The Curse

We learned a long time ago that if an extended warranty is offered with any electronic device, it's in our best interest to spend a few extra dollars for the added protection.

Our curse on all things electronic started early in our marriage and remains with us still. Some gadgets have fallen victim to our own negligence, others to mischievous children's hands, and many others have been struck with plain old bad luck.

There was our first camcorder, which was doused by Shamu at SeaWorld. I'm still bitter towards that whale.

There was the video IPod that Natalie placed in the toilet, the camera dropped by two little girls, the other camera and cell phone that suffered cracked LCD screens, and the other cell phone that awoke in a puddle of rain on a camping trip.

Jon's prized flat screen TV died, inexplicably and very suddenly, just months after its purchase. Our DVR box suffered a similar fate. Our car stereo stopped working properly soon after the car warranty expired but thankfully Honda applied a goodwill warranty, sparing us a large replacement cost.

Kitchen Aid, printers, telephones, external hard drive...I could go on and on.

We've had many good reasons to post and I've got some killer pictures of Jon that I'm just itching to get up but we've been smitten by the curse yet again. This time it's the laptop. I'm currently using the loaner we were given (thank goodness for that extended warranty that we purchased) while our laptop was sent in for repair or inspection or something. We won't get it back for 6-8 weeks!

So as soon as I get the image resizer installed on the loaner laptop, I'll get my intended posts up. And in the meantime, I'll be hoping and praying that the weird humming currently being made by the Wii will pass uneventfully.

True Love

When Alyssa was born, my mom made her a simple quilt. She used the blanket, along with many others, but it was a soft baby doll to which she became devoted. Natalie came along four years later and inherited Alyssa's collection of baby blankets and for whatever reason, took a particular liking the quilt my mom had made.

Natalie soothed herself to sleep by rubbing the corners between her thumb and middle finger. There is a specific method to her corner-rubbing which she has tried to explain to me on more than one occasion. I can't seem to master the exact techique. But it has worked for her.

She rubbed the corners until they no longer existed. Once the corners disinegrated, the threads on the edges started to give way. Her one true love is now being held together by two small stitches, its innards exposed. But, as they say, love is blind.

She drags it, trailing behind her, everywhere she goes...

Looking through one of the used-to-be corners.

Peeking past the few remaining stitches.

We've attempted to convince Natalie that the blankie has reached the end of its life. But she is no where near ready to part with it and has placed all her faith in our talented, seamstress neighbor. She believes her love can be resuscitated.

Who am I to deny her that hope?

Do You See What I See?

I've been meaning to post this "funny" for quite some time. Caleb has a one-track mind. Do you see what he sees?

Natalie fell asleep while riding in the car. Caleb seemed particularly entranced with her and kept looking at her and poking her. I repeatedly asked him to leave her alone until I finally realized what was bothering him.

"She looks like a Florida State Seminole," he said.

I turned around to see this image of Natalie and laughed so hard I cried. Do you see the resemblance?

We Love Gymnastics!

Alyssa had her first meet of the season on Saturday. She did very well! We can't seem to get the video working so these snapshots will have to do for now.

Here goes the round-off back-handspring... Check out that rebound!

Today she received an invitation to workout with the Level 5 gymnasts on Fridays. She's excited to start working on new skills. Yea, Alyssa!

The Locker Incident

Just when I thought I’d seen and heard it all, the teacher called.

It was the Friday of the first full week of school and Natalie and I were just ordering lunch at the mall food court when my cell phone rang. It’s always disconcerting to have the teacher call but getting that call in the middle of the day is that much more worrisome. Caleb’s teacher politely asked if I had a minute to talk. The timing was certainly not perfect but these phone calls take precedence, so I raised an excuse-me-for-a-moment finger to the woman waiting behind the pizza counter, then walked away to hear the news of the day.

I had given Caleb some lunch money that morning. He set the money on his bathroom counter while he brushed his teeth, then he headed out the door leaving the five-dollar bill behind. I noticed the money later in the morning but for whatever reason, it didn’t occur to me that it was Caleb’s lunch money. He had, after all, always been quite careful with his money so it was easy to assume the cash came from one of the girls’ frequently played-with piggy banks.

