Halloween, Birthday, and Fun...

Halloween was awesome as usual this year. We decked the house out with spiders, spider webs, rats, pumpkins, haunted houses and other "scary" stuff. Coleson is to the age where almost everything is "not" scary, so we have to step it up a bit to get the real scary factor across. We usually put a fake rat right by the door bell, so when people reach to ring the bell we almost always get a scare. This was one of my favorite parts throughout the night. We had our front windoow open slightly so I could hear when people were coming up, and without fail I would always hear a little "ahh" right before the doorbell rang. Sweet music everytime.

You'll notice from the pictures below that Coleson was a Star Wars Jedi. He was commonly mistaken for Anakin Skywalker, but Coleson always readily corrected them that he was really Obi Wan Kenobi (which is the best Jedi). Coleson has been playing non-stop with his light "saver." Attempts to convince Coleson that it's a sabre were completely unsuccessful. He's got it all figured out already, "It's called a light saver Dad because you use it to save your life." No getting through that logic. Ammon pulled off a sweet Batman, although it was a tough decision as to whether he should be Harry Potter with the glasses. Let me summarize with this, though I love my two boys dearly and they are way up there on the cuteness factor in my book, Summer pulled off the coolest costume for the night. She was Princess Leah, and oh so beautiful!




Ammon had his 2nd birthday on October 20, and he had a wonderful time with everyone. We had the traditional bubbling blood punch with the floating green hand, and lots of other "disgusting" food to eat. Ammon did a decent job attacking his cupcake, although we had a trial run about a week earlier where the performance was much more spectacular (so much so that when Ammon was done and completely covered his whole upper body with cake, Summer pointed to me and said, "this is your grand idea, you clean him up.")

Friday Night Game...

This weekend was a great weekend to be together as a family. Syracuse has a new high school that is less than three minutes from our house. With the new school comes local football and I am pumped about that, it’s been years since I attended a high school football game. We are the Syracuse Titans and our colors are similar to BYU colors, so Coleson and I are definitely on board. After I got home from work on Friday, Summer suggested that Coleson and I go to the football game, and despite the expected inclement weather we thought it was a great idea. Coleson bundled up and made sure that he had on his BYU football hat (football and BYU are inseparable in Coleson’s mind). Prior to our departure we feasted upon homemade pizza, that was made by Summer “expertly” throwing the dough, Coleson grating the cheese and arranging the pepperonis, and me dicing our garden tomatoes and peppers (Ammon gave the occasional shout out from the living room). We arrived at the game shortly after kickoff and quickly found a nice open spot on the home bleachers. To ward off the cold and rain (and to keep our “patooties” dry as Coleson would say) we sat on the thick stadium blanket that Debbie made for Summer back in her college days and covered our legs with another stadium blanket from work. With Syracuse being a new high school, the most experienced players on the team are juniors, there are no seniors even attending the school for the first year. Based upon this skill level, the local crowd cheers wildly over any points scored by the Titans despite the poor tally of those points in comparison to the opposing team. Coleson couldn’t stop asking questions, “Who throws the flag; who picks up the flag after it has been thrown; which team is ours; did we just score; why are the football players so small (I almost asked the same question when I saw several of them, it’s amazing how small a high school player is now that I’m “all grown up.”) My favorite question of the game came early on when Coleson leaned in close and quietly asked, “Should I yell, Go Syracuse!” We both agreed that was a good idea and we started getting the crowd going with a few robust yells of “Go Syracuse!” The highlight of the night came near the beginning of the third quarter. Let me paint the picture a little more clearly, we had been rained on most of the night, we were freezing (me moreso than Coleson, I made sure he had the lion share of the blankets), and our team was being badly beaten. Coleson proceeded to go down a list of the fun things we did that night. “Dad, we ate homemade pizza with pepperonis, we had bubble gum, we ate a giant licorice rope, and we are at the football game.” Coleson concluded his summary with the following statement, “Dad, this is the best night ever.” I was one happy Dad. The cold finally got to Coleson just before the third quarter ended and we headed for home. At home Coleson snuggled up with Mom and the couch, drank hot chocolate, and quickly fell asleep. That’s another score for the home team.

