Contest time!

We are having a contest over on Jax Facebook page!
Its called the "We believe in miracles" contest!

Click here to go to Jax facebook page. There message us with your story of a miracle! Make sure you message it and not leave it under comments. It can be anything, it doesn't have to be a sick child story. Any miracle you've seen with your own eyes!
You can include a picture if you'd like. You also have to "like" and share Jax page to enter. I'll post all the stories, and another miracle mommy is going to choose the winner. You have until Sunday to submit your story. Monday our mommy will pick the winner. The winner wins one of our one of a kind Jax blankies. If you don't need the blankie, you can donate it to a child that is in need!
So spread the word and come and tell us your story!!

8 years!

Jax birthday isn't until November, but for some reason August is always when I remember that Jax has a birthday coming up. I think its because August was when he was finally discharged after months in the hospital, and we had been told he wasn't coming home!
8 years! It was 8 years ago this week he had a sign on the back of his wagon at the hospital that said, "I'm finally going home!" that child life made for us. I can't believe my little man will be 8. The older he gets, the weirder it seems because he stays about the same size. For some reason 8 seems really strange, and it will feel strange to tell people that he is 8. In some ways it seems like yesterday, and in some ways it feels like I've always carried an oxygen tank with me wherever I go.
Some people don't like to show pictures of their children when they are really sick. For me about once a year I have to go through them and remember. I have to remember where we've been so I can focus on where we are going!
My little monkey never ceases to amaze me, and I can't wait to see what the next 8 years holds for us!

The quest for the best blog!

I don't blog nearly as much as I used to. There are a few reasons for that.
1. Facebook is just much easier and faster to update and post to.
2. Facebook also allows us to not have to worry about anonymous trolls that leave nasty comments!
3. Blogging has become not just a family update place anymore, but a cut throat, "who can have the best article" place!

It seems like so many people are out to have the best blog. I think it stems from a couple blogs we saw in the past that got huge, and they actually made quite a bit of money off their blog. Of course its always great to be able to make money while your staying home with your kids. But I know at least one of those big bloggers that completely fell apart, lost not only her hubby but a lot of money and respect.

I use my blog as my scrapbook. Which is why I'm going to try harder to update more. Not to see how many comments and followers I can get, so I have something to print out and look back on. Of course its always fun when someone says they named their child after Jax, because he inspired them so much. Or they tried something for their child that they saw here and it worked wonders! Or the best one is when someone walks up to you in the grocery store and says, "are you Jaxsons mom? I love your blog, can I just take a peek at him?"
We just want to help raise awareness of the things we love. Adoption, acceptance. Let people know about the struggles of a child with a complicated medical history. And maybe, just maybe, we can do some good!

After all, look how big and beautiful my Ukrainian princess is getting? Can you even imagine if she was still living in an orphanage? I can't even go there! EVERY child in EVERY country deserves a chance!

If you don't have Jax facebook page, I update there more often, with lots of cute princess videos! Heres the link.
facebook.com/jaxsonsfight

It's that time again!

I would say where does summer go? But for us we never really had a summer! At least Carter and I didn't! Carter is in year round school, so he got a measly week off in July, and started right back up with school. I hate year round! I'm a summer person, and need my time off getting the kids up and off to school.

The other kids start school Wednesday. This has been a stressful time as Tanner is starting junior high. If you have a child with special needs school can be such a headache! The school itself has been amazing with Tanner. When we retested him and found that he is falling farther and farther behind his peers, they changed his IEP. He started a special day class, which is completely separate from a typical classroom. The good thing about that is now that he's starting junior high, he gets more services there. But I had to make the decision to send him or hold him back. I wanted to hold him back. He has a late birthday, and I could have held him back in kindergarten. But by the time I realized I had that option, it was too late. The autism school had filled his spot, so he had to move on to kindergarten.

I took him to the school and walked his classes with him. I think he'll do ok once he gets the hang of it. My concern is I haven't heard from the special Ed people at this school at all yet. Do they just expect me to drop an autistic child off at school and say, have at it?? This is why I wanted to hold him back. The secretary did tell me that staff would be in the halls the first couple days to help kids if they had problems finding a class. But I'm still not sure I'm ok letting him go without someone walking him to his classes the first couple days. 

Am I being a worry wart? Am I underestimating my child that will probably do fine? 

Maybe!

But if you knew the way an autistic child will NOT go back to a place that was terrifying and scary, you'd want that first day to be perfect too!