saylor the cougar!

ok ok i know your all anxiously awaiting this post. and we would have done this sooner had the computer genius of this household (me) not gone out of town. so here it is. but first ...

we really are consumed with thought on how to thank 125 football players, the coaching staff, bronco, cort, justin, cosmo, coach weber, and so many others. and i have come up with nothing that sufficiently express's our gratitude. so i just want to say publicly... how grateful we are as a family to be part of this, and to watch our daughter actually BE a hero outside of our home and be recognized, honored, and provide inspiration for people, a team, and an organization that is so dear to our own hearts. Words, food, little tokens just cant do our feelings justice. thank you. simply and so sincerely THANK YOU!


JUSTIN - thank you for being a good friend to nate, for loving him. for caring about what his life is like and for making this happen.



CORT - you rock. what more can i say. you were a pure delight. thanks for helping share our story and experiencing this with us.



C. WEBER - we adore you. you light up our faces. we miss living close to you! your such an amazing sincere kind man. thank you for stopping so we could spend a min with you.

BRONCO - there is no doubt that the powers above picked the very BEST coach on earth today to lead His team. thank you for pushing a program of this nature and all that comes with it, all the good on every side. for being an example and an inspiration!



COSMO - after being told that you have been requested so often by thursday heroes and knowing that you have never been able to make it but that by miracle you made it for saylor, our gratitude for your heart and time runs deep, so deep that a river of happy tears has been shed. saylor loves and adores you. she has been blessed enough to have had you visit her home and now even make this special appearance. it truly is a blessing, the big man upstairs must know what she needs to get her through a few more things. you will never not have a place in her little heart or ours!



MAX - thanks for spending sooo much of your valuable time with our family. for wrestling with our son, who pretty much worships you! like any other 8 year old boy obsessed with football (ok stock is more then obsessed you cant even catch him without gloves or a ball!) this experience was mind blowing! he is still in a daze! thank you.




HARVEY - i would say your the families overall fav. you just bring it every time! thank you. stockton looks so spaced in every picture, well because i think he kind of was. can you imagine, i cant. this experience was incredible for my kids. all of them!

and ultimately we want to thank our Father above for this amazing spirit in our lives and homes, for saylor! for who she is and what she does. for letting us learn and be with her. for providing a way, a better way.

ok onto the story. when we first arrived on campus we got to see all the trophies and team awards and tour the football offices. the kids liked sitting in bronco's chair! that was special. and i was so impressed to see open and read scriptures on coaches desk. how inspiring.


we also got to see our old friend amy who brought cosmo to see saylor the first time about 3 years ago just after a surgery.

the office tour was fascinating for us all but most likely for the boys. after the tour we headed to the practice facility. nate and i both were very nervous that saylor would get shy, and steer away from the players and people. we just watched them practice for a min and then they finished and all gathered in the middle and you know what she just cruised on those crutches right towards them. ahead of us all. this is when both nate and i lost all control of emotion and became crying parents.

a few members of the team knelt down so they could be at her level and explained to her why she was their hero and thanked her for coming. they showed them their team flag, the one that is at every game and comes out of the tunnel ahead of the players. it looks so white from stands but its actually covered in names, signatures of players, coaches, and honorary team members. they then asked saylor to sign it so she could always be part of their team.


next they showed her a blank Y flag that they all were gonna sign for her to remind her of them. then the bag of goodies came and they helped her open it. she was in heaven. literally. we all were that night.


i think the best moment for nate and i was when the players, and staff all created a circle around saylor. enclosing her. so she could lead them in their "go cougs" end of practice send off. nate, the kids, and i were on the outside so we were expecting a team captain or coach to lead the send off. the room fell silent, and suddenly we heard our little angels voice, strong and soft say 1...2...3... does it get sweeter then that? oh man. then having video of it now from the inside just brings it all together. full circle. one team.


then came cosmo and cute explanations about how special this really was! she was smitten, as she always has been. pretty sure she wants cubs not babies at this point. there is this pic below i was so reluctant to post cause i seem to be the focus and i dont want to be. and i dont look my best at all. we are all laughing and looking to the side at something else but saylor her focus is fixed on cosmo!





we shook the hand of nearly every single player, all of us. then we chatted with a few that lingered and the coaches. max hung out, so did harvey & cosmo. then it was time for goodbye. the emotional high, that high lingered for days. its still kind of there. and it feels sooo good.

in case you missed the bronco show with video footage you can get to a link of the taping by going here.

how do i even finish a post about one of the funnest best days our family has ever had? i simply cant. so i wont.