coconut house

Yesterday was Emily's baby shower and it went great! I came home to this awesome house Jonas and the kids made. They have been wanting one for a while now and Jonas finally got some boxes down and they have been lovin' it!!!

We started getting Bountiful Baskets again yesterday. I like it because we get our fruits and veggies for lots cheaper, someone else does the shopping for us, we just go pick it up, and it gets us to eat a variety of fruits and veggies. After we got our basket, I went thru and chose some meals for the next week using those foods and my grocery list was a lot smaller. The unusual thing we got this week was 2 coconuts. I pulled one out and put it on a cutting block, grabbed a knife and said, "Look Maelie, I'm gonna cut this thing open and check out the inside!" Jonas laughed! Right... you do have to crack the thing open. We watched a couple of videos online to figure it out and we have come to the conclusion that it's better to just buy coconut in a bag. We used the juice to make a really good smoothie. (coconut juice, frozen strawberries and blueberries, a banana, milk, fake sugar) And then it took way too much effort to get the 3/4 cup of fruit from the coconut we needed for some cookies. Oh well! Atleast we have done it now!

summertime

Hello. We are hermits. The heat has set in and since I haven't wanted to take Jonas to work this week, we have been left without a car this entire week, except for Thursday. I need to get the car atleast once a week and take the kids somewhere. Thursday I took Kyla to her occupational therapy evaluation and Maelie and Jaxon hung out at Grandma's. When Kyla and I left the OT, she asked me if we could go back to that room. Since it's in Scottsdale, I am probably going to get her to one on this end of town. But yes, she will get to go back to a room kind of like it. :) I am glad she enjoys it, we don't call it a dr but a fun place to play, which is exactly what it was. Anyway, this week the hermit-ness has only bothered me a little. It has been nice in a way. Kyla has been really good this week and I think I have realized that as long as she is doing what she wants and gets what she wants, she is an angel. It's when things don't go her way and her expectations aren't met when she reacts. This makes it tempting to let her always do what she wants. Maelie and Kyla are so different that way. Maelie is soooo agreeable and easygoing. I think that's what parenthood is all about, learning our kids weaknesses and strengths and helping them with what they need help with. I do wish that Kyla came with an instruction manual. Especially now, I am so overwhelmed with figuring out what she needs when most of the time, I feel like she doesn't need therapy she just needs to be a kid! Anyway. I didn't mean to go on like this, sometimes my fingers take over. Or maybe I need to get out of the house. Tonight we are all going to the dance recital to see the fam that's in it. And tomorrow night Maelie and I are going to the company recital. Also tomorrow I am in charge of my awesome friend Emily's baby shower. So the weekend is busy enough to make up for the week. :) And not to mention how I wish this blasted weight would fall off my body. Everytime I get serious about getting rid of it and I think I am really motivated and it might work this time, it lasts about a week and then it's over. Why oh why can't I be one of those easily skinny people? I hope my kids get Jonas' metabolism!! ANYWAY.... on Wednesday the kids had some friends over and they had so much fun together!

Last weekend, Jaxon went to a birthday party for a friend at church and just as I suspected, he sat in the corner and played with the train. I could not get him involved in anything! I think all my kids have the quiet genes like their parents. This is fine to a point!! I couldn't get him to get in the group picture or play any of the party games. Ah well, he is young and very cute, he makes up for it. Last night he kept saying good night and shutting the door and then coming thru the door where I would scare him... over and over and over... he has THE BEST LAUGH! He makes me so happy.

Friday night we watched our friend's kids. Maelie loves her Ty. Here they are sword fighting.

This is Maelie with her Build a Bear from cousin Kailin's birthday. Maelie and Kyla went to her birthday party last Saturday night and had so much fun. We are now thinking about Maelie's birthday which will be here before we know it. Maelie wants a surprise birthday party. She remembers from her 3rd birthday when we decorated the house while she was taking a nap. When she came out it was so cute how excited she was, one of those moments I totally remember.

Anyway, this was supposed to be a quick post but now I have spent plenty of time on here. I am going to go jump on my favorite elliptical friend!

