DeDe & Pops join us for Fall Family Pictures

I have to follow the last post with a continuation of the photo shoot.  DeDe & Pops (Nathan's mother and Nathan's Father) joined us for the family photo shoot.  They were great sports and suffered through 90 degree weather at 6:00pm with two kids running wild :)  I absolutely LOVE these! 

I don't have the words to describe how much DeDe & Pops mean to our family but I will try to pick a few that come to mind:  bold, fun, full of giggles, consistent, reliable, solid, legacy builders, investors of the right things (family time, Church, grand-kids, serving/blessing others), choose family over "things/stuff", helpful, forgiving, patient, resilient, humble, adventurous, brave, wise yet young at heart,they are both Godly examples that are shaping all of our lives for the better.

Dede gets kisses from his "Precious Little Darlin' Angel Poo Poo Pie" (PLDAPPP)

Pops finally got his girl...and he is all in!

How could this be ANY cuter?  Might be my very favorite pic of Pops. He's glowing - and he IS different from having a granddaughter.  (And I think he's relieved knowing that she thinks catching lizards, bug searches and duck hunting are cool).  She's all diva with a heavy side of Tomboy. Love it.

And then there are these two.  Talk about life changers.  Anyone that's spent at least 2 minutes with them together can see the love they have for each other.  It's truly special.  He asks for his DeDe everyday!  He sings to her on the phone everyday....prays for her everyday.  Carson adores his DeDe!

JOY!

What is Alex giggling about? I bet Pops is tickling her!

All smiles

I am so thankful for THIS family!

Fall Family Photos: Two Rivers Park (September 2014)

Although I haven't blogged in ages, I wanted to add these wonderful family photos taken by Jennifer McHam. I am so blessed & fortunate to have Jenny in my close group of friends and she continually uses her gifts to capture "the real us." Alex is eight years old and Carson just turned five..and we have our hands full with these two high energy, bigger than life personalities. God chose Alex and Carson for our family from the beginning, and I am thankful to be "the mommy." Carson especially scores bonus points because not long after the photo shoot, we met the Darby's for dinner and Carson fell asleep in DeDe's arms at the table. It spurred on a full week of stomach virus for everyone but Me ("The Mommy") aka "Professional bowl runner" but Daddy did have to go and get an IV it was that rough. Fun times, fun times indeed. I digress. Life is good. We are blessed beyond measure.

~Alexis Elizabeth, age 8 (third grade)

Full of curiosity, creativity and such a "free spirit"

             ~ Carson Kyle, age 5 (Pre-K)
our brilliant little miracle man...he forges his own path....

The Darby Family ~ 2 Rivers Park

Our British Service lab, Hope, joined us for many photos.  She's been the PERFECT new addition to our family.  She is the most brilliant, loving, "her soul runs deep" dog and we are indulging every moment we can with her.  She is from heaven.

Mommy gets some fun play time with the kids...

The Darby Divas

This daddy loves his daughter so much!  I love watching their bond grow stronger.  He is so good to his little angel.

"Make me fly, Daddy!"

The Newlyweds....well it's been 12 years actually and 2 kids later.  He still looks like he's very much in love.

And she is proud of the man she married and loves him more now than she ever has. She glows when he is near.

True love

;) Love this man!

Siblings - a blessing I didn't have growing up....so incredibly rewarding watching these two grow closer.  She is a nurturer and he is a rowdy, full-of-it-boy that helps her read and spell :)  Yes, she's in third grade, yet Carson loves to quiz her for Spelling tests.

And sharing secrets...

And protecting each other...they know they are on the "Darby team" and we watch out for our team!

Our masterpieces, my life's most cherished works

I am so thankful for THIS family.

"If we have souls, they're made of the love we share. Undimmed by time, unbound by death."

Love this quote.

