Spring!

This Spring has been full of some wonderful family times! Before I share some of the highlights, we wanted to let everyone know that Caleb has another MRI this Wednesday, the 18th. We would love prayers that it will not only go smoothly but that the results will be better than 3 months ago. Our last scan showed some signs of potential change, and of course that has given us a scare. Because of the proximity to the pituitary gland we have appointments to see Endocrinology and Genetics experts this month in hopes we can keep a closer eye on hormone levels. We are prayerful for good news with each of these visits. Our first is Wednesday the 18th - we would love your prayers for peace in all of our hearts and good news for our son.

Caleb turned 5 in March!! We can't believe it! He had his first ever birthday slumber party with his best friends- a Buzz Lightyear party!

We made up a cool obstacle course for the kids that had them climbing a "mountain," navigating through the balloon pit, dodging Surg's fire balls, narrowly missing the lava pit, and soaring through the air with Buzz's wings! And we of course had to have some cool music to play while performing-Indiana Jones theme song!! It was a blast! The kids enjoyed eating popcorn and watching Toy Story 3 at the end of the night too. It was a memorable birthday for Caleb- he loved every minute!

Here's Caleb's Buzz costume- with Emily as Woody! Aren't they so cute holding hands! To see more pics of the kids click here.

We had lots of family celebrations as well for Caleb's birthday- so glad for family! On Caleb's actual birthday Austin took the day off, and we went to the Nashville Zoo! It was fun to spend the day together seeing all of the amazing animals. That night we had over Papa and Meredith, Weatherly, Uncle Chase and Krystle. We enjoyed some yummy chili and Blueberry Dump Cake!

In March we also enjoyed a visit from my dear friend Meghan!! -all the way from London! yea! It was a lovely time of catching up, eating dinner, and reminiscing of old times- (we danced together for years). We love you, Meghan!

Also in March we signed Caleb up for Spring Soccer! His first sport! And Daddy was one of the coaches! We didn't know how he'd really like it, but it turned out to be so much fun for all of us- he played with 4 of his dearest friends and looked forward to every practice and game. We were so proud of him for hustling out there, keeping up with the ball, and doing his best every time- He also scored a goal one time- we were so proud! We also enjoyed going out to dinner after practice every Friday night with our friends- the season will be a memorable one for all of us.

Here they are praying before the game. It was neat to play for the YMCA- they encouraged the coaches to pray with their kids and talk about God- even in soccer!

KG came to several games and got to see Caleb score!! She enjoyed remembering all the soccer games she attended for Austin.- it was sweet to listen to her reminisce about her baby playing- and for me too- I watched Austin play high school soccer!

Doing jumping jacks before the game...not sure what Caleb is yelling about!! ;)

Go Caleb!!

Annelise was too cute out there on the sidelines! She enjoyed herself as well!

Annelise and Mommy sitting on the sidelines!

One of the favorite parts of the game for all the kids was the snack afterward- of course! Austin made sure we brought orange slices for the team- that was something he remembered the moms always bringing to his soccer games.

Annelise loved having her own camping chair to relax in at the games. I thought she looked so cute in it! ;) To see more soccer pics click here.

In April we celebrated Annelise's dedication at church. It was really a dedication of us as parents-dedicating ourselves to raising Annelise to know Christ. It was a special day! The dress she is wearing here was my dress when I was her age- Mom made it for me! It is very special, and I'm so glad Mom saved it for her. Your work is beautiful and timeless, Mom- thank you!

Caleb looks thrilled here. ;)

Family came up for her dedication and joined us for worship at church and then some yummy lunch! Thank you family for your continual support of us as we raise Caleb and Annelise to know Christ. We love you!

In April we enjoyed our 4th year at Merri Acres Farm with our dearest friends. There were 12 adults and 14 kids!! Wow, what a bunch! The farm trip is a highlight of our year- we had an absolute blast! The Lord blessed us with perfect weather despite the forecast- we enjoyed fishing, riding bikes, trips in the truck through the fields, homemade ice cream, rocking on the front porch with a cup of coffee, splashing in the cold creek water, eating smores around the campfire and singing songs, feasting on hamburgers, homemade salsa and guacamole, laughing at something silly the kids were doing just about every second, and making memories that will last a lifetime! Thank you Staggs Family for keeping the farm for us to enjoy, and thank friends for coming with us- you mean the world to us!- and to the Moores- we truly missed you this year and hope you can join us again next year. We love you.

We had to have a goofy picture of all of us because we truly are a goofy bunch!

Here are all the kidos- the love of our lives- what gifts they are from the Lord!

Here we are eating homemade ice cream while swinging on the porch.

