L.I.F.E. With The Reeds

Super Bowl Thrill!!

2009-02-04T18:27:00.001-08:00

Well, we had the opportunity of a lifetime, as many of you heard. Carrie and I flew to Orlando (and drove to Tampa on Super Bowl Sunday) to root on our beloved Arizona Cardinals. Yes, I said the Arizona Cardinals and Super Bowl Sunday in the same sentence. Back when they clinched the NFC Championship, I awoke the next morning thinking that it was all a dream, but it was real.

Everyone knows the outcome, but we are so proud of their accomplishments and how they played and almost beat the favored team. Vegas doesn't like us right now. 60% of the bets won since the point spread was -7. They lost big...serves them right and makes up for all of the years that they won big on crazy spreads only to see the Cards get blown out by double the spread.

We originally thought some friends would join us, but the economy situation did not allow them to make the trip, so we went on our own and had a blast. We spent Saturday at Universal Studios (pretty fun but very expensive in my opinion). We got up and headed to Tampa Sunday morning, arriving about 11:30 a.m. We spent the afternoon at the NFL Experience. It was included in the price of the ticket...actually only ticket holders could attend the NFL Experience on Sunday, so of course all of the fans were decked in their Pittsburgh and Arizona colors. I would say it was 5 to 1 Pittsburgh to Arizona. But one Pittsburgh fan pointed out to me the obvious...it is -10 degrees and snowing there so everyone is looking for a reason to get away. Arizona is warmer than Tampa so there wasn't the need. Besides, Pittsburgh is a storied franchise and has very loyal fans all around the country.

We went into the stadium about 3:30 p.m. and watched warm-ups and pregame ceremonies leading up to the kickoff. Jennifer Hudson was awesome and the Thunderbird's fly-by surprised us and scared many of us. We weren't expecting it, but it was surreal. Bruce Springsteen's show was excellent as well. But my favorite part of the day was watching my Cardinals almost beat the Steelers...oh so close. I was bummed, but not disappointed or embarrassed. They played great and gained the respect of the world. We are not the same 'ol Cardinals any longer.

It was a long drive back to Orlando, but the hotel we stayed at was gorgeous and the room was luxurious for 1/3 of the price they were charging in Tampa for a Days Inn or Super 8 Motel. It was a smart move and we found that a lot of people did the same thing we did 'cause the highway was packed all the way back.

Carrie and I went to Walt Disney World on Monday (shhh...don't tell Nathan - he would be mad at us). We went to Epcot and Hollywood Studios only. It was a wet, soggy day. We brought our ponchos and expected it to rain, but not as much as it did. Our dinner was the highlight of the day. We ate in Japan at Teppan Edo at Epcot. It was a teppanyaki (sp?) style meal...they fix it on the grille at your table. It was delicious and a first for Carrie and I as a couple. She had never had it, but loved it and we will eat at another soon.

We traveled home on Tuesday with more than half of the plane being Cardinals fans. We are back home and back to reality. As a sidenote, I read an article in the paper today about a United Airlines flight from Denver that hit a large bird yesterday and had to turn around safely to Denver shortly after takeoff. Thank goodness that wasn't us even though we landed and departed on United Airlines in Denver.

As requested, attached are some pictures...

We have arrived...stadium is in the background

Punt, Pass and Kick (first time kicking a ball from a tee and it went 30 yards)

Photo is taken from out seats... posing for picture 6 rows down

The Most Respectful Student Award

2008-11-07T10:44:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, when I picked Nathan up from school he had a huge smile across his face. I knew something good had happened to him by his face. He said " I don't know how something this great could happen to me!" Well what happened? "I got a respect award" I still wasn't quite sure what he was talking about. Luckily about that time his teacher came over and told me he was chosen as this quarters most respectful student and he got a gift card to office max and his picture would be in the school news letter.

When we got to the car he told me that he wanted to use his gift card to buy something for his school instead of for him. I hope he never looses that loving, giving heart he has.

Dorothy and The King

2008-11-06T06:44:00.000-08:00

First Tooth Gone

2008-09-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

Nathan lost his first tooth last week. He was very excited that the tooth fairy gave him a dollar. He has been showing everyone his window.

Nathan's school sends home a new book for him to read each night. He is reading so much better after his first month of Kindergarten. Nathan is very analytical and he loves math because it is always consistent and follows all the rules. But unlike reading, where he has learned the rules for complex words, many words in the English language do not follow the rules. For example, if a word ends with the letter e, the 'e' becomes silent and the vowel in the word says its name, or if two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking. When he is reading a book and a word like have or their comes up, he gets so frustrated. He said “When I get done learning this English language, I want to learn a language that is smart enough to follow its own rules.” I thought he should talk to his Aunt Gisele and see what language she recommends. Luckily, he has memorized most of the troublesome words, but he still just likes to complain about them.

