Posts
Hi everyone. It has been quite a while since my last post. Two holidays have already passed and we are now entering the last week of the 2009 year.
Our family enjoyed a beautiful Thanksgiving together. It was just me and Danny and the kids, and Bubba of course! We all pitched in and helped with the preparations for the meal. The kids each chose a veggie dish and a dessert to make. They all did such a great job, and I had so much fun cooking with them in the kitchen. Danny's job was to sit and relax. I took pictures to post on this site, but I don't know how to do that just yet. So, for now just know that pictures are coming soon. :)
Mid-December, Jacob, Kennedy and Karaline were all in a Christmas recital with their dance studio. For the first time ever, Kennedy performed her competition solo in front of a huge audience. She did great! Afterward she told me she forgot a part, but you couldn't tell, she just kept smiling and dancing.
Jacob took his finals at school before Christmas break. He passed them all, but we are waiting on his grades to post to see if he passed Math for the semester. It is still heavy on my heart to homeschool him, but no decision has been made as of yet. I think I'm holding back because I'm scared.
Danny has had some good days and some bad days. As his liver gets worse, he becomes more tired and is in more pain. His legs have really been bothering him at night and it's preventing him from getting a peaceful sleep. He was up one night last week until around 3:45am and he had to wake up at 4:30 to go into work. He woke me up at 2:00 to let me know he was getting dressed and going into work and was just going to sleep in his car until it was time to start working. Of course I wouldn't let him do that. I got up with him and rubbed his legs until he felt like he could get some sleep. Then I couldn't go back to sleep! So I did laundry! :)
Oh, here is something new, Danny gave the kids a puppy for Christmas, even after all my protests. Her name is Sadie Mae and she is a beagle mix that Danny rescued from the shelter. I tired everything to prevent this from happening, but God opened doors every step of the way. Our apartment management waived our pet deposit ($400) and Sadie took to kenneling after just one night. The kids were so happy when Danny brought her in and their reaction to receiving her made Danny cry. This is their first pet, with the exception of our turtle Jerry, who ran away. They have been very responsible with walking her and feeding her and even bathing her. She lets them lay on her and carry her around like she is a baby and she wears these little sweaters they put on her to keep her warm. Sometimes when all this is going on I think she looks at me with this expression on her face as if saying, please help me. :)
The kids are on winter break and are loving sleeping in and staying up late. We spent Christmas at my grandparents home in Waller. Everyone was there except my sister and her family. We missed them, but they like to have Christmas at their house in OnAlaska. My neice and nephew are going to be coming one day this week to stay through the weekend while my sister and her husband go hunting again. I can't wait to see them.
Our 300 cookbooks came in the week before Christmas and Praise God, we have already sold out! I think we are going to order and additional 200 but I'm not sure just yet. God truly blessed us with this fundraiser. I've been able to pay off some small doctor bills for Danny and the kids had to be seen by the doctor and we were able to pay for that as well. Thank you to everyone who participated in this fundraiser.
Well it's time for me to close. I'll try and post more this week. Have a safe and happy new year.
Love in Christ,
Crystal.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Busy, busy, busy
Whew! What a busy week we've had and it's only Tuesday!
Last week we welcomed my new nephew Zachary into the world. This is my brother and sister-in-law's second baby. I was able to go up to the hospital last Tuesday and hold and smell and cuddle and smell and admire and smell that wonderful bundle of joy! Oh man, I've got baby fever real bad! I know, I know most of you are thinking, WHAT!?! I just can't help it, I love my children so much and have wanted another one for some time now, but as most of you know, my plumbing doesn't work anymore, so I'll just have to settle for smelling and holding my nieces and nephews. :)
Speaking of nieces and nephews, my sister's kids came to stay with us over the weekend while she and my brother-in-law went hunting. It was so much fun having them around again. They moved at the beginning of the summer and I havn't seen them for some time. Having all six kids in this small apartment was no easy task, but it was very much enjoyed. My niece and Jaxon are only 5 months apart in age. Jaxon loved having his cousin around. They played so hard and had so much fun. Kennedy and my nephew are also five months apart. Jacob and my nephew spent a lot of time together playing video games and Kennedy was so helpful and entertained the three younger kids playing school and dancing with them. They all put on a dance show Saturday night freestyling their own unique moves. It was so funny. Sunday my sister and her husband came home and spent the night with us. They cooked some backstrap from one of the deer they shot and it was so good. I've really missed having my sister around. She is my absolute best girlfriend. Not seeing her everyday has been really tough. It was so nice to just hang out and talk Monday morning before our little ones got up. When she left Monday, she took Jaxon with her. I was left here alone and it wasn't the nice pleasant time I thought it was going to be. I truly missed having Jaxon around. I think I called Danny at work five times because I was so sad. Man if it's this bad when he's just going for a two night stay, can you imagine how I'm going to be when he's in school???
