Hayden's first day of FIRST grade!

July 26, 2010Not as thrilled for 1st grade, as she was for Kindergarten.

Her nerves were on overdrive that morning, until Faith walked up to say Hi. That seemed to make her feel a little better!

Hayden's teacher, Mrs. Jaramillo

MASK? Or, I'd like a mask, please?

Okay, so as korny as it sounds, it's not like I need a diagnostic name for my depression. Yes, I know...depression is supposed to be taboo, but I'm not a taboo kind of girl. I think talking about it and bringing it to the forefront, could help others. Others who think they are alone, and fighting a never-winning war. Now, I don't walk around talking about it..advertising it, but my closest friends and my family know I'm embroiled in a bitter battle within myself. A battle where I am feeling defeated...loss, mournful, hopeless and broken hearted. And I'm aware of it, which is good, and I'm getting help for it, which is BETTER! Although, sometimes, I still wanna put a mask on so nobody recognizes me and I can just waltz in and out of the shadows.
Anyhow, I came across this article yesterday and found it very interesting. I'd say this is not just pertaining to parents of children with Autism, but to any caregiver hovering over a challenged or ailing loved one. Interesting reading, nonetheless...

Beware of MASK syndrome
Lisa Barrett Mann, M.S.Ed.


Have you noticed any of these symptoms recently:
• Irritability?• Hyper-vigilance?• Repetitive speech?• Avoidance of social interaction?• Disregard for personal appearance and social niceties?

I’m not talking about your child with Asperger’s or autism. I’m talking about you. And me. And a common occurrence I’m calling MASK (Mothers of Autism Spectrum Kids) Syndrome. It occurs when a mom spends so much of her waking life focusing on her child’s special needs and fighting for his interests that, somewhere along the way, she starts to lose touch with the person she used to be. How ironic it is that, in fighting autism, many of us start to become a little more autistic ourselves.
Irritability. Are you suffering from lack of sleep? Worried about your child’s future? Worried about your family’s finances? Ever find yourself snapping at your kids for interrupting you, then feeling guilty afterwards for discouraging this social interaction?
Hyper-vigilance. Do you scan each room you enter for things that might set off a meltdown in your child, such as unusual smells or loud noises? Do you find yourself doing so even when he isn’t with you? For that matter, after avoiding those things for so long, do you find that they now irritate you, too?
Repetitive speech. Do you ever get so caught up in one subject – maybe IEP worries or your frustration with your child’s para – that you catch yourself repeating the same complaints to anyone who will listen? Have you found yourself getting annoyed when your spouse or sister tunes you out or tries to change the subject?
Avoidance of social interaction. Do you choose the self-serve lane at the supermarket and the ATM at the bank because doing things by yourself is just easier? Do you keep meaning to pick up the phone and call a friend, but find yourself too busy or distracted?
Disregard for personal appearance and social niceties. Have the cute hairdos and perky outfits been replaced by ponytails and sweats? Do you ever find yourself so rushed and distracted that it’s just annoying when a cashier or neighbor tries to make chitchat with you about the weather?
If you answered “yes” to several of these questions, you too may be suffering from MASK Syndrome.
Interventions for MASK SyndromeWhile there’s no known cure for MASK Syndrome, there ARE interventions that can lessen the symptoms and help moms to live happier, more satisfying lives. And by implementing these interventions, you’ll be setting a great example for your kids by giving priority to social interaction and other activities you need to maintain your health and well-being.

The blinding 80's

It really is no joke how each decade recycles itself every 20 years, or so! The 80's seem to be in full effect. I notice it in the stores, on the teeny-bopper tv shows (yes, I said teeny-bopper!), and even with my 7 year old (6, in this picture) daughter!

Hayden doesn't have too many opinions, but when it comes to her wardrobe, this girl knows what she likes! She's got quite the electic taste. She loves all things neon, sparkly and non-matching. I'd say she's an absolute throw back. Somewhere, in some file, I've got pictures of all her creations, I'm just not able to find them :-( I'm positive, if you ask her, though, this is her MOST FAVORITE of all. She asked me for it for several months to no avail. One day, while at Target, she broke Memaw down and came home glowing!

Swimming with Miss Jaimee

This was the fourth Summer that we did swim lessons with Miss Jaimee. Taylor did a two week session, as opposed to all Summer like we've done in the past. Two weeks was good enough to get her going, because after that she turned into a little fishy!

And the rockets red glaaaaare

Fourth of July weekend we didn't really celebrate our independance...we celebrated captivity. If celebrate is what you wanna call it!

My parents closed on their cabin just days prior to the Holiday weekend, so we all (the Coxes, Winnett's and us) trekked up for the long weekend to survey the place and do a little work, help with a couple things! Little did we know, the most daylight we'd see was the white on the brown panelled walls that we painted over, and over, and over......

Ma and Pa reserved themselves a plush hotel room at the Comfort Inn, whilst us day laborers camped out on cots and sleeping bags in the living room of their cabin, with rations of coffee and Oreos, I think some Red Vines too!

Ha! In all fairness, we've been waiting for this for a long time. Not quite as long as my parents have, I'm sure, but long enough! So it was a fun weekend that I will never forget!

We truly had a great time working together! My dad was a stellar supervisor (no shock there! ;-)), and Pam and I decided if life really got to sucking, that it is quite possible we could start an interior painting company, although I really don't wanna have to. My fingers were sore from setting caulking for days, and I'm not quite sure her neck has straightened out yet, from rolling the ceilling!

Conal worked on plumbing leaks, Bubba broke up hundreds of pounds of inches thick cement blocks, the cut apart and hauled into a rolloff a HUGE hot tub, the dudes laid laminate flooring, we painted and the kids PLAYED! It was a lot of fun to get together as a family. There was no fighting and a great display of team work. Korny, I know! I'd say we each probably logged about 20 hours worth of work that weekend, which really paid off! It gave my parents a big jump start on their cabin, and they treated us to an awesome, awesome, awesome dinner at the Branding Iron in Show Low. Now, maybe it wasn't that awesome and we were just starving, but I'd be willing to make the drive just for the salad bar and bread!

On with it, I'm rambling....

Sunday afternoon, Grandma Cox invited us all over to Heber for a 4th of July cookout and to watch fireworks from the best view in Arizona! Her house, the meal, the company, the fireworks...the true picture of Americana.

After the sun started to set, Pam and Bub and Conal and I hiked up her backyard mountain to sit atop boulders and watch the firework show with the kids. It's my new favorite thing to do for the 4th! Don't tell anyone, but it's surpassed my favorite...of fireworks on the beach! shhhh...I don't want anyone to think I like the mountains ;-)

Camping without Moms!!

Conal and Bubba took the 4 oldest kids on a camping trip this Summer, and the mom's DIDN'T.HAVE.TO.GO!!! It's not a secret that I'm not a camper!

They went up to the Heber area and were scouting for elk! The girls had a great time dirty-ing it up with their cousins, but I think the highlight of their trip was driving around in the Ranger all day, each day!