold back tears, but my smile saved me and Fisher could tell how excited we were!

We are seeing such amazing progress in this boy! It's been such a wonderful experience and I am starting to appreciate all the little things that make days like those so amazing.

Kids are truly a wonderful blessing and I am thankful that each one is teaching me something new everyday.

So I am taking this trip with great strides and reminding myself to laugh and smile everyday. Because when I smile, those two little boys smile back, and I am going to need those smiles for many years to come!

Gettin' Crafty!

So, surprisingly in the last few weeks I have found some much needed free time to get crafty! And I spent most of that time making some pretty pink tu tus...


From June to July we have three little nieces all celebrating Birthdays. And you have to celebrate with a birthday tu tu! Our niece Maddy is turning one and I decided to make her this light and hot pink tu tu to celebrate the big day with! I am actually really surprised how well it turned out, being that it was my first one!

And Kory Princess turned the big 5 while we were visiting in Denver a couple of weeks ago so I was thrilled to see her model my creation for me! And I have one more in the works of being made and thats for little Paige who turns four next week! But I am loving the pink and girly vibe!

And then there are these flashcards. Which consume most of my late nights, but I am loving how they are turning out! I am making these for Fisher. It's part of the picture learning program.

We take real pictures of common things he likes, uses and knows and this way we are able to use them for communication purposes.

These are just of few of many that I have made and still need to make but I wanted to share them with you all! I love that they are so personal and something we could use with all of our kids!

And right at this moment, Fisher is obsessed with Airplanes and Trucks. So I know he will love these!

BBQ, Birthday, Fireworks oh My!!

Growing up the Fourth of July was one of my all time favorite hollidays. It's perfect to me. Being outside in the sun. Running around with family and friends. Playing volleyball, grilling hotdogs and hamburgers. Laughing and getting wet.

I absolutely love this day!

Wayne is lucky enough to share this wonderful day as his birthday. And he celebrated by waking up early and headed out to the water. Where he got to soak up the sun and catch a few fish.

The boys and I decided to head outside. Take in as much of the rays as we could. Giving our much needed driveway some color and festive cheer.

Plus, what summer day isn't complete without sucking on a cool and refreshing treat!

And we had to let everyone know how patriotic we really are. And it doesn't get more patriotic than waving the red, white and blue and flying around Air Force One!

I am so thankful for this amazing country we have. To have my boys grow up and experience all they do! They love this day as much as I do and I know they will have great memories of it to come!

And speaking of great memories, it's nice to have such great friends who like to celebrate this holliday with us! Three years in a row to be exact! And I love driving up the canyon, lighting the bondfire and getting sticky from roasting so many delicious s'mores!

And Blake puts on one mighty firework show! And we look forward to many more!

Hope you all had a wonderful Fourth!

And Happy Birthday to one of the greatest daddys out there! You are an amazing friend, husband, father, brother and son! We love celebrating this day with you and we look to many, many more!

Happy Birthday Wayne!

I love you!