Category: April

26
Apr
2012

I’m Cracking…

My kids crack me up! Which sometimes means they have brought me to the brink of insanity (Like…Wow, that woman has really cracked) and other times it means they make me laugh until my sides hurt. Today was more of the laughing until my sides hurt kind of cracking.

Daisy said three things that had me rolling, so I thought I would share. First she wakes up and comes downstairs to tell me, out of the blue, that she believes monkey bars should be made out of marshmallows. Why?? “Because then you wouldn’t get blisters.” Now, if this child had blisters right now it would make sense to me that she felt the need to come up with solutions. But…no blisters, just trying to solve the world’s problems, one at a time. Who knows, maybe she’ll come down one day and give us the answer to world hunger.

Next, Daisy wanted to pray for our dinner. I was excited because normally she won’t pray in front of others. Score one for spiritual growth, right? Wrong. Dinner was chicken stir-fry, which is important to know. Her prayer was that she hoped the chicken didn’t “get shoot” but just died of natural causes.

Last, but not least, after dinner one of the girls brought up Pirate’s Booty, which is one of their favorite snacks. It’s basically white cheddar popcorn. We had a guest with us who had never heard of Pirate Booty and asked what it was. Daisy, without a pause, replies straight-faced with “They take baby pirates, cut off their booties, and you eat them.” After a brief pause, the entire table erupted with laughter.

Now, I realize, you may not find these as funny as I did. It may be one of those I-guess-you-had-to-be-there kind of things, but I definitely wanted to remember them, and since my memory is not to be counted on, I decided to write them down. Feel free to share your funny kid stories in the comments below, because I know you “crack” up sometimes too!

20
Mar
2012

Home Again

categories: April

Jerilyn is home again. She is doing wonderfully. It makes me so uber-grateful for places like St. Joes that work with children that are struggling, providing the extra help they need to stabilize again. What a blessing!

She isn’t exhibiting any oppositional behaviors and, although happy at the hospital, she was also happy to come home. I had a meeting this afternoon with her Family Child Team the therapy case manager set up. The state department that has approved us for respite/habilitation services (DDD) was there as well. It was great, because we all know it takes a village to raise a child…and those of us who have special needs children know that it takes a village with tons of money and services as well!

I’m hoping some of the changes we are making around here will help keep Jerilyn in a good place emotionally. I made a huge

ChooseHappiness — I just liked this picture!

schedule mimicking the schedule at the hospital (color coded even…I know…you’re impressed.) We also have a music corner for her now. She is pretty amazing on musical instruments lately…she will teach herself to play a short piece by ear and then transfer it between the piano, recorder, xylophone, drums, and her keyboard.

I’m also excited because although we got approved for services, I hadn’t found the right fit and I think I may have now. I got a call today from a woman who sounds like a good fit. Heck, she even came right out and said that she wanted to let me know that she was a Christian who often prayed with her clients. Amen, Sister! Things are looking up. The pendulum is on the rise once again.

My other girls left for Florida this last weekend to spend Spring Break with their father. It’s always hard to see them go, but I’m jealous that they will get to go to the beach this week. 🙂 Actually, I will get to go to Florida to pick them up next weekend…so maybe I’ll get a glimpse myself.

Let me close with just saying thank you so much for all the prayers this last week…I know that they made the difference. May God bless YOU for your faithfulness.

15
Mar
2012

Readmitted

categories: April

So, let’s just go over the last week. A week ago tonight Misty was still here on her visit. Seems like much longer than a week ago, but this is what the calendar actually tells me. A week ago we were sitting in the family room around midnight talking about how we should go to bed since we had to get up to leave for the airport at 5:00am. Then I hear a crash and my mom screaming at me to come in the other room. Daisy had sleepwalked out of bed and slipped on the tile, busting open her chin.

Instead of going to sleep, I end up taking her to the emergency room where she gets four stiches. By the time I get back home it is now close to 3:30am and I probably don’t actually make it to sleep until close to 4:00am. A whole hour of sleep before I am waking up again to take Misty to the airport and Ainsley to school, because of course, she had a field trip that day where they had to be at school by 5:30am. I swear….never a dull moment around here!

