Search This Blog

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Another year has come and gone already and what a year it has been! I’m not going to rehash all the major events that happened in this country since last Christmas (I’ll leave that to CNN & VH1) but I’d be happy to give you a rundown of the Molzer Family’s major events for 2008.

Medically speaking, we’ve had a great year; no surgeries or hospital stays in 2008 (Yea!). Though it took a while, Cainan recovered from his disastrous tonsillectomy he had last year at exactly this time. He has continued to grow and amazes us everyday. He’s so tall and looks very much like a little boy these days and not our jolly little toddler from just a year ago. He talks up a storm and, while his vocabulary and communication skills have hugely improved, it’s still very difficult to actually understand his words. He’s working on that though; he’s very motivated to be understood and pretty patient about repeating himself and/or incorporating signs until we get what he’s saying. He’s continuing in pre-school and he loves, loves, loves it! This will be his last year for pre-school as he’ll moving into Kindergarten next year!

Asher has had a very eventful year. We’ve always known he was a sensitive kid but we learned earlier this year that there’s actually a “disorder” and treatment for kids like him who are really sensitive; it’s called Sensory Integration Dysfunction. He’s been seeing an occupational therapist since June and what a huge difference it has made in all our lives. He’s so much calmer and less fearful of things. He can relax a lot easier and we’ve learned how to give him the kind of attention he needs to make progress. He’s such a delight and sweetheart! He also started pre-school this year and attends the same class as Cainan. It was really a blessing that he could attend with his brother as this allowed him to make a smooth transition and enjoy the classroom experience. He’s more willing to try anything if he sees Cainan do it first. Cainan even participates in Asher’s therapy for that very reason, so that’s helped a lot.

Both the boys are so much fun! Joe and Heather are really enjoying their time with them through these toddler days. We recently got back from a family trip to Disneyland (in case our Christmas card didn’t give that away). That was at the

beginning of November and the boys still talk about Disneyland every day. They will talk your ear off about all they saw and did. It was a great family vacation and we had tons of fun! We have lots of pictures linked to our website at www.molzerfamily.com.

Moving on to Joe…he is still working with SkyWest as a supervisor but hoping to make a transition to another opportunity soon. In the spring he hired an instructor to teach him to drive big rigs and he obtained his CDL in an amazingly short time! He hopes to operate large equipment for BLM or similar work. He will be very excited to take a break from the customer service business for a little while.

Heather is still with the police department. She was able to attend a great training this year on Forensic Video Analysis and hopes to continue next year with more training. In July she and the boys were in two car accidents, a week apart. The second was a drunk driver who fled the scene (later caught). Thankfully, there were no major injuries (Praise the Lord!). The boys are fine (other than a brief fear of car rides). Heather has a herniated disk in her neck and may have to have surgery in the next year or so. She’s still recovering but doing very well!

God is so good! We had a wonderful, blessed year! We hope you all had a great year, too. We wish the best for you and your family in the next!

Joe, Heather, Cainan and Asher

Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Another year has come and gone already and what a year it has been! I’m not going to rehash all the major events that happened in this country since last Christmas (I’ll leave that to CNN & VH1) but I’d be happy to give you a rundown of the Molzer Family’s major events for 2008.

Medically speaking, we’ve had a great year; no surgeries or hospital stays in 2008 (Yea!). Though it took a while, Cainan recovered from his disastrous tonsillectomy he had last year at exactly this time. He has continued to grow and amazes us everyday. He’s so tall and looks very much like a little boy these days and not our jolly little toddler from just a year ago. He talks up a storm and, while his vocabulary and communication skills have hugely improved, it’s still very difficult to actually understand his words. He’s working on that though; he’s very motivated to be understood and pretty patient about repeating himself and/or incorporating signs until we get what he’s saying. He’s continuing in pre-school and he loves, loves, loves it! This will be his last year for pre-school as he’ll moving into Kindergarten next year!

Asher has had a very eventful year. We’ve always known he was a sensitive kid but we learned earlier this year that there’s actually a “disorder” and treatment for kids like him who are really sensitive; it’s called Sensory Integration Dysfunction. He’s been seeing an occupational therapist since June and what a huge difference it has made in all our lives. He’s so much calmer and less fearful of things. He can relax a lot easier and we’ve learned how to give him the kind of attention he needs to make progress. He’s such a delight and sweetheart! He also started pre-school this year and attends the same class as Cainan. It was really a blessing that he could attend with his brother as this allowed him to make a smooth transition and enjoy the classroom experience. He’s more willing to try anything if he sees Cainan do it first. Cainan even participates in Asher’s therapy for that very reason, so that’s helped a lot.

Both the boys are so much fun! Joe and Heather are really enjoying their time with them through these toddler days. We recently got back from a family trip to Disneyland (in case our Christmas card didn’t give that away). That was at the

beginning of November and the boys still talk about Disneyland every day. They will talk your ear off about all they saw and did. It was a great family vacation and we had tons of fun! We have lots of pictures linked to our website at www.molzerfamily.com.

Moving on to Joe…he is still working with SkyWest as a supervisor but hoping to make a transition to another opportunity soon. In the spring he hired an instructor to teach him to drive big rigs and he obtained his CDL in an amazingly short time! He hopes to operate large equipment for BLM or similar work. He will be very excited to take a break from the customer service business for a little while.

Heather is still with the police department. She was able to attend a great training this year on Forensic Video Analysis and hopes to continue next year with more training. In July she and the boys were in two car accidents, a week apart. The second was a drunk driver who fled the scene (later caught). Thankfully, there were no major injuries (Praise the Lord!). The boys are fine (other than a brief fear of car rides). Heather has a herniated disk in her neck and may have to have surgery in the next year or so. She’s still recovering but doing very well!

God is so good! We had a wonderful, blessed year! We hope you all had a great year, too. We wish the best for you and your family in the next!

Joe, Heather, Cainan and Asher

xmas1

Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Another year has come and gone already and what a year it has been! I’m not going to rehash all the major events that happened in this country since last Christmas (I’ll leave that to CNN & VH1) but I’d be happy to give you a rundown of the Molzer Family’s major events for 2008.

Medically speaking, we’ve had a great year; no surgeries or hospital stays in 2008 (Yea!). Though it took a while, Cainan recovered from his disastrous tonsillectomy he had last year at exactly this time. He has continued to grow and amazes us everyday. He’s so tall and looks very much like a little boy these days and not our jolly little toddler from just a year ago. He talks up a storm and, while his vocabulary and communication skills have hugely improved, it’s still very difficult to actually understand his words. He’s working on that though; he’s very motivated to be understood and pretty patient about repeating himself and/or incorporating signs until we get what he’s saying. He’s continuing in pre-school and he loves, loves, loves it! This will be his last year for pre-school as he’ll moving into Kindergarten next year!

Asher has had a very eventful year. We’ve always known he was a sensitive kid but we learned earlier this year that there’s actually a “disorder” and treatment for kids like him who are really sensitive; it’s called Sensory Integration Dysfunction. He’s been seeing an occupational therapist since June and what a huge difference it has made in all our lives. He’s so much calmer and less fearful of things. He can relax a lot easier and we’ve learned how to give him the kind of attention he needs to make progress. He’s such a delight and sweetheart! He also started pre-school this year and attends the same class as Cainan. It was really a blessing that he could attend with his brother as this allowed him to make a smooth transition and enjoy the classroom experience. He’s more willing to try anything if he sees Cainan do it first. Cainan even participates in Asher’s therapy for that very reason, so that’s helped a lot.

Both the boys are so much fun! Joe and Heather are really enjoying their time with them through these toddler days. We recently got back from a family trip to Disneyland (in case our Christmas card didn’t give that away). That was at the

beginning of November and the boys still talk about Disneyland every day. They will talk your ear off about all they saw and did. It was a great family vacation and we had tons of fun! We have lots of pictures linked to our website at www.molzerfamily.com.

Moving on to Joe…he is still working with SkyWest as a supervisor but hoping to make a transition to another opportunity soon. In the spring he hired an instructor to teach him to drive big rigs and he obtained his CDL in an amazingly short time! He hopes to operate large equipment for BLM or similar work. He will be very excited to take a break from the customer service business for a little while.

Heather is still with the police department. She was able to attend a great training this year on Forensic Video Analysis and hopes to continue next year with more training. In July she and the boys were in two car accidents, a week apart. The second was a drunk driver who fled the scene (later caught). Thankfully, there were no major injuries (Praise the Lord!). The boys are fine (other than a brief fear of car rides). Heather has a herniated disk in her neck and may have to have surgery in the next year or so. She’s still recovering but doing very well!