Sunday at church Danny started feeling bad. We had to do some grocery shopping after church and he started to have a low. At least he was able to recognize it and went and sat down and drank a soda. Karaline also started running a fever on Sunday and had been complaining about her throat hurting the night before. I just thought, oh man, no strep, please! Thankfully, Danny got up and went to school feeling much better, and Karaline got up with no fever and went to school that day as well. :)
Well, today I went to the doctor to have my toe looked at. I've had a pretty bad infection in it for about a month now, and it's only gotten worse. The doctor ended up taking both sides of my toenail off. So now I have a mohawk toenail! :) Jacob went with me for moral support. He was my hand holder while I got shots in my toe. It was nice to have him there with me. Afterward we came home and he really took care of me. He cleaned the kitchen, loading and unloading the dishwasher and wiping down the counters. Every time I got up to do something he reminded me to lay on the couch with my foot proped up. He's going to make a good husband one day. :)
Here is some new news...today I had a phone interview with our local town paper. They called to do a story on Danny our family and our journey to the transplant list. I was able to share how through out all of our hardships and disappointments God has been in total control of this entire situation. How I am thankful for Christ coming down from Heaven to save us from an eternity without God and that even if God's will is for Danny's life to end, that I know I will see him again in Heaven. That alone is a comfort to me. A photographer came out this evening and took some pictures of us with Danny. Jaxon is the only one who won't be in the photograph because he won't be home until tomorrow sometime. The story is supposed to run in the Thanksgiving day paper. I pray that somehow I've been a true witness for Christ in what I shared with the reporter and that lives will be changed because of what Christ has done for us and what He can do for them.
Did I tell you all that I'm making Thanksgiving dinner here at our apartment? :) Don't laugh! Those of you who know me, know that I'm not that great of a cook, but I'm going to give it my best. All the kids are going to help out too. Each of them is in charge of cooking a side dish and dessert, with my help, of course. :) Tomorrow we bake the pies and (for Karaline) the cupcakes. Karaline is so cute. She asked me yesterday if we could have a Thanksgiving party. I told her of course we could! She was so excited and sat next to me and helped make our menu and shopping list.
I heard yesterday from my friend that we have already presold 75 cookbooks for Danny's fundraiser! God is so Great! I cannot wait to see how He provides for us in the next few weeks to come. Please continue to be in prayer about the timing of the cookbook shipment. We want to have these cookbooks available the week of Christmas and we are just pushing it so close. I have faith that God will provide.
With Thanksgiving coming this week, I took a moment to reflect on all the things that I am truly thankful for, my children, the precious time I have with my husband, but I am also thankful for the family and friends that have been there with prayers and words of encouragement and meals and even unearned paychecks from a company who views its employees as actual people and not just a number. Thank you!
I have had the hardest time asking for help. As one dear friend pointed out to me, that is my prideful nature. So, thank you all for being so faithful to follow God's Word by reaching out to our family during this time. Thank you all for being compassionate and concerned and loving and gracious. I know that God will bless your efforts. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Crystal:)
Last week we welcomed my new nephew Zachary into the world. This is my brother and sister-in-law's second baby. I was able to go up to the hospital last Tuesday and hold and smell and cuddle and smell and admire and smell that wonderful bundle of joy! Oh man, I've got baby fever real bad! I know, I know most of you are thinking, WHAT!?! I just can't help it, I love my children so much and have wanted another one for some time now, but as most of you know, my plumbing doesn't work anymore, so I'll just have to settle for smelling and holding my nieces and nephews. :)
Speaking of nieces and nephews, my sister's kids came to stay with us over the weekend while she and my brother-in-law went hunting. It was so much fun having them around again. They moved at the beginning of the summer and I havn't seen them for some time. Having all six kids in this small apartment was no easy task, but it was very much enjoyed. My niece and Jaxon are only 5 months apart in age. Jaxon loved having his cousin around. They played so hard and had so much fun. Kennedy and my nephew are also five months apart. Jacob and my nephew spent a lot of time together playing video games and Kennedy was so helpful and entertained the three younger kids playing school and dancing with them. They all put on a dance show Saturday night freestyling their own unique moves. It was so funny. Sunday my sister and her husband came home and spent the night with us. They cooked some backstrap from one of the deer they shot and it was so good. I've really missed having my sister around. She is my absolute best girlfriend. Not seeing her everyday has been really tough. It was so nice to just hang out and talk Monday morning before our little ones got up. When she left Monday, she took Jaxon with her. I was left here alone and it wasn't the nice pleasant time I thought it was going to be. I truly missed having Jaxon around. I think I called Danny at work five times because I was so sad. Man if it's this bad when he's just going for a two night stay, can you imagine how I'm going to be when he's in school???
Sunday at church Danny started feeling bad. We had to do some grocery shopping after church and he started to have a low. At least he was able to recognize it and went and sat down and drank a soda. Karaline also started running a fever on Sunday and had been complaining about her throat hurting the night before. I just thought, oh man, no strep, please! Thankfully, Danny got up and went to school feeling much better, and Karaline got up with no fever and went to school that day as well. :)
Well, today I went to the doctor to have my toe looked at. I've had a pretty bad infection in it for about a month now, and it's only gotten worse. The doctor ended up taking both sides of my toenail off. So now I have a mohawk toenail! :) Jacob went with me for moral support. He was my hand holder while I got shots in my toe. It was nice to have him there with me. Afterward we came home and he really took care of me. He cleaned the kitchen, loading and unloading the dishwasher and wiping down the counters. Every time I got up to do something he reminded me to lay on the couch with my foot proped up. He's going to make a good husband one day. :)
Here is some new news...today I had a phone interview with our local town paper. They called to do a story on Danny our family and our journey to the transplant list. I was able to share how through out all of our hardships and disappointments God has been in total control of this entire situation. How I am thankful for Christ coming down from Heaven to save us from an eternity without God and that even if God's will is for Danny's life to end, that I know I will see him again in Heaven. That alone is a comfort to me. A photographer came out this evening and took some pictures of us with Danny. Jaxon is the only one who won't be in the photograph because he won't be home until tomorrow sometime. The story is supposed to run in the Thanksgiving day paper. I pray that somehow I've been a true witness for Christ in what I shared with the reporter and that lives will be changed because of what Christ has done for us and what He can do for them.
