As most of you know last Wednesday our car was stolen. After getting things settled with the police and insurance here is what we know so far:
1) The insurance company has to almost treat you like the theif to get all their information. God bless my husband as he tried to keep his cool while being treated like a criminal. After they ruled that out, they informed us that they need to wait for 20 days while the police try to turn it up before they can classify it as a loss. Then they will cover the vehicle. They will minus our deductible and try to get us a decent price for it.... I have a feeling I might have some negotiatng ahead of me ( :
2) Our car insurance will not cover anything in the vehicle because that is seen as personal property. We have checked with our renters insurance and unfortanatley there was miscommunication in the plan we had. We had gotten the policy thru our complex and got the required amounts but it turns out it is just liability insurance which doesn not include personal property.
Thankfully our car was not filled with valuables which is why we have wondered the reasosn the theives chose our car. It was however holding our 2 carseats. If you know me, you know car safety is something that is a passionate subject. I researched for months with each of our kids car seats before we bought some of the best. I am so sad to see them go, but at least my kids weren't in the seats too ( :
We have had several people ask about helping us replace our car seats and wondering how to help. If that is something you would like to be part of, the easiest way is to hit the donate button on the right hand side of our blog. Thankfully we have a wonderful friend who is letting us use her car seats from her children that have outgrown them for now. We have been so blessed by the outpouring of support and concern as we face another road block in our journey. We are constantly encouraged by people asking how to help, what they can do, and how they can pray. In the midst of uncertainty, we are forever changed by our unchanging God. He is so good to us and we are determined to produce good fruit out of this unfortunate situation. Thank you to everyone who is trudging along with us!! Day after day we find hope because we know we serve a God much bigger than our current circumstances!
Monday, February 25, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
A stolen Car
After months of debating whether or not to stay here at our place, we have multiple times settled on our apartment being the right place for us now. Everytime that we come to that conclusion, something stops us dead in our tracks. This last week has been one hard slap after another as we have battled through some very difficult battles. Some of which have dealt with Jackson, others that have been with family issues, and now we face the most current slap.... a stolen car!
We came home last night from our church small group and parked on the 4th floor of our gated, 24 hour security watched apartment garage. We spent a little bit of time talking about a phone call that I had gotten earlier in the evening and how we felt it had solidified the purpose of us being where we are at. With our lease only awaitng Chris' signatures this morning, I left to take the kids out for just a bit and found our car was not in the garage. I have to admit that my first reaction was actually laughter becuase the thought of it just seemed ridiculous.
The amount of stuff on our plate at the moment seems impossible but perspective changes everything. Daily Chris and I are faced with the reality that 2013 could be the year we lose something much more valuable than a car. With each passing moment we live in a world where the things we hold most precious are not a guarentee. The theif took our car, our money, our car seats, and the little bit of togetherness I started with today. The theif robbed us of a physical means to make our life function the way we need it to. But, I do beleive that the ultimate Theif is attempting to steal much more.
Well, that's just not going to happen in our house. I am going to spend the afternoon soaking up precious times with my kiddos, enjoy tucking them into bed tonight, and then I am going to get on my knees with my husband. Petty theives can take my car, selfishness can cause foolish acts, but nothing can steal me from the plans the Lord has for us. Now, if only we knew the plans??? But, I don't have to know, I just need to be willing and committed to whatever the Lord has for us.
Would you join us in prayer as we make decisons about where to live, how to handle our car situation, and that God would continue to provide as we travel through the giant waves in our life? If you haven't been able to yet, please join us on our new facebook page as well so you can see more picutres, videos, and up to date info on all of Jackson's adventures https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/FightingForJackson. Thanks for coming along with us!
We came home last night from our church small group and parked on the 4th floor of our gated, 24 hour security watched apartment garage. We spent a little bit of time talking about a phone call that I had gotten earlier in the evening and how we felt it had solidified the purpose of us being where we are at. With our lease only awaitng Chris' signatures this morning, I left to take the kids out for just a bit and found our car was not in the garage. I have to admit that my first reaction was actually laughter becuase the thought of it just seemed ridiculous.
