3daddysgirls

Musings

2011-09-01T13:38:00.001-07:00

Over the past several weeks I have felt a tugging in my heart for some ministry changes. Is it because we have been going non stop for a year now? Is it becasue my focus has changed? Is God truly the one tugging my heart or is it out of selfish reasons? I'll try to fill in the reasons later.....

But I do know that after 17 years of working in some role in children's ministry on Wed nights, from Mission Friends, GAs, Bible Drill, to AWANAS. I have turned in my resignation and given up working...whew! As I write this and say this, my heart beats a little faster and I begin to sweat! Really???!! Give up my beloved Children's Ministry?! What am I to do now? Am I growing up, maturing? Time to move on to "adult" ministries? hmmm?????

I do know that I feel called by God to serve beside my husband as we teach our adult Sunday School class. I feel that we have an incredible opportunity to support and fellowship and lead these other young couples.

I also feel called by God to homeschool my kids and to have home health therapy for Claire, which means 5 days a week we are busy with school and therapy---which can leave little time for other major preparations. What an incredible opportunity I have each day around my kitchen table to teach the Word of God to my kids and then impart knowledge in their hearts and minds! Wow! what an amazing responsibility.

It does seem I have moved on to some more "adult" roles....Sunday School, committee member, choir? (still considering that option....) As the door has closed for now on Children's ministry, I am excited about the new places God is leading now but holding out that in the future I can return to my beloved place among kids.....I guess only time and really finally God will be the say in that.

So to those of you struggling with ministry choices and opportunites.....open your heart's ear to hear God and the tugging in your heart as to where He would have you serve..... may we serve with joy and gladness.....

The Dog Days of Summer

2011-07-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

Ok maybe summer didn't really fly by but it sure seems like it as we look back over the last 8 weeks. Boy have we had a fun and busy summer, from VBS, Branson vacation, basketball camp, swim team practice, Colorado Coolness....and now Russ is back to work, Hope is still swimming, and we are beginning to get our school stuff in order. Whew! And all the while we have been sweltering under 100+ days! Thank goodness for A/C!
Hope has done exceedingly well with swimming... she has almost completed level 4 of the 6 levels of swimming...plus she has made great progress on the swim team! You go girl! This year has been a huge year for her.....Her first overseas missions trip...her first testimony in front of 500 people...her first experience of leading kids to Christ....her first solo in a Children's choir program....the only kid in AWANAS to complete all 3 Sparks books (earning her the Sparky award). Hope, I am so proud of you!
Claire continues to make baby steps, although this year has been a tough one for her. We are still struggling to get her seizures under control which does make it harder for her to make physical progress. And to top it off, she grew 5 inches over thw winter---she is one tall girl now....
Molly is still the life of the party, our comic relief and the pusher of all limits! She is a great sister to Claire and she bugs Hope endlessly, all the while telling you how much she loves you!

Here are some of my favorite pics from the summer. May the end of summer and beginning of Fall be filled with as many blessings as we have seen this year!

Easter!

2011-04-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

He is not here! He is Risen!

Probably one of my favorite Bible stories---the Easter story! Still takes my breath away to think about the amazing sacrifice that Christ did for us. Amazing love! Oh that I would remember daily what you have done for me and that then you conquered death and the grave and you are ALIVE today!

Ok flashback to about 5 years ago, Hope goes to Sunday School on Palm Sunday. Her lesson that week is of course about the Triumphal Entry. Her teacher asks the question, "What did Jesus ride into town on?" And Hope answers, "a donkey!" Good job, Hope!

Fastforward to this year. We are reading the Miss Pattycake Easter book. I ask Molly, "what did Jesus ride into town on?" and Molly answers, "a donkey!" Good job, Molly! And then I ask, "what did the people say when they saw Jesus?" and Molly says, "Hey Jesus! Why you riding that donkey!" Ha ha ha!

We have had a wonderful Easter time, from reading Miss Pattycake, to decorating eggs, to hunting eggs at church. Even Claire enjoyed the fun of coloring eggs and hunting them!

Thank you Jesus for Easter!

Easter Morning!

Pajama Time!

Easter Eggs!

Our Year so Far!

2011-04-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

Whew! This year is flying by and we have filled it with all kinds of fun, crazy activities! Here are a few of our highlights!

*Trip to Nicaragua
*Move to a new house
*ACES started
*Valentine Banquet
*State Basketball Tournament(just got to go watch)
*2 girls Birthday party
*Spring Break to Grandma's

And here are some of our pictures from the year! Enjoy!

Nicaragua Times Two!

2010-12-27T09:31:00.000-08:00

Here we come Nicaragua! This year a group of 6 of us are headed back to Nicaragua. And this time I am getting to take Hope with me. I am so excited about this opportunity for both of us. As seen in a previous blog, I truly feel God has laid this trip on my heart for both Hope and I and I can only assume he has great and amazing things in store for us.

So we are flying out early Tuesday morning and will be serving in Nicaragua for a week. Plus getting to enjoy the amazing beach and ocean front mission house.

Please pray for safety....boldness in sharing...Hope's overall experience for her eyes are going to see a completely different world.... for patience (I know I am going to answering lots of questions)...for Grandmommy and Grandaddy as they watch the other two girls...for Russell as he is home alone....for Christ's word to penetrate many hearts...for me to have enough love to share with all I see... for our translators they are our life line over there.

I will post again after the trip and share our amazing journey.

My little elves

2010-12-17T18:46:00.000-08:00

Fall Fun times

2010-11-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

The Ratliff family has had lots of fun times this Fall... from homeschool projects, to the circus, the State Fair, and Pumpkins in the Park. Wow! We sure do know how to fill our calendar up to the max. But Dad and I have had a great time with the girls in some of these exciting endeavors. It is quite fun to watch them learn, grow, and experience life. May God continue to bless our family times together....

Enjoy the pictures!

SSV

2010-09-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Voices?!?!

Everyone has one and it can be used for much good or much bad. I grew up with a father who we teased had "the voice", and you sure didn't want to be on the receiving end of "the voice". It usually meant you were in pretty big trouble. But somehow he managed to win our respect and even reverance without really raising his voice.

Voices can be raised in beautiful song, can be used as cheers at many sporting events, can be a quiet whisper of love to a child.

But what does God's voice sound like?

In youth choir one year, we did a musical that featured SSV as a main character in the play. The SSV was God's Still Small Voice. This voice choose to speak to the main characters in voices that we could hear but the other cast members could not at the time. I have always loved the idea of God's Still Small Voice. After all, in Psalms it tells us to "Be stil and know that I am God". Possibly implying that we must be quiet in order to hear God speak to us.

But I have had a few experiences in my life, when God's voice is neither Still nor Small. It is almost as if I have heard a real voice saying as plan as day what I should do. And yes, it scared me spitless the first time I "heard" it.

The first time I remember hearing God's voice was when Russell and I had really just become friends. And I heard an almost audible voice tell me that I was going to marry this guy. Imagine my shock! What? I hardly know him! Well of course 2 1/2 years later we were engaged, and now we have been married for 12 years!

The next real time I remember God speaking to me in that audible voice was before Molly was born. In fact God told me I was pregnant with Molly before I physically knew, but he also encouraged me over this time with Claire. I remember talking to him about how hard it was to watch Claire suffer, and I remember him telling me that he knew, and he understood suffering. And then I remember asking him "why?", "why us", "why now?", "why Claire?" And his answer was as plain as day... "Because I love you"! WOW! speachless! And today it gives me goosebumps to think of a love so vast and strong and amazing!

But his latest audible voice to me that came out of the blue, really.... was that I needed to take Hope to Nicaragua with me this year when our church is going! What? take a 7 year old overseas on a mission trip? Am I crazy? Apparently so.... because she has been approved to go by everyone I could ask about it... God moves in amazing ways, and I am so glad he chooses to talk to me sometimes!

Little Girl Fun

2010-06-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

With Hope away for the week at Grandmommy and Grandaddy's house. I have gotten to enjoy a relatively quiet week with just Claire and Molly. We have had quite a bit of fun just playing, and quite a bit of that playing time spent outside.....

Molly is quite a hoot to watch riding her new ride on toy. Of course she isn't quite tall enough to reach the peddles, so she pushes with her feet and then lets momentum and gravity race her down any little hill there may be.

She has also loved pushing "sissy" as she calls Claire, in her swing. Hold on tight Claire!

How precious it is to spend time with each one of my children!

PS...2 more new posts following this one---so check them out!

How's Claire?

2010-06-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

That is the question I get asked quite often by well intentioned people. I have found lately that I have been struggling as to just how to answer that simple question.

Is it really a simple question? Do I just nod my head and say, "oh she is doing fine, or good, or great..." or do I go into a more detailed explanation of just how she is?

You see a part of me just wants to pass over that question with the easy answer of "she is doing great"... but a bigger part of me is screaming out to say...."she has had 11 seizures today, she can't walk, she can't talk... she cannot communicate in a way we understand.... she is not good at all!!!"

Of course if I did bust out with that answer I would probably scare all of my friends away and they would be afraid to talk to us again.

This is the daily struggle our family faces... and I do mean daily and sometimes moment by moment. I do believe that God has a plan and a purpose for Claire. I do believe he had her in a wonderful way. I do believe he loves us and he loves Claire so much more than I can comprehend. I do not understand his ways. Yes I get frustrated as a mom... I hate to see her suffer. I hate that she is different.... I hate that she may be this way for as long as God gives her days. I do know that one day God will give her a new body, a new mind.