God is so good! We had a wonderful, blessed year! We hope you all had a great year, too. We wish the best for you and your family in the next!

Joe, Heather, Cainan and Asher

xmas3

Entry for December 15, 2008

Okay, I promised myself I would not let a month go by between posts but look what’s happened! My last entry was a summary of our trip to Disneyland in early November, now it’s just 10 days ‘til Christmas! My only excuse is that we’ve been tremendously busy and nothing huge has happened to blog about.

We had a wonderful, uneventful Thanksgiving with family. Everyone got along and dinner was great. The boys loved playing with their cousins and as far as I could tell, there were no underlying tensions between the adults. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to be together and visit.

We’ve been going non-stop with work, school for the boys, therapy appointments, meetings with teachers, church, Christmas shopping, etc. It seems like every minute is packed these days. I’ve been trying to preemptively prepare for New Years at Running Y. This is our largest and longest event yet. I believe I’ll be taking care of 17 people for five days. That’s a lot of cooking and organizing. I’ve already got four of the main meals prepped and frozen—that took me almost an entire weekend. I’ve been working on lists and lists of things to organize: who’s staying in which bedroom and which chalet; what to bring for us; what to bring for the boys; grocery lists of things to buy; lists of already prepared food to bring; ahhhh! It’s a lot, but I love it, too. I like being able to provide a great time for so many.

The boys are enthralled with the season and the weather. They’re very excited about Christmas this year as they’re both old enough to understand most of the concepts. They’re looking forward to Santa Claus bringing them presents. Everyday they ask me if today is Christmas. Asher has also made the connection that Jesus’ birthday and Christmas are one and the same and he uses the terms interchangeably. Cainan will ask if today is Christmas and Asher will ask if today is Jesus’ birthday. They want to have cake and open presents to celebrate his birthday.

Asher is such a sponge! He amazes me, not only with what he retains, but with his ability to make abstract conclusions from that information. When we were talking about Jesus’ birthday he told me yesterday that Jesus made the snow on the ground and Jesus can get rid of the monsters in their room (of course, there aren’t monsters but it helps him to know if there were, Jesus is bigger and stronger than them); he knows Jesus loves him and takes care of him.

Just this morning, as we were carefully driving to the babysitter’s house I was explaining that we have to go slow because of the snow. I told them it’s very cold and slick like ice. Then Asher tuned up and said in his little two year old voice, “Yah. We have to put salt on it so it won’t be swippery.” I’m sure, at some point, Joe or I mentioned that salt helps melt ice—the fact that he not only remembered that obscure information but was able to connect it with the snow being slippery like ice just blew me away. That boy is soooo smart! He comes up with something like that daily and I just can’t get over it most of the time.

It’s so nice to realize that, though we’re busy, we all happy and healthy. I’m grateful that none of us has been terribly ill. The boys haven’t even had colds this year—a big change from last year! We’ve had no surgeries, no hospital stays, very few medical appointments. It’s been such a relief.

I will go ahead an make another entry with our Christmas letter. Our cards and letters are on their way. In case you can’t wait or for some reason you subscribe to our blog but I don’t have your address, you can read the letter here. And I’ll try not to let another month go by between posts!

Entry for December 15, 2008

Okay, I promised myself I would not let a month go by between posts but look what’s happened! My last entry was a summary of our trip to Disneyland in early November, now it’s just 10 days ‘til Christmas! My only excuse is that we’ve been tremendously busy and nothing huge has happened to blog about.

We had a wonderful, uneventful Thanksgiving with family. Everyone got along and dinner was great. The boys loved playing with their cousins and as far as I could tell, there were no underlying tensions between the adults. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to be together and visit.

We’ve been going non-stop with work, school for the boys, therapy appointments, meetings with teachers, church, Christmas shopping, etc. It seems like every minute is packed these days. I’ve been trying to preemptively prepare for New Years at Running Y. This is our largest and longest event yet. I believe I’ll be taking care of 17 people for five days. That’s a lot of cooking and organizing. I’ve already got four of the main meals prepped and frozen—that took me almost an entire weekend. I’ve been working on lists and lists of things to organize: who’s staying in which bedroom and which chalet; what to bring for us; what to bring for the boys; grocery lists of things to buy; lists of already prepared food to bring; ahhhh! It’s a lot, but I love it, too. I like being able to provide a great time for so many.

The boys are enthralled with the season and the weather. They’re very excited about Christmas this year as they’re both old enough to understand most of the concepts. They’re looking forward to Santa Claus bringing them presents. Everyday they ask me if today is Christmas. Asher has also made the connection that Jesus’ birthday and Christmas are one and the same and he uses the terms interchangeably. Cainan will ask if today is Christmas and Asher will ask if today is Jesus’ birthday. They want to have cake and open presents to celebrate his birthday.

Asher is such a sponge! He amazes me, not only with what he retains, but with his ability to make abstract conclusions from that information. When we were talking about Jesus’ birthday he told me yesterday that Jesus made the snow on the ground and Jesus can get rid of the monsters in their room (of course, there aren’t monsters but it helps him to know if there were, Jesus is bigger and stronger than them); he knows Jesus loves him and takes care of him.

Just this morning, as we were carefully driving to the babysitter’s house I was explaining that we have to go slow because of the snow. I told them it’s very cold and slick like ice. Then Asher tuned up and said in his little two year old voice, “Yah. We have to put salt on it so it won’t be swippery.” I’m sure, at some point, Joe or I mentioned that salt helps melt ice—the fact that he not only remembered that obscure information but was able to connect it with the snow being slippery like ice just blew me away. That boy is soooo smart! He comes up with something like that daily and I just can’t get over it most of the time.

It’s so nice to realize that, though we’re busy, we all happy and healthy. I’m grateful that none of us has been terribly ill. The boys haven’t even had colds this year—a big change from last year! We’ve had no surgeries, no hospital stays, very few medical appointments. It’s been such a relief.

I will go ahead an make another entry with our Christmas letter. Our cards and letters are on their way. In case you can’t wait or for some reason you subscribe to our blog but I don’t have your address, you can read the letter here. And I’ll try not to let another month go by between posts!

Entry for December 15, 2008

Okay, I promised myself I would not let a month go by between posts but look what’s happened! My last entry was a summary of our trip to Disneyland in early November, now it’s just 10 days ‘til Christmas! My only excuse is that we’ve been tremendously busy and nothing huge has happened to blog about.

We had a wonderful, uneventful Thanksgiving with family. Everyone got along and dinner was great. The boys loved playing with their cousins and as far as I could tell, there were no underlying tensions between the adults. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to be together and visit.

We’ve been going non-stop with work, school for the boys, therapy appointments, meetings with teachers, church, Christmas shopping, etc. It seems like every minute is packed these days. I’ve been trying to preemptively prepare for New Years at Running Y. This is our largest and longest event yet. I believe I’ll be taking care of 17 people for five days. That’s a lot of cooking and organizing. I’ve already got four of the main meals prepped and frozen—that took me almost an entire weekend. I’ve been working on lists and lists of things to organize: who’s staying in which bedroom and which chalet; what to bring for us; what to bring for the boys; grocery lists of things to buy; lists of already prepared food to bring; ahhhh! It’s a lot, but I love it, too. I like being able to provide a great time for so many.

The boys are enthralled with the season and the weather. They’re very excited about Christmas this year as they’re both old enough to understand most of the concepts. They’re looking forward to Santa Claus bringing them presents. Everyday they ask me if today is Christmas. Asher has also made the connection that Jesus’ birthday and Christmas are one and the same and he uses the terms interchangeably. Cainan will ask if today is Christmas and Asher will ask if today is Jesus’ birthday. They want to have cake and open presents to celebrate his birthday.

Asher is such a sponge! He amazes me, not only with what he retains, but with his ability to make abstract conclusions from that information. When we were talking about Jesus’ birthday he told me yesterday that Jesus made the snow on the ground and Jesus can get rid of the monsters in their room (of course, there aren’t monsters but it helps him to know if there were, Jesus is bigger and stronger than them); he knows Jesus loves him and takes care of him.

