The Robbins

Preemies

2009-09-19T18:58:00.002-05:00

So I was looking at a prayer request webpage for preemies and I just had to get on here after. I guess with our friends Sean and Natalie that just recently having their twins at only 25 wks, I have had it on my heart alot lately because I can remember all too clearly what they are going through. I am absolutely amazed at how medicine is constantly changing, and how amazing our God is that babies born at just a mere pound or two can survive and have very few problems. I think back to all the fear and how as a parent of a preemie, the only thing you live and breathe is that baby, and each day to see the progress. How just increasing and tolerating 1 more milliliter of milk is abolutely exciting because that is just one of the many things you have to do before they can come home. How when you are finally able to hold your little one, what they call Kangaroo care, the feeling is amazing. How empty you feel when you leave the hospital that first time without them. All still know that it could be weeks or even months before they will be able to come home with you. I pray for those who have preemies, and I pray for those sweet babies, that God will hold them in His hand until they make it safely home.
Please keep Sean and Natalie and the twins, Marlee and Merrick in your prayers, along with all the other preemie families out there.
And check out their website!

www.caringbridge.org/visit/hedrickwondertwins

Summer has begun....

2009-05-25T17:18:00.005-05:00

Well as you can see it has been forever since I updated last... but it seems the last few months have gotten away from me....

In february we went home for to weeks to Colorado. We spent the first week in Breckenridge at my families condo which was fabulous. Jake and I skiied a few days, and we were able to enjoy some relaxation time playing games, at the hot tubs and just shopping the stores. John went with us and seemed to really enjoy it. Halia loved the snow since it was her first time to play in it she had a blast, but only sat by as grandpa and I went sledding. The second week we were there we spent down in Colorado Springs with my family and were able to spend some time with some great friends!! For those we didn't get to see, we miss you and hope next time we can see you all!! As for John he is doing ok. He seems to have his ups and downs still. He is living with his mom right now.

The months since then have been a blur:) As for Jake he was working on flight(normal base patrol) during the eveing so our schedules seemed to conflict quite a bit. He left today for a six month deployment, but he is going down to TX for a few weeks first for training then has to be in country by the beginning of July. I will keep you updated on him and how things are going and as soon as I get a address and email address I will let you all know. He will have his phone for at least the next two weeks if you were not able to talk to him or want to get ahold of him.

As for me, I got accepted into nursing school. I have a six week summer program that I have been doing and thankfully next week is the last week. It was been definately giving me a run for my money... as long as I pass... I get to continue into nursing school in August. I am still working on the surgery floor as often as possible.

Halia, Wow!! All I can say is I have a little girl on my hands, she is no longer a baby or for that matter really even a toddler anymore. Some days I think she has a better grasp on things then we do. She is unbelievably smart and is extremely busy. She is finally past her terrible twos, but we know we may not be in the clear for threes yet :)

My friend Aunee from CO came down to "live" with me for as long as time allows.... She came down in midmay and will hopefully stay at least through Jake's deployment, but may decide she wants to stay.... I am very excited to have her here and think it will definately help make things alittle easier with Jake being gone.

I just wanted to try to overview update since I have been so horrible about it lately. I will post again soon and will add pics as well!!

Halia singing in the tub

2009-02-03T21:44:00.002-06:00

2009-02-03T20:39:00.005-06:00

Woo Pig Sooie!

2009-01-18T13:47:00.003-06:00

January this far...

2009-01-18T11:18:00.008-06:00

January has been good so far, just busy as usual. Jake and I both started a new schedule so we have all been adjusting and trying to see each other as much as possible. I started school again, so I will be working mon,wed, fri and school the other two days. Jake went to evenings so he is working until about ten everyday. Not much else going on. We try to have our share of fun still. We had friends over for new years! We went out with a group of friends for our friend Jimmy's going away, he is getting deployed and leaves monday so we went to dinner and the comedy club. I hope everyone is having a great New Years so far!!

The girls Lauren, Leslie, Kara, Lauren and Caitlin

Me and Lauren with Greg in the background

Jake and Caitlin

2008-12-28T16:41:00.002-06:00

Sweet babies

2008-12-28T11:35:00.010-06:00

Well I hope that everyone had a great Christmas! Ours was nice, we got up kind of late, we had to actually wake Halia up at about 945. She saw that Santa came, and we started to open gifts. She got tired about half way through so we saved the rest until later when we opened gifts with some of our friends, Dom, Adam, Lauren and Jimmy. Thanks for sharing the day with us guys!! It is always nice to have good company, although I have to admit I missed being home for Christmas this year!
Halia has been exceptionally cute lately. We were reading her books the other night before she went to sleep and she decided she wanted to read it to me, so as she read it there is a part where the ducks want ten kisses each, so she kissed my cheek over and over:)

She has also started saying I love you more and most. We will go back and forth its pretty cute:)

I added a video of her but could no matter how hard I tried its still sideways...
Hope everyone is doing well! Enjoy the pics...

Nala and kitty are finally friends

kitty thought the comp was warm

Nala really wanted to be friends with him

She tried very hard to be friends with him but kitty still wasn't sure

we made Christmas cookies and decorated

them

bringing kitty home

Playing at Mimi's house

She got a Dora robe from Papa and Bana

Christmas morning

kitty wanted to unwrap some too

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T22:07:00.003-06:00

I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas!! We had a nice day at home. Halia slept in so it was nice to be able to stay in bed a little later then the norm. Once she realized Santa came we started opening gifts. She got tired of them after awhile though so we decided we would finish later. We had some good friends over. Made chili for dinner and finished opening gifts. Then finished the night playing wii. I am off to bed as I have to work 16 hrs tomorrow. Hope that everyone had a very blessed Christmas! I will add pics later.

Mid december

2008-12-21T10:28:00.016-06:00

Well I can't believe it is almost Christmas already. We have had a crazy busy month with all our parties and stuff we have been doing. For Thanksgiving we had Jake's troops over for dinner, Probably about 20-25 people ended up showing up, so we had quite the house full. It was nice to have everyone over, especially since many who came over don't have families close or live in the dorms. A few good friends came over and helped me cook, Thank you girls, I definitely couldn't have done it without you!! And much appreciation to Jake, who stayed up most the night smoking the turkey when he had to work the day of thanksgiving so that we could have a 24lb smoked turkey. Overall I would say everyone left with full bellies, and we did pretty good considering it was my first time ever cooking for that many people a big meal. Our friend Adam had his baby over thanksgiving break!! Congratulations!!
We got our Christmas decorations up shortly after thanksgiving. This year Jake put lights on our house which is so exciting because I have always wanted lights on our house! Thank you honey! We even have a family of deer and two pretty trees.
At the beginning of December started our Christmas parties. I had my work Christmas party the first weekend in December. We just went down to Cajuns Wharf on the river.
The next Friday the 12th was Jake's Christmas party which was at the Convention Center on base. It was a nice dinner. And a little more formal. They gave away many gifts to those who won the raffle drawing. They also did a game that Jake, OSbourn, Dillan, and Evans did where they had to wrap a gift with one of each "couple's" arm. Both teams won because there was $50 inside each box. Later in the week, we went to our friend Fletcher's Airman Leadership School(ALS) graduation. Congrats Fletch!! This weekend we are up in Fort Smith Spending time with the family for Christmas. Since we only have a few days off for Christmas we would not have much time up here so we decided to come up and spend the weekend!! We have enjoyed our time and wish we could have seen everyone, and spend more time with everyone. Now here is all of the pics.... I hope everyone has a great holiday season and enjoy spending time with those you love!! Now here is just some of the pics, I will add the rest after this weekend.

Adam the night before he was a "daddy"

November

2008-11-16T12:59:00.004-06:00

Halia went and saw her first movie with me, our friend Boomer and Becky and her little girl Lynn. We saw madagascar 2, it was pretty cute and overall she did really well, walked around some, but watched most of the movie:)

I dont know why some of them posted twice....

Cute videos

2008-11-16T09:29:00.005-06:00

Here is a few videos I had of Halia on my phone. She loves to dance and sing. If I can ever figure out how to add the vidoes from my video camera I will have videos much more often, but for now, these will have to do.... Enjoy

catcing up

2008-11-15T21:01:00.006-06:00

Well it seems like October flew by and we had so much going on all month that I never had a real chance to keep updated with pics and stuff, so I decided I would add all the pics now. We had a busy month. We went to the Race for the Cure, then Cabotfest that is just a fair type thing in Cabot every fall then we went to te Air Show the weekend of the 18th. Halia loved the airshow and she really enjoyed seeing all the planes(they are one of her favorite things right now) but she made it all day until right before the Blue Angels were about to perform and she passed out, and slept through much of the performance even though it was so loud. She did get to watch the tailend of it though. Other then that, we just went trick or treating for Haloween and although she didn't want to put her costume back on after a long day of having it on a school for their costume parade, once she put it on she realized she liked getting the candy. She also went to her very first Razorback game and did fablous. Since it was a 1pm game she didn't get much of a nap and considering did really good, but only made it to the 4th quater. I still have to upload those pics so I will add them soon. She also went to her very first movie yesterday. We went with some friends, Boomer, Becky and her daughter Lynn to see Madagascar 2, it was cute but not as good as the first one. Halia did really well sitting through it though! I will add pics from nov here soon

the pic of her passed out:)

Fall

2008-10-31T20:41:00.002-05:00

We have had a good fall. Halia dressed up cute like a penguin for Halloween.

Cute stories...

2008-10-24T11:20:00.003-05:00

Well I have decided that the things a two year old can say or do can be so funny and cute. Just a few of the recent stories I can think of lately....

Our cat Java passed away on tuesday and when Jake called me to let me know that morning, I was getting Halia ready and I was crying, she said "no cry mommy, no sad". When we were driving in the car she must have just known that I could use the extra encouragement and told me "Mommy..... I wuv you". Aww we are almost always the ones who initiate it first.

She talks all the time now, and says the funniest things.

One of her biggest things she says is "I no seed it mommy" or "I no heared it mommy". She is always on the outlook for airplanes and helicopters.

