MATTHEW ISAIAH IS 10 YEARS OLD!! :)

MATTHEW “GIFT OF GOD”
ISAIAH “GOD IS MY SALVATION”
GONZALEZ
BIRTHDAY MAY 21

MAY 21, 2004

MATTHEW PLAYING BASEBALL 2014

Matthew Isaiah is 10 YEARS OLD, THANK YOU GOD! Wow, what an amazing and wonderful life we have had with matthew in our life. GOD IS SO GOOD! HE IS IN DOUBLE DIDGITS!!! wowowow, that is just such an INCREDIBLE AMAZING WONDERFUL MIRACLE OF GOD that little boy is! I sit here just in amazment that my beautiful boy is growing and getting bigger and stronger and just LIVING day by day. Such a MIRACLE he is, THANK YOU GOD!

My thoughts are never far away from what a miracle he is and where he has come from and where he is now. James and I are always marveling at what he is doing or things he does on a daily basis. He is such a CUTE kid and such a SMARTY!! Hard to believe that when he was born, they gave him NO real chance that he would live...that after he was born blue, needing an open heart surgery IMMEDIATELY, they didn't think he would make the trip from one hospital to another....that once he got there, that he would survive the open heart operation that he had when he was ONLY 8 HOURS OLD!! but he did, thank you JESUS! He was kept on an ECMO maching (https://www.dellchildrens.net/services_and_programs/ecmo/what_is_ecmo/) for his first 5 days because they could not take him off of the machines after his surgery, so they left him on this hoping that his body would recover and be able to take over the job of his lungs and heart....at 5 days (may 26, 2004), they told us they had to take him off this machine and either he was going to LIVE or DIE...and after doing so, we were told in the waiting room, that he had about 1% chance of survival and to pray for a miracle because that was the ONLY way that he would survive....going in to see our MIRACLE without that big ECMO machine and the room being so silent...the wonderful staff at METHODIST CHILDRENS hospital who took over and got us a CAKE and DECORATIONS for his 'birthday' party that we wanted to give him (since we didn't know if we would have anymore), and having all our family and friends there with us but most of all FINALLY BEING ABLE TO HOLD that precious baby in our arms for the first time!! what an JOY it was to hold him in our arms and FINALLY be able to carry him....thinking back, that hospital was just amazing to allow us to have this 'party' for him and allowing us to have so many of our friends and family there to celebrate his life!!! & at a PICU! I soooo love that hospital!!! They had a ceremony for us and the wonderful doctor read a beautiful poem for him, they did some prints of hands and feets, cut a lock of his hair for us, made a cast of his hands and feet, gave us a grief blanket and just supported us thru this amazing time in our life....and all the nurses came over and sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him too!! such a SPECIAL place that is!!!

After holding our beautiful baby boy until 2am, we finally put him down and fell asleep next to his bed only to wake up at 7am SCARED AND WORRIED thinking that we had missed his passing....only to find out he had his eyes open, grabing our fingers and wiggling his toes, all to the AMAZEMENT of the doctors and staff!!! HE MADE IT and is a MIRACLE to all the doctors and nurses that have known him especially those that knew all the personal, medical and private parts of his life while he as there in the hospital during those first days thru the 98 days he stayed in the PICU. They TRULY know what a miracle he is and what he went thru and what an almost IMPOSSIBILITY it was that he survived thru it all....and as I ALWAYS say, it is ONLY thru GOD that our son is HERE today!!! if you want to read about his miracle story, here is alink to the BLOG post: http://blessingsinmylife.blogspot.com/2008/05/miracle-matthews-story.html and one of his YOUTUBE videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E2QOasHR0A



