Halloween Prep...

I'm ah "Mario"

One cute kid...

A Visit From the Tooth Fairy

Ammon lost his first tooth last week. We told him about the tooth fairy. We forgot to put the money under his pillow when he fell asleep. He woke us up at 2 am, frantically telling us that the Tooth Fairy forgot to leave him money. I went into his room and the pillows were scattered all over. I had put it away in a baggie, so he was mad that the Tooth Fairy took his tooth and left no money. I explained that the she probably took the tooth and was about to leave the money, when he woke up and scared her. He fell back asleep and Nathan stashed a dollar under his pillow. He woke up so happy. What a funny kid!

A Great loss...

My Uncle, Steve Calabrese, passed away very unexpectedly one week ago today at the age of 41. As my tears were shed and heart ached for his family, I've pondered a lot about life and the blessings that I have. Living in various places over the past six years have been good for Nathan & me, but during times like these make it very difficult to be away from family.

Oh how I would love for nothing more than to wrap my arms around my aunt and tell her how much I love her. I can only imagine how much her heart is breaking right now. He left behind two very special children and I hope they can always remember just how much he truly loves them.

I'm grateful for all the people who have shown support. My grandmother is one of the strongest people I know. She absolutely amazes me by her strength and composer through this ordeal.

May we all remember just how precious life truly is and cherish every moment.

Eventful Week

This has been quite the week.

We purchased 3 day passes for Disneyland almost a year ago from Travis Air Force Base and had to use them before the end of September when they expired. With the three day Labor Day weekend, we decided that we’d take a road trip. Ammon protested the entire way there. In the past after the first 20 minutes of being somewhere new, he usually decides that it’s not that bad after all. Apparently Disneyland is not the happiest place on Earth for my children though. However, I think they enjoyed themselves more than they’d admit. Ammon would definitely prefer being at home with his Legos and made it known.

Here are picture of our visit to Disneyland…

After returning home, Nathan was asked to conduct a Finance inspect for the Reno Air National Guard. Apparently someone had cancelled last minute and they need him as their replacement. Within hours of being asked, he was packed and on his way to Pennsylvania for a training and off to Reno to conduct the inspection. This may seem silly, but the whole event has really made me ponder life and realize just how precious it can be. I never imagined when I woke up that morning that I wouldn't see Nathan again for several days. Trying to explain this whole situation to the kids was ever more challenging.

Driving home that day I was feeling a little sorry for myself, the kids and I saw a horrible car accident that also involved a motorcyclist that died on the scene. Traffic was horrible driving home, back-to-back stop and go with six cop cars along the side of the freeway with only one lane of traffic open. When I drove by the car and smashed up motorcycle I quickly realized that something serious had happened earlier...

To top it off I received a call from the school principal who wanted to discuss the incidents that occurred on Friday with Ammon. Small transitions are tough so having Nathan gone so suddenly was very difficult for him. That being said, Friday was a very difficult day for him.

I'm just grateful that Nathan will be home eventually and we'll be excited to see him walk through the door when he returns. My heart goes out to the family of the motorcyclist who won't be able to experience that again. I guess we should all count our blessing, huh?

Ammon's First Day of 1st Grade

This year Ammon will be streamlined into general education. He's very intelligent and needed something a bit more challenging, but still needs more assistance with transitions and knowing how to socially act appropriately. The school has assigned him a full-time aid to offer additional assistance when needed. Ammon has made drastic improvement over the past year and we are very excited about this experience.

Kindergarten didn't start out to well and frankly was one of the darkest period of my life. I spent weeks battling with the school in Arizona, stressing out to the point of not sleeping, sending letters to the school, district office, superintendent, special education coordinator, contacting advocacy groups, speaking with an attorney, contacting anyone from the school district who was willing to listen, mailing certified letters, etc. Finally, we were able to correct the issues, make the appropriate changes in his permanent record, and find proper placement for him. He thrived once we were able to do this.

The first week of 1st Grade was challenging, but we have open communication with his teacher and have discussed ways to assist him with his needs. After experiencing lots of anxiety and anticipation about the entire process, I feel a sense of relief knowing that everything will work out just fine!

Maddie Sue was excited to rule the house once again...

at least until Ammon returned home.

What a big boy! We've spent the last few weeks having discussions about 1st grade, who his teacher is, what classroom he'll be in, and talking about the full-time aid that will be assisting him in the classroom. We're very excited to have him in Mrs. Higgin's classroom. She has a lot of experience working with children on the autism spectrum and her son has high functioning PDD-NOS.

Monterey Aquarium

A Very Special Visit...

A few weeks ago, my mom and grandmother visited us in California. We had a very eventful weekend visiting San Francisco (various piers downtown, Lumbard Street, the Golden Gate Bridge, and areas near an old Army base), the Oakland Temple, a local children’s museum, and the Monterey Aquarium. Maddie Sue saw a picture of the Oakland Temple, and quickly responded, “Hey I went there with Grandma Mort and Grandma Sue!” It amazed me that she remembered visiting it with them.