At night we always sit in her rocking chair in her room and read a story and snuggle. Last night we were sitting there and she stood up and said "rock a baby mom" so we started to sing rock-a-bye-baby and she stood there laughing and rocking. When it is time for bed, she says nuggle min right there(pointing to her chair)

Thats allI can think of for the moment, but I will add more as she says them, because you never know these days. hope everyone is doing well...

October begins!! Fall is finally in the air

2008-10-10T17:14:00.005-05:00

Well as Oct is well underway so is the start of fall in Arkansas. I have to admit I am pretty excited! We have already had a busy month. Jake and some of our wonderful friends have been working on the fence and before long we will be able to enjoy all that comes with having a fenced backyard:) Every Sunday we are doing dinner with the neighbors, and there are probably 6-8 families every week which is fun to do. My transmission on my car went out last week, so we had to have that fixed, and I now have my car back and running so hopefully we won't have any further issues with it. Lauren and I took Halia to the zoo last weekend and she really enjoyed getting to see all the animals( I will add pics soon). Halia is getting so big, every day she seems to say more and more that just surprises us. She is really becoming a little girl and not our little baby anymore. It is so fun to see them grow and learn, but there is also part of me that gets kind of sad to think the little baby we could hold in our arms is now fast growing into her own personality and person. As for Jake, he is doing great!!! He just found out Thursday that he made TECH Sergeant!!!! Yay!! I am so proud of him, and all of his hard work paid off. He should sew on sometime later this year or early next year. He will be taking over more responsibilities at work and have more troops that he will look after. As for me, just busy with work and school. School has been hard for me this semester. Not sure if its the lack motivation or what, but I am just ready to be in the nursing program and done with all the prereqs. This weekend we are doing the Race for the Cure and going to cabotfest which is a little fall festival they have in the town close to us. We are hoping to go the the pumpkin patch soon, and get some fall family pics again soon.
I think that is all for now in the house of the Robbins, I will update again soon. Hope everyone is doing well!

The end of summer

2008-09-27T13:13:00.000-05:00

Ok so I haven't been a very good blogger lately. It seems life has just kept me busy and by the time I can sit down to do this, I feel like just being lazy or think of something else that needs to be done. So here is an update and overview of our summer as we hop into fall.

Here are some pics for when we went to CO. We flew from Ca to CO and Jake drove and met us there. We had a great time. Jake and I went to breckenridge to have a few days alone. We spent time with friends and family and had a birthday party for Halia with all our friends and family then on her official bday went to fargos pizza.

Halia and I went to Ca in July for a week to stay with my best friend Emma!! We had so much fun! It was so nice to have a vacation and with great company! We stayed busy the whole week and went down to monterey for two days, the beach was beautiful Halia didn't like the waves though and it was too cold to get in the water

Random pics of Halia, her in the bath and her first time bowling

When we went to Melanie and Scotty's for Labor Day weekend. Once Halia got brave enough to go in the water she loved it! She likes the boat but when we are moving it makes her sleepy

Here are some recent pics of Halia. She is getting so big. She is talking so well. At her two year check up the doctor said that she is talking better then most two year olds. She is about in the 50th percentile for height and weight.

I have more pics to add but as you can see this is really long. I will add more pics from CO and with John and more updates soon. Hope everyone is doing well and I will try to be better now that summer is over and I have to be on here a lot again for school.

The Dogs

2008-09-13T20:13:00.001-05:00

So when Jake got home we aquired a new dog named Zeus, We haven't yet decided what kind of dog he is but he is our latest edition. Here is some pics

July Begins

2008-07-04T09:06:00.000-05:00

Oh where to start.... The last month has flown by. Jake came home June 5 (pics below) and it has been very busy since. Halia did very good when he came home. We were a little nervous because she is gong through a shy time, but she was so happy to see him. Gave him kisses and hugs, ans couldn't stop smiling. She didn't go to him right away but it didn't take long for her to warm up, and then he was all she wanted. We had a bbq the weekend after he came home, and have been gone every weekend since. We went to fort smith to see family, then the weekend after, Jake and I had a nice getaway just the two of us to Eureka SPrings where we got to rent a boat and have a nice dinner for my birthday. It was a nice break from reality. This last weekend Halia and I went to Oklahoma to visit my good friend Jen and her girls. THey may be going back to CA and we wanted to see them again before they left. We had a great time!! Jake started back to work last week. He will start eight hour shifts starting next week. As for me, work has been crazy, I am working 4 10's so I can have fridays off through the summer, but getting up at 430 every morning is taking a toll on me. Halia is getting so big. She always amazes me. SHe is 25+ pounds now and thinks she is grown up. She is Miss independent has to be a big girl at everything.
We are finally taking a vacation, Halia and I leave next friday to go to CA and see Emma, then Jake is going to see his friend and family and we are going to meet in CO to see the family and friends, and especially John. I am so excited!!
As for John, I know its been awhile since I updated last, but its hard to update when I am only hearing how he is since, last time I actually saw him he was completely different. He is living at a house in CSprings. He lives with one other person and they have 24 hour care. He is taken to all of his therapies and being worked with daily. He seems to be doing pretty good but of course has his bad days. I talked to him on my birthday and it was definately nice to hear him really talk, although not necessarily sure of what he wanted to say. I will be able to give a better update in a few weeks and hopefully add some more pics. We will be there for a week, so hopefully we can get some good stuff:) Hope everyone is doing well, and I will continue to add pics, so keep checkin k:)

These pics are in the new house. He is glad to be there I think:)

Jake home coming/ june pics

2008-06-05T14:21:00.000-05:00

Quick update

2008-06-01T16:41:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is doing well! Just wanted to write and update real quick on all that is oging on in our worlds. Jake is doing well. Had surgery on shoulder a few weeks ago and on the way to recovery. He is hopefully leaving UAE on wednesday and should get into Baltimore wednesday and hopefully be home on thurs!! We are very excited to see him. I can't wait for him to see how much Halia has changed.
As for John, He leaves for a new house tomorrow morning. He will be going to a house that has one other person living there and a 24 nurse and will be able to take him to his therapies, etc. He seems to be making big improvements everyday. We are going to go home in July so I am very excited to see him and the family!!
As for me and Halia, not much new. SHe seems to continue to amaze me every day. She is saying several word sentences and knows many signs(sign language). She is just getting so big so fast:) But she is so much fucn to watch grow and change.
I will update again later this week and try to add some pictures. I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day!! My good friend from CO/ Seattle, Jen and her girls, came down to see me and we stayed busy so I have tons of pics.
Update soon.

Long awaited update...

2008-05-08T20:21:00.000-05:00

First of all, let me start by updating on John. He is still at Craig and seems to be making gradual progress. I got to talk to him today while my parents were there, and he talked a lot more then the last time. Last time he just whispered, but I could hear him and understand much better this time. Although some of what he said, didn't make sense, it was just good to hear him talk, He was telling me about how he tried to get ahold of someone but couldnt, and was going to keep trying. He seems to know sometimes what is going on, and other times doesn't because at the end he told me he loved me and was going to give the phone back to my mom. He seems to be doing stuff sporadically. He is improving in many ways, he was unable to write his name clearly before, and today he wrote it very clear, he is also starting to be able to walk with help more often. He will seem to understand things sometimes, but if you ask him the same thing again he seems confused. At this point of his recovery it is just very hard to understand and know how he may improve. They have said that the area of his brain that was affected meant that he had to have fallen pretty hard because it is just such an awkward spot, which may be leading to the way he is recovering now. He walked quite a bit yesterday around the facility and with help of course. He also got the gt(feeding tube) out yesterday. We just need to continue to lift him up in prayer, and know that God has a bigger plan then we do. He knows what is in store for John, and all of us and I truly believe he has great plans for us.

As for the Robbins clan, we are hanging in there. Halia is just getting too big and teaching me stuff everyday. She knows at least 10 body parts, 12 different signs(sign language) and repeats everything everyone says. She loves to sing and dance and still seems to be pretty attached at the hip. But there is definately that independent two year old attitude coming out in her, because when she wants to do something, she wants it done her way or at that time. She wants to be a big girl in all that she does. She is unfortunately however starting the "terrible twos" and is getting good at throwing fits. I think we may have our hands full when she hits her teenage years, and thats something I am not even ready to think about :) She is extremely busy and wants to always be go go go. She loves to go to the park, and slide on her slide set we have in her room. She is finally starting to enjoy bath time again which has been a love/hate relationship for much of the last year. I am hoping I can take her for swim lessons this year, but we may be better to wait until next year.
As for me, I am just finished my Algebra class and passed with a "B". I am so thankful it is done, and I am taking the summer off!! But I will be hitting it full force starting again in the fall, then onto a nursing program starting next May.
As for Jake, he is doing pretty good. He is working hard doing a lot of work around the area. His team and him have made a lot of progress since he has been there and I am very proud of him for all his leadership and progress they have made. He will be hopefully be making it home much sooner then we originally thought and we couldn't be happier!!
As for Arkansas, I dont quite know what to say. I am so tired of the weather!!! We have had such an "unusual" spring from what all the locals say, and all I know is I am traumatized from having to take cover way more then I would have ever wanted too. I used to like storms, but anytime we hear storm, that means we will all be watching the tv to see whats happening.

I think of now that is all. I hope you enjoy the pics, we have been trying to get out when we can since the weather is getting nice, but still cool enough to really be outside, so we are enjoying it.

How cute is she, except for the milk pouring out of her mouth, she thinks its funny:)
Haha thats funny

Her first horseback ride, that she really didn't like at all, even with mommy with her

Do you see this look, yeah I get this look all the time Sweet Halia

She is so cute in yellow
She has fun playing outside, she loves to go "ouside"
The ball is dirty mommy

Me and my new glasses... ugh

her black eye she got falling on a chair at school, she still has clumsy feet:)
Nala thinks when she isn't a human, she is a cat haha

Halia

2008-04-29T21:34:00.000-05:00

update on John

2008-04-15T19:48:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone! Its been a little bit since I have updated with the craziness of the weather and our lives here in AR. I just talked to my mom today and they were leaving Craig. John seems to be doing well. THey had a family meeting just to let the family in on how they thought John was doing with each of the therapies and what they thought this progress would be. He is doing pretty good in each area. They did however say that he was not as "well" as the hospital in Portland let on. He still has some bruising in the brain and clots which they said will resolve itself over time, but it is starting to form scar tissue. He also had two infections the last week so he was a little down from both of those. Overall things look good, as before it is just going to take time, and probably lots of it. He is able to place together letters and numbers and say what each is, but when asked the days of the week and things like that he is still having a hard time. By the time he leaves he will not be doing things completely on his own and will still need assistance and help from the therapies. Also because of where his injury was, he will probably think he can do things faster than his body is really ready for. He is expected to be leaving Craig possibly at the end of May, but will all depend on how it goes. Also, as for sending things to him, the hospital would prefer to not have too much sent, so we are asking if you would like to send him anything that you send it to my parents address(if you need their address please email me) and they will either take it to him (they are going up every day or everyother day) or give it to him when he gets out of the hospital. Anyways, things look pretty good. Please just continue to pray for us and John.Thank you!!