I want to be able to answer that Claire is good... and she is... she is healthy, and happy as far as we know. But it is hard to watch your child suffer more seizures in a day than you can count... be so wiped out afterwards from them, that she just sleeps or is zonked for the rest of the day. To me, that is not good. That is no way to have to spend your life. We are on the roller coaster ride of adjusting medicine and the good ole waiting game. May God continue to give me grace to love on Claire and grace to know how to answer the question, "How's Claire?"

Big Girls Out

2010-06-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful time I got to have with Hope! You see, I can only remember one time since Claire was born that I have gotten to take Hope out and just the 2 of us have some Mommy/Daughter time. Well we finally got our chance. Chad and Marci's baby shower was the end of May, so mom and I thought it would be fun to take Hope and go. So the 3 of us got to hang out for the whole weekend. We enjoyed eating together, staying in a hotel, swimming at the hotel.... enjoyed the River walk in San Antonio, the Alamo, Sea World (with no stroller---yeah) and even a trip to the state capital in Austin. We had a fabulous time.

The first meal Hope and I got to eat together after having dropped off the little girls with Grandma and Pappaw, Hope wanted to sit in a booth and sit by me. She talked non stop.... she was so excited to not have to compete for any one's attention.

I love you Hope Ashton. I had a great time with you. It is fun to hang out with you and go and explore new and exciting things that you have never gotten to see before. I love watching your enthusiasm and your joy of living. You are growing up to be such a lovely young girl!

I sure hope it won't take me 4 years to get to do that again.

Official

2010-05-17T12:08:00.001-07:00

It's official........ I have an almost 7 year old... a 4 year old and a 2 year old.... where has time gone? When did I get 3 kids? When did I get old enough to have 3 kids these ages? Wow! I mean I know I have 3 kids but sometimes I look around them and the thought goes to my head.... These are all mine! I HAVE 3 KIDS!

What a crazy almost 7 years these have been. We have experienced incredible highs and lows and along have been trusting in God to lead us through each day and each moment at times.

Sometimes I think we get too far ahead of ourselves where our kids come in and we begin to plan and dream way too far into the future. I just told my mom the other day, that I think maybe God and Claire have this all figured out. Maybe we shouldn't dream and try to plan out our future, but just to live and appreciate each day for what it is. Not that I don't have dreams (big dreams for Claire... I would love to see her walk, talk, be completely healed...) but I have also come to realize that I can't plan for her future in the least, only God knows what is ahead for her and us, so I am learning to appreciate each day with her, to enjoy the smiles and giggles when they come, to praise her "baby" steps in therapy and to snuggle with her each day. I think I might should apply some of those lessons to my other kids as well.... take them for who they are and what they do right now...at almost 7 and 2.

I just read a blog from a mom who lost one of her children to a mitochondrial disease about 6 months ago.... she still has one daughter. She was talking about how crazy life is and how parenthood is so incredibly difficult at times.... Like a complicated dance when you know the least bit about dancing... To quote from her, "Parenthood is this crazy dance combining love and affirmation with a dash of discipline and a twist of pure insanity." (www.gavinowens.com) And as she so eloquently says at the end of her blog, "I can only pray that God will take my crazy clumsy steps and make a beautiful dance." I think that is what we all hope for with our children, that we would be good stewards of them and the time that we are given them. Oh precious each one of my daughters is to me. I love you Hope, Claire and Molly!

More than an Observance

2010-04-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

The Lord's Supper~more than an observance, more than a ritual, more than just eating a little cracker and drinking some grape juice. I have always loved this particular observance that we as Baptists do.... I like the fellowship time, the communion aspect, but even more importantly I like the symbolic nature of the event.

So last night at church we celebrated a time of communion. And boy was it a sweet time. Our pastor did such a good job of reminding us why we do it and what it means to us. As he has said before, it is about memory care. Remembering.....

But I think this is one of the first times that I can remember that a pastor mentioned that this was not only for those who are followers of Christ, but that we need to be doing it with pure and humble hearts. With no unconfessed sin left out there to separate us. And that through Christ's worthiness are we allowed to be worthy to take part of his body and his blood.

And then he went on to talk about how in Exodus the Lord provided the manna, the bread of life for the Israelites. And how this manna was provided daily and how it laid upon the dew, not upon the ground, the dirt. Just like Christ in his perfection came to earth, but was not influenced by the sin of the world.

Once we eat the bread and drink the juice, it doesn't just fall away from us, it becomes a part of us.... You can no longer separate the two... for we have become one! What a marvelous image.

I was also struck as I was sitting there holding the little juice cup, how red the juice is... just like Christ's blood... so I know that if I spill something red on my clothing, like ketchup, just how hard that is to wash clean. There always seems to be a remnant of that ketchup left on my clothing. But only through the power of the blood, are we washed whiter than snow... no remnant of sin left, only pure, white! WOW!

The Gap

2010-04-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

Many things come to mind when I hear those 2 little words.... The Gap.... the clothing store, the phrase "mind the gap" that you see all over London (don't step over the line in the subways), the God shaped hole that is within all of us....
But for me today, they represent the time that has elapsed since I last posted a blog......

Wherever shall I begin....2 months and a lot has happend.....

We had snow and lots of it in February! Snow icecream, snow men, snowball fights--too fun!

Then mom and I took all 3 girls on a 3,000 mile journey to Florida and South Carolina. We visited great Grandad and some great friends... the beach, Medieval Times, Gatorland....lots of fun, lots of miles, lots of memories made....

We have had egg hunts, birds stealing our Easter eggs, play dates and many more things.

Russell wrapped up basketball season and is barreling right along with track. We got to take a few days to ourselves and go to the state basketball tournament in Austin. Then over Spring Break he had some minor surgery... which he is still healing from.

So the girls got to spend 9 days with Grandma and Pappaw! Fun!

It seems as if life is never dull and always moving forward. This month we will celebrate 2 of the girls birthdays, plus my own.... wow how time flies!

Hope is wrapping up her 1st grade year. We have 2 more weeks left of ACES (homeschool coop) and she has learned an awful lot about the Civil War time period. She is active in all church activities (choir, Sunday School, and worship). And she has played lots with friends. And now that the weather is warming up, we can find her outside on her trampoline most days.

Claire is doing well. Still battling seizures almost daily, but we continue to be hopeful that we can get them back under control. For the 3rd month in a row, she has met most if not all of her short term therapy goals. She has been allowed to have a little bit of liquid by mouth again. She is starting to weight bear on her arms some and has been giggling quite a lot. She has gotten both a stander and a gait trainer as well as her own special "tomato" chair to sit with us on the floor. We are very proud of her!

Molly is still a little joy to have around. Daily she is spouting forth more words we didn't even know she knew. I think though my favorite is still yocks... (socks)... cracks me up. She is active and also loves to be outside all the time. She will follow me out the door most mornings as we take Abby out, padding along in her pjs... and asking if she can swing!

God has blessed us in some many ways..... may the rest of the year be as full of memories as the first 4 months have been. And maybe I will be better at posting more...

Enjoy the slideshow.

Modesty

2010-02-05T12:41:00.000-08:00

So this blog has been floating around in my head for quite some time now. It is really 2-fold...modesty for my kids and modesty for me.

So I am going to start with modesty for my kids. I don't know about you, but it seems like fashion for my kiddos is beginning to look more like fashion for teenagers. Low scoop necks, short hem lines, skinny tops, skinny jeans, bottoms showing, bellies showing... what's next. And it doesn't stop there. Hope came and asked me when she could wear makeup to church and when could she wear high-heels! Really??? She is just 6.... in my book, 6 is still a little girl. And I want to keep her that way as long as possible. It is quite a challenge to find things age appropriate and style appropriate! Ah!! May I be wise in my choices for her and may I be wise in what I model for her.....

Now on to modesty for me..... I have always considered myself a fairly modest person... and not into the latest fashions... afterall I do like to be comfortable. But now that I am a stay at home mom, and a mom of 3 little girls, I am feeling the "burden" of being a good example for my girls in dress.... God has blessed me with a huge responsibility in raising these girls and showing them beauty. And I think it starts with modesty. So is anyone else out there frustrated by the fashion for women? It is the same as girls, low neck lines, low waists, show off skin etc.... You see, I spend the majority of my day either sitting on the floor or holding a wiggling child. I can't have a low neck line, or the next thing you know is, I am showing my top off.... I need clothes that move and groove with me, can handle a wallowing child, crawling on the floor, bending over, picking up etc.... I do not have the privilege of sitting in a desk all day, or standing up in an office, and getting to look professional and put together in the latest beautiful fashion. But that doesn't mean I don't deserve some good Mommy fashion. I also don't think I should be relegated to only wearing athletic or yoga clothes, afterall I am not "working out" all day. I am "working" as a mom.

So I am challenging any one who is reading this that might be interested in design... to help me design a fashion line for mommies who bend, groove, walk, crawl, be out amongst the kids all of the time, to come up with clothes that can handle it!

Nicaragua Success!

2010-01-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

What a great time we had! And oh how God worked in a mighty way in our lives and in the lives of the Nicaraguans.

the view from our beachhouse(not too shabby)

a very familiar scene

Children at the Fiesta lined up to hear about Jesus

Worshipping together

Out among the volcanoes!

We had 934 confirmed decisions for Jesus Christ for the week! Amen! This does not count all of the seeds that were planted and hopefully will be harvested soon.

Our week consisted of worshipping in 4 churches Sunday morning and 4 different churches Sunday night.

