Making a list and checking it twice, Christmas planning, Baking, Seeking the Savior (and an Occasional Silent Night)

"Hurry up! Chop chop kids we are going to be late for church!

"Hey, get the door already! FedEx is waiting for a signature on those packages!"

"Step it up kids! We've got to get this house cleaned before everyone gets here!

Dash, dart, hurry and scurry. Geez, it's no wonder the holidays cause my stress level and BP to rocket and my Santa hat spinning in circles. Added activities and more gift buying responsibilities, I find myself on a seasonal treadmill that doesn't have a "slow down or off button". Instead, it has a crank it up button that tends to twist itself! 

In the midst of shopping, tinseling, frosting, wrapping, and baking, we can easily miss the true meaning of Christmas. December 26th rolls around and we collapse into our favorite pj's and comfy chair, exhausted and empty. (wallets too)

What happened to that peaceful Christmas? What happened to those sweet memories I wanted to create this year? What happened to us decorating the tree as a family and singing Silent Night and sipping chocolate cocoa? (yeah right)

Wouldn't it be great to spend a little more time seeking the Savior? How much more meaningful would our Holiday be if Christ was truly the center of every Christmas celebration? After all, for so many of us, that is the goal. So, what happens? How is it that we veer off our intended path?

Society.

Screaming schedules?

Rush, bustle and Choas.

PT, OT, Speech, surgery, casting, Dr's appts, pre-op, post-op etc.

Come and Adore Him...

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people...a savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10)

For the remaining days leading up to Christmas, I will ponder these words and Good News while I bake, shop, clean house for family gatherings, and while I watch my children argue over what games they are going to play on the wii. :)

As I plug in the Christmas Tree I will remember that Jesus is the light of the world.

As I shop for the "expensive" gifts that my children want, I will remember the wise men and the gifts they brought to Jesus.

I vow to STOP and THINK, and PONDER the wonder of Christmas. The one who came to earth in a lowly manger so we might have eternal life.

It's profound.

It's Amazing.

It's indescribable.

I have so much to be thankful for! I have 3 amazing children that I love beyond words(they drive me nuts on occasion) I have an amazing husband that supports me, he is my best friend and he is the love of my life. I have a great family that I LOVE spending time with. And I am thankful to my sons birthmother, who decided to give him a better life, who chose us to parent him. I will ALWAYS be thankful for her! And I am so thankful for my Savior who died on the cross for me, for all of us. Who forgives us for our sins, who loves us, who knows us personally!

'Twas the  night before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas when all through the Black's house,
Only mother was stirring because Ron was sleeping like a mouse.
Lexi, Zach, and Landen were all snuggled in their beds,
with visions of xbox, dirt bike, ipad, and play kitchens danced in their heads.
While I long for a house with beautiful holiday decor,
with garlands and yankee candles galore.
I have straightened and cleaned, getting the perfect look down pat,
Till the kids messed it up again in three seconds flat!
I sit here and think of scaling back the Holidays, Hey it's no crime!
I need to slow down, de-stress, take some time!
But there's so much to to do. How will it ever get done?
I just want me and the kids to have loads of fun!
When all of a sudden I hear a familiar voice,
saying "It's Christmas time, slow down and rejoice!"
It's not the fat jolly man in his red suit,
It's the smart, bald man named Dr Phil, Oh shoot!
So I think I will take the advice from the MD
slow down, rejoice, and spend time with my family!!!

Merry Christmas to ALL!!!!

Count your blessings...everyday!

Soooo Thankful for allllll  I have!!

Let me just say that I have been a little down and depressed today. I think everyone and I mean e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e. has those days where we complain about everything. Or we get sad that our children aren't walking yet, or they aren't drinking from a sippy cup like most toddlers, or saying phrases like every other toddler, or we complain that we have to drive ALL the time to therapy appts or Dr's appts and even complain that "my child is having another surgery". Yep, I think we all have those days where we get down and out about some stuff that we ultimately have no control over.

I can honestly say that from this day forward, I am THRILLED beyond words that my son has had all the surgeries that were required, that he has the opportunity to attend therapy 3 days a week, and that we have Shriners Hospital 2 hrs away for us to drive to, that he has a feeding tube, a shunt, a walker, a wheelchair(on order) and that we will eventually have to cath our son. I am DELIGHTED in all of this!!!! I am THANKFUL for all the medical care that he has gotten.  I know, you are saying...What? Are you crazy? Are you smoking crack(or whatever and however you use it) What's your problem? Thankful? Thrilled? Delighted?
Yes, I am!!

