Ward Family Five

James Taylor and Ben Taylor - western cowboy

2011-03-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

last night Jeremy and I went to see James Taylor and it was wonderful!!!! When we lived in Hawaii I would worry that I would never be able to see a J.T. concert with Jeremy. I was afraid that he may not be touring much longer and I would not get to share something I love so much with someone I love so much. So I am glad I can say I no longer need worry about that lol.
He performed with his son, Ben, whom I happen to love. He sounds so much like his dad. I remember I used to be so happy thinking that James Taylor's music would live on in his handsome look-a-like son but their music is very different from each other. I still enjoyed every min. of it :)

"Come What May and Love it"

2010-09-04T19:23:00.001-07:00

This is one of my all time favorite talks!!!! I remind myself when things seem unfair or don't go the way I would like about this. I really want to have this quote done in vinyl and put it up on my wall, I think that is just the thing I need to have a more postive outlook on life and the struggles we all face.

Oh Liam!!!!

2010-08-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

I just love this boy!

Weight Loss Myths Exposed by Runner's World

2010-03-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

Weight Loss Myths Exposed by Runner's World
Great Article!

What Tsunami?

2010-02-27T16:56:00.000-08:00

Well we can now say that we have been through our first tsunami and I am so thankful that we dodged this bullet. My phone started going crazy about 4:30 this morning with friends and members of the church calling us to let us know that we needed to evacuate and head to higher ground. We were prepared and got everything ready quickly and headed up to our church as it is high up on a hill. We waited and waited, refereed lots of kids, had a few boo boo's and around 1:30 they canceled the warning and we went home. Not much else to tell, just thankful to be home and have a home intact to come home to.

Cherry Pop Refashion Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

2010-02-15T15:53:00.000-08:00

Cherry Pop Refashion Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!I am so motivated to sew right now. I just wish I was more creative :(

Major mix up

2010-02-15T10:44:00.001-08:00

For those of you checking to see if Jeremy is alive the answer is yes!!! Jeremy woke up this morning to a bunch of worried messages on his phone, most from people he gigs with. Apparently there was a man found dead in his car last week on the navy base and his name was Jeremy Ward. Jeremy and I know nothing about this but I guess the news reported this and thats when the phone calls started. It was a strange way to wake up.

Quite a weekend!!!

2010-02-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

I am happy to say that after years of trying Lorenzo learned how to ride a bike this weekend. Santa brought both Liam and Lorenzo "Go Glider Bike's" this Christmas and after just a few weeks they both hopped right on their big boy bikes sans training wheel's and off they went. The only problem is now they are both bike obsessed!!! liam fell asleep during sacrament meeting yesterday and slept on the floor in the primary room for the remainder of church. He then woke up and told me his body was tired. 6 hrs on a bike the day before will do that to you lol.

Autism and Vaccinations No Link!!! Can we move on now!

2010-01-29T14:59:00.000-08:00

This is such a sensitive issue for many people but I can tell you that the majority of parents that I have met believe there is no link between autism and vaccinations. It is very frustrating for me because I feel like so much money and energy has been wasted with this and that money could have gone to real use trying to figure out how best to help these kids.

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I could not help but laugh my head off at this

2010-01-11T14:49:00.000-08:00

Shorter And Sweeter: What The HELL is up With This Woman!?

The poor guy next to her.

Holiday pictures and update

2010-01-08T20:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, I kept my word and am posting before the week ends. As I said this has been a busy past few months but it has been full of many fun activities and memories. Among the pictures listed are the Kids at a local ranch here on Oahu that specializes in Therapeutic Horse Riding and Lorenzo had an activity with his ABA group and the whole family was able to go. The kids loved it and Liam fell in love with Myrtle the goat who loved to eat tacos. We also said goodbye to Miss Mia, Lorenzo is already missing her but we know the new kids she is helping are loving her.

Let's see I think the rest of the pictures are pretty self explanatory Riley had a piano recital, Riley and Kya (good friend) got to get their boogie on for Thanksgiving, we have been enjoying our evening s'mores with all of our fantastic neighbors, so much that it is making it hard to think we will be moving this summer.

I hope everyone is well, we miss all of our friends and family that are on the mainland, Christmas always makes me a little homesick but we have been so blessed to have such wonderful friends out here. They really have become our "family".

p.s. The first picture is of "Lorenzo's " Christmas homework project. This came from lorenzo's main stream teacher and the packet explaining it was on even in his folder where it should have been. Instead it was crumpled and stuck at the bottom of his bag with a bunch of candy cane goop on it. Come on, she is supposed to make sure he puts his work where it belongs it's one of the many parts of his IEP. Not only did I not find this until Sunday when it was due Tuesday but this was way beyond what he is capable of. This land form diorama and 2 page report was supposed to be researched by him (HELLO! He can't read let alone go to the computer or Library and do the research) and then built by him. Needles to say I am wondering what grade I got on my Holiday Homework Project. (side note, he did sit on my lap as we googled all the info and he did help paste, glue, paint, and accessorize.)

Still here

2010-01-07T18:56:00.000-08:00

I'm still here. Things have been super busy but I am hoping to get some pictures from the Holidays posted this week. Now that I've put it in words I have committed myself. Hope everyone else is well. I have really been missing family lately, I think the new year and the move have got me anxious to be by David and Sheila and their kids and I also really miss my sisters and brothers. My brother Zach is just about finished with Basic Training and I am excited for him and his new career. I just wish I were closer so I could be near all of the action :)

Strange happenings

2009-11-14T12:09:00.001-08:00

Last night around midnight Jeremy and I were awoken by the the water being turned on in the boy's bathroom. I got up to see what was going on to find Riley in the tub with his pajamas on. When I asked him what he was doing his reply was "I just felt like taking a bath". I am not sure if he was sleep walking, or bathing, or if the urge to take a bath was so strong that there was no time to take his p.j.'s off either way I am glad I am a light sleeper.

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-06T12:50:00.001-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Glad to know I am not the only one who feels like this.

2009-08-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

Surfing, kayaking and other beach activities

2009-08-09T00:23:00.000-07:00

We are so fortunate to have Lorenzo is the ABA therapy program that we do. They are AWESOME!!!!!! Nearly every weekend they have some sort of adventure planned. A few weeks ago it was ice skating then paddle boarding and today it was kayaking. Lorenzo was having one of his days but warmed up quickly. He loves one of the skills trainers (pictured in numerous shots with Lorenzo) and if anyone can get Lorenzo out of his funk it is Mr. Matt. Riley missed out on kayaking today because he had a sleep over at school for student council. Yes you heard me right, I think it is a bit strange but maybe it is just because we never did things like that when I was in school. We missed him but he had a ton of fun at school.

Here is Riley's first attempts at surfing. he only wiped out a few times and I think the instructor fell off the board twice. He loved it. Aces hooked up with this awesome organization that takes kids (and adults) who have disabilities surfing. It was so much fun to see all of these people out there helping each other. They are awesome, they even took Riley so he would not feel left out.

A Good Day

2009-07-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well summer vacation has come and gone here. The kids went back to school today (with the exception of Liam, he starts Tuesday) and the house was quiet without them. It was nice for a while but I have a feeling I am really going to miss them during the day especially since Jeremy is gone.

Lorenzo had a wonderful day with minimal crying and was super happy when I picked him up. That always puts me in a good mood. Riley loves his new teacher and is excited about a bunch of the new classroom policy's they have lol.

I also thought I had better put up some pictures from Liam's birthday. Jeremy this is for you! We missed not having your harmonies :( We love you!

Happy Anniversary Jeremy!

2009-07-27T16:34:00.001-07:00

I love you! Happy Anniversary! from Briana Ward on Vimeo.

I posted this a day early for you as I know it is already Tuesday the 28th for you. I love you and miss you tons!!! Happy Anniversary!!!

Wand Factory

2009-07-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the wands we made last week. Lorenzo has become obsessed, I have been making wands all week. He is coming up with the designs and it has been my job to make it. he about flipped out when he discovered he had left his favorite wand at the store while we were school shopping but what a relief to be able to tell him "that's ok, we can go home and make more".

Fun with my brother

2009-07-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

My brother Zach came out for a visit last Monday and we have been having a good old time. For those of you who do not know my brother he is really in shape (he is a personal trainer) and he wanted to do a lot of the trails and hikes out here.

We started out his visit with a 4 mile run and a little work out at the park we have so lovingly named the bum park (don't ask). He tried to convince me to go with him when he hiked up Olomana also known as Hawaii's Matter Horn, I had to pass on this as I was sure I would not make it and would end up ruining his hike, lol.

