Addy's Crawling!

I got some pix of Addy crawling but I couldn't get any of her with her head off of the ground! She will take about two to three creeps! She usually does keep her head down but she'll get there! We had no AC in our upstairs today so we were burning up and spent most of the day downstairs where it was nice and cool! Addy had OT today and we went ahead and toughed out the heat upstairs, thanks Delene for being a trooper! Delene is Cooper and Addy's OT and a very close friend of mine. She is so awesome! She taught Addy how to play ball today, it was so cute. Usually Addy could care less about giving anything to anyone, she wants to keep it! She had a great session and is moving right along! She has even learned a new sign this week, "bath"! She knows one body part too, HAIR! She's known that one for awhile, I just kept forgetting to document it!I am amazed everyday about her progress! She is truly amazing!











Both the boys had ball games tonight, Cooper's team won and Avery's lost, however, Avery made two outs at first base! He also got two good hits, one was a double!

Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back

BUNCO BABES
RELAY FOR LIFE TEAM 2008
MARSHFIELD, MO

Well, I walked several miles, developed the grossest most disgusting, and painful blister on my left big toe, but I stayed up all night and participated in our Relay for Life here in Marshfield, MO. Our tiny community raised over $96,000 for the American Cancer Society!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have broken our community record by almost $20,000! Isn't that fantastic!!!??? We are so pleased! My Bunco Babes team raised $7,401! Yeah! I am exhausted, extremely sore, but it is nothing compared to what friends and loved ones of mine have endured during their treatments for cancer. My pain and fatigue will pass. My dad endured over 4 straight years of chemotherapy, surgeries, biopsies and side effects that he not once complained about. This man lost over 9 vertebrae due to Multiple Myeloma, spent months in the hospital and you know what. He never complained. He went to work, loved his family and was thankful for his life. I miss this man so much. My mom fortunately found her breast cancer early and only had to endure one surgery and six weeks of radiation, but she did it. She was tired and was also dealing with Rheumatoid arthritis and Fibromyalgia, but she did it. I spent one night walking and I am wiped out. Since coming home this morning I have gotten some sleep, but I sit here and complain of my pain and exhaustion. How can I do that when so many people deal with this every day for years? I pray that the Lord helps scientists and doctors find a cure for this devastating disease. That is the least I can do right now and I would appreciate it if all my friends and family could do the same. Thank you Lord for my health and the wonderful doctors that found my mother's cancer, treated her and made her healthy. Thank you Lord for taking my daddy to heaven so he has no more pain. I pray for everyone who is enduring cancer and those who are with loved ones dealing with this disease. Lord I pray that every woman does monthly breast exams and gets their yearly mammograms, I pray all of us wear sunscreen to protect our skin. I pray that everyone takes care of their bodies and Fights Back against cancer. I Celebrate my mom's health, I Remember my Dad and I am Fighting Back against cancer. Thank you for helping me Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

A Blue star for those we remember...

A Purple Star for those we Celebrate

And Red Stars for Those FIGHTING BACK!

Busy week

This week has been pretty busy! Both of the boys had their first ball games of the season on Tuesday. I got pix of Cooper's game but then took Addy home between his and Avery's game and left the camera at home! I will post pix of his game next week! Cooper did so good! He got two hits, and RBI and scored a run. He was so excited!
I have been busy this week finishing up things for Relay for Life. I'm doing some of the decorations for our campsite so I've been putting stars together. Today they will all be strung on fishing line to hang. This should be fun! I want thank those of you that sent a donation for our team. We raised almost $7,000!!! We are so pleased! I can't wait to see what our town was able to do! We're hoping to top $70,000 again, what a great blessing to the American Cancer Society! We will be walking tomorrow night from 7pm until 7am so please say a prayer for us! I'll be sleeping all day Saturday!
Addy's therapists have been in full force this week. We're still trying to make up some time from our vacation. She is progressing so nicely! She is now able to get up on all fours! She's going to be crawling before we know it! It's time that Scott build our stair barrier!
We got registered for our first local Buddy Walk this week too! Addy's Army will be participating in our Down Syndrome Group of the Ozarks First Annual Buddy Walk on July 21st. The participant who raises the most money will throw the first pitch with Albert Pujols from the St. Louis Cardinals! If you didn't, know, he has a daughter, Isabella (she was his wife's child whom he adopted!), who has Down syndrome. He founded the Albert Pujols Foundation www.thealbertpujolsfoundation.org in support of DS. He is my boys' favorite player and they can't wait to meet him in July!

