Weekend Recap

Jon and I went to Waco on Saturday to see The Dukes: Holly, Britt, and Penny.

We ate lunch at Ninfas.... best salsa, hands down
:)  SO SO good.

I held Penny and she didn't cry :) I wanted to snuggle her and smell her.  Babies smell good.  It's true- try it.

We saw 'Noah'.  I didn't love it.

We met the Dukes at Common Grounds.  Holly and I agreed it was a little strange being there as married people with children.  It was our hang out for so many years.  Many great conversations there, friends met, first dates,  last dates, concerts, 'study' sessions, tears shed, laugh until your sides ache kind of laughs, feelings of insecurity, anxiousness, fear, doubt- everything that comes with college.

On Sunday we slept in because we got home late Saturday night and we were tired.  I drove to and from Waco while Jon napped- I might have turned on Celine Dion at one point and whisper belted a few notes....

We did some shopping and saw Divergent.  Divergent is Twilight without the Vampires.  So, clearly I loved it.

We picked Jack up Sunday evening- he was beyond excited to see me.  A weekend without me is hard for anyone I'm sure, but it's always hard on Jack.  He's a momma's boy.  He had the BIGGEST smile on his face.  I know he had a great time with his dad though.  Jack kept saying, 'Go home and see Sophie?'  He chased her around for awhile when we got home.

That was our weekend!  Loved seeing one of my best and dearest friends.  A lot of my friends are scattered around the country- wish I could persuade them all to come live by me.  I mean, what does New York, Montana, Oregon, California, Colorado have on McKinney, TX?  :)

Friday!!!!!!

I am so glad it's Friday!  It has been a long week.  God is so good though and sent me many rays of light this week.  I had some great conversations with a parent of an autistic child, received some advice on going gluten free, and met a really nice young man at Target, working at the check out, who has autism.  He was so nice to Jack and looked at me and said, 'it gets better mom.'  Still crying even as I type this.  So nice to have hope and encouragement through this boy named Allen.  God listens and answers prayers, often in ways that we would not have foreseen.  

On to some lighthearted fun things for FRIDAY!

These dresses and top are from my favorite online shop- Paizlee.

Things go fast on this site, because they are ADORABLE and AFFORDABLE.  I went to Baylor (sic em!) with the owners, and just love them and their taste.  Today is the last day for 20% off!

I have the black one and LOVE it.  It is so comfortable and great with a jean jacket.

Everything is cute on their site!!!

I got these in the mail yesterday- they are from Warby Parker

 and are prescription.  My glasses are from there as well and I LOVE them.  They are great quality, trendy, AND they give a pair if you buy a pair.  (Just like TOMS)




Going to Waco this weekend to see Holly and baby Penny.  Can. Not. Wait.  So excited to hug and love on Miss P!  Happy weekend!

Gettin Healthy

Bettering myself emotionally is one thing, but bettering myself physically is another....

I have bought things to start making smoothies for my breakfast each morning.  I finally bought a decent blender and will share my favorites as I try them. :)  I am addicted to one cup of coffee a day but feel like it enhances anxiety, fatigue, and stress.  Not to mention that, coffee = breakfast most days... yikes.  I am curious to see how I feel after the smoothies each day and making some with vegetables will be great since I do not eat enough of them.

I also bought some essential oils from VitaCost.  I got these mainly for Jack- in hopes that they will help with the symptoms of autism- aggression, irritability, anxiety, and stress.  Actually those symptoms describe PMS... maybe I should take them too....I bought cedar wood, lavender, and vetiver.

I am looking into going Gluten Free for Jack.  If you have heard of anything that helped someone else, let me know.  Of course, I will be doing this alongside his ABA training at school, but would like to see what naturally works before looking at medicine.

Next up....Working out... yeesh.

Worn down

Feeling very worn down today.  Life gets pretty hard with a blended family, autism, and work.  Rather than break down and cry in the fetal position (which I did already this weekend, don't worry) for days on end, I am choosing to look toward God and seek Him.  There is not much anyone can do when you feel this way- no amount of words and hugs can cure your feelings or change your circumstances.  Seeking God first and finding Peace in Him is the only thing to do.  Does it 'cure' anything?  Not really- it's not magical.  But, it does change your perspective and gives you a sense of peace and calmness.  I feel strengthened and able to endure the day.   One day at a time.  

Not laughing yet ;)

So true, we are all sinners and broken- no one is perfect and no situation will ever be perfect.  You can not change other people or even change circumstances, you can only change your perspective and reactions.

Be still and seek Him first.

Clinging on to this.

On a positive, happy note :) I wore my new boots yesterday and LOVED them!!!  The kids wanted to wear their rain boots too, haha!  It was sunny but we were ready if it happened to rain ;)

Random....

I own a pair of Hunter rain boots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  

Aren't they beautiful?  I wanted to sleep with them but Jon said no.  I've waited my entire adult life to get some.  So silly, but I couldn't justify spending the $ on them instead of something else... until we got tax $ back and Jon insisted that I buy something for myself.  If you insist....I guess I will....Now I'm just waiting for some rain!

A.A. Milne — 'When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.'


