Bye-bye Florida--Hello HOME!

Home sweet Home!

We had a FANTASTIC time on our vacation. It was much needed in so so so many ways.

Usually coming home after vacation is a bit overwhelming. It actually wasn't too bad this time, partially because 3 of our 4 kids when "home" with grandma and grandpa for a week, so we came one with 1 kid instead of 4!

That said, I have a VERY long list of things I need to "get done" this week when I'm almost kiddless! I've come back refreshed, and I'm determined to let this be a "new start" to get caught up and a chance to start some good new habits that have been sorely needed around here!

I don't have all my pictures downloaded yet, but here are a few fun ones!!!

GOODNESS I miss the beach already!!!!! I wanna go back!!!!!

Our last day, getting ready to leave. *sniff*

Lacy and mommy!!! We went to this very cool restaurant that had dueling pianos... VERY fun!

It was a BEAUTIFUL week... except for the first two days. Seeing storms on the gulf was SUPER cool to look at though!!!

My mermaids!!! They LOVED swimming!!!

She screamed when we first sat down... but got used to it!!

"Please, Jesus, don't let Mommy put me on the water or sand. it is very scary and I do not like it. Thank you. Love, Annabelle

Blogging from Florida... #bliss

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

Vacations ROCK.

Haven't had to upload pictures yet, so they will come next week, but Jesus KNEW we needed this. It was exactly what our family needed right now! Both Scott and I and my girls, as well as my inlaws who are with us. My mother-in-law has been super busy taking care of her ailing mother as well so this was a much needed break for them too!

The other night, hubby and I took a late-night stroll on the beach, the gulf waters lapping at our feet and the sand squishing under our toes. It was nothing short of amazing. At one point, I just stood, looking out at the water, in awe.

Dark blueish gray water, as far as the eye could see, with no end.

And as vast and as BIG as it seemed at that moment, and as small as I felt at the time, my God is so much bigger.

In fact, he MADE all that.

I've *known* that before.

And I've been to the ocean before...

I guess I was a different person then. The water was something pretty to look at then.

Maybe it's because I'm older, or because God has used my sweet Annabelle to change my perspective, but it is so much more now. It is, on a smaller scale, a reminder of how huge God is... how POWERFUL He is, and yes, how, while there is much to love and enjoy about God, He is also to be feared because that powerfulness can turn fierce.

You never know what the future holds. God never promises that storms won't come or that the waters won't rise. In fact, the Bible specifically says "...He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matthew 5:45 NIV)

But in that moment, I had a ton of peace.

I love that Jesus gives us peaceful moments in the now, just when we need them.

Treasuring the gift of the moment, of this SUPER wonderful week with my family.

Happy Birthday and EE-II-EE-II-OOOHHhhhhh

A few things today.

First and foremost.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet, sweet Gabriella Gracie Jo!!! Mommy loves you SO very much, sweet baby girl!!!!! You are SO very special and your momma is more proud of you than I could ever tell you!!!


Next... I've been trying SO hard to get a good video of Annabelle singing for you.

But my sweet girl is always on the GO and it is SO very hard.

Most of the time she doesn't sing words, but she has the tune down to a TON of songs.

Her big sisters, however, have taught her how to incorporate her favorite saying.... ee-ii-ee-ii-ooo... into Old McDonald Had a Farm.

So, this is my attempt at video taping it. Unfortunately, you are subjected to MY singing for most of the minute and a half video (my apologies in advance), but she does do it once for you! (she's actually MUCH better at it than in this video... but she was pretty absorbed in how awesome she looked in the camera, HA HA HA! Beauty is so distracting!!)

Enjoy!!!

OH!!! And we're going on vacation soon, a MUCH MUCH needed one with my in-laws to the BEACH. It'll be Annabelle's first "real" vacation where we go somewhere other than grandma's house, and the first one when she is doing really really well! I have maps to the nearest hospital and am as prepared as I can be, but keep begging God to please please please give us a SUPER good time and let no one get hurt or sick!!! Your prayers that our vacation is full of much needed fun, relaxation, and family time is super appreciated!

And of course, vacation pictures WILL be posted next week when I get a chance:-)

Looking forward

When the doctors approached Scott and I about the very real and needed option of heart transplant for Annabelle, we were devastated. We'd always known that transplant was in the cards for her at some point, but we were thinking teens to early 20's.... not < 1 year old.

Because of this abrupt news, we requested to get some 2nd opinions for 3 of the "big" hospitals that specialist in pediatric cardiology. Two of them came back and immediately agreed with the transplant option.

2011: My blue baby, swinging & sleeping, waiting for her heart!

The third took a little more time. And since we were racing against the ticking clock of her failing heart, we opted to go ahead and list.

Then the third opinion came back.

They suggested that we consider a bi-ventricle repair, or in other words... try to repair her WHOLE heart... not replace it... not continue rewiring to only use half.