soooo, now on to the amazing news of the day....MATTHEW ISAIAH IS 10 YEARS OLD!!! double digits!! wooohooo!!! This little guy has been thru it all and ALWAYS with a smile!!! He is eating orally now, but it is not consistant, but we will TAKE IT! He only gets 3 cans of his PEPTIMUM JR formula a day and that is thru a bolus....and he has been able to maintain his weight and keep growing. He is now 55 lbs and 43”...To think this was the baby boy that would not 'make it thru the night'....THANK YOU JESUS!! He is really vocal, although still non verbal, but he CAN get his meaning and wants across for the most part. I think A LOT of his fustration has to do with the lack of being able to communicate...he does have a communication device but it is really big and HEAVY...but GOD WILLING next year he will get the new and improved device on an PAD platform which will be soooo much lighter for him! :) He is learning to use his KAYE walker. He walks with assistance everywhere he goes and he helps with his transfer and such too. He is soooo SMART! He is doing amazing with his teacher and has excelled and made all his goals! He LOVES playing WII resort and playing the SWORD FIGHTING game. He also enjoys WII SPORTS baseball and bowling game. If he could, he could play ALL DAY LONG! On top of that, he LOVES his iphone and enjoys watching YOUTUBE VIDEO's all day....just different stuff like, people playing WII, seasame street, and he especially loves any video's that are of HIM or our family! He can watch those over and over! ESPECIALLY if dad is either talking or in the picture!! and he LOVES playing BASEBALL!! He recently was in a special team called THE MIRACLE LEAGUE OF SA and he was on the LEIJA DODGERS team!! he was soooo PROUD when he hit the baseball and dad and him ran around the bases!!! he LOVED playing on his team!! just like his brothers! Wow, the things he can do! He loves being right in the middle of everything and just BEING there!! He loves his family!! and now that we bought the PONTOON BOAT, well, he LOVES being on the water and then jumping in the water and swimming around!! :) but to get him out is a DIFFERENT story!! boy, that child does NOT want to get back in the boat!!!!!! ;)

LIFE with matthew is just so amazing and wonderful!! THANK YOU GOD, this year has been a HEALTHY year!! hard to believe but we are ever so THANKFUL that he has really only had about 3 illness the WHOLE YEAR!! amazing! I keep waiting for it but nope! LOVE it! And I know he has enjoyed the stress free year without having to have the drama of having to do drs appts, meds, suctions, treatments, oxygen etc! AGAIN, THANK YOU JESUS!! I won't lie by saying I am not 'waiting' for it because I am!! just always worry when it will hit!!! :) as for the other medical issue, well, it's been over 36 months since his last BIG seizure!! and since aug 2010, he has had only 2 seizures!! woohooo!! thank you GOD for that!!!!!! but we are ever vigilant, never taking it for granted that he could get sick or have a seizure at ANY moment! But that has been our life for the last 10 years....knowing that every SECOND of his life is a precious miracle and that because of all he has gone thru, we know that ANYTHING can happen!! but we are sooooo GREATFUL for the last 10 years we have had with our MATTHEW!!! i made a movie for MATTHEW with pictures of his last 10 years...here is the link to it: ***UPLOADING TO YOUTUBE AND WILL POST SOON!****

SOOOO, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIRACLE MATTHEW ISAIAH!!! with your birth you have brought MORE life, love and happiness to our home and we thank GOD everyday for the true BLESSING you are in our lives!!! WE LOVE YOU AND ARE SOOOOO PROUD OF YOU!!!! PLEASE GOD, GIVE US MANY MANY MANY TO INFINITY MORE YEARS WITH MATTHEW!!!

“WITH MAN THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE, BUT WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE”
MATTHEW 19:26

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALEX!!

