Chosen, Wanted, Loved...ADOPTED!

Today, January 29, 2014, has been a day of absolute awe.  Sitting in a courtroom, realizing, that our God is so much bigger than anything we could ever ask or imagine.  Looking around at the faces that surround me and wondering why God would have allowed me to be a part of something this miraculous.  It all started on February 12^th, when our little boys life was put in the balance as far as the worlds standards.  It all began when our sweet boy was taken from the only home he had known for two and a half years and taken to Laura Dester shelter in Tulsa, OK.  I cannot imagine the pain and fear that he possessed when a stranger pulled up in a car, loaded a black suitcase with his belongings in it, and took him to a place he had never been to before.  No more grandma, grandpa, sister or brother, just all alone in a place that could never be home.  Now let me introduce you to the miracle that God performed through all of this…

For five years, I have felt in my heart that the Lord had called me to adoption.  At first, I thought it would be international, then I got involved as a mentor at Crisis Pregnancy Outreach and realized how many children needed adopting here in the US and thought we would adopt a baby domestically.  On February 22^nd , 2013, I was praying and I told the Lord that I still didn’t have any direction as to what to do with this feeling in my spirit.  And He spoke to me, plain as day, to begin volunteering at the shelter that very week.  On Friday,  February 24^th , I went to the shelter to love on the kiddos in the little house. I was greeted in the gymnasium by about 25 kids, all 8 and under.  They were all fighting, sometimes literally, for my attention and begging me to play.  I need at least 5 more of me that day….that’s another blog post in itselfJ.  But there was something unique about one little boy in particular.  He had hearing aids in both ears and the way he spoke melted my heart.  He and I played basketball, jumped rope, and built a fort with big foam blocks.  After about an hour, a worker came in and asked if Justin was ready to go home.  He immediately stopped, dead in his tracks.  He looked up at me with his beautiful brown eyes and said, “ I not want to go home.”  Fear filled his eyes and he began to shake.  I bent down, placed my hands on his cheeks and said, “Buddy, you don’t have to stay here anymore.  You get to go home.”  He wrapped his arms around my neck and whispered the four words I will never forget, “But, I just want you.”  Sweet Jesus!  What was I to do with that?  It took four workers to pry him off of me and as they were walking out he was saying over and over again, “But, I just want her, I just want her!” 

The day continued and I had lunch in the little house with the other children, read them books, and tucked them in for their naps.  As I looked across the room, I saw an empty black bed with the name “Justin” written on duct tape and taped to it.  I prayed, Lord please cover him in your peace and protection.

I left the shelter that day, and my dear friend Brenda called to ask how things went.  I told her about a beautiful bi-racial little boy with hearing aids and told her the story of what had happened.  She agreed with me to pray for him, and our conversation ended.  About two hours later, I get a call from her.  She says she was sending me a picture.  As I look down, I see his face.  It’s him!  The little boy from the shelter.  I proceed in asking 100 questions, but mainly wanting to know how she got the picture.  She told me that her friend, who was starting the process to adopt from Haiti, had decided to foster and he was her first foster child.  Moreover, she told me that he was available for adoption due to all parental rights being terminated.  I immediately thought to myself that maybe her friend would adopt him.  She said she would keep me updated and I was so excited to know that he was safe and at peace.

The next week, Brenda calls me to tell me that her friend is unable to adopt him because he is native American and is required to be adopted into a native family.  She proceeds to tell her friend about us and that she wasn’t sure, but she thought we might consider adopting him.  Her friend told her that she was sure we were great, but my name had been on her heart since she left the shelter.  She didn’t even realize that they were talking about the same person.  Now the hard part, getting Kraig on board.  It’s not that he was opposed to adoption, but just wasn’t feeling the calling like I had.  I think in his eyes, and the girls eyes, I would take any child no matter what the circumstance, that was how open I was to what God wanted to do.  Mind you, I had just told my friend Jennifer that I would never adopt a child over the age of 3….we still laugh about how funny that must have been to God.  He knew He was about to rock my world!

Kraig agreed to meet Justin and more or less had laid out a list of things God needed to reveal in the meeting.  I had no idea.  Justin had not engaged his foster dad and was clearly not really into men as a whole.  I prepared Kraig for that and he understood.  Long story short, we were there and Justin remembered me from the shelter and we began to play baseball.  Out of nowhere, he throws the ball to Kraig and says he wants to play with him.  I left the room so that they could have some time and before long he is asking if he can go outside and have Kraig throw him on the trampoline.

We all go outside and are playing and laughing with him while he jumps.  I look over at Kraig and he has tears coming down his face.  He looks at me and says, “He is my son.”   And the journey begins…

We turn in our preliminary paperwork and register for our umpteen hours of required classes on foster parenting.  The day of our first class, Justin’s foster mother gets a call that DHS has found an aunt in Seminole that wants to take Justin.  She calls me, on the verge of tears and tells me.  Kraig and I agree that we will proceed forward with the process because we knew in our heart that God had brought Justin to us.  For over two weeks, we could not get an answer out of DHS as to if the aunt still was interested.  At this point, we have had Justin every weekend and have fallen in love with him.  Finally, we talked to his worker and she said that the aunt had decided not to take him because she just received her own grandchildren to foster.  However, his file is going to state staffing within two weeks.  We still had classes to take!  The day before his file was to go to state staffing, I called his adoption worker to see if there was any way our file would be considered.  She told me that she did not show where we had Indian cards so therefore they had dismissed our file.  I told her we did have Indian cards and emailed them to her on the spot.  She told me that they would not proceed with state staffing and that they would move forward with the adoption with us as the chosen family!  WOW!  God brought the aunt into the picture to stop state staffing, so that we could get our paperwork and classes finished, and so that we would be “seen” at DHS. 