Just this morning, as we were carefully driving to the babysitter’s house I was explaining that we have to go slow because of the snow. I told them it’s very cold and slick like ice. Then Asher tuned up and said in his little two year old voice, “Yah. We have to put salt on it so it won’t be swippery.” I’m sure, at some point, Joe or I mentioned that salt helps melt ice—the fact that he not only remembered that obscure information but was able to connect it with the snow being slippery like ice just blew me away. That boy is soooo smart! He comes up with something like that daily and I just can’t get over it most of the time.

It’s so nice to realize that, though we’re busy, we all happy and healthy. I’m grateful that none of us has been terribly ill. The boys haven’t even had colds this year—a big change from last year! We’ve had no surgeries, no hospital stays, very few medical appointments. It’s been such a relief.

I will go ahead an make another entry with our Christmas letter. Our cards and letters are on their way. In case you can’t wait or for some reason you subscribe to our blog but I don’t have your address, you can read the letter here. And I’ll try not to let another month go by between posts!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Entry For November 14, 2008


So, as promised, a more detailed entry for our family vacation to Disneyland...


I have to say, Disneyland is one of my favorite places in the world--for me it truly is a magical place. The last day, when we were leaving and I mentioned to Joe that I really wanted to shop more, he just stopped the stroller and looked at me. "Okay, where's my wife and what have you done with her?" he asked. Mind you, this was after experiencing four days with me in both amusement parks and seeing a decidedly different side of me than usual. "Don't you know we're in Disneyland?" I said. "This is a place where the world as you know it is in reverse. I'm perpetually happy; I'm have patience without limit--even with cranky, tired toddlers; I am an iron man (woman) when it comes to walking; I can endure 14 hours in the park without complaint; and I like to shop. It's a magical kingdom." He just shook his head.


We had a wonderful four days. Joe was a little sick but my endurance made up for it as I was able to do a lot more with the boys. As expected, Asher was afraid to ride most everything. He would cry, scream and through fits, but I made him ride some things I knew he would like. And of course, he did like them once he got on and realized it wasn't a death trap. I purposely didn't put him on anything that would frighten him. So, we pushed his limits and he enjoyed himself. The one exception to that was Pirate's of the Caribbean, but he still enjoyed it and even went on it a second time a few days later. He ended up riding Dumbo, the Merry-go-round, the train, the monorail, Buzz Light Year's Astro Blaster, Mark Twain's Steamboat, Autopia, and Finding Nemo submarine ride. We did most of those more than once. His favorites were the treehouse (that he climbed about 10 times with me or Joe in tow) and Autopia (he loved to drive, even though it gave us all whiplash).


Cainan was tall enough to do some of the more exciting rides. In addition to those we went on with Asher, Cainan rode Thunder Mountain Railroad a couple times, Star Tours, Space Mountain a couple times, Splash Mountain, the Haunted House and Soaring Over California twice (in California Adventure). He loved all of them. His favorite ride was Pirates of the Caribbean, which he wanted to ride at least once each day. He likes to sing the pirate song now (yo, ho, ho!).


On Friday, when we first got there, we noticed they were building sets and were already decorated for Christmas. I was very glad for the Christmas decorations; I figured we would miss that by a couple weeks and it makes the park even more beautiful looking. We found out the sets were for their Christmas Special that they were recording the next day and would air on Christmas day.


So on Saturday when we arrived there were several live performances and events planned for the day. It was not previously advertised since it was not for the guests--it was for the taping of their special. So, the park was not over crowded at all. We missed the Jonas Brother at 8:00 AM (we got the the park at 9:00), not that it really hurt my feelings. We did watch Jose Feliciano perform Feliz Navidad and we got to watch the Christmas parade. I don't believe we were in any of the shots, but I'll be watching Christmas day to find out. We also saw Ryan Seacrest on the main stage MCing the event. It was a nice bonus to the trip.


That night, our friend Mark and his daughter came over to babysit the boys for us. Joe and I got to go out and celebrate our 8th anniversary. We rode the roller coaster in California Adventure then headed over to Disneyland. We had a wonderful dinner at the Blue Bayou, which included a pirate ship dessert made out of all edible parts. It was very nice to have some times to ourselves and celebrate our marriage.


In addition, on Monday, I was walking through the park and got stopped by their dream team (this is their "Year of a Million Dreams"). I won four dream fast passes for our whole family. This was a pass that let us go to the fast pass line of about 8 different rides in Disneyland as well as California Adventure. Their was no time limit on the Fast Pass, we could use it throughout the whole day. It was perfect for us because that happened to be our last day and we planned on pushing hard and staying late; plus it was also the more crowded day; and it included rides we could take Asher on like Autopia and Buzz Light Year, as well as bigger rides for Cainan like Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Space Mountian and Roger Rabbit. That's really how he got to ride most things twice.


In California Adventure we took the boys to their live production of Playhouse Disney. They loved it! It's interactive and they got to dance along and play with characters from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny and My Friends Tigger and Pooh. It was a big hit.


On the last day of our trip we took the boys to Newport beach for an hour. That was wonderful! They have only been to the Oregon coast in Brookings and Asher is deathly afraid of the ocean. Cainan likes to run from the waves but the water is soooo cold and the waves are big. He's been overtaken a time or two. Southern Cal beaches are a whole other story.


It was flat, the water was warm and clear(er) and the waves were minimal. Cainan, literally, ran for the entire hour we were there, laughing, waving his harms and having a blast. Within 20 minutes, even Asher was running in the water and letting the little waves hit him. They both loved it and it was hard to leave when we had to head for the airport.



I got some great pictures of Disneyland and the beach. We also had our pictures taken in the park several times by their photographers. One of our pictures, which will be our Christmas picture this year) was chosen by the photographers as picture of the day. They told us when we went to view/buy our photos. They said we didn't get anything for that, but it was posted in their employee break room and had been chosen out of all the pictures as the best for that day (I think the photographer gets a prize or something). Anyway, I was glad to come away with a good family shot that had some Christmas and Disney element in it. All the photos are posted at Photobucket http://s440.photobucket.com/albums/qq121/molzer77/Disneyland%202008/?albumview=slideshow and of course, the videos are at youtube.com. Search for molzer77.

Entry For November 14, 2008


So, as promised, a more detailed entry for our family vacation to Disneyland...


I have to say, Disneyland is one of my favorite places in the world--for me it truly is a magical place. The last day, when we were leaving and I mentioned to Joe that I really wanted to shop more, he just stopped the stroller and looked at me. "Okay, where's my wife and what have you done with her?" he asked. Mind you, this was after experiencing four days with me in both amusement parks and seeing a decidedly different side of me than usual. "Don't you know we're in Disneyland?" I said. "This is a place where the world as you know it is in reverse. I'm perpetually happy; I'm have patience without limit--even with cranky, tired toddlers; I am an iron man (woman) when it comes to walking; I can endure 14 hours in the park without complaint; and I like to shop. It's a magical kingdom." He just shook his head.


We had a wonderful four days. Joe was a little sick but my endurance made up for it as I was able to do a lot more with the boys. As expected, Asher was afraid to ride most everything. He would cry, scream and through fits, but I made him ride some things I knew he would like. And of course, he did like them once he got on and realized it wasn't a death trap. I purposely didn't put him on anything that would frighten him. So, we pushed his limits and he enjoyed himself. The one exception to that was Pirate's of the Caribbean, but he still enjoyed it and even went on it a second time a few days later. He ended up riding Dumbo, the Merry-go-round, the train, the monorail, Buzz Light Year's Astro Blaster, Mark Twain's Steamboat, Autopia, and Finding Nemo submarine ride. We did most of those more than once. His favorites were the treehouse (that he climbed about 10 times with me or Joe in tow) and Autopia (he loved to drive, even though it gave us all whiplash).


Cainan was tall enough to do some of the more exciting rides. In addition to those we went on with Asher, Cainan rode Thunder Mountain Railroad a couple times, Star Tours, Space Mountain a couple times, Splash Mountain, the Haunted House and Soaring Over California twice (in California Adventure). He loved all of them. His favorite ride was Pirates of the Caribbean, which he wanted to ride at least once each day. He likes to sing the pirate song now (yo, ho, ho!).


On Friday, when we first got there, we noticed they were building sets and were already decorated for Christmas. I was very glad for the Christmas decorations; I figured we would miss that by a couple weeks and it makes the park even more beautiful looking. We found out the sets were for their Christmas Special that they were recording the next day and would air on Christmas day.