TODAY, my beautiful son ALEX turns 10 years old....wow, how the time has FLOWN!! i can't believe that it was 10 years ago TODAY that i finally after 2 miscarriages, became a MOMMY for the first time!! what a BLESSING it was for james and i to have that beautiful child....and what an ADVENTURE we had when we had him!! i remember i found out i was pg on the DAY my husband was being DEPLOYED to RED RIVER ARMY DEPOT after 9/11!! what a shock but such an SURPRISE to find that out!! and then after a scare thinking that we were going to MISCARRY again, we find out, that by COINCIDENCE the DAY I CONCIEVED (from the baby length on the sonogram) coincided with the day we went to RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT AND james and i RUBING THE AFRICAN FERTILITY GODS!! yes, we did it on a LARK because we so happen to be downtown during the LIGHTING OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE the day after thanksgiving!! :) soooo, many things happened during my pregnancy...first, i was PREGNANT and i STAYED PREGNANT (THANK YOU GOD) and second, james was GONE thru the ENTIRE PREGNANCY because he was deployed to TEXARKANA!!! yep, we spent a total of less than 30 days during the WHOLE PG together!!!! we missed soooo much of our pg first together!! but then, that BEAUTIFUL day on the 10th of august, i woke up at 5am and my water broke, calling james to let him know, DRIVING MYSELF to the hospital and then checking in and waiting patiently to find out what was going to happen and waiting PATIENTLY for james to make the 7 hour drive home to be with me during my labor....laboring for more than 32 hours and NEVER dilating past 3cm....until FINALLY, the decided to go ahead and do a C-SECTION....then having a CRAZY time with anesthesia....but then, giving birth to the most AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL BABY in the WHOLE WORLD!!!! what an awesome thing it was...we had my mom, mil, brother, family, friends there to welcome him into the world...it was truly a beautiful day in my life. i LOVED becoming a mom...being BLESSED with that beautiful baby boy....and james was such a NATURAL DADDY!!!!! oh, the JOY seeing the smile on his face and just seeing his happiness in becoming a father....it was truly such an awesome sight and he did such a GREAT JOB!!!

and so the years have happened and we are now 10 years into my sons beautiful life...i can't believe that a DECADE has happened already in a BLINK of the eye...wowow...i THANK GOD for every SECOND of his little life!! he is ALMOST as tall as i am...probably by the end of the YEAR he might pass me up!! who would have believed that (and i can already hear my nieces saying that it is EASY to pass you up, aunt chayo!!:) alex has done AMAZING in his schooling years!! he is now going to 5th grade and he LOVES HOMESCHOOLING!! he is soooo smart and he amazes me with his thinking process and also he can remember sooo many things! and what an AMAZING BIG BROTHER he is to both of his brothers! he takes care of both of them and is always willing to help with them...even, helping with MATTHEW when there is a medical problem! and this child has gone thru soooooooooo much too in his short life. he has practically LIVED at the DOCTORS OFFICE/HOSPITAL with matthew...and thru all of these appointments where he has had to be QUIET for a long period of times and being such a a good kiddo and just sitting there playing quietly and understanding that this was serious ....wowowowow...i love this child soooo much and i always PRAY TO GOD that HE GUIDE me in the RAISING of my children ESPECIALLY ALEX since he and i are soooo alike that we are SOOOOOO STUBBORN!!!

soooo....TODAY, AUGUST 10TH WE CELEBRATE OUR SON'S LIFE....WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD FOR BLESSING US WITH THAT BEAUTIFUL CHILD AND WE PRAY THAT HE CONTINUES TO GROW AND STAY HEALTHY AND STRONG!!!!!! WE LOVE YOU, SON!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

MATTHEW ISAIAH IS 8 YEARS OLD TODAY!

