The Cherry Bunch

Agape

2011-05-07T08:48:00.000-04:00

After being MIA for quite some time and not even sure if I wanted to continue the blog I decided to post. Things here have been overwhelming in many ways this last month or so, perhaps I will share more details on a later post. But as I sat at my computer this morning, trying to get some work done and drinking my coffee many random thoughts have crept in and out of my mind as they tend to do when the house is quiet and I am left alone to even be able to hear myself think!! And Naomi, her autism, and different ways it affects us always creeps in. But this morning the thoughts led me down a different path than usual. I tend to think often of what can she really comprehend, what facts and details of every day life does she really have a grasp on?!? Yes, her vocabulary is expanding, but a lot of it is mainly her being 'trained' to respond to a certain prompt with a specific response, more so than her really giving us her honest 'answer.' For example, in therapy they were teaching her to say her name, so that when you asked her what is her name she'd say 'nay-OH-me'...and I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear her answer. I'd ask her her name at least 20 times a day...which made me wonder if she thought I was crazy! I bet in her head she'd say to herself, 'What is wrong with this woman. She calls my name 50 times a day to get me to do things and then asks me my name just as often...does she forget it that quickly?!?' Once she had mastered that they started to teach her to say her last name, so she learned to reply 'Cherry', but now if you ask her a question that has the word 'name' in it, whether you'd ask her for her first name, or what is her last name, or even if you'd say what is the doggy's name, her answer is now always Cherry. If she sees a picture of herself and you ask 'Who is this?' she still replies Naomi, but because the current prompt at therapy is her last name as soon as she hears that word in your question, her reply is 'Cherry' no matter what you are really asking.
And one of the things I think of most often of whether or not she can understand is how much we love her, if she even knows what LOVE is. I tell her I love her all the time, and some times she will reply with an I love you back, but I wonder if she even really knows what she is saying, what she is expressing, more importantly what it means that I love her! Or is it the same as the name example above, where she is just repeating what you are saying because it's what she thinks she should do. But as I sat here this morning and started to think about 'Does this little girl really understand that she means the world to us?? Does she really know what a gift she is, how precious she is, how adored she is??' God stirred my heart and thoughts down a different way. I started to think about what she is teaching us. As hard as things are at times, Naomi is giving us a wonderful gift that not many, especially here in our Western society that tells us to do what makes us happy and is all about instant gratification, get to experience. She is teaching us to truly love, the hard kind of love, the one in the Bible referred to as 'AGAPE' love, the kind that God gives to us, and Jesus was willing to live out as he hung on the cross for our sakes!! In the Greek there are 4 different ways to express love, which really is better because how can you 'love' your husband and children and 'love' your favorite pair of jeans and want for that four letter word to mean the same in both contexts?!? So the greek have Éros, to mean that erotic passionate love, Philia which is used to refer to brotherly love, what you might use to refer to your friends, there is Storge, which is used mostly to describe an affectionate love, and there is the kind that we all long for Agápe and this is the unconditional, ever fulfilling, 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love.

And all 5 of us here at the Cherry household are having our hearts tilled to be able to give this kind of love. We all in different ways, even the littlest Cherry, sacrifice, give, and love Naomi without really getting much in return. For me especially. It is so overwhelming at times how hard things can be, the things we have to overcome and deal with each day, I can't tell you how many times the thought creeps in my head, 'God, I don't have the strength to deal with this right now. I don't have the energy to do overcorrection 5-10 times, or spend 30 min trying to just get my child to sit.' I don't even know how many times a week I am fighting back tears whether out of frustration, my heart breaking for our little princess, or out of feeling hopeless and defeated. I can't even explain the toll that it takes on my emotions and heart to go from a top of the mountain experience because of even the smallest accomplishment I may see in Naomi, to the down in the muck, literally, cleaning up poop at 11:30pm when all I wanted to do was crawl in bed! Yet, as I think about the articles and stories of parents that did the 'unthinkable' and ended the life of their autistic child, and/or their own because it was more than they could handle, I can't even imagine that!! It is extremely hard and some days I don't know how I will make it the next hour, but then I see her smile, or hear her little voice and I am reminded of how it is all worth it, poop and all!! I am reminded that something beautiful is in the midst of all this pressure, much like how a diamond is created. And God shows me that He is giving me a real life example and reminder of how He loves me. I am sure that there are lessons God feels I should have learned 10 years ago, there are areas where I am stubborn to the point of making Him wish to flood this Earth like He did in Noah's time, things that He tries to show me I need to rid my heart of that I am still blind to. I know that there are concepts and Bible verses that I can spew out when prompted that makes God say, yes great, you can say that, but why can't you grasp what it REALLY means!! Yet, though I seem to have nothing but trouble to offer Him, He sees beyond that. He looks at all that I lack, all that I don't understand, all of my brokenness, and shows me that He loves me in spite of all that and gives me His strength to go on!

And this morning He gave me an early Mother's Day gift. As I sat here contemplating on what does Naomi understand in regards to my love for her, what will she ever understand God gave me the gift of the love of my daughter. He showed me that though she may not grasp the concept of love in the same way that I can, or that she may not be able to express her love for me in the same way my typical 6 yr old can, she still does. She does it in the way that she has always come to me for protection, for cuddles, for help. Even while she was deep in her 'own little world' she'd reach out at times and bring me in with her. And today God showed me that in spite of us at times waking her up from giving her a shot at times, in spite of me spraying her with cold water that she doesn't like to reprimand her, in spite of me literally sitting on her, not allowing her to breath through her nose, and forcing her to take medicine she can't stand, in spite of having to drop her off for 6 hours a day to a place she sometimes doesn't want to go to, her view of me hasn't changed. She still runs into my arms and holds me tight. As soon as she gets home the first she things she does is look for me around the house. When she is weary of a situation it is my hand that she won't let go of. So though I worry at times and don't know if she can understand that the medicine, the shots, the hours away from home at therapy are all for her own good and because we love her, God showed me today that somehow, even through the mysterious walls that is Autism, love gets translated to her heart just right!!

Laura Story - Blessings

2011-04-04T10:33:00.000-04:00

It has been a rough couple of weeks around here!! I haven't had the time to come on and post, nor even the heart!! But wanted to share this song...it has been a gift to me in helping to put my thoughts back in perspective!! Hope it encourages your heart as well!!

Wishing for a Crystal Ball....

2011-03-13T12:21:00.000-04:00

Our thoughts can be our worst enemy sometimes!! I can be having a decent day and out of no where a sneaky thought will come in to my mind that will make me fight back tears!! Just had one of those moments!! I am was sitting here in my kitchen with the kids doing some work (I work from home) and Naomi came up to me and said 'mo cee-eal' which in and of it is self is pretty exciting...that she now knows she can interact with us and voice her needs and she will get a response. So I gave her some more cereal, dry. Well, then she said to me 'want milk'...which is also very exciting!! Probably about two/three weeks ago she started doing this more consistently, using two word phrases, and without being prompted and entirely on her own requesting things from us. So that has been something we have been celebrating and as she requests new needs or unprompted communicates with us in new ways it is always a reason to celebrate.

But even as I celebrate such occurrences, in the back of my mind I try and hold back my excitement!! So annoying...I don't mean to, I don't even think about it when I do it! I don't want to shift my focus from a positive and happy moment and think of a gloomy one!! Why can't we control our thoughts more!?! The Bible tells us to (2 Corinthians 10:5), but I haven't been able to master that yet. But there it was, making me focus on it, bringing me to fight back tears, not allow them to fall down my face. "Is this the most we will ever hear of her." I have mentioned this before, but I think one of the hardest things with Autism is the unknown factor. The fact that no one, whether a mainstream doctor or a DAN one, not her BCBA, not her tutor who is with her 30+ hours a week, no not anyone can tell us what outcome to expect 6 months or 6 years from now. And that for me is so hard. To take things one day at a time. I am not sure why, if it is a control issue, or simply a 'guard my heart' issue.

Naomi is such a gift to us, just as she is today! She adds so much to our family and we need her, love her, and want her with us, no matter what. But I hate having to play the 'what if' and 'I wonder' game with so much of her future!! So at times it's almost like I check myself in these great moments, the exciting ones where we see progress, to not let my hopes get too high. Mostly, because I want to protect my heart I guess. That is why I wish I had a crystal ball.

If I could just know what the future held for her, than I could relax. Enjoy each of her milestones for what they are, what they bring to this present moment, and not try to decode them and see if it is a sign of greater things to come, or if it is the greatest we will see!!

And that thought creeps in soooo often, too often!! And Naomi doesn't even have to be around. The other day Joelle and Isaac were playing while Naomi was at therapy. They had built this obstacle with our couch cushions and were taking turns rescuing each other. As Isaac was pretending to need help Jojo said, 'I am coming Isaac! I will save you, I am a super hero!!' It was so cute, it warmed my heart and maed me smile. Then, totally unexpectedly and all too soon the moment was taken away from me with the thought 'will I ever hear Naomi say something like that?' Then this week Joelle and I went shopping for some things Naomi needed for therapy. As we walked around the store she'd make comments like, 'Momma, this is so beautiful' and 'Is this for Naomi momma? She is going to looooove it!!' or 'Oh momma, this is going to make Naomi so happy!' And again, as we were driving home those thoughts came into my mind. Will I ever experience something like that with Naomi?? Well, I figured I can at least have a modified version of it, so two days later I brought Naomi with me to the store. The trip didn't quite bring the mother/daughter experience I had hoped for. Naomi was fussing to get in the car, which she usually doesn't mind, arching her back and such. Then when we got to the store she had to go in the shopping cart and the first item I grabbed I had to open and give her some to not start one of the never-ending tantrums. And then, at the end it took me about 2 min (which seemed like 20 since a guy was standing there waiting to grab our cart) to take her out because she didn't want to leave it. She kept squeezing her legs together so that I couldn't take her out of the seat as she cried/screamed.

I am okay with whatever outcome it may be!! Even as she is today Naomi already adds so much good to our lives and is a special gift to us!! Yes, it is a lot of work, but it is a labor of love that is certainly worth it!! I guess mostly I just want to place hedges around my heart and protect it from the pain of disappointment and broken dreams. I guess I believe that if I know what her future will be like I will spare myself from dreaming big dreams for her, just to have to give them up 5, 10, 15 years from now. I guess I think somehow it will be less painful that way!!

I know, kind of corny, but the best illustration I could find of God's hands!!

But even as I think that, I know God wants otherwise. Instead of a crystal ball He wants me to have the peace that surpasses all understanding! Phillipians 4:6-7 He wants me to place my dreams, my heart, my trust, and my Naomi in His hands. I know that this hard part, this unknown, God is using to bless us through as well. This journey even without knowing the destination, perhaps especially because we don't know the destination, will bring about many lessons and blessings in and of itself. Even as I sit here and think, I see that this is something that I have struggled with since young and that God wants me to work on. To trust Him entirely!! To trust that He truly does want what is best for me. And that even in the pain and disappointment He will work things out for my best. That even if there are broken dreams, to trust that He will be there to help us pick up the pieces, and that in turn He will turn those pieces into a beautiful mosaic that we wouldn't see otherwise!!

So instead of wishing for a crystal ball, I will go pray instead, and hand it over to God. Again, and again, and again!!

Dr. Dan the Bandage Man!!

2011-03-11T14:26:00.000-05:00

In the last couple of posts I have shared about Naomi seeing a specialist in Florida, and the fact that we are giving her different things right now. So I figured it was time to formally introduce you guys to Dr. Rossignol.

First, a little bit of a background of why we'd go all the way to Florida for a doctor for Naomi in the first place. Especially since here in Cleveland we have some great neurologists and one of the best schools in the country for autism. See, there are 2 camps in autism. The traditional camp that says that autism isn't treatable. It is strictly a neurological issue that you can only do intensive behavioral therapy, such as ABA, in order to help individuals diagnosed with it. The prognosis for children are that the sooner you start ABA, in particular before the age of five, the higher percentage you have of your child improving significantly if not to the point of being completely typical. At best you get a 50/50 chance of improvement, with no one being able to tell you what your child's future can look like, until it comes to pass. One of the great mysteries with autism is how inconsistent and different it is with each child.

Then there is the newer camp that says that yes, it is a neurological disorder, yes ABA is the foundational way to treat it. BUT, there are also a lot of other things going on in the bodies of the children with autism. So many have stomach issues, different autoimmune disorders, low levels of different vitamins and minerals and supplements. A lot of them their body's ability to cleanse itself out of toxins doesn't work like a normal person's would. And so this camp, mostly known as the Defeat Autism Now! organization, say that if we can treat all the other biomedical issues these children are dealing with, we find that they start to learn more from the behavioral therapy, and improve more and faster than if we do nothing at all. And for whatever reason, which really I think is sad, these to camps don't get along very well.

