St Pete

 

Thinking of Sonya today as we take Sarah and Sam to  All Children's Hospital for some tests.  Wish they could access health care for Sonya so easily.  Please give to enable her to have surgery!!!!

http://www.gofundme.com/78kap0

or give through Grace Church

7060 Berry Road

Zephyrhills Fl 33540

 

 

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We took all three little ones for blood work this morning....it was not easy!   Makes me realize how important it is for us to get a wheelchair accessible van. 

http://www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/selah-clanton-zephyrhills-fl/

answer is  Quality Assurance Program

 

 

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I do have to thank a lady named Marilyn at the lab who was EXCELLANT!  She did all three of them, and no one cried!!!!!!   They all have to have bloodwork, vials of blood.  I couldn't believe how good this lady was at getting the vein the first time!  Wow!   I had been dreading it for them, not wanting to have 3 crying little ones but it was so easy!  This lady is amazing!

 

 

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Sky Line of Tampa FL

 

 

 

Driving to St Petersburg FL across the Howard Franklin Bridge 

 

 

 

  Sarah and Sam had a big dinner and then a nice warm bath....

they are CRASHED out in our room

 

she does look a bit chubby here:)   LOVE that she is not my skinny girl anymore!

 

 

 

Steve called dibs on Sam so I have to sleep with my crazy girl who moves around all the time!

 

I can't imagine HOW Sarah's hair will look tomorrow LOL!

 

 

this picture below is taken last night

there was an owl on the church steeple!

 

 

 

 

 

today there was a circle around the sun here in Florida.

it was explained that there were crystal/ice around the sun or it was reflecting ...LOL  I don't remember exactly but it was pretty!

 

 

 

 

Thankful for a safe trip here.  Up early tomorrow for Sam's 8 am swallow study and then Sarah has one at 10:30.  The doctor wants to see if Sam is having reflux still.  And she really wants to see how Miss Sarah swallows.  Sarah will also have a feeding evaluation to check on how she eats and if she can every have the ability to really chew her food.  We still puree everything for her.  I don't mind doing it for her, but it would be best for her, to do it herself. 

 

It's been a long day, up early for the blood work, yard work at the church (thanks Gabe for all your help!) 1.5 hour drive to St Pete (With STEVE driving for the first time over here- over long bridges, construction and rush hour traffic- yeah I need an extra anxiety pill!)    We did drive around this area some, what a cute area, old houses redone, found a good place to eat a big supper and now I have sleeping little ones.  Tomorrow we're up early and then have to drive home......

 

 

PLEASE pray for Ukraine.  We think of that country and of all the ones we love who are there and we just pray that God protects them and protects Ukraine. 

 

Please continue to pray for Luke (car accident/coma) and Katie (attempted suicide)

 

Thank you!!!!

 

 

 

 

Prayer Requests

http://www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/selah-clanton-zephyrhills-fl/
today's answer is turn and twist

We had $88 to come in yesterday all the way from Washington State!!  Thank you, we are now up to $343for Sonya's surgery!!!!!   I KNOW we will reach the $600 goal!  If you want to give directly through her site go to.....  http://www.gofundme.com/78kap0   to give on her site or through the church at
Grace Church
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540


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I have a very special prayer request......
An "internet" friend of mine's son had a terrible car accident and is in a coma.  My friend works in a county that is hostile to Christians.  They take care of orphans and help spread the love of Christ.  The parents are now at their son's bedside, will you please pray that God will have mercy on this young man (he is a believer) and heal him, bring him out of the coma with no lasting effects of it!  

My heart is heavy for many needs, some that can't be shared on here, it seems so many people are going through hard times right now!

Ukraine remains  in the news.....  There is violence in  Donetsk (Sarah's hometown) and in Makiyivka (Selah's home town) Can you imagine if this was 2 years ago (we were in Ukraine doing their adoption)! I'm so sad and heartsick.....it's surreal to see the places you've been, where your children were born, to be in the headlines like this.

