A Tail of Six Foxes

Tubing

2012-02-15T21:50:00.000-08:00

Uncle Nathan, Aunt Deanna and Dax came to town for a snowboarding trip. We met them at Soldier Hollow one afternoon and did some tubing. It was really fun. All the kids loved it.

Late in the day, Derek fell asleep while being towed up the hill. He did wake up until he hit the hill at the end.

Uncle Nathan and Katelyn being pulled up the hill.

My crazy family.

*We'll add some more photos when we get them.

Pinewood Derby

2012-02-15T21:34:00.000-08:00

About a month ago Derek and Blake participated in their first pinewood derby. They've been dreaming about this for a long time. We've been watching videos online about how to make pinewood derby cars for over a year. It was also my first time making a pinewood derby car (as a dad) and I kinda suck at this stuff. The pressure was on me and I had to make 2 cars. With the help of online videos and suggestions we got two cars they were happy with. However, they didn't just want cool looking cars but they both wanted to win.

Derek and his turtle car (it was fast but looked like a turtle).

They raced each other twice and each of them won once. Wow, was that lucky for us.

Brandon liked the sugar cookies with blue frosting.

Weekend in Pocatello

2012-01-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

We went to Pocatello, Idaho to see Jordyn and Emily in a Dance competition this weekend. It was fun and there team took first place in several categories.

This is just a shot I took from the car on the way home.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-07T23:22:00.000-08:00

We let the kids open one present on Christmas Eve. This year they finally figured out that it always seem to be new PJ's.

We had a big pile o' trash left over.

Vegas Sights

2011-12-23T16:07:00.000-08:00

Here are some shots taken during our trip toVegas.

Christmas In Vegas

2011-12-23T16:03:00.000-08:00

We got a chance to spend some time with family in Vegas this. I know Vegas isn't a typical holiday destination but it was fun and we got a chance to spend time with a lot of cousins.

Swimming outdoors in late December

I'm pretty sure that the official Mini and Mickey don't get to take their heads off in public. I kids where still willing to try on the heads and ask if they were the real thing.

A tired good after walking all over the strip.

'Tis the Season

2011-12-13T22:56:00.000-08:00

We've attended several Christmas parties lately. At the church Christmas party Blake and Derek performed. Blake played the violin, Derek played the piano and Katelyn shot the video.

They got a candy cane from the Bishop and got to sit on "Bishop Santa's" lap (our former Bishop - Bishop Rife).

Later that same day we attended the annual Now I Can Christmas party. They got to see a lot of Santa that day but they were still excited the second time around and were asking if the one at this party was the "real one". They each got a gift at the party which was organized by an Eagle Scout candidate.

Violin Recital

2011-12-07T21:28:00.000-08:00

Blake and Derek had another violin recital. I know I'm their dad but... they are so talented. They also volunteered to play in primary. Blake played violin while Derek accompanied him on the piano. It always seem surprising when 8-year-old kids can actually play.

Reflections Art Competition

2011-11-23T23:35:00.000-08:00

The boys entered in the school's reflections art contest again this year. They both entered in the same category. Blake took 1st and Derek took third. Derek took it well but it didn't hurt that last year he took first.

The event had a very lovely MC.

The theme this year was "Diversity Means". Here is Derek's entry.

Here is Blake's.

Indoor Soccer

2011-11-23T23:19:00.000-08:00

Blake and Derek are playing in door soccer this winter. They play on the same team as the summer league so they are still playing up a year (they are younger than most of the kids). There was only room left in the "Gold" division so all the teams they play are really, really good. They've been taking it well and the whole team is really improving. They didn't win again tonight but I was very proud of how hard both of them played.

The lighting isn't great so it makes it hard to get good photos.

Blake & Derek's Concert

2011-11-23T23:13:00.000-08:00

Here are some shots from Blake and Derek's semi-annual Orchestra concert. They really are getting to be quite good.

Amy helps out with the Cellos. The director asked her to play in the concert.

Pumpkin Patch & Museum

2011-11-23T21:42:00.000-08:00

This is our last vacation post. We hit the museum on the OU campus in Norman.

We later met some friends at a pumpkin patch.

Family & Friends

2011-11-15T22:27:00.000-08:00

The real reason for our vacation wasn't to visit places but to visit people. We spent a lot of time with family that we hadn't seen in a long time.

We also got a chance to spend some time with friends.

Texas State Fair

2011-11-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

We spent a really fun day at the Texas State Fair.

The bird show was really great. It was a little strange how similar it was to the bird show at the local zoo where we have season passes. They even used the same funny stunt where the "volunteer" from the audience falls in the water when frightened by a bird.

Brandon loved his dolphin.

This is a sculpture made from butter. Yeah, I don't know why either.

On our way out we were all pretty tired but we stopped to see the fireworks show.

That's "Big Tex" in the background. I know. He is shaped a little strangely.

Click below to see the fireworks in action.

At the Texas state fair you can get just about anything deep fried. I mean ANYTHING.

Deep fried biscuits and gravy.

