Her Hillbilly Highness

Here is a list of the five things that I have never done but would love to do in this lifetime. I look forward to reading yours!!

1. Sing live in front of an audience

2. Backpack through Europe with Alan

3. Go on a mission trip

4. Run a 5K the whole way through without stopping

5. Ride in a hot air balloon

We found the eraser! It was still in one piece and it was still yellow! Luckily Alan was the one to change the diaper. Whew!

It's so gross to have to look through your two-year old's poop for an eraser top that he swallowed yesterday. Just as I was telling Dr. B how great he was doing, too. I will keep looking until I find it, though! I might even take a picture if it turns up whole.....just kidding.

I am so glad that this week is coming to a close. It's been a really rough one!! The worst part......watching Riley swallow a whole eraser top. Luckily he didn't choke! Also, getting pulled over by a policeman going 50mph in a 30mph zone. He was very nice after I told him that I was sorry and I just wasn't paying attention. It seems that he appreciated that and let me go, sans ticket!! (This was after I joked to Erica on the phone that my angel wasn't paying attention......like the Citibank ad on tv.) No more jokes about higher beings.

The best part of my week........I am still waiting!


Riley smelling the floweys is definitely the best part!!!

God has smiled on me
He has set me free
God has smiled on me
He's been good to me.

I still have this song in my head after church today and I just wanted to write the words down and remember them. It's great to look back on your life and see how much you have and how blessed we ALL are. It's been a great weekend!

Saturday was a date day for Alan and I and we really had a fun time together. We started out by working out together since we missed a 5K that we really wanted to go to but couldn't get it quite worked out. We then ran some errands and shopped for some special people in our lives and then came home to get ready for the BIG event. Alan had been telling me for weeks that his company wanted him to represent them by going to an annual B-B-Q! Fun for all! He told me little about the occasion. All I knew was that there would be food and he could bring only me. It slowly turned from an afternoon picnic to an evening affair. That bugs me when you only know half the story until like an hour before! I had a guy (Michael Taylor) invite me to a "fraternity" function at Harding and I didn't know it was a western affair until I got there in my tight jeans and trendy blouse. Never have I felt more embarassed!! Anyways, we got to the B-B-Q, ate, took part in a silent auction, watched the live auction, and met two couples at our table. We actually talked to them and had a great time!

The next morning we got ready for church and I actually got to go to class and hear the sermon without kids. It was nice. Alan and I have not been to class much lately. It seems that we don't have a certain someone (Erica) watching over us and calling us asking, "We missed you at church today. Is everything okay?" I'm not ashamed to say that we were not making a great effort to go every Sunday. It IS very hard to go with a two and a half year old that doesn't understand not to scream or run down to the pulpit at any given chance, but from what I have seen lately.........we are not the only family that struggles with this. AND, it IS better to go and have to take them to the Cry Room than to not go at all. Now, I didn't come up with this insight all on my own. After class today, we were sort of approached by two of the sweetest and genuine women in our class that I really adore (one is the wife to that Harding guy!) that wanted to let us know that we were missed and they really wanted to see more of us. It was the "intervention" that we needed to decide that missing wasn't really an option anymore. It really made our day and it was such a nice feeling to know that some people really take notice and are making a difference in our church! Thank you, girls! You both are really amazing!

After that pick-me-up, we headed over to McKinney to The Olive Garden for a good 'ole birthday celebration for my mother. The kids were so happy to see us as were Nana and Poppy! Riley ate about ten breadsticks and Kylie ate her fettucini. We went to my parents house afterwards for cake, gifts,and visiting with family then made the journey home to prepare for Western Day tomorrow at Sunshine School!


So far, this week has been great!

I thought I would talk a little about what the kids are doing. Since I don't write this stuff down, when I have it on my mind I like to blog about it. Blogging is so cool. Here goes...

Kylie
Kylie is in love with drawing! She draws all day and all night, it seems. She will hear a story or watch something on tv and have to go draw about it. We love it when she brings us a drawing and tells us a long story on it.

She loves Groovy Girls! Ever since Kaylee gave her one for her birthday, she has been "collecting" them. She loves to pretend with them in her room and they also play with her Barbies!