TODAY is such a SPECIAL DAY in our life!!! TODAY, is our MIRACLE MATTHEW ISAIAH's 8th birthday!!!! woooohooo!! so awesome to just BELIEVE that he is now 8 years old!!!! just watching him and marveling at everything he is DOING…just last weekend, he MADE HIS 1ST COMMUNION, he learned to SUCK THRU A STRAW and just recently, he can tell you phonically how to spell his NAME!!! and that one, he surprised me one day at sunday school when i asked him to spell his name for me on his paper and he phonically spelled MATTHEW for me CORRECTLY with NO promptings from me!! just amazing!! and he has done SOOOOO WELL for his 2nd grade that he MASTER most if not ALL his goals!! we had to set all new goals for him for next year! it should be a CHALLENGING year but i know he will continue to do soooo amazing! my son matthew isaiah….born with a RARE CHD called TAPVR with extreme LUNG DAMAGE who was NOT expected to live…who had his 1st OH surgery at 8hrs old and lived in PICU for 98 days and had another open heart surgery and a g-tube placement before he left….who since that day, had been in and out of hospitals, ambulances, air helicopters, has nursing care at home along with enough equipment here (oxygen, nebulizer, suction, CPT vest, pulse oximeter, CPAP machine, feeding pumps, etc) that most doctors tend to keep him home even when he is soooo sick that MOST kiddos would be hospitalized! he has grown so much this year. he is now totally into WII SPORTS and LOVE LOVE LOVE BASEBALL! he loves to WATCH IT and PLAY IT! i really need to get him into a TEAM of his OWN so he can play TOO!! :) this year, he has really enjoyed being in his WALKER and playing with his TBALL and his BASKETBALL GOAL....he is really VOCAL now and can mostly CLEARLY get what he needs across to us now by using voice, gestures and his talker....he also has REALLY learned to EAT now and enjoys to EAT ALL THE TIME!!! it is so amazing for us to go to a restaurant and watch him eat, and especially something he REALLY likes, he can GO TO TOWN!!! i am so proud of him! he is such a trooper and ALWAYS can be tickled into a good mood! he LOVES all things ELECTRONIC and LOVES LOVES LOVES our IPHONES and his new IPAD! especially if he has internet access and can watch his YOUTUBE!!! AND you will never guess what he LOVES to watch?!?!?!?!? WII BASEBALL!!! heheheh...he can sit there and watch it all the time....i guess since that is his favorite game on the WII if he can't PLAY the WII he will watch OTHERS play the WII ON YOUTUBE! :)

SOOO, he keeps getting BIGGER on us...he is now 45 INCHES TALL (he is catching up to me! i am 59 inches tall! YIKES!) and he weighs 43 lbs....his feet are LITTLE!! I always remark on that because his baby brother JOSH has now PASSED him up on his shoe size!!! and he is 4! i guess he inherited his little feet from me! :) he is STILL wearing the SAME SIZE clothes now for about 3 years +!! he's the same weight just stretching on us!! and he LOVES his brothers...he is forever calling them either on his talker or vocally....and of COURSE his most favorite person in the WORLD is his DADA...HE calls for him every time the PHONE rings or there is a KNOCK on the door! it is soooo cute to hear him YELL out over and over 'DA, DA, DA, DA"...ALTHOUGH, in the MORNINGS, i get some PRETTY FIERCE hugs and kisses from him when DAD is not in the house!! i do CHERISH those moments that he is excited to see me and can't get enough of me!!!! awwww....

soooo, if you would like to READ MATTHEWS MIRACLE BIRTH STORY...please go HERE and you can read it....i have NOT made a MONTAGE of him YET...i plan to sometime in the near future!! but you know me, it has been a BIT crazy for me lately....

well, we are SOOOOO PROUD OF HIM and we are SOOOOOO BLESSED for EVER SECOND OF HIS LIFE and we just keep THANKING GOD EVERDAY for his little life!! we truly been blessed with him and just are EVER SO THANKFUL that he is OURS!!!

SOOOOO, THANK YOU GOD for the last EIGHT YEARS THAT YOU HAVE BLESSED US WITH OUR MIRACLE MATTHEW ISAIAH!!! WE PRAY TO HAVE MANY MANY MANY MORE YEARS WITH HIM!!! we pray that you keep him HEALTHY AND STRONG and just continue to keep him going!!! WE PRAISE YOU, GOD FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE BLESSED US WITH AND ALWAYS FOR THAT BEAUTIFUL LITTLE MIRACLE YOU GRANTED US WITH....MATTHEW ISAIAH....GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!! ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!!! ALL PRAISE AND GLORY TO YOU GOD FOR OUR SON MATTHEW ISAIAH!!!

