Pure Ridiculousness

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Jayson

I honestly don't know how much of this any of you know (except for Mom and Keryn, who know it all), so I'm going to start at the beginning. We noticed a few months ago that Jayson wasn't talking at all yet and we started to get a little concerned. Not too much, but a little. Katy was slow in starting to talk, but she had a few words from about 18 months on. Jayson didn't have any words at all. After Brooke was born, a "welcome home" nurse came over to our apartment to go over the different resources available to us for her. While she was here, I mentioned that Jayson didn't have any words and we were starting to get concerned. She told me about Kids Who Count. I had heard of them before (because Gideon works with them), but I didn't know they did speech stuff too, so I was excited to learn about it. I called them and started the ball rolling on getting Jayson the help he needed.

After about 3 months, the swine flu, and busy schedules (including the holidays), we've finally managed to see everyone we need to in order to start Jayson on regular therapy. He saw a speech therapist, a behavioral therapist, and an occupational therapist. Obviously, the speech therapist, Cynthia, will be working with him on his speech. The occupational therapist, Mary, will be helping us get him to eat a better variety of foods (right now, all he'll eat are salty, crunchy foods, like chips, fries, and crackers, and also apples and a very specific type of bread). We will be seeing the behavioral therapist, Melanie, the most, though. It turns out that Jayson is testing younger than he is, about a year younger on average. Melanie will be coming once a month, just like the other two, to work with him one on one for 45 minutes, but he will also be starting group therapy in January. The playgroup will meet once a week. During each group, half the time will be spent with all the kids (siblings included) and the other half of the time, Jayson and I will work with the other kids, their parents, and Melanie, while all the siblings (Brooke included) will go with the 'sibling helpers' to play.

I have to admit that after they told me where he was, I was shocked. I knew that he needed help with speech and I was a little concerned with his social skills, but I didn't think he was that bad. They used "autistic tendencies" a lot when they were talking about him with me, and that scared me even more. After calming down about it and talking with various people (Mom, Keryn, and Samuel included), I feel a lot better about it. I know it's going to take a lot of work, but I also know that Jayson is a smart boy. He's going to need more help and attention than Katy has needed, but that's okay. I just wanted to let everyone know where we are on this and what we're doing. I'm excited to see how he progresses when we really get started going in January. He's already showing progress with the little extra things we've been doing with him lately. He's starting to actually communicate, non-verbally, but communicate nonetheless. He'll point to what he wants sometimes, he'll bring me the bag of chips that he wants to eat, he'll run to fridge when I ask him if he wants milk. It's a lot more than he used to do and we're excited about it. He is a very special little boy.

So, there you go. I just wanted to keep you all updated. I can't wait to see most of you while we're in Vegas. I hope that everyone is having a great holiday season! I love you all and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

TA

Samuel, that's awesome! I'm so excited for you. I'm glad that you got the TA position that you wanted. And, just fyi, you are an awesome teacher. I understood more about Physics when you were helping me than any other person that tried to help me. I can't wait to see you guys around Christmas! Oh, and thank you to Caren for the little elf person with the B block. We love those and were so excited to get it for this year. Thank you, thank you!

I don't have time right this minute, but later today, I'll post about Jayson and all the work that we're expecting to happen with him with Kids Who Count this year. So, stay tuned! Love you all!

Good Teacher??

So I guess I must be a good teacher or something as I was being fought over as a TA for this next semester. As most, if not all, of you are aware, I was a TA for an introductory astronomy lab 3 nights a week during this most recent semester. This meant, that when we had a short lab, I didn't get home until 9pm. When we had a long lab, I didn't get home until midnight or 1pm. This put a damper on spending time with the boys those 3 evenings. As such I tried to spend time with them before they went to school int he morning, but I was always very tired during the morning. I would take Wednesday off to catch up on my sleep and also so that my boys knew I was still around. It was a great job but the extra driving to and from ASU was taxing on my system. My advisor had requested that I TA for him in the undergraduate advanced lab. He was told that the department could needed to put me with astronomy as there are so few native English speakers in physics who could do astronomy. Also, the TA that did work with my advisor this last semester will not be TAing as he will be graduating soon and has a RA to finish writing his thesis. So next semester he cannot work in the labs with my advisor.