We continued to keep Justin on the weekends and planned to make the transition to our home when the foster family went on their annual mission trip at the end of May.  We made the transition, and Justin was legally placed in our home on June 5, 2013. 

Through all of this, God has shown me exactly who He is.  He does this in all of our lives, but demonstrated it first hand with our precious son.  One day, after I picked Justin up from the bus stop, he asked me the first question that I had to fully rely on God for the answer on.  I was playing, Believe by Natalie Grant, and he started crying and asked me to turn it off.  When I asked him why, he said that he had heard that in the shelter.  I quickly turned it off and he looked at me and said, “Mom, why did I have to go to the shelter?”  Right then, I prayed and told God I was ready to answer that question.  At that very moment, I knew the answer.  I said, “Buddy, Jesus took you to the shelter so that mom could find you.”  He instantly quit crying and smiled and said, “Jesus take me to the shelter to find you mom? So I can be an Arthur now?”  I answered him yes and immediately closed my make up mirror.  With tears streaming down my face, I turned on the song “Give me Faith, to trust what you say…that you’re good and your love is GREAT!”  That answer was not from me, but from the Holy Spirit who showed me once again that God is who He says He is.  That our steps are ordered of Him and that all we need to do is look to him. 

He told me to go to the shelter, even or just a short time, to meet my son. And every step after that, He did.  Not me.  Him.  HIM!  I have to tell you that I do not feel deserving of this most days.  I feel totally inadequate, but totally humbled that something in our family, made God want to place this beautiful child with us.  Praise you Lord.  Oh how I love you, and Oh, how I want your glory to be revealed in this young boys’ life. 

I’m just going to preach for one minute, but I want to ask you….Do you have faith, to trust what He says?  Do you know that He truly is leading you where He needs you to be?  To be a witness to the people that need to see and experience His love and grace?  What is that thing that He is asking you to do?  Step out.  There are literally lives hanging in the balance waiting on your obedience.  I always tell Justin’s foster mother, thank you for your obedience.  She knew that she was supposed to foster him after meeting him at the shelter herself.  Had she not, I’m not sure how all of this would have turned out. 

Today, January 29, 2014, Justin Kade Arthur became a part of our family.  Tonight as I put him to bed, he said, “Mom, I love family.  I never been in a family before.”  We prayed together and he told me he wanted Jesus to live in his heart forever.  I told him that we would talk about what that meant this weekend.  My heart is overflowing and as I look back and see that almost a year to the day that his father’s rights were terminated, Justin became a part of a forever family.  God did not leave him where he was at.  God moved quickly on his behalf and expected obedience from those involved.

Today, I want to say thank you to so many people.  First of all the Hale’s, without their obedience, Kade wouldn’t be snuggled in his forever home warm and cozy.  Secondly to our family, for their love and unwavering support during this time.  And to my great friend Brenda for being such a huge part of putting these puzzle pieces together.  Thank you all for your support and for your love for our son.  He is so special and God is going to use him in mighty ways. 

So now, Trust Him.  Listen to His calling and follow His lead.  He will not leave you where you are at.  You have places to go and people’s lives to impact.  He is good, and His love for you is endless.  God Bless you all and please continue to pray for us as we seek God daily to impart into our children what He would have us impart.  And always remember, all children are gifts from God, carefully hand picked and placed into families no matter what way they come.  God has given us so much responsibility, but what great joy it brings!

Oh How He Loves Us...

Per my last post, we have been waiting patiently for the Lord's direction as we "wait" on the physician in California to push forward with surgery.  Once again, the Lord had different plans.

On Friday, July 20, Kealyn had some friends over to play for the evening.  When it was time for the girls to go home, my friend Kari came to pick up her daughter.  She began to talk to Kraig about her testimony in dealing with a local naturopath who had helped her 3 children tremendously.  She told him about "foot baths" and how they pull the toxins out of your body.  She said that she felt lead to tell us about this doctor and that on Monday evening, she would like to use her foot bath for Emalee's benefit to show us what they did.

Monday, the 23rd, I took Kealyn to cheer camp and there in the school, Kari allowed Emalee to use her foot bath.  We sat for 25 minutes as the foot bath did its job and what we saw at the end will forever change my perspective on medicine.  The bath had pulled metal out of Emalee's foot and a whole lot of other gunk.  I was amazed!

I called that very night and made an appointment for Emalee to go see Dr. Harris on Wednesday.  Emalee had a body scan done which found that her body had large amounts of chemicals, heavy metals, and toxins.  The doctor described to me that every body has a tolerance level as far as toxins etc are concerned.  Emalee's is overflowing!  Our bodies were not created to handle the poisons that we come in contact with every day pertaining to foods, air, fertilizers, chemicals and medications.  She explained to me that every thing we come into contact with causes a reaction in our bodies.  Emalee's body has deposited it's toxins throughout her body and in her brain which has not only produced the cyst, but has produced her neurologic problems as well.  Her neurotransmitters do not fire on all cylinders due to the build up of toxins in her brain.  The body does not know how to get rid of them. I told her that when Emalee is in a pool with chlorine water, that she cannot talk, slurs her words, and can barely stand up.  She said her body is reacting to the chemicals. She also said that we could do the brain surgery, removing the cyst, but it would come back as we would have still not taken care of the cause of the problem.

