saylor wants a pig {still}

Saylor .. where do I begin? As i have reflected on what to share about little miss and her summer adventures i am overwhelmed and cant help but think about how our lives revolve around her brightness in so many ways. There is so much to share when it comes to her, and truth be told i know thats what most of my readers want, they want a piece of her. Everyone does, she is so easy to be taken with. She consistently brings blessings that can not even be contained. inspiring in her very existence. So i am pushing myself to not feel guilty that the other kiddos posts were not as long as this one, and hoping you wont be too bored of it either!

I am gonna keep this post happy but insert here just a quick medical type update. She is doing well for the most part. She has struggled with back and head pain pretty consistently through the summer. This is indicative of several things, some of which we were anticipating. But for the time being she is stable and happy and for the most part pain free, at least for the last few weeks. There are no surgeries scheduled or planned for the immediate future. On a happy medical note we are super excited about a new wheelchair & crutches on the way! We went sporty for agility reasons and she can hardly wait!

As in previous posts, i am gonna work a little backwards. This is Saylor on her first day of 2ND grade! I feel like she is changing so rapidly, getting taller and bigger and just looks older through her face. That being said she really isnt big. Today while i was in her class volunteering i realized the gap has become wider. The kids her age are drastically taller then her, rather then just taller then her. Top of her head height is about their pits!

She got a hand tattoo also! but she was proud to wear it on her little hand!




School thus far has been good this year. Great teacher, good friends. She could be the most popular kid in the whole skool! The last few weeks every time i drop them off or pick them up or walk through the skool kids of all ages say Hi to her. it sounds like this ... hi saylor, hi saylor, hi saylor, hi saylor and her mom, hi saylor, hi saylor. pretty non stop. I am kind of interested in the idea behind how many older kids know and adore her.

During SEP with stocks new teacher i was explaining to her his involvement in her daily care at school and to please accommodate these needs. She asked me which class saylor was in, and i explained she is that little girl walking around with the blue crutches, and stocks teachers blurts out "are you talking about saylor?!!" i hadnt yet mentioned her name obviously, this is a 4th grade teacher mind you, that we have really have had no family interaction with. She then gushed about how much she adores her and how she brightens up the halls and her life. Even though they really have never talked. Ok then ... she is the most popular thing in the entire skool ... staff included! So skool is great. and i think this will be a welcome blessing in those hard moments when she realizes that she is indeed different.

Those moments are starting to grace our lives, like this one ....



We went bowling this summer with some friends. This is saylor bowling backwards. Pretty comical. This was a hard day for her, that turned into a hard week, hard month and more self awareness. Started a little tail spin i hadnt anticipated, but i do realize these moments, they are bound to happen. Its how we handle them that will make the difference. She was devastated that her body would not bowl like stories, that she couldnt skip to the lane and then gracefully throw the ball. and she knew inside that no matter what it would never be this way for her. Hard times .... Holy places too! (thanks Kris, for tagging these moments for me)

that being said there has been no shortage of adaptive sports in her life. In fact her life has suddenly been packed with opportunities! like ..

special needs rodeo!





my friend jamie saw this on the news and passed the info along, otherwise our lives wouldnt have been blessed with this summer highlight for the whole fam. so thanks jamie, we are glad your in our lives to bless us also! I really came to realize this summer, or rather i already knew but just had a moment of more intense reflection, that there are so many good people out there, doing good selfless things for other people! This rodeo was so well organized and soooo much fun! All the local law enforcement came and each participant got a little buddy! I felt so bad for saylors UHP officer, hobbling around on his fractured foot! But just like everyone he was smitten with her and insisted on being fully responsible for her throughout the day. She got to ride a mechanical bull, love this shot though its not too clear, i was a ways away, she is even putting up her arm! she got to ride horses, a familiar activity, pet all sorts of animals, learn to rope a steer, and many other things! we had a blast. That evening we also attended the real rodeo where saylor came in with the royalty in the back of a truck. It was a great time had by all and the best rodeo i have ever been too! We all were just giddy with happiness. Storie and stock participated in the calf chase and stock nearly scored himself a $50 butt tag.

and then there is tennis

through saylors PT at pcmc we recently became involved in a wheelchair tennis program at liberty park in slc. I was hesitant, worried that it would be too difficult. really think about it, much more complex then able bodied tennis. so such to move all at the same time! But in true O'Brien spirit she took to it! She was attentive and focused with far more endurance then the other kids her age. Full effort forward and she got better and better as the weeks went by. It didnt take long for her coach (ammmmmazing man!) to see the natural athletic fire burning from inside her genes!

