So, like most of you, my life is pretty stressful. I am a wife. I am a mother of two young children. I am a first year developmental-behavioral pediatrics fellow. I am a part-time Sunday school teacher in the special needs youth class. Oh yeah, and I'm a pretty rockin' blogger.
Well, you know that expression, "When it rains, it pours" ? That's my life right now. As I've mentioned before, I had reconstructive knee surgery almost two weeks ago. The injury was much worse than the MRI showed, and the surgery was more extensive than originally planned. Because of that, my recovery is going more slowly than I'd hoped. I'm hurting all the time and getting very frustrated. I had a breakdown last night, which was lovely by the way. I'm just so stinking tired of not being able to do the things I normally do. I'm tired of having to have things done for me. I'm tired of hurting. I'm tired of it all.
And, as I've mentioned a million times, I have a child with special needs. He is the most amazing little boy and the light of my life. He is also the cause of much stress and frustration. He can't help most of it, and I have to remind myself of that everyday. I know he is on this earth for a reason, and I hope I'm around to see what that is. Well, he did one of those frustrating things the other night. While we were sitting in the den, all hanging out, he calmly walked up to the TV and wacked it with his sippy cup. I'm sure you can guess what came next. The screen cracked and went black. We are now the proud owners of a 42 inch flat panel wall-mounted radio. Did you know that make flat panel TV screen protectors? Me either. Sure wish I did before this happened. Needless to say, we have one on it's way to put over our new TV.
There are a thousand other things that I could write about that cause stress in my life, but it would be like beating a dead horse. If any of you have money troubles, job problems, health problems, sick kids, marital difficulties, depression, anger, or whatever, then you know what I'm talking about. The biggest issue with all of these things, in my opinion, is how we choose to react to them. We can do like I did the other night, and have a breakdown and cry....or we can choose to laugh. If you're life is as stressful as mine and you choose to breakdown and cry every time something bad or stressful happens, you'll spend your entire life in tears. That's why I always say, sometimes all you can do is laugh. Turning to those you love in times like this can be a lifesaver. Turning to the one who loves you more than anyone or anything else will save your life. The Lord knows what you're going through. He knows the stress, the pain, the anger, the guilt, the whatever it is. So, when you're in the middle of it, choose to laugh.
"As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands." - Psalm 119:143
Ode to Catiebug
I love my little Catiebug! I feel like she sometimes gets the short end of the stick because of all of her brother's needs. She is an angel...rotten, but an angel, and I want you all to know how absolutely wonderful she is. I write all the time about Will, and he derserves it. He's awesome. But Cate is awesome too, and I want to give her the praise she is due.
Cate will be 4 next month, and cannot wait for her birthday. She is having a princess tea party with her friends. They'll get to dress up in princess dresses, get their make-up done, have their hair done, and have their nails painted. Then they'll have a tea party and eat cake. I think I'm as excited as she is about this party. It's her first "real" party. She tells us daily she wants a pink princess bike for her birthday, and I'm pretty sure she's going to get one. (Thanks Gran and Papa!)
Princesses are all that exist in her world at this moment. She is the girliest girl in the whole world! She loves pink and purple, hair bows, dresses, tutus, dress up, baby dolls, and did I mention she loves princesses? Her favorite is Snow White, but she has recently developed quite a fascination with Jasmine. We go around the house singing "A Whole New World" and driving her daddy crazy.
Cate is in mother's day out at our church two days a week right now and will start a full-day pre-K program at Abundant Life School in the fall. She's very excited that she'll get to go to school everyday like her big brother. We're excited because we're hoping that Jeremiah will be able to work while the kids are in school. She can count to 15, knows all her colors, knows many of her letters, know all her shapes, and is pretty brilliant if I do say so myself.
Cate is a wonderful daughter and an amazing sister. She helps her brother when he can't do something. She sticks up for him and tries to teach him things. She plays so well with him, and doesn't seem to care that he's not like her friends' brothers and sisters. She can be a little bossy and "mother" him, but I think she means well. I hope that as she gets older that she continues to love her brother as much as she does now and treats him as sweetly as she does now.
