I had started this and just found it....oops!! (plus now, school has already started...enjoy, if you dare to read each word instead of just looking at the pictures...
First, I forgot to share something in my last post, because the celebration hadn't happened yet...THE SUMMER READING PROJECTS ARE COMPLETE!!! ALL OF THEM!! RE-PRINTED AND STAPLED AND PLACED IN THE PLASTIC REPORT COVER!!! Thank you God!! Now, I just pray they are correct!! Honestly the 5th grade project did not make complete sense to me, or several other parents I talked to...sooooo it will be what it will be! End of story! We had promised a cake in the end because the daddy had to lay down the law...lay, lie, lain, could never get them straight as much as I loved English!! Like who and whom...That's right, he said, 'NO ONE IS WATCHING TV OR PLAYING THE WII OR USING ANY ELECTRONICS UNTIL EVERYONE IS FINISHED!!" That meant EVERYONE!! If one was not done, then no one could use electronics...It was great! It was so peaceful and they were nice and kind and loving...they laughed and enjoyed each other...the 3 youngest got their projects done and then it was down to one...they were on him...little by little it was completed, and I think the end result is an A...we shall see...they worked hard, and I was proud of their efforts once they "got it." The cake I picked up, not exactly what I would have picked for 4 boys, but it didn't matter!! Cake is cake and if it is from Publix that is even better!!
I meant to give Morgan and Michael a gift that night also, but FORGOT! I know, can you imagine?? The next afternoon I gave them each a brown bag, with red, white and blue tissue paper...
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| New square leg suits (they can also be used for Bolles!!) |
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USA SWIM CAPS (just found out today that they actually will have a cap from Speedo with the Games logo)
(they ended up using the USA CAPS!!) |
So anyone that knows me WELL, knows that I am NOT a traveler!! I am still amazed that I went to China last year and brought home a wonderful blessing from God!! So it took a while to pack ( a week, off and on), trying to get everything organized so everyone had THEIR own stuff in THEIR own bag!
Finally got it done! Actually, I had to be done, because it was this morning and it was time to go...already have some things I didn't bring that I meant to...THE STEP STOOL!!! WHAT?? So Michael can reach the sink in the hotel room...So he will have to wash his hands in the shower...it is okay and I'm sure that it issomething that most people would not even think about...that he is too little to reach the sink...I'm his mother and forgot the step stool...it is right outside my closet, where I had set it, he is fine and has had to do without much more than that before last June 25th, which is why it makes me feel worse when I don't come through on things for him...nothing I can do now, so I am over it...
(For the record, I TOOK WAY TOO MUCH STUFF and they did not each need their own bag!!!)
The ride Thursday with us leaving a little later than we had
planned, but by 5:30am
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| can't believe I actually wrote that!! |
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| the flash on my phone is REALLY bright!! |
we were on the
rode…we knew we wanted to drive at least 12 hours, hoping for 14…went through
Georgia, Tennessee and made it to Kentucky, just before Lexington.
Stopped
several times, took a couple of pictures and pulled up to a Holiday Inn
express. Matt went in told them we just pulled off the interstate and he had 4
boys and me. I was doing some breathing
exercises, praying they would allow our family of 6 in a room! Lots of hotels aren’t fans of larger families
and they want you to get 2 rooms, NO CAN DO!!
He texted me a few minutes later, said we got the suite with King size,
queen size bed and pull out sofa, a Jacuzzi tub and breakfast!! Thank you
Jesus!! How awesome. You know we are not
big travelers so our kids are hilarious when we go anywhere! They walked in and you could see the light around
the room like a halo! Of course the tub
was the best part!
We dropped off our
overnight bags and then headed out for dinner. Our waitress was great, sounded
like Carrie Underwood and she assured us that she could not sing like her. She
was precious asked where we were from, where we were headed. We explained we
were going to the World Dwarf Games in MI…It’s easiest to explain that it is
like the Olympics, but just for short-statured individuals from around the
world. The waitress thought it was cool
and wished the boys good luick on our way out…Back at the room the 3 younger
boys got to grab a shower and a Jacuzzi tub and then they all watched a movie
before they went to sleep…
I woke up this morning before the alarm to Morgan coming up
bedside me saying so softly, “Hi Mommy, it’s my birthday.” He woke up 10
minutes before his birthday time, which is 6:52am…What a love!
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| Last photo of my 10 year old! |
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| Love this boy! |
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| Love this man!! |
He always wants to be awake when his birthday
really starts!! His heart is so soft and
tender and he has such a zest for life.
I pray that the girl he chooses one day to be his wife will be one that
appreciates that in him!! I am so thankful that God gave him to us!! I cannot imagine my life without him!! What a blessing!!
