An Important Lesson Learned

I decided today to venture to the park in order to get out some wiggles. Our homeschool group meets every Thursday to socialize and play. We haven't gone too much this year because it is extremely exhausting for me. It can be challenging to keep an eye on all three littles at one time.

Things were going well. I was able to talk to a few moms and the kids were having a good time playing on the playground. I would constantly scan the area keeping an eye on my kids. Then, a mom came over asking if we knew who the kid was that was running away from the park towards the street. I looked up and could see Nathaniel taking off. Seriously, I had just seen him a few minutes before on the playground.

I wasn't worried because a group of boys were chasing him down along with another mother from the park. I didn't know this mother, but was grateful for her willingness to catch my son when I wasn't aware he had gone off. I headed toward the returning group to reclaim my son.

When I had him back with me, this other mother became furious with me. She said she was shaking she was so upset. She had yelled at the boys that had tried to chase down Nathaniel and now she had yelled at me. If looks could kill, I would have been a goner.

What lesson did I learn? You would think that maybe I learned to be more careful at the park. But, this is not the lesson I learned today. The lesson I learned was to extend grace to other parents who have appeared to be irresponsible. Now, I'm not talking about the parent who does not put their child in a car seat. Or a parent who repeatedly neglects their child. I'm talking about the parents who divert their eyes for a moment. No parent is perfect. I am not perfect and things happen. I need a ton of grace every day.

Two Years Ago Today!!

Two years ago we met our sweet Lily for the first time.

It's hard to imagine she was once this little girl with a shaved head.

She began to change so quickly.

She's smart, funny, loving, and a precious little girl.

I love her so much it hurts.

Becoming a One Car Family

Yesterday evening we became a one car family. We have tossed this idea around for awhile, but never felt it would benefit us greatly. Our second vehicle was a truck that Jon used primarily for work. It was paid for and not costing a whole lot to keep. The plan was to keep it until we had enough cash to buy a used car that would fit more of our family.

Then enter five children who seemed to make frequent trips to the pediatrician, ophthalmologist, orthodontist, and dentist. Not to mention the upcoming appointments to the dermatologist and endocrinologist. It's amazing how fast those bills stack up. We thought we had planned enough savings to account for these bills, but were having a hard time keeping up.

The idea of selling the truck started to look more appealing. We would easily be able to pay for our medical bills, buy next years curriculum, and stash some away in our savings account. So, on Monday, we listed it on Craig's List.

We had several calls, but no visits. Finally, yesterday we received a call from a man who wanted to come check it out. Two older gentlemen showed up at our door.

The taller gentleman, "Frank", explained to me that he had befriended "Sam" some time before at a local nursery. Frank is a doctor here in town and met Sam while buying some plants. They struck up a friendship. Frank and his family seemed to have taken Sam under their wing. Frank helped him get out of a bad loan with his previous truck, and then would help scour the adds looking for a truck that Sam could afford. Then the unthinkable happened; Sam was laid off. Acquiring an affordable, yet reliable truck became even more important. This truck would help Sam start his own landscaping business.

It was such a blessing to see this Christian doctor looking out for Sam. He has made an investment into the life of another, and we were able to witness Christ's love in action. We were blessed so much to be able to see our truck go to someone who really needed it.

We have no idea how long we will be a one car family. It should not be too difficult. Jon works a mile away, so he can ride his bike or I can drive him on days I need the car. We are ready to take on this adventure.

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works! —Psalm 105:1-2

Preschool Weeks 5 and 6

Week five for preschool took us awhile. We had a ton of doctor appointments and then Mae's surgery. We finally made it through. Here's what my lesson plans looked like for the week. I'm slowly adding links to my lesson plans so you will know where I am getting my ideas. Here's a look at last weeks plan.

Preschool Week 5

We are moving on this week to the letter "F" and the number 6. Our theme is Fish. We will be home the majority of the week, so I expect to get quite a bit done.

Preschool Week 6






Mae had a speech appointment last week and the teacher was working with her on classification. She didn't understand this at all so I made up a printable to work into our lesson plans. Since I have learned how to share documents on my blog, I thought I would add it if anyone was interested. I plan on cutting everything out and laminating them.
Classification

Surgery Update (Mae - Brachial Plexus Nerve Injury)

When I got the call for the time of Mae's surgery Wednesday afternoon, I was completely thrown for a loop. I expected I would need to be at Shriners early in the morning, but I never expected to leave at 3 a.m. My dad, who was my chauffeur for the trip, and I decided that we would leave that afternoon and spend the night.

The wonderful thing about Shriners is that they will book your accommodations. Ronald McDonald House was full, so we were going to stay at a hotel near by. It was not too much money for one night, which I was grateful. Within an hour Shriners called back and told me that they were going to be paying for our hotel. Wow! What a blessing.

Our alarm went off at 5 a.m. Ugh! I don't really enjoy getting up that early. Mae threw her arm over her eyes and declared that it was too bright. Poor thing. She was wanting to sleep a little longer.

We arrived at the hospital right on time and then proceeded to do a lot of waiting. It takes awhile to get admitted, take some x-rays, and fill out paperwork. By the time we left her side it was 9:30. The doctor said she should be out around 11 with an update. I was pretty laid back about the whole thing until 11 o'clock rolled around and then left. Even though it was not a scary surgery, my imagination started to take off with all the what-ifs as the clock ticked by. I kept reminding myself that God loves her more than I do and He will take care of her.

Finally around 11:30 the doctor came out and told us it was a success. Phew! What a relief. My body instantly relaxed. Twenty minutes later I was led back to my sweet girl. She was pretty out of it. They informed me that she could not have behaved any better.

I did learn a few things about brachial plexus. About 1 in 1000 births result with this type of injury. However, only 10% of those injuries are to the extent of Mae's. I don't think that her injury would have been better if treated right away. I do think that it could have been prevented during delivery. Who knows what kind of medical intervention her birth mama had when she was born.

The drive home was a little challenging. I'm so glad that my dad was there to drive. Mae threw up the juice she was drinking twice. We had to make a couple stops on the way home which dragged out the trip. It was a relief to finally be home around 5 this evening. All in all, we were gone 24 hours: 7 hours were spent driving, 8 hours were sleeping, and 7 hours were spent at the hospital. It was a long 24 hours and I am glad to be done.

Surgery tomorrow

My sweet Mae is having surgery tomorrow. Please keep her in your prayers.