Dr. Harris offers many different forms of treatment and Emalee has done several this past week.  She did a foot bath Thursday afternoon and I continue to stand amazed at the amounts of junk that came out through her feet.  The doctor believes that as we are able to pull the toxins out, her body will begin functioning as God's word commands it to.  This totally makes since to us and we are thrilled that we have the opportunity to treat Emalee naturally.  No medications, only supplements that are healthy for her body and train her body to function as God created it to function.

We are believing that at Emalee's next scan at the end of November, that the cyst is going to be gone!  I have another new passion!  I want my friends and family to know that in almost every case, medication is not the answer.  It is literally adding to the problem or causing a different problem.  The body needs to detox, even children.  Emalee has been doing great, but we know we have a long way to go.  Not only that, but naturopathic medicine is not paid for through health insurance.  We know that our God is our source and He will provide the means necessary to see this to the end.  In the meantime, we will be purchasing a foot bath so that we can continue helping our family and those that the Lord brings to our attention through this.

If you know of people whose children are ADHD, on seizure meds, chemo patients, etc, please send them my email address: karthur99@cox.net.  I would be glad to help them get to Dr. Harris.

I say all this to say, OH HOW HE LOVES US!  He will never forsake us...He is faithful!  He created our bodies perfectly and the amounts of medications and toxins that we put into our bodies, when you think about it, is overwhelming.  He created all things to work together for good.

Thank you for your faithfulness to prayer for Emalee and our family.  We are continuing to see Satan throw darts at us and try to bring us down, but I will tell you, God is prevailing.  No weapon formed against us will prosper!  Our source is found in Christ alone and He continues to show us His great love, compassion and power!  He holds our girl in His hands!

So thankful for His direction and divine appointments...Thank you, Kari, for heeding to His calling on your life.  Your testimony of God's faithfulness is amazing!  We are so thankful!

Believing the best for you,
Amanda

Being Still

Sometimes things don’t make sense in our natural minds.  Sometimes this can be down right frustrating.  Sometimes, we just want to plan things the way we want them to happen, the way they SHOULD happen.  But, sometimes, our God has other plans….It is time to be still and wait on Him.  I have never had as much difficulty doing that as I do right now.

After a recent MRI, it was found that Emalee’s cyst has grown by another 2mm.  This growth has taken place within the last 8 weeks.  This is very alarming as her parent because I just want the thing to quit wreaking havoc on her precious little body.  But, I am not in charge and my plan just went out the window yesterday.  I just knew the surgeon was going to call and schedule Emalee for surgery in June.  I just knew that we were going to be headed to LA in a very short amount of time.  I just knew that I had this thing all planned out, but God just knew it wasn’t the right time.  No big deal right?  I mean after all, I do trust Him with her life right?  After all, He did create her in His image, right?  Right!  Except, the news I received put all that right back into perspective for me. 

Dr. Shahinian told me that he wanted to do a rescan in one year.  One YEAR!  So, I asked him if I understood him right, that she would miss another year of school, gain another 60 pounds and live another year with very little quality of life!  I was furious!  This is not what I had planned for my daughter!  She is pushing every day and now I had to tell her that she had to endure for another year.  People, I am telling you, she is amazing, but she is twelve years old.  This is a hard spot to be in at 32 much less at 12.  He told me he would compromise and rescan in 6 months.  Seriously, that is like Thanksgiving!  No way, there is just no way!  He told me that if her symptoms worsened, headaches, seizures, etc. to notify him immediately and that was the end of the conversation (in a nutshell).

I got off of the phone and immediately I wanted to ball my eyes out, but I couldn’t find the tears.  I wanted to feel sorry for myself, for Emalee, for our family, but I felt such a peace.  What in the world was going on?  I began to pray and the Lord spoke into my heart to be still.  He STILL holds my girl in the palm of His hand even when MY plans fall through. 

Who am I?  And why in the world would I ever think that MY plan would ever be better or more timely than HIS plan…I realized that I don’t want my plan anymore….I want HIS plan.  Right there, he renewed my strength.  He showed me how He has carried us all for the past year and He will continue to.  There are so many things about this season in Emalee’s life that seem so unfair.  No basketball camps this Summer, no Dry Gulch USA, her favorite thing to do in the Summer, but she can’t!  She can’t because this year of her life has been set aside that she would know and see that the Creator of her fragile little body is bringing her closer to Him, stretching her faith, and demonstrating that HE IS SURELY ALIVE!   Praise the Lord!  His strength is perfect, when our strength is gone.  So thankful that he is renewing our faith and our strength day by day.

Thank you all for your continued prayers for our family.  This has been such a trying time, but we know that God chose it to fulfill a part of His calling on our lives.  To teach us what it means to solely look to Him and to be thankful every day that souls will be forever changed by the courage and joy that Emalee and our family portray and give out each day even in the midst of our storm.  So thankful to be used of Him, so so thankful…This is part of HIS PLAN, to be used to demonstrate HIS GLORY.  I can’t wait to see it revealed...She is healed by the blood of the Lamb and the word of her testimony.  She is an overcomer and no weapon formed against her will prosper.  She will live the way the Word of God says she will live…ABUNDANTLY.   We are sitting in the middle of our circle believing that the revelation is near.  She has received her Healing and the Glory of the Lord will be revealed on every face.  She is the healed of the Lord for the Lord has big things in store for her life….She will forever change the nations of the world because her testimony is going to rock their socks off.  People get ready! 

