Everything is Awesome!

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.

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!

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!

 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.

 

 

Good-Bye Lisa

 Today I attended the funeral of a dear friend, Lisa Sawyer.  It was tougher than I had expected.  The church building was packed with hundreds of people who knew and loved Lisa.  The spirit was there.  I pray that her family will be comforted by that spirit throughout the difficult months and years ahead. 

I didn't know Lisa really well, but I loved Lisa from the day I met her.   That day was in March of 2004 when our family first moved to Queen Creek.  She was one of my first visiting teachers.  I was the mom of two young boys, ages 2 (almost 3), and 16 months.  I was 6 months pregnant with out third boy.  I remember her coming to my home with her young daughters and talking with me, sharing experiences with me, and helping me know that some of those overwhelming feelings I was feeling at the time were normal.  We became friends. 

About a year later, we moved to another home about 3 miles away.  Not far, but in the "Mormon" world, 3 miles can seem very far since that meant we were in a different ward.  As mothers of young children, we didn't really see each other much and soon it was mostly just in passing on some Sunday's in the halls of the church building.  Then, more buildings were built and the Sawyer's moved and Lisa and I saw each other less and less.  However, the friendship that I had with Lisa was one of those where you could go for long periods of time without seeing each other and then when you did, it was as if very little time had passed.  I loved visiting with Lisa every time I got a chance and looked forward to the next time that our paths would cross.  We would chat briefly and say that we really should get together some time.  I wish that we had.  She would always ask about our children.  She followed what was going on with Bryce and Annalise.  She was just one of those people who I always admired and really looked forward to talking with. There was just something special about Lisa. 

I will miss seeing her in the halls.  I will miss talking with her and seeing her smile.  I will miss the spirit that I felt when I was around her.  A truly wonderful person has returned to her Heavenly home and I will miss her until the day that I get to meet her in the halls of Heaven where we will be able to talk and laugh together once again.   I love you, Lisa!  You will be missed more than you know!

It's All Fun and Games

...until someone loses a tooth!

Notice anything missing here?

A few days ago I noticed that Bryce's top two front teeth were beginning to become loose.  They weren't real loose, just starting.  I figured it would be a few weeks still before he lost his two front teeth.  Well, it may have been that way except for the fact that today he got a little help with getting them out quickly.

Have you ever played Monkey in the Middle.  It's a game where there are 3 players, two on the outside and one in the middle.  The two on the outside throw a ball to each other and try to keep it away from the one in  the middle.  Well, this morning just after breakfast, I was in cleaning up the dishes and one of the boys said, Mom, Bryce's lip is bleeding.  Well, me being the great mom that I am, said okay and kept going with what I was doing. In my defense though, Bryce's lips often become chapped and I just figured that it was bleeding a little from that and that whoever had said that would just wipe it off for him.  

A couple of seconds later I heard a few things that caught my attention a bit more.  Things like, "hold his head to the side, so he doesn't choke on the blood." and "wow, that is a lot of blood!"  and "where is all that blood coming from?"  I grabbed some paper towels and quickly headed over to investigate.  

I went into the family room and saw Bryce with his mouth and chin covered in blood.  I quickly lifted him into my lap and began cleaning him up, trying to see where the blood was coming from.  I asked the boys what had happened and they said he got hit in the face with a ball.  What?!   I would ask more questions about that in a minute...once I figured out where the blood was coming from.  Then someone, I think it was John, asked if his tooth was missing.  I wiped his upper lip a little more, looked a little closer and sure enough, there was a tooth missing.  The boys looked on the floor where Bryce had been lying and there it was, a little tooth.  The tooth next to it is still attached, but I'm pretty sure it will be coming out very soon.  It is much looser than it was before!  Luckily these teeth were still baby teeth.

It ends up that the boys had decided to play Monkey in the Middle while they waited for General Conference to start.  They choose a soft ball "just in case it hit someone".  

Good plan!  Well, William was throwing it to Jacob and wanted to be sure Spencer couldn't get it, so he threw it nice and hard.  Let's just say, Spencer did not get the ball, but neither did Jacob!  Somehow the poor, innocent, other monkey who happened to be in the middle caught the ball...with his face! That is one way to get rid of some teeth fast!

He keeps moving that other tooth with his tongue, but puts up a stink if I try to get in there to get at it!

Another First Day

Today it was Bryce's turn to try out his new school for the first day.  He sounded kind of junky when he first woke up this morning, but otherwise seemed fine, so he went off to school.

I met with his teacher, Jaime, and his one-to-one aide, Teresa, for a little bit before school to go over all the basics of Bryce care.  Everyone that I have met who will work with the kids at the school seems wonderful and are very excited to work with Bryce and Annalise.  Teresa used to work as a Para at Ryan Elementary in one of the self contained classrooms, so she knows were Bryce is coming from.  She assured me that I am going to love it here at LIFE after working with Ryan.  That is nice.  She seems like she will be great with Bryce.