so we then naturally started ...



wheelchair basketball. Same coach, different facility. More fun! Its a little brutal, even with these little kids. Lots of chair tipping, and crashing and ball smacking into faces. Several kids couldnt hack it. But not my saylor. She played for 2 hours! Storie, stock, & nate all got in a chair too. It was a hoot to watch and so much fun for the entire family. I think it was really moving to have us be like her for a change.

and YET ANOTHER SUMMER HIGHLIGHT! {bear with me here}




Thursday Hero reunion. Saylor Loves the cougs! She was beaming ear to ear! it was fun to be with and see the other hero's to and get to know there story a little. Food was great, company was great and saylor felt part of the team! Really emotional for me as a mother to see once again a couple hundred grown men dote on my baby. We spent a lot of time with coach weber, love that teddy bear. And our new home teacher who is also on the team, landon. Nate had a good long chat with Brian Logan. In fact i was kind of embarrassed, there were all these kids who wanted to get his autograph and talk to him but brian nate just ignored them and bantered on like they were bro's or something. they really connected and i must admit i was really impressed with the head this kid had on his shoulder. Which by the way is a tad shorter then nate .. here is the proof!


and then there were the PIGS!


She STILL has a pretty healthy obsession with pigs. While at a family reunion she fell in love with this cute little black baby pot belly pig. It belongs to the boyfriend of one of nate's second cousins. She didnt leave its presence much the entire evening. Good thing the boyfriend was as smitten with saylor as she was with the pig!

I thought it might be fun to take her to a friend of ours pig farm. These are BIG pigs though. But babies are born often. So she got to hold one ... they squeal really loud so this is her following suit and holding the pigs mouth shut. This one was so darling, it was a gorgeous tangerine color. and they were just so cute!

Unfortunately i just dont see how we could ever have a pig. unless of course they could function like a disability dog .... hmmmmm.


and as if this werent enough she also spent the day at snowbird with W.A.S.

It was kind of a last minute deal, but we were invited up for a day of fun in the summer sun at snowbird. We panned for gold, rode a disability trike, spent some time going up peruvian and through the tunnel and back. Went fishing in brighams pond and had lunch. Only one other WAS participant was up there and he was more or less training for a cycle race, rather then playing with us. This was a highly emotional day for me. I felt it in the morning. I felt it all day. And it made sense when one of the summers biggest blessings for me came to fruition. There was Brighams family. A little boy who used to participate with WAS, a little boy held hostage by his body, a little boy free now. His parents and siblings were up at snowbird, enjoying Brighams favorite place and his memory. I was so touched by this family, even their quiet being and spirit was humble yet powerful. I felt instantly connected with Julie, brighams mom. And yearned to know them better. the coming weeks blossomed a friendship i will always be so grateful for.

Without saylor these experiences just wouldnt be. I still dont always understand why i received these blessings, such a continuous flow. I feel so undeserving post of the time. But i am astounded by what it gives me. She is my reminder of who i am, who i want to be, and whats important in life. She is the light of our Savior shining brightly in my home, in my heart, in my life. Saylor is in us.

MOM tattoo

So i guess its stocks turn ... {though i am tempted to post a you tube clip about elves instead ... maybe later}






stocks first day of school pics. He just like miss storie chose is own outfit. I dont even buy the kid clothes anymore because this is pretty much all he will wear. wrestling/football/baseball shirts (most of which seem to be signed by some pro athlete) and sport shorts. He is changing and growing older, as kids do. For probably only the 2nd time in his life he is by choice growing is hair out. It may also be only the 2nd time i really have allowed him to. Its mostly because haircuts make him enraged and long hair requires haircuts rather then a buzz. He is heading into the 4th grade and has a fantastic (almost toooo fantastic) teacher who i am sure will become smitten with him just as fast as the others have. I think from birth he has gradually become less mine and less of me and more of nate as well as just simply his. They are one in the same in far too many ways!

Then there is the tattoo. Dont worry disclaimer upfront, i am 100% aware of the situation i have created. That this tradition could result in my children coming home with real tattoos at some point. and should they do that ... well just so long as its a heart with the word 'mom' written on the inside, i wont mind.

