Happening in our world

This is a picture of Natalie feeding herself. That little girl of mine LOVES macaroni and cheese. I just thought it was adorable and thought I would share with you all.

Not much is going on in our world. Michael starts preschool on the 6th of August. Natalie is still walking like a champ. Michael also discovered how to pull himself onto our bed.

For a couple of months now Michael has known how to pull himself to his knees using the couch and other things but last night he pulled himself onto our bed. Now let me explain that Matt and I don't sleep on a normal bed.

In our room we have two queen beds and boxsprings on the floor next to each other. So its not that far to pull himself up on but it shows that he is getting the strength to do that kind of stuff.

This week is very busy for us. Today I have to go register Michael for school and then tonight at church with the youth group we are playing "Bigger and Better". Its an awesome game and is alot of fun. Then tomorrow I do a bible study with some friends of mine. Wednesday is church. Thursday my friend is having a jewelry show and after that is a youth workers meeting. And then friday I am going to a Beth Moore conference. I can't wait.

Memories

So here's how it works....
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.
If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.So there you have it! Post away! Oh,and if you don't "know" me well enough to have a memory, feel free to use anything you've read here. A favorite post you've read, etc. that way everyone can play!

Random things and Cheese

So Natalie is taking more and more steps as she continues on her quest of figuring out the joy of walking. Michael is doing good, he really likes to beat up Natalie and take her down.

A couple of other things that have happened this week is that we are no longer going to San Diego, which is fine. Although I am going to miss seeing the ocean. I love the ocean. And that we have moved our trip to utah from august to october so that we can see my sister Carol's family while they are up there also. I am very excited about that.

Something good that happened this week is that Michael finally got a place at a therapist office(PT, OT and Speech) that is 20 miles closer to home. Thank you GOD!!!!!! I have been praying about that for 7 long weeks now and finally he has a place. I am excited about that.

We had a meeting with Michael's preschool people yesterday and saw what classroom he will be in, in the fall. He did get a morning session spot which I am so thankful, as Michael really relies on his naps. School starts in just 4 weeks. I can't believe it.

So on a more random note.... My brother Andrew is probably one of the goofiest people I know. And he is obsessed with cheese. Every year for my b-day or christmas he offers to buy me a cheese log. So today I got an e-mail from him and this is what it said......... (BTW I did get his permission to post it on my blog just so you know)

i like cheese.

i think i will build a huge wall of cheese in the shape of a large B or maybe a Q because you see, if i had a huge wall of cheese i could do things with it LOTS of things! like charge a toll for passage through my wall of cheese or perhaps patrol the top of my wall of cheese to watch for intruders i would need a spear of cheese, i could call it the cheesy spear of DEATH! and that would be important if i ever got mixed up in a cheese war dirty cheese thief's trying to tare down my wall!

i think i would have to build it in wisconsini think the reason why wisconsin has the best cheese is the climate its cold in the winter and not too hot in the summer but still hot enough to let the cheese grow! plus its next to canada only separated by a big lake so i could have my wall of cheese on the american side and they on the canadian side and i could build huge cheese catapults to launch giant balls of cheese into canada and then they would have no choice but to taste my superior cheese and by tasting it they would know that the cheese war against me and wisonsin was futile and they would surrender to me all their cheesy munitions then i could build TWO walls of cheese. one to keep out the canadians and one to keep out the french!!dirty french!!

walking, crawling and such

So Natalie has finally started to show an interest in walking. She will stand up on her own and get a big smile on her face and then she'll take a few steps. Its the cutest thing. I'll have to post a picture one of these days.

Michael has started to crawl on all fours. Its still a little more like leaping but its better then the army crawling he has been doing for the past year. He had an eye appointment yesterday and the doctor said that his eyes look great. Its great news to hear, and I am very relieved.

The such part is that as some of you know my DH has a old truck that has over 173,000 miles on it. Well considering the fact that it can't hold the four of us (its just a regular cab) and that its ten years old now, He finally got a new truck. Its a nice truck that has a super crew so it has a back seat that will hold all four of us. And my favorite part about it is that it has a DVD player in it. This will make our lives easier when we travel to utah in august. My kids really like to watch DVD's and so this will give them a distraction of sorts.

I think thats all the news from here now.