Kyla

I took Kyla to a developmental pediatrician today and she has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified) on the autism spectrum. It is a somewhat flexible diagnosis and it may change but I think it's good to know to help us all understand Kyla a little better. She is already in preschool for her social and adaptive delay but she will begin speech (for her level of understanding not her output language) and occupational therapy and possibly more, I still have to call state to find out, but I guess state will fund her therapies as long as I tell them she has PDD characteristics and not tell them she has PDD-NOS (AZ is the only state that doesn't fund PDD-NOS). Anyway, I always knew something was up and I am still trying to figure it all out. Just thought you all would like to know and here is a link that explains PDD-NOS. http://www.autismspeaks.org/navigating/pdd_nos.php

one more year of being young

Jonas turned 29 yesterday! And everyone knows once you're 30 you're old, so this is his last year to be young and I will follow him soon after that. Kinda sad... :) Here's Jonas and the kids with his yummy birthday dinner and birthday cake. Happy Birthday Jonas!!!

kindergarten graduation :)

Today was Maelie's kindergarten graduation. We got there early and got decent seats, it was a full house! They came in to the graduation march which was really cute. Then they sang several songs about 1st grade and being done and all that cuteness. Then class by class, they went up and received their diploma. It was very cute and I admit I got a little teary-eyed. 1st grade - big time! haha!

Ya think she likes the monkey Grandma gave her??

We will miss Mrs. Varner, she has been a great teacher, I am hoping Kyla will get her in another year. On to bigger and better things and I guess some parents dread summer but I am excited with relief that I won't have to run everyone everwhere for a couple months. And next year Kyla gets the bus for preschool so it won't be as stressful next year anyway! Happy Summer!

Once Upon a Dream

Maelie had a little talent show in her class today and she wanted to sing for it. That's not an easy thing but she did it!! Good job Maelie!

Bounce Jungle

blessed

Jaxon hardly talks at all. He says a word or 2 here and there, but hardly ever uses sentences and is nowhere near having a conversation. He has folded his arms and said Amen during prayers but he doesn't very often. Somtimes, I wonder if he has a clue what's going on around him or if he is always in his own little world. Sunday night when Maelie was saying her prayer, Jaxon was squatted down with his arms folded and eyes closed and he said "heavenly father, thank you jabber jabber jabber, please jabber jabber jabber, amen" You'd have to see it, but it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen and I busted up laughing and then next thing I know it I am balling. I got so overwhelmed it was crazy! At first I am in denial that Jaxon isn't a baby anymore and it made me feel like he was growing up. And then I was overwhelmed with the responsibility I have of teaching these 3 children. And last of all I was just so grateful that Heavenly Father has let me be their mother. Sometimes they make me seriously crazy and I just want to leave or get a job and send them to daycare. But seriously, I am so blessed to have them! My family is my everything!!!

Gila Valley temple trip

Friday we drove to Gila Valley with all my family to see the new temple. The temple was beautiful and my favorite moment was in the Celestial room with Jonas and our kids looking up at that beautiful chandelier. Friday night we went swimming at the hotel. Saturday morning we ate a yummy breakfast at the hotel, went back to the temple for pictures, went to a park, saw some town sites like Shannon's old trailer and Pres. Kimball's childhood home, went to a local lake, and then headed up to Mt. Graham for a picnic. We tried to head to the lake on Mt. Graham which was quite the curvy drive and 12 miles from the lake, the road was closed!! We were pretty bummed!!! On the way back down the mountain Jaxon lost his licorice, poor kid. But the girls found lots of pretty pink and white rocks - quartz? And then we drove back home. It was a quick but fun trip. If we had known we weren't going to make it to the lake, we would have stayed longer at this cute little spot where we had a picnic. The kids had so much fun climbing the rocks.

Roper lake state park - we only had about 40 minutes there but the kids had fun splashing around and Brooke and Jonas got in a water fight :) The pic below is the kids trying to get Jonas wet...

Jaxon loves getting wet! He went thru so many outfits on this trip and the final outfit was one of the girls' after he threw up. Seriously tho, I've never seen a kid just stick his face right in the water like he does, it's hilarious!!

Maelie and Jaxon playing in the sprinklers by the temple

This train track is right by the temple, and we were lucky enough to see a train pass as we were going into the temple tour, he was thrilled. This is on Saturday when we showed him the train tracks.

And the beautiful temple of course! (our fam pic is on Jarod's camera)

chair spins at the hotel!

And Jaxon on the tractor by the temple!