Happy Thanksgiving

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."(Psa 100:4-5)


Rev 7:12  "Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. "


This year has been unlike any other. It has harder than any other but it has left me without words for how blessed and how thankful I am. It has by far been the best!  My heart is just so full of gratitude and praise. I could honestly go on and on and on with the answered prayers, and the gifts that the Lord has given us. We are blessed. We have a warm home, and a loving family. We have God's salvation, and his amazing grace.

As we celebrated Thanksgiving today I just about burst with joy.

I have an amazing husband!!!!!

I have a fantastic son!!!!

My men!!!

 We hope that you had a Happy Thanksgiving. We hope that you remember how good our God is. How blessed we are and how much we have to be thankful for. We are thankful for each of you and the love and support that you give us. For your prayers and your kind words that encourage.

The ONE has come

Yesterday, was Carson's first birthday. What an incredible year this has been. Jam-packed with so many wonderful memories, and amazing moments. The blessings are beyond countable. All day yesterday, and as I write this, I am overwhelmed with joy, pride, and thankfulness. More than words could ever say.

Yesterday we celebrated the first birthday and had way too much fun. :)
Starting with birthday breakfast- a pancake decorated with frosting and sprinkles.

Then we headed off to the zoo.
Stopping for some lunch and a hardwood store (he-he- not part of the birthday celebration, but fun when you have a sucker in the car.)

Finally we arrived and enjoyed the LA zoo.

We then headed back home to take Papa out for a Veteran's day dinner. However, the waitress found out it was also Carson's first birthday and she brought him a special treat. :)

Happy First Birthday my handsome little man. I love you so very much!!!!


Also Happy Veteran's Day-- Thank you and may God bless each of our veterans and their families for their sacrifice on our behalf. Freedom is not free and I am proud to support and pray for our military.

Here are the last few days before the big ONE.

Blurry (sorry) but this face just cracked me up

:) Love our new spina bifida shirts.

And here is the last picture of the baby curls.
Today Cars got his first "real" haircut. I say it that way because technically he got a haircut the day he was born so that they could place the iv. Well he got a mohawk and I was'nt involved and so I do not count that. :) I do however have the hair that they shaved. They sweetly saved it and placed it in a little package for me.

"Cars, were gonna cut your hair."

"Here are the scissors."

"oh...."

"What is this fluffy stuff?"

turning out pretty good.

"Yeah, I'm good looking"

All done!

"Smile mommy, tomorrow is my first birthday"

Cherubs story Lesson #51

It was a BUSY day in Heaven! Oh my, so much was happening!  That meant that there were so many things to record in his big book that Angel had been sitting at his desk working steadily for... well... for quite a long while!

All of a sudden, Angel heard a sound he knew very well.  His young friend, Cherub, was coming his way.  Well, not just coming his way, but galloping like a runaway horse AND yelling very loudly at the same time.

"Angel, Angel!"  Cherub slowed to a fast trot as he breathlessly called out "Angel! Angellll! Are you here, Angel!?" 

As Angel stood up to welcome Cherub, Cherub BURST through the door and ran smack-dab into Angel! They rolled across the floor, robes, legs and arms spinning in wide circles.  Before Angel could pull his robes down over his knees, Cherub bounced up beside him, talking very loudly and very fast.

"Angel, God has another baby almost ready to go to earth!  But, Angel, I was watching, and He's not finished with the baby, and He doesn't know it because He's already started His Special Blessing Song.  Oh, Angel, help me tell God the baby isn't done yet! Please, Angel, we have to hurry!  Otherwise God will make a mistake!"

At this remark, Angel knew it was lesson time again.  Yes, indeed, it was time for Lesson #51 about God.

"Come along, Cherub."  said Angel, holding out his hand so that Cherub would lead him directly to where God was at work.  Cherub chattered excitedly about the new baby as they hurried to a special valley known in Heaven as "Babies Place".  As they entered, Someone was singing in a soft voice.

"God your Father loves you so,

Loves you so,

Loves you so.

God your Father loves you so

Now off to earth you go."

Cherub yelled before he even knew what he was doing!  "NO!"  And then, because he was terrified, he hid behind Angel's robes, hoping that God couldn't see him.  But Angel knew Cherub had to learn lesson #51, and so he reached behind his back, caught Cherub's arm and pulled his young friend around to face God.

God was looking right at him!  Then He spoke right to him, "Cherub, do you have something to tell Me?"

Cherub pointed to the baby boy in God's arms and blurted "God, that baby You're holding isn't finished!  Don't send it to its home on earth yet!"

God gazed down at the baby boy and then looked up.  "Yes, Cherub, this little boy is ready to go to his home on earth.  His Mommy's name is Karen and his Daddy's name is Bob.  They are waiting for him right now."

"But, God, his back isn't finished and his feet need a little more work!  Can't you please just finish him before he has to go?"

"Cherub, would you like to hold him?  His name is Carson."

