Thursday, November 7, 2013

We've moved.....sort of.


Just so you know, this is not going to be a well thought out post.  I'm just writing off the top of my head because I feel like it.

We have moved....sort of.  We sold our house.  And we bought another one.  We have moved out of our old house, but we have not yet moved into the new one.  The people we bought the new house from are building a house and it won't be ready till December at the soonest.  So, we're renting it back to them and hanging out in a little 2 bedroom apartment until then. We'll all be really grateful when we get into the house and get truly settled in our new life.

The kids have started their new schools, and things are going so well with them.  We have never seen Aiden happier.  He's our kid who has had chronically struggled with his self esteem and has been bullied too.  Since he started his new school, he has come home every day with a smile on his face and even told me the other day that he feels "special".  It's one of those 'mom' moments when you want to just cry with joy.  I am overwhelmed with gratitude.  He has got a great teacher who really loves what she does, who truly cares about her students as individuals, and unifies her class.  It has made such a difference and I am more grateful than I can say. 

Emma is happy too.  She gets to ride the school bus again, and she just loves that.  Her class at school has a lot of girls in it.  She was really wishing for that.  Once we actually get to move into our house, she'll have a home where she doesn't have to go up or down any stairs to live her daily life.  No more falling down stairs!!!  wahoo!!!

Little Mary is always happy.  But we still need to find a new preschool for her. 

We are all happy and well.  I am grateful because it's the answer to years and years of prayer.  And what a blessing it is to know and feel how much our Heavenly Father loves us. 

Monday, April 8, 2013

I believe....

I have friends and family who are gay and lesbian.  They are wonderful people who I love very much.  I wish for them joy, and love and success in every aspect of their lives.  Sometimes,  it's okay to agree to disagree though.  So, I also believe in traditional marriage between a man and a woman. 

Those who speak of tolerance are on the right track.  But we must also remember that tolerance should be extended to those on both sides of an issue.  I am beginning to feel more and more that tolerance in our society is being encouraged mostly towards those who want to change the traditions of our society and the dictates of our religions.  I believe that tolerance should also apply to those of us who still believe in keeping things the same.

Whatever you believe, let's be kind and respectful to each other.

My kiddos


Wow. My kids are really growing up fast.  Aiden just turned 11, Emma just turned 8, and Mary is now 3.  Emma will be baptized in just a couple of weeks.  We are so excited for her and proud of her choice to follow the example of our savior. 

If you would like to attend her baptism, please let me know and I'll give you the details.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Until we meet again.


Just a few days before Thanksgiving, Bub's Grandma Cardwell passed away.  At Halloween, we were told that she had cancer.  So it went rather quickly.  We are glad she didn't have to suffer too much. 

She was as spunky as they come.  Her funeral was quite entertaining for that reason.  This is a picture I was drawing for her for Christmas.  Because I didn't get to give it to her, we framed it and displayed it at her funeral.  She was an amazing woman to me, who I admire a great deal.  She went through a lot of difficult things in her life, but kept going.  She had a style all her own, and an unforgettable personality.  We love her and miss her.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

In October Emma entered a poster contest at school.  She worked very very hard on her poster of "Thumbelina"  She is a budding artist.  She won "overall" in the whole school!  Here she is smiling very proudly with her poster and her award. Good Job Emma! We are so proud of you!

Emma's Special Need

The new charter school has been working well for the kids.  There are a lot of things I really like about it.  But there has still been an adjustment.  Our sweet Emma was feeling a little bit lonely.  She said the other kids in her 2nd grade class were nice, but all they said to her was "hi".  I wondered if maybe the other kids were a little scared by her disability.  A good friend of mine also has a daughter with a disability and told me that she has gone into her daughter's classes to talk to the kids about her and to tell them how to be a good friend to her.  Since teacher's are bound by privacy laws, they aren't allowed to tell the other students about a child's disabilities.  I'm a Mom, so I'm not bound by that law.  I talked to her teachers and they let us come in to talk to the class.  The kids were so cute and so sweet, and Emma felt like a star to have the whole class learning about her.  This is a letter we gave to the kids to take home to their parents:

Hi,
My name is Emma.  I was born with cerebral palsy.  That means that it's hard for me to make my body move the way I want it to.  Sometimes, I use a walker to help me get around.  I can walk without it, but I fall down a lot.

On the inside, I'm just a regular kid like you.  I'm smart, and I understand everything that's going on, and I understand everything you say to me.  It makes me happy when others are kind to me, and when people are mean or make fun of me, it hurts my feelings.

It might be hard for you to understand me when I talk because it's hard for me to make my mouth move the way I want it to.  It's okay for you to tell me if you don't understand what I'm saying.  That gives me a chance to try again and learn to talk better.

I am a really fun girl and I love to make friends.  I love to draw and dance and jump on my trampoline, and go fishing with my Dad.  I love fairies and barbies, american girl dolls, and legos.  I went to Disneyland on vacation and it is my favorite place to be.  I like lots of other things too.

I would love to be your friend.  You can be my friend by talking to me, or sitting by me, or playing with me.  Cerebral Palsy is not contagious, so you can't catch it from me like you catch a cold or something.

If you have any questions about me or about cerebral palsy, just ask me.  You can even have a grown up send an e-mail to my Mom.  Her address is ***************

I am excited to get to know you and I know we'll have a great year together in 2nd grade.

Love, Emma Fitch
 After our presentation Emma reported that she has lots of friends and that the boys especially try to help her by opening doors and getting her seat and things like that.  It turned out to be a real positive experience. 

Halloween 2012


Emma was Jessie from Toy Story, Mary was Tinkerbell, and Aiden was a "Skeleton Warrior"