The greatest gift of all!

One day last week I was reminded of the verse Psalm 46:10 that says "Be Still and Know That I Am God." I thought at that moment how fitting it was to see this verse during the Christmas holiday. One reason being the obvious... we are celebrating the birth of Jesus and here is my reminder that "He IS GOD." Another reason it was so fitting is because this is the time of year when most people are the busiest they have been all year. This is my reminder to "Be Still," meaning be at Peace, do not stress, or even just Relax. I am so glad that God sends me gentle reminders when I need them. It has always been my desire to be in such a close relationship to God that when he softly whispers, I hear and respond.

I am not the type of person to be showy with my faith or to try and push my beliefs onto other people. I think that if I just live my life in a way that is pleasing to my Savior, He will make himself known to others through me. I am not the evangelistic type to go out and preach on the street corner or to even walk up to strangers and ask them if they are going to Heaven or Hell. I believe that as a "Christian" I am responsible to show the love of Jesus and He will do the rest. We have never pushed our children into any prayers or told them that they must believe in God because we believe in God. We pray for our children in our own prayer time that God will make himself real to them.

Tonight Josiah got the best and most perfect gift that anyone could recieve any time of the year but it was especially fitting here at Christmas time. He recieved the gift of Eternal Life. He came to me and asked "Mom do ya go to Heaven when you die?" I told him that some people do and some people don't. He said "I hope that God lets me go to Heaven when I die." I then began to explain to him that the people that go to Heaven are the ones that have a relationship or a friendship with Jesus or God. We talked about what that meant and ways that he can have Jesus live inside of him. He decided that he wanted to pray right then to ask Jesus to be his friend and live inside of him and help him live a life that makes God happy. It was a simple prayer but a very important one. I don't believe that the prayer or the particular words are what is important but the attitude and the relationship that will develop over the years. He was so excited that he immediatley went and told Karston (who has already made this decision) what he had done and said.

If we live our lives as an example of Christ, His love, His Character, His Life will shine through.

Family for Christmas cont...

Christmas Morning was Great!

Everyone got just what they wanted and more...

Then we decided to try some sledding.

It was more icy than snowy, but we were the only ones there and had a great time!

Then we came back and had Christmas dinner and Heath's parents joined in the fun.

The next day we all went to the movies and saw National Treasure 2 Book of Secrets.

Then we parted ways and Heath and I and our kids went to his parents house for the Traditional Christmas breakfast (Green christmas tree biscuits and red gravy, eggs, grits, and sausage.)We also did more gifts at their house.

We played games together and had lots of fun as a family.

Then we went back to Ang.'s apartment for brownies and a movie.

Then next day Ang. took us all over to her school so that the boys would have some room to run around with their remote control cars that they got for Christmas.

The boys had fun and then we decided to run races and include everyone.

When we got back home the kids talked Nanny into staying one more night because the weather report was calling for 5 - 7 inches of snowfall the next day. Since they were staying we stayed up late playing SPOONS and other card games.

This morning the snow fell just as the weatherman had predicted. The kids went out and played some more and my nephew Mason even used the snow blower on our driveway.

So we gathered everyone up (plus a neighbor child) and headed for the slopes. It was an eventful day of sledding. A little more crowded but still fun.

We even got Nanny to go down a few times.

We all had a great day. We are now getting dinner ready and then Nanny and Mason and Gigi will be heading out of town. It has been a great Christmas and we are now looking forward to taking on the New Year with everything we've got.

Family for Christmas

My mom, my nephew and one of my nieces have come to Chicago for Christmas!

We have done many many things since they have been here. Here is just a highlight.

Angie and Heath and I went to see The Phantom of The Opera before our family got here. Alyssa was so happy to be with her Nanny again. We rode the train down to THE CITY (Chicago.) My niece and nephew don't get to take train rides very often. They loved it.
They also loved all of the really big buildings.
We took them to the top of the Sears Tower.

We got Chicago style pizza at Giordano's.

