Today was such a great day. Lots of family time and plenty of feeling the spirit mixed in.
The day started with John taking William over to the church at 6:45am so that he could go to the rehearsal for the cultural celebration for the Gilbert temple. John then came back, picked up Jacob and Spencer and headed over to help clean the church while I stayed home and got Bryce and Annalise fed and ready for the day.
We were able to see the movie through the Hope Kids organization, thanks to a donation from the Phoenix Coyotes. We saw our friend Joel, who had spent some days last week at the Ryan House with Bryce and Annalise. (More on that story in another post) It was fun to see him and get to know his mom a little bit. He called a hello down to us when he saw us come into the theater and then yelled, "I love you, Annalise!" across the room. It was very cute.
There was one section left for a wheelchair that had 3 seats next to it. The people behind those seats moved down a couple of seats so that Annalise and I could sit behind John and the boys. Usually we have to spread out a little bit, so it was nice to be able to sit basically all together this time. The family that we were sitting next to was very sweet. They had a very friendly 5 year old boy who, once I assured him that I was not going to take his drink, told us all kinds of fun information until the movie started.
The movie was great. Even Bryce sat in his chair and seemed to enjoy the entire thing. We have all been singing the "Everything is awesome" song from the movie all day. (Well at least the everything is awesome, everything is cool when your part of a team part of the song.) Between that song and the Frozen songs that are all stuck in our heads, we were all in pretty good moods throughout the day.
Before the movie began, one of the people in charge told us that after the movie, there would be a surprise. Annalise heard that and asked me if she should cover her eyes for the surprise. I told her that she should probably wait until after the movie to cover her eyes. :) I think she asked me about 20 times during the movie if it was time for the surprise. I'm thinking she likes surprises!
As we were leaving the theater, we ran into some other people we had met at Ryan House in the past and stopped for a minute to talk with them and get a few pictures.
Then we headed out of the theater where some of the Coyote's cheerleaders were with Howler, the mascot. Annalise seemed to forget all about covering her eyes, but was very excited about the surprise. She kept saying that she wanted to be a cheerleader.
On the way home, we decided to drive by the park where William and 12,000+ other youth were preparing for the celebration. It was quite the sight to see. Each stake was assigned a color, so each of the kids had a shirt on of their particular color. From the road, it just looked like a bunch of different colors, but knowing that each piece of color we could see was a person age 12-18 who was there prepare for a performance of a lifetime. A performance where they will be able to share their testimonies of what they believe through song and dance. It made me happy that our son was one of those 12,000 youth!
We arrived home just as our provider, Adrienne arrived to help with Bryce and Annalise. We got lunch and she began playing with Bryce and Annalise and preparing them for their baths. I went in to read something real quickly. I should have known not to lie down on my bed to do that. I was out cold within a few minutes! I ended up getting an unexpected good hour nap in today. That is the kind of surprise I like!
I woke up and headed over to Costco to pick up some items for our little family celebration with my sister and her family, who are coming in from Wyoming tomorrow. The place was packed, but there was one special person that I saw there that just made my day. I saw her and her dad in the store, but didn't think much about it, but as I was checking out, they were in the lane behind me. The girl was probably 8 or 9 years old, was in a wheelchair, and had an NG tube, and bandages/boots on both of her legs up past her knees. She never spoke, so I believe that she may not have been able to, but I am not sure about that.
As I finished up with my groceries, I noticed that she was fusing a little bit. Her dad was still trying to check out. At first I just walked past them, as I headed for the door. But then I had the thought that I should say something to this girl. So, I stopped and just said hello and said something about them being almost done, or something to that effect. She seemed to calm down right away. Her father finished up and then we talked for just a minute. His English wasn't real good, but he told me that she had just had surgery a few days ago and that she will be in the boots for about 4 weeks. He explained that she was upset because she saw something in the store that she had wanted and when he didn't stop to get it, she started complaining. It made me smile because it just reminded me that inside, these kids are just like any other kids around. The dad thanked me for talking with them. I wished them luck in the coming weeks and said good-bye. It made me happy to talk with them.
As I walked out, a lady came up next to me and said, "that was such a kind thing that you just did." It caught me off guard for a minute and I think she could tell. She said, " talking to that girl and her dad. It made his day. I could see it in his face." Her comments made me feel really good. I hope she was right. I talked with her for a bit and explained that I had a son in a wheelchair and a daughter who uses a walker and how I am just drawn to these special kids now. She thanked me and said that I had reminded her that it's okay to talk with people who are not like us. That these kids are just kids and that they love to have someone notice and acknowledge them. I felt so good and was very thankful that I had been in the store at the same time as this sweet girl and her dad.
I loaded the food into the van and headed for home. I again drove by the park where the youth were rehearsing. It happens to be right next to Costco and across from the new Gilbert Temple. I was already feeling good, but as I saw the youth and then the temple, I was filled with the spirit so strong that tears came to my eyes. I'm not the crying type, but the feeling of gratitude for my life and all that I have was so strong, I can not even explain it. In that moment, I just felt so thankful for the life that I have, for the family that I have. I felt so thankful that the gospel of Jesus Christ is such a huge part of my life. I know that God lives and that there is a plan that is so much greater than we even know. It is a plan of happiness and we are living part of that plan right now, every day! I am so thankful that Everything is Awesome and that the Lord let me feel his spirit so strongly today. We are very blessed!
