Shelby

Christmas morning Shelby opened her stocking and in it was a set of bows. One of the bows in the set was cream and I thought she would never wear it because we have no cream outfits. Then when we opened presents Bev had sent her this beautiful outfit.

re: artwork

I was just looking at the beautiful artwork on your site!!
Will you remember your poor aunt when you become famous
Mitchell & William??

Love you all so much,
Aunt Bev

The Kitten By William Acton

The Kitten

The kitten climbs

From tree to tree

Hoping not to fall

On the cold snow.

by William Acton

Ice Pup By Mitchell Acton

Ice Pup

White as a dove,

The puppy leaped

To the frozen ice

Slipping in its

Frosty home.

By Mitchell Acton

Does this mean that you are the proud parents of 2 (two) guitars??
Bev

Our Guitar

I am so excited today, to make a short story long...... Yesterday we were sitting in church and behind us sat the Platts. Sister Platt is my visiting teacher and her husband, who isn’t a member, was with her. They go to both her church and his church every Sunday. Anyhow, he is a really good guitar player and last year he played his guitar at the Ward Christmas program. So, back to my story, Greg turned around to Graylan (Mr. Platt) and asked if we were going to hear his guitar this year. That led to a conversation about how we have a guitar we know how to tune and that is about it. He told us about how he used to give guitar lessons and how in a half hour he could give us enough stuff to work on to keep us busy for a month. As we talked we decided we could do the lesson at his house because he has 13 guitars and that would make it so that both Greg and I could use a guitar during the lesson. Sister Platt said she would watch the kids during our lesson. This is scheduled to happen tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!

O Chirstmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Over the last few years most of our Christmas ornaments have been "Wesleyed", crushed and shattered, so this year we needed to buy new ones. Since Wesley is only 3 years old, I expected that the new ornaments would also only last a season or two. However, Walmart now sells plastic Christmas bulbs. I am sure they are not indestructible, however, they have been dropped and squeezed and they have not broken. They also look beautiful and I would never guess they were plastic.

Shelby Playing with the Little People Farm

Wesley and Shelby now share a room. This is them playing one morning in thier room. Yes, yes, I know Wesley's underware is on backwards, he is learning to dress himself, and doing a darn good job :-)

A Parent's Thanksgiving List

A Parent’s Thanksgiving List
by Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard

Thanksgiving usually inspires parents to start a diet. But if you’ll indulge with me for a while, I’d rather list a few things I’m grateful for as a mother.

I’m grateful my children demand I talk to them when I don’t feel like talking, feed them when I’m not hungry, and change their diapers even when I’m all dressed up and ready to go somewhere special. I don’t think I’d discover the world outside my own needs without them.

I’m grateful my children haven’t learned how to hold back their tears when they’re sad, laughter when they’re happy, or screams when they’re frightened. They constantly remind me that emotions are for sharing.

I’m grateful my children have broken nearly everything in my home and used a crayon or ink marker on the rest. They’ve taught me that things aren’t important, but people are.

I’m grateful my children start out small and helpless so they don’t become aware of my incompetence until they’re teenagers. By then, we’ve both grown so accustomed to each other, we somehow manage to make it through the rest of life together.

I’m grateful my children get their pants dirty, pick their noses, burp without saying “excuse me,” and quarrel in public so I’ll never be able to get too arrogant, proper, or judgmental of other people’s children.

I’m grateful my children sometimes call me names like “weird” because sometimes I am “weird,” and it helps keep a person humble to be told they’re “weird” when they’re acting weird.

I’m grateful my children occasionally miss the bus at the precise moment I’ve stepped out of the shower, contemplating the well- planned, organized day ahead of me. Experiences like jumping into the car after throwing on whatever’s handy and racing to school have a tendency to loosen rigid plans into something better known as spontaneity.

I’m grateful my children always need new shoes, piano books, prescriptions, haircuts, fieldtrip money, tuition, food, toothpaste, and underwear. That way, I don’t have to waste my time thinking about a new sofa. It’s difficult to get wealthy and think about luxuries when you have to buy toilet paper and milk by the truckload each week.

I’m grateful my children know how to play. My five-year-old asked me to come downstairs so he could “teach me how to play” with his plastic animals. While Jacob demonstrated the subtle techniques for sinking a rhinoceros into couch cushions while pretending it was quicksand, I realized my young son was right. I really do need someone to “teach me how to play.”