Natural Bridge Caverns

2011-11-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

Military Bases

2011-11-03T22:32:00.000-07:00

Blake has a huge interest in most things military related. He was very excited that his Grandpa could take him on a military base. We visited two bases during our stay in San Antonio. The second was an Army base. All four kids ran up to the first person they saw dressed in a uniform and attacked him like he was a character at Disneyland. He was gracious and allowed us to take a photo with him. It turned out he was a colonel.

We explained the different branches of the Military and how members of each branch usually felt proud of their particular branch. We were visiting an Army base even though Grandpa wasn't in the Army. Somehow all of that resulted in my kids walking up to people in uniform at the Army base and shouting "Navy Rules"! So embarrassing.

On the base there was an enclosed area with deer, peacocks, and some chickens. Our kids couldn't resist getting as close as they could to the animals and then chasing them when they ran.

While I kept trying to get them to leave the poor animals alone, maybe this guy was taunting them and trying to get them to chase him.

At Outdoor World, Amy also got close to a deer.

She looks way too comfortable with a gun.

Pretty Vacation Pics

2011-11-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some various shots I took during our vacation.

Remembering the Alamo and the River Walk

2011-11-01T22:16:00.000-07:00

We spent a day in San Antonio at the Alamo and the River Walk.

Amy accidentally scratched Derek. He loved telling everyone to look and see what his mom did to him.

Derek took this photo at the Alamo

Blake took this one

Later that night we went to Incredible Pizza for dinner. This is Amy's Grandfather and her cousin's son, Allesandro.

Grandpa and Brandon playing a motorcycle video game.

Katelyn loved riding the bike, even when she really wasn't actually playing.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T23:39:00.000-07:00

I'm throwing Halloween photos in the middle of our vacation stuff. It might be out of chronological order but Halloween photos will be out of place in a short time.

This is Brandon and Katelyn getting ready to wear their costumes for school.

Trick or treating...

Here are some "super" bothers.

A house int he neighborhood.

A nearby house that we call the "Castle".

Vacation 2011: Sea World

2011-10-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

We got up long before the sun so we could drive from Roswell to San Antonio and go to Sea World in the same day. I was very tiring but the kids loved it. It was great to spend time with Grandpa. It had been a long time.

Click the photo below to see it move.

Vacation 2011: Day 1

2011-10-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

We recently went on a long vacation. We did a lot of driving. We went through a lot of States. We saw a lot of family and friends and we took a lot of pictures. We got up at 3 a.m. to start our trip. It was pretty effective because the kids slept for a long time and we had traveled for almost 6 hours before we had to start our first movie.

We stopped at four corners. We had been warned it wasn't very exciting but I was still very underwhelmed. However the kids still seemed to have fun and it was a welcome break from driving. They also convinced us to buy each one of them a genuine Indian souvenir.

We drove through New Mexico and we don't have fond memories. Twice we were ran into construction on the main highway going through small towns. However, there were no detour signs. We spent a LOT of time trying to figure out how to get around the construction and get back on the main highway. In fact, when we returned to ask the construction worker who was waving everyone off the road, he had no idea how to get around the construction. Something hit our sun roof and shattered it while driving through Albuquerque. We spent a lot of time trying to find a place to clean it up and we must have picked the bad part of town. One bright spot is we found a restaurant with an incredibly nice staff. We arrived in Roswell after dark and left before sun up so it is hard to know what it was really like. We did get to see the alien theme used on every business and sign in town. Overall we weren't very impressed.

We found a burger place called Blake's so we had to take a photo.

2011-10-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

We've been up to a lot since our last post. Before I get to the most recent stuff I need to catch up. A while back Brandon got as chance to help represent Now I Can at a charity event held during a local girls soccer game. He loves doing this stuff.

Blake and Derek's normal soccer season is over. We start indoor soccer soon. Here are some shots taken at soccer games.

For the school fair, Blake and Derek decorated soda bottles. They sell the bottles as a fund raiser.

More Soccer

2011-09-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

Derek and Blake are playing a lot of soccer. They are both getting really good and they love it.

Just a good shot of a teammate.

They play up a level . Even though they just turned 8 they play with kids that are 10 and some of those kids are about to turn 11. However, both Blake and Derek are pretty aggressive and they totally hang with the big boys.

Another good shot of a teammate.

Labor Day Weekend.

2011-09-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun Labor Day weekend. We surprised the kids with spending the night in Park City. Later we ended up spending time with our good friends the Sinemas. We spent the day at a cabin up the canyon where we did a lot of fun stuff in a short period of time. I didn't get a shot of the five snakes the kids caught.

Playing with the Caterpillar.

Blake and Derek shot a real gun for the first time.

Katelyn ran around in her bathing suit and her new sweater. She also managed to get pretty banged up. She fell and re-injured her head. The almost-healed goose egg looked really bad.

We floated down the river on tubes, starting at the cabin and then jumping out at a nearby bridge.

