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.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
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.
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.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
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!!
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!!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
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:
The following have donated time or personal items:
More to come...
- 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...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
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.
Friday, January 11, 2008
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...
Independent Luxury Homes
Sowada and Barna Plumbing
Lamperts Lumber
Cemstone Blaine
Lowe's Coon Rapids
Saint Francis Community Hotline - Michelle Anderson
More to come...
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