Conference was memorable in many different ways, but I wanted to share with you one thought about an especially touching part from my point of view. Elder Wirthlin was giving an inspiring talk on love, when unexpectedly about halfway through the talk he started visibly shaking. The shaking became more severe, but it was apparent that Elder Wirthlin was not the type of man to let a physical condition stop him from delivering his message. I said a quick prayer, like I’m sure thousands of others did, that Elder Wirthlin would be able to convey and complete the message that he had obviously put so much prayer and preparation into. At the point where the shaking became so severe that I feared he might collapse, Elder Nelson (the former experienced physician) quietly appeared at his side and firmly put his arms on either side of Elder Wirthlin and held him steady. Nothing was verbally said between the two and Elder Wirthlin continued with his talk. Though the shaking continued, we knew that Elder Wirthlin would be able to successfully complete his message with Elder Nelson’s firm hold. As I stated earlier, the talk on love was inspiring, and the actions of Elder Nelson only drove the spiritual message home more deeply (this one is an I-pod download). At the end of his talk Elder Wirthlin closed with a fervent Amen. But the microphone clearly picked up two other words after his closing Amen that were not meant for the audience and that I have rarely heard more poignantly and sincere. As he stepped away from the podium Elder Wirthlin firmly said “Thank you,” to Elder Nelson. Elder Nelson then walked Elder Wirthlin into the dimmed lights and to his seat. Nothing more was said, and the sermon on love was again taught most movingly in both word and deed.

Buddy Walk and 5K Buddy Race 2007...

The Buddy Walk and 5K Buddy Race were an awesome success. We got up early on Saturday morning and drove down from Park City in time for the 8:30 a.m. 5K start time. Coleson and the rest of us have been excited for this event for weeks, and there were no significant problems getting up at the early hour. Despite strong predictions of rain, we and Leona (our chapter’s president) had been “ordering” sunshine, and abundant sunshine is exactly what we received. It was perfect running conditions. Let me give a little more background to the whole 5K experience. I personally have been training hard and steady for at least the 2 or 3 days prior to the actual race, so obviously I was in peak condition to excel (I did actually run twice the week of race and that helped marginally). My training regimen consisted of eliminating all desserts from my meals, or at least half of the dessert from half of my meals, or just eating a whole dessert like I normally do (a flexible regimen is usually the best regimen). Additionally, I only had two filet mignons during the week, one on Wednesday and one 12 “ouncer” the night before (a big chunk of meat, a ceasar salad with real anchovies, and a lava chocolate cake are excellent items to eat within 12 hours of race start time). Summer joined me in my regimen for the night before meal, and likewise downed a 12 “ouncer” (give it up for Summer, that is an incredible accomplishment that makes me one very proud husband). Race time came and we were pleasantly surprised to see so many of our friends and family there, and participating. This is the first time we have included a 5K in the Buddy Walk, and Team Ammon easily had the most overall participants in the 5K event. In fact, after the whole event was over and I was at Leona’s house counting the funds raised with Leona she indicated that we had the most overall team participants. There were 43 total people that showed up for team Ammon for either the Buddy Walk or 5K Buddy Race or both, and 38 were registered participants.