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| 1st photo of my 11 year old!! That happened way too fast!! |
Everyone got up and was ready to get down for some vittles. I
said NO FRUIT LOOPS or anything like that, but the other stuff was fair game. I
know some make think, ‘you are on vacation let them have anything they want!’
Sorry this momma doesn’t fly that way!! I don’t need any sick kids on this
trip!! Plus those particular cereals
make my kids a little nutty…don’t think they are deprived, I assure you they
are not, but it also comes down to health and especially for Morgan and Michael…they
won’t grow tall, they will only grow out, and that can lead to LOTS of medical
issues that I am trying to protect them so they can lead long, healthy,
happy lives…Dinner last night included orange slices, since they had already
had French fries at lunch…I am trying here!! Let him have more, it’s okay…sorry
folks it’s not and you telling them it is okay makes me look bad…I am not
worried about how I look, just trying to do right by my kids…all of them…
We are now about 4 hours from our final destination!! We got a
later start than we had hoped, but are enjoying a light, misty rain in the
midst of Ohio…traffic has finally lightened and the boys are snoozing, except
for Mason…he is looking through a book…
This trip has so much bundled into it! I finally get to meet
one of my dearest friends in person!!!
I’m about 2 hours from meeting her!! My friend, Yvette, from CO who sent
me the infamous email 23 months ago regarding Michael being available, again,
after the first family had to discontinue their adoption of him…I wonder if
they know what happened to him. I hope their hearts healed from their lose. I
know that lose…I know that pain of losing someone you love so much…my spiritual
daughter, Micah Elizabeth…how I wish she had become our daughter. She was such
a sweet baby, and the boys couldn’t wait for her to come home…we visited her
and waited for months and months on the court system…the system, in the end
failed her…I pray she is safe and healthy and loved. I hope she comes to know
that the Lord loves her more than anyone…sorry I didn’t mean to go there, it
just came out of my heart…
We just got a thumbs up from another car in regards to the
writing on the van! Jiminy Christmas I
cannot wait to get out of this van!! Very thankful to have gotten to take this
NEW (not ours) van on the trip with all the bells and whistles, and NAVIGATION
(I remember the paper map days, not too long ago, turning them around upside
down, which way is that, I don’t know!! For the record Matt and I could never
be on the AMAZING RACE!! It would be detriMENTAL to our MENTAL STATE!) But, I
am not the best person to sit in the front passenger seat…I either like to
drive (on flat land) or give me a blindfold and brakes in front of me would be
nice since the floorboard doesn’t do anything when I press down!!! Matt has
done most of the driving. I drove about 4 hours yesterday. I drove the
interstate in the mountains in Tennessee and Kentucky…I don’t do mountain
driving, and I think it gets worse the older I get…certainly don’t ask me to
drive on the NO GUARD RAIL, TWO LANE ROAD IN THE MOUNTAINS…Lord help my
husband!! I am a sheltered flat land
Florida girl (via Virginia and Georgia)l!! Thankfully he still loves me in
spite of my many flaws…
Now it is Thursday! Had
planned to blog each day, but quite honestly it couldn’t happen…we were in
almost constant motion and by the time we settled in each night, I could not
muster the energy to write…I thought I would use the drive time and recap the
week’s events. Certainly so much packed into it…We arrived at our “apartment
style” hotel around 4:30 on Friday.
I saw my friend’s land yacht so I went to
say Hi. I was so excited to finally meet our Colorado friends. Half the family
was there, and the younger kids were with Yvette trying to collect their
uniforms.
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| FINALLY!! |
The registration table was closing for an hour so we headed to get
our uniforms and then get our team bags. I had heard there were issues with the
uniforms. Oh my!! There were!! I felt for the woman that had been hired to make
the uniforms. She was completely overwhelmed!! The orders were placed back in
March with shipping to be in July. That didn’t happen so she had sent an email
explaining they would be picked up at the games. The arrival of the email told
me that there must be some issues…The measurements that all the athletes
provided should have been made it where the uniforms were PERFECT for them,
which never happens…ummm, not so much…Keep in mind, just like average size
people, everyone is different, body shape and all, and HEAD SIZE. She had the
head circumference measurements, but this did not help the ones trying,
struggling to the gets shirts on and off without ripping their ears off! I am
not kidding. It was painful!! Trying to
stretch the neck that is not really stretchable was challenging for many, on
each and every shirt….Bless that woman’s heart…She prefaced everything when we
FINALLY went into the “uniform room” these clothes have an athletic fit, so
they are supposed to be snug…snug, okay…I just want my kids’ ears to stay
intact!! We probably were the quickest
in and out of the room, she only took 2 at a time…There were some very unhappy
people. I’m 99.9% sure she has lost a lot of business from the “short statured”
community over this…after we got the uniforms, then we got our registration
bags.
