Coleson's Baptism

We had a wonderful wonderful day yesterday. Coleson got baptized a memeber of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! How time flies. We were fortunate to have family and friends come (thank you). He was excited and nervous. His primary class sang I am a Child of God. Earlier in the day we attended his friend's baptism and while he was changing they had everyone there write a journal page with their testimony, a note, or a picture. We did the same thing and it turned out so special. We all felt the spirit and it was just a perfect day! I didn't do a good job of taking pictures, but this is right before we left for the church and you can see how happy he is.

Coleson turns 8!

Coleson has been counting down, I think since mid July for his birthday. He always feels that he has to wait the longest for his birthday since it is towards the end of the year. This year he chose to go to Carl's Junior and play with Legos for his party-really what more could you want? We let him invite a few friends and I came up with a few games to go along with the Lego theme.
We had a scavenger hunt,
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timed building creation/race,



Of course Brynn wanted to be part of the action, she can build very "tall towers"

and name the Lego person attatched to your forehead.


I wasn't sure the boys would really care for the games (they are 8 now) but I thought you need to do a little more that just play with Legos. They loved the games and had a great time. It's always the things that are easy and not stressed about that usually turn out the best.

Brian took the boys through the drive through to order anything. They came back with these huge hamburgers, it would have been a great commercial. I don't think anyone finished theirs, but I am sure in a year or two, they will be asking for 2.


Doesn't he look sharp!


Did I mention Coleson is a cub scout now? That is one of the things that he was most excited for. He got to go to the fire station with his den a few days before his birthday and he just couldn't contain himself. He was ready to go 30min before it was time to leave. The next week when I dropped him off at the church building for his first official time, he jumped out of the car and ran in before his friend that we were car pooling with even got out. He makes me smile.

Happy Hallowepn!

(Check our last post for the spelling)

JAWA


Emporer from Mulan


Halloween Princess Fairy--that's what Brynn has been singing

Ammon turns 5!

Can you believe our little Ammon is 5! The most exciting part about him is that he is not so little anymore. He is weighing in at 31 1/2lbs now! Our goal was to have him hit 30lbs by his birthday and he did it! The feeding tube has been a life saver. He has been a little more stable with his seizures. He still has them everyday, but they don't wipe him out as much and he hasn't had a convulsing one for about a month. He seems a lot happier and trying to do more things again. My newest nickname for him-which he laughs or smiles at- is Mr. Rolly Polly Pants. He does not want to lay still on his back. Usually within a few seconds of laying him down he rolls over. This is good, however he still has a lot of reflux, so we have to deal with that when he is on his stomach. But I am so glad he is trying to move around more.



He is going to pre-school Mon-Thurs in the afternoon. I was hoping he would be more active in the afternoon and limit having to take him out early in the cold for the bus. He has two very active girls that sit next too him which just love to give him hugs and kisses. The teachers usually have to make sure they don't smother him. There are two other boys in Ammon's class who don't just take it like Ammon does. I think it's good for him to have more interaction. He can always tell when someone is talking to him and paying attention to him. Brynn and I brought bubbles for everyone on his birthday. All the kids liked it and Brynn was so cute walking around blowing them. Ammon was doing a lot of shout outs. I could imagine him saying, "Hey everyone, my mom is here for my birthday!" Out of everything, he loves to walk around. Today at Primary I was kneeling behind him so he could stand up and stretch (after sitting in his wheelchair for over an hour) and he just wanted to take off. He was smiling and the other kids in his class noticed him smiling so much and were whispering to each other -look how happy Ammon is-. It made my day! Most of the time we go anywhere he is so quiet, or tired and I just wish more people could see him when he is at home, when it is quiet, he yells and laughs and rolls around.



Ammon laughing so hard he fell over.

So after school we threw a giant neighborhood play date/party for Ammon and a girl in our ward who has the same birthday. She was born without a leg, but that does not stop her at all from being a typical now 5 year old. She is so cute and just amazingly strong with her arms.


