A Season for Everything

Oh my, how many times have I heard this saying in the last 15 years??? A LOT. And it is so true! I even have a button at the top of my blog to remind myself and my readers of this truthful statement. There truly is a season for all that we do. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the Heavens" Ecclesiastes 3:1

Many, many times I have clicked on my blog and stared and stared and then stared some more. I LOVE writing and things would surface to write about but I just didn't/couldn't do it. It wasn't writers block. I don't know what it was. Fear of being judged? Scared to share true feelings? Worried I'd be boring? At a loss for interesting/new topics? Not sure of what areas of our life to write about? Needed a new layout? You name it. Excuse after excuse but the truth of it is, who cares! This is MY blog and I write from my heart.

So after a 3 month writing break and a blog makeover (you like?)...I'm back. My "season" is back and ready to roll. I chuckle as I write this because I'm pretty sure I have written those same words "I'm back" in previous blog posts. Oh well...

I have really embraced most of the seasons of my life so far. I appreciated all of them, I learned and grew from them and they made me a better person. With each new season, comes renewed faith and adoration for all the good, consistent things in my life. I see other mom's who struggle adapting to the new life of having a child with special needs. I see the young couples who have a young child and the silent persecution they endure from strangers. I see the husbands and wives who struggle financially. I see the women who's faith waivers because they are not being fulfilled spiritually. I see the couples who juggle work around each other so they don't have to put their child in daycare, but yet there marriage has no room to flourish because of it. I see the mom's who are filled with despair and anguish over decisions to be made for their child with special needs. I see friends who use the word a little too loosely and aren't really friends at all. I have experienced ALL of those seasons my friends. Some good, some really good, some bad and some really ugly. I wish I could hug each person I encounter (though affection is NOT my love language) going through these seasons and tell them, one day you will look back and be thankful in many ways! Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds ~James 1:2. I have had a wonderful life so far, FULL of blessing after blessing, but that life has been paid for with the price of some hurdles along the way. Would I change any of the seasons I have endured? I don't think I would. I have gained far more than I have lost by all life has thrown my way. I hope you feel the same when you reflect on your own life.

As I embrace the next season(s) of my life, I am reminded of these verses and I hope you find comfort in them too:

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

I am eager and excited to see what God has in store for me and my family!

What has been your most rewarding season to endure?

Too sweet not to share!

Emma has a daily behavior sheet from school each day. The "green" marks mean she has done a good job during those parts of her day and the red means not so much. Obviously we strive for all greens...and...we get those about 1/2 the time (or more often when Emma decides to color in all greens herself when she gets to school first thing, then hides it in her bookbag. Smart girl..but somehow she always gets busted! :) Each day when Drew gets in the car, the first thing he does is ask her about her day and if she got all green marks.



The other night Drew informed me that he and Emma were laying down together having a conversation the day before that went like this.

Emma: "I got all greens today Drew!"
Drew: "Did you Emma? That's great. I did too."
Emma: "Drew, you have a binder like me?" (They send her sheets home in her notebook.
Drew: "Yep, I sure do."
Emma: "Can I see your binder Drew? Have green checks too, just like me?"
Drew: "I got all greens. I will show you tomorrow."
Emma: "Okay, Drew. PE tomorrow too, like me?"
Drew: "Yes, I have PE tomorrow just like you!"
Emma: "Wear PE shoes, like me?"
Drew: "Yes, just like you."

Of course Drew doesn't get the behavior sheets like Emma does but yesterday after school, when he went to his bookbag and pulled this out, I couldn't help but tear up.



He took the time to make a behavior sheet for himself (of course giving himself all greens- haha!) to show Emma. She LIT up when he showed it to her. She asked him to read them all to her, while she held the paper. When he was done, she said "Good job all greens Drew. I'm so proud of you!" and gave him a thumbs up.

Just another reminder that sometimes it truly is about the small things. I am so grateful for the wonderful, amazing big brother Drew is. Emma adores him and I am so thankful for his heart.

Drew, you made my week.

Um yeah, it's been a little crazy!

The past few weeks have truly been a whirlwind. Seriously. Over and above our usual craziness!

It all started a few weeks ago with Jon's shoulder surgery approaching. We were contemplating rescheduling Jon's surgery because Drew's football team won their conference championship a week earlier and advanced to regional playoffs. They had to win one more game and they would head to Disney World to compete in the National playoffs. This team had been undefeated all.season.long.so.far. Crazy, right?? Jon and I had a serious talk about the possibility of heading to Disney World with him only being 8 days post op and unable to help me at all! We decided to go ahead with it b/c the pros outweighed the cons and surely the boys wouldn't win, right??? I mean, that would just be insane...what are they, rock stars???



