Meth Test

So, we decided to do a meth test on the house we put an offer on because the house was a foreclosure. The test came back positive. We are not buying that house. Hopefully we can find something soon...

**Update: I called the health department today. Because we did an at-home test and did not use a professional, they will not take the results. I hope however puts on offer on that house thinks to do a meth test because there will be no public record on that house. **

December 29

...is the day we are planning to close on our new house! After 8 months of house hunting, we are "hopefully" finally finished ("hopefully" because something could go wrong, but I sure hope nothing does).

Paper work sent to morgage guy... check
Mortgage papers signed and emailed back ... check
Next up - home inspection on Tuesday

I cannot believe how everything has worked out. We put 10 offers on 10 different houses in the last 8 months. It was been a grueling process. If everything works out how we plan, we know it's because this house is SUPPOSED to be ours.

I have learned something from this whole ordeal. Our prayers changed over the past 8 months. At first it was "Please help us find a house." Then "please let one of our offers be accepted." Then that changed to "Please help us find the house we need to buy soon." It is interesting how you are taught patience. It wasn't until we actually stopped praying to find a house, and started praying about making the right decisions for our "new" family that we found it. :)

At the Ultrasound

Yesterday the ultrasound went fantastic. We had an amazing ultrasound tech. We were able to come home with 52 amazing pictures of brain, spine, kidneys, etc.

Erick actually enjoyed the ultrasound more than I did (isn't that hard to believe?). Once the tech realized Erick was into medical stuff, she slowed down to show him EVERYTHING. He was amazed to actually see our baby's cerebellum. We asked the tech if the she could see if the baby would have a hole in his heart (because I did and had to have open-heart surgery). She went back and showed us how a fetus' heart works. A fetus' heart must have a hole in it while they are in the womb (it directs blood flow away from the baby's lungs since he is getting oxygen from my placenta). She said the heart looked perfect, but there is no way of knowing if that hole will close up when it's supposed to.

All in all, a GREAT EXPERIENCE! :)

It's a BOY!!!

Ultrasound

We're having the ultrasound TOMORROW! I'm so excited I had to tell you even though I really don't have any news yet.

P.S. (for Jenny or anyone else who is pregnant right now) I found some maternity clothes on craigslist. Someone was done having kids and wanted to sell them for cheap. :)

Pregnancy Update

18 weeks and so far, so good! Everything is going great. I've had several OB appointments, and everything is going as it should.

I'm feeling a lot better than I was my first trimester, which I've read is normal.

I have an ultrasound in two weeks. Hopefully we will find out what we're having then! My mom thinks I'm having a boy. Shannon, my volunteer supervisor at Primary Children's, thinks I'm having a girl. We'll see. Erick and I are just thrilled to be pregnant and we'll take whatever Heavenly Father gives us! :)

Underland Chronicles

I just finished the Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. She is the woman who wrote Hunger Games. Gregor the Overlander is her first book and I wanted to see how it compared.

Gregor is an eleven-year-old boy who lives in New York City. His little sister, Boots, crawls into a ventilation grate in the laundry room of their apartment complex, and Gregor decides he needs to follow her. They both fall into the mysterious place called the Underland.

This story somewhat resembles Alice in Wonderland. It was great! Gregor meets giant cockroaches, humans who have never seen the light of day, among other fantastic creatures.

I liked this series. It's about a 5th grade reading level (according to Scholastic). It's not as awesome as Hunger Games, but it is still a great series. If you are looking for a quick read, read this! :) I can definitely see at least one movie made out of this.

Amazing...

I teach the 9 year olds at church (in my parents' ward while we've been looking for a house). I haven't worked much with kids this old, so it has been a learning experience. There is one boy in my class that was a pain. He liked to talk about stuff getting blown up, or people getting killed. When he would get a turn during sharing time, which was rarely, he would always be silly and answer the questions wrong on purpose.

Teacher's worst nightmare.

The more I got to know this kid, the more I felt bad for him. His mom is not stable, and she has custody of him and his sibilings (what does that say about Dad!?!). How the heck is this kid supposed to act the way you want him to when his mom doesn't?

One day at church, he was bummed he didn't get a turn. I leaned over and said "Do you want to know why you don't get turns at church." He did. So I told him because he is silly, doesn't sit in his chair, and he gives silly answers instead of serious ones and people don't like that.

"OH!"

No one had ever told him that before! How in the world does a 9 year old not get taught this? I have no idea. So the next Sunday, I made him a list. (I noticed he likes to collect paper). The list said:
If I want a turn in primary, I need to be reverent. Being reverent means...
- sitting in my chair
- keeping my hands to myself
- giving serious, church related answers when it is my turn
- stay quiet when it is not my turn to talk
- sing when I'm supposed to sing

I used some of the other skills I learned at Spectrum, and this kid is a completly different kid... IN ONE MONTH! He worked his butt off! It is a joy to listen to how smart he his and he has these unique insights that other people do not have. He is now one of the best kids in my class! I am so proud of him. Even the Primary Presidency has noticed a change!

