Who says teenagers don't know anything?

I had a pre-set of 101.9 the end [alternative rock] in my car radio.

One day the music was different, and we realized it had changed to 'Classic Hits'.

Both of my boys love classic rock and push the button to listen to 101.9 when they are in the car.

This past week, we have heard them advertise for free Salt Lake ComicCon tickets and have called in hopes to be the caller #5 winner.

No luck.

That is until a couple of days ago.

Jax remembered that the D.J. said more tickets would be given away in the 3 o'clock hour.

He set his new purple and black digital watch to alarm him of the winning time.

As the announcer started the contest at 3:05, Jax dialed into the radio station on my cell phone while I used the house phone for double winning possibilities.

Immediately Jax had a nervous expression.

I asked him if it was ringing.

He yelled, "YES!" and then threw the phone at me.

I fumbled and put the phone to my ear.

As I cleared my throat to talk, I realized that I had missed the D.J's introduction to answering the call.

I had to ask him to repeat what he had just said.....all the while Jax is FAHREEKING OUT and embarrassed by my delay.

In calling conclusion, we won a VIP  4-pack to the SLC ComicCom 3 day event!

[a prize worth $600!]

We get tix, a swag bag, photo op's with celebrities and much more.

Jax was jumping up and down and about ready to cry with excitement!

If you know Jax, you know that he believes super hero's are real, and this is his Disneyland of his dreams to attend the gala of GEEKS event.

The D.J. recorded our convo and played it on air.

The clip that he got was,

D.J:  "How did you find our satation?'

Me:  "Well, it was already in my pre-set for the alternative end station, and when we found out you switched to classic rock, my boys wouldn't let me change it.  I have two teen boys that LOOOOVE classic rock."

D.J:  "Who says teenagers these days don't know anything????  

They know good music!"

Me:  "I know!!!  I guess I raised them right!"

D.J:  "You sure did"

We are now in the process of putting together Jax's 'Green Arrow' costume. It's coming along, but there are major funds involved!!! 

Being a comic book geek-jek is expensive!
[YES!! There is a possibility that green spandex are involved!  YIKES!]

I have plans on dressing up as a geek-jek's mom.

I'm sure there's something in my closet that will work.

I play that roll every day!

Stay tuned for the reveal of Jax's costume.

Penguins shoot poop

I got free tickets to the Living Planet Aquarium from my credit union.

The aquarium is moving from the weird, small location in Sandy to a larger, custom built location in Draper.

I couldn't help but feel like these water creature thingies are held hostage in a small cell :(

Kinda made me feel like being an activist for like......a minute.  And then I got tired when I thought of how I would have to picket on hot streets with ugly signs and shirts and extreme, weird people :/ 

I decided right then and there, that I wouldn't be the best activist for this cause.

Jax's highlight of the day, was watching the penguins shoot their poop as they swam in front of the glass.

There always seemed to be a following penguin that swam in the first penguin's cloud of white milky shiz.

Jax was dry heaving at the sight, yet continued to stay hoping for more pooh sightings.

Bodily fluids from any kind of living creature is a 'HELL YEAH' moment for any boy.

They are seriously attracted to shit!!!!

You mother's of boys know what I'm talking about!

Jumpin Jax Flash

If it's there, he WILL jump it.

I cringe when I see him running for a pole.

[especially the one's that are as tall as him] 

I can't even watch most of the time because I have fears of witnessing a horrible nut-knocker tragedy.

New age Amish

Jax found this hat in his drawer.

It went with a gangster Halloween costume he wore three years ago.

The hat doesn't even fit his head anymore and the way it just sat on his crown made him look more Amish than gangstah.

I am past the point of being embarrassed in public by some of his antics since I've realized

 'That's Jax.....he has always been an attention whore....always will be".

While shopping at the home improvement store, I asked Jax to grab me a cart.

He came back with the child race car buggy.

My first thought was, 

"This is the new age Amish and buggy combo!"

[Of course you know that Jax clumsily climbed in to the buggy, had his long limbs poking out the sides and I pushed my 13 yr old dork around the store.  It was a great leg work out for me and solid entertainment for the bystanders]

Puked up Froot Loops

On the corner of 500 South and 3rd East, the 'Color Me Rad' 5K began yesterday morning at 8:30 am.

I had a hard time finding Jax in the crowd considering EVERYONE was looking the same......kind of  like it had rained puked up fruit loops on them.

I finally spotted him and kept an arms length with an air hug at the finish line.

He said his boogers looked like rainbows.

Momma's lil piggy

Jax ran a 10K last weekend in the 'Dirty Dash' held at Soldier Hollow.

He ran a 5K in Provo a few weeks prior and has another 10K event coming next weekend.

Training for the runs have been therapeutic for Jax mentally as well as physically.

He has a running buddy [staff adult] with him at all times to keep him directed and focused on finishing.  Don't get me wrong!  Jax is an AMAZING runner....but sometimes his brain does not keep up with his fast feet and he needs a little extra psych push.