My Life as a Soccer Mom

2011-09-01T21:44:00.001-07:00

I'm a soccer mom, but don't get me wrong, I'm not to the point of representing my family in soccer balls on my minivan, but I am indeed a soccer mom in so many ways.

soc·cer mom

noun
soccer moms, plural

A middle-class suburban mother who spends a great deal of time taking her children to play soccer or engage in other activities

Blake and Derek are playing competition soccer this year. After a very peculiar series of events they ended up on a U10 soccer team (so they are playing up a year) with a fantastic and very enthusiastic coach. They have some kind of soccer activity 3-4 times a week and it is truly a new level of intensity that is perfectly suited for Derek and Blake. They love it! They've had three games now and are 2-1.

So while I am defintely the proverbial soccer mom, I am turning into a different kind of soccer mom as well. I take the games way too serious, I can't seem to quit looking at the stats and standings on the league website and I'm sure if I actually knew anything about how to play the sport I'd be drilling my kids every extra minute. So while my lack of knowledge deters me in some areas, it does not slow my mouth down at the games. I just can't help myself. I guess my boys don't just get their extremely competitive nature from their dad.

So I was in charge of soccer treats today and they boys really wanted to do something fun and soccer-ish. The first treats were soccer sugar cookies. I was hoping to find some soccer candy or fruit snacks or hostess cupckaes or something that I could just grab and go but when I couldn't find anything in the store I got sucked in to my usual over-the-top thinking and ended up spending 2 hours making 14 of these rice krispie treats with 100 calorie Oreos and chocolate frosting. It took 2 double batches of rice krispies and all I can say is the more interesting picture would have been my kitchen after I was done.

But I was happy with them and my boys were excited and I loved the reaction of their team. In the end it was totally worth the time it took to make them. But really, is there a name for a mom who always overdoes it? Because soccer mom doesn't even cover it.

Here are some pictures of their soccer games:

Here's their team the Yellow Jackets being "inspected" by the refs.

Blake's debut as a keeper. Boy I hope that doesn't happen again soon. Sooo stressful for me!

The post-game talk after their loss.

Brandon and Katelyn playing at a park in Salem, Ut during a game.

First Day of Preschool

2011-09-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

Brandon and Katelyn started preschool yesterday and it was soooo different from last year when I was an emotional basket case and could only be reassured by retail therapy. This year I took my mom to have her port removed (an implanted device that gives access for chemo). So the end of one phase and beginning of another for me. It was a kind of strange day to be honest. But the kids had fun and their teacher said it was like they never left. Can't wait to see what the school year brings for Brandon and Katelyn's development and growth.

First Day of School and HGH Update

2011-08-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

Blake and Derek started 3rd grade yesterday. They were so excited to get back to school (I guess they've had enough of me!). They had a great day and they love their new teacher. I can't believe how fast they're growing up and how fast the summer flew by. Its always so bitter sweet for me to send them back to school but I will say that I'm very proud that I got them through the summer without killing each other. Not even an ER visit! Amazing! Those of you who didn't spend any time with us this summer may think I'm joking. I'm not.

Blake and Derek on their way out the door.

Blake

Derek

Blake walking out of school.

We got some exciting news on Monday about Brandon and Katelyn's growth. They have both reached the 33rd percentile for height. Since they started taking growth hormones in April 2008 they have made up a lot of ground. It took them more than a year to even be on the growth chart. So the good news is we can be done with these nightly injections as soon as we use up the medication we have. I can't tell you what a relief that is! They are so good about them but it definitely complicates our bedtime routine and, well, just sucks. The doctor expects them to drop down on the charts a bit but she says she rarely has to restart and that she won't even consider restarting until a year from now. Let's hope they just grow on their own now!

A Few Summer Happenings

2011-08-21T09:09:00.001-07:00

Derek petting the foal in the field next to Brent's work.

Brandon playing at Chuck E Cheese on his birthday.

Derek showing him how its done!

Our first family bike ride - all six of us. Its been really fun having a bike trailer. I wish we could have used it more, but there's still fall.

Katelyn after getting her face painted at our dentists' summer party. Its always something my kids look forward to because for some weird reason, they always win prizes. They aren't small events, and my kids aren't usually lucky but they have an amazing track record with these parties!

Brandon has a football.

Derek kept his for the next day and was surprised how many people stared at him in Costco. Blake washed his off as soon as we got to the restaurant. It was irritating his skin.

We've had an unusual number of snakes in our backyard this year. In this picture Derek's wearing a glove because this snake had just bitten Blake. I wasn't there but I heard that if we'd had a video going we could've made bank!

Katelyn holding a trophy she got a soccer clinic. A wonderful young Eagle Scout candidate organized a really fun soccer clinic for Now I Can kids. It was really fun and I just loved that he had come up with such a wonderful project. I wish I had gotten a picture of the kids with him. They felt so special because of his efforts.

Brandon practicing at the clinic.

This is a terrible phone picture but its Katelyn and Brandon standing with our friend Saylor after the "scrimmage" - another event I wish I'd had a video camera going for. It was so funny but the kids had a blast.

Blake during his yellow stripe belt test. He loves Karate (and so does Brandon who

regularly tells people that he and Blake take karate).

Blake with his teacher - Sensei Beau

Park City

2011-08-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

We went on a quick weekend trip to Park City recently.

Clouds

2011-08-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here are some cloud photos I've taken this summer.

