Week in Review

This last week was Spring Break for the kids. It should have been exciting and fun but it was just an "off" kind of week. Claire got sick the day after school got out. Poor girl had managed to avoid the flu all season long and literally the day after they got out of school she came down with a fever, sore throat, stomach ache and double ear infection. Two days later Naomi came down with the same thing minus the ear infection but replaced with teething. It was Nae's birthday on Tuesday and the poor thing was sick. We spent the week resting as much as possible. We were not able to go to the movies or the swimming pool or the park as planned but we did make a trip to the library. So armed with lots of books and an endless selection of movies on Netflix, we spent the week together just the five of us. We were able to have cake and ice cream as a family on Naomi's birthday and it was so fun to watch her eat her cake "hands free" lol. On Thursday I had the pleasure of losing the serpentine pulley on my van. Fortunately I was in my driveway when this happened. Unfortunately there is no money to fix it and so I am without a car for now. Normally this would not be an issue but my children attend school in our old neighborhood which is about 5 miles from here. I tried so hard not to be stressed about the situation. I must say I did an excellent job for about three hours and then the worry set in. I was able to

Today Will Go Down in Garff History

Today we experienced a miracle. Today will forever be the day that our dreams were handed back to us. On September 3, 2010 Matt and I were told that the dream we had of raising our family together would never be. We were told that Matt would most likely not know us a mere year to two years from now. We were told that the damage to his brain could not be repaired. Our world came crashing down around us. Today we finally feel like we can rebuild. Today we were told after an extensive MRI that the ventricals in Matts brain are shrinking and that where the tissue had been damaged there is now space. This means that the tissue has begun to expand and repair itself. We were told that this could not happen. We were told that he could not get better. They were wrong. Today will always be the day that our world began turning again.

Answered Prayers

Another week has passed and another weekend has flown by too quickly. I guess it's true that time flies when you're having fun. We were able to go to a birthday BBQ yesterday for Grandma Kathie and Gran B. It was so nice to spend time with our Arizona family. We have been so blessed to be taken in by them. Matt has been a little down because he is having trouble remembering things and feeling like his time with the kids is borrowed. All in all he's just exhausted. We did have a few miracles this week though! After 4 months of literally begging the surgeon's office to see him or at least call us back they did! It was a complete suprize to hear from them. They have sceduled him for several MRI's on March 11th and an appointment on March 15th. This is something we have been praying for. That same day we received a letter of approval for state insurance. Four months ago we lost state insurance which was paying all of our co-pays and saving us so much needed money. Apparently the state has been dropping a lot of people and we were one of the unfortunate families. I applied over and over and it paid off. After being denied three different times for silly reasons that ranged from not enough proof of income to lack of finger printing we were accepted. Just days before the phone interview with our case worker I was grocery shopping. I spent almost the entire time pleading with the Lord to help us get our insurace and food stamps re-instated. The day of the interview I was so sick to my stomach. I prayed again and asked the Lord to help me be as thorough as possible so that we could get our benefits back. Receiving that letter was a testimony to me that the Lord hears and answers prayers. We are still waiting to hear about our food benefits but I have faith that the Lord's will be done. And so even though we are exhausted, this week had a few pick-me-up's that made life seem somewhat easier.

Moments

Today is finally Friday. This days should have been here about 2 days ago. The kids were not feeling well this morning and so both Claire and Ivan stayed home from school. I am happy to report that there has been a miraculous "healing" at our house and this afternoon they are perfectly fine. So I guess this is our day off and I will shortly be receiving a letter from the school outlining my duties as a parent to make sure my kids attend school. I love those letters. Matt went to the doctor this week. I did not go with him this time. I figured it was time for me to stop being so protective and just let him go alone. Uh...yeah I should have gone. I'm not sure why I thought sending my husband with memory problems to the doctor alone would be productive. I plead complete insanity at this point. Of course there was not much news because he saw the internal medicine doctor again. The doctor did say that the pain and numbness in his arms and legs could be gout. I'm no doctor but I'm thinking if you have no idea what's wrong don't make up some lame ass answer like gout. If it turns out that it is gout I will eat my words but in the meantime my confidence in this doctor is failing. I called the neuro-surgeon AGAIN to find out when his MRI's had been scheduled or rather when and why they hadn't been scheduled. I left a message so we should hear from them a week from never. Can you tell this whole situation is a little frustrating for us? The best way to sum up my feelings for
Dr. B's nurse are found in a quote from one of my favorite shows, "you used to be just sort of unlikeable, but now I feel like punching you everytime you open your mouth!"
So for now we will continue our fight against Doctors Office Idiocy just as we have done for the last 6 months. We are becoming prize fighters!
The week has not been all bad, on Wednesday night I found myself bathing ALL of the children at once and reading stories to them while they were in the bath. Matt had come early because of his Dr.'s appointment and he wandered in the bathroom. There we were, all together, all enjoying ourselves with no thought of illness or finances or obligations. It was just us, our family, doing something that other families do and the normalcy of that moment felt awesome. I even offered up a prayer of thanksgiving for that one little moment. Life is full of crazy for us. It seems to bd a never ending train of crazy but once and a while we make a stop at normal if only for a moment and it is those moments that keep us on track.

