My little Liam turns three on Tuesday. I don't have an idea where the time went. Without being too dramatic, I will say that having him as a part of my family makes me proud everyday. Liam is funny, kind, patient, curious, and always full of energy. I love him for being such a wonderful and understanding brother to Jackson (most the time) when he could so easily not be.

He just happens to be born a few days after the anniversary of September 11th, which makes me think each year. I feel so grateful to be a part of this crazy country. It has allowed my family and I the freedom to make choices and have options, when many other countries do not. I love to celebrate special occasions, like Liam's birthday, for just that reason. And for me, the opportunity to plan a fun day with friends is a blessing and privilege.




gimme kiss...

Autism Awareness Month

Thank you stark.raving.mad.mommy for this hilarious post in honor of Autism Awareness Month...I am pretty sure I have heard just about every one of these comments.


If you're the parent or caregiver of a child on the autism spectrum, Autism Awareness Month is not for you. You are already aware of autism. Like, really, really aware. Aware that you need another cup of coffee, a Xanax, and possibly an advanced degee in Education Law.

Autism Awareness Month is for everyone else. To help out, here's my Top Ten Things You Should (and Shouldn't) Say to The Parent of an Autistic Child.

10. DON'T SAY: "Wow, your son is great at math. He's just like Rain Man."

DO SAY: "Wow, your son is great at math."


9. DON'T SAY: "He should probably be in a special class, so other kids won't make fun of him."

DO SAY: "We should probably be teaching our children more empathy."


8. DON'T SAY: "You should try giving your kid more discipline."

DO SAY: "You should try these brownies I made for you."


7. DON'T SAY: "Wow, your kids all seem to have a lot of problems. Have you ever heard of Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome?"

DO SAY: "Wow, you're really on top of things for your kids. It must be hard, but it seems like you're doing a great job."


6. DON'T SAY: "You should change your child to an astronomically expensive, all-organic, gluten-free, casein-free diet of locally-grown organic broccoli and imported, cruelty-free snake oil capsules."

DO SAY: "Please sit down and rest while I make you some bacon-topped meatloaf and pour you a glass of wine."


5. DON'T SAY: "I think autism is over-diagnosed these days. They're handing that label out like Mardi Gras beads."

DO SAY: "I am alarmed by studies that show that autism spectrum disorders are actually under-diagnosed in girls and minorities. Excuse me while I e-mail my legislator about my desire that he or she increase the fundng for autism research and education."


4. DON'T SAY: "Isn't he getting a little big for diapers?"

DO SAY: "Here, I picked up this case of diapers and some extra Febreze for you while I was at the store."


3. DON'T SAY: "I wish my kid was getting free extra help in school like that."

DO SAY: "I wish I had remembered to mention to my legislator my desire that he or she stop slashing the budget for special eduation services like they're freaking Zorro or something. Excuse me while I go send another email."


2. DON'T SAY: "You look exhausted."

DO SAY: "How about if I play Lego Star Wars with your kids for the next four hours while you take a nap?"


1. DON'T SAY: "He's fine / it's no big deal / he'll grow out of it / all kids are like that."

DO SAY: "It's so great that you got the diagnosis, even though he's obviously awesomesauce exactly the way he is."

1.1.11

So many ones!

This is supposed to be the day where everyone takes time to reflect on the past year and finally change their lives in various forms for the better. My thoughts are...really, you only get this one day? On previous New Year Day's I was stressed to find that magical thing to enhance my life. This year I realized that the whole idea behind resolutions is that you plan to evolve as a person. And let me tell you, I can evolve.

The last decade through some major curve-balls my way, both good and bad (of course). Somehow I evolved, revolved, contorted, shifted, changed and rode the current. That's all it is I guess.

So....my advice (if you want it), is to think twice before you resolve to spend 365 days cooking Julia Child masterpieces. It's a little extreme. Just remind yourself that you have the opportunity to make changes in your life everyday. Regardless of how scary it may sound, things happen and plans change. Deal.

With that, I hope that this year brings all the health and happiness you can stand. Cheers!

saturday!

come down to do a little shopping at the "frog church" tomorrow from 9-4. i will be there with the last of my cupcake couture stuff and would love some company! its free admission and they will have all kinds of food/drinks to raise money for their youth group.

covenant united methodist church
on gleneden drive in north spokane

p.s. if you are in a craft-fair kind of mood, you can also stop in to the Mead HS craft fair this weekend. i wont be there, but you know i love to support me some panthers!

