Hello

Hi everyone!!!  I don’t know who all follows this, but I like to blog so I will keep on going even if no one cares.  LOL  I like to blog so much I have decided to start a different kind of blog,  one with the bits ~n~ pieces in my life, like recipes, favorite books, poems, scrap booking stuff.  You know just that kind of stuff.  So if you would like to take a look the blog  address is  http://bitsnpiecesbynoelle.blogspot.com/  and you can get there by clicking HERE  So far I have upload a few recipes, and a how to on making your own fonts. 

Now I have the 3 blogs Family, Scrap, and Bits n Pieces

 

Now on to important things.  Last week was school pictures for Chawndell and she had a HUGE HUGE zit on her forehead, so before school I thought I would take some pictures at home and compare the two to see what ones would be better.  (I figured I could edit the home ones, you know to get rid of the zit)  I think they turned out sooo cute, but any picture with Chawndell in it is CUTE.  LOL

See I told you HUGE!  Why do we need zits?????

and the edited one, this one I have ran a action on to give it a different feel. 

I can’t believe how much our little girl has grown up!!!

First Day of School

So we started school last week, and I have been BUSY so I have not blogged about it.  She said she LOVES her new school and she seems to be having FUN.  She has not had any head aches YEAH it must be going good!!!!!!  As for me, changing school has been hard!!  It is like starting all over, each school does things different!!  But over all it is OK!  So now we are back on my FAVORITE schedule, the school schedule life is getting back to normal, but hay what is normal??? 

Chawndell is growing UP!  and it is sooo sad to know she is in the 8th grade and in the middle school, the kids there look soooooo grown up!!!!

Check out the SILLY Dogs peeking out the door!

 

and now check out how much she has grown, this is a picture of her FIRST day of school when she went to developmental preschool in Bear River.  She was sooo little!!

one thing that was nice about her being little, I could pick out her clothes! LOL I loved this little dress! 

This is Me…

"When I was young, I'd often say,
I'd like to be a mom someday
While playing with my baby doll,
I thought that job's not hard at all
I'd have a baby, maybe two,
a girl in pink...a boy in blue
Well I grew up and sure enough,
I'm now a mom and gosh it's tough
The baby that was sent to me,
was born with disabilities
At first I'm frightened through and through,
there's much to learn to care for you
This wasn't in my plans at all,
when I was young and played with dolls
Your mind and body were so weak,
you might not ever walk or speak
So much special care required,
I'm often scared and often tired
As months and years go slowly by,
I smile a lot but sometimes cry
To watch you grow and not complain,
though you endure your share of pain
Oh, how I'd hold you and I'd pray,
that you'd be healed and whole someday
But I knew that was not to be,
not physically or mentally
And so I taught you best I could,
your progress wasn't always good
But then one day I realized,
as I gazed into your loving eyes
That I had learned so much from you,
determination...courage too
A love so unconditional,
it floods my soul and always will
I'm proud to say I gave you birth,
for you're an angel here on earth."
Author Unknown

 

Proud Day!!

Our Daughter is one amazing little girl, well not so little! LOL  She WON a GOLD medal in our area Bocce Meet today along with her partner Mike.  She will advance on to State Bocce!!  Her Dad said she played better today than she ever has!!  

Chawndell and Mike with their GOLD medals!  They are sooo cute!!

School starts on Monday, I’m kind of sad, but mostly happy.  It will be nice to get back on a schedule.  

We have also started Swimming with Special Olympics and Chawndell LOVES it, she is a “fish” (well that is what she tells us)

I think in this picture she is trying to give me a fast smile so she can go and have “free time”  They work HARD at swimming, I had no IDEA how hard it is to swim across the pool.  I thought I would try the lap thing while the kids were having there  “free time”  Well it is not easy.  Or maybe I’m way out of shape LOL!

The worst blogger

I’m the worst blogger out here!!  I’m sorry we must live a boring life, because I don’t think I have much to share with you.  We start school on Wednesday the 30 and I’m ready and I think Chawndell is ready also.  It will be nice to get back into a schedule.  This week Chawndell will start Swimming with Special Olympics' and she is very excited.  I hope it is not to hard for her, but maybe it will be good to challenge her a little.  We are still doing Bocce and she hates it, but Larry and I have been coaching so we drag her along.  I think she does not pay attention and only does it half heart so we will get frustrated with her and let her quit, well she WRONG LOL.  I’ll get some pictures of her swimming after our first practice.  Well enjoy your SUMMER or what is left of it!!

