Open Mouth, Insert Foot

My poor husband spends most of sacrament meeting every week in the overflow with Charlie. Charlie tends to get a little loud and distracting during the meeting, so Josh takes him out. He wants to still be able to hear the talks, so he tries to sit in the overflow when he can (the accordian curtain things are usually closed since our ward is not that big).

Today, he was sitting back there with Charlie and a man Josh has known she he was a kid who is in a different ward came in there. Josh has never had the best feelings for this man as it is -- this is not a guy who has ever been very nice to him. This man did not help himself much today. He said to Josh, "Are you trying to teach reverence or does he have you well trained?" I'm not sure what the man meant by that, but Josh felt like the man was commenting unfavorably on his parenting. So Josh said, "He's autistic so he'll just do what he wants." The man turned red, Josh picked up Charlie, left the room, and missed the rest of sacrament meeting.

I think Josh and I are going to have to develop thicker skins. People will inevitably start making more comments like this to us as Charlie gets older and his quirks become more noticeable.

On a positive note, Charlie is doing well. He "kissed" me on the forehead the other day (put his lips on my forehead -- that's how he kisses), he waved to me yesterday when I said hi to him, he's stacking building blocks and putting together toys that link up. These are big accomplishments for Charlie and I am so pleased with what he is learning and how he is growing. His therapy hasn't helped him in ways that I have really anticipated -- I was expecting other things, I guess -- but I am learning to appreciate every tiny milestone. Charlie will never be like everyone else (and thank goodness for that really, right?), but I am hoping that Josh and I can provide him with opportunities to fulfill his potential.

Fitz Update

Fitz has been learning some new skills lately. A little over a week ago, he got up onto his hands and knees and started trying to crawl.

Not too long after that (last Sunday, in fact), he figured out that he didn't have to be up on his hands and knees to crawl effectively and he started army crawling. He was already pretty mobile just rolling around and kinda scooting; he is now very fast. Thus begins a dangerous time in his life. There are too many things lying around all the time that he shouldn't have. I try to keep things picked up, but it usually doesn't work out too well.

Fitz is also very close to being able to sit up. He can tripod for a while. Like in the picture below. And the video.

What I Think About When I Think About My Dad

Tuesday was the ninth anniversary of my dad's passing. The day kinda crept up on me. I didn't even realize what day it was until mid-afternoon. It made me feel bad, like I had forgotten my daddy.

Of course, that is ridiculous. I think about my dad every day. Every day, I wonder things like,

Is Daddy happy with the man I chose to be my eternal companion?




If dad were here, would he and Josh bond over their love of monster movies, history, and John Wayne? Would dad quickly pick up on the fact that I married a man who has a sense of humor very similar to his own? Can he see how well Josh treats me and how he honors his priesthood?


I wonder what my dad thinks about this little guy's name.


Does he realize that it's a tribute to him? Fitzwilliam means "son of William." I want Fitz to be my daddy's son in the sense that I want him to be like him. To be happy and funny and kind, to love God and his family fiercely, to make sacrifices in order to do what's right and good, to love to learn, to be a good man. Does my Dad understand all that? Did Dad help Fitz get ready to come here? Does Fitz maybe still remember my dad, but he just can't tell me?
Does Charlie melt Dad's heart just like he melts mine?

Does he swell with pride at every milestone and accomplishment in this little boy's life? What did he think the other day when Charlie "kissed" Fitz on the forehead? Does he laugh at all of Charlie's silliness and just want to pick him up and squeeze him and kiss him all the time? Does it hurt him that he can't?

Does he see how much this little girl is like her mom and how she is also so very different?
Does he understand all the Katie language that is still mixed in with the English she is getting better at speaking? Does he fear her dating years as much as I do? Will he be as indignant as me when people are not as kind to her as they should be, when she is not treated as the queen she will become?
Does he worry about Alek as much as I do or does his current state of being help him to avoid those kinds of feelings?
Does his heart swell with love and joy when Alek bears his testimony? Does he roll his eyes when Alek is being melodramatic or does he laugh at me because I am getting exactly what I deserve? Is he disappointed that I still haven't taken Alek to a baseball game? Does he know how much I have wished every day that he could be here with me, watching him and my other children grow, instead of seeing this all from heaven?
Sorry, Dad, that I was so self-absorbed and busy that I barely remembered to observe your passing. But you know I've been thinking about you. Every day, for nine years.
Love you.
P.S. Who do you think this kid looks like? And isn't it funny that he's in a very dirty onesie in the cutest pictures we've taken of him so far?

A Good Article

The connection between fiscal and social conservatism

Work is Boring Today

So instead of being bored, I am going to bore you. This post won't even include pictures. Take that, readers!

So I missed Thankful Thursday yesterday. But I have to be honest and tell you that I wasn't feeling very thankful. I actually was very down yesterday and was acting all morose and generally just like a big baby. It was pathetic.

But today I am much better and I do have things to be thankful for.

