Izzy update...

The botox injections went fine. The doctor gave us his opinion about Izzy's hip x-ray. He would like to refer us to a orthopedic surgeon for a tendon release procedure. After a family meeting that ended with a chain prayer, we have decided to wait. We will do exercises with Iz for the next couple of months and ask everyone to join us in prayer specifically for Izzy's hips. After a couple of months we will have x-rays taken again to decide if we should take more drastic measures. We only want the best for our sweet Isabelle. She is a precious child and we all love her more than words can describe.

I took Iz to the dds for a follow up and he was very pleased! HE gave her a thumbs up A+ on her mouth healing. We will go back in 6 months.

Izzy went to school today and did two rounds of therapy yesterday. She did a great job! I can already see the beginning of the botox results. She will begin serial casting on her feet in a week or so. This will last about 4 weeks. We will all need prayers during these four weeks.

We depend on the Lord alone to save us. Only he can help us, protecting us like a shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we are trusting in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us Lord, for our hope is in you alone. Psalms 33:20-22

~Some pics from this weekend~

We went to the make a wish Easter egg hunt Saturday...
Izzy is holding onto her basket with 5 eggs. She didn't hold on to it until I helped her find and put 5 pink and purple eggs inside. All of the sudden she really wanted it close to her!
Here is Emelia & Izzy posing with the Easter bunny.

Izzy & me.

Izzy & Emelia with the big eggs (they were just decorations).

If you get a chance, say a little prayer for Izzy. She will be having botox injections Monday morning.

Izzy's New Smile~

Thanks...

Your prayers meant a lot and Isabelle is recovering very well from her dental procedures. I don't know that I would bounce back as quickly as she appears to be after 3 removals and 16 root canals ...

Yesterday she seemed almost completely back to normal. We are planning to bump up her program this week so hopefully her time off gave her enough rest for the week to come.

I plan to get a toothless pic of her asap, when I do I will post it.

Matt and I were talking this morning again about how healthy Isabelle is. She is just such a little fighter, strong & healthy! We are blessed.

"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous fall." Psalm 55:22

It's Over...

Whew... what a day. I am so glad that is behind us, particularly Iz.

We arrived at Deaconess Hospital early this morning and they took Izzy in the room to prepare her for the surgery about 9:00 a.m. They were so sweet to her, they put a warmed blanket on her and gave her a pink bunny puppet. She acted very calm and relaxed as they wheeled her to the surgery room. The dentist was very sweet and let us know as soon as he was finished.

The worst part of the day was coming into the recovery area to see her afterwards. She was crying so much it was heartbreaking. Her little mouth was so swollen and her eyes were as well. She was scared and coming out of the anesthesia. I finally maneuvered around the IV and monitors to hold her and after an hour of crying she was finally ready to head home. We put her Dora DVD on for the ride home and she was pretty calm.

I waited about an hour to try to feed her anything and she was hungry. Her little mouth looks so odd to me now, without her front teeth. She looks like a snaggletooth, it will be cuter when the swelling goes down. Of course she is always precious and beautiful to me... with or without swelling :) .

This is the pic Matt took on the way home with my

phone camera.

Kind of blurry but you get the idea...

Thanks to everyone who prayed for her. One comment the dentist said was how amazingly she did with the whole thing and that he could tell she was incredibly healthy. She is. I praise God daily for her good health. She is on a very nutritional diet too, along with JuicePlus nutritional products. She is the healthiest of all our children.

Izzy Update ~

Just thought I would write a quick update on Isabelle tonight...

This is Spring break and I think Izzy is really glad to get the break. She did really good last week in the walkable with Camilla. Kathy said she initiated some steps and that she held her head up nicely. She also spent circle time with "her boys" in the stander. Barbara commented that she seemed to really enjoy being able to see everything going on.

Isabelle shows us interesting things every day. She is quite a girl!

Thursday Izzy will be having her dental procedure. She will be having three teeth pulled in the front, and then all of her teeth will have baby root canals and caps. The front two will have white, the others will be silver. We have been waiting so long to get this done and I am just ready to have it behind us. She will be anesthetized. We are supposed to arrive at Deaconess Hospital at 6:30 a.m., they will prep her and probably begin by 10 a.m., The dentist, Jerome Miller, said it would take him a little more than an hour. They will keep her for observation for a couple of hours afterwards also, that will probably be until 2 p.m. Please pray that everything goes really well for Izzy and for her comfort and safety. It is difficult to imagine taking her to a hospital. We had so many sad times at hospitals in the beginning of this journey, but we now know that our sad days are over and it's time for many happy days. Thanks for your prayers (in advance!)

