Michael's First day of School

Michael started school this week! He looked very handsome in his new school clothes and spiky hair. The van came to pick him up at 8:30am and his special helper, Miss Rachel, came to the house to ride the bus along with him. We ended up waiting a little longer for two of the Behavioral Team people to come to the house as well as they wanted to ride the bus with him as part of their observation of Michael and his day. I headed to school right behind them. I then spent the day meeting with the Provo Behavioral Team, answering questions regarding Michael and helping out where possible. Michael did quite well much to the surprise of his teacher who dealt with him the last two years as well.
Friday was a little harder for Michael as I believe he now understood that school had started. Additionally, the Behavioral Team decided they were done observing and ready to jump right in with some of their ' tricks of the trade.' Again, I spent the day with Michael and learned quite a lot. I am excited for the progress he is making already and for the the obvious knowledge this team is bringing to the table. Here's to a great school year for my little 5 year old!

Lexis' First Day of 11th Grade!!!

My GORGEOUS, 16 YEAR OLD, JUNIOR in HIGH SCHOOL started school today!

She looked beyond darling in the outfit we specifically chose the night before.

She had to be out the door by 7:15am!! I don' t remember it being that early when I was in school.
I snapped picture

after picture, as she wasn't interested in posing for me at this early in the morning.

WOW! I am lucky! She is an amazing young woman who, although doing it way too quickly by her Mom's watch, is growing up to be simply Wonderful!
Here's to another Great School Year!

1st day of School

The First day of School is here! Where has the summer gone? Oh ya, we've been in Washington for forever! But what a nice summer it was~
This morning was warm (as it is still August for Heaven's Sake!) but Grace insisted on wearing her new, black, "skinny jeans" and Noah donned a 'Jonas Brother inspired' vest.
Noah is in 6th!! grade this year, which is still in elementary school~ Thankfully! And Grace is in 4th.
We had practiced getting to bed early and then waking to the alarm in the morning but it still took a lot of convincing to get Noah to get out of bed on the actual day of school! He was considering it more of a D-day. Both kids sported new haircuts and both felt at ease as they are quite accustomed with their school after a number of years attending.

After school (which gets out at 1:30pm for the first two weeks of school!), Noah gave me a thumbs up but his comment that his teacher was "great" was even more reassuring.

Grace was just a little more enthusiastic, said her teacher was "Awesome" and gave two flying thumbs up after her first day.

A Winner

Last spring the kids' elementary school had an Art Contest. They asked all the students to draw their depiction of the theme, "Children around the World." Grace was excited and sat down at the kitchen table with a plate to trace her circle and the world map laid out in front of her. Her picture turned out really Great but was quickly forgotten as summer arrived.
At Meet Your Teacher night the kids and I walked in to Rock Canyon only to have the first family that passed us by Congratulate Grace. We were clueless but smiled. The next family did the same and this time we stopped to ask what this was about. The small 6th grader held her Rock Canyon folder high and there was Grace's drawing on the front! Grace was very proud! I was very proud of her. Grace's drawing is on the front of each and every student's Rock Canyon folder and each and every student's Rock Canyon Planner. Very, very cool!
The above is a scan of the actual Rock Canyon folders.

Carol's Birthday!

Carol's husband, Scott, planned a birthday celebration for Carol's 34th this year.

(To be completely correct, Lisa called Scott and told him he should put something together because she wanted to have all of us girlfriends gather together for Carol's birthday--she is a kick!) After spending a vast majority of the month of July in WA, driving back and forth with a car full of small children, I had no plan of being there. As the event quickly approached, Lisa contacted me again to see if I were going. I hated the idea that I would be the only friend in our little "group" that wasn't going to be there and so only a few days before my brain started to churn. The older kids were in California with Verl completely enjoying themselves and as per usual calling very little. Michael and I were simply hanging out at home. I really did not want to make that drive again and did not have money for the cost of it all and this is where Lisa offered to have us ride with her and her husband, Jay, to Seattle. I arranged for Michael to stay with his Dad while I was there, called Mom to ask if we could stay a night there and back with her rather than have the cost of another night in hotels and raced to the University mall to quickly search for something to wear.

