I've had many e-mails asking about Brooks and I think I've replied to all of them.  I apologize if I missed any.  Life has simply been busy with caring for him on top of my other regular duties.  :-)

When the doctor got in there to repair the loose anchor/screw, he saw that the tendon had torn in a new place.  The doctor repaired the new tear and the loose anchor.  They didn't do a shoulder block this time so Brooks was in a lot of pain directly afterwards.

I am very happy to say that he is doing much better this time around.  This new pain medicine works much better for him.  He is actually sleeping each night.  He's had one PT session since the surgery and goes for another on Tuesday.  Tuesday is also his follow-up with the doctor. 

I hope everyone had a wonderfully Merry Christmas.  I'll try and post more soon.

I only thought our family would be closing out 2009 with three surgeries.  On Friday morning as Brooks was getting out of bed he felt and heard a pop.  We ended up at the doctor's office.  The x-ray revealed that one of the three anchors/screws popped loose out of the bone so on Monday we will be returning to the surgery center for another surgery.  Our doctor was in surgery all day on Friday so we saw another doctor in the practice.  He was quite surprised that it had come loose and said that it is rare for that to happen.  Because our doctor was in surgery all day, we were told to keep our Tuesday appointment and a plan would be made from there.  Friday evening we recv'd a phone call from the surgery center letting us know that our doctor had looked at Brooks' x-ray and he would be coming in on his day off, Monday, to repair it.  So at 6am on Monday, we'll be back at the surgery center.

All of this could be very overwhelming and I certainly have my moments but at the same time it could always be so much worse.  I am continually reminded to keep a Holy perspective.  God is in control.  None of this is taking Him by surprise. 

Prayers are much appreciated for this surgery and recovery.

On Monday before Brooks' surgery we went to the ICE show at Gaylord Opryland.  The theme this year is Charlie Brown.  The children had lots of fun and enjoyed the slide made of ice a great deal.

We had to get Mark's picture with Linus since he's our little Linus (loves his blankie)

My favorite part each year is the ICE Nativity scene.  It's always so beautiful.  I was frozen by the time we reached this point so I only have one picture of this scene.

As a side note -- The children hadn't ever seen any Charlie Brown shows.  It had been forever since I had seen any.  We got A Charlie Brown Christmas from Netflix so the children could see it and have an understanding of the theme of ICE.  Do you know how many times they call one another "stupid" in that show?  Way too many to count and certainly way too much to be a suitable show for our family.  I was surprised how mean they are to one another.  One of the children asked "why do they treat Charlie Brown that way".  All of the children thought it was a program we shouldn't watch again.  I was glad to see their discernment in that. 

Brooks' rotator cuff surgery went very well today.  The doctor was very pleased with how surgery went.  They did a shoulder block so his pain is low right now.  They say when the shoulder block wears off the pain will be great. 

On Monday he starts physical therapy.  PT will be 3x a week for 6 weeks.  He has to wear the sling for 6-8 weeks.  No pictures to share today.  :-)  I'll try and take a picture of him in his lovely sling in the next few days. 

Praising God for Brooks' parents that stayed with the children today and for our amazing church family that is providing meals for the next few days. 

On Saturday Brooks escorted Bekah to the Confederate Christmas Ball.  She had an amazing time.  Brooks said she didn't stop smiling the whole night.  She told me all about all of the dances (Virgina Reel, Patty Cake Polka, Gallop, Carolina Promenade etc...)  She can't wait to go again.

And here she is with Grandma and Grandpa.

Our sweet Happy dog would have turned 8 years old today.  At the first part of September we found out that Happy had cancer.  The vet told us she might live two days or two months but her time left was short.  She lived just over the two month mark.  She gradually got worse and worse.  Her sight was the first thing to go.  It was amazing how well she adjusted to being blind though.  A short time later her hearing would come and go.  On Tuesday of this week, Happy couldn't walk.  Her back legs would still work but she couldn't get her front legs to move in the position she needed them to to be able to actually walk.  So on Tuesday afternoon we took Happy to the vet.  The children each wrote a note to Happy and put it in the box with her.  The notes were so beautiful.  I wish I had known how sweet and precious they were as I would have copied them.  I didn't read the notes ahead of time.  Each child read their note at a little funeral we had for Happy.  So here is a little walk down memory lane of our sweet Happy dog.

