bath time pro

the girls seem to enjoy daddy giving them baths, a little more than mommy (i think i'm not quite as gentle as daddy - u should see the time & care he takes in making sure no shampoo gets in their eyes).....hey, u're not hearing any argument from me! ;0)

cracking up...

my sister is at the elementary school, having lunch with her niece & nephew right now....here's the pix messages she just sent me ~lol~

another lovely evening, another lovely walk

oh, how i love spring!

{last photo by Jaden}

sticker chart progression

Jaden reached the end!!!


And we had to start a new chart for Gabby - she's well on her way again. Corinn has struggled some, but hey, she's the baby. And she's super close now!

We've had sticker charts for quite some time now, but the reason I've been so psyched about this go-round, is because I've started noticing that they're all learning what it means to earn & lose stickers. Before, it was just like 'oh wow, i got a sticker' or 'oh man, i lost a sticker'....but not really understanding that their actions caused that gain/loss. Now, I see them going above & beyond to help out around the house to earn stickers. Or, I've heard Gabrielle remind Jaden that they better share & not fight, or they'll both lose stickers. They're finally "getting it" & thinking before they act - love it!!! :0)

And what do you think Jaden chose from the prize bag? A big 'ol pen, of course! And he immediately grabbed his nearest notebook to try it out.

{I know, I know....we're shaving his sides tonight. Boy, his hair grows fast!}

What's that? You want to see more drawings by Jaden? Happy to oblige...

a lizard, duh

Jaden driving his robot (notice how he drew his mohawk - too cute)

a bunch of monsters & a little girl (not sure who that's supposed to be)

alien workers - this one cracks me up

Remebering Virginia Tech

Today, my thoughts and prayers are with the families & friends of all the fallen Hokies.

the ex

{i've gone back and forth with trying to decide whether to post this or not....i want to say first that i, in no way, am trying to bad mouth curtis' ex-wife or cause any more hostility between us....i simply use this venue to journal - to share our happy times & to vent my frustrations as well....i know that my step-sons & their mother have no idea that this blog even exists, let alone will read this}

we just recently found out that curtis’ ex-wife might be moving down here ~ uggghhhh!

thankfully, if she does move here. she’ll still stay up in northern Virginia with a friend and work there during the week....but she’ll be living down here on the weekend.....we’re still not sure of the situation with the boys and where they’ll be living or going to school (i just heard that they’re living in Maryland right now??? and maybe not even in school??!!).....the only way i even know she’s moving down here is because her mom told me....she’s been lying and telling us she was just having some of her stuff brought down here for storage, and asked curtis to help her dad unload it.....but then her mom said it was to start moving the ex down here.....Lord, please help us all!

but then...she calls curtis last week and asks for an emergency $1100 so that she won't get evicted from her current town house?! i have a sneaky suspicion that she's already been evicted (this would be probably the 4th or 5th time since i've known curtis), is staying with friends in MD, is probably telling her parents that she's moving down here so that they'll help her out financially, store her stuff, or both....but she probably has no intention of actually living here.....curtis confronted her and asked what was going on - told her what we found out from her mother and that we suspect the boys are living in maryland and are no longer in school.....she told him it's none of our damn business!

of course, we’d LOVE for the boys to be down here full time (preferably living with us - we've been begging for this for years & even her own mother has told me that she thinks this would be the best situation for all involved), but i could soooooo do without the ex living close!!! believe me, i’m an easy person to get along with.....and i always give people the benefit of the doubt.....i have tried over and over with this woman!.....but after dealing with her for 9+ years and seeing how she treats me, curtis & especially my step-sons, i know for a fact that she is PSYCHO!!! (oh, the many, many stories i could tell)

she has literally called jaden "retarded" and has said that all of my kids look like they have downs syndrome (these are voice mails she's left - not to my kids' faces).....she's threatened to come down here and stab me....she's had the boys call and say hurtful things to/about their father (they later apologized to us & said that their mother had them say those things).....she teaches the boys to lie, cheat & steal and they really don't have any parental supervision at all.....i pray daily, not only the boys, but for the ex as well.....i pray that she'll come to know the Lord, that she'll realize the wedge that she's slowly been building between curtis & the boys all these years, and that one day she'll get her priorities straight and will put the boys first.....but at 15 & 16 years old, i feel like these years are the most important of all - the ones where they really need their father's guidance & love.....they're becoming men.....and i feel like our time is running out