So back to how we found Dr. Dan...or rather, how God led us to him!! From the very beginning of our journey I jumped in reading and researching as much as I could. I knew that I would have to be VERY proactive in getting Naomi help. I couldn't sit around and wait for Drs to tell me what to do next, I'd have to do my own research, educate myself, and fight on Naomi's behalf. Right off the bat, when researching even before Naomi's official diagnosis I saw the riff between the traditional camp and the DAN camp. Since every article I can remember painted any Dr and/or parent associated with biomedical treatments in a VERY negative light, I recall right away having some negative misconceptions about them and thinking we wouldn't be going down that road with Naomi. But I also kept coming across a lot of information about the gluten free/casein free (GFCF) diet. Which even this most of the people on the conservative side don't agree with. Then, one of the first books I read, the mom was very pro using bio medial interventions for her son. And it was very informative book, where she really broke down what to look for, what exams to ask to have done and what supplements and such to try. This mom had been a missionary with Navigators and saw her son's autism the same as we did. Simply that it was something God had allowed to happen to them, and if so then He'd carry them through it and blessings would come from all of it. I was confident that she wasn't simply some desperate, bitter parent that didn't want to accept the cards dealt them. I still wasn't ready to go down that road, though at this point I remember putting on the back of my mind as something I'd look into further once we were more 'settled' in this new journey. We did decide to start the GFCF diet with her because she had a LOT of symptoms that made her seem as the perfect candidate for whom the diet would make a difference. And sure enough it did. It wasn't a miraculous 'my child is now perfect' kind of change. But significant enough that we decided to keep with it.

Fast forward to Oct when we were more settled, some of the bigger decisions behind us with Naomi. I kept reading through this whole time and several books kept saying you have to go to a conference or two a year. I looked up conferences and one was coming up within a month. Jerod and I thought it'd be a good idea for me to go. Both for information to educate myself to continue our fight for Naomi, as well for encouragement for myself. The books also kept talking about the connections you make with other parents that know exactly what you are going through, and since I had been struggling with discouragement and loneliness already, it seemed like a win/win. The conference I had found was called the National Autism Conference. I hadn't really noticed anything connecting it with DAN, since I really didn't want to go to one of those yet, if ever!!

But, when I got there after the first meeting or two I realized that is exactly what I had gotten myself into!! But from the first night, when we had a social mingle, I could see God working already. He directed me to a table of 3 lovely women that would become my conference pals and great encouragers for the days to come!! Then the next night I met Dr. Rossignol. He was doing a Q&A session with some parents that he had been working with their little boy for a year and saw some AWESOME improvements. Just before the talk started he came over to our table to find a place to eat dinner. In spite of trying to scarf down his food and get ready for his talk he was very polite to us and kept answering several questions we had for him. I remember thinking as the parents shared a video about their son and spoke about the diff issues they dealt with each day prior to his treatment beginning how much like Naomi he seemed!! Then as Dr Dan shared about the medical issues behind some of the behavior and how they were treating it I remember thinking that Naomi had a lot of those same symptoms. The little boy had been doing ABA for almost 2 yrs when the video had first been shot, then to see the video of him currently, and the progress he made in less than a years time was amazing to say the least. And very encouraging to me!! I went up afterwards and was one of the 100+ parent that had some questions for Dr Rossignol in regards to Naomi. And I remember just this sense that I could trust this guy, he wasn't a quack, and he relaly knew his stuff. He wasn't simply grabbing in the dark for random things to try with no rhyme or reason. He was very knowledgeable on what was going on in the bodies of these children and diff ways to treat the issues. For the first time during the conference my guard and skepticism about all things biomedical and DAN related went down.

Then the next morning Dr. Dan won over my trust in him completely. At the beggining of his 'official' talk. He shared about himself some, what got him on this path.

Cute isn't it?? Wasn't my idea though, Dr. Dan shared this book with us at his presentation at the conference. He shared how ever since he was a little boy, he knew he wanted to be a doctor!!

Dr. Rossignol had been a regular family doctor for many years. What caused him to cross over to the 'dark' side filled with criticism and nay sayers that is the bio medical treatments of autism was that his two boys, the only 2 children he has, were diagnosed with autism. Being in the medical field gave him access to do research and dig deeper into this new world he had found himself in, one that he wasn't given very many answers in the first place by the experts at the time. But what really let me know Dr. Dan was the doctor I could trust with our precious baby girl was when in the beginning of his presentation, in a room filled with some of the his leading peers, and parents who are too hurt, disappointed, and/or bitter to trust even God, he shared about his faith. I have never seen anyone do that before. I knew that took guts...or rather a very strong and authentic faith. Again as he shared I was impressed with how knowledgeable he was, the research he had done to get to the conclusions he arrived at! It was nothing like the picture I had painted of these doctors based on the stuff I had read about them. Then again, at the very end of his presentation, he shared about his faith, that he was confident one day he'd see his boys and other children better from these ailments, either here or in heaven, because of his belief in Jesus! I was shocked...and impressed that he had been that blunt! Then he really got me. I went up to ask him something again, since in this talk he had gone into much more detail on the biological issues and such, and I had another question about Naomi. I remember saying to him that I couldn't remember exactly what his answer had been the night before about a particular issue with Naomi, but I had another question, and he cut me off, and rattled off exactly what I had asked and told him the night before about Naomi and what his answer had been that night. This REALLY impressed me, because he had talked to at least 100 parents that night, and another 20 or so that morning before I got to him, and for him to remember that specifically what I had talked to him about my little girl, I was really really impressed. And decided at that moment that I would be taking her to see him as soon as possible.

See, when I took the time to not just stay on the outside criticizing what was going on in the biomedical world of autism, but actually went into it for myself (and not even with an open mind!!) I learned that, surprise surprise, the media was wrong!! These doctors, at least none of the ones I came across at the conference, aren't quacks looking to take advantage of scared, lost parents looking for a miracle!! Most of them are very passionate parents themselves, who simply decided to carve out their own path for their kids, instead of accepting the status quo. They weren't driven into this field by the $$ they thought they could exploit out of desperate parents, but rather by the love they have for their own autistic children and the desire to find better answers for them!! So, if you are a fellow parent who wants to unlock the mysteries of autism for your child, and you haven't been sure if you should venture into the biomedical stuff and you have been skeptical, I don't blame you. But I would also tell you to do your research. Perhaps attend a conference, or speak to a parent that you know has a DAN doctor. Instead of criticizing from outside of the doors, based on information that you get from a third party, come on in and see for yourself!! Don't allow someone else to make your opinion for you!! I know that myself, and another of the moms I met at the conference are glad that we did!! Turns out that it isn't as 'dark' as we thought to be in the DAN world....rather, we see some new lights being turned on!

UUGGGHHHH!!! - Mind Dump

2011-03-07T23:46:00.000-05:00

Let me preface this post by stating that I am in no way trying to bash anyone, or say that if you aren't doing what I am doing then you are wrong. This blog is about our family's journey, and this is simply a part of that! It is our own experience, and everyone was made to have different experiences!! So please do not get offended or become defensive as you read this part of our journey. But please, read it with an open mind!!

One thing with autism is that it is such a roller coast ride. You feel so defeated, ready to pull your hair out, counting backwards from 10, feeling like throwing something one day, to the next feeling on top of the mountain, exhilarated, as though you can tackle anything at all!! Sometimes you feel all of those in about a 10 min span.

Friday night was one of those mountain top experiences!! In the last couple of week's Naomi has made so much gains with her speech and some of her social interactions. And Friday I was simply lavishing in that! She was up late, hanging out in my bed with me and was just talking a ton!! She was talking TO me and not at me, which is a big difference. Really seeking me out, trying to get my attention, and eager to share her experience with me. Sat was a mid way day. A few small bumps with a few small encouragements, so all in all an average day. Sunday night was a rough one. It was a long fight trying to get her to take her juice with her meds...and the thing with them is that once you begin a 'fight' you can in no way back out...no matter how long it takes...ours took an hour and a half at bedtime!! Then all day today was another frustrating long day with potty training. Potty training an autistic child is nothing like potty training a typical child...I know...we have two that are out of diapers already! And every 3 out of 4 trips to the potty today, that happen every 30 min, was a 30 min long battle. So pretty much we were in the bathroom for about 90% of our time from 9am to 2pm today.

Then, as daddy took the girls to Little Gym, momma got to sneak a much needed nap!! Only to be woken up with news that was the 'needle that broke the camels back' for today!!

Back in January we took Naomi to see a specialist (more details on all of that on another post) and had a slew of lab tests done. A ton of blood work as well as 3 different labs to test her urine for different things. We received one of those results back today, and it sort of side swiped me!!

One of the things more recent research (within the last 10 yrs) has found is that a small percentage of children with autism actually have antibodies that are attacking the blood vessels in their brain. Which as you might imagine leads to some issues. Since it was a smaller percentage, and not something that we really talked a ton about at her appointment, it was really something I hadn't been dwelling on that much. And honestly, it has been quite a challenge already getting used to and keeping track of all the current things we are giving Naomi that it has taken up most of my focus when it comes to autism related things.

Good news is that the doctor we chose (rather, God placed right in front of our noses!!) for Naomi is one of the leading researchers into the treatment of this issue. So though it wasn't the best of news, it was OK! I already have an appt scheduled with him to discuss these results, he had called me to sched as soon as he received the results back, but hadn't given me any details. I honestly didn't even know what lab result it was. The only one I thought we were still waiting on was one that had more to do with finalizing what all her GI issues are!!

The thing that really knocked me of kilter with this was my research after I got the lab information. First thing I did was pull out my book from the conference I went to in Nov because I remembered there being a presentation with this in particular. Then I went to good old trusty GOOGLE. I had wanted to look some details up on what this meant and such so that I could make the most of my appt with our Dr tomorrow. After dealing with my own rare disorder I learned the hard way to do the research before you talk to the Dr so that you know what questions you might want to ask, instead of simply just listening to him. Although, our Dr has been WONDERFUL with accessibility and communicating with me. Even on the weekends he has responded to emails I have sent him!!

Back to Google. So several search results with helpful information came up for me...but then some of the ones I clicked one were not so helpful. In particular one where this guy was totally bashing our actual Dr. as well as parents, like us, who aren't simply doing the behavioral therapies, but are looking at our children as a whole package. Because, clearly, there is more going on in their bodies then just some simple 'brain wiring' gone bad!!

I haven't been on this road very long...perhaps some of you reading this are much further down the road and could certainly teach me a thing or two, or ten!! But one thing I noticed within 3 weeks of being thrust into this world is that there seems to be a distinct separation, and perhaps you can even call it animosity, between the traditional camp in Autism, and the 'edgy', 'rebellious' camp of the biomedical croonies, usually a part of the organization 'Defeat Autism Now' (DAN)

I became a 'DAN' rebel by accident! Right away one thing I was certain we needed to do for Naomi was the foundational ABA therapy, there was no question in that. And really that is where the traditional camp stops with their treatment. Unless your child has epileptic seizures, or some other very obvious, undeniable, in your face, sever medical issue going on, they tell you nothing else can be done. No other tests on Naomi's body were ordered by the doctor who diagnosed her. We ran some allergy and GI exams because based on my reading I felt Naomi fit the bill pretty good for these issues. But that was were the buck stopped with us because Naomi was otherwise a 'typically' healthy child. I guess for a kid who has antibodies attacking her own brain cells, we'll use that term loosely.

We started the Gluten free/ Casein (dairy) free diet for her again based on my own research...because our original doctor didn't even bring it up. But book after book that I kept reading and research on the internet kept pointing to it. And Naomi had several of the red flags to be a perfect candidate of the diet making a difference for her...and sure enough it has! But I wasn't sure how I felt about the whole DAN clan. As a matter of fact, a pro DAN book that I read by Jenny McCarthy is what really turned me off the most from them! Odd, I know! Well in late October I had just finished a book on autism and it was the third or so that really kept mentioning about going to conferences at least once a year. So I decided to look up conferences and found there was one coming up just a cpl of weeks away. I didn't know anything about it except that it was hosted by the National Autism Association...it sounded harmless enough. It wasn't an 'DAN' conference, so I figured I'd go. Well. It basically was a DAN conference, and I am glad that God placed me there!!

Turns out a lot of my ideas about DAN were some big misconceptions. One of my issues with them was that a lot of what you read about them, mostly negative, made it seem as though they were coming, not even out of left field with their stuff...but more from the parking lot behind left field!! There was no science or evidence whatsoever to support what they were doing, and they were just some over priced doctor's that insurance wouldn't even open the envelope the claim forms came in throwing everything they could think of you get you to spend your money while promising some miraculous cure of autism! Well, not true!

