Merry Christmas

It's December 20 and I am finally caught up at work.   Finals are graded and piles of a semester are put away.  Now I can think about Christmas.   I just wish I had a little more time.     I am really  hoping I can actually send Christmas cards out this year.    But this  blog will serve as our letter.  (that way its optional).  You can see pictures from our year at:  http://picasaweb.google.com/faatzfamily/2008Highlights02?authkey=juKW3EHamgM# 

So what have we been up to?   Well, you can look back in the blog for our summer vacation.   Lets see what else?    

Dennis' old friends Lucy and Tony from Pennsylvania came to visit this summer. I was so happy to finally meet them.    Dennis and his Mom have told me stories about them for years.   Dennis' mom told me I would love Lucy and I DID!   Having Tony and Lucy visit was like having long lost family come.    Lucy taught me how to make good italian sauce.  YUM.  I tried it once after she left and the sauce was good.    (I still need help with the meatballs).  Tony and Dennis had a great time riding their bikes (motorcycles) in the mountains.

So, the trip to NY and our visit from Tony and Lucy were the highlights of our summer.    Dennis otherwise kept too busy at work in the office during the week and on field trips on the weekends.    Renee stayed home with Griffin except for a short course on the geology of Zion National Park.

Did I mention that we love our jobs?    Dennis gets to meet people from all over the world.   He has become good friends with students from Russia, Botswana, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Japan and all parts of China this last year.     We have wonderful students from the U.S. too.   We get to take day and weekend trips to share awesome places like the Grand Canyon, Zion, Tetons.

We especially love our jobs after almost losing them this fall.  The college has been forced to cut back by 13% due to state budget shortfalls.   So many of our co-workers were notified that their jobs would be terminated as of June 2009.   It has been a stressful and sad time to work at Snow College.   We hear a rumor that more job cuts are in the works.    AGH!

Griffin continues to be our little angel.   He is almost 9 now. He is so funny and sweet.   Each morning when he wakes up he says something that makes us all laugh.   I am grateful everyday that I have such a sweet little boy.   He has so many reasons to be unhappy or frustrated about his life, yet he is happy and loving all the time.    Griffin is our gift from God!.  He is officially  in 2nd grade this year, although the grade really doesn't apply.  He spends more time in the special ed classroom as the regular ed curriculum is so vision and sit-still oriented.    He has wonderful aides who love and understand him and he likes to go to school.   The entire school from the principal to the secretaries to the cooks love and spoil him.   Ephraim Elementary is a great place.  

Griffin's challenges continue.   Seizures are an on and off again issue.   They continue to be while he is bed, which is a blessing.  But, he misses  a lot of school as a result.   We are also always dealing with his C.P. in his legs.    (see this summer's post).   Later this winter he will have surgery to do a tendon lengthening in his lower legs to try to help him walk better.  He will be in walking casts for about 5 weeks they say.  

Dennis works too much both at home and at school.   He has four life-times worth of  fix- it -up projects at home.  This past year he decided to work on an old shed in the backyard.   It began as a replacement beam to keep it from falling down.   It turned into a complete restoration project.   So, the bathroom inside remains half done and the money pit outside got all the attention.   Being married to a guy who can do it all and is at the same time a perfectionist has both positive and negative sides!   But, who can complain?    

I took some cool field trips this year with students.  In April we joined a  the paleontologist for the Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument -  Alan Titus to dig dinosaurs.   It was an amazing experience for all of us.  We found Cretaceous turtles and raptor bones that Alan hadn't seen before.   We helped to uncover a hadrosaur who had ossified tendons and skin impressions.     In June I taught field studies in Zion National Park.    This fall my field studies course went to Arches and Canyonlands.   My students blogged their field report.  You can see the link at snowgeology on this page.   (Caution, it still needs to be edited!)

Dennis did trips to Yellowstone and Tetons, Grand Canyon, Bryce with his students. 

We still live with Dennis' mom who is a sharp 87 year old.  Her vision and age slow her down a little.  Griffin adores her and she him.   Every morning he can't wait to barge into her bedroom and climb up in her bed to talk to her before school.  We are so grateful for Grandma.  

We are also grateful for our friends and family who continue to love us even though we have no time left after our jobs and caring for Griffin.   Merry Christmas everyone.   Peace Joy Hope.

Renee, Dennis and Griffin

What we did for our summer vacation

Wow, its been 3 months since Renee found time to blog.  oops.   July 29 - August 12 Dennis, Renee and Griffin flew to NY for a visit with Omma Mauche, Muffett's family, Therese, Chris and Judith,  and eventually the whole family at Omma's 80th birthday.

We spent a nice week at Keuka Lake at Omma's house.   Griffin liked throwing rocks in the lake and swimming.   We visited Omma's family farm (now owned by a nice couple who welcomed our visit).   We enjoyed the Amish farms, fresh produce, farmer's market (The Windmill).   Therese found time to visit with us at Omma's.  Chris and Judith came by too.

After a quick visit with Chris and Judith we said good-bye to Keuka Lake and headed to Muffett and Tom's cabin on Lake Ontario.    Muffett was able to spend a day at the lake with Alex and Julia.   We had a peaceful few days by the great lake!   What a wonderful place.