Lauren's Getting Orthotics

2008-08-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

Her therapists have been concerned about her left foot. Lauren has always had very tight achilles tendons. This is a common trait among children diagnosed with Sanfillipo. Her left side is weaker than her right. If Lauren gets overly fatigued her left foot will start collapsing in and turning out. The orthotic specialist is going to make her foot inserts to take some of the pressure off of the achilles tendons and stop the left foot from collapsing in. They made the foot impressions by casting Lauren's feet. For a few minutes she had purple casts on both feet. She did great and was in a great mood. She sang Old Macdonald, Mary Had A Little Lamb and Itsy Bitsy Spider for her. It was some of the easiest to understand singing I have heard from her in a long time.

Lauren has been doing great at wearing her hearing aids. I am praying the more she hears the easier her speech will be able to understand again. Lauren had been wearing her hearing aids all day long with out touching them. Her therapist forgot they were even in. I guess Lauren had decided they had been in long enough. She put one in her mouth and chewed up the hearing aid and the mold. Luckily we have insurance on any kind of damage the child causes to her hearing aids. So she will be getting a new hearing aide in a week or two.

Almost Home

2008-08-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we spent all day (literally) at Knotts Berry Farm. Now this is my kind of amusement park. 0 to 90 MPH in four seconds, up 10 stories in the air, constant 70 MPH speeds, etc. is my kind of rides (Dianna's too). I don't remember the last time I was at Knotts, but it had to be 20 years ago. It does not even resemble today what it was last time. There are maybe 4 thrill rides remaining and 8 added. It was a nice change from the slow pace of LegoLand and Disneyland in the earlier week. Although, Disneyland has a few rides that interest me. I just wish my stomach could still handle the G forces that these thrill rides give you.

Today, we are travelling back to our timeshare in Ramona, which is outside of San Diego in the mountains. We are currently visiting with my Uncle Richard and Aunt Dianna at their campsite in San Onofre. What an awesome set up they have. Words don't even describe the scenery and luxury that they have as retirees. But, they have certainly paid their dues and deserve everything they have. We are waiting for the sun to burn off the clouds and then we are going to walk down to the beach and play in the sand and water.

Disneyland was fun but not much to report. Nathan did go on Space Mountain this year and really enjoyed it. He wouldn't go last year. We did go back to the hotel in the afternoon so we could all catch a rest. Then we went back to the parks, caught the electrical light parade and fireworks before calling it a night.

We are actually ready to get back home to see our girl. We only saw her two days out of the entire trip.

Brian

Legoland 2 Days in a Row

2008-08-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows Legoland is my favorite park of all times...NOT. So, how did we end up there 2 days in a row? We heard from our pediatrician that a new park called Sea Life Aquarium, which is a part of Legoland, openend last Monday. So, we decided to go check it out. It cost us $20.00 a piece to updgrade our ticket from a 1 day Legoland only ticket to a 2 day park hopper. WHAT A BUST! We made it through the Aquarium in 40 minutes and were done. It was a little interesting to see some of the different types of fish, but not worth the $20.00. Nathan was prophetic at the beginning when he said, "We'll go through this and be able to go to Legoland and ride roller coasters when they open at 10 (40 minutes from when we started Sea Life)."

We did get a chance to ride some of the "roller coasters" before we decided to call it a day at the park. Lauren, Mia and Papa had just arrived in town and we went and had lunch with them. The picture below is the park behind the hotel that we spent the afternoon at.

Yesterday, we went to Legoland with everyone. Lauren was bored on the kiddie rides but loved the roller coasters, so we have two thrill ride kids. Mia and Papa had a great time and we were so thankful that they were able to join us. Every time we go on these park vacations, we wish they were with us, so it was very enjoyable to have them be with us. They really enjoyed it, but they were worn out by the time we left in the late afternoon.

Today is a rest day before we are off to Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm on Thursday and Friday. Lauren is going back to Arizona with Mia and Papa tomorrow.

The Plaid Boys and a Pink Princess

2008-08-16T14:45:00.001-07:00

Nathan was always such a mommy's boy growing up. He followed me around like my little shadow. I have felt like a part of me is missing this last week with him in kindergarten. Without thinking, I would turn around and look for him. It is hard to believe my baby is old enough to be in school all day long now.

As he has grown older, over the last six months, he has started to become a Daddy's boy now. He now has started following Brian around the house instead of me. He loves being Daddy's little helper and loves for them to build things together. They have built some pretty elaborate Lego projects together lately. He was so excited that Daddy and him could wear the same outfit that I decided to take a picture of my boys.

It is scary to think in a few more years, Nathan will change again. He will no longer want to be seen in public with Brian and I. My friends have also shared with me that he will soon reach a stage where Brian and I don't know anything anymore. Fun times to look forward to! Maybe not our Nathan...we can only hope.

Carrie

Still in Helper Mode

2008-08-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Day four and Nathan is still loving kindergarten. Nathan spent a lot of time at the therapy center being a typical example for some of the special need children. Today, when I picked him up from school the teacher said he did “awesome.” They had to do a worksheet with a mix of addition and subtraction questions. Nathan finished early and helped a boy at his table that had added all the questions. He taught him the difference between an addition and a subtraction sign and helped him fix the questions he had gotten wrong. Nathan is now in a classroom with typical children and he still likes to help the other kids. The teacher acted like she appreciated the help because she still doesn't have an assistant in the room to help. She has 25 kids in the room all by herself. The parents were told that the classroom would be a 1 to 13 ratio. I hope they are able to hire someone soon.

