tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58865912619009412252023-11-16T10:20:58.656-08:00Heather MessickMark, Heather, Elyssa, Natalie, and Victoriamessickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.comBlogger230125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-38582824391118505952013-06-25T10:15:00.002-07:002013-06-25T10:32:36.409-07:00The Prayer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiID8_uneteomSJ0wsRh8U8sed3Of8gPbSoYAJSM4LA0K-h2GcHGAPIm2n8jjDAmL6G40N_ZfI2txtm0yk8VHv6cBtlfB2Q4URTWwoEc73hO5afihEwFArQUC-ofFuEYapaCosmk_BPfwA/s1600/IMG_0965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiID8_uneteomSJ0wsRh8U8sed3Of8gPbSoYAJSM4LA0K-h2GcHGAPIm2n8jjDAmL6G40N_ZfI2txtm0yk8VHv6cBtlfB2Q4URTWwoEc73hO5afihEwFArQUC-ofFuEYapaCosmk_BPfwA/s200/IMG_0965.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
I was recently privileged to sing "The Prayer" with my little brother, Alan, and wanted to share the video with my blogging family. Even though Alan is my little brother, there is nothing little about his voice! He was blessed with a beautiful tenor voice.<br />
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I hope you will take time from your busy day to soak in this song. May it bless you and remind you that God loves you!<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/RN6RKpllTWI" target="_blank"> http://youtu.be/RN6RKpllTWI</a>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-20460879006913356292013-05-29T22:47:00.000-07:002013-05-29T22:47:27.415-07:00Magic Moments Family Camp<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3P0PVM1Ggi-rLdayVAu7LN8p082je_8-MnY7FbbLVDl7C5Z4niE47DmnILPUj27WEOwWNNiqS_JjBbF8Pd5nDirBtxnh68B6ggNhbF3ErOxTur_ir-q7p5xDn5xJKeeIaLpOyiNMel8/s1600/IMG_0393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3P0PVM1Ggi-rLdayVAu7LN8p082je_8-MnY7FbbLVDl7C5Z4niE47DmnILPUj27WEOwWNNiqS_JjBbF8Pd5nDirBtxnh68B6ggNhbF3ErOxTur_ir-q7p5xDn5xJKeeIaLpOyiNMel8/s320/IMG_0393.JPG" width="320" /></a>Memorial Day weekend wasn't just a special weekend for us this year because we spent it together, but it was extra-special because we were invited to spend the weekend at Children's Harbor on Lake Martin in Alabama. Because Victoria was granted a wish by the charitable organization Magic Moments this past February, every Memorial Day weekend until she is 18-years-old, she (and our family) will be invited to the Magic Moments Family Camp at Children's Harbor. Magic Moments already holds a special place in our hearts because of the wonderful, all-expense paid family vacation we were given in February of this year. But, we are beginning to see that this group of folks will be a blessing to our family for many years to come!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-2mhuF9JR2DYbYZMp-Hh3aO_nsTnmVusVkUSrtaaBUVpnBN_gRCcYhbkIg7L-lAHWs7VDCgMmdq9W64Rvrrdr__9KtuCRPXCn6nvZK6C-lphGJIS4OTizkZWjYnoyxdvEqQX4QizvDY/s1600/IMG_0398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-2mhuF9JR2DYbYZMp-Hh3aO_nsTnmVusVkUSrtaaBUVpnBN_gRCcYhbkIg7L-lAHWs7VDCgMmdq9W64Rvrrdr__9KtuCRPXCn6nvZK6C-lphGJIS4OTizkZWjYnoyxdvEqQX4QizvDY/s320/IMG_0398.JPG" width="320" /></a>Upon arriving at Children's Harbor, we could tell that this campground was among the best we had ever stayed. It was a beautiful place. Right on Lake Martin, there were lush little patches of beautiful flowers and trees everywhere. Everything was so clean and lovely. We made our way to the registration area where we were greeted by camp counselors who knew us by name. I was impressed already. All of the staff and counselors associated with Magic Moments were so wonderful to us and wanted us to feel right at home.<br />
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We found our way to our cabin. We had a wonderfully, large room with a fold-out couch, two twin beds, a bunk bed, and our own bathroom. We were thrilled at the space we had. It was going to be a fun adventure to have our entire family sleep all in the same room for the next few days!<br />
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First on the list of things to do was swimming, of course! The girls loved the large pool! Victoria is a bit frustrating to deal with in a pool because she "thinks" she can swim (which, she can't!). She had floaties on her arms, but if we let go of her, she sinks just enough to get a mouthful of water. She fussed the entire time that we tried to help her stay afloat. But, even though she fussed and was frustrated, she had a fun time. By the end of our stay at the camp, Victoria worked her way up to going down the big slide at the pool. I'm telling you, the girl has no fear! Mark stood at the bottom of the slide to catch her. She must've gone down that slide 50 times, at least in the 3 days we were there! She loved it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhooHwEdIEiWrfZxjC7bUspw9GimWZwE-1RpLhp7CPGLx9Mfo9t5fK0Ec2W4UZ-DIVu28A2J01RTV72gdnWgkqcN3lDiGydngiCl2orYQTFqx7iskZ8ogISMp868GCE4__i77I4hxnu09s/s1600/IMG_0466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhooHwEdIEiWrfZxjC7bUspw9GimWZwE-1RpLhp7CPGLx9Mfo9t5fK0Ec2W4UZ-DIVu28A2J01RTV72gdnWgkqcN3lDiGydngiCl2orYQTFqx7iskZ8ogISMp868GCE4__i77I4hxnu09s/s320/IMG_0466.JPG" width="320" /></a>The second day of Family Camp, the morning started off with a worship service. The service was held outside. It was such a beautiful day and I was in tears for most of the service. I was able to sit behind the singers and speaker and could view all of the families sitting with their "special" children. It was overwhelming to think that each of the families sitting in front of me had experienced similar or even more difficult circumstances than our family had experienced. And, through it all ... I knew that God had been faithful to us all.<br />
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After the worship service, we made our way over to the corral. Victoria worked up enough nerve to ride a horse! She has always refused to ride a horse when given the opportunity in the past, but at this camp ... she was ready to go! Elyssa and Natalie enjoyed riding the horses, as well. It was especially moving to see all of the handicapped kids being hoisted up onto the horses so they could enjoy a ride. Everything was very inclusive. The workers made sure every kid had the opportunity to take part in every activity, which I thought was amazing!<br />
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A really special part of Family Camp was the talent show that was held the evening of the 2nd day. At the talent show, Elyssa, Natalie, and Victoria came up on the stage with me and we sang, "She Is God's Child," together. I didn't show the video to the song because there were no video screens available, but the song was still moving none-the-less. Natalie even became emotional at the end of the song, which was very sweet. She is so tender-hearted and still gets sad at the thought of Victoria having to have heart surgery when she was 7-weeks-old. I loved singing with my girls! I was touched, as well, by all of the special needs kids sharing their talents in the show. It was very sweet.<br />
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I could share many more things about the camp, but the thing that touched me most of all at Family Camp was the Awards Ceremony. On the last day of the camp, the organizer of the camp made her way to the stage. She called each child, individually, to the stage. Once each child made their way to the stage, in turn, the speaker talked about each child as they stood in front of the audience. She talked about their strengths and the fun things they enjoyed doing at camp this year. She awarded each child with a specially named certificate (award) before they left the stage. Again, I was in tears for most of this ceremony. It was so moving to see kids wheel themselves on the stage ... or walk onto the stage with braces on their legs ... or even walk onto the stage with no hair because of chemo treatments. And, then ... once on stage ... they were told in front of the entire crowd how special they were. It was one of the most moving things I've ever seen. I almost can't describe how full my heart felt when Victoria was called up to the stage to receive her award. There is no feeling in the world like knowing that your child is loved and appreciated even though they are "different" than typical kids. Every family with a "special" child desires for their child to be accepted and truly loved. You never quite get use to the stares in public places and you never get use to people telling you what they think your child "won't" be able to do. But, wow ... to be in a place where your child is loved on and encouraged to aim for the stars ... it is a wonderful thing.<br />
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So, I end this blog by first of all saying ... THANK YOU, MAGIC MOMENTS! I know there are so many folks who give to this organization, volunteer, and work for this organization. I want all of you to know that THIS family doesn't take for granted what you do! We felt so blessed to have been given a Wish Trip this year and on top of that, we were able to enjoy a wonderful weekend at Magic Moments Family Camp. Thank you for giving of yourselves to bless families like mine. We are forever grateful!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5PHtAXYGNKozAmZmxjWzgUS3mfrd5EV7fPcZ3oIUAixa34iZWnfiwNSmIpD6oSmuRho7C1yQlz0LhpNPrgUA4vnGGQk3gaGL9lFwAPQsZ39BRre1h3XKm76xWBgJP7L_ylZM2b3HW-4/s1600/IMG_0397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5PHtAXYGNKozAmZmxjWzgUS3mfrd5EV7fPcZ3oIUAixa34iZWnfiwNSmIpD6oSmuRho7C1yQlz0LhpNPrgUA4vnGGQk3gaGL9lFwAPQsZ39BRre1h3XKm76xWBgJP7L_ylZM2b3HW-4/s320/IMG_0397.JPG" width="320" /></a>Secondly, I want to thank the Lord for blessing me with a wonderful husband with whom I was able to have three sweet girls!! Little did Mark and I know that all three of our girls would hold such special places in our hearts. And, YES ... we were overwhelmed when we first had Victoria, but we have learned to live day by day. Appreciating every bit of progress that Victoria makes. And, we love seeing Elyssa and Natalie love on their sister. Life has become "normal" for us. I never thought we would get to this place, but God knew that we could handle a life that seems out of the ordinary to most people. For us ... we just feel blessed!<br />
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PS - Check out the video of me and the girls singing "She Is God's Child" LIVE on YouTube. Just type in the name Heather Messick and you'll find it. You can also view a video of Victoria receiving her special award on the last day of Family Camp.messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-72692199583601020872013-02-11T07:37:00.000-08:002013-02-15T21:23:31.505-08:00Day 3 - The Most Magical Day Of All!Today was the most magical day of all ... for many reasons! First of all, it was the day that we visited Disney's Magic Kingdom! What isn't magical about that?<br />
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Secondly, my brother, Alan Fath, and his daughter, Gracie, were able to spend the entire day with us! And, lastly ... I was able to see some sweet friends that formerly attended University of Mobile who now work at Magic Kingdom. It was a fun day!<span id="goog_80648639"></span><span id="goog_80648640"></span><br />
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It all started out with us arriving early to see the opening show at Magic Kingdom. As soon as the gates opened up, we headed over to Town Hall to get a picture with Mickey and Minnie. That was really fun! After that, we left and went straight to the new section of Magic Kingdom ... Fantasy Land.<br />
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We met up with Colton Brooks at the entrance of Belle's Castle where he escorted us right up to the front of the line to see that cute little interactive show. (Thanks, Colton! It was great to see you!) <br />
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Natalie decided to give roller coasters another try today and rode Goofy's Barn Stormer with me. She did much better on that roller coaster! <br />