Then it was off and running Monday morning with 2 groups doing 2 fiestas for the children. We did these fiestas 4 a day through Thursday. These fiestas involved a local pastor who would lead the children in some silly games for prizes and candy. Then our group would step in and perform a skit (Sin Box Sally) to present the gospel. After the skit we would divide the group into girls, boys and women. And once again the gospel would be shared and we would ask for decisions at that time. And of course at the end, they got lots of candy.

Then each evening we would head out to a large 4 acre plot of land for our crusade. Our job for the crusade was to work the fringes. You see they set up chairs for 1000 people, but we had close to 3000 there. So lots of people hanging around the back, on top of their buses (12 bus loads of people were brought in) or on their bicycles. So we would walk around with one of our 7 incredible interpreters and find a group to present the gospel to. Lots of decisions were made during this time. I have to say I felt totally unprepared for this so called street evangelism. And the only way I could find myself doing it was through the power of the Holy Spirit. You see one night (Wednesday night), I had caught the eyes of 2 kids (cousins), so I began to talk to them, and so did Rebecca. As she talked a larger group gathered around as was typical. One of those that gathered around was a girl of about 18 (Erika). She was also a cousin of the first two kids. As Rebecca shared we were able to lead the 2 kids to Christ (you could see the transformation in their faces--amazing). As we went around the group to ask each one if they wanted to accept Christ's free gift, we came to Erika---and this is what she said.... "why is she (Rebecca) the only one talking now? I want to hear the other's stories. " So Tracie shared and as she did Erika began to cry, and then she wanted to hear my story... and as Rebecca said... the Holy Spirit took over and I just shared with her from my heart how only Christ is the way, the truth and the life....Erika shared that she thought Christ could not forgive her for things she had done, and she was having a hard time forgiving a boyfriend that had hurt her. We shared our Christ has already forgiven us, if we will just accept. That night however, Erika was not ready to accept Christ, but she wanted to see us tomorrow. So we promised her we would be there and we would be ready to talk again.

As we arrived at the field on Thursday (our last night there), Erika and her cousin approached us. This time Erika had a big smile on her face and we shared some more with her. Her little cousin the one that had accepted Christ the night before, pointed to me and asked to hear my story again. After I shared, I asked Erika if she was ready yet.....her little cousin, hanging on Erika's arm, leaned over and said to Erika..."I did it last night, tonight it is your turn!" What a witness. However, Erika was still not ready. So we asked her to watch our drama that night, and listen to our pastor preach and find us before it was over. And even if she still was not ready to accept Christ we would love her and be praying for her. Well unfortunately, I cannot tell you if Erika has accepted Christ, for we did not see her at the end of the evening. We had to get on our buses and leave before we found Erika again. Only God knows what is in Erika's heart, and we will have to wait till heaven I suppose to see if we see Erika again. So please pray for this sweet 18 year old. Pray that her 2 young cousins will be a witness to her, pray that her heart will reach out and grasp Jesus.

That Nicaragua May Know

2009-12-22T09:24:00.000-08:00

So I leave on Saturday to head to Nicaragua for a week long evangelistic mission trip. Leave my girls behind in the capable hands of my in-laws and husband. I'm excited to get to step out of my roll of mommy for a week and yet be able to share how Jesus helps me in that very roll.

As a friend of mine said (thanks Christy)... each of has a story and we should share it. It is either universal enough that someone can relate, or different that it touches someone's life.

So no better way to prepare myself for sharing the testimony laid upon my heart, than to blog about it for all of you to see. So some version of this will be shared, I don't know what day, or how many will be there, but I do know I will get to share. And I pray lives will be touched and changed.

I want to share with you from my life experiences. When I was a little girl, I realized that I did some thigs I shouldn't do, and I realized that it notonly displeased my parents, but it displeased Jesus. And the only way to fix it was to ask Jesus to come make my heart clea and to forgive me. With Jesus help I can now work on living a life pleasing to God.

And now as a mom of 3 girls, I find myself relying on Jesus for strength to make it through each day. You see, one of my daughters, who is 3 years old, has had seizures since she was an infant, and because of that she is not able to sit up on her own, walk, talk or see very well.

And we do not know why she is this way.

But inspite of this tragic disease, I have joy. I have hope. I have peace.

How do I have these things? Because I have Jesus in my life.

Because I believe the Bible is true, I believe that God has made my little girl in a wonderful way. I also believe that He is good and He gives us good and perfect gifts, for it says so in the Bible. And I believe that my child is a gift from God.

I also believe that He loves me and He loves my daughter and He will take care of us, maybe not with money or things, but with spiritual things...love, peace, joy and hope.

You see, I have peace that God is in control and He knows my situation, He knows how my daughter is today and how she will be tomorrow.

I have hope for a better future for her someday because God promises us a future and a hope in Him.

And I have joy because I have a Savior in my heart who answers prayer. Who provides me daily with strength physically to make it through and emotionally to care for my family.

And because without Jesus, I do not think I could find joy or peace or hope in this situation. I hope you ill come to Jesus to find those things too. For He is waiting for you to come to Him.

I hope you will be praying for the 22 of us going. For boldness to share, for rest to carry on through the long days and the lots of walking. For our families we are leaving behind. For the families we will meet over there.
I can't wait to share with you when we return.

Christmas Memories at Home

2009-12-21T18:30:00.000-08:00

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

So this month we have had round 2 of gingerbread houses...with Grandmommy's help.

Choir programs at church.

And tonight...our special family Christmas time....

Of course I have to include pictures of the girls in their pretty Christmas dresses!

Pretty in Christmas red!

All dolled up!

Jesus Birthday Party

So tonight we celebrated Jesus birthday at our house, just the 5 of us. And we had a great time. As you can see, Hope helped read the Christmas story from the Bible (and she did a great job!). We followed the story with a few of our favorite Christmas carols, led by Hope singing "Away in a Manger". Then we had Jesus birthday cake. Had to try out a new recipe this year since Icouldn't find any baby food plums to make our traditional cake. So maybe we are starting a new tradition this year. What a sweet time it was to have our little family gathered around to remember the real reason we celebrate.

But of course the night was not complete without opening some presents (it helps to keep our car from being loaded down as we head out of town.)

The girls really loved their new stuff, and so did Russell Ha!

So we wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!

"Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope though the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3

2009-12-18T12:13:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Joyeux Noel

2009-12-05T09:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas---what a wonderful time. Time to be filled with joy for the gifts we have been given, both from Christ and from friends and family. Time of rememberance of those who have gone before and are no longer with us to celebrate this blessed time. Time of wonder for the kids as the tree is decorated, the house is lit up, presents are stacked around the tree.

I have always loved Christmas time. I have loved decorating for Christmas, baking Jesus' birthday cake each year (lovely red baby food plum cake--yum!), having our family devotional time on Christmas eve. Watching in wide-eyed wonder as my family opens presents.

Now that I have kids of my own, this time is even more special in so many ways. To see their joy, their wonder, their excitement. To get to share why we do the many traditions we have, to make new ones for our family, to share about the indescribable gift given to us in a manger so long ago.

What joy it is to watch Hope each morning run in and turn on the tree and then go find the new ornament to help us countdown to Christmas. To help the girls go "shopping" for presents for Daddy. To making our yearly gingerbread house (although this year it was more of a disaster for us to eat). To looking at Christmas light displays at the park and have Claire be able to see them! To Molly meeting Santa!

So enjoy some pics of our holiday season so far.

Happy Happenings in the Fall

2009-11-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

Lots of happy things have been happening here at our house. And as is typical of my personality, I would rather focus on those than on some of the stinky things (like Claire having a few more seizures than I would like to see)

So here goes with happy happenings:

Upwards cheerleading...Yell it louder now, Let's go Upwards!

Visits from the Tooth Fairy

Costume Time! The girls got to dress up 2x---for homeschool coop and for trick or treating!Fun at the pumpkin patch----lovely orange things!

Claire is pushing up on her arms! And of course still Miss Rolly Pol-lee.

And maybe most important and special of all.... Hope's baptism Sunday night.

The Lord is with us and is blessing us in many special ways. May we continue to have our eyes open and turned towards him as he pours out his blessings on us in sometimes the most unusual and unique ways!

Mission Heart

2009-10-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

Since jr high days, and maybe even before...... I have longed to do some short term mission work. This was fulfilled in jr high and high school by some state side mission trips every summer.

Since joining the world of adulthood and married life... Russell and I have also enjoyed being a part of 2 overseas mission trips, Latvia and Austria. We enjoyed serving together and traveling to parts of the world neither of us have ever seen.

And now I am feeling the tug on my heart once again. I think anytime an opportunity is available, I want to sign up. We have had to pass on some trips before, just not feasible for us at the time. Or our place wasn't to go, but to pray.

Why do I feel this need to go? Is it because of sharing my story of Jesus' love with those who don't know or never have heard?

Is it because I love to travel and want to explore this amazing world?

Is it because it gets me out of my comfort zone and really allows me to come in contact with those who need Jesus love?

It is probably a combination of all of it. A desire to do something greater than myself, to see the world, to reach out past my own kids and family and church , to live extreme for a week....

But how do you know if you are really supposed to go? How do you know if God has called you to do THIS particular trip? How do you know IF he will provide a way to go? When do you just step out on FAITH?

"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15

"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, and teaching them to obey everything I have commaned you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesss in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

Have Faith

2009-10-16T17:01:00.001-07:00

Exciting news here at the Ratliff household.....

And no, we are not expecting another bundle of joy.....

However, it is even more exciting than that.....

Can you stand the excitement a moment longer?????

Our very own Hope, invited Jesus into her heart! Yeah! Praise the Lord!!