Clarification of ASD article

The intriguing part of this report for our family specifically is the GI inflammation and the published connection to ASD.  I wanted to note that Carson was never given the MMR vaccine.  Click on the link to read the publication - that is what I am so excited about!

http://www.rescuepost.com/files/walker-et-al-2013.pdf

HUGE news for ASD parents. Check this out: http://www.rescuepost.com/files/walker-et-al-2013.pdf

**Dr Krigsman is our GI doc.  So thankful for this report!  Share the news.

Two landmark events -a government concession in the US Vaccine Court, and a groundbreaking scientific paper – confirm that physician, scientist, and AMC Director, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, and the parents were right all along.
In a recently published December 13, 2012 vaccine court ruling, hundreds of thousands of dollars were awarded to Ryan Mojabi,[i] whose parents described how “MMR vaccinations," caused a "severe and debilitating injury to his brain, diagnosed as Autism Spectrum Disorder ('ASD')."
Later the same month, the government suffered a second major defeat when young Emily Moller from Houston won compensation following vaccine-related brain injury that, once again, involved MMR and resulted in autism.
The cases follows similar successful petitions in the Italian and US courts (including Hannah Poling[ii], Bailey Banks[iii], Misty Hyatt[iv], Kienan Freeman[v], Valentino Bocca[vi], and Julia Grimes[vii]) in which the governments conceded or the court ruled that vaccines had caused brain injury. In turn, this injury led to an ASD diagnosis. MMR vaccine was the common denominator in these cases.
And today, scientists and physicians from Wake Forest University, New York, and Venezuela, reported findings that not only confirm the presence of intestinal disease in children with autism and intestinal symptoms, but also indicate that this disease may be novel.[viii]
Using sophisticated laboratory methods Dr. Steve Walker and his colleagues endorsed Wakefield’s original findings by showing molecular changes in the children’s intestinal tissues that were highly distinctive and clearly abnormal.

From 1998 Dr. Wakefield discovered and reported intestinal disease in children with autism.[ix]Based upon the medical histories of the children he linked their disease and their autistic regression to the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR vaccine). He has since been subjected to relentless personal and professional attacks in the media, and from governments, doctors and the pharmaceutical industry. In the wake of demonstrably false and highly damaging allegations of scientific fraud by British journalist Brian Deer and the British Medical Journal, Dr. Wakefield is pursuing defamation proceedings against them in Texas.[x]
While repeated studies from around the world confirmed Wakefield’s bowel disease in autistic children[xi]and his position that safety studies of the MMR are inadequate,[xii]Dr. Wakefield’s career has been destroyed by false allegations.^X Despite this he continues to work tirelessly to help solve the autism catastrophe.
The incidence of autism has rocketed to a risk of around 1 in 25 for children born today. Meanwhile governments, absent any explanation and fearing loss of public trust, continue to deny the vaccine-autism connection despite the concessions in vaccine court.
Speaking from his home in Austin, Texas, Dr. Wakefield said,“there can be very little doubt that vaccines can and do cause autism. In these children, the evidence for an adverse reaction involving brain injury following the MMR that progresses to an autism diagnosis is compelling. It’s now a question of the body count. The parents’ story was right all along. Governments must stop playing with words while children continue to be damaged. My hope is that recognition of the intestinal disease in these children will lead to the relief of their suffering. This is long, long overdue.”
Dr. Andrew Wakefield is a best selling author,⁹founder of the autism research non-profit Strategic Autism Initiative (SAI), and Director of the Autism Media Channel.
See:
“Identification of Unique Gene Expression Profile in Children with Regressive Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Ileocolitis” PLOS ONE March 8, 2013, available online at:http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0058058
To see an exclusive interview with one of the study’s key authors Dr. Arthur Krigsman, go to Autism Media Channel

http://www.rescuepost.com/files/walker-et-al-2013.pdf

Still here....barely ;)

Hi family & friends,
I miss blogging and promise I haven't thrown in the towel....entirely.  Just wanted to post a few pics from last year...we are doing well and the kids are fantastic (Alex is almost 8 and Carson is 4 1/2).  My dad is in the hospital and has been since New Year's Eve so life just isn't ours at the moment (but Dad is fighting is GOING to be okay, praise the Lord).  But look at how cute these kids are :)  They are my everything.  Love and miss you all.

I think this is my very favorite pic of the kids.  EVER. Cutness overload.

Family photo the Old Mill in Little Rock, September 2012 - sis in law took this shot :)

Here are our Fall 2012 family pictures taken by Jennifer McHam in the Argenta downtown district in Little Rock:

Our beauty...she will be EIGHT in February - ahhh!

And here is our 4 year old mess.  He is doing SO well.  I can't believe how far he has come.  He makes everyday worth waking up for!

Our masterpieces

I love, love this picture of me & my little man.  Such joy!

The Christmas Card money shot! Love Carson's little face here

Happy 2013 to you all!  I still have pictures from DISNEY WORLD from 2011 to add, that's how far behind I am...but just had to take a moment to say heeeeey to the world.  Love!