At night after the kids went to bed, the adults sat around a campfire. One night we all shared funny stories that had happened to us- we all laughed so hard we cried over and over again- it was good for the soul! The next night we all shared things that were/are going on in our lives and prayed for each couple- it was a real time of opening up our hearts, loving and supporting each other, and being the body of Christ. What a special time.

For Caleb's birthday this year he got a real riffle from Grandaddy and Mimi! He got a chance to shoot it for the 1st time at the farm- he loved it!

Annelise and Caleb loved the creek despite the cold water!

Going for a ride in the pick-up truck!
To see more farm pics click here.

Easter was a lovely time in April- we were able to celebrate twice- once at Ma's and once with KG at our house.

Doesn't Daddy look nice in his bow tie!! ;)

Here we are at Ma's with my cousins and Aunt and Uncle. Leslie is showing a bit more! We can't wait to meet Baby Grayson in July! (or maybe June-who knows!)

My cousin Allison just had her 1st, Alexandria, in January. She is such a doll- we are thrilled for her and Andrew. Allison and I shared so many precious memories together growing up. She was a sweet gift - especially not having a sister around.

Look at the eggs I got, Daddy!

Our beautiful baby girl- who is almost 2!! How is that possible!! She is talking more and more- and she is beginning to fall in love with books- yes! I've worked so hard!! She pulls dozens into her bed after her nap- I can see her on the monitor reading! It's precious!

Here we are Easter Sunday celebrating with KG, Chase, and Krystle. It was a beautiful day!

Caleb loves to wrestle with anyone who will get on the floor- Chase got tackled the second he said "Sure!"

This picture makes me laugh- Annelise looks like she just got a big diamond ring- Ha! (so does KG!) I love that about children- they get so excited about the smallest of things- a lesson for me!

I love this picture- those baby cheeks, baby lips, and baby fingers wrapped around the tree I gave to Austin on his 1st Father's Day-a tree to remind us of the gift of our children.

Last but not least, this Spring Caleb asked Jesus to come into his heart! We are thrilled. I could tell he had been thinking about it for at least a week or so- asking questions and wanting to talk about it more. - specifically about a book called Adam Raccoon and the King's Big Dinner (a parable book for kids). He asked about the big dinner God was going to have for believers and wondered if he'd be there. I told him all those who ask Jesus to forgive them of their sins and surrender their hearts to him would be there, adopted into God's forever family. He said, "I want to be there, Mom, right between you and Dad!" Then on April the 26th- a day that I had set aside for rest for us- playing in the floor with Annelise and me he brought it up again- asking to talk about the promise God made to Abraham. He said, "I want to be in God's family and to be apart of the promise God gave Abraham." Then with the biggest grin he ran back to his room, and got on his knees by his bed-I followed him. He said he wanted to ask Jesus to come into his heart. We talked about what that really meant, and he prayed the sweetest prayer I will never forget- it was music to my ears! He then told me he wanted to be baptized. So, we are going to baptize him in the Stones River next month!

- I know that he is young, but I also know that he gets it- he didn't just want to be like someone older than himself- he truly wanted to be apart of God's family and he knew that it was a choice only he could make. The gospel is amazing because it is truly simple enough for a child to understand yet profound enough to make us continue to "work out our salvation" and "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior" for a lifetime. And I'm convinced that on that day Caleb knew he was a sinner and that he needed a Savior- and he knew the only true Savior is Jesus Christ. I believe the angels were singing that day as they wrote his name in the book of life. And what a blessing for me to witness my son be transferred from the dominion of darkness as Colossians 1:13 tells us and into the kingdom of the Son he loves!!! "Praise the Lord oh my soul, all my inmost being praise his Holy Name...who forgives all your sins...who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion...for as high as the heavens are above the earth so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the East is from the West, so far has he removed our transgressions from us... Psalm 103.

May the wonder of the most amazing gift we could ever receive continue to capture our hearts, make us humble, and cause us to follow after Him!

We will keep you updated on Caleb's health.

Adoption Yard Sale

Hello friends!

Some of you may know our good friends Derek and Karen Kramer - for those of you that do not know them - they are some of our very best friends and they are adopting an 18 month old beautiful boy from Russia named Ivan. Ivan has captured the hearts of many friends here and we are so very excited to partner with the Kramer family as they bring him home to his forever family.

This Friday and Saturday (3/11 & 3/12) there is going to be a yard sale to help the Kramer family raise the funds they need to complete this task.

The yard sale is going to be here

1504 Holden Court

Murfreesboro, TN 37128

If you are in the area and can make it I know the Kramer family would appreciate you stopping by! If you would like to help out financially there is a link below to give online, every dollar counts!

Craigslist Post | Kramer Family Blog | Donate Online

He is with us!

From Austin: We heard yesterday from the doctors at Vanderbilt with regard to the collective thoughts of the tumor board. They are in agreement that since Caleb is a healthy young boy with no complications relating to the tumor that to take any action would not be justified at this time.  We were of course relieved to hear this news and are so thankful for all of you that prayed for these doctors as they discussed our son.

