Psalm 147:3

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:7-8

Jaden's heart surgery is Monday 7 a.m. (CST). It is expected to take about 5 hours. James and Kacey will get updates throughout the surgery. I will post updates as I am able. The surgeon will be attending to Jaden for the full 5 hours without a break. Pray for his attention, precision, and knowledge as he works on Jaden's heart. Pray for James and Kacey as they endure this very long, emotional wait.

And above all... pray for sweet Jaden...

Please don't be shy, let's shower James & Kacey with prayers and words of encouragement through the comment section as they wait... Feel free to just leave the city and state you are praying from... There is power in prayer ...

*Pray for Baby David Hood who will be undergoing heart surgery at the same time in Texas.

Playdate at our house today! Blake and Lana played for almost an hour in Blake's room with his trains and cars while the babies, Barrett and Lydia, entertained each other in the living room while Tara and I talked and watched Jaden's First Year DVD slideshow. (There were sniffles and smiles!) Then it was on to Gram and Papa's house to visit their emus!
Lana asked for Blake to hold her hand because she was a little scared walking up to them...

The babies needed their morning naps, but before we left, I had to take a picture of the little pals.

Guess it didn't end up being the best spot to put them facing the sun. After 6 or 7 photo shots, when they both finally looked up at the same time, they are squinting! But it sure was funny having all of us saying their names so they'd look up!

Goodbyes Are Hard

The hardest part of our trips are saying goodbye. We got up bright and early to get back on the road. We took our traditional goodbye pictures with each other before we left.

Sweet little Jaden... you hold such a special place in our hearts! God has such big things in store for you and has given you to the most loving, Godly parents.

Look how good James and Kacey look. They had been up all night with Jaden... he had a tummy ache and didn't sleep well at all. And yet they still have such great smiles and keep on going! What an inspiration they are!

In 12 hours we were back in Texas... 790 miles away from our loved ones. Oh how we wish we lived closer... but are always so thankful for the time we get to spend together.

Lots of love to our friends and family in Kentucky...

Jaden's Big Day

This post is very long, but have so many pictures from such a special day!

Jaden started his big day off with a yummy breakfast. He is getting so good at opening up for his food. He gets to eat half a jar of baby food while he is being fed through his gtube. Look at him open wide!!

We hung out in his room and played for a little while after that.

During his first nap, it was time to get busy... after all, we had a party to prepare for! We made a list and each chose a job to be responsible for getting done. His mommy made his 1st birthday cupcakes... so special!

James' job was to make the dip.

Robert burned 30 copies of the slide show DVD that James and Kacey put together of Jaden's first year.

I wrapped the presents.

Decorating the house...

We all previewed the slide show DVD before the party. James did an incredible job making it! It is wonderful. I am going to try to figure out how I can post it for everyone to see.

Lots of fun play time with Jaden. He has the sweetest smiles!

The final product. They turned out so cute!

The table with all the goodies

Family picture before the party

The birthday boy with his Mommy and Daddy

Robert and his cousin Jenna became fast friends!

The adults ate dinner at the table, and the kids couldn't get a seat for cupcakes fast enough! At the kid table are Jaden's cousins (and his Uncle Nate) ready for the good stuff!

Ready to party!

Singing, "Happy Birthday to Jaden"

Yum Yum!

Jenna thought it was yummy too!

Present time

The boys: Nate, Jagger, Robert, James, Jerry

The girls: Susan, Janay, Kacey, Michelle, Hanya, Tess

There were so many other family members there that I did not get pictures of. Jaden has been blessed with the most loving family.

After the party, James and Kacey prayed over Jaden and then put him to bed... Happy Birthday Jaden! What a special miracle boy you are!

Kacey and I went down to the basement to put a couple of pictures on the computer. Kacey is warming up with her new blanket.

We all visited late into the night, trying to make the most of our time together. We finally turned out the light, but not until we cleaned the blue icing off the switch... proof that there had been a party for a very special boy! We said goodnight, and thanked God for Jaden.

For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth. Psalm 71:5

Happy Birthday Jaden

We only chose a few pictures for this one because it is late, but I will post more from his birthday tomorrow. Here are his cupcakes made by his mommy.

Jaden tasting his birthday cupcake.

Opening presents


Family picture

Sweet family

I will post more pictures and details about Jaden's day tomorrow. Hope you enjoy the preview.

* Baby Hood (you can click on their picture to read his story on the sidebar) was born today on Jaden's birthday! He and Jaden will both have their heart surgeries on Monday. Isn't that amazing?!