Almost May

 Is it me or is this year flying by???

Alex is doing well, but completely swamped with school work as the semester comes to an end. I am so incredibly proud of the continued growth I see in him. His first semester he was very overwhelmed and needed a lot of hand holding as he figured out school in a regular classroom for the first time. He struggled with writing, organization, time management and we had several discussions about protocol when emailing professors. He has come so far! He often asks me to proofread his papers and the growth and improvement in his writing is incredible. He has come so far. I also saw some recent emails he sent to professors that were polite, respectful and well written. He has learned how to figure out prioritizing his work and very rarely needs my input or help anymore when it comes to getting his assignments done and turned in on time. He is balancing a full load, is in the honors program, as well as managing most of his medical care independently. I continue to praise God for the miracles he has worked and continues to work in this special child. He makes an impression and inspires everyone who has the privilege to know him. I cannot wait to see the plans God has for him unfold as he continues to walk his path with grace and joy. 

Easter Sunday at Church

My Maddy is also growing and changing. I have said for years I have never met a harder worker and that continues to be true. She deals with more chronic pain than most know and continues to push through the pain, her fears and anxieties to live life to the fullest. I never would have guessed when we changed barns how that would change my girl so drastically in all areas of life, but she truly is braver and happier! My girl who spent most of her life clinging to me and hiding behind me has found her voice and independence and is so much more comfortable socially. She has been to a birthday party, had playdates, and is even doing some lessons with different instructors while our Coach is away. She is currently so busy as we near the end of the year. Our big horse shows start up in the summer and run through the fall and winter, she has a speaking, singing, and dancing role in our church choir musical and a huge part in her dance recital. So on top of our regular crazy schedule we are squeezing in extra rehearsals and the usual slew of doctors appointments. We had a bit of a tough appointment at Scottish Rite last week. Maddy's left knee (the worse one) has begun to cause bigger issues. One part of her quad muscle has completely stopped firing and her gait is compensating for her knee which is causing pretty significant ankle issues. While we thought we might be able to hold off a bit on her first surgery we may have to proceed on schedule to alleviate the other problems. The PT we met with felt like for her long term riding we need to have surgery so we can start to rebuild the muscles in her left leg being effected. Her surgery was originally planned for next February so we have several more appointments as we approach that time. We are trying to balance the activities Maddy loves with the timing of surgery as recovery will take 4-6 months. We are having multiple doctors weigh in as well as far as timing and ensuring the best care following surgery taking in all of her health issues not just her knee.

Our Quigley

Always love for Lila Bean

Hanging out with barn friends

Church with one of her faves!

New glasses

As for me, I was started on a medication for the enterogastric bile reflux however, it made things worse, not better. I was referred to surgery and am waiting for a consult as the surgery needed is quite difficult and not very common so finding a surgeon who is comfortable and capable performing it is extremely important. While no surgery is fun, I am so ready to feel better after two years of struggling health wise. This has been a long road, but I have hope of feeling better soon!

We have two trips coming up in the next little bit. We will head to Houston for appointments late in May and then shortly after we will visit Mimi and Aunt Jenn and family to celebrate Alex's 21st birthday! 

Thank you for always walking beside us and holding us in prayer!

Ali

The Good and the Bad

 I guess it is life as an adult, but I always think things will slow down and they never seem too! But after so many years where our lives revolved around hospital stays and constant appointments, I try to appreciate that this busyness comes from a life lived to the fullest. 

My sweet boy continues to live his life learning and loving his people! This is always a hard time as the semester comes to a close and he has lots of assignments, papers and tests as a result. But he continues to enjoy being a part of the Esports team, volunteering, and learning about different cultures. 

Alex participating in an Amazing Race

A field trip to visit a Mosque and a Buddhist temple

Maddy Moo always keeps me on the go. This is such a special time with her. She has a speaking/singing role in a production with our church choir, she has a big part with several dances in her Spring dance recital, and we are gearing up for our busy horse show season with the World shows in the summer and fall. On top of that we are fitting in our doctors visits and having a weekly playdate with friends while still trying to fit in school! I am loving seeing her with a little more confidence and enjoying some social time. She is so comfortable at the barn that some sassiness even sneaks out! She is willing to speak to her coach and the other parents and riders and will joke and chat with them. While that isn't newsworthy for many, knowing where Maddy has come from it is so special to watch these relationships form.  She has also turned into an avid reader so I often catch her with a book in her hand during our down time!

Our precious Lila still gets love everyday!

Practicing at choir

This boy is such a love. He has stolen everyone's heart at the barn.

Maddy and her friend's at dance.

