Our Journey In Iowa

My First Garden

2009-06-14T17:49:00.001-07:00

Fresh Vegetables

Planted May 11, 2009

This is my first vegetable garden. There are five different types of tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, red peppers, green peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, and asparagus.

I have been very happy with the fence we put up. We have wild rabbits all over. They have yet to get in the garden. I would be heart broken if they did.

These pictures were taken May 30, 2009.

I got these cute little garden gnomes from Mothers Day.

Veggies are coming along.

These pictures were taken June 13, 2009.

I was so excited yesterday to see the heads of broccoli and cauliflower.

And today was I was weeding the garden I saw my first baby tomatoes.

I am so excited and very proud.

Noah's Graduation

2009-06-14T07:25:00.001-07:00

Here are the only two pictures that I got of Noah's preschool graduation. I was so upset. I forgot the camera. I took these with my phone.

It was a very special night. It started with a pot luck dinner. Then the kids sang a few songs. Noah didn't know the songs that well until it came to the Coriss, and it was then that he over powered the room with his voice.

Of course, Noah was the only child running rampid through out the evening. That's my Noah.

His teachers said they were just glad that he participated in the ceremony. During rehersals he was not always willing to join in.

Last Friday was a sad day. I picked Noah up from school. I started crying as well as a few teary eyes from his teachers. They have put lots of time, patience and love into the past year with Noah. What would I do without the wonderful teachers that gave it all with Noah.

Noah starts kindergarten next year. He will be in a "normal" class. It's my understanding that he will have a person with him through out the day to help him with everything. He will continue get speech therapy and other services Noah requires. I just pray with each year in school Noah continues to show growth. He has shown a lot of growth this past year.

Bever Park

2009-06-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

We have this park close to our house. It is free and open to the pubic. It is a wonderful outing for Noah and I. He is out of school one more week before he starts summer school.

Memorial Day Weekend 2009

2009-05-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

The Beautiful Jelly Fish.
Shawn and Noah.

Beautiful Bird.

Lovely Monkeys.

Beautiful animals.

Waiting patiencly for lunch.

Largest bull I have ever seen.

We hope that you have all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. What a wonderful to reflect and remember our fallen brothers and sisters who have gone before us so we may live our lives freely.

Shawn and I took Noah to the zoo. We had a wonderful 3 day weekend. We had some great family time. Here are some pictures of the Zoo visit. The zoo we visited was in Des Moines, Iowa. I love zoos.

Everything....

2009-05-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

My First vegtable garden. Yeah I can wait till everything starts growing.

Noah thought that it would be funny to wrap his truck with tape.

We had flash flood warnings. All this water was in the streets from the rain in about 10 minutes.
Noah with his second tooth gone.

What a cutie pie!

Mom came to visit and this is the only picture we got.

I guess Shawn was bored. He only left it that way for a day. He could not stand it. Easter Egg Hunt.
He had so many eggs that they didn't all fit in his basket.

Spring School Pictures

2009-04-12T18:47:00.001-07:00

Here is Noah's spring school pictures. Maybe a smile. Or he was trying...Ha Ha.

Noah Lost His First Tooth

2009-04-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

Our little boy is growing up. Noah lost his first tooth today at school. His two bottom teeth have been loose for a few weeks. I have been so scared that he was going to swallow it. Or lose it at school. I would have been so disappointed if I wasn't able to see his first tooth. The school nurse sent it home in a little treasure box.

I am sure he will lose the second tooth in the next few days. He looks darling with his tooth gone.

Our First House Party

2009-03-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

Today was our first little family get together at our new home. We kept it very simple. We had doughnuts, coffee, muffins and juice. It was easy to put together and easy to clean up. We had a great time. For most of the family this was their first time seeing the house since they saw it in it's flooded state.

Most Sundays we all get together at a restaurant. Our family has way too many people to try and sit at one table. The person you sit next to is about the only person you talk to. Today was awesome because we were able to go mingle.

Today was the first, but definitely won't be the last. And with summer on the way, I can smell the bar-b-ques in the air. Yeah summer!!

Silly Little Boy

2009-03-19T06:34:00.001-07:00

Noah got a hold of my headband the other day. He is so silly. Shawn was not very happy about the pictures. Dad's are so funny like that. Noah is enjoying a healthy morning snack, grapes, tomatoes and milk.

I love this little boy of ours. :)

Not Autistic?

2009-03-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

Brain Freeze.. Today was Noah's first day of roller skating. He did really well.

Shawn and I went to the University of Iowa February 6th with Noah. Noah was referred to U of I because we have had a really hard time finding a pediatrician that would be his primary doctor.

