Add another frog to the collection...

We are back from Sallie's procedure. Everything went well and she chose a new stuffed frog to bring home with her from the hospital. We have quite a collection of hospital frogs! Thank you so much for your prayers! It is never easy but we did feel at peace. Sallie was mad at us when we first got there and wouldn't sit with us and would ignore us and she got very upset as soon as they called her back but they quickly gave her something to settle her down. She has begun to wake up more and get back to normal now. She has changed clothes and helped clean the table after lunch, so our Sallie is back! She is amazing. I know I say this a lot and I know she is mine but she is just such an inspiration. Thank you again for always praying for her and us and please continue to do so-we have several upcoming appointments which will probably lead to more "stuff."

Prayers Please

Sallie had an appointment today with her ENT. This could get very long and complicated so I will try my best to condense this. Back when the ENT came to the point that he had to do what is referred to as a canal wall down (meaning they actually take the canal wall of the ear down and make a larger canal opening to hopefully help with the tumors that continued to come back in her mastoid area and also as a means to clean out that area without having to open up the ear from the back) he told us that from that point forward she would have to have her ears suctioned in order to clean out everything that gets into the ear which is compacted and made worse by her aids. So, from then until now we have been having this done in clinic but as she gets older and stronger and aware of what they are going to do to her each time she goes she gets harder to handle. It takes many adults to hold her down and basically the Dr is still not getting them cleaned out as much as they need to be. Also, he told us the suction is very strong and would be very strange feeling so there is reason for her fears and anxiety over this. Several months back he told us to be prepared to begin having her put to sleep in order to do this. The procedure itself is not risky. Our greatest concern is continuing to put her to sleep over and over. Today when we took her he told us it was time to have it done so we go Friday for them to do the procedure under anesthesia. Please pray first for a peace for her. As I have mentioned before the sight of hospitals and Drs offices get her so upset. She knows something is up the minute that Aaron or myself or both of us take her somewhere without the other girls. Pray that the procedure will go quickly and that there will not be any problems with anesthesia. Pray for us as parents as we try all we know to do to comfort her. I have to be honest this is hard and I keep thinking over and over why God-why can't I just play with her and not have to "take care" of these things that rip my heart out over and over again. God has revealed so much to me through Sallie and so a lot of my "whys" have been answered but I have to be real and tell you I struggle big time at times like this. Thank you so much for your prayers!

What a weekend!

Thanks to my sweet, sweet friend Shannon I had the priveledge of hearing Beth Moore live this weekend for the 3rd time. It was great as always!!! Beth was great, the music was great and more than anything I was reminded in a very real way of God's greatness. Shannon, I can not thank you enough for inviting me to come along. Her church was going and had a few ladies who could not go at the last minute and Shannon invited myself and our friend Rebecca to come with them and we received such a blessing. Rebecca and I drove from here to Hamilton to meet up with the group from Shannon's church and then we all drove together to San Antonio. As I sat there this weekend I kept thinking over and over with every word Beth spoke about how much I needed to hear this right now. God is so good and He opened the doors that allowed me to be there to hear His word. The message was just great and the presence of God was so real.

The core text was from Psalm 16:5-6 "The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup, you hold the lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places, indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance."

I have lots of pages of notes and I have really deliberated on how best to summarize the message. I think I am having a hard time because it was amazing and I do not want to take anything away from it. Just a few of the things that she said that stuck out the most to me were:

"What can this world do to us? Our inheritance is waiting!" No matter what we may face on this earth, as children of God, we are his heirs. What a comforting thought!

She talked about our life experiences and how those are the things God has chosen to entrust us with-really hit home for me. She gave an example of a mother with a down syndrome baby and how she had told the mother that HE knew she could do it. As a parent of a special needs child I have been told that by so many people and I do know that it was no accident that we were chosen to be her parents but Beth saying that at that moment when God's presence was with me in an incredible way, WOW!

She spoke of our intimacy with God and how nothing can replace that. She said she could never allow herself to become too busy to spend quiet time with the Lord. It is so true and yet so easy to get in a terrible habit of making excuses for not spending time with Him.

