Summer Recap 2012

I really cannot believe that we are already one month into the school year.  Although our summer was a lot more mellow than normal due to Brett's rehab and ordered inactivity, the summer still flew by in a flash.  So, in an attempt to not let any more time escape me, here are a few highlights from our summer:

We started the summer with a trip to Disneyland (since that our Spring Break trip here was cancelled due to extrenuating circumstances) and took full advantage of Brett's wheelchair status.  The Rush family even joined us for a day.

 

Had lots of fun playing in the pool.....pool hoops was our new favorite this year.

Enjoyed a fun trip to Bass Lake with the Johanson family....

Enjoyed some time at Millerton on the 4th

Watched lots of Outlaw and Clovis West All Star baseball!

Brett even got to take the field in his team's last tournament of the summer....he still could not run, but he was allowed to play right field and it made his entire summer (and his mommy's as she cheered through blurred eyes!)

Got to experience the emotion and excitement of watching Mr. Brunn fly into Lemoore after a 9 month tour.  Have a newfound appreciation for those we so sacrificially serve our country!

And once again got to enjoy a week at Cayucos with great friends making great memories that we will cherish for a lifetime!!

 

And, as we were acutely aware of how precious life is and how blessed we are to spend moments like these with those we love, it makes the moments even sweeter and the memories even more precious!

 

 

 

Adoption Update....now we wait

We are so excited to share that we have finished all of the doctors appointments, fingerprinting, online courses, letter gathering, and paper producing that we needed to accomplish for our home study.  Our social worker is finishing up compiling all of the home study, then she will mail it to Immigration.  They will look over it and then send us a form to be fingerprinted again.  After they review the fingerprints, they will send us an approval that will then be sent to Jamiaca along with all of our paperwork.  Then we wait. 
I have heard that Jamaica is very slow, but I am praying with all my might that we will be able to pick up our son next summer while I am on vacation so that I will have plenty of time to spend with him once we get home.  Neil is hoping he will be home by this Christmas.  :)
So, if you want, you can join us in praying that Jamaica will move swiftly on our behalf (I spoke with one family who had to wait 5 years when they were adopting from Jamaica!) or you can pray for our little man who we don't know yet.  But who is probably lying in a crib somewhere in Jamaica....please pray that he will be held, fed, cuddled, cared for, tickled, and loved until we can get to him.

Luke 17

In Luke 17 it tells a story of Jesus healing 10 lepers and only one of them comes back to Jesus to fall at his feet and tell him thank you for the miracle that he had performed.  When reading that story and witnessing the miracle that Jesus performed in healing my Bretty so completely, it made me want to make sure that we all spend time telling Jesus thank you. 
(We found out this week as we read the police report for the first time that the lady who hit Brett did not slam on the brakes until after she hit him.  She stated that she saw a shadow, saw something on her hood and then hit the brakes. Reading that was like getting a blow to the stomach, although we are grateful he was healed, it just reinforces how miraculous it is that Brett escaped the whole accident with no residual effects or damages.)
So, we decided to have an impromptu party to all talk about the accident and the miracles that God demonstrated and to all pray together to say "THANK YOU!!"

Then, we got to celebrate by eating pizza and swimming late into the night with all of Brett's friends.

Taking his first steps....again

Yesterday we visited Brett's orthopaedic surgeon again for his 12 week visit.  Brett was originally told that he would be able to walk at his 6 week visit but because the break was a really bad break and the doctor could tell that Brett was a really active boy, he ordered Brett to 6 more weeks of no weight bearing.  That was pretty hard for Brett to take, so coming up to his 12 week appointment he was completely preparing himself that he may get 6 more weeks of the wheelchair.  I think he was scared to hope because of the letdown he had at his 6 week appointment. 
So, when the doctor walked in the room yesterday, the first thing he said was, "Well, get up.  Let me see you walk."  Brett looked at me and smiled from ear to ear!  Then, he stood up and walked to the doctor. The doctor told Brett to take it slow because he had to cut through all of the muscle in his leg to implant the rod, and his leg has not been used in 3 months.  He has to wait 6 more weeks before he can run or play any sports, but nothing could hamper my joy when I watched my baby walk out of the hospital all on his own yesterday!!  Thank you Jesus!!

Grateful Beyond Words

As we continue to process and Brett continues to heal, I am continually in awe and often emotional.  This last Sunday was Mother's Day and a communion day at church.  As I sat there remembering the sacrifice that God made on behalf of us I was a bit overtaken.  You see, God sent his only son, Jesus, to bear the weight of my sin, a sinner not worthy of this act.  All because of his love for me.  I am so undeserving.  And yet as I was pondering this, I was able to relate a little more closely to what it must be like to lose His son, as we have had to face how closely that came to being our reality.  It just humbles me and makes me so grateful that God loved us so much that he willingly endured the heartache to be able to give us all a way to spend eternity with Him.  Grateful beyond words.

And even more grateful that God continues to amaze us with his power and his mercy.  On Monday, at our appointment with the neurosurgeon, all that she said was, "I'm amazed."  She asked is he back at school. Yes.  Is he having any trouble? No.  He can do everything that he did before the accident? Yes.  How about his personality? Normal.

So then I asked her, "Why are you amazed?" You see the entire time we were in the ICU, it was this doctor that always remained optimistic and always told me that she wasn't worried.  So I couldn't understand why she was amazed.  Then she told me, "Your skull is a very, very thick bone.  For him to fracture that part of his skull would require a very severe blow. I am just surprised that he is already to this point after only 6 weeks."

Well, I am not surprised.  You see, I serve an amazing God and I know the power of prayer!  My God can do anything.  And once again, although I feel I am totally undeserving of his love and his blessing, I am still grateful beyond words.

A picture of his skull fracture.