just a taste

whenever fall rolls around, i get lots of requests on how to make these yummy treats. they seem to be just enough sweetness to hold off my desire to inhale a whole pumpkin pie. so....here is the big secret recipe:

one box of spice cake mix
one can of pumpkin puree



combine ingredients, use a 1" ice cream scoop to bake them on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 325 for about 12-14 minutes.
sometimes, if i'm feeling really creative, i add a handful of chocolate chips (wow-i know)

if you like yourself some pumpkin pie, or pumpkin spice latte...these will be like heaven in your mouth. and, although i haven't figured out the calories, safe to say they are easier on your waistline too! let me know what you think. happy fall!

how i stroll...

travelling again this week, and just wanted to answer the question we must get a thousand times every trip.

question: "what kind of stroller is that?"

answer: "phil & teds"

to all of the mommies out there, do yourself a favor. bite the bullet of the price tag and pick yourself up one of these puppies. my phil & teds does everything, with a smile! it is a jogger, double stroller, infant seat carrier, shopping cart, and baggage holder. it travels easily, folds nicely and can fit through any doorway or shopping isle.

people often say, "there is no way my kid would sit in the bottom seat. he/she likes to see everything."

my answer is, "you might be surprised. my son thinks it is a little fort and gets some alone time (which is an autistic kids dream)"

as an added bonus, you can stow your littlest baby down below if you use enough blankets to prop them up, which keeps strangers dirty hands/kisses away. most of the time they never knew liam was down there...germs at bay, score!

not a great pic, but i don't have any good ones of our phil & ted, although it is definitely worthy

QOTD:

"Rain, Rain, Go Away...Mother Nature is really pissing me off today."

-unnamed resident of North Spokane

a plea for help

This is one of those wierd last-ditch-efforts that one resorts to when a google dead-end is hit. I am sure that most people know about our son Jackson and his diagnosis of autism. (if you don't...surprise!) Lately, I have been doing more research than normal since I have a bit of free time away from school. I am becoming increasingly more interested in a movement that basically describes autism as a neuro-immune disorder. I went to a lecture tonight by Dr. Michael J. Goldberg and it peaked my interest even further. For the first time, things clicked for me. This is a man who does medical, SCIENTIFIC-BASED research and has had amazing results.

There are things about the various "popular" and celebrity-endorsed protocols that never felt quite right. Supplements, diets, shots, hyperbarric treatments, and heavy metal detox. It is a little hard to swallow sometimes. Yet, as a parent, you are made to feel like your instincts are dumb. I really try not to judge anyone going through this because I do think that every family needs to decide for themselves what they are comfortable with and believe in. There just can't be a one-size-fits-all.

No one wanted to listen when I told them that my son was vomiting for not reason and it was like he had a concusion. I tried to explain that he did not seem to have pain, just confusion. The look on his face during these episodes were strange. Instincts said..."head trauma. Just like an athlete would behave". Further confirmed because he always wanted to eat afterwards.

Things just never come out the way I want to describe. It is just a "feeling". I realize I sound a bit wacko.

Anyway, (rambling now cause it's late...sorry) my plea is this: If you are reading this and have any ideas about, research on, or experience with things like neuroSPECT scans, the XMRV retrovirus or use of SSRI's in autistic children, please let me know.

I just wanted to throw that out to the universe. What can I say, I want a cure just like every other mom out there!

Coming Soon...

Well, it is official. My family is opening a sports bar in North Spokane. Birdy's Sports Bar will have it's Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, March 20th and I hope to see lots of friendly faces there. Check out the website for more information and to see updated pictures later this weekend. www.birdyssportsbar.com

Needless to say, we are all very excited and proud. And, in case you don't know...we are pretty much the coolest family ever. (seriously) I love my family more than I could ever express and am so proud of us for supporting this new venture using our many hidden talents. (which are secret)

At least come in for a beer, meet the owner and compliment him on the beautiful bar that he built with his own two hands. Then you can walk back and talk to the co-owner and tell her how delicious her "Nacho Girlfriends" are. We have been trying to support local businesses as much as possible during construction and hope you will support us as well.

Cheers!

a little reminder...

a lovely woman, and dear family friend sent out something in their Christmas cards that I think is worth passing along...

It seems that everyone is busy and everyone likes to feel even busier by talking about it...we want to encourage you this christmas to step out of the traffic and take a deep breath. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for those you love, the blessings you have received, and the hope that Jesus brings in this christmas season. drink a cup of hot tea in front of the Christmas tree; listen to a Christmas carol all the way through; read the wonder of the Savior's birth in Luke 2; call an old friend; watch the fire burn in the fireplace; be quiet, be still.
The real miracle of Christmas is that God Himself came to be among us. Take a moment to consider what difference that really makes in your life...let the busy take care of itself; it will still be there tomorrow.

