First day of GIANT STEPS!

Our little 4 yr old man is off to school again! He is finally able to go to GIANT STEPS autism preschool! We are so excited for him! We put him on their waiting list just before he turned 2 yrs old - and we just barley got in ... he was 26 on the list (they only take 28)!!!

Briana and Kaleb love each other! But she loves that she gets to ride a bus & go to school too. Last year she was always sad that her little brother got to ride the bus and go to school and she didn't.
Off they go! So GROWN UP! The back pack is almost as big as him! But they want them to have a full size back pack.
"SISTER!!!" Kaleb THINKS
"Well, I want a KISS!" Says Briana
Here comes the BUS!!!
YEAH! I love the bus!!!
The harness/seatbelt/carseat!
Off he goes.... to OREM
Foothill Elementary by Cascade Golf Course
GIANT STEPS Autism Preschool!
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The Best Picture of the morning....

Classic!

We found Tucker!!!

Holy Smokes! We are so happy! Today we were able to go to the dog shelter in Lindon (they have been closed because of the weekend & Holiday) - and TUCKER was THERE!!! It cost $90 to BAIL him out + a ticket!!! Christopher while paying was thinking .... man $100 bucks for Briana leaving the gate open & then he remembered a time his dad had to pay for one of his mistakes and thought - is this my pay back! And hey we were willing to pay it - we love Tucker and are so happy to have him back! We even went to petsmart to buy him a NAME TAG!!! Toy & bone!

Tucker!

Tucker is gone! Briana and her little friend left open our gate in the backyard Friday & Tucker ran out. We spent ALL day Saturday looking for him and then Sunday morning & afternoon - plus driving around today. We have put up tons of signs. But no luck!

I got Tucker for Christopher for Christmas - our first married Christmas. I loved him because he had big paws and was so sleepy. We called him Tucker - because he was always tuckered out! I have memories of being pregnant with Briana throwing up & Tucker couldn't handle watching and so he would throw up - funny dog. He always had a week stomach.
This is Christopher, Briana, & Tucker in 2003 - We had him for 2 years at this point. Briana loved him as a baby! And when she was 18months old she learned how to get out of the house and go to Tucker's kennel. We always knew where she was headed.

This was Tucker at Silver Lake Flats this summer. Tucker will be 7 years old in October! It is amazing how much your dog is a part of your family! We will miss him sooooooo much!!! I don't know what Kaleb will do without his buddy!

*If you happen to see a yellow lab running around - please tell us!

First Day of Kindergarten

Play by play in pictures :)

Why are you taking my picture? Lets go!

I'm trying to smile for the pictures - but I really just want to go wait for the bus!

The hair!

Mom - stop! You've taken enough pictures (there are like 20 pictures more that I didn't post.... so she does have reason to complain :) * Anyone notice the black shirt? She won! I tried for this really cute outfit but this is what she wanted!Walking out of the house.
Thumbs up! I'm so EXCITED!
It's too bright -I can't smile mom, I can't see you!

Walking over to the bus stop to be with all the kids!

Getting on the bus!

Bye MOM!

Then I drove to school to be there when she got off to make sure she knew where she was going. I saw her bus pull up - I said "hi" because I could see here through the window and she said "mom I gotta go potty!" So I waited for her to get off the bus to take her to a bathroom. The bus driver said something to me - I turned around and she was gone. I walked up to the door where they were meeting the kindergartner's and she was already in the group (past where they let the moms go). And I could see her waving to all her friends. She didn't even say bye - So no need to follow her tomorrow. She was ready to go and excited! No tears for mom or Briana! But the teacher already sent home homework! Maybe I should cry? Am I ready for homework every night?

Congrats Bud!!!

(sorry bud - this is the only picture I could find of you)

My little brother just got engaged and I am so EXCITED for them!!!

The big day is October 16th!!!

Congrats!!! Brady & Jami!!! and Maddy!!! We love you guys!!!

She's Ready for Kindergarten

I can't believe my little girl is starting Kindergarten tomorrow! Holy smokes! It seems like yesterday I had her. 5 years go FAST!!! Anyways I have got her school clothes and everything and she has been so excited about them! This morning I woke up to find her already getting her school clothes out & ready for the next day. She really wants her black tee shirt with Levis & shoes. I wanted her to wear a much cuter outfit but she is insisting. They grow up so fast! So tomorrows pictures will tell who won the battle - wish me luck! I told her I would go for a white t-shirt with white shoes but she is still holding on for the black one with white shoes.
Here is her backpack - she has had for 2 months & so excited to use it! The little BYU tag is so the teacher knows what bus to put her on.
She is SOOOOOOOO Excited to ride the bus!!! I think that might be the most exciting part of her day!

This is her sporting her new school haircut just after Heidi cut her's and Kaleb's hair. Thanks Heidi - I love the hair cuts.