The thing is, kids don't change unless they have a reason to. I'm so glad we were able to figure out getting a turn in primary was enough motivation for him to turn it around. We taught him how to play the game, and now he is a pro!

I think kids that can do this are amazing. Against all odds. Yay!!

Houses...

I am so tired of house hunting. Since April, we have put in 8, yes 8 offers.

Here's the update on our two latest...

We put an offer on a home in June. It is a short sale. A short sale is the phase right before foreclosure. In September, the sellers accepted our offer, took their house off the market, and we have been waiting for the bank to make a decision. It's now OCTOBER... and we are still waiting for the bank. We should hear something next week.

We found this house. It has a HUGE garage (4+ cars) with a bigger backyard than the other house, and with an unfinished basement. The kitchen needed a whole lot of help, but it has some great potential. It was a foreclosure, so it would not take as long as the short sale. We didn't make the highest offer. Today we found out the offer that won has a forged pre-qualification letter, so obviously they never closed on the loan. So, instead of giving us the offer, they put the house back on the market and now they have 3 offers for higher than we can afford.

Needless to say, frustrated. No house yet.

Keep your fingers crossed (and some prayers wouldn't hurt) that this short-sale works out. :)

Baby Blanket

While I was looking for the perfect fabric for the blanket I'm making my best friend, I found the perfect fabric for me! I found flannel giraffes! Yay! It was on the sale rack at Walmart, so I had to buy it.

Now that I bought it, I'm trying to figure out what I want to do with it. I bought some plain brown flannel to go with it (on sale too!). My husband's cousin had the cutest blanket. The bottom fabric was wrapped around to the top, making about 2 inches of trim around the top fabric. I have searched all over the internet, and I cannot find how to make a baby blanket with wide trim. All the youtube videos and instructions I have found say to do the trim as thin as possible.

Any ideas?

Sign Language at the Hospital

I know American Sign Language (ASL). I took classes all through high school and into college. I was in the Interpreting Program as SLCC and decided I didn't enjoy interpreting like I thought I would. So, I quit the program to finish my generals and I have found myself in Special Ed (which I absolutely LOVE).

I volunteer at Primary Children's Medical Center every Wednesday night. It is great! I had open-heart surgery there 18 years ago, and I remember volunteers coming to do art projects and stuff with me while I was there. I decided I wanted to give back and help kids that are there.

Last night, a little boy came into the playroom with his mom. He was on an IV pole and just kind of looking around. I asked him if he wanted to make some snow with us (that was the art project we were doing in the playroom last night - it was really fun to play with). He didn't say anything, so I asked him again louder. His mom was on her cell phone, but she finally realized what was goin on. She told me he is deaf. "Does he know sign language?" I asked. He did! So, I got to sign with this kid! I haven't used my sign language for a long time, and I was so excited! The kid didn't seem at all surprised someone he didn't know was signing to him, but he mom seemed very grateful.

I love how stuff just works itself out!

Erick's going to be a daddy

And I'm going to be a mommy!

After about a year and a half of wanting for a baby we're finally pregnant!

We found out the day Erick started pharmacy school. I am due April 22, 2010.

So far I have felt pretty dang good.

Today was my first appointment with my OB. Erick and I were able to hear the heartbeat today. It was amazing to think that there is something living inside of me. I can't wait to start feeling our baby move. (Yes, I'm a dork. What do you expect?)

My new obsession of brains

One of the kids I work with is a fantastic artist. I mean, he is AMAZING. He draws stuff that I learned how to do in college.

I love watching him draw. How I draw is I pick something, like a head, and make a logical progression from the head to the body to the arms and legs, etc. This is NOT how this boy draws. He draws a little piece over here, then something on the other side of the page, and piece of something else on the bottom of the page. And when he is almost finished you can SEE what this little boy SEES. He SEES stuff different that anyone I know.

Watching him draw has made me realize how different brains are. His brain most definitely works differently than my brain. But understanding this has also opened my eyes to the way other people's brains work.

It is so much easier to think "My brain is just different." You don't always have to understand someone else's rational. I used to get frustrated if I couldn't understand where someone else was coming from, but knowing everyone's brain is different, I don't feel like that so often.

The best part is knowing that different brains are find and good. I'm so glad Erick's brain is different than mine! I'm so glad Jenny's brain is different than mine. It makes the world and interesting place. It's so sad that countries have wars because they way of thinking is different from someone elses and it isn't tolerated.

Ikea Hacker

My dad found this website

http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/

People buy stuff from Ikea and change it into something else. Some of the stuff is really ugly, but I have found some cool things I want to do when we FINALLY get a house. I'm hoping I can find some of the furniture I would need to use at D.I or unfinished so it would be less expensive. I'm way excited to get started on a project now that Erick is going back to school in a week.

Hope

Today we got some of my favorite weather.

It was rainy. Dark gray clouds covered the sky. Big drops of rain fell on my car. It smelled wonderfully clean. And every once in a while the sun would poke out through the dark clouds.

