today was such a BLESSING!!

GOD IS GOOD!!!! today, a beautiful sister of mine invited me to a prayer group that met today....she had emailed me earlier this week and i was unsure if i could make it but like always, THE LORD showed me and told me to go. and it was BEAUTIFUL!!! it was soooo uplifting.....i am EVER so thankful to those ladies and i feel so spiritually RESTORED! i was anointed and prayed over and it felt AMAZING...i felt so hot when they were praying over me and then when she started to talk, bless, open herself TO me....i started to cry...i have so much FAITH that everything will be ok with my arm because i KNOW GOD is here and that he is with me....but what came out was that i DID have fears...they were hidden and they were not of GOD...there was worry about WHAT was going to happen and there was worry that if IT WAS going to be cancer, who would take care of the boys?!?!?! and when she hit upon those, i started to cry...and i am not a crier and it was just soooooo powerful....i left it at JESUS feet...i feel so happy and i feel sooooooooooo energized!! i keep smelling the beautiful ROSE anointment oils they used...it is soooo relaxing and makes me think of MOTHER MARY!

well, i am off to bed...today was the 1st day of the 9 days of the NOVENA FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT!! yesterday was THE LORDS ASSUMPTION INTO HEAVEN!! today STARTED the 9 days of prayer that everyone did after JESUS ASSENDED and 9 days from now, NEXT SUNDAY is PENTACOST SUNDAY...they day that the HOLY SPIRIT CAME TO THEM AND IT LOOKED LIKE TONGUES OF FLAMES and they started to speak in TONGUES!! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY IT IS AND WILL BE!!!!

wednsday will be the day they do my BIOPSY ON MY ARM....praying for good news!

MATTHEW MADE HIS 1ST COMMUNION!!

WE ARE SOOOOO PROUD of our son!!! today, he finished another of his sacraments (baptism, reconciliation & now 1st communion) and we are so blessed!! it was such an exciting day. we got him his little shirt with a tie, some slacks and his new black shoes. we bought him rosary, his prayer book and all his little stuff. we had so many people that were praying for him and he was sooooooo excited. we had practice earlier in the week for him and he was going to be bringing up the BASKET OF FLOWERS during the offeratory and he looks soooo cute! he had to walk in with his HANDS IN PRAYER and he did! he had been practicing...all the kids that were around him were so excited by him and continued to talk to him and try to teach him new words. it was really cute because they were allll trying to teach him words and how to clap etc. awwwwwww.....on top of our PRINCE OF PEACE community being there, my aunt and uncle ZEKE & CYNDI, his nurse and her fiancé, our good friends the ARNDTS, grandma, uncle bubba and family and his 2nd grade teacher!!! it was so nice of everyone! :) and we were soooooo worried about him actually taking the BODY AND BLOOD of CHRIST!~!! he is G-TUBE FED and yes he DOES eat but not on demand! he has to WANT to eat and this was something different! :) so the FATHER and i figured out that he would place a small piece of the HOST on a spoon with some water and then spoon feed him...well, matthew wanted NONE OF IT!! so we kept trying and FINALLY he opened his mouth and we put it in there...he was ok after that...for the wine, i had a SMALL syringe and i probably gave him something like .2 cc of the stuff and squirted it in his mouth!!! he was fine and everyone in the church was watching and you could see that everyone was just smiling!!! we had people come up to us after mass and congratulated him and also tell us that they were soooo moved by it all!!!! you see, to have him make this sacrament was just so amazing thinking back to when he was born and they were giving me NO HOPE what so ever and here we are, making this amazing event!!! THANK YOU GOD FOR OUR LITTLE MIRACLE!!!!!

FIRST DOCTORS APPT.....DONE....

