number 10 {happy birthday}

Today, you, Trevor James turn 10 years old!  WOW!  

 

When I met you, sweet boy, you were only six.  

Time has flown by and you have grown up way too fast. 

 

You are such a special little man and I am beyond blessed to have you as a son.  

You brighten my days and can always make me smile! 

 

I have had an absolute blast with you over these last 4 years. 

 

We've made memories that I will cherish for a lifetime.  

I love your creativeness and imagination.  I always enjoy our craft times together.

 

 

You are such a great big brother to Avery and my heart is warmed by the love you two share. 

I hope you both always carry this special bond.

 

 

  

You are certainly a daddy's boy, and I love watching you and your daddy spend time together.  

 

 

I know your daddy loves you more than you'll ever know!

 

You have such a big heart and care deeply about the people around you. 

 

You truly make the world a better place!

 

I look forward to many more years and all the special times we will have in the future.

 

I love you more and more everyday (if that's even possible) and I am so, so, so proud of you! 

 

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

 

I love you always!

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)

autism awareness day

Did you know ...

• Autism now affects 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys
• Autism prevalence figures are growing
• Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
• Autism costs a family $60,000 a year on average
• Boys are nearly five times more likely than girls to have autism
• There is no medical detection or cure for autism

I have a very special little boy who gives me a reason to fight for Autism awareness! To watch my baby overcome so many obstacles in his 5 short years of life not only inspires me to be a better mom, but to be a better person. To look back on when we began this journey to where we are today brings more HOPE to my heart than ever before. I don't know why we were chosen to be on this path, but I praise Jesus for the comfort and power He has given me as a mother to help my baby fight back! I also thank Jesus for all of the doctors, specialist, and teachers who have fought along side us to provide Avery with the best care. Today, World Autism Awareness Day, I have HOPE that we find a cure, just as I will always have HOPE in my precious Avery!

snowflakes and earthquakes

We have had crazy weather as of late.  Never in my 20 something years of life have I experienced a winter like we've had so far this year.   A month or so ago, schools shut down because temperatures rang in into the negative numbers.  No snow, no ice, but bitterly cold!

A few weeks later, we enjoyed our first snow fall of the winter.  We didn't get a lot of snow (or what us southerners call "a lot"), but it was enough to shut schools down once more, and we did manage to get a day off from work.  In fact, it became so chaotic in parts of our state that there were major traffic jams and states of emergencies. 

A few weeks after our first snowfall we had what the weather folks were calling a "catastrophic" snow storm.  Schools shut down prior to the snow, businesses let employees go home early, and there wasn't a lick of bread or milk in any store around these parts.  At our house, we received about 5 inches of snow.  That's "a lot" to a southerner.  We were preparing for an ice storm, but luckily, we manage to stay in the clear, but parts of our state got hit pretty hard with ice.  We enjoyed a few days off work and school and had many hours of cuddle time, cooking and baking, and playing in the snow fun!

If all this crazy weather wasn't enough, last Friday we experienced a 4.2 earthquake.  It scared me to death.  My first thought was Jesus was coming back!  It was the most bizarre feeling.

I love snow and I certainly wouldn't mind a few more flurries before it gets too hot, but Mother Nature can keep her earthquakes.

And if all that wasn't enough, we were in t-shirts and flip flops this past weekend.

Go figure!

 

happy birthday, nanny

Today, my sweet Nanny (Mom's Mom) would have turned 80.  

 I miss her so much.  I miss how she mispronounced words like "Taco" by saying "Tarco" or by saying "Wal-Marts" instead of "Wal-Mart."  

I miss her home cooking that scented the house and filled you so full you couldn't move.

 I miss making homemade biscuits with her and eating all the dough.  

I miss our "boogy" (dance) sessions in the kitchen.  

I miss holding her soft hands and the scent of her night cream on her face.

I miss watching our "stories" together.  

I miss her hugs and I miss her kisses.  

And today, I'm missing celebrating her special day with her!  

Happy Birthday, Nanny.  

I love and miss you more than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow.  

Until I see you again...

2014

Hello!  We're still alive and we have made it through the Christmas Season.  I apologize for the lack of updates, but it's not from a lack of activity in our lives, trust me. 

The Silver Needle shop skyrocketed over Christmas and so I spent many-a-hours stitchin' the midnight oil.  So, so, so grateful for my sweet, little, shop.  

I finished up my school semester on the Presidents List and Avery and Trevor ended their first half of their school year with great reports from their teachers.

Our Christmas break was crazy and busy.  Both boys were with their other parents for the first half.  Chris and I enjoyed some alone time.  It was great the first few days, and then our house got too quiet. We celebrated Christmas as usual (but without the kids) and then once the boys returned, we did Christmas all over again. We had a great time and the kids were super fun this year.  They got many great games that we can play together, and lots of arts and craft items too!

I've since started another semester of school.  I'm taking a full-time load this semester, working full-time, and still stitchin' my little heart out. Some folks think I'm out of my mine.  Maybe I am, but this girl has to stay busy.  I'm too ADD to be still for too long. 


We've also decided to try and sell our house.  Sometimes I wonder if we're lunatics, but it's time.  We are bustin' at the seams in our current home. We haven't decided exactly where we want to move yet, but have looked in several different areas.  If you're local and lookin', we can hook you up with a nice 3 bedroom house. 

Anyway, please join me in prayer that someone buys our house, soon.  I'm an impatient person and I don't have the patients to wait forever.  I've also got baby fever like nobody's business, and until we move, well, we can't have a baby.  Avery, of course, said we can put baby in the attic, but nobody should put baby in the attic, or the corner for that matter.