We waited at the starting line for Jax and the hospital team 'Avengers' to arrive.

Jax was thrilled to see us and his excitement and energy was palatable.

Jax became a needle in a haystack as the large group began the race headed toward the dirty hills.

I grew emotional as I watched Jax run by me.

It was a moment of me being in the right place at the right time.  I watched him leap over bails of straw while I ran along side snapping pictures and cheering him on.

I didn't want to stop.

I wanted to keep running.....running next to my boy.

I was envious that I wasn't going to be an integral part of HIS joyous day.

Happy day!

Hap Hap Happy day :)

 

Next time Jax, Mom will be your mud bud :)

I'm in need of a good mud facial anyway!

Up to my eyeballs

I remember early on when we would hit height milestones in the boys' growth.

It's always been amazing for me to watch them sprout up right before my eyes.

At 5 yrs old......

"Look mom!  I come up to your waist!"

a few years later......

"Look mom!  I come up to your shoulder!"

a few years later......

"Look mom!  I am as tall as you!"

Now I hear,

"Look mom!  You come up to my eyeballs!"

Run Forest High Pants!!! RUN!

Our weekly meets with Jax are Sunday afternoons.

He has earned extended hours of off campus family visits within a 15 mile limit.

Every seven days that I see him, he has grown a half an inch.

He walked through the door ecstatic for our visit, with swirled-cowlick-bedhead hair, high water jeans and mismatched noticeable socks below the pant hemline.

Poor kid!  He looked like a homeless ragamuffin!

He doesn't seem to mind though, which totally surprised me since he likes to look a 'certain' way.

"As long as I smell good, the girls still think I'm awesome", he said with a cocky smirk.

Jax is training for a marathon, 

and he is apparently running in those short pants!!

 [I made him demonstrate his form for me.  

I also HAD to see what he looked like with high-knees and flood jeans!  It was a crack up!]

I asked him why he doesn't run in his basketball shorts, and he acted like I had just come up with the MOST brilliant idea in the entire world of ideas!!!!!

ahem.......

So, Forest Jax sprays Usher cologne on his jacket before each run.

Gets set on the track, and as the girls are cheering him on, he takes off the jacket and dramatically throws it at them.  They all scramble to catch the geek-jek hoodie and gather to sniff as hard as they can to burn their nose holes with Jax's wonderful body odor combined with a cheap, Walmart scented man perfume!

Oh to be a dorky, awkward, hormonal teenager again!!!

[YOU COULDN'T PAY ME ENOUGH!!!!

But I must say, being the parent of one or two is even harder!!!!  

Maybe our family teen drama story to come....

don't know if I am emotionally strong enough to type it...we will see.

All I know, is that I am paving the path for most of you, and I can say with all seriousness, that mothering  teenagers is harder than trying to catch the pot of gold at end of a rainbow.

Just a lil something to look forward to y'all!]

Wah, Wah Waaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!

After that uplifting, motivating comment about children, we will move on to something truly positive.

As I said, Jax has earned longer family visits.

He was beaming to be the one to introduce us to the movie "The Croods".

[He had seen it on Spring break with his group]

We drove to the Provo mall doors just in time to catch the 2:45 Cinemark showing.

I LOVED IT!!!

OUR FAMILY LOVED IT!!!

THE AUDIENCE LOVED IT!!!

YOU will love it!!!  Go see it with the kiddies!

After the movie, we walked the mall, got a bite to eat, and then it was time to take Jax back to the dorms.

As we approached the mall doors to the outside, we all noticed this...this......this.....person, who couldn't be a day over 19, standing in front of the glass windows admiring himself with a starched white shirt, a paisley silk scarf, no shoes and a freekin old man pipe!

[I was totally confused on what genre/style he was trying to get across!  And he was YOUNG!!!  I'm still perplexed!]

We watched in amusement as the pipe-boy never diverted his gaze off of himself.

I even wondered if there was a hidden camera?

The look on other bystander's faces watching  the 'I'm too sexy' dude was priceless!

Jax couldn't quit laughing, Riv was shaking his head in embarrassment for the poor lad, and Randy was wishing he could look like Hugh Hefner too.

Heavily loved to the end

Today was one of the best days we've had as a family in weeks months.

Jax has earned a level 4 [great accomplishment!] which means he is able to have family visits outside on hospital grounds.

[prior to his level advancement, we had to visit in a small room]

He was exploding with excitement to show us the "big grey castle" that is on the hill above his dorms.

We laid out a blanket on the yellow winter grass, and ate our lunch.

Alternating stories and laughter with calm, relaxing breaks of closing our eyes and laying flat to let the sun kiss our cheeks.

After slamming a couple of gut wrenching Del Taco Burritos,

 [We will all be paying for those later!]

Jax led us up a rock staircase where I noticed this plaque.

