Day 18. Year 4.

Some days it hits me. Just how far Vicki has come. It was an amazingly beautiful Sunday yesterday. And we decided it was time for some yard work. For us, that's one of the things that's always been hard to do. It's really hard to try to do anything... even though I am a mom and I have eyes in the back of my head... I could never do a chore outside with Vicki. It took everything I had to keep her safe and doing something. Not to make this sound bad, but when Vicki is outside, it's never relaxing. It's like being on high alert all of the time. Never sure if she will pick up something off of the ground and put it in her mouth... etc... etc... The dangers are so many, I never even thought of half of them until Vicki would show me.

Anyway...  we had an aide yesterday for a while, which really helps. So I was able to go outside and start some work on the side yard with Joey and Ally even before Vicki came out. It was nice to get into a groove with the 2 of them. And to see them work together was such a nice treat. Ally has been working on making a garden spot for herself. We spent time raking leaves, turning over the soil and picking out rocks, cutting the grass, and installing a picket fence around her garden area. Joe put it in for her and Ally painted it. It was fun. And then Vicki came outside with her aide... she jumped on the trampoline and was so happy.

Later in the day, we came back outside, this time it was just my husband and I with Vicki and the other 2 kiddos. And it was just so... peaceful. That's not a word I typically use. :)  The nice breeze, the warm sun, Vicki swinging and laughing and smiling. It was just one of those moments that I want to tuck into my pocket and bring it out on a difficult, rainy day. Even though my husband and I still 'tag-teamed' with Vicki, we were both still able to do little things while we were watching her. We transplanted flowers, I raked and bagged more leaves. Vicki kept swinging and smiling and laughing. So often Vicki does't even want to go outside, and if she does come, she will just sit on the bench and stare off into space. I loved seeing how happy she was yesterday.

Lately Vicki has loved eating dinners outside. Some days she even requests 'white table'. She'll say 'white table outside. No brown table' (our kitchen table). She loves to just site outside on the porch and eat her dinner and just... relax. I really like that word. Relax. I think I may have done that for a few minutes outside yesterday. And that's pretty cool. :)

Sometimes it's just nice to reflect and be thankful. And that's what I'm doing today. xo