I got a general email from the physics department asking if anyone would like to work in the advanced lab with my advisor. It said to talk to my advisor. So I do and he informed me that he, once again, requested me but is not sure if I will be put with him. For the same reasons. By this point I had already talked to the astronomy professor and requested to work with him next semester. You see, there are too many graduate students needing TA positions in the physics department and not enough TA spots. So I was going to work in astronomy again as that was a guarantee spot. Once I got the email requesting students to talk to my advisor I jumped at the chance. To help make sure I got to work with my advisor, I had to talk to everyone involved in the selection process. I talked to the astronomy professor and the physics professor who is in charge of assigning the TAs. I made sure they understood why I wanted to work with my advisor, and not just because he is my advisor. I told them all that as much as I loved the astronomy, I wanted something that would help me be home before my boys go to bed at night.

They all understood. The astronomy professor told me that if the TA position did not work that I was welcome to come back and work for him. I got the official word about a week ago that I will be working with my advisor in the advanced lab. I admit that I am excited as I don't have to come home past 7:30pm each evening. I know my boys will like that.

Love you all, SKT

Re: Bad Saturday

Jen,

I'm sorry to hear about your horrible day and trouble with your car. I assume you must have been stressed out. I hope this does not happen again, but if it does, feel free to call us. We were not doing anything last night and might have made your walk home a little more comfortable. Love you tons.
SKT

Merry Christmas from the Ross Kids

AGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So yesterday was awful! Truly, one of the most frustrating day's I've experienced in a long time.

Just for background...

Last Tuesday was Benjamin's orchestra concert. I dropped him off at the school with the promise to be back when the concert started in a half hour. Jeff has his stake duties on Tuesday, so it was just going to be me and the kids and then Benjamin was going to walk next door to Young Mens. When I got home to start getting the kids ready to go, Jeff was about to walk out the door to the stake center. This didn't work out to well, since he couldn't get his car to shift into gear. It turns on and idles, but won't come out of neutral. Jeff had to take the van to his meetings, and the rest of us missed Benjamin's concert. We can't let Jeff's car just sit there non functional, so we made arrangements to take it into the shop on Saturday.

Jeff figured out that his clutch is fine. The best guess we were able to get was that it was something called the slave cylinder that was loosing it's hydraulic pressure. Jeff picked up the part and we figured we were in good shape. It even only cost $18.

Saturday started out normally. We got up and put up our Christmas lights. Jeff called the shop and determined that he could be fit in around 12:00 so just before that Jeff left, towed by our neighbor to get to the shop.

More background...

We normally take our car to a guy named Roland in Mesa. He does a great job and gives us a great price, but he is really to far away for us to take a totally disabled car to. So we got a reference to a friend of a friend who gave us a reasonable deal at his shop which is just ten minutes away.

Jeff called me around 2:00. It's not the slave cylinder, it's the Master Cylinder that needs replacing. I need to run to the parts store and pick it up and bring it to him. Not a huge deal, but it is $75, not $20, so it was a bit of an ouch.

Jeff's car is finished and he is home around 3:30. Great! We have our ward party at 6:00, but we figured we had some time in which Jeff and I can leave Benjamin in charge and get some Christmas and Birthday shopping done. We climb into Jeff's car and head off down the road. We get about a mile and a half away, (Wallgreens for anyone who knows) and Jeff hits the clutch to shift into first and...Nothing. It's the exact same thing we thought we had fixed not three hours ago!

Jeff and I push the car across the intersection and into the parking lot and Jeff pulls out his phone and pops the hood and is talking to the mechanic. Jeff goes into the Checker Auto Parts Store that shares the parking lot and pulls one of their guys out and they start this three way consultation. At this point, I realize that it doesn't really matter what they figure out, we need the van. So I tell Jeff I'm leaving and take off for home.

I got home around 5:15. I called Jeff when I got home and he informed me that they had determined that the Master cylinder I had bought not five hours earlier was defective. I had drive to Jeff, tow him and his car back to the shop. Then we had to buy another Master cylinder and take it back to the shop. The mechanic promised to switch it out right then and there, so I left Jeff and went home.