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We went through as much of the left-hand side of the park as we could before lunch. And, of course, we would stop at every character spot for photos and autographs! Man, it was great being taken right up to the characters for that meet and greet time! No waiting in long lines!<br />
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For lunch, we headed, by boat, to the Wilderness Lodge for lunch with the family at Whispering Canyon. That was lots of fun and a nice change of pace.<br />
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After lunch, we took the boat back to Magic Kingdom to meet a sweet friend from University of Mobile, Caleb Graham. He is VERY good friends with Prince Eric and arranged a special "meet and greet" time with some characters for us. He told me to have our group at the Car Barn in the Magic Kingdom by 2:30pm that day. Someone came to get us and took us to a door located right beside the Car Barn. As soon as Victoria and I walked through the door I heard a big, "Surprise!!!" There had to be between 15-20 different characters waiting in the room for us. It was, by far, the most special memory of our trip! I had to hold back the tears because that was such a sweet moment. All of our family got to meet every character, prince/princess in the room. Even Mickey and Minnie were there! They all signed our girl's autograph books and then we took several photos with all of them. I think most of my family was in tears! This was definitely a memory from our trip that I'll never forget! Thank you, Caleb, for arranging that special moment for us!<br />
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The big "Celebrate" parade that all of the characters were in was to take place at 3pm, right after this meet and greet time. We had a special area to stand in right at the start of the parade. Every character that we had just seen gave us big waves and threw kisses our way. The Fairy Godmother from Cinderella even threw two big handfuls of "fairy dust" on us as she passed by us on her float. It was totally great!<br />
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We finished off as much of the park as we could that afternoon. We ended our day at the Magic Kingdom by watching the <i>Wishes</i> fireworks show and also watching the <i>Electric Parade</i>. It was a full, fun day! Many special memories were made this day! We feel blessed!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7Wjz1vI5Nch3Ltp1NWUqQM5Q0dszu5aJ2dn6uasQl585-8FzAzbCITYcyBgTvBWiRaRMTv0L0wf-ih8Fwg4grj9yMh7n1xhc8kFSa3dda9kd2ZhDuhHWhAT1Y4Ef7Tx6aFUQKvq5aYA/s1600/IMG_2076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7Wjz1vI5Nch3Ltp1NWUqQM5Q0dszu5aJ2dn6uasQl585-8FzAzbCITYcyBgTvBWiRaRMTv0L0wf-ih8Fwg4grj9yMh7n1xhc8kFSa3dda9kd2ZhDuhHWhAT1Y4Ef7Tx6aFUQKvq5aYA/s320/IMG_2076.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PS - I can't end this post without mentioning that we ran into the
person responsible for making this special trip happen for us ... Ronnie
Wright! He was at the Magic Kingdom the same day we were so we were so
excited to see him there! Thanks, Ronnie, for all you did to make this
trip a reality! </td></tr>
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<br />messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-77644567667575765392013-02-10T20:24:00.000-08:002013-02-11T21:26:27.141-08:00Day 2 - Magic Moments Are Still Being Made!!Day two of our Magic Moments vacation was a day to remember! We started out by going to Epcot where we spent the morning being able to skip all of the "regular folk" in line so we could have photos made with characters and ride attractions without all of that waiting. It was great! <br />
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At lunch time the girls got all dolled up in their princess dresses to have a Princess Storybook Luncheon at Akershus restaurant in the country of Norway in Epcot.<br />
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After our special lunch at Akershus, we headed over to Hollywood where we enjoyed all the favorite attractions like <i>Toy Story</i>, the <i>Little Mermaid</i> and <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>. I got so tickled at seeing Gaston in the Beauty and the Beast show because Gaston looked just like Mark to me! It was uncanny!<br />
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We had a wonderful second day! The exhaustion is just starting to set in, but we will push through it to get as much done as we can while we are here! After all ... that is just a part of what a Disney vacation is all about!<br />
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Stay tuned ...<br />
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messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-86933641561543887172013-02-09T21:02:00.000-08:002013-02-09T21:05:31.686-08:00"Give Kids The World" Gives Us A Fun First Day!The Messicks have arrived in Orlando!! We are ready to take on the city and have a blast! We have moved into our "home away from home" and wanted you to see our cute welcome sign at our villa!<br />
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Our first day was fantastic! It started out with a fun family visit at Give Kids The World. <br />
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My brother, Alan, his sweet wife (Mandy) and my niece (Gracie), came to visit us and view the wonderful place in which we are staying. Have I mentioned that GKTW is awesome?? They have so many fun things for the kids to do here. And, the workers and volunteers are so sweet! From Victoria giving her magic star to the star fairy to knocking on a magical tree and magic pillows being made for all of our girls ... it was all a really fun experience. <br />
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The girls really loved their morning here at GKTW. In fact, it was hard to convince them to leave after lunch to spend the rest of the day at Islands of Adventure! They finally gave in and took our word that they would, indeed have a fun time at the theme park!<br />
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We had a great remainder of the day at Islands of Adventure. Elyssa and Natalie rode their first kiddie roller coaster! Elyssa loved it and well, Natalie did not. Let's just say that Natalie will probably not get on a roller coaster for a while. It was a lot faster than she expected. But, she was brave to want to try it. <br />
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On the way back home from Islands of Adventure we had a little surprise in the van. Elyssa pulled a tooth that was loose! So, the tooth fairy is visiting our villa tonight at GKTW!<br />
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The cutest thing EVER happened tonight at our villa around bedtime! Mrs. Merry from GKTW (the Village's Mayor's bunny wife), visited our girls! <br />
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She was all dressed in her night clothes and tucked our girls into bed. Victoria didn't know what to think of Mrs. Merry but she did shake her hand at least once during the visit. Mrs. Merry was great with the girls and they were laughing at her while she bounced on their beds and tossed pillows on their heads. She kissed all of their pillows and kissed them on the foreheads before she left. It was such a fun little visit for them. What a great way to end a great day!<br />
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Check back tomorrow for more fun memories from our wonderful Magic Moments family vacation!messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-62421810998852255892013-02-05T20:33:00.003-08:002013-02-05T20:33:52.600-08:00Magical MomentsOur family is beyond excited! Victoria and our family was granted a wish through a wonderful foundation called <i>Magic Moments</i>. Because Victoria had a life-threatening and life-altering illness as an infant (major heart defects that almost took her life), she was granted a wish for our entire family to visit none other than the most magical place on earth ... <i>Walt Disney World</i>!<br />
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We have been counting down the days and are so thrilled to be leaving on our fun adventure soon! We will be sure to post videos and photos of the trip so we can share Victoria's first impressions of the <i>Magic Kingdom</i> with you! She has never been to a place like this before so we are anxious to see how she takes to it all.<br />
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<i>Magic Moments</i> will be flying our family to Orlando and once in Orlando we will stay at a place called <i>Give Kids The World</i>. We have heard it is wonderful! You can find out all about <i>GKTW</i> at http://www.gktw.org/. It looks like such a fun place with all sorts of great activities for all of the kids!<br />
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<i>GKTW</i> is providing us with three days worth of passes to the Disney Parks; we will have two days worth of passes to Universal Parks and a day at Sea World! Can we say ... "AWESOME?!?" And, the most wonderful part of it all is that it is completely free for our family to enjoy this fantastic vacation! What a huge blessing!<br />
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We are so very thankful that the Lord blessed us with a great friend (Ronnie), who told us about <i>Magic Moments</i> and encouraged us to fill out an application for a wish. Ronnie was so kind to come over and tell our girls the surprising news of our <i>Walt Disney World</i> trip recently. Our girls were totally excited! <br />
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"Thanks Ronnie" for walking us through this process and "Thank You <i>Magic Moments</i> Contributors" for making this trip possible for our family! We will never forget this experience! And most of all, "Thank You, Lord" for once again blessing our family beyond our wildest dreams!<br />
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PS - Here is the letter that Ronnie brought our girls to read out loud the day he visited them. It was a fun way for them to be surprised with their trip! <br />
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<br />messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-71153883625136085272012-07-16T12:20:00.003-07:002012-07-16T12:41:23.389-07:00Natalie and Mr. Sam<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTTnWfMS9P6tAyEnNM2Jd0iYTFx_nO_qv5PFr90ejPG-EM1nztsD06W8f276b-f54VnXY5dMMaLQJct5HEpj6e47BK6VTj5V6RpT3XEUBn8uzWsP0q-RHA7V4A1eUjdJzHZ9vw6CcvUc/s1600/Me+and+Natalie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTTnWfMS9P6tAyEnNM2Jd0iYTFx_nO_qv5PFr90ejPG-EM1nztsD06W8f276b-f54VnXY5dMMaLQJct5HEpj6e47BK6VTj5V6RpT3XEUBn8uzWsP0q-RHA7V4A1eUjdJzHZ9vw6CcvUc/s320/Me+and+Natalie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Natalie</td></tr>
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Our middle daughter, Natalie, is 5-years-old. She is a very sweet, tenderhearted little girl. She doesn't like to see anyone in the hospital or in pain and hates to even see herself cry as a baby in our home movies. She is very easy to discipline because by just raising your voice the slightest little bit, it causes her to get back into line and obey when she is tempted to stray. <br />
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Natalie loves to visit her daddy at the church office that he works in (Mark is the Education Pastor at our church) when we drop by during the week. Natalie will make the rounds and visit a lot of the secretaries while we are there. She especially loves to visit Mrs. Tammy, who is our worship pastor's secretary. Mrs. Tammy is so sweet to my girls and always has candy at her desk to give them.<br />
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Natalie had the special joy of moving into Mrs. Tammy's Sunday School Class when she turned 5 this past January. She has loved being in that class. Mrs. Tammy's grown daughter, Stacey, helps in the class as well as her sweet husband, Sam. Tammy, Sam and Stacey are all jewels and we love them dearly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our oldest daughter, Elyssa, with Mrs. Tammy, Mr. Sam and Stacey. This photo was taken when Elyssa was in their Sunday School class about a year-and-a-half ago.</td></tr>