Boo's Carseat Cover

Kaleb out grew his carseat! So I am giving his to my sister-in-law to have as an extra for the little girl, Boo, that she tends. (I don't even know the little girls real name because they call her Boo - because she looks like Boo on Monsters Inc.)
I cleaned it all up & washed the cover - but it just looked so bad still! So I had to hurray and make her one of my carseat covers for it. I used cotton fabric on both sides this time & added thin batting (like the kind you use for stitching). It was like I made a quilt & then cut it up. I have never made one like this before & I actually really liked how it felt - plus I think it will absorb spills better.

Front/Main Side

Back Side of carseat cover turned around.

Back detail.

Anyways - I had to share what I made :) PS - Walmart has Halloween & Christmas fabric out already so if you sew like I do - you probably want to pick it up now. I love the Halloween PJs - they are my favorite!

Go to Church?

It's Saturday ... so of course I am doing what I do every Saturday - dreading going to church. Researching online to find some kind of answer as to what to do. Do we just try to play church music at home and read the scriptures so we feel the spirit or do we try church again, being stressed and emotional? Will it ever get easier? Will I ever feel the spirit at church? Is it just me, or are there other moms out there? In my search I came across this article online & it hit home! I wasn't alone!!! - So for any of you lds Autism mommies... read this...

A celebrity mom recently wrote about the reaction of others when a child is diagnosed with autism. She tells in her book of how people rush to attend to the parents of a child with a cancer diagnosis, but hide from the parents of an autistic child.
I remember similar feelings as I watched the sign-up sheets go around our ward for a child in a wheelchair. There weren't any sign-up sheets for my son with autism. And what would people even sign up to do? It can be clearer to see the needs of a physical disability, but what about a neurological one?
When Meridian initially asked me to write about what members and ward leaders can do to help an autism child and their families, my mind went blank. What would I even want on those sign-up sheets if there was one for my family? I guess if I knew how to “fix” his behavior at church, I would have done it.
Despite five years of struggling at church to attend with our son, I felt that the challenges changed each week and the answers became more and more elusive. With a disability like autism, you never know what's going to happen. My husband and I woke up each Sunday and held on for dear life, uncertain of what the day held for our son — and us.
Autistic children struggle at any church, not just in Mormon congregations. They struggle for a variety of reasons — the loud noises, uncertainty of the schedule, confusion in social situations and more.
For my son, we could usually expect rolling around the floor and screaming — often throughout the meetings. He was instantly over-stimulated when we'd walk into the building. He'd usually fixate on a certain thing and be determined to get there no matter what — things like throwing a ball off the stage over and over again or opening all the clerks' offices to see their computers. He'd have these rituals that he had to do at church no matter what we did to stop him. Any “good” behaviors that we'd taught him at home went by the wayside as the church environment overpowered his senses.
We were about at the end of our rope with church attendance and autism. It was physically and emotionally exhausting, not uplifting, to attend church with him. I was starting to wonder how many more Sundays I could attend and go home in tears while my son had tantrum after tantrum at church. - By Sharisa Lewis

I still do not know any answers of what to do, but it felt great to know I wasn't alone. Autism brings a lot of challenges but somehow church is the hardest one for me. Maybe because it is something I really want and can't seem to get.

Kaleb TALKED!

When we came home from camping Briana would not come with us! She stayed with grandma & grandpa Knaphus. So when my mom pulled in front of our house to drop Briana home - Kaleb happened to be sitting in front of the window. He saw them & got so EXCITED and THEN HE STARTED SAYING ... "Mam Ma. Mam Ma. Mam Ma." Alright for those who don't know - Kaleb does not have any words - and he just said Grandma - ok Mam Ma but I totally know what he was saying!!!

He has said things before but it is so random and we only here a word every 6 months or so - We were all so EXCITED that he did it!!!Good Job Kaleb! You are such a BIG boy!!!

We are READY for school

We have seen all the cute post about everyone off to school - and we are ready for it to be our turn!!! :)

Briana - starts Kindergarten at Meadow Elementary Monday August 25th
Kaleb - starts Giant Steps (Foothill Elementary/orem) on September 2nd

PS - the picture above is me following Kaleb to school on his first bus ride. I was super nervous to send him (3yr old that can not talk!) Now... I am totally ok with them taking the bus and I'm counting down the days! Sorry kids no tears this year - mom is ready for school now :)

Smith & Morehouse

My camera broke - so I found some pictures on the web to show were we have been! I love this place! I have been going there since I was a little girl. My grandpa taught me how to skip rocks there. Some of my best childhood memories are of being up there. After this trip, I think they will be Briana's best childhood memories too!!!


The lake is up weber canyon road - past Oakley, UT. My grandpa had a cabin in Weber Canyon and we spent lots of time up there. Then when I was in junior high my parents bought 8 acres in Oakley on the weber river. They finished building their home just after I graduated from high school. So I lived in Oakley for about 3 yrs until I married Christopher.

We went up Sunday & stayed until Tuesday. We had so much fun on the lake in the canoe! Kaleb had a blast throwing rocks in the lake - I think he would've done that all day long!!! Briana took up her bike - & made some friends and played till she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.

