Tooth Month

I hate that my blog has become something I don't update nearly as often as I probably should. This month has just FLOWN by. I blame it on all the orthodontist and dental visits.

Cameron has been seeing the orthodontist for a few years now. A few years ago, they told me that he would most definitely need braces (he literally has a tooth on the roof of his mouth and his canines are so far UP or DOWN on his gums it's ridiculous...) They quoted me a price and we let it go. I wanted to pay for the braces all at once, because there was a 10% discount. Who wouldn't love to save nearly $500?

Anyway, we put it off a few years, and at his last appointment, the orthodontist told us that he would be ready to go at his next appointment, and we should set up our payments.

Thank heaven for tax refunds....but boo that over half of the refund went to pay for braces.

Anyway, Cam had been playing with his space-maintainer. He'd flicked it with his tongue so much that it was standing up instead of laying down. I called the orthodontist and we went in the next day. After the orthodontist checked him out, he called me back. He said, "He's good to go on the braces, and doesn't even need this space maintainer." Then he pulled out the little bar and we were off on the braces train. I paid for the braces. Biggest, ugliest check I've ever written. Then we set up the appointments. I figured his teeth would need to be cleaned, so we set up a dental appointment. He had a cavity and instead of fighting him in the office, they set him up for a dental surgery. We've done the dental surgery MANY times in the past, but we went to a new facility. They wanted a doctor's approval before surgery, and the surgery was kind of quick notice, so we saw the dentist, went to the doctor, and then did the dental surgery all in 2 days' time. He did well, and was good to go.

Today we got his x-rays, molds and spacers placed. Next Monday he'll be getting the braces. He's excited....he doesn't know WHAT he's in for.

On top of Cam's dental problems, Jake's had issues. One morning while giving him a bath, I noticed that one of his caps was missing from his front teeth. (Quick note, when Jake was 18 months, he had dental surgery to cover his severely thin and rotten front teeth. They grew in rotted, it was quite sad.) I called the dentist, and they had him come in the next day. Jake was VERY brave. He went back to the seat all by himself, and sat still while they cleaned his teeth. I was in the waiting room worrying whether he was okay. After he was done with the cleaning, they brought me back. He had MANY cavities and they asked how he'd do with in-office visits to fix them. I worried that he'd get frustrated with it, and asked about getting him set up for dental surgery. The dentist agreed, and we set it up, but not for MANY weeks. Funny enough, Jake's dental dilemma was WAY before Cam's, but Jake is STILL waiting to go in for surgery.

This week, Jake will get his surgery, and then I'll only have the braces to worry about.

Welcome to tooth month in my home.

My Life In Pictures...well, Today anyway....

We're chugging along. I think we'll be okay, despite my last crazy panicked post.

Cameron hiding in the many boxes....

Jake sleeping, just like daddy. *giggle*

Halloween

We had a long road getting TO Halloween this year. The boys were threatened on a regular basis with it being taken away....but they both made it.

We walked all up and down Grandma's neighborhood and got a GOOD haul. The boys were completely exhausted by the end of the night....

Now we move to the other holidays!!

A Work in Progress

Lately I have not felt like myself. I'm grumpy and angry at the drop of a hat. Yesterday was no exception.

I woke up early to watch the 9/11 things on TV (I am a 9/11 junkie, I watch so many shows about it and absolutely cannot get enough...) I was SO tired, neither of my boys went to sleep the night before until well after 10:30, and I was grumpy with having to deal with them all by myself.

Anyway, I laid on our comfy couch, snuggled under a blanket, and watched the show. A little ways into the show, the boys woke up. It was 7:00, and the boys were WIDE awake. I was still groggy and tired...even a little emotional, because of the 9/11 stuff, and they were needing a mommy.

I will admit, mornings are NOT my thing. I am a night-owl to the core. My boys, however, are early risers. Jake's justification to me has always been, "Mom, the sun is UP!" Yes, son, I know the sun is up, but that doesn't mean I have to be up.

So the boys are getting rowdy and I'm getting grumpier and grumpier.

Finally, I'd had it. I grabbed Jake, and took him upstairs. I was DETERMINED that he was going to get more sleep. (Anytime Cam would touch him, he'd whine and cry....I KNOW the boy was tired, he just didn't know it himself.)

I quickly fell back to sleep, but Jake did not. He laid in my bed for an hour. Finally he'd had enough, and wiggled and hit and kicked. He wanted out.

