Wink from Heaven: September 2010

Thursday, September 30, 2010

The proof is in the pudding

Caleb has a great dead pan face

but we had so much fun playing with
pudding finger paint...

That we caught a smile!

"The proof is in the pudding!"

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Hands Full

We've had our hands full of fun things!

And we finished our morning making the yummiest chocolate chip oatmeal cookies ever!

I like recipes that make a lot so this is a great one!

1 1/2 c shortening or margarine

1 1/2 c sugar

3/4 c brown sugar
4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

5 c oatmeal

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I add more because I think it's tasty!)

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 c of chocolate chips (I add more because you can never have too much chocolate)
Mix the first 6 ingredients. Then mix dry ingredients and add to the sugar mixture. Blend well and drop on cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

The Wishing Swing

Caleb received his Wishing swing this week! It is absolutely delighful to see him enjoy his swing surrounded by his brothers. It truly is a wish come true for our family- for all of our boys to be able to play together...

Caleb fits just perfectly in his wishing swing!

We are so blessed to have a special place to play as a family!

We know we'll make special memories in our wishing spot for years to come

Our heart felt thanks to our wish granter Scott

And to Teno who donated all of the bark !

Swinging is magical to Caleb

Especially when he gets to be with his brothers!

We are humbled beyond words to be blessed with such a special gift. Thank you to the Make a Wish Foundation and to all who give their hearts to make wishes come true!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Teddy Bear Picnic

What better way to say good bye to Summer than a
Teddy Bear Picnic!

Since Caleb is a teddy bear himself, he was right at home!

Mitchell chose to bring his crab from Nana and Papa

And he didn't mind when it tried to snitch his lunch!

Bree brought scrumptious teddy bear cookies that melted right in our mouths

and Bugg was cozy in his wheel chair

Until he remembered his tasty hands!

Thanks for a wonderful picnic!
We had lots of fun with our beary special friends!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Our new Park!

Spanish Fork recently added a new park! The play ground is amazing, and there is even a Splash Park! We were thrilled to see that there are swings there that work for Caleb! I have to admit I was a little bit teary as I put Caleb into a swing and was able to let go!
Seeing Caleb swing made us really excited for his "Make a Wish" swing that will be attached to our play set this week!!

Perception

Yesterday I overheard Matthew talking with Caleb.
He said:
Caleb, have you ever heard of depth perception?
Someday when you have two eyes,
You're gonna LOVE IT!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

C ya PICC

Caleb's PICC line was taken out yesterday! YAHOO!
The Doctor wrapped his arm in red to see if Dallan would notice.
Don't worry.
I changed it back to BLUE today!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Two angels

Caleb has a new cousin Kate.
Isn't she beautiful?!
She still has heaven rubbed all over her ...
just like him.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

The Calm of Caleb

Caleb has a way of calming my little boys when they are feeling a little bit overwhelmed.
He is just what my Matthew needs after a long and tiring day at school...

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.