MeRrY ChRiStMaS!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Home for the Holidays

On Wednesday, my whole family celebrated Christmas with my brother, John and his wife Deonna. Since they live in Las Vegas and won't be home for the Holidays, we celebrated a little early. It's always nice to have my whole family together. I'm grateful for the Holidays and the time we can spend with our families.

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Our East Coast Travels!

On September 16th, we packed our bags and boarded a plane to Connecticut. Connecticut you ask? Yes, Connecticut! We have some very dear friends (who used to neighbors) that live in Cheshire, Ct. We were able to spend a whole entire week with the Tejeda family, enjoying their company and catching up from the last 5 years.

While in Cheshire, we went Duck Pin Bowling, apple picking and breathed in lots of FRESH AIR. We rode the Metro train into NYC one of the days and were able to see the amazing Lady Liberty, Ellis Island, and eat at a really yummy Italian restaurant! We rode the underground subway all over the city with ease, thanks to our personal Tour Guide, Luis!

The boys loved getting to know Lexi & Bella all over again and they also got to see what it's like to have a baby sister thanks to Julia. Jake made some new friends and Isaac loved driving the motorized JEEP around like a maniac!

We sure had a great time and can't wait to visit Connecticut again- we still have more to see in NYC!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

C A L I F O R N I A

Last Wednesday, Mike and Jake took a little road trip to Grass Valley, CA, with Mike's dad. Isaac and I stayed home and spent some good time together.

In Grass Valley they visited the gold mine museums, train museums and of course, THE RIVER, where they panned for GOLD! On their way home they stopped to see Lake Tahoe.

By the end of the 5th day we were all missing each other- Mike and Jake were missing Isaac and I, and we were missing them as well. It was a nice little get-away for Mike and Jake and I hope they can do it again soon.

Lake Tahoe
Yuba River, Nevada City, Ca.

Yuba River

Disneyland 2009

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We had a great time in Disneyland! The weather was PERFECT, not too hot and not too cold. We spent 4 days at Disneyland and California Adventure. Mike's favorite ride was Space Mountain. Barb's favorite ride was Toy Story. Jake's favorite ride was Space Mountain. And Isaac's favorite ride was the Monorail. We enjoyed our time together as a family!

F*R*I*E*N*D*S

Tali & Isaac

Best Buddies
The Adam's Family

We were asked to sumbit a couple of photos with Isaac and his friends for a DVD that was to be played at the Autism Walk Kick-Off Dinner. Isaac is so lucky to have friends who don't ever see him as being "different". Although Isaac may not be able to play in a way that his friends want, they never seem to run out of fun! I am thankful for these FRIENDS and hopeful Isaac will have a lifetime of GOOD FRIENDS!!

Jake in the Kitchen

Yesterday, after Jake got home from school, he said he had thought of something that he could have for an after school snack. He said that since he likes cheese sandwiches so much that he was going to try a piece of cheese with mustard on it. He went into the kitchen and whipped up his masterpiece, ate it all up, and loved every last morsel! While that kind of "cooking" is fine for him, I think I'll wait till he has a little more training before I let him prepare any of my snacks......

Really Yummy Sugar Cookies

My mom found this recipe years ago and it has been our sugar cookie recipe ever since. Everyone loves them and always asks for the recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Sugar Cookies
1-1/2 c. shortening (part butter)
2c. sugar
4 eggs
1t. vanilla

1t. lemon extract
5c. flour

2t. baking powder
2t. salt
Mix thoroughly shortening, sugar, eggs & flavorings. Blend in flour, baking powder & salt. Cover & chill for at least 1 hour. Heat oven to 400. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until edges barely start to brown. Frost & enjoy!

Butter Cream Frosting
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter
4 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
3-4T. milk
Blend all ingredients together.

Through the Eyes of Isaac

One of the few good things about autism is being able to see life with a different perspective. My little Isaac can (and always has been able to) see life in a different way. Sometimes what he sees is so obvious, but overlooked by the average set of eyes. In the photo above, Isaac has a "beard". It's actually the net to his basketball hoop, but to him, it was his beard. He was a "Daddy" for the evening. He even fell asleep with his beard on that night.

I truly love this about Isaac and I hope he continues to amaze me with his own interpretation of the world.