Mostly Pictures

I am super tired tonight and so I am not going to try and write too much.  I think I probably wouldn't make a lot of sense right now anyway.  I desperately need to get Christian sleeping at a more sane hour.  I did want to share some pictures though.  A picture is supposed to be worth a thousand words so just pretend I wrote a long post. 

a couple of sweet pictures of Christian

Optimus Tyler

Tyler and Lucy out for a walk

our time at the park today

You have to love a dog that likes to go down the slide!

One more just because she's so cute!

Have a great night!

Feels like home

Today was the first day since we moved that I felt like I am truly home.   We are a military family living in base housing so I always feel that lingering reality that even though this is my home it is only temporary.  Don't get me wrong I do like living in housing for many reasons.  I like to sit and think sometimes about how if these houses could talk all the stories they would tell.  I know that so many families have said goodbye to loved ones here, waited for them while they were gone, and hopefully celebrated their return here.  I find alot of comfort in the common experience I feel about it.  It does however sometimes take a little while for it to really truly feel like home.  This particular house has a very warm homelike feel to me but the last couple of weeks it has still felt like we are just visiting.  Today it just hit me and it finally felt like my home.  I am not sure why.  The weather was kind of dismal and we had candles going and that may have contributed.  I don't exactly know but it feels good.  All day I have felt warm and safe and comfy.  

Christian went to bed late last night or early this morning depending on your point of view and did not want to get out of bed.  I got him to the couch but he fell right back to sleep.

He looks peaceful though, doesn't he?   Tyler and I played a nice game of Life while he was sleeping.  He beat me by over a million dollars.   I think he enjoyed that!  After that he played football on the Playstation for a little while.

I worked some more on getting ready for school next week.  I got some basket yesterday to fit in the shelves I have in our dining/homeschool room.  They look really nice.

They look so much better than the plastic milk crate I have been using for the last couple of years.  I can store all my teacher manuals, cds, and some of the stuff we use everyday that I don't want to always be digging out of the homeschool closet.

I finished all of that and Christian still wasn't awake so it was time for intervention.  It was 10:00!

He still didn't really want to be up!  I spent the rest of the day working on the house and playing with the boys.  I am trying to take my time and set everything up in an organized manner.  Even Tyler's closet is looking organized. 

I probably shouldn't be sharing that picture.  I am not sure it is "cool" to have an organized closet at 13 but I am just proud.  Our workboxes are also set up for next week.  They are under the counter because it is the only space I have for them but I think it will work.

Overall the day was just nice and relaxing.  Tonight we all hung out in the living room.  It was good family time. 

Christian and Daddy being silly!

Tyler at the end of the day looking at football stats.  He can't wait for football to start again!

 It feels good to be HOME! Have a great night.

Let Go and Let God

Sorry I have been so inconsistent in my blogging lately. We are getting very close to finishing all our unpacking and setting up our new home. It has taken a lot longer than I thought it would. I have been feeling a bit defeated about it all. I had hoped to start school today but I have not yet had time to do sufficient planning. I have the workboxes set out in the dining room and my homeschool closet is about half way organized so I guess I am making some progress. We are getting up early this week and at least starting to get back to a time schedule that is closer to when we do school. It went well today for Tyler. He got up, ate his breakfast, and did his chores like he will need to do during school. He is not good at structuring his own free time and when he is allowed too much time by himself he has difficulty interacting with others. He needs this week to be more structured and he needs to spend more time out of his room so he will be prepared for next week when we start back up with school. He loves structure which is why workboxes have been such a blessing for him but he resists change so even though he is happier when we have a highly structured day there will still be some backlash because I am pulling him back out of his world and I am changing his routine. He did play some board games with both his dad and I today and he went to Lowes with his dad and that all went well. I have been observing a lot of obsessive compulsive behaviors and some slight regression since we moved so I know he is telling me he really needs to get back to his routine. We will be starting the year reading Robin Hood. I think he will like this because it has a lot of action. He wants to do the new unit study Amanda Bennett has coming out about dogs so I want to do that with him in September. I anticipate a good year for him.

