Happy Birthday to My Hubby and More Updates

David is another year older.  I am often amazed at God's timing.  David was a premie.  His mom often tells of how she used to cut diapers in half to fit him.  Being born early put him in the grade above me, which means he graduated a year ahead of me, finished college a year earlier, and we were able to have our own baby that much sooner.  We celebrated David's birthday a little early in order that most of us could join in the fun.  I am so thankful that God has blessed David with another year.  David's love and heart for our family is so precious.  He works so hard to be a good provider and godly father.  We are truly blessed to have him in our lives.

When David's birthday comes and goes I know that school is around the corner.  I set goals for each summer, probably unreachable goals, but it is good to dream big.  Now that his birthday has come and gone I feel the pressure to accomplish a few more things before school is in full swing.  Some of that has to do with things we need to do and get for Isabella.  It has been a hard last couple of months for Isabella.  She had a couple fairly large seizures, many doctor appointments, testings, and little accidents here and there.  I hate seizure, enough said.  We have seen several specialty doctors, and started with a new physical therapist.  I have had to go through Isabella's "story" and condition at least five times with different health care providers and it is draining emotionally.  I wish I could just record it and push a play button for them "no complications in her pregnancy or birth, developed fine early on, started obvious concerns in development about a year, nonverbal, grand mal seizures this often and this is what they look like, unsteady, sensory seeker........" Each doctor has their own questions in addition to the big ones but I get weary in reliving it so frequently.  The story is very sensitive, personal and emotional.  We are still in the process of getting another MRI in addition to all the other testing.  Then there is Isabella's lack of physical stability.  She has a tendency to trip over things and occasionally her own feet.  I wonder if I should put her in a bubble or padding all around her body.  The other day my Facebook profile showed me a picture of Isabella at a year old.  It was a precious pure picture, a picture before therapies, specialists, testings, seizures, and complications.  It was my baby Isabella pure and simple, the little girl I still love with all my heart without all the drama.  A part of me longs for that simple time, but God is in control and growing us as a family and in our walks with him in ways I never expected.  There is such peace in knowing that God is with us and loves Isabella even more than we do.  Life doesn't always take us down the easy path but with God it is all good.  Now game on, let's see what we can accomplish before the start of school.

I hope you are all enjoying your summer and accomplishing the things you had planned.  May our Lord and Savior bless and keep you all in his loving hands.

Alicia

Look at this little man, enjoying the party

Daddy getting  little help from his little helper

Cassandra made Daddy a collage of pictures

Sierra made a man cave sign for his office

The lovebirds

Danika got him a great movie and Oreo's.  He had recently been
at a youth event with Danika and he was disappointed to see an empty
Oreo box, so Danika took care of him

I got him a rock with our family name engraved on it.
I actually surprised him, it is something he has wanted
for a long time.

Brent and Latisha, and Alex and Ivy got him a metal table
to put his grilling supplies on when camping.
Good times

the photo that popped up on my Facebook, what a cutie

Still such a cutie, she keeps carrying this Shirley Temple dvd
around, I wonder if she wants to watch it 

off exploring and still has that tippy toe walk.
She is getting braces that they have informed us she will
hate but will hopefully help her stop the tippy toe walk.
At the top of the stairs is a box of mega blocks that she
likes to dump out and throw down the stairs.  I don't know
why but it makes her happy, just that sensory seeking thing.