Today we had my mom, Joelle, Sydney and Taylor come over for the day and go with us to church. After church we had hot wings and ceasar salad w/croutons for dinner because Taylor loves those things and talks about how when she gets home she is going to have Joelle make her the hot wings and Sydney make her the salad. She is so funny. She gets something on her mind and she won't let it go. She also wants my mom to make her a chocolate pie because she didn't get to have any on Thanksgiving. The kids love having all of their aunts around to play with them and give them lots of attention. Chesley even made Taylor a Christmas card at church today. He is so sweet and thoughtful always. I was finally able to get pictures off of my moms camera so here they are!
Oh yeah, she also gets to go home on Christmas Eve!!! She will have to come back to the valley for her outpatient therapy but is just excited to be home for Christmas.

My dad, Taylor, Ashley

Taylor doing therapy.

At a Christmas party at the hospital.

Emery, Carli, and Saydie watching TV with aunt Taylor

Chesley, Emery, Saydie, Taylor, Joelle and Thatcher

Saydie and Taylor

I know it has been a long time since I have updated but life have been so crazy as I am sure it has been for almost everyone this time of year. As time goes by it gets harder and harder to get to the hospital to see Taylor so I feel like I don't have enough information to give updates. I tried to get my mom to do it but she hasn't had much success with an Internet connection at the hospital. So I will try and do the best that I can. Taylor is doing really well. She has progressed very quickly. It is crazy to think not even 3 weeks ago she couldn't talk or even sit up in a chair. Today she is going strong. She is a walking fool and no longer uses her wheelchair. On Saturday she got to leave the hospital for a few hours and went to the Temple to see the lights and then out to eat. She was pretty warn our afterwards from all of the walking. Then on Sunday they got to leave the hospital again and went to church and then had dinner and watched a movie at Kristen's house. She had a great time following Brynli around. She thinks Brynli is the cutest thing ever. I went to visit her today and got to go with her to one of her physical therapy sessions where they had her walking and dribbling the ball at the same time, walk on the balance beam and play a game while balancing. She did a really good job. She is talking in a regular voice now instead of just whispering and boy does she love to talk! She is a crack up because she gets something in her head and she won't let it go. She has been telling everyone that she wants my mom to buy her a 4-wheeler for Christmas so that she doesn't have to walk anymore. She is tired of all the walking they make her do. She is determined to get one too. She cracks us up. Hopefully at some point I can get some pictures off of my mom's camera so everyone can see how good she looks. She still has a way to go but she is such a fighter and is doing it with a great attitude. I think she might even be a little bit nicer than before the accident. Go figure.

This is LeeAnne's mom, I am staying at her house tonight, a night away from the hospital so she can cut my hair. She asked me to post an update on Taylor. She began neuro-rehab on Tuesday and has two sessions each day of physical, occupational and speech therapy. She has worked hard this week and is so tired at the end of the day. She loves playing basketball the best, she shoots well, first from a sitting position, then today from a standing position. The ball and basket are not quite regulation size, but she loves it just the same. The areas of her brain affected by the accident were areas that control her personality, he verbalization and thought process, her vision. The past couple a days we have seen her begin to smile and it is so exciting. She remembers the names of all her siblings but can't tell you her own age or the grade she is in. She has double vision and has to wear an eye patch. She thinks she looks like a pirate. We are beginning to see her sense of humor and we are excited at the little bits and pieces of our Taylor as they return. We have felt so strongly the prayers of family and friends and know Heavenly Father blesses her each day helping her accomplish what she needs too.

Up and moving

They finally moved Taylor to the neurological floor. My mom was excited for this to happen because she just pretty much did nothing too exciting while she was on the pediatrics floor. Now that she is in neuro she is up and hopping. They get her up and dressed every morning which was difficult at first because the clothes she had just fell off of her. She is so skinny so Kristen had to go and buy her some new stuff so she would be descent. They do physical therapy and voice therapy 2 times each day. Yesterday they had her in a wheel chair and she was moving herself up and down the hall using her feet. She also walked a little holding herself up on bars and with someone spotting her of course. So far she is doing well with the physical stuff but is still having a hard time with the vocal. They got her to move her mouth with some of the words but that was about it. She will swallow water but not food. They say that she will have to relearn that food is a good thing and that she likes it because she is not so sure about it right now. By the end of her therapy my mom said she was exhausted and went right to sleep. She seems to want to do that most of the time.
I had a dream last night that when I went to see Taylor that she was walking and talking and I was so overcome with emotion. I hope this is a sign of things to come. I can't wait.

