Change is in the Air

This blog post doesn't come lightly or easily...but after nearly 5 years of blogging...I have decided to switch over to a Facebook account for Israel.

The truth is:
I LOVE BLOGGING! I have loved having a digital journal, a place to share my thoughts, my feeling...our life! I have loved connecting with people all over the world! Sharing our story of hope and faith. Watching how God has taken my simple words to bless others. How He has used my amazing little boy to be a world changer.

But the other truth is:
I just don't have time to blog anymore! It is quite time consuming and I spend way more time then I probably should making sure every post is perfect. And it's because of that, that I don't post more these days. Life is crazy busy and sitting down for a few hours to blog just isn't going to happen.

By using a Facebook page I can add little (or big if I want) posts as time allows...share current goings on in our life...share pictures and more, all from my phone! Which is perfect for this busy mama!

My blog will remain here, for those that find it along the way, or want to reread posts, look through pics etc. And who knows, maybe I will even add a new post now and then (Don't hold your breath for that though...lol).

Thank you to all of you who have so faithfully loved and supported us along the way. Your devotion to "The Journey of Israel" has meant more then you could ever know.

If you want to follow us on Facebook...you can find us HERE

 

SKIING!!!!

When I was pregnant and we found out that Israel was going to be a little different then our other children, I could have never imagined ALL of the opportunities that would come our way, just because of him! We have been blessed beyond our wildest dreams at all the amazing people we have met and opportunities that have presented themselves for Israel and our family. Most recently we were able to take Izzy skiing! Thanks to Oregon Adaptive Sports they hosted a FREE event at the mountains and Izzy got to go on a sit-ski for the first time. There was an instructor and a spotter who both came and volunteered their time just for us! Jon went skiing with Izzy also so he could be a part of the excitement. He was able to take lots of pictures and videos and capture this very special time. Izzy LOVED skiing...but didn't love how long the chair lift was...of which I can totally relate with! He was all smiles the whole way down, loved going fast and over "jumps" :-) His only complaint..."My cheeks are cold." Yet he refused to use the face guard/warmer we had for him. Silly boy! We certainly will be at this event again next year. Thank you again OAS for this awesome opportunity for my little boy to go skiing. You are a blessing.

Israel David - 4 Years Old!

On March 18, 2013 Israel turned 4 years old! Honestly...I did the math a few times making sure this was right. I really could NOT believe this amazing little blessing has already been in my life for 4 years. How is that possible? As I sit here trying to write this blog I find myself at a loss. Not a loss for words, but rather quite the opposite. I have so much I could say, so much I want to say, I'm overwhelmed with love and blessings for this precious little one who God blessed me with...how can I possibly put it all into one little blog entry and do justice to the love in my heart?! So I thought I would try something a little different this time :-)

I - Incredible: Seriously I couldn't have started with a better word to describe this little boy. Israel is so incredible in so many ways. His ability to overcome challenges is incredible to me!

S - Sweet: Oh man, this one is perfect. Israel is SO sweet, and he has the ability to melt my heart over and over again. His precious looks, sweet smile, loving eyes, accepting heart...yup he is super sweet!

R - Real: With Israel, what you see is what you get! He doesn't try to pretend he is anyone other then exactly who he is. He doesn't hide his differences or shy away because of them.

A - Amazing: Israel never ceases to amaze me...on a daily basis too! His skills, tricks, talents, perseverance, patience and love amaze and inspire me all the time.

E - Enthusiastic: Israel has such a love for life! He intends to live life to the fullest and do it with all of his heart and soul. He is enthusiastic about so many things, and it's contagious!

L - Loving: Awe yes, Israel is so very loving. He loves from such a deep place in his heart that is astounding. He cares about his friends and family and loves them so much. I wish more people could love like he does!

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY Precious Israel.

