Oh come.. Adore Him!

We have been so blessed throughout the last 4 weeks to see so much improvement in the health of Alisha! We are seeing her "Drop off's" disappear and her headaches have greatly improved! She has been able to go to school this week without coming home a wreck!! She is able to do her work and even did homework this week! When you look in her eyes you see more of the healthy Alisha that we have always known! We praise God for his healing in our lives! Like people say hind sight is always the best sight! As I begin to look back I have to be honest, that I still don't know why she had to go through this, but I do know that God has really worked in our family! This has caused us to be aware of all that we have to be thankful for! Even the younger kids are more appreciative of the things we would typically take for granted! A few days ago Abby Lynn came down with a bug and she was so sweet as she sat on the couch and we talked about being so thankful that she would be better in a matter of hours! She said she was thankful that she was sick before Christmas, instead of during the fun family gatherings! I sat back and thought of how grateful I am for the Lord using a lack of health to remind even my 8 year old that we are so greatly blessed!  This is the type of thinking as Christians we are supposed to have! We are supposed to have Peace and Joy, not because everything is perfect, but because we have been thankful in everything and allowed our Lord to keep our hearts and minds!! (Phil. 4:6) My heart bows in adoration of a Savior who loves us enough to allow times in our lives that will purify us and make us more like His son!

A tough, but rewarding break!

In the past Jeremy and I have had times where we have been able to get away for a short weekend. Those times are really special and great memories! This year Jeremy thought that the kids really needed to get away and we needed to create some good memories as a family. If you know me, you know I love going places, but I have to be honest the idea of leaving our home right now and packing all 6 of us up driving 3 hours and all packing in a small hotel room was not exactly the get away I was thinking I needed!
       While we are seeing improvement with Alisha and her mind healing she still has times where her stress levels get to high and her mind will slip off into a "state of mind" we really don't understand. These episodes are happening less and less and seems to be allot less intense then it used to be! We believe this all to be signs of healing. But while she heals we have to make huge efforts to not stress her out, especially when she is tired.

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       The idea of riding quietly all the way to Chicago, then keeping the kids from picking at each other seemed like way to much work to me! I was thinking survival sounded nice!! Jeremy totally listened to my concerns, but really encouraged me that we  need some good things to remember and getting out of the normal might be a good break for Alisha. So we decided to do it!
When we all got ready to leave, Jeremy sat all the kids down and told the kids how we usually go off for a little get away weekend, but this year, thought we all needed  a break! He then told the kids the "Key" to making this trip a wonderful memory is that we all decide to "look out for the needs of each other over our own!" Jeremy reminded me that it would be really hard work and we would have to be really patient, but in the end we would have great memories!
        Always sickening  when you realize you have been looking out for yourself and have lost sight of really looking out for the needs of others.  These last 7 weeks have shaken us hard!  God knew I needed this reminder! While I have reminded allot of friends, this time I needed it myself that, "I will not find true joy in my life or marriage until I learn that it really is more precious to give then to receive!!"
The memories we made this weekend were great! The kids had their first cab ride, their first trip to the Shed Aquarium and their first Chicago pizza! But the memories that will never leave my mind are the times I saw my kids deliberately give up what they wanted for one of their brothers or sisters! They got to experience the joy of bringing joy! Jeremy was right it was hard work, and we were exhausted, but the reward was so worth it!

Please continue to pray that our family will be able to rely on God for continued healing, for patience and for each of us to allow God to show us how we can each change to be more like Christ!

It's a mess around here!

 

We began our week starting way to many things! Last Saturday we sat with nothing pressing to do! Probably the first in months!! So what better then refinish our living room's hardwood floor. We tore up the house planning for this to be a big day of craziness, but before the weekend was over I planned to have things back together with our living room looking much better!! WE WERE REALLY WRONG! After realizing we had put the polyurethane on incorrectly we had to rent the floor sander again and tear the floor up again! I say it was tough work, but really Jeremy did all the work, my work was just trying to survive working around the disaster our house was in and trying to help Jeremy not want to throw the sander out he living room window!!Lets just say that was just the beginning of a week that was going downhill real quick!