Shawn and I were in high hopes of this appointment to be in our favor. Another reason that we were going to the U of I was to apply for the extra help that is offered by Iowa for special needs children. Let me back up a bit. We really had a hard time finding insurance for Noah when Shawn got out of the military last March. Noah is considered "a pre-existing condition" by insurance companies. I applied to at least 4 insurance companies before I started understanding what was happening. I found an insurance company that Noah was eligible for. In order to be covered by HIP IOWA (Noah's Insurance), along with an application you also have to provide a letter of Noah getting declined for insurance. What do you think that does to the cost of the insurance. Sky High!!

By going to the U of I we were hoping to get Noah on a MR or Ill and Handicap waiver which would make him eligible for medical through the state of Iowa. Not only would he then qualify for insurance. Noah would also qualify for respite care. Respite care is for the parents caring for the special needs child. A caregiver of you choice or one appointed by the state would come into your home and help with your child. Or Shawn and I would be able to get away for the evening and just have some quite time.

I decided that before we went to the appointment I was not going to give Noah any meds. I am not able to describe Noah's activity level or actions not on meds. Noah not on meds is something that you have to experience for yourself to truly understand. After the first appointment, Noah had been everywhere in the office except the ceiling. The doctor asked us if we minded if the gave him his meds after lunch so the rest of the doctors could see him on a different level.

After a long 9 hour day at the U of I Shawn, Noah and I left exhausted. Noah saw a dentist for the first time. Noah saw a occupational therapist, physical therapist, sociologist, phycologist, and social worker, he had his eyes checked, and his ears checked...am I missing any one?

At the end of 9 long hours, we sat down and were told that they really didn't think Noah was autistic. The doctor told us that we would receive their reports through the mail in a few weeks.

What shocking news!! Not surprised!! On one hand it has taken Shawn and I to warm up to the idea of Noah having a diagnosis such as autism. On the other hand, as I have been doing my own research, there were so many things that did not "fit" Noah.

Noah's diagnosis now is aproxia (speech delayed) and ADHD.

Over a month...

2009-03-07T17:37:00.000-08:00

Wow. It's been over a month since we have been in our new home. What a wonderful feeling being in our new home. This home feels different than any other place we have lived. It really feels like home. We are still unpacking, organizing, cleaning and decorating. I'll get some pictures up soon. It's hard to get pictures when the whole house is clean. Ha ha. Doesn't happen very often!

A work still in progress...

2009-01-23T18:58:00.000-08:00

This is our up and coming living room. I love it. Look at the beautiful molding.
This is my very own bathroom that did not exist when we bought the house.

My own bathroom. I can't wait. Wait till you see the before and after pictures once the house is done.
Up stairs hallways. The door to the right in the photo did not exist when we bought the house. It was just an entire wasted space. We tried to keep some of the old features of the house. Up stairs is all the same trim, doors and door handles. Aren't the door handles beautiful. They are chabby chic. The are like glass balls. I love them.

And what do you think of the carpet? It is going to go wonderful with a child, two animals and my husband. Ha Ha. Just kidding. :)

This is a routine every morning. After I get Noah on the bus in the morning I go up stairs to get ready. And this is what I see out the bathroom door.
Ford and Bryer.

No Description Needed

2009-01-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

I am sure that there is no description needed not for these pictures. Oh my goodness. Pinch me...Is this day almost here? It already feels like home. Hopefully we are still on track for being done of Friday.

Trim around the doors and windows.

2009-01-17T16:44:00.001-08:00

As I said before in the previous post, our carpenter is amazing. This trim around the doors and windows is custom. He designed the trim. Amazing. The molding that is going to go on the floor was designed my Shawn's dad. He just took a few differnt types of wood and put them together. You can see a little sample right to the left of the door. Also, very amazing and it is going to look so good once we get finished.

Also, this is a very old door. Shawn got it from one of the flood homes. If you see it up close there is very beautiful trim around the glass. I'll try and get some pictures.

Our beautiful floors in the process..

2009-01-17T16:40:00.001-08:00

A bit dirty yet...That's because I have not got in there to clean yet. Aren't the floors beautiful. Wow, I can't believe how much the boys are getting done. We hope to be moving in next weekend. On Monday they are going to finish the molding.

Autism

2009-01-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

You can spend your life wondering what is wrong with your child. Or you can spend your life concentrating on what is right!

The love of a child...And Grand children...