We have been talking about this for a while, but she came in last night after cheerleading practice and told her Daddy that she was ready to pray and invite Jesus to come live in her heart. And what sweet words she said in her own prayer (not led by her Daddy or me).

So now we will get to visit with the pastor and set aside a time for baptism.
We are so proud of her and excited to see how God will shape her into a lovely young woman.

Molly time

2009-10-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Oh Molly pop, Molly pop, oh Molly, Molly Pop!

Where shall I begin with her...... she is the completion of our family. She never fails to bring laughter each day, and a good dose of joy as well. She has the funniest facial expressions, from her great big "oh" each time she sees someone or something new. To her little pouty frown and furrowed brow, to her squeals of frustrations, to her infectious giggle.

She has learned some sign language and uses it pretty consistently for "more", "please", "thank you", "help me" and "drink".

She is speaking quite a few words these days, her latest addition is "quack quack".

Molly is independent, loves to play by herself. She is loveable, always ready to give hugs and kisses. She loves to sit in chairs and be big.

Spotlight on Claire!

2009-09-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Claire---my middle child! Our Clairebear, our curly sue! She is our little snuggle bug---loves to be held and cuddled. She loves to "feel" you with her legs and have her legs on you when you are sitting close to her. She is our fighter, our joy that can only come from God. She has taught us so much about the "miracles" of life. About faith, perserverance, joy, and love. We pray that she will continue to get stronger and that we can continue to control her seizures as best we can.

She is loved by her sisters. Molly loves to give her kisses and Hope likes to mother her, help take care of her every need.

Claire has an innate ability to draw people to her. They want to touch her and talk to her and comment about how beautiful she is! God created a wonderful being when He made Claire.

Taking a snooze after swimming

Giggling with Grandma

Watching fireworks

Spotlight on Hope

2009-08-31T09:06:00.001-07:00

I thought it would be fun to give a spotlight on each one of my amazing girls......

Hope 6 years old in first grade. She is a great reader. Has an imagination as big as the sky and the cutest giggle. We like to call her our goofball.

She loves to be outside, mainly jumping on her trampoline. She likes school, but thinks it is long sometimes (imagine what she would think if she went to public school ha)

Hope is caring, mothering and a huge help to me. Here is a story that exhibits all 3. One day Hope and Molly and I were all up, but Claire was still sleeping. I was trying to get some breakfast ready when Hope heard Claire awake and crying out. So she ran into the room, crawled up in bed with Claire and gave her a drink of water (this was when she could still drink from a cup). Claire settled down until I could come in and get her up.

Hope says she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up, especially for wild animals. She plays vet and doctor often with her dolls and stuffed animals.

A glimpse at life with Hope..... driving in the car singing along to VeggieTales.... "Stop and go with Mercy". So we asked Hope if she knew what Mercy was. She said, "NO." So we explained mercy and how God shows us mercy and how Jesus took the penalty for us, etc. And then we went on to say that we should also show mercy to others, to be like Jesus. She sat there a minute and then asked...."So how come you never show me mercy.... I always get a spanking!" Oh what precious times!

She loves to challenge her daddy to any kind of board game. Particularly Children's Bible Trivia.

This year she is going to go to a Homeschool Coop 1 day a week, participate in Upwards Cheerleading, Awanas, and of course be Daddy's biggest cheerleader.

Dance recital time

Birthday Party Time

Summer fun

Summer Vacation

4th of July!

All the chicks back home

2009-08-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

Ok.... here goes....

So we go in Monday (8/17) to the doctor all convinced in our little minds that Claire did not need a "g" button (feeding tube). We had our extensive list of questions in mind and reasons why we thought she did not need this. After spending considerable amount of time with the doctor and quite a few tears on my part. We were convinced that this was the right thing at the right time to do for Claire. So we went straight to the hospital to be admitted. Claire was scheduled for
"g" button surgery and a fundoplication (fix her esophagus for reflux) on Wednesday.

So now what are we going to do with the other girls? Grandma an Pappaw took them to Oklahoma for the week. Fun things planned to keep them occupied. Thanks so much!

Surgery went as planned and she did just great. And she has continued to do well. We thought we would get to come home Saturday, but just after Russ and mom took our stuff to the car they came in one more time to check vitals to find out that Claire was running 102 degree fever! yikes! No going home for us. So she had to be febrile free for 24 hours, so we got to come home today. And Hope and Molly came home too! Boy was I glad to see them.

So what does this "g" button mean for us?
Well Claire no longer gets any liquid by mouth including her medicine. Her "g" button is slightly below her ribs on her left side. We open the port to insert her medicine and to give her bolus drinks of either water and/or a supplement mix for now. She gets these bolus drinks 6x a day to add up to the amount of liquid they have determined she needs. We had been so concerned how Claire would handle not drinking any more because she always seemed thirsty or like she just got comfort from her cup. Well she has not once cried out for a drink or done her open mouth "I'm thirsty" signal. Apparantely she truly was thirsty and we were not adequately giving her enough, or she was aspirating it or she was spitting it up.

Now we have a contented child... no spit up, no chest pain from reflux or aspiration, no thirst, no major crying...... Wow!

And now the bad news

2009-08-15T07:24:00.001-07:00

So we have been living on a "blessing" high the past month or so. God has blessed us with a new job, a great house, a new church, a neat therapy group for Claire.... we have just been amazed at the wonderful things God is doing for us. And we are so very thankful for his blessings he has bestowed upon our family. But we are also very well aware that God has not often given us the easiest of routes to follow, sometimes his blessings are hidden in nature. So Russ and I have kind of been waiting for that so called "other shoe" to drop.

And now it has.....

We took Claire yesterday for a swallow function study. This was asked for by both her pediatrician and her pulmonologist. We have been trying to figure out why she is congested often and why she got pneumonia this summer. This tests how well she swallows different consistencies of food and water. Well come to find out....she is aspirating every time she drinks and she does not give us any warning that she has done this... no coughing, no gagging, etc. We tried up to the thickest consistency that you can drink from a cup (honey consistency) and she still aspirated a little. Plus we learned that she does not chew really well, just mashes with her tongue, so she is a 100% choking risk if she were to swallow large portions of food. So with all of that being said, they recommend....

a pureed diet for food, and a feeding tube for liquids.

Not really sure what all that entails, but we go see the doctor on Monday and will probably be admitted to the hospital that afternoon for the feeding tube procedure.

And all along I thought we had been doing so well getting Claire to be more "normal" when she eats. We had worked hard on getting her to eat table food, and now I feel like this is a huge set back. I know it is what is best for her. Obviously, only by the grace of God have we escaped not having more pneumonia issues or even choking. But I am still disappointed.

So I will let you know more after Monday when we learn all about a feeding tube and what kind of adjustments that will bring to our life.

All Settled in?

2009-08-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

Well the move is over and we have settled ourselves in....or have we? ha! We still have some boxes in the garage, still have some pictures waiting to be hung and still have a community we need to become involved in.

However, God has already been blessing us in our new place. Not only has he provided us with this wonderful home, which all of us love, down to the kitty cats. But he has provided a little girl, Clare, who is one year older than Hope, who lives behind us right now with her grandparents. These 2 little girls apparently needed each other. Hope needed a new friend in a new city, and Clare needed a new friend other than her grandparents to play with.

God has also provided us with this church here who has the gift of outreach. They have been absolutely wonderful with Claire. The first Sunday, we took her in her chair with the thought that they could leave her in it the whole time and she would be fine. Well the head of the nursery has apparently fallen in love with Claire (of course who doesn't once they meet her) and she saw that she was taken out of her chair, and held and loved on. And today when we went and picked her up after church, Judy asked us if Claire could recognize people and we said yes, we feel she can. Well she said when she went in for her Claire snuggle time, that Claire smiled at her!

This church has helped us move in, invited us to dinner, made 2 house calls, 2 phone calls, numerous cards....etc etc..... makes it hard to want to visit any place else. Hope has really enjoyed her Sunday School class, and has already endeared herself to her teachers. And we have just signed her up for Upwards Cheerleading. Which I think she is awfully excited about.

Russell started school last Monday. The coaches at Pottsboro are on an 11 month contract. He did think it was odd that he was getting to hang out with the girls coaches. No sitting in the football office for him. Which is a blessing, but a huge change for our lives. I'm not sure he really knows what to do with himself right now. Especially knowing that 2 a days starts tomorrow and he doesn't have to do that. He does however start cross country bright and early in the morning.

So I think we are settling in to life here. We have met several other homeschool couples and are looking into joining a homeschool co-op. We are also in the process of talking with a pediatric home health group for Claire's therapy. So look forward to more opportunities soon.

And yes more pictures will come from this summer. But maybe next time.

So much news

2009-07-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it is almost the middle of July? Where has my time gone? Summer is flying by at record pace and doesn't seem to be ready to slow down any time soon.

So far this summer we have......

Accepted a new job at Pottsboro (no more football coaching)
Found out Claire had pneumonia (one day before leaving on vacation)
Gone to Branson for our yearly stay with Russell's family--lots of fun!
Got a great rent house in Denison just 8 miles from the high school for a steal of a deal. And as my mother in law said--- I will be like a fat lady let out of a girdle. We are going from 1160 square feet to 2300 square feet---crazy!
Begun (and finished) furiously painting 2300 square feet to update the 1960's paneling to a more soothing white.
Had Hope's 6th birthday party. Her first friend party with tie dye t-shirts included---lots of fun!
Begun saying goodbye to a whole church full of friends. It is amazing how tied to a community you can become in such a short time of being here. Of course being in a smaller town and smaller church has allowed us to become tied to a great majority of the church than would normally have been. Although we are extremely excited about the new opportunity, we are sad to leave those great relationships behind. This community and church has fully embraced our family and especially our girls.
Packed, packed and more packed---yikes! I don't know if I am coming or going yet! ha!
Had our first sleep-over---Hope got to have a sleep over at Charlie and Madeline's house on Sunday night! They had lots of fun! and got a little sleep I think.
Enjoyed the last basketball camp in Nocona this week.

