Gage's Birthday

        Gage turned 6 this year, and his celebration started out a little earlier than normal.  By earlier, I mean EARLIER...as in 1:00 in the morning.  We were all sleeping soundly in our beds, when we were awoken by a tornado siren.  Brock turned on the news, and sure enough, there was a tornado warning going on in our area, with a tornado fairly close by.  We gathered the kids and spent the next little while looking like this in our closet:

HAHAHA!  Flint cracks me up!  Actually, we looked more like this:

I think the expression on Gage's face really sums up how we were all feeling.  Anyway, we hung out in the closet for awhile, and when the warning was over we all went back to bed for a few more hours until it was really time to celebrate Gage's big day.
        We had a lot of fun things on the docket for the birthday celebration.  He started the day with breakfast in bed, of course, and then we all went to Ag Day at the library.  Brock and his students were there with a really cute presentation about where our food comes from, plus they brought the university's tractor so the kids could sit in it.  There were lots of animals to see and touch, and the kids had a great time seeing everything and spending time with their friends who were there, too.

         When we were done there, we walked over to the town square and had a picnic while we listened to "Toons at Noon."  The performers that day were the cast of the musical "Texas" that plays nightly in the canyon each summer, so the kids had a good time listening, singing, dancing, and playing with their friends.
        After the fun morning, we enjoyed some down time during the afternoon until Daddy got home.  Once he was home, Gage was finally able to open all his presents before we ate dinner and birthday cake and ice cream.  He was very excited about his new toys, and the kids all had a good time checking them out and playing together. 

Flint even got a bite of birthday cake

          A few days later, I took Gage on his birthday date, and he chose (for the 2nd year in a row), to go to Mr. Gatti's.  We had a great time!  

     I am so grateful I get to be Gage's Mom.  He is such a fiery, tender, funny, passionate boy and I LOVE the big personality that is crammed into his young body.  He is so witty and completely honest in what he thinks about life.  There is never any question about what Gage is thinking at any given moment in time.  He is the King of one-liners in our home, and he keeps us laughing with the funny way he looks at life (remember when we saw the lady without any legs and Gage immediately and seriously assumed that, "Probably a shark bit off her legs...or an alligator"?).  He also has one of the sweetest and most loving hearts of anyone I know (remember this experience from last summer?).  Of all my kids, he has always been my biggest snuggler.  He still wants me to lay down and snuggle with him almost every single night, and I am happy to oblige his request.  He always seems to have a twinkle in his eye, and even though he is very strong-willed and stubborn, I am so grateful he is such a fighter.  He will be a great leader, and I love getting to know him and getting to learn from him.  Happy birthday, my sweet boy Gage!

You just never know when you might need a Power Ranger and sword in the middle of the night!

The End of the School Year

         School ended here the last Friday in May. We were all SO excited to finally have a break so we could enjoy the summer! The last week of school this year was kind of surreal for me for two reasons.  First of all, it was during the last week of school last year that we started getting some initial test results back on Flint.  In fact, last year I was at my level 2 ultrasound (which ended in me getting an amniocentesis), while Brock was with Gage at his end of year party.  It was also surreal for me, because Flint was born on the first Friday of the school year.  Picking up my kids on the last Friday of the school year then (which just happened to be Flint's 9 month birthday) left me feeling humble, reflective, relieved, and triumphant all at the same time. It all felt like a rite of passage - like we could finally say, "Wow!  Look how far we've come!"
        The kids were so blessed to have a wonderful support system at school this year.  Their principal knew everything going on and put them in classes with teachers who would be especially sensitive to all they were experiencing.  Their principal is actually the one who told the kids that I went to the hospital to have Flint, and then called them back down to her office when Flint was actually born.  I am so grateful for great teachers and helpers who provided an extra wave of support throughout this crazy ordeal. 