So he had the surgery the day before Thanksgiving. Everything went as planned. He had a large tear in his shoulder, which the doctor described in reference to a clock. He said his tear was from 2:00 to 9:00. Ouch! They placed 3 screws in there with permanent sutures to hold it in place and he was sent home in a sling with strict orders of no use of his left arm for one solid month. We also had to use this neat machine called a polar pack to ice his shoulder for 20 minutes every hour. EVERY hour. Did you read that??? The first few days were tough for him (and me!) but he was a trooper. Jon's parents helped out with the kids the day and evening of his surgery which was awesome. The day after his surgery, my mom came to my rescue. She knew how exhausted I was, so she and my dad came and got the kids on Thanksgiving day and kept them all day! We were so unbelievably blessed by our friends who, even on Thanksgiving, provided meals for us that first week. It was all I could do to get a shower each day between taking care of Jon and the kids so it was such a blessing to have these meals. You all know who you are, so THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I can't say that enough!

Saturday (4 days after Jon's surgery) was the BIG GAME. It was held at Wakefield High School. I was so nervous for Jon as this was his first time out and it was in a crowd! Let me explain the magnitude of this game. We had a 50% chance and winning and heading to Disney World the following week. Obviously I had very mixed emotions for numerous reasons! Our team scored a touchdown in the first quarter, making it 8-0.


And guess what happened after that?


Yep, they won. No more points were scored the entire game by either team.

And so it was...we were headed to Disney World in 5 days. I grinned ear to ear on the outside and quietly FREAKED OUT and cried on the inside! How would we ever pull this off!?! It felt like there were so many factors working against us, so all I could do was take a deep breath and laugh. And you know what? It all worked out. Of course it did. God is in control and He knew we would be okay the entire time!

I had 5 days to prepare for a week away and get everything ready, plus work as much as possible so I wouldn't have to use as much vacation time. It was the busiest 5 days I have had in a very long time, but it all got done! A big thanks to Hannah who helped me out with Emma a lot so I could do what I needed to do. She rocks!

A few days before we left another dear friend of mine recognized my stress level :) and said she wanted to do something to help us. I was floored when she said they wanted to use their card points to get us a hotel room for the drive down. What an amazing blessing! Not only did she do that, but she mailed me directions, and all the Cracker Barrel's along the route, with a gift card to stop and eat there!!! AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME! I immediately felt better about things and again, so blessed and reminded that God was in control! Thank you sweet, sweet friend. You know who you are!

Drew needed to be there a day early so he rode with another family from the team so Jon and I could work an extra day and leave on Friday. This family was also a blessing! They would not take any money for Drew and insisted on it (even though I sent it with him anyway). He was their kid for almost 48 hours! Thank you sweet family for all your help!

So, off we went... Jon, Emma and I.


Pretty sure this is what we looked like driving down the road!

We drove about 6.5 hours and stopped at the hotel for the night, after chowing down on some delicious Cracker Barrel of course! ;) Emma did AMAZING! Seriously. She had her dvd player and went to town, disassembling her entire dvd collection all over the backseat but hey, it kept her occupied! Really, it couldn't have gone any better.

We got up Saturday am and drove the addition 2.5 hours and got there right in time for the first game at ESPN Wide World of Sports. What a wonderful place!

The deal was this: the team had one game Saturday and one game Tuesday. They had to win BOTH games in order to play in the National championship the following Friday. There were teams from all over the US there. It was an unbelievable experience.

Game one, team was from Rhode Island:


Drew (on the ground) recovers a fumble from the other team and we get the ball!


Get em' Drew!


He's going down!


These boys played their hearts out!


And it showed! Game one- BULLDOGS!

After that we had two free days to visit the parks. I have not had the chance to upload all my pics yet so I will do a separate post on the Disney Parks but it was all incredible! Overall visiting the parks went great! Drew was so helpful and really stepped up where Jon was unable to help. I can't wait to post more on this part of our trip!

Here is one sneak preview though:


Emma and Goofy!

Tuesday was game two. This team was from Pennsylvania. It was streamed live on espn3.com and the boys were stoked about that! Our friends and family could watch it live at home, which was amazing!


Get your game faces on!


Great catch Drew!

You know the drill...

Game two- BULLDOGS!

Apparently our team is made of machines. Seriously, they were unstoppable! We won both games so our stay was extended until the National championship Friday.

GAME THREE: NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, also streamed live on espn3.com

We had a lot of family and friends watching it live again and it felt like they were all right there with us. The ambiance was indescribable. It was a moment, for sure.