Evidently, when lunch time arrived and Caleb couldn’t find his money, he had what his teacher deemed a “total meltdown.” He was so upset at having lost his money that he curled himself in a ball and refused to speak to anyone. Though his teacher repeatedly tried to assure him that he could get lunch on loan, he maintained that he would not eat and could not join the class in the lunch line. The exact details and order of what followed are not clear to me (the teacher and Caleb have slightly different versions), but what I do know is that Caleb felt the need to go somewhere out of public view. He was quietly—no tears—upset but did not want anyone to look at his face for fear they’d read the distress all over his expression.

I suppose I understand that part. People stare. Kids stare harder. His classmates were probably all aware of the situation and gawking at the events as they unfolded. What I don’t understand is the location to which we chose to escape. He somehow managed to contort his lanky legs up behind his ears, squeezed himself into his locker (with a backpack also in it) and closed the door.

We took this picture at Open House. How in the world did he fit himself in there?

Another student alerted the teacher and she went immediately to get him out. The lockers are marked with each student’s number and because it was so early in the year, the teacher didn’t yet know which number belonged to Caleb and therefore didn’t know which locker he was in. They quickly figured it out and opened the door to find what Caleb’s teacher described as “the most scared little mouse anyone had ever seen.” He was eventually coaxed from his confinement, did eat lunch and was soon running to the playground for recess. I think the whole incident, though disturbing, was fairly short-lived and Caleb rebounded from it very quickly.

Over the last six months or so, Caleb has seemed to be more unstable emotionally. This is very typical for a pre-teen with his disabilities, but it has presented us with new challenges that we have not yet faced. He is more easily upset and more difficult to calm. It seems his anxiety has been sent into overdrive. He’s beginning to develop a greater sense of self-awareness but remains painfully unaware of socially acceptable ways of dealing with his unique discomforts and disappointments. When I suggested that, for future reference, he go to a bathroom stall if he needed to be alone, he resisted stating that other students might wonder why he was taking so long. I’m baffled that he would be concerned with what others might think about an extended bathroom visit, but not be cognizant about the appearance of a 10-year-old boy bending himself into a small locker in the middle of the hallway.

We consulted his doctor about some of his recent emotional disturbances even before this locker incident. He advised getting set up with a counselor with the possibility of prescribing anti-anxiety medication if symptoms worsen. We’ve had difficulty finding a therapist that is suited to our situation and also covered by our insurance and open to new patients. I think I did, just today, find a good match but she has a six month waiting list. This is a pivotal year for Caleb as he prepares to transition to middle school and we’re doing our best to give him all the help he needs.

Caleb’s teacher, in her unique, overly dramatic way, remarked to me that her heart hurt so greatly from the image of seeing Caleb crunched into his locker, that she needed a glass of wine upon returning home from school. I admit to wishing that I too could indulge in such an escape from an aching heart. But alas, I believe that strong drinks are not for the belly, so we therefore choose to just stay on our knees a little bit longer. We appreciate all the prayers offered in Caleb’s behalf.

I would be remiss if I did not share the happy ending to this story. As we sat around the dinner table on the Sunday following the locker event, Caleb very matter-of-factly stated, “Well, tomorrow’s a school day.” I was utterly shocked by the slight bit of enthusiasm in his voice and before I could clarify what his tone was implying, he added, “I think I’m starting to feel like school is fun.”

That is when I knew that the locker incident did not cause lasting distress. It was already a distant memory and he was focused on what was good about his new class. And he also now had the tools to know how to appropriately handle similar situations.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm...

Alyssa is my deep thinker. This morning while I was doing her hair for school, she tickled her neck with her fingers and asked, "Mom, why when you try to tickle yourself, it doesn't tickle?"

Good question. Anyone know how to answer it?

Wearing His Heart On His Chest

You want to know what's in Caleb's heart? Just look at his shirt.


I couldn't help but notice the pattern as I folded his laundry this week. He's got a well-rounded collection which includes the NBA, NFL, MLB and several NCAA conferences.

Which is his favorite? That's a tough call, but it's probably the BYU shirt that is not pictured only because he's currently wearing it!