Davis with her teacher, Mrs. Doan on the last day of 4th grade

 

Duke with his teacher, Mrs. Alstead on the last day of 2nd grade

         Davis is excited to move on to the intermediate school next year, but will miss her time at the elementary school.  Gage will also be moving on to a different school next year so he can start kindergarten.  For the last two years, he attended the same preschool Duke got to go to.  We loved our time there and were looking forward to Trayson attending next year, but they raised their prices a BUNCH, so we have found a different preschool for Trayson.  Gage is super excited to be able to start kindergarten next year though, and is especially excited that his two favorite buddies from preschool will be there with him, too!

Gage with his friends Carter and Rhett

Cute little preschool graduate!

Our final walk down the preschool hallway

        What a wild and crazy year it has been!  The kids grew so much and learned many invaluable lessons.  They were strong when it was hard and showed great faith, courage, and hope. I am so grateful for all the events of the last year, and for every single tear that we cried.  Whether the tear was from frustration and fear, or from utter joy, we learned so much through that whole experience.  Our family has big plans for the summer, and we are ready to move on to that stage of life.  Summertime, here we come!

Physical Therapy for Flint

  Flint has had many angels watching over him during his brief time on earth.  One of those angels is his occupational therapist, Audra.  I first met Audra when Flint was in the NICU in Amarillo and I instantly liked her.  She was so warm and loving, plus she had worked with 3 other Dandy-Walker kids!  I was so grateful to finally speak with someone who had real-life experience with the condition my son had!
  When Flint was discharged from the hospital, the plan was to meet with Audra once a month so we could stay on top of his development.  If she saw something that wasn't progressing as quickly as it should, then we would start more aggressive therapy.  Honestly, at first I thought, "What good is physical therapy with a baby?  What's the point?"  Man, was I wrong!  There were so many exercises that we were able to do with Flint that helped him gain the strength to hold his head up, sit up on his own, roll over, and eventually scoot.  I learned that there are so many tiny little developmental milestones that go into a baby achieving one of those "big" milestones.  Even though Flint was my 5th child, I felt like I was watching a baby grow and develop for the first time.  I realized how much I took for granted previously, and it was easy to be grateful and SO excited for the tiniest little bit of progression!  Flint made good progress initially, but by the end of February, Flint still wasn't rolling or sitting by himself and seemed completely content to not move at all if something was out of his reach.  I was more concerned by his lack of desire to move than by the fact that he couldn't do certain things yet.  We decided to start weekly therapy sessions with him.
  These weekly sessions were pretty aggressive for a baby.  Audra always compared it to a full-on workout for us as adults.  The first few times, Flint would only last about 20 minutes before he was crying, sucking his thumb, and hiccuping (a sign of stress).  Audra was always so sweet and would just take him onto her lap, wrap her arms around him, talk sweetly to him, and rock him back and forth until he was calm and could try again.  He was so cute as he would work hard to make his muscles cooperate, and you could hear his heavy breathing increasing when things got harder.  What a fighter he is!

Once we began these weekly sessions, Flint started progressing rapidly.  Not only did he start reaching those bigger milestones, but his whole desire to move changed.  It flipped a switch for him, and suddenly the baby who was so content to sit and watch the world go by, turned into a possessed baby who HAD to grab, reach for, and snoop into everything he could see!  In other words, he turned into a normal baby! It was awesome to watch the transformation, and it happened so fast!  We continued these aggressive sessions until the middle of May, when Audra said he had progressed so much that we should re-evaluate him.  During these evaluations, there are 5 main areas tested - things like fine motor skills, reflexes, and such. Flint was 8 1/2 months old (7 months, adjusted) at the time of the test, and of the 5 areas tested, Flint rated as a 10 month old in 3 of them, and as a 7 month old in 2 of them. Given the fact that he has a physical limitation in his brain that just about guarantees physical delays, this was absolutely amazing! Audra said she had never seen a baby make as much progress as Flint had in so short a time.  It truly was another one of Flint's miracles!
  Needless to say, Flint was kicked out of therapy!  The timing couldn't have been better, because at our last session with Audra, she shared with me that she had gotten a new job and would be leaving.  She told me that another pediatric therapy company had approached her 9 months previously and offered her a job.  She turned it down, but the company continued to pursue her.  They offered her the job four times, and then her husband said, "What is it going to take for you to realize that God wants you to take this job?"  She decided it was time for her to move on, and her last day at our therapy place was also Flint's last day of therapy.  What an amazing blessing Heavenly Father arranged - that this dear woman could be a part of our lives and help Flint so much, just in time for her to move on to other progression in her life!  I don't think the timing of any of this was coincidence, and I'm so grateful that Audra was brought into our lives when she was!