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| Cav, Tao and Fei Fei |
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| LOVE !!! |
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| Everyone is drawn to this little boy... |
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| The uniform room... |
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| Stair steps with Achondroplasia |
We needed to get to bed at a decent hour since we had to be at the
stadium the following morning at 7:15 for the team picture and opening
ceremonies! YIKES! I knew the morning would be coming early. Got everything
ready that night so we could grab some breakfast quickly, hop in the car and
get to the stadium…another thing that happens at these events….everything runs
LATE, but you can’t take a chance and need to be there at the scheduled time…So
we were there...don’t know what time they finally got their pictures done, but
we left Morgan and Michael with the team in the football stadium and found our
seats at the track. To me, it is always an overwhelming feeling, seeing all
these people together…so many emotions, it is hard to explain…some of my
friends that have short statured kids, get it…you see some people that are
completely able bodied, just shorter than most, then you see the other extreme,
so very disabled…you wonder how they can function independently, many don’t, how
do they manage…it breaks my heart, but I don’t feel ‘sorry’ for them, because I
know this is how they were made, God knows every hair on their head, and knew
them before they were formed, and each and every one has a purpose. It is also makes me very thankful that Morgan and Michael do not have the
challenges that many of these people have, although they have had and will have their share…
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| before going into the football stadium |
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| In the stadium |
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| getting ready to walk into the opening ceremonies |
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|
At 10:30, the field events for our boys were underway. First
it was the discus throw. We had
purchased a discus from Amazon and had some practice time in Florida, with that
and the shot put. Matt showed the boys videos so they could see the proper way
to throw. They had 3 rotations. Of
course, now I can’t find my sheet with the distances…the end result was GOLD
for Morgan with a distance of 9.46 meters, Michael finished in 10th
at 6.05.
We didn’t know until later that Morgan had won, because they had other
classes competing in the rotation. I still don’t know which class is which, but
the think, class 1 is less-abled, class 2 (my boys) mostly people with
Achondroplasia, and class 3 is taller, like Hypochondroplasia, something like
that. I thought Morgan had gotten 3rd or 4th so it was an awesome
surprise, 1st event, 1st Gold!
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| Bronze Medalist is Morgan's friend Jacob from CA. He played goalie for our soccer team in 2011 in CA. He has aged up (12-15) for the team events |
Michael was really bummed
initially, but we explained that we didn’t come here expecting anything in the track
and field events, so let’s just have fun!!
He got over it, thankfully!!!
Next was the shot put, again 3 rotations. The shot put they practiced
with was 6lbs., the one they used was 4. UGH! Morgan finished .05m short of 3rd
place. Michael finished 8th.
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| enjoying the comraderie |
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| shot put |
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| shot put |
A while, LONG while later, they had the
track events… 40m, Morgan 7th, Michael 11th again, just
like swimming, there is A LOT of time in ONE SECOND!!! 60 meter run, Morgan 8th
and Michael 11th. We were hoping they would do heats and then
finals, but they had it set up as timed finals…the other way makes it more
exciting, but it was still loads of fun!
the best event was the 4 x 40 shuttle
relay!!
We were so happy to have Daylen and Declan on our relay team!! THEY ARE
FAST!! They both are new friends we met
this year. Daylen is from a small town in MO, and had never met another short
statured person before!! His dad had
emailed me months ago after he saw Morgan and Michael highlighted in the World
Games newsletter. He hoped Daylen would be on their team. We were thrilled to
finally meet them. Daylen is quite the athlete and is a strong competitor! Lightning fast, he blew everyone away. He has
the same type of dwarfism as Marty Klebba, the man from Pirates of the
Caribbean. Declan is from CA. Thankfully I got his mom’s card that day since I
didn’t see them again! I think he is 12
and was in the 12-15 age group for soccer and basketball. Needless to say, our
relay team took GOLD! It was so precious
to see these boys together, high fives, huge hugs! It’s a proud mommy moment
for sure… Our boys keep up pretty well in the average height world, but is so
nice to see them succeed so much in this group.
I am grateful that we were able to give them this opportunity this week.
God is good and has provided all that we needed to make this trip happen, and
in a big way!! We don’t have hotel points or anything like
that, so this was a super pricey trip, but worth every penny for the experience
for them, and us. They get one week out of the year (or 2 years) to be with so
many other people like them…they form these bonds and can’t wait until the next
time they are together. The awards were given out field events, then track.
Priceless moments, proud smiles…my cup runneth over!!
