Well . . .

it's been a while and a lot has happened in the Gilbert house hold since I updated last. Where do I begin? Probably at the next major event.

I guess that would be Kristin turning 8. I would show birthday party pictures but since her birthday was right around Easter and then the school year ended and we have been on vacation we haven't exactly had her birthday party yet.

But here are pictures from her day.

For her birthday she got to pick what she wanted for dinner and she chose the ever popular Purple Chicken Alfredo. Doesn't look to appetizing?

The following slide show is of Kristin's last year.




Happy Birthday BooBear. Mommy, Daddy and Jessica love you very much and we are so proud of you. Hope you have a wonderful year!! You are growing up so fast. This past year you have grown up so much from a snaggle tooth 7 year old to a beautiful 8 year old. You continue to amaze me with your since of humor and wisdom. I can't wait to see what the next year brings.

Catching up

OK so I'm not as consistent as I should be. Life has gotten in the way and I've been busy watching my children grow as they do all to quickly.

To start the month off Chris took Kristin to the zoo with her class. He was a wonderful chaperon and the girls on the "pink team" had a great time. I think Kristin's teacher chose pink for them because of Chris's boss and his pink underwear.

This month also took us on the Lite Rail with Nana and Papa for Nana's birthday. We caught it down by the Condo and rode it to the end and then back. It's nice to have on in town but I'm not sure how many times I will ride it since it is so far from the house.

After the Lite Rail, Kristin went to Volleyball camp. She had never played before and did relatively well. She had a great time and would love to do it again, especially since her friend went with her.

Jessica got to hang out while Kristin was playing Volleyball.

The end of the week sent us to Tucson to visit Dawn, Greg and their beautiful daughters. I can't believe that Kars is 5 years old and baby Rilynn is 3 months. In Tucson we spent the day at Karsyn's 5th birthday and as all Diva's need it was a Glamour Party. Even Jessica got in the act. I think Chris is going to have his hands full with these two when they are old enough to date. I was not to be left out so I got in on the fun.

A new month has started and I'm sure new adventures await us around every bend. Until next time. . . .

She did it . . .

She really did. Jessica said "I wuv you" to me on Friday when she was taking a bath. I have been waiting so long to hear those 3 little words. She says all kinds of things to me but these are always the most precious. I remember when Kristin said them. She was about the same age and we were playing "who loves you" and she looked up at me and said "I wuv you mommy". It just melted my heart.

Jessica has also come up with a new phrase in the last week "Mama, guess what?" Now answering that opens up a whole new can of worms and giggles from the back seat. She is so precious.

I can't believe how big Jessica is getting. They both are. I was thinking the other day that Kristin is going to be in 3rd grade soon. That seems so much older than 2nd grade, and Jessica's language is just exploding and her personality shines more brightly each day. I love this age.

Thank you Kristin and Jessica for filling my bucket each day and every time I hear those words "I wuv you"!!

My Soap Box . . . Autism

Autism is something that has interested me for sometime. I come across it on a daily basis at school. It is difficult to watch children who are locked away in their own world and to be oblivious to the one around them.

Autism is the fasted growing disorder and it effects many children. Today 1 in 150 children are diagnosed with Autism or an Autism spectrum disorder compared to 1 in 10,000 in 1970. 1 in 94 children with an autism spectrum disorder are boys. A new case of autism is diagnosed every 20 minutes. There is no medical detection or cure for autism but there are treatments. The cost of treating children with autism is currently 90 billion dollars worldwide annually. That cost is expected to rise to 200-400 billion by 2014. But there is hope, lifelong care can be cut by 2/3 with early diagnosis, care, and intervention, only problem is, there are many insurance companies that do not cover the cost of care.

Autism speaks is an organization dedicated to helping parents and children dealing with autism. Autism effects more children and their families than cancer (1 in 25,000 - 300 million dollars) or muscular dystrophy (1 in 200,000 - 150 million dollars), yet autism only receives 15 million dollars in funding.

Although, autism has not effected my family, it does effect many families and friends. Maybe yours. If you would like to learn more visit http://www.autismspeaks.org/.

The following video is from http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/ . This website was started by John Ondrasik, the lead singer of Five for Fighting. To see more videos from families dealing with autism, visit this website.

The family featured in the video is a friend of by best friends.

The question I pose to you is . . . What kind of world do you want?

Adventures in Potty Training!

So we're trying to potty train Jessica. I forgot how much work it is. Jessica loves to sit on the potty when she wants to and she doesn't always tell you when she has to go. Which means we have had out share of accidents.

Well last night she dumped water down the front of her, while cooking dinner, so I had to undress her because she was upset about it. Once in her "birthday suit" I escorted her to the potty and sat her down. I then went back to cooking dinner. When I returned this is what I found:

Yes, this is the entire roll. Pretty much brand new too!!

I couldn't help but laugh. I wanted to get her picture sitting on the porcelain throne wrapped in TP but she didn't want it taken. So all you got was the above picture.

Only later did she want her picture taken alone and with her sister.

The Bucket. . .

I am laughing so hard, I wish I had a camera. I just found Jessica sitting in the dog’s water dish crying. How might you ask did she get there? Well apparently she was playing flashlight tag with Cosmo, who loves to chase lights, and Dandy. They were in the hallway and I guess she was standing to close to the water dish and Dandy knocked her down. Splash!! Her little bottom fit so nicely in the dish. She is soaked and not happy about it at all. There is water all over my hallway. She keeps walking around saying “Dany me in water”. Boy I wish I had my camera. We might have to reenact it just for the picture. I’ll make sure to empty the water dish though before hand.

Thanks for filling my bucket today Jessica. You are a great bucket filler!!

Busy . . . The end of the road and the beginning of a new.

Ok yes I have been away for a while and I wish I had a good excuse but I don’t. All I can say is that I have been busy. The holidays are always a busy time of year and I always tell my self that this year I won’t get so rushed and I will sit back and enjoy it. Well, obviously, this was not the year. Like always there was last minute shopping and gift to get together, decorating to do, grades to finish and end of the year strings to tie up. So that is where we are at. This is the beginning of a new year and hopefully some new organizational skills.

Did you make a New Year’s resolution? I didn’t make any new ones. I’m still working on completing last years. . . less yelling, more organization, eating better and more quality time with my girls and husband. I think I will be working on these the rest of my life.

If I do this right below you will see what Our family has been up to the last few months. I know you all have been waiting with baited breath to see the exciting things we have been up to. So let’s give it a whorl.