It's official, Quinn had her last preschool class at Clinton! We are so thankful!

This is actually her Easter Dress that we never got to wear, due to her being sick, but now it turned into her last day of school dress! Oh we are blessed to have had so many folks touch our lives this last year. Thank you!

Finally, an I'm done with Preschool nap at Chrissy's! We don't have to many of these scheduled any more either, but lucky for us Chrissy is a friend, so I don't need to get all emotional again today! I could, as we are so lucky, but I'll try to get a grip and simply say that the butterfly room is a lovely place for an after school nap! The last one for this school year! Uggg, the emotions are a mess in my body right now, not only for Quinn but also my students! I've said it before and I'll say it again, change is hard on me! Seeing our 5th graders so excited to be heading out is so good to see, but I will miss them! Now for the next chapter, I'm not really ready, but over the next week, we are moving into the house! Blessings! Susan

Quinn has one day of preschool left, then we have a Kindergartner on our hands! Where does the time go? We also were reminded that Quinn's fun afternoons of reading with Casey are coming to an end, so we will have to find times when she can come over and hang out with us! Chrissy too, we have a lot of girls that have open access to our house and hearts any time! As for all Quinn's teachers (that includes all her para's and nurses as well), thank you! Thank you for taking time to really get to know Quinn. Thanks for keeping her accountable! Thanks for being good role models for her and for her classmates. It's so good to hear how she is included in all parts of the school day, and to see how much she has learned. I am grateful beyond words, and our Maxey teachers have a lot to live up to, but they have an amazing experience in store with our amazing little girl! Thanks! Susan

Doesn't it look like they had a super fun preschool party!

Change - The process of becoming different.

Here Quinn is playing go fish with Chrissy! Yet another cool little slab of wood I need with that groove in it, to hold cards!

Goodness, I could just break down and start crying even thinking of all the changes happening. None of them are horrible, in fact most of them are wonderful, but change is hard on me. I can't think of Quinn in school all day. I can't imagine not being able to email Miss Rachel or Miss Joni to check on Quinn. I can't imagine not taking Quinn to Chrissy's to hang out when she is not in school. Oh, that one hurts. Chrissy is such a cheerleader for Quinn and can get her to do things before anyone else, and knowing that will be changing hurts my heart! The only good thing is that Chrissy is staying in Lincoln and going onto bigger things for her. I can't begin to thank her for the last couple years. She is amazing and we are blessed to have had her in our lives for such a big part of the last couple years. Chrissy can get Quinn to spell her name, to write her name, to be so much more successful then anyone else thought she could be. I thank God every day for blessing us with Chrissy, and am even more thankful to call her a friend and know that our friendship won't stop here. Still, change is hard! So on that front, we are going to start looking into nursing. We are going to need to get nursing for the afternoons, to meet her and her bus, and we are also looking into a couple nights a week. Yikes, another big change, but we can do it.