Christian still likes the new house. His sleep is all screwed up again so we have been up together until 3 or 4 in the morning every night. Needless to say I am tired. He has also been eating wood again lately. He has a long history of eating non-edible things. He will eat any paper he can get a hold of. When he is outside he will eat dirt. He has also been known to try and eat plastic. His big obsession for about the last six months or so has been eating wood. He has eaten wooden blocks and toys. He ate a whole corner off his toy box so we had to get rid of it. The worst though is when he chews on the windowsills and moldings in the house. In our old house he took a big chunk out of his windowsill that my husband had to fill in with wood putty. Already at this house he has chewed on his windowsill in his room and his doorframe. Not only does it look awful but it can’t be good for him. Big sigh!!!! We have our home set up for his safety. We have deadbolts on all the outside doors, the kitchen is gated off, all the interior doors stay locked except his bedroom and even that is gated off at night when he is in there. His room only has his bed, some shelves for his toys, his trampoline, exercise ball, rug, dizzy disc, and some stuffed animals. We do so much to keep him safe so it is hard when he does something that other than watching him continuously I have no way of preventing. I did do some research on the internet and found out that other kids actually do this too so that helped a little. At least I know it isn’t only us. There did seem to be some guesses as to why someone would crave wood. I read about a possible calcium deficiency which might make since in his case as he can’t eat dairy. I will have to bring this up to the doctor. However, it seemed nobody had any real answers to preventing it. That was incredibly discouraging. I am thinking of gating off the hallway during times when he can’t be accompanied to his room so I can keep an eye on him. I really hate to do that though because he needs to have some space and time by himself. Autism has brought our lives through so many twists and turns. Things usually seem so much worse when we are going through them though then when we are passed them so I will keep that hope in my heart. Other than that he is doing well though. He has been eating a little better the last couple of days. We just had to switch doctors and both of the boys can go in for checkups in September. I am hoping to have him tested for heavy metals. I have wanted to do this for awhile but was unable to talk our past doctor into it. I think he has some of the signs though of possibly having metal issues and I have heard so many positive things about chelating that I am hoping to at least explore our options. I am not looking for a miracle but just think it might be at least one issue that could be solved. We are used to baby steps with him so I will be fine if it isn’t something that will help but I am interested.

 On the lighter side of life, I started reading Your Own Jesus by Mark Hall of Casting Crowns today. I love the way Mark writes. He makes you feel like you are sitting next to him and he is just pouring out his personal experiences with God. I think I need this book right now as life seems to be engulfing me. I need to reach out and take hold of Jesus’ hand and let Him guide me through it all. It is so easy to focus on our lives and feel like Jesus is a million miles away. He is right here though wanting to show us where he wants to take us. I needed to be reminded of that today! I needed to remember that I don’t have to find a way to make it all work but that He will show me what needs to truly be done and how to make it all work out. That’s about all for tonight. Sorry it is kind of long. I needed to get it out and now a feel much better. Have a great night!

Happy Birthday to my Man!

Tomorrow is my husband Tim's birthday.  He will be 37 years young.  He is my best friend and love of my life.  He has been a Marine for the past 18 years and still loves it.  He is also a terrific dad!   He is not a fan of big birthday celebrations but we will try to give him a special day.  His blog is www.homeschoolblogger.com/diversedad if you would like to get to know him better and maybe leave a birthday wish. I am sure he would love it! 

still unpacking

We are still unpacking!  It seems neverending.  We have gotten rid of so much over the last year that you would think it would be so much easier to unpack.  It is still time comsuming to get pictures hung, curtains hung, dishes washed and put away, and keep an eye on the young man who is convinced everything really belongs in the middle of the floor.    We are making great progress though and hopefully (cue to knock on wood)  we will be done by the end of the week.  We purchased a dehumidifier for our garage and we are hoping to bring the things we have in a storage locker home and save some money each month.  I don't have a long time to write but I did want to share a couple of pictures of the living room so far.  It is the one room that is looking realatively sane so I thought that would be the first one I took pictures of.

The next couple of pictures are of our entryway. 

We have great plans for the wall above the bookcases.  Hubby actually fell in love with some lampshades in the Pottery Barn.  I personally can't go against my husband liking something in PB.  So... we are getting these lampshades and some wall sconces. 

We are also buying an old atlas and framing pages from there and framing a bunch of pictures of my hubbys travels.  I am loving this idea becuase he has so many pictures and we never do anything with them.  I also love old maps so I am excited and it will be a fun project to do together.  I will post pics when we are done.  That's about all for now.  I will try to get with more pictures tomorrow.  We organized Tylers closet and his room is almost done so maybe I will get some pictures of that.  So long for now!

Exhausted!

