DON'T USUALLY DO THIS BUT...

One of our Christmas traditions is to give our girls tickets to a play.  Each January, us Lavey women go out for a nice meal and then enjoy seeing a great performance.

I really don't like sharing a photo with me in it, but this is such a nice picture of my girls, I just had to share.

I'm so proud of these two amazing girls!  They have hearts full of love and are very bright, talented, responsible people who are honorable and trustworthy.  I'm excited and praying about their growing relationships with the Lord Jesus.

HOME SWEET HOME

When you have a problem with this:

PERSONAL SPACE

Then this is rather difficult to handle also:

SOCIAL DISTANCING

So that is why we are going to stay home with our two littles as much as possible.


For their safety and well-being and everyone else's too.

Oh and Father forgive me for I have sinned- I hoarded :)

That’s a freakishly large container of creamer.  I just had to know I wouldn’t run out!

STARTING SOMETHING NEW

Jonah now has a speech device that he can take with him wherever he goes!

This does NOT mean we are giving up on Jonah having effective speech, but after 9 years of working on this goal, we felt it was time to give him some extra help.  

When Jonah interacts with our immediate family (mom, dad, brothers, sisters), we for the most part can understand what he is trying to say to us.  Jonah uses some words, some sign language, and as of late, he spells or draws out his ideas to us.  So in the home setting, Jonah has quite effective speech, although it is not all in the verbal manner. 

However, as of late, we are finding two things are happening to our sweet Jonah:

1. Being 9 years old, Jonah has more thoughts and ideas, and his thoughts are more complex and creative to just be communicated in one word.  Thus, his limited speaking vocab and signing, and his somewhat limited ability to spell and draw are not enough to convey the amazing things he is wants to tell people.

2. Outside of the home, if one of us immediate family members are not present to interpret for Jonah, many people have no idea what Jonah is trying to tell them.  At 9 years old,  Jonah wants to be social, has important thoughts to share, and is getting more frustrated when people don't understand him.

For these reasons, we strongly felt we needed to help Jonah however we can to communicate better.  This is why we have pursued a speech device for Jonah.

Thank you to the teachers at our school who made us aware of such an option being available to Jonah!  I know it was a tedious process to apply for the device. 

Our major concern was that use of the device would cause Jonah to try and speak less because he would instead rely on the device.

However, research shows that speech devices actually encourage speech.  See article below for more formal explanation, but here is my summary about why devices encourage speech:

1. Once Jonah realizes the "power" of his words and how neat it is to be understood, this will motivate him to talk.  To try and talk when not many people even respond to you is disheartening and not very motivating.  

Side note: when I say try and talk, I really mean that it takes Jonah great effort to make sounds.  The sounds that come naturally to us do not come naturally for Jonah.  His speech therapists are literally showing him how to form his mouth to make certain sounds.  If Jonah doesn't get good
feedback after making all this effort to talk, the temptation is to not put forth any effort and remain silent. 

2. The speech device provides a consistent voice speaking the words Jonah is selecting.  This gives Jonah a constant model to imitate which is probably even more effective than hearing the various people in his life pronouncing words with varying intonations etc.  "Joshua", the voice on the speech device, is always the same pronunciations, meaning easier for Jonah to copy.

We have had the speech device for about a month now.  We actually feel like Jonah is talking more and is becoming more understandable!  

My biggest struggle with the device is how people will react to Jonah using it with them.  Some people are very comfortable and patient as he uses the device to talk.  Others, understandably, are a little taken back and don't know how to carry out a normal conversation between themselves, Jonah, and this little device.  

But it  never hurts to spread awareness and educate, right?  So we are considering this speech device just another avenue for us to help people feel comfortable with DS.  

We are hoping and praying that Jonah will continue to use his words- he has a sweet little voice with such beautiful things to share!  I believe the world will be a better place if it can hear from this little boy! 

P.S. Ben, although much more verbal than Jonah, is also utilizing the device.  Mainly, because of the dynamics of Ben being jealous if Jonah gets to use the device.  But we feel it can also benefit Ben so we are trying to work out a "sharing" schedule with the device.



Click HERE for link to speech devices

Click HERE for article about "will-communication-device-hamper-real-speech"

SO PROUD!

Our daughter Lydia is quite a talented artist in our opinion.  Here is the painting of our dog Tucker that was sent to the area schools art show at the art museum.

Then last night, Lydia was inducted into the National Honor Society.  

So proud of her and these accomplishments this week!

ME FIRST!

Luke 19: 41-42

41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

If you came upon Jesus weeping over sin in your family, church, community, organization, school, work place etc, 

What would your first question be?

1. What did I do wrong?

OR

2. What did someone else do wrong?

I truly believe conflict management begins here:

 

Only then we can we start working on resolving the conflict with others- 

once our own heart is in the right place.

ALMOST GOT IT, BUT STILL SWEET!

About 2 weeks ago, the Sunday School lesson for the boys was about Jesus washing the feet of His disciples.  I talked to the boys that this meant we need to find ways to serve others and be kind and loving to them.  

Well, the other day Jonah was in the bathtub.  Andrew was in there supervising him.  I was wondering what was taking so long so I went to check with Andrew.  He said that Jonah was busy washing his feet.  

In my impatience, I explained that Jonah should get out now because we had things to do and places to go.  Andrew said he was trying to get Jonah to move along, but Jonah was a signing "Jesus" and then pointing to his feet.  Jonah was washing his feet like we had talked about in Sunday School a few weeks ago.

The only thing is Jesus didn't wash his own feet- He washed the feet of others.  Which is where the humility, servanthood, and love stuff comes in.  Who really wants to wash other people's feet, right?

So I think Jonah's heart was in the right place, he just was washing the wrong set of feet-haha.  

Life with these boys makes me smile!  

However, this whole story is more a lesson to me to stop rushing to get things done.  Instead, I should take time to notice these precious moments laying right by my "feet".

LORD, PLEASE DON'T HELP THAT BEAR!

Our church hosted a concert last night by the Northwestern College A Capella Choir (from Orange City, IA). 

All the songs were beautiful.  

There was one though that especially caught my attention.

It was a funny song entitled "The Preacher and the Bear" arr. Daniel McDavitt.

Preacher being chased by a bear.  Preacher's prayer was asking the Lord to save him just like the Lord delivered Daniel, Jonah, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Final line of the song: 

"Well now, Lord, if you can't help me, please don't help that bear!"

Just a funny but insightful way to think about how the Lord might be working in my life during difficult times.  Instead of questioning what the Lord is allowing to happen to me, maybe I should praise Him for what He is protecting me from...