2009-01-15T20:29:00.000-08:00

Tonight Shawn and I had some family over for pasta night. We have only done this once before. But every Thursday we would like to get the family together to catch up on what the weeks been like. Hopefully we will be in our new home when we host the next pasta night.

Soon after everyone arrived, it was time for Noah to go to bed. After a change into jammies, it was off to bed. I carried Noah up the stairs, said our prayers and kissed him good night. Then he started calling, "Papa, Papa!" He calls Shawn's dad Papa.

So I called down stairs to see if Papa wanted to tuck him in. Papa came up stairs and was with Noah for a few minutes. Noah in that time was spending time with Papa, but was looking for a little dog that he got with me at McDonald's today.

We have always been very blessed that Noah is an excellent sleeper. But sometimes it's takes awhile for him to get to sleep. But tonight, he went right to sleep. He misses his "Papa". When ever we leave Duane (Papa) he yells for Papa.

I talked to my mom tonight and am missing my family very much. My family and I just wish that we could be a part of each others lives. I want Grammy, that's what Noah calls my mom, to be able to take Noah to McDonald's. Or to be able to take him to the park. Or just spend time with him. As a mother, and maybe one day a grandmother, I can't imagine that hole in your heart that Shawn's family and my family must feel. They are missing out on a piece of their lives.

My brothers wife, Ashley, and their new baby girl, Kandra, are moving in a about a week. This has been the first time that my mom has actually got to spend sometime with a grandchild for any length of time. It just breaks my heart. I can't imagine her feelings. Ashley and Kandra are moving to Tennessee. That is where my brother, Tyler, is stationed. So again, I piece of the family moves and is away from the heart.

All things happen for a reason. This only makes us stronger. The love of a family is a circle with a path that does not end.

Things are moving quickly now...

2009-01-13T06:05:00.001-08:00

The boys got the downstairs all painted yesterday. There are a few touch up spots. You can see on the stairs where they need to touch up. This color I chose is such a rich color. We are doing white crown molding in the living and and is really going to finish it off. I love it.

The cabinets are all in now. The counter tops, sink and fixtures were all installed yesterday. And the new appliances will be delivered tomorrow.
When I came to see the house yesterday I am about freaked because of the color of the sink. Shawn said that he thought that I would like it because it matched the walls. Then I realized that it was just a plastic covering on the sink. Shawn thought that was pretty funny.

When all is finished there is going to be molding put at the top of the cabinets. Our carpenter, Robert, does amazing work.

We Got Just A Bit Of Snow

2009-01-10T17:41:00.001-08:00

Noah wanted to play in the snow today. It was snowing all night. We got about 4 inches. I have never seen flakes as large as last night. It was beautiful! It is always so quite and peaceful.

We did not leave the house until almost 11:00 this morning. But Noah was ready with snow pants and all by about 8:30. He is such a doll!

We had a few errand's to run today. So while I did the sidewalks, Noah cleaned pretty much my whole car. He did a really good job.

The Boys Are Moving

2009-01-10T17:22:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness!! Are we really that close? We put in our notice to vacate the apartment on Jan 1st. How exciting was that? Let me tell you....Shawn and I can not wait to get into our own place again.

I was a bit scared to go this blue in the kitchen. But I am so happy that I did. It looks so nice, espically with the white cabinets. And it's going to look even better with the appliances.

We have to be out of our apartment by Jan 31st. Only a few more weeks.

BACKWARDS

2009-01-01T19:17:00.001-08:00

ALL POST ARE BACKWARDS...READ ON....

Merry Christmas

2009-01-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

This is such a funny picture. This is Christmas morning. Noah is opening his stocking. He loves those light sticks that you break and then they glow. This picture just tickles me. It is not a great picture but it is Noah enjoying his gifts. :)

Noah is in love with Cars The Movie. He got Lightening McQueen last year for Christmas and this year he got McQueen after the movie.

Tinker Toys.....Daddy's Helping....

Noah is playing with his Furr Real Cat that Grammy got him. (My mom) This cat purrs, his eyes blink, and his tail goes back and forth. The funniest thing though. We were in the car the other day and Noah had brought his cat. We told Noah that he could not take the cat into the store. He was mad so he threw it on the floor and the cats hissed and made a mad meow. You know the funny thing. I am not sure that it is suppose to make those noises. When Noah did that Shawn and I just looked at each other in amazement.

Little inside this story. I went home to visit my family last month. My mom bought gifts while I was there for us. I brought the gifts home with me. We have been listening to this cat in our closet and under the tree (even wrapped).

