Doubleshot

Can you believe i have actually tried what i like to call "stinky coffee" cappachino" (how do you even spell that??)

It's good with ALOT of sweet stuff in it!!! Not my fave Earl..

****note..super cute posie surprise towel from my new friend Jes... from KadyHope... I just love it..it came with us on our picnic last week..and it is helping introduce THE post!!

Thanks friend

Okay...here is THE post!!!

If you are just visiting for the first time..great.. you will be all caught up by the end of this one!!!

I have been pretty vague in my postings regarding our boys..

I am sure you have seen (or maybe not) how we go here and there...or Miss Kathryn comes to visit...OT..Speech...

This past year of Lemons is what i am going to share...

so get ready...

Last September...Sweetums had his 2 year well visit/checkup

and i was asked if we had any concerns... my only concern was that he did not have any words/speech yet...

so the Dr. referred us to a place called Babynet.

I was asked hundreds of questions about Sammy's abilities..

and i was abruptly awakened from life as i knew it.

how could i have missed so many details..i thought to myself..

it is not like anyone else was taking care of him.. it was only me..until Dada came home from work... and then, well..it was us.. This WAS the hardest time for us... Sammy scored well below average in speech/language at the age of 2... he was considered to have the language of a 10 month old..

What?? we thought..everyone develops differently...

he will catch on soon...

we met Kathryn through Brightstart in October.

we were immediately placed on waiting lists for speech and ot, and kathryn came once a week...

our first days of "early intervention" were intense..

homework consisted of leading Sam in an activity for just 3 minutes..TORTURE!! He hated it! He has made remarkable gains.. and will sit for an hour at a time now...

we are so grateful!
In the meantime..... our amazing friend Brownie works for Developmental/Behavioral Peds..and offered to send us a packet of info/ forms...just in case... there is a waiting period of about 6 months or more to get in...so we got a head start..

I hated filling out those papers... they were part of the beginning that brought me to my knees...

When did your child.....?

What do you think is the problem....??????

But we finished them... and gave them to Brownie....

and waited.... and we were all set with appointments in February.... During the early days.. as i was talking with someone from Babynet... i mentioned how i didn't really think anything of Sammy's delay in speech..because Myles was/is a late talker... there we were...on another track to get Myles tested.. because of their ages they were being assessed by different people... off we went to all sorts of appointments..

Our biggest appointment for Sammy was April 17th...

there were points of high anxiety in the waiting...

it was to be our informing conference...

Sammy started Speech and Ot in January... it was explained to us that he was having some sensory issues..and needed "more input" ...so he began to LOVE the swing!!!! he was so at peace with that thing.. not that he was wild by any means... but it helped him focus more... we are still working on so many things.. still no words...waiting patiently...

Thank you for reading on.... this is so helpful for me to put in words...i am trying to be as thorough as i can...as i recollect i am remembering some of the toughest times in my life... My heart has been examined..assessed...evaluated...in the process of our boys having the same done to them.... I am not the same as i once was. And i am grateful.

We were scheduled back to back appointments..April 16th for Myles and the 17th for Sam.... Myles was placed in a preschool for children with special needs... we thought he would start in the fall.... he started the next Monday!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHHH!

This is Mr apprehensive we are talking about!!!! and his MOM!!

Those first couple of weeks were....crazy... but he ended the year making many gains...and his teacher wanted him to continue in his progress..so she recommended that he go to the summer school program as well.....and HE is doing great!!!

He will continue to go in the fall... and it is our hope that he meets and exceeds the goals that are before him....

April 17th.. Sammy is diagnosed with Autism.
What do we do now? This is the word i wanted least to hear..
This is the word that has changed my heart forever..
The puzzle piece is the symbol for Autism.... i asked the Dr. if the piece meant that there was something missing..... her words were so very comforting to me (and when i say me... i am including hubs too...) she said... "All the pieces are there... it IS a very intricate puzzle...and you may need to (totally speaking to my crafty natured selfy) use some glue to get some of the pieces to stick together.. and you may need to use some scissors to trim around some of the edges... or one of the chipboard sanding ma jigs to smooth the edges.."(ok..she didn't say that last one...but you get the picture) ... I thought... I've got glue!!! I've got scissors!! ...I've got ma jigs!!............. We CAN DO THIS!!!! so the picture i left with that day was of a crisp blue sky... I LOVE crisp blue skies..
have you ever tried to work on the "sky" part of a puzzle?? it is the trickiest part..all of the pieces look the same..and you have to figure out where they all go...grrrrr! Okay..so we have pretty blue sky and 10 billion puzzle pieces to put in place... This puzzle is not getting put away..it will not get rolled up and put under our bed....until we remember it 5 years from now and sell it for 50 cents at our yard sale..... (don't think badly of me..
no cleaning under my bed for 5 years...and poor Kisses from an earlier post... we ARE rotten....!!!!) So, I wanted to make something with my hands that would symbolize this for me visually...Sammy helped..and I couldn't be more pleased...