Birthdays

2011-07-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

All 4 of our kids have Birthday's in July. With the 4th of July falling in the middle, it makes for a busy month. Here are some shots of Birthday related activities.

Bees Baseball Game

2011-07-11T23:23:00.000-07:00

Some good friends recently invited us to go see a Bees baseball game.

This was the view in right field.

Blake & Dereks Baptism

2011-07-11T23:21:00.000-07:00

4th of July weekend

2011-07-11T23:18:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of fun things to do around here around the 4th of July. This year we had a lot of friends and family visit making it extra fun.

The night before the race Bill and I decided to run the 5K with no preparation or training. Bill did well but I got beat by Uncle Sam on stilts.

Vacation: Knotts Berry Farm

2011-07-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

Vacation: Beach

2011-07-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

While I was at my conference the Amy and the crew went to the beach.

Vacation: LEGO Land

2011-06-28T23:12:00.000-07:00

I still have to do a lot of posting just to cover all of our recent vacation. Here are a bunch of shots from our visit to LEGO Land

Vote for Now I Can in the Vivint Facebook Contest

2011-06-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

Anyone who reads our blog is already familiar with Now I Can, the amazing organization Brandon goes to for intensive physical therapy. They are competing in a Facebook Contest to win up to $250,000. This money would go toward helping kids like Brandon, and many who have far greater challenges. Your daily click will make the difference in the lives of these kids. Please take a moment each day until August 27 to vote for Now I Can in the Mountain region.

Please help Now I Can win $250,000 from Vivint by voting for us every day on Facebook at http://www.vivint.com/givesbackproject/charity/4 (or use the banner ad at the top of our blog). Its hard to explain how much your time means to parents like us and so many others who struggle to find ways to ensure that our children reach their highest potential.

Here is a video of his therapy session this spring. It was perfectly timed for Brandon, just as a growth spurt was tightening his muscles. I love the video (and so does Brandon). I'm not sure how such a huge spirit fits inside that skinny little boy, but I sure do love him.

Brandon's Therapy at Now I Can (3/2011)

Vacation: Playing at the Park

2011-06-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

Grandma got to see Katelyn's grumpy side. She can really be a stinker.

Vacation: Hanging at Nathan & Deanna's

2011-06-20T22:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some more photos of us hanging out and having fun at Nathan's place.

Vacation: Pool Party

2011-06-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

We recently went on vacation to California. I took a lot of pictures. I'm going to break them all up into separate posts. This first set of photos was taken at a pool party at "Fireman Uncle Nathans" & Aunt Deanna's house.

NICU Reunion 2011

2011-06-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, they actually hold an annul UVRMC NICU reunion party. It's a fairly big event and we still go every year. In fact, Amy helps out in the set up as much as she can. We still have a lot of contact with the nurses, doctors, therapists, staff and many of the other "NICU Graduates". These are a couple photos I took of the kids playing at the party this year.

First try at a moving photo

2011-06-16T22:36:00.000-07:00

Click on the photo below to see the movement. This is my first attempt at something like this. It's really rough but I don't want to spend more time cleaning it up. The boys weren't very cooperative when I was taking the pictures so I hope that next time I get better shots to work with.

Fishing

2011-05-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

One of our good friends and neighbor invited us to go fishing with him on a Saturday morning. I took all of the boys. We caught a lot of fish and had a lot of fun. I tried to keep Brandon out of the water, but he couldn't be stopped.

New Posts to the Boy's Blog

2011-05-29T23:24:00.000-07:00

Derek and Blake both posted to their blog today:

http://derekandblake.blogspot.com/

7 Year Old Musical Geniuses

2011-05-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a little biased but I think Blake and Derek are some really talented kids. They had two recitals recently. They had a violin recital and then three days later they had a piano recital. They choose new songs to learn and perform so we did a lot of practicing for a couple of weeks to get the new songs down. I have to admit that I was a little worried a few days before the recitals, but they both did really well.

No smiles because they were both pretty nervous.

Now I Can 5K Charity Run

2011-05-20T23:03:00.000-07:00

The other day we attended the 5K charity run held to raise money for Now I Can. We planned to show up at the event, participate in all of the activities and then walk the race together as a family. However, as soon as they called everyone to start the race, Blake disappeared. Of course, we found him at the front of the line, ready to race and win. Amy pushed Brandon and Katelyn in the stroller and I tried to keep up with Derek and Blake.

Brandon got a special medal as a Now I Can kid.

Amy got Brandon out of the stroller and he ran across the finish line. He was convinced that HE won the race because he got a medal. (All the kids that crossed the finish line got one.)

Eye exam

2011-05-15T22:19:00.000-07:00

Because Brandon and Katelyn are NICU graduates they get to go in on a regular basis, spend a day, and see a variety of doctors. Amy was sick so I got to take them in this time. They had their eyes dilated for an eye exam. They were very excited about the sunglasses they got to take home.

Easter 2011

2011-05-15T22:13:00.000-07:00

The Saturday before Easter we went to a public Easter egg hunt held on a farm. Our good camera's battery died but we got some shots with a cell phone.