I'm so very proud of the little girl she is becoming, and I wanted you all to know how wonderful she is too. And of course, I have to post some pictures....enjoy!
Cate will be 4 next month, and cannot wait for her birthday. She is having a princess tea party with her friends. They'll get to dress up in princess dresses, get their make-up done, have their hair done, and have their nails painted. Then they'll have a tea party and eat cake. I think I'm as excited as she is about this party. It's her first "real" party. She tells us daily she wants a pink princess bike for her birthday, and I'm pretty sure she's going to get one. (Thanks Gran and Papa!)
Princesses are all that exist in her world at this moment. She is the girliest girl in the whole world! She loves pink and purple, hair bows, dresses, tutus, dress up, baby dolls, and did I mention she loves princesses? Her favorite is Snow White, but she has recently developed quite a fascination with Jasmine. We go around the house singing "A Whole New World" and driving her daddy crazy.
Cate is in mother's day out at our church two days a week right now and will start a full-day pre-K program at Abundant Life School in the fall. She's very excited that she'll get to go to school everyday like her big brother. We're excited because we're hoping that Jeremiah will be able to work while the kids are in school. She can count to 15, knows all her colors, knows many of her letters, know all her shapes, and is pretty brilliant if I do say so myself.
Cate is a wonderful daughter and an amazing sister. She helps her brother when he can't do something. She sticks up for him and tries to teach him things. She plays so well with him, and doesn't seem to care that he's not like her friends' brothers and sisters. She can be a little bossy and "mother" him, but I think she means well. I hope that as she gets older that she continues to love her brother as much as she does now and treats him as sweetly as she does now.
I'm so very proud of the little girl she is becoming, and I wanted you all to know how wonderful she is too. And of course, I have to post some pictures....enjoy!
Blessings Just Keep on Comin'
Like I said in my last post, I'm not going to focus on the bad stuff in my life or worry about the stuff I have no control over. What's the point in that? It doesn't do anything but put me in a bad mood. It certainly doesn't change the situation. So, I thought I'd take time to count a few more blessings I've had over the last week or two.
First, a little over a week ago Will was invited to his very first birthday party. I was such a proud mama when his mother asked me if Will could come. Are you kidding (I thought)?!?! Of course he can come! We lived in Tulsa for seven years, and during the entire time Will was alive, he was not invited to one party (other than those at The Little Light House). I know some people don't know how to respond when he does some of his "Will things" or are scared he may get hurt, but he's still a little boy, and it makes me so sad to see him watching other kids doing things he can't do. It almost seems like he knows he can't do them but he still wants to, so he just stands in the background watching. Well, since we've moved to Little Rock, things have been different. In case I haven't mentioned it, WE LOVE OUR CHURCH!!! The people there have gone out of their way to make us feel loved and welcomed, and that includes Will. So - back to the story - we went to the birthday party at Jump Zone. Will loves to jump and does so every Sunday at church, so I knew he'd like it. The only thing I was worried about was the number of kids there and if he'd get too overwhelmed. Well, he didn't! He did great! He jumped and jumped and jumped (and he only sat on one baby!). It was so fun to watch him do something that all the other kids his age get to do. And, the kids at the party were so sweet to him. Several of them also go to his school and came up to him and said, "Hi Will!" Then they'd tell me, "He goes to my school." Anyway, the party was a huge success. He had a great time, and so did I. Feeling like my son is wanted is a huge blessing.
Then, the following day, Jeremiah and I tried to go to Winter Jam. We had some terrific friends agree to come over and watch the kids, so we didn't have to pay for a sitter. They brought their kids, and they played with Will and Cate. All the kids had a wonderful time together. Winter Jam was sold out, so we went to dinner and a movie. It was our first date since August of last year. It was so nice to spend time together, just us. It was even nicer that we didn't have to pay for a babysitter. I look forward to repaying the favor so that our friends can enjoy some time together too.
One last blessing - while I was out of town at a conference for work, Will's school had family fine arts night. His teacher informed me that he would be singing one of the songs with the regular class. I thought to myself, I know he is doing great and that his vocabulary is exploding, but have you met him? There's no way he can get up there and sing with his class. Boy was I wrong! He stood up there like a "big boy" and did motions and said "yeah yeah" when all the other kids said it. I paid $9.95 to get internet access at the hotel just so I could watch the video, and boy was it worth every penny! Most parents probably take things like that for granted, but this was Will's very first performance of any type, and he did so well. I am one proud mama!
