FUN BUT FAST: SUMMER 2020!

 Stephen and his sidekicks made this 

film to showcase our summer.

If video doesn't appear, here is the YouTube link:

Click HERE for Summer Days video

AND JUST LIKE THAT, SHE'S A SENIOR!

After a very unusual end to her junior year- quarantine, school at home, no junior prom (she was going to be the DJ!), no spring break college visits, no softball season, no graduation parties to say good bye to friends, no final last moments before your senior year,- Lydia is now ready to start her senior year of high school.

We were able to visit 3 colleges over the summer although the tours were mostly outdoors.

We were able to have her senior pictures taken - see below.  They are beautiful!

We are hoping she can have somewhat of a normal senior year- hoping for a fall play, homecoming, graduation, and all those special senior moments in between.  

We can't believe how our Lydia Grace got this old already!  She was always the little one of our three older kids.  Now she is almost ready to leave the nest.

Lydia has the coolest and most fun personality!  She is a super talented artist and very smart young woman.  We are so proud of her success working at the bank again this past summer.  It's going to be exciting to see what her future holds after high school.

As we learned with the other two, we are really going to cherish every moment we have with her this next school year.  Before we know it, we will be packing up the van for move-in day at college...

shaunnaclaerboutphotography.com/

WE DARED TO DO IT AGAIN!

We liked camping so much last month, we dared to do it again!

The boys are good little campers.  They eat good, sleep good, handle the public restroom without a problem, and hike good.  What more could we ask for?

We had beautiful weather so that was an added bonus.

Hard to believe it's August already.  Summer is slowly but surely winding down.

We started August by having Jonah wear underwear during the day instead of pull ups!  This is a major accomplishment!

We have been toilet training Jonah for the past 6 years.  Yes, you read that right- 6 years!  It has been a long frustrating process where we have tried every method and idea that was ever thought of for toilet training.  

What finally got us some success was a method Jonah's teacher used at school.  She did 3 intense days of toilet training and got Jonah to the point of going on demand with some self-initiating.  

Unfortunately Jonah still wets (usually slightly) between his "goes".  This is why wearing underwear has not been a possibility because of the constant clean up we would have to do.

However, this summer I came up with the idea of Jonah wearing underwear with an incontinence pad.  This way Jonah can be more like other boys his age by being underwear since the pads can be more discreet than pullups.

It's not the ultimate success I know, but to me it's a partial victory.  There have been many times in these past 6 years where I thought we would never even get to this point so I am celebrating!

It's been a real frustration for me because I feel so guilty like I am doing something terribly wrong that Jonah can't completely get toilet training.  I feel like it's my fault.  

However, after all the things I've tried and still not had complete success, I have to tell myself that perhaps Jonah just really has a difficult time completely understanding this process plus with his low muscle tone, I think he has a hard time controlling down there.  

On a different note, we went on a beautiful hike today at the state park nearby.  Ben was a determined hiker, staying on the path and having lots of energy to the very end of the .8 mile hike.  Jonah, on the other end, kept throwing himself to the ground acting out some movie in his head and kept saying he was tired and hot.  What a difference in personalities between these two!

Of interest in this next photo, many ash trees in our area have died due to the ash borer.  This photo shows how much of the state park is affected by this.  Look how many trees are dead.  The whole look of this state park will change as these trees come down.  We have an ash tree in our yard that is slowing dying from this.  Sad...

Emerald ash borer is an invasive wood-boring beetle that attacks all species of ash trees that exist in Wisconsin. ... In Wisconsin, the southeastern part of the state is generally infested.

WHAT TO DO!

 Our school district just announced yesterday they are planning 5 days/wk in-person for the fall.  Masks will be used when social distancing can’t happen.  The school is also offering a virtual option.

Now as parents we must decide what works best and is safest for our kiddos.

Not an easy decision, but I’m grateful we have options.

Now the thinking begins...and lots of prayers for wisdom and discernment.

WHEN YOU KEEP BEGGING

The boys have been relentlessly begging Stephen to make another movie.

Another Oscar-worthy production results!

DIFFICULT QUESTIONS

As a parent of two children with special needs, one of my biggest concerns is about their salvation.  

We talk and teach the boys about God's plan of salvation and what it means to accept Jesus as their Savior.  But with their cognitive delays, I wonder if they will ever totally understand these concepts.

I think any Christian parent struggles with worrying about where their child is at with their faith and hoping and praying they will come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  As parents, we want to know our child is assured of spending eternity in heaven someday.

The added layer with being a parent to a child with cognitive delays is not knowing if that child will ever be able to make that decision with full understanding.

In my quest for answers, I have come across these resources that really being peace to my mind and soul about this issue.

1. Pgs. 149-151 from The Heaven Answer Book by Billy Graham

"Does God allow people into Heaven who are mentally handicapped and don’t fully understand He loves them and accepts them just as they are? God has the pulse of eternal life in His hand, and He knows the limitations of each of us. None of us are saved because we understand everything there is to know about the heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Salvation comes based on confessing sin and receiving God’s gift of grace. Babies, young children, and the mentally handicapped cannot comprehend their limitations or the truths of God’s plan of salvation—but God, in His grace, receives each of them just as they are and changes their hearts. A tender passage in Scripture is when the little children gathered around Jesus. They didn’t have any profound understanding of who He was or why He came, yet He welcomed them and told His disciples, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14). God has much to teach us through infants and children with special needs. They are completely dependent on others; they must trust their caregivers for everything. There is a lesson for us when Jesus says that we must become as little children. He meant we must place our complete trust in Him, giving up our desires for His, and allow Him to direct our every step. Scripture sheds light on this difficult subject. Solomon says that a stillborn child is better off than one who disregards his own life (Ecclesiastes 6:3 nkjv), and Job cursed the day he was born and said, “Why did I not perish at birth? . . . For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest” (Job 3:11, 13). If you have babies and handicapped children who have been taken from you by death, receive comfort in the sovereignty of the God of love. Commit to teaching others, who do have the capacity to understand the gospel, that God stands ready to cover our sin with His mercy and grace. Do not weep for those in His care, but for those who have not yet found that place of safety in the Savior’s comforting love."

Click HERE to view/purchase this book

2. "How Should Christian Parents Respond to Having a Child with Down Syndrome?

The whole article is very good, but here is one excerpt that was particularly interesting to me:

"If God has entrusted Christian parents with a child who has any kind of disability, those parents can be assured that God has a purpose for them to bring glory to Him by their loving response—and God will provide the grace necessary to provide the proper response."

3. "Where Do I Find the Age of Accountability in the Bible?

Again the entire article is worth reading, but I liked this particular excerpt:

"It is our position that God applies Christ’s payment for sin to babies and those who are mentally handicapped, since they are not mentally capable of understanding their sinful state and their need for the Savior, but again we cannot be dogmatic. Of this we are certain: God is loving, holy, merciful, just, and gracious. Whatever God does is always right and good, and He loves children even more than we do."

Great resources and some comforting thoughts for this mother's heart.

However the bottom line is two-fold:

1. I still am responsible to speak and teach God's truth to my boys and pray for whatever level of understanding is possible for them.

2. I need to entrust my boys and their hearts and souls to the Lord.  He has watched over them in the womb and provided them with a family. He loves them and cares for them, and He wants what is best for them.