Wednesday, April 30, 2008

WE did it!


S and I have been in this together since he was a WOLF. Tonight, he earned his Arrow of Light. As a Webelo, he also earned 19 out of 20 badges. I'm a little bit sad to have him move onto 11-Year Old Scouts. I will miss having him in Cubs.

Ah, but the truth of the matter is... Scouting has just begun:)

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Bragging Rights

For those of you who have never met S, let me tell you that he is an amazing kid! I really can't take credit because he is just one of those blessed with some really neat traits.

His Sunday School teacher can't talk to me without mentioning how impressed she is with him and his classmates. They are excited about the Gospel and quite knowledgeable for such youngsters.

Last week was the school Pentathalon. S competed in the 40-yard dash, 400 meter, High-Jump, Long-Jump, and Shot Put. Overall, I think he was disappointed in his performance which is really quite silly if you ask me.

Grandma took it upon herself to let S drive their 4-wheeler. Um yah, whatever happened with asking the Mom. I'm not sure I'm ready to let him grow up like that. He seems to young to operate such things...

Tomorrow night, S will receive his "Arrow of Light" award which is Cub Scouts highest achievement. Yeah, for you S!

Monday, April 28, 2008

The Next Step

Crew had his 2-month follow-up visit with the Ophthalmologist to see how the patching went. Unfortunately, it didn't. I wasn't able to keep the patch on long enough to make a difference and his right eye is still turning in. The Dr. prescribed an eye drop in place of the patch. One drop in his left eye each day... causing his good eye (the left one) to become blurry which forces the right eye to work harder. Oh, and his left eye is constantly dilated too. How sad is that!

We are on day two of the drops. He seemed fine with it today. I'm sure everything will be all right- I really just hate holding him down to administer the drop. We follow-up again in a month. The Dr. is talking eye surgery again but for now we just need to get those eyes straight.

He's coming along with the walker. Tonight I had to pry his fingers off the handholds to get him in bed. LOL. Last summer he couldn't move the thing through the grass and now he's climbing rocks. What a boy!

Oh, the rock pile is a work in progress. Hopefully, I'll be posting pictures soon of our latest attempt to improve the backyard.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Southern Utah Getaway


My big sis, Sheri, had some work to do in Southern Utah and I tagged along. It was great to get away without children and do something for myself.

We drove down on Thursday and she worked for a few hours. We decided to go to dinner with her co-worker, who recommended a family owned Hawaiian Restaurant but for some reason it was closed. We decided to try a new place in town called "Orleans Cafe". When the menu came we were surprised at the prices and the menu led me to believe that the portions would be large... so Sheri and I decided to share an entree'. I'm so wishing I had my camera there so I could have taken a picture. Our $22.00 meal came and there were 5 shrimp, some veggies and a small piece of garlic bread. LOL. We left that place starving:) I was really glad that we split it because the food totally wasn't worth the money and I would've been mad at myself if I had spent that much.

A couple hours later, Sheri and I went to Chiles because what we really wanted was to share a plate of fajitas. We ordered it "to go" and told the cashier we were so grateful to get some "real food" because we had just been to dinner and were still hungry. She was so cute- gave us free drinks while we waited and extra tortillas to go with our fajitas. Ah, I'll have to say I enjoyed every single bite while watching TV in our hotel room. I'm not a TV watcher but I did enjoy the time in front of the tube.. eating good food and enjoying time away.
On Friday morning we found a fun park with a paved trail. After I dropped Sheri off at work I changed into running clothes and took a little run. Its been months since I've gotten outside to run and I loved every minute of it. The scenery was beautiful with a little river running alongside the trail, waterfalls, and gorgeous red rock. The trail was 2 miles up and 2 miles back with little hills here and there.
Later in the day we spent several hours hiking in Snow Canyon. I had never been there before and I loved it. The weather was perfect and it felt really great to get out moving. I think Sheri wanted to do another four mile hike but at that point I was getting tired. We checked out the Tuachan Amphitheatre but there wasn't anything playing at the time and added it to our list of things to do next time.
The rest of our trip was spent at the outlets and IKEA. I loved every minute of our getaway and will definitely be doing it again... and I'm not waiting another 15 years:)