We took pictures of the kids all dressed up for Easter

We decorated eggs:

We held our own Easter egg hunt:

Spring Break at Bear Lake

2011-05-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to get to spend some time at Bear Lake

with some good fiends, the Pucketts, over spring break.

It was Madi's Birthday so the kids followed clues through a scavenger hunt.

Amy planned for all of us to go sledding. It was really cold and windy. I was really grumpy and didn't want to go. The kids also left some of our winter gear so we had to improvise a bit. In the end it worked out great. We got on the hillside and a family offered the use of their snowmobile to shuttle kids up and down the hill. We later saw the family in town and it turns out they were also from Orem. Even more interesting we ran into the same family two days later back in Provo.

We spent a lot of time at the pool.

It was a really fun trip and a much-needed break. We were glad there were friends from church willing to check on Amy's mom so we could go.

Orchestra Concert

2011-04-29T23:08:00.000-07:00

Blake and Derek once gain played in the school orchestra concert. They are both quite good musicians. I'm always very impressed at how well they play. They both play violin and piano.

Pirates!

2011-04-26T23:06:00.000-07:00

The Popes came to visit. We went to see a Jazz v. Lakers game. While they were here we went to Pirate Island for lunch.

Spring Soccer

2011-04-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

Derek has been playing spring soccer. It's been a little hard for Blake. He choose to play football and take Karate lessons instead of playing soccer. The problem is when he goes to the games he really wants to play. in fact, once when they didn't have any substitutes and Derek got hurt, Blake found his way in the game for a minute.

Derek is a really good soccer play and he ends up scoring most of the goals. I can't help but imagine how good the team would be if they had both Blake and Derek on the team.

Blake plays around wit the team during half-time.

If he can't get in the game, Blake loves stealing my camera and taking pictures. After one of the games we looked over and he arranged a team photo shoot. He gave directions and posed the whole team as if it was team picture day and he was a professional photographer. He seems to know that if you act like your are official, everyone will follow your directions. Here is the photo he took:

While Derek is playing soccer the rest of the family hangs out.

Winter

2011-04-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

We keep hoping Spring will arrive. These were taken just a couple of weeks ago. It was a pretty heavy snow fall for April.

These were actually taken in back in January.

... and these were taken in December.

Jazz Game

2011-04-23T16:52:00.000-07:00

Back in February I got a chance to go a Jazz/Bulls game with my business partner, Lane. We had good seats and I brought my camera. It turned out to be an eventful game. It was Carlos Boozers first return to Salt Lake after leaving to play for Chicago. The next day the head coach, Jerry Sloan, quit. A couple weeks later the Jazz traded Daron Williams. It's a very different team now.

I caught a lot of the extracurricular activity. None of these shots are fouls.

This is Boozer getting his shot blocked.

Christmas Card Photos

2011-04-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

We have some very cute kids. These are big versions of the photos we took back in December and used for our Christmas cards. We just took them in the yard. I really like the way they turned out.

Now I Can

2011-04-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

In March we were able to get Brandon in for another session of intensive therapy at Now I Can. Brandon's tone had been increasing with his growth since December. We noticed it especially after his constraint casting in December. He gained function but actually lost some flexibility and range of motion which isn't what you'd expect with more use of his left hand. We applied for a grant through the United Health Care Children's Fund and were so grateful to get what we needed to fund his therapy. It helped him so much and in so many ways! Here are some pictures of his hard work there.

Here he is working wearing the Neuro suit which helps him

with body awareness and proper use of his body

Here he is goofing off in the Spider Cage. He would always say "watch this" and then do

a bunch of crazy balancing moves he could only pull off with 8 bungees attached! It was so funny.

Brandon and Nacole

Brandon and Sergio

He went for 4 hours a day for 3 weeks and it was during the afternoon when he'd normally be taking a nap. He fell asleep during therapy more than once! Here he is sleeping on Nacole while he's standing up.

It was truly intense not just for Brandon, but for the whole family. We were there a lot. Although Brandon frequently cried through his stretching, he begged to go back each day. I love this kid and his huge spirit.

We are so fond of Now I Can and all the people who work there. They are like family and they truly change lives there! We have been to a few events that have been held to help raise funds for them. Last November we went to a girls basketball game at UVU. He got to go out on the floor and welcome the team. He loved it! Unfortunately you can't really see him in any of the pictures :( But all the kids had a blast!

Just last weekend there was a Battle of the Bands type of event put on by some BYU students and Jarrett Burns and his new band were participating and raising funds for Now I Can. We've fallen in love with his music since he did the benefit concert last summer for Now I Can. He and his drummer Brandon wrote a song about Now I Can and when it was announed that they'd be playing it somehow my Brandon thought it would be him and he demanded to go up on stage. Thanks to Tracey for taking him up for a few minutes. He got to play Brandon's drums and meet a fellow glasses-wearing Brandon and that calmed him right down.

Here he is entertaining some of the Now I Can peeps.

After the band played he went up on stage for a brief "interview" with a few Now I Can friends. It was absolutely adorable and he just loves being in the spotlight!

Here's some video of his hard work. I hope it works. He

has been jumping off of everything since then!