The weather has been very nice, so everyone just rode around and played in their cul-de-sac. Ammon walked around in his walker and enjoyed watching all the wonderful chaos. It was like a BBQ block party, but for kids. We invited about 10 5 year olds and their siblings. We had 5 dozen cupcakes, 50 cups, and tons of popcorn. We ran out. It was fun!



On Friday we had Ammon's Halloween family party. Actually it was a Happy Hallowepn party (if you can read the sign). I had planned to make a cute scrapbook paper banner, but then came across this cute one and thought it would save me a lot of time. Well that's what happens when you buy cheap stuff at walmart-no, it was not even from the dollar store. We played some traditional games like eating donuts off a string and bobbing for apples.



We then went to our city's pumpkin walk where Coleson and I entered pumpkins. However, after waiting an hour in line Ammon and Brynn fell asleep, so I came home. The rest of the guests endured the wait and saw the spectacular pumpkins after another hour.


Coleson's Tie-Fighter

Happy Birthday Ammon!

Coleson's Gift...

Today is Ammon’s birthday and he turned 5-years old. There will be a whole separate blog post on this wonderful milestone, but we wanted to share with you one special gift that Ammon received today. It’s probably best to give you a little preface on why this gift is so unique and special. Coleson is a great older brother that will be turning 8 years old in the next month. Coleson is like most other ‘almost 8-year olds’ in that he loves to play soccer and runs crazy fast doing it, he loves to read and read, he loves to run around outside with friends playing all kinds of made-up games, he loves to play video games or semi-quietly watch a movie, he loves to play tag or ride his bike, and he loves to wrestle and do bucking bronco. Coleson’s even currently involved in the choir at school and goes to school early a couple days a week to practice “Do you hear what I hear” and other songs for the Christmas concert.

Ammon loves doing several of the things that Coleson does, but just in different ways. Ammon loves to play tag, but he’s only as fast as Mom or Dad can help him along. Ammon loves to be read to and turn the pages, but generally not the same books that Coleson is currently reading. Ammon loves to play ball, but it frequently requires a lot of patience and encouragement. Ammon loves to be sung to, but you might not get a traditional reaction in the form of a smile or hands clapping along. I guess in general, from the perspective of an 8-year old boy, Ammon isn’t the fastest partner when playing cops and robbers, he might not show any interest in your most favorite game, or he might accidentally ‘puke’ all over your latest Lego creation while simultaneously breaking it apart. But the truth of the matter is that Ammon loves and adores his older brother, and almost every time Coleson takes notice of him and plays with him there is an instant reaction and happy change in Ammon’s demeanor.

In the reality of everyday life, some days it’s a very real possibility that a wonderful 7-year old boy might consider playing with Ammon as ‘chore time,’ a time when you’re not able to do all the crazy fast things you normally do, a time when you're simply counting down the minutes and seconds before you’re able to go do something else. For an ever more active almost 8-year old boy, play time with his younger not as active brother has gradually become less frequent over the years, and some days it’s not even there. Sometimes as a parent you’re left to wonder if the promises of love and care two brothers made to each other a long time ago will really grow stronger and last throughout a lifetime.

Then come the gentle and unexpected reminders from an almost 8-year old boy that though there are so many things going on in his constantly changing and active life, he hasn’t forgotten these promises, he hasn’t forgotten his little brother.

Last night Summer and Coleson were carving pumpkins together. Ammon and Brynn were already in bed, and Daddy was out with the young men. Coleson was carving an awesome Star Wars ‘Tie-Fighter’ and Summer was carving a series of haunted houses on a hill. While carving they had been talking about various things. During a lull in the conversation and carving Coleson made an unexpected request, “Mom, since we're saving my money, how about you bring Ammon to choir practice and I will sing for him on his birthday. That’s my gift to him.” A surprised and emotional Mom instantly responded that Ammon would be there, and this morning he was. Ammon got up early this morning, got food in his belly and dressed for the day. Then with his Mom and little sister, he went to his big brother’s school, took a seat on his Mom’s lap, and listened to dozens of kids sing to him on his birthday. Among all the singing kids was Coleson with a big smile, singing out his unique present to his special little brother.

