Service, Snow, and Sunshine

I can't believe I haven't written since we visited Grandpa Great! It's been a busy month and I let the time pass by. I'll do my best to recap and share the highlights. 

I'll start with service. I had many opportunities this month to serve and to be served. Both ways of service, giving and receiving brought me great joy! I'll start with my dentist appointment. Grandma and Grandpa are my usual go-to's when I have a dentist appointment because it's down in Highlands Ranch. I was very grateful when my friend Rachel said she could watch Hugh for me. Hugh had the best time, she had all of her balls out and balloons and a little pond he could throw rocks into. I was grateful he did so well for her! 

One of my ministering sisters, and friend, had a birthday at the beginning of November. Breeanne Nead was Anna's ministering sister over the summer and wanted to make her a gluten free cake for her birthday. We partnered together and made a super cute, delicious chocolate cake. Breeanne came over here with her two boys and we baked throughout the afternoon, decorated it, and then delivered it together to Anna. I think Anna was surprised, and I hope she liked it! We had fun making a little personal cake, and giving someone who is gluten free a delicious dessert is one of my favorite things! 

Our neighbor came by and looked at our furnace. Last year when we had it serviced, they told us we'd need to replace it soon. He is an HVAC guy and came over in the middle of the snow storm and took a look at it. He replaced a couple small parts, free of charge, and cleaned a few things and told us we should still get a couple years out of it. The furnace is original to the house, so it's about 18 years old. Here's to praying it holds up! He wouldn't take any money and insisted he simply wanted to be sure we were taken care of. He was also so kind when the boys wanted to watch and see what was going on in the furnace room! 

I felt Stake Conference was a personal call to me to do better with my ministering. I found my companion and asked her what her availability was for visits and started to schedule with our sisters. We ended up getting all three of them on the calendar within three days. I had talked to my companion Katie once, enough to know she's a behavioral therapist for children with Autism. I met her only a few days after Jay's diagnosis and I truly feel like it's Heavenly Father's hand who has brought her into our lives. We had wonderful visits with our sisters over the weekend and I got to know Katie better. I also invited her to go to the park with the boys and I while our husbands went to the Elder's Quorum shooting activity. She was amazing with the boys, particularly Jay. She wasn't put off by any of his behaviors and it was so nice to have an extra set of hands at the parks we went to! When one kiddo went one way, I knew the other was taken care of! I was happy she was willing to take advantage of a beautiful sunny day with us! We also took advantage of any warm and sunny day by going to the park! We tried one new on in a new neighborhood and went to some old ones too. Parks make us happy!

I usually have a lot of confidence in Jay's climbing and don't get nervous, but when he climbed up on top of these monkey bars and walked across, I panicked. He was strong, safe, and allowed me to help him safely return to the ground once he finished his adventure. 

This was a fun spinning toy Jay liked to give Hugh a ride on.

Jay driving and Hugh riding the bumble bee at the new park we visited

Matthew went on two work trips this month, one to Dallas and another to Florida. We miss him when he's traveling and we got a huge snow storm while he was in Dallas. I took the boys outside to shovel the sidewalks of the six inches of snow and built a snowman with them. Hugh isn't too sure what he thinks about snow, but I am hopeful as he gets a little stronger and bigger and can navigate in his suit better, he'll learn to enjoy it. We got enough snow that tons of flights were cancelled and we were worried Matthew wouldn't be able to get back in, but his plane took off and landed on time. It did take him about an hour to drive the normal 30 minute drive home from the airport, but he made it safely! I made some fresh ice cream for him with raspberries from Grandpa Great. It was super yummy! 

Jay was so excited for the snow, he wanted all his gear on and his special snow shovel! 

I never knew how many seeds came from raspberries, but here's a picture of the seeds I filtered out so they wouldn't be in the ice cream. 