Another of my favorite points was when she spoke on the security we have in being heirs of God. She talked about not putting too much faith in people and looking to them for affirmation because that is placing them in a position of Christhood. She said, "only Jesus can identify us, not people."

"Never pray for an easier life" This is something that is so hard because when life is hard we just want it all to go away but God allows those trials so that we may grow closer to Him (if we allow that to happen).

I could go on and on but hopefully I have shared a few thoughts that might touch you in some way and be a reminder that as Christians we have a beautiful inheritance. How exciting! Now if I could just bottle up these feelings and God's word that is so fresh right now and never let it slip away.

This is a video from Beth's blog of the recap of the weekend.

Living Proof Live - San Antonio from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

For the Man of the house

I will probably be in trouble for this because our sweet man of the house is very humble but I think I can brag on him for a minute (or two!) Friday at the annual President's meeting at the Seminary he was awarded the President's Thanksgiving Award for employees. He works so hard and we are so proud of him! Everyone always says,"I don't know how he does all he does" and neither do I sometimes but he keeps going and giving it all he has. We love you and are very proud to call you "ours"!

Traveling with Nanna and Grandy

A couple of weeks ago Elleigh and Sallie went to Kentucky with Nanna and Grandy. They went to attend an alumni meeting at their old college, see some old friends, and show the girls where they lived for several years when Aaron was a little boy. I am glad the girls got the opportunity to see these places that they have heard about and to spend this time with their grandparents. Here is a slideshow of some the pics. It looks beautiful!

A family affair

Elleigh recently bought Mario Kart for the Wii and as you can see we are all enjoying it...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

SUMMER FUN!

"Summer fun" is kids making their own slip n slide with a tarp and wearing garbage bags and rubbing themselves down with dish detergent so they can slide really far, backyard pools, the adults sitting on the porch watching the fun, beach towels draped over the deck, charcoal ready for the grill and what makes this image really special for me is that we are at my parent's house and all the cousins are together which is always the highlight of our "summer fun" because it is one of 2 times a year we get to visit our family. Now that is SUMMER FUN!!!

http://www.5minutesformom.com/ is having a photo contest for an image that best shows "Summer Fun" and when my friend Rebecca told me about it this was the first picture that came to mind.

Millie's Big Day

This is a slideshow of Millie's 1st Birthday. There are lots of pics and if you know me well you know I love the details so here you go. As you will be able to see, she loved her cake and we let her eat WAY too much of it. She had a little tummy ache Saturday night. I have always wanted one of the girls to dive into their cake and I got my wish with Millie. MY BABY IS 1!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY MILLIE!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Millie,

I love giving you your bottle each morning. It is such a sweet time for me to hold you and snuggle with you. Mommy had already taken your sister’s bottles away by their first birthdays but I am having a harder time taking yours away because you are my baby and mama is having a tough time with you growing up. You drink well out of a sippy cup and you are ready so we will celebrate your birthday with one last bottle. Mommy will be OK.

I love that you look just like your daddy.

I love when you crawl as fast as you can to get to your sisters.

I love when you get excited and you crinkle your nose and make a snorting sound.

I love your dimples.

I love your eyelashes and am jealous that they are already longer than mama’s.

I love when you suck your thumb when you are tired or upset. However, I know that it is cute now but it is also a bad habit that one day we will have to work on but for now we won’t talk about that.

I love that when you want us to hold you, you get several feet from us and get on your knees with your arms in the air and you open and close your hands until we pick you up.

I love that when we ask you a question you shake your head no and say un un.

I love you when you are sleeping.

I love you when you are awake.

I love that one year ago today you came into my life and made me the proud mama of 4 GIRLS! I will probably tell you your birth story many times and remind you of how mama delivered you with NOTHING for the pain, but you were worth every bit of the pain!!! All the pain went away the moment I saw your beautiful face and held you close to me one year ago today.

I LOVE YOU my sweet, sweet Millie!!!

Like me???

All my family and friends who knew me as a little girl think that Lizzie looks like me. So, I scanned an old picture of me for comparison.

Definitely lots of similarities in facial features. Our mouths look just alike. I told A that she is me with a little of him mixed in!