EasyStand video

Last fall we told you that Vicki was a model for a day. At that time, they also shot a video to capture some of our story about her stander as well as her bowling.

You can see the YouTube video here.

Musings - a day in the life

Have you ever stopped and captured your day? I'm frequently amazed at what happens in one 24 hour period. Not that this post will be terribly exciting, but it gives me a chance to capture a single day.

5:45 am Rise and shine

6:00 am Get Josh up

6:20 am Get Victoria up

6:45 am Start waking middle-schoolers, the little boys just get up by default

7:05 am High Schoolers out the door, boy it's cold!

7:06 am Get middle-schoolers breakfast

8:00 am Middle-schoolers on the bus, everyone else ready to leave

8:15 am IEP meeting for Rachel

9:30 am Catch up on messages, emails left, schedule appointments

10:00 am Discuss furnace placement in addition with Jeff

10:30 am Go get Matt for appointment at Gillette

11:30 am Check-in for appointment, see one doctor and orthotist

2:00 pm Call school and let them know appointment went too long. Matt won't be back today.

2:15 pm Check messages, find out PCA is sick. Get a second PCA.

2:30 pm High schoolers home

3:00 pm PCA comes for Vicki

3:10 pm Rachel home

3:15pm Leave for Xcel Energy Center to see figure skating championships - in a SUITE! Tickets provided through Tix for Tots.

4:30 pm Arrive at X. Find our suite.

4:45 pm Watch Senior Dancing championships. Met founder of Tix for Tots! Had a great time in the suite at center ice!

6:45 pm Leave X

7:45 pm Snacks and bedtime for all - well the kids anyway.

8:30 pm Time to recap the day, respond to emails, look at appointments for next day. I'm tired, let's go to bed.

Amazing What a day! Filled to the brim with meetings, appointments, messages and even a free ice skating performance. I've begun to realize of late that if it weren't for the kids I have, there would be MANY things that I would not have the opportunity and privilege to experience.

Useable Space!

For the first time since we started, we actually used some of our new space. Rachel, the little boys and I played my favorite game - hockey. Here's a peek at their performance.

A Tale of Two Days

Many of you read this back at the end of November in the form of an email. It is reposted here.

Day 1

So we're in the midst of this building project and we need to tie in the plumbing from the addition to the existing house. To do that two things had to happen:

1. A large hole (the one that will eventually be the access to the lower level of the addition) had to be knocked out/cut of the basement block. This would be messy.



2. A LONG trench had to be dug - think the entire length of the house back to front. Before it could be dug, the concrete had to be cut with a saw and then jack hammered.





So our new friend, Jeff Wunderlich, from church had the saw. We busted a small hole in the house and then embarked on cutting the concrete. We were warned that the concrete dust would be *everywhere*. I put poly up over all doorways and taped it tight - it helped, but the dust was everywhere.

During the process, we had to step out of the basement several times for air. Try running a gas engine in a small room and add enough dust that you can't see your hand in front of your face - now you know what I mean. Jeff actually passed out for a few seconds near the end of the cutting.

We also had to warm the addition so a trench could be dug for plumbing. A propane heater was brought in to do this. Well with the need for fresh air from the dust a few windows were opened in the house. This turned out to be a bad idea because the house filled with propane fumes. For Jeff and I, we were exposed to high levels of CO with the engine plus the propane.

Laura managed to put all of the kids to bed. Little boys in our room, big boys on the floor in the living area and the girls in their respective rooms.

When I came up around 9:00, it smelled bad. By 10 it seemed worse and the CO detectors in the smoke alarms were beeping. We went to bed but felt uneasy. By 11 we made the decision to call Laura's sister, Elaine, and ask if we could bed everyone there for the night. They graciously agreed and we loaded up 2 cars with kids, blankets, pillows and some necessities. We were in bed by midnight feeling safe, but concerned about our house with all of the gas.