MATTHEW ISAIAH.....WE LOVE YOU AND ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!! HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY, MATTHEW!!! GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS!

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

HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY, JAMES ALEX II!

HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY, JAMES ALEX II!!

My baby boy Alex is 8 years old! Wow, we have been SOOO BLESSED with this little boy…THANK YOU GOD for this little boy. What a blessing he is in our family. I can’t believe he is now 8 years old. He is such a happy little boy. Always ready to help us whenever we ask and SO polite! He is the best big brother ever. Always helping out with the boys and being so calm and helping so much with his baby brothers. With matthew, he is always willing to help me with getting whatever I need…medical wise, wow, this little boy is amazing when it comes to drs appts for matthew. Being WONDERFUL there at the different appts and when matthew is in the hospital, he does great there. He has unfortunately had to witness several of matthew’s massive seizures and he has great at getting me the phone to call 911 and going downstairs to open the door for EMS….just such a BRAVE little boy! so proud of him! And for Joshua, he LOVES his baby brother and he LOVES playing with him. Finally, someone who he can play with and run around with and Joshua looks up to him…Joshua follows him everywhere! So cute…wants to do whatever Alex does! And so smart…he is now in the 3rd grade and he loves being homeschooled. He does so well in all his studies and just keeps amazing me on his memory of everything and what he learns. He ‘gets’ it quickly. He needs little if any help with his studies. He usually does it all on his own, only asking for help if he just doesn’t get it. So proud of him. And his belief in God is just amazing to watch. He loves learning all about HIM and he loves that our homeschool curriculum is based on our faith of Catholicism. He probably knows more than we do about it! And such a sponge when it comes to something he loves. And just loves his LEGO’s and his WII games. He is also just amazing when it comes to a computer. Since the age of 4, he has been able to get on, get to where he wants to go and play and get online like a pro! And he sits there and watches YOUTUBE and learns how to make LEGO’s figures and ships and such. Wow, his creations are just amazing.

Our son, Alex…what a BLESSING given to us from GOD. Back when we didn’t know if we could ever carry a baby to full term, here he was. He is our RIPLEY’s BELIEVE IT OR NOT baby (if you want to read his story…GO HERE) and with his pregnancy, daddy was gone for ALL 9 MONTHS because 9/11 had just happened and james was activated to Texarkana!!! But he made it for the birth of our FIRST BABY BOY…BLESSINGS…

SO, to end this, THANK YOU GOD for blessing us with this beautiful baby boy and THANK YOU GOD for every beautiful second that we have had with him…HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAMES ALEX II!!!! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

soooo, we had a BIRTHDAY PARTY....

for matthew!! :) i know sooooo last minute but it just couldn't be helped! we decided about 2 weeks in or less that.....but it went SOOOO WELL! we had NEVER had so little time to put it all together...we also had a BAPTISM on SUNDAY for both JOSHUA, TRISTAN (i am a GOD MOTHER NOW!!!) and MATTHEW!!! soooo we were REALLY BUSY!

anyway, we had a GREAT turn out and it was SOOOO NICE to see so many of our friends and family there!! we had about 60 people there...just PERFECT! sooo, i just wanted to share with you some pictures of this day!!

YUMMY!! CAKE!


