At the end of Dad's vacation you may need to pick Alex and I up off the floor, but we sure are having fun!!!!

Sund​ay we went with our neighbors to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens to see the butterfly exhibit. There were SO many more butterflies then the last time we went. It was a fun morning. We were supposed to be heading to church in the afternoon for some fellowship and an Easter Egg Hunt. But, Alex fell asleep at 1 and I woke him up at 5:30! Poor baby was too tired.

Mond​ay was horseback riding day. Grandpa was impressed to see how far Buggy has come in the last few weeks.

Yeste​rday, we had therapy and a doctor's appt. Liz (our beloved OT) was out and we had a sub. She pushed Alex extremely hard. (Liz has been working with Alex since he was 18 months and knows how much he can do and when he has had enough). Needless to say, he was exhausted. When we left he tripped over his feet and fell and skinned his knees. Poor baby! One good thing is there is never any lack of medical supplies around here for bandaging up!

Today, we are off to the zoo! We can't wait. The weather has been beautiful. It should be a fun day.

Bruce has a second interview today with a company he interviewed with on Monday. Please storm the heavens with prayers and keep your fingers and toes crossed!

Bug​gy is doing really well overall. We have one problem that has been going on for the last month. We aren't exactly sure what is going on, but we are working with Dr. K to try and get to the bottom of it. Basically, Alex is seeing flashing lights and colors. He is also complaining of his head hurting. The two things we are throwing around are migraines and seizures. I will let you know as we get more info.

Another Thank you to the two WONDERFUL ladies who did photo shoots for us in the last week! As you all know I LOVE good pictures of my sweet boy. I have seen previews of both sets of photos and I am so excited. We continue to be blessed by the generosity and love of others. For that we are SO thankful! To check out the photos you can go to www.starglo​photo.com/b​log and Sweetland Photography on facebook.

Th​anks for checking in!
Ali

What a fun day!

We had the honor of having a photo shoot this morning courtesy of Alison with Starglo Photography and the Littlest Heroes Project. We went to a park in Dallas and took tons of pictures. We had several different outfits. Alex was really cooperative and did a great job. I am so thankful for her generosity. It was a wonderful experience.​

After our photo session we headed to Ann and Oscar's house. Alex loves my Aunt and Uncle and cousin. He was happy to see them and even happier to get in their hot tub! It is nice to have at least a little family close by!

Alex is loving his time with Grandpa and this BEAUTIFUL weather!

Tha​nks for checking in,
Ali

Yesterday was an all around great day!

Alex is officially on vacation! He has two weeks school free! We are supposed to have perfect weather and we plan to make the most of it.

Grandpa flew in yesterday morning. Alex was SO excited! As always he was glued to him the rest of the day. I love to watch them giving each other a hard time and laughing.

In the afternoon we headed out to participate in Alex's first ever Easter Egg Hunt. It is only appropriate that it be with his very best buddies! It was held at a small botanical gardens. We got there early and I was able to convince him to let me get some pictures. Then we got to have a friend who is a professiona​l photographe​r take some photos of him holding a rabbit. He loved that little rabbit, but was not happy it had sharp claws! Then it was on to the hunt. He thought it was so much fun to collect the eggs and compare his goodies to his friends. The kids weren't thrilled when we forced them to endure our never ending photo shoot to attempt to get all 7 kids looking at the camera at once. As our loyal followers know, we force the kids to do this every holiday so they know the routine, they just aren't happy about it. BUT, at least we have five and a half years of photos of these kids growing up together. Some day they'll thank us!

It was an awesome day! Thanks again to Jessica for being so generous and helping us create memories.

Al​i

This week has been much slower! Other then therapy we pretty much just stayed home. We did have one fun outing. We went with some good friends bowling. Alex had a great time. It is always fun to play with friends. Alex and I have been working really hard on school the last few weeks. We had missed a week I had planned on when we got held up in houston last time. We are scheduled to have the next 2 weeks off as vacation. So with all that said, Alex has busted his little bottom to get through what needed to be done. I am proud of him.

The craziness starts this week for sure! Grandpa is coming on Wednesday for two weeks. We have lots of fun activities planned. We are going to the zoo, the botanical gardens, bowling, planting flowers, etc! We are so excited and the weather looks perfect.

We have two neat opportuniti​es this week. One, our MOMS club that we have been a member of since Alex's birth is holding a fundraiser on our behalf. Two of the other Mom's who are photographe​rs are going to take pictures and we will get a portion of the proceeds. I am so thankful for the my playgroup and the entire Mom's club for putting this together. Jessica and Alyssa- Thank you so much for taking your time to help us. These pictures will be in conjunction with an Easter Egg Hunt. So for the first time Alex will participate in an easter egg hunt. It should be really fun!
The second activity is really exciting. There is an organizatio​n called "The Littlest Heroes Project". Professiona​l Photograher​s do sittings and take portraits of chronically ill children free of charge. We applied last spring and were accepted. However, the photographe​r we chose and I couldn't get our times together and then it got too hot. We just started talking again and we will be having our session on Saturday. I am so excited. We could never afford to have professiona​l pictures done. This is such a blessing. I have always been someone who has loved pictures. Over the last 5 years they have become so much more important. Because we do not know what Alex's future holds, we treasure every picture and the memories they carry with them. If you would like to see the work of the photographe​r we are using, you can check her out at www.starglo​photo.com.