SO, today was my first appt with the ORTHOPEDICS department at SAMMC....it started at 1045 and ended at 1300! so, after getting the BEAUTIFUL BIG NEW AND IMPROVED BAMC hospital, i had to navigate the CRAZY hallways from one side of the hospital to the other!! boy, i almost needed a COMPASS!!! i know i could have STILL been there lost if i hadn't asked so many people WHERE AM I!?!?! anyway, finally got to see the PA there at orthopedics...VERY VERY nice man!!! was very comfortable with him. after he and his dr looked at the MRI, they felt that it was PROBABLY a PERIPHERAL NERVE SHEATH TUMOR instead of a histiosytoma....still not sure if it is cancer or not and will not be able to find out until i get an BIOPSY...soooo, i asked him was this something he sees a lot or something interesting and rare...he said VERY RARE and VERY INTERESTING...he has been consulting with many of his peers to see what they think....so,he said that we were going to go ahead and have surgery, remove tumor and then BIOPSY the tumor to see what it is.....so then they sent me off to RADIOLOGY to get an XRAY of my arm....done....as i am leaving the hospital (after negotiating the halls again) , i get to the outer door and check my phone and find out that he had called and left me a message...COME BACK....WE ARE THINKING OF SOMETHING ELSE WE MIGHT DO!!! LUCKILY, i saw that before i left, so turned around negotiated the halls AGAIN, made my way back and went back to talk to them....he said that after talking to ANOTHER doctor, she felt that instead of going in and having surgery right away, that maybe a better option would be to do a ULTRASOUND GUIDED BIOPSY of the tumor and IT MIGHT NOT BE A TUMORE BUT MIGHT BE A BUNDLE OF NERVES?! he said, that my chances of it being CANCER if it WAS a BUNDLE OF NERVES just went DOWN!!!!! so, then i scheduled a ULTRASOUND that is set up for TOMORROW at 1130 and then i have to make ANOTHER appt to see the PA again.....and then they will see if it is POSSIBLE to do the non invasive surgery or if it is NOT possible and then do the FULL SURGERY... sooooo, to recap: BEST CASE SENERIO: ULTRA SOUND SHOWS THAT IT WAS NOT A PERIPHERAL NERVE SHEATH TUMOR AND THEY CAN DO A ULTRASOUND GUIDED BIOPSY AND THERE IS ANOTHER WAY OF TREATING THIS MASS WITHOUT DOING OUTRIGHT SURGERY AND BIOPSY IS NOT CANCER WORST CASE SENERIO: ULTRA SOUND SHOWS THAT IT IS A PERIPHERAL NERVE SHEATH TUMOR, CAN'T DO A ULTRASOUND GUIDED BIOPSY AND NEED TO HAVE AN OPERATION TO REMOVE THE TUMOR AND BIOPSY IT tomorrow, i am going to do an ultrasound in the morning and then i should be going back to see the orthopedics dr and see what happens.... so there it is...we shall see what this day brings...it has been a LONG day....LONG LONG LONG day....i left at 0930, got home at 1315 just long enough for james and the boys to come and pick me up and we were off again (i never left my car) and ran over to grab some take out because we were going to watch the 1405 showing of the AVENGERS (which was AMAZING!!!!!), came home for EXACTLY one hour (long enough for matthew to have his teacher and some CLASS), AS SOON as she walked out, we WERE OUT of here and headed to 1ST COMMUNION PRACTICE over at the church and we made it home at 2055!!! boy, my DOGS hurt!!! heeheheheeee....just a bit crazy right now!!! hope tomorrow goes GREAT!!!! THANK YOU EVERYONE AND MANY BLESSINGS EVERYONE!

happy day today!!!

matthew is feeling better!!! after over a week of being soooo sick with congestion, wheezing and just feeling lousy, last night was the first night in almost a WEEK without having to need oxygen!!! woooohooo...he has another antibiotic on board after going to see his pulmonolgist on friday because he was STILL wheezing and having a hard time breathing after 9 doses of oral steroids, 4 days of an antibiotic and TONS AND TONS of nebulizer treatments every 3-4 hours...he has finally feels BETTER!!! still wheezing BUT able to keep his oxygen sats UP without the use of oxygen. it is such a BLESSING to us to see him back to almost normal. he is such a special little boy that even though he doesn't feel GREAT, he still smiles and laughs and just is MATTHEW.....SO NOw to CLEAR HIM UP so he doesn't have to have any more neb treatments and can just go back to 'normal' for him....he is REALLY starting to HATE the nebs and the suction and i don't blame him for it!!! i would hate it!! and now they are talking about getting him a IPV machine for the house...we were soooooo close to having to admit him into the hospital!!!! the dr was really worried about him/..after seeing the X-ray that we took on friday, he said there was INCREASED MARKINGS...hmmmm....poor baby! just happy that he has not needed to be admitted!!! WHEEEEWW!!! and ON a happy note, TODAY matthew started to SUCK ON A STRAW!!! whooohooo!! he lost his suck reflex at 7 months old and has never been able to do it since!! but recently he started to give KISSES, and today, i put them together with his ONE WAY VALVE STRAW and cup and told him to 'give the straw a kiss matt' and waalaa!! he DID IT@!!!! soooo happy and in AMAZEMENT of him! now just to watch him that he doesn't suck toooooooo hard that he aspirates!!! ;) AS FOR ME, well i am doing fine....thinking of my arm and wondering what will happen on tuesday at the drs office. they called me on friday morning to tell me that they could see me on tuesday....that was QUICK as far as the military system workings so i was VERY VERY happy to get that phone call the next morning after getting the news of my arm!~!! THANK YOU GOD! now to start this journey....i PRAY that there is a 'QUICK FIX' for this and it isn't the WORST CASE scenario...i can only PRAY that it is something that is treatable....BUT whatEVER the outcome, i am READY!! with GOD and my family and friends behind me, i will the strength to do ANYTHING.... after what matthew goes thru EVERYDAY, i know i can do it....and i will do it with a SMILE because i have FAITH in MY GOD that all will be well and it is HIS will!! if you can remember MAY 21st - MAY 26TH, 2004 when we got the news of matthew you will remember that thru iT ALLLLL, i had complete FAITH in GOD and i accepted it all and knew that whatever happened was GOD'S WILL and i believe now the same thing...GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!! ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!!!! ready for TUESDAY to get here and find out some more!!!