Happy Father's Day Daddy, I Miss You More Than You Will Ever Know

John K. Davis

John K. Davis, 65, Springfield, Mo., passed away on Wednesday, October 25, surrounded by his loving family. He was born November 7, 1940, in Norman, Oklahoma. John graduated from Classen High School, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1958 and the University of Oklahoma with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1963. John started his career with Southwestern Power Administration in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as an Electrical Engineer and Public Utility Specialist before advancing to a position of Project Engineer with Buckeye Power, Inc., in Columbus, Ohio. He enthusiastically filled the position of General Manager and C.E.O. of Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative in Marshfield, Mo., since 1975. He was a past president of the National G&T Managers Association and one of the longest serving G&T managers in the country. John proudly served on the Board of Directors for Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc., Springfield, Mo., and the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, Jefferson City, Mo. John's relationship with staff and professional peers has transcended anything commonly seen in the industry. He has generously mentored employees to foster their professional and personal growth. He has become a close friend to his colleagues, building strong bonds of mutual respect and admiration. His peers recently honored his generous and insightful leadership by selecting him to receive the Franklin R. Stork Democracy Award to recognize his lifetime of service to the Rural Electric Cooperatives. John fought against the limitations of his declining health to continue to go to work because he considered the people he worked with to be like members of his own family and he preferred being with them to anything he might have done if he had taken disability leave. His heroic commitment to his work has been permanently memorialized in Sho-Me Power's decision to name their newest building the John K. Davis Engineering Center. John was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Evelyn Davis. John is survived by those who have loved him and worked to help him to survive; his devoted wife and love of 42 years, Nancy; son, J. Kent Davis II and his wife, Jill, Nixa, Mo.; daughter, Cammie Heflin and her husband, Scott, Marshfield, Mo. John had seven grandchildren that he treasured deeply, Jarika Heflin, John Kent Davis III, Kory Davis, Cooper Heflin, Laura Patton, Avery Heflin and Liz Davis that will always remember him as Papa. A celebration of his life will be held at National Avenue Christian Church, Springfield, Mo., at 10:30 a.m. Monday, October 30, with Dr. Roger Ray officiating. Arrangements under the care of Gorman-Scharpf Brentwood Chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the John K. Davis Engineering Scholarship at Metropolitan National Bank, PO. Box C, Marshfield, MO 65706 or the National Avenue Christian Church Outreach Program at 1515 South National, Springfield, MO 65807. The family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Dr. Robert Ellis, the nurses at the Hulston Cancer Center, and the Community Hospices of America, Southwest.

We're off of O2!!!!!!!!!!

Before

After!!!!!!!!!

I got the wonderful news today that Addy's sleep study from last night was NORMAL! That means no more O2!!! We are so excited! This is so huge! Her little face will finally be free of tubes and stickies! Last night's study showed no signs of apnea and she maintained normal oxygen saturations during nine hours of sleep! Yeah!

Here's a pic of Jarika's first day of work! Isn't she precious!?!?!

Cooper is home!