Happy Birthday Ammon! Coleson loves you!

Buddy Walk Success!!

Thank you for another wonderful Buddy Walk!



This year my sister-in-law, Jill, helped me come up with our logo: "Hoo Loves Ammon." I saw these cute stuffed owls at our farmers market and I thought I could make those. So I made a lot of them to sell at our little lemonade stand (Lil'tweets) that we do every year to get the word out to our neighbors about the Buddy Walk.




Coleson loved manning the table and Brynn liked unlimited popcorn. Thank you again to all that were able to stop by and say Hi to Ammon!

Brian and I started the day of the Buddy Walk running the Buddy 5K. We pushed the kids in the jogger, and it wanted to consistently go right (the wheels were messed up). Brian and I took turns pushing. Yes, my dear husband was right by my side the whole race. It was so nice! He has been running with the young men in our neighborhood to get ready for our neighborhood 5K this coming week, so we were able to keep pace with each other and it was wonderful.



Our primary goal for the Buddy Walk is to always have someone new join us, and we've always been blessed with new friends joining us each year. We really just want everyone to experience this uplifting event. Several of our friends that were new participants this year won their categories in the 5K, and ended up walking home with some pretty interesting prizes: a sleeping bag and a desk lamp. Brian's brother did extremely well in his category again this year! One of the families at the Buddy Walk was sponsored by Living the Dream Foundation. We had the opportunity to talk with Scotty, the founder, who has Cystic Fibrosis. His vision is to share the positive in life, despite having a serious disease. He now travels around the country raising money on behalf of children who have life threatening illnesses. What an inspirational group of people! We all ended up hugging each other at the end of the day, with promises to see each other again next year. He lives in Southern California and is backed by Hurley. It's so nice to meet wonderful people who choose to spend their time and money doing good in the world and have such a positive impact.


It was a beautiful day and the kids wore themselves out! The Bee came to the Buddy Walk and it reminded us of another picture we have of Ammon and the Bee from several years ago.







Thank you again to all the family and friends who came and supported our sweet Ammon. Some days you might not hear too much out of Ammon, but through some special moments and alot of experience being with him, we've come to learn that every little hello is noticed and welcomed by Ammon. You might not get a physical wave of the hand, a hearty hello, or a smile every time you stop to touch his hand or bend down to say hello, but please know every little touch and acknowledgment means so much. None of them go unnoticed by Ammon, or by us. I guess you never know until after you do something, but maybe on a particular day it will be your kind gesture and your warm hello towards Ammon that elicits a happy uncontainable shout out, an enormous smile, and hands simply waving everywhere. The translation of which is Ammon's special way of saying, "I love you too!"

Thank you all for showing so well and in so many ways "Hoo loves Ammon!" We are reminded every day that life doesn't need to be perfect to be wonderful.

Buddy Walk Time

Online registration closes tomorrow(Wed). If you decide last minute to come, you can register at the park 8am for the 5K and 10am for the walk. We're excited to see you all there!

Save the date for the Buddy Walk!

When you get to our fund raising page there is a link that will take you to the registration page. Our Team name is Hoo Loves Ammon.
Email or call us with any questions. This has and will always be an annual event for us to celebrate Ammon. Again we would love for anyone to come and join us on the walk. The kids have a ton of fun with all the carnival stuff. Thanks for all those who continue to help and support our sweet little boy!

