Tid bits

Basketball over......team party at Yogurt Twist below!

onto baseball and lacrosse and gymnastics~

whew!

GONE with the BODY CAST

 Onto Long Leg casts!

Matt's second job, "Dad of a boy scout" is still going on!

 dads and their sons had to bring a cake to the banquet...we were not aware that it was a contest to see who could make the most amazing cake, but you know what they still won an award....

MOST COLORFUL!  We got a good laugh out of that one.

 If you have kept up with my posts, you know how much I L-O-V-E Birmingham Children's Theatre....

we went to see The Little Engine that Could .  Very cute and so fun!

Here is Kate with a few of the characters.

 Finally, Avery has come so far in the last 6 months.  Today I got this great picture of these two buddies/

This was taken right before Gray grabbed her head and pushed her! 

Sibling Rivalry!  Don't feel too bad for sweet little Avery.  Trust me, this girl can hold her own.

So, we have been enjoying our mild winter by spending lots of time playing outside.

Between Lacrosse 3 times a week and Baseball 2 times/week, and Gymnastics, we are in the car quite a bit.

I was able to compete in the Mercedes half Marathon this year.  This race is a lot of fun because it is local and it is so well out together.  Each year it grows!  This is my 3rd time to finish it and I was so glad I got to do it.  The kids were able to track my progress on-line, so that was fun for them.

My time was pretty good considering I really didn't train that hard for it.  I think I will take that approach more often!

This past week, we also had to put our beloved dog, Sampson to sleep.  Sampson drove me crazy a lot of the time, but he was a great, sweet dog that has been part of our family since Matt and I got engaged.  I feel like I have lost a family member.  It was hard to let him go.  The kids were all ok, he has been going down hill for a while now, but Kate really got upset.  Matt and I had to laugh over this because I am not sure she had ever even petted Sampson.  After Owen got attacked by a dog, she has not been a "dog person". 

Nonetheless, she bawled and bawled.  It was so sweet.  She just has a sweet compassionate heart.

I am not sure how life will be without a dog.  I am not ready to tackle a puppy quite yet...but am thinking my birthday (july) might be fun!  Any thoughts on a good breed....and please don't say any kind of "doodle" .  I do not like poodles. 

On the horizon, is a much needed girls trip for ME! hip hip hooray!

 and Spring Break with the family.

We are also counting down 3 more weeks until we can get this cast off.

Lots of laughs, lots of chaos, lots of screams, lots of fighting, lots of laundry, lots of messes....

but lots of love here!

One Week

I can't believe we are a 1 week post surgery!  We have had quite a lot of challenging things come our way, but so thankful that through prayer and faith we are where we are and persevering through, because....well, what else can you do?
Sunday night I put sweet Avery to bed, knowing that when we woke her up the next morning at 6:00, to head down to Children's Hospital, we were changing her life and ours as well.  5 1/2 short months ago we brought our little girl home, well aware that we would be dealing with some orthopedic issues that would need to be addressed.  Her referral, from China, at age 9 months stated that she did not have knee caps.  After talking with many doctors and specialists and spending lots of time in prayer, we knew she was ours and we needed her home. 
Upon arriving back home, we spent 5 months doing physical therapy; 2, sometimes 3 times a week,  to see where we could get without doing any invasive surgery quite yet.  She got stronger.  Avery learned how to push a walker and even took a few steps on her own, but it was all very unconventional and awkward.  She did not have the strength or ability to do anymore.  After going through an MRI in December, we discovered that she did have a patella, it was just shifted to the side of her knee.  In the wrong position on both knees.  Her tendons would need lengthening and she would need surgery to put the patellas in their proper position.
The rest was a no brainer.  We trusted our Doctor.  We set the surgery for the end of January, in hopes to get one more month of bonding before we put her through the whole process of surgery and casting.
The morning of surgery we arrive and the sadness I felt for this poor little girl weighed on my heart so heavily.  Hasn't she been through enough?  Abandoned at birth, labeled special needs, institutionalized!  But, the God of this universe, the creator of all things, sought her out and burdened our hearts for the orphan.  I can only hold onto my faith that God is up to some amazing things with our little Avery.  He placed her with loving foster women 4 months before we got her, and gave her a spirited and determined personality to deal with her "need".   God IS using her to change our family, to change me and to change all she meets.

That morning, as I walked her back to the red line, (where you have to pass your child off to the nurses for surgery)...I held back so many tears.  I knew this was what was best for her.  I knew we had to do it!  But she wouldn't be able to understand and that broke my heart.
After 3 hours of surgery, Matt and I were brought to our room and shortly after they brought her in.  To our surprise the cast was clear up to her armpits!  A Spica cast is what they call it.  Oh.....it is big.  It is heavy.  It is awkward!  How was I going to do this?  I have 4 other very needy young kids at home.  She can't sit up!  She is 22 months and has to lay there for 5-6 weeks.  I kept asking the nurses what I was suppose to do all day with her?  how would I feed her? Clean her? Carry her? Hug her?
Shortly after, I asked if they could take her off the IV for a few minutes so that I could hold her.  I needed to hold my baby and something inside me told me she needed to be held.  I picked her up (all 50 lbs) and she laid her head on my shoulder and we walked the halls.  My arms got tired, but I didn't want to put her down...I wanted her to feel that skin to skin.  To know that we did not, and will not abandon her!   We weren't going anywhere.  Mommy and Daddy were here!
A week has past by slowly, but I have learned so much from her.  She is such a trooper.  We are obviously changing how we do a few things.  Is it easy?  No!  But, it is temporary.  We know that she will walk....she will run!  I think the day it happens I will weep many tears for her and for us!  Tears of joy and tears of gratitude that the Lord has walked with us through this journey.   I think back to this time last year.  A little girl, Fu leMei, in a remote area of China, lying in her crib most of the day, without a family.  No doubt she would probably never get the surgery she needed had we not listened and obeyed what God had clearly called us to do.  Obedience that was not easy in many ways, but God is always faithful when we listen to His call , and we believe that God didn't call us to save Avery....He chose Avery to change US!
Here are some pictures from the morning of the surgery and post op!

waiting to head back!

 trying to keep her happy...she was NOT!

 I finally got to hold her!

 I am strong, but this is HEAVY!

 Nana and Grandad visit

 Signing the cast

It's Circus Time!

Every January, the only thing I have to look forward to is the circus.  Sad isn't it?  There are 2 reasons why I look forward to this event.
1.  It always is at the end of the month....meaning I actually made it through the most miserable month of the year.
2.  Matt's company gives us free tickets to the circus complete with amazing seats AND tickets to the pre-circus party, complete with free food, face paining, jumpys, clown, dancing, etc...
Matt was off on an all guys ski trip....(I am not as nice as you think...I have a girl's trip in the works for March!), so my baby sister, Morgan came over to go with us.  We took Avery to Matt's parents because I knew clowns and lots of people probably wouldn't be a good mix for her, but everyone else got to go!
This was the first year that we stayed the entire REALLY LOOOOONNNNNGGGG time!  Wills insisted that he has never stayed the whole circus and everyone was doing relatively well being up so late that we just stayed.  We pulled back in our driveway at 11:10 that night.
And everyone slept in until 11 the next day! 
Ha.....not really.  Up as usual but it was worth it.

Sorry about the picture quality.  And the last one was a self taken picture by my 5 year old!