The True Meaning of Christmas

Matthew had his first debut in his first Christmas play last night at church.  I know this picture isn't the best.  The lights in the church where turned down way too dark.  My video didn't even show.    Matthew done so good.  We're so proud of him, he couldn't wait to walk up the isle with his Sheppard's staff.  Last year at this time if you told me that Matthew would be able to do this- I don't know if I would've believed you.  It's humbling to see the "Power of  Prayer".
As with any Christmas play involving little ones, nothing ever goes according to plan.  My nephew, Nathan was just the little menace through the whole thing and my sister all 8 and 1/2 months pregnant was just as moody and nasty as her own son.  Christmas, it brings the best in all of us out. HAHA, sorry just a little poking the fun at my sister, but last night it was the truth.  ( Nathan and her needed a NAP)

Earlier in the day, we had our annual SMITH Christmas Party at the fire dept.  As you can see being a Smith we all tend to be a little nutty.  It's in the genes.

Our family gathering took place at our local fire dept. which was ok, but I think it should've been held in someone's home.  More intimate that way and Christmassy (if that's a word)  So, being the LEO that I am, I told our clan that next yr. the party is at my house and of course I got the LOOK from Bradley- gotta love him.

You wouldn't be a Smith if you didn't take cards seriously.  Look how intense this game of "Phase 10" is.  We've been trying to finish this game since Thanksgiving and we're still not done.  Hopefully we'll finish up at New Year's.

Besides the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ being the best gift ever, God gave us families as second.  I'm truly blessed with a wonderful family.  Yes, we're all disfunctional, but that's what makes it so grand.  My family fits with me and each one makes me who I am, they're apart of me, have become apart of Bradley and they all are apart of our sweet son, Matthew.  My family has taken Matthew under they're wing like no other and they all help Bradley and I make him feel Loved, Confident and Special.

I am truly, truly BLESSED.

It's Beginning to Look ALOT Like Christmas!!

It's starting to look a little like Christmas here at the Marshall's!  Matthew LOVED the tree, he hung his ornaments in the same spot and he then tried to hang his Christmas Stocking on the tree to, it was so CUTE!!

I think I had mentioned before in one of my previous blogs that Matthew is in our church's "bell choir".  He and my nephew Nathan are little sheppards.  Matthew surprisingly does very well walking with his staff and participates very well with everyone and does his part.

Our fist debut was our own Danbury's Tree Lighting Service.  It was so cold and windy that I put Matthew's snow suit on him just to keep him warm.  The picture above is just a few of our little choir.

The finale was the actual lighting of the tree!

Just an update of sorts.  We're all battling a terrible bug.  Matthew has strep (again, a back set from 2 weeks ago), I have a sinus issue and poor Bradley has the stomach thing going on along with the sinus issues too.  Just love this time of year.

Good news!!!  Matthew is saying about 40 words now, he's still leaving the ending off of some of the words but is doing Great at talking some.  His speech therapist Amy Claire is going update his goals for the next six months.  This is so EXCITING.
 Matthew is now in a toddler bed.  We're going through the night time battles of him wanting to get out of bed and walk down the hall saying "Mommy" and then just getting him to stay in bed is the big one.

 He's such a MIRACLE!!!

Good Night ALL and GOD BLESS!!!!

Breakfast with SANTA!!!!

We LOVE this time of year.  Matthew got to participate in his first "Breakfast with Santa" given by Stokes Partnership.  It was so much fun, Matthew really enjoyed.  It was so COLD, we had to wait in line outside of the church for at least 10 mins.

Matthew enjoyed his pancakes, fruit and his milk.  See how HAPPY he is.  Below is us waiting in line to see Santa, Matthew done really good with him, he didn't cry one bit.  He walked right up to him.

 After talking with Santa we headed to the crafts.  Matthew had wanted to get his face painted but once in the chair he refused.  At least he tried.

We left just before lunch and we decided to do a little Christmas shopping.  Once we came out of Wal Mart it was putting down the snow, I couldn't believe it!!  Matthew loved the snow he was trying to catch the snowflakes out in the parking lot.  He's so sweet.

This is a picture of our ride home in the snow.  God perfects beauty with breath taking moments like this.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!!!!

Yes, it's Thanksgiving one of my favorite times of year.  My family LOVES to get together.  At least the majority of us do.  We eat, laugh and play lots of games.  Matthew really enjoyed this Thanksgiving because he's no longer in the high chair and has moved up the ladder to the "kids table".  Matthew is at a stage now where he wants to mix all of his food together and then eat it.  As long as he eats it I don't care how it gets there.

Below is a picture of the "Smith Cousins"at least the majority of them.  There's 14 of us in all.  We look back at our pictures and boy we are getting OLD.  My aunt Judy tells us were going through the mid life spread. HAHA!

All in all we had a GREAT Thanksgiving it just went by way to fast.  Below are just a few more picts of our Thanksgiving.

My Aunt Margaret, Matthew and my Aunt Judy who we're so thankful to God that she's still here with us after her stroke this year.  Below is my uncle Gurney and my cousin Beth.