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." John 15:7

March 13, 2007

Isabelle is doing really great. She continues to do better and better with the assisted crawl. I think there is some confusion about what exactly that is so I thought I would describe this exercise. We begin with cross patterning which takes three people. One person at each side moving the arms and legs alternately and then a person turning her head. After 5 minutes of cross patterning she does about 20 ft. of assisted crawling in which she is put on her tummy and we raise one arm above her head and bend the opposite leg, we then instruct her to push with her leg. Each push we alternate sides. She pushes every time we tell her too. Me and Bailey were doing this last night and telling her that soon she would be crawling into his room getting into his stuff (neither of them can wait!). We got her stroller fitting finished and I don't know how long it will take but I am very excited to have a lighter weight stroller.

This is the stroller we have chosen (with Camilla, p.t.'s help :) ...

Izzy's will be raspberry colored.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them]. Mark 11:24

Izzy's Tuesday...

Just thought I would write a quick update on Izzy's day at school...

Niecie was very excited today when I picked Isabelle up today. She was doing her vision and instructing her to look at the right side but the object was on the left side. Isabelle kept looking at the right side and Niecie finally said, "Isabelle, you have to do this!" and then realized she was telling her the wrong side. She apologized and then told her to look at the left side and Izzy did and then looked to the right when asked. Niecie said that she gave her a "finally you get it" look! Niecie was excited and sees too the ability and intelligence of Izzy!

She just keeps on showing us how smart she is which is so exciting.

She did great again last night on the assisted crawl. I think she gets better every day at it.

Thanks for keeping those prayers going up for Izzy! God is listening and answering with a "YES! and AMEN."

But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us--by me, Silvanus, and Timothy--was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. II Corinthians 1:18-20

Wordless Wednesday...

Yes, there is pink in Amanda's hair!!!

Izzy Update...

Saturday...
Matt & dad worked on the swing. It is basically a piece of wood 3'X4' that hangs from the ceiling. She swings 4 minutes during each session of therapy. She seems to really relax so she has been swinging a lot this week. (Please remember when looking at this photo of the therapy room that we had been out of town several days and were working on all these new pieces of equipment :)

This is the inside of the hyperbaric chamber (hbot - hyperbaric oxygen therapy). We 'dive' at 1.5 atmospheres of pressure breathing 100% oxygen!

We also were trying to make "rolling" more fun so we basically

raised up one end of Izzy's queen sized mattress so that she can roll down the bed. We just put it down at bedtime...

Here is a picture of her after rolling down! She does actually enjoy it.

There have been several exciting things happen since we have been doing therapy so I wanted to update before I forget everything...

Sunday...

We were talking about Izzy doing so well identifying the cvs cards we use while masking for the Australians. (the cvs cards are basically 11X11 sheets of white paper with specific pictures of different things. When we do masking (60 sec.) we show her 10 cards 1 at a time and only say the name of the object. We rotate the 160 cards, using 10 per week. Matt was saying we should do cards to do colors and I thought she probably already knew colors... so we decided to find out. We got some toys that were bright colors and just held up two and said, "Izzy, look at the red toy." She got them all right! So, question answered... she knows her colors!

Later we did our first round of her new programme. She cried a lot but still did great on the assisted crawling.

Monday...

We went to hippo therapy. Izzy rode Doc. She did great and sat up well. She was so tired by the time we finished! It was fun for her and she enjoyed seeing the horses.

We did another round of the programme and she seemed so much happier about it this time. She did 20 ft. of assisted crawling so well. We were very impressed. She also did her new exercise called sit ups well and held her head good. She leaned for kisses when prompted.

Today...

Finally went to the dds to schedule her dental work ... YEAH!

The dentist was very nice and is making calls to get her procedure scheduled. It will probably be about two weeks from Thursday.

When we were in the waiting room I had her new baby Mozart toy that says colors in three languages...along with music. We kept pushing yellow and I would say, "say yellow." Matt says that she said yellow three times and then when we pushed red and I told her to say red she wouldn't...

Tonight we did her programme and she did well again, she was so tired tonight she kept trying to fall asleep. She did great again on the assisted crawling and even pulled her leg up herself this time which was new! She then put her little hiney in the air like babies do when they are trying to crawl... also new! This is all so encouraging!

