Abigail's 6th birthday and then some...

Well hello sweet friends....  We've missed you!  The past couple of weeks have been crazy busy for our family and we have another crazy week upon us, since David has a week long (all day) class this week.  Please pray for us :-).  Here is a quick run down on what we have been up to...

Two weekends ago we were blessed with the opportunity to go to the 30th Anniversary KSBJ concert with some dear friends.  We had a GREAT time, but I think our very favorite part of the concert was one of the "surprise guests"... Steven Curtis Chapman performed a set that was full of amazing singing, laughs, and of course tears when he sang his song "Cinderella."  I'm just wondering if anyone out there with young kids can listen to that song without ugly crying?  When it comes on the radio while I am driving I usually change the station because I can't afford to ugly cry at that moment, but there was no turning the radio station while sitting at the concert and I'm sure glad that wasn't an option.  The song talks about a father preparing his daughter for her wedding day (at the request of his daughter to practice slow dancing with her)...  long story short, hearing the song this time, not only touched me thinking about Abigail growing up, finding her prince, and becoming a wife one day, but it also made me picture our sweet Gracie and I couldn't help but picture her Daddy always being her prince!  Those two have a special bond that is truly an honor to witness every day!

King and Country was another one of our favorite performances and we loved their message too!

Last weekend, David and some friends ran the Spartan Race...  We are so proud of David for not only surviving the race (I was worried that David has forgotten that he is no longer a spring chicken that can run a marathon without training like he has in the past), but for doing a GREAT job! Here are the shirts we had made to support David...  They say "Team Ducks" on it because when David and I got married we decided that we were going to be the Ducks because ducks supposedly find a mate and stick with them until the end, no matter what.  We had "The Duck's" engraved inside our wedding rings and the kids are now proud members of the Ducks!  The back says "Do all to the glory of God" because
1 Corinthians 10:31 is our family bible verse.

Gracie-Doo, our Team Ducks shirt model...

Here's the front and back of our shirts that were created by our friend's, Tad and Jo's company!

Daddy Duck after the Spartan Race...  I can't figure out why this picture is stretched out and looks weird, but you get the idea, right?

Andrew had "Splash Day" last week and it was a treat to get to see him interact with his friends and teachers!  I can't believe that this time next year, he will be graduating preschool and headed to Kindergarten!  He is going to preschool 5 DAYS next year!  That's a lot in comparison to Abby who only went 2 days a week her 4 year old year.  Andrew loves school and is SO ready for a 5 day program, especially because his best friend (Abby) goes to school that many days, so he thinks that he should too :-).  LOVE THIS BOY!!!

Abigail Lynn Ross turned 6 years old on Friday!!!  All that she wanted to do for her birthday is go camping, so we went camping with some dear friends (who's daughter happens to be Abby's best friend) on her birthday.  Praise the Lord that the weather was amazing (not too hot with a nice breeze and a whole lot of shade), Gracie Doo got to come hang out at the campsite for a few hours before my parents took her home (it meant a lot to Abby that she was there :-) and we got to have a good bit of grown up time once the kids went to sleep!

Us in front of our mansion...  I mean tent (compared to our first camping trip in a 4 person tent, this IS a mansion :-)

Blast from the past... Our first camping trip with the kiddos 3 years ago in our pinner tent!  We are movin' up in the world :-)

Our camping buddies, The Glass' (excluding baby Noah, who was at home with his Grandma-ma).

 This tree is always a huge source of fun!

BFF's

 Time to feed...

More fun in the tree...

We somehow forgot to pack the candles for Abby's cookie cake, so instead we used this very special "campfire candle"...  Phew, glad that she bought that idea and thought it was cool!  Thanks BG!!!

For Abby's 3rd birthday, we would ask her what she wanted for her birthday and all she would say is "to get Andrew a present", so once we agreed on what we could get Andrew, she helped us with birthday ideas for herself.  Long story short, she started a tradition that on the other persons birthday, they get their sibling a present.  Abby got Andrew this Buzz Lightyear (I got it for a couple bucks, gently used :-) and Andrew LOVES it!!!  It sleeps with him at night and he almost made it in to church today...

Somehow, after  a fun night of camping (which usually entails going to bed really late and getting up early), we were able to clean up and make it to Abby and Andrew's soccer game in the morning and they had what might be there individual best game yet AND their team won 5 to 0!!!  GO AVENGERS!  What made the game even more special is that Aunt Becca, Cousin Joe, and EVEN Uncle Brian (he usually has to work on Saturday's, so we were excited to see him too) came to the game and we got to have lunch with them after!  Here is a picture of the cousins... and David :-).

We brought the soccer ball home with us from the game...

Thanks for sticking with me for this long post!  We continue to praise God for you (our village :-) and pray that you feel a renewed sense of God's love, peace, and joy as we enter into the excitement and craziness of the Summer!

