Spelling Champ!

I have not been shy about my disappointment in the public education system. Cayden had a really great experience last year and was surrounded by people who seemed to be genuinely involved with the success of his education. Its been almost a year since Cayden was diagnosed with autism and during that time, I have learned that most of the people that have been involved with his many therapies have little or no experience with autism. **Insert a picture of me shaking my head with frustration here**
His teacher this year has a tendency to treat him "special," which irks me beyond belief. When discussing his goals for the year, I told her I want Cayden to be able to write his name by the end of the year, in which she responded with the lesser goal of having him be able to recognize the "C" in his name by the end of the year feeling that would be appropriate. Why limit him?!? I know he is exceptionally bright. **Insert another picture of me shaking my head in frustration here** Regardless of her lack of confidence, I have continued with my original goals for him.
About a month ago, he came home with a coloring project in which he had written a gigantic "C" on the back. "C is for Cayden," he proudly told me. About a week later while sitting in a restaurant, he told me, "C A Y D E N - That spells Cayden mom," I was so proud and shocked that I could barely find the words to tell him how brilliant he is. I thought, at least he is able to memorize the spelling which is the first step.
Then yesterday, he picked up a can of Diet Coke from the pile that is still waiting to be crushed. He brought the can to me and pointed out while saying "C O K N - That spells coke mom." He confused the "e" and "n." But, HOLY COW!! What a genius!

All I can say is take that teacher lady! My son is a spelling champ!

Red Markers

Many of you know from first hand experience the amount of energy that is required in order to participate in normal everyday activities that involve Cayden. He is like having twins and sometime quadruplets. As I am preparing for a final for my Finance class; it seems as there are no exceptions. In fact, Id dare say that he knows when I have important tasks to accomplish and feels the need to seek attention in a louder than normal ways.
I intentionally waited a few days to post this so I could cool down and find the humor in the situation.
Wednesday:
I had to run next door to my brother-in-laws for a few minutes. Leaving Cayden and Kailee in the care of Dave. Upon my return, Cayden greeted me from the top of the stairs, "Guess what Mommy?"
"What is it Buddy?"
"I drew a picture of Onslaught and Ratchet on my wall!" (These are names of Transformers) His face beaming with pride.
I heard Dave get up from his office chair as I ran up the stairs.
He proudly showed us the 3 foot stick figures that he had drawn on his walls with permanent marker. Pointing out which each were. Three in total - Onslaught, Ratchet, and a bad guy Decepticon.
It was pretty difficult to get upset. It was the first improvement that we have seen in his drawing. The stick figures even had fingers! Instead of getting overly upset, we took pictures and even had him pose in some. Then explained if he wanted to color he could use his special paper and crayons.


Thursday:
Morning have been pretty hectic since Cayden began school. Mostly due to the fact that Kailees crib remains in our bedroom and Cayden has no differentiation between quiet voice and loud-happy morning voice. Ideally, I would have Cayden on the school bus as Kailee was waking up. On this particular day, I seemed to have everything on schedule so there would be no need for rushing. So I gated off the living room and proceeded to make the kids breakfast. I noticed the silence, which as any mother knows - silence is only ok if your kids are sleeping.
I went into the living room, no kids! As I walked towards the bedroom, I finally hear Caydens voice talking to Kailee in his 'Im Batman' tone. They are in the bathroom with the door closed....not good! Even worse, the door is locked.
I knock, "Cayden, open the door Bud."
"No Mom, go away." He says in the no-big-deal tone.
"Please open the door, we need to eat breakfast."
"No Mom, go away!"
......this continues for several minutes. Cayden was getting more angry that I would not listen to him. I was getting more frantic as Kailee began to cry.
Finally I decide I am going to have to break in. The whole time I am taking the door knob apart Cayden is telling me that I am not going to put him in time out. Finally, the door opens.
Saline solution covered the floor and most of Kailee. My prized Bed Head Afterparty hair lotion saturated Cayden and Kailees hair. Mascara covered the front of the cabinets, the broken wand in Caydens hand - he had applied it to Kailees cheeks. My liquid gel eyeliner was smeared all over into the eye shadows and on every finger nail of Caydens. My powder all over the place, most of which had made it onto Kailees face.
I looked at the clock - ten minutes until the bus! I promptly stripped Cayden and put him in the shower. I must say, that I controlled my anger very well. Of course, there was no way that Cayden was going to miss his bus because I could not guarantee anything if I was to endure a whole day like this. He made the bus.