Cherub looked up at Angel who nodded his head yes.  Cherub ran to sit beside God, but God pulled him right onto His lap and put little baby Carson in Cherub's arms!

God began speaking so softly that only Cherub could hear His voice.  "Cherub, you are very young.  Some things are not going to make sense to you right now.  Cherub, do you trust Me?"

As he thought about his answer, Cherub counted the baby's tiny fingers - yes, there were ten.  "Yes, I trust You."

"Will you trust Me even though you don't understand what I am doing in Carson's life?"

Cherub counted Carson's toes - yes, there were ten.  "Yes."

"Carson's mommy and daddy already know that Carson will need some finishing work on his back and feet.  But, Cherub, they know, and they already love him so much, they can hardly wait for his arrival."

Cherub continued touching the baby's soft skin.  "They know he's not finished but they love him anyway? Really God?"

"Yes, really."  God and Cherub looked at each other, and then Cherub hugged God's neck with all his might.  "God, I do trust you.  I'm sorry I yelled at you.  Will you forgive me?"

God hugged Cherub very closely and said in his ear, "You are forgiven, Cherub.  Now, would you like to sing My Special Blessing Song with Me before Carson goes to meet his mommy and daddy?"

As they watched Carson being whooshed over the edge of Heaven, carried in his guardian angel's protective arms, God and Cherub blended their voices in joyous song (of course, Cherub sang the loudest!)

God your Father loves you so,

Loves you so,

Loves you so.

God your Father loves you so

Now off to earth you go!

Later, as Angel and Cherub walked back (well, Angel walked, but Cherub - he ran back and forth looking at all the flowers beside the path), Angel asked Cherub, "What did you learn about God today?"

Although Cherub continued to examine a big yellow sunflower, he answered immediately and loudly, "God never makes mistakes!"

"Cherub, one more thing you might like to hear is a chorus that Carson's mommy and daddy learned as a choir song at their church.  It goes like this:"

God is too wise to be mistaken,

God is too good to be unkind.

For when you don't understand,

When you don't see His plan,

When you can't trace His hand

Trust His heart.

After a rare moment of silence, Cherub asked "Angel, isn't that like Proverbs 3:5 and 6?"

And, of course, it is.

The big ONE is coming.

On Thursday, just 5 days away, our baby boy will be turning one........ I am overwhelmed by that fact. How is it possible that a year is about to pass? How can my little baby boy be so big and have grown so much? Now, I am mostly excited that he is about to hit the big one, yet a small part of my mommy heart is saddened that he is no longer in the infant stage. I loved this infant stage.

Seriously though, wasn't it just last week that he was born.

Or maybe yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital

This past week as I watched my friend's 3 month old son I couldn't help but remember carson at 3 months old.

ok, ok.... enough before I start crying and reminiscing and go full blown mommy in relapse on you. :) As I reflect on this past year there are so many blessings, so many amazing moments, and wonderful memories. There are so many times that I am just plain speechless as I look at a picture. For instance.

 We have come through a complete year on our journey with spina bifida. We have been in the hospital. We have seen countless doctors/ specialists. We have waited in prayerful silence as our baby has been in surgery. We have gone to sleep in tears and woken with more questions than there were answers. It has been very difficult at times. It has been painful at times.

But..... Through it all God has been so very good. Through it all He has taught us to trust in Him, to lean on Him. Through it all we have never been alone. Through it all He has only proved His goodness and His power.

As we conclude our first year of blogging and celebrate Carson's first birthday I cannot think of anything more fitting than to share with you  the story that was written for me and presented at my baby shower. It was a story written to comfort and encourage. It is a story that through this year has proved to be true in so many ways. Starting tomorrow Cherub's story Lesson #51.

update update

I never touch spirits. Have you some milk? - MATNBA

                                         Remember, always look both ways. -
                                          



                                        Wait til they getta loada me - RKEJO


                                        It's all a blur. Like a horrible day-mare. - NIBRO
                                                      Holy costume party---


All are taken from a incredibly wonderful movie and all have something in common with Carson. ??????

Thats right! Carson was batman for Halloween... be sure to check out the muscular abs. :)

Being a Sunday, we had quite a busy day.... but we did enjoy a taste of trick-or-treating and the reward that it brings.

We have a very special treat happening this week My best friend has been visiting us from Kansas and she brought along her cute little man. Here's our boys dressed up for church on Sunday morning.

As for other baby news. The doctor is considering me to be between 14 and 15 weeks along. Everything is going very well. I am feeling better and gaining some energy!!!!! :) I will be seeing the perinatologist at 18 weeks to start the special testing needed to rule out spina bifida or other birth defects. I denied the pre-screening (AFP test) because the number of false positives is so high...and I do not have a consistent due date. But ultrasound and possible amniocentesis are around the corner.  Please continue to pray for Orr number 4 :) Numbers 1,2, 3 could use alot of prayer too. :)