After some investigation, I found the explanation of how this "haunted castle/amphitheater" got here. Please read:

Starting October 1971 the Utah State Hospital started a "spook alley" titled the Haunted Castle, due to the stone structured amphitheater located behind the hospital in which the attraction was assembled. The Haunted Castle started off as a "closed" Halloween celebration event developed by the patients, but success with the activity eventually caused it to grow to a more public performance. The attraction was operated in a joint effort by patients and staff. Patient participation was a privilege and based on individual patient behavior and only those determined to be a minimal risk to themselves or others were allowed access to the public. Additionally many patients not able to interact with the public were allowed to help with construction/deconstruction of the facilities used for the spook alley. The Utah State Hospital used popularity from the event help raise public awareness of mental illness. All proceeds from the Haunted Castle went into the Utah State Hospital's recreational therapy program to subsidize improved activities that directly benefited the patients.

October 1997 was the final production put on by the State Hospital. The activity was permanently closed in an act of "Political Correctness" largely due to efforts by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) who objected to the activity because they felt it served to stereotype the patients by linking mental illness with monsters and violence in the public's mind. Several doctors, therapists, and patients at the hospital cited that the activity produced therapeutic results unachievable elsewhere which should be taken into account, but the Utah State Legislature determined that NAMI's objections were warranted.

Just for the record 1:  Fuck the Utah State Legislature!  

They are idiots and run on bias....God forbid they open their lives to 'the people' and become vulnerable enough to show that this happens in ALL families! 

For the record 2:  NAMI is a wonderful program and my family has benefited by their services for years.  BUT, as a mother of a mentally ill child, I would be ecstatic for Jax to have the opportunity to be a part of such a fun, confidence building production.  I assume most people who come to visit the "Haunted House" are aware of the disabilities of those who are hospitalized here.  In some cases, maybe it makes the draw of "crazies running a haunted house" even that much more exhilarating/intense?  But for those of us who love Jax and understand that he is NOT evil, would support his extension of artistic expression.  Even I would go to support my son, which says a lot considering me and haunted houses DO NOT like each other! 

[The last time I went to a haunted house was when I was 16.

I pee'd my pants in pure FEAR from being backed into a corner with JASON and his chainsaw!

In front of a boy that I LOVED!

Had no way to disguise it.  

Traumatized forever!]

Education of mental illness is THE ONLY WAY TO stop the stereotypes.

NOT by halting  a silly 'play' that benefits the minds of the mentally ill by proving that they can be creative, intelligent, purposeful, and find value in their expression. 

Hmmmmmm....let's see:

Because people are stupid and throw rocks at glass houses due to religion/ignorance/asshole-ness.......

their judgment and opinion is more important than the disabled that don't always have a voice loud enough for all to hear???

Sounds pretty goddamn F'd UP to me!

Wouldn't education regarding many controversial subjects, douse our prejudices and judgement of another human being's way that they must live their life?!?!?

Every person you ridicule, 

[ie: autism, homosexuality, physical defect, substance addicted, mental illness], because of your own ignorance,

 is someone's child.

I am a mother of one of those children.

Would you want un-acceptance or hell cast-upon on your child from people who do not care enough to investigate or understand?

Take the step to learn.

Please.

There's my sermon for today.

We can move on now.

The day was glorious and the scenery was out of a movie.

An unexpected photo shoot was in the making.

I hug and love each one of these pics!

It's the little things captured that become large to our heart.

My mix-matched, hippie headed, mentally challenged, 

heavily loved to the end......

 family.

:)

Week(s) in pictures......random style

Carol visited her Utah peeps for 10 days in the middle of February.

She always lights up when she sees the snow covered mountains.

Apparently the Arizona sand hills don't give her the same kind of warm, fuzzy, comforts as our Wasatch.

I would have to concur.

Sierra's lil babe, Gentry, is a sweet, beautiful girl.

It was all Riv could do to hold her to take this picture.

He was a bit nervous holding this kind of responsibility!

The Draper family visited Jax for his 13th birthday.

It had been months since their last reunion. 

Our friends are a genuine loving family to my kids.

There is no greater privilege then to have people's love given to your children.

We left our afro-circus wigs at home, but still had a great time wishing Uncle Randy a happy 60th birthday at his carnival themed surprise party.

WE SAW DEAD PEOPLE!

The Leonardo museum

[freakin awesome!!!!  go see it!  not for children under 14...mainly because of the possible lifetime nightmares of mummies attacking  and also the erect [long] mummified weener displayed smack dab in the middle of the room!!!]

Sexy lady

Jax on the day he turned into a true teenager.

He gave his new shirt from Auntie E, and all of the generous cards and gifts of love everyone sent him, a two thumbs up!

WILSOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!

"LOOK AT THAT BODY, 

LOOK AT THAT BODY!  

I WORK OUT!!!!"

WIGGLE WIGGLE WIGGLE WIGGLE WIGGLE

"I WORK OUT!!!"

Why can't it always be this good?

SERIOUSLY PEOPLE/MEN?!?!?!

Are we still doing this???

I'm ready to castrate this bad trend.

coming soon......Vegas baby!