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/armed-pro-russian-separatists-lay-siege-to-donetsk-oblast-as-ukrainian-government-struggles-to-combat-343288.html


Please pray for Ukraine....I feel the whole world is at risk.

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Tomorrow all three of the little ones have to have blood draws for various tests....NOT looking forward to that at all!  I hope I don't get crazy on anyone.  I only give them one chance to get it!


I keep saying I'm going to really blog but I've been so busy lately.  My goal is to spend most of my time with the family at night and cook dinner nightly.  If I don't blog early, I just can't get to it! 

Upper Hillsborough River Basin

 

http://www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/selah-clanton-zephyrhills-fl/

the answer is TRUE for today Sunday!

 

 Give to Sonya's surgery!

We had $20 come in today through the church which brings the total up to $255

And someone messaged me that they gave through her site- $35!  Woohoo!!!

 http://www.gofundme.com/78kap0   to give on her site or through the church at

Grace Church
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540

 

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So we went back to the woods today after church (which was great) and lunch (which was great too)

Today I took a camera and we tried a better trail!  Lo & behold, we found a much easier way to walk in.  It's still a good 45 minute walk to the river, but it's on a better trail NOT surrounded by palmetto bushes!  This is real woods, and I'm careful of snakes.  I'd hate for one of us to get bit back in there, it would take so long to get help.  Jon carries a staff that a friend of ours had made for him.  Back in the deep woods, I'm glad he has it with him.  I actually was hoping he'd take a gun with him but since it's a wildlife management area, that only allows hunting certain times of the year, we wouldn't want to get in trouble for having a gun.  We're going to look into that, a pistol  might be ok, and a rifle not ok.   It can get spooky out there sometimes!

 

 Well I hope the pictures load up right, I can't see them at all  Just blue frames.  I'll come back in tomorrow and edit them and put an explanation to some of them.  It was fun, very hot, lots of mosquitoes who just loved me but good to get out and exercise. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walk in the Woods

http://www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/selah-clanton-zephyrhills-fl/
Today's answer is A & B


I'm going to keep reminding everyone to give to Sonya~  http://www.gofundme.com/78kap0   to give on her site or through the church at
Grace Church
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540

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Whew!  This morning I went with Jon to the woods.  He  wanted to show me where the River is risen and is flowing under the raised train tracks....just a "little "walk....ONE hour later.....we got to the river and it was beautiful.  So sorry I didn't  take my camera, so very sorry because I will have to go back to take pictures.  What a walk....then an hour out....sweat pouring down my face.   My aunt always told me NOT to walk through or near palmetto palms as rattle snakes like to be up in them....guess what we walked through?  Acres of palmetto palms!   I had worn jogging shorts so my legs were getting whipped.  He wears jeans and a long sleeved shirt (I do not see how he stands it) 

Anyhow for a old man, 50 years old, he can hustle through the woods.  I'm already hurting LOL.  It was like walking on beach sand most of the time and you know how wearing that is.  But we got some good exercise!

Then I had to go to the store and since I was in town, I had a pedicure, I'm almost certain the ladies were talking about my dirty feet!  LOL  But I got nice red toe nails now:)  I almost fell asleep during the pedicure I was so tired.

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Have a good weekend!

Red Headed Woodpecker

http://www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/selah-clanton-zephyrhills-fl/
Today's answer is TRUE

Do you think we could hit 10,000 by Sunday????????

Please vote and share....THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!

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Let's keep giving to Sonya!   http://www.gofundme.com/78kap0   to give on her site or through the church at
Grace Church
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540

We have had $235 come in thus far......  our goal is at least $600 this month!  I know we can do it, every penny counts.  If you give on line, would you just drop me a line?  I'd love to tally up how much we give to them.  I want to see them fully funded!

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Well another field trip day for me:)  My roommate from my college days has bought a house down here ...WOOHOO!  So today they came over and we went out to eat (of course) and then to the Hillsborough River State Park which is one of the prettiest places on earth.  I was so happy that they got to see a REAL FLORIDA Gator sunning himself on a rock, we saw a ton of lizards, squirrels, a turtle and a Red Headed Woodpecker.  We were walking on the boardwalk and he was working on a fallen tree limb below us.  It was something to watch him knock the bark off the tree and get the bugs inside.  I've never seen anything like that before.  He was so loud, it sounded like someone was trying to knock a tree down with a hammer. 

