Spring 2012

 I have neglected my blog for quite a while, I know.   But I have not been sitting idle.  I have spent more hours than I can even count in this room...back left corner is my favorite bike!

 I also rode a real life bike a couple of times with this handsome (skinny) guy! I didn't even crash into anyone OR fall off!!

 I was a spectator as Scott ran his Triathlon....don't know if I will ever try THAT, something about hoisting myself out of the pool and then RIDING A BIKE in my swimsuit.  I.think.not.

 Scott, his Dad and Joseph spent many days at camp remodeling the cabin bathrooms, I am not sure they are finished yet either.  One thing always leads to another...

 We discovered that Lindsay can finally steer her bike!  It was so fun to watch her ride around the park!

 Anna and I stayed back a ways, I can't imagine why she seemed embarrassed as Lindsay shouted "WooHoo!!!!" the whole time! 

 Love these treasures <3

 Maeghan saved the day for me when Hunger Games came out in the theater.  Anna informed me that "you canNOT see the movie until you have read the book!"  So, since I have NOT read the book and Shae was in Virginia, Maeghan came to the rescue!

 We took a little trip to Six Flags during Spring Break (thanks to our friend in Texas who hooked us up with some free tickets!)

 We left Lindsay with Grandma and Papa and brought Chloe (smart move for US- we didn't have to ride the rides and feel sick all day!)

 I could have watched this ride ALL DAY LONG.  There is a place for spectators to pay a quarter and squirt the people as they rode by( you can see the red "hoses" in the foreground)!  People were there with ROLLS of quarters.  I laughed until I HURT especially when the prissy ladies with perfect hair got pounded in the face with a wall of water....so so so funny!

 We spent the night in Vallejo so we could go shopping the next day.  The girls had their very own room and enjoyed big comfy beds and the Disney channel that night.

 We stopped off at The Jelly Belly Factory, such a fascinating and fun place!

 But, really....WHO thought up THESE flavors?  And, WHO did the "research" for them???

 Once again, my College girl was NOT home on Easter :(

 We welcomed a new cousin, sweet Amelia Hope was born to Brad and Beckie.  She is the little sister to two busy boys!  

 I have made a zillion cups....

 I got this picture in a text message with the words, "I could really use my Mom about now"  Hahaha  I was NOT there to help Shae get moved out of the dorm thanks to skyrocketing airline ticket prices!  She DID manage to do it all by herself though!

 We celebrated Easter with a yard full of egg hunters!

 We watched TONS of softball games in ALL kinds of weather, from hurricane winds and freezing temperatures to scorching heat!

 Anna had a great year.  She is an amazing hitter and did great on the field too.  During this game she made an AWESOME catch at second base  AND she slid into home!

 ON the days it was too cold for Lindsay to go, or the game was too far away, Scott went and gave me updates via text messages...this one was Hilarious! Think he is a proud Daddy?

 Made more cups....

 and more cups....

 We excitedly anticipated the return of our Shae-shae!

 I am thrilled to have Shae join me in my 3rd round of Boot Camp at Sun Oaks now that she is home.. It really is a "Booty Kicking" class....but what a difference it has made!

My lack of blogging has been justified.  I promise.

  I earned a fun lunch date with these skinny brats who peer pressured me into the hardest thing i have ever done, Boot Camp  lovely ladies  by hitting my first goal of -20 pounds (I am at -25 as of this morning).

I will TRY to be more consistent, it's IMPOSSIBLE to get caught up in my scrapbooks, so I need to at least stay current here!.  I uploaded more pictures but they somehow did not show up in this post, so I will do another one later tonight or tomorrow...Lindsay just dumped over her entire box of a jillion colored pencils and she is saying over and over to herself. "I should have not done that, this is going to take FOREVER to cwean up.." So I better go to her rescue!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!  Thank you to all those who fought and are fighting for our continued freedom and safety!

Playing Catch-Up!

 I feel as if I am about to be as behind on this blog as I am in my scrapbooks!  Since this blog is easier to keep current, I will have to make the effort so that when I DO decide I can take on the daunting task of getting the 'ole scrapbooks out, I will at least know WHEN things happened!

So here goes...

We have had such a mild winter this year.  Even camp has only had a little snow here and there.  I DO love that place when it is covered in snow, it is breathtaking!

 I am LOVING the tray that Scott made me for Christmas.  It is so fun to have candles sitting on it at night giving a gentle glow to the ENORMOUS piles of clothes I fold....

 And my other awesome gift from Scott...these wonderful pull-outs for my cabinets- that he made from scratch!  I was SO IMPRESSED!! He only has 2 more to make and ALL my cabinets will have them! Give that boy a little time, and some space in the garage and he gets after it!

 My mother-in-law gave me this precious little lamp for Christmas and it, too, has provided me much joy.  I LOVE me some  lamp-lit spaces!  So cozy!

 Scott seems to have been on a creative roll lately...Anna needed to be something that started with the first letter of her first name for Spirit Week at school..