It was 6:15 when I got home. I had called ahead, so all the kids came piling out to get in the car so we could rush to the church. We were less then 20 minutes late to the ward dinner, but by the time we got there, they had already run out of eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy and orange juice. We would have to make do with pancakes and melons. Heather spent the next hour pouting in the lobby, in tears because there wasn't anything there she would consent to eat.

I was at the absolute end of my rope by the time we all got home at 7:30. I can't remember a time when I was more grateful for a day to end!

Let is Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

So last night the following words here heard spoken in my bedroom: “Father, I don’t know it I want a snow day or not, so I am going to leave it up to thee.”

So we had snow but NO snow day.

It was a rough drive to work but I am alive. It was a rougher ride home but I am alive.

BUT WORSE… were the kids- indoors- all day- in my classroom- all day- ALL DAY!!!

In any case, we’ll see what will happen tomorrow. Apparently a huge storm is coming with a winter storm warning in effect until tomorrow evening. As I tell my students, assume you are coming to school until you are told otherwise.

It looks to be a white Christmas. (Of course, I will be in Vegas- but hey- It certainly gets me into the holiday mood.

So- MERRY CHRISTMAS and let it snow!!!

a four year old's perspective

I am continuing to set up Christmas. Today, I pulled out our advent calender. For those of you who either don't know or don't remember, I bought an advent calender at Disneyland. It's a green felt mickey ears wreath with the cutest Disney themed felt ornaments to put up including one of each of the major characters for the last five days before Christmas. I set it up and let Lillian put up the first ornament. (I saved the second and third ones for Erica and Jacob to put up when they get home and then we're all caught up.) Lillian and I hung it on the wall and I explained it all to her ending my explanation by holding up the Mickey Mouse ornament and telling her, "When we put this one up, it means that the very next day is Christmas!"

Lillian looked at the ornament in my hand, then looked at the wreath hanging on the wall and finally looked up at me and said, "Let's put it up NOW!"

Sorry, baby. It just doesn't work that way.

Yes, Keryn. You may of course use that story on your blog. It's just about the most adorable thing Lillian's done in a very long time. I posted it on Facebook and got quite a few comments from everyone. It was very funny.

Re: Mommy Grinch

HA!!! Jenafer, that was laughing-out-loud hilarious! Oh my goodness, I'm practically crying over here.

I love that Lillian girl. What a sweetie.

I may have to write about that little event on my Momma Volcano blog when we finally get our own Christmas tree up. May I?

the Mommy who stole Christmas

The kids have been bugging me about setting up Christmas since we landed in the driveway on Sunday. I've been putting them off until the house was clean again after unpacking from the trip. Yesterday I ran out of excuses, so we hauled the Christmas boxes out of the garage before going to bed. This morning, Lillian really wanted to decorate the Christmas tree. I got her settled in my room watching Playhouse Disney and brought the tree upstairs, opened it, and started to set it up. I had all the branches sorted and the center pole in place and was running lights up it to the top, also in place, when Lillian walked into the loft. I smiled at her, thinking how happy she should be to see me putting up the tree, instead she burst into hysterical screams and collapsed on the floor in tears.

I rushed over to see what had happened. I was sure she had stepped on a tack or something equally horrible. "What's wrong?" I asked.

Her answer had me in hysterics, too, the laughter kind. Over and over again, she repeated, "You cut the branches off! You cut the branches off! You ruined Christmas! It's ruined!"

Of course, my laughter only made things worse. She jumped up and yelled it at me a few more times, then she grabbed my hand and dragged me into her room to point to her little fiber optic table-top Christmas tree that we set up on Sunday and declared, "That is what it's SUPPOSED to look like!"

I finally convinced her that I was sorry for ruining Christmas and I would be able to fix it and settled her down to watch me finish setting it up while she drew pictures for me to show me exactly how a Christmas Tree is supposed to look like.

I love having a four year old. They are great!

Caren: the Artist

Caren got a really cool artist set for her last birthday. She opened it up and made a nice canvas painting. Here it is. What do you think? I personally love it. Its size is about 16x20in. Love you all. SKT