Hello May...

Spring also brings lots of new baby birds in the nest right outside of our front door...

The month of May is so special to me because it is the month that I first became a Mom (when our sweet Abigail was born) and it is has been a magical season ever since we got to experience four true seasons while living in Bloomington Indiana!  Growing up in California, I'm accustomed to 2 seasons (Summer and not Summer/Santa Ana winds :-), so you can imagine my amazement when we got to experience the breath taking scene of the changing of the leaves (something I had never seen in person), the awe and wonder of the first snow of the season (and then when the novelty of Winter wears off), and the warmth, beauty, and vibrancy of Spring!  Prior to living in Indiana (for just 7 months), I had trouble really stopping and appreciating the beauty of God's creation all around us, which couldn't be more evident to me than in witnessing the changing of the seasons and all of the intricacies and unique blessings that each season brings.  Today was a day where, by God's grace, I was able to see even the smallest blessings for what they are, sweet and magnificat hugs from God during a sweet season in our lives.

To God be the glory that at Grace's cardiology appointment we got good news and were able to experience subtle hugs from God throughout the day. The lady that did Grace's UNSEDATED echo today earned her money for sure (and so did her Daddy, if Daddy's got paid for doing an amazing job at being a Daddy :-)!  

Here is the dynamic duo...

To get good pictures/readings of various parts of the heart the child needs to be very still and it takes at least 40 minutes if everything goes seamlessly.  Grace was a very good girl and held still for a good bit of the time, but toward the end she had enough, so the sweet echo technician was singing to her and trying to distract her with one hand, while trying to get good pictures with the other, etc.  After an echo that took over an hour she carried Grace back to the exam room with a smile on her face and loved on her a little before she walked out.  Just the commitment and joy the echo technician demonstrated, despite having to work for every picture, blessed me.  The results from the echo were certainly praiseworthy, in that the pressure in her mitral valve was between 15-19 (average of 17).  I reminded the Dr that her previous echo's were sedated (which causes pressure's, etc to be underestimated because the child is so calm, heart rate is lower, etc) and she was more comfortable after taking that into consideration because a 17 on an unsedated echo is equivalent to a 14-15 sedated.  Therefore, her mitral stenosis is still "severe", but it is stable and the Dr continues to be very pleased with how well Grace looks clinically, so the plan is to continue to watch her (AND KEEP PRAYING that she stays well :-). Grace has continued to gain weight (following her own curve) and she seems to have shot up in height (this number if variable because of how difficult it is to get the kid to stretch out with out to much wiggling, etc), which is always amusing to us because we certainly don't have a whole lot of height going on in the Ross Family :-).  For those of you that haven't known us since our first daughter Abby was born, just to catch you up, our old pediatrician told us when she was just 1 month old that she was concerned that she might be a "little person" and sent us to a geneticist.  The sweet geneticist looked at Abigail, then at David, and said "has your pediatrician seen your husband?" I said "yes, he's been at every appointment so far."  She went on to do a number of measurements on Abigail AND David and came to the conclusion that genetically... we make small people (which is a trait that I love about being a Ross :-).  David and I were cracking up a few nights ago as I was trying to clean out Abby's closet.  I made a pile of a few 24 months, 2T and 3T skirts and shorts that I planned to pack away, but thought that I should have Abigail try them on just to make sure that they don't fit anymore and sure enough...  those clothes will get to see another Summer :-).  Yes, she will be 6 years old in a couple of weeks and can still fit in to some 24 month clothes, but don't under estimate her because she can almost run faster than me and she can certainly smoke me when it comes to doing pull ups!  All that to say, despite big growth spurts, Grace will be in good company with her big sister as they may not tip the charts in height (especially because a characteristic of Up's is short stature) they will make up for it in personality :-).  

Here is Abby at dance this week.  They got to try on their recital costumes!

Sorry for the rabbit trail...  back to our cardiology appointment.  Andrew came with us to the 2.5 hour appointment and he was extremely patient and helpful!  In fact, when the Dr and resident came in to talk to us, in the middle of our conversation I noticed that she stopped talking, her mouth opened and she was just starring at Grace (who was sitting on David's lap at the time).  I looked over to see what was going on and she was just watching as Andrew was loving on his baby sister.  It was a sweet site to see even for a Momma that has been blessed enough to witness this scene often.  Andrew was hugging her gently with his eyes closed and just talking to her sweetly.  He would pull away and stroke her cheek and then go back to snuggling her.  After watching them for a good minute she asked "is he always that way with her? He is such a sweet big brother!"  The same thing happened again one or two more times... 