Please keep praying! She is doing so great.

Love, Annie

"We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Psalms 33:20-22

AIAHP Re-assessment...

Well, we are home from Ponca City. We had a nice visit with the Morris family, with Chad & Tim, and also met the family from India.

Deepa and Sumatra brought their autistic son Rik to be reassessed by AIAHP also. They were very nice people and it was interesting to learn a little about their culture.

We got four hbot dives in while there, Matt learned to run the chamber so it was pretty convenient. I am hoping he will zip down with me more often to help out with the chamber.

Okay, on with the assessment. I am looking at the progress report we were given...

Under staff's opinion it reads: With 5 profile changes and 18 functional changes, it is our opinion that Izzy has made "very good" progress. A functional change is progress but doesn't move you up on the actual scale. A profile change is a move up the ladder on the sheet with what levels Izzy is at. There may be many functional changes before getting a profile change.

A few highlights of the assessment was when put on the floor to simulate a slide (to be done as assisted crawling after cross patterning) Izzy pushed off Chad's thumb with her leg each time. She also pulled with her arm. Chad was skeptical, thinking maybe she was using tone, until Izzy cried and stopped pushing. When we told her to push again, she did. I think she really surprised both Chad and Tim on that one. Later before we left, Chad was looking at our CVS cards. He said, "do you think Izzy knows the pictures?" We think so. So he showed her two and then held both up saying "Izzy, look at the plant (or elephant, or dice, or ...)." She did five of six times. The time she didn't she just looked irritated with their little game. She looked directly and instantly at the one called out and even appeared to almost point at it. They were really excited. Me & Matt were tired and ready to go home, I think the thought we should have shown more excitement (I was excited on the inside).

We were given a new programme to do. It will take a little bit of time to get things needed to do this new programme. Also we are going to have to somehow recruit new and more volunteers as the cross patterning takes three people & they would like it to be done many times a day. I think if you asked how I felt about it, I would say positive but a bit overwhelmed. I think it is awesome that she has even shown Chad and Tim her tenacity. She is definitely a fighter and they both said that is something about her that makes her such a good candidate for recovery. They said they loved that she is a little fighter.

We know that God is Isabelle's healer. We believe that God is healing Isabelle. We are simply preparing the field. We are ready for a big crop!!!!

Thanks for the prayers & love. If you happen to live close and want to devote 30-60 minutes a week to help exercise Izzy (very simple, no experience or talent in this area needed) please contact us!

Love you all.

Lots of things happing for Izzy ...

There are a lot of things going on this week for Izzy.

We have our assessment in Ponca with the guys from Australia. I'm excited to see how she does, I know she has made improvements so I look forward to seeing how the programme is changed up...

Izzy was approved for tefra so next week we see a new dentist to start getting her teeth issue resolved (yea).

Izzy recieved a letter from make a wish this last week.

Please keep Izzy in your prayers. I know that God is in control and I must simply be still... a little tough when there is so much to do :)

Love to all!

Annie

We built a wood stander that has an adjustable incline so that we can Izzy can stand on her hip joints and feet more. It seems to be working well and she is tolerating it well. When Dr. Wright wrote the Rx for hip x-rays I called Izzy's pediatrician's office and was surprised to be connected to Dr. Beard. She said she would make the appointments for the x-ray etc. They later said that the specific xray requested needed to be done at the hospital so we will go there to make the appointment. I don't think her hip is compromised, but will have the xray done before the botox appointment as requested. I talked to the chiropractor that Izzy's visits on Tuesdays & Thursdays about her back and posture. Just discussing it made me realize that her posture has weakened since we started AIAHP which is when we stopped working on sitting up because it is their belief that sitting up leads to sitting up and the child should be prone on the floor as much as possible. Heath suggested that by not sitting up and utilizing those large muscles in the back they could become weak, so we are doing more sitting exercises to strengthen those muscles. Izzy went to school this week, she is such a healthy girl. It is wonderful that she remains so well. Today was her Valentine's party. She has 9 boys in her class now... she's the only girl. I made little shovels for each boy. I posted a pic on the other blog. Anyway, they turned out cute and she seemed to enjoy the party. After lunch today I showed her each valentine and read them to her. I love Valentine's Day!

Last night Matt was surprised with a call from Thurman Scrivner himself... They talked for a while and then Thurman prayed with Matt. It was a lift.

