Beth's 6th Birthday

The big 6 and she is actually on the growth charts! Beth's clocks in at the 5% range in height and just squeaks onto the colored line in weight! Daddy and I are so proud of our little girl!

Beth taught herself how to read and has been devouring Elliott's books. Her kindergarten teacher decided to test her reading level. She has taken her up to the 7th grade vocabuary list already. Now, this isn't 7th grade fluency but she has a great grasp of vocabulary and can sound out almost any word.

Merry Christmas 2011

Elliott's Team Wins State Cup!

I'm feeling better. Today I learned that I do have Shingles which explains the horrible pain in my back and side. I've got a few other tests to complete. For now, enjoy this video of our son, Elliott and his team from El Dorado United Soccer Academy. The team won the Bronze division State Cup series for U10 Boys. I was well enough to go to the game so got to see his team play well and celebrate at the end. You can see Elliott's blonde mop bouncing around toward the end. He is number 13.

I have been very ill so am not posting regularly. I have been struggling with back pain since July which has now descended into intoler

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le nerve pain. I'm home today after three nights in the hospital where they found little cause besides two bulging disks. This cannot explain the fever, chills and stomach pain. I would appreciate prayers to help us find a doctor who will champion my case through the medical system. A cure would be wonderful. I want to play with my children.

These are the most recent photos of the kids: A trip to the pumpkin farm where I could barely hold it together to take photos. Their costumes on our front porch. I thank God for our wonderful children who give us such joy. No one will get me back to the hospital again where I am separated from them.

God bless and please send your prayers up to God to aleviate our suffering.

j

Beth's First Soccer Goal

Beth scored her first soccer goal! It was in her first soccer game this Saturday. It was too much fun to watch her play. Daddy and I couldn't help being amazed. To think this little one stopped breathing a dozen times each day for 2 months still amazes us. Now, she is running and playing as if nothing was every wrong!


I gotta say that watching five-year-olds play soccer is a bit like watching small fish swarm around a hunk of brine shrimp. They swim around the ball in a small pack, bumping into each other and the ball until someone falls down or the ball goes into the net (or out of bounds). Beth managed to keep herself out of the melee either because she has been watching Elliott play or she has a stronger sense of survival than the other girls!

She is number 9 in the white uniform (with the short blond hair). She is also one of the smallest in the group. There are two versions of the video here: a longer 2-minute video showing some of the game before her goal, or the 50-second version showing only the amazing feat and Beth's smile of satisfaction afterward.

Nice job, Munchkin!

Inspire Christian Writers Nonfiction Award

Last weekend, I particpated in a two-day writing conference with Inspire Christian Writers. I don't consider myself an author but I have been dabbling in the profession. I do a lot of writing as PR consultant but the purpose and format are quite different.

I've been working on the book about Beth so she would truly understand the miracles surrounding her life. My original intent was to save it just for her. But, in the course of writing, wondered if the world needed to know how God saved her life. There is no doubt in my mind that Beth is here because God intervened.

My book title is Saving Beth. (Yes, I've vacillated between The Heartbeat Within and Saving Beth.) I submitted three chapters to the writing conference and was stunned to learn that I won the nonfiction award! For the first prize, Karen Ball (writer, agent, editor extraordinaire) will read my manuscript and edit it! I am thrilled with this opportunity because of the chance to learn and hone my craft. Whether or not Saving Beth moves into the public view, it will be a treasured keepsake for Beth (and Elliott, too).

I'm letting this project move through any open doors God sets before me. It feels odd to apply my PR talents to promoting my book. Yet, if this opportunity opens yet another door, I might be in the full PR/marketing mode on my own behalf. It could be fun to promote my own project for once!

First Day of School: Kindergarten and Fourth Grade

An equally "loving" teacher is our Kindergarten teacher at Theodore Judah Elementary School. Elliott had Mrs. Young and now it is Beth's turn.

These three cute girls were in Elliott's Kindergarten class and they are all in the same fourth-grade class this year. Our school has a new magnet school called the "Gateway Academy." The Academy is for gifted kids but also for kids like Elliott who sometimes don't perform up to their capabilities. We were so thrilled that he made it in even though he wasn't officially gifted. We did receive notification last week, however, that his STAR test results were good enough to push him into the gifted ranks.

Elliott decided to wear the tie. This kid has a future in PR; He realizes that first impressions are important! Mike, on the other hand, thinks Elliott was more focused on the girls' than on his teacher's impressions.