Hug and Howdy

Last night at church during Hug and Howdy time, I tried my hardest to get hugs from and say hello to everyone I could. When we started to sing again, when H&H was over, I looked around the auditorium and others were doing the same thing. There were so many people out of their seats. So many hugs going around. There wasn't enough time. Not that it was any less time than usual, there are just so many relationships the God has made special there. It made me cherish the fact that you know you are at a great church with some wonderful people when there just isn't enough hug and howdy time to fit it all in. We are so blessed to be surrounded by so many people who love each other but, more than that, they love and worship our heavenly Father. I love our church and thank God everyday for blessing us with such a special place to worship and fellowship.

Braden's Feeding Evaluation

This morning was the day that I took Braden to be evaluated on his eating ability. For several months now I have thought something was wrong but could not put my finger on it. We kept trying and trying but, were unsuccessful at helping him learn to eat. He is 9 months old now and has never had a meal other than nursing. Braden is also waking 2-3 times a night, no matter what I do, to eat. He eats like he is starving and then goes right back to sleep. I have let him cry several times but it just always seems to me like he is so hungry and needs me to feed him.
Well...this morning, long story short, the two sweet ladies that worked and worked with him came to the same conclusion I have come to. His muscles in his mouth are too tight to get any food to go down. His tongue stays rigid along with his cheek muscles. He is eager to try the food and to put it in his mouth but, beyond that he is unable to actually eat it. God has been so faithful to keep this heavily on my heart. I battled back and forth on whether or not we should have him evaluated but, after this morning I am convinced that God placed it on my heart for a reason. Braden is so capable of so many things. He is ahead in almost ever motor skill but, in this case, he needs someone to teach him how to relax those muscles. This is something beyond what I know to teach him. I just know that God has also provided us with the people who are caring and fully capable of filling in the gaps that we need. We are going to start with one to two therapy sessions a week and hopefully get some relief soon. Overall, I think they plan to see us for about six months, which sounds like so long. We are fortunate though, because some kiddos have 2 year plans, so we count this a blessing too.
I have to say that I am so happy it is not a huge deal but, that we did get him checked out. I am also happy to be in such wonderful hands and to have friends near by. Kendra Vaughn works up there and joined us for a little while which was such a blessing. Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement and for the many prayers sent up for us. I have not shared this with many people yet, not because I didn't want to, but because it took me a long time to realize something was wrong and then to describe it to people was difficult too. Keep praying that Braden will learn and adapt quickly and that I can be as encouraging to him as he needs.
I am a little giddy too, because I am seeing sleep in my future which, after nine months, makes me just smile. I will keep you all posted on our progress. Keep the prayers coming.

Freeby Family Update

In my last post I wrote about potty training Cason. I chose to go with Lora Jensen's 3 Day Potty Training. The intense training lasted for 3 long days and I have to say it was so worth it. We have had a couple of accidents here and there but, overall Cason is potty trained night and day. He is so smart and knew exactly what we were doing. He caught on really well and I am so thankful that God gave me all that I needed to get this done. There were many times during those three days that I needed patience, understanding, energy, encouragement, a heart felt smile, and so much more. God granted me all that I needed and more. Freeby was such a help too. When he wasn't backing me up, he was taking over with Braden, the house cleaning, going to the store, and everything in between. There is no way Cason and I could have been successful without him. Cason is so proud of himself and we are proud of him too.
Braden is also growing and changing so much. He will be walking in no time. We are having a few struggles with his feeding, though. At 5 months we started to introduce oatmeal and baby food. We tried again and again and again without any progress. He is now 9 months old and we have not made much more progress. He likes most everything. We try all kinds of baby food as well as our table food but, he is just unable to get any food to stay in his mouth and go down. We have an appointment to have an IFE (infant feeding evaluation) on Sept. 10th and would greatly appreciate prayers for this. He is also not sleeping through the night at all. I am hoping that when he is able to get a good amount on his stomach that he will be able to go longer without being hungry. I am making it sound like he is a difficult baby and to be honest that is not the case at all. Braden is so easy in every other area. He is so mobile and curious about everything. He is so good at entertaining himself and playing with anything and everything. He loves to laugh and smile. He is so happy and we just don't know what we would do without him.
Freeby and I just keep on going. Although we are so tired, we are also so blessed to have such precious boys as our best friends. We are going to miss these stages, that the boys are in right now, so much when they are gone. For now, we just try to soak it all in and cherish every moment that we have with them and each other. God is so good to us.