FIBROUS HISTIOCYTOMA.....

BIG WORD huh?? Well, before this morning, it was a word that i had never heard....that and also PERIPHERAL NERVE SHEATH TUMOR.....well, after more than FIVE YEARS of pain and going to drs to find out WHAT THE HECK was wrong with my right forearm (and being told OVER AND OVER that it was TENNIS ELBOW), FINALLY, the PHYSICAL THERAPIST who was working with me, after palpating the area, decided that something was WRONG with my forearm and that if it WAS TENNIS ELBOW, it sure would not STILL be hurting YEARS LATER and progressively getting worst!!!! and he also palpated something on it that felt like a nodule....hmmmmmm, it took a PHYSICAL THERAPIST to FINALLY realize that SOMETHING was wrong with my arm!!! he told me i NEEDED to get an MRI ASAP because it was NOT NORMAL!!! SO, after FIRST having to make an appt with my PCM, then waiting for her to agree with him that i SHOULD get an MRI (after telling me YET AGAIN, that the symptoms SOUNDED like TENNIS ELBOW!!!), I got my MRI 3 weeks later and here i am, with an CONSULT to be seen by a ORTHOPEDIC ONCOLOGIST!!! yes, i am going to see a dr that specializes in CANCER....for my arm....that has been hurting for MORE THAN 5 YEARS....that i have gone to the dr OVER AND OVER again....and being told that it was TENNIS ELBOW!!! hmmm... so, there was no SHOCK involved in hear this diagnosis....i was soooooo calm!!! and IMMEDIATELY, the song YAHWEH, I KNOW YOU ARE NEAR.....i LOVE that song and i started to sing and think of that song...it brought me so much peace and it's one of my favorite songs and reminds me that he is EVER by MY SIDE and that i have nothing to fear....after everything that my beautiful son MATTHEW ISAIAH went thru, NOTHING that is going on in my life is ANYTHING compared to what he has gone thru and continues to go thru...he is such a STONG little boy and just seeing him everyday always and forever will assure me of my SAVIORS BEING BY MY SIDE....no matter WHAT is happening in my life, it is GOD'S WILL and it is HIS will through it all and he will see me thru it, one second at a time!!! :) soooo, i ask for prayers because that is one thing that i have such STRONG FAITH in that prayers are sooooo amazing and so strong and that when we ASK, HE WILL ANSWER AND HE WILL HEAR!!! i am ready for anything because 'THRU GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE' MATTHEW 19:26....THAT has been our SAYING since OUR MATTHEW was born! :) and it continues to bring is strength thru our life!! sooooo, THANK YOU in advance for any prayers and good thoughts...i don't know what life will bring but i KNOW that THRU GOD, all will be ok and that my life is HIS and whatever He decides for me, is EXACTLY the way it needs to be!! :)

BLESSINGS!!!!!

GOD IS SOOOOO GOOD!! today we found out that MATTHEW was selected to receive some BLESSINGS from VARIETY OF TEXAS CHARITY GROUP!!!!!!!!! wooooohooooooo............again, just AMAZED and feeling sooooooo BLESSED that it has happened.....we asked for an UMBRELLA SPECIAL NEEDS STROLLER---we asked for this because right now, he has a WHEELCHAIR that weighs about 60+ and to get it out and into our SUV, it is a double lift and/or using the WHEELCHAIR LIFT....when i am by myself, it takes me about 20+ minutes to get it set up, out, break it down, set up his wheelchair, put him in and then off we go....when it is COLD, RAINY, HOT, ETC, it is pretty hard!!! :) but we are blessed and the wheelchair doesn't fit into a car (for the nurse to take him somewhere) and so we have been using joshua's small umbrella stroller and poor baby is soooooo big for this!!! feet drag etc...so now we are going to have what he needs!!! THANK YOU JESUS!!!! and then we asked for an IPAD for him and they said YES!!! this will help matt communicate, get better with pointing and just there are soooo many apps that could help him!! NEEDLESS TO SAY WE ARE SO GRATEFUL AND THANKFUL FOR THIS!!!!!! this group helps out special need families with stuff that insurance won't pay for, have denied, etc.....wowowowowowow.....so GOD WILLING in a couple of weeks we should get everything! :)soooooo YAYAYA! I CAN'T WAIT.....