The move is scheduled for this weekend. I will be ready for it to be over. House in upheaval, cats all freaked out, kids a little nervous --- we are ready.

When the Peace of God....

2009-05-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

As usual, our life has been kind of crazy these last few weeks. From birthday parties for the girls, to finishing up kindergarten, to the planning of summer activities.

But it seems like a couple of things have been weighing heavily upon us for a while.....

Russell was feeling the need to look for a new job. He was feeling led to give up coaching football and focus on basketball more, so he had more time to be at home with his 3 girls. After 5 job interviews from varying places, Russell has accepted a new position. We are totally thrilled about it. It is kind of funny to reflect back upon it. As with all of his other job hunts over the years, we have had a peace about the new job (possibly before we even make it to visit the new city for an interview) but somewhere along the way we begin to fret and worry and stress ourselves out about the job hunt, or possibly having to stay put for another year. And of course this time around was no different.

However, the day he came home and told me he had applied here for a job, I had this "strange" peace about it. And then we got the interview scheduled and the whole family loaded up and went with him, and again, I had that peace that God was in control. And for the week after the interview the same thing, peace. And then the call came to offer the job and of course our only answer was YES.

God's Peace....It is as sure as a morning dew that covers the ground... as secure as your loving husbands arms, as comforting as a warm fuzzy blanket...and it leaves you wondering why you worried all along.

The next chance I had to experience God's peace also came this week. As many of you know, Claire takes a medicine that is not yet available in the US, so we have to get it from Canada. Well it was time for our refill (we call with a 10 day supply left) so I called our Canadian pharmacy to refill. Only to find out that due to some government regulations in their province, they could no longer fill our prescription. So they transferred us to another Canadian pharmacy. And this is all fine with me. So I call that pharmacy to set up our account and find out that it will take 21 days for the medicine to reach us. yikes! I may be 11 days short of medicine. So I immediately call our doctor to see if there is anything we can do. And yet during this time I had a strange peace that some how this was going to work out.... Claire would not have to go without. After 4 days I finally speak to the doctor and what do you know but he has an unopened bottle of this medication that another patient could no longer use, but that he was willing to send to us! Amazing! Again, God's peace covered over us.

Maybe next time, before I begin to fret and worry when the future might seem dim, I will remember these 2 times...... I would hope so.....but I'm not holding my breathe!

3 and 23

2009-05-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

Wow! Turning 3 can be so busy! First Claire had to say goodbye to Julie, our therapist for 3 years! What a sad day that was.

Then it was on to party time. Like all people, Hope thinks we should actually celebrate our birthday on our birthday. So we had cupcakes for Claire on Thursday and saved the cake for her Friday night party. We had our close friends over again and Grandmommy and Grandaddy got to make it for the big day! What fun. This was the first party Claire had that she made it through the entire celebration from presents to cake without a seizure! yeah!

Yummy yummy cake! We couldn't feed it Claire fast enough!

Then all the girls got to enjoy the new ball pit! Good times! Balls everywhere!

Now aren't those girls pretty! Claire is sporting one of her new birthday outfits!

And to top everything off.... we went to the doctor Monday for her 3 year check up and she now weighs 23 lbs! She has never weighed 23 lbs before! yippee! After narrowing down all the causes to her fussiness and fixing what we could, we have decided that feeding her does make her quiet and so we think she is just hungry a lot now. So we are getting to feed her on average every 2-3 hours (hmmm...just like a newborn....including in the middle of the night.) The doctor just thinks that she has finally decided to grow and is HUNGRY!

Stay tuned to hear of Hope's exciting adventure to Kentucky!

The Big One!

2009-04-19T11:57:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to Molly! She is now one! And what a cutie pie. We had a small party for her on Friday night, with some close friends and Grandma and Pappaw.

Since Hope's first birthday it has bee my joy and pleasure to make the girls' birthday treats: cupcakes, ice cream cakes, and now just cake. So I got to practice my skills one more time for Molly's birthday. What fun!

Thank you Lord for blessing our life with little Molly Gable. She has brought unspeakable joy and laughter to our lives. In some ways she has been bittersweet, a reminder of those things we missed out on earlier. Thank you for completing our family circle with another beautiful girl. I hope that we may bring her up in your ways and she may grow into a woman of grace and beauty.

Here comes Peter Cottontail!

2009-04-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

Sweet Clairebear

All those pretty girls

Miss Priss

My big girls

All those girls!

What a great Easter morning we all had! A great resurrection Sunday and spent with my family. You can't ask for more than that. Hope was precious, Molly fun, and Claire felt good. Yeah!

Hope is wrapping up her first year of homeschool. I can't believe we are almost done. What a fun and memorable year it has been for both of us and she has done so well.

Molly is walking every where.... when her blanket doesn't trip her up. She is quite persistent in everything she does. And she has just the funniest personality. She loves to play by herself... but then she loves to play "peep pie" with her blanket, dance when you sing and clap her hands. She has learned to way bye bye. Her birthday is Friday.... can't wait for the party....

And Claire... oh if we can just get her feeling good. We have discovered her milk allergy, a medicine that will work for her sinus and congestion and above all she has developed reflux again... and it is not fun... Hopefully in another week she will be back to new and we can start working hard again. At the end of this month she will be transitioning to the school for therapy-- a little nervous about all of that.

And it seems like we are also in the process of transition. So I will keep you posted...

Easter egg time. Ever since Hope was not quite 3 we have been having a great time coloring easter eggs. And yes our Easter bunny hides the eggs that we have colored. So we take extra special care to make sure they are perfect. This has become a treasured time between Hope and her daddy. Hope made sure this year that each person in the house had an egg.... she wrote their names on their own eggs. And of course she was awfully excited to hunt those eggs come Sunday morning.

Too Funny

2009-03-07T08:04:00.001-08:00

So last night we are doing our weekly shopping at Walmart...can't seem to get out of that store for under $100 these days... anyway....

We are at the checkout--yes all 5 of us---and Hope pipes up and says, "it sure is fun shopping with my real family."

Ha! Does she have a fake family? hmmm.....

Where shall I begin?

2009-03-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

Shall we say it has been a while? Yes I got a new camera at Christmas and I am just now figuring out how to put my pictures on the computer. I guess I have some catching up to do.

After a month of antibiotics and medicines... I think we are all feeling good now. Lets see... it started with Hope, Russell and Molly having the stomach bug... followed by Claire having an ear infection, then Molly and ear infection, then an x-ray of Claire's tummy to see why she was still fussy only to determine she was literally "full of poop". So we have flushed her out.... then Hope had a urinary tract infection and Claire had a sinus infection---whew! I have finally been over a week with out calling or seeing the doctor.

But inspite of all that "fun" we have had some really good times. Hope has gotten to take 2 vacations... One with Grandmommy and Grandaddy to San Antonio to visit uncle Chad and aunt Marci and one with Grandma and Pappaw to Oklahoma to camp out in the "K" their travel trailer.

School is still going well... Hope continues to do so well with reading and math.

And Claire continues to be seizure free!

And Molly---almost walking... Crawling is still faster though even with our blanket in tow.

Love my Blanket

Sweet Kisses

Snuggle time!

Tickle time with daddy

Gripped by the bug

2009-01-26T16:17:00.000-08:00

It seems as if our whole family has been grabbed by some kind of bug....

3 of the 5 of us in the last week have had the ever dreaded stomach bug. Yuck! Hope is the latest victim of this lovely bug. I hope we can knock this out soon....

A couple of the others of us have been gripped by none other than "the funk". For that is all that I can describe it as. And it is amazing how this funk can be so contagious. It can sweep through the whole family before we have even realized what has happened. I pray that God would pull us out from this and let us see that "light at the end of the tunnel" or the "silver lining" or whatever you choose to call it.

Happy New Year and all of those things

2009-01-15T08:23:00.001-08:00

Been a while since I've been on here. I guess the new year has brought some extra busy time. Basketball season is in full swing, we start district play on Friday. Hope this year is a good one.

We had a great Christmas time this year in Clovis with mom and dad. Chad and Marci got to come up too. We hadn't seen them in quite a while. It sure was fun just all being together again. The girls were great and got spoiled lots. And I have to say this was the first holiday that I did not worry about Claire having some seizure and missing out. I didn't have the feeling of "oh hurry up before she is out of it." She was such a part of all of it this year, from the singing of Christmas carols to the opening of presents. And such sweet little smiles when she saw something she liked. Yeah! And then there was Hope.... was present doesn't she like. So full of joy! "This is just what I wanted... Thank you, Thank you Thank you! " and on and on.... ha! And then Miss Molly! Oh how funny she is.... paper, paper and more paper were her favorite toys!

Homeschool session 2 is back in business. Hope and I are enjoying it (most of the time). There are those days when she is determined to piddle and I am determined she will finish her work. And somehow we make it all work. She has gotten to read 2 chapter books now and is so excited by all of that. Of course she is already trying to plan our next homeschool outing to some exciting place.... not sure where we will head next... maybe San Antonio to see Chad and Marci.