We did a few smaller trails out here with the kids and then today decided to do Diamond Head, which we have done many times, and Koko Head Crater. Diamond Head is not a big deal and is quite an easy hike. We just had Riley and Liam and they both did great. We then went over to Koko Head and let me just say that it kicked my butt! I have driven by it many times and never thought it looked that difficult but that was because i was no ON it. It is a strait climb up about 1200 stairs. Well I am not sure if you can really call them stairs. They are railroad ties and it is quite steep and more like straddling 3 steps at a time. Riley went first and Zach went behind him to keep an eye on him. I was with Liam taking up the rear and thought we would be fine. let's just say that I got to watch my awesome brother climb the whole way with Liam on his back. Zach even came back a couple of times at the beginning to help me with Liam. There is a section of bridge that is a bit intimidating, the railroad ties go across a gulch of maybe 15-20 feet and a lot of the ties are not in very good condition or are missing. Zach managed it with Liam and I held my breath the entire way. The views from the top were amazing, much better then the views from Diamond Head. My legs feel ok now but I bet I am going to be feeling it in the morning.

He leaves tonight and we are going to miss him, but I am glad my body is going to have a chance to rest :)

Here are a few pictures I had to take of the web as i forgot my camera every place we went. (Those who don't know, I am terrible at remembering to bring it)

Getting our Harry Potter on!

2009-07-12T21:17:00.000-07:00

Make an awesome Harry Potter wand from a sheet of paper and glue gun glue - More DIY How To Projects

This is what the kids and I have been doing today. Lorenzo about had a melt down when the only paint choices I had were pink, blue and red but luckily our wonderful friends down the street had some more wand like colors. Ours are out drying in the garage, but I will be sure to post how they turned out!

A million thanks to whomever posted this!!!!! Lorenzo has had a chopstick in his had for over a month now, it really has just become an extension of his arm, this is so much better!!!!!

Correction!

2009-06-30T02:53:00.000-07:00

The date on the photo's below is obviously wrong. I will have to tell my dad he needs to go in and fix that lol. Honest these really are pictures from the last few days, I promise!

Dear Jeremy

2009-06-30T02:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Jeremy,

We have missed you so much the last few weeks. We figure 3 sundays down only 12 or so more to go (fingers crossed).

We have missed all of your obnoxious jokes and even some (I said some) of your teasing. Most of all we miss not being able to talk to you. We miss the sound of your voice and hearing your unique laugh. We are sad that the ship can't get skype to work and love the few email's that you have been able to send. We hope you will be able to write more.

Here is a little update on what has been going on at home.

We have had a packed visit with my dad. He has been out here the last 10 days and we have tried to fit in a lot of sightseeing into our schedule.

His first full day out here we went miniature golfing and these are the before pictures

Here are the after....

He fell off the kiddie ride (while it was stopped) and that ended his great day. Afterwards he told me he never wanted to go miniature golfing again.

We went to Koaloa Farms and Beach with Lorenzo's ACES calss on Saturday. Lorenzo not only played in the sand, he got in the water and ok, this is the big one, he put his head in!!!! Needless to say this was a great trip!!! He was able to go kayaking and then they went across the way to the farm. he had so much fun, so did the rest of us, we were glad we got to tag along. (side note, good motivation for loosing a few lb's is looking at candid beach pictures of yourself eek! Zach says it is all the garlic butter hot dogs and he is probably right.)

Here are a few other random shots from the week.

If you are wondering what that is on Tink's head it is a cool whip container. She would not stop inching her back so we had to put the collar of shame on her. She also went missing last week and I left the door leading out to the garage open because Riley was taking a nap in the car and she managed to hop up in the car with him and take a little snooze with him. I still do not know how she got up in the car.

Well we hope you are not sea sick and that the time is going by quickly. We miss you and will take lot's of pictures to keep you updated. WE love you!!! Be safe :)

Love the Fam

We will Survive!

2009-06-16T17:27:00.001-07:00

Well we have made it through the first few days of Jeremy's absence. The hardest part has been that we can't call him. I have really taken for granted the little things and being able to pick up the phone and just chat is huge! They are hoping to get wi fi up and working in the ship and if they do that it will make getting emails a whole lot easier.

Lorenzo has been going full force with the Autism Demonstration Project. I got our authorization from our insurance today and the amount they have approved him for is more then Jeremy even makes in a year. I really love the Navy today. Just that alone is going to help me get through the next few months.

The program is awesome, Lorenzo has been going to day camp 3 days a week and then we have a tutor come to our home 2 days a week and Sat. they are planing fun wilderness activities. All of this is incorporated into therapy and providing Lorenzo with the extra help he needs. It is amazing!!!

Here are some pictures Jeremy email me today. It looks like they will be living in close quarters. He says he is doing well so far, it is really REALLY hot, he says it makes Hawaii seem cool. I feel bad for they guys he is rooming with that have to smell his feet at the end of the day. They leave for Tonga today. We are excited to get more pictures.

I am so excited!!!!

2009-06-06T01:02:00.000-07:00

We had our first in home/school therapy session today for Lorenzo and we feel so good about the new program we are in. ACES just opened a branch out here and when I say just opened I mean JUST OPENED. They made it a point to put Lorenzo on the top of their list and both Jeremy and I are really impressed with what we have seen so far. When we had our first intake a few weeks ago, Lorenzo had really rough time at the start. He never does well adjusting from home to school and school to home and when we put a doctors appointment or evaluation in the mix we have a recipe for disaster, to put it mildly. They were awesome with him and helped him pull out of his upset quite quickly. They were super supportive to Jeremy and I and just made us feel like family.

After reviewing Lorenzo's observations and reports and also spending some time with him over the last couple of weeks they keep saying things like , this is typical autistic behavior, it feels so nice to think we are not the odd guys out and that there are a lot of families going through what we are going through!!! We have had a couple of people even tell us that they had have seen kids like Lorenzo who also first were dx with bipolar because autism behaviors can present like bp. It is just nice to know that we are not alone. We are going to be changing doctors this week and I am looking forward to having another opinion about the bipolar dx. We have had a lot of input from both our therapists and doc.'s that Lorenzo may have had yet another misdiagnosis. Oh, the joys of the dx roller-coaster.

The new program lorenzo is in is 6 days a week, we are going to be super busy but I really am feeling optimistic about it. They are going to be providing support for him in the school as well as at home, in addition his behavioral therapist can even come to doctors appointments with us, heck she will even go the the store with us. He has a tutor that will be coming to the house 3 times a week for 3 hrs. each session in addition to his behavior specialist that will be also coming 3 days a week too. Tuesday Lorenzo is going to start their day camp and they have even made accommodation for Riley to go with him. All I can say is WOW! we feel so blessed that ACES has decided to open their doors in Hawaii. After a full year trying to get approved for additional help and have it be something that would not send us to the even poorer house I am just thrilled about this :)

As for the rest of the family we are all doing well. We are trying to prepare for Jeremy's departure but I feel like we can make it. I told the kids it is only 13 or so Sundays and when I think of it like that it does not seem like all that long. I may be singing a different tune next week :)

Ward 2040

2009-05-27T23:23:00.000-07:00

Get Riled up for Riley Ward P.E.A.C.H.E.S. Vice President 2009-2010

It's official, he's on the road to the White House! The results were read yesterday and I told Riley to call me after he found out and he did not call so I was nervous all day yesterday. I took that nervous energy and made congratulations banners for Riley hopping I would not have to rip off the Vice President part if he did not win. I don't know if I can handle another election after this! The primary elections were a couple of weeks ago and I that was bad enough. They even made the kids keep a spending chart not to exceed 5.00. It was all business. I was so bummed when I found out that was not even the primary election. So I have tried to be nonchalant about the whole thing and tell Riley about being a gracious opponent and how winning is not important but I am glad it is all over and I can relax a little now.

Riley is really excited and this may be a taste of things to come as he is never shy about letting people know his aspirations for the White House. He was the spotlight in church a few weeks ago and under the "what do you want to be when you grow up" section I wrote politician. Riley made sure to clarify to everyone that it was not just politics he was interested in but that he has his eye set on the Oval Office. I do not think he will ever live it down.

Updated 05/29/2009

PEACHES is the acronyms for Riley's school. Sorry to confuse anyone.

Update and Pictures

2009-05-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

So we have been super busy around her the last few weeks and my bloging has suffered. Riley turned 10, this does not even seem possible to me. I still feel like he is my little baby. Lorenzo had a birthday too and is happy to be 7. We are all just glad when he is happy lol! So besides April being a month of birthdays for us I also had a booth at the New Product Expo and it has resulted in more crazy busyness, but it has been good.

