My Prayer for this Schoolyear...

Well here we are again...Summer flew by at record speed and now it's the first day of school. It's hard for us because the Stones love summer. We love no structure, no backpacks, and no folders to sign. We love staying up late to watch our favorite team play into extra innings...even if they have no chance of playing in October. We just love freedom from routine... Or at least I do.  But nevertheless, the new school year is upon us.  It gives us an opportunity to get focused. And an opportunity to be more prayerful...

Here is my prayer for the new school year. 

I pray for the teachers. I pray they are strong and fair. I pray they are patient and resilient. Our teachers have a hard job...and they are good at what they do. They love our kids...and they want what's best for them. I pray they push my kids to believe in themselves, and to be better. I pray they are stern when they need to be, and compassionate when can be. I believe they will be. I'm thankful for my kids' teachers. 

I pray for our Lia.  Only 6 short summers ago, as I watched her in the CVICU at Children's, connected to a million machines, I dared not dream of the day she might walk into her first grade class.  And here we are. I pray for her health... for strong, steady heartbeats. I pray she stays away from scary viruses and illness.  I pray she is strong and confident in herself. I pray she opens herself up and makes lots of new friends, while maintaining her good friendships she made last year. I believe He has big plans for our little girl, and I love the front seat we have to see her life unfold before us. 

I pray for Jace. Sometimes life seems hard.  When you find out all you good buddies were placed in a different class than you for your 4th grade year...well, that stinks. My easy going, happy kid was fighting tears...And I gotta tell ya, people, it broke my heart. But here's the deal...Jace has been given an opportunity to deal with something that didn't go his way. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. When life deals our children situations that aren't what they would choose...and believe me, it will...we have to equip our kids with the ability to cope. In a world where parents are running around cushioning life's blows for their kids, we are stripping them of their coping skills. Corey and I refuse to do that. So Corey told Jace that he gets to choose how he will handle this, and nobody takes that privilege away. I pray he makes great friends in unexpected places. I believe he will. He's that kid. 

I pray for Colby. This is the last year all my kids are in school together. Colby is starting his 6th grade year and.... I. Can't. Believe. It. I promise, I just watched him walk into those scary big school doors on his second day of Kindergarten...so homesick for our church preschool where everyone knew him and loved him. I was homesick for it, not Colby. He was always just fine. And guess what? That scary big school?  Turns out those teachers all know him and love him too! I'm thankful for a great group of friends with great parents that Colby has gained from his years at Reinhardt. So here's to a great last year in Elementary for this boy. Oh...and I also pray for our experience with Pre-AP Math and all the hard work, frustration, and tears that will no doubt come with it. Not Colby's, but mine. ;-)

I pray our kids are leaders. I pray they are kind to every single kid at school. I pray they are loyal friends, and take up for the kids that can't take up for themselves. I pray they stay safe and healthy. And I pray they learn a little in the process...

Bring it, 2014-2015...We are coming for ya. 

Turning 40...

So, I know this is Lia's blog...normally I'm writing about her here. But today's my day, so I feel a little like writing about turning 40. 

40.  Let's say it again... 40. How is this even possible? I was just in the seventh grade...thinking my whole world was ending because I didn't make cheerleader. I was just walking to Alsup's with my friends, waiting on the IPJH Hawks to play football. I was just busy planning which friends I was spending the night with and where. Didn't all of that "just" happen?  Like yesterday..."just" happened?

The truth is, I don't feel a day older than that now. Oh, my metabolism tells me everyday that I'm not that age anymore...and when I look at my face, I see lines that weren't always there. But I feel the same. Call it good, call it denial, I don't know...it's just the truth. 

I don't think I'm the "grow old gracefully" type of girl. Honestly, I'm not really that graceful at anything now that I think about it.  When I got up this morning, I decided to show 40 who's boss and go for a run. My over the top, out of control, competitiveness was in full swing. I pretty much ran a little over 5 miles cold turkey. I may or may not have walked a little...ok I walked a little of it. But I wanted to prove to 40 that I am still young. So there. Take that, 40. I win. 