I share this story because that moment allowed me to see through someone else's eyes something that I pray that I won't ever take for granted.  It is solely because of God's work in the hearts and lives of our kiddos that they can respond to each other with such genuine and uninhibited love.  You know those humbling times as a parent when you learn from your children (this happens to me often).  In this moment Andrew taught me...

Last night, both Abigail and Andrew taught me a lesson about forgiveness...  I barked at them after dinner because I was frustrated with their selfish attitudes toward each other.  I apologized to them for barking at them and explained that even though I was upset about their attitude, it was not appropriate for me to bark at them and I asked for their forgiveness.  They quickly, without any hesitation said, "I forgive you Mommy" and went about their business (this is how they respond anytime David or I have to apologize to them).  During our "best" and "worst" as I was putting them down, I shared my "best" and then said that my worst was "barking at them."  I still felt so burdened by my sin, so I asked for their forgiveness again and they AGAIN said "I already forgave you Mommy."  Of course they did...  what a great reminder of how our Heavenly Father operates!  When we are truly repentant and ask for forgiveness, He is quick to forgive and chooses to forget! If only I could be that quick to really forgive! The most humbling part of this story is what comes next...  Andrew praised God for our "bests" and Abigail prayed for our "worst."  Hearing your 6 year old child pray for you, asking God (very specifically) to forgive you and help you not to commit that sin again is a very humbling and precious experience as a parent.  It is a reminder that we are all on a journey to seeking Christ and being conformed to His image together!

I will only bore you with one more lesson that God has been teaching me (I spend a lot of time in the class room :-).  With so much uncertainty around Grace's health from one day to the next it can be easy to worry "if we get a bad report from the cardiologist we may have to go back to Boston sooner than later and that might mean we can't go to Family Camp (our family vacation)...   How will that impact Abby and Andrew, etc," but the truth is that even if that is the case (which we pray it's not of course), I can rest in the fact that God's already got our story written and it will be good, so I need to be careful not to find my happiness in "the things of this world" (vacations, "things", even the health of our children).  This is just the reminder that I needed today (and every day)...

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." ~Matt. 6:19-20

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS and for spending time in the classroom with me :-).

Will you please keep praying for continued health and healing for our sweet baby Grace and join us in praising God for His goodness and provision?

A week of sweetness and prayer request...

This past week has been full of sweetness for a number of reasons...

Abby had a Kindergarten field trip to the zoo and it was such a treat that Andrew got to go too!

Abigail and her two BFF's (Andrew and Julia) at the field trip...

Abigail's Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Gazaway, whom she LOVES!!!

Yesterday, we had a crawfish boil with some dear friends!  Here are the kiddos eating their crawfish alternative (pigs in a blanket :-).  Surprisingly enough, all the kiddos tried the crawfish and liked it, despite the fact that their mouths were on fire!  I know that those of you that know me well are certain that I didn't eat crawfish, and you are correct, however I do love the corn on the cobb that is cooked with the crawfish (it's got all of the spice without all of the.... yuck :-).

Grace update and prayer request time...

I apologize that so many cute pictures of Grace are blurry...  As I have mentioned before, the minute Grace sees the camera she turns off her precious smiles and personality, so I have to strategically sneak pictures of her cuteness.  I guess I don't have a future as a paparazzi :-).

Our little sweetie has her next cardiology appointment this Friday, May 10th.  They are going to do an UNsedated echo (God help us!).  She has to lay very still in a certain position for almost 45 minutes...  All things are possible with God, right?  I'm hanging onto that because I can't imagine how it's going to be accomplished.  The most important reading that they need is the gradient (pressure) across her mitral valve, so as long as they can get a good look at that, they will be satisfied (they will try to get those pictures first and then see if it's possible to look at anything else).  Will you PLEASE pray that her pressure has either stayed the same or better yet, gone down?  We are praying that it hasn't increased at all because if it has we will likely have to head back to Boston for an intervention.  Please also join us in praising the Lord that Grace has continued to eat better and amaze us with how active and joyful she is!  

This is how Andrew spends much of his time...  He takes his job of loving and protecting both of his Sissies very seriously.  That boy melts my heart and cracks me up daily!

My girls!!!  Abigail wants to be a teacher when she grows up, so Grace (and Andrew) are great guinea pigs for her.  I can't wait to see her work with Grace as she gets older!  Already Abigail's heart is so sweet towards others, especially those that "take a little longer to learn things" (that's what she calls people with special needs).  I think that I have mentioned before that we do "best" and "worst" at night with the kids (we all share what the "best" and "worst" part about our day was).  We praise God for the "best" and pray over the "worst."  At times, Abigail's "best" will be something like "one of the kids that "takes a little longer to learn" at school skipped for the first time today!  Love her heart!

Thank you, our sweet village, for joining us on our journey by holding our hand (encouraging us) and lifting us up in prayer.  We will let you know how our cardiology appointment goes on Friday :-)