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About a month ago, Mrs. Tammy and Mr. Sam invited our family over to their house for a swimming party and cookout. That was the first time we had ever been to their house and we all had such a wonderful time. Part of the reason that Mrs. Tammy wanted my girls to come over was because she wanted to ask them to pray for her as she was leaving soon for a mission trip to Brazil. She gave them a prayer journal and asked them to draw or write prayers in it while she was on her trip. The girls were thrilled to get their journals and couldn't wait to begin drawing and writing in them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7nXxtQTZhu1d9m547g6JRdm_CMjNs6tW9SaUGFtl2k21cOYid66e6gU-iD6HvBfQChImIdYs1fIqqLaluI0iFIJOJloOHgfXXEp1XsuzGq4W8QzQGkSCwj692Jw7FprZQ8o-AsTus_M/s1600/Nat,+Elyssa,+Tammy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7nXxtQTZhu1d9m547g6JRdm_CMjNs6tW9SaUGFtl2k21cOYid66e6gU-iD6HvBfQChImIdYs1fIqqLaluI0iFIJOJloOHgfXXEp1XsuzGq4W8QzQGkSCwj692Jw7FprZQ8o-AsTus_M/s320/Nat,+Elyssa,+Tammy.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elyssa and Natalie swimming with Mrs. Tammy!</td></tr>
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Right before we left Tammy and Sam's house, Sam was telling us of a motorcycle trip that he would be going on the same time that Tammy would be on her Brazil mission trip. As he told us of an 11-mile strip of road in Tennessee that had over 300 curves in it, I had a weird feeling within me and remember having the word "wreck" pop into my brain. I wasn't sure why that happened and never vocalized it to anyone at the time. I just planned to pray for both Sam and Tammy on their trips.<br />
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The next week, on a Sunday afternoon, we were having lunch with a family that we had invited over after church that morning. After eating our lunch, the girls were left to play while the adults continued in conversation. Mark received a text on his cell phone. It was from our pastor's wife who informed him that Sam (who had been on his motorcycle trip with 12 or 13 other friends) was struck by a car and that Sam wasn't doing well. He was being flighted to a hospital in Tennessee. My mind went back to that eerie feeling I had when Sam was telling us about his motorcycle trip at the swimming party. I felt sick to my stomach. We immediately stopped and prayed for him and also for Tammy, who was in Brazil on her mission trip. We didn't know all of the details, but we knew God did. We were praying for God to be gracious and spare Sam's life.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_c9zFR_TGuoFXNAt1IN0BsbPOqs0_-lJlcgV5z51FVnTiIKBK6SVN6vchfOhTV3IdN44d9oSD78vCVIfanRhUF1ny6hQf0lpp451xVPnKMM8poKYv9F893IcnLSGh_v40MsN0lTd37Nc/s1600/554756_10100921696055785_8473108_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_c9zFR_TGuoFXNAt1IN0BsbPOqs0_-lJlcgV5z51FVnTiIKBK6SVN6vchfOhTV3IdN44d9oSD78vCVIfanRhUF1ny6hQf0lpp451xVPnKMM8poKYv9F893IcnLSGh_v40MsN0lTd37Nc/s320/554756_10100921696055785_8473108_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a photo of all of the men who went on the motorcycle trip.</td></tr>
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That afternoon more information came in through phone calls and texts to Mark. We found out that Tammy was in the process of trying to fly back from Brazil to be with Sam. We also found out that Sam was stable but that he was going to lose his left leg. We were so sad for him, but were so thankful that his life was spared. We knew that somehow God would give Sam and Tammy the strength to make it through this trial.<br />
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As the weeks went by, Sam continued to improve. He had to go through several surgeries to prepare his leg to receive a prosthetic leg eventually. We finally were able to see Mr. Sam at church when he was well enough to come. We all gave him big hugs that first Sunday morning he came back, although I could tell that Natalie was acting very shy and scared. She tried to smile but I could tell in her eyes that she was nervous and on the verge of tears. It broke my heart. As much as we wanted her to still love on Mr. Sam as she always had, I could tell this was going to be a challenge for her.<br />
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About a week ago, I was walking Natalie to her Sunday School class. We reached the door of her classroom and I began to fill out the security form with her name on it. Natalie was hiding behind the sign-in desk. I just thought she was playing hide-n-seek with Mrs. Tammy, who had popped out of the room to greet us. I handed Tammy the security form and prompted Natalie to walk in the door. She began to cry. I asked her what was wrong. She told me that Mr. Sam was in the classroom and that she didn't want to go. I hoped I could get her over her fears and talked with her in the hallway. But, no matter how hard I tried to console her and let her know that there was nothing to be afraid of, the more she cried. She was in a panic and couldn't even walk close to the door of the classroom. Tammy assured me that it was okay and that we didn't need to push her to get close to Sam if she wasn't ready yet. I wanted to cry. I felt ashamed that Natalie was so scared of Sam now. I had to end up leaving Natalie in the classroom next door with her younger sister once she calmed down so I could go to "big" church.<br />
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Yesterday when we went to church, Natalie was nervous about going into her Sunday School class. I assured her that Stacey would be helping Mrs. Tammy that day instead of Mr. Sam. Once we got to the room and once she saw that I was telling the truth about Stacy being the helper, she finally went into the classroom. Tammy told Natalie that Mr. Sam had a special present for her and he wanted to give it to her after church. Once the church services were over, we drove our van over to Sam and Tammy's truck. Mr. Sam (on his crutches) and Mrs. Tammy walked up to the van where I had slid open the side door so they could see the girls inside. Natalie quickly hopped from the middle seat, where she had been sitting, into the back seat by her older sister. I could tell she had those nervous eyes again. Mr. Sam talked to Natalie and told her that he had a present for her. I urged Natalie to come to the open door so she could get the gift bag. She quickly got the bag and then darted to the back seat again. She began to open the gift bag. She pulled out some candy and the cutest stuffed teddy bear that had the words "Friends Forever" sewn onto it. Sam told me that there was a card in the bag that he wanted me to read to Natalie. I noticed as Sam was telling me about the card that Natalie's eyes kept gazing down to Sam's shorts. She was checking out his missing leg. I told Natalie to thank Mr. Sam and come hug his neck. She quickly came up and hugged his neck and told him "thank you." She again darted to the back seat. I thanked Sam and Tammy. When I got back into the van and closed the door, I opened the card and read it to Natalie. These words came from my lips as tears streamed down my face:<br />
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"Natalie,<br />
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Five weeks ago God allowed a change to happen to my outer appearance. I know that can be hard to understand and might even be a little scary. I thank God for this change because it was in His plan to make me a better person. So now, I'm not just Mr. Sam; but I'm God's better Mr. Sam that even loves YOU more."<br />
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As I struggle with helping Natalie understand that she doesn't have to be scared of Mr. Sam, I realize that she has to come to terms with everything in her own time. Sometimes I feel ashamed that my child is scared of such a sweet man because he lost his leg in an accident. It makes me so sad. But, I take comfort in knowing that one day (hopefully, soon) Natalie will run up to Mr. Sam without any fear because she remembers who he is on the inside. I pray that she will get past his outward appearance that has changed and that she will cling to the man that she has always loved as a friend.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHq5FxRRUPPMHhc9oc9rIuFejeuc8W86MBFCOuqatH4WiKmwqBsL1ULUs6J3XWc5Nuc_mdtg9gK3Pp39JfOScrhuQ-b6r1WNToZ2Bm1b6ZuTQuSgVBDyMbdkQXPbG4-uleepgZcr-mFU/s1600/IMAG0778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHq5FxRRUPPMHhc9oc9rIuFejeuc8W86MBFCOuqatH4WiKmwqBsL1ULUs6J3XWc5Nuc_mdtg9gK3Pp39JfOScrhuQ-b6r1WNToZ2Bm1b6ZuTQuSgVBDyMbdkQXPbG4-uleepgZcr-mFU/s320/IMAG0778.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natalie fell asleep on her teddy bear the very day Sam gave it to her. She named the bear "Sambo" since the bear was a gift from Mr. Sam.</td></tr>
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In closing, I am reminded of a special Bible verse that I use when speaking publicly about my special needs daughter, Victoria, who has Down syndrome. <br />
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I Samuel 16:7<br />
"For the Lord does not see as man sees: for man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart."<br />
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May we all strive to love as the Lord does!messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-3346928477430028652012-05-22T23:13:00.001-07:002012-05-22T23:13:44.158-07:00One Proud Momma! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victoria's Pre-K End-Of-The-Year program.</td></tr>
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As I sat in the Pre-K classroom at Saraland Elementary School today with lots of other parents, I remember thinking, "I should've brought some tissues with me!" The little 3, 4 and 5-year-old kids started filing into the class with their cute "handprint" t-shirts on while all of us proud parents looked on. All of the kids went to their spots on the classroom rug and got ready for the "End-Of-The-Year" program to start. I sat in-between Mark and my mom and I could tell we were all beaming when Victoria was the first child called up to retrieve her printed name card from the board. She took her name card to her teacher and then she and Mrs. Moore began to spell her name out-loud together. After she finished spelling her name, she put it back on the board and took her seat. I felt so proud of how well Victoria followed her teacher's instructions. That was the first of many other activities and songs that Victoria and her class performed for their audience of family members.<br />
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Mark and I have gone into Victoria's classroom this year many times and provided a "music time" for the kids. We have gotten very attached to all of the children and have seen how much they have all progressed this year. Most of the kids in the class have special needs. Several of the children have autism and could barely speak at the beginning of the year. Some children have birth defects that have delayed their learning development. Victoria is the only child in the classroom with Down syndrome. No matter what each child struggled with at the beginning of the year, it was exciting to see how far they had all come by the end of the school year.</div>
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I think the proudest moment for me was at the end of the program when Mrs. Moore was handing out awards. Victoria didn't win an A Honor Roll or AB Honor Roll award. She didn't even win a Perfect Attendance award because she has been sick a lot this year. But, the award she did win was so special to Mark, my mom and me. She won the "Most Well Known and Most Well Loved Child at Saraland Elementary School." I know this to be true because when I walk Victoria down the hallway each morning to her class, almost every child we pass walking down that hallway says "hello" to Victoria. I hear the children comment as we pass, "She is so cute" or "I just love Victoria." Victoria takes daily walks with her aid to see the secretarial staff, principal and also the lunchroom ladies! Everyone at the school just loves her! It is in moments like today when Victoria received that award that I can almost look into the future and see her being voted Homecoming Queen in high school one day by her class. She is just that lovable and special. </div>