So on Saturday when we arrived there were several live performances and events planned for the day. It was not previously advertised since it was not for the guests--it was for the taping of their special. So, the park was not over crowded at all. We missed the Jonas Brother at 8:00 AM (we got the the park at 9:00), not that it really hurt my feelings. We did watch Jose Feliciano perform Feliz Navidad and we got to watch the Christmas parade. I don't believe we were in any of the shots, but I'll be watching Christmas day to find out. We also saw Ryan Seacrest on the main stage MCing the event. It was a nice bonus to the trip.


That night, our friend Mark and his daughter came over to babysit the boys for us. Joe and I got to go out and celebrate our 8th anniversary. We rode the roller coaster in California Adventure then headed over to Disneyland. We had a wonderful dinner at the Blue Bayou, which included a pirate ship dessert made out of all edible parts. It was very nice to have some times to ourselves and celebrate our marriage.


In addition, on Monday, I was walking through the park and got stopped by their dream team (this is their "Year of a Million Dreams"). I won four dream fast passes for our whole family. This was a pass that let us go to the fast pass line of about 8 different rides in Disneyland as well as California Adventure. Their was no time limit on the Fast Pass, we could use it throughout the whole day. It was perfect for us because that happened to be our last day and we planned on pushing hard and staying late; plus it was also the more crowded day; and it included rides we could take Asher on like Autopia and Buzz Light Year, as well as bigger rides for Cainan like Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Space Mountian and Roger Rabbit. That's really how he got to ride most things twice.


In California Adventure we took the boys to their live production of Playhouse Disney. They loved it! It's interactive and they got to dance along and play with characters from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny and My Friends Tigger and Pooh. It was a big hit.


On the last day of our trip we took the boys to Newport beach for an hour. That was wonderful! They have only been to the Oregon coast in Brookings and Asher is deathly afraid of the ocean. Cainan likes to run from the waves but the water is soooo cold and the waves are big. He's been overtaken a time or two. Southern Cal beaches are a whole other story.


It was flat, the water was warm and clear(er) and the waves were minimal. Cainan, literally, ran for the entire hour we were there, laughing, waving his harms and having a blast. Within 20 minutes, even Asher was running in the water and letting the little waves hit him. They both loved it and it was hard to leave when we had to head for the airport.



I got some great pictures of Disneyland and the beach. We also had our pictures taken in the park several times by their photographers. One of our pictures, which will be our Christmas picture this year) was chosen by the photographers as picture of the day. They told us when we went to view/buy our photos. They said we didn't get anything for that, but it was posted in their employee break room and had been chosen out of all the pictures as the best for that day (I think the photographer gets a prize or something). Anyway, I was glad to come away with a good family shot that had some Christmas and Disney element in it. All the photos are posted at Photobucket http://s440.photobucket.com/albums/qq121/molzer77/Disneyland%202008/?albumview=slideshow and of course, the videos are at youtube.com. Search for molzer77.

Entry For November 14, 2008


So, as promised, a more detailed entry for our family vacation to Disneyland...


I have to say, Disneyland is one of my favorite places in the world--for me it truly is a magical place. The last day, when we were leaving and I mentioned to Joe that I really wanted to shop more, he just stopped the stroller and looked at me. "Okay, where's my wife and what have you done with her?" he asked. Mind you, this was after experiencing four days with me in both amusement parks and seeing a decidedly different side of me than usual. "Don't you know we're in Disneyland?" I said. "This is a place where the world as you know it is in reverse. I'm perpetually happy; I'm have patience without limit--even with cranky, tired toddlers; I am an iron man (woman) when it comes to walking; I can endure 14 hours in the park without complaint; and I like to shop. It's a magical kingdom." He just shook his head.


We had a wonderful four days. Joe was a little sick but my endurance made up for it as I was able to do a lot more with the boys. As expected, Asher was afraid to ride most everything. He would cry, scream and through fits, but I made him ride some things I knew he would like. And of course, he did like them once he got on and realized it wasn't a death trap. I purposely didn't put him on anything that would frighten him. So, we pushed his limits and he enjoyed himself. The one exception to that was Pirate's of the Caribbean, but he still enjoyed it and even went on it a second time a few days later. He ended up riding Dumbo, the Merry-go-round, the train, the monorail, Buzz Light Year's Astro Blaster, Mark Twain's Steamboat, Autopia, and Finding Nemo submarine ride. We did most of those more than once. His favorites were the treehouse (that he climbed about 10 times with me or Joe in tow) and Autopia (he loved to drive, even though it gave us all whiplash).


Cainan was tall enough to do some of the more exciting rides. In addition to those we went on with Asher, Cainan rode Thunder Mountain Railroad a couple times, Star Tours, Space Mountain a couple times, Splash Mountain, the Haunted House and Soaring Over California twice (in California Adventure). He loved all of them. His favorite ride was Pirates of the Caribbean, which he wanted to ride at least once each day. He likes to sing the pirate song now (yo, ho, ho!).


On Friday, when we first got there, we noticed they were building sets and were already decorated for Christmas. I was very glad for the Christmas decorations; I figured we would miss that by a couple weeks and it makes the park even more beautiful looking. We found out the sets were for their Christmas Special that they were recording the next day and would air on Christmas day.


So on Saturday when we arrived there were several live performances and events planned for the day. It was not previously advertised since it was not for the guests--it was for the taping of their special. So, the park was not over crowded at all. We missed the Jonas Brother at 8:00 AM (we got the the park at 9:00), not that it really hurt my feelings. We did watch Jose Feliciano perform Feliz Navidad and we got to watch the Christmas parade. I don't believe we were in any of the shots, but I'll be watching Christmas day to find out. We also saw Ryan Seacrest on the main stage MCing the event. It was a nice bonus to the trip.


That night, our friend Mark and his daughter came over to babysit the boys for us. Joe and I got to go out and celebrate our 8th anniversary. We rode the roller coaster in California Adventure then headed over to Disneyland. We had a wonderful dinner at the Blue Bayou, which included a pirate ship dessert made out of all edible parts. It was very nice to have some times to ourselves and celebrate our marriage.


In addition, on Monday, I was walking through the park and got stopped by their dream team (this is their "Year of a Million Dreams"). I won four dream fast passes for our whole family. This was a pass that let us go to the fast pass line of about 8 different rides in Disneyland as well as California Adventure. Their was no time limit on the Fast Pass, we could use it throughout the whole day. It was perfect for us because that happened to be our last day and we planned on pushing hard and staying late; plus it was also the more crowded day; and it included rides we could take Asher on like Autopia and Buzz Light Year, as well as bigger rides for Cainan like Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Space Mountian and Roger Rabbit. That's really how he got to ride most things twice.


In California Adventure we took the boys to their live production of Playhouse Disney. They loved it! It's interactive and they got to dance along and play with characters from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny and My Friends Tigger and Pooh. It was a big hit.


On the last day of our trip we took the boys to Newport beach for an hour. That was wonderful! They have only been to the Oregon coast in Brookings and Asher is deathly afraid of the ocean. Cainan likes to run from the waves but the water is soooo cold and the waves are big. He's been overtaken a time or two. Southern Cal beaches are a whole other story.


It was flat, the water was warm and clear(er) and the waves were minimal. Cainan, literally, ran for the entire hour we were there, laughing, waving his harms and having a blast. Within 20 minutes, even Asher was running in the water and letting the little waves hit him. They both loved it and it was hard to leave when we had to head for the airport.



I got some great pictures of Disneyland and the beach. We also had our pictures taken in the park several times by their photographers. One of our pictures, which will be our Christmas picture this year) was chosen by the photographers as picture of the day. They told us when we went to view/buy our photos. They said we didn't get anything for that, but it was posted in their employee break room and had been chosen out of all the pictures as the best for that day (I think the photographer gets a prize or something). Anyway, I was glad to come away with a good family shot that had some Christmas and Disney element in it. All the photos are posted at Photobucket http://s440.photobucket.com/albums/qq121/molzer77/Disneyland%202008/?albumview=slideshow and of course, the videos are at youtube.com. Search for molzer77.

disneyphotoimage2

Entry for November 11, 2008


Just a quick entry today to get some of the details out there from our wonderful vacation. I'm on the condo computer, so I don't have a way to post a picture on this entry. I will have plenty at photobucket when we get back though.

Our trip to Disneyland was wonderful. The boys are at a good age and they both had a blast. Our friends Mark and his daughter, Jenny, babysat the boys Saturday night so Joe and I could go out and celebrate our 8th anniversary. We went to California Adventure and rode some adult rides. That roller coaster (California Screamin'), is simply the best. Then we had dinner reservations at Blue Bayou, the restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean. I had the cajun salmon and Joe had braised beef ribs. The food was incredible and so was the atmosphere. We ended the evening with some rides at Disneyland.

