Being Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is such a wonderful day to reflect on what we all have to be thankful for (and we all do have something even if you don't think you do).

Today we are going to Granny and Pa's house to celebrate family. I made dirt cake last night and Jay made deviled eggs. Jay has been like a little kid, he is so excited. Tomorrow is shopping (thanks Aunt Denise and Gigi for babysitting). Saturday is some wonderful time with good friends and Sunday is another day of thanks with my family at my mom and dad's. I can honestly say - you can't beat our week.

All things considering, with my job, the auto industry, and a bunch of other life issues - I am so very thankful. I was talking with a colleague (wont have those for long) this past week about what he does for the thanksgiving holiday. He is estranged from both his parents and does nothing. He is only in his mid-twenties. His mom left years ago and he and his dad only talk every few months. He has been on his own for years and usually just finds a friend to hang with. It broke my heart for so many reasons. He is so successful and a great person - his parents are missing out on that. I simply cannot comprehend not having family to spend the holidays with. Of course, I invited him to all our functions including last week's Facciolla Thanksgiving. He graciously declined.

I guess it just shows that no matter what - family is important. As annoying as some can be, the little habits that we all have that rub on one another - there is nothing like knowing you have family. I cannot understand the arguing or bitterness some families have. I know that sometimes the hurt runs too deep to fix. All I know is that I never want that for myself, for my husband, or children.

Thank you to my family and Jay's family. We all have our "stuff" but we make it work. What it boils down to is that we simply - love. We choose to love more than we choose not to. That is all that really matters anyway.

Thank you to our wonderful friends. You realize when life gets tough that the true friends stick by you. They love you with your flaws, moods and occasional irrational drama. Jay and I are so blessed to have you in our life.

Thank you to my husband. You are THE love of my life, best friend, and father anyone could ever ask for. I simply do not understand what I did to deserve you but am so grateful you think I do.

Thank you to my boys. They are the real reason for anything I am or do. Before I had kids, I would listen to other moms talk. Even my own mom would tell me things I just did not "get". The love is so overwhelming and wonderful. It is hard work but so worth it. I totally "get" it now and am so thankful that I have been able to experience this part of life.

Love one another today and always. Have a great thanksgiving, find good deals at the stores and don't worry about calories. Life is too short and this weekend is just one of the reasons life can be so great!

My Favorite Week!

Hi Everyone!

Well, it's that time of year again....my favorite week of the year! I look forward to this week all year. Only three days of work and then four days of fun. Thursday is my all time favorite food day. I can taste it already....turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, corn, fried cauliflower, brussel sprouts all covered with gravy! MMM! This year my parents are hosting my family gathering so it will be great because the kids have their own play room and we can pass out on the comfy couches and beds. I'm so thrilled that we have only one event per day! Friday, it's off to the races to catch all of the sales. I look forward to this day every year not so much for the shopping but mostly just to spend the day with my mom and my sister. That rarely happens without the kids so we can actually visit. Emily will go with us too for part of the day and then she usually meets up with her mom, sister and sister-in-law. Saturday, we have no plans! Yay! Sunday, it's off to another delicious meal at Em's parents' house. More great food and relaxing!

I don't know if my week can get any better. It started off yesterday at the Facciolla Thanksgiving. As I said in an earlier post, I always look forward to this day because we all have to say what we're thankful for at the cemetery. Knowing it's approaching really does force you to think of all the things that you are thankful for, which is great. I know that I don't want to end up like Amiee, who sometimes says "the same as everyone else!" haha! She did good this year!

The day went better than I could have imagined. Carson has been doing so well but I was still nervous as to how he would do with the crowd. He did GREAT! He stood in the circle at the cemetery and was actually pretty quiet (Griffin not so much...he's getting a little temper, terrible twos have come early.) Carson then wanted to climb the tree so I set him in there so he would be quiet. It came to my turn and I had really given a lot of thought to what I'm thankful for this year but I decided what the heck, I'm going to pull Carson out of the tree and see if he has anything to say...totally expecting nothing or for him to start yelling because I took him out of the tree. Instead when I said "Carson, what are you thankful for?" he responded "Everyone!" I almost fell down in shock because we had tried to practice over the week by asking him what he was thankful for and didn't get much response. Of course, I was wrecked. I had a huge lump in my throat, tears in my eyes and forgot everything that I had planned on saying. I was so happy at that moment. I think with that happening along with the rest of the day's events, everyone there knows exactly what I'm thankful for. The party then moved to Em's parents' house. Carson and I usually end up leaving every Facciolla event way early because there are a lot of people and noise and Carson usually cannot tolerate it. Yesterday, he was like a different child. We only spent about an hour upstairs watching Buzz Lightyear. He actually played downstairs with the other kids, spoke to people and seemed to enjoy his day. We were one of the last families to leave. It's a miracle! I had so much fun with him.