The Nails

2008-04-15T11:48:00.000-05:00

NAIL IN THE FENCE
Make sure you read all the way down to the last sentence. (Most importantly the last sentence)
There once was a little boy who had a bad
temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails
and told him that every time he lost his
temper, he must hammer a nail into the back
of the fence. The first day the boy had
driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next
few weeks, as he learned to control his
anger, the number of nails hammered daily
gradually dwindled down. He discovered
it was easier to hold his temper than to
drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't
lose his temper at all. He told his father
about it and the father suggested that the
boy now pull out one nail for each day that
he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally
able to tell his father that all the nails
were gone. The father took his son by the
hand and led him to the fence He said, 'You
have done well, my son, but look at the
holes in the fence. The fence will never be
the same. When you say things in anger,
they leave a scar just like this one. You
can put a knife in a man and draw it out.
It won't matter how many times you say I'm
sorry, the wound is still there. ' A verbal
wound is as bad as a physical one.

Some pics and update on everyone

2008-04-09T19:42:00.000-05:00

Here is some pics of when Jake got to go deep sea fishing in the persian gulf . It is beautiful and the water looks awesome!! You can click on the pic to enlarge it. Jake is doing pretty good. He is of course missing us, but I think he is enjoying the job over there. He hurt is shoulder so has been taking it easy lately. I miss him like crazy and can't wait for him to come back home. I will update with more pics as I get them from him.

Here is some pics of Halia. She didn't want to leave her shirt on, then couldn't figure out how to put it back on. I finally got a picture of a pony tail in her hair(she normally takes it out too fast) but she worked pretty hard to get it out.

Also, Update on John, he is doing good at the new hospital. Mom and Dad went to see him yesterday and said that it was probably one of the best days they saw him because he was working hard with rehab. He was able to identify different objects, and when asked, he knew who "Dad" was. He has been sitting up alot. They haven't started working on standing or walking at all yet. I got to "talk" to him the other day on the phone, but couldn't really hear or understand him, until I got the "NO" occasionally when I would ask a question! That is awesome though! Such improvement from what we first saw. God is good, and all we can ask is for continued prayer and support! Thank you to everyone, and all of his friends for being there and for keeping up with his condition. For those in other places, I will do my best to update here but since I am not there either, it is just going from what I hear as well. Thanks again, and please continue to check in. He will greatly appreaciate it someday and of course we are so blessed and thankful ourselves to have the support. I am hoping eventually mom can figure out how to upload her photos and send them to me, so I can add some pics of him! Keep checking, I will work on it.

Storm pics from April 3 Tornados

2008-04-08T20:54:00.000-05:00

A fence down
A family lucky the tree fell the way it did
The cabot car lot
See the trampoline?
A billboard on hwy 67

The car lot in cabot again
A field

see the house in the distance, I think this is supposed to be a field, and I think they had damage...
clean up crews

Another lucky house in cabot

On main st in cabot

Do you see the metal wrapped around?

So Scary....

2008-04-07T13:24:00.000-05:00

Well as some of you know we had a huge line of storms that came through on last Thursday night. It was the first time we have ever had to take cover, but its just that time of year here in AR. It was probably the scariest thing I have had to go through alone. Watching the line of storms that started down in hot springs and made its way all the way past Cabot and Austin, and on up into Beebe. I just read an article that said there was 10 tornadoes total. Overall it went ok I guess. Halia and the animals and I all hid out in the closet. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as there is supposed to be more storms that come through this week. Thanks! I will add pics from the storms soon.

If only...

2008-04-03T09:33:00.000-05:00

If only we could all have the innocence and lived our lives this way

God Lives Under The BedI think this is perhaps one of the BEST email "forwards" I have ever read. I hope you will enjoy it half as much as I have!! Don't start reading this one until you've got more than 3 or 4 minutes to just "scan" over it. It deserves some time for reflection. GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED
I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night. He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, "Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed..." I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in. He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them. I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05 , eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores. And Saturdays-oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. "That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights. And so goes his world of daily ritual s and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth, of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be. His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax. He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue. Free from pride and unconcernedwith appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion. In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap . I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life i n that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God. And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed. Kevin won't be surprised at all! When you receive this, say aprayer. That's all you have to do. There is nothing attached. This is powerful. Just send this to four people and do not break this, please. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards. FRIENDS ARE ANGELS WHO LIFT US TO OUR FEET WHEN OUR WINGS HAVE TROUBLE REMEMBERING HOW TO FLY

Moved

2008-04-01T20:35:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to update really quick and let everyone know that they moved CJ today to Craig Hospital in Denver. He did on the flight there, and got settled. We are praying that this will be a good change for him, and hopefully he will be able to have complete rehab. I will update again soon when I know more.

Easter Pics

2008-03-26T21:20:00.000-05:00

Update on John

2008-03-26T13:43:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, I just wanted to update on John. He has definately had good and bad days, which is to be expected. Last thursday was an exciting day because he was sitting up with physical therapy when my parents came in to see him, and he sat and "talked" (he was hard to understand some of what he said) with them for the first time since this happened. Either way this was a good sign because he is showing he knows what is going on. That night they decided to do surgery and put his skull flap in, the surgery itself went fine, but he started to get swelling again, or hydrocephalus. Monday they put a shunt in which will help release the fluid. He seems to be doing good again, and will now hopefully be on the downhilll climb. Please continue to keep him and our family in your prayers. There are many other "issues" that the family is dealing with and the only thing we can ask is prayers. I will continue to update as there are changes. I am going to add easter pics tonight so leave some comments:)

On John...

2008-03-20T16:33:00.000-05:00

Well just wanted to write and let everyone know that John seems to be doing well. I think for awhile the posts will seem to stay the same as it is hard to take huge leaps forward with this kind of injury. He has been "waking" up some, but it is still hard to tell what he understands and what he doesn't. They took his tracheotomy c0completely out on Monday night so that is a good thing.

To his friends, for those who have not directly talked to one of us and have asked to see him, right now it would be best to give him the chance to have time to let his body heal. One of the symptoms of brain injury is aggitation. When therapies come to work with him, plus family visits it just wears him out. Some of you have also asked about if what he seems to be going through is normal, and it really is for traumatic brain injuries. To get more info, check out www.traumaticbraininjury.com or there are many of other great sites of info on the web. The problem is, every brain injury is different, and in all honestly, nobody knows what the outcome will be. All we can do is look at the steps forward that he takes, and understand there will be many steps backwards. Also his recovery will take at least a year, to get to the "John/CJ" that we will all come to know now.

Also please understand that for John's privacy I have not told every detail of things as I am updating, because unless you are personally there, I do not feel it is appropriate to tell everything. Some day when John is well and has been told of all of this, he can update you all as he will and show his scars left over, until then please understand.

Who is Jesus?

2008-03-20T16:14:00.000-05:00

Who is Jesus? HE IS JESUS WHO IS HE? IN CHEMISTRY, HE TURNED WATER TO WINE. IN BIOLOGY, HE WAS BORN WITHOUT THE NORMAL CONCEPTION; IN PHYSICS, HE DISPROVED THE LAW OF GRAVITY WHEN HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN; IN ECONOMICS, HE DISPROVED THE LAW OF DIMINISHI NG RETURN BY FEEDING 5000 MEN WITH TWO FISHES & 5 LOAVES OF BREAD; IN MEDICINE, HE CURED THE SICK AND THE BLIND WITHOUT ADMINISTERING A SINGLE DOSE OF DRUGS, IN HISTORY, HE IS THE BEGINNING AND THE END; IN GOVERNMENT, HE SAID THAT HE SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL COUNSELO R, PRINCE OF PEACE; IN RELIGION, HE SAID NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH HIM; SO. WHO IS HE? HE IS JESUS! JOIN ME AND LET'S CELEBRATE HIM; HE IS WORTHY. THE EYES BEHOLDI NG THIS MESSAGE SHALL NOT BEHOLD EVIL, THE HAND THAT WILL SEND THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYBODY SHALL NOT LABOR IN VAIN, AND THE MOUTH SAYING AMEN TO THIS PRAYER SHALL SMILE FOREVER. REMAIN IN GOD AND SEEK HIS FACE ALWAYS. AMEN IN GOD I'VE FOUND EVERYTHING! The Greatest Man in History Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master. Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today. I feel honored to serve such a Leader who loves us! If you believe in God and in Jesus Christ His Son .. send this to all on your buddy list. If not just ignore it. If you ignore it, just remember that Jesus said . 'If you deny me before man, I will deny you before my Father in Heaven
'We exist to share the good news of Jesus Christ'

Food for thought

2008-03-18T12:32:00.001-05:00

I was reading something today that encouraged me just a little bit, and I just wanted to share... I am not going to tell the entire story for privacy reasons, but...

A local man was enouraged when, after a tragic accident and loss, God spoke to him and said, no matter how much pain you are having and as bad as your heart is hurting, You need to know that my love for you is even bigger than your hurt and that His light is bigger than our darkness.

I think so often when things get tough we tend to forget that. I know right now that was encouraging for me, because in the midst of all that is going on in our lives, it makes it seem smaller to know that God loves us, and although times get tough he will always be there and love us more than anything we can feel here on earth.

Almost spring..