First, I love the smell of rain. Smelling that clean, woody smell makes me happy. I wish Johnson and Johnson could capture that fragrance and put it in bathroom cleaner. The rain smell that is around does NOT smell like that.

But most of all, this weather gives me hope.

It's dark and dreary. Rain comes down making everything wet. And when it is almost too much, the sun shows itself. Just for a split second. For just long enough for you to remember that it won't always be dark and dreary. That's the hope.

Not "I hope you get well soon," or "I hope you have a good day at work." It's the hope that is faith. It fills your heart. It makes you believe you can continue trudging through all the muck and crap you have to put up with in life because sooner or later you will see the sun. Things will get better.

Website

Two days ago I launched my new website. It's not the most fanciest thing in the world, but my dad and I made it. I'm really proud of myself (since I have NO CLUE about HTML).

Check it out!

www.lookatyourpics.com

Surprise Party

Erick's Aunt Carol and I planned a surprise party for Erick's grandma's 90th birthday! It was so great! Brenda, Erick's grandma, had a brother come up from St. George. Randy, Erick's grandpa, had a brother come up from Provo. All of Erick's aunts and uncles from out-of-state were able to come! It was fantastic! And, best of all, Erick's grandma was SURPRISED!

I cooked all the meat... 23 pounds of sweet pork pull-apart (aka Pork Barbacoa). I had 6 crockpots in my kitchen, and I enlisted Erick and my dad for help. Erick cleaned every single crockpot (bless him!) and my dad helped me pull all the pork apart. I was pleased with how everything turned out.

Here's the sweet pork recipe for anyone who is interested:
3 lbs boneless pork roast
6 oz salsa
1 can coke (or diet coke, dr. pepper, pepsi... anything brown works great)
1 c. brown sugar

Fill crockpot about 1/2 full of water. Put in roast. Cook 6 - 8 hours.
Drain.
Shred with fork.
Put back in crockpot.
Mix in a bowl salsa, brown sugar, and coke. Pour over pork. Cook until heated through.

Serve with tortillas or buns.

Feel Good Music

I play the piano. I'm not as good as I want to be, but I get by. I have my own piano that I bought when I was a senior in high school.

My favorite composer is Jon Schmidt. I was playing on the internet today and I found this video. This song is not available as sheet music yet, but once it is I am going to learn how to play this... even if it takes me 3 years!



It is a mashup with "Love Story" by Taylor Swift and "Viva la Vida" by ColdPlay. It makes me smile!

Best Job EVER!

I have the greatest job in the world!

Funny story:
One of my students got in trouble today. He didn't want to miss his recess, so once we got him to sit down he started crying. Then all of a sudden we hear him singing/screaming "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes." Then he screamed 3 verses of "If You're Happy and You Know It". Last of all, he screamed "How Firm a Foundation." At that point, we (being the grown-ups) could not hold in our laughter any more. My heart was breaking for this kid, but it so so funny to hear someone scream primary songs.

I ended up giving him a really tight hug (deep pressure). I asked him if he felt better. He said, "Singing songs made me feel better."

Now, I need to tell you that he is one of my favorite kids and I know him pretty good. This was not the first time he has brought his love of church to school... (for those of you who work at Spectrum... "Brother Stefie"! lol)

Social Skill Extraordinaire

I was watching Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. I decided he has the BEST social skills I have ever seen!

I work with kids that have autism... Most of the kids I work with don't have social skills at all.

It is interesting to see how he can interact with all the different cultures around the country and around the world! I guess he may offend people that the Travel Channel does not air, but I am still amazed!

I could not do this job! He is amazing to try everything. I went to a Chinese Wedding, and believe you me... I did not try the sea cucumber.

Free Digital Scrapbook Stuff

I found this blog that has tons for free digitial scrappbooking stuff.


http://www.rebeccasscrapbookingsilliness.blogspot.com/


They're cutesy.

Charter Schools

I work at a charter school. Until recently I did not realize we are the "enemy" of the public school system. They say we take away their funding. We say we are giving parents a choice.

The way I see it, the public school system (well, maybe just in Utah, I don't know about other places) is broken. One size DOES NOT fit all. And people are too stubborn to do anything about it. The public school system did not work for my sister. If given a choice, I think my mom would have looked into different options because the high school in my neighborhood and a mentality that did not groove with my sister.

Come to think of it, the public school system didn't really work for me either. I was in the gifted and talented classes from 1st grade through 9th grade, minus 4th and 5th grade. That is a whole lot of time. I didn't have my associate's degree when I graduated from high school. It wasn't because I wasn't smart enough or not willing to work to get it. It is because I didn't know I could. I didn't know I could. Where was my high school counselor? I wasn't popular. I wasn't an athlete. I didn't have a 4.0. But given the opportunity to go to a school like UCAS I would have had my associate's degree.