She HAS to watch Max and Ruby when she wakes up. She is seriously in a bad mood until she gets this fix! I think this is how she has learned to be so bossy with Riley!

She will do anything for little Riles! She loves him and wants him to go with her wherever she goes. She follows him around and imitates what he is doing alot ! BUT, when she wants her alone time or sees that he is playing with her things, she will take them away, push him, tell him "no", whatever she has to do to get him to go away. He cries so hard and she really doesn't care. Quite a different little girl when she doesn't get her way!

She loves her nightly devotional and praying. This is really the sweetest part of the day. I love to hear her pray for things and really understanding about God and that HE is a part of our lives.

She makes up her bed and cleans her room daily! I love this part! She really tries to impress me with this and is a "neat freak"! She will also change clothes if she gets a drop of something on her. She normally changes clothes no less than twice a day. I am still working on her to put her clothes in the dirty clothes hamper, though.

When she doesn't get to do something or doesn't get her way, she will say or whine, "Ooohhh, I NEVER get to do that!" Not so cute!

Riley

Riley is learning that we won't give him anything unless he says the word or sign for it. He is trying so hard to communicate with us and doesn't get quite as frustrated as he used to be.

He is getting more independent every day. When we go to his Sunshine School class, he wants to carry his lunchbox and lets go of my hand when he sees the door. He will run toward the door and open it. Then he runs in and is pretty content to stay without me.......sometimes!

He loves his big boy bed. He gets right in and lays down for "night-night". Sometimes he wants a story, sometimes his veggie tales dolls are enough. I love it when Kylie wants to read a story to him.

He LOVES the computer! He is fascinated with it and is always pulling up screens and typing things on it. Don't be surprised if you get a faux email from me...it's probably Riles.

If we go a different way to school or someplace that he knows, he will cry! He knows which way we should go and will not settle. I usually have to talk him out of it and let him know that we are just going a different way but the same place. It doesn't take him long to dry up!

He loves to go 'datside" to play. He plays alot differently now. He will actually slide and loves to play in the little house. He also loves his red car. That is usually something that the kids fight over, though!

He says his ABC's soooo cute! I can't understand half of them but we know that he knows them all because Alan has been working with him. He would play a little game with Riley where Riley would say every third letter of the alphabet. It was so cute and so impressive. When Alan wants to work with him, he really responds!

He is getting so good at filling in the blanks! We say 1,2, and he always says "3". Or ready,set, and he says "go". Or he just busts out singing a song like Twinkle, Twinkle. We love to hear him say star. He says, "starry".

So those are just a little of what goes on around here on a typical week. Right now I am trying to find a school for Riles in the fall. They are all pretty much filled up and have a waiting list. We want him to continue the ABA Therapy since he is really responding to it. I also am waiting to see if the insurance is going to budge. It's a little frustrating but I know that something is going to work out.

Also, we are getting ready for the summer. Sunshine School will be out in two weeks and I think I'm going to be a little sad about that. Fortunately, I will get to work on VBS and that gives me something to look forward to. Also, Kylie will start swimming lessons and she is really excited about that.

I can't wait to look at this post a year from now and see how things have changed. I am learning that change is GOOD!

A couple of Easter pictures with Kylie in her goofy grin and Riles with his squinty eyes. I wish everyone could have seen them in person. They had a great day with all of the family and ate so much chocolate that they are still on a sugar high! Fun times!


















Cousin Hannah.....so cute!

Alan and I happened to catch an episode of How To Boil Water on Saturday morning and were mesmerized by what they were making. First of all, it was chicken and I am always looking for chicken recipes. Secondly, it was spicy and we love spicy! Lastly it looked great and easy to do. So, I cooked tonight, which I almost never do on Mondays and Thursdays because I am usually exhausted from spending the day with pre-kindergarteners!!

Anyways, it turned out really great and I highly recommend it if you are looking for a new recipe. Also, you can make it as spicy as you want. Here is the link to the chicken and pico de gallo.

I also made little corn muffins to go with it. They are Paula Dean's recipe and out of this world!

I will be posting more Easter pics tomorrow!! Baak-baak!