I am thankful that Charlie now runs to greet me at the door EVERY time I come home and he is anywhere in the vicinity. I get sad sometimes when I am around other kids his age and they are talking to their mommies in their cute little voices. I wish Charlie would talk to me in a cute little voice, instead of just grunting and babbling in tones that make him sound like he is the spawn of Satan. But even though he can't speak the words, I know Charlie loves me. When I walk in the door, his face lights up and he runs to me and gestures for me to pick him up. And I do pick him up and we share a moment. I love Charlie.

I am grateful that Alek finished his Bear rank and I am grateful to Jared for making sure he did. Jared did about 95% of Alek's achievements with him. Jared is kinda a stinker for making me feel grateful towards him, but there you have it. Also, he and his mom are going to make sure Alek can take cello after school this year like he wants to. Alek even had some private cello instruction when in Arizona. So that's another thing to be grateful to Jared for. Oh, and he and his parents and Ronnie bought me movie tickets and a Friday's gift card for my birthday. Darn it! What's with this guy doing so many nice things for us?

I am grateful that my family will soon be moving into an actual house with an actual yard and much more storage and space. And we don't have to change wards. I am so grateful for this that I am not even a little bit bothered that we are accomplishing this by continuing to rent instead of buying like I had wished. A house is good, no matter how we got it.

I am grateful for a baby who giggles and grins every time he sees me. What a cutie pie.

I am grateful for good books and movies. We watched Northanger Abbey the other night. I had a ridiculously huge grin on my face almost the entire movie. I love Catherine Morland. I love Henry Tilney. I love Jane Austen.

I am grateful to Josh for all the hard work he is doing to get our house organized. He's awesome.

Okay, I'm done with being thankful. On with news.

Alek starts school on Monday. 4th grade. He is growing up, that's for sure. Last night he wouldn't do the cheers at cub scouts because they were "embarrassing." Oh dear. Where has my little boy gone?

Katie is bossy and kinda spoiled. I guess that's not really news; it's actually just kinda funny. Sometimes, it's a little aggravating, but usually she's too cute to get on our nerves. I guess that's why she's spoiled. It won't last. The cuteness fades. You've been warned, Katie. Kate's been asking to see cousins who live very far away that we won't see for a long time. We look at my sisters' blogs and she starts telling me we need to go see Grace or George or whoever. Sorry, Kate. Not happening for a while. She also has been asking to go to Disneyland. I think that's a ways off, too. Poor girl.

Charlie is making progress in therapy or so I am told. I am incredibly impatient and it simply is not moving fast enough for me. I am glad he is going right into therapy and sitting down in the chair he is supposed to. I am glad he is making more eye contact. I am glad he is saying, "bu, bu, bu, bu,bu" when he wants to play with bubbles. That's all wonderful. But when am I going to know what is going on in his head and his heart? When am I going to know why he just starts crying sometimes or what he wants when he comes up to me and just starts pulling at my arms? Never? Please don't let it be never. I don't know that I can deal with never. Why does autism have to be so hard? Most days I am fine, but the last couple of days have been hard for me. It's being around all these "normal" 2 year olds that is doing it to me. Darn cute, talkative kids. Wouldn't trade Charlie for them, though. Not even for a second.

Fitzwilliam is wonderful. Happy almost 100% of the time. Healthy. Strong. Curious. Giggly. Smiley. Drooly. He's working on getting up on his knees. He is absolutely in love with the toys and books in our living room and he is pretty good at getting to them. He's a roller and a scooter. Earlier this week, I realized I had not written down one single date of any of his firsts. When did he first roll? I don't know. Mid-July-ish. When did he get his first tooth? I don't know. He was 4 months old. That's what I know. Poor baby. I hope he won't ever feel unloved just because I completely forgot that I was even supposed to track such things.

I am starting school on Monday. I am seriously considering taking two online classes instead of just one. Can I hack that? No idea.

I need to buy a washer and dryer. I think I am going to go the Craigslist route.

I also need a car.

I need more money, even though I just got a raise. It's pretty sad.

Found a publishing company on Craigslist that is looking for artists to do covers. Sent an e-mail to them on behalf of Josh. They pay $1500 a project. That would be a nice answer to this whole needing more money issue. We'll accept prayers on our behalf. And I'll try to remember to say a few of my own.

That's it for now. I had something specific I was going to write about when I first began to type, but it has flown out of my head. It must not have been that important.

Thankful Thursday

I'm stealing my sister's (Jenny's) idea and doing "Thankful Thursdays."

1) I'm thankful to have such a sweet, cute baby, who loves to smile and laugh and is getting around all too well already.

2) I'm thankful that despite being short-staffed at work that I've managed to stay on top of everything I need to be doing and that I've been able to perform some sort of Jedi mind trick on everyone so that they think I am doing all those things well.

3) I'm also thankful we're on the verge of hiring someone.

4) I'm thankful that Josh found someone to work on a comic with and that they have a plan for getting the book done.

5) I'm thankful that I got a raise so that I can afford to buy a car so that I can keep going to work when my boss/ride goes on maternity leave next month.

