Favorite Things Friday!!!

For those of you who have

been following the story about my Dad

he's doing so much better.

He's communicating by pointing and

shaking his head "yes" and "no", but he's very

discouraged and frustrated

(after waking up from being in a coma for 2 months...

who wouldn't be?!)

Please continue to pray for him...

So.

What's my favorite thing today?!

You're not gonna believe this...

Today,

I'm going to be the special guest

on a radio show!!!

(funny, I know!)

I'm a little nervous, but I'm feeling pretty

good because I'm speaking about something

I absolutely LOVE...

decorating!

Tune in to BNNS Internet radio

at 1:00 central.

If you drop by to listen, be sure to

say "hi" in the chat room!!!

My Favorite Thing!



To Hell and Back

Amazing news!

Not only is my Dad shaking his head

yes and no,

but yesterday Mom told Dad that she loved

him. Half-way kidding, she leaned

down and said, "You know...you could say

that you love me too!"...

and he tried to mouth

"I love you"

to her!

Oh...it doesn't stop there!!!

Today he pointed to the ventillator

and then raised his eyebrows, as if to ask,

"what the heck?".

Mom explained to him about how

sick he had been and that everything is okay,

but that he's on a ventillator.

Then he pointed to his feet and

raised his eyebrows again.

His feet...aren't in good shape.

His blood pressure has been so unstable that

they've had to have him on multiple blood pressure

medications just to keep him alive.

The thing about being on high doses of BP meds is that

it can cut off circulation to your extremities in order

to save your major organs.

So...his organs are looking much better,

but his feet look ghastly.

His toes are black.

Tomorrow the surgeon will be coming by

to see if they are going to have to

amputate his toes and

 possibly his

feet.

So, Dad has noticed that his feet are...

black.

Mom tried to explain why,

but Dad was visibly upset and kept

furrowing his eyebrows at her, almost like

he was mad at her.

She said, "Bud, are you mad at me?"

and do you know what he did?

He put his hand on top of her hand!

Can you even stand it?!

People!!!

This is the man that just

DAYS ago, they were trying to pressure us

to turn the machines off!

They told us that there was absolutely

no hope

and that we were just

delaying

the innevitable.

Not only are they bringing the surgeon in

tomorrow (which is something they haven't done until

now....because...why would you amputate

the foot of a corpse...)

but they're bringing in physical therapy to

start the rehibilitation process,

and they're trying to

wean him

off of the ventilator!

Dad is famous in the ICU!

Nurses and Doctors keep coming in to look

at him, because

NO BODY

can believe that he's still alive,

much less

making a recovery!!!!

I don't know much...

but one thing I do know

is that

my God reigns!

He is mighty,

He is sovereign,

He is faithful,

and he loves to reveal his power

to those who are

crazy enough

to believe that he's able!

I'm not about to pretend that my faith was perfect!

I doubted just as most of you probably did.

I came to a place where my prayer changed from

"Lord, please heal him",

to

"Lord, please have mercy on him and

just take him home".

But through this experience, I am so

unbelievably aware that

I know nothing!

Who am I to think that I should tell the

creator of the universe

how to run things?

His ways truly are greater than our own.

He has taken something so

impossible

and has turned it around for

His Glory!

I am humbled, speachless, and

so grateful.

He's so real and so capeable of handling

whatever impossible

situation you might be facing!

Draw near to him, and

he will draw near to you!

{and you know what? He can certainly heal those

black toes if he so wishes!}

Holy SMOKES! {Favorite Things Friday}

This week?

Ummmm...I'm not sure I can articulate

how this week went. 

Let's just put it this way.

Last weekend, Dad was so very sick.

He was hanging on by a thread.

I spent the entire weekend in tears... 

mourning the loss of my dad, because death was immanent.

Then the sun came up on Monday morning, and 

everything changed. 

After being comatose for a week, he suddenly was

responsive.

Each day of the week held something wonderful.

And then Friday came. 

Friday was oh, so wonderful.

He nodded his head "yes" and "no" when he was

asked specific questions!

Absolutely music to my ears! 

You have to understand:

1) he's still in ICU on a ventilator. For him to nod his 

head in any fashion is very uncomfortable

and difficult!

2) Countless people have told us that he's brain damaged!

Clearly, he's not! 

I don't know what tomorrow will bring...

but today...

Oh, Happy Day!

{my favorite thing}

Hip Baby Shower

As promised, here are the pics from the  
baby shower 

I coordinated.

What the guests saw as they were
entering the shower.

Bunting made from scrapbook paper.

 The Mommy-to-be loved the mobile so much that

she took it to
hang in the nursery.

 Cake stand I made from

vintage pieces.

 Milk glass from my collection.

Don't you love my new "little guy?"

Got him at a thrift store for $2!

Buntings and mobile

I had fresh flowers in 

mason jars 
and white vases

placed around the room

We had candy on the tables for 

guests to enjoy.