Now I Can is doing their annual "Run to Walk" fundraiser May 14. They do a 5k and a 1 mile, so if you or anyone you know wants to participate you can sign up www.runtowalk.com. If you sign up by Friday it is cheaper and if you sign up please let us know because everyone who runs for Brandon will basically be giving him a $5 therapy credit and Nationwide Insurance has donated $250 that will go to one child's therapy at Now I Can! Each participant will receive an entry form that they can write in Brandon's name and enter it in the drawing at the Nationwide table.

Breast Cancer

2011-04-20T13:19:00.001-07:00

One of the biggest changes in our lives in 2011 is our first up close experience with cancer. My mom was diagnosed in January with breast cancer. Her doctor's goal is cure and we all expect her to survive her cancer battle but it is still a battle that we are knee-deep in right now.

Here she is in March at our family head shaving party.

Blake and Derek each cut some off to start and they really loved that!

Then Brent bravely buzzed her head (I was a bit nervous to do it myself!)

And here she is bald!

After her initial diagnosis there were lots of test, procedures, appointments and opinions. She is being treated at Huntsman Cancer Institute though and they are taking great care of her. She has made it through half of her chemo and starts a much less nasty variety now. She will likely have her surgery after chemo this summer sometime.

This experience has reaffirmed to me that our Heavenly Father lovingly sends us trials to strengthen us and help us become the person He knows we can be.

What we've been doing since, ummm November 22 (oops)

2011-02-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

So it is has been forever since we've blogged. Life is very full as always, but I won't tell you what's going on now until I catch up on what's happened in the last several months. We had a lovely Thanksgiving with our family here and it was extra fun and rewarding because my kids' taste buds are growing up and they actually liked most of the meal that I spent 2 days preparing. That was really exciting. We went to see Tangled with our good friends and did a shared dessert night which is becoming a bit of a tradition, and I love it.

We had tons of holiday parties this year, which I really love. It meant tons of Santas! A record number actually. The first was hosted by our fabulous dentist office. It was at the Seven Peaks ice skating arena and it was a near tragedy. We've been going to this party every year since Blake and Derek were 3 I think. For all of those years they have allowed strollers on t

he ice because it is a private party (I've always known this is not thier usual rule), but when I arrived with my four children and a stroller for the youngest two they said no. I was so upset and totally unsure how I would survive the event. Brandon was elated because he really wanted to skate and Katelyn was excited too. But once we got the skates on she wouldn't even touch her feet to the ground and Brandon was trying to run in the ice skates. Anyway, an ice monitor saw me carrying Katelyn and holding Brandon's hand on the ice and came to tell me that I wasn't allowed to carry a child on the ice but ultimately she saved the day by skating with Brandon who had the time of his life and was crushed when it was over. He was so cute and brave and well, just Brandon. I love that determined little boy.

Katelyn got her first major haircut. I just couldn't make the curly on bottom and straight on top look work for her anymore. So now we round brush it and it works. Here she is at the salon:

Katelyn had a dance recital in December. It was super cute and we were honestly just thrilled that she danced on the stage. She was really fun to watch and she learned since she started! Her class wore their pajamas for their dance.

It was so fun to put make up on her - the mascara was so pretty.

There was a Santa there afterwards, and the theme was the Grinch so he was there too..

Our neighbors had a really fun party for the kids too with a Santa. It was so fun and we were so thrilled to have been included.

Now I Can is the local place where Brandon does his intensive physical therapy and we love having opportuniteis to ineract with the staff and other Now I Can friends at events throughout the year. This Christmas party was put on by a scout as his Eagle Scout project. It was so fun and each kid left with a gift! They had a blast.

The fifth and final Santa of the season was at our Ward Party. It was a fun Christmas breakfast. The primary debuted the cutest movie made with each of the kid talking about their favorite character in the nativity. It was priceless!

Christmas Eve Brent's mom and dad and his sister Staci and her family arrived to surprise him for his "big" birthday on Christmas day. It was so fun to have them here. We always start out opening 1 gift on Christmas Eve, what cracks me up is its always the same thing and yet look how excited they were!!

Christmas Morning:

It was so fun to have more family to celebrate with. It felt more like Christmas than ever! It was a beautiful, clear day so the kids played outside a little bit.

This year for New Year's we did a "Noon Years Eve" party with the Sinemas and went to an indoor swimming pool. It was lots of fun and made for a much more relaxing New Years for Brent and I.

Their Feminine Side

2010-11-22T13:08:00.000-08:00

Saturday Derek went to a friend's birthday party from school. She had invited two boys, but the other one couldn't come. Derek knew he would be the only one and was okay with that. But I have to admit I felt a little like I was taking a lamb to the slaughter when I dropped him at the door a few minutes late with at least a dozen girls greeting him. When I picked him up though, he was excited and wearing his crown and enjoying the attention from the girls.

While Derek was gone I was able to start a little project with Blake. A few weeks ago he really surprised me when he said he'd been talking to a boy at school about how cool quilting is. After asking several times I was convinced he WAS actually saying quilting. Then he asked me if I thought I could teach him to sew. I of course agreed and asked if there was something he wanted to make and he told me a hot pad. So we got it done on Saturday. He did most of the sewing on my grandmother's sewing machine. This is the machine that my mom and I both learned to sew on. So glad its now mine - I love it!

