Pilgrims and Indians

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School is back in full swing this week, and there is a Mama in this home who is loving it!

I planned a new History unit study over the break, and started it yesterday.

Actually, we really started it at the end of last week and over the weekend when I started reading our first read aloud to the kiddos.

Have a mentioned that I have my voice back?!?

I am using read aloud picture and chapter books along with some crafts I found on Pinterest to do a unit study on the exploration of America, the Pilgrims and Indians.

The kiddos are loving it! Especially craft time!

Yesterday we made dream catchers. It was really fun.

Today was sand art! This is a really fun craft, but better for the older boys. The littles did beautiful sunsets though with their Mamas help!

I would say our first two days back to school have been blessed!!

Hope you all are having a great start to the week too!

Happy Birthday, Blake!!

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Hello, bloggy world!!

There is SO much I could say about the last week and the huge blessings in a significant health trial…..

but for now – I am going to tell you about a very important birthday!

My sweet hubby had a birthday a week ago Saturday!

We finally celebrated it tonight!

Four of our favorite people joined us – and it has my smile BRIGHT and my heart SINGING still!!

We had a DELICIOUS meal of pork tenderloin, talapia, baked potato bar, green beans and bacon, salad, and cranberry applesauce!

Then David took this photo of our original nine!

We had a great time purchasing gifts for Blake!

After dinner it was time to let him open them!

A new family photo for Blake’s desk!

Don’t you just LOVE that photobomber?!? SO cute!

Some chocolate espresso beans! Which I think he has already hidden!

His favorite book series!

And he also received lots of new clothes!

Last, but not least, dessert!

My man could eat tacos everyday of his life and be very happy with that!

I am not sure how many birthdays in a row he has picked roasted bananas and ice cream for dessert!

But we had them again tonight! At his request!

What a special night!

My smile is still BRIGHT!

Did I already say that?

I wanted to write a tribute to Blake like I have done before.

But then I read the one Kayla wrote in honor of her Dad on Instagram.

And I knew that I could never say it better!

I think you now agree that I was right!

What a precious tribute to our amazing man.

I cannot imagine a better life than the one the Lord has chosen for us!

We are blessed beyond measure, heirs in the grace of life, determined to follow the Lord’s leading, and to make the best choices we can.

What a great pleasure to celebrate my hubby tonight!

It is way past my bedtime….but my sweet grand babies and their people were here….and I am WAY to wound up to sleep!

Happy, happy birthday, Blake!

WE LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK!!

A Great Report

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We received a call from American Family Children’s Hospital yesterday afternoon with the results of Tate and Eliza’s sedated bladder study.

We could not be more pleased with such a great report!!

Tate’s bladder showed significant improvement, which is something the doctor said she never says! We attribute this change to the fact that Tate is now taking the medication he needs, which is something he was not receiving in China.

Eliza’s bladder study showed that she is STABLE! She has been on the same medication longer. Stable is what we were praying to hear with both Tate and Eliza!!

These two cherubs love to play doctor! Looks like they have a lot of patients to take care of!

With Spina Bifida, changes in the bladder would indicate that the spinal cord is tethered, which means that the spinal cord is being pulled because it is “stuck” in old scar tissue. We might see these changes visibly here at home if Tate or Eliza start having accidents, or we may only see these changes on this sedated bladder study. Other changes when the spinal cord tethers would be numbness in their thighs and legs, pain in their back, and/or changes in their bowels. If one of their spinal cord tethers, it requires spinal surgery. If surgery is not done to untether the cord, permanent nerve damage can occur, and normal function of the bladder, bowel, and legs can be lost. We have been through spinal surgery once with Eliza, but Tate had all of his initial surgeries in China. It is certainly something we are hoping and praying to avoid!

The BEST news for my Mama’s heart is (unless something unexpected comes up) that Tate nor Eliza will need this sedated procedure for TWO years!!

Now that’s a good report!!

Thank you, Jesus!!

And thank you AFCH for the amazing care you give to our precious cherubs!!

A Week of Rest

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Our weekend this past weekend started with a bang when my sweet hubby told me he took Friday off from work!

No better gift he could give to his wife – her love language is the gift of TIME.

I was SO excited! I would have danced! But we had company at that moment – so I danced on the inside instead!

Friday night was date night.

The BEST kind of date night.

The kind that starts BEFORE dark!

We had such a great time – and my voice returned just enough for me to tell my man everything I needed wanted to say!

This illness that has been hanging around here is SO finicky!

The littles showed no symptoms last week – but they slept a lot – which made it seem like they were fighting illness away!

When I went looking for Lane at dinner time on Sunday, I found him like this –

He had a fever and was not feeling good at all. Poor buddy.

By the time his eyes were open again late Monday morning, Chad was not feeling well and in bed.

The boys have runny noses now, but are back on their feet.

The littles, the bigs, and Blake have been spared so far.

I, on the other hand, ahem….will have a compromised immune system no matter what I do, me thinks.

BUT – I had a sweet friend who gave me some colloidal silver to take – and it is working WONDERS.

Thank you, Jesus!

I think I might have/had a smidge of pneumonia.

Instead of getting back to school like I had thought we would – this week we are resting.

Staying home.

Being together.

Even my guys could not get to work on Tuesday morning when we woke up to solid ice outside!

It has been so nice to just be still and enjoy these kiddos!

SO much I never want to forget!!

During dinner one night Tate said, “DAD!! I ate all my kitchen (chicken) so look at my knuckles (muscles)!”

SO close!! Good English buddy!!

We have been working a lot of puzzles, reading books, and watching shows!

SO thankful for this slow pace, but I did plan school for the next few weeks and have lots of fun things I am looking forward to!

So thankful, too, that this illness was so slight – even though I had to concentrate to take a breath sometimes!

It is below zero here in our neck of the woods, and the roads on this ridge are still covered in ice, with a thick layer of sand on top!

The furnaces, fire, and Kuerig are keeping us warm!

I think we will stay in a forced state of rest through the weekend!

I hope to spend some time reflecting on the past year, and praying over this coming year!

It’s 2017!!

The best is yet to come!!

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