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What a privilege it is for me and Mark to be blessed to raise one of God's "special children." When Victoria was first born I didn't feel that way. I was questioning God back then ... wondering why "I" was having to go through what "I" was going through. I was grieving and sad that Victoria wasn't "normal." Oh how the tables have turned in my heart! I look at Victoria every day and feel blessed to have her. When I put her to bed every night, I look at her sweet face and I am genuinely thankful that I have the opportunity to live life with her. Our family life with Victoria isn't without challenges, but her sweetness makes the trip down the road of life so much easier to walk.  <br />
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<><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzpXdMrKx66MihlHTk5YPJesKQPgpC76nIkmMEd1ZgejmweHX3Jq8pMLq65_KH_F_Zy-3D53Bz42JABcFTchA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </><br />
<a name='more'></a></><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victoria doing hand motions to a song. </td></div>
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messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-22745895431489285112012-03-10T18:11:00.010-08:002012-03-10T18:37:12.918-08:00Birthday Month<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74SC2PRRbEwgpbsNeLbjA8I5idqBK7LpypD4728DODuGPYEG-cs98MkadHXhanA4rltR90q5-7AzTopjttlY6Q5L7UfAXFajQiaA-Rp1zUcyyC6mIjB0KYrQApsI-RZGy1TsZqFVLxYg/s1600/DSC04684.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718461641353950578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74SC2PRRbEwgpbsNeLbjA8I5idqBK7LpypD4728DODuGPYEG-cs98MkadHXhanA4rltR90q5-7AzTopjttlY6Q5L7UfAXFajQiaA-Rp1zUcyyC6mIjB0KYrQApsI-RZGy1TsZqFVLxYg/s200/DSC04684.JPG" /></a>It is hard to believe, but our Victoria turned 4 today (March 10th)! Time has crept by in some ways and flown by in others. These past four years have been filled with many, many things. Many joys, many fears, many unexpected surprises.<br /><br />We continue to learn how to best meet Victoria's needs as a special needs child and we are definitely not experts at it. We still wonder when Victoria will learn to speak clearly, but we are so thankful that she understands everything we tell her and she responds accordingly. We wonder when Victoria will develop a sense of fear that causes her to act cautiously. She still has no understanding of the fact that she could get lost if she wanders away from us. She has no understanding of the fact that she could get hurt if she climbs up on things, etc. I am yearning for the day that those things "click" inside her. It will ease much of the stress I feel these days. I know it is a matter of Victoria growing and maturing and she will eventually "get there." But, today I put aside any worries I have about raising Victoria and I just rejoice in her life and the impact that I've seen it have on others!<br /><br />Something that is WAY harder for me to believe is that I will be turning 40 on March 13th! Where have those 40 years gone? That is unbelieveable! My 40 years have been filled with so many blessings! I cannot begin to count and recall all of the wonderful things that God has done for me in my life. He has been so good to me and to my family. I know there have been hard times somewhere within those 40 years, but the good far has outweighed the bad!<br /><br />I'm so thankful this month for the blessings of life and for a God who never ceases to amaze me!messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-58416652617208176962012-01-31T08:32:00.000-08:002012-01-31T11:41:39.232-08:00The Tooth Hero!<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yFtZw0aX8Z8tOqWLfQO8NbCvAv6dbZGzj9IWPUk8yC73D0ge6AV6CHqJse_FfA5e018ziMfvWESZP862aRPj0WCp3upl_eufr7jKssEscyKpYBNCh8XQa0V_v0RkO7l9l63AVwf7j3s/s1600/DSC04373.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703878074274535746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yFtZw0aX8Z8tOqWLfQO8NbCvAv6dbZGzj9IWPUk8yC73D0ge6AV6CHqJse_FfA5e018ziMfvWESZP862aRPj0WCp3upl_eufr7jKssEscyKpYBNCh8XQa0V_v0RkO7l9l63AVwf7j3s/s200/DSC04373.JPG" /></a>Saturday night was a very exciting night at the Messick house. I was taking Victoria to the restroom before putting her to bed and Elyssa and Natalie were in their room playing. Moments later, I heard Elyssa screaming ... "Momma ... Momma!" She came running in the bathroom and blood was streaming from her mouth. I quickly got Victoria dressed and then had Elyssa lean her face over the sink so the blood could flow into the sink. I turned the faucet on and was trying to gently splash water on her mouth. I asked Elyssa what happened. She said that Natalie had kicked her in the mouth and that her tooth fell out. Her tooth had been very loose for some time now. Her tooth was barely hanging onto the gum and I told her to go ahead and grab the tooth and pull it out. It came out very easily and Elyssa placed the bloody tooth on the countertop in the bathroom. I was yelling for Mark to come to the bathroom so he could see what was going on, but he didn't come initially. He was on his phone and then was helping Natalie get some paper towels for Elyssa's mouth. I imagine, too, that he wasn't too eager to see all of the bloody goo coming from Elyssa's mouth anyway.<br /></div><br /><div>A<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQX52SzdV1xc_uGkpwRDXC1QQhV1YEVCD65ezVzPzRSQUDLpynuoMRpa2U8H6HWU14LHLirB3-mTkAzlHW0AEqmOJIV0P27tnIAAVUt1sEaHNNvgkkzGB0saAe2UkuftpZOjcXueMGpI/s1600/DSC04403.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703878080808097682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQX52SzdV1xc_uGkpwRDXC1QQhV1YEVCD65ezVzPzRSQUDLpynuoMRpa2U8H6HWU14LHLirB3-mTkAzlHW0AEqmOJIV0P27tnIAAVUt1sEaHNNvgkkzGB0saAe2UkuftpZOjcXueMGpI/s200/DSC04403.JPG" /></a>fter Natalie brought me some paper towels, I grabbed them and told Elyssa to hold it over her gum where it was bleeding. Elyssa was pretty freaked out at seeing so much blood. She's never seen anything quite like that before. Mark eventually entered the bathroom and asked to see the tooth. We looked on the countertop and it was nowhere to be found! I knew it was there at one point because I saw Elyssa place it there. I had no idea what had happened to it. So, now that Elyssa wasn't bleeding all over the place, our attention focused on trying to find the lost tooth. I was so upset that this was Elyssa's first tooth to lose and now it was lost.<br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioX-ZKNAIO6LQIqrph7Tw3ugyk2OhF0x63rbxAO5M7JzMqPXBtXUofMkw1pZwHJvvJIiYIbozMuiqvKJ521ZnWsIP0vj51bO2Y5d_LNt5_aoOTe_6Z407MXmSy_bsKhGnfVrueFt6hK6U/s1600/DSC04405.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703878088542338114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioX-ZKNAIO6LQIqrph7Tw3ugyk2OhF0x63rbxAO5M7JzMqPXBtXUofMkw1pZwHJvvJIiYIbozMuiqvKJ521ZnWsIP0vj51bO2Y5d_LNt5_aoOTe_6Z407MXmSy_bsKhGnfVrueFt6hK6U/s200/DSC04405.JPG" /></a>We asked Natalie if she had seen it and come to find out, Natalie picked up the tooth and placed it in the paper towels that I had grabbed to put on Elyssa's mouth. Natalie started crying when she realized that she may have lost the tooth. So, here was Natalie crying ... us searching the bathroom like crazy ... Elyssa looking in her bloody paper towel for the tooth ... Elyssa was crying because she thought she wouldn't get anything from the Tooth Fairy without her having her tooth! It was a frantic atmosphere. But, we couldn't find the tooth anywhere!<br /></div><br /><div>I told Mark that maybe we just needed to get over the fact that we will not be able to have a tooth to put in Elyssa's Tooth Fairy pillow. I know it sounds silly, but Mark and I were so sad that Elyssa's first ever tooth to fall out was lost forever!<br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwCO7ShNOcZOh883OCnBqz_8dXheXe3s66PEfAGkz5JhBph0LMR2M3lv3OcpRFankJgwkW5Vhla8YH53YnYSmQvk0dLr13PPFKS3SzAVgcjPCJYdgmsDa5z7hqvr3K4z4ib4EcmduFYE/s1600/DSC04380.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703878100931637970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwCO7ShNOcZOh883OCnBqz_8dXheXe3s66PEfAGkz5JhBph0LMR2M3lv3OcpRFankJgwkW5Vhla8YH53YnYSmQvk0dLr13PPFKS3SzAVgcjPCJYdgmsDa5z7hqvr3K4z4ib4EcmduFYE/s200/DSC04380.JPG" /></a>I had Elyssa write the Tooth Fairy a letter. She told the Tooth Fairy that she had lost her first tooth, but she was still asking for money!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br />I decided to try and get the girls all in the bed and give up the search. Natalie eventually fell asleep and I had Elyssa in the bed. She had not yet fallen asleep. I was in Victoria's room patting her on the back ... trying to get her to sleep, when I heard a noise in the bathroom. It sounded like Mark was sawing the drain pipes in the bathroom off to find the tooth. I went into the bathroom, followed by Elyssa and Victoria and there was Mark with our Dyson vacuum cleaner. He had made some sort of tube contraption on the end of the vacuum cleaner and had sucked Elyssa's tooth out of the drain! He was standing there as proud as could be holding her tooth. I felt like I was looking at a hero! I couldn't believe he was able to recover the tooth. I just knew it was gone forever!<br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5VEAuwoBb6u9JWsyJsphuj6qhQaEixvGBYKC5vZQkVpTR52uJ5_Xt9PGyFo1V_zCfiEVXle8eehvMbw11Lvdn0GJZobzZbUYlZfx3U2WzgZZWuvBVmJDhQ-_0ugb-l_14eCDEL6qQ-o/s1600/DSC04408.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703880068502363474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5VEAuwoBb6u9JWsyJsphuj6qhQaEixvGBYKC5vZQkVpTR52uJ5_Xt9PGyFo1V_zCfiEVXle8eehvMbw11Lvdn0GJZobzZbUYlZfx3U2WzgZZWuvBVmJDhQ-_0ugb-l_14eCDEL6qQ-o/s200/DSC04408.JPG" /></a>We were so excited that Elyssa was going to be able to put her tooth in her special tooth pillow that night after all! Mark is our "Tooth Hero!"<br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6xigvmJOFF4KAHJUoStj38xRa9bh5Et20CRmoptBxtyI5qCFtxVXW_VKTgmi2hIVygZaqiu52DsKwcIYWpVv9TWhfxuKl5-KK805Frt9INElA-dl7HgTemvVv-JF2NVKOMBy4eXcx9M/s1600/DSC04421.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703878104725747154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6xigvmJOFF4KAHJUoStj38xRa9bh5Et20CRmoptBxtyI5qCFtxVXW_VKTgmi2hIVygZaqiu52DsKwcIYWpVv9TWhfxuKl5-KK805Frt9INElA-dl7HgTemvVv-JF2NVKOMBy4eXcx9M/s200/DSC04421.JPG" /></a>Here is a copy of Elyssa's new letter to the Tooth Fairy, after we found the tooth!</div>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-59892459164206106102012-01-23T20:09:00.000-08:002012-01-23T20:24:34.828-08:00Just A Swingin'!This video of Victoria was taken recently at my parent's house. She loves playing on the swing set they have in their yard! This is just proof, once again, that special needs children can do just as much as a "normal" child in many cases. <br /><br />Always place value on each little life! Even the life that isn't labeled as "normal" can be the biggest blessing to you! <br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyf9CpsNdeX9xhxgM0FUF9ifj9oPJorPKT8tg3odu7UBnKh7z-f9ht78dnoI9ggYQnN0fzvh0ufR2SDLsFZaw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-4266958150321321402011-11-28T09:13:00.001-08:002011-11-28T10:15:32.428-08:00Thankful Hearts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSeKoRLsDsHT5bOp6wsoXp1uYR1e_Cq243wDnwv5LOrMKQn2oIq6muywliSKIBS_Pxov0YcNIvlpVJAEdjGqZLNt24N_umNZ3VJjZOTRD1Fu23wA6GGnD2A-Diu_fpIEb3a91qAlDXP4/s1600/M1530076.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680111618350637570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSeKoRLsDsHT5bOp6wsoXp1uYR1e_Cq243wDnwv5LOrMKQn2oIq6muywliSKIBS_Pxov0YcNIvlpVJAEdjGqZLNt24N_umNZ3VJjZOTRD1Fu23wA6GGnD2A-Diu_fpIEb3a91qAlDXP4/s200/M1530076.JPG" /></a>Happy Thanksgiving to all! The Messick family had a wonderful holiday week last week and I wanted to share a few of the photos we took.