Missed you...

"I've missed you, Village!!!"

-One of our favorite holiday's since Grace came into our lives is Valentine's Day...  hearts everywhere!!!  The kids had Valentine Parties at their school...

Abigail is an honorary member of the special ed class at her school, so anytime they have a school wide party she loves to stop by to see her sweet friends in their class.  This little guy loves Abigail as much as she loves him,  he gets SO excited to see her... it's just precious (he even had a valentine card for her)!

...and then they got to attend Grace's Valentine's Party which was certainly a highlight for all, especially Abigail because she got to love on some of Grace's classmates.

Abigail's new little buddy...

-My Mom, Nana Lu Lu, was in town from California last weekend and she blessed us by taking us to see Marvel Live.  It was way better than I could have ever imagined, practically front row seats just increased the cool factor!  Amazing stunts, choreography, and story line.  Even Grace enjoyed the show as long as I kept my hands over her ears so that all of the loud "booms" didn't scare her to tears.

Life as a teeny, but mighty Ross girl...  Lu Lu also blesses the kids with clothes (and treats for mommy and daddy too :-) when she comes to visit, this time she came bearing PJ's because that was everyone's need at this time.  As I was picking up the house, I must have put Grace's new PJ's in Abigail's room because she put them on after getting out of the shower and I thought, "those look small for being brand new PJ's"...  after checking the size, I quickly realized they were too small... because they were Grace's 2T PJ's.  Pretty impressive that the same PJ's fit an almost 8 year old and 2 year old in the Ross house :-).  

-As a family, we love American Ninja Warrior, so the kids like to "train" to be a competitor on the show some day.  Andrew is usually the coach/trainer and Abigail is the one "in training."

-On Friday of this week, Andrew had the second part of his sinus surgery where they went in for a second look, removing the gel they had put in place to keep the newly created holes (to open his airway) open.  He had to be sedated again, so aside from the inconvenience of not being able to eat for almost 8 hours in the middle of the day, he did GREAT (by God's grace of course :-).  Again, his first words after waking up from the anesthesia was "I miss Abby" and he was elated to see Grace (and David because he had to bring Grace :-) show up shortly after he woke up!  It has been pretty awesome to see how the Lord has used Andrew through all of his medical stuff, from the way he tells the Dr's and nurses that "it's because he knows that God is always with him" when they praise him for being such a big boy and great patient, to the sweetness that he exudes even when in less than ideal circumstances (to God be the glory because he's got sinners for parents :-). As much as we as parents hate to see our kids go through any level of suffering, there is no question that those experiences provide great teachable moments as to where we draw our strength, cast our fears, and the solid rock in which we should place our hope and trust.  For adults and kids alike, it's one thing to know about God, but going through tough stuff gives us a great opportunity to really get to know God (His character, etc).

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 ESV

Grace liked the nurses hat, so they found her one!

-On Saturday we had a great time at the Campbell Elementary Fun Run!  We couldn't have been more proud of the kids...  Abigail's goal was to beat all of the other 2nd graders in the mile run, she nailed that goal (glad David runs with her because I seriously can't keep up with that girl).

Love these Besties!

These were my running buddies!  Andrew's goal was to finish the race without walking, besides the minute that he sat on the edge of Grace's stroller, he ran faster, harder, and longer than I have ever seen him run (and it was a day after having the second sinus surgery).  Andrew said that "the real credit goes to Grace because her cheering for him is what gave him the motivation to go hard!"  

After the race and carnival that followed, Andrew had his last and best basketball game of the season (we are missing next weeks game which is really the last game because we are going to the rodeo parade with Grace's school).  He got the "Christ like" award for the 3rd time this season which is super special because we talk and pray a lot (with all of the kids) about being a light for Jesus at school, on and off the basketball court/soccer field, etc.

-Grace LOVES to play in the back yard with the big kids.  David and Abigail are often times having a serious soccer match going on out there and I can hardly watch it because Grace insists on being in the middle of the action as they dribble the ball around her, it makes me nervous!  Grace won't have it another way though and David and Abigail promise me that they are being careful with her.  Grace likes to take her turn dribbling the ball across the back yard while saying "GOOOOOAL" until she gets it into the net.  By the time I got my phone out, I only caught the end of her goal, but you get the point :-).

These three amigo's love school, we pray that you look this happy on Monday morning too! 

We love and appreciate you, Village!  

Grateful...

WOW!  Village, your prayers have been felt and answered big time!!! 

Our family has prayed together a lot leading up to surgery and as I mentioned in my previous post, this has provided a great opportunity for Andrew to exercise his faith muscles (trusting that God is who He says He is and that He will do what says He will do).  Somehow, I'm still blown away with goose bumps, tears, and all when God reveals Himself to us in such tangible ways...  The peace that Andrew had leading up to his surgery and especially as he said goodbye to us and walked back to the OR with the nurse, can only be explained by God's peace that surpasses comprehension!

