Brodie's Temple Trip

Brodie was fortunate enough to receive his Endowment almost two weeks ago.

It was a very exciting day. He was over the moon and to be honest so was I.

With Elder and Sister Goddard 

Brodie & I 

With Hai Ji, Bishop Cranston and Callan 

Bishop Cranston

Brodie, Mark and I will be sealed together as a family soon.
Families truly can be together FOREVER!

Missionary Meal

The missionaries were meant to come over for dinner tonight. I made my ravioli bake & vamped it up a little with making a proper spaghetti sauce with mince beef in it. I got a phone call about 30 minutes ago from them stating that they were in Melbourne right now doing some training and that they are unable to come over.

That's twice in a row that they never turned up. At least this time they phoned me to let us know they wont be here. Last time there was nothing & we waited and extra hour before we sat down to eat.

They say third time lucky but I honestly don't think there will be a third time at this rate. I don't want to be disappointed again.

Our week so far

Monday ... Yet another meeting at the High School. I am getting so tired of these. Sometimes I feel that I am talking to a brick wall and we are getting nowhere. It's almost like the school is beginning to be on the defensive and the big fella just switches off. Thank goodness Marg was there to help me out. She's the lady from Anglicare that is helping us out. It was so good to balance out the numbers.

The big fellas science teacher came in to talk with us about what happened the previous week in the classroom which caused yet another suspension from school.(That's a total of 22 school days suspended!!!) Anyway back to the teacher. I was informed of what happened and how he had threatened to throw a chair (but didn't which I am grateful for). Then I was told that the big fella had threatened to harm himself. OMGosh I was so shocked and ANGRY to only just hear about this from the science teacher. I had NO idea that the big fella had felt that way. I am totally disgusted that the school did NOT inform me of this when I was phoned to come and collect him the week before when he got suspended. I told the School Counsellor when I saw him on Tuesday of these events and I am hoping that he will talk to the Principals and Assistant Principal on my behalf.

I was and still am very annoyed as to the fact that they NEVER told me!!! I mean for goodness sake the big fella is showing classic signs of depression and for him to say that in front of a classroom full of kids is really something. He may have been grandstanding but that isn't the point either. They should've told me so that I can check things out further!!! After we have a family history of depression and with all the meds the big fella is on we really need to know what is going on in his head!!!

We had the missionaries over for an early dinner on Tuesday night because the big fella had a young men's activity at the chapel which Mark is taking him to. So I was like a headless chook running about trying to get dinner ready for 5:30 rather than our usual 6 PM since Mark & the big fella needed to leave around 6:20. He really needs to go to these events and activities because he just needs to be around the right kids.
At least the little dude and I can have some special time together tonight. Although I'm not sure what we will do. The little dude wanted to learn how to crochet so I had better find another crochet hook so he can learn.
Dinner went really well with the missionaries. They stayed for a while after Mark & the big fella left. They were playing the guitar, singing songs from the primary CD one of the primary teachers made so we could learn the songs, doing magic tricks and making origami animals! I think the missionaries and the little dude had a great time. I know I did .. I had fun watching. The little dude and I ended up having a great evening. He did learn to crochet but I think he still needs loads of help.