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXt4CdIIXxq6G4TYSWA8XjG1syvKIIOJPcHJEwb8dUrQoTnlDawMR7v5_0EVuMOKzz3iUBkzJkNLqzIloGhSA3o4JkkARxdPTBtTCcG_G79xKYxbe7PRShUKvW9Vx_e0bSIluthdYf8hk/s1600/M1530028.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680111615899904274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXt4CdIIXxq6G4TYSWA8XjG1syvKIIOJPcHJEwb8dUrQoTnlDawMR7v5_0EVuMOKzz3iUBkzJkNLqzIloGhSA3o4JkkARxdPTBtTCcG_G79xKYxbe7PRShUKvW9Vx_e0bSIluthdYf8hk/s200/M1530028.JPG" /></a>I am so thankful for my husband and girls! They are such a blessing to my life. God has been so good to our family and we praise Him for always being so faithful to us. </div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div>I pray you all had a great holiday and took a few moments out of your schedule to thank the Lord for all of His blessings! </div>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-9474877769342898952011-09-07T06:51:00.000-07:002011-09-07T07:49:18.889-07:00School Is Here!<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpI5yb0xBhxwNYALLtMZeC1TAIr1UimbHDrdrvsiTz5G4s-wnCvv225sIVDidsvd8WamMRlnda1Webzdx7X2OIXnYDSG-B_jwJoIKPK0IDLCs0fHVupXrV3HC-JHWM_Cc1qAXtPv_xPDQ/s1600/M1270006.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649622324688612850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpI5yb0xBhxwNYALLtMZeC1TAIr1UimbHDrdrvsiTz5G4s-wnCvv225sIVDidsvd8WamMRlnda1Webzdx7X2OIXnYDSG-B_jwJoIKPK0IDLCs0fHVupXrV3HC-JHWM_Cc1qAXtPv_xPDQ/s200/M1270006.JPG" /></a>I can't believe summer has already ended and school is back in full swing! Here are some updates on how the kiddos are doing!<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4Llr1M-H4MpU2vZm3F5kutqGLDxSBPr5pDKkGPeWyAn8EuAX3clzFiJ6qQZ5xUzBzMkwQm-81UAald5dWyTtv0uwD1LdLtdeC_W8Qkj3BXpeE-Fefqzno-FW6pGWblI8uDBpqqp3giY/s1600/M1280003.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649622327942567362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4Llr1M-H4MpU2vZm3F5kutqGLDxSBPr5pDKkGPeWyAn8EuAX3clzFiJ6qQZ5xUzBzMkwQm-81UAald5dWyTtv0uwD1LdLtdeC_W8Qkj3BXpeE-Fefqzno-FW6pGWblI8uDBpqqp3giY/s200/M1280003.JPG" /></a>My oldest, Elyssa, is in 1st grade and we are finding that homework for Elyssa has definitely increased from last year. I think Elyssa is better at times at getting her homework done, but then on other occasions she has little breakdowns. She'll cry and say, "I don't want to do any more work!" She asks me why she is the only one having to do homework. She wants to know why Natalie doesn't have homework. I'll remind her that when she was 4-years-old that she didn't have homework either. It is amazing how a 2-minute reading assignment can drag out into a 30-minute ordeal! Ah, the drama that comes with this girl!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>My middle daughter, Natalie, is in 4K and loving it. Natalie comes home, makes pallets all over her bedroom floor and puts babies on all of them. She will turn out the lights and turn on lullaby music. She will tell all of her babies to go to sleep and she even takes names of the babies that talk out of turn! Attention, Mrs. March! Natalie must mimic everything you do when she gets home! Ha! We have already seen in Natalie a natural-born teacher!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Our special little girl, Victoria, is in an inclusive P<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error" style="color:#000000;">re</span>-K class in the public elementary school. Victoria is the only child in the class with Downs so far. The other children either have autism or learning disabilities. There may be a child or two in the classroom that are considered "typical" children. Victoria has already stolen the hearts of her teachers, principal, cafeteria workers ... pretty much everyone at the school! Victoria is still so tiny, so it is funny to see her walking down the school hallway to her class with a backpack on her back. She has quickly gotten into the routine of her class. She unpacks her backpack when she enters the classroom and quickly goes to her seat. She sees an Occupational Therapist and Speech Therapist at school and is progressing, but at a slower rate. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAq0XRWLN6Eydbn9ZP4Hcp0jbcXGTek526JQwRQQkQHipcBHT8cQKWIEXWB_8dNQSaGC_G_ohdfSbFJ4Rx35vr5k499F7nytEp7x0fl4l3Yky2C-QQEbsNQ_mo526iopTiCwuKG_HXLg/s1600/M1290004.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649624151642495810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAq0XRWLN6Eydbn9ZP4Hcp0jbcXGTek526JQwRQQkQHipcBHT8cQKWIEXWB_8dNQSaGC_G_ohdfSbFJ4Rx35vr5k499F7nytEp7x0fl4l3Yky2C-QQEbsNQ_mo526iopTiCwuKG_HXLg/s200/M1290004.JPG" /></a>Mark and I have had the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">privilege</span> of going into Victoria's classroom on Fridays and leading the kids in a fun music time. We have really enjoyed being able to be a small part of what goes on in the classroom and hope to leave the kids with some fun memories from this year.<br /></div><br /><div>To conclude this update, we want to give a big "thank you" to all of the wonderful teachers helping our kids along in their learning journey! You are all a blessing to us!!</div>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-89175143788198974912011-06-17T20:53:00.000-07:002011-07-14T08:04:54.634-07:00"Momma!"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ucz__Oq9DST9yG9JoCCgOSGaqTlrdUtMUCRl5rmuJZ47vuXc6lYvH3lRqN4TbsCmhhvaMn0AtOa7hUt4W7F1To_qvYsLNah_J77i-fl0-Ab4uWV05hWB22fcW8xAFl_5Od9KEWWcy-U/s1600/DSC04134.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628938721171785538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ucz__Oq9DST9yG9JoCCgOSGaqTlrdUtMUCRl5rmuJZ47vuXc6lYvH3lRqN4TbsCmhhvaMn0AtOa7hUt4W7F1To_qvYsLNah_J77i-fl0-Ab4uWV05hWB22fcW8xAFl_5Od9KEWWcy-U/s200/DSC04134.JPG" /></a>When Victoria was born with Down syndrome, I was told that many things about her (speech, mental and physical abilities) would be delayed. For a new mother of a special needs child, this was devastating. I wondered how I would cope with seeing Victoria pass the "normal" milestones that typical children master so easily without a hint of her being close to performing those same activities anytime soon.<br /><br /><br /><div>One thing that continually grieved me was that Victoria had not ever been able to say my name. She had turned 3-years-old in March and had never uttered "Momma." I know Mark felt such joy and pride that Victoria had been able to say "Da Da" shortly after she turned 2-years-old and I was proud for him. But, boy! I longed to hear my little girl call to me when she needed me to meet her needs. I began to wonder how long it would take her to finally say my name. As time passed, I wondered ... "Will she ever be able to say Momma?" I held out hope that her tiny mouth would be able to eventually process the sounds.<br /></div><br /><div>I am happy to report that soon after Victoria's 3rd birthday I began hearing what I thought to be her saying "Baah Baah." I wasn't sure if she was really attempting to call to me with that verbalization or not. But, with time I could see that she grew in confidence as she spoke directly to me using those "words." I told Mark, "I think that is her way of saying 'Momma!'"<br /></div><br /><div>As every day passes, I know for a fact that Victoria is saying my name. Like when she climbs up on top of the tall stainless garbage can in the pantry and forcefully yells, "Baah Baah" over and over until I come grab whatever snack she is reaching for. Or, when I get out of the car to pump gas into the gas tank and I see her waving heartily at me through the window, yelling, "Baah Baah" to get my attention.<br /></div><br /><div>What a joy it is to see Victoria realizing that speech is a powerful way to communicate things she needs or wants! I wondered if I would ever see this day come! I was praying and holding out hope that it would. The God who formed precious Victoria has given her a voice and He is helping her slowly put sounds into a few words that we can now understand. What an awesome process it is to witness!<br /></div><br /><div>God has been very gracious to me. He has helped me through every phase of Victoria's life so far, accepting that she'll eventually get where she needs to be. And, when Victoria does meet each milestone, it isn't without hard work on her part and a big celebration on the part of her family!<br /></div><br /><div>PS - I've attached a video of Victoria saying "Momma." Enjoy and celebrate with us!</div><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwzz8kcuYb5a6v3SSCP1PNBn35MBk-TKGyVgmOdbZI5lXjKa5Lhzn7JkUVrF4Pq3XFJFiwTlMbf_lZMLm8YDg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-23825987900798210722011-05-24T22:02:00.000-07:002011-05-24T22:29:27.569-07:00Where Is My Shoe?<div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_nM40rwHcqw35RQO7Ac-U5VY_6ZjnGlwrDTfkXydYl-NhiibxsrigOsUUvYUTbT4msTuDBXhDID68TPIxVHU_KYdArDhKxJqGpScjO1plCliHmFrqKuppzsFUryUQYB-zEWiRXZyxZA/s1600/M1020002.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610521025479505650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_nM40rwHcqw35RQO7Ac-U5VY_6ZjnGlwrDTfkXydYl-NhiibxsrigOsUUvYUTbT4msTuDBXhDID68TPIxVHU_KYdArDhKxJqGpScjO1plCliHmFrqKuppzsFUryUQYB-zEWiRXZyxZA/s200/M1020002.JPG" /></a>Things in the Messick household frequently go missing these days. Right now I cannot find my left tennis shoe (which is a nice tennis shoe, mind you!) or my toothbrush. Most every day we find items in the trash can that somehow were deposited there. Or, we find items misplaced in other drawers in the kitchen. </div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9gYzbjLf8EilHaTcZRqzw4BAqrbKggBxZ5Xsha6v56LDhvsrAj7lto5-eMf0IGsArLHoYFpG6lZ09VjYOaAzSZ-aEOX5EZ41uatrBt0CETQzYZMBRSp2l4-QVZNwjanJJeTN36QAtb0/s1600/M1000032.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610521028543006338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9gYzbjLf8EilHaTcZRqzw4BAqrbKggBxZ5Xsha6v56LDhvsrAj7lto5-eMf0IGsArLHoYFpG6lZ09VjYOaAzSZ-aEOX5EZ41uatrBt0CETQzYZMBRSp2l4-QVZNwjanJJeTN36QAtb0/s200/M1000032.JPG" /></a>What is the reason for this phenomenon? Who is the little guilty party of all of these strange disappearances and happenings in our home? Well, we have a special little gal named Victoria Jayne who is the culprit! </div><br /><br /><div>Victoria has a thing for our cabinets, drawers, garbage cans and pantry these days. The only thing I can figure is that maybe Victoria is feeling "big-time" now that she is tall enough to reach drawers and shelves in the house. She is constantly opening drawers, raiding the pantry and pulling items out of place. It is a big job to keep the house in any type of order ... which doesn't happen very often! </div><br /><br /><div>To date, I cannot tell you how many pieces of silverware or utensils that I "may have" thrown away by mistake! And, I can only assume that maybe my good tennis shoe found its way into our big kitchen garbage can and I may have thrown it out without realizing it was in there. </div><br /><br /><div>Oh well! I guess one day my house will find order again and in the meantime these little mishaps give me good reason to go shopping! </div></div>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-76099066237223523732011-05-06T07:48:00.000-07:002011-05-06T11:31:00.171-07:009 Years Already?<div><br /><div><br /><div><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUHtDTKzQaZOAaBB7AgSvefnPuXl0u-kR0JeZe0yVbc2yN6NxEcIgwD4JEboxPFpKG0niLq0Te6hP1qbFLWWSnsJfAfRYsCSpv4l-fOu5GlK5ZcbYj3uKTx5EoFDeoVXIoCRGLKVIV9U/s1600/MarkHeatherWedding.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 159px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603632181765141154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUHtDTKzQaZOAaBB7AgSvefnPuXl0u-kR0JeZe0yVbc2yN6NxEcIgwD4JEboxPFpKG0niLq0Te6hP1qbFLWWSnsJfAfRYsCSpv4l-fOu5GlK5ZcbYj3uKTx5EoFDeoVXIoCRGLKVIV9U/s200/MarkHeatherWedding.jpg" /></a></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">I want to say a simple "Happy Anniversary" to my wonderful husband of 9 years! On May 4, 2002, Mark and I said our "I do's" and it has been a full journey of life together ever since!