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| Declan, Daylan, Morgan and Michael |
After the excitement of the day Matt went and got some pizza
and brought it back to the room. Good
idea!!! The boys stayed up for a while and finally went to sleep. Thankful for
being able to spread out in our room, another ½ bath would have made it even
better!! 6 People using one bathroom was
a little crazy…a little?? It was fine,
we survived, not sure if we would all be standing had we been in a regular
hotel room??!!
Sunday was the day we were hoping would be the sweep!! Each event that we did, they had said check
in would be 30 minutes prior to the start. Start time was to be 3pm for
swimming. We arrived around 2….THEY CHANGED THE TIME!! BE FLEXIBLE!!! We were…they started warm ups
around 3:30. The venue was at Mason High School in Mason, MI. Nice pool, 25meterSCl! The longest event was the 200IM. These events
are long!! Meet start was around
4:45….They had it broken up into 4 sessions, but all ages intertwined…We had
signed up so many months ago we didn’t know which events they were swimming. At
that time, Michael had not yet had a summer swim season under his belt, so I
had signed him up for all the 25 meter events. Morgan must have told me to sign
him up for the 100IM, so I did….
Warm ups...
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| Morgan, Miranda (2008 200IM Gold Medalist in Beijing), Erin (2000, 2004, 2008 Paralympian - most decorated short statured athlete), and Michael |
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| just settling in... |
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| getting advice and pointers |
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| missed opportunity of getting a picture of both of them together before the beginning!! |
End results, Morgan took GOLD in his free, breast and IM and
Silver in the butterfly….Michael took SILVER in the free, back, breast and GOLD
in the butterfly!!!! I had been talking to Morgan about the probability of this
happening, so it was all good!! We think his butterfly is so crazy fast because
of the jump roping skills he has! A little BIG side note, they are now WORLD
RECORD HOLDERS in the short-statured arena!! Morgan in the free, brst and IM
and Michael in the fly!! How cool is
that??!!
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| Back stroke awards ceremony |
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| Start of the IM |
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| Back of the IM |
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| Breast of the IM |
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| Free of the IM |
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| IM is over and he took gold! |
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| The end of the fly, Michael Gold, Morgan Silver |
After the second session of awards they decided to present the awards on
Tuesday evening since it was taking so long…we did not leave the pool until
10:30 that night!!!We were so tired!!! The next morning was a sleep-in
day!! We didn’t have to be at soccer
until noon. We got there about 11:30 to watch the OPEN division, but missed
it…their games are very competitive and exciting…nope, noon was not true!! Our
first game did not start until THREE!!! I had made sandwiches since we learned
Saturday at track and field that the $4 hot dogs were not going to cut
it!!
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| THIRD GAME , THIRD WIN!!! |
LOOK AT ALL THE FACES!! LOOK AT THE JOY!!! IT IS TOO MUCH FOR WORDS SO JUST ENJOY THE PICTURES OF ALL THESE KIDS GATHERING!!!
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| Add caption |
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| LOVE THIS OF OUR CANADIAN FRIENDS!!! ETHAN AND WYATT WITH MORGAN |
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| Morgan and Miles (met in CA in 2011) after corresponding with his dad |
Our team played 3 games in a row,
won each one and brought home the GOLD!
It was awesome! We had Morgan’s
friend Ethan from Canada on our team along with several others from other
countries. We were the WORLD team! I love that Morgan and Michael have played
with average size peers, but it is so special to see them among kids their
size, (although Morgan is the tallest one – obviously genetics play a part in him
being in the 90% on the Achondroplasia growth chart.) Michael is on the smaller
side. I would assume that his biological parents were not super tall, and then
lack of nutrition and what not plays a part as well. He will be what he will be
and it will be okay.
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| Tao and Morgan |
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| Brahm (undiagnosed - age 7), Michael, Morgan and Tao |
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| Cav and Maddox (his story is amazing) |
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| Cav and Maddox (how cool are his flip flops??!!) |
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| the 5 athletes together!! |
After the awards we went to a pizza place with some friends.
We enjoyed fellowship with Yvette and her family. It was so neat looking at our
10 children together…the lives of the four that were adopted…forever
changed….because someone took a chance and said yes to God! Her 3 and our 1…Her story with hers is much
different in many ways, but the same in others. We both have grown in our
relationship with God, and also in our families…stretching in places we didn’t
know possible, but He knew…He is all knowing, so why shouldn’t we be all
trusting??
