Football Season Coming To a Close

Marcus is in the final stages of his senior year football season.
He starts Offensive Tackle. He has done well in his position and has been dubbed "MB Master Blocker". Our family has enjoyed watching him play through his Jr. High & High School years. Callie suprisingly is a MAJOR Cougar fan & steals the show when nearby fans catch her cheering right along with the cheerleaders & yelling out "go Show Low", "go Cougars" and putting her fingers to her mouth as she emits an exceptionally shrill sound that is a nearly perfect imitation of my whistling.
Conference games ended last week and last night was the first and thankfully not their last game in state playoffs. They played against Estrella Foothills and came away with a 34-10 win.
Next week they will be up against Winslow at Campo Verde High School. The game will be at 4pm for anyone interested in going. Playoffs are single elimination, so of course we are hoping to see a win there. The final state playoff game will be the Sat. after Thanksgiving! We hope to see the Cougars there, we shall see! One week at a time.
We also enjoyed watching Burke play this year and look forward to him playing in High School next year. He starts as center and they ended their 8th grade season undefeated. They were also undefeated their 7th grade year also. For those of you familiar with our region, yes, that means that they beat Blue Ridge, something we hope continues throughout their HS years! It is especially fun for me to watch their group. They have played school yard and neighborhood football together all their years, and I have had some of the other boys in cub scouts over the years.
We also enjoy attending concerts for Marcus, Elsie, Burke & Emma. They are all in choir and Burke & Emma play in the band.
Marcus & Elsie got to perform this past week at the State Fair. Fun! Fun!
It brought back the memory of leaving the hospital to go see Marcus perform there last year.
Feast of Carols practice will be starting soon, and we are looking forward to that. They are having a dessert night with much lower price & also have lowered the dinner tickets by $5 per person. Anyone interested in going, let me know. It's fun to go and sit together. We thoroughly enjoy it every year we attend.
May blessings attend you ALL!!!

from my metal art & creative writing classes

Metal Art Music

Tink tink tink

Pum pum pum

Tata tata tata tat

Ding ding ding ding ding

Rat a tat a tat

Buzz

Sizzle

Roar

Thunk thunk thunk

Hummm

Through my spongy electric green ear plugs, I hear music.

…the tink tink tink of Mr. Noble’s hammer as he pushes wrenched metal smooth.

… the pum pum pum of the rawhide mallet mashing steel.

… the tata tata tata tat of the ball peen on the rivet, James is working so hard to set.

…the ding ding ding ding ding ding of the planisher as Hillary stretches out the fine details of her wings.

… the rat a tat tat as I weild the rounding hammer to push out the edges of my bowl.

…the buzz of the grinder used to polish the metal’s surface fluid.

… the sizzling torch as Gary melds two halves into a whole.

… the roar of the fiery forge, who’s white hot flames temper black iron red.

... the thunk thunk thunk as James presses and shapes the red-hot iron.

… the hummm of the mighty furnace pushing out torrid heat to add to our steamy sweat.

Listen to the music, as we precisely pound out distinct contoured images from sheets of steel.

BIG NEWS!!!!!

WOW!!!
We are SOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!
Recently Callie has been forming up to 3-4 word sentences
as regular conversation for her :) which is a BIG thing for her!
Then this morning she zipped up her pajamas after a diaper change!!! Yeah for her!
The BIGGEST news of the day has been over 1 year in coming. At the appt week before last, her Neurologist had not talked about the possibility of regaining the damaged nerve function, which we have previously thought was the 3rd & 7th nerve, and recently learned that she is also lacking 5th nerve function.
She has been to an Institute one time so far (Gifford Health Institute in Gilbert AZ run by Dr. Kevin Gifford), where they do therapy targeted to stimulate nerves that lack proper function. We have been doing some of the therapy here at home. We hope to get her back soon & frequent. She has also been receiving electrical facial stimulation to the left side of her face aimed to stimulate the damaged nerves, and hopefully "Wake up" the left side of her face! She pats her left cheek and says "Wake up Face!", she also says "tickle" when they apply the devises & sometimes clamps her little hand tight to her cheek & will NOT allow them to apply their "tickle tortuous" devices until bribed with a sucker! (the dum dum or tootsie variety :)

So, for the big news.... this morning she coughed, and her left eye squinched down tight every time she coughed and we have been noticing all morning how she is having general MOVEMENT on the left side of her face!!!!
It isn't in balance with the right side yet, but it is a very GREAT beginning!!!! and we are OH SOOOOO HAPPY about it!!!

I for got to post this!

Marcus, Burke, Callie & Gage after the game Friday night!
GO Big GREEN !!!