I am so thankful to God for the family he put me in.  I love huge gatherings and my family is HUGE, when we ALL get together there is about 40 of us and soon to be more.  Family is one of the best gifts God gives, however, I'm most thankful for my son Matthew who can show doctors and others that miracles still happen.  I thank God for her Mercy and His Blessings on me and my entire family.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Milestone UPDATE

Matthew is making HUGE strides in his development lately.  Just watching him you can't really tell that he's behind much.  His walking is improving everyday, he's starting to do more of a heel to toe walk and is almost trying to run inside some.  We're still working on walking outside in the grass and gravel, hard to believe but he does better walking in gravel than in the grass. 
Matthew is also starting to be a little dare devil and test his own abilities.  On Sunday I caught him trying to stand on one leg without holding onto anything.  He's starting to dance a little too, he loves ring around the rosies and the theme song to the "Wonder Pets" cartoon.

And our big news for the past couple of weeks, Matthew has started to pee in the potty standing up, he does it at school and here at home about 3 times a day and at night of course before bed.  He doesn't tell us but he does show us.   He does so well at remembering how to do things, stand on stool, pee, pull pants up, flush toilet and go wash and dry his hands.  With this new achievement also comes a scare.  Last week at school while potting, Matthew lost his balance and hit his chin on the toilet seat and bit his tongue.  He's ok but wouldn't eat much for a couple days.  Poor thing.

Matthew's fine motor skills are improving also, we've been working on how to hold a crayon and draw a circle.  He almost has it down.  He's at a stage now to where he wants to throw things, his crayons, balls, clothes, food , etc.

Matthew's speech is slowly, slowly improving, his understanding is improving but his speech comes and goes.  Matthew has a new speech therapist as of last week so maybe we'll see an improvement.  I still think it's his articulation and stubbornness.

He loves to pretend play and help out around the house as you can see above.

We are so, so proud of him.  If you're ever in doubt, God still does miracles-my baby is one of them.

Good night and God Bless!!

P.S.  Hope you voted today.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Happy Halloween,  Matthew really enjoyed Trick or Treating this year, by the time we were making our last stops Matthew finally got the hang of what to do.  His favorite candy by far is a Snickers bar and a Reeses Cup.

These are some of the crafts Matthew made at preschool.  Friday they had a Halloween Party and brought there crafts home.  Ms. Rose said that Matthew loves to paint and couldn't wait to paint his little pumpkin.

Matthew's first stop for Trick or Treating was to his buddies' house.  We had a puppy dog (Lee), a cow (Jackson) and a Sheep (Matthew), almost a complete farm.  Aren't they adorable!!!!!

FRIDAY NIGTH LIGHTS!!!!

Yes Folks it's here, Friday Night Lights!!!!  We decided that we'd take Matthew to his very first football game this past Friday night.  It was our High School's Homecoming Game so what better time to go.  Matthew had a really good time.  He loved the lights, the band, all the clapping and his little visitor (a dog).

Here is a little preview of some of Matthew's time at the game.

It was a little bit chilly but sitting where we were the wind didn't hit so bad.  Bradley and I haven't been to North Stokes Football game in 15 years.  We've now realized at how old we are getting.

Once Matthew got settled in the stadium he refused for us to hold him, all he wanted to do was walk around and he was headed right for the stadium steps.  He has a new found love of walking up and down stairs all by himself.  We're so proud of him, however, Bradley had to pick him up and walk him around due to the temper tantrum that was about to come.

When we left at half time the score was 40-0. (Us being 0).  Oh well, it's all about having fun.

The "Dixie Classic"

Yes, it's been a while since I've "BLOGGED" but raising a toddler on the go is time consuming.  We tried twice at attempting to go the the Dixie Classic Fair, glad to say we succeeded on the second try.  Like idiots we decided to go the second day of the fair which also happened to be Wake Forest's Football game which is held across from the the fair grounds.  We drove around for over an hour- so we went home.
This past Friday was our success, Matthew rode rides that he somewhat refused to get off of and played some games where he got to choose his own prize. (He loved making his own decision)

We bought one ride card which was about 24 tickets/card, so we each had a ride a piece with Matthew. He loved doing what all the other kids where doing.

Matthew enjoyed the carousel ride.  This is the only horse he's not terrified of.  Unfortunately, Matthew has had to stop his hippotherapy lessons due to his fear of horses.  We're going to try back in about six months and see how he does.  We tried to see if he'd ride the ponys but no way.  He'd stand beside of them and watch them but riding you might as well hang it up.  He did however enjoyed petting the goats which of course he's used to them.

All in all we had a pretty good time.  Matthew was wide open on the way home he was so excited, but by the time we got home he was out.

Just an update of sorts, Matthew's walking has improved greatly he now walks and almost runs everywhere.  His gait is still like a little waddle but with time and practice he'll get it.  He still has a little issue with walking in the grass.  Matthew's speech is also improving, he is now starting to put two words together.  The other Sunday before Sunday School he was eating breakfast and told me "Good Milk"  he loves milk, especially chocolate milk.