After the choas of the morning, I called my mom to vent. She did very well not to laugh to hard. She did help me calm down. After our conversation, I felt ready to continue with my day. I put Kailee down for a nap. Because she has been getting up so early with Cayden, she still takes 2 naps. On this day I was extremely greatful for this fact. I went upstairs to switch over the laundry. As I am headed downstairs, I am beginning to think that a nice hot cup of tea would be relaly nice and calming. Just as the thought enters my mind, I trip over my feet and begin to fall backwards down the stairs. I reached up to catch myself on the banister. The pain was immediate in my shoulder. All I could say is, "Are you freakin serious?!?" I sat on the bottom of the stairs and tried to regain my composure.
I went into the kitchen and went to get the coffee pot down (which I use to "brew" my tea) The pot falls and shatters into a million pieces all over the floor. At this point I decide it would be in my best interest to sit on the couch and not do anything until absolutely neccessary.


My day did get better. Kailee was in an extremely playful mood. And when we went to meet Cayden at the bus, he was so happy to see me he could barely contain his excitement. On our way in to the house, he grabbed my hand and looked up at me and said, "Mom, youre my best friend." My kids are the best!

UPDATE
Since originally typing this post, Caydens stick friends has grown from 3 to about 8.....the red permanent marker is still MIA.

Kailees 1st Birthday

Kailee turned 1 on October 31st! We planned a get together for friends and family the following day. The invitations were sent, the party supplies were purchased. Despite Kailees ear infection and the fact that Davids schedule had been changed to work later at the last minute and he would miss the party, the plans were still in place. However, after we picked up the birthday cake; Cayden began throwing up in the back of Grandmas van. So, 2 hours befre the party we decided to reschedule the party for Sunday evening.
The party worked out perfectly. Kailee and Cayden felt significantly better by party time. The house was packed with family and friends, and our normally shy beauty was exceptionally happy with all the attention. It was a great time!!

Halloween

As always, our Halloween was packed full of obligations. We had Davids family come from Idaho to spend time with us over the weekend. Dave had some business obligations that kept him busy with his day job as well as our business. I, of course, was busy with preparations for our guests and preparing our kids for a night filled with candy and fun.
The original plan was for me to take the kids trick or treating and then to go with my brother-in-law, Jeff, to visit Dave in Park City at the Harry O's Halloween Party. However, Dave called and needed us to bring some equipment up right away; basically allowing me to dress my kids and leave them with Grandma to do some trick or treating. The kids looked adorable and this was the first year that Cayden was super excited about Halloween and it was fun to watch his anticipation. I had a fun night out with Jeff and actually had a good time with the work I got to do at Harry O's to help out Dave.

Conversation with Cayden

Cayden is quite the talker these days and he has quite the little comedic streak, as well. He has learned about the video taping feature on my camera and we spent Kailee's whole nap time making videos of him talking; which he watched over and over again while laughing hysterically and telling me, "mommy Im funny!" Here is the one that makes me smile the most...enjoy!!

Because I can

Since I am the author of our family blog; I can brag as much as I want without much editing. And since I find Daves projects completely exciting and facinating...let the bragging begin :)

My incredibly talented (not to mention smokin hot) husband landed another movie contract for lighting. He just finished his portion of the shooting last week, which involved 2 solid days of work building a massive stage over the foutains at the Gateway Center. He also set up trussing and lighting, and of course was the lead operator for the lighting. The movie is called "Waiting on Forever," and its due to open in 2009. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1296898/

Yes, I know, he is super impressive!

Daves Birthday

My sugar daddy turned 32!!! haha

Now that Cayden has realized the significance of birthdays, he was more involved than ever with the planning. He was very adamant in the details from which cake we got to which gift Dave opened first. We had a great time and Caydens involvement made this a birthday that none of us will forget.

Our Princess

Kailee, being the true princess that she is, got her ears pierced! She did extrodinarily well. I had my sister hold her while she had it done as I casually wondered away. I have a hard time holding back my tears when either of my kids has to get their immunizations, so I was prepared for whatever the case may be.
Of course, she was immediately surrounded by a group of older women all willing to participate in the event in any way possible. She tends to have that effect on people, all biases aside - she is absolutely gorgeous!
The preparation took forever, but the actual task took less than 10 seconds. Followed by approximately 10 seconds of tears. As soon as I picked her up, she was fine.

