First Day of Eighth Grade

Ammon is ready to catch the bus. He's not too sure about this going-to-school thing as is evident in his face here. It only took one day back and he was excited and happy to go again. The day before school, Dad took Ammon up to PCMC to see Dr. Smith. Dr. Smith did an endoscopy on Ammon's throat to see if scar tissue was beginning to grow again. Good news! It's not and he's doing fine. Before they went to the hospital for their appointment, they stopped by the Ronald McDonald House to turn in all the pop tabs Ammon's school had gathered the last two months of school. There were a lot!! You can't see them all here, but garbage bags full were donated and two 5 gallon ice cream tubs were full as well.

The staff (pictured above), gave Ammon a receipt that showed that he donated "millions" of pop tabs. Thanks to Mt. Nebo Junior High for their participation. We hope they will participate again this year.

School is under way and Ammon already has homework!

Thursday's Hero Reunion

Tonight we got to attend BYU football's program for Thursday's Hero. This was a reunion for all the heroes and their families. It was almost more fun than the actual day when Ammon was honored as a Thursday's Hero because we got to mingle and visit with any player we wanted. Two players sat at each table to talk to the families. They had live music which was loud but very good, a great meal and lots of people. They were signing posters, handing out bracelets and stickers and they signed anything people handed them - shirts, hats, etc. This is Ross Apo and Jake Heaps - the country's two top draft picks for college. Jake is trying out for the spot of quarterback. They seemed to be super young men. (And they are true freshmen -- just for Katy's sake.)

We had a good visit with Coach Mendenhall. Jim asked him why the women's football clinic was cancelled. The coach said he has had so many requests and complaints about cancelling it that he is reconsidering and they may have it next year. Plan on it, women!!

Lindsey will recognize Matt Reynolds (far right) and his brother. Both boys served missions in Germany and Lindsey actually fed Matt a couple of times. He told me she can really cook! We sat at their table. Awesome, huge (!) guys.

Brandon Doman, quarterback coach. Adam knows him and they talked together for a while.

And of course this is Ammon's favorite buddy -- Robbie Buckner. Robbie's mother was one of Ammon's favorite aides at school last year. Ammon has been able to meet Robbie several times. He is truly a nice young man.

As we got ready to leave, Ammon said, "This was so fun!" It was.

Youth Conference

Ammon attended his first Youth Conference this weekend. It started on Friday doing service projects in the town of Elk Ridge. They painted white arrows in the streets to show where the fire hydrants were and also spent a while pulling weeds in the town park. Kaitlin went with Ammon to help keep him cool with water, etc. She brought him home for lunch and then they packed up and Jim took them to Whiting Campground up Mapleton Canyon east of Springville, UT. There were some activities that he couldn't participate in because the hills were too steep and rocky to get his wheelchair up, but he was able to mingle with the group and hang out with somebody other than his mom and dad. We picked him up and left about 6:30 p.m. The rest of the group camped overnight.

It was a very pretty campground and very shaded. The group of kids was very large!

On Saturday morning, I (Mom) took Ammon back up and had CJ Linford follow us up there. I unloaded Ammon and left CJ with him. We have hired CJ to help out because Kaitlin is moving out soon. These two guys get along very, very well. CJ is a sweetheart and we're sure happy he is willing to spend time with Ammon.

In the photo below, Brother Sessions (first counselor in the bishopric)
is greeting Ammon. Brother Dwight Durrant (former next door neighbor) was the featured speaker today and was there to greet us when we got there.

They ended with a testimony meeting and lunch. Ammon even bore his testimony. I will have him put a post on himself so he tell his version since I wasn't there. Brother Stoker brought Ammon home.

Ammon got home about 1:15 p.m. He has been asleep for the past two hours. You would think he hiked a mountain! We sure do appreciate the leaders who worked hard to involve Ammon as much as possible.

Wheelchair Buddies

Last Sunday the doorbell rang - when we opened the door, there were three Weakly famly members in wheelchairs. Their grandpa gave them wheelchairs for Christmas as a gift. They moved to the top of our street a few months ago and occasionally we see them flying down the street in a race. We invited them to come over and race with Ammon. So they were here and the race was on. They could go down the hill a lot faster than Ammon could, but Ammon smoked them coming back up the hill.

Johnny Weakly cheated on this trip up. Ammon gave him a free ride back.

Ammon ran his chair as fast as it would go. I think he loves to fly in that thing without restrictions.