The amount of stuff on our plate at the moment seems impossible but perspective changes everything. Daily Chris and I are faced with the reality that 2013 could be the year we lose something much more valuable than a car. With each passing moment we live in a world where the things we hold most precious are not a guarentee. The theif took our car, our money, our car seats, and the little bit of togetherness I started with today. The theif robbed us of a physical means to make our life function the way we need it to. But, I do beleive that the ultimate Theif is attempting to steal much more.
Well, that's just not going to happen in our house. I am going to spend the afternoon soaking up precious times with my kiddos, enjoy tucking them into bed tonight, and then I am going to get on my knees with my husband. Petty theives can take my car, selfishness can cause foolish acts, but nothing can steal me from the plans the Lord has for us. Now, if only we knew the plans??? But, I don't have to know, I just need to be willing and committed to whatever the Lord has for us.
Would you join us in prayer as we make decisons about where to live, how to handle our car situation, and that God would continue to provide as we travel through the giant waves in our life? If you haven't been able to yet, please join us on our new facebook page as well so you can see more picutres, videos, and up to date info on all of Jackson's adventures https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/FightingForJackson. Thanks for coming along with us!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
A Tribute to my special Hearts
What I love most about Valentines Day is that although we do special things to celebrate, it doesn't feel that much different than any other day. It's not to say that everyday is a romantic blissful walk in the park, but everyday at our house love is expressed in ways that make me proud to be apart of my family. It's not uncommon for me to wake to the sound of laughter from my children or for my kids to come downstairs to a simple surprise that says I love you. It's not rare for my husband to help with the lunch dishes or for me to find a note that he has written to encourage me. No, not everyday s valentines day in our house. Most days include sweatpants, digging around for a lost shoe, and silly arguments about who said what. Our lives are far from perfect, but our days are filled with love. And who couldn't help but love these hearts that fill my home?
He stole my heart around the time I turned 17 and has held it ever since with his committment to continue loving me in different ways with each new day. He is such a blessing to me in so many ways but lately he has been the ultimate source of comfort as we travel this rough and winding road together. Almost 6 years ago I vowed to stick with him through anything not knowing the craziness that would lie ahead. As I sat there on Monday at the hospital waiting to see if Jackson would tolerate sedation with his MRI and held his hand, I found myself thinking about how beautiful love can be. A love so deep can be so rare to find and how blessed I am to have found such an incredible hand to hold during the hardest time of my life.
She taught me to love in a whole new way when I held her for the first time. She is as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside. She brings light and life into anything she does. She is as stubborn as I am and keeps me on my toes as I go about my day. There isn't a day that has passed that she hasn't brought laughter to our home and joy to my heart. She is as thoughtful and sweet as kids can come and all girl. From her headbands to high heels to dresses and sparkles, she is a whole breed of her own. She has taught me how to be persistent, to enjoy the simple things, and to dance like no one is watching. She has had to grow up fast in a lot of ways this last year and I am so proud of the gentle and supportive heart she has become.
What else can I say about this little brave heart that I have been blessed with? He is the motivation behind so much of what I do and the constant reminder to me of how precious life is. He has forever changed my heart as I have tried my best to care for his. He has taught me about heartache, about fighting, and about gratitude. He is courageous, ambitious, and most of the time just as crazy as his daddy. What a joy it is to watch him grow and see his life touch so many others as we all watch his story unfold. There is no word special enough to touch on just who he is, but hands down he is my hero!
I pray that as I take today to just simply celebrate the incredible hearts that I have been blessed with that all of you take the time to do it too! Life is filled with ups and downs, but find a way everyday to appreciate the hearts that beat in your life. Love is a beautiful journey....take the ones around you on yours and embrace all the imperfect moments as a challenge to hold on a bit tighter!!
My Husband: Chris
He stole my heart around the time I turned 17 and has held it ever since with his committment to continue loving me in different ways with each new day. He is such a blessing to me in so many ways but lately he has been the ultimate source of comfort as we travel this rough and winding road together. Almost 6 years ago I vowed to stick with him through anything not knowing the craziness that would lie ahead. As I sat there on Monday at the hospital waiting to see if Jackson would tolerate sedation with his MRI and held his hand, I found myself thinking about how beautiful love can be. A love so deep can be so rare to find and how blessed I am to have found such an incredible hand to hold during the hardest time of my life.