Each week at church I learn something very useful to me and am trying to put the lessons I learn into practice. So, hopefully the only thing you'll read in these posts is uplifting and encouraging. I hope you enjoy my little stories. I also hope you enjoy these pictures of my little blessings posted below.
First, a little over a week ago Will was invited to his very first birthday party. I was such a proud mama when his mother asked me if Will could come. Are you kidding (I thought)?!?! Of course he can come! We lived in Tulsa for seven years, and during the entire time Will was alive, he was not invited to one party (other than those at The Little Light House). I know some people don't know how to respond when he does some of his "Will things" or are scared he may get hurt, but he's still a little boy, and it makes me so sad to see him watching other kids doing things he can't do. It almost seems like he knows he can't do them but he still wants to, so he just stands in the background watching. Well, since we've moved to Little Rock, things have been different. In case I haven't mentioned it, WE LOVE OUR CHURCH!!! The people there have gone out of their way to make us feel loved and welcomed, and that includes Will. So - back to the story - we went to the birthday party at Jump Zone. Will loves to jump and does so every Sunday at church, so I knew he'd like it. The only thing I was worried about was the number of kids there and if he'd get too overwhelmed. Well, he didn't! He did great! He jumped and jumped and jumped (and he only sat on one baby!). It was so fun to watch him do something that all the other kids his age get to do. And, the kids at the party were so sweet to him. Several of them also go to his school and came up to him and said, "Hi Will!" Then they'd tell me, "He goes to my school." Anyway, the party was a huge success. He had a great time, and so did I. Feeling like my son is wanted is a huge blessing.
Then, the following day, Jeremiah and I tried to go to Winter Jam. We had some terrific friends agree to come over and watch the kids, so we didn't have to pay for a sitter. They brought their kids, and they played with Will and Cate. All the kids had a wonderful time together. Winter Jam was sold out, so we went to dinner and a movie. It was our first date since August of last year. It was so nice to spend time together, just us. It was even nicer that we didn't have to pay for a babysitter. I look forward to repaying the favor so that our friends can enjoy some time together too.
One last blessing - while I was out of town at a conference for work, Will's school had family fine arts night. His teacher informed me that he would be singing one of the songs with the regular class. I thought to myself, I know he is doing great and that his vocabulary is exploding, but have you met him? There's no way he can get up there and sing with his class. Boy was I wrong! He stood up there like a "big boy" and did motions and said "yeah yeah" when all the other kids said it. I paid $9.95 to get internet access at the hotel just so I could watch the video, and boy was it worth every penny! Most parents probably take things like that for granted, but this was Will's very first performance of any type, and he did so well. I am one proud mama!
Each week at church I learn something very useful to me and am trying to put the lessons I learn into practice. So, hopefully the only thing you'll read in these posts is uplifting and encouraging. I hope you enjoy my little stories. I also hope you enjoy these pictures of my little blessings posted below.
Count Your Blessings
Have you ever had one of those days? I'm sure we've all had a million of them, but today is NOT one of those days for me! I woke up with perfect hair - a miracle if I've ever seen one! What's the big deal you may ask? Well, this good hair day allowed me to have half an hour of "me time" this morning that I usually do not get (because I usually spend that time doing my hair). I am convinced and determined that this is the start of a great day. To make today even better, I get to go to church tonight. I know I've talked a lot about our church here in North Little Rock, but I truly cannot say enough good things about it and the awesome people of God who go there. Anyway, back to the point...