Later that afternoon Jerilyn goes missing. For those of you who know my daughter, I’m sure it is no shock that she was wandering around outside of the boundaries I had set for her. However, this time, there was no finding her. After over an hour of us looking she reappears. She won’t tell me where she was or what she was doing. Of course, we reemphasize why disappearing is dangerous and why it worries us.

I straight up told her that if someone had taken you…in an hour, you could be out of Phoenix. By the time, the cops would be called and they would start looking for you, you could be out of the state. “Doesn’t that scare you?” Her answer is “No.” Well, of course it is no, one of the more difficult things for autistic children to grasp is stranger danger.

Anyways, three days in a row of her disappearing for long stretches of time, and I start running out of ideas. If my eyes aren’t on her constantly, she can give me the slip. When I found her on Saturday I told her that I didn’t know what to do to keep her safe. I told her we may have to go back to the hospital. She immediately began begging me to take her in. Saying she had wanted to go for a few weeks.

Honestly, this is when I know that I know that Jerilyn has needs bigger than what she can handle on her own and what I can help her through. When your child WANTS to be an inpatient, you know that they are crying out for help. She came home, went straight upstairs, packed her bag and came down with a lightness in her step I hadn’t seen in a while.

I honestly still hadn’t come to terms with whether I was taking her in or not, I was trying to process it. It’s such an emotionally hard decision to make. Unfortunately, Daniel is in Florida right now and logistically it can also be difficult to have her in, because I want to be able to visit her but the other girls wouldn’t be able to come. A visit ends up taking 2 – 3 hours out of the day. Anyway…these are the thoughts going through my head.

Thankfully, my mom who was scheduled to go back to California on Sunday night offered to stay the next couple weeks, which would make it easier to manage. I decided to call the hospital. I was told there was a four-page waitlist…FOUR PAGES! There is really only one other hospital in town that can take in children, so on Sunday we made our way over there to go through the ER and see if there was a bed available.

After an ER doc heard what had been going on (BTW – her running off was not the only thing going on that would qualify her for admittance) he agreed that she needed to be admitted, but they didn’t give me the feeling they actually had space for her there. While waiting in the room, St. Luke’s Behavioral Health Hospital called me and told me that they were holding a bed for her. This was the hospital that Jerilyn was in last time and they are familiar with her history. They managed to figure out a way for her to jump the end of the four-page list to the top and secure a spot for her. Praise God!

So, a mere 10 hours after arriving at the first hospital that day, she was finally admitted. Yes…that’s sarcasm. 🙂 For now, she is happy to be there. They are going to readjust her meds and hopefully we will see an end to some of the behaviors that are putting her in danger. She will also get around-the-clock care and therapy, which I’m hoping help heal the broken pieces no one but God understands.

Keep us in your prayers. Bipolar is not a kind or gentle illness and I want the best quality of life for Jerilyn and our family.

14
Mar
2012

Pendulum

categories: April

On my Hip, Hip, Hooray post I mentioned that life had had a lot of ups and downs lately. Hip, Hip, Hooray was one of the ups, now I’m going to tell you about one of the downs. In case you don’t know, my husband, Daniel, owns a Florida based business. It is a franchise, and the company came to him recently and told him that he couldn’t continue working from Arizona. They gave us five options, none of which were good.

This news literally came within 48 hours of finding out that Jerilyn had qualified for all of these services. My pendulum life strikes again. I had a mini breakdown…why right after we get this great news for Jerilyn and our family, do we have to get hit with the chance that we may have to give them all up and move back to Florida. Why, God? Wouldn’t it have been better for us to at least have been denied the services? Why would be so close to solutions for her, only to have to walk away from them?