Here is Miss Joni with Quinn, before their big preschool program. The last of her preschool programs. Sadly I was puking up my guts, so Chrissy stepped in and got Quinn to the program, and got pictures, so again, we are lucky to have her. I remember over a year ago, I went to a speaker, a father of a special needs daughter, who talked about how hard change was. He talked about how at every IEP meeting his wife would cry at home before then went to the meeting, not because she was embarrassed or ashamed, but because it was hard to talk about her daughters short comings, when she had so many amazing traits. She had to mourn the past and put it behind her, and buck up for the future. As I look at our life, most of our future is looking amazing. Our house is wonderful and we are so excited to be sharing it with the public right now. Quinn's power chair is looking more and more promising, and Quinn has been so excited about her programs and recitals and house. So we have so many things to be so grateful for, and excited about, and I truly am. Just sometimes my flu bug, and my emotions get the best of me. As I'm meeting with my 5th graders for the last time, I remember them as the little bitty Kindergartners who came to Zeman 6 years ago, and think how fast the time went, and how I sure hope Quinn's elementary experience does not zoom by like the last 6 years has for me. It helps me remember not to take any moment for granted! Just getting to snuggle up next to her this morning as I was getting her dressed was wonderful, as I had not been in the same room with her the last 3 days, with being sick and all. So, change is hard for me. I like to know I'm going to see Chrissy's smile in the morning, and hear how she got Quinn to do some amazing new feat! I like to hear stories about Nadean pushing her around the playground and Quinn giggling. I take comfort in knowing that Chrissy would step up and go to the Preschool program, since I was sick and in bed. I won't even mention how therapy times are having to change around, so that will be new and different as well, but I can only handle so much at a time. Change - for me is hard. It is also a good thing for me to see how lucky we have been these last couple years, or these changes would not be so hard. In fact I'm not sad about moving into the house or getting a new power chair. I'm not upset about moving all our stuff over and unboxing for a lot of the summer. I think it comes down to the people, we are so lucky to have the support system we do. We have friends who I will always be thankful for. I wish all the best to them in their new endeavors or new students they will meet, but will be so thankful for the time they have spent with my amazing daughter! I also give a big shout out to my 5th graders! Each and every one of you have touched my heart! I love it that I get to be part of your lives for 6 years (for most of you) and I hope I've helped you think differently, be open to new experiences and truly love yourselves. You know I guess change is hard for me because I know just how good our life is right now, and I believe we have an amazing journey ahead of us, but the past has been pretty amazing as well, and so the future has a lot to compare to. Goodness, writing these when I'm tired might not be the greatest idea, but it is what it is. Blessings, Susan

We were looking forward to this weekend! It was a week full of hard work and late nights, Quinn included, as she was so excited for the party and her recital. She made it through all the way until about 10 minutes before the party Friday night. I really thought she was going to sleep through the whole thing, but she woke up for the end of the party!

The Party to celebrate our house was Friday, and I hardly got any pictures because the night went by so fast and there were so many folks to talk to, it was a wonderful night. The Parade of Homes Started on Sunday and it was a great day! It goes for the rest of the week, and I'm so glad we are in it. I met a few families with kids like Quinn that need houses that work for them, and talking to them and sharing our ideas was wonderful! It made my heart happy! Unlike my heart, my eye is another story! On Saturday, as we were doing final touches and hanging up pictures and getting a few things ready, I was putting a few things away on a high shelf, and totally dropped them on my face. I thought I lucked out on Sunday and avoided a bruise, but as my students can attest to, I have a big bruise right on my eye! A nice shiner!

Saturday night was wonderful, Quinn had her dance recital! She was so excited! She did a great job, as did all the girls! I think all of us mom's got all emotional watching them! They are such beautiful girls!

Well, I am now ready for a nice long nap! It will have to wait for awhile though! Blessings! Susan

The parade of homes is this week! If you want to check out our house and the others houses in the area, go here and click on the parade of homes banner. http://www.hbal.org/ If you then go to the flip book, we are on pages 66 and 67.

A few of my favorite MOM pictures, older ones, as Quinn is not a baby anymore, but I still love these! A big shout out to My Grandma Mook, and Quinn's Grandma's, Martha and Vicki! I have mothers day cards, and they are still in my bag, not in the mail, and not close to being ready to send out or give to any of them. Quinn did her part and signed and drew all over them, but with the week we have had, they have not gotten finished, so Mom's we love you and are so grateful to you for helping support and love us unconditionally! Also to my amazing daughter, before you, my heart ached for you, as I wanted to be a mother so much, and you make my life better, you keep me grounded, you give the best hugs and cuddles, and you inspire me daily! I could not ask for a daughter with a better personality and disposition! I love you Quinn!