A pray request,  we finally received all of our paper work from the National Institute of Health regarding all of Matthew's tests.  They all checked out great and he did get a good report but on his ultrasound of his liver the texture of his liver seemed to be abnormal.  They don't seem to think it's of any concern right now because it could just be normal for him.  However when he reaches the age of 6-8 yrs. old if something shows up different we might need to take action due to liver disease being one of the precautions we have to look for in dealing with Joubert Syndrome. 

Please pray for Matthew and God's protection over his organs and that he can lead a healthy long life and be a testament that God still does miracles and He's the one in control of everything and He has everything planned out in each of our lives to glorify Him.  As a mother and a christian I've been trying to remind myself that God has this all planned out and that everything is going to be alright as long as I don't doubt my faith.  Which God definitely tells me time and time again "Dana, where is your faith in me!!!!!" 

Lord forgive me for ever doubting.

An Update of Sorts

Matthew is changing by leaps and bounds. He now weighs in around 30lbs and is roughly 34-35 inches tall. In the past week he has learned how to walk up and down stairs all by himself without us helping at all. We're so proud of him. He's now had his new braces on for exactly 1 month and his walking is much better too. He has almost learned to take his clothes off by himself and put them on by himself.

Matthew is now going to preschool 4 days a week and is LOVING it. He has several craft projects a week, from drawing to painting. He's now able to somewhat draw a circle - it looks more like an oval than a circle. He has also learned to wipe his butt with toilet paper. It's so cute, he'll pretend to wipe his behind with and without his clothes on and then hand us the toilet paper. It's so funny but at least he's learning.

Hippotherapy is getting better too. He can pretty much do everything the therapist tells him to do, so we're working now on the balancing and the speech.

Our new task now is trying to teach Matthew how to blow his nose, he has an aggravating head cold and if he could just blow his nose it would help alot.

Matthew is such a smart little boy. He picks up on everything and he's so observant. We hope this continues through his school years. I'll show him a book of "First Words" that has at least 10 pictures on a page and I'll name them and he can get the majority of them. He loves to cuddle and read at night, sometimes he'd rather still read than go to bed.

And our BIG news, no we're not pregnant (at least not yet) , we're on FACEBOOK! We've put a link to our blog on there so some of our high school friends can get more of an update of sorts on our family. It's so exciting to reconnect with some old friends.

Gotta go, Bed Time for "little man", Good Night and God Bless!!

Stokes Stomping

Hope you enjoy this slide show of Stokes County's annual stomp. We enjoy this every year, for such a small town the stomp brings in around 20,000 people into town. You wouldn't believe it unless you were there to see it.
ENJOY!!!!!

This free picture slideshow generated with Smilebox

Our Annual Labor Day COOKOUT

We love grilling it "old fashion" style down at the pond. Matthew enjoys cookouts as you can see below. We had to move our family cookout to around lunch time since our neighbors invited us to their cookout that evening. Matthew's favorite thing about this event is riding in the gator and eating chocolate cake.

Happy Labor Day!!

Hippotherapy

Matthew has officially started Hippotherapy at Riverwood last week, he cried the majority of the time. (The horse blowed and scared him) Today was his second lesson and he's doing better. Below are some pictures of Matthew's first lesson, Bradley really enjoys sharing in this with Matthew. I've been trying for the past week and a half to get our video down loaded on here but I keep getting an error message. I'll have one shortly.

PRESCHOOL 101

Welcome to preschool Matthew!!!! Of course, the first day didn't go well AT ALL. He squalled as I was leaving and I felt so helpless but yet felt that this is definitely what he needs right now. After he calmed down he explored his room and made some new friends. While at school he's somewhat refusing to feed himself by throwing his plate into the floor and making the teacher sit beside of him. Toddlerhood, gotta love it!!

Ms. Rose, Matthew's teacher explained to his classmates that Matthew can't walk as good as he can and that they need to be careful around him and kind of help him along. They are a blessing, these little ones help Matthew along on the playground and want to hug and kiss him and he loves it. Why can't adults be more like these 2 year olds.Matthew has learned so much from these little ones, Bradley and I can already see a huge difference. His words/babbling is more sounding and you can actually here a few more clear words, he's a little more independent with his walking and with his feeding. He can now feed himself pretty much his whole meal with his spoon,fork and fingers without asking us to do it.

After his shock of preschool, Matthew and Nathan had some down time on the Gator at my parents. They love riding and driving this thing, how cute are these pictures.

Of course this Gator is made for a 3 year old but Matthew thinks he can operate it just like Nathan, except his feet can't reach the pedal. Nathan has to push the gas while Matthew changes the gear and steers while waving and telling everyone "bye".

Also new for Matthew this week was his NEW braces, they're getting shorter!!! Bad part is he's having to pretty much learn to walk confidently again due to his weak calve muscles.

I saved the best for last, Matthew got his first real HAIR CUT this week too. Marsha done a really good job. Thank goodness for such good friends.

Until next time, God Bless!!