Merry Christmas from our family to yours

I just wanted take a minute to wish all of you a Merry Christmas. We had a very enjoyable and relaxing day as a family topped off with a wonderful service at church. The kids were a lot of fun this year as we had Carter put on his santa hat and hand out the presents.
The kids sang in their choirs on Sunday night as part of the Christmas Cantata and watching Carter be able to actually sing "Away in a manger" brought tears to my eyes. It was the most wonderful present I could have been given.
The kids are all growing up so fast as you can see by the pictures I've posted for you to enjoy. We hope you all had a very blessed Christmas. Have a wonderful New Year.

Playing in the leaves

Today was a typical breezy autumn day and was the perfect time to play outside. Saturday and Sunday were very warm and then the temperature started to fall again. It seems like overnight our yard and driveway were covered in leaves. Carter and Bailey had a lot of fun playing outside today. Here are a couple of pictures for you to enjoy.

Happy Birthday Baby

This post is for two things.  One is to say Happy Birthday to my wife. The other is to share this poem I wrote. This poem was to be for our anniversary last April, but it took me a long time to finish it. The poem has now become a birthday present, but was written to celebrate our ten year anniversary. I hope you will enjoy it, and help me wish Jessica a Happy Birthday!

Ten years down the road

Oh how time goes by

Three children later

For you all I would die

Ten years down the road

Since we first said..... I Do 

You took my last name

We became one, no longer two

Ten years down the road

Since our first little place in Marquette

We've moved around a bit

To Portage, to Berlin, then to Texas we went

Ten years down the road

We found a church and got involved

We built our home

We've kept our resolve

Ten years down the road 

We've had good times and bad

We've had joy and grief

But in each other we've always found sweet relief

Ten years down the road

And all will agree

That I must praise God

For you and our three

Ten years down the road

We look not only back, but ahead

To twenty, thirty, forty more

As by God we are lead

Carter Had A Big Day

Our day started early as we got all the kids up at 4 am to head to Dallas.

We had to be at the Hospital early to do all the pre op check in before surgery.

We always stop by our special tree.

They did a quick check up on Carter, then marked his eyes for surgery.

Carter thought it was rude that they wrote on his head.

Carter gets to play for a few minutes before they call us back.

Carter was very excited to get a Mickey mouse robe to wear.

Then we wait......... and wait....... and wait!!!!!

When they brought him back to us he was quite out of it.

Carter is the strongest little boy I know . He does not always know what is happening to him but he takes it as well as any grown man could. 

We are very grateful to the staff at Children's Hospital, they really know how to take care of the patients and the family.

Thank you to all who pray for us and Carter, we don't always know who you are, but we know you're out there and we thank you from our hearts.

A special thank you to Randy and Chrissy Cronin and to Rick and Jill Story. They teamed up to watch the girls so we could be free to focus on Carter.

Again I want to thank you all for your love and prayers. THANK YOU SO MUCH! 

A Carter update

This is just a quick update on Carter's surgery. He will be having eye surgery on October 22nd around noon at the Children's Medical Center in Dallas. It will be for both eyes and will be an outpatient procedure. Please pray that everything goes well and for safety as we travel. We will be leaving at 5:30 that morning as they will be doing measurements and all pre-op that morning. I will probably post more that day or the next. Thank you to everyone who prays for Carter. I know that he would not be doing as well as he is if there were not people praying for him. God's hand is very evident in Carter's progress and we are very grateful.

Carter's doctor appointment

Tuesday we took Carter to the eye doctor in Dallas. Carter has alternating esotropia and we were going back to discuss possible surgery. They looked at Carter's eyes and didn't see any improvement. Surgery has been tentatively scheduled for August 27th at 12:30 in the afternoon. Please pray for us right now as all of this is tentative until we know what is going to happen with Aaron's back and work situation. God is good and takes care of his children, but we covet your prayers right now more than ever. Here is a picture of Carter at the doctor office. He is such a trooper. 

Carter turns 5!

My little boy turned 5 years old today. It's hard to believe but it's true. He has gotten so big he'll probably be taller than me in another 5 years. God has brought Carter so far with the help of some wonderful therapists in the last year it is almost mind boggling. Carter brings so much joy to people around him. Several of his therapists through the years have told me that if they are having a bad day coming to see Carter makes it better. All of our kids are blessings but God blessed Carter with a very sensitive and loving spirit and he has brought us a lot of joy. Please pray for us as we are taking him to the optamologist tomorrow. They will be looking at his eyes again and we will be discussing whether or not he will need surgery. If surgery is needed it won't be a major surgery but any surgery is a concern and we would appreciate your prayers. I'll try and update tomorrow with what the doctor says. Here is a picture of Carter with his birthday cake. He was very excited this year. I also found some pictures of him as a baby. It is amazing to see how far God has brought him and believe me it has been a long journey. God is good and has given us the grace we needed when we've needed it.

Carter in the NICU 

Carter was in the NICU for 2 weeks before he could come home

Having fun at the park with Mommy and Arica

YES! It's my birthday and I get cake!