<br /></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"></span></span></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzHMFY3Gq3opPgULfIVZIjXkOQ2MBfYqSFnCmbdZO948dmsaYtgOVheHcjM50Nsdvhv6rn9QNVoL8hgnnBqhH67JlJoldHJXlTTJmSIk0hQUbLkIX6cRaAh364Yf5e0zqrXS8tB6Or4Y/s1600/NorthMobile.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603633149582788690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzHMFY3Gq3opPgULfIVZIjXkOQ2MBfYqSFnCmbdZO948dmsaYtgOVheHcjM50Nsdvhv6rn9QNVoL8hgnnBqhH67JlJoldHJXlTTJmSIk0hQUbLkIX6cRaAh364Yf5e0zqrXS8tB6Or4Y/s200/NorthMobile.jpg" /></a>In our 9 years together, we have served at the same church in Saraland, AL (First Baptist North Mobile), which is a big part of our life. We have loved being a part of that ministry!<br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>We were blessed to have 3 little girls (in 33 months) that we adore.<br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXv8j9BKcu5kk5BiDuLGny_XZC61uvOyBDjcKxO5PUtfk-mw8YGgmLAGqohdIjnbAwljx0uUCW1c_QEM7GRvKhv5s82j8NplNVQ92SYkUqfnpqzApjYZSQ1_Sn4RUyudJ16h4YcY805bA/s1600/DSCN0078.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603629919381959218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXv8j9BKcu5kk5BiDuLGny_XZC61uvOyBDjcKxO5PUtfk-mw8YGgmLAGqohdIjnbAwljx0uUCW1c_QEM7GRvKhv5s82j8NplNVQ92SYkUqfnpqzApjYZSQ1_Sn4RUyudJ16h4YcY805bA/s200/DSCN0078.JPG" /></a>Our first sweet girl came in 2005 and we named her Elyssa. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaZD9X2LL9M8YoQhriF_v0upTB3Qy0K76lFRDoB0blWzWTci21PgxNAj_O0rog2wqFw2-8avVZwTD57sxZxc0q8f9sYmysTWgFkt7SNlszr8aSvvEJMpMs6LB1beosmle55lvYkT74Ko/s1600/DSCN2781.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603629921508863058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaZD9X2LL9M8YoQhriF_v0upTB3Qy0K76lFRDoB0blWzWTci21PgxNAj_O0rog2wqFw2-8avVZwTD57sxZxc0q8f9sYmysTWgFkt7SNlszr8aSvvEJMpMs6LB1beosmle55lvYkT74Ko/s200/DSCN2781.JPG" /></a>Our second little girl came in 2007 and we named her Natalie. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MteYv-IjtAZUJhlyefVtoSQsrHuFt-KSVfhBp_MfyivXrGbwRtYUbUgK47nC2lcrLz9QAmYZV9yawokQPhJrXZw1ATqqyiioVhAGmTJxFyVrrkScQIkAZgA4LH9KixenR0rH07Ga5vg/s1600/VicDayRushedToHospital.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603629928768279714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MteYv-IjtAZUJhlyefVtoSQsrHuFt-KSVfhBp_MfyivXrGbwRtYUbUgK47nC2lcrLz9QAmYZV9yawokQPhJrXZw1ATqqyiioVhAGmTJxFyVrrkScQIkAZgA4LH9KixenR0rH07Ga5vg/s200/VicDayRushedToHospital.JPG" /></a>We entered the world of the "special needs community" when we had our third little girl in 2008. We named her Victoria. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjruOywP9_0FHCuVqvVgqymhUli1QY26iXszIsreM2uR2ODVwWtlJ_xIKzEBgT_YNnbIHQJDVe0AaNAPhyphenhyphen7_GXXnDLcz-2MB6KTXm1tx8pcXrAdisJxei0bjxc4lhCtsJR5PONspEMg_os/s1600/HuggingVicAfterSurgery.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603629929411068530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjruOywP9_0FHCuVqvVgqymhUli1QY26iXszIsreM2uR2ODVwWtlJ_xIKzEBgT_YNnbIHQJDVe0AaNAPhyphenhyphen7_GXXnDLcz-2MB6KTXm1tx8pcXrAdisJxei0bjxc4lhCtsJR5PONspEMg_os/s200/HuggingVicAfterSurgery.JPG" /></a>In 2008, our youngest girl, Victoria, had open-heart surgery and you better believe that draws a couple closer because of the emotional nature of such a surgery. </div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAsy7X0ISynOrVb1xOcdm4hBrcsul6p7L8cn3kYjO2riMSLGT3M1U0FeLGwPpC-iLT9IIpkpSRC6iUlwwORU36Bwk3_2uT1RSxk6rviEcmjAnNueNNnxXs12MIraPeXnEFHpHow0qYyA/s1600/DSC00506.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603629933992236418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAsy7X0ISynOrVb1xOcdm4hBrcsul6p7L8cn3kYjO2riMSLGT3M1U0FeLGwPpC-iLT9IIpkpSRC6iUlwwORU36Bwk3_2uT1RSxk6rviEcmjAnNueNNnxXs12MIraPeXnEFHpHow0qYyA/s200/DSC00506.JPG" /></a>Along the way, God has blessed Mark with many speaking engagements. He is a wonderful communicator!</div><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31N1S41oii3VtcLrlpFUYTPtlf6I7XKd_u2Wfjf0QQUGLvsdCRSTM1h0vYkzqfj12PKTsH2SBn_8jknmGm1j_yMTs6-Kqbi-Eq-UwSbu7hUmiuMCCKdMsxLAlgWfjQifSg4cVExGX4mM/s1600/DSC03877.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603636820674046850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31N1S41oii3VtcLrlpFUYTPtlf6I7XKd_u2Wfjf0QQUGLvsdCRSTM1h0vYkzqfj12PKTsH2SBn_8jknmGm1j_yMTs6-Kqbi-Eq-UwSbu7hUmiuMCCKdMsxLAlgWfjQifSg4cVExGX4mM/s200/DSC03877.JPG" /></a>God has also opened up lots of opportunities for me in the way of speaking and singing engagements at women's events.<br /><br />It has been so wonderful to share in some of these engagements together as a couple. We experience so much joy through encouraging others and reminding them that God loves them and wants to walk with them in a personal way on their journey of life. We would've never have imagined how wonderfully God could take everything we have experienced as a couple and as parents and use it to minister to others.<br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:+0;"></span></div><br /><div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ab61-4w4RNrBOWUBid1Mhg8Y44Qqdw_0ZcLwaPd4WQUndrWoTLCba-YqjiWaa1d8sZNFKrhQt5R7fle3vzm_ynU5bXXmZbf_u_z7tDKVCVsD0hhs7M6w_pLSw8YN0z8I1UOJStZNGyg/s1600/DSC03694.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603636814131006642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ab61-4w4RNrBOWUBid1Mhg8Y44Qqdw_0ZcLwaPd4WQUndrWoTLCba-YqjiWaa1d8sZNFKrhQt5R7fle3vzm_ynU5bXXmZbf_u_z7tDKVCVsD0hhs7M6w_pLSw8YN0z8I1UOJStZNGyg/s200/DSC03694.JPG" /></a>We have had our ups and downs as any other couple does in marriage, but we know that God had a plan in placing us together. We have laughed together, cried together, been overweight together! You name it and we have probably experienced it! But, through the past 9 years we have just been thankful to be able to experience life together!<br /><br />Happy Anniversary, Mark Douglas Messick! I love you!</div></div>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-5515516629690794852011-04-22T20:23:00.000-07:002011-04-23T11:29:23.988-07:00A First Time For Everything<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKr0HTPrW6VyOiRkXM28zaeSDdxxGoY2C-7vTYWhUEIri4Nm2pdVL1fkAbupyVzbTyO-WJZ_DeWe0vX4XXNL5MaJbHkY-jGzknZOeT_Ae9hE5tbHRcrlvDQGbcO-d3I8J-k_KULEyY2I/s1600/DSC03699.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598622727943292370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKr0HTPrW6VyOiRkXM28zaeSDdxxGoY2C-7vTYWhUEIri4Nm2pdVL1fkAbupyVzbTyO-WJZ_DeWe0vX4XXNL5MaJbHkY-jGzknZOeT_Ae9hE5tbHRcrlvDQGbcO-d3I8J-k_KULEyY2I/s200/DSC03699.JPG" /></a>This week I had the opportunity to minister to a sweet group of ladies in Camden, AL. Their annual event called "A Day In Spring" took place on Thursday and I was asked to come as the guest singer/speaker for the event. I shared my testimony of being a mother of a child with special needs and how faithful God has been to our family. To conclude my speaking session with the ladies, I sang my video song about Victoria ("She Is God's Child"). For a while now I've really wanted Elyssa (Victoria's older sister) to sing the first verse and chorus of the song with me. When I wrote the song, it was always my intention for Victoria's sisters to eventually sing the song with me in that way. Well, Thursday was the very first time that Elyssa sang the song with me in a public setting and it was absolutely precious. As a matter of fact, most of the women were already crying by the time Elyssa finished the first chorus of the song. It was so special for me to share this experience with Elyssa. I look forward to her doing this more with me in the future! And, Natalie (my middle daughter) is already asking when she'll be able to sing with us! So, she'll probably be up there with Elyssa soon singing right along!<br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>I feel so privileged to share the gift of music with ALL of my daughters! And, not only am I able to share the gift of music with them ... I'm sharing the truth of God's love and faithfulness with them at the same time!<br /></div><br /><div>PS - I'm including a video of Elyssa singing her portion of "She Is God's Child" from the sound check we had on Thursday morning so you can hear how great she did!<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyk88F05kpZixyUtaDUukby9OaA31COJA6-9sRkaAYkcBW5myzuTKvNhpkUoyXUdpgqZsA_lxVAUywPHYbmqA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-731046880743331672011-04-18T22:00:00.000-07:002011-04-18T22:31:12.804-07:00It's A Small World<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXI_7E3obrtyx9g6hSoheKDNx8vNRs8Na0EA5opVsJfrq8FjQCPxPeONocHp40YoCN_REhcGKh4Orw9iSlLuQe2withn7X_5V0FK81wM6rxfZzJu6Poc-NNMK0NU5duzMMFkWTHfzK-cs/s1600/Disney.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597162643813936050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXI_7E3obrtyx9g6hSoheKDNx8vNRs8Na0EA5opVsJfrq8FjQCPxPeONocHp40YoCN_REhcGKh4Orw9iSlLuQe2withn7X_5V0FK81wM6rxfZzJu6Poc-NNMK0NU5duzMMFkWTHfzK-cs/s200/Disney.bmp" /></a>On our recent visit to Disney's Magic Kingdom we, of course, had to visit the <em>It's A Small World</em> ride! We had two of our three little girls with us, so we actually had to ride it twice! The first time we rode the ride, the girls were enamored with it. It was one of their favorite rides and it was one of the first rides they actually rode upon us entering the Magic Kingdom for the day. <br /><div></div><br /><div>Mark and I will never forget the couple of comments our oldest little girl (5 1/2 years) made while on that ride. Here are her comments:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Elyssa's First Comment:</div><br /><div><em>"The people are singing and so happy because they are celebrating Jesus' birth!"</em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Elyssa's Second Comment:</div><br /><div><span style="font-size:78%;">(The girls saw all of the coins people had tossed into the water on the ride and wanted to toss in a penny each and make a wish.)</span></div><br /><div><em>"My wish was that Jesus would be my Lord and Savior forever and ever!"</em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Elyssa's Third Comment: </div><br /><div><em>"Natalie's wish was that she would be a mermaid."</em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Elyssa's Fourth Comment:</div><br /><div><em>"Natalie's wish won't come true, but my wish WILL come true!"</em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>We had a good laugh over the mermaid comment! But, you know ... we are amazed sometimes at the spiritual things our children say. It is in those moments that we realize ... they really do glean things from church and hopefully, from Mark and me.</div>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-69270729830591684222011-04-11T18:47:00.000-07:002011-04-11T19:14:39.644-07:00Ministering With Family<div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4C2Uizz8NljRXbfk3oKvzRl6hin2q-ofexKy1wcwlltlfpJQY8YjvfYucFCJEAJpJlVYYip1WoB1MMhWIqWwTDVLU7LCNCHARQXk9Gjn9VRhkt9Xfn7fsJl59Gxryqp59UjJOWPt6is0/s1600/DNow.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594514040416821202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4C2Uizz8NljRXbfk3oKvzRl6hin2q-ofexKy1wcwlltlfpJQY8YjvfYucFCJEAJpJlVYYip1WoB1MMhWIqWwTDVLU7LCNCHARQXk9Gjn9VRhkt9Xfn7fsJl59Gxryqp59UjJOWPt6is0/s200/DNow.jpg" /></a>This past weekend Mark and I had the priviledge of ministering at my brother's church (First Baptist Church of Mount Dora) in Florida. Mark was the guest speaker at their Disciple Now and I helped my brother, Alan, with the worship music for the event. We had a great time being with their church family. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzMzTSiEt-Y45UsqTRIcnz7nRDZQA73TKC6ZulPU-Ge80f_1OLZs5rsXcG-skpMMhiO5M6klfrt1AEVrqA0qYfp546_ZeV55BMrfA8fr8DPqHA9KxOlH8ApSjnPAw060u5rCB9Hsxl2Y/s1600/MountDora.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594514046592625506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzMzTSiEt-Y45UsqTRIcnz7nRDZQA73TKC6ZulPU-Ge80f_1OLZs5rsXcG-skpMMhiO5M6klfrt1AEVrqA0qYfp546_ZeV55BMrfA8fr8DPqHA9KxOlH8ApSjnPAw060u5rCB9Hsxl2Y/s200/MountDora.jpg" /></a>Alan also asked me to share my testimony and several songs with the church family in the worship service on Sunday morning. The people there were such a blessing to us.