The Joys of my job.

This is my little buddy. I call him E-man, he is 6. And for the sake of HIPAA privacy rights I will stick to E-man when I talk about my adventure with my buddy. E-man is a one of my kiddos I worked with through my job. He has to be one of the cutest and sweetest little guys I have ever met. Since We are moving mainland, I had to say goodbye to my little buddy. I have seen so much progress with him its amazing! He never ceases to amaze me by the sentences that come out of his mouth without being prompted. Some of E-mans favorite things to do were going outside, watching movies, singing Hickory Dickory Dock and 5 little monkeys. He loves Spongebob, trains, and puzzles. He is so fast and good at puzzles, its crazy! He taught me so much. He taught me a great part of what love and kindness means, a different kind of love and kindness. This little guy made my job, not a job but a joy to have gained a new buddy. ABA therapy is the "greatest medicine" for the kiddos we work with. I never knew that something without an antihistamine or a acetaminophen could make such a difference, but I know now that being the giver of the ABA therapy is medicine for me. It makes me happy and when I see such joy in my kiddos, even a little, it probably is very much like how a parent feels about their child, it brings joy.

E-man loves sidewalk chalk. He has such great ideas when it comes to drawing in an unlimited area. He loves to be traced. This day he happened to want to write colors. When he didn't know how to spell it, he would sit for a second and say,"write please" meaning I would write it then he would copy how I spelt it. It was pretty cute. E-man is such a genius too. Such a smart kiddo.

E-man had to draw himself for homework. I'd have to say the kicking yellow shoes and his 5 fingers are my favorite parts of his drawing. I love though how he got the brown hair and brown eyes and the red lips so exact. He is so cute.

I love my lil E-man. He is such an inspiration to me. I was sad to have to say goodbye to him on our last session together. He brought me so much joy and his family was the best! I know he will bring so much joy to the new behavior therapist. Aloha Oe' buddy!

I really did it!

Since Evs is graduating, my brother Josh, my sis Brittanie and my niece Rubi are all flying out to help celebrate with us, oh and of course see the sights. Well Rubi will turn ONE year old when they are here and I wanted to make it a special birthday for her since well when will she ever turn ONE in Hawaii again?? So I decided to stick local style and keep it Hawaiian. A friend of a friend posted this pattern for a toddler Pa'u and I fell in love with it. So with the supervision of my crafty and artistic buddies, Dana and Rebecca, I was able to make it and let me just say its very fulfilling when you make something out of nothing and it looks so cute. I cant wait for Rubi to wear her Pa'u on her special day!

EASTER 2010

This Easter we spent with our dear friends, the Waldrons and the Bradshaws. We had a brunch that consisted of quiche (vegetarian and non-vegetarian), pancakes, bacon, banana bread, apple juice, and candy. We enjoyed our Easter Sunday and watched General Conference. It was such an uplifting day! I am glad that we had the chance to spend it with our buddies aka our Laie family. We enjoyed good laughs, good food, poking people when they dozed off, dying eggs and FARKLE time (seriously the best game).

Ty Ty Waldron

Rebecca Waldron

Chris and Dana Bradshaw

This is Evs belting out some song! Hes got some lungs this boi.

Evy Stubbs

Easter is a special time of year, but I am sure glad that its not the only time I reflect upon the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. He is Risen! He is Risen! Oh how thankful I am for this knowledge that we too can live again because He Lives. I know that Christ lives. I know that God , our Eternal Father, is a merciful being, He allowed his only Begotten, Jesus Christ to suffer all that he did so that we, all of Gods children, could return back to our Heavenly Home. God loved us so He sent His Son. I believe this with all my heart. He Lives and we will too because on that third day He rose again.

Adventures with Mom & Dad Stubbs

All three ordered Prime Rib. It was a huge portion..

A gecko just hanging out.

Mom & Dad Stubbs came for a visit to see us on the North Shore. We enjoyed good food and conversation at Haliewa Joes in Haliewa, Hawaii.

World Autism Awareness Day!

"One in every 110 kids are diagnosed with Autism making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric aids combined.

In effort to raise understanding of this disease the world celebrates April as Autism Awareness Month. Autism is something that affects millions of people in the United States and tens of millions world wide.

17% more people are getting diagnosed with the disease every year.