So first day of school i draw a heart on the inside of the kids hands with the word 'mom' in it, to remind them that i am always with them, thinking of them, love them. Its supposed to be a comforting thing, because the first day of school is often filled with nerves. but i got to be honest with you, not really for my kids. they seem far to adjusted for some reason. totally comfortable with few concerns in the world. stock would not let me put it on his hand. cause then what if his friends saw it? but then he just wouldnt stop giggling either so i know he loves that i do this! but i insisted and told him he better pick a place cause i was putting the heart mom somewhere.




stock had an extremely busy summer. and i fear that the fall will be even more busy! It started with baseball, this time around regular old city league. We wondered how this was gonna play out with intense curiosity. Stock really has NO baseball experience. Nate has always focused on wrestling and football type things with him. But it was apparent at tryout clinic that stock has the magic that nate always has when it comes to athletics. So in the end he was the star and the starting pitcher the entire season. Baseball is super fun to go watch, especially with little boys! His skills were pretty naturally good but they improved with each passing practice and game. At the end of his season his team did not make it to the playoffs but in this league teams that do can recruit other players to play for them. So just when i thought it was over ... it was extended. It was fun to see him get some more playing time.

Baseball led right into several wrestling and football camps all over the valley and pretty back to back. I am pretty confident at this point that there have been very few days in the last few years this kid didnt get a work out in. Camps went great and we were excited to even be "scholarship ed" to a few (what were you thinking i cant afford all this!) good thing the kids is well known and liked with skills or there is no way we could do all this. as nate would say (because larry miller would say) preparation mixed with opportunity = success.

AND he did swim team this year. I know your exhausted just reading this, cause i am typing it!


its clear this is a conditioning sport for him. which is good. his heart is not in it and he doesnt put that heart into that i see elsewhere but he does it and enjoys it and because he is strong he is pretty good at it. Just before county he injured his neck (which landed me in a trainers office having a conversation about my son and athletics i never thought i would, at least not this young.) so he swam but didnt do his best. i think he took 3rd in one race and DQ the others.

He also turned 9 this summer. He got BYU football camp and all sport related stuff. Nate took him and 5 friends to a movie then they came back for some football in the yard and cake. One friend gave him a cold stone gift card. One of my favorite summer days was taking him there for an ice cream date just me and him. I doubt that the friends mom has any idea that she gave him and me much more then some ice cream! I should tell her ...



In his spare time (which was next to nothing) he went to the cabin with nate to help with the hunting preparation and sharpen his own shooting skills. Both kids have become pretty accurate with the BB guns. Sometimes i wonder what world i stepped into, seems so foreign.

Then football started ... Stock really wanted to play tackle this year and nate of course was 100% behind this. I had my reservations, as any mom would. He is only 9. But you might also be surprised to hear (ok so maybe some of you wont be) that some kids start tackle in 1st grade. Ok peeps so worried my kid is gonna get hurt and then any chance of all these athletic careers will be over! anyhow its no joking kind of team. practice every single day for 2-2.5 hours the month prior to games. where after words practice continues 3 days a week for that long and games every saturday. At the first game a kid on the other team got hurt bad enough the paramedics came. I am sure you can imagine how comforting this was to me. He does look so darling in his little pads and pants, like the man i adore so i cant help but just adore him too. He is doing pretty well and as good of shape as he was in before his body has changed a lot in the last few weeks. i didnt even realize it until we went on one last swim pool trip before summer ended. and i was like hmmm. not what i last remembered. He loves football from what i can tell, and i think his dad loves it too! He is playing on both offensive and defensive lines so he plays most of the game. Though is not really playing the position he would prefer at the moment.



this isnt the best pic, i am so bad i dont take enough sport pics. but i just get all anxious when i am there and can barely force myself to be calm.

so with football comes more football. in the form of BYU games. Stock has been spoiled with team attention! our home teacher plays on the team and he has gotten some special opps (thanks to saylor more on that later.)

so with the changing of leaves arrives the boys favorite season.

soon wrestling will start .... when will i ever catch my breath!

storie update

this is gonna be a regular part of our life all year long and nearly everyday! STORIE MADE THE TEAM! I was so nervous, i think i was more nervous and then also more excited then her! especially when i realized how their numbers of kids trying out were far more then the team even anticipated! but she made it ... she made it .. she made it!!!!

the bullet

I am just gonna have to skip me. The thought of writing about myself and catching you on the months of chaos that is just simply my world is far to overwhelming. so next ...

Miss storie kate i am gonna work a little backwards






The first day of skool has already come and gone. I cant believe how old my kids are getting and especially my storie kate. She is so gorgeous in who she is physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Lately i have really just felt immensely blessed by her presence. She picked out her own first day of skool out fit ... of course. she is that age now a days. 5th grade. great teacher this year, what a relief!




