Thrilling Tuesday

Well, today was anything but boring. The Wulf's got up at 6:00 to get out the door for a fun day at King's Island. Breianna had Speech Therapy at 8:00 so we decided we should just all go to the appointment and try to get to King's Island at 9:30 for the Gold Pass Early Admission. Well worth it, by the way. I cannot believe we got out of the house by 7:15 on the dot. We didn't even forget anything. Davis was packed up and ready for his 3 day hiatus to my in-laws, the cooler was packed up with all of our snacks and lunch, bags were packed, and tube feedings were dosed out. Davis, Baylie and I ran a few errands while Barry stayed with Brei at therapy then we were off to a day of fun. Arriving at 9:30 was great. Barry and Davis went on ahead and got a chance to ride some of the typically "long wait" rides before the crowds arrived. I stayed back with the girls to change diapers, apply sunscreen, pack up the snacks and all of the other "motherly" things.

We met up with the guys at the Racer. Davis just loves this coaster. It's so fun watching the excitement on his face when he's about to go ride a coaster. Next stop was the Scrambler. Brei was finally tall enough to ride it and she absolutely loved it. She giggled for the entire ride. We rode a few rides in kiddy land before heading over to the water park. The kids really wanted to ride the train over so Barry took the stroller and walked over to wait on us. The kids and I walked to the train depot to board. It was pretty cool riding the train. We went underneath a portion of the Diamondback that's not visible from most parts of the park. Once we met back up with Barry we decided to head to the car for a quick lunch. I'm so glad I packed a cooler. Not only does it save us money but it helps us to make healthier choices. It's so important for the kids to understand, even at an early age, that there are ways to save money even on a day out. Packing a cooler is a simple way to cut costs, especially at a place where the food is so overpriced.

The rest of the day was spent in the water. Breianna may have a new favorite, the wave pool. She had so much fun. I took her out pretty far so that she could be on top of the waves. Davis was glad because he loves to go out and swim over the waves. I can't believe how brave he's gotten. A few years ago he wouldn't go out very far and he was unsure of the water. Now he just goes out like a pro. Baylie had a blast today too. The first two visits she didn't like the rides or the water. Today she was really brave and tested the water to see what it's all about. She really enjoyed her exploration. Barry and I enjoyed our day with the kids. It was so nice to have family time.

Davis went home with MeMa and will be staying with MeMa and Papa until Friday. They have lots of fun planned for him, including a few days of golf camp and a visit to a new Lego store at Kenwood Mall.

The girls were tired so when we got home we lounged around for the remainder of the evening.

I'll try to post daily this week. We have a busy week planned.

Be Still

Why is it when life gets tough we want to control the situation around us? When we are having difficulty knowing which direction to take, why do we forget to lean on God and know that he will lead us the right way? Why are we always taking matters into our own hands? Psalms 46:10 says "Be Still and know that I am God". This scripture is so comforting. So few words yet so powerful. But why is this so difficult for us? Be still, stop trying to control how and when and where, draw on our Lord's strength and his wisdom to see us through the tough times. He knows and He will answer, if we let Him.

This was the topic of conversation today. We needed to be reminded to let go of situations that we were trying to control. To be reminded to lean on Christ in everything. It's easy to be thankful for our blessings and to lean on Him when things are going good, but when life stops us dead in our tracks, that's when we say, whoa, hang on a minute, I'm not going to wait on you to present the answers to me. I'm doing this thing my way. Look at what this means though, do we fret, worry, have short tempers, frustrate easily, mope around, say hurtful things and even sometimes behave in a spiteful manner? Generally this tends to make the situation worse. Isn't this, then, the very best time to lean on Christ, when we don't have it all together? Give it to him and have faith that he knows more about this than we do.

Psalms 47 begins by saying in verse 1 " God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble". I don't know about you, but no matter how good our friends are or how loving our husband is, I don't know anyone that is "ever-present". Someone who never leaves us and always wants what is best for us.

The passage continues by saying in verses 2 - 11 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 8 Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields [b] with fire. 10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

He makes the wars cease. That sort of stands out. If he can make the wars cease, then I'm sure he can take away the turmoil in our lives. If only we let him.

"Dear Lord, help us to give everything to you in thoughtful prayer. Help us to give you our hardships and turmoil so that you can see us through to the other side of difficult times. Thank you for the promise that you will be with us always, even in times of trouble. Help us to Be Still and know that you are God. Amen".

Having fun at King's island. Baylie is waiting for Davis and Brei to ride Little Bill's Roller Coaster. She didn't like the rides much this particular day so she just watched everyone else ride.

