BYU Football and Gorgeous Grace

Well, football and grace don't go together (at least yet), but I'm not very good at writing cohesive blogs. I guess they're representative of our lives, chaotic and just not quite put together!

So, yesterday BYU's football team had a football clinic for those 5-12 years and a spring scrimage open to the public, so all the boys went over. Reese was so excited to go play football with BYU players, but when he got on the field, he got a little nervous. There were a bunch of stations doing football drills, and he did one where he hit a player's bag, ran over some obstacles, and hit another players bag. then he was done! They had a fun time though, saw Harvey Unga and Austin Coly (sp?---I don't follow BYU football, RD just tells me about it:)), and had ice cream! They came home several hours later sunburned and tired.... Cameron said several times "i'm really tired", and Reese echoed him. RD and Reese both took naps, and Cameron got his second wind when he found out I was going grocery shopping... sigh.

Does anyone else remember during conference someone referred to parenting and motherhood, and how there are shining moments amidst days of frustration, monotony and something else. Well, saturday was a beautiful day, and after groceries were put away, Cameron and I cleaned out our sandbox, found our sand toys, and did a little yardwork. RD came out to help with the latter, and started to barbecue dinner. I was walking on the sidewalk apst the barbecue and had one of those moments.... Cameron was happily playing in the sandbox, delighted at a 'new' toy, Reese and Grace were sleeping, and I could smell the barbecue, on a beautiful day!! RD and I talked about how we've been excited for another utah summer for almost two years...hanging out with friends and neighbors, barbecues, playing outside as a family... it'll be sad to move away form utah during our favorite part of it.

Anyway Grace was going to be the other half of htis blog..maybe I should post oftener and then I could be less tangential (sp?). well, probably won't happen, so-

Isn't she gorgeous? Today we all went to church together for the first time, and it was SO FUN to dress her up! It was the first dress she's worn, and she was just so adorable! I love her so much, but it's also fun to have a girl so I can 'dress up' a baby! She looks so similar to Cameron as a baby it's important to dress her up so we can tell pics apart (jk). My pride in her was quite satisfied by everyone's ooh and ahhs over her at church, which is always nice to hear:)

Well, RD keeps aksing me when I'm going to post about Grace, so I ask him back, but I guess it's become my responsibility to post stuff...

So some may know or not know that Grace failed her newborn hearing screen, and by the time she was three weeks we knew she had a moderately severe hearing loss. It was really hard for us, but we're moving forward with it, and she'll be getting her hearing aids this friday. Having a baby with hearing aids will be a new challenge. She'll be getting services from the same people Reese did, and she's said the first 18 months can be pretty difficult keeping aids in and keeping up with getting new ear molds..about every month or so. Reese was old enough he recognized the benefit of his aids and it wasn't too much of a strugle to keep them in, excpet when he was mad and would take them out and throw them... not something you want to happen to a $1500 1 1/2 inch long machine!

It seems uncanny to have two kids with a hearing loss when neither of our families have a history, but RD has his own theory-- he suspects they are alien hybrids (he IS an x-files fan). Of course, they get the human part from me, so the alien must be from RD... which his parents may say explains a lot of RD's behaviour! :)

P.s. for Robyn.. AG Bell advocates listening and speaking for Deaf and hard-of-hearing children, teens, and adults, and provides support to parents, professionals and deaf individuals. We've enjoyed being involved, though we're not as into it as many parents here. We have heard from other parents the John Tracy clinic is awesome, they send free videos/lessons for parents, though we finished our first lesson yet, they have you start from beginning hearing on, and Reese was almost four when we found out about it.. Anyhew...