My parents....

well, i came to an AMAZING realization today....it is funny because when talking about my FAITH, i always SAY that as a family growing up, we were ALWAYS at church and we were ALWAYS so ACTIVE in our church community....but i don't think i have ever THANKED MY PARENTS for such an AMAZING UPBRINGING IN THE CHURCH!!!!!!!!!!! i have always said that i was brought up IN CHURCH but i have never come to the realization that it was BECAUSE OF MY PARENTS that that is why i am the way i AM....that is so WIERD! and UNFORTUNATLY, BOTH my parents are gone now...i will never get the chance to tell them FACE TO FACE THANK YOU for the BEAUTIFUL GIFT of bringing me FAITH TO MY LIFE....and even though, as a family, there was a LOT of trumoil in my growing up life, the most BEAUTIFUL thing that i have continued to RECIEVE from my PARENTS is MY FAITH....that was something that they have ALWAYS taught me and THANK YOU, MOM AND DAD for that!!! that is why i was able to meet my hubby, have my kids, go thru what i went thru with my beautiful MIRACLE SON MATTHEW and all the other things that have come in my life, it has ALL been BECAUSE OF MY FAITH given to me FROM MY PARENTS that i was able to LIVE MY LIFE AND BE AND FEEL BLESSED!!!

something that came to me as i was praying today....WHAT A BLESSING!!! THANK YOU GOD!

getting READY!!!

WOOOHOOOO!!!! we are heading OFF to go to JELLYSTONE RV RESORT tomorrow for a couple of days! :) LOVE being able to head out and just get away for a while....we are also going with some GREAT friends of ours for thier FIRST RV TRIP in their BRAND NEW RV that they got this week!!! WOOO HOOO!!!!! i know that THEY are crazy excited as we are...we will love being to show them the ropes....what is funny is that we have NEVER been camping with any other family or friends!!! yep, in all our ears, we usually go by ourselves....so it should be pretty cool to have another family with us...they also have 3 kids too...i know the BOYS will have a BLAST!!! and being able to chat with my girlfriend...nice!!!


sooooo EVERYONE have a GREAT weekend....see ya soooooonnn...

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY, MATTHEW ISAIAH!!!

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY, MATTHEW ISAIAH!!!
May 21, 2011…

Praise God, our miracle son is 7 years old today. What a BLESSING it has been to have him in our lives for every SECOND of it! We THANK GOD for those seconds everyday knowing how close it came that he might not have been with us. We are THANKFUL and we are BLESSED!!!!!!!!

Matthew had a rough start in life. He has been thru so much in his 7 years of life…most people could not even IMAGE what he has gone thru. But thru it ALL, with everything, he has ALWAYS been such a HAPPY BOY…yes, happy! We always say that he MUST have seen GOD during those first 5 days of life because he is always so happy. We know that GOD the Father holds him, shelters him and looks over him everyday.

Now, I know most of you have probably heard his MIRACLE BIRTH story so I won’t put those words down again. BUT if you have not heard about what a TRUE MIRACLE he is, please follow this link to our BLOG and you can read all about it. TRULY A MIRACLE FROM GOD!!! http://blessingsinmylife.blogspot.com/2008/05/miracle-matthews-story.html