This perfect child

I believe that the world looks at my sweet and beautiful Breianna as imperfect. She's clumsy, she's unable to talk, she has vision troubles, she needs assistance to climb stairs and walk from point A to point B, she's unable to properly hold a writing tool, she scribbles on everything, chews on inedible objects, has a fettish for ziploc bags, is unable to eat by mouth and the list could continue well on into next week. However, to me, her mom, she's perfect in every way. She is the lucky one because she doesn't understand this world for what it is, she understands only goodness, pureness and love. I believe that as a mom, it's my purpose to raise Holy children who love Christ and live their lives in a way that is good and Christ-like. I believe that I'm responsible for teaching my children the way in which they are to go. So, with Brei, it's pretty simple so far. She's the purest person I've ever met. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the "can't".....Breianna's life to this point has been full of goals for therapies, doctors and school IEP's. When writing goals there's always a list of what she can't do that we hope to help her eventually be able to do. I see what she can do and what she does do. She can bring people closer to Christ just by living her life. She has every reason in the world to be angry and bitter. She was dealt a raw deal when her life began. She's got a lot going on but instead of dwelling on it, I don't think she ever even thinks about it. She thinks only about waking up each day and living that 1 day to the very fullest. She packs it all in. She goes non-stop, sometimes without purpose, she's just living and teaching the people around her to do just that "live", like there's no tomorrow. Live like it's your last day so love those around you and show them Christ in all that you do.

Matthew 5:8 - Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Caesar's Creek Lake -

So, I think sometimes we get so caught up in our busy lives that we forget what beautiful scenery there is right in our backyard. For instance, Caesar's Creek Lake. No more than a 15 minute drive from our house, yet we never take the time to go and enjoy the trails, the peaceful serenity of God's beautiful creation, the sandy beach perfect for building sandcastles, the playground that overlooks that beach, and the trees, oh the beautiful trees. This evening at around 6:00 we decided to just load up the jogging stroller, 3 kids, 2 dogs and ourselves and head over to enjoy some of what God created for us.

The playground was completely empty so it was perfect for letting the kids run around and act silly. The slide had rails on both sides so Brei needed minimal assist and was very successful on her own, which makes her so very happy when things are accessible. Baylie wasn't sure of the slide because it was so much taller than what she's used to. Davis was the sweet big brother who helped her up and then gave her the push needed to fly down. If we hadn't been there to catch her at the end she'd for sure have been catapaulted into the lake.

It began to sprinkle but we didn't let a little rain spoil our fun. We took a nice walk down to the sandy beach and the kids all walked in the water and then played in the sand. Davis was wanting to stay longer at the beach area but we were wanting to go exploring and get the dogs a nice walk in before the storm hit. We got poured on as soon as we were far enough away from the main pavillion to get to it without getting soaked. We did, however, find a nice big shade tree to stand under while it poured down around us. As soon as there was a break we ran to the shelter and hung out there until it stopped raining. We decided to walk back down to the beach area and let Davis work on a sandcastle for awhile. My camera battery died so I couldn't take a pic of his creation. I did tell him that I'd bring him and his friends back one evening soon. It was so nice because there were so few people there at that time of night that it was like having our own private lake.

Being out there really made me miss my times growing up at the lake. My parents always had a boat and we would spend our summers out on the water. Camping was always so much fun with my family. I want to give the kids those experiences of camping and enjoying all of this beautiful earth that God created for us.