Did I tell you all that I'm making Thanksgiving dinner here at our apartment? :) Don't laugh! Those of you who know me, know that I'm not that great of a cook, but I'm going to give it my best. All the kids are going to help out too. Each of them is in charge of cooking a side dish and dessert, with my help, of course. :) Tomorrow we bake the pies and (for Karaline) the cupcakes. Karaline is so cute. She asked me yesterday if we could have a Thanksgiving party. I told her of course we could! She was so excited and sat next to me and helped make our menu and shopping list.
I heard yesterday from my friend that we have already presold 75 cookbooks for Danny's fundraiser! God is so Great! I cannot wait to see how He provides for us in the next few weeks to come. Please continue to be in prayer about the timing of the cookbook shipment. We want to have these cookbooks available the week of Christmas and we are just pushing it so close. I have faith that God will provide.
With Thanksgiving coming this week, I took a moment to reflect on all the things that I am truly thankful for, my children, the precious time I have with my husband, but I am also thankful for the family and friends that have been there with prayers and words of encouragement and meals and even unearned paychecks from a company who views its employees as actual people and not just a number. Thank you!
I have had the hardest time asking for help. As one dear friend pointed out to me, that is my prideful nature. So, thank you all for being so faithful to follow God's Word by reaching out to our family during this time. Thank you all for being compassionate and concerned and loving and gracious. I know that God will bless your efforts. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Crystal:)
Thursday, November 19, 2009
God Is So Good!
Hi everyone! I have some wonderful news to share with you. Since my last post God has provided for us in a big way. I went to the bank this past Monday to see what I needed to do to get our account out of the negative so we can open up an additional account for Danny's fundraisers. Our bank is graciously allowing us to make monthly payments on the amount that is negative and zeroing our balance so that we can start making deposits back into our personal account. This will eliminate us being charged $5.00 a day for each day that we are in the negative. What a HUGE Praise The Lord this is! I've been praying specifically for God to provide us with the money we need to bring us out of the negative, and He has. I've also been able to pick up additional hours with the Mary Kay Directors that I work for this week because they are both having their holiday open houses this coming weekend. Again, God is providing for us in ways that we just can't imagine.
On another note, Jacob is doing great with his tutor. He's brought home A's and one B on homework that he's done with his tutor. This is just another answered prayer. I've openly admitted that I am HORRIBLE at math and unfortunately for Jacob, I'm not able to even check his homework for him. His tutor has been able reteach him steps that he's missed and check his homework for me as well. For the first time this school year Jacob feels confident that he'll do well on his math test, which is tomorrow by the way, so please be in prayer for him with that. I'm still waiting for God to lead me in the direction He wants me to take with homeschool. At least for now, Jacob has that confidence he was missing before with his math work.
Praise God again!!! Our cookbook has been sent off for print. While we were only trying to reach a goal of 100 receipes, we ended up submitting over 250! We have even started pre-sales and are seeing a huge response to that. Our goal is to have the cookbooks finished by the week of Christmas so that they can be purchased as gifts. Please pray that God allows for this to happen.
Danny has been pretty sick this week. He's still working, but it's been hard for him. Last night he didn't make it to church. He's got flu like symptoms, but not the flu. Even a little cold can put him in bed. :( So, please remember him in your prayers this week.
Okay, I've gotta run, household to cook supper for...I hope to post more soon. Crystal:)
On another note, Jacob is doing great with his tutor. He's brought home A's and one B on homework that he's done with his tutor. This is just another answered prayer. I've openly admitted that I am HORRIBLE at math and unfortunately for Jacob, I'm not able to even check his homework for him. His tutor has been able reteach him steps that he's missed and check his homework for me as well. For the first time this school year Jacob feels confident that he'll do well on his math test, which is tomorrow by the way, so please be in prayer for him with that. I'm still waiting for God to lead me in the direction He wants me to take with homeschool. At least for now, Jacob has that confidence he was missing before with his math work.
Praise God again!!! Our cookbook has been sent off for print. While we were only trying to reach a goal of 100 receipes, we ended up submitting over 250! We have even started pre-sales and are seeing a huge response to that. Our goal is to have the cookbooks finished by the week of Christmas so that they can be purchased as gifts. Please pray that God allows for this to happen.
Danny has been pretty sick this week. He's still working, but it's been hard for him. Last night he didn't make it to church. He's got flu like symptoms, but not the flu. Even a little cold can put him in bed. :( So, please remember him in your prayers this week.
Okay, I've gotta run, household to cook supper for...I hope to post more soon. Crystal:)
Monday, November 16, 2009
What a Week!