We have the rest of today to spend at the beach and then we are off to the airport tonight. The boys are sad to be leaving Disneyland. They loved every bit of it and were really on their best behavior considering how hard we pushed them for four days straight. I will have lots of details on the next entry including pictures.

Let me just leave you with this final thought: Cainan's favorite character is Mickey Mouse and Asher's...mommy (I slipped him some candy for that answer--just kidding!)

Entry for November 11, 2008


Just a quick entry today to get some of the details out there from our wonderful vacation. I'm on the condo computer, so I don't have a way to post a picture on this entry. I will have plenty at photobucket when we get back though.

Our trip to Disneyland was wonderful. The boys are at a good age and they both had a blast. Our friends Mark and his daughter, Jenny, babysat the boys Saturday night so Joe and I could go out and celebrate our 8th anniversary. We went to California Adventure and rode some adult rides. That roller coaster (California Screamin'), is simply the best. Then we had dinner reservations at Blue Bayou, the restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean. I had the cajun salmon and Joe had braised beef ribs. The food was incredible and so was the atmosphere. We ended the evening with some rides at Disneyland.

We have the rest of today to spend at the beach and then we are off to the airport tonight. The boys are sad to be leaving Disneyland. They loved every bit of it and were really on their best behavior considering how hard we pushed them for four days straight. I will have lots of details on the next entry including pictures.

Let me just leave you with this final thought: Cainan's favorite character is Mickey Mouse and Asher's...mommy (I slipped him some candy for that answer--just kidding!)

Entry for November 11, 2008


Just a quick entry today to get some of the details out there from our wonderful vacation. I'm on the condo computer, so I don't have a way to post a picture on this entry. I will have plenty at photobucket when we get back though.

Our trip to Disneyland was wonderful. The boys are at a good age and they both had a blast. Our friends Mark and his daughter, Jenny, babysat the boys Saturday night so Joe and I could go out and celebrate our 8th anniversary. We went to California Adventure and rode some adult rides. That roller coaster (California Screamin'), is simply the best. Then we had dinner reservations at Blue Bayou, the restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean. I had the cajun salmon and Joe had braised beef ribs. The food was incredible and so was the atmosphere. We ended the evening with some rides at Disneyland.

We have the rest of today to spend at the beach and then we are off to the airport tonight. The boys are sad to be leaving Disneyland. They loved every bit of it and were really on their best behavior considering how hard we pushed them for four days straight. I will have lots of details on the next entry including pictures.

Let me just leave you with this final thought: Cainan's favorite character is Mickey Mouse and Asher's...mommy (I slipped him some candy for that answer--just kidding!)

dscf1080

Entry for November 4, 2008


As you might guess, Halloween can be a tricky time for our family. I, personally, love Halloween. I love the dressing up and trick or treating, but…I have a son with PWS. I vividly remember after getting the diagnosis (over the phone-but that’s another story) that I got on-line and googled PWS. I was devastated to learn what the condition was. Some of my first thoughts were: How can he ever lead a normal life? How will he be able to spend the night at friends’ houses? What will Thanksgiving and Christmas be like? What about Halloween? He’ll never be able to trick or treat.


We’ve all come a long way since those days and the first response to that devastating news. We’ve dressed up and gone trick or treating every year since he’s been born. It’s never been an issue and when it is, we’ll change our tactics. What’s great about trick or treating for our family is that we all like to dress up, and while the candy is nice, it’s mostly about getting out and seeing people. Cainan is a social butterfly and holding his bag open while he says trick or treat is part of the experience, he doesn’t really seem to care about the candy that gets dropped into the bag. He just really likes talking to people and showing off his costume. The trick or treating is just a side note and an excuse to start talking to someone.


So, Friday night, we all dressed up. Joe and I met Ron downtown and we took the boys trick or treating at the Medford Halloween celebration. It was perfect weather; very fall like, blustery but not cold. We went from store to store, letting the boys say trick or treat and show off for all the shop keepers who were enjoying their dressed up patrons. In actuality, the boys got very little candy. I let Cainan and Asher pick one treat to have with their snacks that night, and we’ve done one each evening as part of their snack. The 30 calorie mini Musketeer or 20 calorie sucker is not going to hurt Cainan’s diet and he’s so thrilled by the treat. I will be throwing the rest out in the next day or so, but at least, he got to feel like a “normal kid” for a brief time. For the most part, he still doesn’t know he’s different from anyone else and I relish these days that he is innocent and care free.


Cainan was absolutely thrilled to dress up as Dr. Jones. We took him in Friday morning to snap a few pictures with Dr. Jones. I dressed him up in a nice Tommy Hilfiger button down shirt, some khaki pants and Ralph Lauren Polo shoes. He had a stethoscope and I completed his costume with a turquoise bracelet. He wore a white lab coat, just so he would be more recognizable as a doctor, even though Dr. Jones doesn’t wear a coat (don’t want to give kids that white coat phobia sometimes associated with unpleasant experiences at the doctors office).


Asher, although he would never talk about it, accepted his Thomas the Tank Engine costume without hesitation when the time came to dress up. Joe had an engineer’s hat that just put the whole thing over the top for cuteness because it was about 5 sizes too big and kept falling down over his eyes. He was darling.


Joe and I dressed up in our 70’s gear, afro and all. All the pictures are posted at: Photobucket.com/molzer77

Entry for November 4, 2008


As you might guess, Halloween can be a tricky time for our family. I, personally, love Halloween. I love the dressing up and trick or treating, but…I have a son with PWS. I vividly remember after getting the diagnosis (over the phone-but that’s another story) that I got on-line and googled PWS. I was devastated to learn what the condition was. Some of my first thoughts were: How can he ever lead a normal life? How will he be able to spend the night at friends’ houses? What will Thanksgiving and Christmas be like? What about Halloween? He’ll never be able to trick or treat.


We’ve all come a long way since those days and the first response to that devastating news. We’ve dressed up and gone trick or treating every year since he’s been born. It’s never been an issue and when it is, we’ll change our tactics. What’s great about trick or treating for our family is that we all like to dress up, and while the candy is nice, it’s mostly about getting out and seeing people. Cainan is a social butterfly and holding his bag open while he says trick or treat is part of the experience, he doesn’t really seem to care about the candy that gets dropped into the bag. He just really likes talking to people and showing off his costume. The trick or treating is just a side note and an excuse to start talking to someone.


So, Friday night, we all dressed up. Joe and I met Ron downtown and we took the boys trick or treating at the Medford Halloween celebration. It was perfect weather; very fall like, blustery but not cold. We went from store to store, letting the boys say trick or treat and show off for all the shop keepers who were enjoying their dressed up patrons. In actuality, the boys got very little candy. I let Cainan and Asher pick one treat to have with their snacks that night, and we’ve done one each evening as part of their snack. The 30 calorie mini Musketeer or 20 calorie sucker is not going to hurt Cainan’s diet and he’s so thrilled by the treat. I will be throwing the rest out in the next day or so, but at least, he got to feel like a “normal kid” for a brief time. For the most part, he still doesn’t know he’s different from anyone else and I relish these days that he is innocent and care free.


Cainan was absolutely thrilled to dress up as Dr. Jones. We took him in Friday morning to snap a few pictures with Dr. Jones. I dressed him up in a nice Tommy Hilfiger button down shirt, some khaki pants and Ralph Lauren Polo shoes. He had a stethoscope and I completed his costume with a turquoise bracelet. He wore a white lab coat, just so he would be more recognizable as a doctor, even though Dr. Jones doesn’t wear a coat (don’t want to give kids that white coat phobia sometimes associated with unpleasant experiences at the doctors office).


Asher, although he would never talk about it, accepted his Thomas the Tank Engine costume without hesitation when the time came to dress up. Joe had an engineer’s hat that just put the whole thing over the top for cuteness because it was about 5 sizes too big and kept falling down over his eyes. He was darling.


Joe and I dressed up in our 70’s gear, afro and all. All the pictures are posted at: Photobucket.com/molzer77

Entry for November 4, 2008


As you might guess, Halloween can be a tricky time for our family. I, personally, love Halloween. I love the dressing up and trick or treating, but…I have a son with PWS. I vividly remember after getting the diagnosis (over the phone-but that’s another story) that I got on-line and googled PWS. I was devastated to learn what the condition was. Some of my first thoughts were: How can he ever lead a normal life? How will he be able to spend the night at friends’ houses? What will Thanksgiving and Christmas be like? What about Halloween? He’ll never be able to trick or treat.


