PLEASE help us WIN DAKOTA a BIKE!!!!!!

For those of you who have been reading my blog I have talked a little bit about this therapy bike that Dakota gets to use when we go to physical therapy. It is such an AMAZING bike and Dakota absolutely LOVES it! Not only does he smile and enjoy just being a regular kid riding a bike it helps a lot with his range of motion in his legs and helps him relax his legs and get rid of his spasticity. On top of that he gets to build muscle strength in his whole body as he works to hold his head up and push the petals a little bit on his own.

The problem is we only go to therapy twice a month and when he gets to ride the bike it is only for about 30 minutes if that. It is definitely not enough to get to make a big difference. His therapist and doctors have recommended that we get one for him to use at home but the problem is it is $4,000!!! If we had a money tree in our backyard I would be ALL over that bike…but unfortunately my landscaping husband hasn’t planted one of those yet! ;)

But this AMAZING organization called the friendship circle does a bike giveaway ONCE a year and it is happening this month!!! I just entered Dakota and NEED DESPERATELY ANYONE THAT READS THIS TO PLEASE VOTE FOR DAKOTA! The kid with the most votes automatically wins the bike and any other kid with at least 50 votes gets put in a raffle drawing for the remaining bikes.

Seriously…all you have to do is click on this link and their is a big red button that says vote for Dakota. Click it and you are done! It seriously takes 2 seconds!!  That is ALL I’m asking!! And then once you vote then you CAN tell ALL your friends and family about it too so they can vote too! ;) That’s it! The contest closes on the 24th so HURRY!!!!!!!

It would sure make my heart so happy to get to cruise Dakota around the neighborhood with the other kids and let him just be a kid!!!

Don’t you want to see more of this going on??? How can you say no to this cutest face and that little angel smile?! ;)

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Life is “HAPPY”

It has been awhile since I wrote just about Dakota man…it is definitely overdue. The best words to describe Dakota and our little life right now is “happy!”

This new pillow I got for his new big boy room says it perfectly! ;)

I always have the hardest time describing how Dakota is progressing to people because it is tiny and subtle. Probably those who only see him every once in awhile would never even notice any difference at all but for us in our home…we are seeing progress…and that makes us ALL happy!!!

The biggest change is still just subtle progress in his responsiveness, reactions, and communication. He is SO alert and expressive to EVERYTHING around him. He lets you know very easily and quickly these days if he his liking what is going on or not. He whines and cries when he is not liking something or wanting you to do something for him. You can ask him a question while he is whining and most of the time he will stop and look at you or smile if that is what he wants or he will keep whining until you get it right…sometimes you never get it! ;)



For example…the other night he started crying in bed. I went in and tried to roll him back to the side he had been on (since he had rolled onto his back and it is hard for him to roll in his bed since it is tilted). As soon as I did he started whining so I said “oh you don’t want to lay on that side?” He stopped whining. I rolled him onto the other side and he just gave me the hugest smile ever, like saying, “YES!! Thank you mom!!” This is just one example of the many that are happening more and more often which makes life so much more easier for him and us!!

But honestly his mood is just SO happy and full of life lately and that has made the BIGGEST difference in our little home. I remember after his accident just praying that we would see some of his personality come back in him since there was really nothing there as far as personality for a long time. My prayers have sure been answered! This kid has personality…it is not maybe the exact same personality he had before his accident although I still see some of that same little boy inside…but it is personality and it is there and it is fun!!! He is really just so fun again in a new and different way but we sure love it!!

Even a year after his accident he would smile but not at anything we did. We could be funnier then funny and try and get him to smile and laugh at us but we got nothing. The only thing that could get him to smile was watching Toy Story. This was how we had to take our family pictures to get any smiles.

The whole photo shoot my friend Chelsea was holding this DVD player and the camera to catch him at the parts he would smile.

These days we don't need Toy Story to get a smile out of him. They come so easily and naturally now and that has been one of the hugest blessings to our family!!

Here is a short little video of him just having fun with his cousin Houston.

His sweet spirit and smiles fills our home with complete happiness. It is a happiness that is not just superficial…it is pure joy!! When he is in a happy and playful mood, Zach and I always just stop what we are doing and enjoy it together. I'm sure that if someone was constantly watching us they would think we are a little overly obsessive about our child...but that's ok with me! ;) I guess we are! I love that the trials we have been through have created within us a deeper appreciation for these simple things in life like a smile, that we once took for granted.