Hi everyone. Please forgive me and my lack of blogging skills. I wasn't sure how often I should update this blog and I'm a little behind. This last week was a real busy one. Lately I've noticed that the weeks are just flying by and I feel like I'm being left behind. :)
Danny had a rough week. He reinjured his hernia while playing with Jaxon and Karaline. It looks like a big huge nose in the middle of his belly. You know, like the character wimpy from Popeye? That's what his hernia looks like now. I laughed so hard I had tears running down my cheeks when I saw him without his shirt on. I'm sure this sounds mean, but you really had to see it to understand my giggles. Work this week for him was hard. He's becoming more and more tired but he just keeps on going so he can take care us. We had a special Saturday when we went to his sister's house in Hempstead and attended a birthday party for his Dad. It was really great to see everyone, some of whom we haven't seem in nearly two years. Shame on us for letting that happen!
Jacob also had a rough week. We ran out of his medicine last Wednesday and haven't been able to fill his prescription because it costs around $150.00 every month and this month, we just didn't have the money. Jacob had a hard time staying focused and on task. I hope we can fill his prescription this week, but I'm not sure if that will happen with the bills that are due and past due that need to be paid. He had a math project and a science project both due this past week. He came home today and showed me that he made a 100 on his math project!!! :) We're still waiting on the science grade. I was able to contact a high school student from our church who offers math tutoring for FREE! She is going to come in and tutor Jacob as often as our schedules allow. Praise God! Jacob hasn't mentioned recently any problems at school, again, Praise God. I continue to pray for God to show me how He wants me to proceed with Jacob's education, ie. homeschool, private school or public school. I feel very burdened by this situation, but I am trying to not take control and am relying on God to lead us to what His plans are for Jacob and his education. He played in a volleyball tourny this weekend with our church youth group. The tourny was to raise money for students to be scholarshiped for mission trips in the future. Over $3000.00 was raised! Jacob had a great time, and it was fun just being able to cheer for him. He tried out for the Jr. High basketball team. He didn't make the team, but it didn't bother him too much either. It releaved me! Now I feel like he'll have more time to focus on his education, rather than be at practices after school.
Kennedy has been doing very well in school and loves her teachers and friends. She comes home nearly everyday with some cheer or routine that she and her girlfriends made up during recess. The other day she told me that two of her friends at school weren't her friends anymore because they were being bossy. She was nearly crying. I prayed with her and asked for God to give these girls softer hearts. The next day Kennedy came home and said that God had answered her prayer and everyone was friends again. She wrote a letter to Santa this week. It was so sweet. She asked for Santa to bring her dad a new liver for Christmas. Then she wrote that she didn't want to sin anymore and wanted Jesus to come and live in her heart. It brought Danny and me to tears. What a compassionate young lady she is. I was watching the new Tinker Bell movie with her on Sunday. Out of the blue she said to me that she thought the first Tinker Bell movie was about perserverance because Tinker Bell kept on trying even when everyone else told her she couldn't do something. Then she said she thought this new Tinker Bell movie was about forgivenss. She was right. She is so smart. Lately, Kennedy has been practicing on her solo routine for competition. She is such a great dancer. She may be small, but she has a lot of talent in her. It has been one of my dreams to be able to take her to see the Nutcracker Ballet. Each year I say I'm going to take her, but we've just not been able to afford the tickets. I'd also love to take Jacob to see A Christmas Carol. I don't think he'd be thrilled about the Nutcracker as much as Kennedy would be. :) I love the theater. I always have. I even took Danny to his first opera when we were dating. I would love to be able to take the kids there to experience acting and dancing and music firsthand.
Karaline is also doing well in school. She is so cute. She has this clipboard here at home that she loves to carry around with her and write words down that she sees. She can't read, yet, but she knows the letters are making up words and she copies them. She also loves to draw pictures. Maybe she'll become an artist. Today she drew a poster for Jump Rope for Heart. They are fundraising for that at her school. She is very diligent with doing her homework. Every Monday they bring home homework folders. She is so excited to get started on it. She even tries to figure out what the directions are before I can read them to her. I'm glad she likes school. This week she helped me so much with the laundry and making her bed. We all worked very hard on getting the girls room in order. She got right up this morning and made her bed without me even asking. I was so proud of her. :)
Jaxon melts my heart every time we sit down to eat. He has learned to give thanks to God for our food. Of course he thanks God for everything but the food! But God knows his heart. He even reminds me that we need to say our prayer when I sometimes forget, and he's not shy about thanking God even if we are in public. He thanks God for all of his family, by name, and this past weekend, when my sister and her family were visiting, Jaxon thanked God for all of them too! He really is my special little boy. I can't believe that he'll be four in December. It really hurts my heart. :( He is also doing so well at being obedient the first time I ask or tell him something. Thank you God for that.
I've been very tired lately. Often I am tempted to just lay down and sleep. The stress that I've been carrying about our bills has nearly made me sick. I'm pretty good at keeping things bottled up and not showing my true emotions. I've been doing that a lot. Have you ever just felt like you were drowning? That is how I feel constantly. There are so many things on my mind, on top of being concerned about Danny's health. I am going through many trials, other than Danny's health, in my life right now. Every where I turn, God is speaking to me, through sermon passages, through advise being given by beautiful friends, even through other church billboards. I passed one yesterday that said "GOD IS FAITHFUL, RETURN THE FAVOR". What a slap in the face that was! God is faithful. Why aren't I showing any FAITH in HIM???!!! Yesterday I was at our church grow group meeting literally crying through my prayer requests with three wonderful, wise ladies and dear friends, and one of them shared with me Psalm 69, a cry of distress and imprecation on adversaries. She specifically showed me vs. 16 and 17..."Answer me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good; According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me, And do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in distress; answer me quickly." This morning after I spent time in prayer I opened my Bible and re-read that passage. It helped me realize that God is greater than any trial I am facing. God has compassion for me and I can call out to Him when I am feeling like I am drowning. I called out to God this morning in prayer. Please pray that I am faithful to listen to what He has to say to me.