Kailee Walking!!!

Its official, Kailee has past the phase of taking a couple of steps here and there to walking short distances! She will be running in no time :) So here is our cute little ragglemuffin, right after her nap - of course she rolls all over the place so her hair came out of her cute little pig tails - and the video is sideways....cant figure that out at all!! haha

School Days

Cayden started pre-school at the beginning of September. I was able to take hime his first day of school; he was really excited until he realized that I would not be staying with him. His fear tugged at my heart; but I was able to hold back my tears. His teacher told me that his first day went well and he wasnt nervous for long, especially after seeing his little girlfriend, Aspen (a cute little girl that he had gone to early Head Start with) is also in his class.
He missed almost two weeks of school after his first day because of some bussing issues. Last Tuesday, he resumed going to school and got to ride on the "magic school bus" for his first time. I had been preparing him for a couple of weeks to get him familiar with buses and he was truly excited. The morning of his first official bus ride had finally came, so I got him ready for school and put on his Batman backpack and we stood outside in the driveway and waited. Every car he heard he would get more and more excited. Finally, we could see the bus coming down our street. Cayden could hardly contain his excitment.

The bus pulled up to our house and we began to walk to the door. The doors opened. Caydens eyes became wide and he grabbed on to me, "I dont want to go." The bus assistant met us at the door and Cayden took an instant liking to her. I helped Cayden onto the bus and then they drove away. I cried as I walked into the house.
I decided to go grocery shopping with Daves niece and found this to be an easy distraction, even though I checked my phone at least a thousand times. I wanted to be sure I was home to meet the bus to make sure that my little man made it back to me in one piece. Luckily we made it back just in enough time. The bus pulled up and I walked over to the door, Cayden came running off the bus talking so fast it was almost difficult to keep up. He loved it! He couldnt wait to go tomorrow!

He is so grown up!

Growing Up So Fast!

Sorry - this is a couple of months old, we had some internet issues and now they are fixed! Yippie!!!
Kailee has become quite the little monkey. She crawls all over the place and will pull herself up on anything she can. She will eat anything is sight, as well - however, she still remains tall and skinny. It takes a lot of food to fuel her constantly moving body. She is such a happy baby and is really easy going. Her most recent developmental landmark - she waves bye bye! Sometimes it is accompanied by "bububububububu," but either way is just as cute! We love her so much! She definately has us wrapped around her tiny finger. Cayden has grown to love her as well, she is the first person he wants to see in the morning. I LOVE MY KIDS :)

Life

This is not a post about my wonderful kids and the joys of motherhood - but simply an observation of where I am standing and currently find myself in a reflective state as I begin to move forward feeling the resistance like a brilliant windstorm pushing me back..but I continue, with my hair a mess and feeling the exahstion to my core.

Motherhood isnt easy. Life isnt always easy.

I never truly comprehended how much more chaotic life would be with 2 kids. How in the world did my mom do it with 6 (or 7, now)? Im constantly moving. I love to write and so I take the time to do things such as this, but honestly this single blog entry took me days to compose, seriously!

Im finally starting to make connections with people outside of my home. Any mom knows what a blessing it is to have these connections. These connections remind me of what it is like to be Casey. Ill never stop being mommy or being a wife, but it refreshes my soul when I can remind myself what its like to just be me.

Life seems to have taken our little family in some not-quite-planned directions. It can and has been stressful, any adult knows that feeling of "its not ever going to end..." so feeling completely defeated this morning, I began my morning routine of work, school and the daily maddness that is called Cayden and Kaille. I checked my email, and generally I do not read forwarded emails until I have spare time -- so generally, once a month late on a saturday or sunday night. But, for some reason I chose to read this email on Wednesday morning and it was just what I needed. So I feel compelled to share it.


In April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older.

And, there on television, she said it was "exciting." Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day...like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first.

The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her words!

Maya Angelou said this:

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."

"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."

"I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life."

"I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as "making a life."

"I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance."

"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back."

"I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision."

"I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."

"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."

