Happy Mother's Day

Hello everyone!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day with all those sweet Mommas out there!

We enjoyed another fun weekend with our sweet Momma. Michael, Allison and their girls came in town from San Antonio and we celebrated our Mom all weekend long! It was F-U-N and we made lots of memories. John Chris ran around with his cousins just like one of the big kids! He's growing too fast and yesterday I felt so honored to be his Mommy! I still can't believe God chose ME to be his Mom, I'm the luckiest girl in the world!

We also had a fun weekend celebrating Miss Caroline, she and Mom have birthdays this week. Sweet Caroline turns 6 on Friday and Mom celebrates another year TOMORROW! Lots of celebrations and so much to be thankful this Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

 

We love our Momma so much!!!

 

Happy Birthday Caroline and Grandma

 

Spool Fun with all the cousins

 

Aaaadorable!

 

All because two people fell in love!

My little Texan

Hello everyone!

I wanted to share some pictures with you of my little man.

John Chris at 18 months - He's fast, he's funny and he's the sweetest little guy around!

He brings so much joy to our little family!

Enjoy!!

 

Little Texan

 

Indiana Jones

 

Firetruck Fun

 

Like Father, Like Son

 

Cinco de Mayo

Momma Update

Hi friends!

I'm so sorry that I haven't posted an update on Mom lately, life as been pretty busy around here. John Chris keeps me on my toes!

Mom and Dad are completely settled in at home and they have a schedule that works great for them. Mom goes to the Med Center three times a week for rehab and we continue to see progress. Her speech is still not where we want it to be, somedays she is easier to understand than others. I pray that she has a full speech recovery though, it breaks my heart when I can't understand what she's trying to tell me.

I wish I had more to report on Mom, but she's doing well, staying strong and she has a healthy appetite. Our prayers are being answered! Thank you, Prayer Warriors!

Below are some pictures of her at rehab and celebrating Kelly's birthday last week. Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Love Rachel

Life at Home

Hello friends & family,

Our sweet lady has been at home for two weeks now and she is doing very well. Each time I see her, I see an improvement!

She has had two weeks to rest and sometime this week she will begin outpatient rehab in the Med Center. Dad will drive her downtown 3 times a week. She will continue with OT, PT and Speech. I've noticed that her speech has gone downhill since her discharge from the hospital, but I pray that comes back once rehab starts.

Mom is truly happy these days, John Chris and I stop by their house everyday to say hi and she is always smiling. She has not lost her sense of humor, that's for sure. I think she laughs more than ever now! Life is too short and if you know us well, you know we like to have a good time - ALL THE TIME!

We've started to take Mom on little field trips to get her out of the house and she loves it! That girl loves to shop, so we make sure to hit up for favorite spots! Watch out Houston, she's coming back!

Dad has a new name these days and it's Saint John of Little Bear. He is amazing! He takes excellent care of Mom from morning to night. He works on her speech, applies daily meds, cooks meals, takes care of the house and you know what he says..."It's easy, Tooch!" I tell him, "he's going to straight to Heaven!"

Thank you to all of our friends and family these past two weeks for the yummy meals and treats, fun visits, gorgeous flowers and thoughtful cards! You all have made this huge transition much easier for us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Love, Rachel

 

Mom getting the cast checked out.

 

John Chris loves rides with Grandma!

Home Sweet Home

Hello sweet friends & family,

Thank you for sending all the good vibes and happy thoughts our way today! Mom's first day at home was a memorable one.

The house was decorated with Welcome Home signs, confetti and we even had a fun cookie cake! If you know me, you know I tend to go a bit overboard with celebrations! ; ) And today was quite the celebration!!!

Mom had lots of visitors this afternoon and tonight we had a family pizza party! It was the perfect first day at home.

Thank you again for all the sweet gestures today! Mom loved it!

Love, Rachel

Homecoming!

Hi friends!

Tomorrow is our BIG DAY, Mom's Homecoming!!!

We have been longing for this day for nearly 6 months now. Mom has been working very hard these past 10 weeks at TIRR and tomorrow her hard work pays off. Home!

I think we are as mentally and physically prepared as we can be. Dad especially - he's a trained nurse, therapist and speech pathologist now! Not technically, but pretty darn close. TIRR has done an amazing job at getting us ready too. Yesterday Kelly and I were trained on transfers. {Helping Mom move from chair to chair} Mom's therapists have been so wonderful too, they have given Dad all the advice, information and tips to help make life a bit easier once at home with Mom.

As we say goodbye to TIRR tomorrow I know my eyes will be filled with tears, not tears of sadness but tears of joy. God has so many angels working at that hospital! The therapists, the nurses and the Doctors - each one of them are true Angels in my eyes. It takes a special person to do what they do at TIRR and they all do it so well! A BIG thanks to Patrice, James, Courtney & Kaylen!

As I look back on this crazy journey, so many amazing people have come into my life, I can't help but smile. Mom's ICU nurse that held me tight as I cried, the funny nurses at Kindred that would dance to make me and John Chris laugh, the old man that told me the same story everyday - all of these sweet people didn't know me, but they somehow knew what to do to make everything just a little bit better for me. I truly believe that God works in mysterious ways and although I may have aged 5 years in 6 months, I am a stronger person now!

If God brings you to it, he WILL get you through it! Oh so true! ; )

I better try to get some sleep tonight, tomorrow is a BIG DAY! I'll write a post tomorrow night too so everyone knows how our first day back to reality goes!

Goodnight!
Love, Rachel

Our very HAPPY Easter!

Hello friends & family,

I hope everyone had a fabulous Easter with their loved ones! We spent ours with Mom at HOME and it was absolutely PERFECT!

Dad picked her up early morning, they ran into mass to receive communion then headed to over Kelly & Duncan's house for a wonderful lunch! Kelly & Duncan are Holiday Host Professionals these days!

The BEST part of our entire day was having her at the dinner table! Such a blessing!!! I felt God's presence all day!

Her spirits were high, but towards the end of the day she was starting to fade. I think the pain from her recent foot surgery and the medicines were starting to kick in. When she is fatigued, she is very hard to understand, which leads to frustration. {Very understandable, but it breaks our hearts when we can't figure out what she's telling us!} As the brain continues to heal, we hope to see improvement with her speech.

She did great yesterday and Mom & Dad have become excellent at getting around in a wheelchair. I even saw Dad pull off a two wheelie! ; ) Dad still continues to amaze EVERYONE. He's the strongest Man in the World! His love for Mom is unmatched!

As you know, this is a VERY BIG week for us. Mom is coming home this Friday! The countdown has started and we can't wait for the next chapter.

Please keep the prayers a'comin, Prayer Warriors! These next few weeks are going to be full of new challenges for us as we start this next chapter.

Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers yesterday and Happy Easter to everyone!

Love, Rachel