Na Na Na Na!

(Sorry the pictures are sideways, but I had to post them anyway!)
This morning Callie was in her high chair eating breakfast! Jeff & I were talking about high school football, when she had all she wanted, she stood up & sang so clearly, "na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey hey!" She cracks me up! That must be what she remebered from the football game on Friday!
I guess I'll take a minute to brag on the boys... Marcus & Burke are, both playing this year, Marcus as OT & kick off team & Burke plays center & defensive linebacker & kick off team. They also are both #56 (makes it easy on me :) & both of their teams are undefeated so far this season! I'm really enjoy football season :)
Anyway, Callie was just too cute this morning to not share!
Have a wonderful day!!!

Our Year of Miracles

Today marks One full year from the day of Callie's accident!
We have been sooooo blessed in so many ways & by so many people.
I feel that I have never adequately been able to show our thanks.
We have decided as a family that we would like to have a


Come & go Open House to honor this year with Callie
Sunday September 13, 2009
from Noon to Nine
in our home.


The invitation is to EVERYONE of you & anyone you feel would be interested to come!
We have been so AMAZED by the journey & feel that many have been touched
by the experience with Callie & ALL have been blessed that have been touched by it.
Please come & join us in our Joy for the year we have had with Callie.

If you would like to come & don't know where we live, please leave a comment & how you would like to be contacted & we will get directions to you.

I know it has been such a long time since I have posted... We have been having a wonderful summer! Callie is doing so well & is making so much progress. Even though she still has challenges with her left eye, we continue to hold out hope for it one day to be a "thing of the past". We love you and continue to be blessed by each of you in our lives. Life is so precious! May you all have a wonderful summer and may your lives be blessed in every way!!!!

therapy ~ first & last

We are so happy, we had to let you all know that tomorrow will be Callie's first day of Speech Therapy since she got out of PCH!
We have been waiting a long time for this day & are so happy about it.
The therapist that will be working with her, is also very happy to be working with Callie. She called after doing Callie's evaluation & told me how pleasant it was to meet Callie!

We are also extremely saddened... one of Callie's Physical Therapists here at home, recently learned that she had very progressed cancer
& passed away the day before yesterday.
I have posted the last picture I took of the two of them together
(Callie has been randomly calling out her name).
At the time I took the picture,
I was so surprised by the sunlight spilling in over the two of them...
I wondered what made the picture so special & now I know...
Dotty, you will be sorely missed but never forgotten.
We love you so much &
are so grateful for the impact you have had on our little sweetheart!!!

Yoga Baby!

I just had to get some pics of Callie doing her yoga. It's just way too cute! It was hard for me to catch her in her poses, but when she's in full pose her legs are completely straight! Go Callie!!!

sorry no pics (ok i added a few random ones:)

i'm trying to overcome my blogging block...
i don't know if it's post traumatic stress or what...
i just had to tell about my little yoga baby cal...
she loves to do yoga with any of us when we do it...
she is soooooo flexible... it's sooooooo cute
anyway, one of the kids did an hour of yoga the other night
and callie did it with him for at least half of that!!!
she does some of the same poses & some all her own
so cute!

tomorrow will be callie's very first speech evaluation since she came home.
hopefully she will be getting speech therapy very soon.

also, yesterday at chuch, callie RAN down the aisle at church.
more & more she is just being a regular 2 year old. yeah!

i hope you are all doing well. i still think of all that everyone has done for us & it moves me to tears (as i am now) i know i haven't given the proper thanks & i want to, but i want all of you to know how much we love & appreciate EVERYTHING! so many AMAZING people!!!

our love, prayers & gratitude are with you ALL!

Pictures from the Heart...

This weekend was an especially enjoyable one. Our oldest son, his wife & baby came up for a visit & we celebrated Elsie's 15th birthday! We were able to see all the kids & grandkids!!! (except Micah) We love to spend time with our family & had such a great time that it completely escaped me to get pictures! :( Callie loves her nephews & loves to see her brothers & sisters. She has been changed from one insurance to another, that is for longer term (till she is 6 & evaluated to see if they will keep her on) She is making good progress still. We hope to get her into the Cornea specialist soon! We're hoping that the cornea is looking better than the last time he looked at it!
We had a very nice Easter & hope that you all did as well.

For quite some time, I have been wanting to share a picture with you
of my Christmas gift from our oldest daughter Ashley & her family.
It is one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received & I love it.
She is such a very thoughtful & awesome daughter! I can only hope to be a little like her when I grow up!!!
She is truly AMAZING!
Thank you Matt, Ashley & Boys, We love you! We love the wall!
And everyone that sees it loves the wall!