Arica turns 8!

It's hard to believe, I know, but Arica turned eight years old Sunday. Time goes by faster and faster every year. She will be starting 3rd grade this year with a brand new teacher. School starts back up for her August 21st and I'm sure she'll be excited when it gets here. Arica has really been a big help around the house this summer and we are very proud of her. Happy Birthday Arica!

A great family day

 Today started bright and early with Aaron taking Bailey out for breakfast. She has now gotten to the age where she can start doing things with just her and Daddy. Then it was off to soul-winning and Kings Kids Clubs for the kids. After lunch we headed back to the church to help with the food pantry. Carter helps Aaron take food to people's cars and Arica helps me keep track of what number gets called next.

It is wonderful to have something we can all do together as a family that is a blessing to other people. After we were all done for the afternoon we came home and ate some delicious watermelon that was given to us today. It was a special treat after a busy day and the kids really enjoyed the watermelon. Here are some more pictures. Hope you have a great weekend.

Happy Father's Day

I just wanted to take a moment and say Happy Fathers day to my father- in- law and my Dad.
I want to thank you for all you have done as  fathers and let you know that even though all your kids are grown your sacrifices have not been forgotten.

To my father -in- law, thank you for raising a man that works hard and loves God and his family. I know Aaron learned how to work hard by watching you go to work day after day for many years so you could provide for your family. Thank you for raising him in church and giving him a good foundation to build his life upon. I want you to know that even though we live 1,100 miles away now, you have not been forgotten and we love you.

Grandpa Bruski with Aaron, John and all the grandsons

To my Dad, thank you for all you've done for me. Words can not express how grateful I am to have been raised by a father whose love was unconditional. I'm not sure if you will ever understand how much that meant to a horribly shy, insecure little girl. Thank you for working all those long hours so I could go to a Christian school. As a parent, I can now start to understand what that took. Thank you for taking me with you on your bus route in college. Even though I know I slowed you down, I'm grateful you allowed me to tag along. It gave me a greater appreciation for all God had given me, and taught me how to love people that had nothing to give in return. I watched you love the families on your bus route. I watched you teach them about a Heavenly father that loved them. I also watched you pray for them, rejoice when they did right and cry for them when they didn't. Honestly, it made me love you even more and want to serve God more. I could go on and on but I guess it all boils down to this. Thank you for being a Dad that loves God and taught me to love God. As a child we can never fully appreciate our parents. Now as a mother of three children I think I can be able to understand and appreciate better all the love and sacrifice that comes from being a parent. I love you and I'm thankful for all you've done for me. Happy Father's Day.

Our family with my Mom and Dad

Trying to beat the heat

It has been a hot week here in East Texas for us transplanted Yankees. It's already up in the 90's and pretty humid. When Aaron came home from work today he hooked up the hose and we all went out to play in the water. Here are some pictures of the kids that I thought you'd enjoy.

Bailey turns 3

It's hard to believe but our baby turned three yesterday. It seems like just a few short days ago she was born. She has brought a special joy to our family and we are thankful God saw fit to place her in our family. Here are a few pictures. Enjoy them she is quite the little ham!

Arica won a new bike

This year our Christian school started collecting box tops for education. To encourage participation they gave out prizes for the kids that brought in the most box tops. Arica turned in 631 and won a bike for turning in the most in the whole school. Thank you to all of you that sent their box tops to her. Keep saving them as the school is trying to raise enough money for new playground equipment. We appreciate any that you send.

School will be out this week for another year. Arica is finishing second grade and Carter will start Kindergarten this fall. Please pray for us as we have some important decisions to make about Carter and school this summer. We hope you have a wonderful summer. God bless!

Helping with the food pantry

This afternoon our family headed down to the church to help out with the food pantry. Every Saturday different families rotate helping distribute food to people in need. It is such a blessing to be part of a church family that does all it can to help people. It is good for our children to also be involved and experience the joy of helping others. I've included a picture of Carter helping Aaron take food to people's vehicles. Carter loves pushing the "buggy". ( I know it's really a cart but down here they're called buggies. Lol!)

Our tenth anniversary

This past Friday was our tenth wedding anniversary. We decided to get away for the weekend to celebrate. The Arrington's, some friends of ours from church, were kind enough to watch the kids for us and I think the kids had as much fun as we did.
Aaron and I decided to go to Natchitoches, Louisiana. We stayed at a bed and breakfast, a new experience for us, in Robeline. It was an old plantation house that had been moved in the 1870's to be a hotel by the railroad. We ended up having the whole place to ourselves and it was nice to get away. I've included some pictures of Natchitoches and of the kids.

They were having a Jazz festival the weekend we were there. :(
 So were weren't able to go down by the river without paying.
This is all the tents and booths and stuff they had set up down there.
The pontoon offers tours of the river.

Believe it or not that big yellow building is a bank.

The downtown historical district of Natchitoches

A special events area by the Cane river

The Cane river in Natchitoches

The kids helping with yard work.

Stone Arrington giving Bailey a ride.

Carter's turn getting a ride