Besides that, the kids that go to my school are usually a public school teacher's worst nightmare. With a classroom of 35 students, how are you supposed to help your one student with autism get through his meltdown? It's not the teacher's fault. They have 34 other students. Most of the kids that go to our school were in a public school, and they were not successful in that setting. We help the kids be successful.

The whole point of a charter school is to give parents the option to give their kids a place where they will be more successful than in a public school classroom with 35 students. Your kid is great at science? Well, look at this school that will teach him more about the things he already loves! You're daughter wants to learn how to use multi-media? Here's a charter school that will give her a head start to the classes she will be taking in college.

Our Trip to San Francisco

We just got back from San Francisco! We had a lot of fun learning how to use public transit in a big city!

This is Fisherman's Wharf. We saw this Coca-Cola "Photo Spot" so decided it must be worth it!

Golden Gate Park I don't know anything about

football

Contemporary Jewish Turtle & Coy @ GGP Califonia Academy of Science

Museum



Alcatraz... but we didn't make it out to the actual island.

National Conference on Volunteering and Service

I'm getting a new position at work. I'm going to be the volunteer coordinator! I'm really excited, but I'm also I a little nervous.

Because I'm getting this position, I was able to go to the National Conference on Volunteer and Service. It was FANTASTIC! I learned some really great information and I got to hear lots of famous people speak!



Nancy Pelosi didn't really say anything all the important. She is from California (which is where the conference was held) and she just introduced the next speaker. It was cool to hear the story of when she was elected to be Speaker of the House, she asked all the children to come to the front and she passed around her gavel.





Govenor Schwartinegger married Maria Schriver. Maria's family was very into service. California is the first state to have someone be elected into the cabinet who's job is to deal with service. It's really cool!








Please go to Serve.gov. The "United We Serve" initiative is going to be huge! To see more stuff about it, you can also look it up on You Tube! Here is a link that talks about Michelle Obama building a playground with Maria Shriver





Bon Jovi is really into serve. He bought the Philadelphia Soul (arena football) because he thinks everyone has soul. He has done a ton with his team and service.

Please check out Serve.gov.

Best Job Ever!!

I know. I know. You've heard it a million time! I have the best job ever!

Right now, we are having summer camp. Last year we had 9 kids everyday. This year... it is 19 kids!

Today we went to Wheeler Farm. We have these "jade" t-shirts that have a puzzle piece on it. Our guide asked me "What is that puzzle for?" So I told him our camp is for kids with high-functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

He says "I have autism, too!"

It was so great! He was a fantastic guide and he totally just "rolled" with our kids. He didn't get frustrated with the tangents, the weird noises, the growling, the wacking, or anything! He would even talk about the stuff the kids wanted to for a minute or two, then get back to what he was saying.

His story was so interesting. He told me that in the 80's, doctors told his parents it was their fault for his problems. In high school he got diagnosed with autism in high school.

Logan and I told him he should come visit our school. He said he would be honored. I want all our kids to meet this guy. He was great!

Books

I just read The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins...

Can I just say, WOW!

I wish my brain could think of plots like that! I recommend it! Now I just have to wait until the next book comes out!

This book basically saved me yesterday while I was sick (I read most of it in one day!)

It's about this girl that lives in a country that formed in North America after the U.S. was destroyed. I'm not going to give anything away... JUST GO READ IT!

100 Things About Me

One of my friends did this, and I thought it was cute! :)

100. I can't eat small curd cottage cheese, rice pudding, or anything else with that texture.

99. I got married when I was 18 1/2 (even though most of my family thought I was nuts).

98. I work at a charter school for kids with autism. I love it. Yes, it's hard. But it is the best thing I could be doing with my life.

97. I hate Halo.

96. I can't make a basketball hoop unless I have my eyes closed.

95. I bought a yellow car just because it was yellow. I miss it!

94. I got an A in Chemistry because I wrote a paper about phosphorus.

93. I hate mopping the floor and doing laundry.

92. My favorite color has been yellow since I was 10 years old.

91. I bet I have had my picture taken more than you - my mom uses me to practice.

90. My toe nails are painted all summer.

89. Painting my toe nails makes me happy.

88. I love eating salad.

87. I like cooking, but I would much rather go out to eat.

86. I love planning parties.

85. I can't wait to have a house I can decorate!

84. I spend way too much time on the computer and the internet.

83. I learned how to type fast from using instant messenger when I was in high school.

82. I like to read "easy read" books.

81. I hated my curlie hair until Jen cut it about 2 months ago.

80. I inherited a bunion from my mom.

79. I hate shoes. If it were socially acceptable not to wear them, I wouldn't!

78. I love my wedding ring. Erick picked it out!

77. I have a Wii Fit that I don't use.

76. I have a bike that I don't use.

75. I lost 6 pounds by walking the path with my class at school almost everyday.

74. I have about $300 worth of scrapbook stuff that I'm probably not going to use.

73. I decided I LOVE digital scrapbooking.

72. I'm baby hungry and don't want to wait to start a family.

71. I've read 40 books since August.

70. I wish I knew how to take great pictures.

69. My only real "girlfriend" moved to Utah County. Now I have no girls to hang out with while Erick is at work.

68. I have played the piano since I was 8. I'm not as good as I should be.

67. I love using the computer. I love making documents look pretty!

66. When we got married, we did not receive any "newly wed furniture" because we both worked at RC Willey.

65. My first job was at Leatherby's. It was a great first job!

64. I was spoiled when I was growing up. My grandparents own a travel agency, and when I was little we went on lots of trips.