Practicing an English Equitation Pattern

Bruce and I celebrated our 23rd Anniversary on March 30th. We had a rare night out which was fun! I have also made time to get out with some girlfriends over the past few weeks. I am so grateful for so many amazing friends in my life. For me time with our people fills my bucket and makes my life so much better. Medically I am on the struggle bus a bit. The medication that wanted me to try has made me feel worse instead of better. I am hopeful that we will find a solution to get me feeling better as I don't have time to be down!

The 3 of us watching Alex's Esports Tournament

One of my best friends who has been in my life for 20 years!

An evening out with 3 special women I love dearly!

Thank you for loving us well!

Ali

God Can Move Mountains

 I have had a crazy few weeks so I am overdue on an update! 

Let me start with my boy...He had an amazing last few days of his trip. He loved the trip and came away with a shift in his viewpoint on many things related to the civil rights movement and racism. He has  a greater understanding of how our history had led to systemic issues and can see connections now that he may not have made before. I can't remember if I had mentioned this before, but this trip is geared towards graduate students. He was by far the youngest and he was so grateful for the opportunity to attend. The "class" associated with the trip was American Christianity and the Civil Rights Movement. The class entailed attending the trip, writing a 12-15 page reflection paper, reading a biography on John Lewis and a 5 page report on it, and watching a documentary with a 4 page reflection and analysis. He received 100's on each of the papers and I couldn't be more proud of him. He is back in the swing of his regular classes and continues to work hard. When Alex and I first toured Dallas Baptist University we both fell in love. However, I knew financially there was no way we could afford the tuition. For months I prayed that if this was where Alex was meant to go that God would make it abundantly clear and open the doors to make it possible. We have seen that prayer answered so clearly. Since the beginning, Alex has had more than 80% of his expenses (tuition and room and board) covered by scholarships. This week once again we were reminded of God's faithfulness as Alex was contacted and asked to go to the Chancellor's office. He was awarded yet another scholarship in what could only be through the hand of God. A mother of a son who had passed away saw a video of Alex that we had created with Cook Children's and also saw Alex on DBU's social media and reached out to start a scholarship. Alex will be the first recipient and will receive this scholarship for the rest of his time at DBU. What an amazing blessing and a testament to the power of prayer.

Alex and Bruce watching DBU play in the playoffs

My sweet Maddy Moo... I am loving this time with her. We are trucking away with our school work and she has been extremely cooperative. She is thriving in both dance and riding and just loving life right now. When we made the decision to homeschool in February we decided to add a second day of dance and so she has a private ballet lesson each week. She is so happy to have some one on one time with Ms. Joli and can't wait to have a ballet solo in this Spring's recital. The recital will be based on Alice in Wonderland and Maddy is Alice. I love to think back on how far she has come under Joli from her first recital in December 2020 when she danced with tears rolling down her face because she was so scared! At the barn Maddy and Quigley continue to grow in their partnership and skills. It is so fun to watch them as they take on new challenges and she works with Mandy to "train" Quigley in all the areas he has never done. They have been a team for 4 months and have grown so much in that time. Quigley is picking up Showmanship incredibly quickly and shocking us all with how smart he is. She is so patient with him as he learns something so different. They have also made huge strides in Western and she can now ride him one handed as Western is intended. They even did a trail course one handed yesterday for the first time! It is amazing to watch how gentle and careful this huge beast is with his little girl. Our skittle loving dinosaur is the true definition of a gentle giant and he keeps us laughing with his sweet, goofy personality. Maddy was worried about making friends after leaving school, so this week we also met up with a mom and 2 daughters that we knew back in our MOMS club days. Tina has also been our photographer for many years. Her girls are almost the same age as Maddy, they homeschool and have horses so it seemed like a perfect match! After the first few minutes of shyness, Maddy and Emily hit it off and had a blast. They have already called each other, played games online and we have another playdate scheduled! 

Maddy and Emily

After a year and a half we finally have some answers for me!!! In short your GI system is meant to move one direction...down. Following the last testing we learned that since my gallbladder was removed the bile is backing up from my small intestine into my stomach and likely my esophagus. This bile reflux is not the same as "regular" reflux because bile is extremely damaging. This not only explains the significant pain I have had but also a bunch of imaging results that no one could make sense of. I am still waiting on the treatment plan. There is one medication I have not tried, but often in the case of bile reflux, surgery is needed to divert the bile further down the GI tract to alleviate the pain, but more importantly to stop damage from occurring which can have awful long term effects and outcomes. I am so grateful to finally feel like we have answers and to all of you who have prayed for me during this long journey.

I am trying to soak in these days as I watch my children thrive and enjoy living life to the fullest. I am blessed that so many of you have loved us and walked through this journey with us!

Ali