With Zach’s new job he doesn't leave so early in the morning, so many mornings Dakota is awake before he leaves and we have time to talk, smile, and pray together before he leaves and it is so simple but yet so wonderful.


Zach sharing some pears with Dakota before work!!

The other morning Zach said to me, “I am just so happy! Even though life and work are still stressful and we don’t know what the heck we are doing (and Zach is a really stressful person that has a hard time not focusing on problems) just spending these morning together with you and Dakota just makes me so happy!” This made my heart just skip a beat because that is what it is all about!! In the scriptures in 2 Nephi 2:25 it says, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” For a long time we were missing out on that joy as we grieved and mourned the loss of the Dakota man we once had and struggled with this new change.

I remember as clear as day one night, sitting  in bed one night crying (one of many nights) and struggling after Dakota’s accident after months and months of REALLY hard days and nights. I remember wishing SO badly that I could just fast forward life like 10 years! I wanted to feel happiness again and I had a hope that I would…I just couldn’t see how or when that would be. I didn’t get to fast forward life…I had to struggle, learn, and grow every day since but that happiness is back and it is even more “happy” then I have ever felt before!! So to sit here at this computer today and speak of our home being being filled with SO much HAPPINESS, it is truly AMAZING to me!! I honestly thank my Heavenly Father EVERY day for it!!!

Along with all of these most important changes and progress we are seeing, Dakota is getting stronger too! He holds his head and body a lot stronger. He is still progressing at his crawling in therapy although he can’t do it on his own. He LOVES getting the chance to army crawl on his slide to his favorite Lemon Italian Ice. When he gets to the end he just smiles so big and is so proud of himself! I love it! He still stiffens up his entire body a lot…probably more then before. This makes it super hard to hold him because he is so strong and big that it takes all you got to keep him from falling out of your arms. He does it a lot when he is excited or mad. The therapists say that he has learned that that movement has helped him in his rolling and other things so that is why he does it more often. This is also what makes crawling on his own hard for him because he is really good and pushing but getting his leg back up in position is another story.

He is moving his arms a little more coordinated. He will bring his arms and hands up to his toothbrush as you brush his teeth and things like that. I would LOVE to see him be able to use his hands to grab things. I think that would make life a lot more enjoyable for him and he would be more capable of doing so much more.

As far as his trach goes, he is still needing suctioning at least 3-4 times a day so we aren't really making much progress towards getting that out. He coughs really strong and good but still doesn’t seem to clear our his airway all the way. He has actually started to really enjoy getting suctioned and will smile many times when you ask him if he wants one and when you are doing it because I’m sure it makes him feel so much better to breathe better. Not sure if that is a good thing though since we want him to not need suctioning. But we are okay with the trach. When he first got it is was such a new and weird thing for us. It was a foreign object coming out of our little boys neck. It looked weird, sounded weird, and was scary! Now that we are used to it, it has become a part of him and we no longer feel this sense of urgency to get it out. Of course if he does get it out one day we would be so happy, more for the fact that it means he has progressed but if he never does it will be ok too!! It is his cute little “necklace” as some people call it! ;)

About a month or so ago he got his first loose tooth!! It was kinda my fault though so not sure if that really counts as a first! I was flossing his little teeth with one of those floss picks and he all the sudden bit down on it and it cut his gum right next to he bottom middle tooth pretty bad. I felt SOOOOO bad as he cried and blood was pouring out! I was just trying to be a good mom and get his teeth cleaned!!!
After that his tooth was super sensitive and he didn’t want anything to do with tastes. The times we could get him to try some baby food he would bite down on the spoon and it would make his gum bleed and he would cry. One day at church he bit on a succor and his tooth just got really loose. From there on out it was getting looser and looser. When we took him to the dentist for his cleaning the bottom middle two were both loose so the dentist decided to pull them.
I was so scared and sad for him but he didn’t even make a peep!! He was MUCH braver then me!!!

Getting ready!!

When the dentist got done he said, “well I got 3.” I was a little confused on why the 3rd had to come but well it was already gone so what the heck! Dakota just has a huge gap now in the bottom which you don’t see unless you pull his lip down. It sure makes him seem like such a big boy though!!

All gone!!

He got his first visit from the tooth fairy and got 3 whole dollars!!!

Holding his treasure box with his teeth in it, getting ready to take it to his bed! ;)


Morning time! Looks super excited! ;) Not sure that he really cared about the money but I think he was glad to have that sensitive tooth out of his mouth!



Hooray they are gone!!!

He is still LOVING school and all of his cute friends!