I met an Algerian mom on a Spina Bifida website and her son has Spina Bifida, hydrocephalus and got meningitis at only 3 mos old. Her son is now 27 mos old and has NEVER and yes I mean NEVER had one surgery! It's not because he doesn't need the surgery. There is no medical care in Algeria or no specialist that can handle the sort of surgeries that this beautiful boy needs. The mom wants us to adopt him and I've been trying to see what all needs to be done so we can...But our Adoption Attorney emailed me today and said that the chances of adopting this little boy is basically impossible. So, I've been on the internet trying to contact the Embassy of Algeria to get all the help and information that I need. This mother cries every single day and night for this child. He cannot lay on his back, he has no movement at all and his head is VERY large due to the hydrocephalus which has caused eye damage. This child just lays on his side! I will show you a picture of his back and maybe you will get some idea as to Just how grateful I am!

How grateful are you?

I would LOVE to adopt this child! I will continue to do what I can to help this family either get medical treatment for this beautiful boy or hope and pray that there is a way for our family to get him to the US and start the adoption process while he gets treatment!
Please pray for this family and pray for comfort for this little boy!

THANK YOU HEAVENLY FATHER FOR ALL THAT MY FAMILY HAS AND FOR ALL THE TREATMENT AND MEDICAL INTERVENTION THAT MY SON GETS.
I am indeed grateful!

This is Mounib, 27 mos old! Lives in Algeria, born with Spina Bifida, Hydrocephalus. Never had his back closed, does not have a shunt, never been to therapy, has never sat up and held his own head up, no eye exams, no hearing tests done, no CT's, X-rays, Ultrasounds, no AFO's. Please pray for him! For one day, lets stop thinking about OUR problems and think about how this family, mother may feel every single day of her life to see her child lay on his side all day, in pain, and sad. I simply can't imagine what his mother is going through or even how she feels. All I know is that I want this child to be healed!

I think I can, I think I can!

You know the old saying, "If you can't say anything nice, come sit by me don't say anything at all"?

I've been repeating that to myself for several weeks now.

I've got two visitors sitting on my shoulders that just won't go away. On my right shoulder is this little sweet lady saying, " Be very careful not to get all riled up and say something you will regret or can't take back." On my left shoulder is this spiteful hag telling me I should let 'er rip."

Let me back up a bit ... Growing up I have always been the one that let people say whatever they want, walk all over me, never stand up for myself for fear of hurting someone elses feelings. I was the one that would get home and think to myself, "I should have said this, or I should have done that, or next time i'm gonna do this."

Times have changed for this girl!Over the past couple of years I have gotten to the point where I can speak my mind...and sometimes feel good about hurting someone's feelings. (gasp....I know, shame on me!)

Some things that really really get on my nerves that make that "spiteful hag on my left shoulder" get the best of me.

1. Walmart shoppers that WON'T move over in the isles even when they see you are scraping the side of the other isle and halfway knocking down everything on the shelf because you can't move over any more!!!
(I have severe wal-mart rage) that spiteful hag wants me to ram their cart and tell them they aren't the only ones on the isle and the sweet lady just says, "smile and wait for them to give you some room."

2. People that stare at you when your child throws up and you catch it with your hands, or you hang your child over and let them vomit all over the floor wherever you may be...then they whisper crap about you.
(Oh no they didn't!) Hag says, "ask them, have you never seen a child throw up  before? Hasn't your momma ever told you not to stare at people" Right shoulder saying, "sorry, he aspirates his food and it tends to come up when it gets into his lungs, hope it didn't gross you out too much." I THINK THE HAG WINS ON THIS ONE!

3. People yell at you when you park in front of the door at Mcd's b/c your food isn't ready and they specifically ask you to pull up to the sidewalk and wait.( I should have ran over that lady that snapped at me) Instead, that sweet little lady on my right shoulder was with me and I just said, "hey lady, they told me to park here, it's not going to hurt you to walk around me." (and yes, that WAS the sweet angel on my right shoulder.)Hey, It could have been worse.

4. Your child completely freaks the heck out when you go to ANY Drs appt..And I mean F.R.E.A.K.S out as soon as you walk through the front doors.(Landen has been to more Dr's and had more hospital visits, more surgeries, more IV's, more antibiotics than I have had my entire life) so it's only natural for that child to freak out over scrubs (green one's mostly). The hag says, "You got nothing better to do than to stare at me?Have you never seen a child cry before?"  I don't care what the sweet lady on my right shoulder is saying b/c the hag wins on this one too!! (This happens to me ALL the time)

I could go on and on but I think you get the point!  So, since it is Christmas time and we should be sharing that Holiday Cheer...I have decided to "TRY" and be a little nicer to those people that irk me and really make that Hag on my shoulder show her true colors.

" I THINK I CAN...I THINK I CAN... I THINK I CAN!!!!" 