Philippians 4:6-7New American Standard Bible (NASB)

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Before surgery one of Andrew's super special Sunday School teacher delivered him a goody bag and reminder that she's praying for him... 

The best distraction gift ever... a miniature dry erase board (with Iron Man on it :-)!  This is all Andrew did from the second we arrived to the hospital until he walked back for surgery.  He would say "now what do you want me to draw" and as long as we could come up with enough suggestions, he was a drawing machine.

Andrew's surgeon said that his adenoids had bacteria flowing like a waterfall over them and that he had a major sinus infection.  Andrew woke up happy, asking when he can see Abigail? It didn't take long for Andrew to realize that he could breathe so much easier.  Recovery has been far better than I could have imagined, in fact the hardest part has been trying to keep him from bouncing off the walls, since he feels fine because too much movement causes his nose to bleed.

Can you believe this is our sweet boy moments after he woke up from surgery?!?!

...and his Kindergarden teacher came by our house the afternoon of his surgery to give him a goody bag and card that his class signed for him (so bummed I didn't get a picture of our precious Mrs. Gazaway when she came by).  To say that he (we) felt blessed is an understatement.

After surgery, Andrew's favorite game was to play "surgeon," so everyone in the family has now had surgery, as well as many of his toys.  I love how serious he took it and how closely he followed all of the details that he experienced.

The kids attended a pep rally at their school on Friday night and Grace LOVED the drum line, cheerleaders, Chik-fil-a cow (as long as he didn't get too close), and dancing to the DJ's music.  We love, love, love Campbell Elementary!

Best buds heading to the pep rally!

While Grace LOVED this cow (especially when he would dance), she did NOT want him to get too close to her, so Grace didn't know if she should smile or cry in this picture!

We found another happy place for Grace...  A pep rally (my kinda girl :-)!!!

I didn't get a chance to share with you a special event that took place last week...  we went to hear Gene Stallings (former Alabama, Texas A&M, Dallas Cowboys, and St. Lois Cardinals coach) speak about his love for the Lord, his coaching experiences, and his deep love for his son "Johnny" who had Up's.  We got to attend with some of our favorite Up's families and we got to spend a good bit of time talking to Gene at the end of the service.  What a sweet experience it was!

Abigail and David had to leave early for a soccer game, that's why they aren't in the picture :-(

Here are some random pictures of the Ross Family Circus over the past two weeks...

Grace, happy as a clam in an oversized coat, her brothers helmet, and the best big sister by her side!

Silly Grace with her brothers CLEAN undies on her head!

Wonder where she gets it from?  Andrew rigged up this "train" to take Grace and her doll on a ride!

Sweet sisters walking home from the bus stop!  On a side note, Grace LOVES the big kids bus driver, so she always makes sure to get his attention, wave, and blow him kisses!

Our big girl on free dress day at school! Still trying to figure out how she has grown up so fast...

Thanks again for your prayer and participation in our lives!  Praying each of you has a blessed week!

(((hugs)))

Prayer request...

Please forgive me for not being able to do a typical post tonight, this has been a CrAzY busy weekend with a birthday party, 3 soccer games, 1 basketball game, getting to hear and meet Gene Stalling (more on that later :-), super bowl party, etc...  I hope that y'all had a blessed week and weekend and I pray that you are reminded today how much your membership in our Village means and matters to us!

I have a big prayer request for you Village, Andrew has his sinus and adenoid surgery this Thursday, Feb. 5th.  He has been through SO much the past 5 months with two bouts of pneumonia, complete sinus blockage, cystic fibrosis test, allergy testing, a ton of blood tests, antibiotic shots, etc, so there is no wonder that tonight as I was putting him down, he asked about his surgery and when he learned that I won't be in the operating room with him, he finally broke down and said "I'm really scared, Mommy" to which my heart broke :-(.  However, it was a great opportunity to remind him that I can't be in the operating room with him, but God, (who is WAY better than Mommy) will be there because He is ALWAYS with us.  We got to reflect on God's character (He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, trustworthy and holy/perfect) and His promises (He has never and will never leave us or forsake us, He will comfort us, etc).  The peace that washed over Andrew (and I) as we fixed our hearts and minds on God was truly priceless.  I know that the temptation to be fearful for Andrew (and Abigail and I too) will rear it's head throughout this week and certainly on Thursday morning, so will you please pray for him (and us)?  Please pray that we can have God's peace that surpasses comprehension, that the surgery would go flawlessly without any complications, and that recovery would be easy?

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!  (((HUGS)))