On Thanksgiving Day while at Nana and Papa's house, Mark was looking through the advertisements.  He found one for an Nintendo DS Lite for 50.00 (pre-owned)  Off and on he mentions wanting one of these but Brooks and I didn't have any plans to make this purchase for him.  He has been saving his money this year and had saved $60.00.  He said 'if this is 50.00 then I'll have $10.00 left over -- well, a little less with tax"  Yep, that's right buddy.  He asked if he could purchase it and we told him we would discuss it. 

Brooks and I decided that we would let him purchase this if that's how he wanted to spend his money.  We told him he would have to get up early on Friday morning.  So at 5:30 a.m. on Friday morning, I woke Mark and asked if he still wanted to go.  He was in a sound sleep but he flew out of the bed in no time.  He looked outside and saw that it was still dark and asked me "Can you drive in the dark?"   

We got in the car and off we went.   While the store was crowded, we didn't have to wait in line outside the store or anything.  We returned home and he is very happy with his purchase.

We have rules for it and he has been obeying the rules without any problems thus far. 

Bethany Grace continues to battle on-going sinus infections.  It's not uncommon to find her like this in the middle of the day:

So I am beyond thrilled when she is feeling better and can make it through the day without a nap or needing a rest.  She has been feeling really well the past couple of weeks.  Last week I snapped this picture of her as we were getting ready to go out for the evening to enjoy the "flipping the switch" of the lights at Gaylord Opryland and then off to see the Rockettes.

We recently were finally able to get together with our precious friends, The Hall Family, -- well, a portion of the family.  We had a great time catching up and are reminded how very sweet our friendship is.  God is so good to bless us with so many wonderful friends.

Mark enjoying  some time in the pool:

The group gathered to pose for a quick picture before we had to leave. 

We've been close friends with this family since Mark was born.  It's so great to reconnect.  The children can't wait to do it again.

I recv'd this today from HSLDA e-lert service:

November 20, 2009

Senate Will Vote on Health Care Bill Creating
Home Visitation Programs--Urgent Calls Needed!

The U.S. Senate will vote at 8 p.m. Saturday, November 21, on whether
to proceed regarding H.R. 3590.  If 60 senators vote for cloture,
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will then substitute his 2,074-page
bill, "The Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act," in
place of H.R. 3590.  This bill will become a shell for the Senate's
version of health care reform, which it will debate and may ultimately
approve.

Majority Leader Reid's bill, the "Patient Protection and Affordable
Health Care Act," is the fifth of six health care bills created by
leaders in Congress that has included federal funding for new home
visitation programs.

While HSLDA does not normally urge its members to act on legislation
relating to health reform, we see the "Patient Protection and
Affordable Health Care Act" as a serious threat to parental rights.
This $848 billion bill calls for home visitation programs which would
empower government officials to teach parents how to raise their own
children.  Although these programs will not be mandatory, parents may
feel pressured to participate, allowing the federal government
unprecedented access into private homes and involvement in early
education. To read more on how "The Patient Protection and Affordable
Health Care Act" threatens your right as a parent to raise your
children as you see fit, please see our preliminary analysis on the
bill at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7260 .

ACTION REQUESTED

Please call your senators today and urge them to vote against cloture
on "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" in H.R. 3590.  You
do not need to identify yourself as a homeschooler. You can use some
or all of the following message:

"I am opposed to 'The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,'
substituted in H.R. 3590 because Section 2951 creates home
visitation/early education programs through grants to the states.  
Parents, not federal or state officials, should make child-rearing
decisions for their children. Please vote no on cloture."

You can reach your two U.S. senators by calling the Capitol
Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Or find contact information for your
senators by using HSLDA's Legislative Toolbox at
http://www.hslda.org/toolbox .

Sincerely,

J. Michael Smith, Esq.
President, HSLDA

Our fall soccer season has come to an end.  We had another wonderful season with some good life lessons along the way. 

The girls had a great end to their season.  They won the championship.  It was even better because Brooks was their coach.

