The Jeffries Clan

Little Hunter's Evaluation

2009-04-11T11:55:00.004-04:00

Recently we had been seeing some troubling things with Hunter. He seemed to be always unhappy and in need of something that we just couldn't figure out what it was. We new that Mason has Sensory Processing Disorder and were wondering if this could be the answer for Hunter too. So we went throught the long process of evaluation after evaluation. He say 4 different therapist and evaluators and the results were as i suspected. Hunter also has Sensory Processing Disorder or SPD for short.

We found out that he is saverly sensory seeking. This means that his body is in need of constant rough imput. I don't really know how else to say it. The said to me that he probably feels like his skin is crawling all the time and therefore completely uncomfortable.

This disorder was explained to me as their brain just doesn't process the 5 senses properly. The goal, through therapy, is to change the way that the body and brain process the imput the are getting through their 5 senses. Complicated and very confusing. And worse of all, they look so normal that many people just don't get that they have real problems that need addressing.

We love our kids. I would do anything i can to help them. Life everyday is hard and full of challenges i really don't understand how to handle. I have always been told that god will not give you more than you can handle, but sometimes i just wonder. I spend alot of time on my knees asking for help, guidance, and patients, and i guess that is all i can do.

therapy time

2009-03-25T13:49:00.002-04:00

So, we have been in the process of evaluation Hunter for Synsory Processing Disorder. (the same thing mason has) We found out, after 4 different therapist evaluated him, that they all agree that he has it too. The tactile part of his body is all out of wack. I will write more on this once we get all the evaluations back.

This is one of their therapy swings in their play room. too cute. They love to do everything together.

Mom tip of the day

2009-02-03T20:56:00.006-05:00

My boys have never liked brushing their teeth and i always forget to do it. So recently we started just brushing their teeth while they take a bath. It works great! I even brush my teeth with them and that helps the do a better job when the do what mommy is doing. Excuse the nasty bathtub grout. We are getting ready to redo it. It was badly done by the previous owners.

Also, i started a new blog devoted to my photography hobbie/obsession. the url is

www.snugglebugsphotos.com

I love this picture of Hunter and me. He is so loving sometimes.

Temple Pictures

2009-02-02T16:32:00.004-05:00

Stupid Ice Storm!

2009-02-02T16:14:00.006-05:00

Well, like most, we lost power. We lost ours about 6am when a line was hit by a falling ice filled tree limb by our house. I called my parents around 7:30am and they said they still had power. My kids were still really sick so we loaded them in the bike trailer that had big wheels and covered them with blankets and zipped them all in. Then we loaded our metal garden cart with big wheels with supplies, like clothes, food, blankets, etc. and we all, including 2 dogs, walked the 1/2 mile down a huge hill to my parents house in the driving snow. A half hour after getting there they lost power. Figures.

My parents have a generator that allowed us to have heat and some light. And they had a fireplace so we kept warm. My kids inevitably got everyone sick so i tried to take care of them while my husband worked. He works in the medical field so he has to work no matter what, ice storm or no ice storm, sick kids and mommy or not.

My kids are used to taking a bath every night so we were able to heat water on the grill or in a crockpot to fill the kitchen sink at my parents house. They loved it.

We finally got power back at our house Sat. afternoon. Brandon left for work and i tried to clean up the mess, both in the yard and in the house.

I did find time to go up to the temple on Sat. before he left to get some amazing pics. i will post a few in a min. I am hoping i can sell some to help support our failing budget. We are also trying to sell brandons Saturn View which did amazing in the ice. He didn't slid once. Great little car! I was amazed.

sickly boys

2009-02-02T16:03:00.004-05:00

talk about a hard 2 weeks! My little guys have been so sick. They spent a full five days just sitting in boxes. I know that sounds wierd, but we put a pillow in a box for hunter and a small bean bag chair in a tupperware bin for mason. The loved the comfort it gave them. It was just like being held when i couldn't hold them.(mostly because they got me sick too)

Mason is obsessed with polar express the movie and he asks to watch it at least 3 times daily. We do try to limit his watching of tv but when they are sick, they want what they want.