But to attempt to GROW her very small left ventricle.

We were, in honestly, completely shocked. I'd known that this repair was an option for some less severe cases, but had been told since the day of her birth that this was completely out of the question for our little girl. I'd never considered it.

But here we had the TOP children's hospital in the country telling us there might be another way. A way for my child to not have to worry about her body rejecting her heart for the rest of her life. A way for us to not worry about her over exerting herself because she was living with only half a heart.

HOPE. That is what I felt. A very slim ray of hope.

Against all of our doctor's recommendation, we requested the tests that would give us a better idea if she was truly a candidate. We were given the criteria she'd have to meet, and told that there was very little chance she would.

The results came back in. And the size of her ventricle ended up being MUCH larger than they had anticipated based on her normal Echos.

We were blown away.

But...

Then we were faced with the real decision. Choosing transplant meant that she'd have a whole heart... but we'd be waiting while she slowly got worse and worse. There was a real chance that she wouldn't live long enough for her to receive a heart. And there was only a 70% 5 year survival rate even if she did.

But our other option... was to uproot our family and basically move to Boston. We had no idea if our insurance would even pay for the move, and honestly, what they were suggestion was VERY new and VERY controversial.

In the end, after much prayer and council, we decided the risk of the new procedure coupled with the fact that we'd totally be separating our family, made us decide to stay here and continue our transplant course.

When we made the decision, I remember fearing that I would regret it. What if she died before she got a heart? Would I question my choice that we made in that moment? What if there was a complication with the transplant? Would I always wonder?

Yet, if we'd made the opposite choice and it didn't work, I'd have always questioned that way too.

I remember choosing in my head that day that I would move on with confidence. That God wouldn't let us screw this up, that HE had our backs and if we were to go to Boston, he would have made it abundantly clear.

I've done pretty well at  not regretting. My sweetie is almost 3 and is over 2 years post transplant, and THRIVING... behind, but doing fabulous and making progress.

I'm so thankful for the LIFE of Annabelle that God has blessed us with.

Then last night, I read this fantastic article.  My first reaction was elation. While I know they are referring the study they were attempting to get Annabelle involved in, I'm SUPER excited that they are being able to make strides to significantly help our single ventricle babies. Funding for heart research is VERY low compared to other childhood issues, especially when compared with the significant number of children that are affected. So these big steps are HUGE.

But then... a very small part of me had this little tingle of regret. What if... What if we'd gone to Boston and tried to repair her heart? Would it have grown? Would she be a little girl today with her OWN heart that was beating FOR her, her body not trying to fight it every day? Would she be able to battle normal colds and illnesses without fearing that her body won't be able to fight them? Would she have been able to make strides sooner and do things like eat and walk and talk earlier (or in the case of eating, at all?)

Immediately though, I slapped my hand and told myself to get a grip. We made a choice that we felt God was calling us to make, and wondering what if helps NOTHING. I'm SO thankful for where God has brought us, for the work he has done in our family and in our Annabelle. I'm a firm believer in LEARNING from the past... but regrets and what-if's help no one. They only bread discontentment and sorrow.

Looking forward... that's what I want to do. I want to LOOK FORWARD to all the things God has in store for our family, for my little miracle.

Because looking back gets my eyes off Jesus. And might make me run into a pole.

And running into poles are no fun.

WE DID IT! WE DID IT!!!!!

VERY thankful to say that we finally bit the bullet and BOUGHT A VAN!!!!!

A few super cool things to notes and lessens learned in the process:

1.) Combined with our tax return and multiple family members and a few anonymous donors, we were able to pay CASH for our van. This is a HUGE miracle. We'd originally been looking for something much "less" than what we got, but we were blown away by offers to help us get something that would last us for a very long time. And financing wasn't an option... for many reasons. 

2.) Instead of the 2001-2004 cars we were looking at, we ended up getting a 2009!!

3.) I LOVE LOVE LOVE our new van. 

4.) Waiting on God and committing this big purchase to him was SO WORTH THE WAIT!!!!!

5.) If we commit something to God, he will definitely slam doors in our face when the answer is a NO. He won't let us do something stupid if we are truly seeking his will! I can not tell you HOW many vans we almost bought to have them sell unexpectedly or have very clear NO'S from God that made it so incredibly clear that it was just totally a God answer, without a doubt.


So.... you wanna see our van??

Here it is!!!!

From a 1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager that had a slipping transmission, oil leak, and back breaks that were going bad....

to a 2009 Honda Odyssey that fits our needs (and a few of our wants!!) perfectly!

The Old and the New....

Very Thankful!!!

I think my kids approve!

10 signs of a crappy car salesman

Poor car salesman.

Honestly, I feel bad for them. They get a total bad rap from the whole macho-sleazy-used-car-salesman stereotype.

Unfortunately... while there are definitely some reputable, honest salesman out there... the bad ones tend to be the ones that leave the bitter taste in our mouth and make us want to run away, screaming and bashing heads together.

