March 2010

This month has been filled doctor appointments and bookkeeping. At the start of the month I was introduced to Diana Wade. She is one of the most amazing women I think I have ever met. She has a daughter who has downs syndrome and she is a huge advocate for NACD (National Association for Child Development). I have talked to her a lot about the possibility of Talen joining NACD and I really feel like they could help him out a ton. NACD works with the brain to restore function and I feel that this is something that Talen could really benefit from. So, I am in the process of getting him connected with that organization. We also started taking Talen to Dr. Lyman, a natural healing doctor. In the beginning I was very skeptical and knew that it would never work if I didn't have an open mind towards their methods. I didn't really see too many differences in Talen other than sleeping better at night (which I am not complaining about). After one particular session, Talen had some amazing head control and I was extremely optimistic, but as the week wore on, he declined back to where he was before. (DARN IT!!!) But I am committed to giving it a shot at least until we head up to Now I Can for our next session.
Talen also had a follow-up visit with Dr. Vaughan (ENT) to see how the tubes in his ears are doing. He said that everything looks great! We also took his wheelchair in to get adjusted and it fits so much better now.

Soccer Game

So nearly every Saturday for the next month or so is going to be spent here at the soccer field. This week, she was able to be a "runner." She did really good, but we need to teach her to be more aggressive. She has a tendency to try to line up her kick perfect before she kicks, so by the time she is ready, someone else has already kicked it away from her. But, practice makes perfect. By the end of the season I am sure she will be much more confident!

KiKi's First Soccer Game

Every day when Kennedy comes home from school I ask her what she did and who she played with. Every day she says the same thing, "I played soccer with the boys!" So, when they sent home the paper saying that Washington County was having a soccer league, of course, we signed her up. At her first game, she was the goalie for the entire game. She did a great job, but I think she thought it would be more like how it is when they play at school. At school, they just take turns trying to kick the ball into the goal, so when the real game was over, she kept saying, "I want to be a runner next time, goalie is BORING!" Sad to say, their team lost, but it was 1 to 1 until they made them do a kickoff to call the winner. I can't believe at this age they are concerned with making sure there is a winner/loser, but oh well, they had fun and that is really all that matters!

Special Needs Easter Egg Hunt

The Family2Family Network had their annual Easter Egg Hunt so we decided to take the kids. They have it set up so that there are different areas for all the kids to hunt. One field is for the kids with disabilities, one for the siblings 4 and under, one for the siblings 5 and older, and one on the pavement for the kids in wheelchairs and walkers. We got there a little early and visited with some of the other families. Kennedy got a little bored so she decided to go over to the 5 and older field to wait to be told that they could start the hunting. They decided to change it a little this time and let only one field go at a time so that those with kids in more than one field would be able to get pictures of all their children. So, they announced that they would be doing the wheelchairs and walkers first. Jay and I continued visiting since we had taken Talen out of his wheelchair. A couple minutes after the wheelchairs and walkers had started I looked over to where Kennedy was standing and she was gone. I asked Jay if he could see her and he said, "I think she is over watching the wheelchairs and walkers." So, I figured I better walk over there just in case to make sure she was there. Well, she was there all right. And her basket was completely full of eggs. I got her attention and asked why she was getting those eggs because they are for the kids in wheelchairs and walkers. She said, "Mom, I am a walker!" It was hard to be mad when she was right, she is a walker. After explaining what they meant by "walker", she gladly gave up her eggs and waited her turn for them 5 and older sibling to hunt. What a cutie pie!!!

February 2010

This month started out with Jay and I recieving our new callings in our new ward. Jay is the Bear Scout leader and I teach Valiant 11. I have 7 kids in my class and they are all BOYS!! I went from teaching young women to teaching 11 year old boys. Wow, what a change!!! At first, I was really hesitant and not to pleased about the change, but I have learned to love each of them too! I am truly surprised at how well behaved this boys are, who would have thought?!?
Talen had a couple doctor visits this month. On the 9th, he got sick and we took him in just in case. They ended up putting him on antibiotics. Kennedy also got sick which left her with the usual cough which lasts several weeks. Talen also saw Dr. Vaughan (ENT) to check the tubes in his ears, and they needed to be replaced. So, less than a week later, we were back at the hospital for another surgery. Thankfully this time we were able to have it done here in St. George instead of having to travel back up to Primary's.
Another fun event for the kids was when Talen's little friend, Matthew Cooper, invited them to his birthday party. It was put on by the Dixie High School Basketball Team. They took all the kids and showed them how to pass, dribble, shoot, etc. I think Talen's favorite part was when the head coach came over and took him. He carried him around for the majority of the party and Talen just loved it. Talen really has started to show a preference for men and with the coach being so tall, Talen was in heaven. I was able to meet another mom, Stephanie, who has a little girl, Whitney, that is just like Talen. This is the first time that I have ever met anyone like him. It was so crazy to see Whitney's body move like Talen's does, or her make facial expressions similar to Talen. We both made new friends for life!!!

January 2010

This has been an eventful month! We started out by celebrating our 10th anniversary. I figured that we would go out to dinner and a movie, but I didn't expect our dinner to be at the temple. Jay had set up a little table and chairs on the lawn of the temple and we ate overlooking where it all began. After such a sweet gesture, I couldn't disagree when Jay wanted to go see "Avatar." As much as I dislike extreme fiction, I have to admit, I was not regretting my decision to watch it. Since it was our 10th, we decided to spend a little more money than usual so we drove down to Vegas that weekend for "Phantom of the Opera." Thanks to Joy & Ryan Wiest, we got fantastic seats, we were only 3 rows back from the stage. The only problem was that we were so close that when I had a question, I couldn't just lean over and ask. What a nice anniversary!!!
Our other big event in January was when we learned that our ward was getting split. The split was huge!!! It involved taking 5 wards and making them into 7 wards. When all was said and done, we were no longer members of the 8th ward and became a part of the 2nd. Which means that Jay and I both automatically lost our callings. I was so sad!!! It was really hard for me because I truly loved each one of my girls. I don't think I have ever felt so sad about being released from a calling. But I am grateful for the 11 wonderful months I was able to spend with such fabulous young women. I will forever cherish the women I served with as well as each of the young women we lead!!! What a blessing to have them in my life!!!!

Hot Air Balloon

It was about 10 am or so and I had just finished washing my hair. Jay was laying in bed, relaxing with Talen, and we hear this really loud "woosh"ing sound. Jay asked me what it was so I looked out the bedroom window and right there in front of my face was this huge hot air balloon. I said, "A hot air balloon is going to hit the Messinger's (our backyard neighbor) house." He didn't believe me until he looked out the window for himself. By the time I made it to the back door it was edging over our back wall and heading right for our house. That was the strangest feeling to look out the door and see a basket full of people staring back at me!!! By the time I grabbed the camera, they had made it over our house and were attempting to bring it down. After a successful landing, I walked over to talk to the balloon driver. He claimed that he landed here on purpose, but I have my doubts. Besides, who would choose to land in a crowded neighborhood when he could have landed in the huge wide open field right next to us? But, it sure made for an interesting morning and a great story!!