While I was running this morning, I thought a lot about the last 40 years...or at least the years I can remember. Wow...I have a really good life. It isn't perfect, but it's mine. And there isn't much I would change about it. 

I grew up in the greatest family on the face of the earth. I mean that. Thanks to the greatness of VHS tapes, we get to revisit "Christmas 89" anytime we want to. People...it's a must see. Really. Just ask Lori and Laci. And Dusty...(he hates it). 

Corey. For 17 years, he's been the strong, steady, unwavering presence in my life. He's always steadfast and sure, always the optimist, and always believes in the best of everyone. 

I'm watching my Colby turn into a teenager right before my very eyes. It's unbelievable. He's so tall, and big...like a real grownup kid. It simultaneously breaks my heart and makes me so proud at the same time. He's amazing, with Corey's calm self assurance and my competitiveness...always pushing himself to be better. 

Jace. This kid... He's so quick and witty, always making people around him laugh. He's a natural at most things, and if he has to work too terribly hard, he's usually out. (We're working on that)... Jace is never not swinging a baseball bat. Never. He's swinging a plastic bat in his room, a wooden bat in the living room while watching the triple A Texas Rangers (yes, we still watch every game) or his million dollar game bat in the front yard. He loves baseball. And I love him. He literally makes my heart full for a million different reasons. 

My Lia. My hero. My heart. She's stubborn, strong willed, and confident. She's courageous and tough as nails. And she's almost 6 years old. How's that for crazy? For real, where does time go? Where?!?  I need it to slow down, not for my own age's sake...but because I don't want these loves of my life getting any older. 

This life of mine is moving forward at record speed... I guess that's how life is. It's crazy, and busy. It's disorganized and messy. It's sometimes incredibly hard, but it's mostly incredibly joy filled. It's full of my family and raising amazing kids with our "village of friends".  It's working side by side with my Baylor family in a job that's challenging and fulfilling. It's going to church with people we've known for years and have cried both tears of pain and joy right along side of us. It's watching the boys learn work ethic and teamwork on the sports field with some of the greatest people we know and their boys. It's watching our Lia dance in her very first ever dance recital...and rock it. 

Yes, it's true. I'm 40 years old. I guess I'm a grownup now or whatever. I also guess I won't grow old gracefully...I'll be fighting it with all the strength I have. But a wise friend told me lately... "Aging is a privilege denied to many". Those are strong words to live by. 

So I'll accept turning 40. And every single blessing that comes with it. 

Perfection...

Years ago, I listened as one of our friends in our bible school class prayed. He was praying for a precious little boy who was about to undergo a surgery to repair his skull after being born with a condition in which his skull was misshapen and didn't allow for brain growth. When this little boy would wake up after surgery, his parents had been told that his eyes would be swollen shut...that he would wake up unable to see until the swelling went down. This kid was two. So just take yourself there for a minute.. I remember my heart breaking as I couldn't imagine how difficult that would be for his parents. This was years before I was pregnant with Lia, and of course, I had no idea I would one day walk a similar, heart wrenching journey with my own child.

The thing that stuck out to me in Craig's prayer was that he prayed for perfection.  I remember him asking God to "bless this surgery with absolute perfection".  And I loved that. 

Why don't we do that more often?  Why?  Isn't that what we want?  We want the cancer to be completely gone...not just smaller. We want the preterm labor to go away for good...until the baby is full term. We want the heart defect to be fully repaired, with good heart function afterward.  We want the surgeon to be able to place child's broken bones back together completely and with ease.  We want no setbacks, no complications. We want perfection. God is capable of doing so much more than we can even think to ask of Him.  I think we need to be boldly asking for perfection. He can handle that. 

I don't understand why children are struck with cancer.  I don't know why young mothers are either.  I will never understand why a young, courageous firefighter and father is killed while at his job being a hero and saving others. Why can't all kids be born healthy and full term, free of any congenital defects or disease?  I don't get it, and as I get older, the stories seem more and more prevalent, and seem to hit home much more personally. 