I want to just write about who MATTHEW ISAIAH is….there are so many WORDS that describe and have become Matthew. He is a MIRACLE…when he was born his prognosis was the cardiologist did not think he would make the 15 min drive to the other hospital. He was that sick. His heart defect was so bad (obstructive) and his lungs were so bad…he was a blue baby. After his 8 hour open heart surgery when he was 8 hours old, at 5 days old being taken off the ECMO (heart lung bypass machine) to ‘die a natural death’…the MIRACLE that when almost 24 hours after being taken off and given the grim news that he would not make the night, he is awake, wiggling toes, grabbing our fingers and not as BLUE as he was on day 5!!! And day after day of those first 98 days in the hospital, proving doctors wrong….doctors never able to give a prognosis or tell us WHAT to expect because at every turn, GOD thru MATTHEW would prove them wrong or do the complete opposite!!! He pulled out his vent a couple of times during those days and during all the drama that that caused he would sit up and SMILE such a big beautiful smile and the RTs, nurses and drs would just MARVEL that he seemed to KNOW when he was ready to be off the vent and do AMAZING….of leaving the hospital WITHOUT a trache and a vent that they drs wanted him to leave with because he would ‘not grow’ because of his rapid breathing….going home and doing AMAZING until he was 5 months old and started SEIZING and given a diagnosis of INFANTILE SPASMS and being told to ‘video tape what he was doing at 5 months because he may never do anything more than that’….another miracle when INFANTILE SPASMS didn’t materialize and SHOCKING the neurologist because in all his 20+ years of practice he had NEVER had a pt diagnosed due to the earmark TYPE of seizures and not progress and continue with the infantile spasms…He is so STRONG…stronger than ANYONE can be…he has just been such an AMAZING little boy….thru all the hour/2 hour long seizures where he has to be rushed by EMS, being intubated, being poked, being bagged because he stops breathing…hospitalizations due to all his seizures, his respiratory condition (he has CHRONIC LUNG DISEASE)…ALL his numerous illness here at home where he is on and off oxygen, oral steroids, antibiotics, 6+ nebulizer treatments a day and being suctioned and just recently, he is now having to wear a CPAP machine while he sleeps and just being such a TROOPER and not fight it and just ACCEPTS IT…that is something that is sooooo STRONG about him…he will be getting a blood drawn, getting suctioned, getting some procedure done, a sleep study with all the wires on his head, being messed with medically and thru it all, he might be crying but he doesn’t FIGHT….he does pull away, he just cries and doesn’t fight…it is just so amazing to see him be so strong…it breaks my HEART because I know it is because he has been thru soooo much that that this is ‘normal’ is why he is like he is…the medical staff are just in awe of him because I will hold his arm down and he won’t try to kick, punch or anything else, he will just cry and if I have my phone out or something is distracting him, he won’t even CRY while getting a blood draw….my beautiful baby boy has been thru so much that it is just something ‘normal’ for him that he just accepts it…and when he is done……HE SMILES!!! This big beautiful SMILE…what a miracle and blessing this little boy is in our family….we NEVER keep him home when we are out and about…he goes with us EVERYWHERE…we take trips as a family….enjoy RVing….parties….normal everyday stuff like groceries, church, everywhere…..we are so PROUD of him and we are so IN LOVE with this little boy…he brings so much light in our lives and so much JOY!! To remember everything he has been thru, to remember how CLOSE it was that he was ALMOST not going to be a LIVING part of our lives…..we embrace, feel blessed, & are THANKFUL for every second and give PRAISE to GOD for this little miracle in our lives.

If you have never actually MET Matthew but have followed his life since he was born, know that we WISH that you could meet him so he he could know that you have been a part of his life because you have been out there THINKING and PRAYING for him. He would grace you with his love, his hugs and his SMILES…and if you have a phone, and you let him play with it, well, you would have made a FRIEND FOR EVER!!! This little guy LOVES phones and we actually have to talk code if we talk about our phone or where it is and GOD FORBID it rings and it is hidden some where and he hears it…it’s OVER!!! The phone is HIS!! He is such a great little guy. Always happy and always HAPPIEST wherever DADA is at…his favorite word in the world is DADA…I really need to video tape him when dad comes home…the JOY he shows makes you want to cry! Although thinking back if you put on his favorite movie he kinda does the same think…..JUST KIDDING! His love for dada is just AMAZING…

So THANK YOU ALL for all these last 7 years of thinking of Matthew and PRAYING for Matthew. We are BLESSED that we ‘know’ you and we are BLESSED that you love our son, as we do.

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY, MATTHEW ISAIAH. We PRAY that there are MANY MANY MANY more. WE LOVE YOU and are so BLESSED and HAPPY that GOD has been so amazing to us that he has bless us with YOU in our lives. You are such a JOY to us and we are sooooooo PROUD OF YOU!!!! WE LOVE YOU, MATTHEW ISAIAH WITH ALL OUR HEART!!!! GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=de6e9d4511069c6f5aade8&skin_id=1604&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Love,
Maria, James, Alex, & Joshua
www.blessingsinmylife.blogspot.com

AMAZING!!!!!!!!

beautiful, amazing, incredible.....just got home from an AMAZING CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN CONCERT BY JOSH BLAKESLY at our church, PRINCE OF PEACE....it was really beautiful and emotional...the difference in it being Catholic is that we did ADORATION of JESUS during the concert in we kneeled for about 30-45 mins and just ADORED and WORSHIPED and LOVED JESUS...amazing...POWERFUL....and to see all our fellow FAMILIES IN CHRIST lift up their hands to God...loved it! and what a WONDERFUL way to THANK GOD for my husbands promotion to E7 (SERGEANT 1ST CLASS)....

THANK YOU GOD FOR SUCH AN AMAZING NIGHT!!! I LOVE YOU!