Here is some exciting news to share! The ladies at our church, (myself included, don't laugh) and some of my family members are putting together a cookbook as a fundraiser for our family. All the proceeds will go to help with the financial burden we are facing with Danny's health. I've been entering receipes for two days now, it seems almost non-stop! A very dear friend of mine is heading up this fundraiser and is doing a fantastic job with it as well! I truly cannot thank her enough. We optimistically set a goal for 100 receipes, and God has blessed us with over 200 receipes! Isn't that just great?! I've already pre-sold 10 to one person alone! I can't wait to see how God is going to bless our efforts and provide for us with this fundraiser.
Well, I'll close for now. I'm sure if I post more often it won't be so long. Thanks for taking an interest our family and the struggles and triumphs we face daily.
Crystal:)
Danny had a rough week. He reinjured his hernia while playing with Jaxon and Karaline. It looks like a big huge nose in the middle of his belly. You know, like the character wimpy from Popeye? That's what his hernia looks like now. I laughed so hard I had tears running down my cheeks when I saw him without his shirt on. I'm sure this sounds mean, but you really had to see it to understand my giggles. Work this week for him was hard. He's becoming more and more tired but he just keeps on going so he can take care us. We had a special Saturday when we went to his sister's house in Hempstead and attended a birthday party for his Dad. It was really great to see everyone, some of whom we haven't seem in nearly two years. Shame on us for letting that happen!
Jacob also had a rough week. We ran out of his medicine last Wednesday and haven't been able to fill his prescription because it costs around $150.00 every month and this month, we just didn't have the money. Jacob had a hard time staying focused and on task. I hope we can fill his prescription this week, but I'm not sure if that will happen with the bills that are due and past due that need to be paid. He had a math project and a science project both due this past week. He came home today and showed me that he made a 100 on his math project!!! :) We're still waiting on the science grade. I was able to contact a high school student from our church who offers math tutoring for FREE! She is going to come in and tutor Jacob as often as our schedules allow. Praise God! Jacob hasn't mentioned recently any problems at school, again, Praise God. I continue to pray for God to show me how He wants me to proceed with Jacob's education, ie. homeschool, private school or public school. I feel very burdened by this situation, but I am trying to not take control and am relying on God to lead us to what His plans are for Jacob and his education. He played in a volleyball tourny this weekend with our church youth group. The tourny was to raise money for students to be scholarshiped for mission trips in the future. Over $3000.00 was raised! Jacob had a great time, and it was fun just being able to cheer for him. He tried out for the Jr. High basketball team. He didn't make the team, but it didn't bother him too much either. It releaved me! Now I feel like he'll have more time to focus on his education, rather than be at practices after school.
Kennedy has been doing very well in school and loves her teachers and friends. She comes home nearly everyday with some cheer or routine that she and her girlfriends made up during recess. The other day she told me that two of her friends at school weren't her friends anymore because they were being bossy. She was nearly crying. I prayed with her and asked for God to give these girls softer hearts. The next day Kennedy came home and said that God had answered her prayer and everyone was friends again. She wrote a letter to Santa this week. It was so sweet. She asked for Santa to bring her dad a new liver for Christmas. Then she wrote that she didn't want to sin anymore and wanted Jesus to come and live in her heart. It brought Danny and me to tears. What a compassionate young lady she is. I was watching the new Tinker Bell movie with her on Sunday. Out of the blue she said to me that she thought the first Tinker Bell movie was about perserverance because Tinker Bell kept on trying even when everyone else told her she couldn't do something. Then she said she thought this new Tinker Bell movie was about forgivenss. She was right. She is so smart. Lately, Kennedy has been practicing on her solo routine for competition. She is such a great dancer. She may be small, but she has a lot of talent in her. It has been one of my dreams to be able to take her to see the Nutcracker Ballet. Each year I say I'm going to take her, but we've just not been able to afford the tickets. I'd also love to take Jacob to see A Christmas Carol. I don't think he'd be thrilled about the Nutcracker as much as Kennedy would be. :) I love the theater. I always have. I even took Danny to his first opera when we were dating. I would love to be able to take the kids there to experience acting and dancing and music firsthand.