I have mentioned the ongoing quest for tefra... I thought we were at the end of the approval process. We were told to expect a call from a nurse for a home visit. She called, and came... but I was told it was still part of the qualification process. Hopefully this will be done quickly so we can finally get Izzy's teeth fixed. I am having thoughts that I should have just had them fixed and dealt with it but the more time I invest in this tefra business, knowing she qualifies (it is based soley on her income, not ours) I am more determined to see this through.

I guess there is not really any BIG news to report for this week... I just wanted to let you know that Izzy is well and that she is continuing to improve. Please keep praying & believing!

Update

We took Izzy to see Dr. Wright in Bethany today to consult about botox injections because her left foot is causing problems and the botox
was really effective last time. He agreed that she needed it and then
after examining her legs, he ordered a x-ray of her hips because he is
concerned about her left hip. There is a possibility that it could be
out of socket with is a very common occurrence for her condition. We are
taking a proactive approach to this news and are doing things now to
try to help the situation. Thebotox is scheduled for April 2 and we
will have the x-ray done before that. Please pray for the x-ray to
reveal that her hip is fine and that there is no need for more
aggressive treatments. He also discussed doing an eeg on her. We decided to get past this first and then decide. The last eeg we did was in dallas. We took her off the phenobarbital because there were no seizures. Matt asked the dr.
about her startles and left turn laughs. He suggested that if she is
having seizures they could interfere with progress because they interrupt her brain's process. Please pray that she is not having seizures and will not need anything further for this.

I talked to her pediatrician this afternoon and she is going to schedule
the x-ray etc. She has also decided to go ahead and prescribeambien.
Izzy went to school today. She seemed to have a good day. She really likes
all the little boys in her class, so much so that her ST, Margaret is
doing her therapy in the classroom. She gets mad if you take her away
from the other kids.

We went to horse therapy Monday. She did so well riding Opie. She sat up tall and rode for about 30 minutes. Opie was almost running so it was a workout for us all :)
Even Joy noticed that Izzy is really looking more and saw improved cognition.

Isabelle is so healthy, she is so beautiful and she is so sweet. She is a little
doll. I feel like an expectant mother, waiting for the birth of the
baby. I am waiting and expectant that she is going to blossom and that
she is going to do great.

Please keep her in your prayers.

I love you, Lord; you are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold.
I will call on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
for he saves me from my enemies.Psalms 18:1-3

A ride on the sled...

We have been blessed with a lot of ice this weekend. The kids have been having a lot of fun riding the sled down the hill. Matt thought Izzy needed this experience as well so today we bundled her up and took her out sledding.
It is so cold and so slippery out!

Back in school...

Izzy had a good week back in school. We had her Psych Eval. at the school on Thursday, now when the HCA get that faxed in we should be all set for tefra and be able to move forward on getting all her teeth crowned (ugh). I am very happy that we are one step closer.
At school they worked with her switch, they are trying to use it for her to answer yes or now to questions or choices for what she will be doing. They are trying to teach her that they will do what she chooses.
I got a call on Friday letting me know that Insurance has pre-approved her new stroller. This is also pretty exciting, her stroller is so heavy!
She had the usual chiropractor visits at Heath's office on Tuesday & Thursday. Therapy daily at home. She is getting stronger everyday.
We have been wanting to stop using pediasure for a while. I have continued to use it because it is easy not only feeding it to her but also knowing that she is getting enough calories etc. I did feel like it was too much sugar and that she needed to move on. She didn't have any pediasure all weekend. I fed her blended vegetable stew last night, she ate it but I think it was too spicy because I got a lot of funny faces. I am going to have to be more mindful of making her food before spicing things up. I made her a 'shake' tonight with blueberries and cereal and her juice plus vitamins. I feel like she gets a lot of what she needs from the juice plus. She has been so healthy. I attribute this to God first and foremost. I also know that God has led us in the right direction in so many areas of Izzy's recovery. One has definately been the juice plus.
I made an appointment with Dr. Wright at the Children's Center for the end of the month to schedule more botox injections. I feel like her left foot is pretty tight and she isn't enjoying her walking at school as much. She also tends to scissor her legs and the injections in her thighs last time really helped this. I feel calmer about it because it was so easy last time. She didn't cry or act uncomfortable. Dr. Wright does a really good job.
It's official, the Austrialians (AIAHP) are coming February 21 and will evaluate Izzy the 21 and 22nd. I am looking forward to viewing the new programme for her. I know they will see she is doing great.
I cannot say, "she is walking." but I can say, "she will be walking." and she will. I know it! I serve a mighty God and I believe His promises. I also believe it is His will to restore her body.