By bringing together autism organizations all around the world, we will give a voice to the millions of individuals worldwide who are undiagnosed, misunderstood and looking for help.

Autism is a complex and inadequately understood disability with a wide range of manifestations. Children and adults with autism – and, indeed, those living with disabilities in general – have a double burden. In addition to the daily challenges of their disability, they must also cope with the negative attitudes of society, inadequate support for their needs and, in some cases, blatant discrimination.

Let us join persons with autism, their families and their advocates in a community of voices for greater awareness and understanding.Let us also look within, and re-evaluate our attitudes and those of our societies so we can remove the prejudices that discriminate against persons with disabilities. Let us dedicate ourselves to creating a fair and caring society that affords true dignity and rights for all."

Sigh..

Its already FRIDAY! Where did this week fly to? I guess its just been a busy one!

Manoa Falls Trail

I had an opportunity to do this beautiful hike with my kiddos for work on Friday and it was so beautiful! It was a rainforest, very lush and green, it was so serene and peaceful! There was a gorgeous waterfall at the end of the hike too! It was a pretty neat day!

Reality is setting in

The reality of Evs getting accepted is finally settling in the more we do to prepare for it. Its pretty exciting. We received his official paperwork on Monday for Cal Baptist University. Evs filled it out and sent in a deposit check to make sure he gets his spot in the program as their is a waiting list for the program and people are hoping to get a spot. But definitely not Evs spot because it is officially his!! He has committed to the program and we are very excited. With only a little more than 2 weeks left of Evs Senior year he has been busy doing all his last minute projects, Senior Study and papers. I am so proud of him for working so hard and being diligent in all his efforts. We are getting all our ducks in a row, crossing t's and dotting i's. We have booked our tickets to the mainland, bittersweetly ONLY one way. We leave April 20th. But we will for sure be back so I am not too worried about that. We will miss our Hawaii Ohana too much. Next item of business was our housing, but we were just approved for our apartment this week, so we will be moving to Riverside April 28th. We dont have too much to sell from our apartment here, we were pretty low maintenance people. But we are working on selling the few big items like our tv, table, and kitchen island. After that stuff is gone, well we will just be selling the small stuff like dishes, pans, pots as time comes a little closer. I feel very blessed for everything we have and how things have fallen into place as we hoped and prayed they would. We know its the right thing for us because it did fall into place and we are truly so grateful. Our Heavenly Father is always watching over us and truly gives us those things we need in our life. We will always be indebted to Him for everything we have and we will never be able to do enough to repay him except keep doing the right things, serving others, and seeking for learning and growth.

Thanks..

for the visit Tony and Michelle. We had such a fun time with you both! Wish you could have been here a little longer! Thanks for the stinky lingering farts (Tony), thanks for sharing with us a small front room, an even smaller water heater, portuguese sausage, spam & eggs, local kine food from Ted's bakery, movies The Princess and the Frog and 2012, dinner at Lucys Seafood and Grill, and shaved ice at Island Snow. Few things to remember about their visit..

Don Quijotes massage tester section there were a ton of different items to try and we all know which one Tony liked the best (inside joke: jiggle jiggle)

A day of kayaking in Kailua/Lanikai. Dead crabs with their eyes eaten out by birds. The low tide and the reef we got stuck on. Evan and I getting nailed by a wave while being stuck on the reef..OUCH..(sorry Evs for all the cuts you got thanks for being a trooper) Strategically paddling the kayaks away from the large waves and riding them in to the shore to avoid getting pounded by them. The best chips ever getting soaking wet in your kayak. Watching Evan and I try to get into the kayak after flipping it three times coming out from the Mokulua islands because we were so nervous we would get pounded by a wave again. The long journey back with the wind. Oh joy the memories.

The swapmeet, glad we found Hawaii shirts for Tony..now that he has three. And the $1 difference the vendors wouldn't budge on..

Aloha Oe'..until we meet again in April on California turf. See ya then!

Happy Birthday!

Today is My Mums birthday. Evs and I seranated her with this lovely transformed childrens musical in her honor. "If your turning 57 and you know it, clap your hands [clap clap] if your turning 57 and you know it, clap your hands [clap clap], if your turning 57, if your turning 57, if your turning 57 and you know it clap your hands [clap clap]" Happy happy birthday MUM!