Me Playing while Jeremy Works!!

Not surprised that the puzzle I put together
with Abby Lynn was missing pieces!

Monday we decided to take the advice of a Dr. who saw Alisha for the first time. We made some drastic changes to her diet and starting Tuesday morning she woke up with her headache at a 10. She began throwing up and we soon realized it was migraines she was having. As her headache rose her mental state grew worse and worse. We had seen such great strides the week before and over the next 4 days we saw her go down hill quick! Wednesday we met with a DO. This is a medical Dr. who uses manipulation of the body. He understood and contributed to the diagnoses  we had been given by our A.K. and felt we were headed in such a good direction! He was excited to be a part and hopefully be able to be a piece of the puzzle that would help Alisha. This was good, because so far the medical world has said it is mental because they couldn't find anything wrong physically!
As the week went on she continued to go down hill. She was taking a shower and called because the water had gotten cold. I double checked the temp before changing the shower and it was Hot!  I told her not to touch the cold or hot and to quickly shower and get out. She was feeling awful, threw up once in the shower then got out and dropped off. When she woke up she couldn't walk! From her waist down her legs would not work. We waited about an hour then texted our AK who has been most helpful with what has been going on! He suggested us try juice and found that she was really low in her blood sugar. She also had a few minutes here and there where she was not able to hear, and once she was chewing her gum and she suddenly lost the ability to taste! It was back 5 minutes later!!

Welcome Home!!

We began the week thinking we had a great plan! We thought we would have a new floor, way better diet and a daughter who was a week closer to being better! We were wrong, but our floor is almost finished and we took Alisha off the diet tonight and gave her a cheeseburger and lemonade and her headache is down to a two and she has had a clear mind and has been herself with a few little glitches here and there!



We need to fire the maid!

I wish I could explain what was going on! I wish it made since, I wish one of the Dr's I have seen would have a magic cure, Shoot, I wish one of them would be able to understand what was going on in our daughters body, but so far the Neurologist, psychologist, ER, MD, OD, AK, Concusion clinics and Chiropractors are only able to understand little pieces of the Puzzle! Then Jeremy and I have had to watch Alisha and see if what we are hearing lines up with who our daughter is and what is going on with her body! We know there is allot of things we could do, but we also know Alisha is handling almost as much as she physically or mentally can!

While it's a huge mess around here, we are extremely blessed! As I drove in the freshly fallen snow this morning I was listening to a devotional about our Savior! I was reminded of the high price he paid so that we could be His, so that we could be whole, so we could know forgiveness! While our life seems to be messy and missing pieces right now I am confident that, Our Heavenly Father is working this all for good in our lives!!

There ya go!  Keep us in your prayers!!
1.Pray for wisdom (so we don't kill the poor girl)
2.Pray for Patience
3.Pray for Healing

We are thankful for
1. Running water (without water we would smell like our week!)
2.Strength to press on
3. Family and friends who continue to show they care!
4. Flexible schedules with our business and me being a stay at home mom!

Waiting on the Master Carver

Carving pumpkins at the Leffrings is a messy job! But in the end when you step back and the light shines through those pumpkins  they are so cool! All that hard, messy work was worth it! Then as the days go by and you look back at the pictures, you forget the mess and the stress of working with the awful little tools or the splatter from the jig saw :)  and all you remember is the wonderful memories you made as a family! Well right now we are in the messy part! The part where you sit back and think, I sure hope He knows what he is doing cutting into us like this!! Then I am reminded God is the master Carver! He can take the really messed up and make something beautiful!! I can't wait to see what he will make out of this!

These days I wake up and find myself begging God to let my kids wake up and have everything back to normal!! Then I quickly have to ask God to forgive me and beg Him for the presence of Jesus to be clear as I walk though today! There is nothing like realizing how worthless I am from the get-go!