63. When I was little, I had a hole in my heart that made me super tired. I could walk from the car to the enterance of the store, and I had to be carried from there.

62. When I was 4, I had open heart surgery to fix the whole. After that, I was a completely different kid.

61. My great-grandma lived to be 103 years old.

60. My mom is one of my best friends. Erick is the other.

59. I'm not funny. Expect when it's on accident.

58. I was on the jump rope team in elementary school.

57. My mom convinced my dad to let me get contacts in 4th grade because my glasses bounced on my face while I was jumping rope.

56. I won't watch scary movies. I just won't.

55. I like to make brownies out of a box.

54. I love avocados. Erick hates them. When I buy them I eat them with a spoon.

53. I love home-canned green beans.

52. My mom gave me her hate of lima beans.

51. I am right-brained. No doubt about that.

50. Growing up my nickname was "Juic" (Juice).

49. I don't have any brothers, unless you count Nate and Karl.

48. I'm REALLY allergic to mosquito bites. They get really big.

47. I am TERRIFIED of bees. I don't want to find out if I'm allergic to them.

46. I love crafts.

45. If I have to wear shoes in the summer, I prefer flip flops. They are the least amount of shoe possible.

44. I don't paint my fingernails. It's not worth it for the paint to chip in 1 day.

43. I like cats, but I'll never be able to have one because Erick is allergic.

42. I don't think of myself as a leader, but other people do.

41. I love the smell right before it rains.

40. I love watching lightning storms.

39. I am horrible with directions. I have been know to get lost and call Erick crying.

38. Simple things make me smile.

37. I give my love easily.

36. I love chocolate. If it's chocolate I'll take it. Except chocolate-covered lima beans.

35. I love smiling. It makes me happy. I like to smile and make other people smile! :)

34. I really like using Mod Podge. It's fun.

33. I update my mom's blog and her facebook. Her blog is www.sondraphoto.blogspot.com. I like seeing all the pictures she has taken.

32. I look up to my mom. I'm really proud of her for following her dreams, no matter how long it took.

31. I don't like eating normal breakfast food for breakfast (cereal, toast, etc).

30. My favorite breakfast food is cheesecake.

29. I'm not close to my sister. I regret it.

28. I like to bargan shop. I'm always looking for coupons.

27. I like owning a lot of shoes. They look great in my closet.

26. I should recycle. I don't.

25. I love flowers. I'm excited to have a yard to plant my own flowers. I'm worried I'll kill them, though.

24. I love weddings. They remind me of mine.

23. I love holding babies. I want one.

22. I type with my fingers on the right keys.

21. I have random thoughts, often.

20. I didn't read Twilight until all four books were published.

19. It makes me sad that my grandma has breast cancer. I need to spend more time with her.

18. I like kitchen utensils. I like figuring out what they can be used for.

17. I like contemporary style. I'm having a hard time finding a bed spread I like.

16. I love my husband. I don't know what I would do without him. He is my rock.

15. I look like a grasshopper when I wear big sunglasses.

14. I'm little. And I like it (so does Erick).

13. Before I got married, I had a VERY common name (first, middle, and last names)!

12. I don't drink soda often. I'd rather have water or Crystal Light. If I have to have soda, I'll mix lemonade and Sprite.

11. I'm a cry baby.

10. I like it when Erick teases me (but don't tell him that).

9. I don't really like games, but I do like Pandemic (Thanks Jenny!)

8. I want a Dodge Charger. I don't know why. I don't really like cars, but I sure do like that one!

7. I was a tomboy growing up. I loved playing football.

6. I didn't like pink until I was a junior in high school.

5. I know American Sign Language. I don't use it enough.

4. I don't do spicy foods.

3. I know my family is eternal. I'm glad I know. Loosing Erick's mom would have been too hard otherwise.

2. I don't try to be something I'm not. It's working for me.

1. I have a testimony. I know what I know is true.

Vote Now!

Please vote for my digital album company's name! ------->

Digital Scrapbook Albums

I've decided I want to make digial scrapbooks for people who don't know how, who don't have time, or just plain don't want to do it themselves.

So I'm trying to think of a great name for this new "business" so I can make business cards and get my name out there.

Here's the challenge. If YOU think of the name I end up using, I will make YOU a 8 x 8 photo album with the pictures you want as a great big THANK YOU!!

Sondra Peterson Photography

My mom is a photographer. She mostly takes wedding pictures, but she also does families, seniors, and whatever anyone else wants her to take! Check out her blog! www.sondraphoto.blogspot.com. She has taken some amazing pictures this year!