Monday, April 21, 2008

Boring Stuff

Just a quick post here:

My weekend away was fabulous! I hope to post a picture or two soon but I am crazy busy here this week. We sold our van last week and I borrowed a car from my parents but we sold that too. He he. So now I am without a vehicle again and I've spent hours today trying to find the perfect thing. However, it gets very complicated because there are so many "what ifs". We are looking to purchase something with the assumption that Crew will have a power chair in the next couple years. It's kind of a guessing game at this point because we don't know if we will need a side entry lift or a rear lift or ramps or what. We really like the Sienna but its almost out of our price range. Bleh!

I thought Crew was nearly over his cold but tonight he was screaming a lot and he refused to eat ANYTHING! I ended up having the Dr. paged (after hours) and I guess we will see him in the morning. After constant whining and screaming I finally looked directly at Crew and said, "Crew, you've got to figure out a way to communicate with me.... does your head hurt (I sign headache), do your ears hurt (I sign earache)" and he stops mid-scream and grabs his ears. So we will see in the morning.

Tomorrow, I have to haul him down to Primary's for his eye appointment. My plan is to stop along the way and test drive a van but we will see.

I'm reading blogs but I apologize for my lack of comments. I hope to get back into that soon!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

15 Years

Not being one who accurately remembers details from years past, somehow I've held onto a few random memories from my college days. Sis and I were able to room together my sophomore/junior year of college. Sheri (already a graduate at the time) and I, have fond memories of those days.
One summer prior to school starting, we took a trip together... just the two of us. We spent a weekend in Arizona. Oooh, at twenty years old it was my FIRST airplane ride. Isn't that funny! We spent a couple days in Phoenix and a couple days in Show Low where we visited my Grandmother. It was August and I remember we pulled over to the side of the road and took cute pics of ourselves amongst the sunflowers. We discovered that Arizona is a lot more than cacti and desert heat. We enjoyed the mountain air and the cool lakes which dot the area around my grandmothers home.

I remember that time in my life as being very fulfilling and fun and carefree. It was a time when I dreamed that my knight in shining armor would return from his mission to New Caledonia and we would live happily ever after. It was a time before I knew the reality of children with disabilities, before those sleepless nights, before mental illness. I was in control of my life. Working and paying my way through school gave me a sense of accomplishment and I loved the freedom of living on my own.

I marvel at how time changes things so drastically. Gosh, I love my children! They are the most important and fulfilling thing to me now, yet I feel like I'm being stretched, beaten and burned. I wonder if I can handle one more thing. Consequently, I've decided that it's time for a mommy break!

Big sister and I will be spending the weekend in a warmer place. Three days and two nights...no children, no husband. I deserve it! It's been 15 years!

Monday, April 14, 2008

RUNNING 4 THE KIDS











Ahh... the spring weather is great today! I can't wait to get outside and start running with my boys again. I've been doing some running on the treadmill but there's nothing like getting outside. My neighbor and her friend have been organizing a 5K to benefit Primary Children's Hospital. I always make it a point of supporting 5K's with a good cause and this is one that hits close to home. PCMC has been great for us... there we see everything from Ophthalmology to Neurology. We receive physical, speech and occupational therapy. I'm all about supporting our children's hospital when I can. I told my friend I would do what I could to spread the word. If your not a runner, that's okay... there's a Mile Run/Walk too! So, if you live anywhere near Brigham City, it'll be a great run with awesome prizes. I hope to see you there:

FOOD & DRUG STORES
"Running 4 the Kids" 5K and 1 Mile Run
MAY 3,2008
Benefiting: Primary Children's Medical Center

$10 entry ($15 after 4/28/08) includes a free T-shirt which will be available for pickup May 15th at Smith's. Race will begin at 8:00 AM. Day of registration will begin at 7:15 AM but T-shirts will NOT be guaranteed. Race will begin and end at Smith's parking lot (156 S. Main).