The race is about to begin and Summer, Coleson, Ammon, and I are surrounded by our coworkers, family, and friends. For weeks I had been predicting the great “Cheney meltdown” that would occur at about mile 2.5, and to be able to witness this meltdown was the only motivation some of my friends needed to attend the race. Right before the race was to start I realized that my Ipod battery was dead and I would be unable to listen to my essential Rocky songs (this obviously was a key factor in my overall performance, notwithstanding my other extensive preparations). The race began and we were off. Now all joking aside, here’s my humble opinion of my incredible wife, and I know each of you can picture this because this is just the type of person that she is. Summer runs the entire race without stopping once while pushing in front of her a bike trailer with our two wonderful boys in it (and the diaper bag, water bottles, etc). Imagine running a 5K with a respectable time while pushing a 60 pound weight in front of you the whole time. It’s inspiring to see, and she does it at the 5k Buddy Race, the Syracuse 5K, and the Race for the Cure, so that Coleson and Ammon don’t have to sit on the sidelines and be observers, but are able to feel the excitement of the race and be participants. The sad part on my side is that Summer is truly pushing this trailer all alone the whole race, because my expert training regimen barely allows me to run the whole race without stopping (I’m feeling very motivated at the moment). Coleson’s responsibilities during the race are to yell encouragement to his Dad and to primarily take care of his brother. The entire race Coleson has him arm around Ammon, to ensure his little brother’s head is properly held up and that he remains in a comfortable position. Because of this attentive care Ammon is usually as content as can be, and has sometimes fallen asleep to the motion of the bike trailer. The results of the race were awesome. Our friend, Jeff Goddard, won the entire race by a 30 second margin of victory. Jeff’s sister came in second overall for the women participants. My brother, Kevin, came in second for his age category (he indicated before the race that we have to put in a good showing for Ammon, and Team Ammon did not disappoint). Our family came in at just over 30 minutes, with Coleson running the last 200 yards himself, and all of us being cheered across the finish line. Our family’s goal for the race was to simply participate and support Ammon and his friends, while people like Jeff and Kevin added the necessary respect to a first time 5K event like this. We already have even bigger dreams for next year.

The Buddy Walk started about an hour after the race was completed, and again this portion of the event did not disappoint. There were hundreds in attendance, with many of them directly in support of Ammon. Coleson and his cousins walked away with handfuls of carnival prizes, face paintings, and hotdogs for lunch. A local group of children with Down syndrome performed several dance routines after the one-mile walk was completed. Jessie and Loraine came to the event with their three children, Suzanne, Matt, and Ali (each one has Down syndrome and Loraine is primarily confined to a wheel chair due to brain cancer). This is an awesome family and we feel so lucky to have them as friends.

We’ve always said from the beginning that it was not the donations that mattered most, but that people just come and experience the magic of this event. But let me share just one bit about the financial side of this event. After the Walk was over (and the BYU game of course), Leona and I were sitting at her kitchen table counting the donations and preparing the bank deposit. Leona insisted that I run the 10-key machine, and soon we were through the cash, checks, and change. Brace yourselves: this one event raised over $7,000 to support individuals with Down syndrome (last year we barely cleared $4,000, primarily due to the rain). There are so many awesome things that this money goes to support, including research, public awareness, and community activities. But while we were counting the donations, Leona and I discussed one particular family that will be greatly benefited by the activities these donations help to fund. During the Buddy Walk Summer met a young married couple that lives about five minutes from our house and about three months ago had a beautiful little girl with Down syndrome. The Buddy Walk was the first “Down syndrome event” they had attended, and it was exactly what they needed. The good mother was still taking the reality of having a child with Down syndrome very hard, and she was grateful to meet other parents that live near her. When Leona had visited them soon after they had their baby the mother was very emotional and distressed during that meeting as well. What some of these donations allow our UDSF chapter to do is prepare newborn packets that are personally delivered by parents with a Down syndrome child (Summer and I are preparing to be part of this process, especially in regards to the new fathers). As we deliver these packets we have the unique opportunity of sharing with them about our experience with Ammon (and our extended family’s experiences). From the start we were all able to see the miracles surrounding Ammon, and because we saw those miracles we never really felt any discouragement about Ammon having Down syndrome (Down syndrome in itself was another type of blessing in our eyes). As these new parents start looking for the miracles occurring in their new little baby’s life, we can only hope that any feelings of disappointment are quickly replaced by hope and joy. And as these new parents start attending the Halloween carnival, the Christmas breakfast, the Spring party, and numerous other activities not only will their children feel accepted and loved, but the parents will form common friendships and be able to go out in the community with a feeling of support and acceptance.

I could go on and on about the Buddy Walk. I just can’t stop feeling so grateful for so many good people and for Ammon. Thanks again to all of you for loving and supporting Ammon, he couldn’t have been born into a better family. (As more pictures come in we'll be sure to post them up).