Anyway, I got upset, and so did Steve. At one point, Steve said, "FINE! I'll get up with the boys..."

Look, DUDE! I have been dealing with these children of yours all by myself for a VERY long time, and I have been awake with them, but this child needs more sleep.

If only I'd said that, right??

Instead, I got up with the wiggle-worm and went back downstairs where I got grumpier and grumpier.

Finally I decided that it was time for baths and took the boys upstairs to get ready for church. Generally, Jake goes first, because I can have him done REALLY fast, and dressed before Cam is even finished washing his hair.

I'm not even sure what exactly happened next, but Steve said something that set me off. I was looking through the clothes to get Jake dressed, and I had only found the boy's shirt and vest. I was in the midst of looking for his pants when Steve said whatever it was he said. I had it.....and I said so. I threw the clothes at Steve and said, "FINE! You get them (meaning the boys) I am DONE!"

Then I didn't look back...I went downstairs and took a time-out on my couch. I let Steve have FULL care of the boys.

When the boys came down, they were treading carefully. Jake came over and patted my knee. I did NOT move. Cameron looked like he wanted to ask me something, but he didn't. I just sat in my time-out and said NOTHING!

Then I realized something....the boys got dressed just fine without me harping on them for every little thing. They were happy, and I wasn't micro-managing every little thing.

At this point I realized: "The house is happier when we don't get angry and yell....it's best when I am quiet and listen."

Yes, a realization I should have had YEARS ago.....I have tried to be quieter since then, but I still have old habits that I need to break.....but I can do this. I can. I want a happier home and I'm sure my boys do too.

Never-Ending Cycle

School is back in session (has been since last week, but who's counting?) and life moves quickly. Jake has done his own "school" a few times and loves feeling like a big boy.

I'm a little frustrated though.

Bedtime has become my nemesis....yet again. Jake and Cameron fight EVERY single night. I'm losing my mind and just want to sit in the fetal position crying.

It starts out innocently enough. We do our bedtime routine: scriptures, brushing teeth, and prayers. Then I encourage BOTH boys, "Leave your brother alone. I do NOT want to see or hear from either of you for the rest of the night." The boys respond, "We won't. Good night...."

Then the brawling begins. Cameron hurts Jake, Jake screams bloody-murder, Jake comes bawling down the stairs, "Mom, Cameron hurt me..." I yell at Cam, Cam yells down the stairs and Jake screams a little more.

This repeats nightly.

I'm SICK of it.

I thought the bunk-beds were to blame. Whenever we'd send one boy to bed, the other would follow (usually after the first was sleeping peacefully) and shake the heck out of the bed, waking the other boy and causing a fight. So I took the bunks away. The boys have been sleeping on their mattresses on the floor all summer long. Finally, a few weeks ago, I got what I THOUGHT would be the perfect solution: a day bed with a trundle. No touching of beds at ALL! Unfortunately, I forgot that due to the size restraints, the beds are still only 3 inches apart. The fighting STILL happens.

I'm tired.....more importantly, my BOYS are tired. I wish I knew what to do to fix this situation, but I'm at my wits end and going more and more crazy each night. Tonight I just let Jake sit on my lap until Cameron fell asleep....it wasn't until after 10:00.

This is ridiculous. What more can I do? Why can't they just get along!?

We've Become THOSE Parents

You know, the ones you SWEAR you will never allow yourself to become?? The ones you just KNOW are too lazy to correct their children, who allow the kids to do whatever they want whenever they want....the kind we promise ourselves we WON'T become.

For the last month or so my boys have been terrible about going to bed. For a while they shared a bunk bed. Then when they'd be in bed together, Cameron would shake the bunk bed and wake up Jake, just because, and Jake would reciprocate. I got annoyed with the squeaking and the fighting, so I took the bunk bed apart and then downstairs. Right now, the boys' beds are just mattresses on the floor, nothing more.

Since I took the blasted bunk beds down, bedtime has been a nightmare.

Cameron will poke/hit/kick Jake, and Jake will bug/poke/annoy Cam. We tried separating them (which worked!), but then I spent a week at my parents' house. Things were completely messed up. This week I've been on the brink of tears every SINGLE night.

The boys scream, yell and fight even more than usual. Bedtime has NOT happened before 11:00 all week. Both boys are cranky, and to tell you the truth, I'm grouchy myself.