My Mum has always been there for me whether she has wanted to be or not. Its just in her nature (no child left behind). I love her and am so thankful that she was born and that we could celebrate her birth today. Even though Evs and I are far away we are thinking about you Mum. Hope you had a great day!

Dear LoveSac,

You will be missed! I am glad you went to a good home. We experienced many long Sunday naps and you were such a comfort during movie time and wii time. You were always wanted by every visitor that came over. We will miss you and all our great memories.

Love your foster parents, Evan and Darcy

Masseuse in Training

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I am so PROUD!

Dear Evan,

Congratulations! You have been accepted into the Master of Science in Athletic Training program at California Baptist University.It was a pleasure getting to know you a little in the interview. We hope to continue to get to know you better and see you reach your potential in becoming an Athletic Trainer.

Today was an exciting day! We finally found out what will be doing and where we will spending the next two years of our life. Let me tell you, it is such a relief; a weight has been lifted. We have been very blessed to have this opportunity and are thankful for all the prayers and angels rooting for us! I have much gratitude in my heart that cannot be fully expressed into words, but we are super excited!

Evs says," I am HAPPY! I want ice cream!"

Now were off to celebrate with some shaved ice (for me) and ice cream for Evs at Angels!

Hooked up

Now this is what I call a GOOD LOOKIN glass of Horchata!

and it was Mmm..good! I could have gone for another one, but no free refills! The waiter hooked me up with a BIG glass of Horchata and it made my day!

Since Saturday I have been so glad to have my Evs back! Its been a week since he interviewed for Grad school and each day I get more anxious and anxious to find out if he was accepted. (they really should have just told him that he was accepted right after the interview because really hes that amazing and they shouldn't even need a week to think about it) He was suppose to hear back in a week or so from when he interviewed, so that week mark was yesterday. So.. today is Thursday and I am still waiting and so is he...PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE right?? I suppose.

the day

So my hubby has been in California since Tuesday and I miss him so much. He went there for a grad school interview which he had today. All night and morning I just couldnt help but pray for him and constantly be thinking about him. I know he is amazing and I knew he would do fine in the interview, he's a natural, but I really just prayed for "them" (and when I say "them" I mean the panel of interviewers, 6 to be exact). I pray that they will see that little bit extra edge that Evs has that someone else doesn't have. That they see his passion and dedication and drive to be successful. And more than that, that they see him for the hardworking man that he is. Amongst all these prayers in my heart and actual prayers on my knees, I just knew that he was nervous and I felt an overwhelming anxiety for him and wanted him (and me) to be calm and feel at ease, so I prayed again since I knew he was in his interview (right as I was making my cinnamon toast) that he (and I) would feel peace and surety. As soon as I said "Amen", I got a text from my mom.

And it looked like this:

SMILE and STOP WORRYING

So I did. I mean how could I not with this picture of my two nieces! Immediately I felt better, calm and peaceful. My Father in Heaven knew what I needed. It was like he was singing to me the hymn, Be still my soul: The Lord is on thy side; With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain. Leave to thy God to order and provide; in evr'y change he faithful will remain. Be still my soul: thy best thy heav'nly Friend, thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

And since my Mom was the one who took Evs to his interview she would be the one to know best what to say and do. Thanks Mom for sending me the right thing and feeling the need to send it. It made all the difference! Evans interview went great! He felt strong, confident, sounded happy and delighted with himself after the interview. He did and said everything he could to make him a candidate for admittance into the program. I love him and I am so proud of my hubby. I know that its always been in the Lords hands and we have done all we can up to this point and now we wait. I normally don't get so worked up over things like this, I just let things be as they will, but I knew that this was a huge deal to helping Evs get to that next step. I am exhausted and I am not even the one that had the interview! Go figure! But I sure was his biggest cheerleader the whole time.

Pure Beauty

I took Cynthia to see Kailua and Lanikai because they are just such gorgeous sights to see I didnt want her to miss seeing them. Even though it was very windy and we didn't stay too long because I had to work, (the kiteboarders were definitely out) the water was clear, blue and beautiful. Pure beauty.

A Sunday trip to the temple and Visitors Center

Even though the temple is closed and has been closed for over a year now, I still really enjoy being on the grounds and seeing it from my front door. Its beautiful and signifies doing good.