I put chalk boards 
all over the place

so people didn't have to keep asking the 

hostess what the food/ drinks were.

White dishes.

Silverware was stored in 

mason jars

Did you know that you can 

spray paint artificial flowers?! 

I know, right? 

Who woulda thought to do such a thing?

But I {heart}

how they turned out!

Thanks for taking a look!

Linking up:

Letter to my Dad

Daddy-

Do you remember when I got the suburban stuck on that telephone pole? I kept driving forward, and backwards trying to get it unstuck from the bumper, but it only made the dent bigger. Then soon after that, do you remember when I backed up into the Dairy Queen sign with your truck?  I was so scared to go home to you. So afraid of what you were going to say (or yell to me). But you didn't say anything. You just hung your head and shook it back and forth. I think that hurt worse than if you'd yelled. 

Remember when Heather, Keri and I would be in the kitchen washing the dishes, and you were trying to watch TV. We would get so loud laughing and carrying on, that you would come in the kitchen and tell us, "Okay! You've got five minutes to finish the dishes! If you're not done in 5 minutes, you're all getting a spanking!". Then the laughter turned into fighting-- "Heather, it's all your fault! HURRY! HURRY! Ugh! Don't throw the dishes in the water! You just got me wet! I hate you! It's all your fault!" We would hurry about washing, drying and putting away dishes, while the clock on the microwave taunted us. 3 minutes went by, then 4 then 5, then 6. I don't think we ever got a spanking for not finishing in five minutes. 

Remember making boys pray with you before they were allowed to take me to prom? I was so embarrassed. None of the other dad's required that! Remember the time you introduced yourself to my boyfriend and said, "My name is Bud Hodges, and my answer is 'HELL NO!'...and I don't give a damn WHAT your question is!". I thought I would die then and there. Remember when Chris called you from Wisconsin to ask for my hand in marriage? You said, "Son...that's not the type of thing you do over the phone." I was so mad at you. I couldn't imagine why on earth you were being so unreasonable! 

Remember when Cade was a baby and we surprised you and flew to TX from Alaska for Christmas? Remember how you and mom screamed when we surprised you? And Cade wouldn't go to you all week because you had scared him so badly? 

Remember hitching the wagon onto the three wheeler and all of your grandkids squealed with delight as you drove around the block. Until Tiegan fell off. Remember buying the boys the Gator? You would call all of the time to see if the snow had melted yet so we could surprise the boys with it. The snow finally melted in April. That was just a few weeks before you got sick. The boys love that Gator, Dad. They want you to come and see them riding it. 

I wish I had known my whole life that you were on the Autism Spectrum. I wish I had known, so that I could have been more understanding when I thought you were being too harsh on us, or when I thought you were being unreasonable. I wish I had known, so that whenever you got on your political soapbox I would have just rolled my eyes and smiled, rather than being angry at you. 

The doctors are doing everything in their power to keep you alive. They're drawing off so much fluid off of you, that it's unprecedented. Dr. Hailey said they're running out of options. 

Dad, I need you to know how much I love you. I need you to know that there will always be a huge gaping hole in my heart if you go. But I know that this is not living. I want God to heal you and for you to walk out of that hospital. But more than anything, I want you to be at peace and not have to suffer anymore. 

Thank you for being the protective father that you were. Thank you for being such a wonderful Grandfather to my babies. 

I love you so much.
My heart is breaking.
I'm not ready to let you go.

Traci Renay

Favorite Things Friday

I don't feel like putting 

exclamation points after the

"Favorite Things Friday" title today. 

Okay?

Are we cool? 

We've been on a roller coaster ride from Hell.

And I would very much like to get off,

thank you. 

My dad continues to fight for his life. 

He has gained about 100 pounds of fluid.

His heart is struggling because of the fluid.

He's also struggling to breathe.

The only thing I know is that God is faithful. 

He's sovereign.

I trust him.

Yep. That's about all I know.

So.

How about changing the subject?

Yes, please.

The baby shower I'm coordinating is in two days.

It's been such a wonderful distraction for me!

I'm just about done with the decorations.

Wanna see?

It's gonna be a heck of a shindig!

The end.

Favorite Things Friday!!!

Dang!

These weeks just keep

flying by,

don't they?

This week for my

Favorite Thing

I decided to share something that

I haven't written about yet.

I haven't written about it because we're still

learning so much about it.

Most of you don't know,

but our oldest son was recently diagnosed

with ASD-

Autism Spectrum Disorder.

He was tested through the school district, 

so he has an educational diagnosis.

Having an educational diagnosis is very helpful in the 

school setting, but it doesn't pinpoint WHERE on the

spectrum your child is

(Autistic Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome or 

Pervasive Developmental Disorder).

We haven't sought out a MEDICAL diagnosis yet

to pinpoint exactly where on the spectrum Cade is,

because his school has been very proactive about

meeting his needs 

and helping us through this process.

Maybe sometime in the future we'll seek out the

medical diagnosis,

but it's pretty evident to us that he has

 Asperger's Syndrome.