Oh Claire... I guess I must admit to myself that she is having what we call in our most medical terminology the "jumpies" some breakthrough spasms. The doctors say that could happen and we just need to keep our eye on them. As long as she continues to make progress maybe we shouldn't worry too much. But that is hard for us mommies to do. She is also having so much tummy problems we are hoping the doctor can help her out. Not fun to have your tummy sound like you are popping bubble wrap because the gas bubbles are so bad. But inspite of all of that. She is continuing to make progress. We are working on more distance vision with her. Getting her to feel more with her hands and hold more objects. She is still rolling every where. And sleeping all night long! yeah!

Molly..... is about to be walking I am afraid. She is pulling up on everything and beginning to let go and balance standing there. Yikes! She is my little explorer... off through the whole house seeing what she can find to chew on.... I have found her chewing on the cat's water bowl, the bathtub, the toilet--yuck... and any and every wire and/or plug she can find.

So from the time we get up in the morning till we fall asleep at night, we seem to fill our days... whether it is chasing a crawling baby, to therapy for Claire, homeschool for Hope, basketball games for Daddy, painting the church nursery for Mommy. And through it all God gives us the grace and the strength to carry on to the next day.

My Little Elves

2008-12-22T15:00:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

22 lbs and counting

2008-12-16T15:37:00.000-08:00

To some of you 22 lbs doesn't seem like a big deal... some of you might want to lose 22 lbs.... Americans eat on average 22 lbs of candy a year...the Israelis eat over 22 lbs of turkey in a year... Americans also eat 22 lbs of tomatoes (mainly in the form of ketchup) in a year .....22 lbs in our house is a big number any way you look at it. We weighed in today for Claire at just over 22 lbs... we have not seen that number on her since she was one! yeah! And yes.... still seizure free! Hallelujah! Keep packing on the pounds Claire. Her therapists continue to be surprised and impressed by the progress she is making.... We will take every baby step we can get.

And the countdown to Christmas continues. Another link from our paper chain gone. The excitement is building. Are you waiting in expectation of some great gift you have hoped for? or are you waiting in expectation for the celebration of Jesus' Birthday?

2 months

2008-12-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

As I sit here in a rare moment when all 3 girls are asleep for a nap at the same time I thought I would reflect a moment.

2 months and Claire is still seizure free! What an extended Thanksgiving we are having. She continues to do well. Gaining strength almost daily. She loves sitting in her chair and playing, viewing the world. Today we got her in her chair and let her play her favorite computer cause and effect game. She really loved being right up at the computer. Much easier for all of us instead of me holding her in my lap.

And now to Molly.... she is crawling and pulling up and talking more. My oh my. As Russell said the other day, we are so glad we decided to have a 3rd child. What a sweet and lots of times funny little blessing she is.

And Miss Hope....we have moved on into our 1st grade phonics and she is doing great. In fact we will probably finish this out by Spring Break. She is a joy to watch as she learns and discovers new things. She is really growing up. She continues to amaze us with her vocabulary (always big), her bigger than life persona and her unending love for her sisters.

We are onto the countdown till Christmas. Hope pulls off one chain from her paper links every day. She can hardly wait. Although I think she is most excited about Georgia and Maggie (my brothers 2 dogs) coming to Grandmommy's house for Christmas. The presents under the tree are killing Hope that she can't open them yet. I mean after all what good are they doing sitting there looking all pretty when I could be playing with them.

But somehow admist the busyness of Christmas and the "I want" attitudes.... we have managed to find a time almost every evening to remember the advent. A couple of years ago we started with Hope a daily advent reading... this year we have expanded that to lighting the advent candle, reading the scripture and Daddy leading us in prayer. It is exciting to see how Hope is getting into the spirit of Jesus' Birthday and gaining an understanding of some of the scripture we are reading about Christ's birth. May we all take time daily during this season to remember just exactly why we celebrate this blessed.

And on that day in the city of David a Saviour will be born to you and you shall call his name Jesus.

New Wheels!

2008-11-24T12:14:00.000-08:00

Look at Claire in her new "razzleberry" pink wheels! This is her new totally customized chair. She absolutely loves it. It fits her so well and gets her up being so big. And of course Hope is so proud too... she helped us pick out the color of the chair. She always is wanting us to put her in it so she can push her around the house in it. We took Claire to our church Thanksgiving dinner in it last night, and she got "oohed and ahhed" over.

And yes... we are now... 51 days seizure free!

One Month

2008-11-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

Who knew all that could happen in just one month's time....

Claire has been seizure free---yeah! Thank you Lord for your unfailing love. Your faithfulness endures for all generations. May we have many more days. Because of her being seizure free we have seen Claire laugh, cry, roll all over the room... and even begin to bear weight on her legs. Almost all who know her think she is a different child. The other day at church one of the ladies, Charlotte, who just has a heart for our family but truly for Claire, came to find Claire and give her some sugars.... as she was kissing Claire, Claire leaned over to Charlotte and smacked (kissed) her on her cheek! Oh how sweet!

Molly has learned to sit up and even begin to creep on the floor. We have started more solid foods... so far we just prefer our bottle really.

Hope has learned to read more words. She loves to read to us every night "Dick and Jane" before bedtime. She has studied dinosaurs, thanks to Grandmommy and a visit to the Dinosaur Valley State Park. And she earned her official AWANA Sparks card for memorizing her first verses, mottos and song.

In one month we have seen the end of football season (almost) and the beginning of basketball season. And with that comes the changing of Daddy's schedule... hopefully for the better so we see him more often.

One month has brought cooler weather most days, Halloween, birthday parties for next door neighbors, ringworm from our new kitten has come and gone (sorry Shanae) and Thanksgiving is bearing down upon us before the next month is out.

Thank you God for all of the time you have given me with my precious daughters and for the changes that we see happening in just a month's time. May Russell and I be able to impart godly wisdom and unconditional love to our daughters in this short time that you have entrusted them to us.

Tickle Bug!

2008-10-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

Oh when the tickle bug arrives at our house...let the laughter begin. Why is is that children love to be tickled... they love the torture of not being able to breathe from laughter and every fiber of your body hurting. But those giggles are sometimes the sweetest sound you will ever here. Lately, Claire has been laughing more and in fact she has found that she has a funny bone in her body. Today I discovered that she is ticklish above her knee in the vulnerable area for what we call, "Horse Eating Cabbage." (In honor of Grandaddy, I can still remember that feeling like it is happening now. And of course he has the most hilarious look on his face and sound from his mouth) And oh the giggles she made. She had Hope and myself so tickled over her laughter we couldn't stop. What precious moments. May I be blessed with many more giggles, smiles and laughter from all my girls.

Priceless

2008-10-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

We have waited a long time to see this from Clairebear... and Aunt Shanae was finally able to capture it for all time!

As Shanae said... this is officially the best picture ever!

Just Because

2008-10-11T17:03:00.001-07:00

Just Because....

We love being silly... Hope sporting her Daddy's russian hat

Hope loves her kitten, Sprinkles

We celebrated Daddy's Birthday!

Just Because....

I love my girls all snuggled up in their pajamas....

Mom kept asking me to post new pictures of the girls....

Fun at the Zoo

2008-10-11T16:54:00.001-07:00

A week ago last Thursday, I got to take all 3 girls and some friends of ours to the Fort Worth Zoo for Homeschool Day. We had the best time as you can see....

Hope even got to ask the zookeeper for the jaguars a question. I was so proud of her for actually doing it. Most of the animals were out and about for us to view and observe. Hope chose the zebra to do an additional study on at home.

When Italy becomes Holland

2008-10-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

I was listening to the radio the other day for a fundraiser for families with children with terminal illness or chronic disease etc. And one mom was on and she said she is often asked what it is like having a special child and this is how she summed it up ( I wished I had thought of this)

All your life you have wanted to go to Italy. So you finally plan a trip. You are ready to see the gondolas, the Michael Angelos, the Sistene Chapel. You buy a Italian phrase book. You pack your bags--you are so excited. The day of your trip arrives. You board the plane and after the flight ends, you are ready to land... only to hear the stewardess say, "Welcome to Holland". "What?" you say. "But what about Italy? I wanted to go to Italy?"

After you have been in Holland awhile, you realize it isn't too bad either. After all they have windmills, and tulips, and Rembrandts. And you have met a whole slew of people you never would have met before if you had gone to Italy. Now you are still sad that the dream of Italy is over, afterall, all of your friends are getting to go to Italy. And that dream is hard to let go of. But Holland has beauty if you stay awhile. It is slower pace than the flashy Italy. But it really isn't so bad. And look at all of the new things you have learned, and seen, and experienced. You are a better person for having gotten to go to Holland.

Boy that mom truly did express what living with a "special" child is all about. Although we are still in the midst of our experience in Holland. I can reflect and say I am glad we are here. I do miss Italy occassionally. (OK a lot some days) But then I am so glad that God blessed us not only with Claire and "Holland" but also with Hope and Molly in "Italy". Maybe we get the best of both worlds!

Sad Day--Happy Day

2008-10-07T12:39:00.001-07:00

Saturday was a sad day! After much family discussion, we decided it would be best if we returned Perdy. We decided that in our small house and no fence yard, that Perdy just didn't fit well. We could not adequately provide for her "big" needs. Plus Hope was scared to death of her every time she jumped up for some lovings. So Hope and the girls went to play with friends, so I could make the 2 hour trek to return Perdy so another family could adopt her. Of course this wasn't done without much tears on my part. Good thing Hope wasn't there or we might have had to float home in a boat.