Yesterday morning my very good friend, Susan, and I headed with Addy, Avery and her daughter Caroline to El Dorado Springs to pick our boys up from church camp. We were all so excited! As I mentioned before, Cooper has never been away like this! I was worried about him, but I wanted him to experience camp and make new friends, which isn't necessarily easy for him. We got to the camp after a couple of hours driving and got out and saw Kellan smiling ear to ear. This kid has got the biggest dimples ever, he is a doll! We were still waiting for Cooper and Avery and Caroline decided to play tether ball while we waited. I looked down a path and I see my precious boy waving a huge wave and then he made a bee line straight to me! He gave me the biggest hug! I mean a hug with arms wrapped around me and everything! Cooper hugs with his head. I know that sounds funny, but he has always hugged this way. He just leans his head over to you and that is a hug. But not this time! An actual, I missed my mom hug! He looked up at me and had tears in his eyes and said "I missed you mom". It was really sweet. I had not planned on bringing Avery with me but he was wanting to come and I couldn't blame him, he missed his brother! I told Cooper that I had Avery and he said "Where!?!?" Before I could tell him, we heard Avery yelling "Cooper Cooper!" and they ran to each other and hugged and hugged, patted each others' backs and both were in tears! It was the sweetest sight I have ever seen. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera, but it is an image I will never forget!
We came home and I noticed Coop was holding his arm funny. He said it hurt under his arm. I had him raise his arm and had two huge welts under in his armpit! I assumed it was bites of some sort and put Caladryl on it. Well, we ended up going to urgent care because it kept spreading and he was hurting. Guess what, another allergy! My smelly little boy is going to have to be a bit smelly right now because he had an allergic reaction to his deodorant! I felt like an idiot, but he is now on a prescription to clear it up and now we know! My brother called while I was at UC with Cooper. Avery answered the phone. If you know my brother, you know that he is a complete and total prankster at all times. Avery told him I took Cooper to the doctor because he had a bruise on his elbow. Not quite, but in Avery terms, right on target. Kent asked him "What did you do to him?" Avery said "No, he got it at church camp, not here." Kent says "Oh, so do you think God did it since he was at church camp." My precious little boy replied "Well Uncle Kent, God is with us all the time so I guess he could have done it!" Cracked me up!

JARIKA GOT A JOB! We are so excited! She has been looking for weeks and nothing has turned up. She went to turn in some more applications yesterday after a day of cheer camp and the manager interviewed and hired her on the spot! She looked fine, but not to her, she just camp from a camp with no AC She is now employed by Sonic woo hoo! She's really excited and she starts tonight! She's so glad she will actually have money now! I've been paying her for watching Addy two days a week but it barely pays her gas right now! So I now get to enjoy an employee discount of 10% Yeah! Sad, I know, but we live in such a small town, going to Sonic is entertainment!

Addy has now gone a whole week with no oxygen at all during the daytime. She went all night last night too! We did another in home sleep study and it will determine if she needs it at night at all in if her slight apnea episodes have gone. Having the T&A has done wonders for her!

I will post pix tomorrow, I'm going to enjoy my kiddos for the day!

Our final day in Orlando

This was definitely our favorite park! Everyone had a blast! Addy loved Spongebob, you couldn't really tell by the pix but she kept smiling and laughing at him! After Shrek 4D we met Donkey and Shrek and Fiona. Donkey was hilarious. He talked to all of the kids and was a riot! He sounded exactly like Eddie Murphy too!

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Epcot

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Well I'm almost done with posting about everyday of vacation. This isn't even close to all of the pictures! These are photos from Epcot which is the day Addy decided she needed a break! You can tell from her sweet little face that she was just, as we say in the Ozarks, "plum wore out!". It was nice hanging with her alone for the day. We both got some much needed rest so we could prepare for Universal Studios! Those posts will come tomorrow!