Tonight, Steve helped out. He's truly been a HUGE help when the boys won't listen to me. After 3 times trying to send the boys to bed together/separate times, he'd had enough with the fighting and let Jake stay downstairs until Cam fell asleep. (This is what we've been doing, and generally it works....) Soon Jake was running around playing with pillows and blankets, then he was playing with his toys. At that moment I saw myself through someone elses' eyes....I was the lazy parent who let their child stay awake as long as they wanted and just let them have free reign of the house.

I yelled, "We're THOSE parents!!! We let our kid run amok and haven't enforced their bedtime!!"

Steve laughed.

I sent Jake off to bed and just allowed World War III continue without intervention.

Again, it was after 11:00 before the screaming stopped, but I've hit my limit....I'm DONE! I don't want to fight this fight any more. I want my kids to listen the FIRST time I tell them something (maybe the second, but not on the 10th time....)

I'm so disappointed in myself...I'm one of THOSE parents.

Sweet Peas Saying Sweet Prayers

The other day my boys and I were going to go to hang out with some friends. We were all really excited about going and didn't want to miss this for anything. We headed out to the suburban and buckled up. We were ready to leave, but the suburban wasn't. It wouldn't turn on. (Now, let me preface this a bit....We're buying my parents' old suburban. It's been having issues with the starter for about a year....if you hold onto the key too long after the engine has turned over, it dies. The trick is that you have to let go of the key as SOON as it starts up. So far, we've not had many problems.) The engine wouldn't even sputter. I was worried that this was the end of the suburban until we could afford to replace the starter. I was sad. My boys were in the back seat complaining loudly.

I had a thought, 'Let's say a prayer.'

So I told the boys we were going to pray. Both boys folded their little arms, squeezed their eyes shut, and listened as I prayed for our car to work so that we would be able to go to our fun activities and continue through the week.

I worked with the vehicle for a while (probably 5 minutes) and it FINALLY started! As we pulled out on our way, I told the boys, "Guys, we need to remember to tell Heavenly Father thank you."

In that instant Cameron called out, very loudly, "THANK YOU, HEAVENLY FATHER!!!"

I giggled at that, and we were off.

Then yesterday we were doing some more running around, and we'd parked the suburban in the same spot. It was just me and Jake this time. We were preparing to leave, and the car immediately turned over and Jake called out, very loudly, "THANK YOU FOR STARTING OUR CAR, HEAVENLY FATHER!!!!!"

I think now we'll work on thanking Heavenly Father IN our prayers. ;)

Dream Night at the Zoo

On Friday night we went to our local zoo for "Dream Night." A night dedicated to special needs kids and their families. It was completely free and COMPLETELY fun! They had people all around the zoo with things for the kids to feel and see (pelts, skeletons, feathers...) then they handed out free water bottles, animal crackers, tattoos, ice cream, stuffed animals for the kids....

I was so happy that our community provided this service.

Cameron was thrilled that he could see his friends and the zoo at the same time.

Jake loved the painting, animals and playing the drums.

Steve was happy to spend time with our family and not be working.

It really was a great night. We topped the zoo by going to the drive in and seeing Kung Fu Panda 2 (good, very kid-friendly...) and Thor (good parent movie, and VERY good!) It was a happy night, one that we said celebrated the start of summer break. :)

I Really SHOULD Make my Blog a Priority....

I have a lot to say most days, but I forget it when I get on the computer and I play my time away. *hee hee*

Anyway, a few weeks ago the boys got hair cuts. Cam got a cool mo-hawk because the school had crazy hair day (not allowing hair paint, so what ELSE could we do with a little boy's hair??)

He LOVED it and Jake kept asking for the same thing....even though his hair was too short. Maybe this summer sometime we'll have matchy-matchy boys.

Cam tried to teach Jake the "cool" finger thing so he could look like Cam, but he couldn't figure out why we were making him put up his fingers, so we gave up.

*hee hee*

5 Reasons I Love Being a Mommy

(I stole this idea from my friend, Deanna. Thanks for the idea!)

Random Loves

My boys will randomly come up to me, give me a nice hug and say, "Mom, I love you!" It's especially humbling when I'm in the midst of one of my many mommy-rants and they stop me in my tracks with their love. And I absolutely know they love me when they sweetly squeeze me in their little bear-hugs. So sweet.