the saddest part is that the boys are really being pulled into her drama lately....i've know my step-sons since they were 7 & 8 years old and they've always managed to continue to love, respect & admire their father (& have always been nothing but loving & respectful with me, their siblings & even my parents), regardless of what kind of stuff the ex has been forcing on them.....but they're getting older & a little braver these days.....i'm afraid that they're only interested in hearing her side now & are becoming resentful of their dad....i've tried emailing them, and have gotten pretty hateful responses.....i can't imagine that they'd ever speak this way to me in person - and of course i don't know for sure who's on the other end of that email.....we haven't physically seen them since the beginning of this year and we miss them dearly! especially the kids - gabby literally cried when plans fell through the last time & the boys didn't come to visit as planned (even tho this happens a lot - she decides last minute that we need to hand her over some cash or an unexpected bill came up - if we don't oblige, no visitation).....and this situation is so hard to explain to them.....i wish that i could introduce the kids to the boys' mother & could help them understand our family dynamic......but i'm literally afraid to - i haven't had to come face to face with the ex in about 3 or 4 years & i don't plan to do so any time soon....i thank God the boys are old enough to communicate with curtis & i on their own and we're hoping that they will....i stopped the emails tho - i simply won't argue with a 16 year old & i'm afraid that i might say something about their mother that i'll regret....i just let them know how much we love them and that we want to have them living with us full-time.....and if that can't happen, that we desperately want to continue seeing them on a regular basis.....i told them that they have our phone numbers and we're waiting for them to reach out to us.....unfortunately, calling to talk to the boys means having to call the ex's cell & then we rarely actually get to speak to the boys when we do that.....of course i don't blame the boys for their recent behavior - it's only what they've been taught

the fact that this is all a secret & that we have no clue where the boys are living/going to school is reason enough for us to take this back to court.....we’ve been counting down the days until the boys are 18 (they’ll be 16 & 17 in august), but it’s totally unacceptable for her to keep this information a secret from us.....we rarely see the boys as it is, and if they end up moving and we can’t get in contact with them, what then?!

oh, that’s right....i guess she’ll always make sure we know where to send the child support checks!

{thanks for letting me vent}

Halle's party & the turtle dove

Last night was the birthday party for my friend's daughter, Halle (the Hello Kitty cake was made for her, the party was originally scheduled for Sunday, but postponed for rain) .....we had a wonderful time :0) *note for my high school friends reading this - Halle is Mindy's daughter - she's also expecting another girl next month :0)


the best part was when we were leaving......Halle's grandfather wanted to show us the turtle dove that had nested right above their front door......even with all the commotion of us coming out to look, he wouldn't leave the nest......Jay told us that the mother sits on the nest all day and then the daddy comes in at night to take over (or maybe it's the other way around?)......u know the girls were loving this with all the bird watching they've been doing lately

i've been duped!

well, unintentionally

around 10am, the elementary school called - jaden has an upset stomach....no fever or vomiting, just says his stomach hurts.....the nurse said he came in first thing, but still went to the assembly they had this morning.....then after the assembly, she asks him if he's feeling better.....he responds, "nope, not yet".....she says that he's usually not one to complain, so she feels he might have a bug

so, i leave work and head to the school......as soon as i sign him out and walk into the nurse's office, he jumps up and yells "ma!".....he gives me a hug and i ask him, "aren't u supposed to be sick?".....he replies, "well, maybe i'm feeling better"

ok, so what am i to do? i think about it for a second - i can't hardly turn around and send him back to class.....so we head to the car

i start to wonder - maybe he has to use the restroom? he's always been nervous about having to go #2 at school (or any other public place).....since we only live a mile from the school, i head for home......no luck - so we sit to talk....

"jaden, were u really sick or did you lie to the nurse?"