Last week was the school orchestra concert. Blake and Derek are now in the "advanced" orchestra and they are really getting quite good at playing the violin. This year I have been helping a little with the cellist and that has been fun. I was a little surprised that the directors wanted me to play with our small cello section. I felt a little silly before hand and even more silly after several parents said they thought I was a 6th grader at first.

Katelyn after the concert.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

2010-11-15T22:16:00.000-08:00

Derek and Blake won several awards for their entries in the reflections art contest at school. They each entered two categories and received awards for everything.

Blake took second place for his music entry. He got really excited about entering this. We recorded him singing (a little more like rapping) his totally originally composed song.

He took first place in the photography category. This was much more impressive because there were a lot more entries in this category.

Derek took First place in 2D art and tied for first in 3D art.

This too was impressive. As you can imagine, this category had the most entries.

Showing off all 3 trophies!

Halloween

2010-10-31T22:34:00.000-07:00

Yellowstone - Wild Animals

2010-10-25T23:58:00.001-07:00

Yellowstone Bear Feeding

2010-10-23T00:20:00.000-07:00

On the first day of our trip to Yellowstone the boys and their friend Kimberly got a chance to go into a bear cage and hide food for the bears.

This bear is digging up food that one of the boys hid.

The kids all watching a movie.

Yellowstone Art

2010-10-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend went on a family vacation along with two other families to Yellowstone. It was fun and we took a LOT of pictures. I'm going to start by posting some of the more artsy shots.

Room Make-Overs and Cosmo

2010-10-09T23:25:00.000-07:00

We feel very lucky and very grateful to have been selected to be a part of a Heart 2 Home make-over project. They did a major overhaul to the home of the Gleason family. They are a well deserving family and it was a big event. Fox news, Cosmo, Shawn Bradly, a couple of BYU football players and a huge crowd all showed up for the unveiling of their home. In addition they were able to remodel a room for 5 other families in the area that are associated with Now I Can. We were one of those families. I always feel a little uncomfortable accepting stuff like this but we really appreciate all of the hard work and effort that went into our room make-overs. You can read more about it here: http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/article_f80ffc95-2461-5868-912d-16de4d4c518d.html

We had to keep out of the rooms for a couple of days while they worked on them. It was really hard for keep the kids out. They were very excited. They even counted down the days to thier new rooms for a week before. The day of the reveal the kids kept saying things like "this is the best day ever".

Here is a shot of Katelyn's room before. This used to be both Brandon and Katelyn's room.

Here it is after.

This is the boys room before the make-over. The clouds were in the room when we bought the house.

Here it is after.

One of the most exciting things was that BYU's mascot, Cosmo, came to our house. The kids saw Cosmo's van coming down the street and they went crazy. They were all sooo excited. Katelyn kept giving him hugs and saying "That's Cosmo.... I yove him".

This is our family with Cosmo and the team that worked on our house.

This is a photo they took of our family at the kick off party on Monday night.

Since the makeover, Derek wants to just go lay down in his bed a lot. Katelyn has really enjoyed the dress up shoes that were in her new room. I even took her to Costco yesterday in a tiara and princess shoes. They are all so excited!

Talk like a pirate day and church schedule

2010-09-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

The boys school class had a party for Talk Like a Pirate Day. That night we ate at pirate island.

Brandon also wore his pirate hat and an eye patch all day to school. His class wasn't having a party.

Our church schedule changed to the 1-3pm block. We tried to get the little ones to nap before church but it didn't work. Needless to say there were very tired after church. Yes, Brandon is asleep, very asleep.

Fall Activities

2010-09-16T21:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of some of the stuff that has been keeping us busy. We certainly have been busy lately.

We've been lucky to have the Popes come down for BYU football games and spend some time with us. By the way, the adults totally beat the kids at laser tag.

Making cookies

Listening to cool tunes

These shots were taken at the recent benefit concert.

Blake is playing football and he loves it. Everyone seems to have fun at his games.

In the middle of football practice this dropped out of the sky.

Derek is playing soccer and he loves it. He is really good. It is hard to have Blake and Derek playing different sports on different teams but they both really like it.

Katelyn is helping Brandon put his backpack on. She often says "he's my brudder".

Playing around

Preschool Begins and other twin adjustments

2010-09-08T06:01:00.000-07:00

We've done it - we've sent "the babies" to preschool. This confirms for the what I hope is the final time that we have got to quit calling them that!

Brandon started last Wednesday and had a great first day of preschool. He loved it and his teachers seemed genuinely amazed with how well he adapted. Everyone was so excited - including Blake and Derek! While he was in preschool, I took Katelyn to her first dance class and she LOVED it! She was soooo cute and I just wish I could've really captured how cute she was.

Katelyn got to go the next day, in spite of Brandon's protesting! He was so funny. I think he would've much preferred keeping the experience all his own. He actually started to try to push her out the door when we got there, saying "No Katelyn." But he quickly got over it and they were playing seconds later as we walked out the door.