Lately there have been so many terrible things going on all around the world - riots, natural disasters, civil war, a crappy economy, and government unrest. It would be so easy to just focus on that and worry. Well, as most of you know, I'm a worrier. It's genetic. My mother is a worrier, and her mother was a worrier. I've been told by my dear sweet husband, whom I love with all my heart, that I am my mother, that my mother is my grandmother, and I guess by default that makes me my grandmother. (By the way, I take that as a compliment!) Earlier in the year I wrote about being a giant killer and how my personal giant is worry. I've really been trying not to worry and to put things in God's hands. What's the point in worrying? It doesn't change a single thing. The Bible even says so in Matthew 6: 27: "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
So instead of worrying today, I am going to count my blessings. I'm not going to list every single blessing in this blog posting because I'd be here all day (and unfortunately, I have to go to work), but I do want to list a few blessings. These blessings are especially important to me because they are things I thought I'd never have. You see, we never thought our little Will would be able to do half of what he can do today, especially talk. And while he can't talk like a normal 6-year-old little boy, he can say more than I ever imagined he'd be able to. I want you all to know what a miracle the Lord is performing in my angel's life and praise God with me for these blessings. So, without further adieu,
Will's Words: 1. Juice (his first word, spoken at around 2 years 6 months)
2. Cookie
3. Please
4. Thank you
5. Uh-oh
6. Book
7. Baby
8. Mama (my favorite! spoken for the first time on Mother's Day 2010)
9. Papa (my dad's favorite!)
10. Backpack
11. Piggy (his word for his toes...you know, "this little piggy went to market")
12. No (my least favorite of his new words)
13. Yeah
He even has a few phrases now. They're not perfect but they are understandable to most people, especially those who are around him a lot. They include: "Where are you?" "What's this?" and my very favorite "I love you!" Will's syndrome means that he'll always have delayed language and probably not ever have very many words. Most kids with it never talk at all. From what I've read even the highest functioning kids only get somewhere around 50 words max.
So, these 13 words and 3 phrases are 16 of the biggest blessings in my life. I hope that you can quit worrying about all the badness going on around you (or even in your personal life), and take the time to count your blessings. I bet you'll have more than you ever imagined!
Lately there have been so many terrible things going on all around the world - riots, natural disasters, civil war, a crappy economy, and government unrest. It would be so easy to just focus on that and worry. Well, as most of you know, I'm a worrier. It's genetic. My mother is a worrier, and her mother was a worrier. I've been told by my dear sweet husband, whom I love with all my heart, that I am my mother, that my mother is my grandmother, and I guess by default that makes me my grandmother. (By the way, I take that as a compliment!) Earlier in the year I wrote about being a giant killer and how my personal giant is worry. I've really been trying not to worry and to put things in God's hands. What's the point in worrying? It doesn't change a single thing. The Bible even says so in Matthew 6: 27: "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
So instead of worrying today, I am going to count my blessings. I'm not going to list every single blessing in this blog posting because I'd be here all day (and unfortunately, I have to go to work), but I do want to list a few blessings. These blessings are especially important to me because they are things I thought I'd never have. You see, we never thought our little Will would be able to do half of what he can do today, especially talk. And while he can't talk like a normal 6-year-old little boy, he can say more than I ever imagined he'd be able to. I want you all to know what a miracle the Lord is performing in my angel's life and praise God with me for these blessings. So, without further adieu,
Will's Words: 1. Juice (his first word, spoken at around 2 years 6 months)
2. Cookie
3. Please
4. Thank you
5. Uh-oh
6. Book
7. Baby
8. Mama (my favorite! spoken for the first time on Mother's Day 2010)
9. Papa (my dad's favorite!)
10. Backpack
11. Piggy (his word for his toes...you know, "this little piggy went to market")
12. No (my least favorite of his new words)
13. Yeah
He even has a few phrases now. They're not perfect but they are understandable to most people, especially those who are around him a lot. They include: "Where are you?" "What's this?" and my very favorite "I love you!" Will's syndrome means that he'll always have delayed language and probably not ever have very many words. Most kids with it never talk at all. From what I've read even the highest functioning kids only get somewhere around 50 words max.
So, these 13 words and 3 phrases are 16 of the biggest blessings in my life. I hope that you can quit worrying about all the badness going on around you (or even in your personal life), and take the time to count your blessings. I bet you'll have more than you ever imagined!