"no, i didn't lie. maybe i just ate too much breakfast." (ah, ha! now we're on to something! jaden & gabby eat breakfast at school)

so, i explain to him that it was ok to go to the nurse since his stomach hurt - but that next time, he should try not to eat too much at breakfast (we've already been working with him on slowing down and taking his time at meals), and maybe he could wait a little bit (or try to go to the restroom) before he has the nurse call me to come get him.....that if he's really sick, i definitely want to come get him, but that if he might be better in a little bit, mommy needs to stay at work

he totally got it - he said, "u're right ma, maybe i could still go back to class."

i told him that this time, he could come with me back to work - but that next time, he should try and wait it out.....he was very happy with that & seemed to totally understand

amazing! yeah, he's missing almost a whole day of school today....but lesson learned....i admit, it's getting easier and easier every day to connect with jaden.....i know this little man is going to grow up to be something great one day!

thankfully, i work for a great company & my kids are pretty well behaved.....this is what jaden is doing in an empty cube right now.....watching/listening to a dvd & drawing dragon, after dragon on a white board...

love it!

we had more gorgeous weather this weekend! curtis worked & i had a few cakes, but i ended up staying up all night saturday night, so i could decorate while the kids were in bed & not have to miss any outside time ;0)

the kids pretty much lived outside the entire weekend :0) as soon as we got home friday evening, gabrielle asked if she could change out of her jeans and into a dress & sandals to play outside.....i'm serious, it was in the 80s that day!

saturday morning started out with some early bird watching from our kitchen window....the girls are really into identifying birds lately.....it made me think of SouleMama & her bird watching crew.....i guess i'm going to need to get some books to help us identify them too.....following our bird watching, we vegged on the sofa for some saturday morning cartoons, then headed outside after snack.....we played out back & had a picnic lunch.....then played some more at the kids' school playground.....i don't think the tv came back on until after the kids were in bed that night!

sunday was more of the same.....we skipped church this week.....we did have to deliver 2 cakes to west virginia (about 1 1/2 hr drive) and the kids were angels for that! then picked up lunch and headed home.....went by nana's - she had just gotten back from visiting her sister in texas and the kids were anxious to see her.....then when it was time for daddy to get home, we headed that way too.....all of us then went on an adventure - throwing rocks in the river, under the bridge by our house (the kids always think it's cool to hear the cars driving overhead)....then we walked the railroad tracks by our house.....this was a first for them and jaden actually freaked out to begin with....he kept insisting that we couldn't walk on the tracks or we'd get hit by a train.....after reassuring him that #1, the trains don't run on the weekends & #2, there was room to get off the tracks if by some chance, one did come.....he finally was ok with it and almost seemed to have forgotten about his worries after only a few minutes.....we saw even more types of birds on this walk - the tracks run by the river and there seems to be a lot more birds living down there.....we saw the normal black birds, robins, sparrows, cardinals & blue jays.....but we also kept hearing a really loud woodpecker and even saw a smaller black & white one.....another simple weekend - my fav!!! :0)

i also wanted to share a slide of some of Jaden's recent drawings - this boy amazes me! he usually only uses blue/black markers or pens - a guy i work with says he'll be a tattoo artist when he grows up....hey, i'm cool with that! :0)

and a funny note - i've talked many times about my little chef corinn (including the 'soup' i mentioned above).....well, last evening i had to make space on my counter to set out my crock pot (yes, believe it or not - i have very limited counter space).....so i had moved my pampered chef turn-a-bout to the kitchen table....this is what it looks like, only in white & a lot fuller

well, i'm not sure if corinn had never noticed it before, or what?....but when she walked through the kitchen this morning and spotted it on the table, she said in a very excited voice "HOW COOL!".....ok now, how many 4 year olds think this thing is cool?! curtis immediately said, "Oh yeah, she's going to be a chef!"

weekend cakes...

well, even on my weekend off last week - i still managed to fill a 'naughty' request, make some cake truffles for my bi-weekly Sweet Escape delivery & make a quickie cake for sunday dinner at nana & grandpa's house.....i know, i just can't stop! ~lol~

[naughty cake not posted] ;0)

but then, this weekend was pretty full....3 children's birthday cakes & an Xbox 360 for a big kid's birthday ;0) sorry u can't see the embossed detail in the fondant of the Xbox cake - my camera wouldn't pick it up....the girl in the tub was for my 13 year old cousin - she was having a spa treatment birthday party where all her friends came to get pampered (mani/peti, hair done, etc.)....the doll is the only thing not edible

The Last Lecture

I recently saw an ABC special where Diane Sawyer interviewed Professor Randy Pausch. What a super inspiring story!!! Check it out. And then tell me if you ever plan on complaining about how tough life is again! ;0)

sibling luv

dancing ~vs~ fishing

yesterday, curtis was already off work and i played hookie ;0) he fixed us breakfast & we had a great day together just hanging out and enjoying each other's company....we also got some stuff done - one of which, was cleaning my mini-van....i mean really detailing it....it was fun and it felt really good driving to work today in a clean vehicle!