</div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQvLO53lspDd25RdNMV3NX9KmAXmdwEMbnvS_ilJwY0WV3eBMey0JAecsWSQlb08g12gdhWi1BGR2Bl_g4gvRyw0hP1zSwWHpxLabJmQmCEhsI1AnV9fY7zAi-UmXoN1IRbTSb8LcN5uU/s1600/Disney.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594514035445825314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQvLO53lspDd25RdNMV3NX9KmAXmdwEMbnvS_ilJwY0WV3eBMey0JAecsWSQlb08g12gdhWi1BGR2Bl_g4gvRyw0hP1zSwWHpxLabJmQmCEhsI1AnV9fY7zAi-UmXoN1IRbTSb8LcN5uU/s200/Disney.jpg" /></a>We left a few days before the weekend events we had planned at the church so we could enjoy some time with Elyssa and Natalie at a few of the Disney parks. It was their first time to visit the parks and we all had a wonderful time! My parents were gracious enough to keep Victoria for us while we were out of town. We knew it would be such a busy week and weekend. It would've really tired Victoria out. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_jRYdacF9Uu0gtRud9lM4J-6rEs-MoNNWPq_zik_q4VnRSpEIpgtRKMPAurvnwhpXPyybPBvqp4EzxwwMRJmWaXZBDu9iS58SmHCa2PvGh4DyrBG0crbyYvw781RwcUY982PKk36CrM/s1600/Family.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594514044332848722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_jRYdacF9Uu0gtRud9lM4J-6rEs-MoNNWPq_zik_q4VnRSpEIpgtRKMPAurvnwhpXPyybPBvqp4EzxwwMRJmWaXZBDu9iS58SmHCa2PvGh4DyrBG0crbyYvw781RwcUY982PKk36CrM/s200/Family.jpg" /></a>God moved in a powerful way this weekend and we felt so blessed to be able to minister with my brother and his family! </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div></div></div>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-32782666090733779802011-03-13T19:39:00.000-07:002011-03-14T07:09:31.985-07:00What A Wonderful Life!As I sit at my computer tonight, I still cannot believe I am now 39! Thirty-nine years have flown by. If I were to be honest, I've actually reflected over those years today in an act of counting my blessings. Here is a little bit of the recount I've had of my years.<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwBIqRqo05QzIx09x549osmp9NIHV6OySD3_VVOCa2fnRIss-d2e3RxJ38c0zoMHnS6Dn-Z-_UTy2Ig9LqESGeMC6imW6kfqnieA_CWoV0ncCLDLfOHtzBdoAiMR4v7kcBu_N89OfvAs/s1600/BabyHeather.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 137px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583774080977344834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwBIqRqo05QzIx09x549osmp9NIHV6OySD3_VVOCa2fnRIss-d2e3RxJ38c0zoMHnS6Dn-Z-_UTy2Ig9LqESGeMC6imW6kfqnieA_CWoV0ncCLDLfOHtzBdoAiMR4v7kcBu_N89OfvAs/s200/BabyHeather.jpg" /></a>I was born on March 13th, 1972. I weighed 6lbs 1oz and was 19 inches long. My parents gave me the name Heather Christine.<br /><br />I grew up in a wonderful family. My mom and dad were both very musical. My mom sang and played the piano for our church for 30 years. My dad sang and played guitar and harmonica. My mom MADE me, my sister and brother sing three-part harmony when we were very young kids. We hated all of that practice, but now we look back and are so thankful that our mom invested that time in us. I remember that our family would get together with several other families in our church and we would have "singings" for several hours on a weekend night. Those were fun memories. </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvIagABlB_vwV6HsDrd-Kea59Quc9UbIwqoC9w0i_ut1gvayPdbHogqKwLZFMyIWYc0CG-OC9RiUxvETcEGVHEH42uJ2Jet2GT6hokYjzBffQNi4VpkGwKgsHffWVP_cJ_u0phbCCb6g/s1600/KidHeather.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 140px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583787763038474082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvIagABlB_vwV6HsDrd-Kea59Quc9UbIwqoC9w0i_ut1gvayPdbHogqKwLZFMyIWYc0CG-OC9RiUxvETcEGVHEH42uJ2Jet2GT6hokYjzBffQNi4VpkGwKgsHffWVP_cJ_u0phbCCb6g/s200/KidHeather.jpg" /></a>I attended the same Missionary Baptist church for all of my young life (up until graduating college). I was very active in all of the choirs and ensembles there. I also taught youth and college classes when I WAS a youth and college aged person! And, I made some of the best friends growing up in that church.<br /><br />It was in high school that I started singing in show choirs. That was a wonderfully, fun experience! I wanted nothing more than to be just like my high school chorus teacher. I loved high school and was voted class favorite every year (which amazed me because I was so quiet back then).</div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Ix3ZilVJxU7SbLKvnFYzH5jjEF2oI2LXPBigInltaAjEP-uJjEshovdaY18D_uLiYtY_490lSAw4JHnUgamUqI7cDdkjHLS0NcnP6a03ACrTeBZvri1Px5JI5Ln75qoHSc3YjfPx_Bk/s1600/HeatherHighSchool.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 115px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583933069577786994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Ix3ZilVJxU7SbLKvnFYzH5jjEF2oI2LXPBigInltaAjEP-uJjEshovdaY18D_uLiYtY_490lSAw4JHnUgamUqI7cDdkjHLS0NcnP6a03ACrTeBZvri1Px5JI5Ln75qoHSc3YjfPx_Bk/s200/HeatherHighSchool.jpg" /></a>I look back now and laugh at a high school photo of me and my brother from my senior Sweetheart Dance (I was voted queen). I guess whoever took the photo didn't realize that I took my brother to the dance with me. The quote under our photo was, "For Heather and her date, it was a night filled with romance!"<br /><br />It was in my high school years that I invited Jesus Christ into my life. I knew that I wanted a personal relationship with the God who had created my life and all of the blessings that went along with it. I wanted Him to walk with me through the rest of my life and all that it held for me. That was the best decision I've ever made. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrb-osZFXKvFlBn3Sg6gvrpyW8-CMKAawlYfD9sd8Bl6IpFa61VzsAlVdamBaglAuS8vhkP1qzjGg2sU8Uavg7eP259itY8Z2XDV1pC2wbCDGDip18KbdeoaxnGeRoilhrULTYOXNRbk/s1600/HeatherCollege.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 142px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583784661642439762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrb-osZFXKvFlBn3Sg6gvrpyW8-CMKAawlYfD9sd8Bl6IpFa61VzsAlVdamBaglAuS8vhkP1qzjGg2sU8Uavg7eP259itY8Z2XDV1pC2wbCDGDip18KbdeoaxnGeRoilhrULTYOXNRbk/s200/HeatherCollege.bmp" /></a>After high school, I took a year off to earn some money working at a Chiropractor's office. I started college in 1991. I LOVED college! I was in several college pageants, always winning second runner up and most of the time winning the talent portion of the competition. I sang in a scholarship group that traveled on the weekends for several years of my college career. I began having opportunities to do vocal studio work. I made wonderful friends in college that I keep up with even now. I even met my future husband, Mark, there (although we wouldn't marry for many years down the road). College was a wonderful experience for me. I obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Performance and a minor in English. I had the 5-year college plan and graduated in 1996.<br /><br />After college, I took the summer off. Then, I auditioned for a full-time singing group called Wings of Morning. I traveled with that full-time group as a soprano singer and also as the groups musical director for about 5 or 6 months. I went back home after my short "road" experience to begin teaching voice lessons. I also acquired a job at Integrity Music. I taught voice and worked at Integrity for 9 1/2 years. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4Dy7jGDIcsThDoN_R3YNUzZ1UF3G68oGEsPTBJsbmKcoXme8XLkImr0YXrvvYDniSZTV92GilMwjIYpg3AXOS0RflM-TVzTkr1dzNLjLKsvHhrGdVsSGWQGOaGhBA_yedvMBs_fkP4w/s1600/HeatherSinging.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583784656563825074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4Dy7jGDIcsThDoN_R3YNUzZ1UF3G68oGEsPTBJsbmKcoXme8XLkImr0YXrvvYDniSZTV92GilMwjIYpg3AXOS0RflM-TVzTkr1dzNLjLKsvHhrGdVsSGWQGOaGhBA_yedvMBs_fkP4w/s200/HeatherSinging.bmp" /></a>God began working in my heart regarding a solo ministry in music. On top of my two "jobs," God began opening doors for me to provide music for lots of women's events, youth events and church services. I recorded my first solo album called Wonder. All of the songs were original.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnTpl2_xLA1dVpQIOjmcUUyhuTyXXsGAGkVfOsbTy-I0EWBjW9Nr70VY6CY2Bqqu4eO5r7dmTj_8UOCUUE8v7d0MqAUkhaZyz_epVz0-rIeTGMoXJpYMhX0L_-VUKrdq-FtZKpMsSmYA/s1600/MarkHeather2.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 174px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583784661432371282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnTpl2_xLA1dVpQIOjmcUUyhuTyXXsGAGkVfOsbTy-I0EWBjW9Nr70VY6CY2Bqqu4eO5r7dmTj_8UOCUUE8v7d0MqAUkhaZyz_epVz0-rIeTGMoXJpYMhX0L_-VUKrdq-FtZKpMsSmYA/s200/MarkHeather2.bmp" /></a>Mark and I reunited after 7 years of being apart. We married in May of 2002. We had our first little girl in July of 2005 ... our second little girl in January of 2007 and our third little girl in March of 2008. I had three little baby girls in a period of less than 3 years! Were we crazy or what? We have been blessed to have our wonderful little girls. Each of them is unique in their own way and we wouldn't trade any of them for the world. When we had our third little girl, our lives totally changed. We started walking a journey we didn't expect. We were now parents of a special needs child. But, God has walked with us every step of the way and we feel so blessed. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4TamJWdWftLdmdP1q9f7iy87AQRNuFStEqj5aGVYZMttbNLE0hMOgKED-uNa4ITh0MzW8mKTX1MFXD9gghCgh_2c5pg13ZzNfoMMb5v3B8LRkrzfHAK1k-GlM4Lg4s7ig10tO7w7Upk/s1600/HeatherSpeaking.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583784657242204802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4TamJWdWftLdmdP1q9f7iy87AQRNuFStEqj5aGVYZMttbNLE0hMOgKED-uNa4ITh0MzW8mKTX1MFXD9gghCgh_2c5pg13ZzNfoMMb5v3B8LRkrzfHAK1k-GlM4Lg4s7ig10tO7w7Upk/s200/HeatherSpeaking.bmp" /></a>God has opened many doors for me to sing and speak at women's events again. I have found such peace and comfort in this renewed ministry in my life. I feel so blessed to be invited to speak into the lives of other women and encourage them on their own journeys. I recorded my second album recently called, Meet Us Here. About half of the songs on the album are original songs.<br /><br />God has also given me lots of opportunities the past several years to do vocal studio work again, which I love!<br /><br />And on top of that, I get to teach as an adjunct professor at a local college as a Commercial Voice Instructor. There is nothing better than being able to pour what you have learned over the years through experience and education into the next generation. It is very rewarding.<br />My husband and I have served at a wonderful church together for almost 9 years now. We have been so blessed by our church family through the years. We couldn't have asked for a better group of people to labor with for God's Kingdom. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkXFobHzGCl3SDHUm5Fp4lbM2NUphXPBjpHznC7G2YEF6qJ9kKpKBTu3GbACm3xZzClWSGdr0YwyNk2OhKC1ay2rFAfvNvwf215G6WV3uuCPokjX4byAFb7TtRRQY2TkWW33nR8cN-hI/s1600/Messick+Family+Photo.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 160px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583784670243199026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkXFobHzGCl3SDHUm5Fp4lbM2NUphXPBjpHznC7G2YEF6qJ9kKpKBTu3GbACm3xZzClWSGdr0YwyNk2OhKC1ay2rFAfvNvwf215G6WV3uuCPokjX4byAFb7TtRRQY2TkWW33nR8cN-hI/s200/Messick+Family+Photo.jpg" /></a>Mark and I are getting ready to celebrate 9 years of marriage in May. We always say that we have gone through a lot in 9 years, but I wouldn't have wanted to experience those things with any other man on the planet! Mark is a wonderful husband, father and provider! He has always taken care of our family and I'm so thankful for him!<br /><br />To conclude this brief little life history lesson, I can look back over the last 39 years and say ... "I have loved my life!" God has truly blessed me abundantly with wonderful friends and family and opportunities to use my gifts for Him. I see God's hand over and over again as a recount all of the blessings of the life He has given me. He has always been so faithful not only to me, but to my entire family.