Singing Primary Songs at the Top of Our Lungs

We're still pretty old-school when it comes to music. In the suburban I will play CDs that the boys love. I have to love them too, but that's besides the point. One of our favorites is Voice Male. They have a funny little version of "Popcorn Popping" that just makes my boys burst into laughter. When I begin the CD, Jake KNOWS it's his favorite and he instantly BEGS to hear "Cah-corn! Mama, Cah-corn!!" Once he says it correctly he's rewarded with the song. Then we'll all sing the song....yes, all of us.

Dinnertime

My boys are pretty picky. Dinner can be a huge success or a HUGE bust. Tonight I made a giant chef salad. (Lettuce, cucumbers, green peppers, celery, carrots, tomatoes, ham, turkey....) Both boys gobbled up their salads and BOTH complimented me on my choice of meals. (Cameron said, "Mmmm...Mom, this is SO good!" Jake said, "Why'd you chose this?" *giggle*) Seeing them eat up healthy food and LOVE it, nothing better....

Quiet Times

Those are few, and far between, but when I can sit down with Jake on my lap, Cameron cuddled on "his" chair watching random cartoons (today it was Rocky and Bullwinkle.....) the quietness surrounds us and I feel peace and unending love. I know that my boys are busy, but they can also appreciate the quiet times.

Helpers

Both of my boys LOVE to help me. They will almost fight over who gets to clean the kitchen table, fortunately there are enough washcloths and water to go around for everyone. It makes my heart swell to hear a little voice say, "Mama, can I help?"

Please don't take this list to say that my boys are perfect little angels, believe me, they're not. BUT there are those choice moments that make me stop and appreciate being a mom...the hardest, best job I've ever had.

Monster Children See Monster Trucks

A few weeks ago Steve took our boys to a Monster Truck rally. The boys were VERY excited. Anytime they saw a commercial for the rally they'd dance around clapping their hands, "WE GET TO GO SEE THAT!!"

Thankfully, since my hubby is a SAINT, I was able to stay home and did NOT have to participate. (He gets me, he really does...)

The boys had a BLAST! Although, I heard that Jake wanted mom after the first few minutes. Eventually, he got into the mood and was yelling and having fun with everyone else.

It ended up going pretty late, and the boys were SO tired when they got home at one in the morning, but they're already begging to go again next year.

Cameron, my sweet boy, keeps saying, "Mom, I close my eyes, and all I see are monster trucks!"

We know what will make the boys' year next time around....

Doing Things WITH My Boys

A few weeks ago, when I had that fantastic Relief Society lesson about strengthening our families, someone mentioned doing things with your children. They said that it will take more time if you involve the little ones, but you won't regret the memories made or the times you have. Tonight, I did just that.

My latest love is Papa Murphy's cookie dough. I took Jacob with me to pick up pizza earlier this week, and he "helped" me out by grabbing TWO containers of cookie dough. I didn't see a huge problem with it, so I got it, for a special treat later this week. Tonight, the boys and I cracked out the dough and worked together.

I gave the boys the dough, and they "rolled" it into balls. Jake was SO pleased with himself. Cameron was a great help, because he really DID know what he was doing and showed Jake what to do. Every few minutes Jake would call out to dad (who was just in the living room), "DAD! We's makin' COOKIE dough!!" It was way cute.

Finally, they helped me put them in the oven and were thrilled when it was done.

The best part? The boys are proud of something they did with their mom, and it was something easy.

Baby steps, but I'm going to keep trying. :)

If You Don't See Me Again....It's Because I've Gone Crazy....

The next two days are Cameron's days off of school. He's thrilled, I'm dreading it.

Being a referee was not what I thought mothering would entail. Cam will torment Jake to the point where Jake screams this shrill yell that sounds almost like a whistle. Then I turn into evil mama, and begin yelling and screaming for peace. (Yeah, that's NOT gonna happen that way...)

I do have a goal though: Have a good and enjoyable time with my boys and try really, REALLY hard not to yell or swear at them.

This is actually my overall mothering goal, but it doesn't hurt to take it baby-step by teeny tiny baby-step, right?

Wish me luck, unless you see my obituary in the paper next week....then wish my hubby well. ;)

Boys at the Zoo

We took advantage of a reduced price at the zoo and had QUITE the enjoyable time. Both boys were happy and enjoyed it all...then couldn't stop talking about it.