ALEX HITTING THE PINATA! (THING ONE)


JOSHUA GETTING IN THE ACTION! (THING THREE)


JUST SOME ACTION!! (THING TWO)




soooo happy it turned out WONDERFUL! the weather was just BEAUTIFUL and the wind was blowing just soo....just enough to keep it cool and NO MOSQUITOS!! :)

MY SON.....THANK YOU GOD!

i just had post again.....this morning, when i went in cause i saw that matthew was stirring....i went in and my BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING, SMART, AND MIRACLE OF A BOY was saying something....GUESS WHAT HE WAS SAYING?!?!?!? my beautiful boy was saying..."FIVE, FIVE, FIVE..." OVER AND OVER AND OVER and he had his hand up SHOWING ME HE WAS FIVE!!!!!! he was facing the wall and he was looking at his hand and just saying that with a BIG SMILE over and over again!! :) he turned around to me and held up his hand and kept saying 'FIVE....FIVE!!" just soooooooo amazing! he is so HAPPY that today is his birthday....yesterday, when we told him it was his birthday today he started to JUMP up and down and get sooo happy!!

THANK YOU GOD FOR SUCH A MIRACLE BOY!!! WE ARE SOOOOOOOOOOO BLESSED!!!

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY, MATTHEW ISAIAH!!!

ooooooohhhhhhh mmmmmyyyyyy GOOODDDNNNEEESS!!! our baby boy is FIVE YEARS OLD!!! wow, THANK YOU GOD for EVERY second of his beautiful life!! we have been so blessed to have him in our life....no words can describe the LOVE we feel for this special little boy!! FIVE LONG YEARS AGO, the drs told us when he was about an HOUR old that "we don't think he will make the transport (to the other hospital or surgery)" and they also told us >"i am sorry but your son will not make it thru the night"......BUT BUT BUT....they also told us, "WE MIGHT HAVE A MIRACLE ON OUR HANDS" and one of the MOST important statment made to us was "THERE IS SOMEONE MUCH HIGHER THAN ME (the cardiothorasic surgeon) AND THE DRS WORKING HERE"...an ACKNOWLEDGEMENT that OUR GOD was at WORK on this little MIRACLE BABY BOY!! OUR PRAYERS were being ANSWERED!!! to see him now, MOST don't know the STRUGGLES this little boy has been thru....until you realize that he does not talk, and has MANY MANY scars from surgeries and that he does not walk or eat.....you don't SEE any of that because he BEAUTIFUL BLINDING SMILE and GEORGEOUS HUGE EYES with those CRAZY eyelashes captivate you!! he has never met a stranger (unless he is a DOCTOR/NURSE) that he didn't LOVE!!! he is such a happy boy all the time!! ALL THE TIME!!! we are so amazed that he is OURS!!!

FIVE YEARS OLD....FIVE BEAUTIFUL AMAZING YEARS with him!!! he is the most amazing CHILD ever!! i really mean it! he is ALWAYS smiling and wanting to sit in your lap, give you hugs and kisses and wanting to READ!! he LOVES books!!! he LOVES flipping thru the pages of a magazing to look at stuf...he loves his MOVIES and he LOVES to talk on his COMMUNICATOR! he loves to be where ever we are...he enjoys sitting in his feeding chair and being at the table with us...he loves to chew on his food and loves to eat whatever we are eating...he is so AWARE of EVERYTHING now...just shows how much more he has grown...he is always just so happy....he loves his DADDY and LOVES to be with him!! he LOVES his brothers....his BIG BROTHER ALEX is his idol! he loves to see what he is doing and try to do it too! his BABY BROTHER JOSHUA...he LOVES to torment him! he wants EVERYTHING he has...it is so AWESOME to see him develope MENTALLY because that means he understands EVERYTHING!!

SOOOOOO, MATTHEW ISAIAH....WE ARE SO PROUD TO BE YOUR AMILY...WE ARE SO BLESSED TO HAVE YOU IN OUR LIVES!!! THANK YOU GOD FOR OUR LITTLE MIRACLE!! YOU HAVE TOUCHED EVERYONE THAT KNOWS YOU WITH YOUR STORY!!!

WE LOVE YOU MATTHEW ISAIAH!!!!!!

if you want to read his MIRACLE STORY...click HERE..

you can also see his 4 year MONTAGE HERE...

i will post his NEW montage SOON!!!