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie...

now, this whole concept of being still is something that i need to work on. but, i definately think that a real reminder to savor the season and celebrate in the real miracle of Christmas is the simplest thing i can do today.

i hope you get time to do the same...enjoy the season!

yesterday morning i took jackson out for our normal tuesday routine which includes speech therapy at 9am. in the waiting room, i was chatting with a gal who i see every week but never talk to. anyway, her adorable daughter comes up to me, grabs onto my knees and just stares up with the biggest smile you have ever seen. to which, i reply "hey there cutie". her mom apologizes, which i nod off and we start talking. she asks how old jackson is (2 1/2) and if i have any other kids (liam, of course), and if i work (tell her i am in grad school). she then says, in sincerity, "wow, you really have your hands full".

this leads me to my point. this mom, in her late thirties probably, notes how busy life must be for me.

i have to say, i was a little taken back because (did i forget to mention) that her 3 and 4 year old daughters both have down syndrome? i felt like an idiot.

big idiot.

she had no way of knowing that i have been feeling a little sorry for myself lately in dealing with jackson, school and stress in general. and the rest of our conversation centered about all sorts of funny stories about the kids, new therapies/diets, and just normal life stuff. it was great. she had no way of knowing that her small comment would really effect me.

see, sometimes we play the comparison game in life (my truck is better than yours, her boobs are perkier than mine, etc.) you might think that someones situation seems impossible to you. and to keep things in perspective we say "it could always be worse". and that is all true. however, life is hard sometimes and no matter what your life is like, give yourself time to feel bad and then move on.

this is especially true for parenting. nothing irks me more than when parents try to play the comparison game with their children to "one up " the other. parenting is hard work (duh). have a little respect and know that a tired and stressed out parent is sometimes a good parent because they are putting every last bit of effort into their kids.

............lost my focus here, sorry..............

the moral of the story is, that somedays are better than others and no matter what anyone says...give yourself a chance to feel your life and then move on if you are heading down a debbie-downer path.

does that make sense?

awesome. now turn that frown upside down, and go have a shot of whisky. (kidding)

thank you!

i have to give a great shout out to my dear friend Meghan...she updated my sorry blog and I think she did a GREAT job. thank you so so much meg, you are wonderful and so appreciated!

so excited...

this weekend my mom and i are doing another craft fair! Mead High School on Saturday and Sunday. I am so excited because we have been working on getting together some new adorable things. including, these clips (which I know is wierd since I made them...but i love) for only $8 including a matching headband



we also have a few more cute totes like this one ($25)



and just to let you know it's not all business, here is a pic from Liam yesterday while we were putting out christmas lights. i know it seems a little early, but i am so thankful we did them before it was too cold! it was a great family bonding experience.



so.........come see us this weekend, we love visitors!

help wanted...

i am in need of a blog makeover. but, i am not really good at it nor do i have any time. would someone like to volunteer? you would have complete control. (which is kind of scary for me)

Not to brag, but...

Today has been one of those days you dream about...

I got a full nights sleep because my wonderful husband slept with Jackson to keep him down through the night,

Everyone had a tasty breakfast at the kitchen table (at the same time),

The Sunday paper was actually interesting to read,

We worked together to do some household chores (the boys helped sweep and vacuum),

So far, naps are actually happening and going well (at the same time),

And, no major meltdowns or tantrums from either boy!

Seriously though, it is all kind of amazing. Maybe it is because of the unusually sound sleep I got but I feel really thankful today. Being a parent is not the most glamorous job most days. But, I think it is easy to forget what a gift it is. I mean, I have friends who have a hard time getting pregnant, staying pregnant, being pregnant or all three. It is easy to forget that even if my day seems to be going slower than the year, my boys really are a miracle.

I love being a mom, and if you tried to take away my sleepless nights, doctors visits, spit up stained shirts, minivan, diapers, toys that I constantly trip on, cheerio embedded carpet or Phil & Ted stroller...I would be really mad.

Plus, I really love my stroller.

In short, I want to thank my uterus for making my title as mom possible.

{love you boys!}

so much has happened...

I have been thinking about what to write in this blog for a long time...so much has happened to our little family

For starters, Liam turned one! We had a big celebration with all our friends that just happened to include a big bouncy castle. It was so much fun, I highly recommend it! It was a crazy year since Liam was born and we just wanted to have a full day of fun with the kids. It was perfect and definately gave us some playtime that we all needed!

Just before that, we moved! We found a lovely family to rent our home so that we could move in with my parents. It was a very quick decision that has turned out to be an even bigger blessing than anyone had initially intended. Words cannot describe the sense of calm that has come over everyone that has been a wonderful effect of having extra help. This leads us to the big news that happened just a few weeks ago...Jackson being diagnoised with autism.