In our recent quest to find a vehicle that is safe, reliable, and a decent price for our family, we've gotten to meet some, well, some doozies, to say the least.

It's been a while since I've done one of my TOP TEN's on my blog, so I thought this would be a fantastic way to bring them back....

Without further ado,

TEN WAYS TO TELL THAT A CAR SALESMAN IS FULL OF CRAP

10.) They tell you to be quiet and let them talk.

9.) They remind you 100 times how FAST used cars sell and that if you leave it was guaranteed not to be there the next day... even though said car has been on the lot for over 2 months....

8.) They refuse to give you a business card because it is a waste of supplies because "if you're asking for a business card, you're obviously just brushing me off and don't really wanna buy a car."

7.) They show you a car that is obviously PERFECT for you (so says the salesman) and he tells you how great it is and how they are so confident this car will sell that they have it in the shop, and they NEVER do that unless it is a great car.  You then see the car that is a piece of junk... After about 5 minutes of trying to sell you the car... crappy salesman then backs off and says, "Yeah, this isn't what I thought. Let's go."

6.) They refuse to move when you are trying to walk behind them between two cars, making you have to suck in a breathe to not get up-close-and-personal with crappy salesman's big behind... (I swear he almost took a step back on purpose...)

5.) They tell you that the price of a car is 25k... It takes 5 times of asking him to recheck the price (and an admission by buyer that they have already looked at it online and saw the price) for crappy salesman to say, "Oh, sorry, I looked at the wrong one... this one is only 16k..." Uh, yeah, that's what I thought!

4.) "We price our cars right, so this is the best price..." When they obviously do not and are NOT one of the "no haggle pricing" dealerships.

3.) They pull the ol' buddy trick. A "salesman" comes up and asks for the keys of the car you are negotiating because "someone else is REALLY interested in it..." Uh, yeah. No they aren't.

2.) You find a container of strange looking yellow liquid in the backseat of a car for sale and ask the salesman what it is. He shrugs and says, "Who knows what people do in these cars..." *ahem*

1.) "Honestly, Ma'am? You can't find a safe car in your price range. You HAVE to finance something to keep your family safe."


And yes, these are all things that have happened, current and past, to me or a family member.

Oh, and it doesn't fit in my top 10... but have you ever noticed that crappy salesman ALWAYS wear WAY too much perfume/cologne?!? PHEW!!!!

Have I said lately how much I love used car salesman? (I do LOVE them... just don't always LIKE them very much...)

BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I must put an exception in here. Because as I noted, used car salesmen have a bad rap, and not all of them have earned it.

I HAVE met a few really nice ones... ones who have tried to help and apologized when they couldn't. Who have stayed after hours to let us test drive a car even though they were pretty sure we weren't purchasing it. Who have actually recommended places that we might be able to find what we need, instead of trying to pressure us into something that we don't.

THOSE are the people I'd love to purchase from.

Unfortunately, those places, at the moment, don't have a van that is an option for us. But they'll have my recommendation, and will always be the first place I look in the future.

Moral of the story: If you are trying to sell something... BE NICE TO YOUR CUSTOMER.

Discussion: Any good car buying stories??? Good, bad, or just plain funny??? I'm SO SO SO over car shopping right now that I could use a few good stories to make me laugh!



 

I'm NOT dead!!!!

Arrived home around 8am from one of the most AMAZING weekends I've had in a very long time. This was some super God ordained stuff that I needed SO incredibly badly! The only thing I did NOT get that I needed was SLEEP, but that's okay. I needed the other stuff more!

Left Des Moines at 6pm last night with tornadoes warnings clipping at our heels. We went an alternate route to outrun them, and SUPER glad we did, because we could see the horrific clouds right around the spot we would have been if we'd taken the other route.

Arrived in St. Louis about 11:30 to Amy's house. I slept on and off for about 2 hours and left out around 2am.

Yes, I am more than a little tired right now.

And thankfully, despite a pretty nerve wracking pastoral premonition yesterday, both Amy and I arrived home SAFE and SOUND and I'm proud to report that we are NOT DEAD! WOOT!!!

(the sermon at our friend's church was heavy on the subject of death and the reminder that we are all mortals and could die at any moment... needless to say two out-of-towners fixing to roadtrip a combined total of 12 hours with the weather calling for tornados... we were more than a little anxious!!!! Was God trying to tell us something????)

But we did lots of praying (all the while knowing worst case scenario meant we get to see JESUS face to face) and we made it home in one piece! Thank you JESUS!!

I have SO many pictures I could post... but this one is my fav so far.

I love my alleycats. BEYOND blessed to have these fantastic women in my life! I'll blog a different day about what all God taught me and about the fantastic experience... but you don't want me being overly serious right now. My brain is pretty much the consistency of cream-of-wheat. Momma needs SLEEP!!!