I was very discouraged. We had a big mess, I had put my family in danger, we had not made enough progress on the trench and the plumbers were due to come. It was at this point I said to myself "I wish we had moved."

Day 2

When we returned in the morning, the house was still there and so was the smell. We got everyone off to school and I sent Laura and the little boys out for the day.

We found out today that Jeff's wife sent him to the ER last night to be checked out because of his 'fall'. His CO2 level was high enough that they put him in a hyberbaric chamber for 90 minutes to force oxygen back into his system. We felt sure that our decision to leave last night was a good idea.

I had called a friend from church to come help me with the trench. I knew I couldn't do it by myself. He came and used the jack hammer to break up the rest of the trench. In about 45 minutes, he completed the breaking of the concrete. All that was left was to haul it out and break up any thicker chunks. In that 45 minutes of time he turned an all day project into a half-day project.

My spirits were lifted and my discouragement was gone. Once again I saw how *each* time we've needed help in this project, God provided whatever we needed - the money or materials or the right person to help. So by now you'd think that I should KNOW that He will provide. I've seen it time after time, but somehow keep forgetting when the project hits a low point.

So I'm thankful for God's provision AND for wonderful friends and family that help us during our time of need. THANK YOU!!

Thank you - 3

With a project like this, gifts keep on comin' and we try to keep up with the 'Thank yous.' Here are a few more:

• Scott Wold and his business, SWWold Construction

The following have donated time or personal items:

• Rich Rumsey, thanks for bustin' the concrete


• Ann and Tom McMahon, now we can clean up the place!


• Mark 'video' Johnson


• Many, many men from Constance Free Church, some we've never met!

More to come...

Hard as a rock

After a number of weeks of holidays and school breaks, our project got underway once again. Our lower level now has a real hard floor! The concrete was poured today with the temps hovering around 15. The inside temp is a balmy 60+. Enough to cure concrete and keep the boys from getting frostbite.

Check out the cement truck in my back yard! The ground was frozen enough to allow it to come into the backyard. A bucket loader was still needed to pour the concrete into the basement. It saved a lot of time to be able to back it up into the yard.

Thank you - 2

We want to thank the many businesses that have donated to our project. The following have contributed materials and/or labor in some way.

Independent Luxury Homes
Sowada and Barna Plumbing
Lamperts Lumber
Cemstone Blaine
Lowe's Coon Rapids
Saint Francis Community Hotline - Michelle Anderson

More to come...

Thank you

And now, a much overdue 'Thank you.' We have been so very blessed to have many, many, many family, friends, businesses and people we don't even know help us with our project to date. Some have donated money, others time and still others materials. Some have even donated a combination of items.

Words seem so trite, but we do give our heartfelt thanks!

Chuck Hayes and the elders at Constance got us started with prayer and guidance.

Steve Cram and the Men's ministry at Constance for their incredible gifts of money and time to give us such a boost. Hope your knees are OK Steve!

Tim Grill and Pat Schmeichel of Independent Luxury Homes have been our amazing general contractors.

Deb Lehman has given us wonderful financial tracking.

Jeff Wunderlich has been our coordinator from Constance Free Church. He has been an amazing help in organizing, and working. He was instrumental in putting a hole in our house :) to connect the existing home to the addition. He also put his life on the line when cutting the trench for the plumbing. Ask him about his time in the hyperbaric chamber at HCMC.

The following have donated cash - in order of receipt,

• Andover Lions
• M. Erickson
• Dr. Kevin & Erin Steadland
• Mary and Len Powell
• Barbara & Rodney Erickson
• Timothy & Pamela Beadell
• Jeffrey & Nancy Beyer
• Rich and Jill Erickson
• LeRoy & Shirley Gardner
• Gerald & Barbara Schloegel
• Eric and Mimi Noyes
• Kirk & Elizabeth Dykema
• Rev and Mrs. David Jore
• Bradley & Trena Martinson
• Constance Evangelical Free Church
• Rev. John Welsch Knights of Columbus, NJ
• Sharyn & John Nelson
• Eric & Brenda Clausen
• Mary & Ken Price

Old Posts

These posts are from the original site at St. Francis Community Hotline.

