My precious..bitterness

Goodness gracious..

Has it been a rough transition, lately..BUT, we are slowly (and at a snail's pace) moving forward.
That is PROGRESS..!! :)
Soooo...at the moment I suppose we are settled in our home, or I guess I should say that I'm done with organizing for now. I think you can reach a saturation point (yes, a chemistry term..blame my husband..!!) with trying to get everything functional. I'm sure when the landscapers come in July, we'll be inspired to do a little more. Who doesn't love summer in Colorado..any natural born Southerner will appreciate no bugs here..and no humidity!! Especially since this winter has been pretty bitter..!
I forgot to mention in the last blog post that Evan is a reader now!! It's a broken kind of reading, but to see him sound words out and figure things out is absolutely INCREDIBLE!!
At the beginning of the school year I was a little worried that he would not reach his reading goal. But, it was wasted, because he loves to look at books and read..and surprisingly write his letters..! And overall educationally he's doing great! Following social cues and learning the rules of play are the biggest issue we have at the moment. And, overnight results are not typical...(sigh)..!!
But, we'll get there..!!

(aren't they the cutest..?!!)

Our dear little Olivia has become a  little girl overnight. She is talkative, charming and a little shy and timid at times. She loves her golden "princess" dress that we got her over Christmas soo much, we put in the laundry for a few weeks at a time. Afterall, I didn't really anticipate holding her dress up when she went to the potty or helping hold it while she is walking up the stairs...!! Also, I can tell that she's got a great internal organization system within herself. She knows how she likes things and has very little trouble deciding most things. Yet, she's got a flip side when she's not happy..and I'm sure she's acting very much like an almost 3 year old, but.. I can't help thinking she'll make a fine teenager..!! :-/
In a few weeks she'll be 3..!! It's incredible that we moved here when she was 4 months old.

Oh, me..well thanks for asking..lol!! I have been busy making cards and as of recently, making little girls dresses. I wish I could tell you how suprised I am that "I" actually made this!

I know, I've got a long way to go on being a professional..but, I'm taking my time and just enjoying having an excuse to put ruffles on things!! ( On a side note..I think I like ruffles more than the average person should!) 

Last, I guess I'll share the only random thing on my heart that keeps nagging at me to be said. 

Sooo...I'll just say it..!

There are some of us moms out there that need a friend to come along side of them and encourage them. It doesn't have to be all the time, but it's the very thing that fuels all of us on our journey as moms. 

Whether it be a new mom, or a seasoned mom, or even a grandmother we all need to hear it. I hate hearing people tell me it's not their gift to encourage. 

Sometimes I think us moms get so caught up in ourselves we forget to offer each other hope. 

Anyone catch the program the other night on PBS called "Half the Sky"? 

Basically, it's a documentary on exploited women in other parts of the world. 

(Try to catch it if you can..makes you think about how much we have here in the U.S.!)

I'll do my best to paraphrase something to the effect that communities thrive when women are empowered to be a part of it. And that the communities that suffer the most are the ones where women  are put last. 

In a nutshell, we as women have a very important role to play as a part of society, our home and our community. 

But,  before you donate money..lol..my point is small..much smaller than this documentary.

I think you can have a simple approach to changing the world by impacting the people that are in your lives. 

Encouragement is like a weed..you can give a little and it spreads like wildfire. 

Why?..because people don't freely give it..!!

Sure..pay it forward..but this should be much easier..because it costs us nothing. 

Should be..

I've met lots of moms over the years..and mostly all fantastic ones, too..! Most of these Moms are willing to go out of their way to feed you..but, sadly, I can't tell you of too many of them wanting to give a little encouragment!

(And I can say that I have always needed it..being a mom with a special needs child!) 

Sadly, I've met more moms in random places with the determined ability to rip another mom apart and walk away proudly..like they've accomplished something great. 

I can tell you first hand that we as moms with special needs are never asked much about how "we" are coping. It's always about our child. Last night I sat with a dozen or so moms who expressed several concerns over their kids with special needs..and my thought was what if they had just one..just one person to give them a little encouragement every now and again, could that change their world? Could it make an impact on their childs life?

I  guarantee you on hard days, when our kids are their worst, we moms could conquer anything with a little note on their facbook wall that says "thinking of you",  "praying for you", "I miss you", I would pass out if anyone actually wrote in on a card or sheet of paper and mailed it to me...just saying..it's hard work to mail a card..!! (Sadly, I've got the card making addiction..in a world where people don't send cards anymore..lol!) :)

My point though...Does anyone realize the impact of a simple, truthful, encouraging word..?!

To take it a little deeper..Christ asked for this in his final prayer over his disciples..

"..my they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me...." John 17:23

All's I'm saying is..a heartfelt  little way of encouraging each other could bring some of us to a place of unity..and we could love deeper, offer more courage and hope to each other and could impact all of each other more. 

I know I am much braver when I hear sweet words....!! 

Perhaps I'm just a crazy idealist..and I'm sadly ok with that..but on the slight chance that I'm not..give someone a high five and see if they walk a little taller after or send a note to someone or email to someone..or just tell your kids how proud you are of them..you'll get a little smile..and they'll want more..!!  

And that's all I got..you may go back to your normal programming..!! :)