I've been working as much as I can on Jay's paperwork for the state and to figure out what I can do to help him get the support and services he needs to learn and grow! I decided I should look into another school nearby even though it's out of district. Hugh and I toured together and it was amazing! They have so many resources for their kids who have Autism, including teachers, aids, a learning center, and more. I was impressed with the high standards of conduct the school requires and left feeling hope that maybe there are places in this world to help my son grow in the ways he can, however non-traditional they may be! I've continued to look into the school and because we are out of district, we will need nothing short of a miracle to get Jay in. Open enrollment is in January, if we can get on the list soon enough, they MIGHT have space for Jay. The principal has made it seem fairly hopeless, but I want to believe we can get a miracle if it is Heavenly Father's will. We have also started Jay in Speech and Occupational Therapy at the hospital. He likes both therapists a lot. They both have fun toys, but the OT has a ball pit and Jay really thinks that is fun to play around in! I also had Jay's annual IEP meeting this month. I shared some insights with his teachers about things that might help him function better in school. Overall, school is what people would define as a "non-preferred" activity for Jay. This makes him extra vulnerable for misbehaving, and it's cause a lot of challenges this year. I mentioned he loves to gather and he loves suitcases. The next day, Mrs. Tiffee had a suitcase with two 12 pound dumbbells in it! She said Jay had an awesome day! Jay was so sad to leave the suitcase at school, and I was so pleased with Mrs. Tiffee's efforts to help Jay! 

I'll wrap up the first half of November with our visit from Grandpa and Grandma. I didn't tell the boys they were coming until about twenty minutes before they arrived. As soon as I did, they both ran around the house like crazy people until Grandma and Grandpa arrived! They couldn't contain their excitement and would look out the window, run around the kitchen, back to the window, and were in constant movement. We love having Grandma and Grandpa come visit! We had a nice dinner and Grandma brought the award winning fruit that convinced the boys to eat the other food. We were able to visit and catch up on all the things throughout their evening with us. It felt like it had been forever since we'd seen them and it was really nice to spend our Friday with them. We are blessed to have them so close! And, we wished they lived a little closer! I miss the days when I could load Jay up in the bike and we could take a bike ride to their house. Or, we could stop by after running errands, or just spend the morning visiting and playing! 

General updates about the boys are here with the associated pictures! 

Work smarter, not harder could be Jay's motto. He was so pleased to load his folded laundry into his wagon and take it to his room. 

Jay also learned to play the harmonica and couldn't be more pleased with the sounds it makes!

He was sooooo excited! 

Jay helped Hugh get his socks on, huge Mom win right there. It's only happened this one time ;)

Hugh loves to lay everywhere, it's so funny!

Here he is again, laying down to make sure he vacuums everywhere...

After nap snuggles on a snow day are something everyone needs! 

If you are ever in the basement and can't find Hugh, look under the bed, he's probably hiding in his favorite past-time chair!

Peek-a-boo in the cabinet has turned into a favorite fun game!

We got a new dining room table from my friend who is moving.

There was a Saturday where M didn't have to work and we actually had time together outside, Jay got to climb the tree which he thought was very fun!

The boys were cracking up playing with this tower and it was very sweet!

Jay's October and November work at school. 

Visiting Grandpa Great!

Our last big to-do before visiting Grandpa Great was to blow out our sprinklers! We got it done on Friday morning, along with a car tune up, and we loaded the car Friday evening after Matthew got home from a work event. Saturday was a beautiful day for a drive! We stopped by Jack's to drop off the air compressor, then hit the road. We made a few extra stops for potty breaks, and Jay was successful the whole way in just his unders! We've never gone that far without a diaper or pullup and he did awesome. Jay really needed to use the restroom in Fort Collins, so we stopped at Jax and they were giving away free popcorn, so we all enjoyed a midmorning snack! We did our traditional pizza stop in Rock Springs for lunch, the grocery store in Soda Springs, and got to Grandpa's a little before five. Jay and Hugh slept for about twenty minutes the whole drive, but held their attitudes together very well. They were wild animals as soon as we got Grandpa Great's house! For most of the trip Jay called Grandpa Great, "Great", which was very fun! Jay knew where the toys were and the lawn mower and the tractors, etc. The boys seems right at home with Grandpa Great and didn't take any time to warm up to him. Chris dropped by and said they were doing horse carriage rides at the green houses, aka Brady Plant Ranch, so we hopped back in the car to check it out. Aunt Karen kindly let us in for free and had the horse guy wait for us to get on the carriage before taking off. Jay LOVED it! He did awesome watching the horses walk around and couldn't stop smiling. When we got off, we got to feed the horses some corn stalks. Jay was a little nervous about that, but did a great job with some help. The gentleman driving was very sweet and saw Jay's enjoyment and asked if he wanted to go for another ride. He'd been driving the horses all day and was supposed to be done, but Jay's joyful nature awarded him another ride. This time, I sat up front in the driver seat with Jay and he even got to hold the reins a few times. Jay hollered at the horses, "go go!" The driver got the horses to gallop, which was very fun! The boys had so much fun in the corn pit, running around the hay bales and down the slide. They could have stayed there all night, but we adults got too cold and pried them away. 

