Family

From Jenny

I HAVE DONE SEVERAL MORE SCRAPBOOK PGS. WHICH I COULD POST, BUT MARGINS (TOP & BOTTOM) HAVE BEEN CUT OFF FOR SOME REASON ON MY OLDER PROGRAM, SO THE PGS. LOOK WORSE! I HAVE NOW PLAYED “MARY HAD A LIITTLE LAMB” ON MY PIANO . FOR ZACH’S B-DAY I DID A BAD ENDING TO, BUT DID IT ANYWAY, “HAPPY BIRHDAY” FOR ZACH. I ALSO DID “WHEN I AM BAPTIZED” FROM PRIMARY. I WILL PRACTICE IT FOR ZACH’S BAPTISM!

FOR A WHILE NOW, FOR SOME REASON, I GET EMAIL BUT NO PICTURES OR WEBSITES!

IT IS FRUSTRATING, BUT I WRITE MORE EMAILS I USUALLY CAN’T!

July 12, 2005

Zach had his 8th birthday today. Jenny began the day by signing “Happy Birthday” to him. She told me that last year she could only blink “happy birthday”. This year she signed it. Next year, she tells me she will tell him with her voice. I believe she will. Our therapies are going poorly. Getting into a routine is difficult. I do more with taking care of the kids, so I have less time. Jenny was hoping to do aqua therapy in her parents pool, but I do not see it being completed anytime soon. I think she has been holding out for this pool, so she refuses to use others. Rather than seeing increases in certain areas, I see weakening. A couple other areas are still becoming stronger- mostly her right arm.

On a different note, Jessie has adopted “y’all” as part of her vocabulary. It naturally comes out of her mouth now. She also prefers her boots over sandles or shoes.

July 7, 2005

Our days are mostly quiet now and we seem to be doing quite well. We swim, play games, and swim some more. We found that the kids love being pulled behind mom’s wheel chair in their wagon. The chair goes faster than normal walking speed, and they feel like they are on a roller coaster. Jenny remarked that it made her feel good because this is something other moms can not do and it is something the kids keep asking to do with her. The heat really seems to drain Jenny’s strength and she gets tired easier. Our neice, Jordan, is here and has been a great help. It is helpful to have another person around to assist with little things, which can turn into big things if left undone. We are as settled as we can be, but we are anxious to have our home built. I want Jenny to start pool therapy, but she is reluctant to use a pool away from our home. At this point we are doing our best to get back into an exercise routine.

WE’RE HERE!

AFTER ALMOST 2 WEEKS, I AM ON THE INTERNET AGAIN! MARK HAS BEEN VERY ORGANIZED, WHICH HAS HELPED ME! ZACH SAID IT BEST WHEEN HE SAID HE WAS GLAD AND SAD TO MOVE FROM INDY TO AUSTIN, TX. SAAD BECAUAE: 1. MISS FRIENDS 2. MISS HOUSE (EVEN THOUGH IT IS MY FAV. HOUSE SO FAR, IT IS FILLED WITH MEMORIES THAT ARE HARD FOR ME) 3. I AM NOW JUST ‘SOME GRL IN A WHEELCHAIR.’ (I FINALLY SAW MYSELF IN A FULL-LENGTH MIRROR, & IT WAS THE HARDEST THING I’VE DONE.) GLAD BECAUSE: 1. MORE ACCESIBLE CHURCH-RAMP TO PODIUM & COMPANION RESTROOM 2. ACCESIBLE HOUSE-ONLY BEING ABLE TO GO TO A FEW ROOMS GETS OLD 3. NEW FRIENDS (SOMETIMES IT IS EASIER TO BE KNOWN HOW I AM NOW-IN THE PRESENT-INSTEAD OF HOW I WAS) 4.WARMER 5. AQUA THERAPY MORE-MAYBE I WILL GET BETTER (I AM SICK OF FEELING STAGNANT) 6. CLOSE TO CHURCH, SCHOOL, STORES, COMMUUNITY POOL & PLAYGROUND, ETC. 7. CLOSE TO FAMILY 8. I HAVE BEN READY TO MOVE SINCE JANUARY-SO IT’S ABOUT TIME!

June 29, 2005

We finally recieived our internet connection today. Jenny had a rough few days while it was just she and I and no internet/computer. I was busy setting things up and she only had her power chair to keep her entertained. By the time we got our furniture, a ton of family members came to town so it was nice to have so many people to keep her company. Fortunately, we got our internet on the day the last of our family left. Her e-mail had 110 new e-mails for her and I had about 12. The kids are back from San Diego and Missy and Dustin definately win Aunt and Uncle of the year. We have a lot of tedious move-in tasks to do, but we have had a lot of help from our family and new friends in Texas. Our new ward is great and has a lot more children the ages of ours. We received a warm greeting from everyone and we felt welcomed.