Christmas day, just a little late

2009-01-21T15:09:00.005-05:00

Mason loves trains so he got lots of trains and hunter loved the wrapping paper. We had a great time that day opening gifts then spending time with my parents and uncle Stuart.

The day before we donated tons of stuffed animals to a local fire department. I wanted to make sure that my boys know what christmas is really about and what a great service project to get the point across. I watched my amazing little Mason walk up to the fireman with his big bucket of stuffed animals and heard him say, "For kids. Yeah, after fire." It was amazing to me that a tiny little 23 month old got the concept so well.

The fire men were so moved that they invited us in to the station, gave us a tour and let mason and hunter climb all over the fire trucks. We were there for about 2 hours, and we had just expected to drop off the toys and leave. It was an amazing experiance and Mason to this day, still asks about the firemen and kids that will get his toys that he gave away.

Not only were we able to do a service project but we were incredibly blessed to have things donated to our family as well. This are so very tight right now but a few choice spirits took it upon themselves to help us give our boys a few small gifts and some clothing that they were in need of. To everyone that gave thank you so very much. We are eternally greatful.

good recipe

2009-01-19T14:53:00.005-05:00

Flat Bread:

2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp shortening
1 Tbsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
3 cups white flour
1 cup wheat flour

Mix together ingredients until dough is mixed thouroughly. The dough will be very sticky. Flour a counter top and make small balls or dough. (i usually make about 10 to 15 small balls of dough depending on how big you want your flat bread.) Let the balls rest for approx. 15 minutes. (turn on your oven to broil) Toll out balls into small circles and then place directly on oven rack on highest shelf with the oven on broil. Cook for 3 - 4 min. until bread starts to lightly brown, then turn over and brown the other side. Cover in towels to prevent drying out while it cools.

This bread is amazing with a little humus spread on it or even as soft taco shells. We really like it as our pizza dough because it takes so little time to rise. You can make great little indivisual pizzas too, and let your kids add any toppings they want.

I make my flat bread even healthier by adding 2 tablespoons of Wheat Germ (you find it near the oatmeal at the grocery store) and 2 tablespoons of Milled Flax Seed (this is found by the flour and stuff).

This is our families favorite type of home made bread. My kids fight over it and they are only 24 months and 12 months. It is so healthy and filling they make fantastic snack time treats or even breakfast time foods with a little jam or low fat cream cheese.

Poem for my Boys

2009-01-14T12:38:00.008-05:00

I See You Sleeping:

I crack the door and i peer inside
Hope that i hide from your eyes
Tiptoe in and peer over the side
Knowing my love for you i cannot hide

I see you sleeping
in the pale cool moon light
I hear you breathing
Deep into the night
I feel your heart beating
Like a gentle autums wind

And i know, that tonight, You are mine

I watch the stars as they sparkle
And they fall upon your bed
I run my fingers gently
Through the curls on your little head

I remember that day
when our eyes first met
You broke into my soul
And our story is the rest

I see you sleeping
In the pale cool moom light
I hear you breathing
In the darkness of the night
I feel your heart beating
Like a gentle autum wind

And i know, that tonight, you are mine.

Your forgotten stories
Will live on in my head
Your childhood laughter
Is a crimson shade of red

Your open heart strings
Is what every mother needs
Your big huge bear hugs
My fragile soul now needs

I know tomorrow is calling
As i tip toe away
A smile across my face
As i remember today

A Perfect little child
As you sigh into the wind
Your are my child,
My angel, My friend

I see you sleeping
In the pale cool moon light
I hear you breathing
In the darkness of the night
I feel your heart beating
Like a gentle autum wind

And i know, that tonight, you are Mine.

They are so Funny!

2008-12-31T21:32:00.009-05:00

Mason wanted "his baby" and him to sit in boxes to watch his disney sing along one night.