Anyways, this is not one of the noises that the cat is suppose to make. Shawn and I have been trying to make this cat make these noises again and can not. What a child can do we'll never know. We may not want to know. Ha ha. Noah and his toys...It's a scary thing.

Elizabeth and Dad watching their kids and grandkids open presents.

Austin, Shawn's brother, playing with a Christmas gift...
Shawny got his Blue Ray DVD player....

Noah's kitty Fo Fo. Anyways, like I said before I brought this home long before Christmas. While I was under the tree it meowing. We have a cat thats name is Ford. We call Ford Fo Fo. So when the pretend cat was crying we would say it's okay Fo Fo. We did not want Noah to know that it was a present crying. Anyways, the day that Noah opened the cat, when it crys he now calls him Fo Fo. It's so cute. What a wonderful blessing Noah has been in our lives.

Christmas Eve 08

2009-01-01T18:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve.

All the stockings are hung..(Bare because we are moving.)

Noah and Daddy...
Noah and Mommy...
Noah opening his Christmas Eve present. Every year we let Noah open one present. The present on Christmas Eve are always Jammie's.

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years!! I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and great New Years. Wow, it's 2009. Shawn, Noah and I have been in Iowa almost one year. We moved here on February 5th of last year. Where does the time go.

We are moving into the final weeks of finishing Mallory. Things are really coming to a close. I can not wait to move. This has definitely been a life change for the family. We moved from our own home with a fenced in back yard, our own washer and dryer and one of my most missed appliances is the dish washer. I don't think that I have ever done so many dishes by hand in my life. I have been very spoiled and always had a dish washer.

But it's the little things that I can not wait to get back. Shawn and I have been sleeping on the floor with our box springs and mattress for almost a year. I can not wait to get into the new house and have both of our dressers (and not have to share) and have our bed frame back. I also am very excited to get our washer and dryer hooked up again. I do love laundry. But not when I am having to walk across the way carrying about 8 or 9 loads of laundry a week. Especially when it's negative something outside. Or the fact that we have been paying $2.50 a load. Man, that adds up quickly.

2008 has brought many changes and many trials to our family. Shawn got out of the navy in March of 08. What a frightening time that was for us. We moved from Virginia blind. Shawn's dad and Elizabeth had to do the apartment hunting for us. Shawn and I have done three navy moves since we have been together. But we always had an idea of what the area was like that we were moving.

We have been blessed beyond what we deserve.

Shawn is now working with his dad. He is making great money and is loving what he is doing. That is awesome. It's always good to like what you do for a living!! Ha Ha. But really, no joke there are too many people that don't like what they do for a living.

Noah is doing really well in school. Our new house is in a new school district, but Noah will be able to stay at the same school. Because Noah is special needs, we are able to apply for a waiver. And if I am understanding correctly we will even still get transportation for him. That is awesome.

As for me I am considering going back to school. I still have 3 years left on my GI bill from the navy. I can't see letting those years of school go to a waste. I am still weighing my options of what I would like to do.

As in previous post I am going to try and get some pictures posted.

Have a wonderful 2009.

Basement Stairs Pictures

2008-12-22T17:13:00.000-08:00

Stairs Thus Far

2008-12-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

This is one of the biggest changes in the house. The stairs were so narrow. Noah would not even go up the stairs by himself. There was just an odd lay out. Now the stairs look awesome. We have a great carpenter.

Kitchen Before & Afters

2008-12-22T16:46:00.000-08:00

Dining Room Before and Afters

2008-12-22T16:37:00.000-08:00

This is actually what we have created as a dining room. This was an add on to the house before we bought it. In this first picture you can see the old exterior wall. And these were add on stairs down to the basement. We moved the stairs to where they were originally built on the other side of this wall in the picture. We also added a sliding glass door and removed the door shown in the picture.

This is the full bath of the house. We did not do much to this room except make it a little bigger. And we added a small window.

Living Room Before & After's Thus Far

2008-12-22T16:28:00.000-08:00

This house was affected by this summers floods. Pretty much the only thing original in this house is the exterior walls. We have had a lot of fun designing this house to fit our needs.

Half Bath Up Stairs

2008-12-22T16:25:00.000-08:00

We have added a second half bath upstairs. This picture was taken after all the paneling and peel and stick tiles were removed from the ceiling.

Noah's Room

2008-12-22T16:22:00.000-08:00

Master Bedroom Updated Pictures

2008-12-22T16:16:00.000-08:00

These are all before and after pictures of the master bedroom. We are almost finished. We can't wait to move. It sure is starting to look like a home.

