Part of being a mom is keeping a close eye on the calendar and planning all the things, and for medical moms that include medical appointments, prescription refills, surgeries (and the pre-op and post-op appointments that come with them), and so much more. Our calendar has been wonderfully slow and “normal” this month but as I look forward to next month I feel the bubbles in my belly already starting to stir.

Between May and June we have over 25 medical appointments and 2 surgeries. Levi will go to Cincinnati at the beginning of June for his summer airway surgery and Malachi will go to Vanderbilt two weeks later for his hip surgery. A lot of preparation goes into surgery weeks, and if you have followed us for long you already know that Malachi’s routine surgeries often end up being everything but routine. Yes, we have to prepare logistically for these weeks but the bigger challenge is prepping emotionally as a family. We have to prepare for physical pain, for hard conversations, for separations, and for spiritual warfare.

So for the next few weeks we are cramming in all the family fun. Walks in the evenings, board games, family movie nights, and mini adventures.

I have been putting in some extra hours at the farm and the boys have been joining me and getting to meet some of the sweet new babies.

Malachi has still been struggling with his breathing, which has been exacerbated by his newest molars making their appearance. Because of this he has not been able to attend school and he’s not too happy about that. I am hoping we can get him stabilized this week and back to his routine. The discomfort is also keeping him from getting a good night’s sleep. But oh boy does this kid love board games! We aren’t able to leave the house much with his loud breathing, so we have been filling the time with lots and lots of games.

Levi is doing well and is taller every morning it seems. He really loves school and is soaking in all the things he hears. My favorite Levi story from the week is from one day he joined me at the farm. I was working in the shop when some Spanish speaking customers came into shop. Levi heard them talking and his eyes lit up, excited to hear something he has been learning so much about at school. When they came up to the counter to pay for their items he casually chimed into their conversation, “Cuatro, Cinco, Seis” (4,5,6). Obviously this was completely irrelevant to their conversation but they were the only Spanish words that came to his mind in the moment. They very graciously chuckled and I was so grateful for their kindness. Then he leaned forward and continued, “Leviticus, Numbers”. Apparently he thinks those are Spanish words as well. I wish we had a video of the moment and my horrified reaction after. Oh Levi.

Luke 5:24-25 “Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!’ And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God.”

I have been reading in the gospels lately and came to the story of the men lowering their friend through the roof to the feet of Jesus. This story grips my heart in such a special way now that I am the mother of a child with disabilities. The kindness of the friends, the grace and mercy of Christ, the visual of seeing that miracle take place….imagining the reaction of that man’s parents brings me to tears.

The mat, a large piece of the identity he had carried for so long- Jesus didn’t ask him to cast it off. Instead he told him to pick it up and go home. Sometimes the very things we are known by, even the hard and arduous things, Jesus can heal and turn into a testimony of Him that we are called to carry.

That mat that showed so much brokenness now was used to display God’s glory. What a reminder!

Please pray for our family as we enter another season of hard things.

Sincerely,

Leah