Flint's last day in therapy with Audra

   Audra was a welcome source of information and comfort to me during those early months filled with uncertainty.  She always worked with Flint with such love and tenderness and helped me learn how to help him so he could best progress.  She loved Flint like he was her own child, and I know that countless other children in our area have received the same blessings from her.  I know Flint had many angels from the other side helping him out this year, but I'm grateful for this living angel, who has blessed our lives forever!

Two Special Weekends in May

        Mother's Day is always wonderful at our house, because my husband is amazing.  Seriously, men just don't come any better than Brock.  He is so careful to take special care of me, not just on Mother's Day, but all year long.  He leads by example and shows our kids how to love and respect me, and I'm eternally grateful for all the positive ways his example affects our kids.  

        My Mother's Day began on Saturday when Brock took me on a nice, long date.  Then on Sunday morning, I woke up to a delicious omelet for breakfast in bed, brought to me by the special little people who made me a mom.  I got lots of fun presents and treats from Brock and the kids, but my favorite was the gift of service I received over and over again that day.  Brock cancelled his morning meetings, so he got to help get the kids ready for church.  Then at church, we had a wonderful luncheon during Relief Society where I got to talk with all the great ladies I go to church with.  After church, I got to have a nap while Brock made a delicious steak dinner, and then I relaxed while my boys gave me a foot massage and Brock and Davis cleaned the dishes.  It really doesn't get much better than that!

        One of my favorite gifts from the kids was a book of poems for me they had written all by themselves.  Here's some of my favorite poems:

  Aren't those the best?  I laughed so hard when I read them!  What a blessing these little ones are in my life!

        The day only got better when we got to skype with our moms in San Antonio and Rexburg.  Brock and I have the BEST moms, and it was a great day to reflect on all the wonderful sacrifices they have made for us and the amazing ways they have blessed our lives.  I feel so blessed to be a mom, and to have two moms in my life who are both so easy to love and admire.  It was a great weekend!
        The next weekend was the Father/Son campout at church.  This is a yearly tradition and is one of our kids' favorite weekends of the year.  The boys (minus Flint) loaded up the truck and headed to one of the few campsites in our area.  Even though there was a burn ban, they had a blast hiking, rock collecting, exploring, playing with their friends, and being with their dad. 

 

        While they were all gone, Davis and I had our annual Mother/Daughter date, which Flint was lucky enough to get to crash just this once! Davis had it all planned out months in advance, so we started the night at Red Lobster.  Davis has this thing with going to restaurants where she gets to eat free bread while she waits for her dinner.  She always used to want to go to Olive Garden.  I love Olive Garden, but I didn't understand why she always chose to go there, when all she ended up ordering was the chicken strips.  When I asked her about it, she told me it was because of the breadsticks.  Once I figured out that was what she was really going for, we began going to other places that also provided free bread.  Last years Mother/Daughter date took us to Texas Roadhouse, just because she wanted to try their bread.  She's been to Fazoli's and Eddie's Napolis and loved their bread, so Red Lobster was the last stop on her "free bread" journey.  Needless to say, she loved the biscuits, and now she has several "favorite" places to go when she gets to choose a fancy restaurant.  

        After dinner at Red Lobster, we came home and ate cookie dough while we watched the Harry Potter movies that are too scary for her little brothers to watch.  I believe we watched 2 of them on Friday and 2 more Saturday before the boys got home.  

        We all had a great time, and I'm grateful for the wonderful memories we were able to make together.