Have You Ever Had A Kidney Stone?

I just want to know if you have ever had a kidney stone. Because I got my first one with this pregnancy and was in terrible pain yesturday. Thankfully I went into the ER and got some morphine and an IV. It was small but very painful. It passed in a few hours but my back still hurts. I just want to say for all those who have suffered this cruel pain; I UNDERSTAND! They should give epiderals for those things because I've had longer and easier labors than passing that stone.

I made it home last night and manged to crawl into bed. No kids came to sleep with me last night. I am so thankful for that little blessing. It was a long night.Today I have spent all day "recovering" with lots of drinking water and as much rest as the boys will allow. The baby is doing well through all of this cuz I felt "him" move today. I'm guessing it's a boy cuz of all the sickies I've had. Plus the ultrasound tech said she thought it was a boy in the ER last night.

Or maybe it's a girl with a tail? J/K

Vegas Baby!

We are headed to Las Vegas for a long weekend. Did I forget to mention that it's just me and the girls! NO BOYS ALLOWED! I get to go see my best friend Julie and her family. They moved last August and I have been struggling ever since to regain my balance. No friends in the neighborhood that live down the street, are LDS, you can borrow their car, or have sleep overs and mom's night outs with. Needless to say, we will cram everything into this weekend. I hope we can visit this summer as a family. Of course staying in a hotel and not at their house :)

Zoey and Emily have grown up with Bella and Olivia since 2003. Aah the good old days. They are so excited to visit and see their new dog and house. I bet they come home and repack their suitcases...AGAIN! This will be a fun trip. And a much needed break from being Mom to 5 kids. Now I can just chill cuz the girls get along so well. I hope I didn't jinx myself!

So one more day of laundry, cleaning, reffing fights, dishes, bath time, etc! Time for a relaxing vaca with a great friend and my girls. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Thanks for this birthday present Gary! You are the BEST husband.

More Forgiveness and Less Judgement

My life isn't perfect. My house isn't clean. My kids misbehave sometimes. My husband doesn't listen to me most of the time. So why am I so happy? Because I believe in forgiveness. It's the one feeling that can help anyone become happy. Especially when you apply forgiveness to yourself.

We all have shortcomings, faults, weaknesses. However you want to look at it, we can all use forgiveness in our lives. Saying I'm sorry to those you love the most helps us become more Christlike and humble. Receiving a sincere apology is always good for the heart. I have learned that applying this principle in my life makes me happy. This is the Lord's gift to us. His Atonement gives us the opportunity to love one another more fully and grow closer to Him.

So, if you have something to say that can be hurtful and offensive; please keep it to yourself. I am learning to hold my tongue and really think about what I want to say to those I love. Our most difficult relationships in this lifetime are the ones we share in our families. We need to apply more forgiveness and less judgement to our loved ones. If we applied more unconditional love and forgiveness in our families, I think we would be a happier society.

This is my opinion. This is my testimony. I truly believe that if you love someone, then you will accept and love them for all that they are and all that they can be. This will help you become a happier person; in your life and in the life of others.

I wrote this specifically with a few people in mind. Not to hurt their feelings but to show them that they have really hurt mine. I am applying forgiveness and will try harder to love more unconditionally like the Lord. May you have His spirit in your life and feel His love like I do.

Daily Struggles

A very common Preston pose!

In the playroom at the hospital.

(He managed to pull his IV out there too!)

Our little man at Diamond Children's Hospital with pneumonia.

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  Autism can affect many. Not only the person who has it but also those who love and care about that person.


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  Autism is hereditary. This is my belief as well as all of Preston's doctors and teachers agree.


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  You cannot cure Autism! It is a neurological disorder. In other words, they are wired different from most of the population.


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  Being Autistic is hard in a world that doesn't accept "different", "special" or "unique" individuals.


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  Autistics physical bodies can look "normal" but most have medical problems they will deal with the rest of their life.


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  What is "normal"?


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  Teaching an Autistic child is challenging and rewarding.


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  Seeing the world threw their eyes is important to knowing HOW to teach them.


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  But the most important thing you can learn about Autism: Accept change, love them unconditionally and encourage them to be WHO THEY ARE!

Some of you will not agree. Some of you will.

But I have come to accept

and love this little man forever.

He's my boy!

He's my hero!

He can do anything and everything we can.

His father is a great example.

Bills! Bills! Bills!

Reasons to pay your Bills:

• You may not love your house but it is nice to have heat/AC
• Going naked isn't an option above the age of 2
• You can't see as well in candle light; even if it is romantic :)
• Water is essential for your body, inside and OUT
• No one wants to live next to "the dumpster" and burning trash is illegal
• I guess you have to feed the kids (dash of water, crust of bread)
• Walking everywhere is NOT an option!
• Having money when you retire is really nice
• Fueling the cars helps them drive

And Lastly,

• Cold showers, need I say more :)

School is Back in Secession!

