Cinderella comparison to Royal Wedding

If you haven't already seen this in your email or on facebook, the comparison of the two is really funny.

Spring Catch up

Here's a bunch of photos from the last couple of months. 

My mom with Taryn

 LOVE hiking with the kids in SLO

 Hiking still.

 Hey there's Dylan, yeah.

 What a way to welcome spring by seeing newborn colts.  I love horses they are so beautiful.

 Cousin time.

Taryn and Brenna.

 After a long day the beach all the kids had popcorn and watched a movie.

 Easter Eggs.

 Doing one of the Easter activities in previous post.

 Dylan got a silly straw in his Easter basket.

 Taryn on Easter

 Nolan on Easter.

Last years Easter photo of kids

I know super silly I had them wear the same clothing, but I tried them on and they fit so why not, they are cute outfits

This years.

Hey i think i'm kinda caught up.

YEAH.

Teaching Kids about Easter

This year I was determined to do some hands on activities with the kids to teach them about the meaning of Easter.

I found this article in a magazine I get every couple of months

and thought I would share it with you.

We did a number of the activities in this article; very easy and can expand on some... We even did the wrapping in toilet paper when my in-laws were here.  Very cute.

The last one with the magic candles and cupcakes I would say was the most fun.

Anyway, these are definitely practicle and are going to stick around in our family for at least a couple of years.

Really cute ideas.

http://www.thrivingfamily.com/

North Americans celebrate Easter in a variety of ways — treat-filled baskets, egg hunts, new Sunday clothes. Although there is nothing wrong with these traditions, Easter is so much bigger than dyed eggs and bunnies. As Christians, we celebrate Christ's resurrection and the new life He gives us.

To help you bring the Easter story to life for your children, the editors of Thriving Family have compiled a week of Christ-focused activities. They are not meant to replace your family's traditional Easter activities, but to help your children learn more about Jesus' sacrifice and victory over death at Easter.

Palm Sunday

In Jesus' time, palm branches were used in celebrations or to honor dignitaries. Read John 12:12-13. Have your kids make palm branches out of green construction paper and decorate the dinner table with their creations. Place extra "branches" on a path from the entryway to the table to mark a path of honor. Before dinner, discuss the meaning of Hosanna, which could have been an appeal for divine help or salvation, or a way to praise Jesus. Ask your children what they might shout if they saw Jesus coming down the road today.

Monday

Bake bread as a family, and discuss why Jesus called himself the Bread of Life. Point out that just as bread gives us nutrition and sustains us physically, Jesus offers us eternal life and sustains us spiritually. Put the bread in a basket. Then add some Easter goodies and at least one item that shares the Easter message, such as a bookmark, tract or Biblezine (for tweens). Deliver the basket to someone who may need an extra dose of kindness this week.

Tuesday

Make an Easter picture tree. Anchor a small branch in a pot. Have your kids look through magazines and cut out images that remind them of Jesus. Examples: A lamp because He is the Light of the World or a road because He is the one way to heaven. Glue pictures on card stock, attach short pieces of string, and hang the pictures on the branches.

Wednesday

Send your children on an Easter scavenger hunt. Instruct them to find items that symbolize different parts of the Easter story. Examples: A rock (the tomb), two sticks (the Cross), something black (sin), something red (blood), something white (a clean heart), something green (growing in Christ). Older children can go on a digital scavenger hunt, taking photographs of items that remind them of Easter.

Thursday

1.Experience your own Maundy Thursday foot-washing ceremony. Fill a bucket with water. Grab a few towels, gather your family, and share the story found in John 13:1-17. Then take turns washing each other's feet and praying for one another.

2.Read Luke 22:39-46. Visit a garden or park and pray there. Chat about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Have your kids talk about what plans they have for tomorrow and what Jesus may have been thinking about for the next day.

3.Talk with your children about a time when a friend hurt their feelings. Read Matthew 26:14-16, 47-56. Then give your children a dollar bill. Ask if they would trade it for five nickels. Thirty pennies? Determine which has the most value. Discuss how Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 silver coins and what a poor trade he made. Ask your children how Jesus must have felt when His friend betrayed Him.

Friday

1.Make a cross out of wood scraps. Ask each family member to think of an attitude or action from the past week that they knew didn't make God happy. Have family members write their thoughts on a piece of paper, fold it and pin it to the cross. Talk about how Jesus suffered the punishment for all of our sins so that we would not have to.

2.Place a white carnation in a vase. Read 1 Peter 1:18-19. Discuss with your children what it meant that Jesus was a "lamb without blemish or defect." Add a dozen drops of red food coloring to the water. Watch what happens over the next two or three days. Use the red flower petals as a reminder that Jesus took our sins upon himself when He died on the Cross.