One of the symptoms of AS is a

delay in motor skills.

Swimming has been a hard skill for him to master.

But I am over the moon 

about the progress my sweet guy

has made this week at swim lessons!

His first day of class was terrible!

He thought he was drowning and wanted to give up!

He cried when we got home and didn't

want to go back the next day.

But I assured him that I would talk to his teacher and let 

her know that he needed some TLC...
and that he wouldn't drown! =) 

She immediately changed her teaching style with him, 

but still challenged him!

That's exactly what he needed!

Today after swimming class he said,

"Mommy, my most favorite activity now is swimming...

well...maybe second most favorite...

after video games!"

I'm so proud that he didn't give up!

He will have many challenges in his life.

Things that come easy to other kids will be a struggle

for him.

But this little victory is making this Momma's heart

overflow with love and pride

for my hard working boy!

On another note,

Carson has done extremely well this week

in the preschool class!

Tiegan can't wait 

to get in there with his big brothers!

So, that's my favorite thing

this week.

Happy Friday, everyone! 

The Day He Declared His Independence

For a month we've gone through the highs and lows

of having a comatose loved one.

No communication.

Just small signs every now and then

to let us know

that he was still there:

briefly opening his eyes,

or a squeeze of his hand.

And that was enough.

That was enough to give us hope and 

to keep us hanging on...for a while

But after a month goes by, 

you start to wonder.

You start to doubt.

You start to fear that maybe the doctors are right.

Maybe your loved one will never

come back to you.

Maybe your children will have to grow

up learning about their grandparent 

through pictures.

And then something happens.

Something wonderful and unexpected.

Something that sends a message

loud and clear:

I'M STILL HERE!

Don't Give Up On ME!

 Dad pulled out his feeding tube this weekend.

He also has begun to shake his

head "yes" or "no".

He tried to mouth something,

but my mom couldn't understand him.

All of this happened

within a 24 hour period!

He's screaming as loud as he can

"I'm here!"

He's declaring His Independence

and we're listening!

 

It's almost too wonderful to believe!

...but isn't this what we've been praying for?

Isn't this what we were

believing would happen?

Then why are we so surprised?

It's funny how faith works.

You can have it, and still

not understand it.

You can have it and even still

have doubts.

And God can still work in spite

of our doubts. 

So thankful for the most 

wonderful gift this

4th of July!

Hope you had a beautiful

4th too.

Favorite Things Friday!

Happy Friday!

This has been...a long week.

We're settled back into life as usual. 

For the boys' sake, I need to carry on,

but what I really want to do is to
hop on another plane 
and get my rear end back to

Texas

so I can hold my Daddy's hand.
But I'm not going to do that...yet.

Things are about the

same with him.

No progress...

but no steps backward either.

So, we wait 

and pray.

One of my favorite things

this week has been such a support to me.

I'm really into Caedmon's Call right now--

which is funny, because I hadn't listened to them since

my early 20's!

This song especially has ministered
to me so much lately:

 {Sorry, this is the best video I could find of this song}

Knowing that there's a reason for everything 

we're going through...

and for what

Dad is having to endure right now,

makes it so much easier to bear.
And, as the song says,
He makes ALL THINGS GOOD!

Okay.

So, switching gears...

another favorite thing right now is my

messy, beautiful island.

Well..it's not so much the fact that my island

is messy that is my favorite thing,

as much as it is

the reason(s) WHY it's a mess!

Let's take a closer look,
shall we?

I have a lot of things going on right now. 

First of all, I've been baking a lot lately.

I'm an emotional eater. 

We all know this.

These little peanut butter goodies

make me happy,

and consequently have helped me 

gain 10 pounds since my dad 

got sick. 

Sad. 

I know.

So that's part of the mess on the island.

Then there's my Bible and journal. 

They have been my staples on my island

all week. 

Rather than putting them away, I've been 

leaving them smack dab on the

counter so that I can go to them whenever I need to.

Oh, how that fills me back up!

 And what's with all of the paper,

you ask.

Well, that's something I'm 

absolutely over the moon

about!

I got my 

first 

event coordinator job!

Okay, fine... when I 

say "job", I really mean

that my friend is 

paying me in 

haircuts 

to coordinate a baby shower she's throwing,
but whatever...
it still counts!  

She's a very gifted stylist and used to be an instructor

at the Aveda institute.

So, I'll take that! =) 

It's gonna be pretty amazing.

I'll have more about that later.

And last but not least, my counter is a 

mess right now, 

because I've been implementing

a new organization system for 

our puzzles, and I 

love it!

Rather than having 10 bulky boxes in my storage

cabinet, I now have this:

Simply cut out the pic,

and throw it in a ziplock.

Now that's organization that

even I can get

down with!

So, that's why my 

island is a 

beautiful 

mess

today.

I love being busy with so many

projects. 

It helps to have other

things to focus on right now.

As always, thank you all

for your continued prayers!!!

Happy Friday!