well anyway, both girls take ballet class & gabby also takes tap.....so we're at the dance studio every tuesday evening from 4:45pm until 7pm (for all 3 classes).....since we were already in "hookie mode", i guess......we asked the girls if they'd mind missing dance one week, and going fishing instead.....the resounding answer was "YEAH!!!!" ~lol~ i felt a little guilty, but the recital is june 1st and i knew this would be our last chance to miss a class.....from here on out, they'll be working on their routines & it will be frowned upon if they miss a class

i left my camera at home (shame, shame) so these were taken with my cell.....it was a nice day yesterday, but there was a little overcast by the time we got to the river.....today is supposed to be even nicer! everyone caught at least one fish (gabrielle caught 2) and we also spotted some ducks and 2 muskrats....we think the muskrats scared away most of the fish, but it was fun following them as they swam up and down the river as a pair....we even found their lodge - the kids thought that was the coolest! :0)

see the fallen tree on the other side of the river? the muskrat lodge is right behind that
reeling in a fish...
everyone cheering for corinn as she reels her's in...

oh, and the other amusing part was that even though we've been fishing a million times, jaden was insisting that we keep the fish this time & eat them.....well, we're a catch and release kind of family, but i remembered that i had some trout that my dad had given us in the freezer at home....so along with the burgers & fries that daddy made for dinner, i fried 4 trout....let's just say, jaden wasn't as excited about eating the fish after he tried some ~lol~ the girls & i, on the other hand, love trout! ;0)

Larry King Live autism special

After finally getting a chance to view the Larry King Live autism special last night (my mom had to tape it for me, since we don't have cable), all I have to say is....well said Estee!!!

I hear Jenny McCarthy's argument and understand that some parents may really truly believe that the vaccines given to their child may be the cause behind their autism....and maybe toxins in the vaccines or in their child's environment triggered the signs of their child's autism (there's not enough research to prove or disprove this)....but you can't deny the facts....you can't ignore the research done, the genetic proof that science has discovered....and maybe these "triggers" are God's way of opening up a parent's eyes to their child's autism....they've proven that the earlier the therapy, the better.

And I guess it's easy for me to not jump on the "vaccines caused autism" band wagon (please read my note below regarding this)....for us, there really never was an overnight manifestation of Jaden's autism like some parents say they experience. Jaden was autistic from day one - I recognize that now....he was always such an easy, mellow, go-with-the-flow baby....stuck to a strict routine (yet, was easily distracted)....I thought I had gotten super lucky - this mama stuff is a breeze! How much easier can it get?!

But we've been watching some old home movies recently that I hadn't looked at for some time....and I see the signs plain as day now. And as Jaden got older, things weren't so easy....the speech delays became really apparent - I, in fact, became Jaden's translator (and this is how our whole discovery of Jaden's autism began...the speech delays caused us to have Jaden evaluated at a developmental clinic, get him in speech therapy, etc....it wasn't until Jaden started school and we could see him in learning mode that we were able to nail it down to autism/asperger's).....he would constantly wander off, wanting to tell everyone (even strangers) about his bat (he toted around/slept with a plastic bat for about 3 years) or introduce them to his imaginary friends. He was always preoccupied with his own world, not so interested in what we were trying to talk to him about. Back then, they were just Jaden's quirks....and things I thought every mother of a 2/3/4year old boy dealt with. Now, I watch these videos and see Jaden's version of hand flapping - he didn't flap, he would move/bend/scrunch his fingers a lot....I see that our moments of true eye contact with him were few and far between.....I see his constant scripting - something I thought he just had a nack at - maybe he'll be an actor, I thought....his complete obsession with animals....his wonderful artistic ability.....the way he'd line up his toys/blocks in a perfect row, clear across the house.....the many, many signs - signs, that after learning more about autism/asperger's, i recognize clearly now.

This just confirms for me that we're moving in the right direction....that maybe we didn't see it as early as we could have, but we recognize it now - and that's a whole lot earlier than some. It's amazing to watch these videos from 2004 & 2005 and see Jaden's progress.....he's totally different kid now! Of course, Jaden still does the scripting, and he still wants to talk to everyone he meets.....he still LOVES animals and is an amazing artist! I don't want those things to change - but Jaden knows what is & isn't appropriate now. Me saying, "Jaden, we're not talking about Home Alone right now. We're doing your homework." completely reels him back in and he's able to focus on the task at hand. Reminding him that we don't talk to strangers, is enough to keep him by my side at the grocery store.