Favorite Christmas Song

Be sure and listen to the best Christmas song ever while checking out our blog. It is called the Pretty Little Dolly and is a little disturbing but incredibly funny. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do. Merry Christmas!!

It has been hard finding time with the holiday weekend to get on the computer but I wanted to take a minute to give a quick update on Taylor. Yesterday they moved Taylor out of the PICU which also means she got the drain out of her head. She still has a feeding tube and an IV but that is it. She has been opening her eyes for several day's now and will respond with gestures to verbal commands. It was good to finally look into her eyes. I know we have a very long road ahead of us and a lot of physical therapy to do but we will continue hoping for the best. They are suppose to start her therapy on Monday so I will let you all know how it goes.

Good Day!

Here it is 9:45 p.m. I just got home from a long night at work but I could not wait to post. It has been a darn good day today. I got to go to the hospital to see Taylor and attempt to fix her mess of a hair. They had turned off her medicine that keeps her sedated before I got there and she has a really sensitive head so I don't think she appreciated much what I was doing to her hair! Shortly after I left the hospital I got a call saying they FINALLY took her tube out of her mouth! I was so excited. They have been talking about doing this for day's now. She is doing well breathing on her own and is moving around a lot more. I called my mom on my way home from work and she said Taylor waived 3 different times tonight. I can't tell you how I feel inside right now! I can't wait to see her and hopefully she will have a wave for me as well! Thanks so much everyone for all the prayers in Taylor's behalf. I am overwhelmed with the love and support from so many different people.

Last night I had a slumber party with Taylor at the hospital. Well there really wasn't much partying but at least there was slumber. My parents and everyone left around 8:30 last night and it was so quiet. I thought it was going to be the longest night but it was not bad at all. Other than regular checkups from the nurses every 30 min it was a pretty good night. After the day Taylor had on Friday anything seems better. Friday they just had a really hard time keeping her comfortable it seemed. After they gave her more sedation and got her fever under control she has been a lot more stable. So again we just keep waiting for the next move. They have talked about taking her breathing tube our since she is pretty much breathing on her own and they have kept her cranial pressure at good levels so we are looking forward to that happening in the next couple of day's. She looks really good. Her face is healing really nicely. She looks like our Taylor.

Hanging with Aunt Niki

Niki has been so nice to help out with our kids a lot and on Tuesday she had them at Carson's shop and they had a blast playing in the laundry cart. The kids love when aunt Niki is around. She is so good with them and plays games and always does lots of fun activities.
I don't really have much news about Taylor. I am like the rest of you and want to hear something, anything but pretty much all they can say is everyone is different and they just can't predict how long it will take. Yesterday was a rough day. They had a hard time keeping her ICP's(inner cranial pressure) down until they flushed out the tube that is in her head and that seemed to do the trick. She had a good quiet night last night which was good so we will see what the day brings. We are so grateful for the thoughts and prayers of everyone. I am always amazed at the love and support that is given in times like these.




Thatcher ran into a screen that was all dusty and it left a nice print on his face.

Taylor's toes

On Saturday Sydney and Taylor and 2 of Taylor's friends were in a car accident and Taylor had to be flown to the valley for her head trauma. We are unsure of things at this point and every day hope for good news. She has some bleeding in her brain and a lot of swelling but has not gotten any worse. We can only hope that her stubbornness will help her get through all of this.
She had crazy nail polish on both her hands and feet so we thought we would make her cute for when she wakes up. We made sure not to use any pink since she hates it so we painted her toes black with green and orange polka dots. Hopefully she will like them. I will try and update when I can or when we have any new information of her.

Happy Birthday Saydie!

I know this is late but life has been crazy the last few day's.  Saydie just had a birthday and turned the big 4!  She was very excited and has been talking about it for a long time.  We just had a quiet little party with just our family and had hot chicken wings at Saydie's request.  She went to some friends of ours home for the day and had a blast.  They made cup cakes for her and she got to decorate them herself and had happy birthday sang to her several times throughout the day.  She especially loved getting phone calls from all of her grandparents and aunts.  Sometimes I can't believe she is barely turning 4.  She acts a lot older than she is.  