Fighting
I'm sorry I'm not better at this whole blogging thing. Life gets in my way, and I forget to take the time to sit down at our computer (yes, we still have an old desktop PC) and type. Lately, my life has been filled with pain, literally. You see, on Monday, January 10, while watching the most awesome team in college football history play the most awesome game in college football history, I managed to injure myself. This probably doesn't surprise most of you. As you probably know, I have a long history of unusual injuries. Anyway, it was the very end of the game when Michael Dyer ran the ball back for what we all thought was a touchdown. I jumped up off the couch cheering. I jumped up and down a few times, and then "POP!!!" and down I went. My knee popped and immediately swelled. With the adrenaline of the game, I didn't have too much pain initially. After a few hours it hurt so badly I could not sleep. Long story short, I've torn my ACL and have a couple of tibial fractures. When I do something, I do it all out. I am now waiting for the fractures to heal and start rehab in a few days. Then it's back to the doctor on January 28 to decide if I have to have surgery.
It seems as though this injury came in God's perfect timing. (Don't all things come that way?) You see, we are in the middle of a sermon series at church called "Five for the Fight." You can learn more about it www.five4thefight.com or better yet, come to church tomorrow. We're learning five scriptures to help us with our daily spiritual fights. My fight has been my worry and wonderful ability to throw an amazing pity party. I haven't had what a lot of people would call an easy life, as an adult I mean. Our family faces many struggles, as do most of you probably. Well, I try not to dwell on that, but it seems like every time something good happens, something bad also does (like Auburn winning and me blowing out my knee!). Through this series, Pastor Rod has taught me that I shouldn't dwell on that. I should continue to fight. I can't let my circumstances get me down when I have so much to live for, especially my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The scripture verses have ministered to me so much. We recite them each week and get a little prize. Even the kids get to recite them for prizes. Cate is doing so well and really loves doing it. At the end, there is going to be some big surprise. I can't wait to see what it is. I wish you all could hear the sound of my beautiful 3 (almost 4!) year old daughter's voice saying, "The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still. Exodus 14:14." That's this week's verse. She has learned three verses over the last three weeks and remembers them all. If it takes a blown out knee for me to regain perspective and see that there is so much good in my life, then I'll deal with it. I'm so grateful for our church home and the people in our life who love us so much. God is good! And I will keep on fighting!
The Most Amazing Gift
We began attending First Assembly of God North Little Rock the first Sunday after we moved to town back in June. We had visited it twice before moving - once with just me and Will, and another time with the whole family, even my parents. I was so impressed by the beautiful children's building, the gigantic sanctuary, and all the technology. I was also impressed by how friendly everyone there seemed to be. They had this really awesome special needs kids ministry called COOL kids, so we thought we'd give it a shot. Plus, we kind of knew someone there (her uncle was a pastor at our church in Tulsa). Anyway, I had no idea when we went on our first Sunday six months ago how much this place would mean to us and how awesome it would really be.
We've quickly made friends with several couples in our Sunday school class. Will absolutely loves COOL Kids and goes every Sunday and Wednesday. Cate has the best time at Sunday school "praisin' the Lord" and learning about Jesus. She also goes to Mother's Day Out two days a week and has made some wonderful little friends. The music is awesome! The pastor is a wonderful man of God who isn't afraid to preach God's word. I guess what I'm trying to say is, even though it was hard for us to leave Woodlake Church in Tulsa, God put us in the perfect place. We really feel like this is our church home and that these people are our family.
As I said, we loved our time at Woodlake in Tulsa, and we treasure the friendships we made there. We wouldn't trade that time for anything. But, as God moves in our lives, we must too move on for the next part of His plan for our lives.
Anyway, with the exception of my family, I've never felt like people cared so much about what we go through with Will as the people at First Assembly NLR do. They really care about him. They make time for him, talk to him like he's a normal kid, play with him, and include him. It's so nice to see him included. It doesn't usually happen. They care about us as a couple and a family. They make an effort to provide care for Will if there is something the church is having or to watch him for us so we can enjoy things too.