The team we played was from Florida (how ironic). I don't have a ton of pics uploaded from this yet but...


These boys came to play! Our opponents were really big too. The game was a nail biter.


Game three: BULLDOGS!
THEY WON!!! We won 16-14.
1st place Pop Warner Superbowl Champions!!!! Great job Bulldogs!


And one VERY happy boy!



This was truly an experience Drew will never forget. He had the time of his life, played his heart out and made tons of memories. This team went undefeated all season and post season, won their conference, their bowl game, regional playoffs, CFF playoffs and the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP! #1 in the country! Can you tell I'm just a little excited for them? :)

Jon is healing well and we made it back safely from Florida (despite hitting a large bird, an entire cup of spilled coffee in the car at 2am and a very restless car ride home, finally arriving at 3:45am!). When we drove up, we had a wonderful surprise waiting for us! Jon's whole family had decorated the outside of the house for Drew. He LOVED it. We took pics the next morning.




What a nice welcome home!

Part two coming soon...

A Heart For Missions

Let me start this post off by saying that I had no idea how God would change my heart in the last 3 months. I have always been a very giving person (at least I certainly hope others see that in me), but my heart has never extended into actual "missions" work. I have done plenty of "volunteer" work in the past but the focus was never Christ centered, if that makes sense. Growing up, I don't remember hearing a ton about missions (and that could have just been my age and not paying attention at church very well..just keeping it real here), but I do remember praying for certain families who were in other parts of the world, sharing the gospel. Of course this same church I am speaking of has a very generous part in missions work both local and worldwide now. I wasn't purposefully seeking missions work, it has just fallen into our laps. In other words, God has placed it there. :)

Come with me back to September of this year...

Jon and I had the privilege of volunteering with the Baptist Mens Association to assist with the tornado relief efforts. I had no idea what this day would entail, but I was eagerly ready to help. Jon and I, along with some of our friends from Richland Creek joined forces with some people from Mt Vernon (under the direction of my father-in-law) and we headed to Kinston, NC. We spent the day raking leaves, pulling limbs and doing whatever was needed to help these appreciative families whose homes and yards had been devastated by the tornadoes. I don't feel I can effectively put into words how full it made my heart to be a part of this. It was amazing.

Here are some pictures from that day:


Starting the day off in prayer


A huge mess in one of the yards


This was on the land of one of the local churches


Our team with one of the ladies we helped. She gave us a bag full of hand made toboggans and dish cloths to split amongst us. I will treasure it forever.

Fast forward to November...

Jon and I learned about a home makeover project in the triangle for a family where both of the parents were blind and the couple had a daughter with Down syndrome and as well as a typically developing son. When I first read the story, I immediately knew we wanted to help. My heart broke for this family and all I could think about was the son who has probably been left to take care of his sister and his parents all these years. What a great responsibility. You can read the story here:

http://designedtosold.com/designedtocare/?page_id=17

I contacted the project manager at Designed to Care (awesome organization by the way!) and asked how I could help. She asked me to form a team of volunteers for the project, so I did. Though the volunteer response wasn't what I had hoped for, we had a few people that were able to go. Jon, his dad and our friend Jeff went on that Friday and worked VERY hard and helped make a lot of progress (I ended up having to sit this one out unfortunately). I am forever grateful of how they were so giving of their time and strength. When Jon came home and told me the stories from the day, my heart wept. I was so happy for the new beginning this family would have and so thankful that my awesome husband was so touched by what God had laid before him that day. We decided we wanted to attend the reveal of the house on Sunday so Jon, Drew and I went. I am glad Drew was able to be there with us. (He was too young to assist with the work)

Here are some pictures from that day:





Before shot of the house


After :)


Before shot of the kitchen


After!!! WOW!!!


This was one of the kids bedroom


After! I was so happy to see this boys room made perfect, just the way he deserves it!


Living Room after


Jon and their son Van. This boy was SOOOO happy with the makeover!!! He seemed like such a good kid.


Jon and Mr. and Mrs. McLean. They thanked him over and over for doing "God's work" :)

Again, being a part of God's work is so rewarding. Jon, I am so proud of you for having a hand in this and for your willing, giving spirit. Thank you.

This past Sunday...

Drew and I had the opportunity to participate in Operation Christmas Child. You can read about what it is here: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/. My awesome friends Allyson and Aaron are in charge of the missions for our small group. They hosted our shoebox wrapping for OCC at their house. That afternoon, I took Drew to the store and had him pick out the toys he wanted to include in the basket. I explained to him that the child receiving this has nothing at all most likely. He chose some wonderful gifts for a boy age 5-9. I was so proud of him!

