Shopping With Daddy

Doug surprised Gracie by picking her up from school and taking her straight to Phillip's Toy Store. This treat was a reward for Gracie's huge day of walking at school that day. Doug said Gracie went straight to the little shopping cart seen in the picture above. He said they shopped around for a while, picking up little trinkets like an inexpensive ball and a squeezy toy. When they went to check out he felt good about Gracie not picking out anything real expensive. He handed the trinkets to the cashier thinking that was all she wanted. She then informed him that she wanted the shopping cart, too. Of course, he bought that for her, too. It is really built well; it's a Doug and Melissa brand. It doesn't tip easily. Gracie has enjoyed walking behind it very much. We keep setting up a store at home so she can shop and check out. Much fun!

Our Little Vol

We all enjoyed the day at Papa Rabbit's Annual Fish Fry. Gracie entertained us all with her humor and walking. We enjoyed spending the day and most of the night with friends and family. We ate, played outdoor games (bocce ball, horseshoes, etc.), watched the UT game, and ended with a big fireworks show. Too bad the bonfire wood was too wet. We even tried hickory smoked elk. It was great!

Gracie Thrills Us All!

This morning Gracie decided to try walking without her crutches. It was completely unexpected. She goes to physical therapy in the morning on most weekdays. Today she decided that she was going to walk out of therapy without her crutches. So, she did! She walked out of the physical therapy office and down the hall. Then her Grandma and Grandpa took her to school where she walked into the school, down the hall and to my classroom…without assistance. Unfortunately Daddy was unable to be there to see her walking down the hall but my class and teachers from the other classes were able to see her. She fell a couple of times but she picked herself up and went back to walking on her own.
This was a huge leap forward and thrilling for our family so we wanted to share this with all of you.
Thanks for all your support.

Gracie's First UT Game

It's official! Gracie is now a true Vol! We took her to Knoxville this past weekend for her first game. She had a great time, and the Vols had a great victory against Western KY. Kudos to the University of TN for making it so easy to get tickets. They save some seats for special guests like Gracie.