3.Have your kids take turns sharing stories about bullies from school or cyberbullies online. Talk about how people often treat others unkindly because they are hurting inside, and point out that they need forgiveness just like we do. Read the story about the repentant criminal who hung on the cross next to Jesus (Luke 23:39-43). Let your children tell how they may have acted unkind when they didn't take the thoughts or feelings of another into consideration. Lead them in prayer, confessing your failings in this area. Allow your kids time (but don't force them) to confess, also.

Saturday

1.Take a morning walk around your neighborhood. Talk about how spring reminds us of the new life Jesus gives us. Point out the signs of new life that are starting to appear.

2.Let your kids help you clean your windows. Talk about how much better they can see through them afterward. Read Luke 18:31-34. Explain that the disciples did not see clearly at first. They did not understand that Jesus had to die and rise from the dead — until He did!

3.That evening, decorate a plain white tablecloth with fabric markers or a disposable plastic one with Sharpies. Let your children illustrate the tablecloth with symbols of Easter. Use the tablecloth for Easter dinner the following day.

Easter Sunday

1.Read Matthew 27:57-61. Then ask your children for a volunteer. Wrap him or her in toilet paper, or "grave clothes." After your kids have stopped giggling, allow the volunteer to break free from the toilet paper. Talk about how sad the disciples must have felt and how happy they must have been when they saw that Jesus had conquered death.

2.Go to a park, search for an oversized boulder and try to move it. Read Matthew 27:62-66; 28:1-4. Discuss how a large stone couldn't keep Jesus in the tomb and how surprised the soldiers must have been when it was rolled away.

3.During Easter dinner, have cupcakes for dessert with one candle on each. Use trick candles to show how Jesus, the Light of the World, appeared to be extinguished but wasn't. Light the candles and together blow them out. When the candles relight themselves, talk about how everyone thought Jesus' light had disappeared, but it hadn't. He was and still is alive!

4.Take a night hike as a family. Observe how a flashlight ensures safe stepping. Remind your children how Jesus came into the world to guide our steps and show us the way to God.

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Approval and ...

YEAH!  We got approval to see the well known Neurodevelopmental-behavioral pediatrician YEAH!!!

This is HUGE!

Thanks for your prayers!

Also on another note:) 
Having a child with some needs keeps us humble and teachable as parents and so sensitive to others.
I'm so thankful God knew we could handle this situation in our family.  I definitely prefer to be more humble as a parent than the reverse. 
Also.  Dr. after Dr. is not neccessarily the answer, there is no quick fix, but the daily love and consistency and training that is what makes the biggest difference in our lives and the lives of our children.

A Child with Behavioral Needs

This is going to be a honest post from a mom with a child who has special behavioral needs; i'm hoping to bridge the gap of silence amongst parents of children who have special behavior needs.

There is such a prejudice, shame and silence amongst these moms it just isn't right.

We need support, especially us.

Our oldest child has been diagnosed numerous times since he was younger with ADHD and later with childhood migraines.

Now I know what you are thinking already;

"Oh, ADHD"  think...think...

"what is their deal can't they figure out how to be a parent"

"that child just needs this or that..."

"he just needs meds"

"he won't make it through a full day of school"

"they need to watch super nanny read this book or that book"

"he probably eats too much sugar needs to go on this diet or that diet"

"they need to discipline more"

"be more consistent"

"they probably let him watch too much TV, video games ect"

"the looks those are the worse...like we don't see it or get it ourselves"

I could go on...

The judgement we get from others and lack of support is just a bummer.

We wouldn't be the parents we are today if it weren't for all the things God has taught us from our oldest.

He is SO intelligent, funny, lively and frankly although it's rough our life would be so boring without him, not to mention we are more humble, forgiving, understanding and sensitive to others.

We have been through so much and continue to go through a lot; day by day we trust the Lord and depend on him for the love we need to raise or kids.

Three weeks in a row during good days our son came down with a bad headache, laid down and within the next couple of hours threw up everything he had eaten in the last couple of days.

We've had brain scans, MRI's, allergies tested, Dr after Dr and no one can explain to us why our son keeps throwing up off and on.

We are on the brink of "Lord willing" getting approval for a neuro/behavioral pediatrician to help us on a regular basis.  Whew what a blessing that would be, be praying.

It's a journey and God has allowed Dylan to be our son for a reason, he is a "gift" a "blessing".

We depend on God to carry us through each day and give us wisdom.

It is not easy; some days I just want to touch him and magically make him take it down a notch.
As a parent of a child with ADHD you just want to help in some way to have self-control, calm down, see the social rules for what they are and just obey because it is right. 

My desire through this post is to encourage other moms with a child with behavioral needs. 

You are not alone.
It is hard.
Press on God has a plan and a purpose for your child as well as ours.