Tuesday was an off day, nothing planned but I was told there
was a flag football clinic that the boys could attend if they wanted. I let them know about it and so we headed to
the track at the college. I dropped Morgan and Michael off and told them where
to go then went around and found a parking space…Mason, Maddox and I grabbed
chairs and a blanket out of the van and went to set up our area to watch. (Matt had stayed behind to have some
quiet.) When we got to the track, Morgan
and Michael were not on the field! They were near where I had dropped them
off!! Jiminy Christmas!! What on
earth??? I called to them and told them where to go. I thought when I dropped
them off that they saw their friends….Anyway, they got to the field and started
playing…
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| I was busy talking and didn't get any pics!! Oops!!! |
Mason and Maddox went off to the side and started just tossing around a
football. Michael decided he didn’t want to play flag football. He had resisted
before we went (which was fine) and then he said okay, I’ll go…It honestly
didn’t matter to me if he went or not. He is the biggest football fan in our
house (how crazy is that??), but he doesn’t like to play it so much…Around
10:30 they took all of us over to the indoor practice football field (never
thought about practice fields before)…I had never been in a place like that,
call me naive…then we went onto the practice outdoor field…again I had never
been in a place like that, naive again…It honestly made me nauseous….in my
opinion, the money that is spent on football programs, college and professional
is ridiculous…how many lives could be saved with the money that is spent on
football….MANY doesn’t begin to tell
the numbers…I could go on and on but I won’t…I hope you remember to share the
blessings that you have been given, in some way, big or small, anything is
better than nothing…I’m talking to myself as well so please don’t be
offended…and this scripture couldn’t be more true!!
Acts
20:35
In
everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the
weak, remembering the words of our Lord Jesus himself said, ”it is more blessed
to give than to receive.”
We went to the outdoor pool at the college. We really didn’t
anticipate being there that long, but ended up there for a few hours. The boys
were having a blast going off the diving boards! Michael was hilarious! He was scared, and when he screams, he
sometimes sounds like a little GIRL!!! And boy howdy he did that day!!! They
had a blast! Yvette’s older kids joined and had a great time as well. I told
our boys before we left they had to do a 200 IM…of course Michael was the first
to do it! He started to do another one
too!! He loves it!!
Another event during our time at the pool that….yes….reduced
me to shedding a few tears…everyone would be very surprised…I did not cry very
much during this trip…it was strange actually…things have hit me at different
times after coming home, after digesting everything…that will be for
later…anyway, Yvette’s “littles” don’t really swim…I thought I could get Mason
or Morgan over to help with her oldest “little” but I asked Michael…he LOVES TO
HELP!!! They do too, but they were more interested in going off the diving
board at this time…forgiven…So Michael started showing her son some things he
learned when he was first learning how to float…he was precious!! Loved watching the interaction between the
two of them…he was so sweet and so patient and explained it so well…that is IN
HIS BONES!! He does have a servant’s heart…he spent some time with him, told
him that was good for the day, and then went back to the diving board for a bit
longer…
The remaining awards for swimming were to be presented on that
evening…We gathered and waited…and waited…and waited…India had a good amount of
medals during the remaining track and field ceremony! They finally got to the swimming portion and
then we waited and waited again….They finally got to our boys, and once that
was done we left…
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| IM - GOLD! |
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| Breast stroke |
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| FLY - Michael GOLD!! |
We headed back for showers at the hotel and a little more of
“Shark Week!”
One more day….Wednesday was the final
competition for the boys…Basketball!! When I was signing up for this trip many
months ago, I wasn’t adding basketball…but…when I told Michael basketball was
one of the sports, his eyes lit up, and he said, “basketball???” The deal was, was that made us have to stay 2
more days! There was no way I could say
NO! So we were to be at the court at
11:30…NOPE! Our first game wasn’t until
3, just like soccer…so we went and grabbed a sandwich and went to a try to find
something that the boys wanted as a souvenir…Grandpa and Bu gave them a little
green to take on the trip…Mason ended up getting a Michigan State
Swimming/Diving shirt, and the other boys ended up getting more LEGOS (just
this past Saturday!!) What a bunch of NUTS!! Note to anyone with boys, you can
NEVER have enough LEGOS!! And, NO! He
will NOT be going UP NORTH for college…EVER!!! Okay, please don’t go up north
to college!!! None of you go far away!!!
Back to basketball…needless to say, 3
games, 3 wins, and GOLD again!!! The last game was close, and they were behind,
but managed to pull it out! They were so
excited! We were so excited….they had the awards ceremony
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| This boy earlier started talking trash to Morgan saying, "You're going down!" It was hilarious and not in a mean way. |
NOTHING BUT COMPETITIVE GENES IN THIS HOUSE!!