Sure, I am sure there are some doctors out there that would fit that bill, just like there are regular doctors that do that, like there are preachers that twist the truth, and politicians that get elected, right?!? But that is why you have to do your research, word of mouth, etc before just signing up with anyone...I am so glad that God took all of the guess work out of it for us and really 'smacked us in the face' with our DAN Dr for Naomi!!

But when I heard the presentations at the conference as well as at our appointment with our own Dr I learned that is not the case at all. It may not be extensive studies, but there are quite a few done to back up most of what they are doing. Considering that Autism has really only come on the public radar within the last 10 yrs as well as it being one of the least funded health issues, even though more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than AIDS, cancer, and diabetes, COMBINED, it actually has a good amount of research done on some of these treatments. And there are exams that you can do to put you on a specific track of what treatments to try with your child. One of the first things our Dr said to us is how most people think that DAN Dr will throw everything and the kitchen sink at you, but how that is not true. Everything Naomi is taking right is based on lab results that came back showing what her body was producing too little of, or too much of, or not breaking down correctly. And we implement one thing at a time. You do your treatment in steps, and only go as far as you choose to or as your child needs to. Some kids only with the diet changes and supplements will improve significantly. Others it might take more medical things and invasive things to get them to respond the way you'd hope. And our Dr didn't promise us any three step miracle at all. He was very clear that not all treatments will work for all kids, another of the great mysteries of autism, and that they won't work to the same degree. So he did NOT in any way produce any sense of high expectation, no miracle cure!! And he was also very clear that ABA is foundational...and that in no way should we stop doing that! He stated simply that the supplements and treatments we might do with Naomi will simply allow her to maximize and really learn what ABA is supposed to teach her!!

So go ahead and call my doctor a quack, and label me a loonie. But you CANNOT argue with me, my husband, our friends that live with us, her tutor, heck, even our 6 yr old and Naomi's ABA data, that what we are doing isn't working. The research in the labs and controlled environments might not be extensive....but the one within the four walls of our home is!! I am not saying that every treatment out there is legitimate, nor even that the all of the ones that are you should run out and try with your child. But you shouldn't turn away from it either simply because mainstream science and insurance companies say it isn't real medicine!! Do your own research, see what symptoms your child has that adds up with certain treatments. Start small with the diet prhaps and some vitamins and supplements. Add one thing at a time and see if you notice any changes, document it all so you can track it! Don't tell the people who work with your child that you are trying these new things and wait and see if they report any changes. We never let Amanda know when Naomi has gotten into gluten, or when we add anything new to her regimen. That way we know whatever she says about Naomi's behavior and progress her observation with out any biasis. If you start to see improvement than perhaps at that point you'd feel comfortable making the necessary sacrifices to go and see a DAN Dr so you can take it to the next level with your child.

GO TO A CONFERENCE!! It is a lot less expensive then a DAN Dr appointment and soo informative. It will certainly provide you with enough information to help you get started and perhaps choose a thing or two to try at first and see how it works for your particular child. If nothing else you get a few days away (with a legitimate excuse), get to meet other people that go through what you go through, and realize if nothing else that you aren't crazy and neither is your child. In the autism puzzle you fit perfectly!! And you will leave refreshed and perhaps for the first time able to smile when thinking of some of the crazy things that make up your every day simply because you realize you aren't the only one!!

One horse length, one mile, one day at a time!!

2011-02-19T01:14:00.000-05:00

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1b)

So tonight was family movie night, and we watched Secretariat. And let me tell you, it was such a great movie!! So inspiring and uplifting!! Since it is based on a true story, I will share some about it and not feel as though I am spoiling it for any of you that have not yet seen it.

It is the story of a housewife that inherits her father's slowly failing horse breeding farm. There are two sires about to give birth and her instinct leads her to believe that a particular one had the DNA to be special. The stud for the horse about to be born is one of the fastest, although he can't last very long. But the history of the mother shows that they could be the perfect combination! Sadly, all the experts would only focus on his father's limitation, and project that on to him. Yet, from the moment Big Red is born Peggy and those closest to the horse knew there was something different about him. And going against all odds, against her brother, her husband, sacrificing her time, and risking more than she even has, Peggy believes that this horse can do amazing things. She overcomes many odds and becomes the owner of a horse that wins a record breaking Triple Crown, something that hadn't been done in 25 years, and since him, no horse has come close to even touch his record. Secretariat still is considered the greatest race horse that ever lived. It was a hard road. With many obstacles to overcome. They had to believe in something they had never seen Big Red do, something they saw beyond what was visible. They had to overcome their own doubts, their nay sayers, and a loss that could've crushed their hope. But in the end it was all worth it!!

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)

As I watched this movie I was reminded of a couple of things. The last couple of weeks have been hard ones, with everyone sick, Naomi went from having two of the best weeks we've ever experienced with her in Jan, to having a REALLY rough couple of weeks up until this one. All in all, I have not been at a good place. One verse I always try to remind myself of at times like this is James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.But the movie brought back some good lessons I have recently been taught.

On January 8th myself and 3 crazy and amazing friends of mine ran our first half marathon!! Something that if you had asked me last year if I would ever do in my life, I'd have peed my pants laughing at the fact that you'd even have such a thought!! I remember in high school, doing the mile fitness test in PE, and never getting better than 15 min. I was always one of the last ones in...I couldn't even walk the darn thing right!! And to think that after 4 kids and a C-section that I would venture to go on and do 13.1...yea, not happening!! Yet, I was able to!! I was very amazed at how when we train for something, when we set our minds to it, when we believe in it, we can indeed conquer it. It has to be something you truly believe in, you truly are willing to fight for, something you know is bigger than just yourself. My whole initial motivation for doing the race in the first place was Naomi. Learning of the many obstacles she faces each day, the many hills she'll have to climb and wanting to give myself a glimpse of what she must feel. To be overwhelmed with the thought that you are asking yourself to do something you have never done before!! But with each mile I added to my training, it was amazing what would happen. Yes there was pain, sweat, and some BioFreeze involved, but there was also a conquest, a victory! Knowing that if I could do that, than I can do more! Through out my training, and on race day, with my worship music on my iPod, God kept reminding that all I had to do was concentrate on the next step. On the next stride, and cross them off one mile at a time. In my life in generally I tend to try and be ahead of the curve, anticipate what will happen and not get caught by surprise. Problem is you can't be a step ahead of a God that always has been, is, and will always be! You can only take the next step.

So watching Secretariat reminded me of why we are running this race for Naomi. Why we are investing into certain things, that aren't a given, that may not have concrete proof. Why we are willing to take a risk, willing to give her shots every other day, try new creams and supplements, and not turn around. Yes, there are many that say it won't work, it's a shot in the dark, there is nothing we can do. But when I look at her, when I see into her eyes, when she shows us her heart, I know there is more!! Not all of what we are trying may work, it may not ever make her 'typical'. But I know that she will still be all that she was created to be!! And we will be able to look her in the eyes and say to her (which I know she understands) "we fought the good fight, we believed in you, we gave it out all, and it was worth it!!" The amazing thing about Secretariat, that is just as amazing about Naomi, and any one of us that believes that God has sent Jesus Christ to redeem us, is that we do NOT have to be defined by the limitations of our DNA. We do not have to quiet that which we know to be true about ourselves in our hearts, because of what we hear from those around us!! No, we are not limited by our earthly parents and their faults, because God himself becomes our Father, and sees within us all that others can't, and sometimes neither do we.

Secretariat reminded me that I don't have to have all the answers today, and I may even have to deal with some losses before the big win! All I have to do is keep those blinder's around my eyes, so I am focused on the track that God has layed before me. And run it knowing that He has equipped me to do it, that He believes I can do it, and that He has made a way so I can do it!! And then I just take it one horse length at a time, one mile at a time, one day (good or bad) at a time!!

Happy Love Day!!

2011-02-17T23:33:00.000-05:00

So this past Monday was Valentine's day!! We weren't able to do much, I was hacking up a storm and sitting at the Dr's office, only to find out that I had walking pneumonia, or the beginning of it, however you'd prefer to describe it. So, it wasn't our most memorable of celebrations together!! But, on the bright side, my valentine was by my side the whole time, taking care of me, wanting to help me feel better!!

Today in the car, I heard this song, (make sure to pause the blog music first) it wasn't my first time hearing, but the first in a while. And it was such a great reminder from God about what today is about!! Not Valentine's day, but today, every day that we are given with our spouses that we have been blessed with. We are called to love every day, not just on birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. And as the song reminded me, that is exactly what we were doing on Valentine's day. It wasn't the Hallmark, commercialized version we have all been programmed by movies, romance novels, and other media to think it should be. But it was the real kind of love. The kind that God has offered to us, and in turn asked us to give away. Marriage was established by God to be the closest resemblance of His love for us, and yet, in this day and age where the divorce rate is higher than 50% it certainly doesn't seem like it!!

This past year has been an adventurous one to say the least for us. Between different job situations, Naomi's diagnosis, and all the other little stressors that every day life with 4 kids 6 and under can bring you,it isn't always easy, or anything like the movies!! But as we near 8 yrs of being together, I can honestly say that our love is REAL!! That I am blessed with a man that knows me inside and out, has seen me at my worst several times, knows all of my faults, and yet chooses to kiss me, hold my hand, and laugh with me! It hasn't been anything like we had pictured at first, but it has been exactly what we needed. Each trial has matured us, grown us as individuals and as a couple, and has helped each of us be more certain and feel safe by what we share together!!

I am thankful that we weren't in control all these years. That God knew the good and the bad that we needed to get us to where we are today. That He has been along with us each step of the way using our imperfections, our misgivings, our impatience and turning it into something beautiful!!

No, our love isn't like what we see in the movies, but it is perfectly what I needed!! We are still a work in progress, still moving along on the scale to hopefully reflect Christ more and more!!

IMG00200-20110208-1340.jpg

2011-02-08T15:09:00.000-05:00

Love how these two are cuddling!! And not sure if the picture highlights this, but Jojo is rubbing Eli's head. Soooo cute!! One of the things we really try to be conscientious of in raising our brood is that they don't ever have to feel like they have to compete with one another, but rather see each other as a blessing in their lives. We intentionally make sure they know we don't have a favorite and we never play favorites. We don't compare them to one another on any terms. Just because one may be really good at something it isn't fair to expect the others to be as well! God made them each unique with their own strengths and weaknesses, ad we try and highlight that to them as much as possible! I have seen first hand the damages that showing favoritism and allowing sibling rivalry to stew can cause. I am glad that even as young as they are they are great friends and truly enjoy one another!! :)

WOW!! What a year!

2010-12-01T06:51:00.001-05:00

It is the morning of Dec 1st and I have been up since 4am! It is also, more importantly, Naomi's 4th birthday today!! Plenty of reason to be excited and celebrate, but not quite so at 4am. I am not sure if it is the brownie sundae I had last night that is causing this cramping in my stomach, or all the different thoughts and emotions this day brings this year! 6 months and one day ago we were told Naomi is on the Autism Spectrum. No major changes really took place from our day to day life routine or even for Naomi herself. And yet, we live in an entire different 'world' since then!! One with a new language, new mannerisms, new way of living, and feels so lonely!! I think that has been the hardest part, the loneliness I feel at times. Like we are on a dessert a island, and the only ones here are us...and Amanda. She is Naomi's tutor/therapist, and has become one of my favorite people!! Actually, I think I'd be easier if we were on a desert island, at least that way we wouldn't see everyone around us just going on with life, as though everything was normal and the same in ours!

I guess if you read the paragraph above you'd think I wasn't in the mood for much celebrating. But I am!! I have been thinking and planning for today for a few weeks now! But for entirely different reasons than with any other birthday for any of my four children. Anyone that knows us, knows that we love to through a party, to celebrate our kids as much as possible. But the last birthday we had for Naomi consisted of elaborate decorations that she didn't even notice, a cake that she didn't want to eat, and presents she had no desire to open. Not to mention the 30+ kids I had running around my house, while she sat in the middle of the living room watching her favorite TV show, oblivious to everyone of them. So we decided after that one to put parties on hold for a while...little did we know at the time that it might've been her last big party. Last year we went to Chuck E. Cheese with just a couple of other friends. She had a pretty good time there, but this year she is on a Gluten Free/Casein Free diet and can't have pizza...or cheese! So this year what I have been looking forward to doing most for her birthday is speaking at an Autism Awareness event tonight. Rachel, one of the teens (now young lady) that I was blessed to serve in our Youth Group, thought of us when the opportunity for a service project came up for a class of hers. She and the professor randomly picked today as the day of the event, not knowing it was Naomi's birthday. I choose to believe it is the hand of God reminding me that He hasn't forgotten about us, our our new found battles!