What can I say about Saydie?  She is her own person for sure.  She knows what she wants and doesn't stop til she finds a way to get it.  We always say it is a good thing she is cute or she would spend her whole life getting in trouble.  Saydie is full of life and keeps us on our toes.  We are trying to steer her in the right direction and figure if we can do that she will do just fine.  These last 4 years have flown by.  Where has the time gone?  We are very grateful to have Saydie as a part of our family and can't imagine life without her.

Here are a few pictures of Saydie that I found on the computer in no particular order.

Saydie @ 3 years

Saydie and Dad

Hanging with her sister

Having a snack, she is alway's having a snack!

Wearing Emery's panties!

Saydie 11 months

Christmas @ Gma and Bonka's

Saydie eating a hamburger at her 1st b-day party

Saydie @ 8 months

I found out on Tuesday that I got the job I have been pursuing for about a month or so now.  I start next week and am excited and nervous at the same time.  Being a working mother is a lot of work and I definitely look up  to all those who do it and do it so well.  The hardest part is trying to find a babysitter because I have to pretty much find two separate ones.  One to watch Saydie and Thatcher and one to pick Chesley and Emery up from school and watch them as well.  Hopefully it all works out.  I am trying not to get to stressed about it.  

We had a good Halloween and I am still waiting to be able to download the pictures because they are not on my camera(my camera died).  Hopefully I will have pictures to share soon.

Like a kid in a candy shop!

Rhett got the best birthday present ever this year and it wasn't even from me.  Brooks let Rhett take his corvette for the day and Rhett got to drive around and take just about everyone he knew who would love the car for a ride and then we went on a date.  It was allot of fun but I know I will never fully grasp just how much fun it was for Rhett.  I kept telling him he was like a kid in a candy shop because of how excited he was.  Oh the things that make us happy sometimes!!!

Rhett and Thatcher going for a ride.  Thatcher wanted a ride so bad.  I just thought, he is only 2 why would he be so excited about a car?  I guess boy's will be boy's no matter what age.

Rhett and Chesley

Fall Break

Grandpa Brown, Sydney, Grandma Brown

Thatcher & Sydney

Emery, Carli, Saydie

Chesley striking a pose

Saydie and Emery playing dress up

Well we sure had a lot going on while we were in Eagar.  Saturday we got to go to Aunt Sydney's last home soccer game.  The kids had fun and were all over the bleachers.  It was also Senior Day for Syd.  I can't believe she is a senior!  Later we went to the benefit for Uncle Steven.  I am so glad we were able to go and support them and see the generosity of the community, family and friends.  We had a lot of fun at Grandma and Grandpa's.  We even found time to go for a drive up Escadilla to see the beautiful trees and the many colors of fall.  Rhett's birthday was on Sunday so we had dinner at his parents and cake at the Brown's.  We were sad when the week was over and it was time to get back to business.  We are still recovering from all the excitement butgrateful for the time we get to spend with our family.

Cool mountains, here we come!

I can't tell you how excited I am to go to the mountains and enjoy cooler weather and see the beautiful colors of Fall!  The kids have fall break next week so to grandmothers house we go.  Since I started school last year I feel like we haven't really had time to just kick back and relax much.  I am excited to have a relaxing few day's just hanging with the family.   The kids are so excited and can't  hardly wait.   Hopefully I will remember to take pictures (because I never do)  and will actually have something to post about when we get back.

Music

Just so everyone knows ... I was NOT included in the music selection that plays on our family blog. Not that I mind what was selected but complaining about something that doesn't really matter (and being a pain about it at the same time) is something I do best. My wife loves it! She wants me to do it all of the time so I'm trying to get better about it. :)

Ready for Fall

Chesley, Thatcher, Saydie and Emery

Emery and Chesley

Saydie and Thatcher

We are so ready for the weather to cool down so it feels a little more like fall.  It seems like I get to this point every year and think it is never going to cool down.  I can't wait for cooler weather.  The kids were excited this morning because it is the last day of September which mean Halloween is getting closer.  They love Halloween and I do not.  To me it is a pretty pointless holiday.  I thought that I would try to get myself a little more excited for it by posting pictures from last years Halloween.  

The Real Deal!

It is official.  I passed my state board exams and received my cosmetology license in the mail yesterday.  It is such a good feeling to be completely done.  Now I just have to find a job.  I am both scared and anxious and can't wait to learn even more.

Here we go!

I said to myself I never would but yet here I am, just like the rest of you.  Spending way to much time on the computer.  Let's give it a whirl!