We’ve all come a long way since those days and the first response to that devastating news. We’ve dressed up and gone trick or treating every year since he’s been born. It’s never been an issue and when it is, we’ll change our tactics. What’s great about trick or treating for our family is that we all like to dress up, and while the candy is nice, it’s mostly about getting out and seeing people. Cainan is a social butterfly and holding his bag open while he says trick or treat is part of the experience, he doesn’t really seem to care about the candy that gets dropped into the bag. He just really likes talking to people and showing off his costume. The trick or treating is just a side note and an excuse to start talking to someone.


So, Friday night, we all dressed up. Joe and I met Ron downtown and we took the boys trick or treating at the Medford Halloween celebration. It was perfect weather; very fall like, blustery but not cold. We went from store to store, letting the boys say trick or treat and show off for all the shop keepers who were enjoying their dressed up patrons. In actuality, the boys got very little candy. I let Cainan and Asher pick one treat to have with their snacks that night, and we’ve done one each evening as part of their snack. The 30 calorie mini Musketeer or 20 calorie sucker is not going to hurt Cainan’s diet and he’s so thrilled by the treat. I will be throwing the rest out in the next day or so, but at least, he got to feel like a “normal kid” for a brief time. For the most part, he still doesn’t know he’s different from anyone else and I relish these days that he is innocent and care free.


Cainan was absolutely thrilled to dress up as Dr. Jones. We took him in Friday morning to snap a few pictures with Dr. Jones. I dressed him up in a nice Tommy Hilfiger button down shirt, some khaki pants and Ralph Lauren Polo shoes. He had a stethoscope and I completed his costume with a turquoise bracelet. He wore a white lab coat, just so he would be more recognizable as a doctor, even though Dr. Jones doesn’t wear a coat (don’t want to give kids that white coat phobia sometimes associated with unpleasant experiences at the doctors office).


Asher, although he would never talk about it, accepted his Thomas the Tank Engine costume without hesitation when the time came to dress up. Joe had an engineer’s hat that just put the whole thing over the top for cuteness because it was about 5 sizes too big and kept falling down over his eyes. He was darling.


Joe and I dressed up in our 70’s gear, afro and all. All the pictures are posted at: Photobucket.com/molzer77

dscf1073

Entry for October 28, 2008

Yesterday I got to take the boys to their occupational therapy appointment—something I haven’t gotten to participate in, in several months. The only appointments our OT therapist has open are during times that I work, so Joe has been taking Asher. Cainan comes along, because he actually helps Asher, and it’s good for him too. Let me explain.



Part of Asher’s sensory issues have to do with his awareness of his own body, what it’s doing and how it feels in space. As a result, Asher is very, very wary of many activities, especially those that involve movement or putting himself in an unfamiliar environment. Cainan, on the other hand, is fearless. So, when we’re trying to get Asher to do a new activity, we’ll ask Cainan to do it first. For some reason, Asher doesn’t trust any of us if he sees us doing the activity, but if he sees his brother doing it, then he realizes it must not be deadly and he will try it also. As a result, they both benefit from the OT.



Anyway, as I was saying, I had not gotten to go to the therapy sessions since the very first few when we first started taking Asher. It was so amazing to see his progress first hand. Both the boys love going to Lynn’s (our OT) and Asher is very comfortable with the games they play and activity she chooses for him. We’ve seen the improvements at home, of course, but I hadn’t seen him interacting with Lynn. He was amazing. He was active and confident. He tried new things and had a blast. Cainan interacted too, until he got tired. I took some video of Asher using the swing—one of his favorite activities. I’m hoping it will make a real difference when we go to Disneyland in a few weeks. Last time, he was afraid to ride just about anything because he was so fearful of the movement, sounds, lights, etc. I’m hoping all his therapy will help him to handle the sensory input at the “Happiest place on Earth” and we can all enjoy the park together.



The boys are very excited about our upcoming trip, but last time Asher would hardly ride anything without being terrified and clinging to one of us or crying. We’ve really been talking this trip up and he’s been going to OT since June, so I’m hopeful he will enjoy the park as much as his brother—who loves every bit of it.



I’m glad to see Asher’s made so much progress with his OT. I’m grateful we have insurance that will cover it because it’s had a dramatic affect on him. There’s no way we would have been able to get him this service if we had to pay out of pocket. As much as my heart’s desire is to be a stay at home mom, I’m extremely grateful for the income and benefits my job affords our family. Now if I could just figure out a way to become independently wealthy, I could have both!

Entry for October 28, 2008

Yesterday I got to take the boys to their occupational therapy appointment—something I haven’t gotten to participate in, in several months. The only appointments our OT therapist has open are during times that I work, so Joe has been taking Asher. Cainan comes along, because he actually helps Asher, and it’s good for him too. Let me explain.



Part of Asher’s sensory issues have to do with his awareness of his own body, what it’s doing and how it feels in space. As a result, Asher is very, very wary of many activities, especially those that involve movement or putting himself in an unfamiliar environment. Cainan, on the other hand, is fearless. So, when we’re trying to get Asher to do a new activity, we’ll ask Cainan to do it first. For some reason, Asher doesn’t trust any of us if he sees us doing the activity, but if he sees his brother doing it, then he realizes it must not be deadly and he will try it also. As a result, they both benefit from the OT.



Anyway, as I was saying, I had not gotten to go to the therapy sessions since the very first few when we first started taking Asher. It was so amazing to see his progress first hand. Both the boys love going to Lynn’s (our OT) and Asher is very comfortable with the games they play and activity she chooses for him. We’ve seen the improvements at home, of course, but I hadn’t seen him interacting with Lynn. He was amazing. He was active and confident. He tried new things and had a blast. Cainan interacted too, until he got tired. I took some video of Asher using the swing—one of his favorite activities. I’m hoping it will make a real difference when we go to Disneyland in a few weeks. Last time, he was afraid to ride just about anything because he was so fearful of the movement, sounds, lights, etc. I’m hoping all his therapy will help him to handle the sensory input at the “Happiest place on Earth” and we can all enjoy the park together.



The boys are very excited about our upcoming trip, but last time Asher would hardly ride anything without being terrified and clinging to one of us or crying. We’ve really been talking this trip up and he’s been going to OT since June, so I’m hopeful he will enjoy the park as much as his brother—who loves every bit of it.



I’m glad to see Asher’s made so much progress with his OT. I’m grateful we have insurance that will cover it because it’s had a dramatic affect on him. There’s no way we would have been able to get him this service if we had to pay out of pocket. As much as my heart’s desire is to be a stay at home mom, I’m extremely grateful for the income and benefits my job affords our family. Now if I could just figure out a way to become independently wealthy, I could have both!

Entry for October 28, 2008

Yesterday I got to take the boys to their occupational therapy appointment—something I haven’t gotten to participate in, in several months. The only appointments our OT therapist has open are during times that I work, so Joe has been taking Asher. Cainan comes along, because he actually helps Asher, and it’s good for him too. Let me explain.



Part of Asher’s sensory issues have to do with his awareness of his own body, what it’s doing and how it feels in space. As a result, Asher is very, very wary of many activities, especially those that involve movement or putting himself in an unfamiliar environment. Cainan, on the other hand, is fearless. So, when we’re trying to get Asher to do a new activity, we’ll ask Cainan to do it first. For some reason, Asher doesn’t trust any of us if he sees us doing the activity, but if he sees his brother doing it, then he realizes it must not be deadly and he will try it also. As a result, they both benefit from the OT.



Anyway, as I was saying, I had not gotten to go to the therapy sessions since the very first few when we first started taking Asher. It was so amazing to see his progress first hand. Both the boys love going to Lynn’s (our OT) and Asher is very comfortable with the games they play and activity she chooses for him. We’ve seen the improvements at home, of course, but I hadn’t seen him interacting with Lynn. He was amazing. He was active and confident. He tried new things and had a blast. Cainan interacted too, until he got tired. I took some video of Asher using the swing—one of his favorite activities. I’m hoping it will make a real difference when we go to Disneyland in a few weeks. Last time, he was afraid to ride just about anything because he was so fearful of the movement, sounds, lights, etc. I’m hoping all his therapy will help him to handle the sensory input at the “Happiest place on Earth” and we can all enjoy the park together.