WOMENS ACTS RETREAT, BABY!!!

woooohooooo!!! what a BLESSING it was to be able to go to this retreat (March 3-6)....it was just such an amazing experience....FINALLY being a part of my church community. that is something that i have CRAVED since we started going there back 14 years ago! i was always so use to be a PART of my church community growing up...i was in the chior, the youth group, part of the festival commity, helping out in festival events and such, even at TEXAS TECH i was involved in the retreat community & the chior and the student center...to go from full on a PART of commmunity to NOTHING was REALLY a shock...but i never changed that...i was a PCP (parking church parking lot) but NOW i am a PART of my community and part of ACTS!!! i am hoping that i will also be a part of the ROSARY GUILD! i think that is just such an AMAZING ministry!! i am EXCITED!!!!!! and now i have SISTERS IN CHRIST and BROTHERS IN CHRIST and i am A PART OF MY COMMUNITY!!!!!!!!!!!! woooohoooooo!!! :) PRAISE BE THE LORD for that BLESSING!!!

well, if you couldn't tell, the retreat was just amazing!! i LOVED every minute of it. it was REALLY REALLY HARD on thursday and some of friday because i was missing my boys soooooooo much! it was really the FIRST time i have ever had ABSOLUTELY NO CONTACT with them for 3 nights and FOUR DAYS!!!!!!!! that is what ALMOST kept me home because to leave my babies and not be here to watch over them ESPECIALLY my matthew that it was hard...remember i am a SAHM and a HOMESCHOOLING mom so they don't even go to school...the longest i don't see them is MAYBE a couple of hours!!! i kept crying whenever i thought about it (and you KNOW i am not a crier!!)....but i made it and after the first night, GOD saw me thru it and took away my anxiety and worry and just blessed me with PEACE!!!!!

soooo, now to CONTINUE what i have LEARNED this weekend so that i may bless my family. I LOVE YOU GOD AND I THANK YOU WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL FOR BEING BY MY SIDE EVERYDAY OF MY LIFE!!!! YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF WORLD!!

Rodeo time!!

well, today we went to the RODEO and enjoyed some crazy time with some other members of our family and we had a BLAST!!! we were there at the carnival area the whole time and the kids had a BLAST!! and wow, those workers there at the carnival area are just amazing! they were soooooo nice to my matthew....they would call him over and GIVE him stuffed animal prizes!!! he ended up coming home with 4 of them! just soooo nice and amazing! and they would let him get on the rides with dad and only one person had to pay AND they would let him go again if we wanted to! just soooo nice! THANK YOU GOD for them...really...it made matthew feel so special..he LOVED all his nice toys...we ended up getting season passes so we hope to go BACK there sometime this week and maybe just to go out to walk around for a while..we had a BLAST and the boys were OUT like a LIGHT tonight!!! so is dad...

well, THANK GOD my matthew is doing well..and JOSHUA is offically POTTY TRAINED!!! wooohooo!! he was the EASIEST ONE!! we offically started 1/25 and by 1/28 he was SET with no accidents! :)really happy with him...wooohoooo!! :)

HAPPY 14th ANNIVERSARY!!!