Ammon is One Year!

A strange feeling came over me today, a sort of déjà vu. We have just wrapped up the Q3 review of my client located in Santa Ana, CA and here I am sitting in the airport. There are a lot of people here today, all four of my coworkers are here with me, and we are all flying home. It was one year ago today that I was standing alone here in this same airport, an emotional wreck, not even able to get out one complete sentence. Summer and “Baby Cheney” were going through the most traumatic experiences of their lives, with only one family friend there to be a witness to the events. The last message that Lisa delivered was choppy and breathless. “Why are you breathing so hard?” I had asked. “I’m running to keep up with the doctors!” “Why are they running?! What’s wrong?” “I don’t know…they are doing the surgery now, right now!” And that was it.

I think two of the largest differences between today and one year ago are these, I’m not alone this time and I know that everything is okay at home. In hindsight we’ve come to realize that we were not alone that day either. Some of ‘Baby Cheney’s’ angel friends were there, maybe quite a few of them. They were whispering strong warnings and encouragement to Sherry, “Go ahead, put the heart monitor on anyways… just go ahead…” They were there steadying the hands of a very experienced surgeon just a little more (“most traumatic surgery I’ve ever performed, but yet it was one of the best I ever performed,” he said). They were there calming and reassuring Summer, in even the most gravest of circumstances. Most importantly they were there helping their precious little friend, the one that had just left their presence. They were there standing vigilant watch over him for many hours after he arrived before earthly family and friends could come visit him. They reminded him of his strong courage, of his strong desire to come no matter the immediate circumstances. They reminded him that he was loved. I know that there were spiritual friends and family there that day and I’m grateful everyday since that they were allowed to come. It’s been one year, and it has been a wonderful and growing year. Ammon’s heart is okay, his eyes are okay, his hearing is okay, his breathing is okay, his eating is okay. He brings so much light, happiness, and joy into so many people’s lives. He brings so much gratitude and humbleness into ours. As we celebrate this amazing day with Ammon, we just wanted to say thank you again, and again, and again to all of you. It was you that prayed for Ammon, that had his name placed on the Temple rolls, that fasted on his behalf, that brought us breakfast, lunch, and dinner, that cleaned our home, that did my work, that blessed us with so many gifts, that filled our cars with fuel and our fridge with food, that watched our other precious boy Coleson, and that loved us and supported us.
On this truly amazing day, we just wanted to say thank you again, we are ever grateful.

Buddy Walk 2006!

We had the much anticipated Buddy Walk on Saturday, and it was awesome to say the least. There was a slight "drizzle" most of the time, but nobody ever really got drenched. As a family we were very impressed with the large number of people that came to the event despite the inclement weather. My Dad even made the comment that he really didn't see that many individuals with Down syndrome, which to some extent pionts to the success of the event even with the weather (additionally, many of the Down syndrome individuals were young children or babies being held by families). With only one in every 800+ births resulting in an individual with Down syndrome, the true sign of success at an event like this will be when we have 800+ people show up in support for each individual with Down syndrome. But until then, there were still many wonderful opportunities to meet and interact with so many of these wonderful individuals. Another note, the number of volunteers at this event was amazing, especially the number of youth volunteers (I'd never really even thought of volunteering for something like this when I was 16). Thank you again to all of you for being such a wonderful support for the Walk. We've been humbled many times over at your kind words, generosity, and service. All told, Team Ammon, which includes KPMG, raised over $600 and probably much higher than that amount (I don't have the final tally as of yet). I can't help but think of the incredible blessings these donations will provide to future families blessed with a Down syndrome child that don't have the exceptional support system we have been blessed with. The driving purpose of the Buddy Walk is to promote understanding and acceptance, and based upon the number of people that have stopped by my office, come by our home, or thanked us for the opportunity to participate (that still seems a little backwards to me) I can't help but feel a great hope in Ammon's future. I've rambled too long, thank you again. We've attached a few of the photos from the Buddy Walk, if you want to see more let us know.