Thanks, guys for a fun run.

Week of Movies

On Monday Katy took me to the movies to see Toy Story 3. That was fun. I experienced 3-D for the first time. I enjoyed it more than Toy Story 1 or 2. Then I went to see The Last Airbenders with Lance and it was fun. He and Kaitlin are my movie buddies. Then I got my parents signed up for Netflix. I watched the Princess and the Frog and it was a cute movie.

It was a fun week.

Sunday Talk

I got to speak in church today. They asked me to talk about Joseph Smith (since today is the day he died in 1844) and the priesthood. I like to talk in church. It doesn't make me nervous at all. Here is my talk:


"Last week I had the opportunity to visit Nauvoo, Illinois with my family. I got to see the temple and part of the city Joseph Smith built. It was fantastic!

In the visitor’s center, I saw a statue of Joseph kneeling before Jesus and Heavenly Father representing the vision in the Sacred Grove. I am very grateful for all that Joseph Smith did to restore the gospel in its fullness.

Because the priesthood was restored on earth, I have been personally blessed in several ways. My father and brothers hold the priesthood and they have participated in giving me a blessing when I was given a name as a new baby, when I was baptized, and when I was given the priesthood myself.

I have been given many, many blessings for my health by different worthy men who hold the priesthood. I am very grateful for those blessings which have saved my life.

Because I hold the Aaronic Priesthood, I am able to serve others by passing the sacrament (which I really like to do) and I now get to be a home teacher. My dad is my companion. I love to go home teaching and I love the families we visit.

Holding the priesthood gives us many opportunities to serve. I look forward to being able to bless the sacrament some day. I look forward to being worthy enough to give blessings by the laying on of hands to someone in need someday.

I am very grateful for Joseph Smith and how he helped restore the Priesthood. I know he was a true prophet. I know President Monson is a true prophet, too. I am thankful for the Bishop and how he encourages me. I am thankful for my priesthood quorum leaders and the good examples they are to me. I am thankful for my parents and all those who help and love me.
I know Heavenly Father is real. I know the church is true.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

Iowa Trip

I felt like a pioneer on this trip because I made it through the long drive, conquered some fears, saw new country, and met new people. I'm very glad I went Here I am in the visitor's center at the highest point of I-80 between Laramie and Cheyene, WY.

President Lincoln had a vision to make a interstate highway from east to west and so he was honored at this spot. It was a really big monument.

We stopped at Winter Quarters, Nebraska and spent some time in the visitor's center. We met a very nice sister missionary. I can't remember her name. She let me pull a handcart. She was from West Jordan, UT, right near where Jess lives.

On Saturday we went to Nauvoo, IL. I got to cross the Mississippi. It was a very big river! One fun place in Nauvoo is where they have pioneer games. I liked making the man flip over with the toy above.

It was pretty hot at Nauvoo, but it was a nice day. The temple is pretty.

Here I am near the steps of the Nauvoo Temple with my niece and nephews. They are Jared (the tall one), Brenden, Alyssa and Scott.

We also got to go to Dyersville, Iowa to see where the movie "The Field of Dreams," was filmed. It was really cool to go there. Mom ran me around the bases like I had hit a home run. We had fun there.

Memorial Day, 2010

Today I went to the cemetary with Mom and Dad. It was great! Maybe I will be buried right by my family when I die .

Katy Graduates

Ammon attended Kaitlin's graduation. He is sad to know that she will be leaving home in August, but he was proud of her and happy that she could graduate. (Below, Kaitlin, Ammon and Ammon's niece Leah who turned 5 today!)
Ammon and this sweet lady named Helen sat by each other in the wheelchair spots. She was so cute with Ammon that I kept watching them throughout the ceremony. This lady told me that she thought Ammon was beautiful and she was sure she would meet him again someday in another life.

Graduation ceremonies are long and boring - for the most part. Once the paragliders and gun salutes were over, it was time for the sun to soothe a sleepy Ammon. He fell to sleep for a short time. I wanted to join him. The sun felt so good and it was so nice outside that nothing else mattered!

Bubbles & More Bubbles

One of the first times I took Ammon to the Spina Bifida Clinic when he was a tiny baby, I saw a mother there that was kind of freaking out because her youngster just learned to pull himself up two stairs to get to a play area. At the time I couldn't figure out what the big deal was, but I soon learned. Everything these kids learn that is new becomes a big deal.