Wednesday ... let's see nothing much happened here really. Well apart from the fact that I got another phone call from the High School. This time to arrange another appointment/meeting but with the Special Ed lady, Chris, who tested the big fella earlier this term. Finally I get to hear the results. Oh and this lady is the same one who said that the big fella did NOT have Asperger Syndrome when she first met him about 3 years ago. Anyway I told the school that I couldn't go up there early in the morning. I use enough petrol travelling back and forth to the school and that it would create another 50 km drive for me that I am not prepared to make. They gave me Chris's phone number so I tried contacting her but she left the office for the day. But John was there, the Counsellor/Guidance Officer, and he said he would talk with Chris.
I swear they do NOT realise what hardship we go through with the big fella and ALL this extra travelling we do. We've used more than half of our weekly budget just on petrol this week and I don't know how much more of this I can take!
Marg phoned me on Wednesday as well. She was checking out a few things for me. Like how we go about getting the big fella officially tested for Aspergers because Denise from GCAMHS isn't convinced that he has is. How the heck she can decide that is beyond me because she hasn't even met him yet!!! Anyway there is a 15 month waiting list for him to be tested at the Children's hospital. Way too long if you ask me. There is a 12 month wait through GCAMHS which is still fat too long. So the only other option is to have him tested privately. Autism Victoria have a couple o f good psychologists that they use to test children but they are expensive. Marg told me it would cost anywhere between $600 & $800. I almost cried. How on earth are we meant to come up with that kind of money when we live from week to week and can't even afford something as simple as a haircut for me?? I was all set to throw this into the too hard basket but Marg said don't give up. Let's see what can happen!
Oops almost forgot. Denise mentioned that we should have some Education Department bloke rock up to our July 4th meeting at the High School. He's something to do with kids under 15 who are at risk of leaving school early. Which is highly likely for the big fella considering how they've been treating him!! What kid would want to stay at school when they know that the school cannot handle them and palm them off as soon as they get the chance! Anyway Marg said that I should inform the school that this Ed. Dept. person may be coming to the meeting and see what they say! I forgot to mention this to the school perhaps I had better do that today!!

Thursday .. I went to see my GP yesterday so that I could get some more medication for my skin and some anti-inflammatory meds for my arm. I don't know if I mentioned that he diagnosed carpal tunnel. Anyway he gave me some samples a few weeks ago and they have worked wonders and he said to come back and get a script if they were helpful ... so I did.
Not a lot really happened yesterday. At least not compared to the previous days.

Baptism Day!

Well yesterday was Baptism Day!! What an exciting day it was too.

I had to reschedule and rearrange regular activities so that we could make the day a special one. Not only for the boys but for Mark as well because it was his birthday too.

You should've seen the boys in their whites. They looked so sweet, so pure, so innocent (well except for the gleam in their eyes!! I'm not too sure that was entirely innocent lol)

OMGosh I cannot believe how I felt while we were there. I got that awesome warm fuzzy feeling when Mark did his talk about Baptism and the Holy Ghost. I just felt good all over as Mark was reading what he had written and I know Mark felt good too because I could hear it in his voice and he got a little choked up when he was finishing his testimony. He wrote such a wonderful poem too .... .....

Your body lay in water
Cleansed of sins of old
Your soul to rise anew
Now a member of his fold

Meek and humble to our God
The Holy Ghost into your heart
Repentance for your sins
Time ... fresh you start

Gates of Heaven open to you
The path is oh so long
The long narrow path
To the place where you belong

Take the time to kneel in prayer
To have guidance on your way
Our Father speaks to us
If we take the time to pray

It was such a special night and I am so glad that Mark was there to share it with me. I know that our Diva was there in our hearts too because I could feel her there. I let everyone know that she phoned up before we left for the church. So they know you were with us also.

The boys said that it was the best feeling when they came out of the water. The little dude said he felt FANTASTIC and the big fella said he felt happy and clean.

It made me think back to when I was baptised not that I can remember a lot about it just that it was a very trying and difficult time because I had all this opposition from my parents. They were dead set against me changing my beliefs. Not that it matters now

I just hope that the boys can remember that wonderful feeling they had when they rose from the water and that they can keep that feeling with them always.

Baptism Interview

The boys had their baptism interviews this afternoon. They did so well! Although I wasn't with them during the interviews they came back full of smiles and laughter. So it was ALL good! Not that I doubted a thing. Even though they didn't always seem to listen they were taking the information in so WTG boys!!

The little dude was so cute. He gave the missionaries a quiz. He was so adorable and even handed them prizes. A little card and a marble. You just had to see it. It truly was wonderful!!

The clothes have been organised for them. They will look so cute in their whites. One of my concerns was finding some white underwear but we went to the warehouse and found some without any problems. So YAY something finally went smoothly for us!!
Tonight I'll organise the bag we need to take with us .. with things like towels, combs, etc. Hopefully I wont forget anything but I'll check again tomorrow to make sure I don't.