PUSHING FOR EM!

Love you all,

Amanda

P.S. Humbled every day that I was chosen to be her mother.  After all, I have so much to learn and she has taught me more than I can ever explain.  She is my hero!

12 Years Ago Today...

I am so sorry that I have not been faithful to my blog, but I have been trying to be faithful to my girl. Much has happened since my last blog post...Sleep Studies revealing what they say is narcolepsy with cataplexy ( I personally think there is an underlying issue), and a wasted trip to a pediatric endocrinologist who said there was nothing there endocrinologically(is that a word?). At the same time as all of this was going on, we went to our naturopath in Jenks, Dr. Leu, who found an issue with Emalee's thyroid. He put her on a thyroid medication that has helped but her levels are back to normal and she is still extremely fatigued and gaining weight. By gaining weight I mean she has gained a total of 37 pounds in 7 months! Seriously?!?!

On Thursday, we will be seeing another pediatric endocrinologist in Oklahoma City. We are believing he will have some answers for us. After blood tests two weeks ago, it was revealed that she has extremely elevated prolactin levels. We will see what his thoughts are on this as I have already come up with my theories from my extensive time online!

So tonight I sit here thinking about this date 12 years ago. I sat in this very spot preparing to go to the hospital on March 7, 2000 to deliver my baby girl....Tomorrow is my hero's 12th birthday! I am believing this is going to be the best year ever! I believe her healing has been received and that the Lord is gathering people around...lost and saved, to reveal His glory and power. Tonight, I spoke with her at length about how I would take all of this from her if I could, but I told her I think God chose her because she is stronger than I am. She is amazing! She has over 25 scriptures that she speaks over herself daily. She is an inspiration! Each day she pushes herself to attend school for 2-3 hours depending on what she needs to do. And above all else, she is HIS child and HE is doing great big things in and through her.

Last week we were out to dinner and we saw one of her friends that she has from Jenks. Emalee took it upon herself to walk over and say hello to her and her dad. After Emalee walked over to our table, the girls father had tears in his eyes. Kraig had coached his son in football two years ago and Kraig and I went over to talk to them. He told us that he was amazed at the spirit she possessed. He knew that she had been having health concerns, but he was blown away with the spirit she possesses. This is what I am talking about. She is shining Jesus in spite of her hardships...This is why she is my hero...Loving people and caring about people in the midst of her own pain and struggle. The other day she told me that she had been meditating on the scripture that says "Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you." She said, "Mom, I have done this and you should too." I love it when God speaks straight to me through His children!

Again, I count it a major privilege to be her mother.

Ems, I not only love you, I adore you. I can't imagine how much more our Father loves you. You are so confident that this is for His glory. You tell me all the time that you will not be like this much longer. You are truly amazing! I can not believe it has been 12 years since you were placed in our care. I am so proud of you and the beautiful girl the Lord is molding you to be. He is doing great things in you which will be revealed through you in your testimony in the months and years to come. I have realized how lucky you are to be used of Him to reach His people. He is about to reveal Himself to everyone! You are the healed of the Lord and I believe this is going to be your best year ever! Even though I miss your little bitty hands and sweet little blue eyes staring up at me, I am looking forward to the years ahead. I believe they will be fruitful for the kingdom and that the Lord will continue to look down on you and say, well done girl! You won't bend and you won't break and you definitely won't water down your faith, you won't compromise in a hurting world, but you WILL be a light for future generations and for me, as I continue to be amazed by your lessons on faith!

I love you to the moon and back sweet girl. I can't wait to be by your side cheering you on in the days ahead! Come on JESUS! Your will be done!

Thank you all for your prayers and support. She will overcome!

Much blessing to you,

Amanda

So behind....Sorry!

Yes, yes, I know. I am a little behind. I need to back way up to get to where we are now.

Let's start with Wednesday the 14th...I called the sleep physician, Dr. D'Souza to see if I could get Emalee in for her consultation and scheduled for her sleep study. I told you earlier that my appointment with him was by divine appointment and it played out to be just that. The girl told me that he could see her at 11:00. Like, that day at 11:00?!?! Yes! I was beyond thrilled! So we took her in at 11:00, do our series of questionnaires and go back to see the doc. He told us that he believes she has cataplexy, which is a form of narcolepsy. With narcolepsy, the patient falls asleep when they have strong emotions such as laughter, anger, sadness etc. With cataplexy, the patient loses "tone" in their legs and falls down when the emotion arises. This is definitely something Emalee does. (We have a new rule at the Arthur house that when we are walking, Kealyn is no longer allowed to talk. We always knew she was funny, but never as much as when you have to run to keep Emalee from hitting her head as she falls to the ground! It is constant! Love that girl, but there is a time and a place for being funny and now, when we are walking, that is not the time)

The doctors only question is why the cataplexy has presented so quickly. He said that in most cases, this takes years to present and Emalee's case has presented in a month and a half. He is anxious to see how the testing comes back at the endocrinologist and still is wondering if the cyst is playing into something, although he trusts that everything is clear neurologically.

So the doctor ordered a sleep study that will be done the first Wednesday of 2012! She will have a full night study and will stay at the center for the next day until 5:30pm. They will do a series of tests on her through the day during her allotted nap times.

One doctor down, one more to go....I'm telling you, when these Arthurs(Kraig and Emalee) get sick, they do it right!

