the moments + chase

the holiday moments.

the traditions.

the joy. palm open.

we have had some of my favorite holiday moments over the last week, and i am doing my best to soak them all in and enjoy every minute. so, so thankful. a million times over. i am equally excited for all of the moments still to come.

on saturday, i got to watch my niece graduate. it was awesome (go cougs!). i am such a proud aunt and i could not have been more proud of her as i heard her name announced in the coliseum and i watched them hand her that well deserved diploma. amazing. another one of the key moments that i so wanted to have on this three month span.

these milestones moments always have those seconds that my heart is pulled in different directions. i embrace that second i am living while that other little string pulls on the what if's of the future. the hopes that i have for malena, the hope that i have for being there to watch her walk across the stage at a college graduation. at a high school graduation. at a middle school graduation. at a kindergarten graduation. at a pre-school graduation. so i give those what if's their space, i take a deep breath and i refocus on the second i am living. and some times, those what if's still catch me when i don't expect them. like at dinner tonight with a dear friend when we are catching up and the tears well up before i even know they are coming. but those tears need to find their way out, they always eventually do, and so i let them fall and i pause to catch my breath. in and out. in and out. then, like always, i carry on. 

chase is also moving on and i wanted to share some of the latest updates of how he is doing:

"Baby Steps. :)

          

Lisa sent me this video of Chaser in therapy today and it completely made my day! It is so exciting to see him in a vertical position other than in the stander. I have wanted to see this since the day he started therapy. I realize that it isn't him doing the motions yet, but it is a foreshadow of whats to come! This video made it pretty easy for mom and I to make up our mind what Chaser is getting for Christmas- Looks

like our next treadmill won't be used for folding laundry! God is Good!!

i posted the video on Chases Facebook page

https://m.facebook.com/ChaseLykken?id=426147154144295&refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FChaseL...

School is Cool! :)

Written Dec 7, 2013 5:18pm

While its 10 below outside the sun room windows, Ava is warming Chaser up with her own version of home therapy. They started the morning off by looking for Christmas presents on her computer and spelling his name. What out Gillette - you may have a new recruit in the making
Chaser had a great week at school and therapy. His teacher says that he is adjusting very well, and kids are taking to having him there equally as good. He is making new friends, and while he is there learning along with the other kids, it seems like he is teaching them as well, as their curious little minds have a lot of questions about his condition. This is definately the start of a great new chapter, for him and us! It is nice to have a fresh set of new eyes to see what Chase is capible of. The nurse noticed Chase seems to have controlled eye movements in the form of blinking when asked questions, as did the therapists at Gillette's. It may be a sign, or a start of some form of communication! .....time will tell.
With his new busy schedual of therapy and school, Chaser has been a tired little boy this week. He has been sleeping well through then night, and is taking frequent catnaps here and there. Thank you all for your support, prayers, and the fun mail that keeps pouring in. We all look forward to opening them up once a week. Enjoy your weekend- stay warm!

God is Good!

 

Circle of Friends :)

Written Dec 2, 2013 6:07pm

I pulled into the Circle of Friends preschool parking lot about 10 mins early. I was meeting Lisa and Chaser there at noon- While I backed my truck up to wait for them, even though it was full day light out, there it was, and it stuck out more that Clark Griswold's house once he got the lights to work....the leafless maple tree... The same tree that all three of our kids had leaned against on their first day of school- the same tree that Chaser had beamed next to over a year ago, with his Batman backpack covering half his little body draped over his back, screaming cheeeeze!!!!... when I took his picture for his first day of preschool. Just when I started to get completely lost in this vivid memory, I saw the van pull up. I walked over to the van, opened the back and lowered Chases wheelchair with his backpack strapped across the handles, to the ground and wheeled it over to his door. As Lisa lifted him out and folded his body into his wheelchair, it dawned on me....This is Chase's first day of school! This is an event to celebrate, a moment 8 months ago that seemed like a distant fantacy. We gave each other the look we always do when we are going to enter the unknown together, followed by a smile- and pushed Chaser towards the front door. When we got to the door, there were a couple of familiar faces that were excited to see Chase. We entered the school and there were 4 huge smiles waiting for Chase. It was awesome! They brought us down the hallway to the Special Ed room to give us a quick orientation, and introduce us to the rest of the staff and some of the Children in his class. The staff were all smiles as we shared info about Chase with them. After a couple mins in there, Chase went over to Mrs. Becki's class to join the other children in story time. He did great, and so did the other Children with him! Chaser will be attending Special Ed Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the regular classroom on Mondays and Wednesdays for the remainder of the school year! We want to send out a huge thank you to everyone involved that made this possible. I know that nothing but positive will come from this for everyone involved, especially Chaser! We are truly lucky to live in the community of Prior Lake! Thank you all for your support.
Wow- Chase is going to school!!!! - Go IS Good! :)

Video from Katie :)

Written Nov 26, 2013 11:16pm

Chads's fiancee Katie sent this video to us to remind us how far Chaser has progressed. This Nov 28th is definitely a day to be thankful in our household! Have a great Thanksgiving, and thank you all for your support!

God Is Good !!!

Here is a like for those of you that do not use facebook.....

Thank you all for your support!


https://www.facebook.com/ChaseLykken"

 

happy tuesday peeps, make it a great one. enjoy the moments, big and small. xo