I also forgot to mention that Carson got his first GREEN face of the year on Friday! This is extraordinary for him. Green means that he was great at school with no timeouts and no trouble. Another miracle!

I know it's trying times for everyone right now. The economy is horrible; people are losing their jobs everyday. Try to focus on what you're thankful for this week though. It really works! I've forgotten about all that right now. Having Carson come back to us is a true miracle. He's worked so hard to get to where he is. I'm so proud of him. Words cannot describe the joy that I feel because he is getting better.

Em's cousin Alli said it best yesterday when she said "He's amazing. He's so much better." All I could say was "I know." I can't believe it. Thanks for noticing Alli.

My whole holiday season is already complete because this is by far the best gift I could ever ask for. Thank You God!

Bad Country Western Song

Hello all.

Thanks to those of you that called, texted and emailed birthday wishes to me yesterday. As you can imagine, I was not much for fun last night and did not feel much like talking. I do appreicate your wishes nontheless!!

Truly, I have to laugh. To say that I am bummed is an understatement but I am not all that surprised. Well, I am surprised it happened on my bday about an hour after I got a card signed by all my bosses but I was not wind knocked out of me surprised at all.

I have been very lucky to have worked PT for the past few months. The goals of the department are great and the next year is a big one. Business wise, it makes sense for them to want and need a full time person. After almost 9 years though, it still does sting. I feel like I have done a great job there, and have had many tell me so. I really loved the people and my work.

So, on Dec. 31st I start a new adventure. I am not sure what it is yet but I know that I have dealt with much tougher times than this before. I know that Jay and I have wanted me home for a long time and maybe this is just the push we needed. We will be okay. Life goes on!

Thanks for thinking of me. It will be very strange cleaning out my desk and saying good-bye to so many people that I have grown to love over the years but these are the times right now. So, I will keep you posted as to my next adventure. I look forward to enjoying some time off and then finding a job that I love and works for me.

I have to thank my amazing husband in all his efforts to make my bday a speical one. I got lots of hugs, the best cupcakes I have ever had and a beautiful blog entry in my honor. In the big picture, that is all that really matters anyway. My husband and kids love me and I have a great family and wonderful friends.

Life is good. I just wish I knew what to do with all this pharm experience and knowledge I have. I am sure we will figure somthing out.

Love ya - E

Happy Birthday Emily!

Look how much joy she brings to my world!

Happy Birthday to my wife, my soul mate, and my best friend!

Emily already wasn't too happy about turning 34 today but to top it off, she got fired today! Nice place, eh? Who does that on someone's b-day? Anyway, as you know she has been doing part time for a few months now. Today, they told her that they need someone full time and that they should part ways without even offering for her to come back full time. They want her to resign and have her last day be December 31st. It's a bunch of BS so I advised her not to resign because she should be entitled to unemployment since they are not giving her a choice so we'll see. She has another meeting Thursday. Enough about that.

Today is a day to celebrate my wife. I tried to cheer her up with some special chocolate and whipped cream filled cupcakes and a chocolate cream pie...so far it's not working too good but we'll see.

I love her for so many reasons it's hard to list them all. Not only is she smart and beautiful but she also has a way of making everyone around her feel special and she just makes things more fun.

She has blessed me with two of the most beautiful boys in the world. She is the kindest person I know. She has made my life more wonderful than I could have ever imagined. She completes me and I would be lost without her.

Her smile lights up a room. I am so lucky to have her!

This Sammy Kershaw song always reminds me of her.

We go out to a party somewhere

The moment we walk in the door

People stop and everybody stares

She don't know what they're staring for

She don't know she's beautiful (never crossed her mind)

She don't know she's beautiful (no she's not that kind)

She don't know she's beautiful

Though time and time I've told her so

There she goes just walking down the street

And someone lets a whistle out

A girl like her she just can't see

What the fuss is all about

And she don't know she's beautiful (never crossed her mind)

She don't know she's beautiful (no she's not that kind)

She don't know she's beautiful Though time and time I've told her so

Morning comes and her hairs all a mess

That's when she thinks she looks her worst

It's times like this she don't know whyI can't take my eyes off her

'Cause she don't know she's beautiful (never crossed her mind)

She don't know she's beautiful (no she's not that kind)

She don't know she's beautiful Though time and time I've told her

She don't know she's beautiful (never crossed her mind)

She don't know she's beautiful (no she's not that kind)

She don't know she's beautiful Though time and time I've told her

She don't know she's beautiful (never crossed her mind)

She don't know she's beautiful (no she's not that kind)

She don't know she's beautiful Though time and time I've told her so

I'm so proud to be her husband. Thank you Emily for completing my life. I love you!