The kids also had their first annual fun run at school and it was a big success, they had a blast and raised a lot of money. Thanks so much to all of you who helped with the fundraising. They did not win the Nintendo but Riley won a gift card to Walmart and Lorenzo won an oil change, (he did not think an oil change was a very exciting prize, luckily Riley split his gift-card with him).

Liam started Preschool this month and I have really missed him. He loves school so that makes it a little easier having him gone but the house has been way too quiet! I feel like I am to young to have all of my kids in school!

Riley placed 2nd in his archery tournament and did a wonderful job at the school district's technology fair. He has been involved in an after school enrichment class and they built a website for their school. He has done a fabulous job!

We still do not know where or if jeremy is going on tour this summer. We are just kind of waiting to see what happens. I feel pretty confident that whatever happens happens and we will be fine. We would still rather have him home but we will be ok if he has to go.

We had a big evaluation with Lorenzo on Monday with a new group out of CA. They are an ABA therapy group specializing in children with autism. We feel really excited about the path they have laid out and best of all most of it will be covered by our supplemental insurance!!!!

last but not least, we added another member to our family. Meet Piper. Tinkerbell is in such demand around here that we thought (actually Jeremy thought, I know shocking) we needed to add another 4 legged friend to our brood. Piper is a sweet 6 week old miniature Schnauzer and we are loving her! it is so much fun to have a puppy again. It has also helped me be not so lonely with the kids all in school. (I know I will be singing a different tune when summer comes and I have 3 kids all home!)

WHAT?????

2009-05-06T00:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am watching the news online tonight and as I am getting my all important swine flu update I hear the name on the clip of the ship Jeremy is leaving on in a few weeks. Ok, stop rewind listen more carefully and all I can say is you have got to be kidding!!! The humanitarian mission Jeremy was going on (that's right I said was) was canceled late today because the crew seems to have swine flu. I am speechless right now. I hope that this is correct. I know that not everything you hear on the news is true but please let this be. We really were prepared for this and if it still goes through we will be ok but we would much rather have him here!!

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The Talk

2009-05-01T23:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it happened tonight. Riley asked the question about babies and although I have been trying to steer him off the path for a while now it did not work tonight. After a few min. of "Mom I just do not understand how one day there is no baby and then the next there is" I decided it was time to talk to him about the birds and the bees.

I always thought it would be Jeremy who would have this talk with our boys when the time was right but after tonight I am glad it did not come from him. Riley asked a few questions and then we talked about how Heavenly Father created both man and woman and how you need to have both a man and a woman to reproduce. He then said he understood and that was that. Jeremy, on the other hand was giggling and snickering almost the whole time and can't stop joking about it. Why is it that my 10 year old is more mature then his 36 year old father? All I can say is that I am glad it came from me and not from Mr. Class Clown, who knows what would have gone through that poor kids head had Jeremy had the talk with him.

Goodbyes are hard.

2009-04-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at Lorenzo's doctor appointment we were informed by our beloved Doctor that he would be moving this summer. I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. I have grown to love this man. I have spent more time with him over the last year then I have anyone else besides my family and really, REALLY do not want to say goodbye. He knows all of our "little dark secrets" and knows each one of our kids by name along with their interests. He was instrumental in getting Lorenzo the proper diagnosis and help and has been a source of a lot of comfort and reassurance not to mention a plethora of resources . He is a civilian so we just took it for granted that he would always be here. But as it turns out this is not to be. He is a brilliant man who spends a ton of time traveling around the world presenting at conferences and helping to reform the children's mental health programs. He is moving to help set up a new facility back on the mainland and to bless other families like ours. We will miss him.

And this months winner is....

2009-04-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

Well, random.org has spoken and the winner is the Potter Family! Congratulations, just drop me an email at brianaward22@hotmail.com and let me know where to ship it to. Have a great weekend!

April Scentsy Giveaway

2009-04-01T23:46:00.000-07:00

I am sooo excited about this month's giveaway, I hope you will be too. In honor of spring I am going to be giving away this cute Daisies Warmer and one Plumeria Scentsy Bar. The warmer is already one of my favorites, when you have the light turned on the little centers of the daisies light up, too cute! The Plumeria Scentsy Bar is wonderful, I have been waiting for this one!!! Just leave a comment by Midnight April 10th and I will post the winner on the 11th. As always if you blog about this or link it to your blog comment back and let me know and I will put your name in twice.

Missing You

2009-03-29T01:16:00.000-07:00

I am giving a talk in church tomorrow and as I was sitting down to prepare it my mind was flooded with memories of my grandparents. I have been thinking about them all week and I really, really miss them. They shaped my life starting from a very young age. It is because of them I am the person I am today.

For those of you who don't know I am the oldest of 10 children. Yes, I was raised in Utah, but no, my parents were not active in the church. My family has had a lot of up's and down's, whose hasn't, but my grandparents were always the one true constant. They loved unconditionally, and made me feel like the most important person in the world. The gave me my first lessons in the gospel and taught me about eternal families.

My first memory of dancing was on my grandpa's toes and I still think of him when I hear Hawaiian music (which is a lot now). He was my date to quite a few concerts when I was sure I was in love with the lead horn player, and he gave me the best shoulder rubs even when I am sure he was tired.

My grandma was my best friend. I would sometimes call her 3 or 4 times a day. She would play games with me for hours and would put off the dishes and cleaning to just sit and talk with me or play a game of Uno. She made the best malt o meal and was always there with a shoulder to cry on. I miss her.

I wish they could meet my kids, they would love them. I wish I could call my grandma on the phone and tell her I love her. I know I will see them again someday, but right now that seems so far away. What I would not give for one more game of Skip-Bo.

Not much to write about

2009-03-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

I know I have not posted in a while, I guess I have just not had much to blog about. Lorenzo is doing fine, he ended up having a double ear infection and sinus infection, all I can say is thank goodness for antibiotics. Riley ended up getting sick last week too but was fine after a day of rest. So as of right now everyone is doing much better.

The kids are out of school for 2 weeks (yes you heard me) it is spring break out here. I have a feeling I am going be busy trying to keep everyone busy. School starts back on the 6th and that is also when Lorenzo will starting in his new class. It is funny, for 2 years we have been trying to get the school to give Lorenzo the help he needs, they are very back-ended here. They wait until there is a big problem before they are willing to do anything. We have been begging them to be more proactive but that is just not the way they work. I used to get so tired of hearing about the least restrictive environment when the environment he was in was not helping him at all. So now he is in the special education class and I am nervous. Jeremy told the school at our last IEP meeting that if we did not see any improvement that our next step would have to be due process. They seemed to understand so we are just hoping that this helps.

Sick of Sick

2009-03-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Lorenzo is still sick. We took him in to the doctor yesterday because he was complaining that his ear hurt, I also wanted them to listed to his lungs as the morning before he woke up and was choking on all of his congestion. He stopped breathing for a couple of seconds it scared me so bad I almost called 911. He pulled out of it an started to sound better so I made an appointment for the next day (they could not get him in then) Well, the doctor could not see anything in his ears because they are so impacted. He then told me this was most likely what was causing him pain. I tried to explain to him that Lorenzo's ears are almost always impacted and the last time they tried to clean them out they had to put him under and do it in the OR. I also tried to tell him that he had been sick for 3 weeks now and he basically told me that that was not possible. He told me to go home with him and wash his ears out with water to try and dislodge the wax. They were not able to get a temp. on him because Lorenzo kept spitting the thermometer out and the doctor gave me the impression that he thought Lorenzo's lifelessness was just part of his autism diagnosis and not because he was sick. It was like he knew my kid better then I do.

He has been like a limp rag doll and still complaining that his ear hurts when talking at all. I have been giving him tylenol and syringing out his ear but he is not any better. He has done nothing but sleep and I have not seen him smile for a couple of days. We were going to try and get him an appointment today but I got a call this morning from our primary president letting me know she was not going to be there so I felt like I had to be at church today. Lorenzo slept all thru sacrament and was kind of out of it for the rest of primary. When we got home I took his temp. while he was sleeping and it was 101.5 and this was in his armpit. I was not able to get an appointment today and as Jeremy had to work I was not about to take him and the other kids up to the ER where they would probably bring home some other illness. We are going in again tomorrow, but the wax is still there so I am not sure what to expect. I just wish I knew why Lorenzo gets so sick all the time. He has been referred up to infectious disease doctors and they were never able to find anything, he has been seen by an allergist and again they could not find anything. I know lots of kids get sick but Lorenzo get's SICK. If we all have a cold Lorenzo will end up with low oxygen saturation and need breathing treatments. He will then have the cold for 3-4 weeks if not longer and it will completely wipe him out. He will sound like a coffee percolator and look like he has been hit by a truck.

Sorry to vent, I sometimes feel like this kid has it hard enough, and wish I could take some of it from him.