It's too bad the zoo isn't cheap EVERYDAY! ;)

How To Entertain Your Two and Nearly Ten Year Old Children

I spent the day with a good friend today. I introduced her to the best ice cream EVER (which I was surprised they don't already have in Las Vegas). Talked with her for HOURS about what kinds of things I can do to help out my sweet Cameron (she's an AMAZING special ed teacher....like, I wish she was OUR teacher, that's how amazing she is!) Getting all sorts of ideas from the kinds of books and programs to try (Bob books...we're going to find you!) and discussing the fun things that she does with her preschool kids. (Ocean-scenes and counting with goldfish crackers....Jake is ready for YOU!)

Then as we were finishing up our visit, she asked about dollar stores. I pointed her to one of my favorites, and OH MY GOODNESS, it was a good thing that it was payday today.

I found some super cute mini-lanterns that BOTH of my boys are loving. I also grabbed them some little plastic trucks (they're open, but sitting on the couch...) and my favorite things: GIANT bowls (for salads) flip flops (can't beat $1), and pens, envelopes and a new egg slicer. My boys are enthralled by the stuff I got. Cam's bummed that I didn't get him some flip flops (didn't know his size, and he was at the Learning Center, so I couldn't just measure his feet...) but the boys are happy and well entertained for VERY cheap!

I love dollar stores! :)

Monsters?

Yesterday I took the boys out in the GORGEOUS weather to the park. They actually played NICELY. Cam would gently lift up Jake and set him in the toddler swing and gently push him. It was one of those times when I WISH that I'd had a camera...total Kodak moment! They even played on the slide, Cameron helping Jake when he was scared and teaching him that it's okay.

Today, we're yelling at each other, fighting over the same toy (Jake's birthday balloon which Cam REFUSES to give to Jake....he just loves tormenting him) and screaming and growling.

Why is it that late at night, around bedtime, my kids turn from sweethearts into monsters? WHY!? I want my kids, not these....creatures. This is NOT what I signed up for.

He's Getting it....

Tonight, my dad was talking on the phone with his step-mother. We call her Grandma Sue, to differentiate between her and other grandma's. While my dad was talking, Jake asked me, "Mom, 'pampa talk to?"
I told him that it was Grandma Sue and he said ,"Oh, G'ama Sue? And 'Pampa Sue?"

At least he makes the connection! It's just cute.

It reminds me of when Cameron was starting to understand that he had different grandparents. My one set of grandparents we called, "Grandma and Grandpa Frei (pronounced like "free"). One day Cam asked, "Mom, when are we going to see grandma's Four and Five?"

Oh, the silly things our kids say....

Easter and Conference Memories

The boys were pretty pleased with our Easter. They woke up to find a note from the Easter Bunny telling them that the baskets were in my bedroom for safe keeping. They weren't particularly impressed with the "edible" grass. (I wasn't either....it's ALL over my living room floor.) BUT they both LOVED their clucking Cadburry Bunnies.

We planned to have a fun Easter egg hunt after the first session of Conference, but the message didn't get around fast enough, so we rescheduled for after the second session. It has been QUITE chilly here lately (all of Cameron's spring break was over-cast and just COLD!) and there was still some snow outside. (Not a lot, but just enough to cause problems.) Steve and I went out to "hide" the eggs (literally just throwing them on the ground and possibly HIDING a few) and I took one step on the pile of snow and slid side-ways crashing on the ground. I was hurt, and cold, but I was fine. Steve asked me if I was okay, and I slowly sat up, leaving the egg that HAD been in my hand on the snow with finger holes around it. He said to leave it and I did. When Cam went out to get the eggs, he asked why that one was RIGHT there. (*giggle*)
The boys had fun gathering up the eggs, there were 50 or 60 and just my two boys. After that, we sat and talked with family.

Earlier, Jake had spilled chips on the floor, and I told him to grab his broom and clean it up, he went to work scattering the mess all over the WHOLE kitchen instead of the previously contained area. He does make a mess well. I guess he's talented that way.

For Conference I'd made treats and set up a tent for the boys to watch the TV in. They enjoyed it for about 5 minutes, then they were done. Plus, the tent's pole was bent and just made things worse. The treats didn't survive until the first session either. Cameron had gotten up early and ate the middle of the brownies. It was sad for him, he didn't get ANY more brownies.

Conference was fantastic though. (What I saw of it. WHY do I always fall asleep in that second, afternoon, session??) I felt edified and very happy.

I also got some great deals at Lady's Night at Deseret Book. I'm very excited to read "How to Hug a Porcupine," and "Raising Your Strong Willed Child." Both look like they'll contain things that I really need to help improve my skills.