Hunter tried finger painting for the first time with his brother the other day. It was hilarious.

mason was telling me a story in his jibberous talk.

Yeah! The holidays are over!!

2008-12-31T21:07:00.008-05:00

WOW! I hate to say it but i am so glad that the holidays are over. Mason had a really hard time. With his Synsory Processesing Disorder, this has been unbearable for him. He has been off of his very structured schedule for about a week and a half, but really since Thanksgiving. I have been doing my best to try and keep him on schedual but it is not easy. Now he is trying to elimenate one of his naps and it makes him really cranky for most of the day. And to make matters worse, Hunter is trying to take only one nap also. I think he is a little young at 10 months to just have one nap but i can't force him either. He is just horribly cranky all day now. This all makes mommy really cranky too.

Brandon starts his new job next Tuesday and will be having normaly daddy hours 9am to 5pm. We are used to having daddy home til 2pm every day. Now we are going to not have him at all during the day and he will only see the boys from 5:30pm til bed time which is at 7 & 8pm. And i am gonna have to run all my erands with both boys. I think i will be staying home alot.

Mason has a OT therapist coming on Mondays for an hour and he goes to "play group" which is group therapy for kids like mason on tuesdays for 2 hours. There is about 6 or 7 kids and 2 to 3 therapist in these sessions. This is so benifical for Mason and he is learning so very much about how to interact with other kids and how to help himself with his own special needs. Parents are not there for these sessions except for the last 15 min.

He has come so far, but the Holidays have taken us so very far backwards. I am looking so forward to getting back to normal. But "normal" for us is still pretty unusual and intense for others. Oh well, I guess god knows best and i am just so very thankful for my beautiful boys.

So much to catch up on

2008-11-04T22:02:00.015-05:00

so much has happened since i last wrote and i am just too tired to write it all now so i will do it later but for now here are some pictures of hunter passed out eating, mason tired in our inside hammock, Mason in a box, Mason eating in a box, Mason playing playdough, Mason with a trash can over his head after trick-or-treating, boys on there rides, and halloween.

Great Fast Make-Ahead Breakfast Bars

2008-11-04T21:56:00.002-05:00

Grab and Go Bars:

1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup peanutbutter

combine ingredients and heat in microwave for about 2 min. until bubbly.

stir and add in:

1 1/2 cups crushed shredded wheat
1 1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup crasins or rasins

you can also add in anything else that sounds good.

press into a 8 x 8 inch pan. Stick it in the fridge and cut into squares once it sets. It will be just a tiny bit chewy. i stick mine in a big ziplock and keep them in the fridge for breakfast or for a snack as an option instead of a sugary pick me up.

A New Idea I had

2008-10-13T15:20:00.002-04:00

I was looking at an email i got about a recipe swap and had an instant brain storm. I used to be not only one of the lead cooks at 2 different restaurants but also the head trainer in one kitchen ant a coorprate trainer in the other. So, my point is that i know how to cook pretty well. But i spend most of the time now coming up with or altering recipes to fit my families needs and my time restraints.

So anyway my point is that i think i am going to try to post a new or good recipe i have come across, made up or altered every once in awhile. So, here is this weeks recipe:

This is an amazing recipe I came up with for my family. Mason loves them and Brandon really likes taking them for dinner in to work. I just plane old like them. They are really easy, fast and healthy. Just wanted to share them with you guys.

Turkey, bacon wraps:

lay out a tortilla

spread with ranch or guacamole

lay out 2 thick pieces of turkey

top with favorite cheese

add some lettuce and 1 to 2 pieces of bacon

I add some more avocado because it is so very good for you

roll up and microwave for 30 seconds if you want it warm

this is so tasty and good and healthy for you

we serve it with strawberries or frozen blueberries for an even better immune system and antioxidant boost.

this makes an amazing on the go lunch.