14 YEARS ago, I married the most wonderful man in my life that GOD had BLESSED me with!! And I am so HAPPY to say that being married to him HAS been the best 14 years of my life. I know some of you have heard about how I met him but for those that don’t know, well, you can call it a TRUE love story BLESSED by GOD! 
See, over 16 years ago I met the love of my life! What is AMAZING is that my husband is my COUSIN'S BEST FRIEND and has been since middle school!! we have probably met each other SOMETIME during all those years they were friends...he was always WITH my cousin and we use to have tons of parties and get togethers and such growing up...wow...it took a PARTY in NOV 1994 that was given for him and all my cousins for their birthdays for us to meet and fall in love at FIRST SIGHT! yes, that was us, LOVE...it was so pure and so SPECIAL...GOD brought us together in such a special way..what’s funny is that my cousin invited me to this party that she and her family were having for a couple of my cousin AND JAMES because all their birthdays were in NOV. at first I didn’t want to go because I WAS very shy and I couldn’t get any of my friends to go with me, but I had promised her I would go (what’s funny is that out of the BLUE she called me to invite me to the party (we usually only saw each other on holidays or special occations so it was different))anyway, so I went and WOW, when she said PARTY she meant PARTY! I was expecting a small gathering, but there were cars lined up BLOCKS away and as I got nearer to the house, I see strobe lights and hear MUSIC and tons of people! Wowowowow…not very comfortable for me and getting ready to turn around and HEAD HOME!!! But I said a prayer, “Lord, if I can’t find a parking space right near her house, I will have turn around, because I am scared and by myself”..thinking I had the PERFECT out because I just figured with this many cars and people there would DEFINETLY not be a spot anywhere near the house, and as I come up, RIGHT IN FRONT of her house, there is a parking space OPEN!! Wow, if that was not GOD clearly wanting me to be there, I don’t know what else he could have done!! So, I said, “ok Lord, I am staying, please be near me and help me to get thru this night!” so I walk up and I recognize NO ONE in all the crowd and that’s when I hear my name being called and look up and see my cousin and this guy coming up to me..she hugs me and this guy with her gives me a one arm hug and says ‘ hey, I’m JAMES your cousin too” and I said, ‘uh, your not MY cousin” and tricia, my cousin says, “this is James, Joey’s best friend”..I said, “Hi”…I thought he was soooo cute but figured that he MUST have a girlfriend or someone special and was off limits so I turned around and we went inside to say hola to my family…well, from then, he followed me EVERYWHERE!! It was funny but like he will tell you, I just ‘blew him off’..I was really just so unsure of myself and self conscious that I just could NOT believe that he had any interest in ME! Anyway, the night went on and he asked me to dance and that was it…LOVE!  (he actually went home that night and told his MOM that he had met the woman he was going to MARRY!) ...GOD showed me that not all men are horrible and abusive...that there are good men out there! HE showed me on that day as CLEAR as a bell what type of man my husband was....how? well, as we went to the store that night i met him, i ACCIDDENTLY spilled about 20oz red punch on my husband BRAND NEW TRUCK (it was 2 DAYS old!)!! OMG, i was so SCARED and EMBARRASED because i was SURE that he would yell at me, hit me or SOMETHING, which i know that he had every right to (at the time) but instead, my wonderful husband sat there and consoled me and told me "HEY, IT'S OK! IT IS JUST A TRUCK! IT WILL CLEAN UP!!!!" can you IMAGINE?! i was in SHOCK, but i was ready to go home because i was so upset and crying and when i told him i was going home, he told me "DON'T GO...I JUST MET YOU!! PLEASE STAY..." awwwwww....that was when GOD showed me what a special man that was! he NEVER got upset or mad at me that i spilled that drink in his truck...not ONCE! that is what and who my man is!! since that day, we have been inseperable....we have always enjoyed being together and just being US...where he goes, I go! When other couples went out without each other, we NEVER have!! We feel STRONGLY that as a couple, we will only go out together…we are all about our family FIRST and we LOVE to spend our time together and go camping and just hanging out…we both feel SOOO BLESSED that GOD had brought us together and HE has BLESSED us THREE TIMES with our beautiful kiddos!! everything that we have, that we ARE and just EVERYTHING we know are THRU GOD!! And THANK YOU GOD for 14 years of marriage BLISS!!! What a BLESSING it has been!!!
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THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN THE DAY WE MET!!! just look at us...we are SOUL MATES....


ON OUR WEDDING DAY....


AT OUR RECEPTION...


THIS montage was done LAST YEAR for our 10 year anniversart...please feel free and check it out if you would like to see our years together in pictures ..

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

JOSHUA IS POTTY TRAINED!

wooohooo!! we started doing this on 1/25/11 and he was done by 1/28!! he was going poops in there and EVERYTHING!! soooo proud of him! no accidents and even when i WANT to put one on him (diaper) because we are going somewhere but he doesn't want one! only at night do i put one on him JUST IN CASE but he has been doing soooo well for MONTHS by waking up dry but i wanted to wait until i felt he was ready and i a SOOOO GLAD i did. so many people where telling me that he needed to be out of diapers but i just didn't think he was ready but boy, when i decided to do it and it WORKED i KNEW it was the right time...and he is doing AMAZING. THANK YOU GOD! :) love it! so now my big boy is potty trained and is doing so well. wooo hooo!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! FAMILY UPDATE..

Merry Christmas from our Family! December 2010

Hola Family and Friends,

We are praying that everyone is doing wonderful and have been enjoying the Christmas Season. We are all doing well. The boys just keep getting bigger and cuter if that is possible! J We just wanted to give everyone a family update to let ya’ll know what has been going on in our little piece of heaven on earth!

Alex is now 8 years old and he is doing wonderful. He is in 3rd grade and is enjoying his Homeschool work. He is so smart and has been excelling in all his studies. He does amazing creations with his legos and just last month, dad got his drums out for him and all I can say is WOW! He is so good at the drums! I guess he gets that from his dad! ;) he loves to read anything that has to do with legos! And BOY does he know his FAITH and his BIBLE stories! So proud of him!!! He is always reminding me and teaching me something about that….

