Autism Carnival

Hi Garrett! Look who is clowning around.
Coming right up: one butterfly and one cheetah

BOUNCE or DIE

Hot, Tired, done goofing around, lets hit the snow cone shack

Thanks Sahara Cares for the great Autism Carnival. It was great to see all of the improvements and keeping everything in the shade was so great! WE loved the bounce houses, climbing walls, snow cones, and of course the face painting. Please keep up all the great work that you do for so many. We are all blessed by every one's willingness to volunteer and make things work!

Thumb Sucker

Yesterday's appointment: 13 weeks along. Almost to the magic 16 week mark...no more "ick". Anyway, baby was sucking his/her thumb. It was so dang cute! So cute in fact that I left the pictures at the doctors office. One of these days I'll bring my head home with me. Brain cells are being destroyed...watch out.

Words of a Child

Garrett: "Hey Mrs. Paquin, I need to talk to you."
Mrs. Paquin, "Yes, Garrett?"
Garrett--he then crossed his eyes and looked back at her.
Garrett: "Mrs. Paqin, now you have two friends."
Mrs. Paquin: giggle, snort.

I love my kids.

Reflection

Reflection. It can be an image found in a mirror, or something that shows the depth of your character, but today I am reflecting about my children.

As children grow they leave imprints on your heart. They leave imprints on your mind and in your soul. A child's love is deep, yet so simple. They love you despite all of your faults and they forever surprise you with their ideas, talents, and comments. When I'm having a difficult time, I simply pull out a memory from my pocket and laugh and smile. It is beautiful.

As a mother, I look my special children and pray the Lord is teaching me how to guide and how to teach them. I reflect on some of the brilliantly inspired parenting moments that we have had, and I ponder about the debotched parenting moments. What have I learned? OUR brilliant moments occur when I am doing the simple things: personal prayer, scripture study, thinking of others, and praying for others. When are the debotched moments? When I am impatient, hot tempered, or self obsorbed in one of my silly problems.

Children will help you to be a better person. They see the potential that Heavenly Father sees. I feel that children have an eternal perspective of who we are as parents. How many dads have ever been told that they are their children's heros? How many mommys have been told that they are the most loving person they've seen. Praise from a child is something to live up to. I think that it is a way that Heavenly Father has for us to get off our pitty pot and to gain an eternal perspective.

This week I vow to live the simple commandments: think of others, pray for others, read scriptures, take time to listen and to see what my children are doing, what they need, and what they are saying.

That is my Sunday Reflection...What will your reflection be about?

CODE ADAM!! We have a CODE ADAM!!

Store: Walmart
When: Sat
What: doing the Sat shopping...Saturday is a special day its the day we get ready for...
Who: all 7!

Mission: Hit the store and get out ASAP!
What actually happened???

Shopping, kids hanging off the basket, Scott at the Deli, push some more, look at the list; check, check, and check! We have it all.
Wait, Scott is at the Deli still, well, he'll meet us at the check out line. Look around, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 kids...CHECK! Burp! URP! oh oh! My tummy is not feeling "it" anymore!

Race to the check out. Full, Full, hey! One is open! Race over there. YES! get in and start unloading, milk, ice cream, wait get the lettuce out, just lift up the other drinks... beep beep beep. check. Where is Scott? He should have been here by now.

Pay, finish, hummm count 1, 2, 3, 4...where is number 5???? Race to the sides, look in the bathroom, check the "fun center" (really it is a torture center..Can I mom, NO!)
Finally, test the tummy...it is sick, and now the Spirit is telling me to send out the code!

"Attention Walmart shoppers, we have a CODE ADAM! It is a little girl 4 years old, purple pants, brown shoes..." Wait! Look, Wait, wait...

Suddenly the manager says, they have her. She is with your husband back in electronics...
Race to the back of the store. There she is, there Scott is...talk, help, talk, and suddenly, "hey Mister, is this your daughter?"
Scott: "Yes."
Walmart helper #2"Is this your daughter?"
Scott: "Yes"
Walmart helper # 7: Is this your daughter?"
Scott: "Yes"
Suddenly we got the strange feeling that the 7 walmart helpers are sizing Scott up to see how many of them its going to take to take him down.

It was time to leave the store. All is well, Virginia is safe...thanks Code Adam...