 

 

We have now been in our new house for 4 full days.  We have almost everything out of the old house and just need to finish cleaning over there and unpacking here.  We are WORN OUT!  Thankfully the kids seem to be doing pretty well with the move.  Christian is doing very well considering that last time we moved it took him about six months to settle in.  He likes the carpeting in the living room a whole bunch and I think he likes having windows in his bedroom he can actually see out of.  Tyler is also adjusting well but I think he will be happier when everything in his room is organized.  We still have a lot of boxes to unpack and pictures to hang up.  The house is very nice.  The living room is bigger than our old one and feels much more comfortable.  We also have a really big master bathroom which is very nice.  Our new neighbors are super quiet and not home much so we haven't met them yet.  The house was a bit untidy when we first got here but yesterday housing sent over a cleaning crew and a man to clean the carpet.  They were all wonderful and considerate of our special kiddos.  It was a lot of help to me and everything is spic and span now.  I am hoping we can have the other house all cleaned up and keys turned in by Thursday so we can work this weekend on finishing up here and things can start to get back to normal.  Tim goes back to work on Monday and I am hoping to resume school on the 27th.  I am also hoping to have a "Back to Homeschool" party here in August if we are all settled in.  Tyler would like to have over some of the new friends he has made in the last couple of months.  He had a wonderful time on Saturday visiting some new friends while we were moving.  It is nice to see him be more comfortable around other children.  Thank you Ginger for inviting him!   I am sorry if this all sounds a little scattered.  I am soooo tired but wanted to catch everyone up.  I will have some pictures of the new house soon when it is set up a little more.  I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!  TTFN

Tomorrow we start moving

Tomorrow we pick up the keys to our newly renovated housing.  We are not moving most of our stuff until Saturday but we will at least get to start.  My hubby is going to go over in the morning and put in all the extra locks and gates and security measures to keep Christian safe in the house.  I am looking forward to at least starting to move things over as I don't do well be surrounded with boxes.  Today everyone seems very anxious about the move.  Tyler is way off of his routine and structure and it is making him hyper and feeling out of control.  Christian doesn't comprehend what is going on exactly but he can tell that change is in the air so he has been all over thth it all.  I think he is happy that we are a little more organizede place with his moods today.  I have a little bit of a nervous stomach ache but am doing pretty well over all.  Tim is doing fine wi in our move this time then we usually are.  We have moved 6 times in the last 13 years and most of them have been fairly chaotic so we are really hoping this one goes smoothly.  I am going to miss our current house a lot.  We have been here two years and have one of the quieter locations in base housing.  Our new house will be nice also I think.  We will have a little more room, a patio, and more closet space.  We are also still going to have a nice backyard which is nice for the boys.  I am hoping for great neighbors.  The house attached to us is occupied but we haven't seen anyone there yet and the house on the other side is empty.  I am praying for some great people to move in.   I will post some pictures of the house after we get settled in but for now here is one of the front.

I like the tan siding and green shutters.  The yard need some work but I am sure we will work on that soon.  I will send out the new address to family and friends in the next couple of days.  If you have a moment and would like to pray that this move goes well for us we would really appreciate it! 

Happy Birthday America!

 

 

 

 

 

'Tis fine to see the Old World and travel up and down

Among the famous palaces and cities of renown,

To admire the crumblyh castles and the statues and kings

But now I think I've had enough of antiquated things.



So it's home again, and home again, America for me!

My heart is turning home again and there I long to be,

In the land of youth and freedom, beyond the ocean bars,

Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.



Oh, London is a man's town, there's power in the air;

And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair;

And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome;

But when it comes to living there is no place like home.



I like the German fir-woods in green battalions drilled;

I like the gardens of Versailles with flashing foutains filled;

But, oh, to take your had, my dear, and ramble for a day

In the friendly western woodland where Nature has her sway!



I know that Europe's wonderful, yet something seems to lack!

The Past is too much with her, and the people looking back.

But the glory of the Present is to make the Future free--

We love our land for what she is and what she is to be.



Oh, it's home again, and home again, America for me!

I want a ship that's westward bound to plough the rolling sea,

To the blessed Land of Room Enough, beyond the ocean bars,

Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.



...Henry Van Dyke

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Independence Day.  I pray this country continues to be blessed by God and that we are a nation that honors Him as those who fought for the freedoms we now enjoy did.  I hope that as we all enjoy this day that we will remember to keep in our prayers our nations leaders that they may make decisions that glorify God.  We also need to remember those today in our military who sacrifice  much so that we can continue to be a free country.  Finally I pray that the God fearing people in this country will step up and be vigilant in the fight to keep America "One Nation Under  God".  I feel blessed to be an American and that God chose for me to born in this wonderful place.  I plan to spend tomorrow praising Him.   Have a super 4th of July and Happy Birthday America!