2008-03-16T22:07:00.000-05:00

Well just a little update on us right now... Life seems to be crazy lately, if definately pours, and happens all at once. But God won't hand us more than we can handle right? Our family seems to be being tested right now. John seems to be doing better as the days go on, but each day brings a new challenge. He has been moving much more and seems to be responding more regularly since he first got the infection. He will be on antibiotics until friday, then will be reevaluated. We are just taking things one day at a time, and hoping that each day brings something new and even if it is not huge improvements, with brain injuries, rest and calm days are sometimes a good thing. Also my sister in law, Emily, was in a car accident the other day. She is doing ok, but just keep them in your prayers. As for us personally, we are doing ok. Trying to get back to some form of normalcy. But that seems hard to do when we can't sleep normally, and everything is just overwhelming. Jake has been getting home sick. I am sure he is really missing Halia. I am amazed by how much she has changed and learned just in the few weeks he has been gone. As for me, I am just trying to feel somewhat like I am doing ok. I am trying to get back to work and get things taken care of around the house.
We have had a chance to get out some though, Halia and I went to the park and went shopping. We also went with some friends and did a Easter party and egg hunt. I added some pics, and will add more again soon.

Halia got some eggs
All the girls

A Brother's Song

2008-03-13T09:25:00.000-05:00

I thought this is pretty fitting of our current situation. It helps remind us that we never know the capabilities one can have, and the power of God. Keep our faith and all openness to possiblities.

A BROTHER'S SONG - "You are My Sunshine, My only Sunshine"Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They found out that the new baby was going be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister in mommy's tummy. He was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met her. The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an active member of the Pan ther <>Creek United Methodist Church in Morristown , Tennessee . In time, the labor pains came. Soon it was every five minutes, every three, every minute. But serious complications arose during delivery and Karen found herself in hours of labor. Would a C-section be required? Finally, after a long struggle, Michael's little sister was born. But she was in very serious condition.
With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville , Tennessee . The days inched by. The little girl got worse. The pediatrician had to tell the parents there is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst. Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial plot. They had fixed up a special room in their house for their new baby but now they found themselves having to plan for a funeral. Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. I want to sing to her, he kept saying. Week t wo in intensive care looked as if a funeral would come before the week was over. Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister, but kids are never allowed in Intensive Care. Karen decided to take Michael whether they liked it or not. If he didn't see his sister right then, he may never see her alive. She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and marched him into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry basket. The head nurse recognized him as a child and bellowed, "Get that kid out of here now. No children are allowed." The mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed right into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line. "He is not leaving until he sings to his sister" she stated. Then Karen towed Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazed at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. After a moment, he began to sing. In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang: "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray." Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond. The pulse rate began to calm down and become steady. "Keep on singing, Michael," encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes. "You never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away." As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's ragged, strained bre athing became as smooth as a kitten's purr. "Keep on singing, sweetheart." "The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms." Michael's little sister began to relax as rest, healing rest, seemed to sweep over her. "Keep on singing, Michael." Tears had now conquered the face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glowed. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Please don't take my sunshine away..." The next day...the very next day...the little girl was well enough to go home. Woman's Day Magazine called it "The Miracle of a Brother's Song.". The medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called it a miracle of God's love. NEVER GIVE UP ON THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE. LOVE IS SO INCREDIBLY POWERFUL.

The long awaited update

2008-03-12T17:28:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Sorry it took me so long, it just seems like the last few weeks are a blur. As for John, I left last wednesday so what I know now is what has been passed on. Before I left Portland he seemed to be doing pretty good. He had seemed to be getting really anxious, and on the monday before, they took him off the ventalator and he was breathing on his own completely, so he only had a mister that was over the trach blowing in good air. It was hard to know that I was leaving him and will not be able to be there to see and help in his progress. Before I left, I told him I was leaving and that he needed to work with all the people who were there to help him get better. He looked like he was trying to mouth something when I told him I would be leaving, and got frustrated. He can not talk even if he wanted to because he does have the trach. I got back to CO late wed night. After I left John got infection really bad and was running a temp of about 40degreesC. They took his drain out that was measuring his innercranial pressure which could have also been a major source of infection. He seemed to be lethargic since he had the infection, probably just his bodies way of trying to recover from it. They did move him to a different area called TRACU which is the step down unit for the Trauma ICU he was in, and will hopefully start with the recovery and therapy process. Our family and friends also worked to get him moved out of his house and into storage as his landlord was a pretty big jerk about it all. Other then that there hasn't been much other change that I am aware of. I talked to my mom tonight and he said he opened his eyes more tonight then he has since he got the infection. He goes for a MRI tomorrow. We are still praying and hoping for the best. John is a fighter and will all hope, by the end of this he will be as close to the John we all knew. Keep him in your prayers and thoughts. I will try to do better at updating now.

As for me, I made it home to AR. Halia did great considering all the traveling we have done in the last three weeks. We were in at least 7 different places in 15 days. We are worn out and glad to have made it home. I start back to work tomorrow.

Jake is doing good, he is doing base security at the base he is at. He said it is already really hot there and working outside he is getting a nice tan on his face and arms:)

I hope everyone is doing well. I will update again soon. I will also add pics that we did get on the trip. Halia is saying so many words now, she repeats everything we say. She is doing a lot of signs now. She is lots of fun, and growing up so fast. Now is just the task of getting her into her routine again.

I will write again soon.

Will update...

2008-03-09T21:09:00.000-05:00

Hey all, sorry I have updated the last few days, honestly I was taking some time for me. I left Portland Wed and feel like I have been traveling constantly, so I spent some time with friends. I am in route to AR right now, so I will get back on tomorrow night and update all of the last week or so. Check back, and bare with me:)

2008-03-03T13:02:00.000-06:00

Well everyday seems to bring something different. Starting Saturday John has started to open his eye and track us for a brief time. He also seems to follow commands like to squeeze our hand or point to let us know that he hears us, however not every time. The doctors remain optimistic that John will recover and wake up from the coma. They are still predicting he will stay in somewhat of a coma state for two to four weeks. The awakening portion of a coma is traumatic on patients and they go through periods of agitation and stress. He has had several times where he seems to want to say something or do something and just can't get it out or can't find the right words. He has had a few downs of course as well, but with each step forward there will probably be two steps back and we have to prepare ourselves for that. We are just trying to stay strong, and as hard as it is, give him the rest he needs in order to allow his body to heal, which means that we limit our visits.

Thats all the news for now. Thanks so much for all of the comments and prayers, etc. It is so nice to know that there are so many people who care, and the stronger our support system, the easier it will be for John to get better faster.

March 1 update

2008-03-01T14:54:00.000-06:00

Well it is so hard to write and try to update or put into words how I am feeling. The last few days John has looked a lot better. He is not nearly as swollen, but we have been trying to let him rest more in hopes that he will come along and hopefully the more rest he gets the sooner he will wake up. We had some good news from the Coast Guard. He got his promotion and will be making chief, which is a huge step for him. They came in today and pinned on his pin for him and are doing a ceremony for him (with the family) on this coming Wednesday.

As for us, Jake made it to the desert and seems to be doing ok so far. He will be working three days on, one day off for the duration of his deployment.
As for Halia and I we are hanging in there. She has been really good under the circumstances and Emma(my bf) came to help out with Halia and be here for me. It has been great to have her with us and just have someone close. We spent last night in the ER(at the same hosp) with Halia because she fell at the hotel and hit her head on the side of the fireplace. The initial shock of it was upsetting and she cried, but we held her and bandaged it and she completely forgot about it, even in the waiting room. Then after two hrs of waiting they put some numbing cream on and put three stitches in. That was one of the hardest things as a mom to hold your baby who doesn't understand why she can't move and listen to her scream just because she was being held down. I think she was actually more afraid of just being held down than what was actually going on. She was a trooper though.
That's all the news for now, but I will update in the next day or two. Keep checking in on us and leave comments. Thanks to everyone who is praying for us and keeping us in your thoughts.

Another day....

2008-03-01T14:53:00.001-06:00

another day (Feb 29th)
Well yesterday seemed to be the first day that I think everyone was kind of at ease with the situation, if thats possible. John looked good compared to what he had. A lot of the swelling went down in his face and hand especially, he seemed to respond more when we asked him to sqeeze our hand, and even seemed to get that half smile he gets. We are hoping each day will be improvement. Right now is just his way of catching up on all the sleep he doesn't get. I will continue to update.

Updates....

2008-03-01T14:49:00.000-06:00

This crazy world...
As most of you know this week has kind of turned our worlds upside down. I had planned a trip to CO to visit friends and family because Jake was going to be deployed and I thought it would be nice to have the comfort of "home". Well last wed.(feb 20th) we recieved a call that John(my oldest brother) had had an accident and fallen down stairs and was in ICU in critical condition. He has severe head trauma and has remanined in a coma since the accident. Friday I left for CO and was there for a day, to fly to Portland on tuesday. We made it here and headed to the hosp to see him. I can't say I really knew what to expect, but you never think you will see your own family look like that. It becomes almost like it is not reality, like we are just going through the motions, but that it can not possibly be true and we will wake up to how things were. He has seemed to make some improvement over the last few days, but still remains in critical condition. He has had two surgeries, one a little more serious, that allowed for the pressure he had to have somewhere to go, and the other to help get the tubes out of his mouth by having other access. We are all praying for a miracle and that he will wake up and be on his way to recovery. But right now, it is just a waiting game, when and if he wakes up, then how he is neurologically when he does.
I want to thank everyone for the prayers and support. I am sorry I have not been able to get back to everyone as we can not use the phone in his room, and by the time we can it seems to be tedious to tell the same story over and over sometimes. Please feel free to call and I will return everyones calls as I can.
Please pray for a quick recovery, and God's grace and will be on him. Right now all any of us can do is pray.
Thank you for everyone who has helped and allowed for me to be out here, by watching the house, dogs, cats, etc. I appreciate you all more than you know.
Please also keep Jake in your prayers. He left Sunday, and make it to the middleeast yesterday. It was very hard for him to leave at this time, but unfortunately duty calls, and he is needed there. He will be gone for about 6-8 months, so I will keep you updated onthat as well.

How adorable is she?

