A new look

So I got bored with my yellow background, but my kids still like the wiggles, so I thought I'd mix the two. I chose brown because I LOVE brown--whenever I buy clothes, which is not that often these days, I am always drawn to brown. So, there you go. A nice brown background with some Wiggles mixed in.

My new favorite LDS song--listen and love it too

It doesn't feel like it's been 4 days since I've posted. I wanted to share my new favorite church song that Joel and I happened to hear on BYUTV a few weeks ago. We hardly ever watch it, except on Sundays, rarely, and happened to catch a CES Fireside from this month with Elder Holland. At the end, the BYU combined choirs sang "My Kindness Shall Not Depart from Thee." I was so touched by this song--the words and music just go together so perfectly that even when I think of it now I get goosebumps. It really is a beautiful song that you all must listen to. Someone put it on youtube, with the last words of Elder Holland. Grab a tissue! Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwzMNKAT0p4

Pillow Jumping--a new sport

Here's a video of something the kids are really into right now. They love jumping onto pillows from the couch and the stairs. Blake is so brave--he jumps from the third step and now he also does a sort of belly flop jump. This is actually really good for Julianna--it's a type of occupational therapy. Enjoy the video!

Supernanny coming to San Jacinto?

On Thursday I got a surprising phone call. About a month ago, I heard on the news that Supernanny was having open casting calls in Anaheim. We thought about going, but decided it would be too much effort. So that same day, I just went to their website and applied online---it's really easy to do. And so Thursday, someone named Crystal called me and said she was a casting agent for Supernanny. I couldn't believe it. So she talked to me for about 10 minutes and asked a ton of questions about our family. Then she emailed me a very long application that I just sent in last night. I asked her if they call everyone who applies online, and she said, Well, we try to. Meaning, not everyone gets a call, I'm guessing. There's no way they can call everyone--they must call people they might be interested in having on the show. Now I'm not sure if being considered for Supernanny is something to be PROUD of, but I sure would appreciate the help! I feel like we need to get a good system or order going, especially in dealing with Julianna's behavior, and now Blake is taking after her. If Supernanny can discipline Julianna and teach me how to do it, I would be grateful! I will keep you all posted on how this turns out.

Updates and you tube video link

Well, I am back after over a week. Our computer is still being fixed, but my Mom gave me her "craptop" to use until it's done (a very old laptop that has been a backup for others as well). To update you all on our recent problems, everything is fixed (except the computer, of course) so we are grateful for that! Things are looking up now!

Julianna has started occupational therapy in Oceanside through Rady SD Children's. She is doing great and it is very worth the drive out there once a week for one-hour sessions. Lately I have been thinking that she might actually have autism and we are going to have another assessment by the school district very soon, I hope. I still feel like I haven't figured her out yet or gotten the right diagnosis. It is very frustrating as a parent to not really know what is going on with your child or all that you can do to help her. I do feel like we are getting closer. We love Julianna so much and she is a blessing to our family.

I was researching Sensory Processing Disorder or SPD (what we know she has for sure) online and came across this youtube video. It's the first time I've ever seen a news story on this disorder, and the child is VERY much like Julianna. It almost makes me think again that she really doesn't have autism at all, just SPD. You should watch it and see what you think. All of this has been weighing on my mind lately so that's why I'm sharing with you. Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDaj4daRWJc