We have had a fun and busy Good Friday/Easter weekend round here. We actually accomplished most of the things on my list. The BIG task this weekend was painting mine and Alan's bedroom. The room was white with graffiti on the walls before we started. (Riley had gotten some blue and black dry-erase markers from his big sister!) I had wanted our bedroom painted for some time now and it is all finished and tan and beautiful! We couldn't have finished, however if Nana and Poppy hadn't taken the kids to eat lunch and to the park. It was a little easier getting things done without them tearing up the house or wanting me to wait on them hand and foot. Thank you so much, Nana and Poppy!




Next, Alan decorated Easter Eggs with the kids. Well, just Kylie. Riles was too busy playing with his new playdough. Alan is the perfect Easter Egg dyer. He is so patient with Kylie and it was so fun to watch the two of them having a great time dying eggs and putting stickers on them. He also had a big smile on his face while he was making the Star Wars eggs from the kit that I bought him. Such a little boy at heart!







We are really excited about tomorrow and the kids have new Easter outfits, courtesy of Meemaw and Peepaw. They look so sweet! I cannot wait to get a picture of them. I'm still up baking and we have to wake up really early for church and lunch with the family but I just had to get a story in. Here goes:

While I was at the store, Alan had tivo'd the Ten Commandments for he and I to watch later while the kids were in bed. Kylie came in while he was setting it up and she asked him, "Daddy, what are you watching?" He said, "It's a movie called the Ten Commandments." Kylie said, "Hmmm...Ten Commandments. I know those..... Don't steal, Remember the Worship Day, Don't kill........" The list goes on and on until she says all ten! We were really amazed at her. I mean, we knew she learned them in Sunday School, they learned motions too. But that was way before Christmas!! We were so proud that she still remembered them. Just when we were thinking that she should win the Nobel Prize, she hits us hard with this one. I was in the kitchen and she was watching me. We were making small talk and I started talking about Easter. I asked her if she knew who we were celebrating? "Do you know who rose from the dead?" "Yes! she said, The Easter Bunny!"

This weekend was a busy one for all of us. We sent the kids to Nana and Poppy's on Friday night while Alan took an antihistimine and I caught up on all my shows that I had missed during the week. Saturday was busy as Alan and I just happened to find a bed for Riley at a garage sale down the street. It's funny that we weren't even looking to put him in a twin bed for some time but then one just jumped out at us for less than half the price! Nice!

Then, we worked out for the first time in a while and went shopping with gift cards from Christmas and my birthday. I just love Belk! After that, Alan left to see college friends and spent the night in Fort Worth so they could get up and go to Nascar on Sunday morning. I spent the night with my parents and the kids in McKinney and was spoiled! My mom, Kylie, and I stayed up late and watched a movie while Poppy and Riley crashed. The next morning just the girls went to church at my hometown congregation which is so much bigger and in a different place now. The guest preacher that morning was the same one that married Alan and I some six years ago. He lives in Kentucky now and this was the first time that he had seen Kylie. It was good to see him and talk about how things have changed.

After church, we met my sweet sister in law, Carolyn for lunch at Christina's and had a nice lunch. Lots of girl time! After we left Nana and Poppy's, the kids and I went to the Stonebriar Mall. Ugh! So many unfriendly faces there and people that didn't want to move out of the way for a double stroller that squeaks. I have used that stroller until the wheels are about to fall off! But, I made my way to PBKids to get Riley some sheets and to The Gap to FINALLY buy him a belt because that is the only place I can find one for a little boy who's pants seem to always fall down.

Last stop was the grocery store before we finally made it home and the work was just beginning! I showed the kids Riley's new bed and they were so excited! Lots of wallering and jumping later, I decided at about 5:30 that I would take down Riley's crib. He seemed fine with it and even tried to help with the hammer a little bit! Alan and Uncle Choo called to say that they would be home around 9:00 and to keep the kids up. At about 9:45, two red faces and smelly boys walked through the door with dinner. Must I mention that Sunshine School was the next day and we were in no way ready for bed yet? We finally got Riles settled down and in his bed at 10:45 and he laid there with me and fell right to sleep! So much for transitions! He was right at home in that bed and loves it!




Needless to say that we are tired today and are chillin'. Today is the first day for a nap in the new bed and Kylie wanted to read him two books. He watched her and listened really well until he fell asleep halfway through the second book. She just HAD to finish it, though and we left him sound asleep. Pretty cool weekend!!