<br /><br />I pray that whatever years God chooses to bless me with in the future ... that I serve Him with those years as best as I can!<br /><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZU8lxNVWvRJY5HBrP8LNmIfhJw6sjZpw2ZAT_axjem-OquBStdRbRQL0n_GLUEhHcNkz1ljey4P3civuFR0FP4ATD0MlN1S8Q8IFgSTKfM8JowTeChHFoFUe1Lv_o6_of-k-bJ8EYvY/s1600/39Heather.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583935673489749986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZU8lxNVWvRJY5HBrP8LNmIfhJw6sjZpw2ZAT_axjem-OquBStdRbRQL0n_GLUEhHcNkz1ljey4P3civuFR0FP4ATD0MlN1S8Q8IFgSTKfM8JowTeChHFoFUe1Lv_o6_of-k-bJ8EYvY/s200/39Heather.jpg" /></a></span></span>Happy 39th Birthday to me! Thank you Lord, for a wonderful life!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-39813225295535457842011-03-08T13:25:00.000-08:002011-03-10T18:51:44.836-08:00Victoria Turns 3!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPEwbFEnOwJgPKdRawAHsrC50PTWaezioofWWuKSI37CIbKDOhLwjHZoWUlzR-EQRfaK3IsNSiFYQ9WJ2CB6jq_Ux1rfem6z2JpgucOWLqr3ufVRpGgGSX5HAm0KZPMBCgsXE0W5U-WU/s1600/DSC02839.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581827464512577858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPEwbFEnOwJgPKdRawAHsrC50PTWaezioofWWuKSI37CIbKDOhLwjHZoWUlzR-EQRfaK3IsNSiFYQ9WJ2CB6jq_Ux1rfem6z2JpgucOWLqr3ufVRpGgGSX5HAm0KZPMBCgsXE0W5U-WU/s200/DSC02839.JPG" /></a>Happy Birthday to our little blessing, Victoria Jayne! She is officially 3-years-old on March 10th.<br /><div></div><br /><div>Victoria is doing so many things now. She definitely is not limited physically when it comes to her gross motor skills. She is everywhere, doing everything! The only thing that limits her with her fine motor skills is her impatience with sitting still to do a task for more than 5 minutes at a time. But, we believe that will improve as she gets older. </div><br /><div></div><div>Victoria's heart repair is still doing wonderfully, as reported by her cardiologist at her recent checkup at his office. We feel so thankful that he believes that she will never have to undergo any other open-heart surgeries EVER! </div><br /><div></div><div>Victoria is really beginning to "communicate" so much now. Though she speaks "gibberish" most of the time, I can understand a few words she speaks from time to time. She takes after her mother in that she likes to "talk" with her hands! Sometimes, she speaks "gibberish" and moves her hands all over the place. I know she is trying to tell me something really important and I sure wish I knew what it was! I'm just glad that she is "trying" to communicate now.</div><br /><div></div><div>Victoria will discontinue receiving therapy services from Early Intervention on March 10th and the public school system will take that over. Her new therapists will begin seeing her at the Mom's Day Out program that she is enrolled in. We decided to wait to start her in 3K until the fall, although she could go immediately when she turns 3. Victoria is so small yet and we want her to have a little more time to mature before starting school. </div><br /><div></div><div>There are so many other things our little girl is accomplishing and we just feel thankful to witness little miracles every day! There is no doubt in our minds that we have, as a family, been given a gift. Living life with a special needs child is, indeed, very special. As a friend recently told me, "Anyone can have a 'normal' baby any day. But, we won the lottery! We were given a special child!" </div><br /><div></div><div>For some reason God chose our family to receive this special gift and we live in wonder of His faithfulness to us!</div>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-72257368708271438292011-02-04T15:37:00.000-08:002011-02-04T15:39:28.096-08:00Wonderful Article Online!Make sure you read The Alabama Baptist article about our family online at <a href="http://www.thealabamabaptist.org/">www.thealabamabaptist.org</a>. It is the Top News Story on the front page!messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-91624806261689215532011-01-16T21:30:00.000-08:002011-01-17T13:27:45.564-08:00Growing Up<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpuiC4OAgec565pvcpKaUJikiv_BJ0B2OD94yogSci7rJvh4dBYY0aPSQRyXFwRSn8YeDSwBMeBOQdXBrpBN1ijWaONoGadSmNnWIZ1IduYtJMG9dvfKVdfCbL60zkO0Orng7lLUVrEk/s1600/DSC02566.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563025336811264946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpuiC4OAgec565pvcpKaUJikiv_BJ0B2OD94yogSci7rJvh4dBYY0aPSQRyXFwRSn8YeDSwBMeBOQdXBrpBN1ijWaONoGadSmNnWIZ1IduYtJMG9dvfKVdfCbL60zkO0Orng7lLUVrEk/s200/DSC02566.JPG" /></a>Victoria is now 34 1/2 months old! It is hard to believe that in March she will turn 3! At times, it feels that the almost three years we've had Victoria have flown by. Right after her birth, however, the time probably felt like it went slowly because of the transition we went through as a family.<br /><br />We have seen Victoria progress in so many ways. Lately, she is really trying to communicate verbally more and more. I'm seeing her shape her mouth and tongue differently than I've ever seen her do before as she "speaks." She is exploring new sounds that her mouth can make. I've been praying more lately that God would help her in her speech and I definitely believe that my prayers are being answered.<br /><br />I wanted to share a quick video showing Victoria "talking" to me tonight. I'm not always sure what she is trying to tell me, but I love that she is "speaking" with confidence and SHE knows what she wants to tell me!<br /><br />Once again, I'm blown away at God's faithfulness. He has never failed to walk this faith-journey with our family!<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxz3q6n3btPdVjca09MzF-gGXFgQf-lkMQ7UamxVCUMCzZAyN_8WTfh128bLshBU9ibvQqglMPG2TWEcb3W' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-7678857857689377082010-12-29T20:02:00.000-08:002010-12-29T20:19:17.214-08:00A Dream?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57KZWMOpaPyX4yCRc4ZtsUpLCtDZIkC6aTdQ3agl434yQB6A2yoEbFpAo6bzqvti-f7UTOeRlTNp6MZ4hJ0ouygKP-73Zle-hKONv4OC0pAs_0hB5lRrFX7-bnWaHO2qWKj-3iS7X42I/s1600/Natalie.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556325042765896658" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57KZWMOpaPyX4yCRc4ZtsUpLCtDZIkC6aTdQ3agl434yQB6A2yoEbFpAo6bzqvti-f7UTOeRlTNp6MZ4hJ0ouygKP-73Zle-hKONv4OC0pAs_0hB5lRrFX7-bnWaHO2qWKj-3iS7X42I/s200/Natalie.jpg" border="0" /></a>I was woken up in the middle of the night by a horrible stream of screams coming from the baby monitor in Elyssa and Natalie's room. I always said that Natalie could star in a horror flick as a star screamer and this middle-of-the-night episode confirmed that once again. Natalie was screaming and crying. I waited for a few seconds to see if she would calm herself down in case she was having a bad dream. She didn't, so I slowly woke myself up enough to crawl out of bed to head toward her room. Once I got to her room, I kneeled down by her bed and gently placed my hand on her shoulder in hopes to calm her. I asked her in a soft voice, "Natalie, are you okay?" Immediately, she responded very passionately ... "I WANT CHINESE!!"<br /><div></div><div> </div><div>Go figure! </div><div></div><br /><div>The only thing I can come up with is that maybe Natalie was dreaming that we were at the mall and she was wanting to eat at the Chinese restaurant there. Needless to say, she gave me a good laugh although she woke me up from a very deep sleep!</div>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886591261900941225.post-1100238009107768732010-12-18T07:30:00.000-08:002010-12-18T20:37:35.825-08:00The Playground<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNWj8L95xkagHNJ-6KjTxyXPFfJTyXoZLko9hdqB3Z6gmy9jj0p64jAmAn2bXsd8uhiO0jwUIBmRiIWlmaYrYisFGOHp_I118gDb4HvS988Cu8FjC6QXQhpW-QiysVvtgu5poO2Jl__E/s1600/DSC02071.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552003880081791538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNWj8L95xkagHNJ-6KjTxyXPFfJTyXoZLko9hdqB3Z6gmy9jj0p64jAmAn2bXsd8uhiO0jwUIBmRiIWlmaYrYisFGOHp_I118gDb4HvS988Cu8FjC6QXQhpW-QiysVvtgu5poO2Jl__E/s200/DSC02071.JPG" /></a>I had just picked up Victoria from Mom's Day Out (at our church) and we walked over to our church's Christian School to wait for Elyssa and Natalie to get out for the day. Since we had some time to kill, Victoria and I went out onto a small playground that is right beside the school building so Victoria could play a little. Kathy, one of the the custodial staff at the school who just happens to have Downs, must have seen me and Victoria on the playground through the double-glass doors. She came out to the chain-length fence and said "hey" to us. Kathy LOVES to see Victoria (see my previous blog titled "She's Like Me" to get the full story on Kathy and Victoria's encounters). I walked Victoria over and told her to wave at Kathy. She blew her a kiss instead! Victoria went on playing and I stayed by the fence to talk to Kathy. <div><div></div><br /><div>I was amazed at the depth of the conversation between Kathy and me during those few moments we talked. Kathy told me that she understood how I felt. She said that her mom went through the same things with her that I have gone through with Victoria. She said that her mom had therapists come to her house to work with her when she was little, too. She told me that she can do more than a lot of Downs folks can. She said she can hold a job and has for many years now. She said some "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">DS"</span> people cannot do all that she can do. I told her that I knew that. I asked her if she was as active as Victoria when she was little. She laughed and said she probably was.</div><div></div><br /><div>Next, she asked me something that I had to ask her to repeat. She speaks very clearly ... so it wasn't that I didn't understand what she said. I was just taken back by her question. She asked me what I thought of Victoria since she has Down syndrome. Can you imagine? A 30-year-old woman with Downs asking me how I felt about my own daughter because of her disability! I almost cried. I knew how, at one point when Victoria was first born, I felt sad to have a special needs child. I knew that I had grieved over having a child that was "different." I thought back to all of those emotional times as I thought through how to answer Kathy's question. I couldn't bring myself to tell Kathy about all of the thoughts I struggled through in those beginning days. But, Kathy's question made things come full circle for me. It made ME wonder ... how did Kathy feel knowing she was different as she was growing up? What types of emotions and thoughts did she or does she have about being a special needs child/adult? It made me realize, again, that I need to always be sure I build ALL of my children up with encouragement, even my special little girl. So ... after a ton of things flooded through my mind, I answered her. I said, "Well, I think Victoria is pretty special." I told her that I love her and know that she is a big blessing to our family.</div><br /><div></div><div>It was a real ironic moment. I think God has allowed our family to have contact with Kathy to see all that Victoria CAN do. Not what she CAN'T do! I think the thing that I always have to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">remember</span> on this journey is to push Victoria to be all she can be. I want to treat her as "normal" as <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">possible</span>. I want her to accomplish much in her life. I don't ever want her to make excuses for herself just because she has Down syndrome (and I don't ever think that will actually happen because our little girl is SO determined!). </div><div></div><br /><div>I think I will be blown away by all that Victoria will accomplish in her lifetime. And, I know that I always want her to feel loved and treasured. I want to help her reach her goals and see great things for her life. </div></div>messickmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691072462463643070noreply@blogger.com2