A Very Special Gift.....Any Suggestions???

Gavin recently received something special in the mail.

Here are some pictures of him finding out about it.


"Gavin, Guess what you got in the mail?!"




"It's an invitation from Make-A-Wish. You get to wish for something special."





"I can't believe it! Let me see that!"



"WOW! How exciting!"



"What should I wish for?"





"Are you serious Momma?! I am so excited!"



"HMMM.....So many options.....I have lots to think about and dream about."



"I think I need some help with this......Anyone have any suggestions?"





"Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." James 1:17

Working Hard With A New Tool!

I found a great product for Gavin to use. It will help him to sit up better while he is sitting in his walker. (I used to have to stuff several blankets around him, to help keep him from falling over all the time.) I'm going to try it out in other situations too.....hopefully it will be quite versatile for him. (I might even try it in a shopping cart???) You can find the product here if you want to get more info on it.

Here is a picture of it:



As I've said before, Gavin is unable to sit by himself or even have good head control due to the severe stroke/brain injury that he had 3 years ago. His being unable to sit by himself is probably the most difficult thing that I deal with on a daily basis. It's physically hard on me to hold him, because I have to continually use my muscles, just to hold him into a sitting position when he is sitting on my lap. Plus, he has high tone, due to his stroke, which makes him very tight and this makes it even harder to hold him, because his muscles are fighting against me while I'm holding him! Also, it's sad to see your 3 1/2 year old not able to sit up. I hate having to lay him on the floor to play all the time.....he looks so pitiful laying down all the time!

Anyway, Gavin's not being able to sit on his own is seriously the biggest hardship of all to me! I can handle (on most days anyway) all the meds, nebs, his not talking, the doctor visits, etc., but his not sitting usually has me feeling very sad and frustruated.

So, when I found this product in a magazine, I thought it would be very helpful to Gavin and I.

Here is Gavin putting it to good use!


"Oh Man! Mom is making me work again!"





"This is hard work!"



"Hey! This thing is cool! It helps me a lot!"




"This might even be fun now!"




"But, it's still lots of work!"



"But, this pillow thing sure is helpful for when I get too tired out!"







Here is Gavin singing with me, while he works hard:



Great job Gavin! You are working so hard!



"I feel like such a big boy and Momma looks so proud of me!"



Momma is very proud of you Gavin! Great workout session today!


"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

IF YOU BUILD IT.....

.....THEY WILL SWIM!!!






This was a year in the making and it's FINALLY done!

Last year we were given an above ground pool and all we had to do was: take down the pool, transport it to our house, dig a hole, do lots of measuring and planning, buy a new liner, erect the pool, fill it with water and then, breathe a sigh of relief that it is ALL DONE!

*When I say "we", it mostly means.....my wonderful husband, my fantastic boys and a few TERRIFIC friends!*

Since I was the one who wanted the pool so much and this was a TON of work.....I feel so blessed to have such great people in my life! THANK YOU!!!!!

I am so excited to have this pool up! I wanted it, of course for fun, but I also REALLY wanted it to hopefully help Gavin get used to water. As I've said before, Gavin detests water, but he has always done fairly well in water, if I am holding him while he is in it. I really think that Gavin will become accustomed to water a little better now that we have this pool!

Here he is during his first try in:



Do you see the sheer terror in his face?! Poor boy!

Oh wait.....maybe this isn't too bad.



We are taking it very slowly with him. Just one toe at a time...literally! The water is still quite cold and I don't want to make him even more afraid of water, but hopefully by the end of the summer he will love it! That is my goal for the summer anyway!

And, when Gavin isn't being forced to go into the pool, he will be chillin' on the deck.....made in the shade!



Do you see his very own fan? Yep....he is one pampered boy! But, he is so worth it!


"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it." Psalm 127:1

A friend waiting for Gavin in Heaven

Three years ago, when Gavin was in the hospital and not doing well at all, my Mom showed me a picture of a precious little girl. She had found the picture in with a bunch of her old photos. It was a picture of a sweet little girl, who had Down syndrome. I fell in love with her angelic face as soon as I saw the picture, but I had forgotten about her until just recently.

Last week I thought about her and I asked my Mom to find the picture of her again. She found it and then told me what she knew of this precious girl.





Are you in love with her as much as I am?! She is so sweet!

And, guess what?! We are related!

I never got the chance to meet my Mom's father, Leonard. He passed away when my Mom was just 16 years old. I always wished that I could have met him. He sounds like he was a very caring and godly man, and I really wish that I had been blessed to know him. I can't wait to meet him one day in heaven!

And now, I am also anxious to meet his sister, in heaven, too! Yep, this little angel that I've been talking about was my Grandpa's sister! I had a Great Aunt who was born with Down syndrome! Which means that Gavin has a Great Great Aunt, who also has DS, like he does! For some reason this makes me very happy! It's probably because I love those who are born with a little something extra!

Ruth is the name of this adorable girl. She lived to be 6 years old and died from Scarlet Fever. I bet she was such a blessing to her family!

I love learning about my ancestors and I especially loved learning about sweet Ruth! I just know that I would have loved her, had I got the chance to meet her! I am proud to be able to call her family! Gavin and I can't wait to meet her some day!


"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:14-19

3 Down.....3 To Go???

Caleb decided to join the crowd yesterday. He now has what Gavin and Nolan have! UGH!

I LOVE having 4 children, and I would even love to have more.....but when a virus enters our house and takes over our life.....I totally understand why couples stop at having just 2 children!

Thankfully Gavin is all better, besides the runny stools that come with antibiotic use. (I bought some Acidophilus yesterday, which I learned is a Probiotic, so hopefully this will help him out. Thanks for the tips friends!) And, Nolan is headed in the right direction....that direction being...healthy again. So, now we nurse Caleb back to health and PRAY, PRAY, PRAY that the final 3 in our family don't come down with this nasty bug! Won't you join us in this prayer? Thanks!

And, because I'm tired of sharing such depressing news.....here are a few more pictures from our photo session with a friend of ours, for her college project. Enjoy!



Me, stretching Gavin out before putting on his AFO's:



Putting on Gavin's AFO's:



Big Brothers playing with Gavin:



Jacob and Gavin swinging:



Gavin and Momma sharing a moment and a smile:







Thanks again Katie! We are loving the pictures that you took of our family!


"He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He." Deuteronomy 32:4