"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Kailee Ann

Our baby girl is growing up so fast! 6 months already! She has mastered rolling all over the place, grabbing anything in site, serenading us for hours with her squeals, and eating! I know she doesnt look like it, but this girl LOVES her food - and if I let her, she'd love everyone elses food too. She also is quite proud of her sitting abilities and most recently has managed to pull herself up onto her hands and knees, she doesnt go anywhere but its really cute!


Here is our angel doing what she loves -- eating! I believe this is Squash.

Another Day at the Miller Farm

So - heres the short version:

Dave and I stayed up way too late on Saturday night and the next morning we struggled to take care of our kids. So, he napped with Kailee while I attempted to keep my eyes open while hanging out with Cayden. I fell asleep....and woke up to this:



What is this, you ask? Well its a special paste made of diaper rash ointment and baby lotion...and I believe white face paint may have been added. All accompanied to a soundtrack of "Ghostbusters" that Cayden was singing while dancing around with his backpack on his back that has the vacuum hose attached. I promise to get a picture of the backpack and post it at a later time.

Anyhow, 5 hair washings and a long bath and I finally found Cayden.

Cayden

Cayden is amazingly brilliant and has been blessed with a gift that allows him to see the world in a way that others have forgotten or never learned. Because of this, his spectrum of possibilities are endless and I look forward and feel greatful to be blessed with the ability to make the journey with him.
He is high functioning autistic. What does this mean to him? absolutely nothing! He will coninue to view the world with his carefree heart and optimistic, innocent eyes. What does this mean for me? A lesson in patience and a greater need to protect him from people who have no understanding or who may label him as anything other than the amazing little man he is!
We have been blessed to have Cayden involved in a program that allows him to work with people that will not let him slip through the cracks of "public education." I wish I had the means to educate everyone on what autism is...maybe one day.

Food Tales

Cayden is one of the most pickiest eaters I know. So, I am constantly looking for things that he might like. I even rename some food to things he likes. Quesadillas are pizza, anything meat are hot dogs...and so on. I will brag and say that he loves his veggies :)
Anywho, I found some dinosuar chicken nuggets at the store - yes, I know they are processed, but its still protein! So at lunch, I presented him with some macaroni and cheese, peas, and dinosuar chicken nuggets. He ate his peas first, and then I left the room to change Kailees diaper. Upon returning, I found his macoroni spread out and made into a jungle - with all of his little plastic animals neatly placed into his food. I tell you, my son is so creative!
He wouldnt eat the dinosuars because they are toys. He went into a full meltdown when I showed him that they are food by biting the head off of one of his dinsuars....onto other ideas :)

Rather Exciting News

Dave picked up some more work with MTV! They are shooting a movie in Provo and have involved Dave in the lighting. The movie is called American Mall - its like High School Musical but it targets the teenage population. His lighting will be the grand finale of the movie. Its so exciting to watch his career grow. He's so incredibly talented and it's nice to see all of his hard work going in the direction it has been. If you would like to read more about the movie, you can read about it here

Among all of his other projects - the two biggest are of course, the opening of Murray Theater. After the 2 years of planning and preparation, it has finally opened and it is phenomenal! I would really encourage everyone to check out the hypnotist show on Friday nights, its a great opportunity for you all to see what he does in a family friendly environment. The other project is an upcoming music festival in May, Evolution 3D. Its a true festival lasting several days with a variety of music and activities. Its by far, the largest musical event that Daves company has ever spearheaded. I'm really excitied about this one.....and looking for possible sitters so I can attend for a day or two ;)

The greatest gifts in my life

Today made me realize how awesome my kids are! I took on the great adventure of shoveling the foot and a half of snow from our driveway, cursing under my breath as I made it to the four feet of snow that the snow plower piled in front of our driveway. This is no exaggeration - in fact, there may have very well been more. Cayden kept the mood very playful as he threw snowballs at me and kept trying to get me to eat the soot colored snow....he didnt like it, so he wanted to know if I had the same opinion.
Tonight, as I sit here unable to move, its nice to know that Kailee is perfectly content with me just smiling back at her because the very thought of having to get up and do anything more makes me want to sob like a child.

While being a stay at home mommy is by far one of the most difficult tasks I have taken on, its nice to have days like today when I can step outside of the choas and reflect on how truly blessed I am to have great kids! Please remind me of that tomorrow when I feel frazzled from chasing Cayden around with Kailee in one arm and a load of laundry in the other...well, that is, if I am able to move tomorrow!