Coupons Galor!

I found the blog that has tons of coupons on it!

http://couponsurfer.blogspot.com/

Check it out!

Spectrum's ART-ism Awareness Celebration

Last night was our Autism Gala. It turned our fantastic! Classes got together and performed for our parents. Our parents/grandparents donated items for our silent auction. We raised so much money! I'm so happy about this. We are trying to raise money for a Spectrum High School (like $5 million). So last night was a success.

My kids were so great! Our performance turned out better than any of our practices (miracles always seems to happen for these performances). The kids were quiet, patient, and they all had "bendy brains" when we had to wait outside for about 10 minutes (that means they didn't get mad when they didn't get their own way).

Funny Kids

"This is my dad. He is smarter than my mom, but she is a better driver." 9 year old boy who loves giraffes and baseball.

"You know what, you should facebook." "I already facebook, do you?" "No, but my mom does." 7 year old boy who is better with directions than I am (he can tell me how to get to his house using I-15 and Legacy from Spectrum).

I'm thinking about adding a quote thing to my blog with the hillarious things my kids say. What do you think?

Autism Awareness

April is Autism Awareness month. On April 23rd we will be having a celebration at Spectrum! Our school is putting on a silent auction for various items and the kids will be performing short plays! I'm super excited!

I decided to make this quilt for our silent auction. Our mascot is a giraffe and I painted the hands of the kids in my class. I had a lot of fun making this quilt! Hopefully some parent will want to buy it! Our Room-Mother gave me the giraffe fabric and gave me the idea to use the "butt" pockets. I think it turned out WAY CUTE!

House Hunting, episode 1

Erick and I went house hunting this weekend. Our budget is not very big. After this weekend we decided we will probably be getting a townhome.

Property #1 - Townhome: nothing was exactly wrong with it, but it was TOO small and the parking was TERRIBLE!

Property #2 - I really liked this house. It was in a planned development, kind of like condos, but each house was free standing. It was pretty big and I liked the lay out... but once we went downstairs we smelled the smell of doom... CAT PEE! EWW! There was no way we could afford to get that smell out.

Property #3 - We found this 5 bedroom house online. The pictures looked great, but it was really cheap. We were warned that it was a "fixer up." That was an understatment. I have never seen anything so DISGUSTING in my whole life! I asked Kevin, our realator, "How can anyone life like this?" I swear it was a meth house. I get the creeps just thinking about it.

So, no luck. But we're not giving up hope.

Quilt for Andrew

This is the first quilt I have ever made by myself (besides my mom and Erick helping me put the quilt on the frames and tieing it). I made it for Erick's cousin's baby who was born 3 months premi.

Surprise Party

On Saturday my mom threw Erick a surprise party.

When we walked into my parents' house, Erick's face was so funny. He had NO CLUE that anything was up. Lots of people came, and it was great to celebrate Erick's acceptance!

Now that Erick got into pharmacy school at the U, we are going to see if we can buy a house or townhouse. Wish us luck!!

Attitude Adjustment

He got in! He got in!

Yay!

University of Utah Pharmacy School here we come!

AARRGG!

Erick had an interview on Feb. 26 at the University of Utah's Pharmacy school. The people there told him he would know their decision in about two weeks. Well, the two weeks was last Thursday.

Erick decided to email one of the people who interviewed him. She said they were mailing out the acceptance letters on Friday (I am assuming they would send "I'm sorry" letters at the same time). So.. FRIDAY is AFTER the two weeks they told the applicants during the interview.

We thought maybe the would come on Friday instead of be sent on Friday. Nothing. Then we thought the letter would be here on Saturday. Nothing. So we were so sure the letter would be here today (Monday). NOTHING!

This is definitely cruel and unusual punishment!

Picture Editing

So, I found some REALLY old pictures of Erick's family in the drawer full of photos I have of Erick. I decided I'm going to make a digital scrapbook with all the photos for people in our family.

I had to scan in the photos and I have tried my hand at photo editing (which I have NEVER done before). What a wonder Photoshop is! FYI - it's easier than it looks.


before


after

The Picker

Yes, I said "The Picker." But it's not what you think.

A little boy in my class likes to pick at things. The most common is his clothes. He finds a thread and just picks and picks and picks until there is a BIG hole (we usually can't see him doing it until there is a noticable problem).

Scene 1: Silent Reading the first 15 minutes of the morning.
"Ummm, __________ destroyed his shirt."
Christina and I looked at eachother with the "What does that mean?" look.

The picker had found a piece of string on his shirt that he picked and pulled until... there wasn't a front of his shirt. Oh, he sure had the collor around his neck from the t-shirt but the WHOLE ENTIRE FRONT of his shirt was gone. Like we were told, he destroyed his shirt. We called him the Incredible Hulk behind his back last week.

Then today, the picker strikes again!

