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.