Mason's Wall of Art

2008-10-05T21:12:00.002-04:00

Mason is a budding artist just like his mommy was. We let him put up his art work on a large wall in the living room. We use painters tape so the wall is not hurt. He loves to show of all his art work to anyone who visits our home. He is just so proud of it, and we are proud of him and his talent. He colors in coloring books, finger paints, and draws on blank paper to create his masterpieces. His favorite color is yellow. He asks for yellow when he wants to create something new.

Mason Likes to Help in Many Ways

2008-10-05T21:01:00.001-04:00

The boys love to play together. And everyday they have a little more fun together.

Hunter's Allergic Reaction To Amoxacillian

2008-10-05T20:33:00.010-04:00

Hunter has been on Amoxacillian for an ear infection. He was on his last dose, on his 10th day, and he woke up with weird spots all over and a fever. I thought he had somehow gotten chickenpox. I felt so bad for him. He looked and acted like he felt so miserable. He took him immediatly to the doctor and was told that he was having an allergic reaction to his antibiotic. When i told them that Brandon was allergic to Penacillian they said that their was no conection and that it is not genetic. They also told me that it was gonna get alot worse before it got better. I just wasn't prepared for how bad it really got. Heat made it worse so we had to keep the house really cold and put as little clothing on him as possible.

Thank goodness, he woke up today with no more spots.

Potty Training Hilarity

2008-09-17T22:12:00.007-04:00

We started potty training with mason on monday. He is doing great with it. But the funniest thing happened yesterday that i just had to share. I put him on the potty and went out of the room to check on Hunter. When i came back this is what i saw. (It is water in the cup, not soda.) He grabbed it off the sink and sat there for another 10 min. He wouldn't get up til he had finished all the water in the cup.

Thank you to all

2008-09-13T22:19:00.008-04:00

Words can't express the gratitude i feel for those who have given us help in so many different ways. I decided that i am gonna take this week to just be sad and next week i will try to be a human again.

We have been stuck in the house all week and found some really stupid ways to entertain ourselves. Hunter tried watermelon for the first time and loved it. Mason spent some fun time building with jumbo legos.

We were pretty boring and i know that next week i am gonna have to spend some really serious time cleaning up after the daddy-daycare disaster that is our house. Sorry to all those who had to see it but to be honest Brandon is an amazing dad and stepped up to the plate to go above and beyond the call of duty. There where some intense, "How on earth do you do this every day?!!" moments, but he has been wonderful. (despite the fact that it looks like a bomb went off in our house)

Really Sad News

2008-09-10T20:40:00.002-04:00

This has been a really hard week for us. On Monday i went on a routine visit to a high risk prenatel specialist. This is normal for me considering that have high risk pregnancies due to my Lupus. I showed up at 8am for an ultrasound. Within minuets it was obvious something was wrong.

The doctor told me that he couldn't find a heart beat and that our baby had died, probably within the past day or two. It was a total shock and took about 20 min. to sink in. I was not expecting this news. I was expecting a healthy happy baby and good report. The high risk doctor spent an hour explaining that the babies head seemed to be misshapen and that there was probably some chromosomal problems. This made me realize that it is better that the baby passed away but it still hurts. My OBGYN happened to be in the hospital right when i got the news, so they called here and she came right over to talk to me.

We schedualed a DNC for that same day and it was done later that day. It was an extreamly emotional experiance. Because Brandon used to work in the OR all of the surgons, nurses, and techs came to give their condolances. This was trully sweet but very draining.

I am now in alot more pain than i thought i would be and it is really hard to take care of the boys when brandon isn't here. Cinda, my sister-in-law was able to come over and help with dinner, bath and bed tonight and Sister Cromerty had Hunter for an hour to allow me to go to the store to pick up some needed items. Several sisters have come over to bring us food and to just give me a much needed hug which is greatly appreciated.

This is a very sad time for all of us but hopefully in time we will heal both physicly and emotionally. Thank you for all the support and prayers.

Our little helper

2008-09-03T16:50:00.005-04:00

Mason is such a big helper. I came home with a car load of groceries and he insisted on helping to carry some in. He grabbed the laundry detergent and i snapped a few pics of him carrying it to the door. So cute. He can now put diapers in the diaper pale and "help" fold clothing. (he really just messes up the already folded clothes, but what ever.) The boys are both getting so big. I got a really good pic of them together.