Karaline is also doing well in school. She is so cute. She has this clipboard here at home that she loves to carry around with her and write words down that she sees. She can't read, yet, but she knows the letters are making up words and she copies them. She also loves to draw pictures. Maybe she'll become an artist. Today she drew a poster for Jump Rope for Heart. They are fundraising for that at her school. She is very diligent with doing her homework. Every Monday they bring home homework folders. She is so excited to get started on it. She even tries to figure out what the directions are before I can read them to her. I'm glad she likes school. This week she helped me so much with the laundry and making her bed. We all worked very hard on getting the girls room in order. She got right up this morning and made her bed without me even asking. I was so proud of her. :)
Jaxon melts my heart every time we sit down to eat. He has learned to give thanks to God for our food. Of course he thanks God for everything but the food! But God knows his heart. He even reminds me that we need to say our prayer when I sometimes forget, and he's not shy about thanking God even if we are in public. He thanks God for all of his family, by name, and this past weekend, when my sister and her family were visiting, Jaxon thanked God for all of them too! He really is my special little boy. I can't believe that he'll be four in December. It really hurts my heart. :( He is also doing so well at being obedient the first time I ask or tell him something. Thank you God for that.
I've been very tired lately. Often I am tempted to just lay down and sleep. The stress that I've been carrying about our bills has nearly made me sick. I'm pretty good at keeping things bottled up and not showing my true emotions. I've been doing that a lot. Have you ever just felt like you were drowning? That is how I feel constantly. There are so many things on my mind, on top of being concerned about Danny's health. I am going through many trials, other than Danny's health, in my life right now. Every where I turn, God is speaking to me, through sermon passages, through advise being given by beautiful friends, even through other church billboards. I passed one yesterday that said "GOD IS FAITHFUL, RETURN THE FAVOR". What a slap in the face that was! God is faithful. Why aren't I showing any FAITH in HIM???!!! Yesterday I was at our church grow group meeting literally crying through my prayer requests with three wonderful, wise ladies and dear friends, and one of them shared with me Psalm 69, a cry of distress and imprecation on adversaries. She specifically showed me vs. 16 and 17..."Answer me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good; According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me, And do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in distress; answer me quickly." This morning after I spent time in prayer I opened my Bible and re-read that passage. It helped me realize that God is greater than any trial I am facing. God has compassion for me and I can call out to Him when I am feeling like I am drowning. I called out to God this morning in prayer. Please pray that I am faithful to listen to what He has to say to me.
Here is some exciting news to share! The ladies at our church, (myself included, don't laugh) and some of my family members are putting together a cookbook as a fundraiser for our family. All the proceeds will go to help with the financial burden we are facing with Danny's health. I've been entering receipes for two days now, it seems almost non-stop! A very dear friend of mine is heading up this fundraiser and is doing a fantastic job with it as well! I truly cannot thank her enough. We optimistically set a goal for 100 receipes, and God has blessed us with over 200 receipes! Isn't that just great?! I've already pre-sold 10 to one person alone! I can't wait to see how God is going to bless our efforts and provide for us with this fundraiser.
Well, I'll close for now. I'm sure if I post more often it won't be so long. Thanks for taking an interest our family and the struggles and triumphs we face daily.
Crystal:)
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Meet The Parrotts
I'm not sure how to even begin this journey or how to start this blog, but I hope this will be a place I can write out some of what our family is going through.
Our family is myself, Crystal, my husband Danny and our four beautiful children: Jacob is 13, Kennedy is 9, Karaline is 5 and Jaxon is 3. Danny and I started dating when I was 15 and Danny was 16. We were high school sweethearts. We married when I was 23 and have been married for 14 years. We've been together for 22 years! :)
I'm a stay at home mom, at Danny's request. He thought it would be best for our children if I stayed home to take care of them. Plus, we couldn't afford daycare! I want to go back to college so I can get a teaching degree, in case something does happen to Danny and I need to be the provider for the family. Right now we just can't afford the tuition and books. I only have 12 hours under my belt, but at least it's something.
Danny is the sole provider for our family. He is a plumber and works for a wonderful and compassionate company. I describe his company this way because there have been many times when Danny needed to take off for doctor appointments or was in the hospital needing a blood or platelet (sp?) transfusion or most recently having a bacterial disease in his blood stream and they have been very gracious and helpful to us. Due to the economy now, Danny is only able to get paid for the hours he actually works. I imagine this is because we are all hurting financially from the economic situation. We really, really struggled over the summer because Danny was admitted to the hospital 5 times in a three month period. We could barely keep up with our bills, but God provided in ways that we just couldn't imagine.
At the end of August, beginning of September we decided that it would be in the best interest of our family financially if we moved from a nearly 3000 sq. ft. home on almost 4 acres to a 1200 sq. ft. 3 bedroom apartment. The girls also had to change schools, but thankfully not districts. They are adjusting just fine.
Jacob, however, has had a rough year. Back in January, his cousin, who was his very best friend passed away. The two of them had a bond greater than you could imagine. My nephew Stephen was diagnosed with a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy and wasn't supposed to live past the age of 5. He lived until he was almost 14! Jacob and Stephen were less than a year apart in age. Stephen was wheelchair bound and had a feeding tube and breathed on a vent, but he and Jacob were two peas in a pod. Jacob actually gave the eulogy at Stephen's funeral. It truly hurts my heart to think of how much Jacob, who is only 13, has had to take in just in this last year. The death of his best friend and the diagnosis of his dad's health. I've been seriously considering home schooling him, but I just don't know how we can afford that as well. I heard it can be very expensive. Plus, having the weight of my son's education on my shoulders is very scary.