The whole point of April being Autism Awareness Month is to gain more Autism Acceptance. Help us to protect our children's fundamental right to be autistic and treated with respect.

Like Estee, I don't see autism/asperger's as an "ugly disease" or "epidemic infecting our children"....and I don't think Jaden needs to be "cured"....I see Jaden for Jaden - beautifully and wonderfully made by God!

*the autism-vaccine controversy side note....
read on Estee's blog about Kathleen Seidel & her being subpoenaed in a trial she has absolutely no involvement with....simply blogging her research has landed her a subpoena to appear in court for deposition & to produce all documentation regarding her website....she's fighting this - she's a smart lady who knows her rights....but really, what is this world coming to?!

*one other note - fellow bloggers, the Kirtons, were on this special as well....they weren't thrilled about how they were portrayed but were thankful for the opportunity to appear and get the word out

weekend recap...

we had a great weekend - the weather was decent (fairly nice most of saturday, then rain for the rest of the weekend).....but even with the rain, we managed to have a really great time together ;0)

gabrielle did get an upset stomach after taking zithromax for her strep (just as i predicted), but at least it's not an all out allergic reaction....and it's been just for an hour or so after her daily dose - eating something before taking the medicine seems to help a little

she sailed by jaden & corinn, finishing her sticker chart on saturday and earning a new necklace, picked out of the prize bag.....it's a chain with a different charm for each day of the week.....but of course, miss gabrielle has to wear all the charms on the chain together! and we can't have the charms all bunched together, overlapping each other......no, no......we have to add a bead in between each charm so that all charms can be seen! ~lol~

a pic of the chart - gabby, one sticker before reaching the end.....if only jaden & corinn could earn as many as they lose! gabrielle has the 'go above & beyond' concept down pat - that's my girl! ;0) also, notice corinn's sticker chart below the real chart - her chart shows how all her sons & daughters are doing ~lol~

and the necklace, being modeled at the park...

gabrielle also got to visit Pump It Up for the very first time....a friend in her pre-k class had her birthday party there! even though i'm not a fan of spending hundreds of dollars on a 5 year old's birthday party, this place is soooo fun! i'd been to a bday party there once with jaden, so i was super excited that gabby was feeling better and could go try it out.....what a work-out....all that sliding/climbing/crawling/jumping sure makes you tired! and to be honest, it really ends up being some great one-on-one time....the kids go in every which direction, not really trying to stay together and play.....so it ends up that the parents join in the fun with their son/daughter individually
she's so silly!

more pics from the park....an overcast day, but just fine for scooter-riding & tree-climbing fun!
even met a friendly dog...
corinn took along her camera and was snapping pics of all the pretty things - animals, flowers, trees, etc...wonder where she gets that from? ;0)
gabby's checking out the new buds on the tree in this one...spring is finally here!

then sunday was spent indoors because of the rain....we had a great family dinner at nana's house, and then got out some more old home movies last night when we got home....the kids (corinn especially) are addicted to watching these now!

one of the best weekends in a while - nothing on the schedule....just go with the flow, fun with the fam!

9 years baby!

the 22nd of this month will be our 2nd wedding anniversary - cause you know, we had to do it our way - 3 kids, then marriage!
but saturday marked 9 years together for curtis & i!!! i swear, it feels like we only met yesterday.....except after being by his side - seeing him as a husband & father for 9 years, i love him WAY MORE than i ever thought i could!

darn strep!

gabrielle woke up with a very sore throat an a 100.5 degree fever.....curtis just took her to the doctor and was told "she has very bad strep!".....the one and only day jaden has ever missed from school in the 3 years he's been going, was when he caught strep his first year.....i guess gabby is following suit....and unfortunately, she's allergic to augmentin (what they usually prescribe for strep) & ceftin.....they prescribed zithromax instead, which i'm allergic too and gabby has never had.....i've got curtis keeping an eye on her for a possible reaction, but i'm praying she has a peaceful, restful day at home with daddy.....complete with lots of popsicles & her new fav movie - Pipi Longstocking