Landen has gone through so much lately. He's such an inspiration to us all b/c he just bounces right back where as I would not.
Wed. Nov 9th, we went to Greenville Memorial for his MRI. Before we got there, I called Jean Brown and told her we were going to the ER instead b/c he was very dehydrated, throwing up everything, aspirating and I feared what "might" happen during the MRI. Well, what normally takes about 1hr and 45min. to get there from our house took 2 hrs and some odd minutes b/c of a broken down car on the side of the road...REALLY???? Anyways, Jean called us and told us to continue to GMH to have the MRI and Anesthesiology would evaluate him before the procedure. Long story short, they ended up doing the MRI, admitting him for dehydration and planned on putting in a G tube(feeding tube). During this ordeal, he went 30 + hrs without a bottle or anything, his PEG tube placement was supposed to be done Friday and was cancelled. So, ticked off  mama bear decided to feed her young without Dr's permission. (Surgeon wanted him to go another 12 hrs without food) I don't think so!! Landen got a few ounces of honey thickened pediasure(yummm) and off to bed he went! Saturday he had his feeding tube placed and we were discharged Monday 14th. Let me tell you, I went crazy and so did Landen sitting in his room for 6 days!!! He's doing great now, and hasn't thrown up since we've started the feedings. He still gets a thickened bottle and some of his foods that he can tolerate. Hopefully he will gain some of the weight that he lost from throwing up so much and hopefully the stronger and hungrier he gets, we can start the Vital Stim therapy.
Since we've been home, I've put up the Christmas Tree, wrapped all the presents and have cleaned and cleaned some more. I am excited about the Holidays and spending time with family and just eating some great food!
Gosh do I LOVE being at home!!!

 Lexi being a great sissy!

 Cheeeezzzz!

 He still can't sleep on his belly b/c his tummy hasn't healed yet!

 My Christmas Tree in the formal dining room (last week it was a formal dining room, after
Christmas, it's Landen's play room!)

 Speed racer!

Woody's in the house!

Hello, my name is Woody  and I can't wait for Halloween!!! My mom tells me all the time that I am the cutest thing in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD.  What do you think? She also tells me that I am SUPER DUPER smart because of all the knowledge I have. :) I have to say, I am pretty smart!! Have I told you that I can't wait for Halloween? I know I can't eat any of the candy but I can certainly give it to my mommy.... since she loves me SOOOOOOOO much! :)  

The YMCA where my mommy and daddy work had a Halloween carnival last night and I had sooo much fun...minus the scary costumes. Those scared the crap out of me and I even cried a little bit. 





                        HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM WOODY!!!!

???????

Ok so I have been writing in my journal every time Landen throws up this month. Today is the 25th and he has thrown up 17 days out of the 25. I don't mean a little spit up either! What's sad is I have taken a few pictures of his vomit so I could show Jean and Dr Troup just how much throw up there is! Today we went to Shriner's Hospital in Greenville and had a UA and a CT series to look at his shunt and Urine. Let me tell you that Landen went completely ballistic during the CT. Midway through the procedure he threw up and they had to stop and clean him up and change everything on the table. Next I had to LAY ON TOP of my baby and hold his chin so tight that I left marks, just to get a good series of pictures. I had the aroma of spoiled pediasure on me, Landen's hair had that same aroma as well as his clothes and let's just say...The name Dr Troup made him freak the heck out. The rad. tech and nurse made a note that the next CT series he would need "sedation" oh how I love that word! I asked if I could be sedated too but they didn't like my sense of humor? ( It was a joke people)
Both test were completely normal. Huh?? Ok, so now what?  Possibly a MRI next week to evaluate his Chiari Malformation. Now we are just waiting on Dr Troup to call us and let us know what to do.

On a lighter note, Landen is doing great with his walker. Of course we have to help him get his right leg moving but he's standing all by himself and even pulls up to the walker in a standing position all by himself. This little guy has some upper body strength let me tell you. :)  We are still waiting on his wheelchair and I am hoping that it comes before Christmas.

Sometimes I feel like Landen gets treated like a "show dog". We think our little guy is a genius and the smartest cookie around so we like to show off everything that he knows. Today he showed Jean Brown(an amazingly smart woman at Shriner's..who we love and wouldn't know what we would do without her) all of his knowledge. He showed her where his eyes, ears, nose, hair, button (belly button), butt, back, and teeth were. He gave her "fist bumps" ( bubba taught him this), showed her how he can stand up, showed her all the sign language he knows and repeated several words and even told her what a sheep says. Of course this was AFTER all the tests were completed and NO Dr Troup around! :)   I love that he is learning so much but that just means that he is growing up...which makes me a very very sad momma!

I would post pictures of this past weekend at the pumpkin patch but the pictures were downloaded to daddy's work computer. Will post pictures soon!

Children's Wish Foundation

Landen had a wish come true... Children's Wish Foundation found us an amazing photographer who took our pictures. Her name is Jeni...take a look at the amazing job she did. This is just a sneak peak of the photos. There are over 100 pics but these are my favorites.
These pictures were taken at my parents farm in Rock Hill.