New Curtains...

 ***Just so you know, there is 2 other posts under this one***

So John has been asking since we moved in if I could do something about the sliding glass door, with vertical blinds. And it just wasn't a task I was ready to under take. The yesterday I was at Walmart and they were having a massive clearance on all sorts of things and I saw these valances for $7. So I picked them up. And put them up and loved the color that it bought the room. And was prepared to leave it at that for now. But when I showed John via webcam, he asked when I was going to take down the blinds and put up curtains in the place of the vertical blinds. So I thought and thought and came up with the idea to hang the curtains from the hooks of the vertical blinds saving me time and $$. Below is what I did. So I went back to Walmart today and bought the panels for $7 each as well.

The before picture (Actually taken half through the removing of the vertical blinds hence the section picture)

So I took of all the vertical blinds...

I bought these hooks at Walmart and decided to alter them. Bought 2 packages for $5 each

to look like this to make them possible to fit in the tab things on the vertical blind track.

I understand that its hard to see in this picture and the next one but between the two I hope that you can see and understand what I did. I fed the loop through the plastic tab and the rectangle thing at the bottom of the brown thing is a clip so I can hook the curtain up to it.

Since the window is 8 feet tall the curtains I bought for $7 were a little short so I took curtains I had bought in Hawaii, took the sewn on valance off and sewed it to the bottom making it long enough.

The curtain in the middle was the one I bought a few years ago in Hawaii and the bottom of the red curtains was sewn on the top of it. I should of take a picture. Sorry.

I am pretty proud of my revamped room all for $30, plus whatever I spent in Hawaii.

The Fun Since John Left

So a few weeks ago we went to a dog park. The kids have never been to one. Isaac loved all the dogs to play, run and jump with. He was excited that some dogs actually play fetch. It was quite funny actually Isaac was playing with everyone elses dog, but not playing with Scrappy.

 

Scrappy just hung out under the wagon the whole time. He was not a big fan of running, or playing. He was tired very early into the trip. And I think he was afraid he was going to be left there.

Noah hated the dog park. He was scared, like screaming his head off scared, of every dog that came by. Since he is so heavy, Rose held him for me. She loved the boys, and helps so much. I am going to be sad when she leaves in this spring for Afganistan too.

Then a few weeks later we went to an aquarium in Santa Barbara with Brad's kids, Paris and Garrett. It was actually pretty cool, kinda small, but not bad in price. You could touch almost everything and there was lots of hands on things.

I touched that in attempts to get the kids to touch it. Funny, Paris was the only one that got even relatively close, but she didn't even get close enough to reach it.

Rose indugling my need for goofy pictures Thanks Rose!!

That is Paris' hand touching that star fish, the boys once again were not having it!

Thanks Brad for being a good sport!! It did take a bit more conviencing for him to pose.

These whales hanging from the ceiling were cool

Model of a dolphin and its insides

The water to pet those things were FREEZING!!

New Preschool

Isaac started a new preschool back in Mid-Jan. This is a speech intensive school that is specifically for kids that fall on the autistic spectrum. Some days he doesn't really want to go, but most days he is begging me to go play at school. These are pictures of his first day, and he got to ride the bus!!

Waiting for the bus...it was pouring rain. And of course the bus was late, and I wasn't sure of the bus stop

He could barely wait for the bus. I don't know if you can tell but he is running to the bus.

It is weird to me that he rides in a car seat. But I am sure it is safer

Swimming up Stream

I know, I know, I know! I have been neglecting my blog alot lately, but to be honest I just feel like I am swimming up stream and barely able to keep my head above water some days. I have amazing family and friends that are helping me get thru, but some days it just hard. I have been trying to cling to the hope of priesthood blessing promised. Drag myself along with knowledge that this too shall pass. But some days its alot. We have had a rough year so far. With John leaving suddenly, Noah and Drs that can't make up there minds. I get use to one diagnosis and they change their minds, and with the struggles of 6 hrs of therapy, preschool, relief society callings, 4 specialist, MRIs, brain scans, and so much more.
Within in 2 weeks I was told that Noah had downbeat nystagmus, which I was told was a symptom of a neurological condition, and to see a neurologist. Then one week later I was told he had ataxic cerebral palsy. And that the neurologist would confirm it. We saw the neurologist a few days later, and she told me that he probably had some rare genetic disease, that they would do this extensive genetic test, in which they drew 4 vials of blood from my baby's arm. And then a few days later she EMAILED me to tell me that she has looked at his MRI from 6 months ago, and she found that he has a pineal cyst on the top of his brainstem. And now they had to do a High Definition MRI specifically looking at that area of the brain. She assured me that this kind of cyst are completely benign, and generally are not a problem, infact many people have them and never even know it. But the problem is when they cause symptoms. And since that is even why they found it, well I am terrified!! She won't say much as to what the next step will be, which is not good for me since I am a planner, I am a doer, and I am a mother!! I have faith that I can handle anything that is thrown my way. But I feel like I can't plan, or do anything for him. And as I am sure that as any mother knows, all you want to do is make everything better!! And if it could get any worse, I have to deal with it without JOHN!! I do have an amazing ward. I called one person to come sit with me the night that I go the email and within an hour 5 people were at me house, cooking, doing the dishes, taking care of the kids, and giving us blessings. My mother and mother in law have offered to come help me through it all. And I have talked with those people in John's command to see if we can get him home for all this. They would like to wait and see what the MRI shows. So we wait...Sometimes when it rains it pours. And I am just looking for the break in the clouds. They are coming soon, I know this. And I am looking ahead for the sunshine.