One of the things this year brings that I hadn't counted on is anxiety, concern, and heartbreak. I love our little girl more than words can express!! I am so thankful that she is mostly healthy, that she is here with us. But I am not sure that knowing she doesn't have any life threatening issues breaks my heart any less for her! At a recent Autism conference I was at a mom of 3 children shared some of her story. None of her kids are autistic, but they have each had major health issues that have caused a lot of the same impairments. She even had one of her children pass away. She shared that she wasn't quite sure what broke her heart more, burying her young child, or dying and knowing that she will leave behind two children that can't take care of themselves. Seeing her two children (and herself) get older, knowing that one day she won't be here to take care of them any longer, they can't take care of themselves, and worrying about who will. Perhaps since this marks another year of Naomi's life, this is fresh on my mind today. I also recently read a book by a mom of three girls on the spectrum. In one of the chapters she talked about shopping for Elmo dolls and Sesame Street toys for her daughter's birthday coming up... her daughter is turning 16!! So that too lingers on my mind. Will our Naomi be one of the 'miracle' stories of children who mostly/completely recover and go on to lead mostly typical lives?!?! Or will I still be shopping for Diego dolls and Fur Real pets 10 years from now??

Truth is, I don't know! No one does, no doctor can tell us what she'll be like, no therapist can give us a specific outcome to expect. We don't have a detailed treatment plan with a date in sight that we can circle and say, 'As long as we can make it to here, we'll be ok!' No, we can't hold our breath, brace ourselves for the tough times now, and say that this is only for this moment. Because the reality is this 'moment' may never pass!!

Mostly I am thankful for our God, our Saviour! I am thankful that even at 4 am He is there for me. As I finally got out of bed, tired of laying there willing myself to sleep, He sent me this message : Don't Over Think It. This is an email I receive each day on my phone. I grabbed my phone and the laptop at the same time and decided to read the email before opening up the laptop. What a great reminder, not only to not lay awake in my bed at 4am "overthinking" but that my God really is just that...my God. He looks down at an earth filled with billions of people and sees me! I am thankful that He does know what Naomi's future looks like. He does know how she will be taken care of long after her daddy and I are gone. He has a day circled on His calendar when all of this will end. Whether here on earth or in heaven with Him! How perfect that today marks the first day of the month when we celebrate Christ's birthday as well!! As we make plans for Christmas, make the lists, deal with the crowds in stores, and see our bank accounts dwindle away; let's not forget about The Gift that came to this Earth to fulfill every need on our list, to meet with each one of us personally, to fill our lives with more than we could ever have imagined! My pain, heartache, and disappoint is very real...and at times all I can see! But so is my God, and at times when I can't see Him or don't feel Him, He still there, never faltering in His care for us, never forsaking us, never forgetting about us.

I can celebrate our little girl today because regardless of how the world labels her, she is still our miracle!! Regardless of the battles and hard times, we'll fight them all on her behalf. Besides, who'd want a 'typical' life anyways!?!

Happy Birthday Nay-nay!! We love you more than you will ever know!!

Now off to make some Gluten Free-Dairy Free cupcakes!! And pray!!

If you'd like to celebrate her with us I had a great opportunity for you!! In honor of our precious girl, I and three other friends are running in a half marathon in January! If you'd be willing to make a donation in honor of Naomi we'd so appreciate it!! Marathon Fund

Mini-Extreme Home Makeover!!

2010-08-27T07:53:00.002-04:00

I am really trying to write on here more frequently, but so far it has still been pretty hectic around here! Naomi didn't have any appointments scheduled for the week of August 8th, and then her treatment start date was pushed back to the 23rd, which was a great gift to us! We haven't really had a normal summer, and since it lasts for such a short time here in Northeast Ohio, we hadn't enjoyed it as much as I would've liked. So for the last couple of weeks we crammed 2 months worth of fun into 10 days....along with 9 kids!

The perfect start to this two week 'stay-cation' was a weekend away with my hubby. Three great friends of ours decided to not only organize people to come in and help us get the house ready to go on the market, but also send Jerod and I away for the a couple of days!!

It came at a very much needed time. We had been on survival mode since the beginning of June, and it had definitely taken its toll on our relationship. So it was great to be able to get away just the two of us, being able to focus on just us. On our friendship and on each other just as husband and wife....and not worry about being mom, dad, doctor, advocate, etc!!

We took a weekend trip to Columbus, but didn't end up leaving our hotel very much. We had considered going to Cedar Point (since we both love roller coasters) but after the hectic couple of months we had we decided we wanted to just veg, and we did just that. That Monday Jerod would be starting his new job, and would have VERY long days working, so we figured we needed to give ourselves a breather. We enjoyed watching 5 diff movies, sleeping in, working out together, and having some great food that we didn't have to cook, and even better, I didn't have any dishes to do!! :)

While we were gone, our friends worked hard on our house. I can't even explain what it did to my heart as I saw them come in Friday night and set up. They had a ton of food, and all of these supplies, and what really made me feel the most loved by them, was when they pulled out these charts they had made to organize everyone that would be helping. Sounds silly, but to me it truly showed all of the thought, care and concern they had put in. For several reasons from my childhood, I struggle with some different hard issues. Many of which have to do with relationships with other people. I easily feel like an outsider, like I am standing on the sidelines and I am not important. I feel as though I have to work twice as hard to 'earn' people's friendships. And that somehow, I am not quite worth the effort back. This was a message that I heard many times over growing up from people that should have been very significant in my life, and its just so hard to undo the damage. For over 6 years now it is something I constantly bring to God, and have made great progress on! But still, many times, including recently, I have felt this way because different disappointments and let downs with others. So to see all of this thought and effort on our behalf, and from people who up to this point I hadn't ever really done anything for. So I knew it wasn't because they felt they owed it to me, it wasn't because I had earned it, but because they truly wanted to do this. It was an AWESOME gift that they gave me!! I am soooo thankful to them for their time and love in a time when I thought it seemed we were carrying all of this weight on our own. What a blessing to find out we weren't!!

So Jen, Bry, and Judy, along with a ton of people that we have had the privilege to share life with these last 5 years took over our home for the weekend! We also had a ton of our Youth Group teens show up to help as well! It was a different experience for both Jerod and I. They painted, mulched, and organized! Most importantly they amazingly were able to clean up all of Naomi's 'artwork' from our walls! We came back to happy kids who had a great time with the friends they had spent the weekend with, and a clean home, just about ready to go on the market. The thought of all we had to do to get this house ready to show was overwhelming me so very much that entire month. As busy as we were I didn't see how it was possible to add fixing up the house as well. And I thank God for all of the people that showed up to help and did it for us! It was so much more than saving us time and work, it refreshed our spirits and revived our hearts. I truly can't express how loved and cared for I felt, probably the most by anyone besides my hubby and kiddos.

For all of you that were a part of that weekend, and we don't even know all who showed up, THANK YOU!! You all were amazing, and were truly the body of Christ showing us love!! Thank you!!!

Special needs...or just Special??

2010-08-06T08:50:00.002-04:00

I can honestly say that from the beginning of this new journey I never got upset, angry, or cried about the fact that I have a child with autism. It wasn't this 'Why us?', 'This isn't fair', 'This can't be happening to us' or 'What are we going to do.' Our lives were forever changed, but we never struggled with it being this awful, doomsday type of occurrence. Not because we are these super strong, resilient super humans, but because we were able to filter it all through our belief that God is in control, and He has a specific purpose, meant for our good, through all of this.

I was looking for a quote to share from 'The Shack' that came to mind when I was thinking of this post and I ran into this one as well, and thought it also fit well with our situation:

"Just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn't mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes. That will only lead you to false notions about me. Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors."

It just reminded of how God is good all the time! Even though through Adam death came and we see the effects of it everyday in our own lives and all around us. God's grace is soooo amazing that He then turns the very things that sin, that was willingly chosen, causes in our lives to bless us with it. The problem is that we don't always see things like strength, humility, righteousness, and learning to give unconditional love as blessings. We tend to think more along the lines of success, health, finances, as blessings. So then not only do we deal with the struggles and pain a tough situation might cause, but we add to it by thinking that God is punishing us or worse has forgotten about and doesn't care for us, and totally miss how He is actually loving us through it all!!

Ok, sorry about the tangent, back to what I wanted to share about my heart today!

But what has brought me to tears many times is Naomi's heart. In the sense that as her mom, I don't want to see her be rejected and/or hurt by others. I don't want her to be labeled and shunned, because something is 'wrong' with her.

So last Thursday, I got side swiped with this reality. That some people simply won't be able to see beyond her new 'label.' And the other hard part of this journey is that you never know when you will have to deal with this. You never know when someone will give you 'that look' while in public and she's having a meltdown. Or when you will get a phone call that says no one wants her. Well, that wasn't really what the phone call I received said, but that is what I heard! For better or worse, we set up these filters and preconceived notions based on our experiences and emotions. Here I was struggling to keep Naomi awake getting her ready for an EEG when Jerod calls me and tells me that the wonderful weekend away that some of our friends had planned on giving us, wouldn't be able to happen because they weren't able to find someone to take Naomi. I wasn't angry or thinking of anyone in particular to be mad at or blame, but I was hurt nevertheless. Maybe it was coincidence, but why was she the only one that no one seemed to want to keep?? It didn't help that the first words that came to my mind was those of someone I considered a good friend, someone that Naomi has always had a special affection for. I remember crying with her at the very beginning of this journey, before we even had the official diagnosis. Crying about how people were going to treat her differently, and people wouldn't want to be around her, or want to watch her for us anymore. And I suppose it wasn't fair to do this, but I had said this to this person expecting a specific response back, expecting to hear kind words of encouragement and comfort. Instead I got back, 'I suppose there are specially trained people that you can pay to watch her when you need it' And on that day it didn't affect me as much as it did a few months later after the official diagnosis, and this person didn't seem at all concerned about what we might be dealing with. Not that I think everyone else should be so consumed with our problems, but I thought I had meant more to this person, I had thought that Naomi meant more to this person. So again, when I got that phone call, these same words were echoing through my mind. And I all I kept hearing was, No one wants her, no one will want to love her!

I think too, as her mom, it is hard for me to put myself in someone else's shoe. Someone from the outside looking in. There are a lot of stigmas and negative information out there about autism, or any disability really. And I do understand that it isn't something everyone was cut out to deal with it. It doesn't make me feel any better or hurt any less, but it does help me to not be angry and/or bitter.

When we look at Naomi we don't see this child that has a bunch of issues that needs correcting, causes us embarrassment, or makes our life difficult. Not at all, not even at her worst. What we see is all of the wonderful things that make her, her. Some of them make us laugh, some make us feel blessed and loved by her and God, and some make us really have to work on our self-control and patience! But isn't it like that with all of our kids?? I think of my other 3, and they make me feel the same way!!

I love this quote from 'The Shack' the one that I was originally looking for to share:

"Each relationship between two persons is absolutely unique. That is why you cannot love two people the same. It simply is not possible. You love each person differently because of who they are and the uniqueness that they draw out of you. And the more you know another, the richer the colors of that relationship."

I remember talking with a friend and she asked us moms of multiple kids to be honest and share whether or not we truly didn't love one child just a little tiny bit more than the other, and I had shared how honestly no, and how when I had read this quote I had thought of how it perfectly described the situation. How you can have 4 different children, and truly love them all the same amount. It might be for different reasons, but you love them all the same.

I think of Isaac, he is our funny guy. He has an amazing memory and once the rules make sense to him, he'll stick by them. And he is sooooo tender-hearted. He melts my heart with the things he says and does, and I generally get at least 10 hugs a day, and am often being told that he loves me! He grasps some concepts that blow me away, especially for how young he is. But he also challenges us in great ways. Being the first born, or perhaps just being the genetic combination of his daddy and I, he things he knows everything. We always has an answer for everything, he always feels he should get an explanation before he needs to comply with what we are asking. He at times honestly thinks that he knows more than we do, that his way would be better! And we have to seek out new ways to teach him lessons, and we need a lot of self-control and patience with him. To take the time to teach him important life lessons, to really change the way his heart is working things out at times, not simply change his behavior.

Jojo is our uber girly-girl. She loves jewelry and looking pretty. When I get dressed at times she will tell me 'Mommy you look beautiful' She's also our little dancer, you can tell she has some brasilian in her by the way she will swings her hips! Which is also why her dad and I decided she'll be home-schooled through college, not just 4th grade (Just kidding...maybe! ;) She can be as sweet as she wants to at times and do things just to make you laugh. But she has a real bad temper, coupled with some great whining skills! She thinks she is 15 and everyone else's boss. She has gotten the idea pretty good that she won't boss mom and dad around, but not so much with her siblings. She goes around shaking her finger at them and snatching things away that she feels they shouldn't be doing. She also wants to be the center of attention often, and will immediately imitate whatever it is we might highlight someone else doing. So we know we need to work extra hard at making sure she knows she's worthy and special just as God made her, she doesn't need to be like anyone else. We also need to hone in her bossy-ness and harness it into some good and useful purposes.