 What ELSE would Scott suggest but and "airplane" ?!  He made an almost exact replica of his own plane!  (she got 3rd place for it :/  )

We live in the most beautiful part of California.  There are so many places to hike or bike ride around us.  While we are researching bike trailers for full-sized kids like sweet Lindsay, we have had to stick to walking.  2 weekends ago we went up to Shasta Dam.  WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY to go!

 Snow covered Mt. Shasta is always so majestic!  The water was so ble, Lindsay kept saying she thought we should go swimming.   Brrrr.

We walked all the way across and looked over the side a few times..it is FREAKY!

 Last week, our newest cousin came into the family!   On February 28th, little Miss Amelia Hope Luff was born, weighing a whopping 6 pounds 9 ounces.  Brad and Beckie will have a lot to learn about girls since Amelia is their first one after two boys!

Lindsay was absolutely taken with her!

 She is the tiniest little thing!

Beckie's mom was coming into town this last weekend, so we decided that the boys should come over and hang out at our house while Beckie got things ready at her house...

 We had an action packed day to say the least!

Boys are BUSY!

 and they like to splash!

 Lindsay kept her distance and only asked a couple of times when they would be going back to their house! hahaha  She is so used to peace and quiet!

That night Scott made some incredible pizzas...I mean incredible!

 and we ate under the stars!!

 We ended the evening sitting by the fire pit that Scott built.  Now he for sure wants one of those brick ovens for cooking pizza!  What a perfect evening!

Changes....

 The turning of the "new year" has had me pondering something, especially this year.  Sure, the new year brings new adventures and new endeavors.  But this year, this year,  the changes seem daunting to me.  This year, we say goodbye to what has seemed like "the innocent years" for Lindsay.  This year she will graduate from the comfort and safety of being on an "elementary school" campus and venture on into a new and frightening world....HIGH SCHOOL.

 When you have a brain injured child, the younger years are tough in so so many ways, but it almost feels like the "younger" the child, the more accepting "the outside world" is to those with special needs.

 Lindsay has always had such a vibrant and engaging personality,

 She has been so easy to love.  Everyone in her world has loved her. Loved her.  I am not kidding.

 But, it's easy to love the little ones.  The children with special needs are so cute, so sweet, so innocent.  Their teeth are small (well, not Lindsay's- haha), their needs are simplistic, they don't make people feel "uncomfortable".

 They are so unassuming and approachable.

 

But, now with high school staring us in the face, I find myself doing more "fretting" than I am used to.

"Special" adults aren't as "cute" and they are certainly not  as "approachable".  Many adults avoid contact with people like that, and they don't teach their children how to react when they encounter them either.

 Will Lindsay be loved and accepted in her new world, or will the teasing and bullying begin?

Will she even  be able to tell if she is being teased?

 To add to my stress, we recently had one of our appointments with a doctor who sees Lindsay every six months to reassess her physical therapy needs.  At the end of the appointment, she came over to me  and said, "She's so pretty"  {huh?}  I thought it was the strangest thing to say (but, I do realize that  Lindsay is 5'8" tall, 130 pounds and WELL endowed).  But then she continued, "I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't tell you that that can be dangerous in her situation.  These kids are easily taken advantage of."  Oh.my.gosh.   THAT never dawned on me!  YIKES!!  A new "worry" to add to the growing list.

and...NEXT YEAR SHE IS GOING TO A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL!?

 My mind started going crazy with worry over Lindsay.

But, then I remembered something,

"I KNOW the plans I HAVE for you, says the LORD,

plans to prosper you AND NOT TO HARM YOU,

plans for a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

Phew!  God has this all under control.  HE HAS A PLAN!

HE didn't allow this to happen to Lindsay without ALL THINGS CONSIDERED!

 As Mommys, we all have hopes and dreams for our children.  Safety goes without saying, I suppose.
 

While a physical or mental disability can shatter those "original dreams", it seems like God has given a compensating gift to these 'special' kids.  It is part of His unbelievable, wonderful, marvelous GRACE.

If HE  planned her life before she was born,  if he knew she would suffer a life changing brain injury on June 12, 1998 at 8 months old,  if He loves her with an EVERLASTING love...

HE CAN HANDLE HIGH SCHOOL.

and so can I.

 *I am humbled and thankful every single day by the love my other two girls have for their sister.  I don't have the benefit of a "sibling" so I am in awe of the relationship my girls have with each other.  I am so grateful that they feel a sense of responsibility for Lindsay too.  This "unconditional love" prompts them to be very protective over her. 

It's beyond my understanding to think that our heavenly Father loves her more than we do.

(God gave me this gift a few weeks ago.  Lindsay was "coloring" and I was cleaning up after she had gone to bed.  I found THIS PICTURE!  She is 14 years old and this is the first  picture she has ever drawn all by herself of a person.  LOOK at the DETAIL!  We were all amazed. It's as if GOD HIMSELF was saying to me, "Inger! I've got this! Let go and TRUST ME to work my plan for Lindsay's life!" )

"Now to HIM who is able to do exceedingly abundantly ABOVE all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us."

Ephesians 3:20