Little Hooves and Big Hearts

We have been so blessed to be part of Little Hooves and Big Hearts in Tucson. The organization came to the Children's Clinic when we were there for physical therapy one day. They had some of their ponies with them, and the kids loved spending time with them. The ponies had Build-a-Bear shoes on, so of course the kids fell in love right away. We now get to go work with the ponies on a monthly basis and it really means so much to the kids. They include all of the kids and it really boosts their spirit.They talk about it non-stop!

Everything they do for our kiddos is provided with no cost to us. They are so sweet and amazing with the kids, and we really appreciate all that they do! If you are looking for an amazing organization to give to, this is it! You can click HERE for more information about their organization.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, here are some adorable photos of the kiddos working with the ponies.

The Cutest Little Ballerinas You Will Ever See

Madi has been wanting so badly to start dance class again.  The issue is, though, that she has a big desire to "dance on stage".  Though we LOVED our classes at the community center, there isn't an opportunity for her to dance on a stage.  I called a few local dance studios and they would not take the girls because of their wheelchairs, even though I offered to buy wheel slippers so they do not scuff up the flooring.  One studio told me they couldn't because they don't have special certification.  Well, neither do I!  This momma bear is now researching disability law and letters will be written to those studios... if anyone wants to help me with this, I will gladly take the help.  I wouldn't want to take the girls there after their reasoning anyhow, but I hope that if I kindly but firmly address the issue it will help those that come after us. 

I finally found a lady that was very excited to work with the girls.  The only issue is she used to be very active in Arizona but has moved to California.  She still comes back to Arizona to teach her students, but they have not had a big performance in Arizona in a few years.  I hope to help her fundraise so that Madi (and Ramya, of course, but it really is Madi's dream) can see her dream come to fruition.  I may also keep searching out a dance studio that will take the girls, but for now, they are happy, and that is what matters.

Ramya is also in dance for the first time and I am hoping it will work out well for her laso.  I was fully involved with the dance class and stayed on the floor with them and participated the whole time.  Still, when class was over and it was time for Ramya to transition back to me, it was hard for her and there was a lot of defiance.  I pray this gets better as she gets used to class and what to expect.

I just have to say, I seriously have the CUTEST dancers in the world!  They are still talking about class and asking when it is again.  I love to see how excited they are! 

 

 

We Started Therapeutic Riding, Hurray!

Last week we started the girls in a therapeutic riding program for kiddos with special needs through A Stable Influence.  The girls LOVE it and are so excited to tell everyone that they rode horses. They also ask every day if it's their riding day. 

While the girls are on the horses they have them ride forward, backward, and sideways to strengthen different core muscles.  They also ride with just a pad, not a saddle, so that they can feel the horse's gait better, which will in turn hopefully help them with their walking gait in their leg braces.  It's also great practice for Ramya to work on sitting back on her booty and having good posture.  The program is run by one lady and a bunch of volunteers so there are no therapist costs, like in hippotherapy, which is nice.  

Here are a few pictures of the girl's first day.  I couldn't get any great ones of Ramya because she wanted me to stay by her and hold her leg the whole time, so I did.  Next time maybe David and I will switch girls (if Ramya allows ;)) and then I can take a few better photos of Ramya.  Ramya has a huge fear of falling, and was hesitant to que the horse to walk, but did great once the horse started walking and she realized she would not fall.  She death-gripped the pad and wouldn't let go, but she did it!  I know each week she will get even more confident and I'm excited to watch her build her strength, endurance, and confidence.  Conner isn't in therapeutic riding but enjoys shoveling poop and helping his sisters to earn free rides in between kiddos :).

Our Fun Day Learing Cheer with the Pro Bowl Cheerleaders

Friday we attended a really fun event put on by our local news station, Channel 5 KPHO.  The cheerleaders that were down for the Pro Bowl event that takes place Sunday lead a cheer clinic for children with special needs.  They gave the kiddos goodie bags that had a set of pom poms in them and taught them a short routine.  They also had the mascots from a few of the teams come and spend time with the kids.  Even Conner had fun!  He was pretty excited about getting the mascots and cheerleaders to sign the water bottle that was in his goodie bag.  Here are some pictures and videos from the event.  A big "thank you" to everyone that made it possible, it meant so much to us! 

 

 

 

 

A Fun Event For Naturally-Minded AZ Mommas

For those of you who know me in real life know that our family would be classified as "crunchy", "granola", "natural", or any other term you like to use.  Having other like-minded families to talk to has been such a huge blessing in our lives, so I wanted to help spread the word about an upcoming event focused on cloth diapering, breastfeeding, and natural type items.  The event is March 28th 2pm-6pm.  I'll post a photo with the details below.  Have fun!

 

Join Team Double Trouble as we Walk for HOPE with HopeKids!

This year, in addition to walking in the walk-and-roll for Spina Bifida, we will also be walking with Hope Kids!  Please consider walking with us, or donating to Hope Kids in our girl's honor. 

Hope Kids is an amazing organization that we LOVE!  They put on amazing events for families that have little ones with serious medical needs.  They bring families HOPE during their times of trials, and are an amazing support to those families and children.  Please help us bless them, as they have blessed us!