2008-02-02T11:25:00.000-06:00

18months

2008-01-29T21:37:00.000-06:00

Jake left thursday for training in Germany. He will be back late Sunday night for about two weeks. He said that it is really cold there and to make it worse they are having to be out in the field a few days. Halia and I took him to the airport on thursday and headed home. It has been lonely and is definately going to be a challenge with him gone. Halia had her 18 month check up today. Dr.Williams said she looks great. She was 22lbs 14oz and a little over 30in. She is in the 25% for height and weight! The only bad news we got was that since her left tube fell out of her ear a few weeks ago, she now has an ear infection. I am guessing at her check up on the 11th of Feb, we may end up making an appointment to get another tube put in. Other then that, she is doing wonderful. She understands so much now and is becoming her own little person. She definately has her "1yr old" moments but I am trying to learn to brush them off as I know there will be many "moments" in the years to come that I will just have to learn to let go.

new pics

2008-01-20T07:26:00.000-06:00

Telling daddy she wants more...
Signing "more"
Talking to grandma on the phone
Takes concentration...

Maybe she heard the tv?

So sweet...

My anniversary flowers

SHe's getting good at it
She likes to draw, even in the tub

Is that curly hair or just crazy?
4yr Anniversary

She walks!!! Yay!

2008-01-13T17:23:00.000-06:00

Last week she started going from point to point, as long as she had something to aim for she would give it a shot. Now she is constantly walking. She is still a little unsteady, but she will get the hang of it.

She tired herself out

The first picture we got was when I was about to give her a bath and she decided she wanted to go in the other room. Stark naked. Haha oh well what can you do

Alex and Halia eating pizza(Alex is her first daycare providers little boy who is the same age as Halia)

update

2008-01-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

Well I haven't updated recently, and I just realized I never added the rest of the xmas pics so I will try to do that later. Halia had her follow up ENT appointment on monday and after an attempt with antibiotic drops to clear them out, her left tube has fallen out. So she wants to wait a few weeks and check her again to see if there is any signs of infection and how she does being that it is the height of cold season, then we will go from there at the next appointment. She is finally starting to walk on her own. She has started being more brave and as long as she has something to aim for that she can grab onto at the end, she waves to us, throws her arms up and off she goes, a little wobbly and all :) It is fun to watch her try so hard, and she always looks at us after expecting us to get excited! It will be nice to have her walking on her own some instead of having to carry her everywhere. She has also learned to play peek-a-boo and will cover her eyes and laugh. Then you say peek-a-boo and she throws them off. Precious. I hope everyone is doing well! I will add more pics when we have a chance.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T19:14:00.000-06:00

I hope that everyone had a happy and safe new year!! We had a good time with lots of company at our house. We watched the ball drop and spent time with a group of our good friends well into the late hrs of the night. Then all woke up early to watch the Cotton Bowl. We had a house full until about 4 this evening when everyone finally gave in to the fact that we were tired and only had about three hours of sleep in the last 48 hrs while we continued to share in the festivities. Here is some of the pics

The girls
Sue, Kara, and Mel
Kara, Lisa, and Lauren

Getting close to midnight
Lauren, Lisa, and Kara

Alll the boys

Halia Likes to draw....

Just some random thoughts... baby brag

2007-12-28T16:31:00.000-06:00

It just amazes me to see how fast our little ones grow up. I know those of you who are older then us are laughing as you reading this probably saying that we have no idea. I just look back over the last 17months and am amazed at how fast Halia has grown, and on top of that, despite all the fear we may have had along the way, is incredibly smart and healthy despite all the odds. Yes we face all the things any parents of an almost 2yr old face, tantrums, leaving work early for fever, or the constant snotty nose. But she is amazing. She is not walking constantly yet, but I figure in her own time she will. The dr is not at all worried about it and encouraged us that her small feet have nothing to do with it as we both have small feet too. :) Plus I think in all reality she is walking far more then she leads us to believe at daycare, because everytime I go to pick her up without knowing I am there, she walks to the girls. How frustrating. I guess she just knows that we will baby her and carry her if she crawls so helplessly to our feet and lifts her arms and uhs at us. How can we resist snuggles? She is responding much more regularly to our questions by shaking her head yes or no. When we came home from Papa and Bana's on monday, we had not unpacked yet. Usually Halia will go to my suitcase and pull anything she can out and play with it. This time, she decided only to grab her bib that she saw, and walked into the kitchen to her highchair and want up. I guess she thought we were not going to feed her and wanted to make sure we knew she was hungry. Then wednesday she woke up from her nap and had her passi and blanket. Normally after nap she has snack. Well this time she shook her head no. So I held her for awhile and she kept laying her head down. FInally she took the passi out of her mouth and said, there go, handed me her blanket, there go. I asked if she was ready for snack and now she shook her head yes. She is always doing little things like that now and it is so cute, but I wanted to share a few. I never knew the love you could have for someone until you have a child, and I think I have probably heard that somewhere before, but it couldn't be more true.
Just wanted to share some thoughts...

Our Christmas weekend!

2007-12-26T15:52:00.000-06:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We had a good but busy one! This weekend we went to Ft. Smith and did Christmas with his mom on Sat. Then on sunday we woke up and did Christmas with his dad and their side of the family. Sunday night we went to Aunt Melanies and did dinner with the family there and white elephant exchange. Monday we can home to be able to do our own Christmas as a family at our house. Halia woke up and opened presents from Santa which was fun. I cooked dinner that night, and We had two friends over for dinner.

All the girls and us

Caitlin
Tenley
Paige and Reese
Donleigh

Here is some of the pics, I will add more later

A Ribbon for our soldiers- please remember

2007-12-20T15:16:00.000-06:00

I sat in my seat of the Boeing 767 waiting for everyone to hurry and stow their carry-ons and grab a seat so we could start what I was sure to be a long , uneventful flight home. With the huge capacity and slow moving people taking their time to stuff luggage far too big for the overhead and never paying much attention to holding up the growing line behind them, I simply shook my head knowing that this flight was not starting out very well. I was anxious to get home to see my loved ones so I was focused on "my" issues and just felt like standing up and yelling for some of these clowns to get their act together. I knew I couldn't say a word so I just thumbed thru the "Sky Mall" magazine from the seat pocket in front of me. You know it's really getting rough when you resort to the over priced, useless sky mall crap to break the monotony.
With everyone finally seated, we just sat there with the cabin door open and no one in any hurry to get us going although we were well past the scheduled take off time. No wonder the airline industry is in trouble I told myself. Just then, the attendant came on the intercom to inform us all that we were being delayed.
The entire plane let out a collective groan. She resumed speaking to say "We are holding the aircraft for some very special people who are on their way to the plane and the delay shouldn't be more than 5 minutes. The word came after waiting six times as long as we were promised that "I" was finally going to be on my way home.
Why the hoopla over "these" folks?
I was expecting some celebrity or sport figure to be the reason for the hold up.........Just get their butts in a seat and lets hit the gas I thought.
The attendant came back on the speaker to announce in a loud and excited voice that we were being joined by several U. S. Marines returning home from Iraq!!! Just as they walked on board, the entire plane erupted into applause. The men were a bit taken by surprise by the 210 people cheering for them as they searched for their seats. They were having their hands shook and touched by almost everyone who was within an arm's distance of them as they passed down the aisle. One elderly woman kissed the hand of one of the Marines as he passed by her. The applause, whistles and cheering didn't stop for a long time. When we were finally airborne, "I" was not the only civilian checking his conscience as to the delays in "me" getting home, finding my easy chair, a cold beverage and the remote in my hand.

These men had done for all of us and I had been complaining silently about "me" and "my" issues. I took for granted the everyday freedoms I enjoy and the conveniences of the American way of life. I took for granted that others had paid the price for my ability to moan and complain about a few minutes delay. Not thinking of the price paid by those Heroes going home to their loved ones. I attempted to get my selfish outlook back in order and minutes before we landed I suggested to the attendant that she announce over the speaker a request for everyone to remain in their seats until our hero's were allowed to gather their things and be first off the plane.
The cheers and applause continued until the last Marine stepped off and we all rose to go about our too often taken for granted everyday freedoms......... I felt proud of them. I felt it an honor and a privilege to be among the first to welcome them home and say Thank You for a job well done. I vowed that I will never forget that flight nor the lesson learned. I can't say it enough, to those Veterans and active servicemen and women who may read this and a prayer for those who cannot because they are no longer with us.

GOD BLESS AMERICA! HOME! AND FOR A JOB WELL DONE !!!!!

This is a ribbon for soldiers fighting in Iraq. Pass it on to everyone and pray.

2007-12-17T19:01:00.000-06:00

Halia was helping me finish baking today, and she really enjoying tasting it :)

I am all done mommy, look at my big belly
She was digging in my purse and found a kleenex to blow her nose

Passed out for her afternoon nap after shopping

We got elfed!

2007-12-17T12:36:00.001-06:00

Thanks John, this is cute!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1142132750

random pics

2007-12-17T06:50:00.000-06:00

The cats like hanging out under the tree

She thought it was fun getting into mommy's stuff

Spouses wine tasting at my house

Java

Kona

Jake's Christmas party Dec 7th

2007-12-16T18:32:00.000-06:00

Jakes ride, toy drive

2007-12-09T17:20:00.000-06:00

Jake did the toys for toy motorcycle ride on December 1st. They had a great turn out and a great time! Elmo enjoyed the ride as well!

Spagettio fun

2007-12-03T06:50:00.000-06:00

She had a lot of fun this weekend eating spagettios. She liked that I gave her the bowl and spoon because they made pretty music, and she could still use her other hand to eat:)

Christmas card suggestions-Remember our Troops

2007-11-30T11:46:00.002-06:00

Hey all, I think this is neat. If you can afford to make out just one more card... I am a little bias since hubby is military, but it means so much to them to get stuff in the mail....

Christmas card suggestionWhen doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to this address. If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderfully special people, who have sacrificed so much, would receive.A Great Idea!!!When you are making out your Christmas cards this year, please include the following: A Recovering American Soldier c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center 6900 Georgia Avenue,NW Washington,DC 20307-5001

Happy Holidays!!