Those questions will never go away...not while we are on this earth. The thing that remains constant is that our Lord loves us. All of us. He wants us to bring him our deepest desires. I'm so thankful that we are able to go to Him with the things that are troubling us...the things we want most in this world. I'm thankful that he listens. And I know....we don't always get what we ask for.  But the thing is...we always get to ask. And He always hears us. I think I'm going to continue asking boldly for perfection...I mean, if He's there and hears us, then why not go big? Why wouldn't we ask for perfection?...it's what we really want. 

Please join me in praying for a few people who need big prayer warriors on their side.  Warriors who are willing to pray boldly for perfection and peace ... Some of the names are:

Truman, Julie, Esther, Maddie, Landri, Piercen, Christina, Erica, Katie, Nancy & Larry  I'm sure there are so many, many more...

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen."  Ephesians 3:20,21

This time last year we were busy praying for perfection for these two ladies... it's hard to believe it's almost been a year... Thank you Lord.  Really....Thank you.  

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week...

Feb 7th - 14th...This week is special to our family.  This is Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) Awareness Week.  7 years or so ago, I wouldn't have given it much thought.  I would have thought in passing..."That sounds like a really good cause."  But I would never have allowed myself to go there...to really think about what that means to so many families in this world.  Did you know that 1 in 100 infants born, suffer from some sort of CHD?  Did you know that?  I didn't.  Honestly, I guess I don't know much about any of the other causes that haven't directly affected me or my family yet in my life.  I DO know this, though...I'm much more empathetic to those things now.  They are all so important, and raising awareness about such things is incredibly important.

I want to introduce someone to you...her name is Meghan Roswick.  She was born in 1991 with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.  I stumbled upon her page on FaceBook.  It was an accident.  I don't follow anyone connected with CHD on purpose. I don't belong to any support groups...I don't read other heart parent blogs.   It's ridiculous, and I know I should...but it makes it too real for me.  I don't know...it's just too hard, it's not my thing.  It would make me admit that Lia might not be able to live a "normal life"...and I can't go there.  Regardless, I accidentally found Meghan's page on FB.  Let me tell you a little about her.

Meghan was born with a similar "single ventricle" anatomy as Lia.  Meghan basically is missing her left ventricle, where Lia is missing her right.  She had 4 open heart surgeries by the time she was 3 years old.  Meghan grew up a competitive gymnast.  She is now a competitive free-style skier.  Snow skier...  Here's the most amazing thing about her to me...she just ran her first 15 K race.  That's right, folks.  She just ran 9.3 miles.  Ran.  9.3 miles.  How many of us with whole, healthy hearts do that?  Not many.

Meghan is definitely not the norm...let's be clear.  I realize that.  She admits it took her a very long time to train for the 15K, and that she ran it slow.  But who cares????  I find it amazing that she is able to do that.  The thing that has stuck out to me while reading her FB page is that she says that the doctors never knew what to say to her parents about activity and limits.  They actually said to her mom as they discussed her starting competitive gymnastics when she was little..."Her level of activity is either what has kept her alive...or what will kill her.  We just don't know."  Wow.  She's now 23 years old.  She's still living an active, healthy life.  This kind of story fills my heart.  It does.  Again, Meghan's story, her life, is not the norm for a HLHS or single ventricle heart.  It's not the norm... but then again neither is our Lia.  So there's that.  

This is what we want for Lia.  This is what we want for all three of our kids...for all of our friends' kids.  We want them to live.  We want them to live courageously, with all of their hearts...with strength and perseverance.  This is the way we should all live...always pushing forward.  Never looking back.  Not afraid of failing.  Not afraid of anything.  Just strong...we should all live strong, for as long as we have to live.  

In celebration of Congenital Heart Awareness Week and in celebration of our Lia...we took a few photos today.  My very talented sister Laci (Laci Nottley Photography) took and edited these pics.  They are priceless to our family, to Lia's story. 

This next pic pretty much sums things up...yep, most definitely.  It's gonna take a lot to get past these 4 protective boys...

So this week...we wear red for our heart hero.  We wear red for all of the heart hero's out there.  We wear red for all the heart hero parents.  These parents are tough.  These heart kids are tougher.  Help us raise awareness for Congenital Heart Research.  