Jay enjoying his popcorn

Hugh with his free sucker from the store

Our first wagon ride!

Feeding the horses with Aunt Karen and Dayson

Jay trying to feed on his own.

Jay and I sitting front row!

Sliding fun

Hugh loved the lights on the greenhouse floor, they shifted and moved and he thought it was amazing

Chris is always the best with the boys and Hugh loved playing catch with him

Sunday was a beautiful Sabbath Day in Virginia. Everyone is always so kind at church, treating us like life-long members of the ward, even when we can only attend once a year now. Bekki Pope asked if she could take Hugh to nursery with her, and I was a little hesitant as he's usually quite clingy. I asked if she had some balls or a basketball hoop, as soon as she agreed, Hugh was off and ready to play with the balls. Basketball hoops are in nurseries for kids like Hugh, I think he might shoot hoops the whole nursery hour. He calls it a "soccerball hoop", so we are working on fixing it, but he's so cute as he says it. Grandpa Great voted for the easy meal for dinner, which was burgers. They were so good with Brady's Beef. Matthew took a nap with Jay, and Grandpa and I just got to sit at the table and visit. I love visiting with him! I know Grandpa sometimes (or often) wishes he was with Grandma, but I count every visit and interaction with him a great blessing! These past ten years I have gotten to know Grandpa in a deeper and more meaningful way. I've seen his relentless faith and courage, and I admire him for it! He blesses my life and so many others by still being here! He shared with me the two best and most influential choices he made in life were to serve a mission and to go to BYU. Serving grew his faith and testimony and at BYU, he found Grandma. In my life, I already know moving to Colorado will be one of those best decisions I ever made because I met Matthew. And, it will be interesting to see what other impactful life changing choices I realize I made when I am 96 and talking to my grandchildren. Once the boys woke up from their naps, we went to the cemetery to visit our family graves. Great heritage lies in the beautiful Arimo cemetery and I love visiting. It's always been a place of peace for me, even when we were little and visited on Sundays when Grandpa was giving blessings. We also played at the little town park for a while before heading home. Matthew was super dad, running everywhere, showing them how to do new tricks and climb and run and it was so fun to watch!

Jay, Grandpa Great, and Hugh

Me, Jay, Grandpa, and Hugh

Hugh, Grandpa Great, Me, Jay, and Matthew - proof we were all there together

Hugh was getting a kick out of running around without his shirt! 

Jay and Hugh with Grandma Flossie and Grandpa Hugh's grave

Hugh with his namesake's grave, Lehi Hugh Brady

Grandma Great's Grave, I think she would have been happy to see us there and hopefully happy with the changes I've made in my life over the past ten years. 

Daddy and Jay!

Hugh's always happy in the swing!

Jay and Hugh swinging on the giant swings

Daddy and Hugh racing

Jay and Daddy racing 

Grandpa Great reading with Jay before bed

One goal for our visit was to see the Pocatello, Idaho temple. I am sure if that temple was there when I was a kiddo, I would have dreamed of being married there! It is a beautiful temple! We couldn't go inside the gates because it was a Monday, but even outside of the gates you can feel the peace that comes from being in a place dedicated to the Lord. We loved walking around it and enjoying the beauty from a distance. We stopped at Winco for a quick shopping trip and to see why everyone thinks it is so great. It did have an impressive bulk section where we purchased some candy and eventually found the peanut butter and milk we went for. Grandpa had a quick doctors visit in the afternoon and we enjoyed dinner together when he got home and the boys were taking naps. I do love having my big meal in the middle of the day and wish we could do that here! I made some of Grandma's caramel corn with corn puff pops. I love it and I can only find the corn puffs in Idaho, they need to come to Colorado! Again, our evening full of visiting with Grandpa was wonderful. We were hoping to play Chinese Checkers, our go-to game, but we just enjoyed visiting too much. Grandpa is the reigning champion of Chinese Checkers too, so we'll have to get a rematch next time we visit. 