2007-11-26T13:39:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving and some of James's wedding pics

I hope everyone had a great month of November!! It has been awhile since I have updated and added pictures as we have just had a crazy month! I can not believe it is almost December! We have had a busy month. We have both been working. I am taking classes online which are keeping me (and mom haha) very busy new testament last quarter and old testament this quarter. Halia is growing like crazy!! She is still not quite walking, I figure she thinks its more fun to be held and crawl fast:) She has said quite a few words, but is getting really good at telling us no in not so many words:) The weekend of the 10th was James and Emily's wedding in Missouri! It was very pretty and great to see all the family! We welcome Emily to the family! I will be adding pics soon. The weekend of the 16th Jake and I went to a marriage retreat called a weekend to remember by familylife in St. Louis and it was amazing! I would absolutely recommend it to anyone. We had a great time, just wish we could have done a little more sight seeing while there, but it will definately be a trip we will have to take again soon! Thanksgiving weekend we went up to Fort Smith and ate intirely too much food! Thurday we did the big thanksgiving at Randy and Janet's with all the family. Friday morning we got up early and did the crazy black friday shopping then watched th Arkansas game and watched them win against their biggest rival LSU!!! We should be going to a bowl now! We went and had another thanksgiving dinner at Granny Edna's, then sat went to lunch at our favorite chinese restaurant. Finally we are home and plan on staying home until Christmas and we are ready to enjoy our house for awhile :) We are cleaning and putting the tree up and going to do lots of baking this weekend! I am starting to get excited about the holidays and the weather is finally participating in the mood. Hope you all had a great thanksgiving! I will update pics soon

Halloween pics

2007-11-04T13:30:00.000-06:00

It has been awhile since I added pics. We have had a tiring few weeks. Jake and I have been sick with pneumonia and I am praying to God that Halia hasn't gotten it. We are finally starting to feel better, just took awhile. So during that time my energy level to do anything extra just wasn't there. We had a good halloween though, and she enjoyed trick or treating although I don't think she quite understood it. I was suprised she left her hood on because she normally hates hats, but she did good with it and was cute as can be. She couldn't keep your hand out of the bucket. She thought if they were putting candy in, she needed to take it out. I will update with new pics as we take them. This is going to be a busy month. Next weekend is James and Emily's wedding, so off to Missouri this weekend. The weekend after Jake and I are going to a marriage retreat in St. Luis, so that should be fun. Then thanksgiving! Hope everyone is doing well and miss and love you all!

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-22T20:19:00.000-05:00

Here is all of our p ics from the pumpkin patch! There is lots of cute ones!! Leave us some love:)

This is my favorite!!!

The sun was in her eyes, but shes still cute

Me and my girl!
She likes driving

This weekend

2007-10-21T21:12:00.000-05:00

We had a busy weekend! Friday night Jake and I went out. Saturday morning Halia and I did the race for the cure with Lisa and Keira and Lisa's friend. We probably walked about 5miles total. Halia did good, but passed out halfway through. We went to Gavin's birthday party later that day. Sunday we went to church then went to the pumpkin patch and got lots of cute fall pics!! Enjoy them!

Cabot fest 07

2007-10-16T20:53:00.001-05:00

She had a sucker, and was sticky all over
She had a lot of sitting on the carousel

She didnt like it once it started going

Some of the cool cars

storm pics

2007-10-15T07:23:00.000-05:00

The clouds here always look crazy before a storm, I wish the pics could capture how cool it looks

Joshua's bday

2007-10-15T07:17:00.000-05:00

They had tubes set up for Joshua's birthday! Halia had fun playing in them!

Halia size rocking chair, she just had to sit down
I'm pooped mom...

She is so fun!

2007-10-08T14:52:00.000-05:00

Well, we have had a good week. This weekend we were busy busy as usual. Halia and I went to the park saturday. She amazes me how quickly she learns. When we had taken her to the park last weekend, Emily and I helped her slide, I would get at the top, and Emily would catch her. This weekend, it was just me so I would put her at top and then sit at the bottom to catch her. She would smile big, then lean forward and slide down. She did great and had a blast. She looks funny being so little and holding herself up so well sliding down the big slide. She is starting to say a lot more words now. She can say mama, dada, hi, oh, thank you, night, she has said love you like twice, and her favorite right now is uh oh. She is not quite walking, but could be if she wanted to, she just thinks she can get places quicker crawling. We have our follow up dr appointment today, so I will keep you posted on that. It is so much fun seeing them learn and grow. She is at such a fun age right now. Just to see her experience things that we so often take for granted. I love to hear her giggle and everything seems to make her giggle. Let me tell you though, we have a drama queen on our hands. She is such a faker most the time, but wants you to know she is frustrated. :) Yesterday was Joshuas birthday party. He had tubes set up, and she had a lot of fun playing in those. I will add pics soon!! As for Jake and I, we are doing good. Busy with work and I have been super busy with school. Hope everyone is doing well!

She loves it!!
Looking at other kids playing

Brushing her teeth again:)
Showing mommy where her passi is at
Sleeping with her tush in the air

She loves swinging:)

Update

2007-09-29T16:05:00.000-05:00

Well we took Halia to the doctor last monday after we had a long weekend. She had been coughing really bad, and started wheezing to the point she wasn't able to sleep because of it. She was 21 lbs 12 oz. They told us that she seemed to be a little inflamed and gave us some medicine and an inhaler, she said if it helped her, there is a good possibility that she has asthma. We will do a follow up in about a week and go from there. Not much else new. I am taking online classes and have been busy with that. It is going good though. Hope everyone is doing well. Here is pics from recently, just got them uploaded.

Good sayings I found...

2007-09-21T13:48:00.000-05:00

1. Give God what's right -- not what's left. 2. Man's way leads to a hopeless end! -- God's way leads to an endless hope. 3. A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing. 4. He who kneels before God can stand before anyone. 5. In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma--but never let him be the period. 6. Don't put a question mark where God puts a period. 7. Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the church for a face-lift. 8. When praying, don't give God instructions - just report for duty. 9. Don't wait for six strong men to take you to church. 10. We don't change God's message -- His message changes us. 11. The church is prayer-conditioned. 12. When God ordains, He sustains. 13. WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning. 14. Plan ahead -- It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark. 15. Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory position. 16. Suffering from truth decay? Brush up on your Bible. 17. Exercise daily -- walk with the Lord. 18. Never give the devil a ride -- he will always want to drive. 19. Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it. 20. Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back. 21. He who angers you controls you. 22. Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop. 23. Give Satan an inch & he'll be a ruler. 24. Be ye fishers of men -- you catch them & He'll clean them.. 25. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Race for the Cure, we are doing it!!

2007-09-20T09:05:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,
I recently accepted the challenge to raise funds to save a life by joining the Because I Care fundraising program for the Susan G. Komen Arkansas Race for the Cure®. I can help in the fight against breast cancer.
One in eight women will be stricken with breast cancer in her lifetime. In Arkansas, a mammogram costs an estimated $150. By helping me raise that amount you can help me save a life. The more we raise, the more the Arkansas Affiliate can give back to fund vital breast cancer education, screening and treatment programs in our own community and support the national search for a cure.
Click here to visit my personal page and pledge your support.
Please join me in my effort to save a life. Your generous tax-deductible contribution will fund innovative outreach and awareness programs for medically underserved communities in Arkansas and national breast cancer research. It is faster and easier than ever to support this great cause - you can make a donation online by simply clicking on the link provided in this message. Whatever you can give will help! I truly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.
Thank you so much for your time and support in the fight against breast cancer! Every step counts!
Sincerely,
Halia Robbins
To sponsor my participation online, click here.

The Four Blessed Looks

2007-09-19T15:21:00.000-05:00

THE FOUR BLESSED LOOKS: Look back and thank God, Look forward and trust God, Look around and serve God, Look within and find God. "I asked God, 'How do I get the best out of life? God said, 'Face your past without regrets. Handle your present with confidence. And prepare for the future without fear. "Without God, our week is:
Mournday, Tearsday, Wasteday, Thirstday, Fightday, Shatterday and Sinday. So, allow Him to be with you everyday. "Life is short, so: Forgive quickly, Believe slowly, Love truly, and Laugh uncontrollably. Never regret anything that makes you happy. And have a wonderful journey.
"The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you."

Ten Guidelines from God

2007-09-17T10:39:00.000-05:00

Effective Immediately, please be aware that there are changes YOU need to make in YOUR life. These changes need to becompl eted in order that I may fulfill My promises to you to grant you peace, joy and happiness in this life. I apologize for any inconvenience, but after all that I am doing, this seems very little to ask of you. Please, follow these 10 guidelines
1. QUIT WORRYING:
Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?
2. PUT IT ON THE LIST: Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all... God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.
3. TRUST ME:
Once you've given your burdens to Me,
quit trying to take them back. Trust in
Me.. Have the faith that I will take care of
all your needs, your problems and your trials.
Problems with the kids? Put them on My list.
Problem with finances? Put it on My list.
Problems with your emotional roller coaster?
For My sake, put it on My list. I want to
help you. All you have to do is ask.
4. LEAVE IT ALONE:
Don't wake up one morning and say,
"Well, I'm feeling much stronger now, I think
I can handle it from here." Why do you think
you are feeling stronger now? It's simple.
You gave Me your burdens and I'm taking
care of them. I also renew your strength
and cover you in my peace. Don't you
know that if I give you these problems back,
you will be right back where you started?
Leave them with Me and forget about
them. Just let Me do my job.
5. TALK TO ME:
I want you to forget a lot of things.
Forget what was making you crazy.
Forget the worry and the fretting because
you know I'm in control. But there's one
thing I pray you never forget. Please, don't
forget to talk to Me - OFTEN! I love YOU!
I want to hear your voice. I want you to
include Me in on the things going on in your life.
I want to hear you talk about your friends
and family. Prayer is simply you having
a conversation with Me. I want to be your
dearest friend.
6. HAVE FAITH:
I see a lot of things from up here that you
can't see from where you are. Have faith in
Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me;
you wouldn't want the view from My eyes.
I will continue to care for you, watch over you,
and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me.
Although I have a much bigger task than you,
it seems as if you have so much trouble just
doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE:
You were taught to share when you were
only two years old. When did you forget?
That rule still applies. Share with those who are
less fortunate than you. Share your joy with
those who need encouragement. Share your
laughter with those who haven't heard any in
such a long time. Share your tears with those
who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith
with those who have none.
8. BE PATIENT:
I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime
you could have so many diverse experiences.
You grow from a child to an adult, have children,
change jobs many times, learn many trades,
travel to so many places, meet thousands
of people, and experience so much. How can
you be so impatient then when it takes Me
a little longer than you expect to handle
something on My to-do-list? Trust in My
timing, for My timing is perfect. Just
because I created the entire universe in
only six days, everyone thinks I should
always rush, rush, rush.
9.. BE KIND:
Be kind to others, for I love them just
as much as I love you. They may not dress
like you, or talk like you, or live the same way
you do, but I still love you all. Please try
to get along, for My sake. I created each
of you different in some way. It would be
too boring if you were all identical.
Please, know I love each of your differences.
10. LOVE YOURSELF:
As much as I love you, how can you not
love yourself? You were created by me for
one reason only -- to be loved, and to love
in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me.
Love your neighbors. But also love yourself.
It makes My heart aches when I see you
so angry with yourself when things go
wrong. You are very precious to me.
Don't ever forget...... I love you

Brenda and Charli's Story!