My Mom had given me this frame a couple years ago and i thought it fitting for our work of art....

The morning after when i woke up it hit me so hard..

These words would not leave me...

" I am pressed but not crushed, persecuted, not abandoned...

struck down but not destroyed....

I am blessed beyond the curse for His promise will endure..

For His Joy is gonna be my strength"

I felt so encouraged through the days that followed..and still, those words never left me..

I felt like i needed to tell someone who didn't know me... so i typed to Julie...from Joy's Hope.... my Spring swappy partner... it felt safe... She was so very encouraging and said she was sending me a giftie... something that had given her strength during a very hard time in her life.....

This stranger.....already knew.... I was so pursued by the Lord during this time when i should have been feeling only sadness...

I was feeling incredibly loved....LOOK!

Mind you...I never told Julie those words were a constant source of strength for me.... and she went and sent me a 5 foot piece of wood...SHE had made in 2001!!!!!!!! The Lord used her

story...her hurting from then ...to comfort me...us...and maybe even you too!!!! What does that mean...??? All of what i do and think and feel and say..i try with the purpose of making Him delighted by...JOYFULL by... and that strengthens me... That makes me Joyfull!! So, now that (if you are still with me) I have said all of that...i will post more on some of the fun stuff we are doing as we journey through Autism... We are so blessed...

This past Tuesday, Myles was diagnosed with autism too!

The Joy of the Lord is my Strength!!! Nehemiah 8:10

This billboard was put up a couple weeks ago en route to Myles' school..... It took my breath away then..and still does....

I believe this mountain will be moved.....

I believe our boys will recover...

Myles...early writings...

Hugs...and Kisses

So here is my new wonderful Bistro set from my parents...

It is sitting pretty in our "side garden"... one day this space will look it's very best... for now...we love what we have!!

Smylie..errr...Screamie...refusing me a kiss....

Then he changed his mind...

Smylie just loves picking these apples from the tree..
please, disregard the runny nose... just focus on the eyes..and you'll be fine!!

Look at this guy...now that's a different way to play with pots and pans....silly boy!

Soooo....we took Kisses to the vet...(for the first time in a loooong time...we're rotten...) Smylie went with Dada and was a BIG helper!! He has been extra affectionate to her since their big excursion... In August she will be returning to her new favorite veterinarian....to have half of her teeth extracted!!! BleGH! Hopefully it will cut down on her (super) stinky breath!!! I bet you feel like brushing your teeth right now...i sure do!!!

Look how funny this is... is she smelling his head or trying to see what he is looking at???

And look at this beaut!! My Sweet Friend gave this to me for my Birthday... I love it... look at all of us sitting pretty on the leaf!!

It will be a great addition to our growing side garden....

now i just have to decide...water...or food???

For me.... water....to wash down my popcorn...and then straight to the toothbrush and toothpaste... (sorry mommy...wink wink)

have a love-fully!

Birthday Fun!

Look at my yummy cake (from Publix...where shopping is a pleasure..).. Hubby was in charge of this... I Loved it!!! And look how old I am!!! Ahhhh! I love being 23!!!

Wearing a Joxlette to compliment my Birthday attire!!! Do you need one for your upcoming birthday?? Or someone else that is so special to you that they just MUST have a pretty that will let them know!!

Smylie nearly bit that rose right off the front! he Loves Happy birthdays...and the cake that goes with them!!!
The loot from that pretty bag in the last post!! all of my favorite colors.... Thankyou so much my foster family!!!

So, we packed a picnic lunch and headed downtown this afternoon... we have this amazing watery-park that shoots water up from the ground... sweetums loved it..smylie kept his distance..

And then....we headed to this secret garden.... how wonderful...

we told Smylie we were going on a bear hunt....to find Winnie the pooh....and looky what we found....(notice his little piglet in the side pocket of his backpack!!) he was thrilled to see Winnie the pooh!!

Smylie..at a distance...keeping his eyes on pooh!!


Sweetums...need i say more!!??
At our picnic sight... such a great garden...we are remembering the details...would love to have the same in our yard some day!!
Sammy sat in my lap and ate his bagel and banana...

Sorry..you can see the bagel in this picture...

Does anyone else LU-UV These nuts like I do???

They are so very good for you... if you google "pistachio" there is tons of information on this yummy good for me (and you) snack!! Put them in a pretty bowl and grab a couple in the afternoon (or when you feel the munchies coming on).. evidently they won't make you gain any weight...as long as you just use them as a substitute and not in addition to all of the other munchies!!!

And look at my new Cuppa....isn't she a beaut !??

I don't have a long Cup of Joy post today...but lookee inside my cup... I LOVE this verse... and this midweek you will (finally) know why!!