I mean seriously who wouldn’t love school when you get to swing in a hammock swing and ride scooters down the hallway! Sign me up! ;)

He loves the bus rides and can be crying all the way to the bus and as soon as he gets on he is just fine. He loves to look out the window. He seriously has the cutest bus drivers in the whole world. I love them to pieces!! I will be so sad when this school year ends and he moves to a new school and maybe with new bus drivers! :(

I think that about sums Dakota man up for awhile. If I ever leave anything out that you would like to know please leave me a question in the comments and I will be happy to answer!

Last Day of School

  So since summer school is starting for Dakota next week I figured I better blog about his last day of school! ;)
First of all, I LOVED LOVED LOVED this year of school for him! I can’t say enough good things about his teacher Miss Kari!

She was AMAZING with Dakota to say the least. She was SO SO SO involved with him, hands on, carrying him, on the floor with him, racking her brain on how to help him. She really went above and beyond for him. I was SO worried that he wouldn’t have many friends this year since there were only like 1 or 2 girls in his class and they were only there on 1 of the days Dakota was there…but the boys stepped it up this year and there were 2 boys in particular that REALLY took a liking to Dakota and took it upon themselves to be his friends, helpers, and protectors!
The nurse sent me a couple pictures of his sweet little buddy helping him sing and act along with everyone else.

SO CUTE!!
We were sad to say goodbye but luckily Heavenly Father answered my prayers and softened the heart of the head district special needs lady and she allowed Dakota to stay in preschool 1 more year!! After our transition meeting for kindergarten where we discussed the pros and cons of Dakota going to Kindergarten (I really wanted him to stay in preschool one more year) the district lady decided she would let me choose. Everyone in the room was shocked. The principal of the Elementary even told me she had NEVER seen that happen in her 7 years! YAY!! So hopefully we will have Ms. Kari again!!!
We LOVED his bus drivers too! They are SO SO sweet to Dakota!
Look at that happy face!!
Here are a few shots of his last day!
 
Got his treats to give the bus drivers. Away he goes!!
Zach’s cute mom went to Dakota’s school one day to visit and captured a glimpse into his fun filled day! Thanks Vicki for getting all the pictures!

Doing some coloring with Ms Kari

His little buddy is helping! Dakota gets to choose by looking what color of crayon he wants.
 
His teacher made this helper chart with pictures of kids helping Dakota so that they would feel comfortable being around Dakota…so thoughtful!!
Dakota has a WIDE variety of chairs and places just for him.
 
Of course the trusty wheelchair that gets him to and from school on the bus. That’s about the only time he is in it.
 
His tomato chair with wheels. This is one of his cute nurses Robin! We love Robin!! He is line leader on the right! Such an important and highly esteemed job for a preschooler!!
 
His corner chair for circle time. Probably his least favorite chair since it makes him work the hardest and sitting up himself.

The Standard that lets him stand up like a big guy! It’s a lot of work but I think he likes being up and seeing everything around him!
And of course their is his sweet rides for gym and physical play time!

Just on my way to the gym!! How cute is this?!
 
Just playin with the kids!! It’s a rough life being pulled around! ;)
This picture cracks me up…that is his nurse Robin riding a trike next to him! LOL! Too cute!

They also put all these scooters together just for him!! I think he is in heaven! ;)

He even gets to go down the slide like the other kids! So sweet that they will help him do this!!

He has a mat when he is feeling like rolling and relaxin!

He likes story time most of the time. He especially liked a story where the doorbell rang. They let him use the IPAD to make the doorbell ring. He thought that was pretty cool!!

What a big helper!!

    
He enjoys snack time with the kids. Some days when he gets applesauce or pudding and the other kids get a cookie, he refuses to eat what he has and stares at the kids eating the cookies. The teachers finally figured out that he was wanting a cookie just like all the other kids so now he gets to suck on a cookie with them! ;) That’s my kid!! Loves his cookies like his mama!!
         
He gets lots of opportunity to make choices with pictures. He knows what he wants!!

This is how he feels about preschool most days! He has really enjoyed it this year and progressed so much. I look forward to another great year!
Until then, we will keep enjoying our summer! I love summer time!!
We have gone to the dollar movies and surprisingly this year he has really seemed to enjoy it. Usually by the end of the movie he is done but he has done really well!!
 
At the movies with our friends!!

We love playing outside and being with friends!!

Chelsea giving my arms a break! ;)

Ella...holding on to this big guy!