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/jamie-veprek/hopewalkaz2014

Why I Loved Madi's Preschool

Today I was looking through the album Madi's preschool teacher posted with pictures she took of the kiddos throughout the year.  The one thing that really stuck out to me was how much Madi was included.  Too often you hear parents say they have to fight for accessibility and inclusion, and it really shouldn't be like that.  Stepping Stones is a private preschool that did not have to make any modifications for Madi, but they were excited to have her come to school there, and took it upon themselves to make it a safe and comfortable place for her.  They lowered sinks, poured concrete, and made the play areas accessible.  I think that speaks volumes for how much they care about their children!!  There are also things you can't see in the pictures, like the fact that they would change Madi's pull up and/or clothes for her if she had an accident or her vesicostomy leaked too much.  I had told them I was happy to come change her, because I know it's probably hard to stop teaching to help her, but they never called me once and made sure she had the modifications she needed at preschool.  Here are a few pictures from her past preschool year; I think you will see why I love her preschool so much.

Notice that cupcake?  It's a gluten, dairy, egg-free homemade cupcake they let me bring in for the class, so they could all enjoy a treat Madi could have too.

 



 

Madi was always put down to explore when she wanted.  They made sure she got where she wanted to go and didn't let her wheelchair keep her out of places.

 

Notice the chair behind Madi?  Since she can reach the sand and water table easier from a chair, they helped her transfer.  They always did what made her comfortable.

 

Who doesn't love going down the slide with friends???  Madi's teacher would help her climb up the ramp, giving her just a small amount of support, so that she could do it "all by herself" like all the other kiddos...

 

Down in the snow!

 

I love that her teacher wasn't afraid to pick her up and put her right in the middle of what was going on.

 

 

Notice she's sitting with the other kiddos... not on the sidelines!

 

It's hard to tell from this picture, but this is in a police truck they use during shoot outs and the such.  It's high off the ground and had narrow, tiny stairs.  They made sure Madi was brought up, though, so she could participate.

 



Driving a fire truck....  not stuck watching the other kids doing it

I am sad that this was Madi's last year in preschool, but I am so thankful she got such an amazing experience and was so well taken care of! 

Ramya's Adoption is Officially Official

Though we left India with Ramya fully adopted, it is recommended that you re-adopt in your state to make sure that everything is done correctly in the US as well.  Some states require you to re-adopt, and even though Arizona doesn't, going through the process is still a good idea, just in case you end up moving to another state where they would want it done.  For us, though, it was really important to go through with the re-adoption because none of the paperwork we have has her full name.  Everything just said "Ramya FNU" (full name unknown).  When we tried to get her a social security card and birth certificate, not having a last name was a problem.  This means we cannot apply for long-term care for her, as she doesn't have paperwork verifying her last name. 

Today was our official re-adoption day.  We headed down to court, which just so happens to be the same court building my parent's brought me to when I was adopted, and were granted a full adoption through the state of Arizona.  I didn't think I would get emotional, as it's been final for so long now, but just hearing the judge say that she was fully ours and hearing her full name read out loud brought tears to my eyes.  I had, of course, read on paper that she was ours, but hearing those words out loud really impacted me. 

The judge was really sweet and really went above and beyond to make it special.  They had so many families in and out, but she still took her time with us.  They asked us all the "legal" questions, and then the judge told Ramya that she had read her entire folder of information (and trust me, it was a big one!) and that she was a very lucky girl.  She told her that she could tell our family really wanted her and that we were the perfect for each other.  She then looked at David and I and told us that she knows we are very lucky too. 

Here are a few pictures from our special day...

 

Oh, and the middle name we chose for Ramya is "Lynn".  My dad's name is James and my mom is Lynda, so I was named Jamie Lynn.  When we were naming Madi, we named her Madilynn Joy (Joy is my mom's middle name), so she would have "Lynn" in her name as well.  To keep going with the family name of Lynn, we decided to go with Ramya Lynn.  I think it's just perfect for her!

A Quick Prescott Trip Today

Our pastor recently told us about a woman (Tiffany) who had, tragically, lost her boyfriend in the Yarnell fire.  She is due within the next few months with her first baby; a girl!  I can't even begin to imagine how she feels, she must be feeling so many different emotions right now.  It breaks my heart!  Our neighborhood group wanted to bless her, so we collected baby girl items and gift cards for her at our Church, Imago Dei.  Today we set out with another couple and their kiddos to deliver the items to her friend (Tiffany was feeling very overwhelmed/busy, so her friend who coordinated it all felt it would be best to meet with her, and then she would give the items to Tiffany for us).  We decided to make a day of it, and had a great time!

After delivering the gifts, we headed to the Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary.  A sweet woman in a group I am on had given us a groupon that got all of the kids in free (even our friends two boys), plus David and I.  We had a picnic lunch there, walked around and enjoyed all the animals, played in the sand, and really enjoyed ourselves!

 

 

Next we went to downtown Prescott and spent some time walking around.  We had a yummy dinner at a great place called The Raven.  They use a bunch of organic, locally-sourced ingredients and had really good food.  After that we walked to a little brewery for a locally made beer, then we were off to the ice cream shop for some homemade ice cream.  We took the ice cream across the street, where they had a live band playing in the center of town, and enjoyed eating while we listened to the music.  There was, of course, lots of dancing by the kiddos :).

 

 

Ramya is a HUGE ice cream fan... smart girl!

 

 

 

(please excuse the fact that my flash was off, but her smile lights up my camera without it, just be patient :))

 





 

All 3 kiddos fell asleep in the car on the way home, so I carried them in to bed.  They had a blast, and it was great to escape for the day.  Poor Davids had a reallllly rough two weeks at work, and even he was smiling :).  I hope you all had a wonderful day as well!