We left the next day, Thursday morning, and drove to Pasco. The drive was long and littered with numerous stops for soda and food and bathroom breaks, etc. Michael was not extremely happy that we were back in the car a mere week after returning and my arms fell asleep as I wrapped them awkwardly around his car seat to keep him from hitting, but eventually we made it. Dear Mom let us crash in her back bedrooms, only to have us wake up first thing the next morning and leave again. Without showering and full of coffee, we took the Vantage path to Seattle. Kim and Kari left a half hour before us from the TC, but we still managed to meet up in Ellensburg at virtually the same time for lunch. Kari had lived there while attending Central and took us to this really great deli where I had an awesome spinach salad-- the carry over from spending weeks with Mom and Becky and their 'green' diet which frankly speaking makes you feel really great. (Now all I need is the uber-expensive juicer!)

Lisa had found a good deal on a very nice hotel and so we went there first to check in and get ready for dinner. I got a terrible scare when the lady at the front desk said my credit card wouldn't go through. It ended up being that my Bank had put a hold on my account five days before because of a random charge they were unsure about. It was the $14.95 fee to begin Carol's Voice Quilt and my birthday gift to her. Guess I am glad my bank is aware but boy, it made me nervous.

Once we were all cleaned up, the cameras came out and were not put away until we found ourselves in our own beds in our own homes two days later. Kim asked that I drive her mini van to the restaurant as she is scared to navigate around the 'big city.' I agreed and it didn't take us long to find parking. Once on the street, the four of us girls and one husband, Jay, searched for the Wild Ginger restaurant. With no less than two GPS systems in hand we struggled for quite some time trying to find the restaurant. I had to get a picture of our crew standing on the street corner, moments after we realized it was DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET!

The restaurant was very beautiful and very busy and we were quickly ushered upstairs for the "Decker party." Many friends and family were gathered as we were a little late and Scott welcomed us warmly. I scanned the crowd and asked him where Carol was. He smiled widely and pointed to this lovely woman who was standing amongst her guests, her back towards me.

Carol had made a goal that if she was going to have this big ole' party she was going to WALK IN BY HERSELF AND IN HEELS! AND SHE DID JUST THAT!

We got in a hug a piece before cameras started flashing again.

Dinner was amazing! Such yummy food! And as is the case with most large gatherings, the conversation was sporadic as everyone was spread out but between the two large tables of the party. Our table was definitely the most boisterous!

After dinner, slices of rich chocolate cake with fresh coconut shavings and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream were passed around. Carol's piece held one lit candle and after Scott had proposed a lovely toast to Carol and the loved ones that had gathered we sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Scott threw his arm around Carol as they blew out the candle together. Tears freely slipped from my eyes as I remembered just last year on Carol's birthday and the changes a year of time has made. Last year, she lay in Intensive Care hooked to countless machines and fighting for her life. She was rarely conscious, her body ravaged with sickness and most unaware. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and amazed at her tenacity to overcome such circumstances.

Carol was quite tired and decided to return home after dinner. The six of us, Kim, Kari, Nicole, Lisa, Jay and myself, walked around the corner to a local hang out and did just that..hung out for a little while longer. Again, we took pictures and of course continued to laugh and laugh.

The next morning, I personally was graced with a loud and annoyingly cheerful wake-up call from Lisa. I was told to get up and get in the shower. I was also told that breakfast would be at 9am, only to later find out everyone else was not planning on eating until 9:30. (Carly pulls that trick on me as well.) Breakfast was delicious and the company was better. Nicole brought her husband and two darling children and it was nice to see them. For dessert? Hugs and, of course, more pictures.

I must admit, I adore many of the pictures that were captured. Not because I look all that great but because so many of them capture Carol and me sharing that 'special something' we have between us. At dinner, I loved that she knew she could turn towards me to ask what was in front of her or for more sparkling water or which direction to 'look' for the pictures...anything. I love that she would turn to me between camera flashes to whisper some hilarious comment about this or that only to have the next photograph capture me -eyes closed and mouth wide open in laughter and her quickly recovered in smile.

We returned to Utah on Monday. It was a whirl wind trip but I am so very glad I went. I am so glad I got to spend time with some great friends. Each of us has our quirks. Each of us have spent time not in constant contact with each other. But this weekend, each of us echoed their gratitude that we have gathered once again together as dear friends.. Perhaps that can be considered a positive stemmed from Carol's incident. For me, it truly is. I am so glad that I was able to celebrate Carol and her 34th birthday! So grateful!