Feeling Good

2009-03-12T13:31:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that Lorenzo has had 3 days at school straight with no crying or outbursts. I think this is a new record. I am also happy to say that his blood pressure and pulse are back up and he is doing well. I have a meeting at his school today to finalize the move to the special education class and make sure that we have exhausted all other avenues but all in all things are looking good :)

2009-03-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

This was very uplifting, definitely worth watching if you have a few min.

March Scentsy Winner

2009-03-10T11:32:00.000-07:00

Congrats Sheila! I will get this in the mail to you this week. Thanks everyone for entering, check back next month for April's Scentsy drawing.

A little embarrassing

2009-03-06T11:27:00.000-08:00

So I went to Lorenzo's Doctor appointment, the post office and a few other stops along the way before I looked down and noticed that my zipper was down. You think I would have learned my lesson after I wore the same pants and had the same problem at a church Christmas party. I guess some people never learn.

March Scentsy Giveaway

2009-03-03T13:41:00.000-08:00

With March comes the new Scentsy Spring/Summer Catalog, this month I am going to be giving away 3 new amazing Scentsy Bars; Lush Gardenia, one of my favorites, it smells sooooo good! Coconut Citrus Parfait, it smells even better then it sounds, and another one of my new favorites, Beach. It will make you want to pack your bags and go take a vacation! All you have to do is leave me a comment by March 10th. add a link on your blog and comment back that you did so and get 2 your name in the basket twice :) Good luck everyone!

Sunday Laundry Shirt Dress GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-03T13:36:00.000-08:00

Sunday Laundry Shirt Dress GIVEAWAY!!!!
She does it again! I really wish I could sew like this!

Jedi's sleep too

2009-02-27T13:06:00.000-08:00

Still sleeping off his cold. He has missed all week of school and is still not feeling better, poor guy. At least this nap was not so on the edge!

Not a good place to fall asleep

2009-02-26T14:56:00.000-08:00

I guess the days of letting him bathe by himself are over. He has been home sick this week with a cold, and you know Lorenzo, his colds are like no other. This scared me, I am just glad we said our prayers this morning.

Anthropolification Boyer Cream Cardi GIVEAWAY!!!! GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-02-24T23:17:00.000-08:00

Anthropolification Boyer Cream Cardi GIVEAWAY!!!! GIVEAWAY!!!!
This is so beautiful!!! Check out her fabulous blog!!!

It's a dogs life

2009-02-24T14:00:00.001-08:00

Look in the middle drawer. This is what goes on while I am in the shower.

A Memory

2009-02-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

There is no doubt that Lorenzo loves music. Anyone who knows him knows this, he can hum just about anything and talks in scales sometimes and when happy seems to just dace around. He came in tonight asking for help with his p.j.'s while I was singing to myself and he had a little smile on his face. It was then I remembered riding in the car with the kids about 3 or 4 years ago and we were listening to something when all of the sudden this little voice in the back seat says I...LOVE....Music. This might not sound that remarkable to you but for the boy who has been slow to talk or understand and who can cause a lot of upset at the drop of a hat it was so so cute! I think my mom or sister was out because I just remember we all could not stop laughing. On a side not he sometimes gets his words all mixed up and he has a hard time speaking clear enough so that we can understand him. While this can be really frustrating it has also afforded us many a laugh. One time while watching the Little Einstein's cartoon about George Bizet, Lorenzo asked later if we could watch George is gay. When things get hard around here I am now going to just look at that boy and remind myself of the times I have caught him in the bathroom humming 76 trombones and swinging his arm and head about!

My poor nose

2009-02-19T13:15:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I just did what I did! As I was walking out of the bathroom after helping Liam, I turned around and smacked my nose against the door frame. I do have "kind of a large nose", it is much larger now , but I did not think it was to big to clear the bathroom door! I collapsed on the floor and immediately started crying but I just kept thinking, "Wow, I can't believe I just did that!" Poor Liam must think his mom has real problems, but at least he did come and give me kisses and hugs. I don't think it's broken, lol, but just out of curiosity does anyone know how to tell if it is?

Great Aloha Run

2009-02-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

First off I have to say that none of this would have been possible if it were not for the most amazing babysitter in the world! Elijah, a boy from our church came and spent the night so he would be here when Jeremy and I left in the wee hours of the morning to go and catch our bus downtown. Despite out efforts to be super quiet Liam still got up at 5:00 and poor Eli got up with him and played the wii with him so we could get out the door. It sure made it nice to not have to worry about the kids while Jeremy and I were doing our thing. I do not know what we will do when Eli and his family move this summer :(

For Valentines day Jeremy and I decided to forgo any of the usual (although not usual for us) gift exchanging, flowers or dinner out and run the Great Aloha Run today. This was Jeremy's first race and he was so funny, he got up at the crack of dawn and said he had not been that excited since the birth of our last child. Although I promised that I would stay with him so we could run together I ended up leaving him at mile 3. I thought I was a nice patient runner but we running at a slower pace and it was really hard on my knees. I told Jeremy we either had to speed up a bit or walk. He declined the change in pace so I left him there. I feel kind of bad about it now, it was supposed to be our Valentine gift to each other and I took off and left him by the stinky guy in the green shirt.

Jeremy did do really well though, he did not stop once and he was only a few min. behind me. As for me, I have been trying to make it up to him and have been extra nice to him today and am even letting him have a nap right now. I hope that somehow makes up the fact that I am not a very nice running companion.

Sorry I once again have no pictures of the race only this gem of a picture in our still dark hallway right before we left. Neither of us wanted to have to hold the camera while running and are to cheep to pay for the pictures they take at the race so you will just have to imagine what we look like sweaty and tired. Here is the link to our results if you are interested, you will have to put in our names or even our last name works too. I finished at 1:16.50 and Jeremy did 1:25.07 I could give you a disclaimer and tell you I have been battling a bad cold and hung back with Jeremy the first 3 miles but oh well, it gives me room to improve.

Feb. Scentsy Drawing

2009-02-14T17:21:00.000-08:00

Not just for girls

2009-02-12T12:54:00.000-08:00

I always thought dress up was just for girls, boy was I wrong. Lorenzo and Liam live to dress up. Christmas felt more like Halloween as they both got a bunch of costumes. We have a huge tub upstairs that is overflowing with jedi paraphernalia, cloaks, masks and strange looking black jumpsuits. This last week Liam has gone to the doctor as Indiana Jones, picked the kids up in his swat team gear and paraded around the neighborhood as Jango Fett. He really is cute though! To think I thought I was going to miss out on dress-up without any little girls :)

Super Holly

2009-02-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

My incredibly creative and oh so talented friend Holly made these awesome treats for me. I feel so special!!!! I had to make everyone come in and look last night and tell them they were custom made just for me!

Holly and I were roommates in college and not only is she amazing at all she does she is one of the nicest people I know. I was so excited that I found her blog, I feel a little guilty to also get a custom made gift from her just for leaving a comment. I can remember many a night back in school when Holly and Eleanor would bring out their scrapbooking supplies (this was way before scrapbooking was big) and by the end of the night Holly would have created the most amazing work of art. We also spent many nights getting a little crazy with the glitter and our neighbors front door. I was so lucky to have such wonderful roomies!! They put up with my trumpet and music and even came to my concerts. Holly thanks so much for being such a great friend!!!! p.s. if you want to check out some of Holly's amazing work click here

Feeling Better

2009-02-07T18:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, I think that the kids must have known I could take no more because the rest of today has been good. I owe a lot of the credit to James Taylor and the Skor bar I just ate. but most of all thanks for all your encouraging words, I think I can now make it through another week :)

Patience is a Virtue (i don't possess)

2009-02-07T11:32:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have days (or weeks) where you just feel like you are going to loose it? I feel like the kids have been fighting the whole week and my patience is not just wearing thin it is gone. Jeremy has been working a ton lately and we have had 4-5 appointments a week. This means that I have to tote all 3 boys to each appointment by myself, make them behave, try and at least look like I have it together then come home get homework done with Lorenzo (don't even ask) and start it all again the next day. I have really been wishing we lived by family so that I could call up a mom, sister, grandma and say can you please pick up so and so from school today because I have to be 3 places at once and my cloning machine is on the fritz!

Another Scentsy Give Away

2009-02-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, new month...new Scentsy Drawing. This month I will be giving away 6 car candles in some of the most amazing scents!!! All you need to do is post a comment by midnight feb 13th. I will post the winner here on Feb. 14th, good luck to all of you!!!
Oh, and check here for The fantastic savings on Scentsy products this month.

So SO funny!