When I returned to school I was told that Bryce did well and seemed to enjoy himself there.  They said his favorite part of the day was Gym where he got to go down the big slide.  Yeah, I think he is going to love it there!

Annalise also enjoyed her day.  She spent this afternoon singing new songs that she is learning.  Both of the kiddos were very tired out by this evening.  They were both asleep before 7:30.  I think they worked and played hard at school today.  A great combination!

Before school, I tried to take some pictures of Bryce and Annalise together.  Neither of them was really into picture taking.  Bryce would absolutely not look at me and Annalise...well, she was just in her happy little world! 

New School of LIFE

So the write up of how we got to this point is still in the works, but as of today, Annalise is the newest student of LIFE Academy.

She and Bryce were both supposed to start today, but since he has been sick, Annalise got to be the first one to try out the new school.  We got to school this morning and she walked right up to the front door where her teacher greeted us.  She then said, "have a good day Mom." and walked on in.  She did turn around long enough to let me tell her I loved her, and then she was off for her day.  When I went to pick her up, she was busy working on a puzzle and had to finish that before we could leave.  The teacher and the aide that were in there both said that she was a lot of fun to have in the classroom and "a character".  She is a funny one that's for sure!

It was fun to hear her tell me about her day.  She said that she made new friends, but she didn't know their names.  They must have talked about Halloween being this month because she kept saying that we needed to go home and get ready for Halloween.

Instead we made a quick trip to Target to look for some Hi Tops for her.  We have noticed that she walks a lot better without her AFO's then she does with them.  We think they are just too heavy for her.  Her physical therapists also noticed that and said that perhaps a simple pair of  Hi Tops would give her enough support without needing the full AFO.  She still needs the stretch that the AFO gives, so we will try having her wear them at night and just the Hi Tops during the day.  At least for now until we figure something better out for her.  Not sure how the nighttime thing will go, but we will try it and see.

It was a lot of fun actually going down to buy her a pair of shoes.  I haven't been able to buy her a cute pair of shoes for years.  She didn't like the first few pairs we tried on.  She didn't want anything to do with any boots!  Who knows, maybe she remembers her boots from a year ago that didn't come off for 7 weeks.  She kept saying that she didn't need shoes because she could just go barefoot.  (A girl after my own heart!)  Then we came to some Hi Tops that were black and pink, filled with sparklies, and had Hello Kitty on them.  She was hooked. 
 

Luckily they are adorable and they had them in her size.  I think they were the most expensive shoes I have bought for any of my children so far, but hey...they had sparklies and Hello Kitty...what do you expect?!  We will give them a try tomorrow and see how they work for her.

While at Target, we of course had to walk through the dollar section and while we were there, Annalise spotted something she just had to try on.

She made such a cute witch, I had to take a picture! 

Then we quickly headed home so that she could have OT with Heather and I could meet the boys and start the Tuesday afternoon running around.  Overall a fun afternoon with my girl!  I'm glad she liked school and is looking forward to going back tomorrow.  If all goes well, she and Bryce will be going together!

Annalise Walks!

Today Annalise took her first steps for the second time in her life.  At the age of 17 months Annalise was walking very well.  In fact, she had just begun to run.  Then suddenly, she began to lose her balance and before long, she was no longer able to walk without support.  She began using doll strollers to help her balance and walk.  Soon that became too difficult as well and she began walking with a walker. 

She has been working really hard for months on being able to stand without assistance.  In just the last couple of months, she has gone from only being able to stand for about 10 seconds to now being able to stand up to about 3 minutes at a time.  Today her PT Lauren was here working with her and so was Lauren's supervisor, Ray.  We were talking about the things she is now able to do and he suggested we see how she would do if we asked her to walk.  So he did and she tried to take off really fast.  She didn't get more than about a half a step before falling into Lauren.  Then Ray explained to her that she should try just taking one step and then find her balance and then take another step.  To go really slow, like a turtle.  So she did.  She ended up taking up to 7 consecutive steps while walking today.  

By the end of the session, she was very tired, but she was very happy as well.  I was also very happy and I will admit, still in a little shock. 

Now for those of you who know about Annalise's journey, you know that medically this is not supposed to happen.  We have believed for years that she and Bryce had Leukodystrophy and that once the skills were lost, they would never be regained!  Well, it appears that God and Annalise have other plans!  Today we truly witnessed a miracle. 

Mesothelioma Awareness Day

I want to tell you all about a new friend of mine.  Her name is Heather.  She is an amazing woman.  When her daughter was just 3 and a half months old, Heather was diagnosed with Mesothelioma and given 15 months to live.  7 and a half years later, she is here raising awareness and spreading hope to others.  Sept. 26th is Mesothelioma Awareness Day.  Please read Heather's story here and then share it with others.  We could all use a little more hope in our lives!  Thank you Heather for sharing your story and your hope with the rest of us!