Don't be surprised if you hear more about autism than ever before when you turn on the television or read a magazine. April is autism awareness month and advocates are really trying to get the word out on this epidemic that is taking us by storm. The old statistic was 1 out of every 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism. Today,1 in every 166 children are diagnosed. That is 67 a day! It is the most serious childhood developmental disability today. If you are reading this right now, you know that our son, Riley, may possibly be one in 166. We do not have a diagnosis yet but he is getting therapy through Early Childhood Intervention. The good news is that through early detection and early intervention, research shows that he will gain signigficantly from therapy.




Riley is doing great in therapy and is communicating so much better with us. We have an appointment with a Developmental Pediatrician on May 2 so that she can guide us through Riley's development and make sure that we get all the tests needed for Riley to succeed. The only roadblock is that our new insurance will NOT pay for her services which are pretty hefty. The first appointment is $450. In fact, our insurance covers NO DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES!! Apparantly they need to learn the statistics and how serious autism can be.


On the Today Show this morning, Suzanne and Bob Wright, Chairman and CEO of NBC Universal were being interviewed. They founded the website Autism Speaks. Suzanne shared all the statistics and is very passionate about autism because her grandson was diagnosed with autism. The little boy was apparently talking and making major strides before he just went silent one day and they had no idea what was wrong. They were devastated because all they knew about autism was Rainman. Fortunately that is not what happened with Riley. He has always struggled to speak. Not that one scenario is better than another. I just think that if I had seen or heard Riley do or say something before, it would be so hard to see him shut down.

Build-A-Bear Workshop is partnering with Autism Speaks in order to raise money for research. If you buy a purple satin heart for $1, a proceed will go to the organization. They also have a purple bear who wears an Autism Speaks ribbon.

Also, Alan and I will be walking in a 5K June 3rd in Arlington called Walk Now, a fundraising and awareness event. I will have a homepage soon to raise donations for the walk and if we have some walkers out there, we would love to have you join us. Also, I will also keep posting on Riley's accomplishments. I can't wait to read them someday and actually see how far he has come!

I am so happy to report that Alan has gotten a promotion at work! It's long overdue but very welcomed! He has been working so hard and I am so happy that it has actually paid off. I'm very proud of him and look forward to not seeing him even more at home......just kidding, baby!

In other news, Alan and I met some friends for a night out this weekend. We hardly ever go out with another couple (we are loners) but had a great time catching up and laughing all night. The next day, I decided to treat myself to a spa pedicure and I much needed haircut. Both treatments were AWFUL!! The spa pedi was done by a guy who didn't speak ANY English! I had to end up telling the manager that I wasn't happy with my American pedicure because it was too light and he said, "Okay, I take five dollar off!" I said, "NO! I want it done right. If you can't do an American manicure the right way, then give me a French manicure!" It is good to note here that I almost NEVER complain at public places unless I am really feeling taken advantage of!! The American receptionist turned to me and said, "I don't blame you. That looks awful!" What is it with customer service these days???? Has it just gone out the window? I remember when I waited tables the customer was always right!! I guess it was because I worked for Americans. I'm sorry, I'm just really mad right now.

The other experience was when I went to get my hair cut. I didn't want to make an appointment with my regular hairdresser so I went down the street to a new place. The lady cut it and then said, "Do you want me to flip it up or curl it under?" I said, "I don't want you to flip it up OR curl it under". Thinking that she would just blowdry it straight, she didn't stop there. She called her sixteen year old daughter in to flat iron it which took about forty five minutes. So, I got to engage in lots of teenage talk. Fun. Alan liked the look but I am not sure that I want to do that every morning.

Saturday night we finally had my last birthday celebration with my family. I got lots of nice presents and got to spend some time with them. The kids also had a great time and showed off for everyone. Kylie cried when we had to leave. She really wanted to spend the night again. I can't wait for next weekend to get here. Daylight savings always messes up our sleep schedule and me and the kids are bearly hanging on today. After all, I did stay up and watch the final four game and celebration after Florida won. Now I'm sad that it's all over. What???????

Dear Fellow Bloggers,
Due to privacy concerns, we are changing the name of our homepage. I have tried to let you all know through email or your own blog. Sorry if I left anyone out!