2007-09-12T11:54:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, This is my friend Brenda's little girls story, please read it and check out her blog. Charli is the same age as Halia.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. During this time, we are making it our duty to raise awareness to these horrid diseases that our children have to fight. We would like to preface this with saying that we are not looking for sympathy, however we are trying to get your attention to see what is actually going on. This is a world that many know nothing about. In July of 2006 our daughter, Charli Ann Preister, was born. She was beautiful…had gorgeous eyes and defined eyebrows at birth! She was perfect, and came home a few days later. We enjoyed loving her and sharing her with our family. She lived with our two dogs who adored her. When she was five months old, we noticed that she didn’t really want to roll over, and it seemed to make her down right mad! We thought nothing of this. We knew that we didn’t give her enough tummy time, and thought that she was just lazy to be honest! Shortly before turning 7 months old, she started to “change” personality, or so we thought. I can remember it like it was yesterday – February 23rd she just acted different. When I picked her up from daycare she was crying, we all thought she must have been tired. This behavior continued for a few days. We tried everything. We fed her more, we fed her less, we tried to have her nap more, nap less. It got to the point were she wouldn’t eat and didn’t want to move at all. We thought she had an ear infection, we took her in “she looks great” we were told. We thought maybe she broke a bone somehow, we took her in “she looks fine” we heard. Finally, we were grasping at straws. We thought she had a twisted bowel, strep throat, pulled muscles, etc. We KNEW something was wrong, but we could not find it. After three weeks of being in and out of the doctors office, nights in the hospital, endless hours of crying (both Charli and us!) we took it a step further and took Charli to Children’s Hospital in Omaha, NE. We thought we had lost our bright and happy baby. The morning we took Charli down, she was actually having a great day, it was March 14, 2007. Within a few minutes of being in the clinic, we were told that something was wrong with her, and that we would not be going home. I felt terrible, why did I wait so long to bring her here? We were told it was either a tumor or some sort, or spinal infection. After intensive blood work, we were able to rule out the infection. Later that day an MRI was done, showing a mass in Charli’s abdomen. We were told that it was “just a mass” and that they had an excellent neurosurgeon that would remove it and everything would be fine. It was more of a pain in the butt, than anything else. PRAISE THE LORD! We were so sad that she would need to have surgery in that delicate area, but we knew something was wrong, and thank God, it wasn’t worse. A few hours later, we got a call that the initial report was incorrect; it was most likely a cancerous tumor. We were told that our daughter had cancer, and it was probably neuroblastoma. That evening we met with a team of doctors to discuss what would need to be done. Charli’s tumor had wrapped around her spine, and had even started to grow into her spinal canal. On March 16, Charli had her first surgery, the biopsy. We had to wait a week for the final results to come in. On March 22, we received the call. Yes, Charli does have neuroblastoma, stage III, intermediate risk. We were told that chemo would be starting the next day. We have a great oncology team in Omaha and although we had a rocky start, we couldn’t ask for better care. Charli had her port put in and bone marrows checked on March 23. The next day, she had her first round of chemo. This was tough weekend for Chad, Charli and I. We were learning about the relentless disease and what could be ahead of us - hearing horror stories, and absolute miracles. We finally came home the next week. We had to take Charli in to get her blood work done twice a week, at our local hospital. They were great with her. To be honest, she was great for them too! I think she only cried once when they did her blood work…and she was poked probably close to 20 times overall in that office. She is so strong. Chad and I also had to give Charli a shot each night for about 7-12 days after each treatment. It wasn’t fun to give the shot, but it was almost an out of body experience. To be honest, the entire ordeal has been that way. We did what we needed to do. Every three weeks we loaded up the car and headed to Omaha for the weekend, filling bags of toys, clothes, and magazines for mom and dad. We were fortunate that the doctors let us do Charli’s treatment over the weekends. This allowed Chad to work as much as possible, and allowed my adjusted work schedule to be unaffected. We would leave early Friday morning and get back Sunday evening. The worst treatment for Charli was the second cycle of chemo. She got sick and was not herself. The week after being released from treatment, we were down in Omaha again with high temperatures. Charli received her first and only blood transfusion. After each treatment, we could see improvement. She started to want to eat again after the first treatment, but after the second, she lost the desire again. She started eating really well several weeks ago, and now she is a great eater! She lost her hair, although some people still say that she didn’t! (trust me, she did!). At the time, we felt like she was doing great. But, to look back at pictures of her during treatment – you can see it in her eyes…she was almost hallow. She looked pale, sick, and just not “Charli”. It literally breaks my heart to look at those pictures; even now, that she is doing so well. She was a different baby, and I know it was from the chemo – although that is what made her better, it made her ‘worse’ at the same time. We were told that she would require four treatments, but would most likely need eight total. After four treatments, we were scheduled for scans (MRI) the weekend of what would have been her fifth treatment. Once getting down there, the Dr. decided that in order to be 100% of what our next move should be, we should schedule Charli for a CT scan. After doing this, we consulted with the Dr. about the results. We found out that her tumor shrunk considerably. However, the tumor was still located on her spin. At this point we did not know if it was active or not, and surgery was not an option. Chad and I had the grueling decision of what to do next. We could continue treatment hoping that it would shrink the tumor and/or pull it off her spine; maybe even enough to surgically remove the remaining tumor. However this option did not guarantee anything, it was possible that with treatment the tumor would stay the same. Or, we could do nothing. Just sit and wait? This didn’t sound like a very good option to us, to do nothing. But, after talking it over we decided that the risks of unnecessary chemo were far greater than the risks of closely monitoring her for change. As it stands we go see the doctor every six weeks for scans and/or check ups. So far, we have been beyond blessed with success. Having said that, neuroblastoma is a disease than can literally strike at anytime – and I am not sure we will ever feel safe again. So here we are. September 2007, Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Charli is walking, crawling, rolling, falling, playing, eating, drinking, dancing, loving, and doing everything a child her age should be doing. She is amazing, and truly my hero. Even when she didn’t feel good, her desire to WANT to feel good overpowered her sickness. I know this was a long story, but I NEED you to understand this. This isn’t just “a child” that has cancer…it is OUR child, OUR baby, OUR daughter, OUR Charli. This is someone’s granddaughter, niece, cousin, neighbor, friend, and family. This is Charli, and she has neuroblastoma. Honestly, if something is not done for our children who have cancer, our future is literally going to die before our eyes. Childhood cancer is the number one killer of children, greater than all other childhood illnesses COMBINED. And yet, there is practically no funding for it. If we can raise the awareness that it deserves, this will change. Once this happens, research can be funded and a cure found. There are a ton of breath-taking statistics out there about the lack of funding, the enormous about of children who will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and the number of children who will die because of cancer this year. This community we have become a part of, Childhood Cancer warriors, has not had a new drug introduced for more than 20 years. Yet, there are new medicines for the common cold all the time. On average 10 children will earn the wings, loose their battle, to cancer EACH DAY. Do you know ten children? Makes it more real, doesn’t it? After Charli was diagnosed, I became a part of an online group for Neuroblastoma parents. It has been a wealth of knowledge, support, and help. However, each week I hear a heartbreaking story of a NB child loosing their life to this wicked disease. Can you imagine that? Childhood cancer doesn’t care where you live, what your name is, how much money you have, or what has happened in your past. Childhood cancer does not care what color your skin is, your social status, your long-term plans, or how important you are. I believe there is a reason that Charli has had to take this battle on. I am not 100% sure why God gave her this bridge to cross, but I know that He did it knowing that we would work as hard as we can to make a difference. This is why it is important that you not only read this…but you understand it. Thank you for reading this story in its entirety. We cannot fully put into words what it is like to have a child with cancer, but we try to let you in on a part of our life that is not only difficult and painful, but also incredibly important for others to know about. *for more information on Charli please visit www.brenda-chad.blogspot.com THANK YOU!

Some random pics

2007-09-08T23:12:00.000-05:00

I was going through my pics and just wanted to add some that I found that were pretty cute

These were when we first moved in our house and Halia had been sick with fever, so she wouldn't take a bath in the tub, so we gave her one in the sink a few days

Ravioli... need I say more
Alex's(her friend from daycare) 1st day
Pretty princess

Labor Day weekend!!

2007-09-06T21:07:00.000-05:00

We took Halia to the park this weekend and she had a good time!!!

This is cute!!! wet pants....

2007-09-06T15:47:00.000-05:00

WET PANTS Come with me to a third grade classroom..... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives. The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, "Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat." He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap. The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!" Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie. She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done enough, you klutz!" Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Susie whispers back, "I wet my pants once too." May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good.. Remember.....Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car. Each and everyone one of us is going through tough times right now, but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can. Keep the faith.

Pennies- Be encouraged!!!

2007-09-06T13:45:00.000-05:00

You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about. Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely. As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny. He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up? Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this? "Look at it." He said. "Read what it says." She read the words " United States of America" "No, not that; read further." "One cent?" "No, keep reading." "In God we Trust?" "Yes!" "And?" "And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful! When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message. It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient.. The best mathematical equation I have ever seen:
1 cross
+ 3 nails
--------
4 given

The Rain

2007-09-05T11:27:00.000-05:00

The Rain-Thomas Kinkaid There is a picture of rain falling....