Since I was having such favor, I thought I would go ahead and call the endocrinologist. The lady who answered the phone informed me that there were 20 referrals in front of my Emalee and she had no idea how long it would take to get them all processed and scheduled. Shucks! Which bring us to Monday, the 19th...I decided I am going to be that mom...Yes, that mom who drives the doctors so crazy that they just schedule the patient to get her to stop calling! I know this works from experience...:) So I called the same lady who told me she had 20 referrals in front of Emalee and she puts me on hold for a few seconds. Comes back and says, "I grabbed her referral, and although there are still about 12 to process, I will go ahead and schedule Emalee since I have you on the phone." WHAT?!!? I am about to come unglued! (Sorry to those 15 who were in front of us who may not have gotten your appointment yet, but I am thrilled that we got ours!) So Emalee is scheduled to go in to the endocrinologist this Thursday, December 29th. She told me she double booked the doctor and that we would be there longer than normal to which I told her I didn't care if we were there all day I was just so thankful to get in!

Christmas was mostly good for Emalee. She had a great Christmas day playing Just Dance with Kealyn for most of the day. The break has been nice for all of us.

We continue to PUSH for our sweet girl as we seek out wisdom from the doctors that we believe is being given by God at every turn. Although these Arthurs do it right when they get sick, our God does it better in their healing! He is so good and we believe she IS the healed of the Lord as He keeps saying, "Child, this is for my glory." So Jesus bring the rain...In you alone we place our trust.

Blessings to you all this New Year as we are believing this will be the best year ever, as we celebrate the best day ever...until tomorrow.

All my love,

Amanda

Waiting it out

So Monday was the big day. The day of answered questions, wisdom, and direction. The doctor, Dr. Seigler, was wonderful. Great with Emalee and just an all around great guy. He did some tests with Emalee for examination purposes and then asks us if we are aware of what is going on with her MRI scans. We reply that yes, we had been told about the cyst and we wanted to see what his opinion was as to who we needed to go see next. He looks at us as if we are not on the same page and replies that he believes the cyst is a non-factor, her EEG is perfectly normal, and the test he did with her were normal . He does not believe it is what is causing her symptoms. He believes we should just have scans about every 6 months to make sure it doesn't grow significantly and if she develops headaches then he will want to see her again. WHAT?! And so it was our turn to look like we were not on the same page with him. So I proceed to ask him questions like: then what is causing her sleepiness, weight gain, and falling when she is laughing. He tells us that he believes we now need to have a sleep study to rule out possible narcolepsy/cataplexy. A lot of times, patients who exhibit symptoms of falling down during strong emotions such as laughing, crying, or feelings of excitement, will lose control and fall asleep due to cataplexy. He also says that there could be a chemical/hormonal imbalance in her body that is causing her excessive weight gain, so we should also go see a pediatric endocrinologist.

We have taken the doctors instructions and been having Emalee weigh each morning. It is amazing that her weight can fluctuate 2.3. or even 4 pounds from the day before! The poor girl is just miserable in her skin!

So I am on it starting tomorrow to push to get in with the sleep physician, which I happened to meet with on Friday by divine appointment, and make sure that the pediatric endocrinologist receives the referral to get her in asap. Although I am not totally at peace with the decision to leave the cyst be, due to my "knowledge" I received on the internet, I will follow doctors orders and check these other things out. Hopefully, the sleep study will happen within the next couple of weeks while Emalee is out of school and some of the testing etc, with the endo will be done as well during that time. I know that she really wants to be back at school with her friends and learning. She really misses it....Kealyn, on the other hand, thinks it is just unfair that Emalee doesn't have to go to school...ugh!

Thank you so much for your continued support, kind words, and most importantly, your prayers. We are definitely feeling them. Emalee has covered her desk in her room with notecards with scripture on them. She is meditating on them day and night and believing that the Lord is doing big things in and through her. She is a champion and once again, I am so honored to be her mother.

Blessings to you all as we continue to PUSH for our sweet Emalee!

Much love,

Amanda

Walking out a Miracle!

It has been a long while since I have made a visit to our blog. So much time goes by without even realizing that so much has changed. Their hair, their size, and unfortunately "her" health. By "her", I am talking about our precious Emalee. Since August of this year, Emalee has been battling extreme fatigue and increased weight gain. It has progressed into not being able to laugh without falling and even falling while walking. I am talking losing control of her limbs to the point of almost hitting her head on the ground. She is fully conscious, but gets scared because she is unable to control herself at those times. We have had every blood test under the sun performed, a diagnosis of possible mono, a diagnosis of possible stomach or strep infection and the list goes on.

Through out this time, it has been extremely hard to send Emalee to school just out of concern. But the Lord provides, and he provided an angel to help her every day. Her name is Lygea and she has truly been a blessing to our family. Each day Emalee goes in and gets vitamin C from her and most days she checks on Emalee in between each class. She is a-m-a-z-i-n-g! Her line that she tells Emalee every day after school is "Today is your best day ever... until tomorrow!" And that is how she gets through the day....her angel by her side every step of the way giving comfort and support to not only her, but to mom as well. Praise the Lord for His angels on earth! We are so thankful for her.

We have a great team of doctors working with us on our "mystery diagnosis", and after a battery of conversations and consultations, it was decided that Emalee needed to have a brain MRI. So Last Friday, December 2, 2011, Emalee went in to have just that. I honestly was expecting nothing. The scan would be clear and this just must be something hormonal and that would be our next step....test hormone levels in the body and make sure everything is working properly.