We went to FAO Schwartz inside of Macy's Department Store We looked at the Macy's windows all dressed up in the Nutcracker. My sister Angie took us all to see the Nutcracker the first day that they were here, but it was so cold that we didn't get any pictures at the Theatre.

When we got home from the city, the kids were all allowed to open one present... they all got a book.

The next morning Santa had come and for the kids, the real fun began.

We also have been sledding and had a big Christmas dinner last night. We are now getting ready to go to the movies. Then we go to Heath's parents for more Christmas. I will post more pictures later.

My own Character

When I was a young 20 something and I didn't like when life was not going the way that I would like, I had no problems complaining about it. I would tell Heath's parents "Why did this have to happen to me?" You want to know what their response to me was? In their great wisdom they would inform me that it would "Build Character" in my life. I got to where I would not complain as much, I would just say "I hate Character!"

I have been thinking about the "Character" issue that seems to creep upon me so often. Today I read the scripture Romans 5:3-4 that says "...but we also rejoice in suffering because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. My first reaction was 'There is that word again.' But upon looking at it further I decided it was time that I figure out what this "Character" really means in my life. The definition of Character (according to Webster) as it relates here is "one of the attributes or features that make up and distinguish an individual." I like this definition because it makes me think 'I want for people to see the "attributes or features" of my life as something that gives other people the desire to get to know me more.' That makes "Character" a good thing to have.

At the risk of losing a reader or two or even having you think I am a Huge Star Wars Fan (I like it, but wouldn't consider myself a big fan,) This scripture Romans 5:3-4 reminds me of something that Yoda said. "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. And hate leads to suffering." While Yoda maybe just a character in a movie, I still think that this statement could apply in real life.

This statement leads to the suffering while Romans 5:3-4 leads us from the suffering. That makes me see that we all have a choice. It is not the "Jedi Knights" or "The Dark Side," but rather the choice of what to do in the midst of suffering. We can either go from suffering to hate, to Anger, to Fear... or we can go from suffering to rejoicing, to Preseverance, to Character, to Hope.

The road through suffering is never an easy road to walk, but I think it is much better to arrive at Hope in the end than to arrive at Fear. I hope and pray that the times of my life when I have been told or have thought on my own "that I was building Character," were times when I was choosing to arrive at Hope. I pray that when other people look at my life they see those "attributes and features" that are reminiscent of Joy, Preseverance, and Hope.

So this is my Christmas wish, that I would be able to share with others the "Character" that I have found in life to be so valuable.

We have Moved!

Our address has stayed the same, but we have moved everything around.

We moved the guest beds out of the basement and into what used to be our bedroomand moved our bedroom furniture upstairs to what used to be the boys bedroom/playroom,
then we moved the bunkbeds downstairs to where we used to have the guest beds.
Alyssa's room stayed the same because it is perfect just where it is.
It has been a long time coming, but we finally got it all done and everyone is much happier now.
Heath and I have his and hers closets, and I even get a sweater closet.

Here is my vision for our room being upstairs now. One day we will knock out the walls up there and make it all opened up. We will put in an entirely new bathroom across the hall from where it is now. There will be the bedroom area, the bathroom area, the large walk-in closet, and the sitting area, but it will all be in a very large open floor plan. O.k. so words can't put into your minds the pictures that are in mine, so when it all gets done I will be sure to post pictures again. Just because I have vision doesn't mean that any of this will be done any time soon. First things first get past the holidays and the new year. Maybe after that get someone to come over and tell me if those walls are load bearing or not. Then demolition time. My prediction is that this time next year I will be posting those demolition pictures. So I say we moved because that is what our bodies have been telling us the past few days. It has been fun and just in time for our holiday company. There is still so much to be done, so be patient in the wait for more tales of the Goodson's household details

Christmas memories

Here is Shamu after we got her home and in the tree stand. She ended up being much bigger than we had anticipated. I had to rearrange the dining room to make room.