She has spent a great deal of the summer swimming the provo pikes swim team. This was her first year on a swim team and she proved to be as genetically predisposition-ed as stock, if not more! {insert bragging} stock can swim, he is a good swimmer, really is. super duper strong, but its more a conditioning thing for him and not a real passion like wrestling or football. that being said his best backstroke time is in the 45-48 second range on a 25. Storie .... 17! need is say more? super smooth swimmer. not far into the season her coaches started calling her the bullet. She swims strong and smooth and FAST! at county she took first in not one but TWO strokes. there had to have been at least 5 heats in her age bracket for each stroke! i was so dang proud of her.

We decided it might be a good idea to move her over to a long term year round club team. yesterday was try outs, and though initially i thought it likely was a shoe in, now i wonder. there were far more kids trying out then even the club anticipated for this year. so .... time will tell. we should know early next week. i think she made it, she did great at tryouts. strong girl. oh and did i mention county took place after only 4 days of antibiotics coming off walking pneumonia? hmmm. makes you wonder what the potential is with full health capacity.



we have spent a lot of time at the cabin (see previous post for various reasons) this year. And one of storie's fav trips (this really was a fav for all of us) was when we went up the mirror lake. we stopped at this provo river park area that was incredible. i dont really perceive the provo river as particularly gorgeous. but this area sure is! i have never seen so many falls of such glorious artistic nature. almost landscape like but natural. the rock and its natural erosion was incredible!



another highlight of her summer was acting camp with her BFF mattea. They have a strong connection! it was just destined to be that way. they did a little community acting camp series for a few weeks and then spent the weekend together via sleepover at our house. we had a fun dinner and went to the movie despicable me. it was by far one of the most entertaining evenings i have had as a mother. mattea is hilarious!

oh the moments, they are fleeting. she soon will not want me to hang with her and her friends. i am trying to capture it all while i still can.

Nate

so i figure ill update you one family peep at a time. starting with the oldest. This is not nate, though i know the likeness is astonishing, its not him. But all of his free time outside of work has been spent either with kids {and usually with stock at some kind of athletic thing or another} or preparing for the big elk hunt.

I dont know much about these things, but apparently he has been waiting all his life for this and acquired some astronomical amount of points in order to get this tag. so in short its a big deal. even though i swear not so long ago he went elk hunting, not sure what the difference was then and now. and i could be entirely wrong. all i know is that our late summer and fall every year are consumed with hunting.

but this year there was far more prep then ever before. like the special placement of wilderness cameras. that have caught a latino man out in the middle of nowhere forest private land. a load of deer. some fantastic elk. and a few bears. YES bears! Its not well known that there are bears at our cabin, in fact not many in nates large extended family have ever even seen one on any of the property. but as it turns out there are, and i dare say more than one based on what the cameras have captured.

what else has he been up to? well coaching stock at about every sport he plays which i feel like is everything. when people ask what he plays i would prefer they ask what he doesnt. and nate is always there beside him. little clone. is there such thing as a man umbilical cord? he also plays his own sports, like softball and what not. its fun though, its fun to go to those grown man softball games. praying the whole time no one gets hurt, or at least mine doesnt get hurt.

and work. work of course.

i am just gonna start with a bench

Lately the blog has really been on mind and my to do list. Something i really wanted to get to. SO many family and friends keep up with us this way and i dont mean to leave you behind. i enjoy and appreciate your involvement in our lives and those that actually GET something out of the blog. With all that has been going on in each of our lives i have felt so overwhelmed with how much i need to post. with those feelings has come more procrastination. so this is my attempt to stop the cycle, just gonna blog about something simple today ... in hopes that it gets me going and that i can possibly do a post on each of us in the coming weeks.

not to long ago "the" piano came into our possession. This is the piano that was nate's grandmothers, then his mothers, then it got passed around a bit, dropped here and there by the boys while moving, damaged, worn, loved, neglected, and all those things that happen over the years with pianos. Initially nate thought he would restore the wood at least but to be honest i like its vintage and sort of velveteen rabbit feel. so i left it as is and moved it in to the living room. the bench on the other hand ... the material wasnt working for me. so i have been on the hunt for just the right thing. and of course at the right price. found a pillow sham at DI for $1. this fabric was the center of the sham and it was just enough to cover the bench.



great find if i do say so myself!

does anyone even read this anymore?

so i have been a terrible blogger as of late, my life is well simply just indescribable at the time. its more then just a roller coaster. its not believable to be honest. that being said i have no energy to explain ... unless of course i actually have readers who care, which i am starting to wonder about anyhow? is blogging personally on its way out?

in the meantime something for you. my new obsession is the documentary "grey Gardens" its a must see. keep in mind my obscure nature though, if you cant ride with me then dont bother. a little taste.