Rib Fest

Today we went to The Rib Fest with some friends.  It was such a beautiful day and we got to try some really tasty ribs.  There were 7 different rib places there and during the time we were there, you could try one of their ribs for "A Buck a Bone".  The drill was that you waited in line and got your rib and then while eating your rib, you waited in the next line.  We had a great time chatting while we were eating and my favorite of the day was the Jacked Up BBQ ribs from Forked River, NJ.   

Cheney's girlfriend Renee is here visiting us, so it was fun to take her along:-)


                                     

A Challenge

Alan challenged Cheney to arm wrestle tonight.  I thought it was a risk.  Was tonight the night that his son was stronger than he is??  Not yet:-)  He still gets to hold the title....for now;-)

Davin also wanted in on the challenge, of course!

Davin's Day in Court

He is officially ours again!!  Court went very well last week, although I was wondering in the morning when Davin and Cheney were laughing and carrying on if the judge was going to get more than he bargained for in court.  However, when the judge came in, Davin was very serious and did not make a peep. 

Before the judge came in, Davin wanted to know all about he different parts of the courtroom.  He specifically felt very strongly that he should go sit in the jury box.  He asked us if he could do that on two separate occasions.  I told him no, but later his attorney mentioned that he probably could.  No thank you.  I figured that could get him all stirred up and next thing you know he would be carrying on and lifting his shirt up.  (I don't know if I have mentioned on here, but he really loves to lift his shirt up.  When he meets someone, when he is sitting in church, at the doctor's office, anywhere really:-)  We decided that he would stay where he was and do what he was supposed to do and he was a very obedient boy. 

The judge was only concerned that we were not still NJ residents.  The only questions I had to answer were questions about this being our temporary place of residents.  Once he was satisfied, he was satisfied that we were indeed still NJ residents, he said that Davin obviously needs a guardian.  I was very thankful that I did not have to ask the questions concerning me being his guardian and taking care of him and what that requires.  I just knew that would make me very emotional and I didn't feel like I needed to bare my soul and emotions in front of the judge.  I just want my boy. He is now twice ours.  Good deal.  We will take him!!

Davin Bruce, welcome to the family again:-)

Off to Court We Go

Tomorrow we head to court with Davin to hopefully get the guardianship stuff all taken care of.  There could be some issues, so we appreciate prayers that all goes well.  I am thinking it will be an emotional day, but not really sure what to expect.  Davin's attorney assured me that nothing would be said that would hurt Davin's feelings, and that had been my biggest concern. 

Hopefully tomorrow that boy will be all ours again and we can continue to do what we have been doing for the last 18 years:-)

To Camp or Not to Camp...that is the question

I believe that Cheney was nine years old the first time he went to summer camp.  That would make Davin to have been seven.  I knew Davin would miss Cheney not being home, but I never expected his reaction at the camp.  You see, my boys slept in bunk beds.  Cheney slept on the top bunk and Davin slept on the bottom bunk at home.  When we went to get Cheney's stuff unloaded into his cabin, he chose a top bunk and we got him all set up.  I didn't notice, at first, that Davin was staring at the bottom bunk.  When we went to leave the camp, Davin was furious.  He is rarely furious.  He struggled to keep me from putting him into his car seat and he cried and cried.  I finally figured out that Davin saw that the bottom bunk under Cheney was free and he figured that must be for him.  He wanted to stay.  Davin got a camp t-shirt that day and a lot of sympathy from me.  It made sense. 

I know that Davin is a "camp kind of boy".  He loves to be outside.  He loves people.  He loves having fun.  He loves doing what everybody else is doing. 

I have thought of sending Davin to camp for quite a few years now, but it was only an idea.  My blogger friend Tracey has sent me some information about the wonderful Joni camps and highly recommended them.  I checked into those, but they were all full for our area.  I had checked into another camp as well that is in our area and they have room for Davin and now they have our deposit and we have had an interview. 

I find myself going back and forth, though.  Can I really do this?  Can I leave Davin at a camp to be cared for by people I don't know for FIVE days?  I am not sure. 

At the end of our interview, the people from the camp told me they think Davin will be an excellent fit for camp.  I told them my concerns and they sweetly said that only I can decide if I can actually send him.  Do you think they would notice me sleeping on the floor next to his bed?? 

There are so many things that Davin does not get to do.  That cannot be avoided and although he is sometimes annoyed, he really handles the disappointment well for the most part.  Camp is something that he can do, but can I let him?  My world has gotten pretty small in the last seven years as far as Davin's care is concerned.  We do not ask our parents to watch him anymore really because it is more than they can handle.  The only people that care for Davin overnight are the five of us.  I guess that is the beauty of Davin being the youngest of four kids and with him being so much smaller than they are.  Ashleigh, Bethany and Cheney all can take care of him.  I trust them completely. 

I know that some of my fears are just being overprotective and some of my fears are very real concerns.  Some of those very significant problems that I have been concerned about seem to be correcting themselves, so now I am thinking.....maybe.....?????

