Thursday, February 04, 2010

6th Birthday




Today has been a very very good day. Crew woke up with a smile on his face and it has stayed there all day.
At his school they combined all three preschool classes for a birthday celebration. I sent ice cream. As soon as I opened the door to get him out of the van, his little friend turned to me and signed, "Ice cream at school today". Well, at least thats what I got out of it with my limited ASL knowledge;)
We did the "tie the balloons to powerchair" tradition and let him parade back and forth through the cul-de-sac. Its my way of letting my non-verbal child shout out, "HEY EVERYBODY, LOOK AT ME... IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TODAY" which is what I think he would say.
Today was a beautiful sunny day... dry roads and clear skies. Completely opposite of the day Crew was born SIX years ago. So unlike the blizzard conditions that nearly cost us our lives on February 4, 2004. It's impossible to celebrate a day like today and not think about it. I do get sad when I think about all that we've been through but today hasn't been like that much. I feel so much gratitude for having Crew in our family. Gratitude for the sweet spirit and light he brings into our lives. Gratitude for all that I've learned on this journey. Gratitude for the person this experience has molded me into. It has made me stronger and more sure of myself. I don't take the little things for granted. Every little noise or gesture he makes is noticed. I've learned a language not taught in books or in school, a language that can only be learned by living it. His eyes, facial expressions and body language speak volumes. It isn't a language we learn by choice but necessity. I'm so grateful for his hugs and his kisses.
Crew, it's been a great six years. I can't wait to see what the next six will bring. Oh, but not too fast little buddy...

Monday, February 01, 2010

Snowbasin Dew Tour

A couple weeks ago we went to Snowbasin to watch the Dew Tour. This was my first time visiting Snowbasin other than the night we ran the Wasatch Back. Most of our state has been stuck in an inversion. The ski resort was high enough that we climbed right out of the inversion and into the sun. It was so nice to spend a few hours in the sun. Seriously, I think these long Utah winters can really get to you!

The event was completely free... we even got to ride the high-speed quad up to the half pipe. We climbed up and stood to the side of the half pipe. It was really neat watching the skiers fly up over our heads.

I couldn't believe how many people were totally unprepared for the snow. Probably 90% of women had on Uggs or some knock off or another. Those boots totally suck in the snow and ice. LOL. I really got a kick out of watching these women struggle to climb the hill. Gosh, that really makes me sound cruel doesn't it! Every single time these boots would either cause her to cling to the makeshift fence for dear life or slide down on their backsides.

The boys walked away with lots of free samples... this and that- Beef jerky, Utah Ski stickers, pizza rolls, chapstick.




This guy flew up over our heads and said "hey" when he saw us standing there. Totally cracked us up!


Sheesh, If we had known this giant chipmunk was going to be there we would have totally brought Crewzer along with us. LOL. At least he's warm;)