2009-02-01T22:24:00.001-08:00

Waimea Valley Audubon Center Fun

2009-02-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

We took the kids out hiking yesterday and had a blast exploring Waimea Valley. The water was bit on the cold side and Jeremy was mad about the unflattering pictures, but he got some of me too (although not in a bathing suit haha) so I think all is fair :)

my favorite picture :)

love the angle on this one, it has "enhanced" my already "enhanced" area lol

two extremes

2009-01-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

I know I have posted about our Lorenzo before so if you don't want to hear another purge you might want to skip this one (I am writing mostly for myself anyway). Yesterday was report card day and the kids had their 2nd quarter awards ceremony at school. As usual Riley came home with his backpack full of certificates and an impressive report card and Lorenzo... well he came home:) I feel it hard sometimes to focus on how well Riley is doing because it is always shadowed by how "not well" Lorenzo is doing. I try and remind myself of the things Lorenzo has made progress in but then we have a day like yesterday ( 3+hr battle over homework and other things and then he ended up falling asleep in Jeremy's arms as he was talking to him) and it just takes the life right out of me. We are now looking at having to get an autism and behavioral specialist to come and tutor him. I know the potential is in there I just do not know how to access it and it seems like the school is not having any success either.

Chromosome deletions

2009-01-25T21:38:00.000-08:00

We have had a lot of questions about chromosome deletions and thought we would post some very simplified and general info. This is from chromosomedisorder.org

Simply put, chromosomes are the structures that hold our genes. Genes are the individual instructions that tell our bodies how to develop and keep our bodies running healthy. In every cell of our body there are 20,000 to 25,000* genes that are located on 46 chromosomes. These 46 chromosomes occur as 23 pairs. We get one of each pair from our mother in the egg, and one of each pair from our father in the sperm. The first 22 pairs are labeled longest to shortest. The last pair are called the sex chromosomes labeled X or Y. Females have two X chromosomes (XX), and males have an X and a Y chromosome (XY). Therefore everyone should have 46 chromosomes in every cell of their body. If a chromosome or piece of a chromosome is missing or duplicated, there are missing or extra genes respectively. When a person has missing or extra information (genes) problems can develop for that individual's health and development. Each chromosomes has a p and q arm; p (petit) is the short arm and q (next letter in the alphabet) is the long arm. Some of the chromosomes like 13, 14, and 15 have very small p arms. When a karyotype is made (see below) the q arm is always put on the bottom and the p on the top. The arms are separated by a region known as the centromere (red in picture), which is a pinched area of the chromosome. The chromosomes need to be stained in order to see them with a microscope. When stained the chromosomes look like strings with light and dark 'bands'. Each chromosome arm is defined further by numbering the bands, the higher the number, the further that area is from the centromere.

A chromosomes deletion is when a part of a chromosome(s) has been deleted. A deletion can occur on any chromosome, at any band, and can be any size (large or small). What a deletion causes depends on how big a piece is missing and what genes are missing in the section (i.e. where the deletion is). Under chromosome analysis the section that is missing can usually be determined. However it is difficult to compare one child with a particular deletion to another with the 'same' deletion.
Remember that looking at the chromosomes is the big picture, like looking at an encyclopedia set from about 10 feet away. We are usually able to detect the deletion. Some are too small to see and other technologies can be used, but it is impossible to say at exactly what spot the deletion started and ended. So one individual might have a few more genes deleted than another individual with the 'same' deletion.

In the above example the area in the blue brackets is not present (deleted) in its pair designated by the red arrow. The other 22 pairs of chromosomes were normal (not shown).

Sweet!!!!

2009-01-22T18:50:00.000-08:00

I have the most amazing friends!!! Thanks to all of your for your phone calls and emails today, it really was a special birthday because of you! The cookies were delicious (again chocolate chip is one of my favorites!!) and I do not even have words to express how yummy the cake was!!! German Chocolate cake is my absolute favorite, and I had a dear friend make me one from scratch all while dealing with sick kids, you are amazing!!!! I am sending a huge hug to all of you!!!!! Thanks for being such wonderful friends!!!

Change...

2009-01-18T17:24:00.000-08:00

So in my never ending battle to figure out what to do with my hair I decided to go into the salon and ask them for their advice. They lady (or at least that was what he called himself) suggested I go back to my "natural color" and I said great! I have been tired of the up keep with highlights and have slowly been going back to my "roots" anyway. Well was I in for a surprise when she took off the towel. I know I have somewhat dark hair but not this dark. To make it worse I spent all my extra $$ to get my hair done and Jeremy has vetoed me going back to get it fixed. Oh well I guess I am stuck for a while, maybe it will grow on me.

And the winner is.......

2009-01-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Lisa, just shoot me an email with your address so I can get your scentsy plug-in and bar in the mail. As for everyone else stay tuned for next months drawing.

The Lunch Date Blouse GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-01-15T17:15:00.000-08:00

If you don't already follow grosgrain I am giving it 2 thumbs way up and telling you it is a must to check out!!! This is her first adult give away and it is beautiful. For those of you with little girls her work is amazing you have to check out some of her past giveaways!!!! here's the link...check it out :)The Lunch Date Blouse GIVEAWAY!!!!

January Prize Drawing

2009-01-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I am going to try something new this month! I am a sucker for drawings and thought it would be fun to do my first ever Sentsy drawing. This month I will be giving away 1 free Dandy White Plug-In and 1 Black Raspberry Vanilla Sentsy Bar. If you want to enter just leave me a comment by January 15th and I will add your name to the jar. My wonderful assistant Riley will pull a name out Jan. 16th and I will post the winner here Jan. 16th. (If you are not familiar with scentsy's AMAZING products you can check them out at www.scentsy.com/briana or click on the scentsy link on my sidebar) Good luck everyone!!!

Kauai with Cara and Riley

2009-01-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

It was so much fun to have my sister here for a few days. Riley was super surprised with his trip to Kauai and we had a blast! If you have not been to Kauai I definitely recommend it. We were able to do some amazing things see some of the most beautiful sites but aside from the dolphin's, Riley (and I would not be being honest if I did not include myself) loved staying up late and listening to Cara and I talk about when we were kids. In fact he was begging and pleading for us to stay up again the following night and talk. It was fun to be able to stay up and just laugh and revisit memories I had not thought about for years, although it provided for some strange dreams.

I took her to the airport last night and have been a little lonely since. I miss her, as I always do when we have to say good bye to our family, but am looking forward to planing our first ever sister reunion in a year or 2 with all of our sisters (well probably just the grown ones).

Here are some pictures, we are all a mess in most of them as we had been snorkeling, but now you know what I REALLY look like :)

View Photo Slideshow

Make a Free Flash Slideshow

Black Out

2008-12-27T09:42:00.000-08:00

Last night the power went out Island wide. As if that was not interesting enough, I had dropped Jeremy off at a gig in Honolulu and took the kids back to church for a baptism. The power went out right before the baptism started. They ended up sending someone home for some lanterns and flashlights and the baptism went on. I have never been to a baptism in the dark and it was one I will remember as I am sure my kids will too. After it was all finished we had to brave the roads to go pick up Jeremy. The phone lines were all jammed and Jeremy could not get a hold of us to let us know the gig got canceledbecause of the black out and he had been waiting outside for us for about 2 hrs. We were listing to the radio on the way home and found out that during the storm (I forgot to mention that it was thundering and Llghtninging, is that a word? haha) 4 major lines in hard to access places had gone down. They were telling us to expect 10-12 hrs of darkness but I think they went on around 4:oo. I am just glad all our Christmas leftovers did not go bad lol.

Scared to Death

2008-12-22T17:08:00.001-08:00

Today we went to the NEX to finish our last minute Christmas shopping and to have a little breakfast. I was in line waiting for Riley's hot chocolate just a few feet away from where I left Riley at the food court table eating his breakfast. When I turned around our table, breakfast and mess was still there but Riley was no were to be seen. I immediately started to panic. Jeremy was not there and was meeting us. He would not have taken RIley without letting me know and I just froze thinking what am I going to do, where can he be who could have taken him. I have never been so sick in my life! And then Riley popped his head out from the little nook behind the table and smiled. Just then Jeremy came around the corner and I broke down crying. Never have I been so terrified. I took this picture to stop my self from ringing Riley's neck after we had had a little talk about not doing that ever EVER again.

Love and Hate

2008-12-21T01:50:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of things that I love about the Navy but it is funny that some of the things that I love are the very things I hate. For example I love that we get to move and experience different places and cultures and meet new friends, but I hate that we have to move and say goodbye at some point too. I have loved every place we have lived and everywhere has felt like home, so much so that it hurts to start thinking that at some point we will have to pack up and start our next adventure. We have always tried to be really positive and make it like an "adventure" and that helps but there is a part of me that sometimes wishes we could just take everyone we meet and grow to love with us.

