Happy 3rd Birthday Jackson!

We love you so much and you bring so much joy to our lives!

Trust

We have some exciting news! We are expecting baby #3 in late April! All of us are very excited about this. Annika really wants a baby sister. Eric and I really do not have a preference and Jackson is pretty much clueless about what we are talking about. Above all these requests is a prayer for health. How our prespective has changed over the years. We no longer take the health of a baby for granted and pray fervently and fervently for this. With this announcement comes some questions.

First, what are the chances that this baby will have M-CM? The answer is not likely. The actual cause of M-CM is unknown, but it is believed to be a random mutation of the genes. Currently there are no reported cases of a family having two children with M-CM.

Second, are we anxious? Not really. Months ago we worked through the possibility of having another child. We thought about the fact that a future child may not have M-CM, but there are thousands of other syndromes out there and really it is amazing how many kids are born completely healthy. This is where trust comes in. I had to ask myself some questions and do some soul searching. Do I still trust God? Do I trust Him again? What if God gave us another baby with a disability? And how would I respond? The conclusion that I came to drove my fears away. I do trust God and I know that all of His ways are perfect.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths."

Psalm 112 :7 "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord."

II Samuel 22:31 "As for God, his way is perfect, the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him."

Thanks for thinking and praying alongside us.

Jackson's first day of school!

Today Jackson started school at Brown School Elementary in the ECDD room (Early Childhood Developmentally Delayed). We have been trying to get Jackson into Brown School, which is located in St Joseph, instead of sending him to Niles (which is about 20 minutes away). Finally, we got him in after agreeing to start him now instead of waiting until after his third birthday in December since they do not like to take kids during the middle of the school year.

Jackson did great on his first day and I was greeted with a big smile when I came to pick him up, although he was beat and slept for 4 hours this afternoon. I was a little apprehensive and just kept wondering if I really was doing the right thing. He just seems so little and ever since he has been born I feel like I have been trying to protect him and keep him healthy and safe, so for me it was a little difficult to send him off to school. However, now that the first day is behind us I am sure that it will get easier. Eric and I are really proud of Jackson and all of the accomplishments that he has made.

All ready for his first day

Annika's first day of preschool

Annika started preschool today at Christ Lutheran School. I cannot believe how fast my little girl is growing up.

Days of Summer

Our days of summer have been filled with ice cream, play dates, parks, swimming lessons, vacation Bible school, therapy, the kiddie pool, slide and slide, bikes, practicing our walker, and snuggling. I cannot believe that summer is almost over and Annika will start preschool. Here are a few pictures of the faces we love so much.

Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom

I promise I am almost done with my Disney pictures. Below are some pictures from our time spent at Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom

Waiting for Muffets 3-D to start

Annika in line to see Woody and Buzz

Annika and Eric at the Bone Yard playground at Animal Kingdom

Jackson and Grandpa

Character Breakfast

On Tuesday we decided to take a break from all of the parks. We finally got to sleep in a little and then headed out for a character breakfast. This was definitely a highlight for Annika. She even got dressed up and wore her Minnie Mouse costume. Below are a few pictures from our morning.

Pool Fun

One of Annika and Jackson's favorite things to do in Florida was swimming and spending time at the pool. We had a pool behind the house that we stayed in, plus a resort pool down the street.

Annika became braver everyday and really improved her swimming skills through out the week. She even dared to go down the slide that you see behind her.

Jackson loved the fountains. He would sit and wait for the water and would get so excited everytime that the water shot up.

Jackson loves his Grandpa.

Magic Kingdom

On Monday we headed to Magic Kingdom. I think that I was just as excited as Annika since this was also my first time at Disney.


While at Disney we were early risers and got to the parks before they opened every day. I loved how at Magic Kingdom they would get you so excited before they opened the park with the train coming in with all the characters on board. Annika is still singing the songs that she heard while at Disney.


We of coarse had to ride Dumbo. Well, Annika and Eric rode Dumbo. I will not ride any ride that goes in a circle and Jackson started crying when he saw the ride so we both sat out and watched.


Waiting in line for the ride Winnie the Pooh.


Riding the Spinning Tea Cups with Grandpa


Graysen, Annika and Max


This is how Jackson rides. His stroller fan was a lifesaver since it was so hot.



We stayed around and watched the afternoon parade which was a lot of fun. Annika loved all the characters and the songs.

Disney World!! Epcot

Last week we went to Disney World with Eric's family and had a great time! We are finally starting to get into the swing of things again at home. Annika had the time of her life playing with her cousins and meeting all of the characters. Jackson loved being in the pool. The weather was very hot and humid, but I guess that is what you get for Orlando in June. We took so many great pictures that I hardly know where to start! I will start with our first day which we spent at Epcot and then do some future posts about the rest of our trip.

The kids did great on the plane, especially since they were both sleep deprived. We woke them up at 4:00am and drove to Chicago for a 6:00 am flight and they did not sleep at all on our drive to Chicago! They both stayed awake for the entire flight and were great!

The next morning we went to Epcot



All of the cousins-sorry we were making them look into the sun and they were all hot!
Most days the temperature was in the high 90's and very humid.

Annika's favorite part was meeting all of the characters. She had her autograph book and she thought it was so much fun to get all of the characters autographs.

She especially loved the princesses. Annika would let out a shriek everytime that she saw a princess. Annika was also very brave. She would go on any ride that she was tall enough for. She even went on Test Track and I thought it was a little scary!

Jackson is on the go...

Last year Jackson would happily sit in his stroller or in his cozy coupe and watch everyone else play, but this year he wants to be part of all the fun.

This is the view I usually get. Jackson crawling away from me.

Jackson loves to play at the park. He really likes the slides and swings. I think this picture is so cute.


He also likes to play in his house and Annika likes to play restaurant with him.

I tried to get a picture of them in front of my rhododendron bush, but both of them refused to look. I am so thankful that Jackson has progressed so much since last year and he can actually enjoy the outdoors this summer