6) I'm thankful that I've had the chance to read the Ensign lately and that I've been doing better at reading my scriptures.

7) I'm glad Alek is home. Everything feels better since he has been back.

8) I'm glad that I found my Jane Austen books during my reorganization efforts last night. And that I discovered I own the Wrinkle in Time series. I forgot! I'm going to make Alek read those when he's done with Harry Potter.

Farm Subsidies are Bad

Not much to say, but I thought this article was interesting and that many of you would find it interesting as well.

Vacation, Alek is 10, Fitz is 4 Months, and Other Things I've Been Neglecting to Blog About

I do realize I haven't posted pictures of my family or done any updating in forever. I am lazy, what can I say? Here is a super long post to make up for that. And I apologize in advance for all the red-eye. My camera is being lame these days and I just can't take the time right now to fix all the red-eye in these pics.

Things that have happened this summer

Alek turned 10. Yes, I have a 10 year old. I can't believe how quickly the years have gone. It doesn't seem like so long ago that he looked like this:

BTW, I defy you to find a cuter kid. As cute, maybe, but cuter than this? Come on.

Alek is awesome. I can barely remember what life was like before he existed here on earth. He is one of my favorite people in the whole world and I am so blessed to be his mom. He has been in Arizona for two weeks and it's been torture. I can't wait until he comes home (still 9 more days).

We were visiting with family in Utah on Alek's birthday so he got to have a birthday party with a bunch of his cousins. He had DELICIOUS pizza made by his cousin, Ellie, and my sister, Jen. (Jen I need that crust recipe.) He had a very ugly cake made by yours truly (it was an unplanned rush job and I feel really bad about how it turned out). He opened presents and watched Inkheart. He enjoyed himself, as he almost always does, no matter what is going on. Even when he has extremely chapped lips.

So, as mentioned above, we went on vacation to Utah to visit family. We stayed with my sister, Jen, and her family. My mom moved in with them a couple of months ago, so we stayed with her, too, I guess. I got them to myself for a few days and then toward the middle of my stay, I picked up my sister, Heather, so she could spend some time with us before moving to Iowa. And then Amy and her family came to visit. At one point, we had 29 people in the house. Awesome. I don't know how Jen put up with all of us, but we had a great time.

Jen and her family live at the bottom of a gorgeous canyon. See?


Josh spent a lot of time drawing and reading, two things he hardly has time to do anymore, thanks to full-time dad duties. He had fun showing our nieces and nephews how to use the stylus pad.


Alek spent almost the entire vacation outside and I rarely saw him. Katie spent a lot of time following Gracie around. Charlie spent a lot of time trying to (and often succeeding) play in the toilet and bathtub.


Fitz got to meet the other two Geer grandbabies born in March. Josh and Fitz are just one day apart, and Sally is about 4 weeks older than Fitz. Can you tell?

Fitz and Josh

Sally and Fitz

Sally and Josh are both cuties and it was so fun to see Fitz with the cousins his age. If only we could have had little Max there, too, then we would have had all the new babies together.

While in Utah, my mom and Jen offered to watch all 4 of our kids one day (they're saints) so Josh and I could go on a date. We made the two-hour drive into Salt Lake, ate lunch and took in the sights at Temple Square. We also took a tour of the Conference Center. We had a great time. Being at Temple Square, I just felt overwhelmed by how much I love the church. There is no greater organization on earth. It's such a tremendous thing to be a part of.

Josh took this picture. Isn't it good?

Utah was awesome and I can't wait to go back. Hopefully next time I can squeeze in some time to see friends and make it to BYU.

Besides our tremendously fun vacation and Alek's birthday, our summer has been pretty typical. Charlie got a haircut. We used to be able to do this:



Now, not so much.


I've declared it the Summer of Harry Potter at our house. Katie is obsessed with HP; she watches the first three movies on a regular basis, constantly talks about HP, pretends to read the books, and tries to curse me daily. Alek started reading the series and is already on book 4. I'm a huge HP nerd and so I am re-reading the series. I am on book 6.

Eat slugs!

Alek the reader

On my birthday, we had a family photo shoot. It didn't turn out too well. Turns out, Josh completely does not know how to smile for the camera and we all know how easy it is to get kids to cooperate for picture taking.

First, we tried to get a picture of all of us together. This is the best shot.



Then we tried to get a good picture of me and Josh. Josh didn't make it so easy.




Last, we tried to get a picture of the four kids together. Ha ha ha. Here is how that went.





Last, but not least, Fitzcutie turned 4 months old on Wednesday. He had his 4 month check up today. He is 26.5 inches long and 17.5 lbs, which is 90th percentile for both. He is rolling over both ways, clearly wants to be mobile, and has two teeth. His hair is getting lighter every day and I can't tell if he's going to end up being blonde like Charlie, a redhead like Katie or some in between color. He is the sweetest, cutest, most easy going baby. I'm enjoying him a lot.



And thus concludes the world's longest blog post. Hope you enjoyed it.

UPDATE: Alek is actually 2/3 of the way through book 5 of HP, now. Just talked to him this morning and got the update.