We were able to spend the evening with a group of great friends and I was having such a wonderful time when I thought to myself "at some point I will have to say goodbye to all of these amazing people" and I felt myself star to tear up. It is times like this that I am so thankful for technology!!! Because as I sat blinking back a tear I thought about how amazing it is that anytime I am missing someone they are only a phone call or an email away. And how I have found friends (of they have found me) that I forgot I even had on facebook and thru other various ways on the internet. I am so thankful for all the wonderful friends we have and although we are not moving anytime soon I just thought I would thank you all for the many ways you have touched our lives!

Silly, but the kids love it!

2008-12-15T11:57:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

While Lorenzo was watching this he asked me when I made the elf costumes? I said "what" and he asked if we did that last Christmas. I started to laugh, the poor boy actually thought that at one point i had dressed everyone up like an elf and made them dance. I don't think I am that persuasive lol!

Marriage Protest

2008-12-12T00:46:00.001-08:00

Too Funny not to share

Free Rice

2008-12-11T00:31:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine just sent me this link "click here"For every answer you get right they will donate 20 grains of rice to struggling countries. Check it out!

Don't wake me

2008-12-05T11:15:00.001-08:00

Do you ever have dreams that stick with you all day, dreams that you just can't help but analyze to death because you just can not stop thinking about it? last night I had one of these dreams and when Jeremy tried to wake me this morning I was a little upset and tried to hit the magic play button in my head to no avail. But then as I laid in bed for a few min. I started to become a little distressed as to were my mind was in the wee hours of the morning.

I was dreaming that I was on a date with Jeremy only Jeremy was the Jeremy from 12 years ago. The 70 lb lighter version with hair. Even his voice was different in my dream (ok, this is what I think the root of the whole dream is about, because we had been watching home videos my sister made for us a few nights ago and one of them was from the Christmas Jeremy and I got engaged. We were all is shock because Jeremy's voice was so different back then) . As I was on my date with Jeremy from the past , Jeremy from the future, my now filled out with a little less hair and a deeper voice Jeremy, came in and I was caught! In my dream I was having a very real crisis. I really was enjoying my date with the past Jeremy and then when back to the future Jeremy walked in I was a little peeved at him for spoiling it. My dreaming mind was struggling with the question of who do I choose? Jeremy woke me before I ever made my decision but now I am stuck with my thoughts today and I just can't shake it. My decision while awake is a no brainer, I take my current Jeremy extra lb's and less hair and all, but why was this such a dilemma while in dream land????? I guess I will never know.

You heard it correctly

2008-11-30T20:50:00.000-08:00

So most of you got my email about Scentsy and I am sure you are thinking it came from the wrong person but no, it was not a mistake, it did come from me. I know, I know, I said I hated these kind of consultant type buisnesses and that I would never, NEVER, do it so now is your chance to laugh at me and make me eat my hat.

In my defence I really do love the Scentsy products and I have been unconsciously selling them since I got home from Utah so I though I may as well become a consultant and help fund my new Sentsy obsession. I guess if I have learned one thing it is never say never lol.

When I grow up....

2008-11-25T10:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the conversation in the car was the favorite, when I grow up..... Well, I am sorry to say I missed the first part of the conversation but did catch the tail end as liam was saying he wants to be a Han Solo hat guy, aka star wars storm trooper, with a gun and black hands. Should I be worried?

I though I was a responsible mom. I do not let my kids run with scissors, they eat their veggies most the time (ok some time), I only let them pee in the bushes when we are all locked out of the house, and I have purell in my purse at all times. So when we first started having all of these boys I did not let them play with toy guns. Riley had no problem with this but when we had more then one little man around this started to get harder. Spoons and crayons started to magically transform into weapons and with 3 boys running around here I decided as I can't win it was better to join them. Well, poor Liam's life revolves around hat guys with guns and black hands (Thank you lego). Last week the poor boy cried for 20 min. because his hands are yellow (aka peach) and not black, Jeremy, the ever willing jokester, thought it would be funny to tease Liam and asked him if he wanted him to paint his hands black. Liam cheered right up only to start the water works again when I felt it was time for a grown up to step in and explain spray paint was not for body parts. I feel like I have been very tolerant, I did not make him dress up in the cute police officer costume that cost a small fortune (he refused to go trick-or-treating if he was not a hat guy) and went up and dug out his christmas present storm trooper dress up set and let him wear it for halloween. I call him hat guy and always am there to help him find his lego guys black hands and little guns but somedays I wish all the lego hat guys at our home would disappear into the balck hole that all of Jeremys stuff seams to vanish, i.e his watch, belts, hats, shirt (don't ask), and other various things that have gone missing, only I wonder if the black hole would do an exchange as I want Jeremy's missing stuff back.

Not Again

2008-11-24T11:41:00.000-08:00

Ok, So last week Jeremy had a meeting at work to discus who would be going on the Mercy Tour this following spring and Jeremy was told he was not going. Well today he had an early morning meeting and was told that, No, he IS indeed going. Oh well, I am not looking forward to this but we'll survive! The only thing is I have forbid Jeremy to say anything about it to the boys until after Christmas. Riley was already getting emotional about just the possibility of Jeremy going. I do not think they need to know quite yet.

Archery Tournament and some pictures

2008-11-19T10:06:00.000-08:00

Riley had his third Archery Tournament yesterday and he did very well. It was so windy I was having trouble imagining anyone shooting well but they all amazed me. Riley came in 3rd in his age division. He did a super job.

I am also posting a few pictures from the last month or so. I know I have been a bit of a slacker but hey, better late then never right?
href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zbdA_CbHBos/SSRbirZp-xI/AAAAAAAAAgU/ELGbQ0Hy0PY/s1600-h/P1020281.JPG">

Insurance

2008-11-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

I just got off the phone with the Pacific Autism Center located here in Hawaii and they are in the process of starting to accept tricare (the military’s insurance that we have) to help cover the cost of tuition. This is huge!!!! As tuition is anywhere from 2,500 a month to over 10,000 a month there is no way we could afford this without help. We recently enrolled Lorenzo in ECHO, which I believe stands for Extended Health Care Option, under tricare and they sent us the info for applied behavioral analysis and the Pacific Autism Center was listed so I called and found out about them working with our insurance. I am going to try and get him in for an intake evaluation if it pans out that we can get the insurance to help pay for the tuition. This would be an answer to prayer!!!!!! They offer so many services and therapy that Lorenzo desperately needs, I am just hoping that this is not to good to be true. We will keep you posted!

2008-10-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know it has been awhile since I last posted but I kept telling myself if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all.

Quick rundown on the past few weeks…the ups and downs

The surprise went off without a hitch. My mom was so surprised and was about in tears. It was a lot of fun to pull something off like that. My little sisters were really surprised as well, the only one who figured it out and had no reservations running up to whom the rest of them thought to be strangers was Molly. The kids had a blast playing with all their cousins, aunts and uncles and it was fun to see snow again.

My moms wedding ended up getting called off the night before due to the groom getting cold feet. I won’t say any more!

It was a lot of fun to stay with my sister Mindy. I have never spent that much time with her and I feel closer to her now. It was so much fun to see her two little girls. They are soooo cute and I miss them a ton. Adeline let me put her to bed one night and when I started her bedtime story of “fancy girls” and princesses she immediately stopped me and told me to tell her a story about wolves that scratch. I could not stop laughing.

My cousin Brandon’s baby McKenzie passed away while I was out there. She was only 15 months old and had been battling leukemia for the last 6 months. It was so sad, my heart just breaks when I think about it but I was glad that I was able to go the funeral.

All in all it was a good tip but we were glad to come back home. We missed Jeremy and the kids were anxious to get back to school. I guess one this is for sure; you can always count on my family to keep things interesting!

Surprise

2008-10-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

My mom is getting married this coming weekend and the plan was for me to fly out just for the weekend. The navy had other plans and had a gig that Jeremy could not get out of. With Jeremy not able to get anytime off that meant we had no sitter for the kids and I was not going to spend 3000.00+ dollars for the kids to come with me for a 3 day trip. My sister Mindy called on Monday and said she and her husband would let me and the kids use their frequent flyer miles and fly us all out. I was blown away at how generous they are. She said they were saving it up to come and see us again next spring but that they thought it was more important for us to be there at the wedding. The best part is that my mom still thinks that I am unable to come. I have been having a hard time keeping such a big secret and to make it worse the kids have to keep it a secret too. We have had numerous calls from younger siblings and my mom and I am almost as excited to surprise them as I am about not having to keep my mouth shut so I don’t spill the beans.