This afternoon I took the kids out to blow bubbles. They soon decided it was more fun to chase the bubbles than to blow them. Ammon has never been able to blow bubbles. His teeth get in the way, he blows too hard and he can't seem to form his lips into a circle. I didn't want him to feel left out so I gave him a bottle and then went to get my camera. All of a sudden I looked over at Ammon and he was going crazy with the bubbles! He learned how to blow them. The girls were chasing them all over the yard.

Is this a big deal? No - he should have known how to do this years ago but he couldn't figure it out. Today he got it. He kept doing it over and over again. In fact, he used one half of a bottle. Even after the girls were tired of doing it, he kept it up. His shorts were soaked in bubble stuff. His wheelchair was soaked but he was happy!

It's incredible that he can do this. I understand how that mom felt when she saw her child learn to do something new that seemed so mundane and usual to me. Good for Ammon. He is now the family's official bubble blower whenever we have a party.

Movie Review Part 2

When we last left off, I told you about "Merry Christmas Drake and Josh," "Bedtime Stories," "Cars 2" and "HSM3." This time I am going to tell you about the "Blind Side" with Sandra Bullock. This one is for you, Chelsey. I like the movie. It is the greatest movie ever. It is about a football player named Micheal Oher. He befriends SJ at first but soons find out that they have a lot in common and Mchael Oher becomes a part of the family. I highly recommend it.

Next I am here to tell you about TOY STORY 3. It's about Woody and Buzz and they have to escape the day camp while Andy's going off to college. He throws away his toys and accidentally sends them to a daycare. They have to escape and Buzz just knows what to do. Before I end I would just like to say I'd like to see it .

POP TABS

I have started a project collecting pop tabs. I have been collecting pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. Our school interviewed Mom and I about the recycling project for the tabs and decided we wanted our school to do it. So Friday I came home with a bunch of tabs and we will be doing this for the rest of the school year. It's a really fun project, so let me in conclusion say this: "Pop the top, make the drop."

(This is Mom now.) We've been collecting these pop tabs for about two years. When I found out that the Ronald McDonald House recyles these, I decided that it is one small way that we could pay back a great organization. Our personal donations were small, kind of like the widow's mite, but it feels very good to be part of something like this. The pop tabs are pure aluminum so they bring in more money than the cans do and they are less bulky. Ammon decided to ask his class if they would like to particpate. We got a few small bags and then about a month later his teacher, Mrs. Stoker, asked if we would care if the whole school got invovled. We were really excited! Within two weeks, they collected the two 3 gallon tubs shown above. We hope that this continues for the rest of Ammon's school life in any school where he goes. It is a great way for him to learn to speak up and explain to others what it's all about and it's good for him to be part of something really good.

my new rearranged blog

my blog rearangement is cool thanks for the design and the songs gillian

I'm a Grown Man Now!

Tonight was a fun night with Ammon. He told me he knows where we get our humor from -- the humerus bone. He really thought that was where it came from. I thought that was pretty clever.

It was time for his shower and a hair cut so we got all that done and then...... he got to shave for the first time. His face has looked like a fine little web ready to catch the dew on a summer's morn. We bought him an electric razor on Saturday. It would be pretty dangerous for him to use a regular razor. He loved it!! After he was done, we spiked his hair all fancy and then he came out to show his dad and said, "I'm a grown man now!

Brothers I guess he's trying to catch up to all of you.

Ammon wanted to get nice and "spiffy" because tomorrow morning he and I are going to be interviewed and taped at his school. They want to get everybody in the school involved in Ammon's fund-raising project of collecting pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. We have been doing that for about two years at our house. We decided to see if his class wanted to do it and some have been sending them to us to add to the collection. The school now wants it to be a school-wide project so we get to be interviewed to tell them why we do it and they want us to tell them about the Ronald McDonald House. We are more than happy to get everybody involved. It should be fun.

Now Ammon will look very handsome - he said he wanted to look good for all the ladies (meaning even the girls at school, not just the adult women). Ah, this is getting scary!!

my Memories

These last few years had been horrible with hospital trips and doctor visits but I am well now so I would like to make a quick post. I remember when I was a little kid and when my mom would cuddle with me and the time my sisters would take me to movies. I wish that would still happen and I remember David and he taught me some Dutch. This house brings back memories and that is all I have to say goodbye.