Scene 2: This morning in our before-school program he started picking his fingernail (you know how some people's nails are in layers and can be seperated). He picked and picked and picked the top layer of his fingernail until it was like 1/2 inch sticking up. EWWWW!!! I don't know how that didn't hurt.

Boring

Erick and I are stuck in a rut. We go to the same 3 restaurants. Where are some of your favorite restaurants?

That's Not In My Job Description!

I am totally getting prepped for parenthood.

Today one of my students threw up all over himself and the bathroom. Spectrum does not have a janitor. That ment I got to do the lovely duty of cleaning it up. And I found out I can clean up throw-up with out being totally grossed out.

What a fun thing...

Scrapbooking

I finished Erick's scrapbook yesterday! I am feeling like a hero. I put the project on hold a little over a year ago and it's been hard to get started back up again because we moved (that requires packing up all the scrapbook stuff and reorganizing it once you get it out of the boxes), Erick's mom passed away, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

While working on Erick's scrapbook, I found I was given a TON of pictures that I really don't know why I have them. They are old pictures of Erick's grandparents. I figure I got them because I'm a scrapbooker and no one else knew what to do with them. They are really cool! Erick's grandpa has memory loss (they don't really know exactly what is wrong with him) so he doesn't remember things like who I am- he sees me with Erick and just kinda puts up with me (he's REALLY nice). It's interesting to see the pictures of him when he was younger and to read the captions on the back of the pictures. I'm going to put them into an album someday.

My next project is a digital scrapbook of Erick's brother Ian that passed away about 20 years ago. I'm doing it digital so we can give a copy of it to Erick's sister for Christmas (good thing she doesn't read my blog!)

Teacher Speak

Spectrum has it's own language. Here are some funny translations.


"You are in my precinct" - don't touch me

"You are such a GREAT storyteller" - you are full of it

"You are so silly" - you are being a dork

"Use your filter" - if you call me fat one more time...

"I need a listening body" - be quiet and look at me

"Look and decide" - I'm not going to talk to you when you scream in my face while I'm talking to someone else


I'll add more when I think of more.

Our Anniversary

Woo whoo! We have been married 3 years today.

I married my best friend.

Erick, I love you so much!




These are my 2 favorite wedding pics.

Problems

Today at church a member of our Bishopric said something profound that I wanted to pass on.

"Stop telling the Lord how big your problems are. Instead, start telling your problems how big your Lord is."

What is the world coming to?

Today, I was running an errand to get Erick an anniversary present, when I noticed something you don't see everyday. As a drove down 5300 S, I saw a cop car with it's lights on blocking the right lane. You know what everyone usually assumes. As I got closer, I saw the cop pushing a car. I stopped at the light, and saw a girl in the car steering, while another girl and the cop pushed to get the car off the road. I was so impressed with the cop. To many times people just drive on past without even stopping to help.

Then I realized how sad it was that impressed me.

GIR-AFF-E

This week has been hard at work, so I decided to blog about the thing I like about my job... Lets see if this reverse psychology works.

The kids make me laugh everyday, even if they are being a poop.

I am learning some great skills that will help me when I become a mother.

I am learning how to be patient.

I LOVE Christina (the teacher I help). We work great together.

I get to work one-on-one with the kids which allows me to have more of a relationship with each of them.

I can teach my kids silly things, like "Bones" and they get a kick out of it.

I am amazed everyday at the things my kids do.

I can call my kids "my kids" even though I did not give birth to any of them.

I get to create worksheets, tests, and other things on the computer.

I have learned how to be in a supervisor position. I loved being the Summer Camp Coordinator last year, and I'm excited I get to do it again this year.

I love a lot of my co-workers.

I love my boss.

Learning about Occupational Therapy and Speech Pathology intrigue me.

I've learned more about myself since I've been working at Spectrum than by doing anything else.

Clay's Law

Fox 13 did a spot about how Clay's Law would affect families with children diagnoised with Autism. This is my school. I work with these parents at Spectrum. I know their kids. Garrett is in my class.

http://www.myfoxutah.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=8304002&version=1&locale=EN-US

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYtDN2PrTBk

I don't know if this is the right law to pass, but at least it is a start. Something needs to be done. I can't believe insurance companies say they don't know if the services help these kids. I see it helping first hand EVERYDAY.

Loves of my life...

Erick is amazing. I am so blessed to have him in my life. We've been through a lot these past almost 3 years, but it's been completely worth it. He is my best friend. He is so supportive (even when he doesn't want to). He works his butt off so I can work at a job I love. It's hard that I only get to see him about 2 hours a day. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

I love my church. I love the Savior. I love the Book of Mormon. But most of all I love that I love what I believe. I'm not just there because I've been attending church my whole life. I'm not there just because I have a church calling. I'm there because I want to be. I'm still young and I don't understand all the doctrine that is being taught, but I love being able to look at what I do know and see how that makes my life happy... better. People view religion differently. Some people have accused me of following blindly. I know that what I believe has shaped me into the person I am. I am happy. I love the Lord. I am ME.