I feel like a broken record, but please continue to pray for Bruce's job search, our financial situation, our insurance, and of course Buggy's health.

Ali

P​S- No shaving cream pics b/c Bug was NAKED!

Where has another week gone????

We have had a pretty busy week. Alex is absolutely thriving in therapy. It is amazing to me and his therapists with the progress he is making. Things we have been working on for years he can all of a sudden do. His fear level has come way down. We are so very proud of him. At this point he can write almost all of his lowercase letters in cursive. He is willing to get his hands dirty for the first time in his life. And he is climbing higher and allowing the therapists to test his balance. It is so much fun to watch him grow.
Tuesday I took some time to myself and met a good friend for coffee. Thursday I once again met a friend for a yoga class and a walk. I am trying to be better about taking some time to myself. Actually, Alex's nurse gave me a gift certificate for a free massage. So I am going this week. There is nothing I love more then a day at the spa!
So back to Alex and our crazy week. Last Monday we went to playgroup. We were having so much fun that we didn't get home until 7:00!!!As I have said so many times, we just love our time with our beloved playgroup!
T​uesday and Friday were therapy days. We also fit in walks every day, kicking the soccer ball with daddy, a bike ride and of course school! Sunday we even skipped a nap to go to Daddy's soccer game! It has been a busy, but fun week. After soccer on Sunday, Alex and Daddy had a much anticipated shaving cream fight! As I alluded to earlier, Alex has never been willing to touch anything messy. Well all of a sudden he LOVES shaving cream. So I decided to let him and Daddy have a shaving cream fight. We had to wait until it was time to change his port needle. So Sunday was the day. A full can of shaving cream later, Alex was covered as were the backyard and Hershey! It sure was fun.

Yesterd​ay was the beginning of a new session at our horseback riding therapy. Once again Alex amazed us with his willingness to try new things. He was happy to see his instructor and horse.
We ask for continued prayers for Alex's health, Bruce's job search and our ability to keep our health insurance. We thank you for the blessing you are in our lives.
Ali

I believe their are angels among us
Sent down to us from somewhere up above
They come to you and me
In our darkest hours
To show us how to live
To teach us how to give
To guide us with the light of love


Some of you may not know that since I was a little girl I have collected angels. I have always believed in angels and their presence in our lives.

Five years ago, God blessed me with my own angel. Alex has touched so many lives in his short time here. He has a charisma and charm that infects everyone he meets. He is kind and loving. He has brought me more joy then I could ever say. I don't know what God's plans are for Alex, but I know he was put on this earth and given all these challenges for a reason.

In the last few months, God has blessed us with more angels. I am completely humbled by the generosity of some of you. In our darkest hours, you have shown us the light of love. It has strengthene​d our faith. It has shown us love and support. It has kept us afloat. Thank you for your kindness and your willingness to be God's angels in our lives. Bruce and I have vowed that we will pay this forward. When we are back on our feet we will help another family in need and God's love will be shown on another family.

In addition to the generosity that has so touched us this week. We were also excited and surprised to get Alex's labs. They are the best labs I have ever seen from Alex! We continue to be amazed at his strength and ability to find joy in a life that many of us would find unfair.

Than​k you for your love and friendship.​
Ali

I figured I would give a quick update as our trip comes to a close.
We are so very happy we came. As we were in the hospital last week, I went back and forth on whether or not we could make the trip. Alex was still not 100% and I was absolutely exhausted. What finally made the decision was how badly Alex and I wanted to see our family. We hate being so many states away and only getting to see them a few times a year. So I got home Monday night after 9:00 and left the houst at 6:00 Wednesday morning. The time inbetween was full of laundry, unpacking, repacking and very little relaxation. But boy was it worth it. Alex and I have had a great time. Alex and Skye have played and fought and shared and hugged and cried together like two brothers. They are as different as can be, but at the end of the day they love each other. I have had time to chat and laugh with my mom, my sister, my dad, my stepdad and even my godmother. So as tired as I was I'm glad I made the choice I did.

Buggy is doing pretty good. His first day here was rough. He didn't get a nap and he was tired and hurting. Since then he has been sleeping really well and feels pretty good. The weather hasn't helped any as it has been FREEZING! We will run labs when we get home and be sure he is doing okay.

We continue to pray about a job for Bruce. As the months go by our situation becomes more and more precarious. At this point we have only survived the last few months by the generosity of friends and family. We hope one day we can repay the love and support we have received. Please pray for a job quickly as our insurance is once again not paid this month. We hold on to the hope that we are in God's hands and he has a perfect plan for us.

I will update once we are home (Wed) and settled.
Ali