Because the doctors are concerned with the changes in the tumor they have decided that what they would like to do is to get some baseline information on him so that if we see complications in the future we will have some standards to compare with. Because the tumor is very near the hypothalmus he will see an Endocrinologist so that we can keep good tabs on hormonal changes he could experience in the future. The doctors also really desire to determine if he has a specific condition that is often associated with a tumor in this region, and because of this desire they want him to see a Geneticist. There is a test which cannot rule the condition out but it can rule it in - if it confirms he has this gene then it is likely the rest of the symptoms needed for clinical diagnosis will appear over time. We do not have a date for the next MRI yet but the doctors have indicated it will be between three and six months out.
All in all we are comforted by this news... we continue to remain hopeful for the future and we ask that you continue to partner with us in prayer for Caleb's healing.  We are so very thankful for those of you that have expressed your love and concern for us over the past few weeks... you are a very real blessing in our lives.



From Nicole: The last couple of weeks have truly been a whirlwind of emotions, from deep sadness and fear of the unknown to the overwhelming burden of the decisions that we might and are having to make for our son both medically and naturally (meaning the diet decisions we are making for him and our family). However, as we've laid our heads down at night and as we've woken each morning and as we've gone about daily tasks, I have been amazed at the stillness in my heart- at the deep sense of the presence of God-honestly it's hard to describe. Most of you who might be reading this know exactly what I'm talking about because you too have had your share of storms in this life. I feel Him saying over me, "I am with you. I am your helper. I go before you. I love you, and I love Caleb." I open up His Word and He speaks to me- to me! I thought I might share some of the things he's been speaking over me not only in the last 2 weeks but in the last 4 years-I feel like it's one word he's had for me; however, he's been revealing it in pieces over the years.

Four years ago, God reminded me of the familiar verse from Lamentations 3 that I sang all growing up..."The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases...."; however, reading it in context and in the NIV version shed new meaning to me. The author just a few verses before describes a time of hardship deprived of peace that leaves his soul downcast; however he then goes on to say, "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fails..." He chooses to renew his mind-he reminds himself of the Lord's great love which gives him hope and causes him not to be consumed- consumed with what you might ask?? I say consumed and paralyzed  in fear, sadness, and worry. This verse has reminded me to hold up my shield of faith to the flaming arrows of fear that want to consume me and to instead look for the mercies that are promised to me every morning. It has given me great hope as Jeremiah said in verse 20.

At a women's retreat several years ago, I felt the Lord impress upon my heart the words "stand firm" from Exodus 14 and Ephesians 5 and the calling to pray fervently for Caleb also from Ephesians 5. In Exodus 14, God is leading the Israelites out of Egypt. The Egyptians are close behind, and the people are frightened. Moses tells the people in verse 13-14 to "Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today...The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." In Ephesians 5: 10-18 (which I won't write out in full), Paul  is speaking of the armor of God against Satan, and he says 4 times to stand! I felt God calling me to stand and to pray hard. But what exactly does it mean for me to stand I asked myself? I feel He's been revealing it to me over these years...

I began to read a book by Chip Ingram called The Invisible War trying to better understand Satan and the spiritual realm we can not see. It has been truly enlightening- learning to be prepared and aware of Satan's schemes to destroy Christ's light within me. Also, in the midst of Caleb growing up over the years I've been amazed at how God has spoken to my heart as I've been teaching my son about Jesus and explaining profound truths to him- it's amazing how verbalizing these ideas actually in turn speaks to me! It's like the saying, "If you want to best learn something, teach it." We sing regularly the familiar song "The Wise Man Built his House upon the Rock," and I've had the challenge of teaching Caleb what that song actually means! It's not easy explaining Jesus as the rock and the winds and rain as hard things in life...but it's been ringing in my ear...ringing that Christ is the Rock that I STAND on-his teachings and in His Name I STAND!- you see I'm not capable of standing in my own flesh when these storms come- I will be CONSUMED in fear and crushed under the rains without daily choosing to believe (present participle believe- Beth More!) today that He is with me and choosing to receive his mercies today just as the Israelites in faith gathered the manna God provided daily...

Then again just last week as I tried to explain to Caleb what it means to be imitators of God (from Ephesians 5:1)- what do we imitate? We imitate His character, Caleb. Well what is His character? Well, it's the fruits of the Spirit. But we can't do that-we fail- but He has not called us to imitate himself without giving us help- no! He has given us himself to dwell within our hearts- to not only help us imitate him but to actually be Christ in us!!! I was taken back as I felt in my heart he said to me, "I am in you, Nicole- not only to help you imitate me, but to give you the strength to STAND today and not be consumed, to hold up the shield of faith today, to pray for your son today, to trust me no matter the outcome, and to have the strength to fix the food you are fixing for Caleb, to trust, to trust, to TRUST ..and this is what it means to STAND!...I was reminded of another verse mentioned in CBS from Ephesians 3:16 -Paul prays that we might be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." He dwells within me...there are no words for the peace that those words bring.