Well, let's get the yucky news out of the way right away! Insurance sent their first bit of information back to us on the chair, stating they will not approve Quinn's chair. Uggg, that is heart breaking! I know how much work her therapists have put into it, and it is very upsetting! However, the facts are, most power chairs are declined the first time. We were hopeful, because so much information was turned in the first time, but we have amazing therapists who are determined to help Quinn be her most successful and get her into a power chair, so we march onward. I'm learning so much about this process, and it's not easy, but will be totally worth it! Crazy enough, we got the information Tuesday night right after we measured Quinn for her new chair, which will not be very useful if we don't have the above power chair to put it on, but .... So getting Quinn into a good seating position is very important for her back, for her being more secure, so she can feel supported so it will be easier for her to use her hands to write, draw, and sign with. It was such an exciting new step in getting the chair, so now looking back it's a bit bitter sweet, but I am confident in our team, and I have faith that this will happen, as it's what needs to happen, Quinn deserves to move around on her own accord, and a power chair is the best option for her for the moment. So even more positive thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated!

Onto much more exciting, and exhausting news, we have been working on the house like crazy! I'm so thankful for everyone who has put so much time into our house! Our big thank you party is tonight, but the work is not totally done yet! The parade of homes is this week, and I think folks will love walking through our home, but a few things are missing! We still need to get grass and a few things put outside as well, but I can say that I've gotten to be pretty good at being patient! Greg keeps saying this house is on God's time, and lucky for us, we have Greg to keep pushing things forward! The elevator comes in the week after the parade, as well as the sink that is Quinn's, and an island, but that just means we get to spend more time with Greg and Delrae, and I'm ok with that!

We got trained on the track system, which is pretty wonderful, and will be a big blessing! So Chrissy and the girls came out! Granted I had the day wrong, our trainer came out the following day (I can honestly say I've been a bit off task lately), but it sure was good to see the girls! I am looking forward to having them out to create art or cook or play. It was good to see them hanging out in OUR HOUSE! I get the biggest kick out of Casey, she wanted to sit on our new couch and take care of Quinn rather then moving a few things in! What a girl! What a great team of folks around us working so hard to keep Quinn in a place where she can succeed, be it her chair, or her house, or friendships! I've said it before and I'll say it again, even with the frustrations of denials, life is good! You can choose to see past the frustrations or become overwhelmed with them! Sometimes when I don't feel all that great, or am super tired, I feel that negativity sink in, but I get myself back in gear and choose to see the rainbow rather then the rain! Although, I will say right now, since we have some beautiful plants and trees on our lawn, as well as gutters, the rain is not all that bad either! The Otte family thinks Life is Good right now, and we are so grateful for our wonderful support systems! We are blessed! Thanks for checking in on us! Susan

It's been a busy couple days! I think I enjoyed Quinn's dance recital practice as much as Quinn did, and she loved it! She had to get warmed up. She had to love on her partner Abriel,and do some laps, walking back and forth! I still am in awe of the fact that she will walk more there in 20 minutes then she does for the rest of the week total. It's such a blessing that we are in dance class. Oh, talking about that, we got pictures taken in our costumes last Thursday and the girls all looked beautiful! Quinn was beautiful as well, but in a more unkept way. As her hair was falling out of her ponytail, and we did not do as much makeup, but she is the baby of the group, and I was fine with that! For the first half of the photo shoot, she was laughing and I'm hoping for one of those pictures, for the second half, she was totally off, watching the girls who were out of the shot and not paying attention to the photographer at all, no matter how hard they worked to get her to look. Either way, I can't wait to get the photo's back, because I know they are going to be amazing with such amazing girls! So back to Monday night, here you go!

Not much can top that, but we did have more house stuff happen, as it should be with being ready for Friday! Cleaning, appliances arrived, blinds were hung, and a bit more painting, molding was done, and fine tuning. I've learned alot more happens with a house then I thought, and I still don't know half of what is going on!

OK, this was my break between working with kids at school and heading out to be with Quinn as she gets fitted for her new chair for her new wheelchair (insurance is still deciding what they will cover, so some prayers and good thoughts would be appreciated that it goes through soon!) then to the house to work, so I'm taking a few deep breaths, as it's going to be a long day, however this day is probably going to be shorter then the next couple! It's exciting right now! Blessings! Susan