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| THE PACK!! |
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| THE FINAL GOLD MEDAL! |
and then the sad
part…it was time to say goodbye to our friends…this is always the worst
part!!!UGH! Just like at the
conferences….you don’t want it to end EVER, because you don’t know if you can
make it the next year…and you won’t see them for at least a year…this is the
deal…I’ve said it before….”these people” get one week a year, if that… (some
don’t get it EVER!!!) to be with people like them...not that they don’t
‘function’ in the real world, but it’s different…it is like a family
reunion…nobody is staring at them, pointing, laughing, like they are not there
or don’t have feelings, or asking them if they speak English? (that happened to
a friend of ours and his son!! Like they were from another planet!!) So my
‘sister’ from Canada was leaving…we hugged and I got REALLY sad…
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| She has me in stitches! She makes me laugh, and it's like we've known each other forever!! (just since Nashville, 2010 conference, but really got to know her in CA, 2011 conference).Wish she lived closer!! |
Her son is
awesome and I just love her, and her husband and hoping they will make a trip
Florida once day!) We said our goodbyes, and then walked out with Yvette and
her family…
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| All these lives changed forever because of our Lord...not just the ones adopted..ALL OF THEM!! |
They were leaving right then to begin their travel home, as they had
been gone almost 3 weeks! We were standing in the parking lot, looking at all
our kids saying goodbye to each other…we hugged and cried and she said, ‘It’s
so cool to see what God does!” Can I get an Amen sister??!! That’s a fact
Jack!! He did it!! He brought these
children to us! And WE get to learn all
this really neat stuff!!! So thankful she has the heart she does for the
fatherless…had she not sent me that email…Michael would not be here with us…for
that we are eternally grateful…as hard as it has been at times, and hard to us,
may not be hard to others, we’d do it again, because He told us to and that’s
it!!
After our
goodbyes we went to the dairy store…ice cream makes things better, right??!! Uh,
not really for my stomach, but we went anyway! Everyone had raved about this
ice cream since the cows are there and milked for the milk and ice cream they
sell…It was good, but I do like my Publix frozen yogurt…anyway, the boys had on
their medal from basketball and a couple was sitting on a park bench and asked
about the medal…we explained what was going on at the university…they were very
sweet and complementary of the boys and congratulated them, then they left….a
few minutes later another couple sat down as we were leaving…they had a
college-aged daughter with them…that’s when I got hit with a ton of bricks of emotion…HOLY
COW!! I got hit with everything all at once!
I have 4 sons…I have 2 that are little….I have to let them all go one
day…how will I do that??? How can I do that??? Who is going to protect
them???What on earth did I sign up for in this motherhood job thing??? What was
I thinking??? I mean, Matt and I have
gone to great lengths to have each one of them in our POSSESSION !!! STOP
THE PRESS!!! They are NOT OURS!!! That
is the part that is soooooooooooooooooooooo hard!!!! They were ‘gifted’
to us…that Matt Ray is a smart man…he has ALWAYS told me this and I know it to
be true, but dog gone it, that’s the one the can send me in oblivion…I’ll try
not to think about until I have to…I know it is our job to raise them and let
them go, and I also know that my Lord, my God, will give me what I need, when I
need it, and not a minute too soon, or too late, because His timing is always
perfect…
So when
we returned to our room we packed everything up and got our things ready for
our overnight at our friend, Dina’s house in Knoxville!! IT HAD BEEN 3 YEARS
since we had seen each other!!! THREE!! She and I met back in 2004 in Baltimore
when I was pregnant with Maddox and took Morgan for a visit with an orthopedic
doctor at Johns Hopkins. (what a trip that was!!) She was there from St. Louis,
MO for an appt. for her son, so precious. She said that Morgan reminded her of
Cam (I didn't hear her say his name at the time) at that age….we chatted for a minute then she was called back…I felt an
instant bond with her…it was really weird...anyway, I got called back and then
asked someone where she was…I said, “I think her son’s name is Russell.” No one
named Russell was there…She had said, “Hustle Russell” that's why I thought it
was Russell…Anyway, I had written my email address on a scrap piece of paper
and she wrote hers on the back of her hairdresser’s business card…we both came
out of the exam rooms and exchanged emails…it was so funny…we were both on the
same page…this was in November…time went by and the holidays and then I wrote
her…we immediately started corresponding…we met at the 2005 national LPA
conference in Orlando
…it was overwhelming for both of us…the first time we had
ever seen so many people that were short statured, and our boys were
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| Mason, Cameron, Skylar and Morgan |
so young
and it worried us thinking about what life would be like for them as
adults…that was 8 years ago, and we both have a new perspective of the lives of
our children…they may have a few extra physical challenges, but they will be
all the better for it…we are grateful for the gifts we have received…side
tracked again ( I know it is surprising!!)
So, I had
sent Dina a text on Tuesday and asked if we could stop in for a night on our
way home…yes was the answer so we were super excited. We got there, picked up a
pizza and sat around and chatted til the wee hours in the morning!!!