Two Months In Rewind

2008-12-20T17:43:00.001-08:00

A blizzard is upon us. This is a blog to try and catch you up on the past two months. Of course I still after two months do not have all the pictures.I will start with today and work back. In are in a blizzard here in Iowa. It's crazy weather. We all went sledding today. We had a blast. I could not believe how many times Noah walked up and down the hill. Towards the end I knew he was getting tired when he started asking to be carried. Koopa (Austin and Jamies dog) had a rope tied to a sled and was pulling Noah up the hill. It was so funny. I wish that I would have got some video of this. It was great.

Actually, I should back up a bit more to this morning. We have been telling Noah that we were going to take him sledding. So this morning he got already all by himself. He's ready to go!! Ha Ha.

It was defiantly a rude awakening for all of us this morning. We are out of shape. Man, I tell you walking up that hill nearly killed me. That was a huge hill.

Don't fall Shawny!!

Noah was having a blast.

Miss Elizabeth..

Ready to go....

Mr. Noah getting ready.

Daddy getting Noah ready to go down the hill

Isn't it beautiful!!

I love snow, winter and cold weather!!

New Post

2008-10-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

I am not sure how many people are actually looking to check for up dates. No one leaves comments so I am not sure if you are waiting for me to email or you are checking for updates.

We did get our first snow fall today! It is suppose to get down to 27 tonight. I love this weather!!!

Today, Shawn and Noah carved pumkins. I will get pictures posted.

I know, I still have to get pictures posted from Noah's Birthday and the Halloween Party that we went to last weekend.

A Picture At Last....

2008-10-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

Auntie Sienna and her little nephew Noah. Sienna is only 11 and already an auntie. She is so good with Noah. They just seem to adore each other. They are great together.

Progress

2008-09-28T05:34:00.000-07:00

Yeah, we have been making tons of progress on the house. Last weekend, Shawn, Noah and I went over there and did lots of demo on the place. And this week we had electric put in. We are going this next weekend to pick up an old bathtub. The best way I know how to describe it is a sleigh tub. It is beautiful. And the plumbing is on the outside of the tub.

Noah was sick this week. He was home with mommy for two days. He is totally feeling better. He had tonsillitis. You don't hear of kids having that much anymore.

Well, Noah's birthday is right around the corner. We are having his party next weekend. We were going to do the cars theme. But he wanted Sponge Bob Square Pants. I'll be sure and post pictures.

Last Post for The Night

2008-09-13T19:18:00.001-07:00

Here are a few recent pictures of Noah. Doesn't he look thrilled to have his picture taken. He use to say cheese when ever he saw the camera.

He is growing up so fast. He will be 5 years old next month. Where has the time gone?

Just to Catch You Up

2008-09-13T19:02:00.001-07:00

My brother Tyler got married several months ago. He joined the Army. And now is deployed. These are pictures of his baby girl Kandra, and my second little niece. Shawn's sister also got married and had a little girl, Makayla.

I got to spend some time with Kandra when Noah and I flew to Cali a few months ago. She is such a happy baby. I totally love and miss her.

Still New At This

2008-09-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

Front of HouseLiving Room
Living Room Looking Into Kitchen
Kitchen
Kitchen You can still see the old wall paper of cars.

Sorry, I am still learning how to do this blog stuff. For some reason, the rest of the pictures did not make it to the blog. Here are the rest of the photos of the house.

Soon Be Our New House

2008-09-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

I have created this blog to try and keep you up to date on what's going on in our life. Blogs are great. I have several friends that I have kept in contact with by just visiting their blog site. Once you receive this web site, you can just save and keep tabs on what's going on in our lives. This is also a great way to view new photos. For those of you that are new to blogs, you can also post comments on photos or news.

This is the house that we are buying soon. Sadly this house was damaged in the flood. In some of the photos you can actually see where the water line came to. Since the first floor and basement were affected by the flood, Shawn and I along with family are flipping this house into a home that is going to fit our needs. We have had a lot of fun so far with designs. And I can't wait till I can decorate and paint.

Since we have been here Shawn has been working with his dad. Duane (Shawn's Dad) owns a business, Better Built Home Enhancements. The business has been doing very well. And Shawn loves being out of the navy. It's so good to see your husband and Noah to see his daddy every night.

I just got a job two weeks ago at a store called Electric Engineering. I love it. We sell and repairs cell photos. Two of the guys that I work with install and monitor security systems. We sell and repairs pagers. Anything having to do with communication we do it. It is great to be working again.

Noah is back in school full time and loving it. He is exhausted by the time he gets home. He rides that bus to and from school everyday. We did have great summer together though.

Check back soon for new updates and photos.