Much to my surprise, I received a phone call from one of Emalee's doctors on Sunday evening. A 9mm cyst was found on the pineal gland which is located almost smack dab in the middle of the brain. WHAT! And what in the Heavens is a pineal gland? I had never heard of that in my life! So our journey began. SHOCK, SADNESS, FEAR. Kraig and I cried our eyes out. Emalee, on the other hand, never wavered. She was rock solid. Solid in her faith and in her knowing that she was healed. I asked her what her thoughts were and all she said was, "I am healed by Jesus stripes. I will be fine mom!" Childlike faith... The only thing that she says scares her is the possibility of having to have surgery on her brain. She has a great friend at school whose brother recently had a tumor removed so she knows the anxiety and fear that can come with that. We have agreed that we will speak against that in Jesus Name!

Yesterday afternoon, we met with Pastor Rod at Victory Christian Center, who prayed over her and believed with us for full healing in her body. I told someone yesterday on the phone that the most upsetting part of this whole thing was that Satan had stolen her laugh. For those of you who know Emalee, you know that she has a contagious laugh that lights up a room. She has been holding it in for weeks for fear of falling. Last night, I was folding laundry and I heard her in the kitchen....LAUGHING! And then this morning, again, I heard her LAUGHING. I just cried because I knew that the Lord was showing me that He was not going to allow Satan to steal from her. It was truly music to my ears!

Today she had to go in to the neurologist's office for an EEG. I had to make back-to-back presentations out of town, so Kraig took her in. She did great. No fear or anxiety just cool as a cucumber. After she was finished, she wanted to go get some lunch. Kraig told her they should probably go home first to wash her hair and she replied that she would just put it in a pony tail and it would be fine....until she looked in the mirror and realized, due to the goop that was used to stick the electrodes to her head, that she definitely needed a shower! So Kraig, being the thoughtful and pampering dad that he is, took her to the place he gets his hair cut and ordered her up a Tea Tree Experience! Facial massage and all! They also went and had sushi and tonight she told me, she had "the best day ever" with her daddy! Love it that her future husband is definitely going to be a great man, because he has some stiff competition with daddy! Not to mention, she has been up since 5:00am and has only slept for 30 minutes all day! This in itself is a miracle as the main problem at hand is constant sleepiness and an inability to stay awake...

So Monday, we go to the neurologists office for our consultation. Today during my prayer time, I was reminded once again that the same God who created her body will fix it! She was created to be a vessel for Him and no weapon formed against her will prosper! I also realized that she is not mine, she belongs to the Lord. He will bring her through this for His glory. He will reveal himself and perform a miracle and all will know that it was from her maker. She will be victorious and what Satan meant for harm will be used for good. She is healed in the name of Jesus! She is that little girl that we know, every morning when her feet hit the floor, Satan is saying "oh no, she is up!" Yes, she will overcome, by the blood of the Lamb and the word of her testimony will be heard in nations of the world for Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in her life! Blessed be the name of the Lord through whom all things are possible!

I will close with words and a picture of how the Lord brings things full circle for people. Emalee's angel posted this on facebook today and I was taken aback at the faith of my precious child and thankful for the seeds that have been sown in her life to prepare her for this time.

When helping a student get their books and backpack to go home - my precious wasn't feeling well...my eyes fell upon their dry erase board! First I saw the scripture and declared this over this little angel...next my eyes fell upon my own words they'd written on their board. My eyes filled with tears!! Today is the best day "ever" of our lives ...until tomorrow!!!! This will bless me for the rest of my days!!!

So as we walk out our miracle, I would ask you to pray and meditate on the verses that you see above and believe these for our precious Emalee. I have to tell you, I am honored to be her mother, for nothing, nothing could make me as proud as to know that my child is walking with the Lord. God bless you all as continues to perform miracles daily...PUSHING for Emalee

P-praying

U-until

S-something

H-happens!

Much love,

Amanda

Oh how the years go by...

We are back to school and back into the swing of our hectic schedules! The girls started their first year at Victory Christian School and absolutely love it. Their teachers were definitely purposed by God, and they are thriving in this environment full of grace and love.

Mrs. Christie Waters and Kealyn

Mrs. Marti Malhi and Emalee

Not only were their teachers purposed of God, but Emalee's best friend from Kindergarten and First grade when she attended Grace Christian School, Avery Atkinson, is in her class! She is on cloud nine I tell ya!

As I put them to bed tonight, what is most important to me about their experience and education at VCS became evident. We have two very dear friends of ours, Jackie Wilks and Cheryl Hunter, who are both battling cancer as we speak. As it came time for prayers, both of the girls not only prayed for our friends, but they used scripture and stood firm on their faith that they were healed! It is amazing as a parent to witness this night after night as they talk to God as their best friend. Praise and worship is continually on their lips and they are memorizing scripture like crazy! CAN YOU TELL I AM THRILLED???!!!

Academically, they are doing fantastic! New curriculum has presented its challenges but they are pushing through it and giving it all they have each day. Phonics and language are a new concept for them, but they are doing great.

This week the girls had their annual Kumon awards ceremony. Kealyn received an award for being in Kumon for 3 years and an award for working at 4rd grade level on her math. You are a rock star KK! You make us so proud and thankful for who you are in Jesus!