He is still going to therapy in Logan and is still LOVING this bike!!!! It is so fun!! Zach is gonna see if he can try and build one for Dakota to have for home. They are $4,000!!! YIKES!!

Until then…we will keep riding at therapy!!

Technorati Tags: dakota,school,therapy,fun

Where has October gone???

Halloween is right around the corner and I realize whether I like it or not...Fall is here and Winter is knocking on my door.
There are MANY things that I LOVE about Fall but also many that I don't!
I LOVE the BEAUTIFUL leaves ALL over the mountains that change into vibrant red, orange, yellow, and pink. Growing up in AZ we didn't get to experience this beautiful scenery.

I love the holidays, and busting out the decorations to give the house a fresh new look to look at for awhile.

My spooky ghosts I made at girls craft night out...yes this exists! ;)

A little kid came over and drew the stuff on the right..J/K...it was really me but it looks like a kid did it...that's the best of my art abilities! ;)

Should have taken pics before it was all eaten...at least it was a decoration put to good use! ;)

 

It says "Happy Haunting" totally free printable I found off Pinterest. LOVE!!

My fun book pumpkin I copied from my awesome neighbor Alyssa!

Love this cute little pumpkin! (Just covered it with some tights)

This is my MOST favorite decoration of all! Makes me smile EVERY day! He made the CUTEST sheriff I have EVER seen!!!

Busted out old Halloween pics...so fun!!!

 

My ride!

LOVE LOVE my fun pumpkins from the local fruit stand!

 

I love the family and friend time spent with parties and fun. I LOVE the fun fall and winter clothes...that is also something I have didn't get to experience living in AZ. I never even owned a pair of boots (besides cowboy boots) before I moved to South Dakota. Now boots and scarfs are probably some of my most favorite accessories! ;)

I DON'T love that I have to start bundling up to go for a run and busting out the headlamp again. I don't love that the sun doesn't shine quit as much as it used to and give you the warm fuzzy feeling when you walk into it's light. I hate all the germs and sickness that goes around. I hate having to bundle Dakota up to just go for a walk.

He doesn't mind ;)

The hardest of all...is the reminder that THIS is the time of year where my life was changed forever.

Right before Dakota's accident Zach's mom wanted to take Dakota for the evening to get some pictures of him in their Fall leaves before they cleaned them all up. Besides our family pictures they were some of the last taken of him that showed his sweet, sweet face and personality for who he really was. It wasn't til a few months ago that she first showed and gave them to me. She told me to look at them on a day that I was already crying. The first time I looked at them they didn't make me cry...they made me smile. Inside I LOVE to remember him that way even though it hurts. To me...it's as if he is stuck right at that age and that time of life because that is what I remember. It's hard to think that he is really 4 now and that he has grown so much because to me he is still that little boy. Time stopped on November 26, 2010 for me, and even though life is still moving forward and he is still growing up right before my eyes, in a way I can't go on until I see that little boy just like this again.

Oh the many faces!!!!!

 

So grateful Vicki captured this boy so well!!

 

SO back to October cuz that is what I meant this blog post to be about (lucky for me it is MY journal so it can go wherever I want it too! ;) )
Most important happening is that Zach FINALLY caught up to his old lady and turned 28 on the 19th!! As I always say...birthdays should be celebrated ALL week, so we partied it up. The Sunday before his birthday we had a family party with his family.

Our sweet nephew Houston joined our family for the pic...love that kid!

Helped Uncle Zach with the candles

Each day up til his birthday I gave him a little treat. We went out to Chilis a couple days before and got our favorite Molten cake. The night before I made him OUR favorite...chocolate cake with rainbow chip frosting...very fancy I know! ;)

He didn't want to be in the pic...so here is the fancy cake! ;)

The day of his birthday I had to fly out to AZ for my BIG 10 year high school reunion (I know I am a horrible wife) BUT I had a secret spy leave him a piece of Maddox's famous banana cream pie with a letter from me so he would know I was thinking of him. BUT because I have THE SWEETEST husband in the world...he didn't even eat it and saved it for me because he knew how much I love it...he is MOST DEFINITELY a keeper! ;)

Don't worry while I was gone he still got pampered cuz his sweet grandparents took him and Dakota to lunch, his sweet brother and wife took him to dinner that night, AND his sister Jenny took him for a massage the next so REALLY...I'm pretty sure he was just fine without me! :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACHARY JAY!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

I was spoiled this month too because my sister Annie and her husband came into town for a quick trip and we got to spend a night with them. Then right after they left my sister Katie came into town for a few days to do some permanent makeup on some people up here and to hang out with her favorite sister! ;) Then not long after that, is when I got to go down to AZ for the weekend to go to my 10 year reunion. SO I have LOVED October! ;)

I got to AZ on Friday and went straight to work helping get ready my family's annual Halloween party. I was SO excited that it fell on the same weekend I was coming. My sister Annie and I set up a rockin haunted house in her garage and there were 5 adults in their scaring the kids at different spots. Let's just say...we did a GREAT job...kids were crying and freaking out...even the 10 year olds! ;)

Nana hiding in her position as a scary witch! ;)

WATCH OUT!!!