Thank You Gifts (Pictures)

By now everyone should have received our thank you gifts, so I am safe to share them on here :-) I spent a lot of time trying to come up with a creative way to show our appreciation to everyone, but especially to those who went above and beyond in terms of financial blessings. I wanted it to be personal and from Izzy too! So here it is...MUGS! Each one is "hand" made by Izzy himself! It took us a lot of time and patience to get through all the mugs, but it was a wonderful opportunity to help him understand just how many people love him and wanted to help him get his wheelchair, and how important it is that those special people know how very thankful we are to them for their gifts.

Thank You

We continue to feel the blessings of everyone who had a part in Israel getting his wheelchair. When he is rolling around in it I can't help but think of each of you (regardless of if I know you or not). We wanted to make sure those who donated money know just how much we appreciate you...so we are sending you a little something in the mail :-) Keep your eyes peeled in your mailbox over the next week, and please know that your generous gift to us will NOT be quickly forgotten. Thank you for being a blessing to our family in such a big way. And to those of who who prayed and shared our story we are very thankful for you as well! We couldn't have done it without all of you, and of course God!

IT'S HERE!!!

Izzy's BRAND NEW TiLite Twist wheelchair just arrived this afternoon and we couldn't be more excited! It is just the way I imagined it would be, only better! And it's so stinking cute because it's so small. :-) Chris (Our awesome wheelchair rep) brought it to our home today and spent a few hours making sure each and every adjustment was just perfect for Izzy. He went above and beyond in terms of care and we are very grateful to him (and All In One Mobility) for the awesome deal they got us and the outstanding service they provided. And yet in all of this, I can't help but become overwhelmed with emotion as I think about each and every one of you who helped to make this dream a reality. Truly, we are so very thankful and grateful for the role you played in this.

(Izzy & Chris)

IT'S COMING!

The past few weeks since all the donations have come in have been very busy, but also exciting! I have spent a ton of time researching and making sure we are getting exactly what Izzy's needs. After much thought and prayer we picked a vendor to use and together with our awesome wheelchair expert we decided on exactly what is right for Izzy to best meet his needs. I really never knew there were SO many options and choices involved with purchasing a wheelchair. Seriously there are TONS! But I am very thankful for all of these decisions I had to make because they mean it will be a perfect fit for Izzy! We finalized on it yesterday and made our payment (Thanks to ALL of you!) and it should be here in 2-3 weeks! Yahoo! Thank you again, each of you, who gave financially, shared our story and also prayed for us. We are blessed!

Izzy Can Do ANYTHING!

I made this little video of Izzy a few weeks ago and posted it to Facebook. I had such an amazing response to it, that I decided to upload it to YouTube and share it with you all as well. Personally, Izzy inspires me every single day of my life. When I think something is to hard, or when I'm feeling sorry for myself, or when I think I have been dealt a "bad hand" I am reminded of just how much I have and how much I am blessed. Izzy has much less then many of us do physically, but he certainly doesn't lack when it comes to ability, talent, patience, determination or personality. :-) My hope is that when you watch this video you are inspired, encouraged and that maybe you will have a different perspective on people with "disabilities". They truly are remarkable people with amazing talents and way more drive and tenacity then most of us "normal" people.

(PS...before hitting play, you may want to scroll down to the bottom of my blog and pause the background music, if it is automatically playing.)

WE DID IT!!!

AMAZED! BLOWN AWAY! THANKFUL! BLESSED! Those are just a few of the ways I have felt over these past few days as so many amazing people joined with us and supported our family and more specifically, a need we had for our precious little boy. In just 2 1/2 short days we raised over $3000.00...which was our goal! We actually raised $3231.52 to be exact! Thank you just doesn't seem to be enough - but it's really all I have. So, THANK YOU each and everyone of you who prayed for us, encouraged us, shared our story, and who also gave financially. YOU ARE A BLESSING! I can't wait to call Shriner's tomorrow and give them the great news and get our chair ordered!!!

Matching Donor!!!