This is the top of our tree. See how it curves over like a whale in captivity. Well, that gives our tree "Character."
Well, since the top of my tree is bent over our Angel topper is not really at the "Top" of our tree.
There are 600 lights on the tree and a strand of icicle lights on the window. No need to turn the light on at night in our dining room.
I had to turn the table and china cabinet on an angle. I have enjoyed decorating this year. I will be sad to take it all down in January.
Ok. One thing I have learned over the years, is that Trimming the Tree is a progressive detail of Christmas. What I mean is that from the time we bring the tree home, until Christmas Eve, I am constantly finding more and more items to decorate the tree. I added this year a string or two of dried cranberries. I still need more gold and silver ornaments and possibly some pinecones. Below is a picture of the children's tree in the kitchen. It may not show up very well in the pic. but there are colored lights on the tree and the kids really like it. Another thing that we did this year in the name of decorating (it was really for me to spend time with my boys) was to build a Gingerbread House. Karston really enjoyed taking pictures and Josiah really enjoyed sneaking the candy to his mouth. He also really loved the icing that held the whole thing together.

They were both very proud of the house at the end and we are all hoping it will now last until Christmas Eve at least.

All in all, this could be a Christmas that we all remember for a long time.

The best tree picking day...

We got a tree! We tried last weekend to go and cut down a tree, but the weather was just too bad. Today was cold, but at least it wasn't wet and cold.

Here is how our experience went....

First we took the Tractor ride out to the back of the property. Heath told me to be looking for what kind of tree we might want on the way. At first we just passed a bunch of trees that looked as though they may have been planted very recently. Josiah then tells me and my sister Angie, "We don't want to kill the baby trees, just the really big ones." Angie and I laughed that the big ones didn't have much more to live for anyway and that it was their time to go and be the Christmas Tree that they have waited their whole lives to be. Josiah also told me that last year we got the perfect tree but he didn't think that that tree would be there this year.

The first tree that Heath went to was big and full, but we had to laugh because the top of it was bent over and it looked like a whale in captivity. We moved on and saw several more trees that were big and not so full or very full but not so big. It was getting colder and Alyssa was not enjoying herself that much. We decided to go back to the area where we had been dropped off by the tractor. When we got back over there we picked out the perfect tree. It was very full and seemed tall enough. Yep, it was the first tree that we had looked at. We now call it our Shamu tree. Each of the boys took turns at the next stage of becoming a man, cutting down the Christmas tree. The boys loved that they were involved, but also loved that they only had to cut long enough for a picture and then they could go and play in the snow again. Karston cutting the tree down.Josiah cutting the tree down.Heath REALLY cutting the tree down while I pushed on it.
We pulled it over to the path to wait on the next tractor ride to come through and take us back to the barn. While we waited we threw snowballs at each other. The snow was very powder like and did not ball very well. Karston told us that the secret was to pack it tight and then hold it for 59 seconds. So Karston would pack snow into his gloved hands and then stand there and stare at you while he counted to 59. Josiah doesn't know how to count to 59 yet so he would just stand there for a very long time expressionless and wait until he thought maybe enough time had passed. Alyssa would pinch some snow with her little gloved hands and then she would throw it which to us just looked like she was waving bye bye. She loved playing in the snow. We were having so much fun that Heath got caught up in the moment and tackled me to the ground. We were all having a great time.Then it got colder once again. Alyssa became unhappy...

and the boys had to find a hole in a tree trunk just to keep warm.

We decided that it would be better to carry the tree back to the barn than to wait any longer on the tractor to come around. When they got done shaking it and put it through the netting, Karston was very concerned. He wanted to know why did they shrink our tree. We told him that they had to wrap it in the netting so that we could get it on top of the van and take it home. He felt much better when he found out that the tree would spring back when we took the netting off.

I have to say a very big Thank You to my sister Angie for helping us with the kids, the photography, and the memories of a perfect tree picking day.

We now have the tree in our house and in it's prospective tree stand. I have to wait 'till tomorrow to put the lights on so that we can tell if it is drinking water or if we need to cut the bottom again. Even though the tree is one of the older "really big ones," we do want it to stay alive through Christmas. Once we got home, away from the other trees, the tree that we picked seemed to be much bigger than we had anticipated. I may have to rearrange the dining room, but that is all for another day's blog.