The day started with John taking William over to the church at 6:45am so that he could go to the rehearsal for the cultural celebration for the Gilbert temple. John then came back, picked up Jacob and Spencer and headed over to help clean the church while I stayed home and got Bryce and Annalise fed and ready for the day.
At about 8:00, we all (except William of course) loaded up and headed into Scottsdale to watch the Lego Movie. On the way there we saw three hot air balloons.
Two of the balloons were pretty high up, but this one was so close. We saw it touch down in this field and then take off again.
We were able to see the movie through the Hope Kids organization, thanks to a donation from the Phoenix Coyotes. We saw our friend Joel, who had spent some days last week at the Ryan House with Bryce and Annalise. (More on that story in another post) It was fun to see him and get to know his mom a little bit. He called a hello down to us when he saw us come into the theater and then yelled, "I love you, Annalise!" across the room. It was very cute.
There was one section left for a wheelchair that had 3 seats next to it. The people behind those seats moved down a couple of seats so that Annalise and I could sit behind John and the boys. Usually we have to spread out a little bit, so it was nice to be able to sit basically all together this time. The family that we were sitting next to was very sweet. They had a very friendly 5 year old boy who, once I assured him that I was not going to take his drink, told us all kinds of fun information until the movie started.
The movie was great. Even Bryce sat in his chair and seemed to enjoy the entire thing. We have all been singing the "Everything is awesome" song from the movie all day. (Well at least the everything is awesome, everything is cool when your part of a team part of the song.) Between that song and the Frozen songs that are all stuck in our heads, we were all in pretty good moods throughout the day.
Before the movie began, one of the people in charge told us that after the movie, there would be a surprise. Annalise heard that and asked me if she should cover her eyes for the surprise. I told her that she should probably wait until after the movie to cover her eyes. :) I think she asked me about 20 times during the movie if it was time for the surprise. I'm thinking she likes surprises!
As we were leaving the theater, we ran into some other people we had met at Ryan House in the past and stopped for a minute to talk with them and get a few pictures.
The special one!
Then we headed out of the theater where some of the Coyote's cheerleaders were with Howler, the mascot. Annalise seemed to forget all about covering her eyes, but was very excited about the surprise. She kept saying that she wanted to be a cheerleader.
Howler was a huge hit!
William is one of the youth in blue
I couldn't really get close enough to get a good picture while driving, so thanks to my friend Laurie, one of the many adult volunteers helping with the cultural celebration, I have a couple to add here.
I love being able to see the new Gilbert temple in the distance. It is beautiful!
We arrived home just as our provider, Adrienne arrived to help with Bryce and Annalise. We got lunch and she began playing with Bryce and Annalise and preparing them for their baths. I went in to read something real quickly. I should have known not to lie down on my bed to do that. I was out cold within a few minutes! I ended up getting an unexpected good hour nap in today. That is the kind of surprise I like!
I woke up and headed over to Costco to pick up some items for our little family celebration with my sister and her family, who are coming in from Wyoming tomorrow. The place was packed, but there was one special person that I saw there that just made my day. I saw her and her dad in the store, but didn't think much about it, but as I was checking out, they were in the lane behind me. The girl was probably 8 or 9 years old, was in a wheelchair, and had an NG tube, and bandages/boots on both of her legs up past her knees. She never spoke, so I believe that she may not have been able to, but I am not sure about that.
As I finished up with my groceries, I noticed that she was fusing a little bit. Her dad was still trying to check out. At first I just walked past them, as I headed for the door. But then I had the thought that I should say something to this girl. So, I stopped and just said hello and said something about them being almost done, or something to that effect. She seemed to calm down right away. Her father finished up and then we talked for just a minute. His English wasn't real good, but he told me that she had just had surgery a few days ago and that she will be in the boots for about 4 weeks. He explained that she was upset because she saw something in the store that she had wanted and when he didn't stop to get it, she started complaining. It made me smile because it just reminded me that inside, these kids are just like any other kids around. The dad thanked me for talking with them. I wished them luck in the coming weeks and said good-bye. It made me happy to talk with them.
As I walked out, a lady came up next to me and said, "that was such a kind thing that you just did." It caught me off guard for a minute and I think she could tell. She said, " talking to that girl and her dad. It made his day. I could see it in his face." Her comments made me feel really good. I hope she was right. I talked with her for a bit and explained that I had a son in a wheelchair and a daughter who uses a walker and how I am just drawn to these special kids now. She thanked me and said that I had reminded her that it's okay to talk with people who are not like us. That these kids are just kids and that they love to have someone notice and acknowledge them. I felt so good and was very thankful that I had been in the store at the same time as this sweet girl and her dad.
I loaded the food into the van and headed for home. I again drove by the park where the youth were rehearsing. It happens to be right next to Costco and across from the new Gilbert Temple. I was already feeling good, but as I saw the youth and then the temple, I was filled with the spirit so strong that tears came to my eyes. I'm not the crying type, but the feeling of gratitude for my life and all that I have was so strong, I can not even explain it. In that moment, I just felt so thankful for the life that I have, for the family that I have. I felt so thankful that the gospel of Jesus Christ is such a huge part of my life. I know that God lives and that there is a plan that is so much greater than we even know. It is a plan of happiness and we are living part of that plan right now, every day! I am so thankful that Everything is Awesome and that the Lord let me feel his spirit so strongly today. We are very blessed!
More fun with Howler. He was so good with all of the children.
