Meet Our Family!

This is us =) We are from FL, met there and have now been married for a little over 5 years. We just moved our family from UT (TERRIBLE state for Autism resources-in case you were wondering ;) to the great State of Missouri. We found out that Utah was #48 in the country for the WORST Autism resources so after spending 7-8 months doing research we saw Missouri ranked #3 in the country for the best resources and services. After being here for 6 months, I have to say I agree! My kids have jumped LEAPS since they have been here.

My husband is going to school for Engineering (1.5 years left!) and I attended BYU for Nursing. We are members of the LDS Church which is why we feel like everything kind of happens for reasons we may not be aware of right away. You know, I have those days where I literally fall into bed at night...and then 15 minutes later our baby wakes up to be fed ;) It's exhausting being a mother of children with Autism. There's no shame in admitting that and it doesn't mean that you don't love your children. I've come to the realization that I don't have to look like I've got it together all the time. There's days where I've got a baby sleeping in one arm, I'm pulling a peanut butter sandwich out of my daughters belly button with the other while yelling at my son to stop playing in the dog food and add a puppy chi-weenie to all of that! It's my strong opinion that Heavenly Father only blesses strong, motivated, loving, patient parents with these children. You may not personally feel that way about yourself but as someone looking in, trust me you are =) Every parent I have every met with an Autistic child has been amazing. I often tell my husband that we were given these children because HF knew we would fight for their needs and that we're an awesome family! =)

This is our little stud muffin. He is 4 and has been diagnosed with Moderate Autism and ADHD. If you clicked on the "Our Diagnosis Story" tab then you know that we started to notice changes with him when he turned 18 mos. Every Autism Specialist we have spoken to has said that that is the KEY age that parents will really start to notice the changes in their child. They describe it as "They were completely fine and then one day they just started regressing."

This is our sweet little girl. She is 3. She has been diagnosed with Severe Autism and Mild Mental Retardation meaning she is much higher on the Spectrum than our son is.

 This is our newest little guy. He is our little bundle of joy! Always a happy kiddo. He is 8 months old. Spending time with him can turn anyone's bad day good =)