Elijah is still perfect! :) We are simply trying to take it all in with him and really enjoy him being this little. With this being our 4th time around, we truly know how fast it all goes by, and since as far as we know he is our last, we don't want to rush anything! Although, we can already see traces of a temper and impatience with him...and as he grows, I am sure so will the challenges he will bring us!

So back to Naomi. Yes we need to keep a closer eye with her. The girl has some amazing upper body strength and a curious mind that gets her into all sorts of (usually messy) situations. But there really isn't any special way to 'deal' with her. Does she have special needs, sure, but so do my other three children. Since we experience first hand and often all of the good things she brings into our lives, it is hard for me to imagine someone pushing her away because of a label she now has, because of these challenges. The way I see it, all this label does is create a more specific road map on how to meet some of the challenges. Since we know what is affecting her, we can choose from a more specific list on what to help her with.

Back to that Thursday...it was a rough day all around. Just after the phone call, I had to deal with her having major meltdowns in the waiting room because she was absolutely exhausted from being up most of the night, as well as some medicine they had me give her to get her to fall asleep for sure during the exam. And since our appointment was delayed by 40 min, it wasn't good! Then I went into a room where I had to hold her down while a nurse tied down her arms with a white blanket, then wrapped her up into a cocoon with the same blanket, and then grabbed an actual restraint and strapped her onto the bed. Then while my heart was already broken into a thousand pieces, I had to hold her down for about 30 min while little electrodes where placed, glued, and blow dried onto her head. I was doing all I could to hold back tears and my urge to just hold my baby. At that moment everything was reminding me that she wasn't 'normal', that our lives weren't typical. I wanted to make it all go away and just hold her and let her know she is special and loved.

But God is good, and that very night he worked on my heart and calmed me down. (Since this post is long enough I will go into more details on that on another one). He calmed my emotions, helping me to not allow the hurt become anger. He also blessed us with some great people in our lives that are able to see past her autism, past the unknown, and be with her. So we did still have our weekend away. And Naomi had a great time with a great friend of ours. And we were thoroughly blessed by the love of God that was shown to us through so many friends who worked real hard on our home for us!! (more on that later as well!)

Most people wouldn't know very much about autism, and how to deal with it. And that is ok, it doesn't make them bad people. I also have to remind myself that perhaps they don't even mean to hurt me and aren't even aware that they do. There is still so much not known about Autism and it certainly isn't talked about very much, so no wonder people may not know how to react.

For those reading this that are in our life and may be uncomfortable because you don't quite know what to expect, what to do, how to act, how to be around Naomi, or anyone else with Autism. Please don't hesitate to talk to us! We won't be offended or hurt, we'll be touched that you care enough to take the time to learn about it. I remember just a day or two after her appointment sitting at a friend's basement, supposed to be watching a Brasil World Cup game. And Naomi's recent appointment came up. I remember how this person was really intrigued and kept asking me all of these questions about it. I hadn't realized it at the time, but I remember laying in bed that night thinking how good that made me feel. That someone cared enough to take time away from what they were supposed to be doing to step into our world!!

It also helps when I am reminded that we aren't the only ones that have to deal with this. That is isn't a personal thing, it's not a reflection of us. It isn't because we aren't worthy of that kind of love or deserve that kind of friendship. I am reading Mother Warriors and this quote from someone's story with autism really jumped out at me.

'Jack has a few people in his life who stayed dear to him and I bless those people every day because it takes a lot of unconditional love, patience, and understanding to be in someone's life who has autism and the few who have stuck by us I will be forever indebted to.' - Becky Behnan

It reminded me that this is a hard road, it isn't something that just anyone can handle. And that I need to focus and be blessed by the people God has given the strength to travel on it with us!! Yes, Naomi may have some special needs, but there are special people out there that are willing to help us meet them!!

Overall, I am grateful for some amazing people God has placed around us at this time. I just have to remember to make a more conscientious effort to focus on that during the moments that I feel alone and heart-broken! Like the Israelites leaving Egypt and going through the dessert...I focus too much on the problem right in front of me, and forget to look at the big picture of all that God has done for us, and Naomi!!

On a new path

2010-07-27T23:22:00.005-04:00

**WARNING** You should sit down, this may take while!! :)

It has been a while since I have been on here, and life has been busy and full! But what I need to share has taken place in the last two months, though at times it feels as though we have lived 6 during that time.

On June 2nd our wonderful and precious Naomi was diagnosed with mild autism. At times I am not sure I should preface with the word 'mild', because I feel that it minimizes the severity of what we are dealing with. Nor does it guarantee any particular out come for her future...but I already digress!

For quite sometime, I tried to ignore a nagging feeling that something was off with our princess. For over a year autism kept coming to my mind, and I am not quite sure why. All that I did know of autism (which wasn't much) leaned more towards the more intense issues, the kind we see in movies and such. And Naomi wasn't anywhere near that end, but that is what kept coming to my mind. I strongly believe it was her Creator, the One who made her and knew exactly what was going on in her body every moment of every day since her conception in my womb, that was placing that on my heart. Through a series of happenings, which perhaps I will go into further detail on a future post, we got to the point where I made an appointment with a specialist back in March. Then on April 29th, I really believe that God confirmed to me that indeed she was autistic, but we still needed to wait for her appointment. It was on June 2nd, and though at that point I was very certain that we'd be receiving the diagnosis it still took me by surprise. For one, from all I had been told about this doctor, I hadn't expected an actual diagnosis on that day, but rather the beginning of a handful of appointments and evaluations that would eventually bring us to that. And second, regardless of how prepared I thought I was to hear the words 'it's autism' something about having it be official still took me by surprise. Somehow I managed to not shed any tears, to stay focused on what the doctor was saying to us, and controlled enough to even ask her questions I had based on some great advice from a friend that has been walking this road for several years now, as well as some research I had done in preparation. Partly I think it's because God gave me the gift of knowing ahead of time...it's funny, tears were shed and my heart actually broke on April 29th, even though it wasn't 'official' just yet.

One major thing that I did know about autism was that in order to give Naomi the best opportunity to succeed, that I would have to be VERY proactive. This wasn't a situation where I could sit back and wait for doctors, therapists, or any one else tell me what to do next. So as soon as I was buckled back in the car after the appointment IT began. Phone calls, appointments scheduled, reading etc. By the end of that same day I had 5 books checked out from our library, 3 of which I had read by June 7th. In the month of June we had over 21 appts with specialists, therapists, lawyers, school officials etc. One thing I quickly learned was that we had a VERY small window of opportunity to choose, and start, the correct intervention treatment for Naomi, and time became a very precious commodity. Very quickly ABA, IEP, FAPE, ETR, MFE, OT became much more than an alphabet soup before us, and words like stimming, intervention, extinction pepper our vocabulary on a normal basis now. One thing I was surprised to find was how much our reaction to her diagnosis differed from so many of the accounts that I kept reading. Stories of parents emotionally falling apart, crying on end for several days if not weeks, etc were very common in the books I was reading, but that wasn't our reaction at all. I thank God that He had been preparing my heart for this day for some time. Since I scheduled her appointment in March I kept praying about the whole situation and talking about it with some great godly people that He has placed in my life. I really had a peace that if Naomi indeed did have autism, it wasn't a mistake, it wasn't by accident. Rather, that for whatever reason, one we may never know on this side of heaven, this is what was actually best for her life and ours. That this would be the way that her life would bring the most glory to God. It was something intentional; not a fluke, not something wrong. The bible says that God is our creator, and that He takes special care in making each one of us! Psalm 139 says:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth

And though to us this is a new path, an unexpected twist in our lives, it isn't for God. We are not having to go to plan 'B' for Naomi's life. This has always been her journey, always been the plan for her, we just didn't know it! Psalm 139 goes on to say:

your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

And we have had a sense of peace from this knowledge! We never struggled with the 'why us' or 'who/what is to blame' that many parents seem to. I love this quote from one of the books I read by a Christian counselor and mother of an adult son with autism : 'I don't see Eric's challenges primarily as the consequences of a genetic mistake, a birth accident, or a vaccine injury, although any of those things may indeed have happened to him. But the Bible teaches that his body was designed and the course of his life planned in detail by his loving heavenly Father, long before I ever dreamed of having a son. So if he did indeed suffer brain damage during his birth or from a vaccination, this too, was from the hand of God, who is in control of all of the circumstances of our lives.' - Laura Hendrickson And I can honestly see how God orchestrated events that took place long before I was even pregnant with Naomi (such as meeting my friend Barb) so that we'd better be able to walk this road.

But it has still been a looooong and hard two months. It's funny, Naomi is still the same girl, doing the same things she has always done, yet in so many ways it all seems so different and new. Things got bad for a bit, the pressure of educating ourselves and making extremely important decisions, ones that would significantly affect the rest of her life soon became very overwhelming. Though I handled the diagnosis ok, the fact that my princess has autism ok, the process of what it all meant was difficult. There was heartache and disappointment as people that I had assumed would've cared more, relationships that I had thought were more significant, didn't seem to be concerned at all. The busyness of our days, appointment after appointment, book after book, to be able to quickly make the best decision for her; the pressure of how critical these next couple of years can be for her, and the fact that we can never have this time back; the overhaul of many aspects of our lives, including our diets, in an attempt to seek out different ways to maximize her potential; the absurd costs for the treatment required, all began to overwhelm me and take its toll on my heart. And perhaps the hardest challenge was the toll that this stress began to take on my relationship with my husband. But God has been faithful!! People that I never would've thought have stepped in and stepped up to help us, some good friends all of a sudden became great ones! He has brought wonderful therapists and doctors into our lives to help us navigate this new territory. And my husband came in and began to fight, when I didn't have the strength to. I told him of how I had read that 74% of marriages of children with autism ended in divorce, and he very confidently replied, "We beat the statistic of 80 something percent with the NFL, we will beat this one too!"

Though it was a long month and half, God gave me just the amount of strength I needed to get through it. And now, though at times my faith seemed to falter, and my trust was all but gone, I am seeing Him move on our behalf. On behalf of our precious baby girl. In the last couple of weeks a lot of things have began to come into place. I found out our current insurance plan is one of very few that may actually cover some of her therapy. We have found some other sources for funding as well that we are currently applying for. And some awesome friends of ours orchestrated a 'mini-extreme makeover' of our home so that we can put it on the market. We plan on downsizing so that we don't have to worry about funding for Naomi's treatment in the future. We have been talking about this for a couple of years, since before Jerod decided to raffle his Super Bowl ring for charity. It was something God was putting in our hearts, and the situation with Naomi was the last push we needed to actually do it.

Though we seem to be getting to the other side of a huge storm, I know that this is still just the beginning. And we still have a long way to go. Right now, my heart is at a good place, I am encouraged to see things coming together, to see God moving on our behalf. But we still need lots of prayers. For those of you that have been following along with us for a while, please keep praying, and those that are just finding out, please add us to your list!

We are quite aware of the reality that Naomi may always be limited by her autism, but we also know that her overcoming those limitations can be a reality! We want to work hard to do the most that we can to help her. But we want don't want to lose sight of how wonderful she is, just as God made her! How wonderful she is today, even with the many issues we are dealing with. We don't want to focus so much on the outcome that we want to see, that we miss out on the precious gifts God has for us along the way! I will be writing more often in our blog, as a means to journal our journey, to ask for prayers, to keep track of her progress, to share my burdens for those that might want to come along side us!

Our current prayer requests are for the final details for the funding for this first year of her program to come together. It will cost us $50,000 a year to provide her with the intense early intervention therapy that has been proven to result in significant gains for children in Naomi's situation. Also, for our house to sell quickly! It will be hard work to maintain it after our friends spruce it up for us. We also need for it to sell so we can be sure that moving forward we can fund her therapy without any hesitations. If our house doesn't sell quickly, we will also need funding to finish our basement so we can have a place designated for her treatment sessions. (more details on this later, but the most economic option was a home-based program. Believe it or not, there was programs that cost even more!!) And we'd like to have this all settled soon so that we may also get a puppy for Naomi. More on this on another day as well...but she loves animals, and dogs in particular really draw her out and engage her!

Also please pray for strength for us, me in particular, in handling all of this. It will be a road with many ups and downs, and I know at times more than others I will need some extra support. And for Naomi, that she would assimilate as well as possible to all the changes that will be taking place in her daily schedule very soon!!

There is still so much more to share in regards to all that has been happening, so check back soon!!

Bob Marley and an Apple of Love!!