I’m grateful my children question my every command and giggle when I get angry. It’s difficult to feel too powerful or self-righteous with kids around to remind you of how funny you look when you’re pointing your finger.

I’m grateful my children insist I hug, kiss, rock, or put my arms around them often. Otherwise, I think I’d forget how the sense of touch is so healing.

I’m grateful each of my children is unique when the same strange, inexperienced mother raised them. Somehow they don’t seem to let me ruin them much.

And lastly, I’m grateful for the gift of children in my life. God willing, I’d like to fill the rest of my days with those interesting people who call me Mom (yes, and sometimes “weird”) but eventually “weird grandma.”

From Families Who Laugh . . . Last by Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard.

Caramel Delights

Here is a new recipe we found that we really like. I hope you enjoy.

~ Leah

Caramel Delights
Preheat 350̊
Mix the following ingredients together.
1 ½ Cups Flour
1 ½ Cups old fashion oats
1/4 t salt
1 T baking soda
1 ½ Cups brown sugar
1 Cup melted butter
In a 9x13 pan place ½ of the above mixture and bake at 350̊ for 12 minutes.
While that is cooking melt 48 caramels with ½ cup of cream.
When you pull the pan out of the oven, sprinkle a 12 oz bag of milk chocolate chips over it. Then on top of that spread the caramel mixture, the layer the other half of the mixture and bake for another 15 minutes. Then bring Leah a piece.

'Tis the Season

Guess who wants his two front teeth for Christmas?

William, Mitchell, and Wesley Acton November 24, 2007

Mitchell's Diagnosis

Mitchell had an appointment with the neurologist yesterday and was diagnosed with "severe" Tourette Syndrome.
This does not come as much of a surprise to us; we've been considering it for about 3 years. Mitchell has lots of tics that can be almost constant, some of which can be rather violent--such as throwing his head around for a couple of revolutions (that lasted about 2-3 weeks but seems to have passed). The severity and constancy of the tics seems to have gotten much worse since last Summer.
We are attacking this on two fronts (three if you count the spiritual): He is seeing a pediatric--autism doctor in Santa Fe (a DAN doctor. DAN=Defeat Autism Now). Mitchell has ADHD (or maybe just ADD now that we know about the Tourette Syndrome), which we've learned is a form of autism. The DAN doctor has him on a glutten-free casein-free diet (as the first step toward isolating the cause), and we are getting a lab test done--in France! (By mail of course). The DAN dr. has Mitchell on medication for the tics.
The other front is the medication prescribed by the neurologist. Of course, both doctors are aware of the other's treatment.
Mitchell hasn't been bothered by any of this. When people ask him if he needs help or if something is wrong, he simply says "this is normal for me." He is very outgoing, and this hasn't held him back at all. I think it helps that he goes to a school where eccentricity is normal.
I'm not concerned that he will develop the "swearing." That only occurs in 15 percent, and I suspect that personality might also have something to do with it. I'm not worried that Mitchell will develop that problem.
By the way, this is hereditary, and I can identify with the tics. I knowI had the ocassional tic, just nothing like what Mitchell has.
Anyway, no cause known, no cure. But he should get better as he gets in his older teens, early adult. With the medication he should be able to manage things so that it is not a social problem Hopefully, the DAN doctor will be successful in finding the cause of his ADD/ADHD (probably heavy metals in the system--seems to be a modern immunization era thing). Between that and getting him treatment for TS, he should be a much happier child. --Greg

Peek a Boo

Shelby Crawling

Shelby is crawling now. She is the slowest crawler I have ever seen, I think a turtle might beat her. She never seems to be in a hurry to get anywhere.

Mitchell's 1st Chess Tournament

Mitchell played in his first chess tournament on Saturday. He went two and two. After that he played in a bughouse tournament (Two player chess) and he and his partner got an Honorable Mention and a Medal. He was at the tournament for 9 hours and he played 4 full games and 6 partial games. On the way home he asked if I thought Dad would play him in a game of chess when he got home. Grandma and Grandpa Powers bought him a tournament Chess Set for his birthday he got to open it three days early so he could use it at the Tournament.