How Second Grade is going By Coleson

second grad is awesome!!! So at soccer there's this kid in my class- that last week in my class he just barely went to a different school and when he had one more day before he was going to go, he was just running straight to this kid-Garrett who works with me really good because he is tiny but he's fast and he's just out in the field where nobody is on him and then giavonni starts running up to garret and then they just knock right together and then it looks like they're jumping in the air and doing a spin at the same time and its like in slow motion because it was like their legs are behind them and then they just land on the ground and I just take the ball. and then i just run towards the goal with it before jace gets it and then i kick it and ....the goalie just blocks it.so that`s how school, is going.

He's his own Kid...

One of the night's while we were away in Fiji, Coleson was back home and got to go on a sleepover with his cousins. They had a wonderful time together! Coleson is still the kid in many regards that just seems to say the funniest things that are well beyond his young years. My brother sent me the following email the day we returned home:

Hope you had a memorable trip.

The boys really liked hanging out. Coleson was a fantastic cheerleader at their baseball game. Aidan said it was the best night ever. Of course playing Wii until midnight has something to do with that assessment.

As you well know, Coleson says the funniest things sometimes. He was sitting next to me at the pool while we watched Holden jump off the high board. While waiting his turn, an overweight guy makes his way up the ladder, walks to the edge of the board, and contemplates a triple lindy. The place was strangely silent with anticipation. Then Coleson deadpans (in a voice that made no attempt at being quiet), "This could end badly. Huh?"

Later on, I held Coleson's ice cream cone while he put on his seat belt. When I handed it back to him, he says with real concern, "You didn't lick any, did you?" I told him no and pointed out that I had my own cone. He says, "Ok.....but did you take any of mine?"

Suva Days!

After 3 amazing days in Ba, we flew to Suva. Suva is the capital on the other side of the main island. Our first destination was the Temple. They just finished celebrating the 10 year anniversary. Brian had prayed with so many to be able to go to the Temple in Fiji some day. Many had saved up for a long time to make the trip to Tonga. Brian was so excited to see it! We took a taxi straight from the airport. We went to the mission office/Temple apartments to change into our Sunday best. As we were walking out towards the Temple a gentleman informed us that the Temple was closed. We hadn't even thought about the Temple being closed on Monday. He then told us that we were lucky that we could go tomorrow because the Temple had been closed for the past two weeks for cleaning. It was still nice to see the beautiful Temple as we came up the hill and saw angel Moroni sticking up and then the rest of the building. The setting reminded me of Oakland where the temple is kind of hidden in the trees and neighborhood when you drive into it. But from the valley, you can see it sticking out on top of the hill. The next people Brian wanted to visit was the Maafu family. He was expecting to find them in Ba, but we were told they moved to Suva. He was a policeman, so we would try to find the police station and ask about him. We decided to take a bus to our hotel first and then set off on a new adventure. Now the place we were staying was not the place we had originally reserved. Our reservation was a small bed and breakfast overlooking the harbor. They had come across a family wanting reservations for 2 weeks overlapping our 2 nights, so they made us reservations at the Novotel. We looked it up on the internet once to make sure it looked decent, it looked nice but honestly I didn't know if we would end up staying there, so we didn't really even know where it was. Well, as we were watching the beautiful scenery, right before our hotel stop, there was a police station. We knew it was going to be harder to find people in Suva because it is a large city, so if nothing else we would just go to the Temple both days. But here was the police station right down the road. We checked in to our hotel, right on the harbor where the lobby just opens up to the water edge.


It was beautiful, we felt very lucky. (The weather was perfect-winter- mid to low 80's. I love to be outside all the time - I think Fiji might be my new favorite place.) We headed to the hot bread shop for a late breakfast - our new local favorite-scone with cream, just a homemade roll with whipped sweet butter cream, it was so good. As we walked out of the shop towards the station we passed a policeman who we asked if they knew our friends. He did and said he was probably home, it was his day off and he lived at the barracks adjacent to the station. We followed him to their home. Bro. and Sis. Maafu were home and invited us in. It was a pleasure for Brian to hear how all the children had grown, served missions.