Emalee received an award for reaching level G before 5th grade. Level G is the beginning of Algebra and Emalee is now working on an 8th grade level in Math. Each year in Kumon, many kids complete the program. This year they gave an honorary award in the name of each completer to a younger Kumon student. Emalee was chosen to receive the award from her favorite Kumon student/teacher in the center. Her name is Mary and little does she know, she is sewing seeds in Emalee's life each and every time she comes in contact with her. This was an amazing award as there are over 730 students in our Kumon center. Congratulations sweet Em! You are so deserving after countless hours of work and dedication to your studies. You are truly amazing.

So here we are, grade 5 and 2. HOW IN THE WORLD! I mean, I remember 5th grade and I know it wasn't that long ago!!!

To my sweet, sweet girls:

My sweet Tinsy Two(A.K.A. KK) You are oh so precious in His sight. He loves you so so much and is making himself real to you each and every day. Your heart is so pure and you have such a willingness to help those around you. God is instilling gifts in you every day and I love to see them come shinin' through. Last week, after school on Tuesday, you and I had a great time in worship together! It was absolutely amazing! The spirit of the Lord is dwelling in you and you are now able to use the gifts you have each and every day. You are learning to share the goodness of God and even when others may overlook your heart, you stand firm. You also are truly amazing! I love you pumpkin!

Noonie...For I know the plans I have for you saith the Lord...You told me two weeks ago, that the Lord has called you to missions. I am totally ecstatic! Oh, how I would have loved to have felt the Lord speak to my heart and know from the age of 10 what my calling was to be! The heart of the nations has pricked your heart and it is truly amazing to see how your heart has been changed. This weekend, we were doing your research paper on Afghanistan, and you stopped on your conclusion and were nearly in tears at the though of 80% of the people in that country being Muslim. It tore you up to think that 80% of those people did not know Jesus personally. How in the world do they live? you said. The Lord has set a fire within you and you are fixin' to do big things for Him! I adore you precious one!

So as I come to a close, I wish to challenge those of you reading this. How are the years going by in your life? Are you taking the time to be still in Him and let Him be God? He is still on his throne and through this time of financial hardship, physical hardship, emotional hardship, He is still there! He is waiting to bring you into His arms and heal all your wounds. Savor these moments with your children for they come and go so fast. Our lives are but a twinkle and then they are gone. I would also ask you...what are you doing for the Kingdom? How are you sewing into lives you come in contact with daily? Just something to think about as we make a difference in the lives of people, positively or negatively, as our years go by....

Blessings,

Amanda

It has Been a YEAR!

I know, I know...this is ridiculous! It has been an entire year since my last blog post! Yes I have been busy, but seriously. I read everyone else's and get frustrated when others do not update their blogs why all the while mine has not been updated for a year! So here I am...back at it.

This year was Emalee and Kealyn's first year to compete in gymnastics. They both had a blast and did really well.

The girls will be starting school at Victory Christian School in just a few weeks and are so excited. I am excited too! They are going to love it!

We have had a great Summer but it has flown by! The girls have been swimming on the days I work and therefore I am the "white mama". It is pathetic and I think this is the first Summer in my life that I have not had a tan. The girls, however, are brown as bears. Emalee has been going to gymnastics 4 days a week from 7:30am - 11:00am...yes that is not a typo! CRAZY! But she loves it....OBVIOUSLY. Kealyn goes two days a week and that same time and has learned so much training with the level 5's. They both are really looking like gymnasts and have gotten so strong!

So today, I dropped Emalee off at church camp for the second time in her life. She has been packing for two weeks, decorated her precious trunk to the hilt, and ready to go. Until...I had to go. She teared up, which made me tear up, but she said she was good. I figured it best that I go ahead and leave so that it would make things easier on her. Her friend Katie went with her so hopefully that will help...Pray for her...Oh, and me! She is a tough girl and I know the Lord has big plans for her this week. I am praying that He shows himself to her and sparks a bigger fire in her heart for the Kingdom. He is going to do big things through her! I can't wait to watch it unfold.

Anyway...below are a few pics from the last few months. I will try to do better about blogging....I PROMISE!

Emalee as Sarah Palin for her People of Purpose project for 4th Grade

Emalee's spajama party for her 10th birthday

Em and daddy being silly!

Kealyn with her new American Girls Doll. She got her for her birthday...at the Melting Pot

Emalee's 10th Birthday trip to the American Girl Place in Dallas

At Great Wolf Lodge in Dallas. June 2010

Sea World San Antonio. They loved the dolphins and killer whales. As a matter of fact, Emalee has decided she wants to be a killer whale trainer when she grows up! YIKES!

Faith and Healing

First thing this morning I received a call from my father-in-law with a request for prayer that became heavy on my heart. He informed me that his sister's granddaughter had just been diagnosed with osteosarcoma. I have been praying for this child for about 3 weeks now and have been very burdened for this family. Brianna is a 15 year old, beautiful, Christian girl who I have had the pleasure of being around on several occasions. She is spunky, yet humble, and loves the outdoors. She loves riding horses and has ran track for several years. About 3 months ago, she came to her mom complaining about pain in the upper part of her arm. As most of us moms would think, maybe she just injured the muscle or maybe it is just going pains. This went on for the next couple of months before her mother took her to see the doctor. That was three weeks ago when they found the mass in her arm and told the family that a biopsy would need to be done for proper diagnosis. After surgery, the doctor seemed very positive that it did not look like cancer. However, test results arrived yesterday with the heart wrenching news that Brianna has osteosarcoma in her arm. She will be undergoing 10 hours worth of testing tomorrow to find out if the cancer has spread to other parts of her body and will begin three months of chemotherapy within the next week.