WELL, today i turn 35 years old!!

wowowow....i sure don't feel 35 and i don't think i LOOK 35, or so people tell me..but i AM 35 as of today!! amazing and THANK YOU GOD! i miss my hubby....i did have a wonderful day today...in the morning, me and my boys, the nurse, my wonderful cuz & her boy and my mil met for breakfast at dennys!! very nice! then i got a call from my local video store saying i could get a free video because it was my bday so off we went to rent videos!!! then i ordered pizza for the boys and i for dinner....it was a WONDERFUL DAY but it was also very lonely and empty without my husband...i miss him sooooo much.....gosh, it is going on 4 months without him home. i just thank GOD that i get to talk to him about once a day! i LOVE that!! and i have such a WONDERFUL HUSBAND....a couple of days ago, he sent me 2 cards in the mail....one the sender was from HIM to ME and the next card was FROM THE BOYS to ME....he sent me 2 birthday cards one from him and one from the boys....that is my husband...that is they kind of person he is!! i am just sooooo blessed because he thinks of these things....i love him for who he is and what he means to me and my boys.....i miss him........

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAMES ALEX II!!

Alex and his best bud & cuz tristan on a ride at chuckee cheese on his birthday!!



alex opening up his gifts with his buddy....

today, my little boy alex turned 5 years old!! AMAZING what these last 5 years have been for me as a mom. he is such a WONDERFUL little boy and soooo smart. i am just in aw of who he is. i am a PROUD mommy who can't imagine her life without him. he is such a great big brother and little helper for mom.

but our love is such that we are sooooo happy of WHO HE IS!!! THANK YOU GOD for every second we have had with him!!

we had a VERY nice playdate yesterday...

yesterday, we had a little playdate for alex (basically his birthday party) and it went REALLY GREAT!!! we had about 11 kids come and they were running all over the backyard and just having a GREAT TIME! it was nice to see him running and playing with everyone. it was from 10am to about 2 pm....they just played outside and ran everywhere and just had FUN which is what i wanted for him....i was BLESSED that the kids where there for him.....i THANKED everyone because it meant SOOOOOOOO MUCH to me for them to be there FOR HIM....he finally has acknowledged that he is turning 5 on friday....he will now tell you he is and i think it has to do with daddy coming home on the 23rd....he is soooooo excitedc! we are planning to take him to the BIG CHEESE on friday for lunch with just a couple of cousins...i will be holding back a couple of gifts for him to open until daddy gets home too....we are SOOOOOOO EXCITED!! alex is all into transformers and we got him a couple of them plus some PJ of them and just someother cute things.....he got a box yesteday from daddy so that was exciting but he can't open it until TOMORROW!!

anyway, all is going GREAT!! matthew IS FINALLY GETTING BETTER, PRAISE THE LORD!!! i am sooooo happy! i REALLY REALLY REALLY think it is the pulmonary vest he now has! wow....we are down from FIVE neb treatments durning the day to only TWO!!! and that will be his maintenance dose now! YIPPPEPEEE!! and tomorrow is his last day of oral steroids but he still has about 10 more days of the antibiotic....i just PRAY he continues on the healthy track!!!

as for me, i am now 36 weeks along and have only TWO MORE WEEKS before we meet my newest little man in my life! i am sooooo excited and just in AWE that it will be SOON! and that daddy will be here is such a bonus! i didn't expect it but i am soooo happy! i feel great just waddling around it seems....the baby has moved downward so i am having a bit more trouble doing my normal things but still trudging along....

james is doing GREAT and just is anxious to be coming home soon! he also bought himself a new laptop on monday and i was SOOOOOO EXCITED for him! i tried to get him to get one before he left but he was stubborn about it but NOW he finally realized that he NEEDED ONE!! we got a good deal on one at best buy...he just needed something really basic and CHEAP since he was going to be in the sandy area so he got one for under $400!! but it has EVERYTHING he needed!! :)

anyway, all is well in our family and we just pray that everyone will continue to be HEALTHY and strong!!