Love to you ALL!!! And love to ALL our equally AMAZING children!
We Love You All SOOOOO MUCH!!!

She's some kind of wonderful......

Callie's Benefit Concert was such a great time! It was so nice to get together with everyone & have fun (instead of gathering at the hospital).
My nephew Collin Freestone, a group called The Alston's & another Just Us all performed. There was a wide range of music, including (but not limited to) classic rock, country & reggae. The whole night was great entertainment.
Collin sang She's Some Kind of Wonderful (and many others, including some originals), which I felt was so fitting. I'm sure that I can find plenty of witnesses that Cal is "some kind of wonderful". I wanted to scoop her up & take her up on the stage during the song!
The whole thing was set up by my Uncle Rick Dalton & cousin Erika Dalton! We're so grateful to EVERYONE who made it happen! Thank you very much!!! Callie had an absolute blast! Another we must mention is Shanna (a faithful blog watcher) from Utah. She made the adorable dress Callie was wearing just for the occasion! She makes & sells these for a business & can be found at
FairyWonderful.com .
Callie absolutely loved the dress & at the end of the night, didn't want us to take it off of her! Thank you sooooo much Shanna!!! She really felt special, somehow she seemed to figure out that it was all about her! She seemed to respond to all the performers as if on queue & could be seen snapping her fingers, dancing & clapping throughout the whole evening.
The event was attended by many friends & family, including one of our favorites from PCH (another faithful blog watcher), and was enjoyed by young & old! Thank you all for your attendance! We love & appreciate you all.
Callie loved dancing & partying with everyone, they even played the Cha Cha Slide (which Callie loves) & lots of people danced with her between groups.
When it was all over, she was tired out, but still wouldn't give it up for over an hour more!
May each of you be blessed as you have all blessed us!
All our Love
The Butler Family

Callie is still making progress!!! We're looking forward to seeing you all at the concert

This a picture of Callie with one of her physical therapists (yesterday)!
She is making so much progress!
As you can see, she is learning to stand on one foot & very aggressive about it!
Just today her occupational therapist was so excited about all the progress Callie has made just since the last time she saw her a week ago! Callie had her amazed the whole time!
We are all looking forward to seeing you all at the concert this weekend.
I think that Callie will have such a great time. I just think it will be great to be able to see everyone not in the hospital!!!
We're so grateful to all of you.
Last week at Callie's eye Dr. appt, he gave basically no hope
of her ever having the use of her left eye.
While that may be the case, I still feel that we need to try to do whatever we can to save it.
Her therapist says that she does differently than other children she has worked with that are blind in one eye. So if any of you have any suggestions, we are open to hear them!
We are grateful to all that is being done to make this concert happen. It will be covered by Channel 15 News I hear!
We hope that all is going good for you & yours!
All Our Love & Gratitude,
The Butler Family

Excitement!!!

I took this picture to day at therapy. Callie was playing tug of war with her occupational therapist. She had just actually made a real smile just before I took this picture! It made me cry. I tried to make it bigger, but couldn't figure it out. Look how her mouth is more symmetrical & if you could see better, you can actually see white & iris in her left eye!!!
Three times in the last week, she has felt us put ointment in her left eye!!! Woo Hoo!
I'm blown away.
Thank you soooooo much for all of your concern, thoughts, faith & prayers on Callie's behalf! We are sooooo blessed & SOOOOOO Grateful!

Celebrating Callie's 2nd year of LIFE!!!

I feel so bad that I have still not gotten around to this!
My sister in law & daughter have done such a good job that I want to direct you to view what they blogged about the day. Click here for Mary's blog & Click here for Ashley's They have great pics & Mary even has a little video that is precious!
I hope that you all enjoy it!
Lots of Love to ALL!
~Dana

P.S. for any of you that would like to join us on the 27th of this month for a benefit concert, click here for more information on it!

Sharing a Tender Moment. . .

Wow! I just looked through pictures of Callie. . . I don't even know how to put into words the range of emotions my heart experienced as I did this and all that I can say, is WOW! She has come a LOOOOOOOONG way, even since leaving the hospital. I'll post a few pictures & try to choose ones that you haven't already seen. Sorry I didn't get the order right.
She's asleep on my shoulder right now or I'd take one of her today. Hopefully we can get up a really good birthday blog!!
Have a restful & peaceful Sabbath!!!
Just a little tidbit for all you Cardinal fans, Jeromehe sp? Urban held Cal at the hospital & wrote down her name so he could add her to his prayer list! So sweet.