I’ll admit, that I felt trapped in a lose-lose situation. On one side, these services offered hope for Jerilyn’s future….hope I haven’t had in a long while. These could be life changing for her and our family and there is NOTHING like it offered in Florida at all. On the other side, I have a husband who has invested his blood, sweat and tears into a business that is a big part of his identity and our retirement. I can’t ask him to walk away from that either.

Thankfully, I have a husband who loves God and who trusts him. We started praying. I kept thinking that there has to be another solution that we haven’t considered yet. There was and God revealed it to Daniel a few days later. Long story short, Daniel will maintain his Florida residency, traveling back and forth between the states and our family will be spending summers in Jacksonville. We’ve worked it out so we won’t have to be apart very frequently. We will kinda be like snowbirds, except both of our states are where true snowbirds flock to. 🙂

We had originally thought that Daniel could wait to head out there until summer, but there has been another snag with one of his employees and he has to leave now. The good news is that we have already been able to rehire for the open position and it is someone we have known for a while and are SO excited that she is coming on board. We think God is planning great things for this business!

Bad part is that we will be separated for a few months, so pray for us as I go back to the single mom life and Daniel is living a lonelier bachelor life (as opposed to the crazy chaos he is used to with us around!)

07
Mar
2012

Auntie April

categories: April, Family, Travel

Right now I am on a plane from Billings, Montana heading back to Phoenix. Julie, my wonderful sister,

and her family came down to Phoenix last week and left their two-year old, Genevieve, with us for a few extra days and then I brought her back to them this weekend. We were also able to meet Gracie for the first time, who is now six months old. Oh…I love being an aunt! They are so adorable. I just want to hug and squeeze them constantly. I love being “Auntie April.”

Traveling with Genevieve this last week reminded me of the physical toll little ones take on you though. I had happily forgotten the trauma of lugging around all the extra stuff they need. My baby is seven and she can carry her iPod all by herself, which is all she really wants these days. 🙂

It was nice to be able to go and see where Julie actually lives and just spend time together without feeling rushed. It’s hard to believe that my little sister is such an “adult” too…raising beautiful children and keepin’ it real with her great hubby, Getty. They live in Sheridan, Wyoming, which is two hours from Billings. So, I actually got to cross two states off of my “Never Been To” list. Montana and Wyoming. It is beautiful up there.

Julie and I went out and karaokeed it up last night. (Thanks Getty!) I can karaoke because I don’t embarrass easily, even though, if I had any self-respect, I would be embarrassed! Julie, on the other hand, should be on stage somewhere. We had a great time. Wish we lived closer to each other. It’s great to have sisters who are friends, don’t ya think?

Speaking of friends, though, my other piece of exciting news is that Misty is on a plane right now as well…heading out to Phoenix for a visit. I’m going to get to meet Valor in a few hours. I can’t wait! Another baby to hug and squeeze! Misty is only bringing Valor, so her three crazy beautiful girls won’t be with her this time. I’ll miss them, but maybe that means we will be able to carve out some time to sit down and really talk. This also means that I am going to force her to go somewhere quiet and actually write a blog post. You may not remember….but there is SUPPOSED to be a combination of three writers on this blog: Misty, Julie (I’m coming after you next, Girl) and I. It’s about time we see a post from Misty.

I’m also hoping to take Misty out for a much needed break! I’ll keep you posted. (Pun intended.)

16
Feb
2012

Bedtime Prayers

categories: April, Funny, God, Kids

Okay, I had to write this down just so I don’t forget it…since we all know how forgetful I am…or have you already forgotten that? If so, you are in good company. 🙂

Anyway, I wanted to pray with Ainsley and Daisy before they went to bed tonight so I asked them what their prayer requests were. I’m just going to write what they said or at least as close as I can get to remembering it.

Ainsley: “I want to pray for all our military families who are missing their loved ones. Especially for the kids without dads at home.” (This is the only predictable prayer request because Ainsley does seem to have a heart for the military, she is always praying for them…even at dinner.)

Daisy: “I want to pray for all the kids in foster care that they get nice families.”

Ainsley: (adding on to Daisy’s) “Especially Jada.” Jada is one of Ainsley’s friends in Florida in foster care.

