Tori's Piano

Tori is really picking up the piano. She is enjoying it immensely. She practices just about every day. She is so excited about the music that she wants to start Orchestra. I love her enthusiasm!!!

Sad Stuff, but a proud Mama

Sunday morning was quite the shocker. Duncan had to go to BYC, so he was at church at 8:00 am. At about 8:10am we got a phone call from my sweet boy. One of our good friends had passed away that morning. He was diagnosed with cancer and we just found out about it sometime in July. It doesn't seem that long, but I know it has seemed like a lifetime and a blink of an eye at the same time for his sweet family. Duncan's buddy, who is also the Deacon's Quorum President, just happens to be the son of our sweet friends. I've worried for how Duncan would take the news.

When I got to church I immediately started looking for my boy. I thought for sure he'd been struggling to cope. When I finally found him he was sitting down where he was supposed to. He was the only Deacon there and he was doing his Priesthood duty. When I looked at him, he mouthed the words, "It'll be OK." Of course I was bawling all the way through sacrament meeting. =)

There was a baby blessing, and Duncan jumped up and had to go find the microphone. He is fairly new to the responsibilities of a Deacon so he wasn't prepared. However, he took everything in stride.

Of course since it was the first of the month it was Testimony meeting. Our ward has the Deacon's stand up front with a roaming microphone so that if anyone wants to bare their Testimony, but are unable to go to the pulpit they still are able to do so. He looked up a little frantic and ran up front to do his job. Not a look of frustration, he just knew that was his job.

I had to go home to compose myself after the meeting, so we took Jason home and I relaxed for a bit. When I ran back to church for Relief Society I walked past the stage door. There was my boy, standing behind the curtains. Mom instincts kicked in and I thought he might be struggling. So I walked up there and said, "What are you doing? Are you being a trouble maker??" The visiting High Councilman stepped out from behind another Curtain and said, "Oh no, he is being VERY helpful." He was getting the hymn books for Priesthood opening exercises. Once again, doing his job.

Relief Society just might have well been a cry fest. I'm not sure that there was a dry eye in the house. We all were feeling the ache and loss for this sweet family.

When we got out of class Duncan said, "Where's Dad?" I told him he was home with Jason. He said, "We have to go get him, I need him to be my partner for Fast Offerings." Again, not even close to shirking his duties.

The thing I am most proud of is the ache he feels for his friend. He doesn't know quite what to do. He loves his buddy, and wants to be able to make it better. Obviously this is not going to happen. He wants to make cookies. He wanted to stop at their house after doing fast offerings. He asked if he could call him. I told him it might not be pretty, but he could call him and show his support. He called and told his friend he was really sorry. Of course his friend really didn't want to talk. Duncan said he wasn't sure it was such a good idea to call, but I love him for his understanding. I love him for his love of his friend. I love him for his ability to be a responsible kid. What can I say.....I'm a pretty lucky Mom and I have a pretty good kid!!!!

Speech Therapy

Well this video is just playing. But look how cute he is!!

Rabbit Fur

I have a tendency to talk a little bit. So since I'm sitting next to people and keying for 4 hours most of the class knows that Jason has Autism. One of the lovely ladies told me at break time yesterday that she has a 21 year old cousin who has Autism. Her favorite calming toy is a rabbit fur. So I was, relaying this information to the person that sits next to me, and she advised me that she saw a rabbit pelt at Hobbie Lobby. She offered to pick one up for me. So today I came home from training with a rabbit pelt. Jason was unsure at first, but he loves the pelt. I tried to sneak it off his lap, just to see what happened and he grabbed it and put it back on his lap. Gotta love when people share information!!!!

Bag-O-Me

Duncan had an assignment in Honors English. I was quite impressed with his writing so I thought I would post it here.

Bag-O-Me

Have you ever heard of a person with only three characteristics? I sure haven’t. Because everyone has hundreds of traits, choosing just three is near impossible. I love technology, my family, laughter, and much more. But I managed to decide on a rock, a joke, and a bar of soap to tell Duncan Lutz’s story.

Rocks aren’t only for skipping you know. The reason I put a rock in my bag is that a rock is steady and stands firm. When dealing with a challenge I am steady. Experience has shaped me like a rock is shaped by the wind and the water. This has helped me learn how to treat others. Having an autistic brother has helped me learn how to take care for small children. Taking karate for four years helped me learn how to take care of myself.

The Joke represents a good spirit. I can laugh at myself, and I’m not easily offended. I have lots of friends because I’m easily liked! The way I think about laughter is that its fuel. One laugh can light up a whole room. Being happy is a choice and I make that choice a lot.

The bar of soap represents cleanliness both in thought, speech, and action. Soap can clean the outside of your body, but to really be clean you have to make good choices. A dirty joke may be funny to you but it may not be to someone else, so if you tell dirty joke others might lose respect for you. If you make good choices, and are respectful of others you will have a good reputation. I am a good example of that.

I am steady and firm in my convictions. I like to laugh and make people happy. I try to make good choices. That is why a rock, a joke, and a bar of soap represent me.

Beans???

My boy LOVES BEANS!!! You'd think this would be one of the things that he would despise! Whoever I think it's his favorite food.

I love this contemplative look. Of course I took the picture because he's covered in sauce.
I love his little hands. I have to reload his plate with beans to get him to stay at the table.
Of course if you are taking pictures of Jason eating you have to take one of Samantha. She told e she was looking through a camera.......it looks a little green and briney to me.
Corn......gotta love corn!

Training

I am on the downward side of training. I have 8 days until I can work from home. It's been fairly frustrating, because I did this job for over 6 years. Enough has changed that I needed to get some info on the keying functions, but for the most part it's all about the same. Regence requires us to have 4 weeks of training though, so I have to go.

Hopefully the time will just fly by!!!