Briana was so excited to go camping that Friday night we set the tent up in our backyard and slept out there as a family. Then Saturday night she set up her sleeping bag in the family room to sleep in. She LOVES camping!!! Kaleb had a blast - we have this cute monkey backpack that we put on his back & then hooked Tucker's (our dog) leash to the backpack so he could have freedom to play but we wouldn't loose him. Christopher & I would take turns taking Kaleb on hikes. He would just go & go - he loved having the freedom to go everywhere. We had a campsite right by the river - so the kids could play in water anytime.

We had so much fun it was hard to come home!

PS - you should have saw the bath tub after the kids got out!!! WOW!!! They were dirty little kiddos!

Happy Birthday Jaxon!

Happy 13th Birthday Jaxon!

Jaxon is my nephew & I was only 16 when he was born so I babysat him a lot & have so many funny memories of him. I can't believe he is 13 - that makes me feel very old!!! When Jaxon was little he had this cute little voice and, on my second date with Christopher, he was with us - he fell down and jumped up and said "OOO that Hurted!" it was so cute. Still to this day we will say - "ooo that hurted" when we stub a toe.

Love you Jaxon! I hope you have a GREAT day!!!

Happy Birthday Heidi

Today is my only sisters brithday today! Happy Birthday Heidi!
She is the most amazing person - I wish I could be more like her. She has five kids, a perfectly clean house, and she's beautiful! I don't know how she does everything she does.

This is a picture of her last year at Kalebs 3yr old birthday party.

Our Wild Day

First thing this morning we left to meet our friends at the Zoo. Christopher packed us a picnic (such a helpful daddy!) and helped load the kids in the car and we were off to have a good time. I didn't get to far before I realized I needed more medicine and turned back home. I have had a horrible tooth ache for over a week but thought we will have Dental Insurance in 2 weeks - I can wait until we have that! I thought I was tough - turns out not so much. I think the kids were having a good time and I was trying to be a nice mommy but I was in SO MUCH pain that I couldn't handle anything.... needless to say we packed the kids up after 2hours and headed home - sorry no pictures of the fun day :). The whole way home Briana was in tears. We got home, made a dentist appointment, went in at 3:30 & got a root canal and a prescription! Yeah - feeling much better now!

Do things ever go as planned? Root Canal was not suppose to be part of our fun day plans.

Grandpa Jacks Brithday!

We Miss YOU!

My Grandpa died in May - in fact his funeral was on our 7yr wedding anniversary. His birthday is today and I have been thinking about him a lot lately!

This was a picture of him last year at Briana's birthday party.Hailey & Grandpa
Then Kaleb trick or treating at his rest home last Halloween. As you can see Kaleb really liked the candy!

My grandpa Jack (Knaphus) is the only grandpa I can remember. (My moms dad died when I was four.) I remember having so much fun at his cabin growing up, and him going on daddy daughter dates with me when my parents were in Japan picking up my oldest brother from his mission. But what I keep thinking about everyday is how he said to keep your SHINNY SIDE OUT. Meaning show your good side not your bad.

The last couple of weeks have been hard - ok REALLY hard. Lets just say Kaleb has been learning lots of new things and throwing tantrums that I don't think you would believe unless you saw them. In fact I haven't blogged lately because all you would see is pictures of my house being destroyed, us giving him his shots at nights, and pictures of him screaming and maybe showing you the pictures of his knees all bruised from him biting himself. But when things are rough all I think about is my grandpa saying "keep your shinny side out". So that is why you see only what the good things going on in our lives and not the hard times. Thanks grandpa for helping us remember to always be the best we can be. We all miss you and learned so much from you.

How things are a lot of the time :

Our SHINNY SIDE OUT!!!

We bumbed into the Statue of Liberty

Yesterday we ran our boat into the statue of liberty!

Then we got to ring the Liberty Bell, go through the Lincoln memorial, and see Mount Rushmore all in one day

We did all of this, plus all the fun of Lagoon - without leaving Lehi!!! In fact for less than filling up the tank with gas to go anywhere - we had a whole day of fun! We were close enough to home and so we drove home for dinner and then came back.


My kids have been climbing the walls (ok - cabinets & dressers) - TOTALLY BORED! So I decided it is the last week before school & the first week I haven't babysat - so lets go do something before summer is over. I had heard about Liberty Land on fox 13 months ago & wanted to try it and that is where we ended up yesterday! We had a BLAST!!! If you haven't been you should GO!!!



Briana & Kaleb flying together! And you can see Abby in the plane in front of them. She called right as we were leaving so she came with us too! Briana was so excited to have her little buddy that she asks for ALL DAY long everyday to come along!

They are awesome golfers! I just don't think the people going behind them thought they were as good as they thought they were. But they were patient and kindly passed them up!

Briana's Swing

Abby's Swing

Oops - Missed ... That happened a lot.

Kaleb LOVED the Tidal Wave boat!

They loved the bell on the train.

The 3 Amigos