I have been doing some research on the disease and have found that osteosarcoma is diagnosed mainly in children ages 10 to 20. It develops during growth spurts in the second decade of life. It is also more prevalant in children who are participating in sports involving direct stress(impact) to their bones. I could give you statistic after statistic that I found for the percentages of survival etc., but My God is more powerful than that. So I just ask that you join me in praying for Brianna and the Duke Family as they go through the next several months of chemotherapy and full recovery. I ask that you pray for peace and that their faith will not be shaken. That they will hold strong to the hand of God and that they will be brought through this victoriously and quickly.

I also ask that you not live in fear, but understand that we do have an enemy who comes to destroy. Please, don't take anything lightly when it comes to your children( or yourself for that matter). When they have pain that seems to be uncomfortable for days at a time, please take them to get it checked out. They are gifts to us and though we know that the Lord is covering them each day, we have to use the brain He gave us when it comes to making sure they are safe and healthy. About 6 weeks ago, Emalee had a pain in her leg that was really bothering her. I had already heard of another case of disease in a limb, so I took her in. Nothing there, but hey whats a $30 copay when it comes to my child?!

Have a blessed Summer and thank you for your willingness to pray for this precious child and her family.

Amanda

This and That...

WOW! Where have the weeks gone. So much ahs been happening with the girls and don't worry I have been taking pictures so here are a few of our life this past month or so...

First of All, the girls had their annual Super Kids Day at school which is similar to what we called field day when I was in school. All the local"gyms" set up areas for the kids to show off their skills. Here are a few pics of Kealyn with her friend Abby.

Cha Cha Slide....Kealyn's favorite dance. Mrs. Hicks had her class do this for several weeks in the morning to get loosened up! It was hysterical and because of that they already knew the dance even though the 3rd graders were trying to teach them. They were amazing!

Secondly....Kumon Awards 2009!!!

Kraig and I believe that the greatest gift we can give the girls is education. Our girls have been in Kumon for almost two years and achieved one level above national grade level this year. They have worked so hard and we are so proud of how well they are doing. Speaking of that, Emalee reads on a 6th grade level and Kealyn reads on a 3rd grade level! Emalee is doing 5th and 6th grade math and Kealyn will be starting math in June. You girls are incredible. Mommy and Daddy are so, so proud of you both!

And last but not least....Kealyn's Spring Soccer Season is now over. During yesterday's game, she played "swiper" as her team calls it. She is in charge of making sure the other team does not get the ball even near their goal. They dont have "goalies" yet, so this is as close as they get. She did awesome. She is very good at being in the right place at the right time and has a great eye for watching and knowing where the ball is going! SOMEHOW! Kealyn we are so excited to continue to watch you grow and develop in athletics. You are incredible.

GO SHOOTING STARS!!!

And if you are wondering about Mother's Day?! I have no pics. I totally did not get one of the girls and I and am sorely diappointed. I will have some with them hopefully this week as we do our Celebrations of Learning! I did get a beautiful card from Emalee, a precious, precious plate from Kealyn, and an extra special" homemade" gift from them both. They wrapped it and everything. They had picked out four of their littlest pet shop pets to represent our family and wrapped them in tissue paper. (Too cute) Then I got a bottle of hand sanitizer, a candle, and a jar full of purple sand. The sand is my FAVORITE color (purple) and they said each piece of sand represented how much they love me. I almost cried. Aren't they creative?! Oh and I almost forgot....I also got a beautiful silver and gold Pandora bracelet with several charms and stoppers. Such a great day! I felt extra special.

Thanks so much my sweet, sweet girls (and Kraig) I love ya'll so much!

He is Risen from the dead and He IS LORD!

We had a great Easter in spite of the rain and cold weather that came in with the Easter Bunny apparantly.

The girls had a great time at church on Friday night and Kealyn is now old enough, somehow, to go into Kids on the Move. She said it was a little scary, because it is so big, but she loved it and learned a lot too.

On Sunday, my dad and Kraig's dad came over for lunch and dad brought a wonderful lasagna and caesar salad.

My mom, Kyle, Allyson, Landyn and my Papaw and Carolyn came over in the afternoon and Kraig grilled burgers and polish sausage. YUMMY! It was wonderful.

Above everything else, I continually quizzed the girls on what we were celebrating. Kraig's mom went on a trip to a beautiful resort last week and brough the girls back some sea shells. Kealyn was looking through them yesterday morning and found one shaped like a rose. She told me "Mom, I think we need to put this one out with our Easter decorations to remind us that Jesus rose from the dead! It's the same word!" So we did just that. What a connection. I knew right there that she knew why we were celebrating.

We praise you Lord and thank you that you are who you say you are and you ALWAYS do what you say you will do! You prove that to us everyday!

Our two precious angels...

Kealyn and her cheesy smile that mommy loves!

My favorite laugh in the whole world. If you have ever heard it, you know, IT IS CONTAGIOUS!

OR not...This was before church and we had a wardrobe malfunction as far as Emalee was concerned. This sweater was NOT working for her and she was having a hard time dealing with the fact that she had to wear it because it was cold.

Jumping rope in the house???

This was Allyson and I's attempt at getting the three of these sweet faces all looking at the camera at the same time. Hopefully she got some good shots, because this is the sweetest one I could find.

Kealyn finding eggs under the table.

Emalee was so sweet, she helped Landyn find eggs instead of getting them for herself.







And here he is...checking out Emalee's basket on the floor!