Here's the team giving high 5 after a goal:

We had an amazing goalie, Hannah. 

Here's the whole team with their championship trophies:

And my girls --

Bekah was feeling really good and had asked Brooks if she could play.  He told her that he would put her in toward the end of the game.  She can run and play but she is supposed to avoid falling.  Not too long into the game, one of our players got hurt so Bekah went in and played the whole game.  She was out of shape from no activity since the end of August but she did a great job and the girls really enjoyed playing the final game of the season together. 

Mark had a great last game.  Here he is with his buddy, Jackson:

And Mark and Brooks:

Sam's team almost made it to the championship game.  They lost in a shoot out in Friday night's game.  Sam's coach said a small little something about each player as he gave the trophy.  When the coach gave Sam his trophy he said "Sam I can play any position (last name)" Here is Sam receiving his trophy:

We have a couple of months of no soccer.  Sam will play indoor winter soccer and that begins in January. 

I was able to snap a few pictures of Mark at his game this weekend.  He and Sam almost always play at the same time.  Between trying to watch both games, cheer for both boys, video both games and snap pictures -- well, I don't do a very good job of getting all that done.  :-)

Mark and Jackson

I took this picture to show the green on Mark's face.  He had very much enjoyed the snack of a fruit roll-up thing.  The green doesn't show as much in the picture.

Bekah had surgery to repair her collar bone.  It's hard to believe it's been five weeks; however, for her, it has definitely felt like five weeks.  She hasn't been in pain but the restrictions have made that five weeks seem like ten weeks to her.  She had a follow-up appointment yesterday and the doctor was very pleased with her progress.  In fact, he released her and she doesn't return to see him until the spring.  He said she might even be able to play spring soccer.  She is now free to run but must be careful.  He told her he still doesn't want her taking a fall and no contact sports.  She is so happy to be able to run and play.  As soon as we returned home yesterday she was outside running and playing. 

Here are her x-rays from yesterday:

Last week Mark took his first official Math test.  I haven't been giving him any tests because I know if he's mastered the material or not and he's just in Kindergarten.  He wants to be just like the "big kids" and that means doing school like they do (on his own as much as possible) and taking tests like they do.  So last week he finished his Pace and took his test on Friday.  He was soooooo excited.  He ran to tell Bethany, "Bethany, I get to take a test tomorrow.  I finished my pace and I get to take a test tomorrow.  I love this school.  I love this school.  I love this school"  He was jumping up and down shouting how much he loves "this school", which translates to this curriculum.  It's funny because he has completed several other books but they were all thicker and didn't bring nearly as much excitement.  Something about these small paces and finishing one and starting another really bring him joy. 

Here he is with his completed test:

He was very happy to begin his new pace today and was sure to ask me "Mommy, do you have a lot of these for me?  I am going to be needing more very soon." 

It's such a joy to see Mark growing and learning more and more each day.  Yesterday morning while getting ready for church he had some "issues".  He wasn't happy about the pants he needed to wear.  He ended up getting them on but still had a bit of an attitude about it.  We went on to church and planned to deal with it when we returned home.  As church began, he still had an attitude and would pull away if I touched his shoulder.  I instructed him that he was being rude and he needed to get his heart right.  The service went on and we listened to the teaching etc....  It came time for communion.  During our quiet time to prepare our hearts for communion, Mark came to me and asked me to forgive him for being rude and not showing love.  He then went to Brooks and asked Brooks to forgive him for having the attitude about the pants (Brooks was the one dealing with that)  I thanked the Lord for working in the life of Mark and for Mark hearing and responding to the Lord working in his life.  God is so good to give us these glimpses along the way.  It is an encouragement to continue on this hard work that is before us. 

The boys were having a wonderful time in our beautiful weather yesterday so I grabbed the camera and snapped a few pictures. 

Mark is so blessed to have such an amazing older brother.  Sam is so patient and loving with Mark.  Equally, Sam is blessed to have Mark for a younger brother.  Mark looks up to Sam and wants to be just like him.  He is often doing -- or attempting to do -- a chore for Sam or something special for him.   As I watch the boys play and interact together, I am reminded of the seminar that S.M. Davis does on "Why Satan Wants Your Firstborn" and I completely see what he says and totally agree with it. 

