Y'all are my everything! My best friends; my world!

I am hours away from the most exciting vacation one could imagine: a seven day cruise to Alaska, and yet, I am in tears!  Although a break is in store for me, the thought of leaving behind my seven-year-old little girl and husband leaves a huge lump in my throat and a knot in my stomach.  This will be the longest I've ever been away from them both and it just doesn't seem right!

Ashley is saddened by my departure and John is left to run the business and maintain life on the home front.  I'm nervous for the two but also excited to see their relationship blossom.  Daddy-Daughter time is precious time and I am confident it will only bring them closer together.

On a positive note, technology has made it easier to keep in touch, and sending good morning videos, emails and updates on Facebook will def. make home away from home not feel so bad.

I love you Ashley & John!  Y'all are my everything!  My best friends; my world!  I am lost without y'all but I am absolutely worthless if I am not my best self!  Thank you for allowing me to take this much needed adventure with my mom and grandma.  I know that leaving you doesn't make the home front easier in the short term but having this time to breathe and leave the daily grind behind will definitely make a difference in the long term.

Have fun with each other!  Break the rules!  Play some games and keep my side of the bed warm for me as I know that while I'm away......

I will sing like no other, I will dance like no other and I will live each day to the fullest!

See you soon!

Love,
me!

Summer Days: These are the BEST days!

As Phineas and Ferb say, "There's a 104 days of summer vacation" and while I've never counted, I believe it!  Summer is long and hot -- but always a ton of fun! 

This past summer had it's challenges but with the passing of each summer I am able to look back and reflect on the growth and the good times!  In paticular, this was the most healthiest summer the Jansky family experienced.  We managed to stay out of emergency rooms and had minimal doctor visits; which were mainly routine visits.

We stayed busy and ventured out into uncharted waters.

There were tons of FIRSTS including: 

Roller Skating without rails, 

riding bikes without training wheels, 

Ashley's first friend sleep over,

Ashley's first (Girl Scouts) pool party

and tying shoes without help.  

Confidence was boosted all around, emotions discovered and our family became closer than ever!

We celebrated Father's Day by filling up the refrigerator shelves with all of John's favorite items and a prop-filled father's day photo session complete with Do it Yourself T-shirt Ties!

Ashley attended the Brandeis Volleyball camp, two weeks of Girl Scouts Twilight camp, Vacation Bible School, Antonio Daniels Basketball camp and what I like to call Camp Minnesota and Camp Jansky!  We also ventured to our usual fun spots: Fiesta Texas, the neighborhood pool, the lake, Chuck E Cheeses, Pump it Up, Kids Magik Theatre, the bowling alley and Skateland West.

We saw Judy Moody and the not so Bummer Summer, Kung Fu Panda 2, Smurfs 3D and MonteCarlo featuring Selena Gomez from Wizards of Waverly Place.  We traveled to Minnesota to visit cousins and traveled to Grapevine for an adventure at the Great Wolf Lodge. We participated in the Castroville, 4th of July Parade and had the time of our lives!

WOW!  Yes, this was a summer of fun!  These are the best days and we were able to see the best in each other and the best Ashley yet!!

We laughed, we loved, we cried, we hugged and we lived each day to the fullest!!!

Mash-up......The songs of our life (Happy Anniversary John)

Dear John,

It's August 17th, 2011 - Our 9th Wedding Anniversary!  Can you believe it?!?  9 down and 66 more to go (at least) !  So in honor of our love for music and our anniversary....I've created a mash-up for you utilizing the songs that somehow mimic our crazy but wonderful life!  I love you! I love you! I love you!  Happy Anniversary!


You know how the time flies,
only yesterday was the time of our lives
we were born and raised, in a summer haze
bound by the surprise of our glory days!     

Sometimes, this road just keeps winding
Round and round and back again
but you've always kept me smiling.....    

And we go rolling down this highway
Chasing all our crazy dreams
I've gone your way and you've gone my way
And everywhere in-between
one of these days we'll find a piece of ground
just outside some sleepy little town
and set this circus down!                           

You're more than a lover
there could never be another
to make me feel the way you do               

oh we just get closer every time I look at you
I don't know where I'd be
without you here with me
Life with you makes perfect sense
You're my best friend!                               
So....

I'm gonna love you more than anyone
I'm gonna hold you closer than before     

nothing compares no worries or cares
regrets and mistakes they're memories made
who would have known
how bitter-sweet this would taste!          
It will get hard
life's like a jump rope
up, down, up, down, up, down                

Bend but don't break
give before you take
always look'em right in the eye
these are words to live by!                      