Here is our shoebox:




A proud Drew with his box :)


The card Drew included with his box


The finished product!

I am so thankful for these opportunities for Drew to see how we can show God's love to others. He was excited to be a part of this and I was so proud of him!

So you see, God has really changed my heart. Looking back, I think in the past I had this preconceived notion that "mission work"meant you had to uproot your family and move overseas. That is simply not true Eleanor! While I know there are tons of people who are called to do this, I am so thankful for local opportunities where we can serve for those of us that want to stay here. :) I am also very thankful for those who are called to do this work full time wherever that may be. God has a plan for everyone.

Our family has an opportunity to go on a mission trip to Honduras next year. This would obviously be a huge thing for us and many factors would have to fall into place for this to happen. Please pray for God to show me clear direction on whether or not this is something we are ready for.

So often we as humans aren't accepting of change. This is actually one of my personal struggles. At the beginning of this post I said "I had no idea how God would change my heart" and boy has he. I am so excited to see what other things he has in store for me!!!

Hard to Believe!

• It's hard to believe I took these family pics of all the grandkids just one month ago and they were able to wear shorts!
• It's hard to believe how much they have all grown up! :(
• It's hard to believe that we have so many beautiful places for photography right here in town close to us!
• It's hard to believe that Emma completely SPLATTED within 5 minutes of arriving and had blood dripping from both arms, both knees, both hands and her chin. #awesome
• It's hard to believe how amazing photo editing software is! (see one line above)
• It's hard to believe with the craziness of life, we were able to coordinate schedules to get all the kids together.
• It's hard to believe we took these pictures for Christmas and it's almost here!

Hope you enjoy these pictures as much I enjoyed taking them!

Jessica- 19 years old
Chase- 15 years old
Drew- 13 years old
Heather- 12 years old
Tiffany- 12 years old
Daniel- 11 years old
Jana- 9 years old
Emma- 8 years old



Something got them laughing!


Emma wasn't interested in laying down.



Or hand touching...



But she did huddle (deep in the middle)!



Probably my favorite of the day!



My handsome Drew :)



My beautiful Emma :)

I'm back!!!

I'm back, with a vengeance! No, I have not had writers block but I have had "life block." With so many things going on, every time I would sit down to write a post, something would intervene. Yes for four months...don't judge! I am recommitted and rejuvenated to posting and hopefully more frequently!

As usual, lots going on in the Waterman household...

Drew's football team is competing in regionals this Saturday. If they win two more games, they go to Disney in December (insert excited but very overwhelming sigh here from me). Disney, in December, the busiest time of the year for me with birthdays and Christmas...should make for an interesting month but if it happens, then great!

Emma is trucking along in school. Things have been good this year...real good. Insert screeching halt. This week and last week however, not so much. Major non-compliance issues which are hindering the other students and herself. Example- note yesterday said "Emma decided to watch the entire class line up before making an effort to come off the playground." That's Emma. Who knows the reasons why she reacts the way she does some time. She is who she is and that communication barrier continues to be a thorn in all our sides from time to time. Praying for better results and quick or else a meeting may be called. We don't like meetings.

On top of football playoffs and practice 3-4 times a week, endless house projects, volunteering projects, board meetings, work, school, therapies, tutoring, homework, social committees, fantasy football leagues (yes, he's in 3...), church gatherings and couponing, us Watermans prefer to pile it on as thick as possible. So, Jon is having shoulder surgery on November 23rd. Right in the middle of Thanksgiving, his birthday and a potential trip to Disney. I know, we are crazy. This is no surprise. Recovery should be about 4 months and he will be in a sling for 4 weeks which means I will be stealing his medication for myself as often as I feel led. I'm KIDDING. Probably. Maybe. I don't know. PRAY FOR ME! And bring us food if you are concerned about my kids starving. But, if you have pets that you allow to hang out on your counters while cooking, nevermind. We can always eat cereal.

I just love life. Yes, it is so busy. There are times I pray for some down time, but I am so blessed. I thank God every day (truly I do, I have my quiet time in the car on my 40 minute drive to work minus phone time with Teresa and my mom about once a week) for everything he has given me. I am so undeserving. He knows all my mean, crazy thoughts yet he still loves me and desires a relationship with me. How awesome is that?!?! So.very.blessed.

Enjoy your day friends! Until next time...

I Love You

As I am putting this sweet face to bed last night:



Emma said: “Mom, you love me?”

Me: “Oh yes Emma, so, so much!”

Emma: “Lots and lots?”

Me: “That’s right, lots and lots”

Emma: “Good. I love you too. Let’s pray now.”

