What a beautiful Easter Sunday we had here in Tennessee. As you know Jake and I are Christians, so the significance of this weekend is HUGE to us! But more on that in a minute…

Malachi and mommy stayed extra busy this week running errands and going to appointments. I know it sounds like an insane idea, but we have decided to add a therapy to Malachi’s weekly regiment. Speech! We have pursued this route before but felt like it just wasn’t the right time yet for Malachi. But as he continues to develop cognitively we are finding that we have a very opinionated four year old on our hands.

Malachi wants to have a voice very badly, and he wants to be heard. We have started giving him choices and letting him decide how his day will go. For example, if I am going to turn on one of his TV shows I will set up two objects in his reach and ask him: “would you like Sophia” (while leading his hand to the object on the right) “Or would you like Bubble Guppies” (leading his hand to the object on the left). Malachi will very adamantly make a decision and just to be certain I ask him about four times.

The best part about the process is seeing his giant grin when he realizes I have turned on the show he asked for. He is longing to be heard. I just hope we can find a way to unlock some of those thoughts and words. So speech therapy here we come!

Malachi continues to improve with eating solid(ish) table foods. He cannot chew but will try to mash the food with his tongue up on the roof of his mouth. Whatever we give him must be mashable because if it doesn’t break down he goes into a panic mode and gags. He is obsessed, and I am not joking even slightly, with Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup. We stopped there in between therapies last week and he was not interested in sharing. Every time I tried to sneak a bite he would try to grab my arm and guide the spoon back towards his mouth. I guess we need to start working on the concept of sharing haha!

This weekend has been an eventful one! Jake and I are not big into the gimmicks of holidays, like Easter baskets and the bunny, so it was comical this year when I managed to get handed the role of “Easter Egg Hunt Coordinator” at church. We had a very successful hunt, but the most exciting thing about the day was being able to share the story of Christ’s death and Resurrection with children.

I went to the local Christian bookstore and purchased a set of Resurrection Eggs to help me tell the story. If you have small children, I HIGHLY recommend looking them up and making/buying a set. Each egg has a small token inside that represents something that happens in the timeline of the crucifixion.

As the little kids took turns opening the eggs and seeing what was inside I was able to share with them exactly what took place on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and why that is so significant to us now. The kids were absolutely enthralled in the story and seeing their eyes full of wonder was so refreshing to my soul. Sometimes I think we need to step back from these stories we know so well and look at them with the fresh eyes of a child.

Here are some pictures from our Easter Sunday:

Malachi still hates the sun with a passion. When it comes near him he goes into “opossum” mode and will shut his eyes so tightly.

We were thrilled to have my dad, stepmother, and half brother and half sister join us for service this morning and lunch after. Malachi is so entertained by the kids, and hangs onto every word they say!

Unfortunately Malachi did have a rough morning in regards to his epilepsy…he had 6 seizures this morning before church, which is a pretty good indicator something is going on with his little body. They lessened this afternoon but he just had a few before we put him to bed. We are praying against any sickness that he may be trying to fight.

This week I have had some self pity moments, mostly between the hours of 2-5am. Malachi has not been sleeping well lately and will stay up for hours each night. As I sit and try desperately to get burps out of him so he can sleep in peace, my frustration has been flaring. I know other moms have to be up in the night like me, but why is it EVERY single night for 4+ years! It is so hard to watch someone you love so much be uncomfortable and not be able to alleviate that easily for them.

Each week I have been sharing a verse with you that has been buried under the foundation of our new home. This week I want to share the verse that has been put under the master bedroom for Jake and I. We listed Psalm 143, with specific emphasis on verses 8-12. If you get time this week, take a moment to look up the chapter and see the reasons why we liked this scripture for our marriage and parenting!

Last night a very special man passed away. Jake and I saw this man as a mentor- someone we both desired to be like. His actions imitated Christ, and every aspect of his life seemed saturated with the desire to do God’s will and share Him with others. I have always had so much admiration for this man. And Jake especially was very close with him.

As we reflected today on his passing, Jake and I both talked about how wonderfully special last night was as our friend was welcomed into heaven. We found ourselves not in a state of mourning, but rather in a state of rejoicing, knowing that the life that was waiting for him on the other side of those gates was enormously better than anything we could imagine here on this earth. He will be missed beyond words, but we look forward to the day when we will see him again.

What a refreshing reminder Easter Sunday is that this earth is only our temporary home.

My heart wants desperately to continue writing, but my mind and hands are telling me to go to bed. Thank you for continuing to check in on our boy, and please join us in praying that whatever unseen culprit is causing all these seizures will disappear before it becomes something significant.

God bless,

Jake, Leah, and Malachi