2009-11-25T00:35:00.004-05:00

Isaac, much to his father's dismay, is a momma's boy!! And he is soooo in that stage right now of always competing with his dad. Jerod had brought me home a candy apple one day just because. It is one of my favorite treats and when ever we go to a fair or amusement park I always have to get it, but am usually limited to enjoying them only then. So he thought it'd bring a smile to my face...and it did....if he got me one. So the very next morning Isaac woke me up and said that he had made me a candy apple all by himself. He was sooo excited and dragged me out of bad to show me the candy apple that he had made, and he was going on and on about all the special treats he put on it. Below is the result of hos creation. It truly warmed my heart! When I asked him what made him want to do that his reply was, "Well daddy got you a candy apple and it made you smile, so I wanted to make you an extra special one so you could smile even bigger!" Such a sweet boy!! In Brasil we call candy apples, 'Maca do amor' which means apple of love...which I think is a much more appropriate name for the one that Isaac made me!

So Naomi is our accesories girl...although Jojo isn't that far behind her. She is also our unique, artsy type child. She comes up with the most random of things to do, it keeps us all on our toes and laughing!! On this day she found this winter hat somewhere...she is also the best finder around this house...no one can ever find a working pen except for her!! She put it on all by herself and kept it on literally all day...until bed time. I of course couldn't help but take a couple pictures of her!! And somebody, I think it was Wagner, mentioned how she looked like Bob Marley!!

Bringing out the Rasta in her!!

I so love this smile!!

Such a cute girl!!

Just priceless!!

Lions, Tigers, and Bears,...Oh my!

2009-11-05T22:27:00.005-05:00

Some of the decorations that helped turn our home into the Outback!

The birthday boy with all his great gifts!

Pinata time!!

Us singing happy birthday! (Don't miss Naomi on the right hand side there! Guess we must've been off-key!)

These kids are nuts!!

And this alligator was running around the basement!!

Isaac, Outback Ray, and Spongebob!

Now this is more of what I can handle!! A cute bunny!

Needless to say snakes were very popular with the kids!!

Isaac with a chinchilla on his head!

And a snake!

Here he is petting a possum

Here Outback Ray was going on and on about how this lizard had some sharp teeth and a strong bite. As you can see, it didn't phase Isaac at all as he anxiously awaited to hold it!!

Isaac and his friends anxiously awaiting the start of the animal show

Isaac, mommy, and daddy! And some of the nice decor we put up for his Down Under birthday bash!

I still can't believe it's been 5 years!! It has gone by soooo fast!

We tried REALLY hard to get a good picture of the 6 of us...but to no avail. Inevitably someone was always blinking, not looking, etc. This was the best from about 20 shots!!

Sweet Jojo giving big brother her birthday gift!!

These are the homemade cupcakes that I made for the occasion...I was pretty proud of how they came out!

Ok, so not quite lions, tigers, and bears, but we did have a mini-zoo going on at our house a few weeks back! It was a big deal around here, celebrating five years with the best Isaac we know!! God blessed us with this great little boy, and changed our lives for the best forever! I have always loved kids and looked forward to having my own, and in spite of all the babysitting I did, nothing could've prepared me for my own. It;s amazing all the emotions go into having a child. Love like never before, anxiety, joy, frustration, fears, and so many more!! I am also grateful to the Lord for the partner he gave me for this journey. My hubby is a wonderful dad and dedicated to raise our children for the Lord along with me. And without the third piece of our parenting puzzle I think we'd both be paralyzed by how overwhelming a task this would really be if it rested fully on our shoulders. But I am grateful that God first and foremost is in charge of caring for my children, He knows them and loves them far more than I ever could, and in a perfect manner that I never could. If this was all Isaac would ever know about us as his parents I'd like for him to know first and foremost how much of a perfect gift from above he is to us. That he brought us overwhelming love and joy!! That we as his parents aren't perfect, but earnestly seek God to enable us to parent him in the best possible way. And that no matter what, we love him unconditionally, today and forever!!He is our first little one, the start of a great family, and we are blessed to have been chosen to be his parents. He brings us many smile and laughter with his silliness, and lots of love with all his hugs and kisses. Happy Birthday Isaac!! To celebrate his special day we had Outback Ray pay us a visit...these are all VERY real animals that Isaac is handling!!

More than 5 pictures...and some great friends!!!

2009-10-26T23:17:00.004-04:00

Wagner and Elijah!

Ivan and Elijah

Isaac and Elijah

The men of the household!!

An amazing daddy and his baby!

Me and our littlest guy! He is my favorite Elijah!

Doesn't he look like a little man here?!?

Loving that binky!!

And a momma!

Shannon and Elijah!

Melissa and Elijah!

Since we wouldn't let Nana hold him, she joined him!

First, let me share that I am very excited that I finally figured out how to upload more than 5 pictures at a time!! Now that we are past that, here are some more pictures of Elijah's first two weeks at home. He is such a blessed little boy to have some many people who love him so! His brother and sisters can't get enough of him, they all love him so much, and are eager to play with him! Ivan and Wagner are so tender and concerned. And hopefully will show him how to do a hat trick! :) Without many great friends our life wouldn't be as wonderful as it is! Especially during the weeks spent in the hospital and then the recovery coming home. So many of our great friends just jumped in and loved on all of us! Here loving on Elijah for the first time after praying so much for him are Shannon and Melissa.

Brotherly love!

2009-10-22T23:44:00.005-04:00

Although Naomi would hog the baby whenever she'd see him, Isaac and Jojo were never far behind!! Always asking about him, and wanting to hug, kiss, and hold him! I love to hear Isaac talk about his 'baby brother', asking if he loves him, what does he like to do, if he will like to play with him when he is older. He also got pretty sad that this is our last baby, unless God intervenes in a major way!! He told me that it couldn't be, that 'we don't have enough babies mommy, I can take care of six kids all by myself!!' He is such a cutie!! Today he was asking us if we can not throw Elijah any birthday parties so that he will always stay as little as he is! He really does love being a big brother. And Jojo, LOVES to kiss him!! She must kiss him at least 50 times a day...no exaggeration!! And she is so tender with him...as tender as a 20 month old can be!!

Catching up on lost time!!

2009-10-21T21:58:00.002-04:00

It was my first morning home after being gone for 4 weeks!! I think even though I had been home the whole night before the kids still felt like it wasn't real. Because when they all woke up they didn't even come looking for me or fuss! (Which was nice since I had been up with the baby through the night.) But once I came out of my room it was like they went, "Oh yeah!!! Mommy is home!! They all swarmed me right here in front of our basement door, and wouldn't move an inch. We hung out right here in this spot, just like this for almost an hour...no exaggeration!!

Here was another lesson that God had showed me; My family didn't really need me. God showed me that in my absence He could move in the hearts of others to provide for my family and care for my children, just as good as I probably could, some maybe even better!! But my family wanted me. With my faults and failures, the good days and the bad, I was their mommy and they loved me! And boy did I feel the confirmation of that this very morning. As I saw

three precious children be fully entertained and content in spending an hour doing much of nothing but just being by me!!

She can't get enough of her baby!!

2009-10-21T00:03:00.002-04:00

All of them just admiring their little brother!!

Big brother Isaac. Each time he leaves the house, wakes up or goes to bed he looks for Eli to give him a hug and kiss

Naomi hogging him from the others!

She won't let him go!! It's easier to take food from her, and those of you who know her know how hard that is!!

She just loves to lay her cheek on his. So cute!!

Here are a few more pictures of Naomi loving on Eli. She has really amazed us all with how she cares for him. And when I try to take him from her she places this kung-fu grip on him!! It is really quite cute, maybe not for Eli since he is half choking from it poor thing. And Isaac and Jojo love to love on him just as much. As parents it warms our hearts, and is something we want to keep cultivating...that they all grow up being grateful and knowing how blessed they are to have one another in their lives!!

Naomi meets Elijah!!

2009-10-17T13:13:00.000-04:00

Nana bringing Elijah in to give her a kissie!!

While Jojo and Isaac played with their gifts from the baby, Naomi didn't even care to open hers!
She just wanted to love on her new baby brother!!

She just couldn't get enough of him!

Taking care of him, ever so sweetly!!

The minute I walked in the door from the hospital for the first time in 4 weeks it was amazing!! Once Naomi got over seeing me and noticed Eli sitting in his car seat on the sofa, that was all she wanted!! She kept trying to unbuckle him herself. It melted my heart, especially since she is the one that is most to herself, and doesn't give her affection away as freely. She just wanted to hold, kiss, and hug him. She was very possesive!! If I even just moved him to shift him she'd put her arms around him tightly, and when we finally did take him from her, boy did she put up a fight!! She had a very tight grip on him, and would not let go!! It was all soooo cute.

Little Eli!

2009-10-13T22:19:00.000-04:00

It was probably the longest two days of my life!! This was the first time I got to hold Elijah.
It wasn't until Friday afternoon, and he was born on Weds. But it felt sooo good!!

He was in the NICU the whole time we were at the hospital. So I didn't get to do much in terms of his care.
But each day I'd pump and go to feed him, it was the highlight of my days!! Here is the last feeding I gave him!

Mommy, the proud (and better looking!) daddy, and baby Elijah, ready to head home!!

It was a long journey, and sometimes hard. But God taught myself and my husband quite a few things through all of it! One of them was being able to experience more vividly His care for us, Him carrying us through this situation and providing for us! The best we got out of it was this amazing little life, we are always humbled as we think of how amazing each of our children are and that God would see us worthy to be their parents. Here is our most recent gift from above, ready to go home with us!!

D day!!

2009-10-12T00:33:00.000-04:00

Isaac and daddy hanging out in my room during one of the visits!!

Mommy and bee ( Isaac had brought him to keep me company!)
just a few minutes before they took me back to the OR to prep for the
C-section! I was trying to hide how nervous I really was!!

Me laying at the Operating Table as they delivered little Eli!

And this moment made it all the bad fade away!! This was the first time I got to see him!
I will have more pictures of Elijah in the next few days!!

More from the hospital

2009-10-12T00:28:00.000-04:00

Three little scavengers eating my dinner!!

YUMMY!!

This is a different day. Now they want my DQ!!

Ice cream always brings our family together!! ;)

It's been awhile!!

2009-10-12T00:24:00.000-04:00

Isaac and mommy at the hospital!

Me and my three favorite guys on this planet! ( the third still in my tummy!! ;)

Just the girls!!

Love their smiles!!

It seems like it's been forever since I last posted! A LOT has happened here in the Cherry household. For any who may not know, On Aug 17th I had to go into the hospital because of some bleeding I had...and didn't get to leave until Sept 14th!!! I was on bed rest for 3 weeks before delivering our little Eli, who was 3 weeks early!! It was quite a journey our family went through...but God saw us through all of it, and provided for our needs, and taught us some important lessons. We are greatful that His hand and presence was over our lives each and every day...and that He kept little Elijah safe for us.

Elijah was born on 9-9-09. He weighed 6lbs and 3ozs and was 19 3/4'' long. And looked just like the rest of the bunch he was joining. He was prayed over and for for weeks...and loved the instant we saw him!!

Above are some pictures of our visits at the hospital. The toughest part of the whole thing was being away from my kiddies and hubby for so long. It was always the highlight of my days when they'd come to spend time with me.

Summertime fun!

2009-08-05T20:40:00.000-04:00

Naomi sitting in her favorite place doing her favorite thing!

Jojo enjoying a popsicle! We have had lots of these this summer!!

It rained for about 20 min while we outside. So Isaac went in and got prepared!

Nothing like playing outside in the summer rain!!

Our Family of 13!

2009-07-24T17:12:00.001-04:00

All of us at Youth Group!

We are already missing one, Thierry left us on Thursday, but the rest of the gang.
From L to R, Luciano, Wagner, my hubby, Rafa, Junior, Ivan, Ricardo, and me in front!

And we kept getting smaller and smaller! Luciano had to leave before church.

All of us enjoying the yumminess of the Cheesecake Factory!

We were really blessed to have the opportunity to host 6 guys from Brasil that came here to serve in the soccer ministry Ambassadors in Sports. They were trained for a week and then break apart and go host camps all over Ohio and the country to kids ages 6-17. But the reall cool thing is that they don't share just their great soccer skills, but they share the gospel with the kids who attend the camp! They were short on host families this year so we were lucky to get 6 guys. They were all wonderful and the only downside to it all was that we only got them for a week, so just as we were getting to really know them, they left us! :( But we did get to see them once more before they split up to different parts of the country and will be able to keep in touch with them thanks to our wonderful technology!! As they all left Jerod turned to me and said, "See we could totally have 10 kids!!"

Laying around!

2009-07-21T20:23:00.000-04:00

Here are some more pictures of the kids enjoying the summer weather! Naomi loves our hammock, as does Isaac. So they had a blast laying around on it when we brought it our for the season. And Jojo was having fun climbing around and playing on the Playhouse!

the Cherry's scream for Ice Cream!

2009-07-15T12:54:00.000-04:00

Love this picture!! Such a classic summer picture!

Jojo holding and enjoying her first cone by herself. Usually me or daddy will share with her, but we let her have her own this time! I think she was very grateful and fully enjoyed it!!