Then, it was back to the big surprise party.   After lying to our mother for months we were all beginning to feel childhood guilt in a big way.   On August 9 Mom showed up  discover numerous quilts that she had made over the years (all works of art) hanging around the edges of a pavillion in a beautiful park by Canadaigua Lake.  All her family and good friends were waiting behind her quilts to surprise her.   The party was a wonderful time (both days).  Mom was touched deeply.   We enjoyed seeing everyone from far and wide (even Jean-Michel Sourd from Hong Kong).  

Thanks to everyone who made our trip to beautiful upstate NY such a nice time.  We enjoyed the good food, good company, peace and green.    

You can see a slideshow of our visit here:  

http://picasaweb.google.com/faatzfamily/NY0802?authkey=Bb7QMrOR7A#

Dinner with Griffin's girls

On July 14 (Happy Bastille Day)  we met Jackie and Amy for dinner.  Jackie and Amy both  worked with Griffin for two years at the Daycare at Snow College.   Griffin goes there after school for a couple of hours.    We used to feel guilty about leaving him there.  But, when he begged to go a couple of years ago we realized that was silly.   How many little boys have the undivided attention of sweet, beautiful and kind college girls like Jackie and Amy.   Jackie is off to work at an orphanage in Ecuador; Amy is working full time in Salt Lake City.   We miss you Jackie and Amy.  You make us all happy!

"here we are at Lowes"

The title is a quote from Griffin and its true.  Here we are.   Dennis is inside spending as much time as he wants without feeling guilty while I sweat profusely with Griffin in the truck.  Griffin is hanging his head out the window (as you can see) waiting for them to say "Special Assistance needed in the ______"      He is not sweating.   He is so happy.

This is where Griffin wants to go when we're in Provo.   So, this was his reward for being brave and getting his casts off.   

YES _ HE GOT HIS CASTS OFF!   He is having a hard time walking, but the PT says he'll get used to the new feel.    The hard time walking might be partly due to the seizure he had this morning at 4:30 AM.   Usually he can sleep as long as he needs  afterward.  But, this morning we had an appointment at 10:00AM in Orem to get the casts off.   Griffin really couldn't wake up from his post-seizure sleep.    I threw him in the car in his pjs, bedhead and all.    And that is how we showed up for our appointment.  I caught a bunch of "dirt ball mom"  looks from the other mothers in the waiting room.

But all is good, because Griffin's casts are off and we're at Lowes.    Now, if we could just find some more people that need help so they would say "special assistance needed"   Its a slow afternoon.

The Mountains

On Sunday afternoon Dennis, Griffin and I headed up the canyon for a ride and a picnic.     It never ceases to amaze this east-coast girl that you can leave the HOT dry valley and be in a cool, green place in a matter of a half hour.  And it is SO GREEN in the mountains this year.   The wildflowers were gorgeous.    There were columbine, delphinium, lupine, mountain bluebells, wild geranium, wild roses, etc, etc.    There are still a few snowbanks.

We had a picnic at 12 mile Flat in drizzling rain (a refreshing thing).  Then we headed over to  a little mountain lake - Emerald Lake so Griffin could throw rocks in the lake....one of his favorite things to do.     We came home late - muddy and tired.   But we were all happy.    Thank God for mountains in your backyard.

This is my first time blogging.   Kallie Dalley, our good friend and the love of Griffin's life inspired me with her awesome blog.

Today is July 1, 2008.  Griffin had a bad day yesterday.   He had to get casts on both of his legs.  

On June 12 he had botox shots in both legs to try to loosen up the muscles.   The botox didn't do enough, so yesterday the Physical Therapist stretched his ankles and put them in casts.   The casts are an attempt to help stretch his heel cords so he can walk better.     They call it serial casting.  They stretch out his heels, put on the casts for a week.  The next week they stretch them more and put on more casts.   Sound like fun?

Griffin hates holding still for procedures more than anything in the world.   It took four of us to hold him down while "Kelly Boy" our awesome PT put the casts on.  Kelly said that Griffin wins the award for the most difficult kid ever.   He even cried.  He doesn't even cry when he is hurt.   Mom cried too.   It breaks our hearts to put Griffin through this. 

So, after the casting torture we took Griffin to do one of his favorite things - hang out in the truck at the contractor's entrance at Lowe's.   He gets so excited when they say "Special assistance needed in ......"  Of course that is preceded by a "ding-dong", so that is cool too.    

Dennis always has a good time looking around and spending money inside

Today Griffin wanted to take a bath with his toys.   It broke my heart to say no.   

The casts come off next week.   I don't think Kelly will try to do another set even if he needs them.   We'll see.

Otherwise our summer is going well, but too fast.    

Dennis has been really busy at work.  Boo.   I taught a short class for the Upward Bound Program - Geology of Zion National Park.   I got paid to spend four days in Zion National Park. I love that part of my job.  

Griffin has been hanging out at home doing the things he likes to do - swing, jump on his new trampoline, read stories, etc.