In that moment, time stood still for me. As tears swallowed my eyes, I couldn’t help but fall to my knees with a cocktail of emotions as I hugged her and lay close to her, with my hand on her back feeling her every breath as she closed her eyes and fell asleep. I was so thankful that this child, one whose future was completely unknown to me the minute she was born, was asking me about my love for her and reaffirming her love for me as well.

I know I often write about Emma, but hopefully my readers understand it is simply because the journey I endure with her is worlds apart from any other. I love my son equally as much, but he flies through achieving his milestones, is constantly growing in leaps and bounds physically, emotionally and spiritually and needs very little help from me, so there just often isn’t as much to tell. It certainly doesn’t mean my love for him is any less and he knows that. He is everything I want him to be and them some.

So is she, but in so many different ways.

For some reason, this week has been unusually tough for me emotionally in regards to having a daughter with Down syndrome. Even now, the swelling knot in my throat as I type is a constant, reminder of the reality I live in. It is a beautiful reality mind you, but a different one. One that was chosen for me. One that never ceases, even eight years later.

As I take a step back and look over just this past week, I am reminded of the different circumstances our life entails. Circumstances that you wouldn’t get, until you lived them yourself. From taking an hour at the store to buy 10 items, to still needing full assistance at bath time, to the repeated questions I am asked over and over and over throughout each and every day by her sweet little voice, to lining up a hundred different sitters to help over a 5 day stretch and then feeling terribly guilty about it, to watching her get easily frustrated trying to read such a simple book, to giving up on a simple worksheet, to getting her hand stuck under something and crying until I heard her instead of simply yelling my name for help, to speech therapy, occupation therapy and tutoring, to the constant following I receive around my house every minute I am there, to making sure I don’t run out of the only 5 foods she will eat, to the watching over her that is needed every minute of every day.

Yes, I could give you a list of the positives that is probably twice as long as these, but that is just not where my head is today and that is okay. It is okay to let your mind and heart sift through these emotions when they come-a- visiting. For me, it only happens about once a year.

So Emma, if I could finish our bedtime conversation last night and tell you everything I would want to say about my love for you, it would go something like this:

Sweet, amazing, beautiful Emma, do you know just how much I love you? I love you more than I ever thought possible. I was so unsure of what to do with you when you came home from the hospital eight years ago, but one thing was certain…my love for you. So I took that love and I used it to jump right into research, finding you all the best resources, programs and therapies you needed. I began building my case on why the world needed to know you and love you just as much as I did. I engulfed my world into yours, learning all the best things for you to help you grow as much as possible. At one point, I took you to seven therapies a week, just because I knew they would help you. I cried at your first smile, your first tooth, and the first time you rolled over, sat up, crawled and walked. I screamed with excitement when you said your first word (even though it was da-da!). I created and taught a summer program for children with special needs, so I could help others and be with you at the same time. I cried and worried to death (for no reason) the first day I dropped you off at preschool. I stood in amazement as you potty trained overnight, literally and never looked back. My heart broke for you every time you had to endure a doctors visit, needle stick or surgery, though you remained unphased and proved to be the strongest little girl I ever knew. I lost my breath the first time I saw you write your name. I cried (again) and grabbed every available camera in my reach every time you took the stage to sing a song. My heart burst with happiness and thankfulness when you achieved each of these milestones. I took my love for you and grew a backbone when clueless adults gave their negative opinions on things you would never be able to do or couldn’t do. I learned to fight for you for what I believed was best for you time and time again. When I saw you weren’t being invited to social happenings, I was hurt by the world for you but I got up, brushed it off and created a playgroup for you with peers the same as you, so that you would feel love too and so that you could feel the happiness of being included and accepted. I became a strong advocate to have a voice for you and your peers, all because of my love for you. I answered all of your questions because I know that is what you wanted. I have enormous patience when I take you out with me because it is okay that it takes you a little longer to do things. I make sure you are surrounded by those who love you and truly understand you. I make it known just how amazing you are to those who do not know you that well. I make sure your every need is met on a daily basis. I have carried a multitude of painful burdens, disappointments and let downs for you over the past eight years but I have been happy to do it, to protect you so that you never had to bear the feeling of sadness. I take hours and sometimes days to make decisions regarding you because I love you. I have spent many, many nights praying for your innocent, fragile life. I have come to know that you will always need my help in one way or another and I am honored to be there for you, whatever you may need. I appreciate nothing more than when I see you smile, laugh and have fun. I never want you to experience anything but pure joy. I consider it a privilege to be your mom and will continue to learn everything I need to know to give you the best life possible.


So yes Emma, I love you…more than you will ever understand.