I am beyond thankful for the encouragement we have gotten from friends and family! I am also so thankful for those who are working to help us get things back to normal while things are anything but normal! While we search for the right Dr. to help Alisha, one who understands the trauma that has happened to her brain causing her brain to deal with Conversion disorder we are learning that the mind will look for "crutches". We don't want to give her brain a "crutch" we want it to have to strengthen itself and regain normal use. Some of the changes we have made to accomplish this is to stop talking about her situation in front of her, not making a big deal of the "drop offs", or visible mind changes, She has also started back to school. I know to some you think of going to school as a stress, but to Alisha school is a joy! Not going is a stress. So as we try to get life back to normal for her, everyone else around has made huge adjustments!!!! This is difficult for me! I hate to make things tough on Jeremy, our other kids, other kids at school, her teacher..... I want everyone to be happy and I like for us to be the blessing! Thankfully Jeremy keeps reminding me that while it is hard, it is what is supposed to be best for her minds healing! Also that those who are around us care and are more then willing to sacrifice for what is best!
Ashton, Abby and Anderson have had 4 weeks of intense training in being selfless. At first this was hard, but as I sit back and think of the day I am reminded of how many times they each gave up their rights!! I can't tell you how many times one of them caught Alisha as her body fell over limp, I am so proud of each of them! Ashton probably caught her head from landing in her dinner at least 15 times! Each of the kids help out, knowing she will wake up and wont ever remember what they did for her. Their is nothing in it for them! It makes this mom proud! On a funny note, watching Anderson catch Alisha was comical, I'm pretty sure She doubles him in height!!
Jeremy and I make a great team!   We are learning about things that neither of us have had any experience with! He is constantly reminding me when I am overwhelmed of how much better today is than the last! By God's grace I really believe we will be stronger in the end !!

As you pray please ask God
1. to continue to guide us as with the right Dr's.
2. that we will continue to see even small steps of improvements
3. That God will give Alisha's teachers and friends everything they need to handle this!
4. That we would not miss helping Ashton, Abby and Anderson with needs in their lives
5. That God would help Jeremy and I to continue to work together as a team

Praise God:
For a better week this week than last!
For getting into a Dr. a week from Monday who has some experience with what she is dealing with.
For the many people who have gone out of their way to help us with the things we need!
For a God whose plan is Brilliant!!

Alisha Update

Tomorrow will mark 3 weeks to the day Alisha was hit in the head with the Soccer Ball. It marks the day she lost control of what her body does. It marks the last time she went to bed and actually remembered her whole day without parts of it being marked out because her mind was playing tricks on her! There are allot of scary things that have happened and to be honest when I think about what could be is even scarier! I try to keep focused on today, but making sure I am not sitting by letting time go by without doing anything! Thankfully I have big sisters that are keeping me on track! Today we started down the road of Counseling. The thought of trying to dig something that I never knew happened is a little scary. I would like to believe I know my daughter and that there has never been anything that she hasn't told me! :) I have always firmly believed in the freedom of having a clear conscience and have talked regularly about this with the kids. So the thought of my kids living with something that is not dealt with is sad, yet with all my heart I want to get to the bottom of this.  Today was the first time Alisha showed any emotion about all that has been going on. It was sad to see her cry, but so good to see that part of her that we have not seen for 3 weeks.
What are we learning and being reminded:
1. God is working all things out for the good of those that Love Him and are called according to his purpose! (Abby Lynn says "well, what is it?" I say, "That is a good question:)"
2. We will not allow pride (in our parenting, in our family, our kids, in our way we think is right) to keep us from getting the help our daughter might need. (while I felt like this was really extreme, I was reminded, "There is wisdom in a multitude of Counselors.")
3. I am daily reminded of how much we are loved! (Jeremy is glad we have an unlimited amount of phone time, because I am getting calls left and right) Our family has made it clear that weather it be rides to the Dr. from Grandpa, help from grandma with the kids, or Sisters to come and take care of the house, or brothers come and help at the shop, there is nothing that we cannot get if we need it! Our Christian brothers and Sisters from SDBC, has sent over numerous cards and gifts showing how much they care are praying for our Family. Our Church Family has provided meals for the past 3 weeks, they have spent hours with us at the Dr. and are calling on us daily to see how they can serve our family!
Thank you for your continued prayers! God is good, all the time!!