Now to the good news, with the discussion about returning Perdy, we asked Hope why she did like Perdy and she said she liked it when she laid by her and when she slept in her room, so we determined that a kitten might be the better choice. So we found an ad for some kittens in Wichita Falls, so off the girls and I headed Monday and got us a cute female kitty--Sprinkles. And boy does she love Hope, she snuggles up to her all the time, lays on her bed. Just exactly what Hope wanted!

Exciting News!

2008-09-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

First for Miss Hope! Pop! Reading! Just like that it clicked in her little head and she has read what she calls "non school books". And Boy was she excited! We could hardly get her to go sleep the other night, she just wanted to keep reading--and if you know our house, we have lots of books!

Next! We are now the proud owners of Perdy! Our new 4 month old adopted/rescued dalmation! She is a cutie--- one brown eye, one blue eye! and the sweetest personality! We will see how well we all adjust to the new dog, house training and everything.

Now to Miss Claire----Oh Canada is what we are singing right now. We have started Claire on a new medicine that we must purchase from Canada because currently it is not FDA approved in the US. So far so good. She had another EEG yesterday, and some good news it that her brain waves are beginning to organize, which is why we are not having as many spasms nor as many random movements. And the doctor said once organized, it should not go back to being disorganized. So we are quite excited that it has improved. Plus the first time ever, the doctor feels that Claire is physically stronger! Yeah!

40 years!

2008-09-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! 40 years! wow! What a great example you two have been in your married life. I am happy to be called your daughter. I wish you many more wonderful years together!

Homeschool fun--- Hope and I are enjoying our time together for homeschooling. I think she enjoys the 2 hours of one on one time she gets with me each day. Right now she is practicing her handwriting--not one of her favorite subjects. (It wasn't mine either) She has done so well in learning how to read... lots of praise and encouragement help her out. We have also fallen in love with Five in a Row... our unit study program where we read one story 5 days in a row and do some sort of project each day with it; i.e. social studies, language arts, math, science and art. Our story this week is Madeline. So far we have studied about Paris, France; architecture, vocabulary (solemn, appendix, and disaster) and today will be our math lesson on grouping and dividing--too fun.

Claire is doing ok... still having a couple of seizures now and then. They are actually more seizure than spasms... the doctor says that is actually a good thing, it means her brain is getting into a more organized pattern. She has also stopped having so much of the miscellaneous random movements---she now is more still, centered and more normal arm and leg movements. I do believe this week we will probably be adding the drug Vigabatrin (only available from Canada) to her list of medicines.

Sweet Molly--she is on the move now---rolling all over. The other night I had left her on her quilt to go help Hope with some thing, when we returned to the room, Molly had rolled half way across the room and has stuck up against her car seat! Wow! Hope was so excited.

I have to share about Saturday morning... Molly was napping, Russell at work, and it was pouring rain (our share of hurricane Ike)... so Hope and Claire and I went out the porch and sat down and watched it rain and then we did our favorite thing---began singing all of those precious childrens songs... "deep and wide," "this little light of mine," "Jesus loves me," and on and on. It was a great time with 2 of my favorite girls, out enjoying God.

Rolly Pollee

2008-09-04T12:26:00.000-07:00

My baby has learned to roll! Molly started rolling over back to front on Tuesday! Yikes--we better watch out--Claire has already been rolled upon several times! She hasn't quite figured out yet that she can roll over and over .... but I'm sure that time is just moments away! :)

Hope has had over one week of homeschooling and so far so good. We have had a couple of moments of staring one another down till the work gets done. And we had to call upon Principal Daddy one day. But so far she has learned to read over 23 words, write several letters. And we have learned about buoyancy, repititon, drawing water, China, and Ohio. All very exciting things.

Miss Claire, went 10 days seizure free, then we started having a couple of breakthrough seizures. So we have gone back to giving 2 shots a day for another week to see if that will stop them, and then hopefully as we begin weaning off the medicine again, we can maintain. If not, we will be looking at another option...

9 Days and Counting

2008-08-31T13:45:00.000-07:00

9 Days Seizure Free! Yippee! We are so excited around the Ratliff house to say the least.... Claire is doing great---she is tolerating the shots quite well and she has figured out how to go to sleep on her own---finally!

Started homeschool Kindergarten on Wednesday and Hope did great. She was so excited to finally start school. We took pictures of her and then she got to sit in her very own hot pink school desk for school. She has been able to read her first short story thanks to Hooked on Phonics--love that program... it gives instant success. It is crazy to think that we can have a whole day of kindergarten in 2 hours--wow! Gives plenty of time to play with the other girls. So far we have scheduled school to be when Molly is napping--thank goodness for naps!

Home Again, Home Again--Jiggety Jog

2008-08-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

Sure is nice to have the whole family together again. Mom brought Hope and Molly home yesterday. And boy was I sure glad to hug their little necks. And I think Molly had grown enormously!

Praise the Lord--- Claire has been seizure free since Friday afternoon! I can't remember the last time she has gone that long! She has been quite a bit irritable, whiny, etc. But what a nice trade off!

The Lord is good, His love endures forever!

I think we will start Hope's school tomorrow! So we will be taking on Kindergarten at home, monitoring Claire's weight and blood pressure 2x a week, plus once a week lab work. Please give me strength to do it all and to manage our time wisely!

On our way home

2008-08-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

We got discharged today! yeah! We will be making our way home. Claire did great. We started her steroid treatment on Thursday and she has tolerated it well. I have gotten to give her last 2 shots---yikes! The second time was better than the first for both of us. But I think I will be looking forward to this time to be over. There is a reason I didn't go into the field of nursing! ha! We should hope to see some results maybe in about 3 weeks but of course some kids need the full treatment before seeing anything.
God has been good... and as a great friend of mine said... He is such a show off sometimes. This treatment is quite expensive, like several new cars expensive, the first 2 vials of it were covered by our insurance... but our insurance starts over Sept 1, so we were going to have to pay out of pocket for the next 2 vials, however, God allowed for the company to agree to ship all four vials up front--so we have NO expense! Thank you God!
Thank you God also for this trip, our many friends, doctors and nurses who made it possible and has helped with all sorts of things along the way. We are fully trusting in God to complete the journey!

Day 2 over--Finally!

2008-08-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

After a long day, and I mean long--we are home now and enjoying some quiet time. We started this morning at 6:30 at the hospital for the MRI, blood work and spinal tap... At 12:30 we finished and got a quick break for lunch. Claire did well, got to be sedated for the whole time and woke up with quite an appetite. We laughed in our wait for Claire to be done, we got to see other patients check in for surgery, have surgery, recover and leave all before we got to go see Claire again. Then we got to meet with her doctor again this afternoon. Of course we do not have the results from her blood work or spinal tap (some will take up to 6 weeks) but her MRI did not show anything of great significance, that we already knew. So we begin tomorrow morning her 3 month steroid treatment. We get to check in at the hospital and stay through Friday night probably. This will mainly be to check her as she starts the steroids and to help teach Russell and I how to give her the injections. Hopefully within a few weeks time we should begin to see results. Our prayer is that when this treatment is over her seizures will have stopped, we can stop the steroid treatment and all other seizure medication. And then we can begin the work of playing developmental catch up. Her current diagnosis of infantile spasms isn't great, but Claire has already beat the odds to some extent. She probably won't ever be what we would call normal, but we do believe that at some point she should learn to walk and talk to some degree. Our little Clairebear is a fighter and stubborn too, and the doc said that should serve her well.

One Day Down

2008-08-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

Our first day at Mayo is over. We started off bright and early this morning for an EEG. The hope was that we could get Claire to go to sleep without sedation for it--and yeah--God answered prayer and Claire slept on her own for the whole process. However, we did need her awake for part of it, and we had no success in awakening her... she choose to stay asleep until we were in the car on our way home! ha! Just like stubborn little Claire to do things her own way.

This afternoon we met with her doctor and spent about 2 hours just talking about Claire. Right now the doc would like to try a steroid treatment for her---one way to get her to gain weight. And then she scheduled several blood tests, metabolic tests, genetic tests etc. Plus her MRI--all to be done on Wednesday. Right now the doctor is not seeing any new reasons for why Claire is having these seizures... but we will wait to make that final decision. She does feel we have been doing the right things in trying to treat her.

As usual, Claire is being a little trouper. She is currently enjoying some down time to just get to play. It has been such a blessing to stay here at Carol's house. We have our own quarters, but then just a place to come crash between appointments.

Tomorrow is our free day, and we are planning on seeing some sights, and Carol has even offered to babysit sweet Claire so Russ and I can have dinner and a movie! I think we will take her up on her offer.

God is so good to allow us this trip. And if for no other reason than to realize we are doing all we can do for Claire at this moment. She continues to "work" her magic and draw people to her, which then gives us a chance to share about our gifted child.

We Made It

2008-08-17T13:31:00.001-07:00

Here we are in Rochester, MN....after 15 hours on the road we arrived in this beautiful city. I think we are all glad to be out of the car for now and able to have some down time before it all starts tomorrow morning.
First thing tomorrow, 7:30, Claire will have her first EEG.... and after that is the doctor's consultation.
May we all get rest tonight, for we have to be up early tomorrow.