This is not the only secret I am currently keeping. My other (also very generous) sister is coming out in December. She wanted to go to Kauai and got Riley and I tickets to go with her. This is Riley’s Christmas present and he has no clue about it. I have almost blown this secret a number if times. I just hope I can make it to December.

I should mention that the biggest surprise (or miracle if you ask me) is that Lorenzo is doing great. He went 5 days last week without a single incident. There is no way I would be taking on surprise number one right now if this were not the case. Jeremy's mom flew out a few weeks ago to help us out with him and we ended up doing a med change at that time and it did not work at all so as a last ditch effort the doctor took him off of everything and put him back on his old medication but on a higher dose. The next day we got our Lorenzo back.

Michael Bublé - Save The Last Dance For Me

2008-09-22T13:10:00.001-07:00

Ok last one I promise!

Michael Buble - Kissing A Fool

2008-09-22T12:48:00.001-07:00

I happen to really like Michael Buble' and I like his version of this but even more entertaining is the comments left on youtube about who is better George Michael or Michael Buble'. My opinion you ask.... I like them both ;)

Kissing A Fool - George Michael - 1988

2008-09-22T12:44:00.001-07:00

While I was never one of the George Michael groupies, that was my little sister Camie, I have always liked his music and this one is no exception!

Yummy!!!!

2008-09-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

(Warning, for any of you that are squeamish you may want to skip this post)

While I am so happy that Liam is independent and out of diapers it can sometimes be a little frustrating. He will no longer let me go into the bathroom with him. I'm not just talking the bathroom at home; this includes any type of restroom, which has proven to be fun. He is getting pretty good at wiping and washing but there are those moments. Jeremy’s Mom came out to lend us a hand this last week and I left Liam with her one afternoon when I had to take Riley to archery. I had just made some cookie dough and asked her if she would mind rolling them into balls and baking them while I was gone. Sometime during my outing Liam had to use the potty and I did not give Alice any warning as to what his little routine entails but she said he locked her out and did his thing and then she made sure he washed his hands. Sounds great right, well when I got home Liam and Grandma had just finished baking the cookies and Liam had dough all over his face. I thought he also had it all over the back of his shirt but on closer inspection this was something else that was brown but only smelled a lot worse. I am just thankful that the brown on his face was really cookie dough. Anyone want a cookie?

New Dog Food

2008-09-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

When I asked the kids to get Tinkerbell some food this was not quite what I had in mind.

Temple Day

2008-08-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today we had our annual Ward Family Temple Day and primary was in charge of helping out the boy’s and girl’s achievement kids entertain the little ones for the first hour. I would have gone to a session but we were short handed and I was needed to help supervise. I have to confess that I have been dreading this day for the past month. Jeremy has been in Australia and knowing that he was not going to be there to help I have had a bit of a “hidden negative/ panic” attitude about it. I have tried to only let my kids think that there was no other place I would rather be then at the temple grounds trying to maintain some kind of reverence while keeping them entertained, fed and happy for 5 1/2 hrs. We got up at 5:00 to make it there in time and we picked up another sister and her daughter from our ward. I was prepared for the kids to be grumpy and tired, and it never happened. I was waiting for a huge Lorenzo meltdown and it never came. I felt I could take on the few “kids with attitudes” in our ward and somehow the attitude’s disappeared. Once again I am truly humbled at how the Lord blesses us. The time went by quickly and the kids had a great time. I got to better know another sister in the ward that I would not have known otherwise and it was a wonderful day. My only goof, my kids were the only one not in Sunday best, my lame excuse... I was tired and decided to pick my battles, but next year I’ll be better.

An Answer

2008-08-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

Well first off let me start by thanking everyone for all of their kind words and support! You are all the best and we really feel blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. It has been a crazy week and for those of you whom I talked with at the beginning of it I am doing better and actually feel good about things right now. For those of you whom I have not talked with let me bring you up to speed.

Lorenzo’s Developmental pediatrician called Monday to schedule an appointment to discuss some lab results that had come back. We were able to meet with him and the geneticists and it turns out that Lorenzo has a deletion or loss of copy number in the short arm of chromosome 16. In simpler terms he is missing a small section of his number 16 chromosome. This is found in people with mental retardation as well as autism. So after over 2 years of guess work and different assumptions and guilt as to why Lorenzo is, for lack of a better word “different.” We now have some conclusive evidence as to what is causing all the mayhem. I was a bit freaked out after meeting with the doctors on Tuesday. They had told us they would not give us any info over the phone that they really needed to see both Jeremy and I in person so I was sick all Monday night. Then when we get in there it was not much better as they were really there to pass on some info and to console us. I felt like all we kept hearing was how sorry they were instead of what we need to do now. We already knew he had a problem we just need direction an how best to help him. So while it was nice that they wanted to offer their sympathies I really needed to hear were to go next.

We met with his psychiatrist later that day and passed on the lab results and he said this does make things a bit different but he was much more positive and we both walked out of there feeling better. He has a game plan and gave us some direction as to what we do next. I am so thankful to this doctor. Things have really started to happen with him and he is really concerned about Lorenzo on the whole and not just the psychiatric side of things. He has really helped us and is a great advocate for Lorenzo.

Jeremy and I had been fasting this last weekend and although I failed to see it at the time of these findings I can now see that this was a direct answer to our prayers. We now have what we need to really put pressure on the school, and we hope that things will get better on that front now.

I feel so blessed for so much right now. The testing that they were able to do is called microarray analysis and it is really new and super expensive and most insurance companies will not pay for it. I am so thankful for the navy and the 2 excellent doctors that we have been working with that have not given up trying to find out what is going on with Lorenzo. Most of all I am grateful to a Heavenly Father that always answers our prayers.

What to do

2008-08-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

I should have waited until after the first week to post about school. I thought things had gone pretty well but it ended up being a not so good start. Lorenzo had an OK first day but the week went down hill fast after that. The teacher is not so nice or understanding and I seem to be on her bad side already. The school is refusing any services right now as they want to wait on the test results (test they refused to do so we had to go to another district for). I went in Friday to request another IEP meeting while we wait for the testing to be complete and they told me there is no need, that he is doing well. Apparently crying everyday, having to be removed from class and having major anxiety attacks at home and school is what they call well.

After being down in the school office or on the phone with someone from there everyday this week I started to get pretty discouraged by Friday. I had been calling around to some of the private schools on the Island and found one that is specifically for higher functioning kids on the autistic spectrum and we met with the director Friday morning. He was great and offered us a lot of advice. We loved the school and wish we could get Lorenzo in right now. The only problem is they do not have any openings this school year and even if they did tuition is over 25,000 a year. He told us that we needed to look into taking action against the school district and that if we won by law they would have to pay for our legal fees and his tuition. Now here is the problem, if we decide to fight the school on this and loose we are out all the money it costs to take legal action, it can be expensive and that could be money put towards helping Lorenzo. Next if we win we cannot get him in until next year and we are supposed to be leaving here next year. We have though about trying to extend here but as this is over seas we are not even supposed to be here with Lorenzo’s EFM status. I have thought about pulling him out and homeschooling him but he really needs the interaction with the other kids and he needs occupational therapy, something I cannot provide at home. Plus I think our Doctors would be very upset if we pulled him out and I need their help if we are going to fight to get the school to do more.

I wish I had a crystal ball and could know what the outcome would be and where we will be next year, but as for now we are a little lost. We have been totally relying on our Father in Heaven to somehow help us through this.

Their Back

2008-07-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that the Riley and Lorenzo had a great morning and seemed excited to get back to school. They had such a short summer break (only 6 weeks) but they seemed ready to be back. Lorenzo was happy and I hope it stays that way for a little while. As I was packing his backpack and getting all of his papers together last night I started to have what felt like an anxiety attack. I was reading what the expectation are for 1st grade and about homework policy and was thinking there is no way Lorenzo will be able to do this. We will be having another IEP meeting soon, and his requirements are different but it still makes me sad when I think he is not the same as all the other little boys.

He has not been very stable the last few months and they have almost tripled his meds. We are meeting today to do some med management and an EKG. I think they will be adding something else, as we cannot go up on his dose any more. His evaluations start on Thursday and I am hoping that will give us a better idea of his strengths and weaknesses so we can better know how to help him in school.

Riley is doing great, I think I sometimes take him for granted as a lot of our time and energy goes into Lorenzo. He got a hair cut yesterday and as he was sitting in the chair he looked so much like he did when he was a baby, I almost started crying at the barbers, I just cant believe he is growing up so fast.

Liam had his 3-year-old check up today and I am happy to report he is on the growth chart now!!! He is only in the 5th percentile but we will take what we can get. He is starting to talk a lot more and we are just working with the therapist now on diction and forming the words so that they are more understandable.