Both of our girls and Jacob take dance classes. The owner and the other staff treat us like family. Kennedy is on one of their competition dance teams. She is a wonderful dancer, and I'm not just being the mother.:) Karaline is in a Daddy-Daughter dance class, at Danny's request. The dads in this class learn a dance routine that they perform with their daughters at our year end recital in June. Danny did this with Kennedy a few years back, before we knew of his transplant need and really had a great time dancing with her. He asked for me to specifically put Karaline in this same class to make sure that he got a chance to dance with her too, just in case something happened to him. Believe it or not, Jacob takes a Stompin' tap and hip-hop class there too. There are four boys in his hip-hop class. They've been named by the girls and their instructors the 'Funky Fresh Boys'.
You know, there isn't much I can say about Jaxon. He hangs out with me at home and tags along with me to my job as an assistant to two Mary Kay Directors. He even goes to Bible study with me and loves it. The one thing I know that he and Danny share a common love for is fishing. Jaxon loves to fish with Danny, and can tell really great fishing stories. Every boat he sees he wants to buy for his dad. He is the most outwardly lovey of all of my kiddos at this age. Out of the blue, all the time, he says that he loves us and gives the best juicy lip kisses in the world! All of our kids know that their dad is sick, but their knowledge of his illness is on different levels. Jacob is the only one of them all who knows the full diagnosis.
Our family also includes my brother-in-law. Two years ago my brother-in-law called us from the nursing home he was placed in and asked us to come and get him. This is Danny's half brother. He has suffered five strokes. He has lost his short term memory and his neurologist said that he has the brain of an unhealthy 90yr old man. He turned 50 this past April. We were able to move him into our home because we had plenty of space available, and I could be with him during the daytime. We were able to arrange physical therapy and home health care for him to come to our house to work with him. He moved with us into our three bedroom apartment. All four of the kids shared a room so their Uncle Bubba could have his own room, until recently when we were able to get my brother-in-law approved for a 1 bedroom apartment just two buildings away from our apartment. We can actually see his front door from our back patio, and he comes over every evening for supper. He has been awarded 21.5 hours a week by the state for someone to come in and take care of him and he likes to go to the Friendship Center on Monday's and Thursday's. We are trying to reach his state case manager to see about awarding him more hours but we haven't been able to get her to call us back. A social worker is hopefully going to come out next week for an evaluation and maybe she can reach the state worker.
We continue to live paycheck to paycheck and sometimes it seems like we will never get caught up. Danny's medicines cost us a lot each month now, pre-transplant. On top of that both Jacob and Kennedy take medicine that is a cost each month. Our insurance pays 80% but we have to pay the cost up front and then mail in our receipt for reimbursement. Danny was out of work for three days last week and didn't get paid for that. That has thrown us into the negative in our bank account and we have two car payments to make this Tuesday coming up. Plus, I need to refill Jacobs medicine by Wednesday. It leaves very little room for gas and groceries which adds up for a family of 7. Danny drives 120 miles round trip every day for work. Plus pays toll fees. He leaves at 5:00 each morning and gets home between 5:30 and 6:00 each evening. His body is so physically tired that when he gets home he showers eats and goes to bed. We spend very little time with him in the evenings because of this. Our weekends are very precious to us as a family. That is when we are able to spend time together the most. We really do cherish this time.
Danny went in about 4 yrs ago for a routine physical. They diagnosed him with Hep C and Type II Diabetes then. It was about 1 1/2 years ago when we found out about his liver disease and the need for a transplant. Danny contracted the Hep C from a tattoo he got when he was 21. In addition, He has blocked portal valves. His liver is re-routing blood flow through the tiny veins around the liver and also to his spleen, which is also very enlarged. He has esophigeal verasies and verasies in his stomach. He needs another endoscopy, which we'll need money for by the end of this month. On top of all this, he has a hernia that is really painful. The hernia is a work related injury that happened 1 1/2 years ago. During his pre-op work up is when they discovered that his liver enzymes were through the roof and thus began our long journey to the transplant list. Danny's liver doctor gave him a five year life expectancy without a transplant. That was nearly two years ago.
Praise God, about 4 weeks ago, Danny was placed on the transplant list and received his pager. Now we wait for the call.
There is lots and lots more, and I know I've already given you an ear full. I'll close for now.
Crystal:)
Our family is myself, Crystal, my husband Danny and our four beautiful children: Jacob is 13, Kennedy is 9, Karaline is 5 and Jaxon is 3. Danny and I started dating when I was 15 and Danny was 16. We were high school sweethearts. We married when I was 23 and have been married for 14 years. We've been together for 22 years! :)
I'm a stay at home mom, at Danny's request. He thought it would be best for our children if I stayed home to take care of them. Plus, we couldn't afford daycare! I want to go back to college so I can get a teaching degree, in case something does happen to Danny and I need to be the provider for the family. Right now we just can't afford the tuition and books. I only have 12 hours under my belt, but at least it's something.
Danny is the sole provider for our family. He is a plumber and works for a wonderful and compassionate company. I describe his company this way because there have been many times when Danny needed to take off for doctor appointments or was in the hospital needing a blood or platelet (sp?) transfusion or most recently having a bacterial disease in his blood stream and they have been very gracious and helpful to us. Due to the economy now, Danny is only able to get paid for the hours he actually works. I imagine this is because we are all hurting financially from the economic situation. We really, really struggled over the summer because Danny was admitted to the hospital 5 times in a three month period. We could barely keep up with our bills, but God provided in ways that we just couldn't imagine.