For the Kids

Another week has passed in our new house and I am liking it more and more. For the second week in a row the kids and I have been able to clean the whole house in just a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon and what a blessing that has been. We are attending our second week in our new ward and although it is quite a change of pace compared to our last ward, everyone has been very friendly. It is hard to see the confused stares of people as they pass by the couch where Matt and I can usually be found. I'm sure they are wondering why he is passed out on the cushions as I keep vigil nearby. I liked that we didn't have to explain why in our last ward. I found comfort in their knowledge of our situation. I suppose we need not explain ourselves here, however I hate the staring. I suppose I will just have to get over it. I do find it hard lately to stay beyond sacrament. I find myself thinking there is not much reason if we are just going to be on the couch but I know that we will be blessed simply for coming so that our children can attend primary. The time will come again for Matt and I to attend class when he is well, in the meantime we will continue our time on the couch for the kids.

A Wonderful Feeling

What a week. As cliche' as it might sound, I am so thankful that tomorrow is Friday. I used to dread the weekend because the house would be trashed by Monday. No matter how hard I tried I could not get the house clean on Saturdays or keep it clean until the following Monday. This is no longer true! As much as it sucked to have to move, I am so grateful for this house! It is so small compared to our last house and I LOVE IT! I am so grateful that we are able to live in a smaller place with so much less stuff. I love that we threw so much away so that we are no longer storing mass amounts of junk that we will never use again! This house is a huge blessing for our family. Tonight I was able to come home from a day away and clean up the toys and sweep and vacuum while making dinner. It was so great to turn on music and have the house clean in half an hour! The kids are actually pitching in because it is not so overwhelming for all of us. They are able to spend time with their dad because he can be in the room where they are and still follow doctors orders. They sleep in their own beds because they are close to us. We no longer fight the "I'm scared to go upstairs by myself" battle! I love it. I feel very blessed. As hard as it was to move away from the awesome friends we had right across the street, this move has been wonderful and as a plus, it's only 5 miles from our friends. Tonight our challenges seem a little less challenging. Tonight my burden seem a little lighter. Tonight I feel less lonely and it is a wonderful feeling.

Update

We attended our new ward today. Everyone was very nice. It's a much different dynamic than our other ward. We are no longer some of the oldest people there! It was nice to go. I haven't been to church in nearly a month due to illness and although it was hard to find the motivation to go, I did it and I'm glad I did. We are really liking our new house. The smaller one story is perfect for us. I wish we could have stayed in the same neighborhood but we are not far. I will admit I have been homesick this last week but going to church today helped with that. We have been planning a trip to Utah for this summer and I must say it has me anxious to see a lot of people. I'm ready for a vacation! Matt had a good weekend. He was able to get a long nap yesterday while the kids and I cleaned the house so he had energy for the second half of the day. We went to a birthday party for one of my good friends and we had a great time. I was able to catch up on some sleep this weekend and I am so thankful. Eventually I would love to kick this exhaustion! My parents are leaving for the MTC tomorrow. I am sad that we couldn't see them before they go but we will still get to talk to them on the phone often while they are gone. Things have been more restful this weekend and I am so thankful. I love that I can spend more fun time with my kids now that I am not trying to maintain a large house. I am hoping this week will bring more beautiful weather and more restful days.