Treasured Moment

December 2013 Ron switched to a new company. We're so excited for him and all the opportunities he'll gain. His first project was in New York. Lucky guy! His hotel wasn't to far from Rockefeller Center and he was able to see the amazing Christmas tree. We're used to him traveling for work each week but this time it was a little different. It was the farthest he's been from home and we really missed him. I will always treasure the memory of pure joy when Jaxen came in and saw that Daddy was home. It was true happiness! 

Happy Thanksgiving 2013!

 Thanksgiving this year fell on Nov. 28th, 2013. We started our morning off with our tradition of banana bread and little thanksgiving turkeys for breakfast. Such a yummy way to begin the day. It's something we look forward too. Plus, the turkeys are so adorable. I love making them.

 We also like to watch the big parade while we eat our breakfast. Thanksgiving is a holiday that we like to just stay home for and relax throughout the day. It's a day that we don't rush through and put ourselves on a time limit. After the parade is usually the dog show and we'll leave that on as we get started on our dinner preparations.

 This year it was such a beautiful day out that the boys enjoyed playing outside in the backyard while we were getting dinner ready.

Kaeryn really wanted to help out this year. She was actually really excited to be a part of all the food preparations. She asked if she could be in charge of the mashed potatoes . She absolutely loves making mashed potatoes and doesn't mind the peeling part so she offered to peel the yams for me.

Ron is traditionally responsible for prepping and cooking the turkey. He has a way of making it taste extra yummy and delicious. We look forward to it every year. He will sometimes also make the rolls or bread. But we've been known to pick them up from the store too. I typically make and prepare the rest of the dishes. The yams or sweet potatoes, the stuffing, green beans, and of course the cranberries. One of my favorites. There's nothing like the sweet, tangy and tart flavor of cranberry sauce made from scratch. So so yummy!

After we're done eating dinner is when I typically start to make the pumpkin pies. That way it gives our full tummies plenty of time to settle so we can enjoy the yumy goodness of the pie. We finish off the day by watching Muppets Christmas Carol and setting up our christmas tree. It's such a fun way to end the day. My heart is always so full on Thanksgiving as well as my tummy. We have so much to be greatful for and I'm glad that I can share that with my family.

News For Jaden!

November 21st, 2013 will always be an important day for us. Some would say it would be a life changing day but for us it was more of a confirmation of what we already knew. As Jaden was getting closer to his third birthday it meant that his early intervention services were coming to an end and he would be turned over to the school district and other services available. But in order to proceed forward with that we needed to obtain an official diagnosis. So our service coordinator scheduled an appointment with a psychologist who specializes and is licensed in testing for Autism Spectrum Disorder. We met with a Dr. Cady. She was very welcoming and friendly. We talked a lot about Jaden's development and skills and various behaviors. Then she interacted with Jaden. When she was finished she went to another room to look through and put together all the information that was collected. After a short time she came back to discuss with us that Jaden does indeed have autism. It did not come as a surprise to us. We've suspected it from the beginning. We left there feeling calm and at peace rather than devastated and heart broken. We had a sense of relief rather than panic. We still have the same happy and healthy little boy we've always had. And while we know we still have challenges to face we're confident that we will make it through them. We feel good about it. Now we have a sense of direction and can get him the help that he needs. We will take what we've learned so far and will continue to learn as we move forward and grow. We look forward to the journey ahead. We love you always Jaden!

Happy Halloween 2013!

Halloween came and despite it being on a Thursday Ron brought Kaeryn and Tristan with him after being gone for the week. It was fun to have them with us to celebrate. Tristan dressed up as Robin Hood.

Jaden was another monster. It was just so adorable we couldn't pass it up.

Kaeryn was a plague doctor. This year she decided to not go trick or treating. Instead she wanted to hand out candy to all the kids trick or treating. Which was nice because it meant that both Ron and I could go with the boys.

Jaxen's costume made us smile. He spent most of the year talking nonstop about being Thor for Halloween. Even growing out his hair. When we finally go to get his costume he comes home a ninja. We had a good laugh and love that he is so excited for his costume. He couldn't wait to put it on.

We had a great Halloween this year. Chili, cornbread and root beer for dinner. We look forward to that every year. The boys had fun trick or treating. Even Jaden seemed to enjoy it. Although he was exhausted afterwards. While Jaxen was enjoying some of his treats Jaden just crashed on the big chair. So we tucked him in bed as we finished watching the last Harry Potter movie(another one of our favorite traditions). Such a fun way to start out the holiday season and I'm glad that we were able to be all together. 

Halloween Pumpkins 2013!

While Jaxen was busy carving I was helping Jaden with painting. I found these halloween Mickey and Minnie faces that we could stick on the pumpkins after the paint dried. It was a fun way to decorate our pumpkins. Jaden loves his Mickey Mouse pumpkin! I'm just glad and my heart is happy that we were still able to enjoy this fun family tradition. Going to the pumpkin patch and then carving and decorating our pumpkins together is a memory I will always treasure. Now we're ready to celebrate Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving and Decorating 2013!

 So the rule at our house has always been that if you want to carve your pumpkin you can. But you have to be the one that cleans and scoops it out. So we usually end up painting and decorating our pumpkins which has been just as fun.

 But this year Jaxen decided that he wanted to try his hand and carve his pumpkin. I reminded him of our rule and he still wanted to give it a go.

We still had plenty of time when we got home from the pumpkin patch so I got out our carving tools and let Jaxen go to work. He cut the hole in the top and scooped out all the seeds.

He was really enjoying himself and having fun as he started to carve holes for his pumpkin's face. I loved watching him create his masterpiece and seeing how proud he was when he finished his work.

I think he did a pretty good job for his first time.