 

 Annie planned some fun games for the kids too...she is so creative!

Decorating cookies with Nana

Trying to get the doughnut

Punch the bowl game to get a prize and answer a fun question about yourself

We had some pretty rad costumes if I say so myself! ;)

Yes...that is me! Bob Marley if you didn't know! ;) I LOVED seeing the kids reaction "Tessie...is that you?!" "How did you get your skin like that?"

Dawn was my hippy date that night! Peace and Love!!

Some pirates showed up...too bad Dakota wasn't there with them...he is a pirate this year too!

Masquerade Lady struttin her stuff!

80's workout chic yelling at Areal for eating a cookie! ;)

Batman with his teeth he won!

Captain Andrew...I mean America!

Wonder Woman juicing up!

Some really buff green guys!

That night I had a girl sleepover with all the older girl nieces and my sister Dawn. It was great to have some good ole Dawn time! ;) And niece time!!! :)

The next day I got to watch one niece play soccer and another play softball.

GO SHEA!!!

GO PAIGE!! She got a awesome hit right here...learned from the best! ;)

Then spent all afternoon with my bestie Abbey...getting our nails done, eating some lunch, and a little shopping too! Before we knew it the time had flown by and we were gonna miss the reunion.

She was my hot date since my party pooper husband didn't want to come with me. ;) I didn't blame him since he would know hardly anyone...so I let him off the hook which was probably best for the both of us because then I didn't have to worry all night about him having fun and wanting to leave, instead of enjoying the time talking with old friends.

All ready to go!

It was SO much more fun then I expected. It was pretty laid back and dinner was served from a Taco truck. Everyone just walked around and chit chatted away...took a few pictures and before I knew it it was time to go. It was so good to see so many great people.

Me and some of the clan. I was lame and didn't bust out my camera til the end so hopefully you other ladies out there will pass them around! ;)

 

Back under the Tiger again! ;)

 I have to admit...I can still remember senior year talking to all my friends and totally talking about going to our 10 year reunion. I remember thinking about what I pictured my life being like. Let's just say, it is NOTHING like I EVER imagined it being. I did marry Prince Charming and gave birth to an angel boy but everything else...let's just say I could have done without! :)

Right after I got back from AZ, the next morning at 4:30 A.M. we headed up for a couple days to go deer hunting. To sum up this years hunt...let's just say it made me want to retire my deer hunting career without EVER getting a deer. It was FREEZING, RAINING, WINDY, and to top it off we didn't see even ONE buck. Not even a chance to get excited and make sitting out in the rain and wind thinking I was going to die worth it. And I'm not just being a wimpy girl...Zach and my hunting partner Jake were freezing too and hated it. The one night we slept in the tent we woke up in the night thinking the top was gonna blow over it was blowing so hard. We did have some good laughs, roasted some good ole hot dogs, and enjoyed it the best we could. Let's hope that one of these years I will actually get to shoot something besides a water bottle! ;)

Zach getting ready to roast

Jake my guide

That is my sexy self if you can't tell! ;) 3 layers on my head, 5 layers on top, 3 on my legs, and 2 on my feet, and I still thought I was gonna die!

Our amazing fire that I NEVER wanted to die out.

Me and my husband on our romantic getaway!

 

After pretty much 5 days of being away from Dakota...I was definitely missing him. I know he had a blast with daddy, grammy, Aunt Jenny, and nurse Annette but it was sure nice to snuggle that little bug again! I know I am partial but he has the sweetest and cutest face in the world!! Since I have been back I have seen more smiles and laughs on that boy then I have in a LONG time!! Maybe he just needed a break from his mom!

 

He did have his last day of horse therapy before I left...at least until April. We will miss it!

His last ride he was fussin quite a bit until...he spit up all over the therapists arm and himself...then he was all smiles.

I missed the smiles but at least it's not a sad face!

 

Phew...THE END!