I'm outta here. I've got a head cold and I'm feeling rather yuk right now. If Mum was here she would say have a hot lemon drink, a couple of panadol and go to bed! Well I don't have any lemons but I do have the panadol (well a generic version of it) and a lemon herbal tea. So I think I'll have those and annoy the boys a bit before they go to bed!!

Missionary Visit

Tonight we had another visit from the missionaries. It was the boys last lesson before their baptism interview, which is tomorrow night. Golly I can't believe that they will be baptised soon. I just hope that they behave better tomorrow night when the missionaries come again. They had such a hard time sitting still and listening. They were fidgeting and it seemed like they were hardly paying attention. I know it can be hard for kids but golly these two really do know how to not pay attention. One can only hope ..
I still haven't heard from Maitland. I'm thinking that he definitely doesn't wish to come to the baptism even though we invited him, well Mark did but that doesn't matter. I know the boys would like it if he was there and I think he may even enjoy it if he did go. I think it would be great if he could come but it's not like I can talk him into coming I haven't heard from him. Oh well.

Another LONG day

Golly what a long day it's been today. The boys woke us up early this morning. Not sure if it was on purpose or now but I think they were just excited because its Easter. However a 6:20 a.m. wake up call is NOT something I want to happen on a regular basis.

I'm so glad that today was not another repeat of yesterday. It's been so much better. I don't think I could've handled it if today was exactly the same or even remotely similar.

I actually drove us to Church today. Normally it's something Mark does. I took notice on how far it was from home to church. It's a little over 50 kilometres (31.069 miles) which is about a 35 minute drive.

You should've seen the little dude this morning he was so adorable. The Primary children were to do a musical item during Sacrament and he hopped up straight away and joined them out the front. He sang so beautifully! Some of the sisters came up to me afterwards and commented on how cute he was and how sweetly he sang. I am so glad that he has fit in with the other children so well. He's doing so much better in this ward than our old one. WTG little dude! He is still singing the same song this evening. He is just too cute!

I was a little disappointed today though. After finally being able to go to Relief Society I come out to find out that the big fella was asked to leave his group because he was so silly! I can't believe it. Not only is he booted out of school for his naughtiness he is asked to leave a group at church! When will it end??

We had another quick meeting with the missionaries. The boys are being baptised this Friday at 6 p.m. We're pretty much set for things .. well I think we are, I hope we are. The boys still have another lesson to go through before baptism and they have learnt so much already. I just don't know whether they actually listen properly during the lessons. I know I helped out the other day with them but today was another thing altogether. They argued with one another, they didn't seem to listen to the missionaries but I know they did most of the time. I just wish the big fella would stop trying to bring Star Trek or Stargate into everything he talks about. It honestly gets so annoying!! I know he loves those shows and gets excited but it doesn't mean that everyone else has the same level of interest that he does!!

Anyway all in all I guess we've had a good day. Right now the big fella is learning, quite successfully too, how to make pancakes. It's nice to see Mark teaching him how to make them. I bet we'll be asked to have them more often now rofl There's a few meals the big fella can cook now .. so soon I'll be able to have more nights off from cooking!!

Oops almost forgot ... one message that came across clearly to me today in Church was that I am NOT the only one who feels exactly the way I do and that even the Bishop recognises that we are ALL very hard on ourselves as far as becoming a better person. So perhaps I shouldn't be so hard on myself and learn to accept that it is okay to ask for help!

It's been a LONG day

Gosh today seems like it has gone on forEVER! The boys woke me up at 7:30 this morning and I haven't been back to sleep since. Gosh it's meant to be a day off but you'd think the boys thought it was just another school day wouldn't you! In fact they wont even wake me on a school day!! Not unless they're fighting and half the time I am awake long before they even get out of bed!

I swear the weather is great for ducks! It's been raining non-stop for the past 4 hours. I bet we have a nice little lake out the front. The drain we have near our driveway doesn't clear very well when we have constant rain .. in fact we often end up with stacks of water where we park the car and the 'lake' sometimes covers most of the yard. I wonder how much longer the rain will keep falling .. not that I should complain because we need it really.