Are you ready for some amazing news?!?! WE HAVE AN ANONYMOUS MATCHING DONOR FOR SATURDAY THE 19TH! UNTIL MIDNIGHT, ALL DONATIONS WILL BE DOUBLED, UP TO $500!!! I'm still in shock myself, and feeling so very thankful and grateful! How amazing would it be to reach our goal on day 3!

The TiLite Twist

I have been absolutely blown away at the love and support of SO many people yesterday and today. In just 24 hours we have nearly reached 1/2 of our goal! We are at $1215.00!!! THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us, regardless of how! Everything matters...every prayer, word of encouragement, and every single dollar!

I thought that I would tell you a little bit more about the wheelchair we are raising money for. Here it is (In the color that Izzy picked!) This is the TiLite Twist!

We picked this chair for many different reasons...but the bottom line is that it's perfect for Izzy! Without getting into all the details that will completely bore you, basically we need a specific chair that has many different adjustment options to meet his limb difference needs, is light and easy to push, has wheels that come up high enough for his little arm to reach, has break extensions so he can reach them, and much more! Shriner's has one of these chairs as a demo that we used for a few hours while we were there and Izzy totally loved it! He could get in and out on his own, turn and steer easily, and well...he actually cried when we told him he couldn't take it home :-( But when I told him yesterday about the fund raiser and the fact that we would be getting it soon, the look on his face was priceless!

(Here are the facts from the website)

PLAY. GIGGLE. GROW.
INTRODUCING THE TiLITE TWIST.

INNOVATION.

· 1" Aluminum frame design makes for easy installation of seating components unlike other chairs that use larger diameter tubing.

· Tru-Fit System:
- Reduces the number of holes in the frame, improving durability.
- Allows for easy adjustment and reduces set-up time.
- Tru-Fit caster arm on Twist has built-in adjustment to change Front Seat Height without changing casters or forks.

· Flip-Back Footrest allows for easy and safe transfers.

· Speedloader Adjustable Front Caster Housing (patent pending) quickly and accurately adjusts fork angle in 1˚ increments.

· Compact Wheel Locks allow for easy and safe use with smaller hands.

· Adjustable Camber Mount incorporates TiLite's Tru-Fit System with up to 3.5" of Rear Seat Height adjustment.

· DASH kid sized high performance rear wheels.

· TiShaft back release bar makes folding and unfolding the backrest easy from any angle.

http://www.tilite.com/wchairs_twist.php

Trusting God for a Wheelchair

I posted this status on my Facebook account yesterday :

Wheelchair update for Izzy: We had an appointment at Shriner's today and got some discouraging news. We have been told Izzy is literally on the worst insurance in all of Oregon (He is on disability insurance and we don't have private insurance) and they have refused to agree on terms on a contract for providing wheelchairs for any of their clients. So we will receive absolutely no funding for hi...s chair. The one we need to get for him costs around $4000.00! I was told if I bought it with no insurance coverage I may be able to get the cost down closer to $3000.00 however that is a chunk of money we don't have sitting around. If you could please be in prayer for us regarding this situation we would be VERY grateful!

...and I was overwhelmed with the response I got from family and friends who wanted to donate. I didn't ask people to donate, they just offered and have already put checks in the mail. Wow! But you know what? I shouldn't be surprised. Do you remember this post where the same things happened when we needed to purchase a gait trainer for Izzy? It was outstanding how many people reached out and blessed our family beyond words! We raised $2000 in just 5 short days! People from all over the world (literally!) gave. Some we knew and many we didn't. It was a beautiful experience for our whole family (and I'm pretty sure for those who gave as well).

So here we are, once again humbling ourselves, realizing that asking for help isn't such a bad thing (even though it can be hard) and receiving donations to purchase a wheelchair for our precious boy. Please do not feel obligated to give. But if you feel led, there is a button on the right side of my blog, close to the top, that will direct you to PayPal where you can safely and securely make a donation of your choosing. I will have a "Donation Thermometer" and will update it regularly as donations come in and I will keep you posted with how things are going.

Izzy thanks you in advance for selfless act of love and kindness!

(The rest of us do too!!!)