I didn't have coffee yesterday morning, thinking I would drink some fruit juice and water and appear fresh and healthy..........I was dragging and felt like my eyeballs were on the side of my face... ugh.  Addicted.  Officially.

I have good news.  Really good news.  Jon likes salads.  He surprised me by saying that he would eat a grilled chicken spinach salad the other night.  I had no idea.  2 years of marriage (almost!) and I didn't know.  Mind blown.  Lets just say I will be making more grilled chicken salads!  It was so easy and delicious!  I used Kine to season the chicken- my brother's ex-wife is from Hawaii and introduced us to this little treat.  I grilled them and cut them up into some spinach salad and added pine nuts, cranberries, and lightly poured some vinagrette on it.  SO GOOD.

And on a random note....this is how I feel most days at work.  ;)

Week (end) Recap

This past week was Spring Break.  Turns out the Courthouse didn't need Jon so they gave him the week off!!!

We vowed to do something each day that was fun and memorable for the kiddos.  On Monday we went to the Allen Natatorium- the kids LOVED it.  Jack was in heaven and Ellie showed off her swimming skills.  Leaving the pool was a different story.  Jack doesn't transition well so Jon carried him out biting and screaming.  On Tuesday we went to the park and Bahama Bucks.  It was yummy until a sugar bee landed on Jack's mouth and he picked it up with his fingers.  Jack and Jon were laughing and Ellie and I were squealing.  Sigh, boys.  On Wednesday we met up with friends and went to Cosmic Jump.  The kids had so much fun and were very worn out.  We went to lunch at Glorias and then had rest time because both kids were gruuuumpyyyy.  On Thursday we stayed at the house but played all day.  Ellie is very into making signs in her 'workshop' and Jack set up his train tracks.  I went to the dentist and paid $80 to have my teeth cleaned because my dentist is now out of network apparently.....grrrrr.  That afternoon we met friends at the park and stayed for hours.  On Friday we had one of Ellie's friends over and they had fun playing dress up, going on a walk with Jon, playing with baby dolls, and giggling.

The week ended with both kids going to their other parents.  It was a much needed mini-break although we missed them a lot.  We went to see a movie and went to Saltgrass and then Emporium Pies.  It was an expensive date night but totally worth it.  We got home and I immediately took to our bed- tummy full and exhausted from the week.

We also bought a trampoline this weekend :)  Hopefully our trips to the ER do not increase!

It was a wonderful break from work and a great time with the kids and then just Jon and I.  The house is clean and laundry is done....which will last .2 seconds I'm sure!  ;-)

Ellie and I eating snow cones!

Jack waiting on his snow cone

Crazy kids at Glorias- silly girls not wanting a picture taken

Jack finally got his once a year shave :)

After :) He looks so big but is still a momma's boy!

 

The steak is gone... because it was DELICIOUS!

Apple Pie- Jon said my mom makes better apple pie though.... ;) suck up.

A Beautiful Mind

http://lifewithgreyson.blogspot.com/

Big fan of this blog now- thanks to a friend sharing on instagram- I cried and laughed as I read current and past posts.

Autism has been apart of our life journey for two years.  Many people ask me all the time how I found out about Jack.  So here's the story of discovering Jack's super powers.

I was told at his 2 year old check up by another DR- his usual was out that day- that he had autism because he wasn't talking or responding to her calling his name.... I left the appt. very upset, rightfully so, at the DR's quick assumption and tacky comments.  I switched to another DR for a second opinion. She told me it was worth checking out but never should have been said the way it was.  No momma wants that thrown out flippantly.  I took Jack to the ENT to make sure his hearing was alright, then to private speech therapy.  It was pricey and he wasn't really getting anything out of it.  I heard about ECI and decided to check it out.  They did an observation then  came to the house twice a week for therapy.   I just loved his therapists and they became like family to us.  (One of them had a daughter who babysat Jack during our wedding)  When Jack turned 3 he exited the ECI program and they referred him to Lawson Early Childhood.  They accepted him and he is in a PPCD class with 5 other little boys with autism.  Their team of psychologists diagnosed Jack soon after he entered the program.  He is communicating more, requesting, saying our names, putting on and taking off clothes, following simple directions, and currently doing awesome at potty training!  He has come so far in two years.  I have cried more than ever, laughed more than ever, had to trust God more than ever, and leaned on family and friends more than ever.

And now...... I have a husband who lets me cry on his shoulder, encourages me to be brave, and who tries everyday to connect with Jack.  Blended families are very difficult, but adding autism is even trickier.  With autism change is hard (or for anyone!) and we certainly changed up everything Jack was used to.  I also became a step-momma when I married Jon to a beautiful little girl named Ellie.  She has a sweet, gentle spirit and is incredibly patient and kind to Jack.  He does not interact socially so it's amazing to see him hug her, tell her he loves her, and ask where she is.  I also inherited a wonderful second family from Jon who all love Jack and work hard to connect and make him feel loved.

That's the story of how we discovered Jack's super powers- no idea why he has them but I work hard everyday to understand them and help him be successful and happy.  Every day presents new challenges leaving us exhausted and frustrated at times, and there are many things that we can't or don't do like other families, but this is the reality of life for us and I am thankful for the little guy who has a huge piece of my heart.