Daisy: (adding to Ainsley’s adding to her request) “Yes, can Jada come live with us?”

Mom (Me): “Jada is with a loving family in Florida now.” (This is true! Thank you God!!)

Daisy: “I want to pray for all the people that have cancer….that they would get better.”

Ainsley: “I want to pray for The Foundation.”

—– Long Pause by all —-

Mom: “What Foundation?”

Ainsley: “Where people donate their things to other people that need them, like hearts, kidneys, body parts. Because those people are sacrificing themselves to give someone else a second chance.” (I know that most are not technically “sacrificing themselves” but that is what she said.) 🙂

Mom: “Okay, that’s a good one. Anything else?”

Daisy: “I want to pray for Carter, he’s been out of school for two days.” (Our first local prayer.)

Then the girls prayed for what they requested and went to sleep. I was laughing with Daniel about the randomness of their requests later and then I realized that we should all be more like children. They ask God for the big things…world changing things. They aren’t focused on themselves. They aren’t limiting God’s ability to do anything and everything…even cure cancer with this prayer.

I am a lucky mom to be raising these beautiful girls who inspire me to be the kind of person who thinks BIG when it comes to prayer! Don’t forget to take a few minutes and pray with your kiddos before bed. You may be surprised and inspired by what is on their hearts.

14
Feb
2012

Hip Hip Hooray!!

categories: April, Autism, God, Mothering

Hip Hip Hooray!! This last two weeks has been full of ups and downs…as my chaotic life is prone to be…and today I am going to tell you about the uppiest up of it all. Jerilyn qualified for services through the state of Arizona.

“Services….What are services?” you say.

Well, services include occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, habilitation (teaching life skills) and respite care. YES…respite care!! Oh and all of these services add up to about 90 hours a month!!

For those of you not in the special needs realm…respite care is basically babysitting or kid-sitting in Jerilyn’s case, which is not easy to find. I can’t just call up the local babysitter and expect them to be able to handle everything, especially on one of her off days. Our lives are going to be changing around here! I am so excited that I am sure I am overusing exclamation points….but it is a huge answered prayer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The best part about it for me is an infusion of HOPE. Hope for Jerilyn’s future. Hope for our family’s future. I’ve known for a LONG time that I am incapable of being all that Jerilyn needs. The needs surpass me and often overwhelm me. I am so excited for Jerilyn because she will now have a team of people who actually know what they are doing and can help her. My hope for Jerilyn is that she will grow into a young woman who understands her challenges, sets boundaries for herself and succeeds in life.

It can only help Jerilyn to feel surrounded by more people who love and accept her for who she is today, and believe in her ability to learn and face tomorrow. The other great piece of news that goes with this is that services, as needed, will follow her into adulthood here.

Thank you God for moving us to Arizona. Unfortunately all states are not created equal in this area. None of these services were even made available in Florida. Please pray that we are able to line up the right therapists as quickly as possible for her. Thank you!!

01
Feb
2012

How old do you have to be??

categories: April, God

I was told today that a young child could not make the eternal decision to accept Christ. Actually, it was a little more personal than that, because I was really told that I couldn’t have accepted Christ at the age of six. Yes, apparently another Christian feels that they can judge my salvation experience. What adds insult to injury to this is that it is someone very close to me.

I’m trying to figure out why this bothers me so much and it boils down to the fact that my encounter with God is discredited with one fell swoop of an opinion. I was told that a person truly couldn’t make a decision for Christ until they were 12 or 13 years old.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t find ANYWHERE in scripture where God says we have to be 12 or 13 before we can choose him. There is an often agreed upon term among theologians coined ‘The Age of Accountability’, which is basically the age that we are held responsible for our decision to either accept Christ as our Savior or deny him.

There is debate about what this age is, ranging from 13, because it’s the age for a Jewish barmitzva, up to 19, due to brain development. I personally believe that our age of accountability is a number only God knows. Our God is an individual God, he knows each one of us intimately. He knows our mental abilities to even understand our need for Him, along with our individual emotional and spiritual maturity.

