Wink from Heaven: August 2010

Monday, August 30, 2010

Our wish came true!

How it all began...

September 2009

We got a special package in the mail from the "Make a Wish Foundation!"

Inside it had a special key...

that would open the door to the wishing room!

October 2009

Our trip to Make a wish

It was magic from the time we stepped through the doors!

Caleb was the star of the evening!

We explored the grounds,

and spent some time at the wishing pond.

We each got to make a wish and throw a special coin in the fountain. They even gave us each another coin to save as a keepsake!

Our wish granters took us on a tour of the building, and we spent some time talking about Caleb's wish. They were great sports to entertain my boys' wiggles and short attention spans! We wrote down Caleb's wish, and then we all got to write our own wishes for Caleb to be read in the wishing room.

The boys could hardly wait...

There was a special lock for our special key

Matthew helped Caleb put it in the keyhole.

Caleb was full of smiles as we stepped inside. There were beautiful lights and a magic waterfall in the center of the room!

We all got to read the wishes we wrote for Caleb.

Caleb's wishes from us were put in a knight for us to keep, and his special wish was put in a golden case!

We all helped send Caleb's wish to the wishing wizard!

It was magical!

Our wish granters were wonderful!

The evening was full of magic.

My boys will never doubt that wishes really do come true!

Caleb loves to be with his brothers and he loves to be outside! So we wished for a play set with a handicap swing so that that Caleb and his brothers can have adventures together outside!

November 2009

We helped with a "Make a Wish Family Fun Run" to raise money for the foundation! We were touched by the many family and friends who came to support our family and the foundation!

August 2010
Our wish came true!

This week our play set was installed! We are thrilled!! Caleb's handicap swing has been ordered and should arrive soon! We are truly humbled to be the recipients of a gift that will bless our boys with many happy memories in the backyard.
Thank you MAKE A WISH!

The installers were great sports to let Mitchell help.

We love seeing the play set filled with people we love!

We're excited to make memories for years to come!

Friday, August 27, 2010

Cougar Boy

Don't let his game face fool you.

This boy is getting pumped up for September 4th

When BYU football officially begins!

Rah Rah Rah -Rah -Rah

Go Cougars!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Dipping

Dear Caleb,
You must know I love you very much
if I'm willing to post a picture of us
with me in my swim suit.
Yes, that would be
V.E.R.Y much.
xoxo

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Salem Pond

I have a special spot in my heart for Salem Pond.
My parents took me to Salem Pond on my first birthday.
Some of my favorite high school memories were at Salem Pond.
Salem Pond was a place of many family reunions.
When my husband and I got engaged, we filmed ourselves at Salem's pond then showed that movie to our families to announce the big news.
Now that we've moved back to my home town, I couldn't let the Summer end without making some memories with my own kids at Salem Pond.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Canyon boy

We've taken our family to the canyon for past couple of weekends,
and Caleb just loves it.
He is so content and happy.
Is it being in the mountains
or being with his family
that makes him so happy?
I'm pretty sure it's both.

Heaven sent...
We were blessed with a little boy who always winked!
Caleb's brain did not form, and doctors didn't expect him to live for more than a few weeks. After 8 days in the NICU doctors sent us home saying there was nothing more they could do. Among his various physical challenges, Caleb was missing one of his eyes. Even though he was never be able to say "I love you" with words, he told us every day with his "wink!" His little wink was a daily message of love from heaven.

Caleb’s spirit radiated pure love. He brought the love of God and light of Christ into the lives of all who knew him. Caleb’s life was a precious gift and a tender miracle. His winking eye was a daily reminder of Caleb’s deep love for all of us. Caleb could have quickly returned to heaven but instead he brought heaven to us for seven years.

Caleb was a precious gift to our family, and now it is our priveledge to live in such a way that we will be reunited with him forever.

Prayer for Caleb

(written by Caleb's Grandma in her weekly column -2008-)

In my family we have a secret code to communicate our love for each other when we are out in public. We wink. When one of us is about to perform or speak, we look for a family member’s face in the crowd. Then we wink at each other. Closing one eye and winking is our secret code for saying, “I love you. You can do it. You’re wonderful.”

About three years ago, my grandson Caleb was born into our family. He must have known before birth that he would never be able to speak to us because he was born with one eyelid permanently closed. So, he is always “winking” at us, always communicating, “I love you. You can do it. You’re wonderful.”

Caleb has one eye lid permanently closed because he is missing one of his eyes . . . and he is also missing his brain. All the doctors said he would die soon after birth. They were wrong. Caleb is three years old. He is a medical miracle. The doctors say he can’t see, hear, speak, think or move. Those who know and love Caleb understand he has his own unique way of experiencing the world and communicating his love to those around him.

After Caleb was born the hospice people told us to buy a burial plot and continually warned us of his imminent death. We soon learned you can not live well in a state of fear and sadness. We decided we could spend Caleb’s entire life anxious and scared he might die at any moment, or we could celebrate each day we were blessed to have him with us. In the beginning, my daughter April celebrated Caleb’s birthday every week instead of every year with balloons and cupcakes because we simply did not know how long we would have him with us. We stopped the cupcakes after we gained ten pounds, but the celebrating goes on.

We all prayed for a miracle when we first learned about Caleb’s condition. We got one. Caleb’s birth, life and mission have had a deep and lasting impact on our lives. His spirit, eternal identity and most of all the loving, individual relationship he has with each of us is truly a miracle. Because of Caleb we know that each of us has a divine purpose and that the physical body is a sacred gift we should never take for granted. We better understand the worth of a soul and the resiliency of the human spirit.

Caleb’s five year old brother Matthew said, “Grandma. The doctors said Caleb was going to die, but he didn’t. That’s the first miracle I ever saw!”

Sometimes Caleb’s baby brother Mitchell pulls out his feeding tube while they hold hands riding together in their double stroller. Sometimes the only intervention that can get Caleb’s heart rate up is when his older brothers Josh and Matty crawl in his crib, hug him and sing, “I am a Child of God.” ...If you have a moment please offer a prayer for the little boy who has never been able to utter a single word and yet has taught everyone who knows and loves him – all the secrets of a rich and meaningful life.