Oh joy....my pictures aren't wanting to load so I can see them, I will trust they will load after I save this blog, for some reason that works LOL

Well hope you all have a great weekend! 

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Our nurse asked me to go cut some aloe off my plant.  She put in on Selah's lips/face area where she had bumps and they are GONE!  In the space of a few hours!!!!    so Aloe is a wonder drug!  I'm going to plant some more!

Voting Promblems

http://www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/selah-clanton-zephyrhills-fl/

the answer today is TRUE

If you are having problems or have had problems voting can you please email
Cheryl@evoked.com  OR you can call her at 407-302-4416    I called the van company this morning and almost felt like they thought I was lying about people having issues voting.  They then directed me to this company that is running the contest.  I think they need to hear of all the problems you all have had in this voting process.  Thank you for taking the extra time to contact them on our behalf!

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Let's keep giving to Sonya!   http://www.gofundme.com/78kap0   to give on her site or through the church at
Grace Church
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540
If you haven't taken the time to read their story, please do.  I just love this sweet family!

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This week has been a play week for me!  We've got to spend lots of time with various friends which has been great.  Of course I'm feeling overwhelmed today, with lots of things coming up, paperwork to do, laundry, it's a never ending cycle!  How did I forget to take pictures yesterday??????   We spent the day with my college roommate and her daughter. The family is moving down, and we met up at their new home.  Then we all went out to eat with some friends.  I could slap myself for forgetting pictures LOL!

Selah has been ok, but has had some awful cold sores. She gets those every now and then.  Although she is back on her med to regulate her heart rate, she has times that her heart rate goes up more than we'd like.  But everything else is fine with her. 

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Don't know if I posted but my thyroid biopsy was cancelled due to their machines having issues.....  I really took that as a sign and rescheduled myself at a hospital.  So the biopsy is scheduled for next Friday and I'm just a bit freaked out now.....

Just got a lot of stuff going on in my life.  Lot of deadlines for various things, trying to make decisions for some future things....feeling overwhelmed and "in over my head"   Next fall will be a big change for us with Steve in college, trying to figure out some logistics.... Nothing working out like I'd like it to work out. 

So Life goes on......

Even If The Healing Doesn't Come

          http://www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/selah-clanton-zephyrhills-fl/                        the answer is :   Channel or track wheelchair ramps 

I'm going to contact their headquarters because so many of you are telling me of the problems you have in voting.  Thank you for taking the time to vote, it has gotten tedious to me!  And I'm the one trying  to win a van!  Thanks to all of you!!!  We are over 7000 votes!  That could only happen through all of your help!

Don't forget about Sonya!!!!!!!!http://www.gofundme.com/78kap0   to give on her site or through the church at
Grace Church
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540

Watching the news tonight AND I recognized the square in Donetsk Ukraine where there is rioting by pro-Russian troops. We were there on one of the happiest days of my life, the day before we got the girls out of the orphanage, we were doing the PAPER chase for them. We went to the square to eat after we miraculously got every piece of paper but one before lunchtime.  We were so happy on that day, knowing they were legally ours, we'd gotten the precious ONE day Ukraine passport (usually takes 10 days) things had gone so good....now to see it with tires, barb wire and pro Russian flags...so sad. I also think they videoed inside the office of vital status where we went to get Sarah's birth certificate changed..... it's unreal to see History happening in a place you have been...... PRAY for Ukraine!!!!!!  My heart is heavy for the country and for our friends there and all the orphans. 

Everyone here is doing fine.  Selah had an outbreak of cold sores, our nurses have really been working on keeping her lips hydrated.  When our nurse woke her up this morning, she stretched and put her arm OVER her head.  She seems to only do movement like this when she is half awake. 