Yeah baby! School is back on and I am so grateful. Jake started Project Able at Tolson Elementry. He was born tongue tied and we thought he would be able to overcome that physical problem. It happens all the time. But his tongue started to curve down and he couldn't speak clearly, blow bubbles or stick his tongue out. So last August we had his tongue clipped and arranged for private speech theropy. It helped tremendously but he still needs a little more. He was accepted into the Project Able in TUSD and we placed him in with other kids that have this problem. He LOVES school. He's ready every morning even though his school doesn't start until 11:50am. His speech theropist Kim says he's a real delight and is a quick learner. He is however stubborn. An Affleck stubborn? No way...LOL!

Preston is at Richey Elementry Project Able for high functioning Autistics and loves his teachers. He is making slow but steady progress with his social skills. He is also making more eye contact. We are discussing having him put into ABAT. I think that's what it's called. It basically pushes Autistic kids in theropy to work on their particular deficientcies. Preston's is attention, comprehension and social awareness. He gets this at school and he'll get even more next simester when he attend main stream kindergarden. We are very grateful for good teachers that help him learn and grow in his own way. And he developes his talents his way also.

Zoey and Emily have both lost another tooth yesturday and today. They are really excited since the Tooth Fairy pays double when sibbs lose at the same time! They are also happy to be back at school and among their friends. The birthday invites are coming in and sleepover too. They're keeping they're rooms really neat so they can go to such events. Yeah for me!

Michael is the best baby! He talks to me non-stop and takes a 3 hour nap. This is such bliss! We get alot of stuff done at home with all the quiet. I'm not used to such things in my house. He is gettng so big and has been walking since August last year. He "helps" with the laundry, feeding the "cats" and "sweeping" the kitchen. I will take some pictures of him helping. It's really cute.

Gary still loves working at Raytheon. Especially since his new boss is LDS and he has some common interests with him. He works really hard and gets appreciated for his attitude. He got a see's chocolate box and movie tickets for christmas. I really liked the chocolate!

I am working on my "Christmas" cards. So have patience and they will get to your home.

Love ,

Marti & Co.

Happy New Year

All the Affleck's (plus Dee & Marlene Larson) except Uncle Steve and Aunt Teresa :(

The proud parents of Zoey!

Daddy & Zoey before being baptized

A naked Jake...shocking! NOT!

"Santa" Preston

Emily the "Angel"

Zoey & Mikey the "Wise Men"

The Christmas pictures were taken on December 24th, 2009 just before the "acting" of the nativity began. All the kids were excited except Preston. He really wanted to be Santa. We spent our Christmas with the Affleck's in Loveland, Colorado. It snowed for 2 days straight when we got there and the kids had so much fun sledding and eating it! (Those pics to come later when I get them from my sis in law. Our camera broke.)

While we were up there, Zoey was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She turned 8 in October but we waited so that most of our family could be there to support her. She was so beautiful all in white. She says the water was really hot! Murell Johnson, a friend of the family got the font ready for us. He did such a great job conducting too. Thanks again! Zoey cried when she received the Holy Ghost. It was a very spiritual experience that I don't think she or her family will forget. She of course wrote everything down and drew a picture when we got back to Grandma's house.

We had a good time visiting all Gary's cousins too. On New Year's Eve, Gary, Preston, Emily and Zoey all went to his cousin Debbie's house to ring in the year. I stayed behind with Jake and Mikey who were sleeping. They later woke up @9pm and proceeded to keep me up with them until 2am. That is when the rest of the family came home. My little party-ers were really pooped but had a great time. I should have joined them since the other 2 woke up but noooooo; I thought they would go back to sleep. Boogers!

January 1st came way to soon and we packed up the van and kids (Irene wouldn't keep them) and headed back to Tucson. We stayed in Albuquerque, New Mexico overnight in a really comfy La Quinta Inn. I got the kids bathed that night cuz we thought the shower head didn't work. Little did we know that when Gary tried to fix it, it was clogged with sand from a previous patron as a joke. How do I know, cuz when we turned the shower on and took the head off, we were then splattered with sand from head to toe! I hate being punked! After that incident we went to bed and no one woke up until 9:30am the next morning. That has never happened! We then packed up again and pulled into our driveway @6:30pm. I was glad to be home and so were the kids. Before I could even get the van unloaded, Gary was hooking up his charging station he got for Christmas and putting the new memory in the computer, then after I asked him to help again, he proceeded to hook up the new Wii. I just laugh because he really is so easily distracted.

A new year has begun and I have already broke my diet, not written my thanks you notes, read my scriptures everyday, worked out or cleaned my house. So, it looks like 2010 will be very similar to 2009. Hopefully I will still become a better person each day as I TRY to do all that I can. I hope that you will all have a great new year and remember that you are loved here in Tucson.

Happiness, Health and Heartfelt Love to all !

Marti & Co.