Fireman Mason

2008-08-05T11:00:00.003-04:00

Mason got a new fireman raincoat from costco. He wouldn't take it off for a long time. He loved getting in his toy car which he called his "guck guck" (fire truck) and take Hunter for a ride. It was really cute.

Sick kids

2008-08-01T20:29:00.006-04:00

Sadly Mason has another ear infection. yuck! He and his brother, Hunter, have had runny noses for about 2 weeks. Mason's cold turned into a double ear infection a week ago and Hunter's turned into an ear infection on last monday. Poor babies!

Neither kid has been sleeping properly since this all began. Mommy has been keeping them home and inside for awhile now. Nothing seems to help. We went to see an ENT for Mason's reaccuring ear infections per our pediatricians sugestion. We have decided to put tubes in both ears on August 20th in the early morning. It seems to be the best option.

Well, as a side note, today is Mommy's 31st birthday. Yeah! Nothing special about the day though. Except for a few birthday wishes and Memaa and Papa Kaestner did visit and bring a banana shake from sonic. We just hope that we all get some real sleep tonight but we highly doubt it.

Mason did learn how to finger paint this week and loved it. The really likes the result he sees from his painting. Another first, he had his first shower with daddy after the finger painting session and loved it too. This is his new favorite pass time of the day. We put some new fishy stickems on the bath tub to prevent him from slipping, so now everyday he asks to see the fishys and take a "shar" (shower).

Potty training is going pretty well. Mason wears pullups and goes to sit on the potty every 30 min. He going peepee almost every time, but we coax him by pouring water over his peepee which makes him go. He is still poopooing in his pullups but i am pretty proud of him for peeing in the big boy potty. He is only 18 months. After going he plays with the fish in the bathtub or sometimes he gets a peepee cracker (gram cracker) as a reward. He is really a big boy and we are so proud of him.

G-pa's visit

2008-07-25T16:21:00.003-04:00

Brandon's grandpa came to visit from new york. we had a great visit and got some cute pis of him with the kids.

Update on Mason

2008-07-11T22:14:00.003-04:00

So, Mason seems to be doing much better for now. He no longer is holding his head and walking around like he is drunk. (running into walls and stumbling around) I think he might have been having vertigo or some extreme dizziness of some kind. He would put his head on the floor while standing up and suddenly lay down when he was playing, almost to stop the world from spinning.

His MRI and CAT scans came back all in the normal range. This is a picture of him just after the MRI. He had to be sedated.

Really cute pics

2008-07-11T22:03:00.007-04:00

Mason loves his brother

2008-07-09T16:52:00.004-04:00

Mason loves his brother so much. He now wants to do alot of things with him. He was playing in a tote full of balls and he cried until we let hunter sit in there with him. Then today i saw him giving hunter a huge hug while he was in his excersaucer. It was so cute and i actually got in on camera. I will write more later but here are some great pictures.

Hunter starts rice and bananas

2008-06-19T21:35:00.009-04:00

So Hunter is now 4 months and has started eating rice cereal and mashed bananas. He loves it so far and gets so excited when he sees the spoon coming at him that he squeals with delight. It has gotten hard to feed 2 kids at the same time (when Mason needs help with stuff like jello or soup or stuff like that) but we are managing.

Hunter is now chewing on everything, fingers included. He had his 4 month check up this week and they saw 2 bulges starting to show on the top in the middle. So we should see some teeth here soon. He got 4 booster shot and something else (I can't remember what it was). He is a bit grumpy but doing just fine.

Mason is in Love Love Love with the new water park at the ymca. It was built just for kids and the water doesn't go over 3 1/2 feet. He is such a water baby. He would stay in all day every day if i would let him. But he starts to shiver and his lips turn blue after about 30 minuets, simply because he has no meat on his bones. He is all muscle and there for no barrier from the cold water. I make him get out when the shivering gets bad to warm up on the warm concreat and have a quick snack. Then it's back to fun in the water. Hunter even loves the water and oddly enough, Mason starts shaking way before Mason does.