A blogworthy story

The past 3 days have certainly been interesting for us--so many unexpected things happened. Now, I will be venting, and maybe complaining, but there is an interesting ending to this story so far. So, first, the passenger side power window on our van stopped rolling up, then our AIR CONDITIONER broke in 100 degree weather--out of nowhere it just stops. Then our computer was acting up, and we think it might have some viruses because Word is not working. This all happened on Saturday. Sunday was great--church, drove to Corona (with one window down--good thing it's hot) to see my brother Cliff get set apart as a missionary. It was an amazing experience. Then Monday comes (today), and I am busy on the phone calling about getting the car and AC fixed (the computer will be for another day). So, right when I'm backing out of the driveway to bring in the car, our garage door opener breaks. Joel installed it only one week ago, with some help. And I couldn't fix it by myself, so I had to unload the kids and go back inside since I couldn't leave the house with the garage door open! So then I get back on the phone, trying to get to the bottom of this warranty on our AC, and I hear Blake crying upstairs. I go up only to find that he has locked himself in my bedroom! And the doorknob has a keyhole, not a small hole that can be picked with a small screwdriver. So I'm still on the phone with the warranty company, at the same time trying to rescue my son trapped in a non-air conditioned upstairs bedroom, he's crying, I'm struggling, Julianna is confused as to all that's going on. So the phone call is over and now I can really focus on unlocking this door, and nothing is working. So I say a prayer. And my first thought is to call a neighbor from the ward who lives closeby. As soon as I tell her what is going on, I burst into tears--I couldn't hold it back anymore. She gets here with her son, and they can't do anything either, so they call my home teacher and he brings a ladder and his son. Our idea is to have his son climb up and go in the window. They asked if my windows were open, and I said, yes, because my AC is broken. So they quickly get the door unlocked and Blake is free! And as all the helpful ward members leave, one says, good thing your AC was broken, otherwise he really would have been trapped in there (unless we broke down the door). So here's what I learned-the Lord works in VERY mysterious ways sometimes. Did my AC break because the Lord knew Blake would lock himself in my room a few days later? Who knows. But it is really weird to think about that. Anyway, our car will be fixed tomorrow and our AC soon after, and the garage door, too, oh, and the computer, and everything will go back to normal soon, I hope. But it is true that trials can be blessings and we can learn from them and that everything happens for a reason. I just hope we get a break for a while!

Tagged

Thanks for the tag, Shelly! You and I have a LOT in common, by the way. I could almost use all of your answers! Especially the one about coming home late--I do the same thing! I'll try to make mine different. Here's my post:

Joys:
1. Sleeping. My college roommates pointed it out best by calling me a koala. Now I don't get as much sleep since having kids, but I REALLY like sleeping. I hope that doesn't mean I'm lazy! It's just something I find joy in, is all.

2. Exercising. It all started with Tae Bo in high school, then LOTS of stroller walking after having Julianna, and now my latest joy--going to the gym. I love having that time just for me to work out and focus on myself and know that I am doing something good.

3. My family. Even with all the stress of work, school, and busy kids, family still brings the greatest joy of all. I love seeing Blake learning new things or having new discoveries, or Julianna developing a new skill or saying something unexpected, like, "Mommy, I think I love you." Those little moments bring so much joy. And of course, spending quality time with Joel is wonderful.

Fears:
1. Wrinkles. I already have one wrinkle, an obvious one, under my right eye. It's there even when I don't smile, and my sister Karina was telling me it was because I don't wash my face everyday (this probably stems from liking sleep a lot). Just having one wrinkle makes me fear what it will be like to have more. I guess I should wash my face, huh?

2. Spiders. I hate them so much. I'm getting better at killing small ones, but if I see a big one, and Joel's not home, that would probably top the list of fears for me. So far this hasn't happened yet, but if it did, I would probably put the kids in the car and go somewhere for a while. I am scared of spiders.

3. Regrets. I am afraid that I will have lots of regrets in the future. Regrets about how well I did as a mom and wife, how I used my talents, how I used my time, what I did to help others, etc. I am afraid of having those regrets in the future and knowing I can't do anything about it.

Current Obsessions:
1. I'm really not one to obsess over things much, but I guess my most recent one, if you ask Joel, was finding a house. It was a very long process, TOO long, but worth it in the end. Joel would often tell me I was obsessed with REALTOR.com.

2. Getting help for Julianna. An obsession, a healthy one, that has been ongoing for a few years now. This one probably stems from having no regrets in the future--I want to make sure I have done everything on my part to help her get the resources she needs. And it really has been, and will continue to be, a journey for our family.

3. Can't think of another one right now! Joel might know better than me.

Surprising facts:
1. Weird body tricks: I am double jointed in my shoulders, can put my legs behind my head, and touch my tongue to my nose. (Some of you already know this).

2. I've never had a cavity.

3. I've never been out of the U.S., not even Mexico.

I tag: Cliff (if you have time), Jenny Johnson, Alexis Bergman.

Cliff's Farewell

Yesterday we went to Corona for my brother Cliff's mission farewell. He will be serving in the Florida Jacksonville mission and leaves for Provo in a week! We had my Grannie there, and my Uncle Ivan and Aunt Julie, Megan and Joe. My sisters and I, minus Callie :( sang "The Olive Tree" in Sacrament Meeting right before Cliff spoke. He gave an amazing talk about enduring to the end. I know he will be such a great missionary. We will miss him! (Sorry I didn't get lots of pictures, Callie.)