They had been sealed in the Tonga temple and then had their 8th child, a girl-Liahona. I love that name. Their son came over while we were visiting and he knew many of the people Brian was searching for, so many had moved. After a nice visit they told us to come back the next night for dinner and they would have all their children come over with their spouses and children. We were given directions for another family to visit. They lived in a place called Makoi. This neighborhood actually had paved roads and street names. Brian wasn't quite sure which house it was, but he would figure it out. As we were walking down a hill, he yelled out Brother Kelemeti. An older man lifts his head out from his home and starts walking toward us. He smiled and Brian said his usual line- I was a missionary 15 years ago- Elder 'Sugar' Cheney, with specs. Then the smile of recognition came over and they embraced. We were invited in and his wife joined us. She was busy burning some rubbish and came in, again so happy to see Brian. They were in the middle of yard work, painting the house bright orange and white-I wish I could paint our home orange and white, but I think we have laws against that sort of thing. They put everything a side and visited with us. Brother Kelemeti actually had worked at the Temple for the past three years and these were his first weeks off. Sister Kelemeti stays busy helping clean nearby chapels and doing family history work, so we were lucky to catch them at home. They told us the story of their daughter passing away and now were raising her two sweet girls, Sandrine 7 and Rosie 9.



We ended up staying with them the whole afternoon and night. By the end we were attached to those two girls. They told us incredible stories of faith and miracles. Sister Kelemeti reminded me of my mom and all the neat family history work miracles that happen.



Sister Kelemeti gave me a beautiful shell necklace given to her from her son when he returned from his mission. We went with them to a family night ward activity. The missionaries were putting it on and we were glad to be able to raise our hands when one sister asked if anyone had played Scattegories before- it must be a USA game. Brian saw so many others he knew as well. It was hard to leave the Kelemeti's. With tears in our eyes, it was much easier to say we'll come back some day.

The next day we did go to the Temple.


Brian said he cried seeing all the Fijians in the Temple. The two sessions were in English and were full. There were a few receiving their endowments and being sealed. It was so neat for Brian to see that. That afternoon we did relax by the pool and walked around the city. Dinner with the Maafu's was awesome!



They made all of Brian's favorite foods -curry, fish, dahl, tarro.....The family enjoyed the pictures we brought and sharing their own missionary stories and remembering old friends. Another great day!

Ba, The Most Wonderful Place in Fiji!

We had so many amazing experiences, it was hard to stop to blog and write about them. The day after the school experience we went to Ba to try to find people that Brian was friends with on his mission. We didn't know how to go about finding them because they didn't have addresses, post boxes, or email addresses when Brian was here last. Upon arriving in Ba we just "felt" that the right thing to do was to walk around town and let things just happen. After visiting a few places, like the post office, we were walking down a street and saw two Elders coming our way. We gave them a hardy Fijian hello and struck up a conversation. They were on their way to a personal appointment and then were going to visit the Ratu's (this family didn't sound familiar to Brian). After talking for a while they said they would just take us with them straight to the Ratu's. Sister Ratu had started a little business of selling home made juice to Saturday rugby game players and fans. She had joined the church after Brian had left, so he didn't know her before, but we became instant friends (this is how it is in Fiji and with the gospel). She knew most of the people that Brian was searching for. Her husband was currently the first counselor in their ward and was cleaning the church. He later came, met us, and helped us talk to a taxi driver to take us in the right direction. A very amazing, humble man. The missionaries came with us as well. It was so fun to see old friends' eyes light up when they recognized Brian. Every time we met someone there were hugs and laughter, and we usually heard something to the effect of "Elder Cheney, no specs and you got a little fat" (Fijians are well known for their bluntness, but there is never any meanness or criticism in these comments). The people just welcomed us right in. It was so cool to walk down a dirt road for a good 30 min or more and have Brian suddenly remember what other dirt road to take and which home was the right one.



One of the girls that he was friends with had moved to New Zealand, but her brother was living at the home and his family welcomed us in and even invited us for dinner.