I feel like I'm fallin' for fall

Wow...we've been slackin' on the blog. I can't believe another week went by already! It's November already! A couple of weekends ago Emily went out of town with Darci to see their friend Julie so Granny and I took the boys to the apple orchard. They had a blast.













Halloween has turned into one of my favorite days of the year. I never really liked it growing up but now that I see the boys having so much fun, I've changed my mind. It's also one of our simplest holidays! Amiee and Ron host every year and all of our families go there so there is no double duty, running around to show people costumes, etc., which is great!

Carson Buzz Lightyear




Griffin didn't love his Mickey ears....





Who let the dogs out?

Our boys with their cousins (Adrian and Luca were Star Wars guys...I've never been into or even seen Star Wars so I'm not sure of their names, Blake was Flash, Brooke was a cat and Sophia was a spider.)

Luca, Carson, and Blake racing for candy....

Daddy and Buzz....

Griffin only went to a few houses and decided to kick back in the wagon with his sucker....

It was hard to keep up with Carson most of the night but he finally got tired and wanted a wagon ride too...

Mommy and Daddy

It was a little bittersweet for me because it took me back to three years ago when Carson was Fin's age (1 1/2) and he was a little elephant walking up to the houses saying trick or treat. I clearly remember he started saying trick or treat that night and we were so impressed. It was before the dreaded vaccines when he lost a lot of his language but it's back now! The last two Halloweens were kind of rough but this year, I finally feel like we're on the road to recovery. I see him doing new things everyday and he has so many words. He's starting to recall things and it's wild. He's now remembering things from last Christmas. We've been waiting so long for this. All of his hard work is paying off and our little boy is coming back to us. It's the best gift that I could ever ask for. We still have some issues to work through but the progress since last year has been great.

We're now moving into my favorite Holiday - Thanksgiving! No presents to haul back and forth! My favorite foods! A three day work week and a four day weekend! This year is going to be better than ever because we're celebrating three times like we always do but on three different days! Hurray! No running to two places and trying to stuff our faces back to back. We're going to actually enjoy our time with each family and not be rushed!

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, we always celebrate with the Facciollas (Em's mom's family.) It's a huge family - 60-70 people with all the cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. It's a great tradition because we all meet at the cemetery and form a circle around Em's grandparents grave site and take turns talking about what we're thankful for. I look forward to it. We then head over to Em's parents' and eat. It's very chaotic and loud so I'm a little nervous how Carson will be. He tends to not do well in these situations but we'll hope for the best. On Thanksgiving, we celebrate with the Bolones and Walkers over at Aunt Carol and Uncle Roger's. We usually have to eat and run to make it to the Jewett dinner that night but thankfully, we changed it this year to be the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I'm so happy because they are two of my favorite dinners (Traditional turkey with all the fixins' at my family's and Flank steak with all the fixins' at Em's family's) and we're always too full to enjoy them. It will be great to not be rushed this year. I hate having to go to two places in one day so this is one more thing that I can be thankful for this year!

Autism Speaks Walk

Hi Everyone! I finally got a minute to blog about our walk. I can't believe it was three weeks ago. I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who donated to our walk. This walk is a national event with the walk occurring in several cities over the year. The walk for our state raised over $425,000 to date. Our "Curing Carson" team raised nearly $2000. I was blown away with the generosity of people, especially in these hard financial times. For everyone who donated, thank you so much. This money will go toward much needed research. The presence of so many friends and family members was incredible. We never feel nor have we ever felt alone in this battle against Autism. This day just proved even more that we really do have a strong team working with us. There were over 9000 people in attendance gaining valuable knowledge about Autism. The information was there to be found. It means so much to know that people in our life care so much that they would spend their Sunday gaining awareness about Autism. It's truly amazing and we are very blessed. Besides Emily, Carson, Griffin and I, the rest of our walkers included Granny, Nonna, Aunt Amiee, Aunt Kristie, Uncle Tommy, Aunt Niki, Blake, Brooke, Aunt Cindy, Uncle Joe, Rachel, Madeline, Caitlin, Aunt Mary, Jaclyn, Amira, Darci, Dayna, Becky, Jeff and Logan.

It was a perfect day for the walk and we had a great time!


Carson rode on my shoulders for some of the walk....







He wasn't too sure about Geoffrey






Being shy with Mommy!





Uncle Tommy, Carson and I





Darci and Dayna







Waiting for his turn to jump....

Looks like it was worth the wait.

Some team shots....

Although it was wonderful to have 9000 people show up to this event, it is also tragic in the same right that Autism affects this many lives. This epidemic needs to stop. As more and more people gain awareness and unfortunately as more children are affected, the medical community will be forced to look at correlation between Autism and vaccines. The sooner the better.

The good part is that in many cases this is reversible....a lot of hard work, yes but worth every second of it when see your child coming out of this world.

Thank you so much for your continued support. We love all of you!