However, even then, an Age of Accountability, signifies when someone is held responsible for making a decision, the term is not used to say it is the first moment someone can make a decision.

April.age7 — Yes, that's me from two angles just in case you wanted two angles...

I was only six years old when I asked Jesus to come live in my heart and forgive me of my sin. I remember so many details about the experience, which alone is rare, considering my memory or lack thereof. Honestly, this is probably the clearest memory I have in my childhood. I remember the Holy Spirit’s prompting and the feeling like I was going to jump out of my skin waiting for the invitational hymn to start. As soon as it did, I popped out of my seat and heading to the front pew. I had no doubts.

I sat there with my pastor and prayed. I immediately felt a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders and thrown as far as the East is from the West! I felt light and free. Even at six I was amazed because I couldn’t remember ever feeling that weight until, all of a sudden, it was gone.

I will NEVER forget that moment. You know what I love most about it? It is the fact that I never, ever question whether I was saved that moment. It’s as clear to me as the fact that the sun will rise tomorrow. It bothers me that someone I love is trying to tell me that it didn’t happen or didn’t “count” because I wasn’t a certain age.

I have walked with Jesus since I was six. I’ve not been perfect, but I’ve never strayed far either. I’ve always said that God has kept me on a short leash. I didn’t have to come back to God and re-decide. I was eternally grateful from the instant He saved me. Thank you God for OUR story….I love it and You! I just wish others wouldn’t box you in and limit what you can and will do in the life of a child.

24
Jan
2012

Happy Birthday Jerilyn!

categories: April

Jerilyn turned twelve this week. TWELVE! I wanted to offer a tribute to my beautiful daughter, so here is an acrostic poem to give you a quick glance at the young woman she is.

Jumpy

….and by jumpy I mean that this girl never stops moving. She is a daredevil whether she is jumping in the pool or jumping over fences.

Excitable

…just show her an animal or give her 2 seconds and she’ll find one herself!

Resourceful

…When Jerilyn wants to find something…she does.

Independent

…She is happy to take a walk by herself, exploring nature whether it’s 50 degrees outside or 115 degrees.

Lovely

…Jerilyn is such a pretty girl, growing into a lovely young woman.

Young at heart

…Jerilyn has a sweet way with younger children. They love to follow her lead as she often leads them in new adventures.

geNerous

…Jerilyn is very generous, always giving everything away to others. She loves to give gifts and see the joy in another’s eyes.

Happy Birthday Jerilyn!!

22
Jan
2012

A New Chapter

categories: April

A new chapter is opening up for me. I am beginning a new job. I’m still at the same company, but this new opportunity fits my skill set better, along with better income potential. The downside is increased travel. Poor Daniel.

Proof of the wonderful husband that I have though is that he told me to take it as long as it didn’t prevent me from continuing to write my book. Oh, have I mentioned I’m writing a book?? I am.

Writing a book is one of those things that I know God has called me to, I’ve known it for years, but I just didn’t know “when” or “what” I would be writing about. A couple months ago, I began praying asking God to give me some structure for the book. Structure is not something that comes naturally for me, so I knew I needed a revelation of His divine plan.

Well, one day, while I was reading in Ecclesiastes I came to the section I like to call the “A Time For Everything.” I’m sure you are familiar with it; a time to be born, a time to die, a time to mourn and a time to dance, etc.

I read through it once and I felt the Holy Spirit saying, read it again. So I read it again. I felt the urging to read it again. I did….this time slower and while I did God brought up ideas on how to connect my life experiences to the phrases. I knew right away God had given me the structure I needed to write the book. It still brings tears of thankfulness to my eyes knowing what a personal God I serve. He meets me where I am. I love Him so much!

I’m working on it, my goal is to have it finished by the end of 2012. I may occasionally post sections of it on here to get your feedback. Pray that I will be DILIGENT (my word for the year) in this pursuit as I press on toward my goal.