He shouldn't like he is in pain while enjoying ice cream should he?!? I think the sun was in his eyes!

We were very proud of our Jojo. She didn't even make as big of a mess as we were expecting. Don't get me wrong, she was still VERY sticky!!

This was such a beautiful day just a couple of weeks ago. So we took the kids to this amazing playground close to our hose called Preston's H.O.P.E. and then finished the day by getting some ice cream. We had lots of fun enjoying getting to do these things with daddy with us. Normally it will be just me and the kiddos since daddy's at work.

More of the car!

2009-07-08T22:55:00.000-04:00

Can't you read their minds?!? 'Are we there yet?!?'

Nana with her favorite nightgown. Just as we leaving the house she grabbed it from the dirty clothes pile. (yes, I said dirty clothes!) I guess she figured that if she couldn't wear it at least she could hold it! She loves the texture of the smooth fabric!

This was actually on our way home! She grabbed her blanket and decided she was going to make her own private space!

She sat like this for about 20 min. There is no doubt she is the most peculiar of our children!! But just as special and wonderful!! We are always amazed by how unique and different each of them are! They all share a great strong will tough!!

On the Road again!!

2009-07-06T23:16:00.000-04:00

While Isaac and Nana found some comfortable sleeping positions
(at least I am guessing they are comfortable since they slept for a while!)...

Jojo was wide awake and in good spirits!

This has to hurt!!

Can you picture the wet spot behind his mouth there?!?

Here are some pictures of the kids in the car on our trip to Boston at the end of June. They did amazingly well considering that it was the girls' first time without binkies...and we didn't have a DVD player. They only fussed for about the last hour or so!

The Joys of Parenthood

2009-07-03T14:47:00.000-04:00

It has been a while since I posted anything. We had left on the 17th to drive to Boston for a long weekend. Then we got back and it was crunch time! I had a ton of work to catch up on and then unpacking, laundry, and getting ready to host 6 coaches from Brasil that were coming to stay with us while training for a ministry camp they'd be helping with (more on this in later posts!)

The night we were getting ready to go to Boston, everyone went to bed and I stayed up to finish packing and leave...we were heading out at midnight or so. So I go in the girls' room to get some of their clothes, and the smell of a stinky diaper was overwhelming! I felt like I had walked into a toilet..it was bad!! But I figured I wouldn't wake them just yet since it was less than an hour from our depature time and I still had to finish up a few things. But I decided to peek closer at each one to figure out who had the dirty diaper. Let's just say that it wasn't hard to figure out who had pooped! So yes, that is poop all over Naomi's face an body. She took off her shirt AND diaper at some point before falling asleep. You can see the diaper by her leg. Amazingly she was able to sleep through the horrific stench...and so was Joelle. And she wasn't even too crabby when I through into the tub. And the poop had caked on, especially on her leg by the diaper it was about an inch thick! And I really had to scrub her to get it off!

Being a parent is such an adventure!!

Blossom Festival

2009-06-17T11:15:00.000-04:00

Isaac and mommy in front of Chagrin Falls

Jojo snuggling with her daddy!!

Isaac, Jojo, and Aleah on a ride!

There is the great little town just a few minutes away from us. Every year for Memorial Day weekend they have a festival. Lots of food, rides, and parades. This was our first year going to check it out and the kids had a ton of fun! Naomi had fallen asleep in the car on the way there, so she didn't want to do much at first, but it didn't take long for her to join in the action. So only Isaac, Jojo, and Aleah rode on some of the rides.

Laying aroung...and looking pretty!!

2009-06-17T11:10:00.000-04:00

Naomi literally crashed during nap time!

Smiling for the camera!

I love my big brother!!

Ever since we got rid of Naomi's binky she doesn't really nap anymore. Sometimes I will lay her down in her crib and she'lll cry the first 15 mins and then jump around and play for the other 90. With the girls sharing a room now I usually don't even bother to lay her down anymore since she'll just wake Jojo up from her nap earlier. Usually she'll relax and watch tv on the couch or something. This day she must have been really tired, because she totally crashed while playing.

I had to snap a couple of pictures of Jojo wearing this dress. It was one of my favorites on Naomi last summer and I knew I'd love it just as much on her!! And she loved being the pretty girl in it!

My Mother's Day surprise!!

2009-06-14T20:13:00.000-04:00

As much as I hate how I look in these pictures I still had to post them! My great hubby, who endured much whining on Mother's Day itself, had set up a whole day full of surprises for me!! Starting with this limo that came to pick me up at the house on Saturday morning. He didn't tell me where it was taking me and gave me a bag he had packed himself!! Turns out it was set for the Spa, where I was pampered all day! Then the limo came back to get me (another surprise, I had thought he was going to pick me up!!) And took me to meet him at yet another undisclosed location...the Melting Pot, one of my favorite restaurants. And the day still wasn't over, he then had surprised me by booking two of our Fave sitters, Jules and Laura, to spend the night with the kids while him and I got to spend the night away!! It was all so wonderful, and the best part was seeing all the details he had thought through! Down to my outfit to change into and watch and bracelet! For the last 4 years I always whine about how I go overboard in making his days (bdays, father's, etc) so special and feel like he never puts thought into them for me. Well, he's made up for the last 4 years and then some!!

More from Isaac's graduation

2009-06-14T20:06:00.000-04:00

This was Nana's first time going down the slide all her own!!

And she kept doing it over and over again!!

Isaac at the top of the moutain he had climbed!

Naomi and Jojo left all the cool toys at the playground to go play in the dirt instead!

Isaac's graduation!!

2009-06-11T20:58:00.000-04:00

Isaac and Bryce (in the green) at graduation.

Isaac taking his walk over the 'pedestal'

So proud of my little guy!!

Isaac had his Preschool graduation at a park in Hudson! It was lots of fun! I am sure before we even know it we'll be down in Akron seeing him on the big stage! I am so greatful that God has provided for me to be home with him during this precious time we have!!

Accersories, as girl's best friend!

2009-06-10T21:32:00.000-04:00

Naomi, our fashionista, needed to find her some accesories while playing outside! What do you think of her hat?!?

Sprinkler fun!!

2009-06-10T21:30:00.000-04:00

Jojo in her Cherry bathing suit for the first time! She wasn't too sure on what to make of the sprinkler!!

Nana the old pro, knew just what to do! (also in a cherry suit of course!)

Jojo warming up to the sprinkler, and Micah trying to get around it!

Isaac doing something crazy I am sure!!

Our friends the Colberts came over on one of the first nicest days we had this summer. So we of course brought out the sprinklers and water balloons. (Of course it hasn't been this beautiful since this day!) The kids all had a blast playing together!

Escalades and Girls!

2009-06-02T00:23:00.001-04:00

Going for a ride with big bro!

Last year with some Yard Sale money we bought the kids this Escalade since it was big enough for two, and Isaac could drive Nana around (he is quite the driver, just don't ask him to back up of anywhere tight!! ;) So now this year Nana still can't drive herself (at least not without us chasing her to keep her from running things over!), but Jojo also wants in on the fun! Since the girls are little munchkins, they can all fit and big brother Isaac drives them all around!!

Jumping into the deep end!

2009-05-28T19:45:00.000-04:00

Naomi has this little Puppy that can swim in the water. He came with these goggles that Jojo loves to play with in the tub. Here are our girls ready to jump into the deep end!

2009-05-27T12:16:00.000-04:00

This is why I get up in the morning!!

2009-05-27T12:11:00.000-04:00

Getting some brotherly love!

You caught me! Cheese!

2009-05-27T12:09:00.000-04:00

Her face says it all!!

Trying to figure something out!

This smile melts my heart!

Yumm! Yumm!!

The Many Faces of Jojo!

2009-05-27T12:06:00.000-04:00

Love this smile!!

This is when she was trying to lick the camera!

Even this close, still a cutie!!

Jojo was in a picture taking mood, and looked 'Oh, so cute' in her Cherry that I couldn't resist!

Nana's new hiding place!

2009-05-25T19:03:00.000-04:00

Here is Nana 'hiding' from us! She really thought that we couldn't see her for a while there!

Jojo and Isaac putting on a show!

2009-05-20T18:13:00.003-04:00

I was doing laundry and had left the laundry basket in the front room. Jojo got a hold of it and made it into a stage for herself! A couple of days later Isaac had his Mother's Tea at his school. It was so precious! They made some homemade appe butter and strawberry jam (that was absolutely delicious!) along with the biscuits. His teachers had asked him a few questions about me and it was sooo cute to see how he answered them (like the fact that what I do is cook, and I am 16 yrs old! - it's his favorite number right now!!) And the kids sang some songs for us as well (the video is on YouTube!) It was a great time!

Going for a ride!

2009-05-14T21:10:00.003-04:00

Here are a picture od all my silly babies (don't tell Isaac I referred to him as a baby!) going for a ride in some way! Notice Nana in the background of Isaac's pciture getting in on the action too! She saw the camera and started to say cheese! Also check ot our video on YouTube of Isaac giving himself a ride. My username is SamuaCherry

Chillin' with my bro!!

2009-05-10T15:33:00.003-04:00

Isaac was erelaxing and watching a TV show...so Jojo went to join him!!

Also, there are new videos posted on YouTube. My screen name there is SamuaCherry! Or scroll down for some links to the older videos and the new ones should come up as well!

Caught with her hand in the cookie jar!

2009-05-10T15:28:00.003-04:00

So Jojo (after sleeping ever so cute the night before!) woke up and went into the pantry to pull out one of her favorite snacks! Here are some pictures of her with her hand in 'the cookie jar'.

Naomi's favorite place!

2009-05-08T15:44:00.003-04:00

I think this is the 4th time I take pictures of her on top of this desk. I always work in this room and Naomi will come and join me, as close as she possibly can. She always climns on the desk so she can get to the pens and paper and doodle. Like her off the shoulder styling? She did herself, ever the fashionista!!

More painting fun!

2009-05-08T09:15:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures of us painting. Isaac and Jacob had decided that they would paint the ants that they could find. It was quite funny to hear them talking and explaining what they were doing and why. The two of them always crack me up with their conversations!! Naomi had fun finding something else to paint as well...herself!! And Jojo just enjoyed trying to eat them!

Some painting fun!

2009-05-08T09:10:00.005-04:00

A couple of weeks ago it was really nice here! So we went to the zoo, and came back home and played outside for another hour or so. Finishing the day with a trip to DQ for some ice cream! It was perfect...except that it has rained for almost everyday since then!! When outside we were painting the driveway...we figured we'd let Naomi get her inner artist outside, and maybe that would deter her from doing it inside! Didn't really work! And of course she couldn't just paint on the ground. Had to find some sort of 'wall' to do it on. So here they are painting. And one of Isaac's best buddies was with us, Jacob.

A picture is worth a thousand words!!

2009-05-07T21:20:00.004-04:00

Can you tell what brings Naomi joy? Don't you just get giddy and a warm feeling all over just seeing her face in the first picture??

Posing for the camera!

2009-04-10T20:46:00.001-04:00

So I was trying to get some work done on the computer when Miss Naomi decided to join me, literally!! Since I had recently been posting some pictures she grabbed my camera and started saying 'Cheese' so I took some pictures of her. (the ones in the green outfit were yesterday) When Isaac heard the commotion he had to come check out what was happening, he never misses a beat! Than today Naomi did the same thing...and this time it was Miss Jojo that also wanted in on the fun!!

When Naomi's attack!!

2009-04-10T20:42:00.005-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous blog Naomi is our child that can not be left unattended not even for a minute. Here are a few of the traces around the house from her damage. The ones of her on the counter with the box of Lucky Charms happened today. If I turn my back even for 2 minutes to change Joelle's diaper and Naomi disappears...we all get worried! This past Tuesday she knocked a closet door down by accident that side swiped the side of my leg leaving me with a huge gash and even bigger bruise. I was literally in tears when it happened and had to limp around for a couple of days. And yes, she did pull of just about every key on my laptop, that I need to use for work! But she's our Nana and we wouldn't want another!!

Wrapping it up!

2009-04-10T20:29:00.003-04:00

We left the Playhouse Disney show just in time to use our fast passes for a new Toy Story ride. It was a lot of fun and Nana enjoyed shooting the cannons. Than we rushed to the Tower of Terror, so Isaac and daddy could go for a ride one last time. (It was Isaac's 4th time on the ride today!! I guess once for every year of his age. :) But that wasn't his last ride of the day (although he will tell you it was his favorite!!) Daddy than gave him a ride to the car. This was a wonderful time for our family. We truly enjoyed ourselves and each other! We felt really blessed by God to have the opportunity to be there!!

She's going, going....gone!