We had the missionaries come over again tonight. They're preparing the boys for their baptism. In fact last night I was had some concerns about the boys being baptised at all. Not that I don't want them to be baptised but it was more of do they WANT to be baptised and did they know what it really meant. This afternoon about 2 hours before the missionaries came over Mark & I sat the boys down and we spoke to them about baptism, sacrament and what it means. I also spoke with them about repentance and what it means. I had to make sure that the boys understood that it means to be sincerely sorry for something not just an automatic response of being sorry. I've had major issues with them just saying sorry when I don't think they were being sincere about it. Now where was I ... oh yes the baptism... it went from something I was thinking about for the boys to BAM! It's been organised with a date and all. And not once were the boys asked if it was something that they wanted to do or not. SO I asked them and they said yes it was something they wish to do. So that was a relief because I was all ready to say STOP everything if they had said NO!
The boys were learning about the plan of salvation in today's lesson. The missionaries made it so much fun for the boys. I had spoken to the boys briefly about the plan of salvation when we had our chat about baptism. The boys really surprised me with the amount of information they remembered from our little talk. I honestly didn't think they had been paying attention very well. The missionaries made the discussion into a game which involved food (chocolate to be more precise) the boys were hooked. I don't think it was because the game was fun it was more the fact that there was food involved!!
Afterwards the big fella said it was the most fun he had had learning about anything to do with Church. So it must've been a big hit!!

Diva mentioned to me that the boys may play up a little now that a baptism date has been decided on. That they may tell more fibs etc .. well I think they have in fact they've been rather niggly and mean to one another. I felt sorry for the big fella he got hurt where boys should NOT be hurt at all. The little dude was warned that he would go to bed if he was naughty again tonight.
Well the boys are no angels but they were pushing their luck a little. Not long after dinner they were sent to bed. In fact they were in bed by 7 p.m. I know they were tired because they tend to misbehave more when they are. The little dude must've been exhausted because he was fast asleep by 7:30 and the big fella was asleep by 8 p.m. I guess these early mornings were getting to them. Let's hope that they have a great sleep tonight and they will be just wonderful tomorrow morning. (One can only hope!!)

Here it is not even 9 p.m. and I'm the only one up, even Mark has gone to bed. There is nothing on tv to watch. I can't be bothered knitting ~ it makes my right arm ache and my left hand sore. I've even taken some nurofen like the GP said but today I don't think it's made much of a difference. I'm debating whether to go watch some tv, put on a video/dvd, make something with PSP or even just got to bed and read. Maybe I'll just sit here at the computer and play games until I feel tired ... hmm playing a game sounds like the only thing I am capable of doing right now ..

A Baptism Date .. .. ..

We spoke with the missionaries when we were at Church today they will be coming over again on Tuesday. It seems they have been thinking and praying a lot on our behalf.

One of my main aims was to get the boys to be prepared for Baptism. Well we have now set a date for both of them to be baptized!! We are aiming for the first Saturday in May! (May 6th)
The missionaries said that since the boys are still young they do not need to have the same level of understanding as adults do so they can be baptized earlier than I believed was possible!

So it looks like we have a lot of preparing to do. They still need to learn a lot more and I know the missionaries will help us with this. Although my first thought after they suggested a date (they originally said the last Saturday in April) was we need white clothes! My goodness we don't really have any but that isn't a problem. But as Mark pointed out to me once we got home is that we don't need two sets of white clothes it's three!!

I am worried about what my Dad will think. It's one thing living here and being able to go to church without him saying anything. He has always been against my being baptized as a Mormon. I'm worried that our relationship which has been really good of late will be jeopardized when he hears about the boys being baptized. Mark said that I shouldn't let that bother me and that we shouldn't hide the fact that we have been going to church. He's right but I don't want Dad to end up being annoyed with me. Especially since we are closer than we've ever been.

I'm still excited about the boys being baptized though. I just don't want to mess things up with Dad.