I think because we were out of town for Christmas, I have been looking forward to Valentines day more so. I have subjected my children to crafts (pintrest) and decoration... all their valentines were completed by them, days before they were due.
Also Elliott and Jackson choose non candy little toys for their classmates, I was impressed.
This is Lillian the day she got her hearing aids, September 7, 2012 watching finding Nemo and for the first time hearing it. Gosh I love her!
Elliott's birthday Bowling trip
Random photos, yes, Sorry I am too lazy to find my camara and to cords right now...
It's been a busy crazy fun week at our house.
It started off with making over 6 dozen Valentine's sugar cookies. Which was fun and crazy and the kitchen was destroyed. My mom needed them for her Pathway program. My parents got called to be Missionaries for our Church last year. They help out students 18-30 enroll and attend a few college course though BYUI. There is another couple over the 30+ group. https://pathway.lds.org/ is the link. My parents love it. They both know how important education is and love to share and encourage those beginning that path.
Long story short she wanted to make 40 sugar cookies for her kids and did not have the time. With me, I had the time and did for her. It is easier to give my parents kind acts than gifts, so I try to look for those opportunity. She did help decorate them of course. Kids helped also. That night I was able to return the kitchen to its normal state while eating sugar cookies Win-win, I was left with 8 plates of sugar cookies and made a quick list of who needed them.
Friday, Lillian had her big huge appointment Friday afternoon. I was a mess, both so excited and horrible nervous. As I put in my binder with all of Lillian's reports, test, and info into the car, I felt relief wash over me. I was prepared and ready. Then there was a change in the appointment time, which messed up Steven's day. He drove off saying he might not make it. I was in tears. Lillian and Jackson looked up from the ipad long enough to come give me hugs, kisses, and wipe my tears. I pulled it together, I had not planned on Steven going with me it was only the night before he had offered. I could do it. I marched the little kids in the car and we headed off to deliver cookies. I felt my stress and tension lesson with each plate of cookies we dropped off. Home-aide sugar cookies are a huge act of love and everyone was so excited. Lillian and Jackson were great also, We ended the travel with a huge grocery trip. After unloading quickly and making myself a pot of chamomile tea, it was time to drop off Jackson at my mom's and head to LA. I was giving myself two and half hours to drive 50 miles. Oh traffic.
I dropped off Jackson with my mom and headed out with Miss Lillian who was so excited for our adventure, As I buckled her, Steven called, he was coming with and would just step out as he needed to be on conference calls. We went to pick him up. We then stopped at a fancy organic grocery store and grabbed a to go lunch. Fast food isn't much fun anymore to us. Proof we are getting old! Steven picked out this amazing pita wrap, So Yummy. I picked a quinoa mango salad with a light citrus dressing, also amazing. We got Lillian a fruit leather, she had already eaten her Peanut butter sandwitch.
We sat in traffic for over two hours. I talked Steven's ear off as we tried to go around the traffic with different traffic apps. The last 8 miles took us a half an hour. Crazy huh? We got to the appt on time but had been instructed to get there 15 minutes early but hey. Turns out everyone was running behind because of the traffic and we waited over a half an hour. Which was fine. They had curious george playing and I had enough paperwork to fill out. Once I finished I took Lillian outside to run around. Steven was on a call and after a few minutes came and got me.
Even better the room which we were waiting in was the old John Tracy Library!! (I cannot express how much love I feel for http://www.jtc.org/ if you ever have the opportunity to meet a family with a young child with hearing loss please tell them about the John Tracy Clinic. It is life changing)
Two summers ago we went to their international summer program, we meet families like ours, we sat in classes, had counselling and made life time friends with people all over the world. In that Library we had sat with other parents and poured our stories out. Listening, laughing and crying with one another.
Now they had done some remodeling, but I still felt that love and energy as I sat there. I felt my crazy nervousness melt away.
Lillian is a stinker at getting her hearing tested. After a dozen hearing test you think she would have figured it out. I also know, I make it worst. As a parent you help your child. Lillian looks to me in the sound proof booth and wants to read my face. Did I hear it? She gets mad at me as I try to wear a poker face. I exited the booth mid test cause she was so distracted by my stonewalling her. Once I was out of the picture she did well. We talked for a while about her history. They said come back she really needs to be evaluated further to see if she qualifies for the cochlear implants. Nerves and excitement fill me. Such a huge choice to make for my child. While just this October I had hoped it would be a choice she would make for herself a few years down the road. If it will help her now, I need to do all I can to figure that out. Luckily I am not alone. Steven and I stay up late reading the pile of pamphlets and information we have been given. I have friends who never tire of my constant dialog on this topic, and I have great friends around the world that have already been though this with their children.
My parents are scared but supportive.
Now I need to get the CD of Lillian's CT scan for the surgeons to review and make our next appointment with the audiology and speech specialist. Hopefully a morning one so it won't take us 2.5 hours to get home. We need to find out if Lillian us unable to hear the soft sounds, or simple unable to produce them. Lots more testing down the road.
I feel the Lord directing me though this process. I am grateful for his hand in our lives. We are not alone, We are watched over and guide by angels both those living on this earth and those who have passed on. I know and feel this.
Valentines day was great, Steven made us crepes and then hurried into work. We meet my mom at the library where they had legos out and story time starting, Mom watched the kids while I went up stairs to check out books on implants and hearing loss. The book was published in 2002. Which means its not worth my time reading it. The information I have from 2013 it totally out dated, everything has changed so much. Yet the book makes me feel better simply having it.
Lois came to visit. Lois is my well dressed, shopaholic, loud opinionated, materialist Grandmother. Who is amazing and I love dearly. She is a hoot and has had a rough year. I am grateful she made it down for a visit. We watched frozen and ate peanut butter sandwiches. Steven called telling me he would be home three hours early! Hurray. He came home and took Elliott to the batting cages. I made an amazing sun dried chicken pasta dish (pintrest again!) for dinner and we had fruit pizza for dessert. Kids bathed and in bed, dishes done and the night was ours.
Sunday I wondered if I should keep the kids home. They each had a cough that the whole primary has, I counted the times they coughed as they watched Brave and decided to take them all to church.
Sunday night we had a bbq at my parents. Tritip and twice baked potatoes! Heaven. Monday we goofed around in the morning, got McDonalds for lunch. Walked on the beach and watched big hero 6 in 3d with Lois and my mom. Tuesday Elliott woke up with a fever, so here we are. I am blogging and they have had the ipad for a couple hours now.... time to go work on some cub scout stuff and see if I cant print out his math assignment. Common core (we will save my opinions for later on that matter)
I have a girls trip planned for this weekend if I can get my kids well again! Off to hydrate Elliott!
Hope you had a great holiday weekend! hugs- Amanda
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