One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick. Suddenly my daughter, Aspen, spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat. 'Dad, I'm thinking of something.'This announcement usually meant she had been pondering some fact for a while, and was now ready to expound all that her six-year-old mind had discovered. I was eager to hear. 'What are you thinking?' I asked.'The rain!' she began, 'is like sin, and the windshield wipers are like God wiping our sins away.'After the chill bumps raced up my arms I was able to respond. 'That's really good, Aspen.' Then my curiosity broke in. How far would this little girl take this revelation? So I asked...'Do you notice how the rain keeps on coming? What does that tell you?' Aspen didn't hesitate one moment with her answer: 'We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us.' I will always remember this whenever I turn my wipers on.Isn't it distressing to know that when you forward this message you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. In order to see the Rainbow, you must first endure some Rain. Hope the water flows when you get the picture READ THE FIRST LINE CAREFULLY. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.Happy moments, praise God.Difficult moments, seek God.Quiet moments, worship God.Painful moments, trust God.Every moment, thank God.This is a Thomas Kinkade painting. It's rumored to carry a miracle! The water is supposed to be running, so if it's not moving then the picture didn't come through entirely. They say if you pass this on, you will receive a miracle. I am passing this on because I thought it was really pretty, and besides, who couldn't use a miracle?!

The Military wife

2007-09-05T10:59:00.001-05:00

When God Created The Military Wife
The good Lord was creating a model for the military wives and was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared. She said "Lord, you seem to be having a lot of trouble with this one, what is wrong with the standard model?"
The Lord replied, "Have you seen the specs on this order? She has to be completely independent, possess the qualities of both mother and father, be a perfect hostess to four or forty with an hours notice, run on black coffee, handle every emergency imaginable without a manual, be able to carry on cheerfully, even if she is pregnant and has the flu, and she must be willing to move to a new location 10 times in 17 years. And, oh yes, she must have six pairs of hands."
The angel shook her head, "Six pairs of hands, no way."
The Lord continued, "Don't worry, we will make other military wives to help her. And we will give her an unusually strong heart so it can swell with pride in her husbands achievements, sustain the pain of separation, beat soundly when it is overworked and tired, and be large enough to say ' I understand' when she doesn't, and say 'I love you' regardless."
"Lord" said the angel, touching his arm gently, "go to bed and get some rest. You can finish this tomorrow."
"I can't stop now," said the Lord. "I am so close to creating something unique. Already this model heals herself when she is sick, can put up six unexpected guests for the weekend, wave goodbye to her husband from a pier, a runway, or a depot, and understand why it's important that he leave."
The angel circled the model of the Military Wife, looked at it closely and sighed, "It looks fine, but it's too soft."
"She might look soft," replied the Lord, "but she has the strength of a lion. You would not believe what she can endure."
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the Lords creation. "There’s a leak." She announced. "Something’s wrong with the construction. I am not surprised that it has cracked. You are trying to put too much into this model.
The Lord appeared offended at the angels lack of confidence. "What you see is not a leak," he said. "It's a tear."
"A tear?" What is it there for?" asked the angel.
The Lord replied, "It's for joy, sadness, pain, disappointment, loneliness, pride, and a dedication to all the values that she and her husband hold dear."
"You are a genius!" exclaimed the angel.
The Lord looked puzzled and replied, "I didn't put it there."

my new haircut

2007-09-04T20:55:00.000-05:00

Here I go, catching up with pics....

2007-08-31T05:40:00.000-05:00

2007-08-29T20:15:00.000-05:00

This was a few weeks ago on the way to the lake, mommy was in the back seat and she was enjoying it. Check out those lashes!!! I will add more lake pics later!

2007-08-29T20:01:00.000-05:00

Halia when she opened grandma and grandpa's presents

my sweet sleeping baby

2007-08-29T19:55:00.000-05:00

2007-08-29T19:48:00.000-05:00

Here's a pic from a retirement party we went to in july that i didn't post, it was Halia's first hay ride!!

She made the charts!!!

2007-08-29T14:56:00.000-05:00

Well we have been bad at updating lately, but this weekend I will get caught up. I will try to post pics this weekend. We went to Branson just Jake and I two weekends ago, it was so nice!! It had a great time, saw a show at Legends, went to Silver Dollar City, rode go carts, and enjoyed our time together. Our first time away from Halia that long. Thanks Papa and Bana. :)

Halia had her year shots and check up last week. She finally made the charts on all of her growth areas!!!! She is in the 50th percentile for her age for weight, and finally made the 25th percentile for height!! Yay, you would never know our preemie was preemie! Praise God!

Hope everyone is doing well!! We miss everyone back in CO, and I hope that you guys are able to get on here and see our updates, when I am good at posting them :) I will post more this weekend!!

Jake's Reenlistment!!!

2007-08-15T07:03:00.000-05:00

On Friday the 10th he signed for six more years to the air force. He did it in style though, on the 50 yard line of Razorback stadium. He was very honored to do it somewhere that would be cool and mean a lot to him.

Jake making it official
Jake and Adam

2007-08-14T21:23:00.000-05:00

Halia's bday on the 28th of july

2007-08-14T07:12:00.000-05:00

I am a bit behind on my blogs!! ::) Here are the rest of the pics from Halia's birthday. We had one at our house too, and she had all her friends there :) Thanks to everyone who came and shared and joined in our special day.

Amanda, Gavin, and Addie
Leanna and Ava

Annie, Alan, and Joshua Halia and Ava

Cleaning off cake

Halia and Bethany
Joshua and Halia

2007-07-27T09:27:00.000-05:00

I got this from Brenda, it really puts perspective on things.

NEED WASHING?A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target.We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing as carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in "Mom let's run through the rain," she said."What?” Mom asked."Let's run through the rain!” She repeated."No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain,""We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said."No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith."Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD lets us get wet, well, maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling, and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories...So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything, there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.

Happy Birthday Halia!! family style

2007-07-26T20:24:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone is doing good. We had a great weekend in fort smith. Saturday night we did Halia's birthday and bbq and cake. She absolutely loved the cake. She was a little unsure at first, but once she got a taste of it, she loved it and ate about 3/4 of a small cake. Haha, it was so cute though. It was great to see the family and be able to share her first bday with family. She learned how to clap this weekend and now thats all she wants to do.

I got daddy!!!

Off to the bath!

I can't believe I ate that much, I am so full!!

Happy Birthday to me!!

Why are you interupting to take a picture?

I can't believe I get all this

Such a sweet girl!

Pretty Princess

Ft. Smith

2007-07-20T16:08:00.001-05:00

We are going to ft smith tonight to celebrate Halia's birthday with the family tomorrow and have cake and ice cream and bbq, swim in the pool. I can hardly believe it has been a year. She is so smart and so much fun! She wants more then anything to walk. She knows several words now, but makes them her own, mama, dada, wow, oh, uhoh. She is so sweet and gives kisses.
I went to her dr appointment the other day to have her routine eye check for preemies, and all checked out well, we don't have to go back for a year now! Every time that we have gone, it is typically the day that they see all the preemies. While we were there, there was this little baby about the size of a newborn, walking holding mama's hands. Come to find out, this little girl was 10 months old and was born 3 months early. She only weighed like 1 lb 8oz when she was born. Imagine that, how these tiny babies could survive. She has only gained a lb a month, and weighs only 10lbs now. Wow! God is amazing. This little girl truly was perfect except for her small size. We are so incredibly blessed with Halia, and that with all she started her life with, she has done so well since. Just was thinking about how much God has blessed out lives with our sweet little girl, and wanted everyone to know how thankful we are.

Another week!

2007-07-18T16:20:00.000-05:00

Well I havent posted in a bit, and just wanted to say hi to everyone. I hope you are all having a good week. Today is midweek, so the weekend is near:) We had a good weekend, just busy as usual these days. We went to a pig n pool party on saturday, bbq and swimming. We had a lot of fun. They had a bbq to welcome the new commander and his family and to welcome home some of the boys that came home last month. Jake and Halia swam forever,Halia stayed in the water with daddy for about an hour and had a blast. We went on a hayride around their land that night which everyone enjoyed until the truck broke down when it got dark and we had to hike back to the house. Yesterday was Jake and my anniversary and we went on a date, we went to dinner then bowling. It was nice to get out and actually the first time we had a sitter at the house aside from grandparents. This next weekend we are going to Ft. SMith to do Halia's family party. I figure she will enjoy the swimming and cake. :) I will post pics either tonight or tomorrow night.

2007-07-10T11:02:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a good weekend! We had a pretty good one. Amanda(Jake's sister) came down and stayed with us, and saturday night we just hung out, ordered some take out mexican and watched some movies. Sunday we went to Twila(the old daycare director) little boy turned 1 so we went to his birthday party and had a good time despite the heat. Halia's first day of daycare at Children's was yesterday. She seemed to do ok. I went to check on her at lunch and she was asleep. You could just tell she seemed to be taking it all in, because she kept just watching everything and was real quiet. This morning I dropped her off and she cried, it about broke my heart. She normally never cries when I leave her with someone so it made me sad. I think she will do good at this daycare and get good care, I just don't think she will get as much snuggling and one on one as she did before. Hope you all have a good week!

Long week!

2007-07-05T13:21:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a good 4th of July. As for us, it was ok, our plans got changed though with our little one being sick. They called my Tuesday from daycare saying she had fever again. I assumed it was her ears again, but took her to the dr. By the time we got to the dr her temp was 102.4 and her ears were clear. Dr said it is a bug and gave me antibiotic and told us just to watch her. Her fever tues night stayed around 102, wed she woke up at 5am with a 102.7, and all day it didn't really break. Last night she took a bath, and the fever seemed to go down for awhile. We bbq then did some of our own fireworks in the backyard. Halia didn't know what to think. She would look at the firework, then look at me and scream, then look back. As cute as it was, I think they just scared her. We also could see the fireworks from ward, so she enjoyed those because they were a lot of colors far away. This morning she woke up again with fever of 103. Ahhh, she is so pitiful. She is staying home with daddy today, and the dr said to just keep an eye on her another 24hrs, that the antibiotic should kick it out of her, and she called in a steroid. Overall we had a nice day, just wish she felt better. Pray that these meds will work and our little normally happy baby will be herself again. Hope you all had a fun and safe forth!