Victories and Failures

Today we are celebrating both. We have decided that Cason is ready for potty training. Today was day one of three of intense teaching and learning. I read up on it and decided to go with a hard core three day program. (More on that later, depending on how successful it is.) Cason has done so well today. I am so proud of him and will write so much more later. Today has worn me out but, what a blessing it is to celebrate his efforts. Last night I prayed for patience, discernment, fast thinking, understanding, ease of teaching, and so much more. God has been so faithful to grant me all of that today. I have found so much delight in watching Cason learn and grow today. My little boy is growing up before my eyes and I could not be prouder. I am off to bed as well as looking forward to another fun filled potty training day tomorrow.

25th Anniversary Celebration

Last night we celebrated my parents being at RHCC for 25 years. What a great night it was. It is so out of character for my dad to be in the spotlight. In fact, it is almost uncomfortable for him. But, it was great to hear what so many had to say about both of my parents. I have always known that Dad and Mom have had an amazing impact on the people at our church. To hear them encourage them and dote on Dad a little was wonderful. His spiritual gifts are many but, his gift of mercy shines bright. So many people talked about his mercy last night and I have to second everything they said. I have been so blessed in my life to have the two parents that I was given. I love to see and hear that others feel the same way about them.
As a child I saw more behind the scenes stuff than most, and I can honestly say that Dad has always handled things with the love of Christ and had others interest at heart. He loves so deeply and those who have been touched by him love him deeply too. Our church family is so wonderful. What a great and blessed 25 years it has been! I thank God for each and every blessing he has given to us and I pray for many more blessings on the RHCC people.

I'm In Love With Three Men

Okay, maybe not three men, but one man and two boys. I think it is about time I blog about something that is about our family and what we are up to.
First, Freeby. He is doing really well. He loves his job and does it so well. I am so proud of him at every turn. His job is so demanding but he always seems to have something left over for us here at home. He is an incredible husband and dad. He spoils me rotten and our boys simply adore him. Every day when the boys hear him pull in the driveway they go running and cannot wait for him to open the door. He continues to bless us with his growth in the Lord and the leadership that he shows to our family.
Next, Cason. Where do I start? This kid is hilarious. He keeps us constantly entertained. He is coming up on 2 1/2 years and he does more and more every day. He loves to sing, count, say his ABC's, basically show off in any way that he can. He adores trains (especially Thomas the tank engine) and "Cars". He loves to try every sport and he is pretty good at most everything he tries. Cason is especially good at kicking. He loves soccer and football. Just the other day, though, he was begging us for a tennis racket, so we broke down and bought him one. He has used it every day since and has gotten pretty good. For that matter, Freeby and I have improved on our skills too. Cason has also started to encourage his dad by saying things like, "Good job, Dad" or "Good boy, Daddy". Things with Cason have gone so fast, like everyone said. But, we are enjoying every moment and are amazed at how much God has blessed us with this one.
Last, but not least, Braden. Braden is so unique and so different from Cason yet, he loves his big brother's attention. They are just starting to really interact and play a little bit with each other. Braden has been pretty remarkable in his physical ability. It is obvious that he wants to be where Cason is at all times because he started really crawling at 6 months and has not slowed down since. He loves to pull up on anything and everything. It is hard to keep Braden in one place because he loves to see and be a part of everything. He has also mastered the art of smiling. This kid can light up a room with his smile. He enjoys playing and interacting and it shows. When he gets going with his belly laugh it is not long before everyone in the room is laughing too, because it is so contagious. I love to hear him laugh and see him smile. Braden is also very emotional. He gets so sad if his toy is taken away of if he can't find who he is looking for in the house. He has such a tender heart. I think this trait is going to serve him well later in life. I know that God has equipped him to feel things deeply for himself and for others. I look forward to what God has in store for him.
As you can tell, I am totally smitten with all the men in my life. I am truly blessed and adore the ones God has placed in my life. I love to look back and see what God was planning. I am also enjoying living in the moment God has given me right now. It gives me confidence to look ahead and have no idea what the future holds but know who holds that future.

Happy Birthday Taylor!!!

Happy Birthday to my precious sister and best friend! Life is sweeter with you in it. I still remember the first time I got to hold you. I knew right away that you were something special. Hope you have a great day!