Sam Update...

Sam was re-tested yesterday at therapy since she had her birthday. When we started OT/PT six months ago, Sam tested at a -4 (which is really delayed). Yesterday she tested at a -1. Which is awesome! She wouldn't even qualify for state benefits at this point, if she wasn't already in until she turns three. She used to be about 50% of her age, developmentally. At six months she was like a three month old, etc. This time she "should" have tested at around six months old, but she didn't... She tested at nine months. Which means she's only 25% delayed! (You can celebrate the strangest things...) She's catching up, and I don't think that anyone just looking at her would guess that something is wrong. It helps that she is little and looks like she's nine months old... She still has some big appointments coming up, but we are so happy right now. It's an amazing thing to hear her laugh, to watch her do things that we've been practicing for months and now she can finally do on her own. It's amazing what you can learn from a one year old...

You've come a long way

Happy Birthday to my sweetie Sam. I wish that all of you could meet this girl and feel how sweet she really is. Our family is better because she is one of us. I am thankful for a daughter that has taught me true joy in the simple things in life. Her laugh is the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. Sam is turning one and already I have learned so much from her. She has to work so hard, for little milestones, but she is the happiest girl I know. I am honored and humbled to be her mother. Look how far she's come in a year...

She is doing really, really well. She has some big appointments coming up in August and we might have some answers after that. Either way, she has become the center of this family and her sisters still can't enough!

A Trifle Frustrating...

This story begins a delightful success. It ends in tragedy. Such is the life that I lead... I had decided that I was going to win the prize for best dessert at our monthly craft night, so I invented (which really means, shamelessly copied) a recipe for a dessert that Tom and I had in Hershey. The peanut butter sauce? The best ever. The modified hot fudge sauce? Delish. The moist, springy chocolate cake? Lovely. The peanut butter cups? What's to say about perfection? Anyway... The recipe turned out great and looked really great too. I did 10 little "dessert shots" in fancy shot glasses and one large trifle. The trouble began during transport... I was crawling along to not spill anything, but still... the first corner, all the little shot glasses tipped over sideways. Not too bad. I sat them all back up, no big deal. The first stop sign, was another story. They rocketed forward to the front of the cookie sheet and dumped out all over my seat and the floor of the car. Gooeyness everywhere. But more traumatizing, only four survived in a state that they could be eaten. So the rest of the way to the church, I ignored the peanut butter and fudge dripping off the seat and held three shot glasses in one hand, held the trifle in place with that elbow and held the other shot glass in my other hand and tried not hit anybody with my car. Lovely. I didn't even win the stupid prize. And when I was cleaning up at home later, I didn't realize that my new sink sprayer gets stuck occasionally, and sprayed myself in the face. Nice.

new "backyard"

For Family Home Evening (if you capitalize it, it makes it more official...) this week, we went on a hike in our new "backyard" with our friends the Hudsons. It was so great! You literally walk out of our yard and into the rain forest. We had a lesson on the creation and then had ourselves a little BBQ.

This is the view from the edge of our backyard...

Right inside the forest.
Look how honkin' big those trees are!

Our home at the end of the hike.

I Ate My Weight in Chocolate...

Hershey, PA is the greatest town on earth! Chocolate when you check into your hotel room, chocolate on your pillow every night, chocolate in your soap, chocolate in your BBQ sauce (it was ok...), chocolate everywhere you turn! Even the street lights are shaped liked Hershey's kisses. It was great. I qualified for an all expense paid trip for two, for four days (FOUR days... ZERO children...) in Hershey through Modern Woodmen of America. I run a kids club for them and I was the only club leader in WA to get to go. It was great! They really treated us well and Hershey is a fun place to go. I only gained 4 pounds...

Tom's manly version of chocolate heaven...

For more pictures including the street lights that were really cute, click here... http://picasaweb.google.com/aprilbish/June2009HersheyPA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJXHlOHep_iLHw##

and while you're there, check all of the pictures you might have seen in the last few months had I access to a computer. I'm not going to bore you and try to catch up...

Caught you

Laugh with me

11 months. We've been waiting. It's been worth it. Sam laughed. Hard. It's the most amazing sound in the world.

Summer fun

What do you do when you have no place to stay? No television to watch? No bed to sleep in? You play.

(As activities director for the ward, I get to plan stuff that I love to do... Like a ward BBQ and softball game!)

Look at Brooke's face as the balls are coming at her.

Erin in potato sack races

Sam

Erin and Alix playing in the dirt. Have you seen that before? It's an addiction. We're working on it...

Quote of the Day...

I'm training with my best friend and her sister for a 12K. We had a seven mile run last night and were jogging along...
Man in car - parked at red light - window down: "Keep running. You need to!"

Nice. And in our heads, we're so pretty!

withdrawl...

Must. Blog. Now. My hands are shaking. My face is bathed in sweat. I can't stop thinking about it. I feel my resolve weakening. Aaaaah. It's too late. I've gone and done it. Again. A blog post. Purely for the joy of blogging. No news. No pictures. (No computer of my own...) No purpose. Pure bliss. I think I've got my fix for the next few days...