Jeremy and I celebrated our 10th anniversary yesterday and although we just went out for an early dinner we had a wonderful time. It was nice to have some time alone without the kids especially since when we got home it was a race to get everything ready for school and still fit in home evening.

Giant Centipede

2008-07-27T16:26:00.000-07:00

Centipedes just become part of life when you live in Hawaii, although I may not be as scared of them as I used to I still do not like them. At Church today while we were getting ready for sharing time Irene Draper our 1st counselor let out a little yell and said “centipede” We had one of our Valliant 10/11 teachers Franz Hoffman in there setting up and he came over to help take care of it. He had on closed shoes so I just though he would step on it a few times, so I was very surprised when he took out a pen and a thumb tac and started to remove its front pincers. Irene got him some scissors and he then cut the pincers off, picked it up and took it out side. He did not want to kill it. Brother Hoffman is a big man from Tahiti and is one of the kindest gentlest people I have ever met. He has really helped one of the boys in that class who was always in trouble and I would say it is nothing short of a miracle to watch the two of them and how much this boy has changed. I did not know exactly how kind and gentle he was until today, not many people would spare the centipede.

Good Day

2008-07-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

I do not know if it was because I had a couple of day’s off running or if it was just a good day but I hit a personal best running time today. I ran 7 miles in 63:45 and I even walked 1/8 of the mile at the end. Whatever it was, it felt good. I had to take a picture of it so Jeremy could see when he gets home from Kaua’i.. Today is technically Liam’s birthday but we celebrated it on Monday as Jeremy was going to be gone today. He had fun and has been calling himself “Jones” because my sister sent him an Indiana Jones hat and backpack. He is so silly, he just makes us laugh.

I once caught a fish "this big"

2008-07-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

Jeremy took the scouts fishing on Friday and Lorenzo, Liam and I got to tag along. Lorenzo wants so much to be like all the big boys, he waited until all of the other boys had their lines cast and then it was his turn, he was so patient! He was the only one who caught a fish. It turned out to be a “nightmare weke” which we looked up and apparently really can give you nightmares, glad we threw it back!.

Fun without TV

2008-07-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

We did it; we finally canceled our cable so we are now without TV. The kids were a little upset about our decision but when we told then the up side to this would be more time to spend as a family doing things like reading and playing games they were all for it. As we never did watch it that much it really has not been hard.

Last night we played Risk together and while I hate to play this with Jeremy (he will pick someone go after them and try to wipe them out and totally disregard his own mission, he has made many people extremely upset while playing games) it was a lot of fun. Riley ended up taking over the entire world and won. He was very excited and he ended up showing us his celebration dance that was more fun then the game in my opinion.

2008-07-09T19:20:00.000-07:00

Not much to report on. Olivia went back to UT Monday so we have been a little lonely but other then that just the same old same old out here. Riley’s class at the University of Hawaii ends Friday so we are looking forward to a couple of weeks of down time before school starts on the 29th.

We had a nice 4th of July. We ended up taking the kids to the block party on base and needless to say they had a great time. Olivia did not want to do any of the rides or games this year; it is so hard to believe she is growing up. She will always be my little Livi.

Liam had his first dentist appointment this week and loved it. Speaking of growing up to fast I cannot believe he is going to be 3. It makes me sad to think he is no longer my baby (he tells us this all the time, “not baby, big boy”)

Lorenzo has been doing relatively well, we will be starting our full blown evaluation and testing in a couple of weeks but right now his mood seems to be a bit better but we are noticing more of the autistic traits and characteristics. The Doctor’s keep reassuring us that he is high functioning and has every hope of a good outcome but it is still hard for me. I guess some of it is denial but I feel like I am coming to terms with it.

Lego Star Wars - For the millionth time, i didn't make this

2008-06-27T11:47:00.001-07:00

This is one of the boys favorites so I thought I would share it for any of you that have not already seen it 1000 times.

Aunt Olivia

2008-06-24T22:05:00.000-07:00

Olivia is here again. It has been a fun first few days with her and we are so glad she was able to come this year. It is hard when we only get to see her once a year. She looks so grown up and today Lorenzo’s doctor asked where she was going to collage, we both laughed when we told him she was only going into high school. The boys have loved the extra attention and she is so good with them. We were reminiscing about a few years ago when Lorenzo and she would fight and every time she got near him he would scream “don’t look at me” he now follows her around everywhere and is her little shadow. It has been really good for him to have her here.

Ward Choristers

2008-06-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

I have not sung in many choirs but have played in many bands, orchestras, groups etc and while playing I have never had a conductor take a repeat or section that is similar in cut time or change the tempo dramatically unless it was called for in the music. So why is it that choristers in church feel like they need to mess around with the tempo? This is one of my biggest pet peeves! I hate it when I am in church singing and enjoying the music and all of the sudden while singing Called to Serve the chorister decides to cut the tempo in half and half of the congregation is still singing it in the tempo we started and everyone is off not to mention it is almost painful to sing it that slow. Don’t get me wrong small tempo changes are fine and when it is appropriate but why cant people save their dramatic tempo changes for ward choir instead of while singing congregational hymns. It really takes away from the spirit of they hymns. Am I off in my thinking? Sorry but I had to get this off my chest thanks for letting me get up on my soapbox.

2008-06-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

As summer has officially begun out here I have to say that while I thought it would bring more time at home and less running around all over town I WAS WRONG!!! Aside from our regular 2+ doc. appointments a week for Lorenzo everyone got this nasty virus and I have had some kind of doctor appointment 8 times in the last 10 days. While Monday’s was not planed and the nearly 5 and ½ hrs at the ER were not fun I only had Liam (who had a double ear infection) for most of it because Jeremy was able to come up and get the kids after he got home from biking to work. Funny he has been biking to work to try and save us in gas but a lot of the time he finds himself jumping in the car after his ride home to come and meet us at some appointment.

On the bright side I cancelled Lorenzo’s appointment yesterday as a good friend, Shelle Napier whom we met while in RI was here. We were able to go to lunch and here is the kicker, Lorenzo and Liam stayed with a babysitter… per their request! It was so nice to be able to just visit and enjoy Shelle’s contagious laugh and not have to worry about the kids wanting to go. It was so nice to see her, I hope our paths cross again!

Riley starts his summer class at the University of Hawaii tomorrow so I know that I should not even be complaining about running around town as that has not even started yet, but oh well, it is for a good cause. We are trying to work it so that Jeremy can drop him off in the a.m. before work so that I will not have to stay up there all day with the kids and wait. I do not now about you guys but gas here is 4.12 and that is for unleaded, we are trying to cut back on our needless driving although we do not do much of that. I guess we could stop violin lesson that are also down town but Lorenzo is really starting to love it and it seem times when that kid is happy are few and far between so we will press on!

Happy Boys Day

2008-05-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

On this day Japanese families celebrate Tango-no-Sekku, the Boys' Festival. With its special customs and observances, it is Japan's way of celebrating the healthy growth and development of her young boys. We clebrate this holiday along with girls day now that we live in Hawaii. it is a big deal at their school and the boys came home with lots of traditional Japanese treats including kakai mochi and other things we have grown used to. So go love your boys today! As a side not when I first heard of this holiday I thought it was a joke. It was not untill I had all of these wonderful goodies and treats brought to me on March 3rd (Girls Day) that I realized there really was such a thing as Girls Day and Boys Day.

Surprise Visitor

2008-05-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

We got a call a few nights ago from a man trying to find the home of Jeremy and Briana Ward well it turned out to be a friend of ours from Rhode Island, Don Loomis who’s ship had just pulled in and wanted to hitch a ride to church on Sunday. It was fun to see him and catch up on how his family is doing. It is amazing how fast time fly’s. I had his oldest daughter Lindsey for girl’s achievement and now she is 12. They gave us one of our first introductions to life in Hawaii when Lindsey brought in a picture of herself and sister picking up giant slugs with chopsticks.

Scholarship program

2008-04-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

We got a phone call today to let us know that Riley has been selected for the Summer Learning Scholarship to attend UH's Summer Laboratory School. He had to write a short paper on why he wanted to attend and then his teachers had to rank the students on their GLO's (General Learner Outcomes) I told him not to get his hopes up as they were only selecting 2 students from the whole school and only one for the Laboratory School. We were very surprised to learn that he was chosen. He will be in either the marine biology or robotics class, we are not sure what one he is going to be placed in but he is really excited. Now all I have to do is worry about getting him up there every day during the 4 weeks that it runs, but we will figure it out!

Musical Prodigy

2008-04-29T12:31:00.001-07:00

Do you think we have another trumpet player in the family?