Tricia's scooter

Tricia got a scooter about a month ago. We love it! This is a terrible picture of her but the scooter looks good. It has been wonderful for her and has given her a lot more independence, especially at school. It can be put together or taken apart quickly. It separates into 4 sections plus the basket each weighing 35 pounds or less. That makes it easy to transport with no adaptions to our van. Yeah! Thank-you to the wheelchair guys at Shriner's for suggesting it and making the adaptions and thank-you to MDA and to everyone who contributes to them for helping to pay for it.

Colonial Day

Tricia's class has been learning about colonial times. Today they are finishing up with rotations like butter-making and candle making and then having a feast. Tricia has been so excited and planning to bring a chocolate pie as her contribution (not very authentic but tastey). I had planned to go and help her because her aide couldn't be accessable all day but Katrina said she was willing to do it. We gave Tricia her choice and she choose Katrina. Tricia woke her up yesterday to help her make pies and as we looked for pilgrim clothes for Tricia she dug out things for Katrina to wear too. They looked so cute and happy when I dropped them off at the school. This really frees up my day, hum, what should I do?

Gratitude 3

I realized today that my mouth didn't hurt and I am so grateful for my dentist. His name is Bruce Murdock and he's in American Fork. I accidentally scheduled an appointment with him, thinking he was my neighbor's dentist in 1990. For the years we lived in Bountiful we went to someone else but I liked Dr Murdock so much that I looked him up again in 1996 when we moved back to Utah County.

As he works on you he says things like, "This is looking good", "Wow, this is going so smoothly", and "You let me know if you feel anything because I want you comfortable". Two weeks ago I started with an awful toothache, it came on quickly and within a couple of days I could hardly sleep. Just to be whiny I'm going to add that my entire jaw throbbed and a big sore lump developed in my cheek. I called his office and they had the day off, the next day they couldn't get me in and told me to call the next day. A couple of hours later the office staff called and said they'd mentioned to Dr. Murdock that I was really hurting so he wanted them to call in prescriptions for pain and an antibiotic for me. I was amazed. I have never dealt with a doctor that thought about you unless you were in front of them. I was able to get in the next day and have the work done.

It took a while to heal and for the antibiotics to work but after 2 weeks of hurting, I am jaw-pain free. I feel so grateful to my dentist and it feels so good to feel good. As much as pain and hard times are just, well... hard. It does make me appreciate the easier good times.

Gratitude 2

I am grateful for the seminary program. Camille brought home a test that she had done for her seminary class this week and let me see it. I was so impressed by the nature of the test and also by Camille's answers. A significant part of the test was relooking up scriptures they had studied in class and asking what it meant and especially what it meant as it applied to them. The teacher had made happy positive comments about her answers on the test and had also stuck a sticky note on the front expressing his gratitude for her and her example to others and her participation in class. I was especially proud of Camille when I read that she had made the 30 day club (read her scriptures for 30 days straight) for 3 months.

I feel so grateful that my children have had this opportunity. It comes at a time in their teenage years when they haven't wanted to hear my suggestions anymore and I am grateful to have other adults encouraging and teaching them. All three of my girls started a daily scripture reading habit in 9th grade because it was an assignment in seminary and the older two were able to continue on because it was a habit and hopefully because they had a testimony of its importance. I wish I had been able to be as consistant at such a young age.

Gratitude 1

Tricia came home from school last week and told me a little about her day. The teacher went around the room and had each child tell the class something they were thankful for. Many of the boys were grateful for their computer, the TV, or games systems. She thought those were kind of lame answers. I asked her what she had said. She said she was thankful to be at home this Thanksgiving and have dinner with her family. ( Her goal last year after having surgery was to be home by Thanksgiving. It was only 6 days after her surgery and it turned out she was still too sick. Bruce and the rest of the girls came up in the evening. They had pie day without us and had made dinner by themselves and then had brought us plates of food. They also made all of us Indian headbands to wear as we ate. They were cute and happy and made the day so special. But it was still disapointing to Tricia not to have been home for 4 months, to have wanted to go before Thanksgiving and then not having it happen.) I thought it was such a sweet thing for her to say and asked what her teacher's response was. She thought it was sweet too.