Posted 11/1/07
Along with Independent Luxury Homes, the Prices would like to Thank all of those who have already stepped up to help with the addition: Mary and Len Powell~ Dr. Kevin & Erin Steadland~ The Andover Lions Club~ Sowada & Barna Plumbing is donating all of the time for the plumbing~ Flex Fitness

At that time, a handful of folks had agreed to support us. Since that time MANY more have come on board. Watch future posts for a proper "Thank you."

Posted 11/17/07
We are making some nice progress, but still have a long way to go. On November 10th, 8 guys from Constance Free Church were here for the day. They took it from foundation only to a framed addition in one day! It was like our own version of Extreme Home Makeover. It was very exciting to see.

Our Addition

In 2007 we began a journey. We contacted a number of people to help us get started with an addition to our home so we could bring an addition to our home. Huh? Stay tuned and you'll see what I mean.

Since that time, we have received a LOT of help. I'd like to chronicle some of that for you in future posts. This was our original post on the St. Francis Community website:

We are looking for builders, contractors,

anyone in the Home Improvement Industry,
and anyone who is willing to pound a nail,
or donate a dollar.

Come join Independent Luxury Homes, Flex Fitness and www.SaintFrancisCommunity.com, help the Price family add on to their home to give them the space required to take in another special needs child into their family.

Read the Price family story(see below),
and let us know if you are willing to help.
Please contact Rich at Flex Fitness for questions at 763-413-1200.

If you would like to donate materials or labor, or if you or your business is interested in donating money towards the project, please contact Deb at: Deb@independentluxuryhomes.com or (763)-753-5897

All businesses that wish to become involved in this project will receive recognition on the News & Photos section of the community website. Check back to www.SaintFrancisCommunity.com to see the progress on the "Raising Price's Special Addition"

Here's the "Price Story" mentioned above.

My name is Scott Price. My wife Laura and I feel we have been called by God to adopt children with special needs. To date, we have adopted 5 children with varying degrees of special needs.

Our two oldest boys are 16 and 13 and have a form of Muscular Dystrophy called Myotonic Dystrophy. It affects their muscles in a way that will progress over time. Our daughter is 15 and has cerebral palsy. She is confined to a wheelchair and depends on a caregiver to meet all of her needs.

We thought we were done adopting until about 5 years ago. Through a long journey that started by bringing home a newborn baby that returned to his birth mom 7 weeks later, we then adopted two other boys who are now 4 and 2. These two are at risk and their future is unknown due to prenatal drug exposure.

Once again we find ourselves on a journey. We have been asked to bring my cousin’s daughter into our home. My cousin is starting to experience difficulties with MS and has realized the need to place her 12 year-old daughter who has significant special needs in a family that can care for her long term.

There are many challenges we face on this journey. Some of them we feel we can deal with and overcome. Other challenges require outside support. We have finished off our basement, used up all of the livable space and really don’t have a bedroom for this young lady. We truly need to add-on to our home to accommodate this growth in our family. The addition is by far our biggest challenge. We are looking to partner with a number of people with varying expertise to help us overcome this challenge.

Intro

Well it's time.  We've been asked to let you all know what's going on from time to time.  The email thing works for most, but it leaves a little to be desired when you need to show a pic or two to everyone.  So here we are in the 21st century blogging.  Not that what we have to say or show you is so earth shattering, but maybe, just maybe you'll find something interesting.

We hope this tool will be useful to those who want to read what's happening as we are continually "Raising Prices."  It can be expensive - financially, emotionally and time wise.  However the rewards are equally extravagant - well some anyway.

So, stop by when you feel the urge to peek in on us.  We'll be here to give you a good laugh or six.

Pressing into the Father, for there are no other options,

Scott