For about the past year and a half, we have been trying to put everything together with Jack. Autism just happens to be it. He has been going to therapies at least 3 days a week during that period for what we thought were just "developmental delays" in the hopes that he would catch up and be "normal". Well, it wasn't quite that simple. Luckliy, we have a wonderful team a pediatricians here in town who recommended we take a visit to Seattle Children's Hospital last spring. They got an initial baseline of Jack's behaviors so when we went in September they were able to track his progress as well as administer a standardized test. In our case, it was the ADOS which is fairly common in areas around UW.

Very long story short...there was some confusion about autism and all that it meant for us. But we learned something simple that i hope will help; there are three main developmental areas that they look for in order to classify.

Social Interaction
Communication and Speech
Odd or Unusual Behaviors

Here's the cheat sheet...if you have delays in social interaction and odd or unusual behaviors, you would be classified as having "asperger's syndrome". If you have delays in communication as well as either social interaction or unusual behaviors, you would be classified as being having "autism spectrum disorder". If you have delays in all three areas, you would be classified as "autistic". Does that help?? In our case, Jackson has delays in all three areas. It gets really confusing for people when you also note it is possible to have "autistic tendencies". It's a big umbrella.

I know that people have strong opinions on whether or not to "label" their kids. For us, it was a little adjustment but then we realized that the only thing that changed is that it is much easier to get the services for Jack that he needs. It's a lot to digest at first, but all ending up good.

I would encourage anyone with concerns with the development with their kids to keep searching for answers when you know in your heart that something is wrong. Just as in our case, once you push throught the uncomfortable stuff, the support and help you can get is a tremendous help. On the days I feel like I am going to lose my mind if I have to see another doctor, I lean on my support system and humbily remind myself how much worse it could truly be. I get a reminder everyday we sit in the waiting rooms of hospitals, clinics, and therapists. Besides, Autism does not define Jackson. He is just the same adorable little guy that I have gotten to know over the last 2 1/2 years. Love him to death! LOL

If anyone wants or needs more information start at www.autismspeaks.org. It is a great source that I refer to often. They even sent me an awesome "first 100 days kit" that is perfect for families needing support or some guidance.

Lastly (sorry I ramble), I have to thank my parents and wonderful husband for all their support. Moving in together was a great decision that works for us, and I could never express what having laundry done or dinner made by my mom has meant for me and my stress level...love you!

Cupcake Couture has the first event of the season...take a look at the blog!

For some reason, I had some extra energy today and decided to go with it. This is what I did...Got up early to shower before Jackson awoke, which meant I had to try and entertain Liam in the bathroom while I attempted that. Then woke Jack up to go to Speech (which went great), and so to reward him we went to get a haircut (which did not go so great). After getting Jackson down for a nap after lunch I decided to pick up the camera and chronicle how domesticated I am (not really).

I baked these cookies while holding a baby on my hip



His name is Liam, and he looks like this





While they were in the oven, Liam and I collected these from all over the yard



In the few minutes between batches, Liam managed to make this mess



and Easton stayed in this position the whole time



But I didn't mind all the commotion because it looked like this outside



and the flowers still look like this



Have I mentioned that I am not thrilled with the fact that my beautiful summer days are numbered? Although, we did something really crazy yesterday and became "charter members" at the brand new YMCA! Really, being a charter member only gets you a few shirts and locker locks, but still. I feel kind of special.

I am going to finish up my night by doing homework (ugg) and then attending class from 6-10. I have to say though, I am always kind of excited to use my brain.

Anyway..............obviously not too much exciting going on around here. Just your average stay at home mom trying to spice up the day with a little blog. Not that anyone reads all this. I know you just want to see pictures of the kids. As a matter of fact, if I did keep your interest for this entire post then send me a little comment. I am not completely convinced that anyone reads this besides my mom. Love you mom, and thanks for making me dinner tonight!

The Latest and Greatest..

Well, as summer officially ends with Jonn returning to work tomorrow I thought I should post some recent pics for all the fam-dam-ly out there. Here you go...


These are a few of Liam today, just in time for his first birthday. It has gone by so fast!


These two were taken at Kate's wedding, earlier this month. They insisted on matching. Or maybe I insisted???





Of course I had to post a few from the wedding..."puke and rally" was the motto. Can you pick out who was sick????

dream conversation with a 2 year old

I had a conversation in my head with Jackson today and it went something like this:


Dearest Jackson,

I love you very much but don't really like you right now.
If it were possible to divorce your children for a short time, today might be the day I ask for it.
I sincerely do not appreciate the chunks of muffin that were thrown at my head the whole drive home from speech class.
I do not find it amusing when you laugh in my face after I place you in a time-out.
Your brother has enough bruises on his body of his own doing, he does not need anymore inflicted by you.
Please find it in your heart to take pity on my tired body that is fighting a cold, the energy you require right now is too much.
You won this battle and I will never forget for the rest of my existence on earth.

Love, Mommy