I've felt so discouraged the last few days.  Since the accident, I've kept myself away from other's blogs or groups, because I don't want to be discouraged and I don't want to hear anyone else's story, mine is bad enough and I live it every day.   But one of my friends posted about a child who is dying 8 years after his near drowning.  I went and read it....shouldn't have done it although my heart goes out to his family and to him.  I skimmed through trying to find answers on how to avoid problems, and thankfully we don't have so many of the problems that seem to plague kids who have been in near drownings.  In that sense we are very lucky.  It's just a hard journey, I'll never stop trying to help Selah and I'll never stop missing her.  I'm thankful we have all the things in place to give her the best life possible.  24 hour nursing is probably the thing that keeps her so well.  AND the fact we have great nurses that care about Selah and want her to do good.  We're blessed that we've been stable with our nurses for close to a year now.  Those first few months were a doozy.....but once we got our team in place, things got so much better. 

On my way to pick Shad up from school and take him to piano, the song "Even if the healing doesn't come" came on.....I fought the tears. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiYAUNJPrMU

Sometimes all we have to hold on to
Is what we know is true of who You are
So when the heartache hits like a hurricane
That could never change who You are
And we trust in who You are

Even if the healing doesn't come
And life falls apart
And dreams are still undone
You are God You are good
Forever faithful One
Even if the healing
Even if the healing doesn't come


Lord we know your ways are not our ways
So we set our faith in who You are
Even though You reign high above us
You tenderly love us
We know Your heart
And we rest in who You are

You're still the Great and Mighty One
We trust You always
You're working all things for our good
We'll sing your praise

You are God and we will bless You
As the Good and Faithful One
You are God and we will bless You
Even if the healing doesn't come
Even if the healing doesn't come

So we set our faith in who You are - to me that is the greatest sentence of the song.  Our faith is STILL in who HE is.....not what He might do for us.....our faith is not rooted in a God that we somehow think is a genie, there to give us everything we want.  

 

Recently I was talking with a friend who has lost his faith in God.  One thing I said to him is that so many people lose their faith because God does not act in the way they think He should act.  I've been guilty of that in the past, but I'm doing everything to hold onto that truth now in my life. 

 

I can not tell you how my heart aches at times, it's a crushing pain.  That pain may hit me at a store, or when I first wake up, it's random.  She is still with us, but she's not......Oh my God, how do you deal with that?  I would LOVE to stay in bed all day but I have four other kids, depending on me.  Somehow life just keeps going on.....I would love to run away.....actually the running away sounds much better,  but I can't do that.  Somedays I just feel hopeless, lost, overwhelmed, wondering how we will go on like this.....

 

I'm not strong, the little strength I have comes from God, I can promise you that!  Oh I can pull on my "big girl panties", and "pull myself up by the bootstraps" but I can't take away the pain in my heart.   There are days, when I know I look ok, but inside, my heart is so heavy.  This was one of those days!  I can function, take my kids to their stuff, go to lunch with a friend, go shopping, but there's an ache.  Sometimes I almost feel disbelief that we haven't been delivered from this - God worked so many miracles for us to get the girls and then that lady who came up to me in the mall.... the dreams I've had....  It all comes down to I must trust Jesus, regardless of what lies ahead.  He is good and faithful and of that I have no doubt. 

 

One thing I can tell you with all honesty, is I trust God, my faith lies in Him.  There is no one else to turn to, no where else to go.  He does give peace, even when the hurricanes of life come.  I thank Him for that.  Unless you've experienced knowing that God is in control, in a horrible situation, I don't know if I can explain what a rock solid feeling that is, in spite of the chaos around.  He's been with me in the first few minutes and He is still with me.  That is one thing I do not doubt.  Oh, my heart still aches but He is with me. 

 

I feel like I have so many "dreams that are left undone"......

 

So please continue to pray for Selah, I'll never stop asking for prayer for her and I'll never stop praying.  Not that I'm trying to "win my way with God" but I pour out my heart to God.  I don't understand everything about prayer, but I'm going to pray ......and I'm going to trust in WHO God is....