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| Ummmm, did I know this is what they were doing??? |
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|
The boys and her daughter watched a movie,
played video games and had a great time….I set my alarm for 6 so we could hit
the road early…we had planned to stop off in the mountains for a bit then hop
over to my sister, Elizabeth’s in Anderson, SC and meet my new great niece, her
daughter Sarah’s baby. I got up and got ready, then slowly got the boys up…they
were tired and I said we would just get some breakfast on the road, no need for
Dina to get up and do anything…she offered a bunch of stuff and Pop Tarts were
on the list…well, I quit buying those years ago, because, quite frankly they
made my kids NUTS! I don’t know if it
was the sugar or dye or what, but I wanted nothing to do with them ever
again!! I guess I left the room, and
then came back and a couple of them were eating POP TARTS! WHAT THE HECK?? Didn’t I say "no??" Well, we are still on
vacation and Matt said yes! Okay, whatever…then a few minutes later, Maddox
said he didn’t feel good…of course I told them, ‘see I told you that wasn’t a
good idea!” He had only had a couple of bites…here we go…so over the next FOUR
HOURS my poor little baby was sick, throwing up, and then the other started!!
THIS IS NOT GOOD!!! I texted my sister and gave her a heads up, then finally
had to cancel that portion of our day…I was so bummed, but felt so bad for my
baby!! He was miserable!! I won’t go into the details of the scene but let’s
just say, I needed some bleach in that freezing cold, meat locker of a
bathroom!!
We were
finally able to hit the road around 11am…
I could have used some of that sleep
that morning!! We said our goodbyes and vowed that it would not be another 3
years until we saw each other again!! That would be crazy and that would make
her son driving age and Morgan could get a job then!! Too long!!
So about 2 that afternoon were on
the interstate (somewhere in GA) and it was time for us to stop for something
to eat…we saw a Chik Fil A sign so we thought we’d stop there…WE HAD NO IDEA
WHAT WE WERE ABOUT TO SEE!!! We had never seen anything like this before!
The boys walk in the ‘short’ door and we went
in the ‘tall’ one…Now, several years ago, I probably would have been completely
offended and called the owner of Chik Fil A (thankfully it didn’t use the M word,
because I would have had a come apart!) We all laughed, but this girl (college
age) busted out laughing as she was coming out and we were coming in….Now I
don’t know if she was laughing at my kids, or laughing because we were
laughing, but I let her go without an education…I have to do that
sometimes…other times, I have to educate…I do owe that to my kids…I understand curiosity,
but I don’t understand rudeness, staring, gawking, pointing etc…”do you have a
question?’ they are cute aren’t they? They are kids, just like you, just
smaller… It bugs me when I or the boys tell someone how old they are, and they
are like, “NO WAY!!” Really?? Where are the manners?? They are just
smaller, what is the BIG DEAL??
Okay anyway, the young man behind
the counter was as precious as he could be…very personable and engaging in
conversation with us. Asked where we were going and where we had been. He
congratulated the boys on their accomplishments…we got our stuff and hit the
road for the final part of the trip…(I think I need to call the store and tell
them about him…I mean he was PRECIOUS!!) That was our last stop…
When we finally got to the
entrance of our neighborhood, Matt and I looked at each other and said, “We did
it!” All the months of planning and all the training the boys did…we made it
back in one piece…I had prayed and prayed and prayed over this trip…All prayers
were answered….even down to the HEALTH! No one was sick until the very end!!
God is good all the time!! SO thankful for all the blessings over our
trip!! It is truly amazing to think back
at all of it!!
Morgan asked that night, ‘uh, Mommy,
uh, when can we…???” I knew what that crazy kid was wanting to ask me…uh, when
can we celebrate his birthday…really??? Didn’t we just take a HUGE trip, that
was all about you and your brother???? Okay….yes we will celebrate this
weekend...how about Sunday since my sister Anne and her boys are coming to stay
for a few days, and we will have Grandpa and Bu over too…we will cook out
Sunday evening…meanwhile I got all the laundry done by the next afternoon, and
off to Costco we went since we had cleaned out our refrigerator before we left…
Sunday morning was time for
church…the boys were excited to wear their USA jackets and tell some friends
about our trip to Michigan. That afternoon, Anne and Emory arrived and then Dad
and Betty Lou came over later…we cooked out burgers and hot dogs and the boys
swam and enjoyed a fun afternoon/evening…birthday cake came later in the
evening with another small Lego set to top off a great celebration!! (I told
you that they can never have enough LEGOS!!)