Check out my Slide Show!

Heath and I grew up in Sunny Florida and Sweet Home Alabama. we would pray every winter for one major snow storm to hit where we lived, knowing that the most we could hope for was a blanket of ice. In January of 1992, when we were teenagers and just starting to see each other as more than just a friend, our prayers were answered. A major snow storm was upon us. This picture was taken by my sister Angie. The four of us went out and hiked through the snow on the major I-459 and I-65 intersections. The city was dessereted. There was no threat of being in the road because no vehicles could move through the thick snow. I read reports that say that we got 7inches of snow. The snow storm covered all the way from Arkansas to Georgia.

Today we live in Illinios where snow is expected every winter. Our kids don't pray that snow will fall so that school will be closed or so that they can explore a dessereted city. They expect snow to fal so that they can get bundled up in proper snow attire and go sledding on snow disc or on tobogans, not flattened cardboard boxes like we did as teenagers. Last night 7inches of snow fell on our house and in our yard. The boys went to school with their snowsuits and snow boots and they are looking forward to coming home to play with their baby sister in the backyard. Heath is out using the snowblower on the driveway and the roads busy with traffic as usual. It is amazing the difference it makes when you are prepared for this amount of snow. The snow is still falling here and when it is all said and done we could have close to 10inches in the yards. Here are some pictures from what we woke up to this morning.

Snow Time

We are in the midst of Winter Snow Advisory tonight. Josiah just came running into the kitchen to tell us, "the radio is saying Let It Snow Let It Snow Let It Snow, but it is already snowing." The snow is falling down and it looks like Sugar falling out of the sky. I think it is very beautiful, even though it is very cold out now. We have had several fires in the fireplace over the last few days and hot chocolate has been a must. Although my favorite season of the year is Fall, I do love the look and atmosphere of winter time.

Most of my family lives in Florida and they enjoy the winter time being at it's coldest around 30 degrees. They have no idea what it is like to get down to zero degrees. Well, we are looking forward to my Mom, and my older sister and her three kids joining us here in the Chicago area around Christmas time. My younger sister is living here now and it will be so much fun to have everyone here and enjoying the snow and the city.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas.

(This picture was taken looking through our front window)

A long time comin

Eight years ago I was lying in a hospital bed just after giving birth (via C-section) to my first child. I was very sick from the anesethisia and so the doctors and nurses decided not to tell me that there seem to be problem. Hours went by while I rested and recovered, I had no idea that everyone around me was worried about my son. When he was removed from my belly the doctors immediatley noticed a large bump on his back much like the picture below. I was later that I was told that my son was born with a birth defect on his spine and would have to be transfered to Children's Hospital. My family and I pleaded to let me spend one night with my son considering I would have to spend four more days in recovery at the hospital where I had delivered. They agreed but told me I was not to touch his back or lay him down on his back. It was a very difficult time for me as a new mom and I worried that he would wonder where his mommy was and why I could not be with him. As he lay in that hospital room with me that first night, I desperatly wanted to stay awake all night and be with my son. When they came early the next morning to take him away I felt as if they had ripped my heart out. Days went by and I would get reports of how he was doing from family, but still I was stuck in a different hospital with no way of getting to my son that needed me. On the third day, my doctor came by to check on how I was feeling. I told him I would feel much better if I could be with my baby. After much consideration and a long speech about how it was not wise for me to be up and around too soon, he discharged me and let me go to the other hospital.







As I went into the NeoNatal NICU at Children's I was so happy to see my son, but so distraught at the scene of all the babies fighting for their lives. While Karston was not fighting to stay alive he was in critical condition. There were so many questions about what was going on with him. They determined that he had a slight form of Spina Bifida and would need immediate surgery on his Spine. They called it Lipomyelomeningesele (or Tethered Cord.) The doctors had not seen this condition and had certainly not done this procedure before. They needed to go in and release his spinal cord from the mass of tissue holding onto it. They also would need to remove as much of this mass as possible. Over the next several days, emotions and our level of understanding were all over the place.