I had been worried that Lauren would regress on her potty training now that she has started back at the center. Over the last nine days she has had no poopy accidents and only four pee pee accidents at the center. YEAH LAUREN!!!!

Nathan's First Day of School

2008-08-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

That's Nathan For You!

2008-08-05T19:01:00.001-07:00

As we prepare to send Nathan to Paragon Science Academy (see http://elementary.paragonscience.org) starting next Monday for his first day of Kindergarten, we have been working with him on his math and verbal skills by using workbooks. He does a little bit of writing, math and reading each day. He doesn't "always" enjoy the work...ok, hardly ever enjoys it.

This morning as mommy was trying to get him to write some words, he asked the following, "Mommy, why do you make me do so much work?" Mommy answered, "because I love you sooooo much." Nathan responded in his air conditioned home, "Well, could you not love me quite so much, because all this love is making me sweat."

Oh, they say the darndest things....

Hammerin' Nathan helping daddy

The Finished Product - Organizer Shelves and Drawers for Nathan's Room

Lauren's First Day of School (with Michelle, her therapist)

How's Lauren?

2008-07-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

Everybody always asks...How's Lauren? Our blog will keep you all updated.

In March, Lauren started having “seizure like” episodes during the night. As many as 15 to 20 were occurring every night. She continued to get weaker and weaker until she eventually lost the ability to walk. It progressed to the point that she couldn’t even hold her own head up. She was admitted to the hospital and they ran test after test on her and could not figure out what was going on with her. The tests did reveal that the episodes were not seizures. She was placed on IV antibiotics and a couple weeks later, she had a surgery to remove fluid build up in her ear. Our prayer’s were answered and she stopped having the episodes at night and started walking again. She has not only regained all the skills she has lost, but she has surpassed her previous levels in all areas except speech. Lauren is able to sit at a table and feed herself for the first time independently. We used to worry that she was going to throw her food or plate. She isn’t doing that anymore. When we put her in bed now, she stays there and puts herself to sleep. We use to have to stay in the room until she fell asleep. We hardly ever have to change a soiled diaper anymore!!!

Lauren walking on the treadmill tonight before bed (10 minutes on speed 1.5 inclined at 2.5) - you go girl. Normally, she does 15 minutes per day.

Unfortunately, Lauren lost the ability to talk and sing within the past year. Over the last few weeks, she has started saying a few words and singing a line or two of some of her favorite songs. Singing her songs brought her and all of us so much joy as we loved listening to her. We have been so blessed since Lauren’s transplant having such a happy, healthy little girl. This experience has been a good reminder for us and how thankful we need to be for every year we have Lauren. God has blessed us so much with this extra special little girl. She has this amazing spirit that is infectious. At least 90% of the time, Lauren has a beautiful smile on her face and you can’t look at her smile and not help feeling a little better.

It is just amazing to see how calm and content she is now. We can take her to a restaurant and she will sit with us in the booth and eat her food. We take her to movies and she makes it through the whole movie, giggling occasionally. We are just so thankful for how well she is doing.

One of my favorite recent pics...

L.I.F.E.'s One Year Anniversary

2008-07-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we are at our one year anniversary. This year has gone by so fast. The business has kept us very busy. We started with a staff of 35 and were seeing almost 100 children on August 6, 2007. As we approach one year later, we have a staff of over 100 people and are seeing over 300 children each week. Praise the lord for the center's success and all the little miracle's we see each week. Every week we seem to have something wonderful happen. A child is able to start walking or says their first word. Seeing a mom's face the first time a child is able to say I LOVE YOU or a dad's face the first time his son is able to ride a tricycle or catch a ball makes it all worth while!!! I am so blessed to have an amazing partner that works 60 plus hours per week. She is an answer to prayer because with the kids I am unable to work near as much. I am able to work from my office at home.

We opened with 7,500 s.f. of office and therapy room space. Less than 2 months ago, we grew another 2,700 s.f., so we are now leasing over 10,000 s.f. and still busting at the seams. The new space has provided some much needed space for our physical and occupational therapy department. Thank you to all of you who have provided generous donations to the center to make this all possible.

Carrie

Blogging Again

2008-07-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems that we are the only family member not blogging, yet so much happens in our lives that everybody wants to know. How is Lauren doing? What's the latest Nathanism? How is L.I.F.E. doing? These are all common questions asked by our family members and close friends. I guess people really do want to know what happens in the Reed household. We used to update on Lauren's website, but Lauren's progress became stable and there wasn't much to report. Since it was Lauren's website, it didn't make sense to report family happenings, so we just didn't. So, lately, our news reached our family members through other family member's blogs. Without any pressure to give in, we have decided the time is right. We enjoy reading our family and friends blogs, and we hope you enjoy ours as well. So...here we are.

We will do our best to keep it up to date, provide pictures, tell you the latest "Nathanism", give the prognosis on Lauren, etc.. We are excited to join the blogging life. It should be a fun ride.

Brian and Carrie