lately

I, for one, am glad school is out for the kiddos.  We are almost finished with our first week at summer camp, and the boys have had an absolute blast.  I mean, what kid wouldn't love playing with tons of kids, swimming, field trips, and loads of other fun every day?  Where can I sign up for grown-up summer camp? 

Our summer schedule is set, and we're nothing short of busy this summer.  We are tickled to get to have a lot more time with Trevor over the summer, and it has been so great living as a family of 4 this week.  We love having our family all together, and Avery and Trevor play together and bond amazingly.

In a few weeks, we head off to our first trip of the summer-- Ohio.  We are going to a huge family reunion for Chris' mom's side of the family.  This will be Trevor and Avery's first jet plane ride.  Trevor is quite nervous and Avery repeatedly asks is today the day that we go. 

{If any of you have any tips for flying with youngsters, please feel free to comment!!!}

In other news, we had a great end-of-the school year.  Avery finished out baseball, his first horse show, and graduated Pre-K.  Trevor finished his school year out with lots of awards and earning his next belt in Taekwondo!  We are so proud of our two boys and how hard they worked this year. I can't believe we'll have a 5th grader and a kindergartener!  How did this happen?

When we've had some free time, we've been taking family outings out into our community.  We've gone to two Georgia baseball games and we also attended the Georgia spring football game.  The boys love going on campus and have really taken an interest in sports and our community.  As sports fans ourselves, Chris and I have enjoyed showing the boys the stadiums and campus. 

I'll leave you with a few pictures to highlight what we've been up to:

 

{first baseball season}

 {first horse show-6th place}

 {GA baseball game}

 

{GA spring game}

 

 {pre-k graduate}

 

{awards in grades, attendance, conduct, and academic bowl}

 

{schools out dance party 2014}

 

{excited for summer camp}

prayers and updates

Avery Update:
 
We've been seeing a neurologist since Avery's "episode" the other month. All of the sleep test went well and he does show mild sleep apnea. During our visits to the neurologist, they have consistently seen concerning patterns in his motor development skills. Basically, he's on a 3 year old level in his fine motor development. They (the neurologist and pediatrician) don't think there is concern for a brain tumor (although they do want to rule this out), but are concerned about a brain malformation (concentrating on the Cerebellum). We had the MRI done 2 weeks ago and only had a few minor hiccups with sedation. Because Avery has apnea, he had to be put under general anesthesia instead of the typical sedated MRI. Thanks to my amazing brother-in-law who works at CHOA and was able to get the anesthesia team to perform the procedure today instead of having to come back. 

The MRI showed no signs of a brain malformation on Avery's MRI. Praise Jesus. This doesn't give us any answers to why he's delayed, but it gives us peace in knowing that his little brain is well. With autism and apraxia of speech, we are often on a path of unknowns, but so are all of our lives. We will just keep going to therapy and working hard to overcome these obstacles and we will continue praising Jesus for Avery and all of the joy he brings. 

 
Prayer Request:

Friends, you all of been so diligent with your prayers for my family and I'm beyond grateful for every prayer. I come to you, once again, to ask for prayers. My dad will be starting a new chemotherapy treatment next week for his hepatitis C. I ask specifically for prayers that the side effects be minimal (as they tend to make him tremendously sick) and I ask that God will protect his body (specifically his liver) while these chemicals run through him. I also ask for prayers that this is the round of chemo that provides him with the cure that we have been desperately praying for. Dad is currently on a liver transplant list and we are praying that by eradicating this disease from his body, his liver may heal on its own, or at least give his new liver a better chance. Thank you all for supporting my family and for praying alongside us.


"God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherds crook makes me feel secure. You serve me a six course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life." -Psalm 23 (The Message)