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Showing posts from July, 2009

The Great Motorcycle Debate

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What would you do? Sim just called and one of his workmates bought him a motorcycle. That's right. Bought. Him. A. Motorcycle. A little Kawasaki 250. All of his workmates were in on it. Is it obvious that Sim works entirely with men? Because if there'd been a single woman on his crew, she'd have been the voice of reason that said, "Sim drives two hours to work each way. Do you know what kind of traffic he drives through? It's a nice thought, but saving a bit on gas is not going to console his wife and their three children when he gets plowed down by an 18-wheeler." Ya'll, I may have a heart attack. And he hasn't even driven the thing. I mean, on one hand, that is so incredibly sweet of his coworkers. I mean, who does that? Who says, "I think I'll buy a motorcycle for someone." It's awesome. It's fantastic. It's really, really nice. But I love my husband and I would like him to stay in one piece. Is that too much to ask for? W...

Idols Live Pictures (aka: Noah Meets Anoop!)

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In case you haven't read my other post , Noah got to meet Anoop last Thursday when the American Idol tour came through Dallas. In no particular order, here are some pictures from the concert and from the meet and greet after the show. P.S. Don't let Noah's nonchalantness in the pictures fool you. He was exhausted by the time the concert finished. He may not be reacting in the pictures, but his reaction during the concert said it all. He had the time of his life!!!! Thanks again, Anoop and Mike for setting this up for us!!

Noah Met Anoop!!!! Video Blog

Okay, so I guess you can tell from the title of this blog post that Noah met Anoop. (!!!!!) And I've been dying to tell you all but have been without a computer for the last week. Aarrrgh! Anyway, there is SO much to tell - and quite honestly - I don't think I could do it justice by typing it all out... so I did my first ever video blog. Just to warn you.... I can talk! My "short" video ended up being 16 minutes long. Yikes. But it really does tell you everything that happened and how Noah did and what the concert was like and how it went when Noah met Anoop. BUT... I also did another version that ended up being 1:36 because I was completely mortifed when I turned off the camera from the first video and saw that it was 16 minutes long! So... version 1 is the longer, but detailed version, and version 2 is the short and sweet - but-you'll-totally-miss-what-happened version. Point is.... NOAH MET ANOOP! Pictures to come!!! P.S. Youtube said my video was too long - lo...

Headed to Austin

Hey everyone. Sorry I haven't posted the info on Eli's therapies just yet. This weekend was a whirlwind and we're leaving today to go to Austin for a week. Noah starts his 4 day RPM "camp" at HALO tomorrow. He's so excited! I am technologically way behind, so I don't have a laptop or a blueberry - oops, I mean blackberrry - or an Iphone . Which means... I will be without internet access for the week. Strangely, I'm actually looking forward to it. Hope you all have a great week and hopefully I will be full of blog posts when we get back. Prayers are very much appreciated for the drive down there. Nandi is... how shall I put this... not exactly the best traveler..... Back next week!

Eli - Boy Wonder

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I wonder what Eli's knight name would be? Sir Eli the Great? Sir Eli the Conqueror? Sir Eli the Boy Wonder? We have seen so many changes take place with him these last few weeks. It is truly mind-boggling. Now, I won't go into the therapies we're doing with him just yet - I'll save that for another post. Ya'll know by now that I can be a bit of a jabberwockey, so if I don't cut to the chase then this post will quickly turn into a novel. Okay. So, a year ago Eli tested in the bottom 1% of all 5 year olds in the nation for coordination. He couldn't kick a ball, couldn't crawl on his hands and knees without falling, couldn't even draw a circle.... the list goes on and on. Fast forward to now. In May we started taking Noah to a new therapist and we had to buy these expensive glasses that flash lights into your eye (I'll get into that in another post.) Anyway, they were, like, a hundred and fifty dollars so we decided to get Nandi and Eli tested to se...

Miracles are alive and well in East Texas...

You know, God is starting to open my eyes to the miracles all around me. For years, I've thought that only two things could constitute a miracle: 1. That Noah would be miraculously healed of autism overnight and 2. That I would be able to pass by a bowl of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and not grab a handful Unfortunately, neither have yet to happen. But if I keep focusing and keep waiting for that one major miracle to happen - for Noah to be healed of autism - I'm going to miss all the everyday miracles that occur in my life. Just for Noah to be alive - for him to be walking and to be healthy - that in itself is a miracle. Anyway, the other day God showed me two very distinct miracles to illustrate that even though my prayers may not be answered He is still very much a part of my life and looking out for me and my family. The first one happened about two weeks ago when I was cooking spaghetti. I had a huge pan full of boiling water and took it to the sink to drain. Because ...

Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala

You know, I don't think I have ever posted a recipe on here before. It's not really my thing. Plus, I don't want anyone coming back saying they wasted a bunch of money on a food dish that ended up tasting like cardboard. Insecurities , you know. However, that has all changed. I am giving you a link to the BEST chicken tikka masala I've ever tasted... and it's done in a crockpot . What is that I hear? A chorus of angels singing, "Hallelujah"? If you love Indian food and don't mind gaining 5lbs in one sitting then you HAVE to try this. Admittedly , it's a bit of a pain because you have to marinate it overnight, then bake it for 30 minutes before you throw it in the crockpot , but it is sooooo worth it. Serve it over a little basmati or jasmine rice and I guarantee you'll be thinking you're eating a dish that was prepared in a kitchen in the middle of South India. Unless, of course, you're Indian or British ( CTM is hugely popular...

Sensory Friendly Films for Children with Autism

My lovely friend, Myia , just facebooked me a link about how AMC theaters and the Autism Society of America have teamed up to show monthly movies that are "autism friendly". In their words... "In order to provide a more accepting and comfortable setting for this unique audience, the movie auditoriums will have their lights brought up and the sound turned down, families will be able to bring in their own gluten-free, casein-free snacks, and no previews or advertisements will be shown before the movie. Additionally , audience members are welcome to get up and dance, walk, shout or sing - in other words, AMC ’s “Silence is Golden®” policy will not be enforced unless the safety of the audience is questioned. " Oh. My. Goodness. This is fantastic!!! We LOVE movies, but we never get to go because anyone who has a child with autism will understand that sometimes it can be a bit too much. The lights, the noise, the smells... you get it, right? And then our kids have th...

Why I Haven't Been Blogging

I know that I haven't been blogging much lately. I don't know... I think I've just lost interest in it. In the past, I could blog about mindless, frivolous drivel - like how Sim didn't know who Rick Springfield was or my letter to Michael Phelps or how I'll drive across Texas in order to find a bag of special edition Hershey kisses . I could write about things that were fun and lighthearted - but I just can't find that place inside me anymore. Now, I did nearly blog the other day about how I almost had a panic attack when I thought that L'Oreal discontinued my favorite lipstick, but it just seemed pointless and unimportant - especially when compared to the real stuff going on in my life. I don't know what to blog about anymore. I know that blogs are meant to be for the blogger only and that you should be able to blog about anything you want - but I can't help but recognize that blogging about RAD is alienating me from the people in my real life...

Christine's Big News

My wonderfully brilliant, funny, and just-plain-gets-it friend, Christine, has some big news to share. As some of you know, Christine is a preacher's wife in a small town in Oklahoma, homeschools five children, and is also a mom to two beautiful RADishes. She's got some pretty cool knock-your-socks-off news. God is about to send her and her family on quite an adventure... Head on over there to check it out. Let's just say that Simeon is very jealous and I can already see the wheels turning in his head...