Banana Split Festival

Today was a very busy day. We got up and did our 2 mile family walk/run. It was such a peaceful morning minus the yard sales going on in our circle which made for extra traffic. We usually don't have to worry about any traffic in our neighborhood which is sooo nice. I was off by 11:00 to get setup at the Banana Split Festival. Our non-profit Little Hearts Big Smiles set up a booth there to raise funds for our fully accessible playground and to raise awareness for children and adults with different abilities (I'm trying not to be so politically correct and use the term disability because I think that it can have negative impacts on the people themselves) so, I'm trying to do better with that. I don't really look at my daughter as having disabilities, it's just that I think that they are different abilities that we've learned to adapt to and that have become pretty normal for us. So, anyway, raising awareness was our goal for the day and I think we were very successful. We raised some $ in the process so it was a great day. I came home to get the kids ready and head back up to actually partake in the festivities. It's tradition around here to go each year and the kids love it...and so do Barry and I. We visited our booth first to see how everything was going and Davis purchased a Marshmallow shooter from the booth next to us. The man, John, had worked next to us all day and was a really great man. He was missing his wife all day as she was at their other booth at Trader's World. He said, "We've been married 38 years and she's my best friend, we just always do this stuff together." I thought he was the neatest man to talk to. It was fun all day watching him demonstrate his homemade marshmallow shooters to all the kids as they passed by. He gave Brei one because he had heard us talking about her all day at the booth and he just had a heart for her. After that we were off to get our yearly grease fix, there seemed to be a lot more food options this year. You can't go wrong with fried Oreos and Werner's BBQ. We were able to support the Knights of Columbus and get our food on (as Barry says). So, here's the really cool part, I bought these fried potato chips and they were Gluten Free so I put them out to see what Breianna thought. Well, it was very exciting to watch her plow through a plate of these chips! It's been very exciting to watch that kid eating so much since we started the B12 injections. We decided to take a break from the food and head over to the inflatables/train rides. The girls really weren't big fans of the inflatables so Davis used up most of the tokens and we rode the big train as a family. That's when Brei spotted the ponies. She couldn't even contain herself, she was so ecstatic to see those ponies that anyone could have understood what she wanted even if she is nonverbal. So, of course as soon as we finished the train ride it was off to the ponies. I could tell right away that Baylie wasn't going to have anything to do with that so Davis and Brei rode while Baylie cheered them on from the sidelines. We were all getting tired but you can't go to the Banana Split Festival and not get your Banana Split. Luckily the lines weren't long when we got to that side of the park and we got in and out pretty quick. Barry and I shared the amazing neopolitan 3 dip split with all the toppings and Davis skipped out on the bananas this year and just had a vanilla/chocolate combo. Baylie had a single and Brei ate half of Barry and I's that we were sharing. Hold up, wait, did I just say, Brei ate half of a Banana Split? Yes, you read correctly, Brei did indeed eat lots of ice cream! How exciting. We decided to meander back over to the Little Hearts Big Smiles booth and help tear down and box up everything. Another successful year at the Split Fest - See you Next Year!

The Holy Trinity

So, I've found that sometimes as an adult it's difficult to grasp the Trinity, teaching that to your children is a whole new ballgame. So, yesterday at dinner the topic of conversation was just that, the blessed Holy Trinity. Davis was trying to grasp just how 1 person could be 3 people. So Barry took over and explained it very well in 7 year old terms. God is the Father of the Trinity. The Heavenly Father. Jesus is the son, the human form or earthly form. The Holy Spirit is the resurrected savior that lives inside of our hearts. So, there was a bit more dialogue, Davis decided it was tough to get but still listened attentively. Barry asked, "so, does that make sense", with a blank "yes", we moved on. We went along with our evening, cleaning out the garage, taking the recycling to the recycling center, bathtime, bedtime etc etc. Davis read the Bible Stories to the girls and we were talking about Moses. We also talked about respecting others, loving others and being forgiving. Then all of a sudden Davis says, "so mom, God is the guy that is invisible, we can't see him and he sent a version of himself with skin and bones and blood to earth to die for us, then after he died his spirit came to live in us". I just started laughing with astonishment. He had thought it through all that time and this was his conclusion. A pretty good understanding for a 7 year old. His sisters clapped and smiled as though his version was easier to understand than their daddy's thought out explanation. Children are such a wonderful gift!

Star Wars

Star Wars invaded our home about 1 1/2 years ago, for the 2nd time in my life. George Lucas is a genious. He gripped us as kids and is still doing it today. I can't believe we are still so into it. Davis absolutely loves it. It's been so fun re-living the old movies and seeing the story unfold for my 7 year old. Funny thing is I don't remember the legos and DS games. I do remember action figures, costumes, chapter books, pj's and bed sheets. You name it, we've got it. It's been a fun ride, I wonder what other Star Wars stories are waiting to unfold for the next generation when I'm a grandparent.....will have to wait and see.

It's 12:32 a.m. and Star Wars Attack of the Clones is blaring on the television. Barry and Davis are crashed on the sofa's, and the dogs are crashed on the floor in front of them. I'm trying to figure out the blog thing but am thinking that it's time for bed. Early morning to Children's Outpatient Liberty Campus for Brei's OT appointment. Barry is going to stay home with Baylie and Davis so I can focus on Brei and her therapy. Tomorrow will be a busy day so I better go and get some shut eye. May God bless my family and keep them safe and healthy.

Rookie

Well, I made a new years resolution to journal more. So I've got these notebooks that are filling up fast with the daily happenings in our busy home. I decided that it would be more fun to venture out into the world of blogging so the kids could join me in postings and select the pics that are posted (that is, if I make it that far). I'm still trying to figure all of this out so please be patient. Between 3 kids, a wonderful husband, 2 dogs, a small business that I run from home and also volunteer work Little Hearts Big Smiles it will take me awhile to get the hang of this blogging thing....