The boys are very excited about our upcoming trip, but last time Asher would hardly ride anything without being terrified and clinging to one of us or crying. We’ve really been talking this trip up and he’s been going to OT since June, so I’m hopeful he will enjoy the park as much as his brother—who loves every bit of it.



I’m glad to see Asher’s made so much progress with his OT. I’m grateful we have insurance that will cover it because it’s had a dramatic affect on him. There’s no way we would have been able to get him this service if we had to pay out of pocket. As much as my heart’s desire is to be a stay at home mom, I’m extremely grateful for the income and benefits my job affords our family. Now if I could just figure out a way to become independently wealthy, I could have both!

Entry for October 27, 2008


Well, we made it to the coast on Saturday. What a great day! It was 70, sunny and there was no wind. We couldn’t have asked for a better day at the beach and to top it off, no one was on the beach. The boys played in the sand. Cainan liked running from the waves that were coming in. He wasn’t fast enough one of the times and we both ended up getting soaked as I caught him from being completely toppled over and he just refused to put his feet back down until the water had subsided. We were both laughing so hard and I couldn’t move out of the wave until he cooperated. So, we both ended up with sandy soaked jeans that we spent the rest of the afternoon trying to dry in the sun.


We played all afternoon and the boys mostly slept on the 2 ½ hour ride back to Medford. Of course, we asked Cainan before we left if he needed to use the bathroom. And we made one stop just outside of town and asked again. Within 10 minutes of being back on the road Cainan said he had to pee. Joe found a place to pull over about five minutes later and we got the pleasure of our first roadside pit stop with Cainan peeing down a mountain on the side of a road. I don’t think I’ve done that since I was a kid. But I was proud of him for holding it until we could pull over. He was wearing a diaper for the trip but he was insistent about holding it until we could stop. Yea, Cainan! We’ve had virtually no accidents in the last few weeks, although he still favors pooping in his pull-up if he’s wearing one. If he has on underwear, he’ll find a toilet. Weird.


Okay, enough potty stories.


I surprised Joe last week and showed up at church on Wednesday night. Joe does sound for our church most Wednesdays for the 7:00 PM service. I usually pick up the boys from their grandma when I get off at 6:30 and go home to get them ready for bed and collapse myself. But I’ve been thinking lately that Cainan would probably do really well in Awanas because he’s great at memorization. I felt it would really boost his confidence to do well in an activity where he will get great positive feedback and rewards. So, when I got off at 6:30 this week, I rushed home, grabbed the boys and headed off for church. I signed Cainan up for Cubbies and got all the info on it. Joe was happy to see us and it was really nice to all be in church together (Joe works on Sundays, so he can’t go with us). Cainan loved Cubbies and Asher enjoyed his time in the nursery with the other kids. It won’t be long until he’s ready for Cubbies too.


Cainan received two memory verses to learn for the next week: "God loved us and sent his son" and "Jesus loves me". He’s already got them memorized. So this week, when he recites them to his teacher he will get his vest and bag. Thereafter, he gets a badge for the memory verses he learns and we’ll add them to his vest. I know he will excel in this and get his vest filled up in no time.


I’m looking forward to Asher moving on from the nursery, too. He has fun playing, but obviously he doesn’t get that church has any meaning, because all he does is play with other babies and toddlers. I would really like him to get into Sunday School or Cubbies as soon as he can. We’ll see how it goes.


We’re looking forward to Halloween this week. Cainan will be dressing up like Dr. Jones (who was tickled to hear the news) and Asher…who knows. He wanted to be Thomas the train but when I put the costume on him he freaked out and took it off. Now whenever I try to ask him about Halloween and what he wants to be he always says, "I don’t want to talk." And he doesn’t. He just won’t talk about it; even with the bribe of getting candy for dressing up. He just says, "I don’t want to talk." I’m not sure what he’s going to be since we can’t seem to talk about it and when I try to put a costume on him he loses it. He may be a chef—since he loves to cook and has no problem wearing his apron. I just have to find a chef’s hat somewhere. Of course, I’ll post tons of pictures as soon as I get the chance.


Entry for October 27, 2008


Well, we made it to the coast on Saturday. What a great day! It was 70, sunny and there was no wind. We couldn’t have asked for a better day at the beach and to top it off, no one was on the beach. The boys played in the sand. Cainan liked running from the waves that were coming in. He wasn’t fast enough one of the times and we both ended up getting soaked as I caught him from being completely toppled over and he just refused to put his feet back down until the water had subsided. We were both laughing so hard and I couldn’t move out of the wave until he cooperated. So, we both ended up with sandy soaked jeans that we spent the rest of the afternoon trying to dry in the sun.


We played all afternoon and the boys mostly slept on the 2 ½ hour ride back to Medford. Of course, we asked Cainan before we left if he needed to use the bathroom. And we made one stop just outside of town and asked again. Within 10 minutes of being back on the road Cainan said he had to pee. Joe found a place to pull over about five minutes later and we got the pleasure of our first roadside pit stop with Cainan peeing down a mountain on the side of a road. I don’t think I’ve done that since I was a kid. But I was proud of him for holding it until we could pull over. He was wearing a diaper for the trip but he was insistent about holding it until we could stop. Yea, Cainan! We’ve had virtually no accidents in the last few weeks, although he still favors pooping in his pull-up if he’s wearing one. If he has on underwear, he’ll find a toilet. Weird.


Okay, enough potty stories.


I surprised Joe last week and showed up at church on Wednesday night. Joe does sound for our church most Wednesdays for the 7:00 PM service. I usually pick up the boys from their grandma when I get off at 6:30 and go home to get them ready for bed and collapse myself. But I’ve been thinking lately that Cainan would probably do really well in Awanas because he’s great at memorization. I felt it would really boost his confidence to do well in an activity where he will get great positive feedback and rewards. So, when I got off at 6:30 this week, I rushed home, grabbed the boys and headed off for church. I signed Cainan up for Cubbies and got all the info on it. Joe was happy to see us and it was really nice to all be in church together (Joe works on Sundays, so he can’t go with us). Cainan loved Cubbies and Asher enjoyed his time in the nursery with the other kids. It won’t be long until he’s ready for Cubbies too.


Cainan received two memory verses to learn for the next week: "God loved us and sent his son" and "Jesus loves me". He’s already got them memorized. So this week, when he recites them to his teacher he will get his vest and bag. Thereafter, he gets a badge for the memory verses he learns and we’ll add them to his vest. I know he will excel in this and get his vest filled up in no time.


I’m looking forward to Asher moving on from the nursery, too. He has fun playing, but obviously he doesn’t get that church has any meaning, because all he does is play with other babies and toddlers. I would really like him to get into Sunday School or Cubbies as soon as he can. We’ll see how it goes.


We’re looking forward to Halloween this week. Cainan will be dressing up like Dr. Jones (who was tickled to hear the news) and Asher…who knows. He wanted to be Thomas the train but when I put the costume on him he freaked out and took it off. Now whenever I try to ask him about Halloween and what he wants to be he always says, "I don’t want to talk." And he doesn’t. He just won’t talk about it; even with the bribe of getting candy for dressing up. He just says, "I don’t want to talk." I’m not sure what he’s going to be since we can’t seem to talk about it and when I try to put a costume on him he loses it. He may be a chef—since he loves to cook and has no problem wearing his apron. I just have to find a chef’s hat somewhere. Of course, I’ll post tons of pictures as soon as I get the chance.


Entry for October 27, 2008


Well, we made it to the coast on Saturday. What a great day! It was 70, sunny and there was no wind. We couldn’t have asked for a better day at the beach and to top it off, no one was on the beach. The boys played in the sand. Cainan liked running from the waves that were coming in. He wasn’t fast enough one of the times and we both ended up getting soaked as I caught him from being completely toppled over and he just refused to put his feet back down until the water had subsided. We were both laughing so hard and I couldn’t move out of the wave until he cooperated. So, we both ended up with sandy soaked jeans that we spent the rest of the afternoon trying to dry in the sun.


We played all afternoon and the boys mostly slept on the 2 ½ hour ride back to Medford. Of course, we asked Cainan before we left if he needed to use the bathroom. And we made one stop just outside of town and asked again. Within 10 minutes of being back on the road Cainan said he had to pee. Joe found a place to pull over about five minutes later and we got the pleasure of our first roadside pit stop with Cainan peeing down a mountain on the side of a road. I don’t think I’ve done that since I was a kid. But I was proud of him for holding it until we could pull over. He was wearing a diaper for the trip but he was insistent about holding it until we could stop. Yea, Cainan! We’ve had virtually no accidents in the last few weeks, although he still favors pooping in his pull-up if he’s wearing one. If he has on underwear, he’ll find a toilet. Weird.