Brandon will go 4 days a week for 3 hours and then Katelyn will join him 2 of those days. I still haven't done a whole week of it yet. And the first day they were both gone I did some retail therapy with a friend. I know I can't do that every day, but I think I'm over the hump of the adjustment and I didn't even cry. These adjustments are so hard for me-especially where Brandon is concerned. But preschool is so good for him and I'm excited that he has it. I've never had just 1 kid to take care of, so my time with Katelyn seemed almost inconceivable initially, but I love it of course. I wish I had some with each of my kids. Another first for our twin family is that Blake and Derek are in the same 2nd grade class and loving it. It is because they have a wonderful teacher! This is something that they both wanted to do and it seemed like a good time to try it. They have had Kindergarten and 1st grade to establish who they each are with friends at school so now hopefully they can be a little less competitive and sensitive. So far so good! They came home the other day and thanked me for letting them be in the same class.

The other change for our family is that our boys have chosen different fall sports. Blake has been asking to play football since he started school (like in Kindergarten) but the flag football programs don't usually start until 3rd grade, but this year Provo has 2nd graders! So he is doing football while Derek is doing soccer and while I am sure they would've loved to do both do both sports (especially Blake) I'm just not that crazy. So it is a bit hectic getting them to practices and games in 2 different cities but its only for a month and they are both loving it! It is probably really good for them to not be competing.

They are both really good players. Starting Blake in football feels a little bit like opening Pandora's box to me, but he loves it and as he learns the game I know he is going to be great. He is just so intense. Even the way he looks at the ball is a little scary.

I'm a technical Genius!

2010-08-31T13:15:00.001-07:00

Okay, not really. But I did figure out how to post Jarrett Burns' music on the blog!

Brandon's Therapy at Now I Can

2010-08-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

Brandon just finished up a 2 week session of intensive therapy at Now I Can. Since he is no longer in early intervention through Kids on the Move, so it is up to us to get him the physical therapy he will need. He qualified for many services through the school district, but because he is able to walk he will not receive physical therapy services.

In order for Brandon to continue to do well using the left side of his boy he will need ongoing therapy especially through his growing years. As he continues to grow, his muscles will be become tighter so we will all have to work hard to maintain his progress and yet progress when they are young is the key to success for children with his type of brain injury.

Initially, we weren't sure about moving forward with therapy at Now I Can not only because of the costs, but also because we weren't sure about the concept of intensive physical therapy. We initially understood that what makes it "intensive" is that the therapy sessions are typically 4 hours (Brandon's were only 2) every weekday for 3 weeks (we only did 2). But there is more than the intense time frame to the concept, they work with the children non-stop during their session and they work hard. They use many traditional techniques and they have some really unique ones as well. They have a "spider cage" and a "monkey cage" that they use. As hard as it was Brandon always wanted to go back and seemed genuinely proud of being able to do hard things.

The difference that this therapy made for Brandon was so significant! I can't believe how much it improved his gait as well as the use of his left hand. He has been having a lot of sensory issues lately and those have decreased dramatically. I won't bore you with the rest of the list, but it has been very exciting to watch him be able to do new things there each day and for things that were very difficult at the beginning of the first week become much easier as the days passed.

It has truly been an amazing experience for our whole family. Blake and Derek successfully raised our share of the cost for the therapy (after we used our entire insurance benefit and some financial assistance) and they were excited to watch him the days that they had to tag along to therapy.

We quickly realized that Brandon, like most kids, did not enjoy the stretching and other therapy exercises so they asked me to not be in the room while they were doing that part as it was just making it harder for Brandon and for me. They have observation rooms equipped with entertainment for siblings as well. So the first day that Derek and Blake came with me after this change we sneaked into the observation room where we could see Brandon crying as he was stretching. Derek immediately turned to me, very concerned and said "mom, you need to go help him!" When I explained that I couldn't and why he turned back to watching him, looking very sad he then said "as contagious as his laugh is, his cry is that sad." Such a sweet boy and such an astute observation!

We could go watch him in the spider cage and in the monkey cage. This was almost like his reward for the hard stuff. He was able to jump in the spider cage and fly in the monkey cage. He loved it!

Brandon stretching

More stretching in the spider cage.

Flying in the monkey cage - he'd pull on this bungee cord to go back and forth.

Whenever anyone would ask him if he was flying like Superman,

he'd say "no uperman, I Batman."

So now that we are done with our session, we art trying to figure out how to be able to afford more therapy there!! Not that there is a big hurry but it was just such an amazing and truly life-changing experience. So I have become a concert ticket vendor. Now I Can has 2 annual fundraisers and one is a benefit concert that happens to be September 11 at the Scera Shell with Jarrett Burns. We can earn therapy for Brandon by selling tickets to the event and it is going to be a great event! So if you are reading this and I haven't hit you up to buy tickets for this (which I highly doubt!) you can leave a comment and I will get you more information. You can go to : http://www.reverbnation.com/jarrettburns to listen to this amazing music!!! I wish I could figure out putting some of it on a playlist on our blog but I can't :(