The next day we woke up to a down pour of rain. It looked like a tropical storm with all the coconut trees swaying in the wind. We were staying in a city called Lautoka-about a half an hour away from the church building -which is kind of a funny story. When the teachers at the school asked where we were staying, we told them at the Ba Hotel-the only one in town. Sai said, "Oh no, you don't want to stay there, you need a "posh" hotel." We told him we already had reservations, it was fine, we only needed a place to sleep. Then they told us about a couple who had stayed there and had gotten rashes on their arms the next day. We told them, okay we will look into staying at your "posh" hotel. The place we stayed at was right on the bay overlooking the ocean. The price was a little more than we were going to pay at the other place, but a very good rate considering how nice it was. Again, a very humbling experience.

So, we were afraid the down pour would limit people from going to church. We actually got a taxi because we didn't want to walk in the rain. We were the first ones there and then people started to trickle in. I got to teach primary and Brian and I were the speakers in church. I felt overwhelmed by the Spirit when I started sharing my testimony of listening to the Spirit and letting it guide us here and in our lives. I talked about the only way to overcome obstacles in our lives is to let the Savior help us and to put our faith and trust in him. A year ago the city suffered a huge flood from the hurricane. Everyone is just barely recovering with their crop production and rebuilding. The church was flooded and they rebuilt part of it and expanded. Brian shared so many wonderful experiences of his time in Ba, how this place and the people here had continued to sustain him throughout the rest of his life. Serving and loving the people in Ba was where Brian's faith and love for the Savior had become so strong. The lessons and experiences he had among these wonderful people are still, 15 years later, providing strength and direction in almost every aspect of his life. It was a great time to visit the members there and encourage them to keep going, keep recognizing the miracles all around them.



Kalera became my instant friend. She remembered Brian coming over to her family's home and was so excited to see him. She is now married and has 7 kids! Her kids were hanging all over us by the end of the day. In classic Fijian manner, she handed me what appeared to be her engagement ring. I tried to refuse, but she insisted. This type of thing happended frequently on our trip. Brian had told me about this happening frequently on his mission, with some people giving their last handful of money, food, etc. Sometimes in the States we willingly give our left overs or extras to people, but here they truly give all, the most prized possession, and the best they have.



James Erastus Faust Bainivalu(2) Love the name! Brother Bainivalu loved President Faust, and so when his son was born he named him after him. I'm sure whevever this great kid gets in trouble he's already long gone before the full name comes out. His hair reminded us of Brynn's hair.

Sister Ratu had invited us with the missionaries over for dinner. So after much picture and memory sharing at church, we piled into the back of a pickup-taxi and headed to her humble home.





She had her sister's family living with her as well. She made a wonderful fish curry meal for us and we enjoyed hearing her conversion and Temple stories. Part of the meal was made by her neighbor, so afterwards we walked to their home to thank her. They invited us right in. Their family is Hindu and we were able to help the missionaries set up a time to teach them. It was awesome being with the missionaries during this time, and introducing them to families and friends they could now teach. We had another family to go visit so we said our goodbyes and set off down the dirt road to another home. It was so much fun just to walk with Brian and not know exactly where we were headed and how we were going to get there. Eventually a taxi or car would drive by and we would wave them down. It all worked out so well! We were very blessed! It's amazing how quickly we became so close to people and the tears we all shared when we said goodbye.

Taveuni

Good Morning from the Other Side of Heaven!

Ba School

More pictures from the school.


Here are all the students that were present on Friday -about half. Some of the children with more disabilities come for only 1-3 days a week. The boy in the wheelchair was so cute and tells everyone "I'm here". He read us a story and it was awesome to see all the other children pushing him around and totally including him. All the other children help around the school and each other.


They treated us like royalty when we were presenting the items to the school. We emphasized that we were just representing our family and community.


Here are the teachers and Sai (the head master) on the far right, blue print shirt.


I love their motto, Ability shines through!