My Daughter: Ava
My Son: Jackson
I pray that as I take today to just simply celebrate the incredible hearts that I have been blessed with that all of you take the time to do it too! Life is filled with ups and downs, but find a way everyday to appreciate the hearts that beat in your life. Love is a beautiful journey....take the ones around you on yours and embrace all the imperfect moments as a challenge to hold on a bit tighter!!
Monday, February 11, 2013
MRI Day
4:15 the alarm sounded and I was stuck somewhere between springing into action and wanting to bury myself in the covers pretending the reality of today was different. By 5:20 we were off to the hospital in our true fashion.... a little bit of sanity and one bag too many! All went as planned and even after registering and retrieving everything we were at our check in point 10 minutes early.
Watching your child being pinned down to find the best veins, putting in IVS and pulling for bloodwork is hard. What's even more awful is when you are there as we always are stroking their head, helping hold them down and having to say things like, "You are doing so good. It's almost done. What a brave boy. We love you Jackson." You seem to repeat as long as needed all while your child screams for you to make it stop. I stayed strong, not even a singel tear shed as we went through the prepping process, talked about the risks, and laid him on the table to put him to sleep. After all, that was my job. As a mom I wanted him to see confidence and joy, not fear and pain. Then came the moment where time stood still.
They gave him the medicine to fall asleep. He was screaming being pinned down again, grabbing for me as I stood over him. I was talking to him and then his face went blank, his eyes rolled back into his head, his hand dropped from grabbing my sweater and his body went limp. In that second I bursted into tears as they gave us a brief second to kiss his lifeless appearing body as they carried him swiftly away. As they carried him into the MRI it was if his whole life flashed before me. First smile, first step, the laughter, the memories, and then the door shut.
An hour and a half went by before we were able to be with him again. The great news is he did wonderful. There were no issues with his heart reacting and he only took the minimum 30 minutes to recover afterwards. Clearly, he is a fighter and truly my little hero. He was so brave all day and even smiled and gave a fist pump when his IV was taken out.
Jackson is incredible. He is special beyond words and everyone who comes into contact with him can see it. He's the patient that other nurses like to check on, the one that makes doctors laugh, and other parents a little bit more at ease. How hard it is to hold his hand through all of this, but what a joy to see the life he brings to others. Today was hard, but today God is still good. In our weakness is where God shows himself strong. I know this to be true as I walked out of the hospital with a rock solid marriage, a smile on my face, and a stable but still loopy little boy. Praise the Lord for another day in our beautiful and crazy life together!
Watching your child being pinned down to find the best veins, putting in IVS and pulling for bloodwork is hard. What's even more awful is when you are there as we always are stroking their head, helping hold them down and having to say things like, "You are doing so good. It's almost done. What a brave boy. We love you Jackson." You seem to repeat as long as needed all while your child screams for you to make it stop. I stayed strong, not even a singel tear shed as we went through the prepping process, talked about the risks, and laid him on the table to put him to sleep. After all, that was my job. As a mom I wanted him to see confidence and joy, not fear and pain. Then came the moment where time stood still.
Just a small glipse of what we had to do. Just wanted for people to be exposed to our reality as we fight for a better life for him. It definitley is a fight!
They gave him the medicine to fall asleep. He was screaming being pinned down again, grabbing for me as I stood over him. I was talking to him and then his face went blank, his eyes rolled back into his head, his hand dropped from grabbing my sweater and his body went limp. In that second I bursted into tears as they gave us a brief second to kiss his lifeless appearing body as they carried him swiftly away. As they carried him into the MRI it was if his whole life flashed before me. First smile, first step, the laughter, the memories, and then the door shut.
An hour and a half went by before we were able to be with him again. The great news is he did wonderful. There were no issues with his heart reacting and he only took the minimum 30 minutes to recover afterwards. Clearly, he is a fighter and truly my little hero. He was so brave all day and even smiled and gave a fist pump when his IV was taken out.
Waiting for our car, finally he got to eat something!!
Jackson is incredible. He is special beyond words and everyone who comes into contact with him can see it. He's the patient that other nurses like to check on, the one that makes doctors laugh, and other parents a little bit more at ease. How hard it is to hold his hand through all of this, but what a joy to see the life he brings to others. Today was hard, but today God is still good. In our weakness is where God shows himself strong. I know this to be true as I walked out of the hospital with a rock solid marriage, a smile on my face, and a stable but still loopy little boy. Praise the Lord for another day in our beautiful and crazy life together!
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