A New Year...

Izzy is doing great after a LONG Christmas break. The kids all went back to school today including Isabelle. She seemed ready to go back although she had a big pouty lip when I put her in her stroller to go into the school. I am sure she is having a great morning. I was able to go to the park and take Lady aka White Dog for a walk. It is about 32 degrees, so it was perfect!
Chad from AIAHP (australia) called last night. Izzy is scheduled to be evaluated and reassessed on February 21-22. I am excited to see how she has improved in their opinions, although I know already that she is improving. I am also excited to see how the program will change since we discussed the fact that they brought her program down a level to have a starting point. We'll see. Please keep this in your prayers. There are so many different choices on therapy, they are all very expensive so you really have to pick and choose what to do. I know God leads us toward the right people and I trust Him to continue to guide us.

Thirteen Things that make me smile! 1…. hearing a friend's voice on the phone. 2... a clean house. 3... seeing a smile on the face of my children. 4... recieving snail mail! 5... good reports from Izzy's teachers and/or therapists. 6... watching our dog lady eat pistachios after shelling them carefully with her teeth. 7... seeing dad walking up the road toward my house. 8... listening to a favorite song. 9... matt. 10... watching mom do head turning every evening while singing, "turning izzy's head." 11... a good sale. 12... sweet happy memories. 13... reading comments from you. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This is such a busy time of the year! We are almost
finished with all the Christmas celebrating. Matt's
mother had to have surprise back surgery Thursday
so that changed our plans a bit. She is doing great
now though and we are all thankful that this has
alleviated her pain.
Isabelle had her Christmas party at school Friday
(pics will come soon). She exchanged gifts with a
classmate and pushed her button to say thank you
at the appropriate time after recieving a cute little
baby doll. She has really held a tight grip on that
baby, it is special to her. We also found out that she
apparently loves sprite.
We drove to Tulsa yesterday to visit Matt's mom for
Christmas. Emelia recieved a karaoke machine from
them so we will have constant entertainment!

I pray for blessings overflowing for the New Year!
Thank you for your love and prayers.

Annie & Izzy

 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

This has been a crazy couple of weeks... 
I have been to three funerals... 
Sylvia Johnston... a lovely lady who attended church with me.  She was beautiful
inside and out and was so kind to me & to Izzy.
Estelle Dehart... my maternal grandmother.  She was a sweet kind woman who
served her very large family.
Ozella Lemmon... my dear friend Mendy's grandmother.  She was a joy to her
family.  Mendy offered her eulogy and did a beautiful tribute in her memory.

Coming away from these funerals with the technology today that provides
slide shows which offer a life time of memories.  You quite literally are able
to watch the person's life pass before your very eyes.  I think the lesson I leave
with is that each day is truly a gift from God to be savored.  The people in our
lives are there for a reason and they are a blessing.

On another note... Izzy is doing well.  She remains so healthy.  It is amazing how
sturdy and healthy she is.  School was cancelled last Thursday-Friday because of
snow and ice.  It was a nice time to enjoy the kids.  We continue to do programming
with Izzy and have began doing some different games with blocks and toys to try
to get her more motivated.  She always surprises us with her abilities.  She is the
sweetest little girl.  (I have to stop saying baby since she is four years old). 

I am about 25% finished decorating for christmas and have put the tree up.  
YEAH!
I am finally feeling the Christmas feeling.

Love and blessings to all and many many thanks for your continued faithful 
prayers.

Annie 

Thirteen Scriptures of promise I believe & base my hope on... 1.  John 14:12-14 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 2.  John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you 3.  Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." 4.  Mark 11:22-24 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. 5.  Matt 18:18-20 Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." 6.  Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 7.  Matt 8:16-17 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses." 8.  1Pet 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. 9.  Eph 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 10. 2Cor 1:18-20 But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us--by me, Silvanus, and Timothy--was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 11.  Jam 1:5-7 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 12.  John 16:23-24 And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. 13.  Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Amen! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Thanksgiving Week...