Tour of Ronald McDonald House

Today I had a tour of Ronald Mcdonald house. It was fun . We took some pop tabs in to them .

We didn't go in this house but it belongs to them . mom says its really pretty.

Then we went and saw doctor D'Astous. I got a clean bill of health. My back is good and my hips are fine.

Job Shadow Day

Ammon was able to come to work with me (Mom) today for his school's "Job Shadow Day", which occurs on Groundhog every year for 7th graders in our school district. I was just about as happy to have him come as he was to come!

Here he is in the front lobby of our building.

I took him all over to meet various people I work with, including Central Stores and Central Receiving. He saw where they keep all the candy for the vending machines, where they cut meat and where they store all frozen and refrigerated goods. He got to see some big semi-trucks come and unload. When he saw Central Stores warehouse and saw all the food (and cereal for the missionaries at the MTC), he exclaimed, "Holy Moly!" It's a lot of food!

Here Ammon is meeting one of the men that works in Central Receiving. His name is John Boulter. He lives right behind Devin Minson so they found something in common right off the bat.

Ammon is sitting at my desk here - I think he was just finishing up a huge piece of Dove chocolate that Kelly gave him.

This man, Chris Justice, works in marketing for Dining Services. He also volunteers for the Festival of Trees and took some photos of Ammon's tree for us. He supplied four of the football pictures that are hanging on Ammon's bedroom wall. David might remember this man because when David was in the MTC, Chris was the manager of the MTC cafeteria. He gave the phone to David for a minute after he got me on the line so I got to briefly (very briefly) say hello to David when he was at the MTC. We like Chris - he was just made a new bishop of a BYU ward two weeks ago.

I finally let Ammon have his BYU quilt - It looks awesome on his bed but it's so heavy Ammon wouldn't be able to roll over even if he could roll over!

Another buyer in the Purchasing Dep't is a man named Paul Buckner. He is a very nice man with a strong southern accent. His wife is one of Ammon's aides. Her name is Marnie. They have a son, Robbie, that is a defensive cornerback for the BYU football team. Marnie told Paul that Ammon would be coming to campus so Paul & Robbie arranged to come and meet Ammon in person. It was such a nice thing for them to do. It was a fun visit for all of us.

Ammon also met Leone Douma and I explained that she was the person that met David when he was on his mission because she and her family went to Belgium to visit their family members that live there. As we left, Ammon said goodbye in Dutch to her which caused her to laugh. I can't spell the words so I won't put them on, but he knows what they are. He made you proud, David!

I believe it was a fun day for Ammon!

Talent Night

The YM of the ward sponsored a talent night again this year. Last year they called it a lip sync contest (which Ammon won), but this year they held a talent night. It was one of the funnest nights we've been to in a long time. Some girls performed, but they weren't very well prepared. This was the night for the guys to shine and shine they did!

Ammno did a lip sync to the song, "Fireflies" by Owl City. He got a standing ovation when he was done. He wasn't the least bit afraid and knew every word. It was awesome!

This young man (13), Nathan Jones, played the best drum solo I've ever heard in my ilfetime outside of a professional drummer. It blew me out of the water. We were all screaming and clapping for him. Amazing performance!

These boys are in Ammon's teacher's quorum. Brig Webb and Johnny Weakly played a great song. Johnny was on the keyboards, Brig played guitar and sang. Great job!! A man in our ward is teaching them and he is doing a wonderful job with these boys.

This boy, Zach Lundberg had two girls come up and mess up two Rubics cubes. While they were doing that, he told some facts about Rubics cubes and then proceeded to solve both of them under 3 minutes. He solved them in 2 minutes 20 seconds. We didn't believe he could do it.

Other acts in the talent show included a boy doing a routine with his weapons - he's has a black belt in Karate. He was really talented and it was fun to watch. Another 14 year old played the electric guitar and that, too, blew us away. One played a piano solo he made up (like Adam used to do) and it was very nice. Two boys (seniors) did a dance to the song, "Move it, Move it!" that was clever and fun to watch. I believe the ward will now do this as an annual event. It was such a great way to show off the talents of these kids.

Here's a picture of Kaitlin, Ammon and Dad playing Wii. Don't bowl with Dad - he killed us! Don't golf with Ammon - he's got a sweet swing. Don't play baseball with Kaitlin - she's got a mean swing. Don't box with Mom - she's plain mean.

Ammon can sometimes beat me in bowling - but then everybody can beat me in all the games! It's still fun.