Yesterday was Family Christmas at church. I have learned why everyone says it's their favorite service. Pastor Rod and the pastoral staff and their families read through the Christmas story. As they do, Pastor Rod stops the story to give gifts to individuals and families in the church. I'd heard about this. In years past, they've given away a car, tuition to Bible college, a high school diploma for an older lady who never got it, some pretty amazing things. Well, this Sunday we were sitting in the sanctuary enjoying the service, when all of the sudden we were called up on stage. Pastor Rod talked about our family, about how much it meant to us that Will had a place to belong at church. He even talked about what Angelman Syndrome is and how it affects our daily lives. Then, he gave it to us...an all-expense paid trip to San Antonio to Morgan's Wonderland, an amusement park just for special needs kids. It didn't stop there. He knows how much Will loves the water and how frightening it can be to take him to a public pool because he'd just jump in, and he doesn't know how to swim. Well, he told us that May 23, 2011, is going to be the first Will Saunders Day at Wild River Country, the local water park. It's going to be closed to the general public and open only to our family and other families with special needs children from around central Arkansas. And, it's free! Can you believe it?!? I've never felt so loved by people who we really don't even know that well yet. Will gets excluded from things a lot, and they made it their purpose to include him in this. It was all about him. It's never been all about him. This is amazing! Most parents take it for granted that they can take their kids to an amusement park or water park, but it's something I never thought we'd be able to do. Now, thanks to the generosity and love of our new church family, we will.
I've known since we moved here that God put us here. He's directed our path the entire way and made for a wonderfully smooth transition. I just didn't expect this. It just goes to show that when you follow God's will for your life, every now and again you get the most amazing gifts!
Thank you First Assembly NLR! I'll never be able to say it enough...thank you!
We've quickly made friends with several couples in our Sunday school class. Will absolutely loves COOL Kids and goes every Sunday and Wednesday. Cate has the best time at Sunday school "praisin' the Lord" and learning about Jesus. She also goes to Mother's Day Out two days a week and has made some wonderful little friends. The music is awesome! The pastor is a wonderful man of God who isn't afraid to preach God's word. I guess what I'm trying to say is, even though it was hard for us to leave Woodlake Church in Tulsa, God put us in the perfect place. We really feel like this is our church home and that these people are our family.
As I said, we loved our time at Woodlake in Tulsa, and we treasure the friendships we made there. We wouldn't trade that time for anything. But, as God moves in our lives, we must too move on for the next part of His plan for our lives.
Anyway, with the exception of my family, I've never felt like people cared so much about what we go through with Will as the people at First Assembly NLR do. They really care about him. They make time for him, talk to him like he's a normal kid, play with him, and include him. It's so nice to see him included. It doesn't usually happen. They care about us as a couple and a family. They make an effort to provide care for Will if there is something the church is having or to watch him for us so we can enjoy things too.
Yesterday was Family Christmas at church. I have learned why everyone says it's their favorite service. Pastor Rod and the pastoral staff and their families read through the Christmas story. As they do, Pastor Rod stops the story to give gifts to individuals and families in the church. I'd heard about this. In years past, they've given away a car, tuition to Bible college, a high school diploma for an older lady who never got it, some pretty amazing things. Well, this Sunday we were sitting in the sanctuary enjoying the service, when all of the sudden we were called up on stage. Pastor Rod talked about our family, about how much it meant to us that Will had a place to belong at church. He even talked about what Angelman Syndrome is and how it affects our daily lives. Then, he gave it to us...an all-expense paid trip to San Antonio to Morgan's Wonderland, an amusement park just for special needs kids. It didn't stop there. He knows how much Will loves the water and how frightening it can be to take him to a public pool because he'd just jump in, and he doesn't know how to swim. Well, he told us that May 23, 2011, is going to be the first Will Saunders Day at Wild River Country, the local water park. It's going to be closed to the general public and open only to our family and other families with special needs children from around central Arkansas. And, it's free! Can you believe it?!? I've never felt so loved by people who we really don't even know that well yet. Will gets excluded from things a lot, and they made it their purpose to include him in this. It was all about him. It's never been all about him. This is amazing! Most parents take it for granted that they can take their kids to an amusement park or water park, but it's something I never thought we'd be able to do. Now, thanks to the generosity and love of our new church family, we will.
I've known since we moved here that God put us here. He's directed our path the entire way and made for a wonderfully smooth transition. I just didn't expect this. It just goes to show that when you follow God's will for your life, every now and again you get the most amazing gifts!
Thank you First Assembly NLR! I'll never be able to say it enough...thank you!