At the end of August, beginning of September we decided that it would be in the best interest of our family financially if we moved from a nearly 3000 sq. ft. home on almost 4 acres to a 1200 sq. ft. 3 bedroom apartment. The girls also had to change schools, but thankfully not districts. They are adjusting just fine.
Jacob, however, has had a rough year. Back in January, his cousin, who was his very best friend passed away. The two of them had a bond greater than you could imagine. My nephew Stephen was diagnosed with a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy and wasn't supposed to live past the age of 5. He lived until he was almost 14! Jacob and Stephen were less than a year apart in age. Stephen was wheelchair bound and had a feeding tube and breathed on a vent, but he and Jacob were two peas in a pod. Jacob actually gave the eulogy at Stephen's funeral. It truly hurts my heart to think of how much Jacob, who is only 13, has had to take in just in this last year. The death of his best friend and the diagnosis of his dad's health. I've been seriously considering home schooling him, but I just don't know how we can afford that as well. I heard it can be very expensive. Plus, having the weight of my son's education on my shoulders is very scary.
Both of our girls and Jacob take dance classes. The owner and the other staff treat us like family. Kennedy is on one of their competition dance teams. She is a wonderful dancer, and I'm not just being the mother.:) Karaline is in a Daddy-Daughter dance class, at Danny's request. The dads in this class learn a dance routine that they perform with their daughters at our year end recital in June. Danny did this with Kennedy a few years back, before we knew of his transplant need and really had a great time dancing with her. He asked for me to specifically put Karaline in this same class to make sure that he got a chance to dance with her too, just in case something happened to him. Believe it or not, Jacob takes a Stompin' tap and hip-hop class there too. There are four boys in his hip-hop class. They've been named by the girls and their instructors the 'Funky Fresh Boys'.
You know, there isn't much I can say about Jaxon. He hangs out with me at home and tags along with me to my job as an assistant to two Mary Kay Directors. He even goes to Bible study with me and loves it. The one thing I know that he and Danny share a common love for is fishing. Jaxon loves to fish with Danny, and can tell really great fishing stories. Every boat he sees he wants to buy for his dad. He is the most outwardly lovey of all of my kiddos at this age. Out of the blue, all the time, he says that he loves us and gives the best juicy lip kisses in the world! All of our kids know that their dad is sick, but their knowledge of his illness is on different levels. Jacob is the only one of them all who knows the full diagnosis.
Our family also includes my brother-in-law. Two years ago my brother-in-law called us from the nursing home he was placed in and asked us to come and get him. This is Danny's half brother. He has suffered five strokes. He has lost his short term memory and his neurologist said that he has the brain of an unhealthy 90yr old man. He turned 50 this past April. We were able to move him into our home because we had plenty of space available, and I could be with him during the daytime. We were able to arrange physical therapy and home health care for him to come to our house to work with him. He moved with us into our three bedroom apartment. All four of the kids shared a room so their Uncle Bubba could have his own room, until recently when we were able to get my brother-in-law approved for a 1 bedroom apartment just two buildings away from our apartment. We can actually see his front door from our back patio, and he comes over every evening for supper. He has been awarded 21.5 hours a week by the state for someone to come in and take care of him and he likes to go to the Friendship Center on Monday's and Thursday's. We are trying to reach his state case manager to see about awarding him more hours but we haven't been able to get her to call us back. A social worker is hopefully going to come out next week for an evaluation and maybe she can reach the state worker.
We continue to live paycheck to paycheck and sometimes it seems like we will never get caught up. Danny's medicines cost us a lot each month now, pre-transplant. On top of that both Jacob and Kennedy take medicine that is a cost each month. Our insurance pays 80% but we have to pay the cost up front and then mail in our receipt for reimbursement. Danny was out of work for three days last week and didn't get paid for that. That has thrown us into the negative in our bank account and we have two car payments to make this Tuesday coming up. Plus, I need to refill Jacobs medicine by Wednesday. It leaves very little room for gas and groceries which adds up for a family of 7. Danny drives 120 miles round trip every day for work. Plus pays toll fees. He leaves at 5:00 each morning and gets home between 5:30 and 6:00 each evening. His body is so physically tired that when he gets home he showers eats and goes to bed. We spend very little time with him in the evenings because of this. Our weekends are very precious to us as a family. That is when we are able to spend time together the most. We really do cherish this time.
Danny went in about 4 yrs ago for a routine physical. They diagnosed him with Hep C and Type II Diabetes then. It was about 1 1/2 years ago when we found out about his liver disease and the need for a transplant. Danny contracted the Hep C from a tattoo he got when he was 21. In addition, He has blocked portal valves. His liver is re-routing blood flow through the tiny veins around the liver and also to his spleen, which is also very enlarged. He has esophigeal verasies and verasies in his stomach. He needs another endoscopy, which we'll need money for by the end of this month. On top of all this, he has a hernia that is really painful. The hernia is a work related injury that happened 1 1/2 years ago. During his pre-op work up is when they discovered that his liver enzymes were through the roof and thus began our long journey to the transplant list. Danny's liver doctor gave him a five year life expectancy without a transplant. That was nearly two years ago.
Praise God, about 4 weeks ago, Danny was placed on the transplant list and received his pager. Now we wait for the call.
There is lots and lots more, and I know I've already given you an ear full. I'll close for now.
Crystal:)
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