Now! Happy 4 month birthday Molly. Hope you are enjoying the party that Hope and Grandaddy planned for you---with brownies and candles too!
I love you girls

Clairebear

2008-08-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

Sweet Clairebear

On this day before we leave for the Mayo Clinic I wanted to share my thoughts with you. Two years and 3 1/2 months ago, God blessed me with a beautiful little girl... Claire Campbell, who quickly earned the nickname Clairebear. Although these past 2 years have been filled with struggle and trials, you have perservered. Every time I look at you, I see the presence of God and I am reminded of several things. The Bible is filled with verses which speak to my heart and give my strength for the days which we have already lived through and the days in which to come:

"Be still (Claire and Mandy) and know that I am God, and I will be exalted among the nations. " Psalm 46:10

"For God created your inmost being, He knit you together in my womb. I praise God because you are fearfully and wonderfully made; His works are wonderful, I know that full well. " Psalm 139:13-14

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you" Psalm 143:8

"In this I greatly rejoice, though now for a little while we may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that our faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fired--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:6-7

Clairebear--Your daddy and I are so very proud of you and it is an honor being your mommy and daddy. We love you.

We do not know what this trip holds for us. But we are praying for God's will to be done. We are praying that somehow, someway we might be able to share about the love of God with someone else.

Gifted

2008-08-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

Today after Molly and Hope left with mom and dad, Claire and I ran to the library to check out some info for Hope's school. While there a lady came up to Claire to check out her curly hair, and then she said.... "she's gifted, isn't she?" Now I know she meant that she is a special needs child, but it struck me that yes, Claire is gifted. She is gifted in that through her presence, she draws people to her. She is gifted by God with a quiet spirit, incredible strength and perserverance. She is gifted because she is a child of God.

This week leading up to us going to the Mayo clinic, I have been praying that God would give me verses of assurance and strength. And today this one came to mind:

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

Thank you God for gifting me with Claire and for gifting Claire with perfect gifts.

Can they really be this sweet?

2008-08-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

Oh my girls! What sweet faces they have! Could just eat them up. I so love how Hope is such a good big sister... she watches over the 2 little ones with much love and kindness. What a little mommy!

Claire is doing well.... the seizures have slowed down some---so that makes for good days around our house. We are anxiously counting down the days till we leave for Mayo---8 more night nights as Hope would say.

And Miss Molly---she is growing and developing such a funny little personality. And boy is she ready to be on the move---we want to sit up big all of the time, and we are so close to rolling all over! yikes!

10 Years Encore!

2008-08-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

It has been brought to my attention that I did not mention that we did celebrate our 10th anniversary earlier this summer by spending an enjoyable 3 days in San Antonio. We went with another couple friend whose 10th anniversary was in June. We had a great time of eating on the Riverwalk, shopping, visiting Sea World and sleeping in a lovely B and B. So great times before our actual anniversary and a nice dinner the night of our anniversary!
To many more years!

10 Years!

2008-08-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to us! 10 years! Wow! Seems like just yesterday we were waking up bright and early on a Saturday morning in Clovis to begin our journey of married life together. The wedding came off without too many glitches at 11 am. Yep you saw that right, we had a morning wedding---the church was beautiful with the sun shining in the stained glass windows.

A lot has happened in 10 years--- 1 apartment, 3 houses, 3 kids, 4 jobs, 1 cat, a few cars, 2 overseas mission trips, countless friends, too many football and basketball games to count, Easter musicals, VBS recreation and crafts, basketball camp, Branson and Platoro, family holidays, lots of laughter and some tears. Through it all God has been awfully good to us. Thank you for your many blessings. May we have many, many more years together and add to the list of memories above!

We celebrated with a night out to Red Lobster with dinner and dessert! And a few moments of lovely married comfortable silence! :)

Prayer and Peanut Butter

2008-07-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

Apparently lots of prayer and 2 Tbsp peanut butter 2x a day helped Claire reach the 20 lb marker. We haven't seen 20lbs since last July or so.... yeah! Claire had her 2 year check up finally and she had reached that goal.. we are still concerned about her weight so the doc requested a couple of blood tests to check to see about her nutrition levels.... waiting to hear the results.....
Now Miss Molly had her 2 month check up and all is well.... She weighed about 11 1/2 lbs and was almost 24 inches long! way to go girl.

Pretty girls

2008-07-05T11:26:00.001-07:00

Some new pics of the girls enjoying summer and from Claire and Molly's baby dedication. Such sweet girls if I do say so myself!

All Set For Mayo

2008-07-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

The appointment is scheduled Aug 18, and we have received our packet of info. We will have appointments on Aug 18, Aug 20 and Aug 21. Will be a busy few days. Need prayer for rest and strength to handle whatever we will face.

One other request is immediate for Claire. She is having so many seizures a day and burning so many calories that we cannot feed her enough and she has lost 2 more pounds. Pray that the seizures would slow down in number and that we could feed her enough protein/fatty foods to help.

Mayo Here We Come

2008-06-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

Today we received our Mayo Clinic packet in the mail. This included all of the information we need to make our trip successful; from appointment times to lodging. We will leave here on Aug 16 so we can make it for our Aug 18 appointment.
I think we are all excited about this trip and the possibilities it represents. I know it will a long and tedious journey, but maybe one well worth the effort. We are still seeing Claire have 2-6 seizures a day, although we have just gotten on the full dose of the new medication.
So stay tuned to any further developments!

Faithfulness

2008-06-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

God is faithful! Good news from Molly's doctor, they could not find anything wrong with her hip! Praise the Lord. We will continue to watch it for this first year, but not expecting to find anything wrong with it. Yeah!

Still following up with Mayo on Claire. They were needing some additional information. So still waiting there.

This past week I was going through all of our pictures and writing the dates etc on them and it struck me once again how blessed we are with family. These girls have so many grandparents, aunts, uncles etc that love them and spend time with them often, it is really quite neat. Made me think of the scripture:

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never faile. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.
Lamentations 3:22-24

A day for doctors

2008-05-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

No one tells you when you have a baby about the worry and pain you sometimes face. First doctor was today. We took Molly back to have her hip checked on to see if we are looking at hip displaysia. Well after examination, the doc thought we should see a specialist, just to err on the side of caution. So Monday we will head out to the 2nd doctor to have little Molly's hips x-rayed and sonogramed. I would like to say I'm not worried, but there is a part of me that wishes we didn't have to do this... why couldn't this baby be as easy as Hope? Why do we have to face this little trial too? And then we have placed a call in for our other one, Claire, to the Mayo clinic for our 3rd doctor of the day. Looking at an appointment there in July or August---maybe some answers are just a couple of months away. Since starting this latest medicine, her seizures have increased from 2 a day to 4-6 a day--not fun watching your child have no control over her body and then completely wiped out from them afterward. Makes my heart break a little with each one her body endures. If I believe that God made us and formed us and loves us still.... and that we are created for his glory, then I have to believe that somehow this is for His glory.... but I sure cannot explain it. Why does it have to be so hard? And then for the 4th doctor, waiting on Claire's neurologist to call back and discuss this latest medicine change. We so need wisdom in the next step.....

"It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." 1 Cor 1:30-31

Bittersweet

2008-05-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

Ah how bittersweet life can be. All we know is what we have already experienced. With each passing day that Molly grows older, becomes bittersweet in retrospect to what we experienced with Claire. We missed out on lots of smiles and eye contact and even crying for hunger, holding and bedtime. I wouldn't change our experience because that is what God has blessed our family with, but I do long for those things to happen with our sweet Clairebear. Children truly are a gift from God and we do treasure the uniqueness about each one. Hope is so outgoing, a live wire. My social planner, organizer, smart and funny girl. Claire is sweet tempered, beautiful and a cuddler. Molly has a quick temper, but then a glowing smile. It will be interesting to see how she develops her special personality.

I believe God has answered our prayer for now for a bigger house and that answer is NO. Which is fine with us, we love our humble house. So now our next prayer is whether or not to take Claire to the Mayo clinic this summer. We feel we need to see if there is anything else we should be doing for this sweet little one. And if the answer is no more than what we are doing now, then maybe we will have achieved some peace of mind. For the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Ready for Kindergarten

2008-05-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day.... started off the morning with Claire's therapy... she is doing so well. And she has just the sweetest personality to go with it. Then it was off to the elementary for Hope to do her kindergarten evaluation to see how to place her in a class. She had a great time, in fact, she was ready for school to start today. She asked if she needed to bring her backpack and lunch box-ha! Of course our big debate is whether or not we are going to homeschool her coming this fall. Still waiting on God's direction for that. But I think we will wait on that answer until we settle some other issues; like selling our house and buying a little bigger one here in town. Three girls and one bathroom, we might need a bit more space--ha!

My how time flies!

2008-05-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

Molly is already one month! wow! And Claire just turned 2 and before long Hope will be 5 and on her way to Kindergarten. Where has the time gone. Plus this summer Russell and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. Seems like just yesterday we were heading off to college, I still feel like 18! ha!

Molly has started smiling a lot! She is just a little doll...although we call her our "hot tamale" because she likes to lie around in only her diaper. Claire is good... we got her a new chair to help her sit up more, can't wait to use it. And Hope, what shall I say about her!

Russell is busy counting down the days till school is out and summer vacation has begun. We are all looking forward to our trip to Branson in just a couple of weeks. And all of the other fun things this summer holds; sports camps, family time, swimming etc.

Let's see how this go

2008-04-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Ok Stephanie---here goes! Trying my hand at the blog.....

Today is Claire's 2nd birthday! yeah! And my what changes we have seen in her over these last 2 years. She really is growing up and now with Molly here, she really looks more like a big sister each day.

Molly is good---eating, sleeping, and awake some each day. She is such a cutie pie if I do say so myself.

And little Miss Hope---my helper and little mommy. She loves to sit and hold Molly as often as she can. But boy does she hate it if Molly is fussy.... I guess in her thoughts these sweet babies should be as quiet as her baby dolls--ha!