Big Day

Well today was a big day for us. For the first time, Cooper is off to sleep away camp! He left this morning with one of my very best friend's husband, Joe and their son Kellan to Camp Galilee church camp. Cooper and Kellan are good buddies and they were both very excited to be going! Cooper is my son with mild autism and he has only spent the night away from us for one night and that was just a couple of months ago. He's stayed with a past babysitter and my brother's house but nothing like this! I know he's going to have a blast and we can communicate through email and I can check pix online but WOW, I never thought I'd be this worried! I know he's going to have a wonderful time and some great devotions and will just strengthen his relationship with Jesus and meet new friends. I am so proud of him. Six years ago when he was diagnosed with Autism I never imagined that he would grow and develop into this delightful, intelligent, somewhat social little boy who is wise beyond his years! He has gained socially and I know camp will only be a positive for him. Please pray for my boy as he encounters this new endeavor!


On the home front, I have decided that I am going to tackle Addy's feeding issues more than what I could do when I'm working. I didn't feel comfortable having the babysitter try to feed her due to the risk of aspiration, so she only got fed orally once a day while I was working. She is beginning to show an interest in our food at the table so I thought I would start letting her have more experiences with table food. Today I was eating some crackers. They are those new flip somethings that have pretzel on one side and Ritz on the other, anyway, they are really good! Addy kept watching and watching so I finally just handed her one. She played with it for awhile then she stared licking it and putting it in her mouth. She bit on it (I'm pretty sure on accident) and didn't freak when a piece was in her mouth. She did let it fall out, but I say that's definite improvement over thrusting everything out with her tongue the second it hits it! During her feeding tonight she wasn't doing all that great and really just wanted to play with the spoon. So, I just dumped her green beans on her tray and let her have at it and this is what she did! Granted, I don't think a lot got swallowed but, she was putting it in her mouth herself and wasn't nearly as defensive as she usually is! I think this is definite progress!

Dream Night at the Zoo

Is this not the cutest face you have ever seen? Avery named him RJ, hmm, I wonder why!?!? If you haven't seen, Over the Hedge, I recommend it, it's hilarious, definitely a family favorite!

Every year our local zoo (well in Springfield anyway) has a Dream Night for children with disabilities and their families. Admission is free as is feeding all of the animals, the train ride and the petting zoo and some special reptiles that we could pet along the way. Since last week we went to every park in Orlando I wasn't sure we would be up to going but we did. It was a pretty nice night considering it stormed quite a bit today! The boys had a blast, and yes Avery finally got his Mohawk, thanks to big sis Jarika! Like Scott said, "It is summer you know". I have to admit, Avery wears it well! The boys had a really good time feeding the animals. Addysen wasn't so sure! The goats ate off of her tray on her stroller and she looked at me like "What in the world was that?" If you look closely at the picture of the giraffes, yes she fed them! She didn't care for it because she was really enjoying flapping the leaves until this huge giraffe came and stole it! She dove right into my chest then and pouted! It was so cute!

These river otters, were so cute! They were posing for pix I'm pretty sure!

See Addy's little hand and that huge giraffe tongue! :)

She has now gone two whole days with no oxygen during the day at all. Not even during nap time! Every time I checked on her today her pulse ox was 97 during sleep! Woo hoo! I think we'll get off it at night soon too! It is so nice that I am home for the summer now! I love that I can be a full time mommy! I am working two days a week during June, but it's not that bad considereing I'm home by 2. Addy's surgeon saw her Tuesday and couldn't believe how well she has healed from her analplasty and the way she has progressed with her motor skills. He said that she is an angel miracle from God. I so agree! She is our little angel that has blessed this home for 10 months now! I can't believe we are so lucky to be her parents!

Animal Kingdom and MGM Studios

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The Magic Kingdom

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Sea World

I couldn't figure out how to make two montages from the pix, so unfortunately, this is the same as Discovery Cove in the beginning then halfway through it changes to Sea World!

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Discovery Cove

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Wow

My cousin sent this to me and I am here in tears, I thought this story was too beautiful not to share with my sisters of faith.

HAIRBRUSH EXPERIENCE OF BETH MOORE AT THE AIRPORT

For those of you who do not know Beth Moore, she is an outstanding Bible teacher,
writer of Bible studies, and is a married mother of two daughters. My Women's Studies Sunday School class often uses her materials to study and I am moved more and more by her.

