Happy Valentine's Week!

They danced at our high school as the entertainment at the younger kids' competition.

Cory has had a cold too.

Her group that flew in with her.

Sister Newman with the Huntsman's (mission pres)

Avery is using Lidia's phone so we got him new a case.

something fun for V-Day

Avery sleeps in a mountain of toys.

Cory and Tristan and Avery made a snow ramp and went off the deck on sleds.

Max loves being up high on the deck and looking for things to bark at.

Tristan enjoyed the fish at the Doctor Thursday, he plays even when he is sick, until he crashes at least.

Sister Newman and Sister Goodwin

pretty roses for Valentine's

Tristan noticed her plaque was up at church today.

So happy to get an email and pics from her today!

Lidia arrived in Virginia last Wednesday and seems to be enjoying it. Sister Huntsman sent pics from the Marines memorial taken right after they picked them up from Reagan International airport. She also sent a pic that she took on Thursday of Lidia with her new companion, Sister Goodwin. I just got my first pday email today. It feels like a really long time between Mondays! She is serving in the Braddock YSA ward which is right by George Mason University. Many of the students live at home so they are spread out all over the area and they can end up driving a lot. She sent a few pics and it looks like they ate at Panda Express one day and got a surprise and treats left at their door. Her companion is from Utah also, Tremonton. We sent her a care package that she should get today or tomorrow. The boys wanted to send her her Evie Pokemon plush and we sent lots of Valentine treats and lots of hearts with scriptures about love written on them. I also sent her some earrings that I ordered on amazon. It's not that she needs these things as much as we just want to do something nice for her since she's so far away. I guess that's why they call them care packages, not need packages. lol

Last Sunday me and my counselors were asked to come meet with the bishopric Thursday night. I must admit I was taken by surprise a bit. There is only one reason why they would ask all of us to come in, and ask us separately. They released us. I knew that had to be it but I didn't know why. Our primary president is moving and so I know they are redoing that. Bishop said that when they were praying about the primary, he received very strong inspiration to call my friend Erika to be the new YW president. He was crying and thanking me for being so awesome and wanted me to know that he was not going to do that but inspiration told him otherwise. I am totally fine with it. I didn't shed a tear. I was not sad at all. I know we are called to do things and we don't have anything to do with what it is or the timing of it and honestly I am happy to have less responsibility right now. I have a ton going on in my personal life without a huge calling. I don't know if the Lord is trying to help me out or if there is something important that Erika is meant to do with the YW but I imagine it's a bit of both. Don't get me wrong, I love the girls and my leaders. My counselors are like two of my most favorite people and I want them to come with me to my next calling. lol They asked me to do another calling right after church yesterday. Let's just say I will still be teaching some of the youth every Sunday. lol It's ideal for me. Cory is YM secretary now and needs to be there to support Avery.

Now I get Wednesday nights off? Not really, I take Aiden to dance right after school and then come home and get Tristan and Avery and then I take Tristan to therapy and then we rush home for mutual. So I am always tired come time for mutual. Tristan seems to like his therapist. We'll see how it goes. He doesn't hate it so that's good. I hope it helps him overcome some serious challenges he is having that he just won't talk much about with us. His teacher at school is also doing an incentive with him to help motivate him.

I took Aiden to a therapist at a place that claims to specialize in treating people with anxiety and autism spectrum disorders but I feel like it's a rip off. They charge 40 instead of 20 per visit because they claim to be specialists but they are so busy that they have hired a bunch of new people that are just normal counselors or even new ones and they don't have a lot of experience and she was asking me what I wanted her to do and she wasn't recognizing when Aiden was getting fixated on a negative aspect of his brothers and not letting it go making it sound like our home life is horrible when in reality they fight maybe a handful of times a year and usually because they are hangry. lol I just thought, she doesn't get it, I know him best, I really need to talk about these things with him at home and give him goals to work on. He will listen to me and he wants help with his social skills and anxiety. If I find a better suited therapist maybe I'll send him.