I love music. I'm not the greatest singer or the greatest pianist. I'm getting better at leading the music during sacrament meeting. I'm too intimidated to lead for the ward choir. None of that changes the fact that I LOVE music. I love listening to the radio and hearing lyrics that are amazing. Maybe it's because I'm not an eloquent writer. Who knows? Playing the piano sort of rejuvenates my soul. I play when I'm happy, when I'm emotionally worn down... It's been a huge blessing in my life. Now that I have an iPod, I'll be able to collect the songs I love to hear (some of which are on my blog! yay!)

I love my job. I love knowing I am making a difference in someone's life. Working at Spectrum has been the best decision I could have ever made. I love the kids I work with (often referred to as "my kids"). I'm learning GREAT skills for when I have my own kids. I love my co-workers, I love almost everything about my job. I'm sad there has been a huge cut in education funding. We are providing so much help to students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their parents/families. I am so excited to plan summer camp this year! I had so much fun being the coordinator last year and I'm glad I get to do it again!

I have a new found love of reading. It started when Erick's school & work schedule became so crazy that I never see him. I'm home by myself a lot (especially on Fridays & Saturdays). Since August, I have read about 32 books. I know that is disgusting, but I'm happy that I have been able to find something that helps me get through all those hours.

Is There Such Thing As Car Heaven?

So, I've had my new car about a month and a half, and I LOVE it! Here are a few of the reason (in no particular order)...

• the heater doesn't stink


• the volume knob doesn't have a short it in (going from 1 to 17 in one click)


• electric locks


• electric windows


• the throttle doesn't get stuck open when it's blizzarding outside


• I can wear high heels and not worry about the heel getting stuck on the clutch petal


• did I mention I have an automatic now?


• four doors


• the seat belt insert (the side you grab and pull across you) doesn't fall to the floor every time I take off the seat belt


• the trunk can fit AT LEAST two suit cases


• there's not a dent in the side from hitting my grandpa's car


• the CUP HOLDERS are cup holders, not cup dumpers


• I don't have to sit so close to the steering wheel (no clutch petal to pound in)


• a key fob that actually unlocks the doors and not one that just makes a sound like a barking dog


• the steering wheel is wrapped in leather (and man, could I tell a difference. I actually thought "Wow, this steering wheel feels REALLY good!" haha)


• I don't have to borrow Erick's car when I need to haul kids in the back seat


• No one will ever have to worry about which lever to pull to make the front seat fold down


• I get GREAT gas mileage (way better than my little yellow car did)


• there's lots of places for change, sunglasses, or anything else I might want to stash


• I have a center console


• Erick LIKES driving my car
• it has a sun roof

and...

• (actually the most important reason)... I HAVEN'T GOTTEN STRANDED A BLOCK FROM WORK WHILE IT WAS RAINING!

Isn't it interesting the things we put up with.

(picture isn't MY car, but it sure does look the same...)

ABC chain

ABC . . . Antecedent Behavior Consequence

This has been DRILLED into my brain because of my job. To break this down, an antecedent is something that happens before the person chooses their behavior. An example of this is like Mom says, "Go clean your room." Child's behavior could either be to clean, or not to clean. Then the consequence is based on the child's decision. Sometimes it is hard to remember consequences are both positive and negative.

Many of the kids at my school don't understand this. So every aspect that we can talk about this we do. We are trying to drill it into their brains because it is such a fundamental social skill they MUST know to succeed in life.

I've been thinking about this a lot outside of working at Spectrum. Everything we do revolves around this ABC chain. I've also been thinking about what I believe and how this all works together. This is an example of what I mean. I am against abortion. If someone chooses to have sex (behavior), a possible natural consequence is pregnancy. If you don't want to get pregnant, don't have sex. You can always choose your behavior.

Now I find myself analyzing everything with this almost every aspect of my life. That's different because I'm usually an emotional thinker, not a logical thinker. It's easy to see how everything fits together. Hopefully I can help my kids think "What consequence do I want? What behavior do I need to choose so I can have that consequence?"

Recipes

Would anyone be interested in swapping recipes via blog? Let me know your thoughts...

Interesting Turn of Events

I have had an interesting week. I have learned a lot about myself
and my husband.

Erick is amazing. He took REALLY good care of me while I was recouperating from my surgery and my tragic ER visit. Anything I needed or wanted, he did (even though he ended up with a sinus infection). He even helped me wash my hair (a foreign concept "You need conditioner too?")

Tonight we had dinner at my parents' house (our usual Sunday routine). My parents have a Wii and some pretty fun family games. We were playing Mario cart and Kristyn whacked me in the forehead with her steering wheel. Then when she went to hug me to apologize, she GRABBED
MY FACE. So, to get even with her for grabbing my hurt face, I recorded her playing Cookin' Mama (She is stirring something, and her arm got REALLY tired... it's funny but there is no sound. I recorded it from my cell phone so it's not a great quailty.)

I'm finally feeling better! And I get to go back to work tomorrow! It will be great to get back into a normal routine after having Christmas Break off!