Monday the boys started back to
swim practice…full speed ahead…really I don’t know what I have gotten myself
into, but they love it! Eventually, I
think I will be able to shut my eyes and my van will just be able to take us to
practice…since all the boys are swimming now, I’ve lost my carpool…wah!! That
was really nice, but this is nice too…at least I have all my kids at the same
place at the same time…at least for now…not sure when times will change, but I
can do this…
OUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY
was Tuesday!!! How did that happen??!! No, Matt did not get the day off and our
kids didn’t send us away on a trip for just the 2 of us!! But, it was another
day in our journey together…to reflect on ALL that we have been through
together…whew!! Oh my goodness…just
thankfulness for the gift of grace and mercy from God, that Matt and I get to
share our lives together…that is gift enough, truly…we are not big gift people,
never have been really, but my love did bring me some roses and a new watch I
had seen at Costco the other day…I got new batteries for his watch (that counts
as a silver gift, right??)
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| Anne, Emory and my boys |
My very favorite place in the
world is the beach so I got to go there on our anniversary with my boys and
Anne and Emory, the vastness of the ocean, as far as my eye can see…seriously,
I don’t understand how people can’t believe that this was created by our
creator!! We stayed for about 3.5 hours and it was AWESOME!! The boys enjoyed the boogie boards and body
surfing and Michael has totally got
everything figured out about going under the waves…Of course since we had been
watching Shark week while we were in MI, I could really freak myself out!! I
can’t stay in the water like I used to, my imagination is pretty wild!! We raced
home in the afternoon, to get ready for swim practice and enjoyed tacos for the
anniversary dinner that night!
This past Sunday during
announcements brought Morgan and Michael up front to acknowledge their
accomplishments in Michigan…
Michael sunk down in the pew and really was
hesitant to go up…he had Morgan’s medals so I told him he had to (Morgan was
serving with Mason as an acolyte).
They
were humble and accepted the praise graciously. I’m not a show boat, and
neither are my boys (well maybe Maddox is… J) It’s
hard to be recognized…like when Matt and I got married, I really just wanted to
get married, didn’t need an “all about ME” day, just a man that was all about
me that day, and days to come…just for the record…I did get that man!! I remember
my daddy always saying, he just wanted his girls to be happy…all of them, that
included my momma also...Matt just wants his GIRL and boys to be happy, that is
all he asks…oh my goodness, side-tracked again….
Sunday was also the anniversary
of the saddest day of my life, my momma died 32 years ago…I got flooded with
that emotion with the boys too…I miss her…wish ALL my boys had known her…she
was the best!
Can you habla escuela? School
started!! MUY BIEN! MUY BIEN!! Or not…yes, I am grateful to get back on a
schedule, but NO, I do not like all the homework that will be coming home!! And
it is a very tight schedule!!! I am living in my kitchen!! I might as well set
up a bed in there!! I feel like sometimes all I do is prepare food and (do
laundry)!! What about the Duggers? That’s usually what I say when I am making
food for 4 growing boys, 2 growing faster than 2…How many loaves of bread does
it take for all the Duggers to just have a sandwich?? I can go through a gallon of milk in a day to
a day and a half, and a loaf of bread in the same…trying to figure out the best
plan for getting everyone fed QUICKLY (and showered) upon our return home from
swim practice, which is not until 8:15!!
Trying to figure if they can eat dinner BEFORE practice, but then that might
be too much in their belly to swim…we are playing trial and error now, and it
may turn into “fly by the seat of your pants!” Homework is definitely a
priority but they also need the physical outlet…thankfully they are not
computer and video game nuts! None of that during the week anyway, although
Maddox tries to make up for lost time on the weekends…got to love him, he’s the
baby!!
So, I truly did not mean for this
to turn into the book that it has for this post, but it did…I have no idea if
these posts are read or if anyone is interested (some have said they are), but
I’m going to keep going, and I really am going to try to post more
frequently so each post doesn’t become a novel, or a novelette or short
story…I know people don’t have that kind of time, but this is still for me and
our family and the few that may be moved to do something different, maybe
saying Yes to the Lord about something He may be asking of you….
Matthew 4:19 - “Come, follow me,”
Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
…I haven’t figured out a new name
for my blog yet, but I’m going to think on it…
God’s peace!
More random pictures to come!!
We didn’t know until later that Morgan had won, because they had other
classes competing in the rotation. I still don’t know which class is which, but
the think, class 1 is less-abled, class 2 (my boys) mostly people with
Achondroplasia, and class 3 is taller, like Hypochondroplasia, something like
that. I thought Morgan had gotten 3rd or 4th so it was an awesome
surprise, 1st event, 1st Gold! 
so young
and it worried us thinking about what life would be like for them as
adults…that was 8 years ago, and we both have a new perspective of the lives of
our children…they may have a few extra physical challenges, but they will be
all the better for it…we are grateful for the gifts we have received…side
tracked again ( I know it is surprising!!)