VBS and other things

So as you can see from when my friend Michele, hijacked my blog. My kids had a great time at VBS.

I was a little not concerned exactly but anxious I guess is the right term because I didn't know how Michael was going to do. God certainly blessed us when Charissa, Shy and Jessica said that it was ok for Michael to go into the older class. I can not describe in words how blessed I feel for them because of the awesome and amazing way they took care of Michael. They treated him like any other kid and I am so blessed.

Of course Natalie also had amazing teachers but as she is a "typical" child I don't worry quite as much about how teachers are going to react to her.

I had a blast teaching 4th grade VBS this year. And the kids I taught really seemed to enjoy it too. And of course I got to teach with Robert and it was so much fun.

Over at my friend Michele's blog, (yes the one who hijacked my blog) she found a youtube video about cardboard testimonies. I have to tell you that it took me about three or four different times to watch it. It seemed like every time I tried to watch it one of the kids needed something or it would not load for me. So today when I got back from grocery shopping I decided that I was finally going to watch it. It took my breath away at how amazing and right on some of those testimonies were.

As some of my friends know, I am addicted to reading blogs. Not writing them, but reading blogs. I guess I haven't been very interested in writing blogs because I don't feel like I have that much to say to people, and that my testimony wasn't and isn't that interesting. But I guess that watching that video and some other things that have happened the last couple of weeks really has shown me that God has a plan for me to. THat my life is not as boring or as mediocre as I think it is.

About a month ago I wrote an e-mail to a blog I read often and I would like to share it as a short version of my testimony about Michael. I hope you enjoy it.

"I am a mother of a wonderful special needs son named Michael. Michael is almost 3, deaf, not walking, has only been sitting unassisted for about a year and is now understanding how to work his whole body so he can eventually crawl like other kids do.

I am also a believer and about 2 years ago my in-laws invited to go to a healing service at the church they attend. I argued and pleaded with God to not make me go. For half an hour on the way home from work I had a conversation with God. His answer was "Go, and it will all be ok"

So I went and it was the most eye opening church experience I have ever had. Have you ever seen that movie with Steve Martin "Leap of Faith" when he plays a fake evangelist, and everything was a show. Thats just what I saw when I walked into this church.

They (the pastors at this church) told me that my son was cursed and that only if I had enough faith would he be healed. They also put a time limit on God's healing. They said that Michael would be healed within a week.

Well here we are almost 2 years later, and Michael is not healed, in the sense that they had told me he was going to be. But maybe I am.

I love the analogy that you used with the pottery. Ever since that sunday morning that we went to that church, I have slowly but surely putting the pieces of my relationship with God, back together.

God is good, all the time.

We have since learned what Michael has, and in every logical sense, every human thought process Michael will never be completely healed. He (and so do I) have a rare chromosome deletion. He is missing part of his X chromosome. Its not a big deal in me because women have two X's, but my little boy (and all men) only have one and the part of his X he is missing affects his motor skills and his hearing and possibly his sight. But God is good all the time. "


And I meant what I said to her, God is good all the time.

Have a blessed Saturday

Vacation Bible School Fun

BLOG HIJACK!

Hi,
I'm Michele, one of Audre's friends from church. While Audre has been busy teaching 4th Grade VBS this week, I have been busy taking pictures of all of the kids. I have been amazed to see how much Michael has grown up over the last several months. He has the most incredible teachers this week, and every time I have visited Michael's room, he has been actively engaged in all kinds of activities. He has really enjoyed going to worship, and last night he loved making the flower necklace. Michael was so fascinated by all the colors and textures in the necklace, it was so fun to watch him interact with his teachers and other children.

Tonight during recreation the teachers made a special activity for Michael. It was a miniature ball pit with bright colored balls, and stuffed animals. He played forever in the ball pit, he loved it. Michael is such a ham...he loved having his picture taken tonight, and grinned bigger each time that I took his picture.

Of course Natalie is always a cutie, so I had to add a few pictures of her as well.

Audre, I hope you enjoy this. God has truly blessed you and Matt with two beautiful children. I admire your strength and courage in coordinating all of Michael's care. He is lucky to have such a great Mom!

Love ya,
Michele :)

My Beautiful Children

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Here are some updated pics of the kids. I can't believe that Natalie is fourteen months today and Michael will be three in august. My how time flies. Hope everyone is doing well