Well, this weekend marks three years since Levi's accident.  It's been a tough three years.
Levi is working for Pro Bar and seems to be doing great there. He has grown stronger physically than before the accident and has run at least 3 marathons.  I think maybe the "100% recovery" will come in the next life.
Jen and Steve are still in Logan and the children are growing fast! Julie's baptism is a week from this coming Saturday and Sunday Matthew will receive the priesthood. Jacob will be in Webelos and Abbie and Sam are so busy being adorable!
Ali and Jordan are still in Reno.  Ali has a new job at Bath and Body and Jordan still works for his family's business.  He is also on the radio and had to do a report on the airshow crash.
Hillary is still working at Kohl's and looking for a second job. She still lives at home...for now.
Emily has moved from Logan to Reno where she has found a temporary job (until early Nov.) and is still looking for a longer temp. job.  She needs to pay for some very expensive contacts (because of the keratoconas) before she returns to school.
Morgan is as busy as ever getting great grades and trying to letter in 4 sports this year; Soccer, X Country, Basketball, and Track.
David is working on his schoolwork through Open High School of Utah and long boards every chance he gets.
I am trying to juggle bills, keep everyone fed and clothed, and delivered to all destinations using Hillary's car because the van and Yukon are dead. I'm still a Webelos den leader and I'm working on genealogy and family history.
There is so much more that could be written but is probably better off left unsaid.

I am turning this into a book for Levi's Christmas present so "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!"

Aug. 11 11:27 p.m.

Sooo, 3 months. Wow. Let's see...
Levi has been released to go back to work. This means that the disability from Lincoln has stopped. I'm not sure how long the Worker's Comp will continue. Our income is now at about
half of what we need. Levi has been putting out a lot of resumes but nothing yet. This is a bad time for anyone looking for a job.

On the bright side, he was called as the Executive Secretary in our ward.
Hillary is enrolling in The Art Institute of Salt Lake (working on the financial challenge of it).
Emily is starting her senior year! She is in a nursing program (concurrent enrollment class) also a child care class along with German 2, college prep English, general fiction, US Government, and seminary. She is really excited for this year to start.
For Morgan the year has sort of started. She tried out for the high school soccer team and made it! She went to the high school's camp to learn from an Aggies star player so she could make the jr. high team. She wound up making the high school team. She has never played soccer before. She will also start training with the high school cross country team in the morning. She played her first soccer game yesterday and has two more games this week. Still ahead are jr. high basketball and track/field. She wants to try out for the high school play but if she can't she will try out for the jr. high.
David is having a great summer hanging out with his friends. He is excited to start school. He will continue in public school as I will likely need to get a job. He is into Rune Scape and is very good at it. He is trying to decide if he wants to try out for anything, maybe track. I'm thinking he might need to watch his back with Morgan on the field with a javelin in her hand! lol
I don't remember if I already posted that Ali and Jordan moved to Reno. They have added to their family. They now have a dog named Max. Lilly (the cat) is warming up to him.
Jen and Steve are expecting their 5th child. It is a boy and they are thinking about naming him Samuel Levi. When Levi was in the in-patient rehab and not yet very lucid the grandchildren came to visit. He knew them and visited a little then asked, "where is their little brother?"
Their youngest, Abbie, was only about 3 1/2 mos. old and they had no plans for another. Silly grandpa. Well Abbie and Samuel will be just under 15 mos. apart. I'm not sure how Jen will be able to run her preschool after the baby is born in Oct. but I know she will pull it off somehow. Steve will be graduating in a couple of months! Yeah!
Me? Couponing, crocheting, running after the children, still Enrichment Counselor in Relief Society.
Well, I think that's about it.
ttfn

May 7th 11:28 p.m.

Levi had his follow up appointment with the surgeon that worked on his elbow. They took out the stitches and worked to straighten his arm. He got dizzy from the pain. He was surprised that they shaved his arm. They then sent him to get a custom brace to wear for about 5 weeks. It will take probably a year for the nerve to heal. He may be able to drive and go back to some sort of work in about six weeks.

I hope all of you are doing as well as he is! :)

ttfn

April 29th 10:23 p.m.

Levi's surgery went better than expected. Dr. Groebs had originally thought he would remove the errant bone then he would have to do a tendon graft and put in about 4 pins and move the nerve. Levi would have an external apparatus during the healing time. When the dr. got inside to look at it he found that the bone was not interfering with anything and he could straighten Levi's arm completely and bring it all the way up (fist to shoulder). He said all he had to do was fix the nerve. So he will probably be in for some heavy duty PT pretty soon. The surgery was about 3 hours and was done Monday afternoon. The dr. gave Levi 5 Rx's. but so far he only needs 3. I think the anesthesia put Levi back a little. It may take a week or two to get back to where he was mentally before the surgery. Rehab said that happens with brain injury patients. He will start vocational rehab pretty soon. I think he might be driving as soon as his elbow heals. That will also likely be when he will return to the workforce as this is the end of the physical healing. So that's it for now.
ttfn

April 25th 1:21 a.m.

I wrote this in response to a friend's inquiry and thought it would be a good idea to use it here. Sorry for not posting for so long.

David is back in school at Kennedy. I couldn't keep him focused with therapists coming and going all day. Morgan is involved in theater and sports. Emily is looking for a job and getting ready for her "behind the wheel" test for her license. Hillary is getting ready for graduation, YEAH! Ali and Jordan are getting ready to move to Reno. Jen and Steve are expecting their 5th baby! The last two will be just under 15 mos. apart! As for me, I just keep plodding along. It still hurts to cough hard or sneeze but everything else from surgery is healed. Levi got his brace off Tuesday and the eye dr. said Levi has the eyesight of an eagle. If he gets new glasses he'll have the eyesight of a peregrine falcon! ha-ha. He does still have a little bit of double vision when he looks way to the left. He will have surgery on his elbow. They will move a nerve and remove some bone that doesn't belong. We still struggle with some things pertaining to the brain injury but that healing can go on for a couple of years.

So, that's it in a nut house, I mean nut shell.

I'll post to update re: Levi's surgery. He doesn't seem to have any interest in posting, he has been on his computer looking for a job.

ttfn

April 3rd 12:16 a.m.

This was in my drafts. I guess I never finished it, but here it is.

I guess Levi doesn't want to post just yet. He has filled his days with therapists, volunteer work at D.I., reading, and walking...lots of walking. He had a consultation appt. today re: his elbow. Dr. Groebs says he might not get full range of motion back. The goal is to stop further damage to the nerves. So surgery is planned. It sounds pretty involved, incisions, pins, and an outer apparatus for about 6 weeks. They wanted to do it the 20th but Levi has an appt that week with Dr. Larson (Dr. Reichman's PA) to see if he can take the brace off for good!

David is back in public school. He is not doing any of the work and he got suspended for drawing a mustache on his friend's picture. I think he's having a great time. He apologized to his friend who was not terribly concerned but the teacher was quite distraught. He wrote a note to her and will take it when he returns today.

Morgan is finished with basketball and the play. She received her first review. It was in the school newspaper and was a quote from a teacher saying that Morgan Allen was fabulous. I'll have to get the paper from David so I can give the exact quote. She is now in track and the first meet was cancelled due to snow. :( She also is playing soccer with the YW