Matthew is now 6 years old and he is getting so big! He is in 1st grade and is so smart. Health wise it has been an up and down year. Earlier in the year, he was diagnosed with Kawasaki syndrome and spent some time in the hospital. Then in June, he started having seizures again…he ended up having 8 seizures in less than 2 months and went several times to the hospital via EMS. They were very bad and scary, but THANK YOU GOD, it has been over 3 months since he has had them. There has been a change in his medications that have helped. We now also have NIGHT NURING again. This was something we said we would NEVER get again but it has been a GOD SENT! His seizure were happening at ALL hours so for a while there, I had not been SLEEPING cause we just never knew WHEN they would happen. The nurse has really helped me get some sleep. I was running on about 3 hours of fit ful sleep trying to watch him. My neck actually hurt like CRAZY from glancing over at the monitor every couple of minutes!! Unfortunately, one of the seizures that he had in August was REALLY bad that I thought he might had had a stroke cause his left side was not working after he was done and as a result, he has been hyperextending his left arm and his left side is weaker all the way down….he will now need to wear a brace being especially made for his arm because everytime he crawls, he kept falling cause his arm would buckle!! L But, one of The great side of the seizure is he is now eating ORALLY and has had his G-tube feed reduced because he is doing so well and has gained so much weight because of it! J what a BLESSING to have to buy him his OWN meal now cause he will eat it all! Just love it! Respiratory wise, he is doing well and as long as he is on his antibiotic, he remains healthy. He LOVES watching movies and his current favorite shows is KIPPER and THE UPSIDE DOWN SHOW….yep, he is ALWAYS trying to ‘turn me off’ on his remote or pause me! If you haven’t seen this show, it is pretty cute and funny. He LAUGHS so hard when he watches it. He usually falls asleep to this show. Something new he has been doing is that his is pulling up on EVERYTHING!! For those with kiddos, remember that age when they were JUST learning to walk and they would pull up on EVERYTHING, well, that is what is happening but this is a 45 lb little boy doing it that can SEE over the counter and is forever pulling up onto the counter and pulling things Off of the counters, sticking his hands in dirty dish water, etc etc….yep, it has been fun trying to keep up with him…but he is cute!! Lots more bruises now than every before.

Joshua is now 3 years old and he is such a CUTIE! He is really smart and loves sports. He is AMAZING playing basketball and making shots! We are in AWE of him cause he will not MISS! And just recently, Santa brought him an early gift and it was a full size basketball and we found out he could dribble and walk at the same time! Yep, very talented! J he loves to sing and copy EVERYTHING that his big brother is doing. And I am happy to say he is STILL a mama’s boy!! awww..he cuddles with me all the time. Now if only I could get him potty trained…..

James is doing well. He is at a new job site over in Camp Bullis and is trying to get it all straight. God willing, he will be promoted soon to an E7!! We are anxiously waiting for that day. He so deserves it! He did some hunting this year but unfortunately, did not shoot anything. In November, he attended an ACTS retreat at our church & he received God back into his life. He was always there but now James feels Him, sees Him and is just SOAKED in His presence! It’s been a BLESSING! He is just such an AMAZING daddy and husband and we have been soooo blessed that God put him in our lives.

As for myself, I am doing well. I had some surgery for my reflux earlier in the year that REALLY took a LONG time for me to recover. I ended up with a partial collapsed lung & some plural effusion and collitis. It is still a battle…my fibromyalgia has been really rough. I am actually in physical therapy 2 times a week for it. Lots of pain and just yuck. GOD WILLING this too will pass and it will settle back down. The therapist is forever saying that I need to make sure and TELL him if it hurts because he knows that I have been putting up with the pain for SOOO long but he doesn’t want me to take it anymore. He wants to make sure that he is doing something to help me. And it has….but I know it is going to be slow progress….still trying to decide if I am going to do the steroid shot on my arm or not….well, this year, was my 20 year reunion from HIGH SCHOOL!! Wowow, who KNEW! It seems like just yesterday I was in high school! Can’t believe it has been over 20 years!!!! And wow, how time has changed everything!! Just crazy! Well, on a sad note, my father passed away this year. So that means that both my parents are gone now. My only brother, Daniel, Is currently serving in alfganistan and will be there for a year. Please say a prayer for him and all our soldiers so that they may come home soon and safelty!

i have been BLESSED always in my life. Nothing in my life is so bad, thru GOD! He brings such blessings and joys in my life that I try not to ever complain!!! GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME! ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!

So there you have it! our family update. We Pray that this finds you and your families healthy and happy and joyfully awaiting the coming New Year! Always remember that “..thru GOD, all things are possible” matt 19:26.

We would love to hear from ya’ll to let us know how ya’ll are doing! Please drop us a line sometime!

Happy New Years!!

Love, James, Maria, Alex, Matthew & Joshua
gonzoair@sbcglobal.net or queengonzo@yahoo.com