Word of the Day

Anomaly

Anomaly: A deviation from the usual, something different, peculiar, or abnormal.
A congenital anomaly is something that is unusual and different at birth. A minor anomaly in this context is defined as an unusual anatomic feature that is of no serious medical or cosmetic consequence to the patient. A minor anomaly of the feet might, for example, be curvature of the second toe so it overlaps the third toe a little. By contrast, a major anomaly might be a cleft lip and palate, a birth defect of serious medical and cosmetic consequence to the patient.
"Anomaly" comes from the Greek word "anomalos," which means "uneven" or "irregular." "Anomalos" comes from the prefix "a-" (meaning "not") and the word "homalos" (meaning "even").
I have heard this word before, but never really used it in my vocabulary. I think it is a good word to replace birth defect. Isaac was born with what doctors would call multiple congenital anomalies. Isaac has congenital anomalies with his heart, brain, ears, eyes, mouth, and airway. I am pleased that although he was born with multiple congenital anomalies, he is still enjoys life. Isaac has brought so much positive into our lives, we will never be the same again. Each one of us in our family have grown tremendously from our experiences. I think it will be interesting to see what kind of things Lauren, Brianna & Isaac will do when they "Grow Up". Lauren wrote a I have a dream speech a few weeks ago that brought me to tears, it mentioned things that would change our world for the better such as becoming a scientist and inventing a cure for the common cold and cancer. Cancer research is so dear to my heart, I have seen and heard so many wonderful people I love suffer from this terrible disease. When I get her I have a dream speech back from the school I will post it on her blog. Brianna is so full of Love and Life, she is amazing at the things she can draw and she is so graceful. Isaac is so incredible with the brain he has, he comes up with the most thought provoking things and is so good at figuring out on his own how to read big words. I am so fulfilled with my kids and their wonderful qualities, where before I had kids there was such a large void in my life. Now I know why my heart ached for so many years to have these kids. In the back of my mind I remembered what extraordinary spirits they were in the pre-existence.

Calm Before the Storm

The previous pictures were the calm before the biggest snow storm in years. I haven't seen such a big snow storm in ages. We probably got 18 inches or more on the evening of February 13th. We had a safe and healthy Valentine's Day.

The Beautiful Blue Sky & Warm Sun

For the last two days we finally saw some blue sky and some warm sunshine. All of the kids had to go out and play which they haven't enjoyed for a long time. We even saw neighbors coming out to enjoy the beautiful day. Brianna just lost her third tooth and it's the same one Isaac is missing, however Isaac didn't show it enough in this picture.

Another Dream for Isaac's Blog

Isaac asked me this morning if I could post another dream on his blog. So here it goes: "The Train was leaving without me and I was sad." Isaac said.

Valentine Box Idea

I have been helping my kids make their Valentine Boxes and I thought of my Mom who is in the Nursing home, so I made her this one out of a butter cookie tin. First I cut a piece of red paper for the top, then I cut three strips of paper joined them together with tape and went around the edge. The tin looked plain so I thought of putting something lacey on the top, I made a paper fan and cut it like a snowflake with a heart theme. The tin still needed something else and the song "Paper Roses" came into my head, then I took paper and cut it into petal shapes and taped them together. When I finished the tin "I thought it looked like something my mother would like" as well as other so I thought I would share it on this blog.

Cute Dream

Sunday Morning, Isaac told us he had a dream

about a lion.

The lion ROARED at Isaac, Then Isaac copied the lion

and ROARED back at him, then the Lion cried.

"Why Are Their Heads Chopped Off?"

As we walked through Kohls department store admiring the different mannequins last night, we came to some that had no heads or arms, suddenly Isaac said in a suprised tone " Why are their heads chopped off, and their arms?" I replyed saying "Maybe they were bad." Isaac didn't take it as a joke at first, he had a real concerned look on his face. Now he knows I was just being funny. I will never look at mannequis the same again. I never thought of it before that their heads were chopped off, I always just looked at it as fashion.

Isaac's other funny perspective is, when he sees a handicapped/disabled sign he says "look a man on the potty." The first time he came up with that one we were in the dollar store at the checkout (he made some of the people in line laugh).