Here are some of my Favorite Scrapbook layouts…

This is my Very First Water Lily!

Ryan, one of my adorable nephews

Chawndell she is so tired at camp

this one is my all time FAVORITE!! I LOVE the picture and how well it went with these colors!

Skylee, a friends daughter (I consider her my niece)

My amazing daughter!

Nephew Ryan

Niece, Caitlynn and Nephew Ryan

My nephew Kayden, so dang cute, but I miss the heck out of him!

Me as a baby CUTE LOL

carter, my other cute nephew

so it was hard to pick just a few!

Enjoy!

HELLO Summer

OK so we are done with Cub Scout Camp, we were kind of sad but a little happy.  Chawndell has sleep in (way in) these last couple of days.  It has been nice for me to get up and enjoy a minutes to myself in the mornings.   Now that we are finished with camp we are doing fun fun summer things, like going to the pool, summer house projects, playing with friends and school clothes shopping.   I thought you all might like to see some camp pictures so you know how much FUN we had!!!!

Group Picture

Flag Retirements this was a awesome experience

 

working (ya right LOL)

SNAKES (Yes lots of Snakes)

More work

SOOOO tired!

games

Christmas in July

checking out her Christmas Sock 

and finally Sleep

Now on to our summer stuff (we are just 2 days into it)

she is begging daddy to get in the pool!

Leon trying to get Larry in.  FUNNY to watch them play!

Slide, blurry it was getting dark and wrong setting on the camera :(

My Silly Man!!

well that all for now!  Happy SUMMER!!

I can across this today

I have to share this poem I found today.  It is all about my daughter.  It is a little long but I love the message it has.   

I am the Child

I am the child who cannot talk. You often pity me; I see it in your eyes. You wonder how much I am aware of. I see that as well. I am aware of much...whether you are happy or sad or fearful, patient or impatient, full of love and desire, or if you are just doing your duty by me. I marvel at your frustration, knowing mine to be far greater, for I cannot express myself or my needs as you do.

You cannot conceive my isolation, so complete it is at times. I do not gift you with clever conversation, cute remarks to be laughed over and repeated. I do not give you answers to your everyday questions, responses over my well being, sharing my needs, or comments about the world about me. I do not give you rewards as defined by the world's standards.. Great strides in development that you can credit yourself; I do not give you understanding as you know it.

What I give you is so much more valuable...I give you instead opportunities. Opportunities to discover the depth of your character, not mine; the depth of your love, your commitment, your patience, your abilities; the opportunity to explore your spirit more deeply than you imagined possible. I drive you further than you would ever go on your own, working harder, seeking answers to your many questions with no answers. I am the child who cannot talk.

I am the child who is mentally impaired. I don't learn easily, if you judge me by the world's measuring stick, what I do know is infinite joy in simple things. I am not burdened as you are with the strifes and conflicts of a more complicated life. My gift to you is to grant you the freedom to enjoy things as a child, to teach you how much your arms around me mean, to give you love. I give you the gift of simplicity. I am the child who is mentally impaired.

I am the disabled child. I am your teacher. If you allow me, I will teach you what is really important in life. I will give you and teach you unconditional love. I gift you with my innocent trust, my dependency upon you. I teach you about how precious this life is and about not taking things for granted. I teach you about forgetting your own needs and desires and dreams. I teach you giving. Most of all I teach you hope and faith.

I am the disabled child.

Everyday Summer Camp for the Christensen’s

Chawndell and I are working at Camp FIFE in Fielding this Summer, Larry has been helping out also on his day off.  We are having lots of fun, but it is a lot of WORK!! 

I have been telling Chawndell she needs to go on the zip line, we Saturday she finally did it, and I’m very very proud of her, this is something way out of her comfort zone and she loved it.  We asked her if she would do it again and she said YES!!

Being at camp has been fun, we have meet some great people and it is soooo fun to see the boys with HUGE smiles on their faces!!  We sing songs, we have a opening and closing flag cermonary  and  lots of fun activities for the boys  and girls to do. BMX Bike course, BB GUNS, Archery, Zip Line, Nature walk, Lots of fun games.

here are some fun pictures so you all to enjoy.