Don't wait for someone to tell you it's too late
because these are the best days!
So I say...let's make the best of tonight
here comes the rest of our lives!             

Nothing you confess, could make me love you less
I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you
I won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you!                                    

and for tonight.....

I gotta feeling
that tonights gonna be a good night
that tonights gonna be a good night
that tonights gonna be a good, good, night!

So.....

kiss me beneath the milky twilight
Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon's sparkling
So kiss me!              

Love,
Robin of Loxly!

It's been fabulous, just fabulous!

TODAY!  Yes, TODAY!  You have had the most wonderful day!  It's amazing how easy, calm and enjoyable this day has been!  I'm seeing more and more of these days popping up and I'm in heaven!

Thank you Ashley! Thank you, thank you, thank you!  You know right from wrong and are able to do things when asked!  I saw you following the rules on the roller skating rink and you were probably the best one out there following the rules!

Keep up the good work....You and the word AMAZING...are truly meant to be together!

Just for a Moment......Everything was perfect!

Tonight you had your very first friend sleep over!  It started later than usual but didn't slow the two of you down one bit!  We picked up your friend and you remembered to bring an extra booster seat for her to sit in.

We made it to the house and you showed her around.  The two of you played upstairs, downstairs and in your room!  You sang, danced and then sang some more!  I saw your smile light up similar to when you ride your favorite roller coaster or open a present on Christmas morning!

You were a bit on the energetic side, but I didn't really care!  You could've spray painted the entire house and I would've thought it was amazing!  For just this moment, this night....everything was perfect and you were having the time of your life!  You were allowed to be yourself and you were accepted for being yourself!  No modifications needed! It was just you, your friend and nothing else mattered and that's all that mattered!

Good Night Ashley!  May this be the beginning of an everlasting friendship!

Singing, Laughing & Dancing the Night Away!

Forgive and Forget.....Not so much!

As school ended this past year, we simply put in a request for Ashley to be in a class with as little of the same classmates as possible from this year.  Our idea was that it would give Ashley a little more time to mature and the classmates time to forgive and forget.  The teacher didn't seem too concerned and in fact said, "oh, she will be fine."

Well....It's August and Ashley ran into a classmate today at the pool.  She didn't even stand a chance.  We walked through the gate and already three girls were running away saying there she is and then proceeded by don't follow us Ashley. This was heart wrenching.  More than sixty days had gone by and Ashley was still greeted with a pool full of rejection!  It's tough to think about, it's tough to write about and even more tough to watch!

John couldn't stand to watch it either....and as it continued, he said, "I'm going under water....this is too hard to watch." I just looked away.  For all, rejection is a hard pill to swallow and it took everything in me not to cry.

So I hopped out of the pool and sat there and thought...thought about the reasons Ashley has little to no social skills, thought about the many things and times we have tried to provide her with the skills she needs and then continued to wonder why can't she retain them and use them to make friends.

My hope is that one day there will be a person who understands that Ashley's intentions are not to be harmful, but rather it's the only way she knows, it is who she is and her end result is the same as others: she just wants to be loved and to love!  She's caring, she's nurturing, she likes similar things as those her own age and just wants to be a part of a social environment.

On a positive note, I believe there was a bit of a lesson learned today.  Ashley was able to recognize the rejection and dealt with it by moving on.  Although she didn't cry or complain, we saw some slight emotions from her and for her...this was a step in the right direction.  Being able to feel these emotions might be her way of telling us that she is beginning to understand some parts of this social game.

Shopping for Shoes is like Walking Barefoot on a Hot Sandy Beach

Shopping for shoes for you is no easy task!  You don't like to wear socks, you can't stand to tie your shoes and if allowable you would wear flip flops or go barefoot to each and every place you travel.
Additionally, the inside of every shoe must be seemless, soft and smooth.  It can't be too snug or too loose.

So....with all of this in mind, I tried to take you shoe shopping, so you could pick a style, a texture, a SHOE....any SHOE!  You said, "No, you didn't want to go." So.....unwillingly, I went and didn't know where to start.  I thought you were a 1 and after day 1 figured out you are not a size 1 nor a size 13.  You are a size 12 1/2 or size 12.

After days and days of shopping for shoes, I have bought 7 pairs of which 3 have been returned.  One pair is still too large; however, is a keeper and will stay in the closet until your foot grows.  The other pairs include a dressy flip flop, a hannah montanah tennis (you can wear without socks and does not have any shoe strings), and a ROXY blue & white canvas slip on.

I still don't think we found the perfect shoe but for now, they will have to work.  Never in a million years did I ever think that shopping for shoes could be this exhausting!  It is!  So get some rest and be prepared because next time....you are coming with me!