A Brand New Year

There's less than 2 hours left in 2011. My Facebook is covered with folks wishing away 2011 and welcoming 2012. I can't say that I'm sad to see 2011 go. In fact this year has been a pretty peaceful year for me. Asa made some steady developments and everyone's been healthy. I've felt very, very blessed.

Many of our mito friends have not had such a peaceful year. At this moment 2 little boys are very sick in the hospital. One little boy is home on hospice care and almost didn't make it to Christmas. Many friends spent Christmas or the days leading up to Christmas dealing with major medical issues. There was several, too many, that spent their last year on earth in 2011. Yes, 2011 has been a hard year for the mito community!

It has also been a year with bright spots. There's the new drug trial EPI-743. In 2011 the trial was opened up to many more kids. Several kids whose blogs I follow we're accepted and started the drug. They've all had success, some mild but others great! And none have had bad effects!! It is really very promising! I can only hope and pray that this really turns into a decent treatment for mito patients. They all deserve it!

My prayer is that no matter what 2012 holds for my family, that I have my eyes open for God's plan and that I praise Him in all things!

Happy Christmas

We've had a great Christmas and a terrific break! Barry has been off work since last Thursday. We've all enjoyed our "staycation"! We've stayed up late, watched movies, eaten junk food and stayed in pjs all day! Its been great!

Santa brought Asa a handy red recliner. He likes it! I love it!! He hasn't really used it during a sick time but I think he will.

Santa brought Gracie a hunting bow and target. She's been asking for one for 2 years! We don't hunt so she's just using it for target practice. She's pretty good too!

She practiced all day and even packed her own stuff up. My dad put Asa in the wheelbarrow and he happily watched Gracie for a looong time!

Anna got clothes.....lots of clothes! And Cade got an iPod touch. They're just too big for pics and blogging!



I saw this cool idea on Pinterest and knew Asa would love it! Barry's parents got new recliners for Christmas and Asa got a happy box! :-)

He even talked my mom and dad into playing in his house. Moma would try to sit up and talk to me and Asa would push her back down. Daddy helped him make it even more festive and Asa was trying to wrap the lights around himself!

Asa loves lights and I bought a kit that has adapters for 3 outlets and a remote. The remote turns on or off whatever is plugged into outlet. We plugged in a lighted angel in one, a string of lights in one and a hanging string of lights in the 3rd. Asa could turn on and off random lights and he LOVED it! He would crack up when he made it work. It was adorable! Then he lost the remote! We looked in every nook and cranny and dug in the garbage but it is nowhere! Unless he put it in a gift bag under the tree and we didn't notice. I still haven't given up all hope but it is looking like its gone!


Asa also got a Hot Wheels Wall Tracks. Its a Hot Wheel set that attaches to the wall. The first time I hung it too high. it was made for a stander. I had to adapt it since Asa is a sitter. He loves it! I mean he is laughing eveytime and will play for 15 minutes at a time....and alone! He even put a ball in it all by himself. Pretty creative! Enjoy!

Christmas Eve!

I sit here with 1 hour left before we leave Christmas Eve for Christmas Day. Cade and Gracie asked to go to bed at 9pm. At 10:30 I got up to get "Santa" ready and found Gracie sitting on the stairs! After a pep talk (and a tiny dose of benedryl) she headed back to bed. Her alarm clock is set to go off at 5am. Not because I want them up that early but so they don't come downstairs until 5am!

We had a great Christmas Eve together. Gracie and I made cookies this morning. After they cooled all the kids decorated while Chrisymas music played. Anna, Cade and Gracie decorated while Asa ate broken cookies and licked icing off the spreaders when they finished with them. I cooked at the stove and Barry watched football. My heart was full!

We ate supper and opened gifts with Barry's family. I can't even tell you how good Asa did! It gets noisey and busy and over stimulating but Asa was awesome! He had a few,moments of clinginess but he settled again and would play. The kids had a blast, of course!

Tomorrow morning we will have "Santa" and our gifts. Then we'll go to church. We'll have lunch and gifts with my family after that. I'm pretty sure a nap will be in order too!

I'll leave you with the Word we've read numerous times in the last month:

     Matthew 1:18-25 ESV

     Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall call his name Immanuel"
(which means, God with us).
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

I pray that you feel the love of our Savior during this holiday season and that you see His blessings all around you in the New Year!