Okay, enough potty stories.


I surprised Joe last week and showed up at church on Wednesday night. Joe does sound for our church most Wednesdays for the 7:00 PM service. I usually pick up the boys from their grandma when I get off at 6:30 and go home to get them ready for bed and collapse myself. But I’ve been thinking lately that Cainan would probably do really well in Awanas because he’s great at memorization. I felt it would really boost his confidence to do well in an activity where he will get great positive feedback and rewards. So, when I got off at 6:30 this week, I rushed home, grabbed the boys and headed off for church. I signed Cainan up for Cubbies and got all the info on it. Joe was happy to see us and it was really nice to all be in church together (Joe works on Sundays, so he can’t go with us). Cainan loved Cubbies and Asher enjoyed his time in the nursery with the other kids. It won’t be long until he’s ready for Cubbies too.


Cainan received two memory verses to learn for the next week: "God loved us and sent his son" and "Jesus loves me". He’s already got them memorized. So this week, when he recites them to his teacher he will get his vest and bag. Thereafter, he gets a badge for the memory verses he learns and we’ll add them to his vest. I know he will excel in this and get his vest filled up in no time.


I’m looking forward to Asher moving on from the nursery, too. He has fun playing, but obviously he doesn’t get that church has any meaning, because all he does is play with other babies and toddlers. I would really like him to get into Sunday School or Cubbies as soon as he can. We’ll see how it goes.


We’re looking forward to Halloween this week. Cainan will be dressing up like Dr. Jones (who was tickled to hear the news) and Asher…who knows. He wanted to be Thomas the train but when I put the costume on him he freaked out and took it off. Now whenever I try to ask him about Halloween and what he wants to be he always says, "I don’t want to talk." And he doesn’t. He just won’t talk about it; even with the bribe of getting candy for dressing up. He just says, "I don’t want to talk." I’m not sure what he’s going to be since we can’t seem to talk about it and when I try to put a costume on him he loses it. He may be a chef—since he loves to cook and has no problem wearing his apron. I just have to find a chef’s hat somewhere. Of course, I’ll post tons of pictures as soon as I get the chance.


c142

Entry for October 22, 2008

Did I mention we went back to the pumpkin patch on Sunday? We had so much fun on Saturday before we got rained out and the weather was better on Sunday, so my mother and I took the boys back. We had so much fun again. This time Asher decided he wanted to go through the hay maze. I was surprised that he would be interested since it looks like a dark and scary place to begin with. But I knew he had heard us talking about it in regards to Cainan and how great Cainan did leading us through the maze so, I figured that’s why he wanted to try it.


Let me explain a few things about this maze. It is made entirely of hay bales that have been covered with dark plastic tarps. The result is a maze that, while not pitch black, is still very dark and confined. It’s perfect for ‘tweens who want a thrill and like running around in the dark without their parents. I knew Cainan would not be afraid of it because he isn’t afraid of anything, let alone, the dark. When I took him through it the first time, he completely understood the concept and lead me by the hand around every turn yelling, "This way, mommy. This way." I was very impressed that he understood what we were doing and did so well finding his way through.


Asher, on the other hand, I didn’t dare get near the thing. Asher is afraid of many things, especially the dark. When he decided he wanted to go in the maze on Sunday, I figured we’d get 10 feet in, around the first curve where it gets really dark and he’d turn right around and run for the entrance. Boy, was I wrong!


Asher may have loved the maze even more than Cainan. Between the two of them, my mother and I went through every twist and turn for a good 15 minutes, over and over again. While Cainan preferred to stay in the maze and run around in circles, Asher would lead me from beginning to end, then run right back to the entrance yelling, "Come on, mom. Let’s do it again!"


They would giggle furiously whenever they ran into each other around a corner and they especially liked breaking free from my mother and I to run off on their own. I was so impressed with both of them.


After the maze we visited the goats, rabbits and geese again. I believe Asher could have stayed there all day playing. Cainan quickly tired but was fine once I found a basket for him to ride in. It was nice just to be together in the nice fall weather.


After nap on Sunday we spent the rest of the day outside playing at home. I love warm falls days. The vibrant colors of the changing leaves surprises me every year. Even though it was sunny and 70, there’s still that crispness to the air and the smell of fires on the breeze. I swear Asher could live outside if it were possible. He followed me around everywhere I went and every time asked if he was ready to go in, the answer was always, "No, not yet. I just want to play outside." I completely understand. I feel alive when I’m outside in the sunshine.


Cainan is content wherever he is, even if that’s in a dimly lit bedroom reading books. I, at least, make him bring his books outside and get some fresh air. Once he sees Asher playing, he usually gets up and joins in. Joe even joined us to sit on the porch and watch the boys while I pruned trees, giving up the Sunday game that was on. It was a lovely afternoon for the whole family.


Hopefully, we’ll enjoy a similar weekend coming up. The weather’s supposed to be great and I’m contemplating a trip to the coast if at all possible. Maybe the coastal atmosphere will help Joe feel better. He’s been sick and overwhelmed lately. It would be great to have a stress free family day at the beach, roasting hotdogs and make s’mores. Of course, if we go, I’m sure you’ll all know ‘cause I’ll blog about it.

Entry for October 22, 2008

Did I mention we went back to the pumpkin patch on Sunday? We had so much fun on Saturday before we got rained out and the weather was better on Sunday, so my mother and I took the boys back. We had so much fun again. This time Asher decided he wanted to go through the hay maze. I was surprised that he would be interested since it looks like a dark and scary place to begin with. But I knew he had heard us talking about it in regards to Cainan and how great Cainan did leading us through the maze so, I figured that’s why he wanted to try it.


Let me explain a few things about this maze. It is made entirely of hay bales that have been covered with dark plastic tarps. The result is a maze that, while not pitch black, is still very dark and confined. It’s perfect for ‘tweens who want a thrill and like running around in the dark without their parents. I knew Cainan would not be afraid of it because he isn’t afraid of anything, let alone, the dark. When I took him through it the first time, he completely understood the concept and lead me by the hand around every turn yelling, "This way, mommy. This way." I was very impressed that he understood what we were doing and did so well finding his way through.


Asher, on the other hand, I didn’t dare get near the thing. Asher is afraid of many things, especially the dark. When he decided he wanted to go in the maze on Sunday, I figured we’d get 10 feet in, around the first curve where it gets really dark and he’d turn right around and run for the entrance. Boy, was I wrong!


Asher may have loved the maze even more than Cainan. Between the two of them, my mother and I went through every twist and turn for a good 15 minutes, over and over again. While Cainan preferred to stay in the maze and run around in circles, Asher would lead me from beginning to end, then run right back to the entrance yelling, "Come on, mom. Let’s do it again!"


They would giggle furiously whenever they ran into each other around a corner and they especially liked breaking free from my mother and I to run off on their own. I was so impressed with both of them.


After the maze we visited the goats, rabbits and geese again. I believe Asher could have stayed there all day playing. Cainan quickly tired but was fine once I found a basket for him to ride in. It was nice just to be together in the nice fall weather.


After nap on Sunday we spent the rest of the day outside playing at home. I love warm falls days. The vibrant colors of the changing leaves surprises me every year. Even though it was sunny and 70, there’s still that crispness to the air and the smell of fires on the breeze. I swear Asher could live outside if it were possible. He followed me around everywhere I went and every time asked if he was ready to go in, the answer was always, "No, not yet. I just want to play outside." I completely understand. I feel alive when I’m outside in the sunshine.


Cainan is content wherever he is, even if that’s in a dimly lit bedroom reading books. I, at least, make him bring his books outside and get some fresh air. Once he sees Asher playing, he usually gets up and joins in. Joe even joined us to sit on the porch and watch the boys while I pruned trees, giving up the Sunday game that was on. It was a lovely afternoon for the whole family.


Hopefully, we’ll enjoy a similar weekend coming up. The weather’s supposed to be great and I’m contemplating a trip to the coast if at all possible. Maybe the coastal atmosphere will help Joe feel better. He’s been sick and overwhelmed lately. It would be great to have a stress free family day at the beach, roasting hotdogs and make s’mores. Of course, if we go, I’m sure you’ll all know ‘cause I’ll blog about it.