2009-04-10T20:24:00.002-04:00

Jojo stayed awake long enough to rock out with the Pixar characters for the block party. But soon enough she was a goner!! So we took our time strolling around and taking some pictures. Than made our way over to the Playhouse Disney show. (There are some cute videos on YouTube of them dancing along and having fun!!) Naomi even made a friend while we were waiting for the show to start. And Jojo woke up just in time to join in the fun as well!

After lunch!

2009-04-10T20:06:00.002-04:00

Everyone's tummy was very full from lunch. And as you can see we had so much fun that we even tired Nana out!! So we took the opportunity to take a rest and hold our front row seats for the coming block party!

Finishing up with Lunch!

2009-04-10T17:46:00.003-04:00

we truly had a wonderful time celebrating our little Jojo!

Lunch with Jojo

2009-04-10T17:38:00.004-04:00

To celebrate Jojo's first birthday we had lunch with Jojo!! The food was delicious and the kids had a blast dancing around. Here are some pictures. There is also more videos on YouTube from them dancing and having fun with all the characters! As you can see, at times Naomi was too busy eating to be bothered with the characters.

Nana and Belle

2009-04-08T18:12:00.005-04:00

After much deliberation..these things are important after all...we decided we are going to gear Naomi towards having Belle as her favorite princess. They both have darker hair, they both love books, and both are considered by others as peculiar. Naomi is definitely cut from a different cloth. 'She really is a funny girl, a beauty but a funny girl' one of the lines from the song in the movie Beauty and the Beast. So I got Naomi a Belle doll this day (daddy wasn't around yet to say no! :) And sure enough she loved the doll...took it every where and was trying to dance with her..it was really cute!

And our favorite! CARS!!

2009-04-08T18:05:00.003-04:00

Here we all are posing with Lightining Mcqueen and Mater. This has to be our family's favorite Disney movie...anyone of us can quote the movie for you!

Bolt! and others!

2009-04-08T18:00:00.003-04:00

The first few pictures are of us waiting to meet Bolt, from the newest Disney movie...can you tell Isaac was a little bit excited?!? And than we took some pictures with Jojo and Goliath...she really got a kick that we also had a Jojo with us...and so did Isaac. (Daddy wasn't with us for these, much to his dismay, he was still at work and would meet up with us a little later!)

And now..back to Disney!

2009-04-08T17:57:00.004-04:00

These pictures are from the last day of our trip. It was the nicest day the whole time we were there...so we took the most pictures this day. We also have some really cute videos as well. Here we are at Disney MGM Studios with some of the different characters. Nana had fallen asleep in the stroller, she woke just in time for June to blow her some kisses!

Nana the pretty girl

2009-04-08T17:21:00.003-04:00

I know it seems like this is a Naomi extravaganza...but that is only because she is the one that gets into everything. If we can't hear we already know we will be finding a BIG mess where ever it is she disappeared to. So, here as I was getting Jojo dressed to go out Naomi disappeared on me. Another thing we need to do around here is make sure all the doors to bedrooms and bathrooms are shut! So I eventually found her. In my bathroom...in my sink to be more exact...putting on makeup. Isn't she a cutie?!? I must have really worn her out that day because than she fell asleep waiting for her dinner!! :)

Nana the rockstar!

2009-04-08T17:12:00.004-04:00

After she had dolled herself up with her stage makeup, Naomi found some glasses and started dancing around. She makes me laugh!!

My little artists!

2009-04-08T16:24:00.005-04:00

Isaac and Naomi were having some fun together painting. (Jojo was taking a nap!) Naomi decided to show off her skills by face painting...on herself...so then big brother needed to follow suit. Naomi LOVES to paint, color, draw,etc. She cannot have any type of writing utensil in her hands because she will start to color on whatever she can find..literally whatever!! Here they are...

Yumm Yumm!!

2009-04-08T15:46:00.001-04:00

Here are some pics of everyone enjoying their cupcakes at Jojo's bday!

Jojo's first birthday!

2009-04-08T15:24:00.006-04:00

On the day of Jojo's actual birthday we went out to dinner at the Outback. Daddy was out of town and couldn't join us...but Auntie Mandy (Jojo's Godmom) came along for the celebration. (we also had a celebration for her when we were at Disney, I'll post that later!) She had a lot of fun making a mess of herself. You can check out one of the videos on YouTube. As well as the one below of us singing Happy Birthday to her...she never did blowout her own candle...but brother Isaac came to the rescue!! Notice how good the cupcakes look?!? Isaac and I made them ourselves! Happy birthday to our precious Jojo!

Did you miss us?

2009-04-08T15:11:00.006-04:00

Hey everyone! It has been forever since I've posted anything. I still have a ton of Disney pics and videos to upload...but we are going to take a break and get back to those in a bit. We've all been taking turns being sick since the end of February and that is why we've been MIA. To start here is some pictures of Isaac at ski lessons. He took 6 weeks of skiing in Jan and February and loved it. I will also have a link to a video on YouTube..if you don't see it yet check back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsXHATmGygc

Also, on a side note, if you choose to subscribe to my YouTube account I think it will automatically let you know when I add new videos. But don't ask me how it works...i am not sure! :) Also, here is a short video of him skiing..the one on YouTube is much longer.

Finding Nemo...

2009-02-22T19:31:00.006-05:00

Here we are at Epcot. The kids loved walking around the aquarium and seeing the dolphins and manatee...etc. Especially Nana...she loved the dolphin and was enthralled with them...even Jojo kept peering at the glass to get a peek.

Riding the monorail

2009-02-22T19:27:00.003-05:00

Here is Isaac with another one of his favorites, Donald. And us riding the front car in the monorail.

It happens to the best of them!

2009-02-22T19:21:00.004-05:00

It is inevitable that Disney wears anyone out!! It is such a fun place with so much to do...and it eventually wins out even the most energetic of kids....which mine would be at the top of the list! And this was even before lunch!!

Just hold my hand sis!

2009-02-22T19:14:00.003-05:00

Here is out last visit to the Magic Kingdom. It was just me and the kids since Jerod had to be at work for the morning. WE took some pictures with some of the characters that we hadn't had a chance to. Isaac loves Chip and Dale, he has from the first visit...and it's easy to see why. Not that you can tell from the pictures...but they were dancing and playing peek-a-boo with the kids. Than as we were walking to a ride, Isaac was very concerned with Nana not getting lost. So he took matters into his own hands! It was very cute to see them share a special sis-and-bro moment!

Isaac the Dino Daddy!!

2009-02-22T19:02:00.004-05:00

Not only is Isaac really into Dinos nowadays...but he also LOVES stuffed animals! He sleeps with about 8 of them in his bed. And plays with them all day, takes care of them etc. He says he is the daddy, I am the mommy, and Jerod is the uncle....it's pretty funny! So you can imagine he was in heaven at the restaurant's make a stuffed dino store. He enjoyed every process of it and picked out his clothes, got him dressed, and was very excited to bring his new 'kid' home. He really is a good daddy...I think it's because he has such a great one himself!! :)

Jojo says No!

2009-02-05T10:10:00.000-05:00

Just this week Jojo learned to say no! Here she is...but of course...not really performing for the camera! So I kept trying to get her to do it again, but I think she thought I was telling her no! Poor thing! And more pictures of Dinos.

Princesses...and more Dinos!

2009-02-05T10:03:00.001-05:00

Here they have this huge Disney Store...my husband's least favorite place! And it's decorated beautifully, so I had my princess take a picture with another princess. (Nana was sleeping)

Can you tell yet that Isaac loves Dinosaurs? Last year the day after his 3rd birthday he told me he wanted a dinosaur party. And the whole year long anytime him turning 4 or his birthday came up he'd say ''my dinosaur party" and sure enough that is the party he had. So here we are at Downtown Disney hanging around. We were planning on going ot dinner at Rainforest Cafe, it's this neat restaurant that had life-size animatronics that move...and ever so often there is a 'rainstorm' and all the animals activate at the same time. It sort of is a tradition each time we are here to go there. But this time we didn't! There is a new restaurant open called T-Rex...it is like Rainforest Cafe, but with Dinosaurs. And every 20 minutes there is a 'meteor shower' and all the Dinos go off at the same time...so surprise surprise, Isaac wanted to eat here instead.

Downtown Disney

2009-02-05T09:54:00.000-05:00

Here we are at Downtown Disney. I had to take the classic welcome to Disney picture! Isaac really appreciated the Lego sculputres this time...and loved the store. He had lots of fun playing with the legos!

Reading time with Nana

2009-02-05T09:49:00.000-05:00

After a long day at the parks, nothing like curling up with a good book!! We always joke around that Nana will grow up to be a teacher. She loves book and writing, as a matter of fact she just drew a beautiful mural for us on our dining room walls! ;) So when we got home she found her book and Jojo curled up with her to hear her telling her the story!

Meanwhile, Isaac was taking good care of his monkey and feeding him dinner!

Diggig for Dino Bones

2009-02-05T09:45:00.000-05:00

Here we are at Universal Studios. Isaac went on the Jurissac Park ride (it's one of those log rides with a high steep fall) twice!! With daddy they went on the front row and got soaked!! His also posing with a T-rex...I guess he must have been digging for Dinosaur bones!! ;)

Animal Kingdom and Cinderella's Castle

2009-02-05T09:34:00.000-05:00

Here we are my two princesses at Animal kingdom doing what they do best...being cute!! Then you will see Isaac at the parade. This was actually the second time of us watching the first parade...it was coming back around the park. This parade starts and ends at the same place...which I didn't quite know. We went on the Safari ride which is right next to here...when we got off the parade had just started. For those of you whom have been to Disney before know that people stake out their parade spots an hour before the parade starts. Since we were going to be leaving the park after parade I really wanted the kids to see it, but we couldn't get that close for them to see the action on the ground. So while Jerod went to grab our stroller, I took off with Nana and Isaac to find a spot. No luck!! So I put Isaac on my shoulders and held Naomi up as high as I could...you should have seen the looks I kept getting!! And it lasted good 20 min...do I need to tell you that I 'felt' that parade for the next two days?!?! Well, once the parade was over we decided to go check out the hippos and gorillas that were located right next to the Safari. By the time we did that, the parade was coming back around...so this time the kids got front row action! Each of the characters that would walk by kept giving Isaac a high five...he was just loving it!!

Then we went back to the Magic Kingdom. There was a couple of rides we still wanted to go on and we wanted to catch the Fireworks, we had missed them the last time we were there. It was too cold to take the girls out of the strollers...so we tried still getting them in the picture, but Nana was cut off!!

Animal Kingdom

2009-01-29T13:37:00.000-05:00

Here is our day at Animal Kingdom. Isaac really got into doing hand signs when taking pictures...I think he saw other people doing that ( you can also see him doing it in the Universal Pictures). And since he is a smart kid he'd usually would hug Jojo for the pictures...since every time he hugged Nana she'd squirm and shoo him away. ( She apparently only likes his hugs after she's gotten a spanking...to make a cute story short...whenever we discipline her she takes off crying and looks for Isaac to console her!) Than Daddy and Isaac (yes, I promise Jerod wasn't riding the Triceratops by himself even though you can't see Isaac there!) went for a ride together. And Jojo had just started taking some steps here and there the week before we left...but really started walking more in Florida. I think the hard floors must have hurt her while crawling...and since she's a smart cookie she started walking more and more!!

Aren't we silly?!?...and cute?

2009-01-29T13:22:00.000-05:00

Hold my hand Sissy!

2009-01-29T13:18:00.001-05:00

Jojo kept reaching for Nana to hold her hand. But each time by the time Nana responded and we took the picture we'd just miss it. When we finally were able to catch this Kodak moment...Jojo was so over it!

More of Universal!

2009-01-29T12:58:00.000-05:00

Here we all are on the Dr. Seuss Caroussel...everyone loves this ride!!

Universal Studios

2009-01-28T13:41:00.000-05:00

This day we went to Universal Studios. Naomi had fallen asleep which is why she is not in some of the pictures. Jojo is still mesmerized by the characters...but only from afar...although she did warm a bit to Curious George. Isaac refused to take a picture with Jimmy Neutron because he is from a 'bad movie' (There are certain cartoons that he isn't allowed to watch because of the characters being fresh and such...he know what they are and is VERY good about not seeing any of these shows.) In fact, he got mad at me because I took him on the 4-D ride at Universal that is Jimmy Neutron..and SpongeBob was in there as well..so he was REALLY ticked!

Check back for more of our trip soon!!

The Real Cinderella

2009-01-28T13:31:00.000-05:00

Even though she is a princess...she can't help herself when she sees a mop!! And of course big brother can't miss out on the attention.

Mouseketeers

2009-01-28T13:10:00.000-05:00

We were at the hotel in the morning waiting for Daddy to get back from work. Naomi found her hat that we had gotten from the day before, and as I said she couldn't see it and not put it on. So of course big brother had to be part of the action too!!