This is a pic of Paula/Matt's mom with Izzy on Thanksgiving Day in Tulsa. They were just hanging out. Matt's mom hurt her back and has been experiencing a lot of pain. She is also beginning a new job that requires a good deal of travel. Please keep her in your prayers.
Last Sunday my maternal grandmother passed away. She was 88 years old, and lived in a nursing facility with her husband of 70+ years. Her name was Estelle DeHart. She had many many grandchildren as my mother was one of 13 children she had. I do have fond memories of spending the nights in Pauls Valley as a child. I remember that grandma always had vanilla sandwich cookies, she was always sweet and soft spoken, and she could cook anything and make it taste good. My mother loved her very much and will miss her greatly as will my grandfather.
My mother is one of a kind. I really was blessed growing up with Christian parents who loved me. They always made me feel like I could accomplish anything I wanted to do. My mother always has room at the table for one more. She shows her love in so many ways including cooking delicious food. She gives of herself in a very quiet way, never wanting credit for her deeds. I don't know if I will ever acquire some of her characteristics, but I admire them so much.
Izzy has been a trooper through all the holiday outings. She is so healthy and continues to do well. We are going to horse therapy today so hopefully I'll get some good pictures.
I continue to work towards getting TEFRA for Izzy. After a month of no returned calls, I finally did get to talk to a person and find out we are going to have to get some additional documentation that could take another month or two. It is a little frustrating, but I know that the effort will be worth it in the end.
I cannot believe Christmas is right around the corner. We are definately not ready! I have to say I have no desire to even decorate at this point. I think there is just so many other things going on right now.
I know I say it almost every post but I want to say it again... I am so thankful for all of you who are praying for Izzy!

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord"
James 1:5-7

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Izzy at school...

Yesterday when I took Izzy to school I knew that she would be working with Camilla and probably working in the walkable. I talked to her on the way to school about trying hard and how proud I was of her. When I came back to pick her up, everyone was very excited about how she had done in the walkable. She walked in it across and back in the therapy room. Camilla took her out and asked if she wanted to get in again to which she let them know she did. She said "go" when put in the walkable and they took her out into the hall and let her "walk" down the hall while the four little boys in her class sat in chairs and cheered for her. She never fussed and while she was helped by both Camilla and Niecie, they really felt like she was trying to help take steps and did initiate some steps on her own again. She was able to go further this time than the time before.
After her walking, she worked on vision and did better than ever!
Anyway, it was a good school day for Izzy and it's days like these that keep you smiling on slower days. I know that God is working in Izzy's brain and body and have faith that she will walk down the hall on her own soon.
I am thankful for Camilla (pt), she believes in Izzy... so do Barbara and Niecie (teachers). I cannot stress how important it is that the people helping Izzy believe in her!
Thanks for keeping us in prayer. She is doing great!

"The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" Lamentations 3:22-24

Thirteen Things I'm thankful for... 1.   God's love.   2.   My husband Matt. 3.   My children... Amanda, Bailey, Emelia, & Isabelle. 4.   My parents. 5.   My friends. 6.   Today... Psalm 118:24 7.   Izzy's teachers & therapists. 8.   Good health. 9.   People who love & pray for Izzy. 10. Church family. 11. My home. 12. Books... the Bible & many others. 13. You!!! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Happy Fall...

 Here are a few pictures from Izzy's school on Halloween day. Izzy had a great day at school on Thursday.  Camilla (p.t.) was excited about the work she did in the walkable.  She thought Isabelle enjoyed being in the walkable, and that Isabelle initiated some steps and held herself up well.  Izzy's vision continues to improve.  She looks around a lot and there is marked
improvement in her vision therapy.
We continue to do her program.  She is doing well and while it seems very repetitive
and monotonous at times, that is the point so we know we are on the right track for now.
Isabelle seems to get stronger all the time in her arms and shoulders.
I am thankful for the helpers who are faithful to come every week and help with the
program... Laura on Tuesdays, Jane on Wednesdays, and mom in the evenings.  Aunt
Colleen came to help this week on Friday.  There are a few of the exercises that take two
people.  The kids are all capable of helping as well.  
Amanda, Bailey, and Emelia are all doing great too.  Report cards came out and parent
teacher conferences.  Everyone got good marks, and Amanda is still a straight A student
in spite of the AR classes.  She works so hard at school and we are proud of her for the commitment she makes to her classes.  Bailey loves junior high!
Sorry my updates are not often... it just seems like it is a lot of the same although we are always so busy.  I am so thankful for everyone who has taken Izzy and our family into your hearts and keeps us in prayer.  Please continue to pray for healing.  

"The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father. Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it! John 14:12-14