Looking for more info?  Need a good place to donate your money for an incredible cause?  Take the time to look at the Lauren Elise Memorial Foundation at www.ilovelauren.org .  Read about Lauren, her incredible family, and her legacy. 

"Here is what I am commanding you to do.  Be strong and brave.  Do not be terrified.  Do not lose hope.  I am the Lord your God.  I will be with you everywhere you go."  

Joshua 1:9 NIRV

 

2013...A year full of blessings.

2013, You've been so good to us. As my sister Laci calls it..."The year of miracles". And rightfully so.  As I reflect on this past year, beginning to end, I am amazed. I'm thankful for pics on my phone, Facebook archives, and blog entries to help remind me of all we've experienced in the last year. We have a tendency to race through life at record breaking speed without even realizing it. In doing just that, we forget. We forget where we've been, and how great things are...this life we've been blessed with is kinda awesome in a weird, imperfect way. I wish I took the time to realize that every single day. 

I have all the normal dreams and aspirations for 2014. You know the ones I'm talking about...like, I want to lose 10-15 lbs, I want to read more, I want to learn more about politics and current events instead of just current events on Sportscenter... I want to be more healthy, I want to train for another half marathon, I want to learn to sew, I want to be more organized, I want to get serious about getting my Masters degree. I want to be a better wife and mom, I want to reach out and help others more, I want to guide my children into being more well-rounded little individuals.  I want to be more patient and more tolerant, including tolerating my own imperfections a little better. All the normal stuff...

2013 was a year I had personally dreaded for the past 6 years...this was the year our 4 year old baby girl was having her third big open heart surgery. This was the year we sent her back through those scary doors with all the pediatric cardiothoracic gurus and experts...and I've never wished I could trade places with someone so much in all my life. But we made it. It's behind us now and I almost still can't believe it. For 6 solid years I thought about this surgery every single day. Every day. And although we have tried our very hardest to live in the present and be grateful for our today, it has been hard. Sometimes it still is. 

So I think for me, this will be my main focus for 2014. I want to live fully in the present, appreciating my today. I will try to remember how happy and blessed we are right now, and trust that God has our future. He always has, and He has protected us and has been right there through every single happy or challenging moment. I believe He will continue to be. So for the year 2014, I choose joy. I choose peace. I choose trust. And I'm thankful for that choice. 

So the Stones didn't do a Christmas card this year... I guess I actually started going easy on myself earlier than today ;-). Anyway, I'm posting some of my favorite moments from the past year on this blog to help jog my memory in how wonderful 2013 was to our family... A year in review of the Stone family. Happy New Year everyone!

Hangin out...

Colby and I ran the Hot Chocolate Run with friends...

Went to NYC with my girls...

Just a cute pic

Daddy and his girl

I was able to go to the Bahamas with two of my faves...

Jace's 8 year old fball party

Cousins and the greatness of Mimi and Grandaddy's house...

Supporting Uncle John and his kids playing bball...

Colby's baseball team gave Lia the team ball and surrounded her with prayers days before her surgery

Facebook blew up in support of our Lia that week...one of my favorite things ever. 

We kissed her bye right before they took her back

She rocked it...

Sara had great news the next day... 2013, The Year of Miracles.

Lia has sweet friends...

Jace played a little baseball.  He caught it by the way...just sayin

Speaking of baseball season, this was Texas Rangers Opening Day... That's a big deal in this family. 

Love this kid...

Colby turned into a preteen right before my very eyes...

We took a trip to California. We cheered on our Rangers...

And went to Disney Land. It was perfect. 

We started a new school year...and we sent our baby to kindergarten. 

Team Lia came strong at the Dallas Heart Walk...

We got geared up for football...

We practiced a little football...

And played a lot of football...

Jace made the jumbotron at Cowboys Stadium

Our boys have amazing cheering sections...

This guy played a little more baseball. 

We took a quick trip to Arizona...kid free. 

I don't really know...

We got this news...and I'm adjusting. But I will miss Ian. 

I don't want to talk about my lack of football skills.

We had a great Chrismas... 

And a great New Year...

Here's to a phenomenal 2014...