Overall, it's been a busy, but fun weekend. I love it when Conference and Easter fall on the same weekend, it just seems like that's how it should ALWAYS be.

When the Mind Wanders....

....it's just too hard for my body to settle down to sleep. Right now, it's 2:00 in the morning and I just cannot sleep. My mind feels like it's on over-drive and I feel wide awake and not even sleepy, at all.

I've been thinking about how truly grateful I am for my little family. I am so glad that I was blessed to be the mother of these two energetic little boys and that I was given the opportunity to not only teach them, but to learn from them.

With Cameron, I've had to learn patience and accepting things that are hard. For a while now, I've wondered how far Cam will advance in his learning and growth. For many years now he's been stuck around the same mental age. It's very disheartening. Instead of being the typical 9 year old boy, he's on the same level as a 5 year old. It's frustrating to me and I'm sure to him.

I'm frustrated that he still hasn't grasped the concept of reading. This is terribly frustrating because I SO love to read. I read a lot, and I know he and Jake have seen me read for fun. But when I sit down with Cameron to help him sound out words, he just doesn't get it. He can make the sounds that all of the letters make, but he can't figure out how to put them together to form a word.

I've been wondering if my life will be spent trying to take care of Cameron's many needs and that I will forever have a 5 year old in my life. I love him SO much and wish SO badly for him to have an independent life, but right now, I just don't know if that will ever be possible.

With Jacob, I've had to learn to enjoy the small things and to stick to what I say. For the most part, Jake is a VERY happy child. He loves making others laugh, and finds joy in the simplest things. You show that boy a basketball and he is giddy for a WEEK! He thinks making the adults around him laugh is a huge accomplishment. For example, this week, he was eating dinner at the table, it was just him and Steve. Suddenly, Jake farted. He looked up at Steve and said, completely serious, "I fahted!" We've been laughing since.

But that sweet side has a very stubborn side. I've known since before this child was born that he was going to do things HIS way. My NSTs were HUGE pains, mostly because Jake wouldn't cooperate by sitting still and letting the nurses get a good reading. I was in the hospital for HOURS on end just trying to get a decent reading. His stubborn streak is still strong.

His new love is going outside to play in his truck and with his basketball. Since our neighborhood is scary and the fact that we don't really have a yard to play in, we have to play at Grandma's house. I don't mind it too much, and neither does Grandma (in fact, she worries if we DON'T show up!!) When we get to Grandma's house, instead of going inside to say hi and let her know we're there, Jake insists on playing with his truck. I've had to literally drag the kid into the house for a few minutes, just so I can drop off my diaper bag before he can play. Then when it's time to leave, because he loves it so much, he will scream (high-pitched, bloody-murder type scream) and kick and flail until he can scamper away for more play time. He honestly thinks that he's boss and very much in charge.

I've had to take things away from him and force him to do what he's supposed to, and it's NOT been easy. I worry that I'll forever be in a battle of wills with this child.

These little boys are SUCH a blessing to me, and I'm so grateful for them and the lessons they teach me. I only hope that I can be a good mommy to them, and teach them what THEY need to learn.

Family Home Evening Confessions

For many MANY years our little family has had our Family Home Evening each week with my parents and other extended family members. Our usual lesson has almost always been a story plucked from the pages of the Church magazines, most often from the Ensign. When it was just us, it was fine, but then we started bringing kids into the mix, and the stories, while nice and uplifting, were WAY over our kids' heads. Family Home Evening to them was a night they dreaded. It was a constant FIGHT for us to get them to sit still and listen the the adults babble on about things that they just didn't understand.

A few weeks ago, I decided to change things up. A friend had posted a website that boasted A Year of FHE. I went to the website thinking that it wouldn't hurt to just look for ideas. I fell in love with the lessons. They were right on the kids' levels and a good review for the adults as well. We started with a lesson about showing love through our words. My sweet Cameron, who most of you know has developmental delays, was VERY involved. In fact, he followed along well and answered my questions. It was a HUGE success.

The discussion after the lesson usually drones on and on, but that week it was very good, and it was decided that giving the lesson at the kids' level was what is really needed. Since then, I've been the unofficial designated lesson giver. The lessons have varied, but we've all learned lessons.

The important thing about it all?? My kids are paying attention better (instead of running a marathon around grandma's living room) and they're starting to *get it.*

I'm SO grateful for this website, and I can say that my boys are happy too.