Checks should be made out to Smith's. Please detach and mail or drop off entry forms and $10 ($15 after 4/28/08) entry fee to:

Smith's
Attn: Jennifer Dinsdale 156 S. Main
Brigham, UT 84302

____________________________________


"Running 4 the Kids" 5K/l Mile Run Registration Form

Name:_____________________ Age (day of race)______: Birth date: _______
Address:__________________________________________sex: M or F
Phone #: _________________________Shirt Size: Adult- S M L XL Child- S M L

Participating in: 5k or 1 Mile
Age division: 10 & under, 11-14, 15-19, 20-29,30-39,40-49,50-59,60 and older

All runners participate at your own risk. Please seek the advice of a physician if you are in doubt of your physical condition. All persons under 18 years of age must have a written consent by a parent or legal guardian. I release or give release any and all injuries or ailments or other suffered by me in the "Running 4 the Kids" 5k or 1 mile.
Signature: _____________________________________________
Signature of parent or legal guardian:__________________________

Thursday, April 10, 2008

A NEW FRIEND

We just met Hope this week. HOPE... you are doing such a great job with your Croc not to mention your little pink canes. Thanks so much for sharing your smile and for waiting patiently for Crewzer to catch up:)


It's quite a world we live in!

I am so blessed.

Monday, April 07, 2008

Superman Crew

These pictures, taken 3 years ago, take me back to the days of the unknown. Since we still travel the waters of the unknown, I'm always wishing for improvements and progress. It's probably a good thing I didn't know then how intense the journey would be. I wonder if knowing the complexity of the situation would be so overwhelming that I would in a sense, "Give up". All the therapies, doctor visits, research... Would I have realized the importance of each stretch, exercise, therapy visit?

There are still so many milestones yet to be achieved but I'm learning that our little boy gives "Superman" new meaning.

At the time I snapped the picture of him standing up on the couch, he was able to stand for maybe 5 seconds. I love that you can see his little toes curled up and his stance which shows the intense effort he is giving to hold himself steady. I love his striking countenance, his smile and the light he emanates.
Today, I enjoyed a few hours getting my hair done. My hairdresser has a daughter Crews age. They use to play in the same Nursery class together over a year ago. This cute little girl, Libby, still asks about Crew. It caused me to reflect on the many times that children have stopped what they are doing to spend time sitting by Crew. Watchfully, they have played "side by side" with Crew as his social interaction skills are still emerging. What a blessing it is that his peers feel that connection with him. I can't explain it but I know its not in my head. Truly, Superman carries a bit of heaven with him wherever he goes. I think its something you'll likely not understand unless you've been there.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Great Analogy

I'm not sure how I found this blogger but her writings are real and inspirational. I like Cindy because she is an optimist but not afraid to blog about her struggles. She tells it like it is and has an insight and wisdom far beyond her years. I love this analogy about "The People on My Bus".

On my blog I write about my kids and do more than my fair share of whining. I do try to find the good in the situation and it helps me remember to appreciate all that I have. However, like most bloggers, there is also the other side of the story and it is "nearly always" to private to share... so I just keep pluggin' along. I'm thankful for HOPE which is the one thing that keeps me from giving up.

I too have a bus...

My bus carries the judgemental therapist, all-knowing doctors, ecclesiastical leaders, the compassionate neighbor, my life long friend, dramatic story teller, hypochondriac, and the healer. I love the realization I've come to tonight that its true... it doesn't matter who rides the bus- rather who sits behind the wheel.

I enjoyed 4 hours of General Conference today. The talks were uplifting and gave me much needed strength and insight, a great reminder to turn the wheel over to the Lord and "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).