The...

end...

Have a love-Fully!!!

ps....more birthday loot to show later...

Picture Pages...

Soooo...Hubby had the great idea to take an old door.... from sweet friend's house...and make it into my new craft table!!!

Oh my... i spent most of wednesday afternoon rearranging...and making the perfect new space for my creative juices to start flowing!!!! Thank you so much Hubs!!! Look how great... not only is it the perfect set up for creating... it makes a great race track....

My great garland from Julie at Joy's hope (can't linkydoo...sorry)... is making the front much more glamorous..

McQueen and Sally...having some more quality time together

This is some serious playing!!

Hmmm.....what could be in here??? Came today from my inlaws!! Thank you!!

Mmmmmmm! Something to tide me over while i am hard at work!!

A cuppa you know who...or what ?!!

All the goods all yummy and organized!!!! Ahhhh! What a great feeling!!

More Ahhhhhhh!
And just some fun...... buckets...rolodex...and jars holding things for later!!

Baby brother and his beautiful wife came to visit.... It was so nice to spend the evening with them!!!
Smylie at OT.... Jumping!!!
Oh My!!! How yummy is this.. we have been looking for a good hat for Sweetums.... his head is ...extra large.... but i found this sweet hat at Goodwill yesterday..new!! (I did wash it!) and look how yummy...he actually is okay with it on his head!!!How okay you ask..???
You tell me??
And Smylie got a new McQueen hat too....He's lovin' it!!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful day!!!

Hope it's a Love-fully!!

<:AtomicElement>

Cup of Joy....mid-week

Mmmmm! Love a good summer smoothie with a BIG straw and an umbrella!!! It's warming up around here..so i thought i would change my cuppa... you wouldn't believe how many pictures it took to get a pretty one... i wish everything fit in the window sill...the lighting was so good here..

So let's have a little sip together...

Above all, love each other deeply,

because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Each one should use whatever gift he has received

to serve others,

faithfully administering God's grace in it's various forms.

1 Peter 4:8-10

So... we don't have much to give... not in the form of money or "things".. but we do have abilities... let me tell you a little story whilst you sip a little..(watch the umbrella)

We have a neighbor lady...remember the one who hasn't lived there for a year..with the beautiful (scragly) rose bush peeking over our fence...?... well...she had a leaky pipe..in her walls.. and it created a HUGE mold problem.. she was getting sick a lot... and so she had to move into her son's house..(temporarily)

meanwhile..all summer long...a company was cleaning out the mold... and pretty much demo-ing the inside of her home..

it has been a year now...and she has no walls or ceiling..it is not liveable in...(does that make sense?)

we really haven't even had a conversation.. we never took the time to go meet her...and now after all this time .. we know more about the situation from others than her.. so..last week..her grandson came over and left his 2 big pitbullish type doggies in his grandmother's backyard... he was in a dire situation and they needed a place to stay....it was a weird week of watching the doggies..1)jump the fence (scarey!!!) 2) be tied to a tree 3) be tied to each other 4) 1 untied..the other...etc...

*stay with me... i know...i'm into details...

Well...neighbors a couple doors down...that we have never met.. were being so kind and helpful... the grandson.. was coming twice a day..but doggies needed some more attention.. so they were coming over and helping out... fyi..they are not friends with grandson.. helping just because...

we thought...hmmm...we've just been sitting over here thinking of all the rotten things that were wrong with the picture...

i hesitate to even state them because it shows how very lacking my grace has been... so...not to be boastful... only in the kick in the pants i got from witnessing graciousness from a stranger neighbor.....what can we give... 2 cans of doggie food we had..

doesn't seem like much, huh? especially since we watched them for 4 days tied to this and that.. (we did try to spray them down with water from the hose..but they didn't seem to want a shower)...the doggies were gone that night and we haven't seen them again... well..Sunday.. I had it with myself...and since doggies were gone..i wanted to serve..love...offer hospitality.. use whatever gift i had... (my hands...my arms...my strength)

to show grace.... so me and my rake... took care of some business next door...and i was humbled by my lack of grace all along... it was so obvious to me on Sunday...

I want to be more neighborly... i think i am afraid or something... i have these visions of knocking on everyone's door... bringing them homemade goodness...and then something happens...and nothing happens...

Does this happen to you??? Do you have any ideas or encouragement to get me over the hump..??

I should be brave...

I am brave...but i should be more cautious....trust me..you don't want to hear my other neighbor story...

Well...if you are still with me....you may only have a couple sips left...so enjoy these pictures...

McQueen and Sally......

Smylie...lining up his cars...(on the bistro table)

Okay...how funny are these?? They were on Clearance at Target today... Sweetums needs some sun protection...and some sensory help just having something on his face... he was not that happy with his new Elton John look....

But he sure is Sweetums!!!

Have a Love-fully!!