Daddy Take Charge

2008-06-05T22:34:00.005-04:00

Mommy was asked repeatedly by her old boss at the Northeast YMCA to come back to work. Finally she gave in and said that she would give them just 2 nights, three hours each night, of teaching swim classes. That meant that daddy would be on his own for dinner, bath and bed time routines. He's having a bit of a rough time, to say the least.

Hunter has never gone to bed for anyone but mommy for his entire life, so going to bed for daddy isn't really working. Mommy has come home to screaming from both hunter and daddy both nights so far. We are hoping that we can work it all out so that mommy can keep doing something that she really enjoys and needs (for her sanity) to be doing.

On a fun note, mommy and daddy taught little mason how to play "ring around the rosy". He loved it, especially the falling down part. He keep taking mommy's hand and trying to get her to go again. Then we learned how to play "hide and go seek", Mason kinda got the concept but still loved the surprise of finding mommy hiding. We will have to keep working on that one.

One other game that Mason loves is dress up. Mommy gave him a bowl out of the out of the cabinet for a makeshift hat. It wouldn't stay on so we tied a scarf around it to keep it on. Then we added one of daddy's shirts and his orange rain boots to finish the outfit. The bowl lasted for awhile and then the out fit ended up as a jester hat and the boots.

Mason's new thing is that he wants to sit in a booster next to his brother who is sitting in his chair. It is really cute to see him spending time with his brother. Mason is doing much better with being gentle.

Our new pool

2008-06-02T21:44:00.009-04:00

Yee Haw!

Today was a hot day so mommy blew up the new fun pool we got at walmart. It has lots of fun extras like a ring toss dolphin and a blow up turtle that rattles when you shake it and even a great slide.

Mason saw the pool and went nuts with excitement. He wanted in before it was even filled up. He loved the slide and wanted help going down again and again.

Mommy is so happy that he likes this pool, it was a great buy for the family. The water was really cold and we only played in it for about 15 min. before the shivering started. Then the screaming went on and on when we took him out and inside the house. He would have stayed in til he got hypothermia if he had his way. Next time mommy will fill it up much earlier so that the water is warm by the time Mason gets in. What a cute little water baby. I think he is a fish at heart. He just loves the water.

2008-06-01T14:08:00.003-04:00

What's been up

2008-05-31T21:51:00.000-04:00

Well, so far life has been pretty interesting for our boys. I can't seem to keep them well. They keep catching viruses that are going around. Mason had some strange virus that caused hives to come and go for a full week. We tried to get a picture of some that popped up on his arm but it didn't turn out very well. It finally went away and he was well for about 2 days when he caught a bad cold, then something else. Now he has an ear infection and is on antibiotics. Hopefully he can get over all the crap and finally enjoy his summer.

Little Hunter isn't doing much better. He keeps catching stomach viruses that make him spit up all his food. I just feel so bad for him. He seems so miserable. He does have small bits of time where he is happy and squealing at me, his mommy. He has already had his first hair cut. His hair was about 4 inches long on the top. He had the Donald Trump comb over goin on. He looks like he is gonna have light hair like his mommy and his big brother.

We hooked up the sprinkler for him today. It was a first experiance for him. He LOVED it! The wind picked up just after we turned the water on freezing him. He was shivering and quaking but still running around and screaming with delight. He is such a goof ball. Hunter hated it. I guess that he might not be a water baby like Mason is.

Hello to all

2008-05-30T22:02:00.000-04:00

Hello to all,

I have just created this blog because i guess it is the only way to really keep in touch anymore. Now that i have two kids only 13 months apart i have literally no time except the one hour after they are both in bed and i have finished everything i have to get done. I hope to keep it up to date but who knows this might end up being my one and only entry.

Here's hoping,