We were just notified that Aiden has been qualified for vocational rehabilitation services. We meet this week to start working on his employment plan. They help people with disabilities get schooling and get a job. They will help pay for whatever they need to lead to a good job. So they may end up reccommending some social skills services or something. We'll see. Aiden says he is interested in graphic design but you never really know until you start taking the classes I think. He is taking digital media right now and likes that but he does not love his Java programming class. He won't be happy unless he can be creative but he has to find his niche. He also wants to take some theater and dance classes in college so maybe that can be a minor or just fulfill electives. He said he would like to take ASL for a foreign language. The plan right now is for him to go to Weber next year and work part time and then go on a mission after Lidia gets home but we'll see. He has been practicing driving lately wanting to get his license but it really stresses him out and he is still making a lot of mistakes. I hope he will get used to it and become more calm with more practice. It's super hard for him to be aware of so many things at once when driving. I think we forget how many things we are aware of while driving safely.

Tristan is having the hardware removed from his leg over spring break, Monday April 3. It hurts if you touch that area of his leg and he has no fat to cushion it. It's an outpatient procedure and he can walk on it when he feels able but no jumping or sports for a month. He had a fever last week and missed a couple days of school. He hates to miss because then he gets piled with make up work. I took him to the Dr and they gave him antibiotics for a sinus infection. He's better but still congested. I got him some flonase. It has really helped me. Running the humidifier helps too. I'd really like a home humidifier on our furnace or radiant heat like we had in England.

Avery has had a cold too and he had a nose bleed yesterday. He has been a bit grumpy at school when his teachers try to get him to work. Winter is hard on him. I don't think he gets enough exercise or sun and then it takes a long time for him to fall asleep and then he doesn't want to wake up in the mornings. Friday he didn't have school and Tristan was home sick and they slept in till 11 or 12. On Sat I woke them all up at 12. Tristan was awake reading in bed but the other two were still asleep. Avery says he doesn't have anyone to play with now that Lidia is gone. What he means is no one babies him and entertains him like she did. lol Aiden really has no patience with him. It makes me mad. We are trying to work on that and empathy. I am trying to convince Avery to do ballroom next year like Aiden did this year. He loves to dance and needs the exercise. The question is will he dance with a girl and follow choreography. We will try some dance workshops this summer. Aiden really likes it and it's sad that he graduates this year. Weber doesn't have ballroom teams. He will have to go to UVU if he wants to do that.

We have new insurance and we have to change doctors so I need to get busy on that because we all have issues and medication. I need to find an obgyn that I like better anyway. My issues are not gone and I just refuse to keep getting biopsies every few months for forever when they can just take out my uterus. I don't really want to go through that surgery but am willing to in order to get rid of the worry of cancer and to not have to continue with biopsies. I don't like to be messed with. Do it once and be done. It's also annoying that I am supposed to go get a mammogram every year now. It's not really painful but I don't like it and I feel like the technology is inferior. They could do ultrasounds and get better results and not have to squeeze you. That's what they did after the mammogram was iffy last year anyway. So dumb. Two appointments instead of one. I will never have a uterus ultrasound ever again. That hurt so bad last year. Just take the thing out. It's obviously no good anymore.

We have an appointment in March to see the specialist in Salt Lake about the myotonic dystrophy that runs in Cory's family. As time goes by they learn more and more about it and there are high rates of autism spectrum disorder associated with it. It could be that all of the things the kids have been diagnosed with could stem from that if they have it. It will be interesting to see what this doctor has to say.

The boys are starting registering for classes for next year. I imagine Tristan has done so already without consulting me. I need to see what he's planning on taking. Avery's school will have me come in and help him through it. Avery will be at the charter school junior high next year and Tristan at the high school. How crazy is that?! They grow up so fast. Avery made a castle for a project last week that we was very proud of and now he has to get science fair done and then book reports. In other words, I am very busy helping him get these things done. lol If you come to my house and it's not super clean, don't judge. lol I just don't care when there are more important things to do.