Scuff Marks

For the last two days, I have had to clean scuff marks off of my kitchen floor.  Instead of those scuff marks making me annoyed, they made me smile.  Those marks reminded me that my bigger boy is home now.  Sure, he brings with him some mess that we didn't have before he got here, but I will take it because he is here.  Those marks on the floor also reminded me God's provision for Cheney for the summer.  Due to Cheney's sweet friend, (who happens to be my sweet friend's son:-), Cheney came home from college on Friday and began a FULL TIME job on MONDAY!!!  In order to start the job, he had to get work boots and that is how I got the scuffs on my floor. 

Will those scuff marks still be bringing a smile to my face in the middle of July?  Perhaps not, but I hope they still remind me of God's blessings. 

A Bonus with Bigger Kids

It is Mother's Day weekend and I was so excited that 3 of my kids were going to be here for the weekend!!  I was thrilled with just preparing for that, but then....  Davin came home from school on Friday with this beautiful Mother's Day gift for his Mama:-)

Isn't it beautiful??  I love presents like this.  I have it on my porch already:-) 

Then, we headed to the airport to pick up one Cheney Alan Scott and then when we got home, Bethany pulled into the driveway and had this very special surprise for Mother's Day for me!!

She surprised me and brought Baby Rocky Balboa!!!!  I was so excited since I miss my puppy so much. 

Well, all of that was amazing, but today first thing in the morning, our doorbell rung and these were waiting for me at the door.....

I have never ever had one of the creations from Edible Arrangements and we ate it for breakfast.  Yummy and beautiful!

Next, my middle kids snuck away for a while and came back and gave me these.....

What a spoiled Mom I am!!! I was thrilled just to have most of my kids with me.  (By the way, and for the record, Ashleigh and Kevin orchestrated the Edible Arrangement:-)   I have decided that one nice thing about my kids getting bigger (because we all know I whine a lot about them being older now;-) is that they have jobs and buy me presents!!! 

Happy Mother's Day to all of my beautiful blogger friends who are Moms!!

Words

I have heard Davin speak twice in his entire 18 years of life.  He said "I love you" twice during the same car ride and if my mom and sister had not been in the car to verify it, I would have thought I had lost my mind.  That was years and years ago and I know it must seem sad to other people to think of having a non-verbal son, but I don't really think of Davin that way.  He expresses himself so beautifully and is quite bossy even. 

A couple of days ago, I asked Davin three questions in a row and he answered me either by nodding or gestures.  He did so well answering my questions so quickly and I was so proud of him for thinking everything through so quickly.  I told him he was so smart...and he ANSWERED ME OUT LOUD!!!  He said UH HUH!!!! 

Now, if your child speaks all the time, you may correct them when they say "uh huh".  I would and have:-)  But, if your child does not speak, and he says UH HUH, you go crazy!  Tears well up in your eyes and you gush over him about answering you with words. 

Thank you God for the unexpected blessings that you give me every day.

Being Awake is Probably Key

I should probably wait to discuss something so serious with Davin as segregation and the Freedom Ride until Davin is awake:-)   I was discussing this subject with him, but turned to look at him and realized he was asleep.

This is such an incredible subject to me.  How can we ever think that someone is less than someone else because of the color of their skin?  Every one of us is created in the image of God!!

Our Cares

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."  1 Peter 5:7

I once had a little girl who was often anxious.  She sucked two of her little fingers and even as she grew she continued this habit when she felt nervous or anxious.  I remember asking her one day when she was in second grade if she got embarrassed at school when she was sucking her fingers since she was now so big.  She told me that she would simply put her head under her desk so it was no worry:-) 

That little girl did stop sucking her fingers during her second grade year, but immediately took up biting her nails...another anxiety soothing activity. 

As she grew, she went to the Word, she took her cares to her Lord and Savior, but she still struggled. 

She also did some really fantastic things and was so brave, but as the end of high school drew near and decisions needed to be made about college, those anxieties came out once again.  It all ended with a Mom and Dad leaving a very angry daughter at Word of Life Bible Institute. They parted with very heavy hearts. 

Ashleigh has learned to trust and to get over her anxieties for the most part in her life. 

A few months ago, Ashleigh started having some health problems.  At first, she tried coping. She wanted to see if the problems were stress related.  Eventually she could not ignore them, and became proactive about going to doctors and having some tests done. 

I believe the computer can be a blessing and a curse at the same time.  For someone who struggles with anxiety, reading about all of the things you could possibly have can be a bit of a curse.  Being someone who is anxious at times, makes it very hard not to read all the information. 

Ashleigh has stopped reading the information online.  She also just had several tests done and they all came back negative.  The doctor who first diagnosed her with a stomach infection may or may not have been correct says a specialist.  So, what is going on?  Ashleigh is left wondering if the beginning symptoms caused her so much worry added in with the extra online information that she has become very sick. 

I often find it so funny? that with all of the temptations in the world, Satan often uses the same one on us over and over again. He doesn't always need to be very resourceful. When we are prone to a certain weakness, he can use that one over and over again. I know he has done that in my life and I find myself learning the same lessons over and over again and wonder when I will ever GET it!

So, Ashleigh will continue to try to figure out what is going on physically while at the same time trying to give everything over to the Lord and rest in His care for her.  I am proud of her. 

I am praying for you, Loubie and I love you very much!!

P.S.  Did I forget to mention that the little girl above once had a young mom who thought she was sick and was often throwing up through the night?  Later, that young mom found out it was her nerves.  How quickly I forget where I once was;-)