Pocatello, Idaho Temple - Jay and Hugh

Me, Hugh, Jay, and Matthew

Grandpa Great and Hugh 

Grandpa Great and Jay  - I think giving 5's but it looks like an arm wrestle

I didn't get much organ playing in because the boys were way too excited about joining me.

Tuesday we spent getting the sheets washed and enjoying all the little moments of playing outside and entertaining the boys. They loved reading books with Grandpa Great and looking at pictures with him. Jay especially wanted "Great" to help him with his shoes, his jacket, his books, eating, whatever he could think of. Whenever Grandpa Great was up for it, he helped and it was very sweet. Uncle John came over Tuesday and let Jay hop on the tractor for a ride. Jay was so excited! I think it went well, but I didn't really get a report from Uncle John. Jay thought it was funny when the cows would spook as he walked towards them, so he got shoes full of cowpies as he trudged through the fields. I am grateful Uncle John was willing to take him out! Grandpa's one request was for the boys to pick up apples and to get the porch chairs in the barn. We did those in no time! After a yummy dinner, we loaded into the car and headed out. Our visit was too short, and if we'd known what was coming for us, we may have stayed longer! It's always hard to say goodbye to Grandpa Great, but I am excited we'll get to see him next year at reunion. About two hours into our drive it started to snow, then conditions got worse as the snow started to stick. Some parts of the road were white everywhere, no lines, and you just followed the cars in front of you hoping for the best. My anxiety was high as we drove and I prayed and prayed and prayed we'd be safe. We saw one care 30 yards off the side of the road, and I did not want to be there too! The closest place you can pull off that has a hotel or even a gas station is Little America, so we knew we had to make it that far. If it had been possible to pull off sooner, we would have. We were hoping the 80 would be a little better, but it wasn't so we pulled off and were blessed to find a room at Little America. We weren't the only ones pulling off to find a place to stay. We got a yummy hot dinner at the hotel grill and then hit the hay. Jay napped the entire way to Little America and was not interested in sleeping. Matthew was super dad and slept all night with Jay in his little room separate from Hugh and me. 

Daddy, Hugh, and Jay picking up apples

Hugh sweeping

Hugh and Jay watching the trains. I have so many memories of counting cars while standing on the fence just like them.

Uncle John and Jay

Taking the hay to the cows

Jay working on his socks with Grandpa Great

See those nice clear roads, they didn't last. But, the sleeping kiddos did! 

Jay and Hugh making each other giggle and laugh to no end.

The ice bucket was the best entertainment, and tackling Daddy on the bed was a close second

We packed plenty of snacks to have breakfast the next morning and took a slightly later checkout at 11:30. We hopped back in the car and went on to Rock Springs. We stopped at Walmart to get the goods for making sandwiches and having lunch in the car. We ate, looked at road conditions and weather forecasts, and eventually determined we wouldn't be making it home in time for Matthew's event and we'd very likely hit snow as we drove further into Wyoming. The risk wasn't worth it for us and we determined to find a hotel nearby and press our luck for an early check-in. We were very blessed to find a nice hotel at a good price and they let us check in immediately! Hugh was tired and fell right asleep, and Jay was so excited to be in a hotel that he laid down for a bit but wouldn't sleep. When Hugh woke up, we headed down to the pool. Jay and Matthew fully embraced the pool, but it was a little chilly for me and Hugh. We were the only ones there so we enjoyed splashing around and finished our time in the hot tub and then baths back in the room. We hit up Café Rio for dinner and enjoyed a GF crepe at Jack's Crepes. It was definitely the most expensive crepe I've ever eaten, but when stuck in Wyoming, you've got to make the most of it! The boys went to bed much quicker Wednesday evening, so Matthew and I watched a fun movie and enjoyed as much 1:1 time you can while sharing a hotel room with two kids. It was a good throw back to Germany and didn't feel like too out of the ordinary because it's how we lived for three months. 