This is one of her experiences:

April 20, 2005 , at the Airport in Knoxville , waiting to board the plane,
I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I'd
had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell
you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you.
You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise.

Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons not the leastof which is your ego.

I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped
over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that
obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees
protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt.

His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones.

The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy, gray hair hung
well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were
long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man.

I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face.
As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself
wondering if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered that he was dead.

So this man in the airport...an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us somewhere?

There I sat; trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin

slice of humanity served on a wheelchair only a few seats from me. All the while,

my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him.

Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern,
and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man.

I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall.

I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings,

something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing.

I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my
spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. "Oh, no, God, please,
no." I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it
into heaven and said, "Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now.

Please. I'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me get up here

and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!"

There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, "Please don't
make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane." Then I
heard it... "I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his
hair."

The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts
spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainier.
I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, "God, as I live and
breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man.

I'm on this Lord. I'm your girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a
man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a
mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man."

Again as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write
this statement across the wall of my mind. "That is not what I said,
Beth. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair."

I looked up at God and quipped, "I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my
suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a
hairbrush?" God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk

toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: "I will
thoroughly furnish you unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:17)

I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself.

Even as I retell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies.
I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, "Sir,
may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"

He looked back at me and said, "What did you say?"

"May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"

To which he responded in volume ten, "Little lady, if you expect me to
hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that."

At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, "SIR, MAY I HAVE THE
PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?"

At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only
thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Longlocks. Face
crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me

with absolute shock on his face, and say, "If you really want to." Are you kidding?

Of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference

right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words,

"Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush."

"I have one in my bag," he responded.

I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and
knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I
was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was
perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don't do many things
well, but must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair
mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa
in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands,
remembering to take my time not to pull.

A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's
hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for

those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and

I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair. I know this sounds so strange,

but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life.

I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes - felt
a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a
little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while.


The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's.

His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's.
I slipped the brush back in the bag and went around the chair to face him.

I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knees and said, "Sir, do you know my Jesus?"

He said, "Yes, I do." Well, that figures, I thought.


He explained, "I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't
marry me until I got to know the Savior." He said, "You see, the problem
is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and
she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself,
what a mess I must be for my bride."

Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're completely

unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when

I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment,

and I'll never forget it. Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane.

I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have

accompanied him on that aircraft.


I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the
airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her
cheeks. She said, "That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did
you do that? What made you do that?"

I said, "Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!"
And we got to share.

I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted,
you're hungry, you're serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on
but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or
feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of
temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed.

He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need!

I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many
opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way. . . all
because I didn't want people to think I was strange. God didn't send me
to that old man. He sent that old man to me.

John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

We Have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from

the Father, full of grace and truth."

Life shouldn't be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather, to skid in
broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly shouting,
"Wow! What a ride! Thank You, Lord!"

We're Home!

I know everyone wants details about our trip. I promise they are coming! However, after 2,372 miles on the road and every park in Orlando, this is just a post. I will get all of the wonderful pix from the trip together and all nice and pretty for an awesome blog post! This post is about Addy, surprising, I know!

People ask me all the time how I keep Addy's O2 on her face. Well, it's usually not a big deal, she pulls on her cannula and we sign and say "no" to her and say "not a toy". Just like we do with her Mic-KEY button. Anyway, while we were unloading the U-Haul, we were letting her play on the floor since she had been in a car seat or her stroller way too much this past week! Well, she decided that since we are home she really doesn't need her oxygen (I agree, but we didn't want to risk it in Florida). We do take her off, two four hour periods a day, but I leave her adhesives on so her face doesn't get any more raw than it already does! She pulled off her cannula while we were all busy and she was so proud of herself and just laughed and laughed! Not me, though her poor face!

Does this face scream orneriness or what!