At ten days old Karston underwent his first surgery. Because he was so little and the fact that these doctors had not performed this surgery before, they were unable to remove much of the mass. This fatty tissue is the only reason that the doctors knew that there was a problem with the Spine, and therefore is the reason that Karston did not end up paralyzed. At the same time, this fatty tissue was connected to all of the tiny nerve endings at the base of the spine and would be a problem with every growth spurt in Karston's future.

Spina bifida is a birth defect that involves the incomplete development of the spinal cord or its coverings. The term spina bifida comes from Latin and literally means "split" or "open" spine.

Spina bifida manifesta includes two types of spina bifida, meningocele and myelomeningocele.

Myelomeningocele is the most severe form of spina bifida. It occurs when the meninges push through the hole in the back, and the spinal cord also pushes though. Most babies who are born with this type of spina bifida also have hydrocephalus, an accumulation of fluid in and around the brain.

Because of the abnormal development of and damage to the spinal cord, a child with the myelomeningocele form of spina bifida typically has some paralysis. The degree of paralysis largely depends on where the opening occurs in the spine. The higher the opening is on the back, the more severe the paralysis tends to be.
Children with spina bifida often have problems with bowel and bladder control, and some may have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or other learning difficulties, such as hand-eye coordination problems.

Lipomyelomeningocele is an abnormal fat accumulation that starts below the skin and extends
through an opening in the spine to the spinal cord. The skin covered lesion created is found in the buttock and lower spine area. It is not usually painful. Symptoms, such as muscle weakness or loss of sensation of the lower legs and feet, and bowel or bladder incontinence due to compression on the nerves by the fatty mass. The attachment of the fat to the spinal cord (tethering) may require surgery to release the tethering to the fatty mass especially during growth spurts.

Lipomyelomeningocele is closely related to myelomeningocele from which it differs only in having the additional feature of a lipoma attached to the dorsal surface of the neural tissue and an intact skin cover.

After Karston was born we went to see a Neurologist on a regular basis and he had no physical deformities. We felt blessed to have gotten through the procedure unscathed. About the time he started to walk we started noticing a slight difference in his left leg. It was not growing at the same rate as the right leg. I took him to many doctors and they all told me that he would grow out of it. It continued to get worse and his foot started to turn inward, but all the doctors insisted it was something he would "grow out of."

We moved to the Chicago area when Karston was about 2 and 1/2. I was pregnant at the time and wanted to make sure that we found a great Pediatrician. Upon our first "get to know ya" visit the doctor noticed Karston's leg and immediatley asked me about his history. I told him everything and he told me that we had to get to Children's Hospital as soon as we could to have the Spina Bifida Specialist look at the leg and his spine. We went within the week and found that his Spinal Chord had retethered during a growth spurt at about 18months old. This was a scary time for our family considering he needed a second surgery on his spinal column and a surgery on his leg and foot.

In September of 2002, I had a newborn son and we were at the hospital getting ready for Karston's spinal surgery. We were staying at the Ronald McDonald house nearby so that we wouldn't have to make the 1 hour or more drive into the city everyday to see our son in the hospital. They were able to get most of the fatty tissue off of the nerves this time. They did have to leave 20% considering how small his spinal nerve endings were. It was better to leave some of it and keep a close eye on him over the years than it was to damage a nerve ending and possibly paralyze him or worse. We were grateful considering his first surgery had only removed 2% of the fatty tissue.

He had another surgery the following February on his leg and then was fitted for a leg brace. Every year he has gone back to the Spina Bifida Clinic and had several test done, seen three or four doctors including the Neurologist, the Urologist and the Orthopedic. He has had some struggles with his bladder and bowels and the Urologist is helping us in doing all that we can to find solutions to these problems. Please keep our son in your prayers for his physical, mental and emotional well being.