Swimming time!

We let the boys control the remotes and they thought it was amazing

Family dinner at Cafe Rio!

Crepes!

Having 24/7 access to a bed was something the boys loved, bouncing laying, and pushing the pillows everywhere. 

Our drive home Thursday was completely clear! We saw a couple semi-truck's off the road which I'm sure happened during the storm and it made us extra grateful we didn't risk it. The drive was smooth and we only made two quick stops. Coming home is always refreshing and it's especially refreshing when you've been unable to get home and stuck in hotels. After unpacking, Matthew worked and the boys took naps. We kept dinner simple and took the boys trick or treating for their first time! Jay's done a couple trunk or treats a couple years ago, but never the door to door experience. Jay dressed up as a farmer, complete with Stanton's boots that he left here when they came to visit, and Hugh dressed up as a little chicken. The first couple doors we knocked, no one answered. Jay wasn't phased at all! I hope he keeps the gusto when he serves a mission someday! Jay would say trick or treat as we approached houses, but as soon as they opened the door, he couldn't get the words out. Sometimes he would muster a please and sometimes a thank you, but he was over joyed with each handful of candy! Hugh, he would say trick or treat and carried his little bucket the whole time! We only stayed out for about twenty minutes, and the boys got enough candy to fill their little buckets. When we loaded into the van to come home, Hugh wouldn't let go of his bucket! Even when getting him out of the car, his little hand didn't let go. They excitedly dumped their candy out and were amazed by all the fun treasures they'd gotten! It was fun to see their excitement and pleasure! Holidays through little kids eyes are truly the best. 

Driving home!

Farmer Jay!

Farmer Jay and little Chick Hugh

Beginning Candy explorations

Hugh joining into the dumping!

Friday Jay went to school and then we went to Aunt Katey's to can applesauce! Aunt Katey's house is the most requested place. I get asked at least once a day if we're going to play there and Jay was beyond excited when I picked him up from school and we went to Katey's. He didn't want to take a nap and miss any opportunities to play there, even though I tried to lay down with him. Jason and Katey had already done most of the apples by the time I got there, but I helped fill jars and kept the canners going. Katey got all the apples from friends in her neighborhood and the applesauce was super yummy! I felt like I really didn't do much and just enjoyed being with Katey and Jason and working on a project and relaxing at their house. It felt like forever since we'd been there! I picked up pizza on the way home and we enjoyed our evening relaxing at home! In the morning, Jay needed to put all his clothes away from being washed. He quickly loaded up his wagon and was so pleased with himself and his idea!

Jay and his clothes wagon

Saturday felt like the first Saturday in forever we had at home without Matthew working or without something we had to do. I gave the boys and Matthew haircuts, we cleaned up outside, cleaned up inside, packed up Halloween decorations, assembled Hugh's big boy bed (which we hopefully won't use for a while), and moved a dresser and our printer down to the basement office. I enjoyed being with the youth on Sunday for Sunday school. I didn't teach, but am looking forward to two weeks when I do get to! One trick Jay learned early Sunday morning was to play the harmonica! He thinks it sooooo fun! And, the pure joy on his face when he found out how to make the sound was priceless and I tried to capture it in a photo. Someday I hope he can channel his energy to learn an instrument. He loves music! Whenever he looks through a Friend magazine, he sees the sheet music, knows it's music, and takes it to the piano and sits down to "play" it. 

Jay and the harmonica

The after joy of playing!

The boys continue to talk about Grandpa Great! They love getting a piece of candy after dinner or when Jay gets poop in the potty, they both get a piece. Jay's always more than willing to share with anyone who is around when he gets a piece, he chooses one for everyone which is very sweet. We are so blessed to have two kids who are amazing car travelers and took all the stops and hotel stays in stride. We were blessed with miracles of safety and wisdom to stay when we needed to stay. Heavenly Father is aware of us and our little family, and I am so grateful for His all seeing and all knowing power!