I've been humming a song lately and not remembering all the words- but today we sang it at church! It's called "In Christ Alone"- thank you Kevin Perry! God moved in you this song for me! It talks about standing! here are some of the lyrics:

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand...
(then at the end of the song...)
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand

Here is a link to Travis Catrell singing the song- it is truly powerful. I cried when I sang it on Sunday. He is speaking, if we will listen- He has a word for us all through whatever storms whether big or small. He longs for us to stand, to trust, and to watch Him move in our lives, in other's lives, and to ultimately defeat the enemy. Will you join me in standing today?

At the end of Janurary Austin and Caleb went duck hunting for the first time.

Although they didnt see any ducks they had a great time with Grandaddy and Will T.

They did get to see two bald eagles - which was a glorious thing to watch.

Caleb told his Grandaddy that his duck call didn't "sound much like a duck"
They got a chuckle out of this - Grandaddy has been calling ducks for a lot longer than anyone else we know! I guess the sound Grandaddy made didn't sound like "Quack, Quack!" Ha!

Eye Doctor - Good News!

Hello friends...

Today we visited Caleb's eye doctor at Vanderbilt. Because of the changes we found in the most recent MRI he wanted to evaluate his eyes. We are very happy to report this visit went well and we were encouraged as we left his office.

Dr. Donahue tells us that he sees NO change in his visual function and that his vision is tracking right in line with where it should for a child his age! He did this thing called an OCT scan which actually measures the thickness of his optic nerve and because he had the wisdom to do this at our last visit we had a good baseline to compare with. His opinion is that at this time we should take no action because we have a healthy child with good visual function - AMEN to that.

While we were there he called our neurosurgeon to chat about the tumor board and we learned that the review did not happen. It didn't happen because the neurosurgeon wanted to wait for Dr. Donahue to review Caleb and form an opinion before he presented the case. Caleb's case will be presented next week, and we are also blessed by the fact that the eye doctor happened to have a clear schedule at the time scheduled so he will attend. We are thankful for these provisions!

We will confirm this next week but we believe the current course of action will be another MRI in probably 3-6 months. We saw the pictures again today and got probably the best understanding of the size of the object we have ever gotten. The tumor is very real and there are still potential problems it will cause.

Please keep Caleb in your prayers and we invite you to celebrate with us today! There is much to rejoice in! We have received good news and our hearts are encouraged after having confirmed his vision is still in a great place. Thanks be to God for His protection over our child during this time.

We love each of you and are grateful for our support and love of our family.

MRI

Hello friends,

Today we went to Vanderbilt with Caleb to get another MRI. The morning went great - our prayers were all answered. Caleb was perfectly fine with not eating and his cough was all but gone. Austin was not back to 100% but he was able to join us. These are all answered prayers in our book.

When we got to Vandy things went great as well. Caleb was relaxed and was in very good spirits about the whole process. When they put the IV in he hardly blinked thanks to this numbing stuff he had on his hands. When it was time to take him away for the MRI he was calm and quite the trooper about the whole thing.  Caleb was so proud of himself for how he took the medicine and how brave he was.... we were quite proud as well.

The waking up process is always entertaing because he is usually so far out of it. We got some cute video of him asking why mommy had three eyes and two mouths. After half an hour or so he was up and about and ready to go to pancake pantry for lunch. We enjoyed some delicious pancakes and then we were back to campus for a visit with the neurosurgeon.

The time reviewing the images was not nearly as pleasant. The news is still uncertain with regard to next steps but there have been changes and growth in the tumor that are not welcome. There is a portion of the tumor that shows "enhancement" - and this is troubling. There has always been this small part of it that has shown enhancement but that portion is larger in this scan.

The next steps are that a team of about 35 doctors will review his case on Monday to determine what is advised to do next.

We are really asking for your prayers for wisdom and peace at this time. Our little guy has such a great attitude and we want so much for him to lead a life with full function... we ask that you join us in prayer for his healing.

Thank you all for your calls and prayers today. We will update you when we know more.

MRI

Hello friends,

Some of you may know this already but we wanted to drop you a note of reminder that tomorrow morning Caleb is having another MRI. It has been 18 months since his last one so we are of course anxious but hopeful for good news.

We would love it if you would join us in prayer that Caleb will not have anxiety about the process, for clean instruments and of course for a good report!

We will update you as soon as we have more info- which will be sometime after 4 PM. Thanks so much to each of you for your friendship and care for our family.

Austin & Nicole