This one is blurry but I love the smile on Mark's face:

I am certainly blessed.

Bethany is really enjoying this soccer season.  She had to move up to the U13 division this year.  She was so looking fwd to playing with Bekah.  Of course, all of that ended when Bekah got injured. 

Bekah's team had their end-of-season party on Sunday.  Here she is with Coach Jeff:

and w/ Coach Jon:

These two coaches are amazingly wonderful.  They love the Lord and we were blessed to have them as coaches. 

And here is Bekah's collar bone as it is healing.  This is just after all of the bandages are off so the yellow spot is residue from medical tape.

Her next appointment is on October 20th.  She is healing very nicely and is doing more and more each day.  She is feeling so much better that she is now tired of doing nothing (well, tired of just sitting around and reading etc...)  She's feeling so much better that she'd like to be able to run and play.  Her bone is achy when it is cooler outside.  She had that happen for the first time on Sunday when the temps were lower. 

I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I normally do on vacation since I was spending much time taking care of Bekah.  We had a lovely time and were so thankful for our time away.

Bekah spent much our time away reading:

Long before her birthday, Bekah had requested that we be on the beach for her birthday so we had planned accordingly.  We were to check in the day before her birthday and she was looking forward to spending the day on the beach.  Of course, we didn't plan for the injury to happen on 8/27.  The doctors told us that we could still go on vacation as she could sit and heal on the beach as easily as she could at home.  Of course, she was greatly disappointed w/ the injury because now she couldn't really play and enjoy the ocean like she normally does. 

Our friends, Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo, live near our vacation spot so we planned to get together with them while there.  We ended up getting together with them on Bekah's birthday and they made her day so special.  When we arrived and entered the home we saw birthday decorations.  Bekah was surprised.  Gary grilled out and we enjoyed delicious food, followed by cake and ice cream.  They even got her a present.  Another great thing was two other families came over so it was like a little party.  The children (except Bekah) all enjoyed going out on the boat w/ Mr. Ezzo.  Mark LOVED riding his golf cart and Mr. Ezzo even let him drive.  Yes, Mark talked about that for days. 

We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends.  What could have been a not so great birthday ended up being very special.

I have a few pictures from our visit but they aren't all that great -- lots of back lighting in their beautiful home and I'm not good at taking pictures or editing them to counteract that. 

Here is Mrs. Ezzo getting the cake ready:

Bekah blowing out candles:

and opening her present:

And, of course, Mr. and Mrs. Ezzo along with Missy. 

My update on her surgery is very late -- sorry about that.  I think I've been able to answer all the e-mails that came through though. 

Her surgery went very well.  It was scheduled for 2pm but didn't actually get started until 4:20.  No big deal -- if there's any time I want a doctor taking his time, it's in surgery!!!  We love our doctor.  He is wonderful.  He went over the procedure and answered all questions etc...and then prayed with us before surgery began.  The surgery lasted about 45 minutes and he came out to share with us how it went.  As he shared, he gave God all the glory.  God was so good to us to put this doctor in our path. 

I forgot my camera the day of surgery so we had to use the camera on the phone, which isn't the best. 

Here she is after she had gotten her IV and waiting for the bag of fluids to enter her body :-)

Bekah is a Daddy's girl and she held on to his hand the entire time.  I am so blessed that she has such an amazing Daddy:

Bekah has surgery scheduled for tomorrow, Wed., at 2pm.  She has been wanting to attend one of her soccer games since the accident but it just hasn't happened.  We were either out of town, she didn't feel up to it or were at the doctor's office.  We found out on Monday that she would be having surgery on Wednesday.  We had planned to take her to the soccer game Thursday night but with this new information, we changed our plans.  We went to the soccer game last night.  She so enjoyed being with her team and watching them play.  The girls on the team are all so kind and caring.  When I looked to see where the game was I told Bekah:  "Guess where your game is tonight?"  She gave me a look and said "where"  Yep, that's right.... back to the place where the injury happened.  She laughed and said "the scene of the crime."  Her team had gotten a soccer ball and all her teammates had signed it.  It was such a thoughtful and special gift.