Touchdowns, Go Karts, and Such

I have told myself for two weeks now, "You need to blog.  You're going to forget something."  I'm doing it tonight, and I'm hoping I didn't forget anything.  Although Reece's week last week was pretty unforgettable.  It started on Friday when his best bud came home with him!  We went and ate Mexican, and then they just hung out together.

Early the next morning, we loaded up and headed to Starkville.  Reece was excited for two reasons.  1.  Seth was going, and Seth is an Ole Miss Rebel.  2.  We bought a Maroon Memory experience, and we were going to go on the field for warm up prior to the game.

On the shuttle headed to the stadium

 Shaking Coach Dan Mullen's hand

 Reece's goal was to get Seth to ring a cowbell.  Goal accomplished!

 Fist bumps from the referee

 Reece called out "Hey Bear!"  D'Runnya Wilson aka Bear Force One came by and gave Reece a high five.

 Getting a "Hail State!"  from Gus Walley

 Hanging out at the tunnel where the players run out

 Picture with Joe Morrow

Fred was our guide down on the field.

 And, this was the aftermath of the game.  Above picture is on the shuttle back to the car.  Below is in the car on the way home.  I think Reece was playing possum, but his buddy was out.

Then, last Tuesday, Reece's go kart arrived on an 18 wheeler.  We were just now able to get it off of the pallet it came on this past weekend because of how busy we've been.  We weren't in any rush either when we found out the guy who built it forgot to put the battery charger in the box.  Can't really go anywhere without that... One of the tires was also flat.  We discovered it was actually punctured when we got it off of the pallet, so now we are waiting for the tire and the battery charger to arrive before he can be zooming around.  We are still so grateful for the people who helped us make this happen for him!

The same day the go kart came in, we were rushing to Reece's football game.  That night, this happened...

Yes, that's our little boy running in for his first touchdown.  The same little boy that wasn't expected to live at birth.  The same little boy who went through serial casting for the first 4 months of his life.  The same little boy whose bones in his feet were born pointing vertical instead of horizontal.  The same little boy whose undergone two surgeries to reposition those bones, endured joint capsule releases on his knees, worn multiple types of braces and casts, and undergone hours of physical therapy.  The same little boy who we were told there was no guarantee he would walk.  The same little boy who doesn't let anything stop him.  The same little boy who can do all things through Christ who gives him strength.  He took that ball and ran with all of his heart and speed, and we could not be prouder.  

Two nights later, he stood in the end zone and caught a pass for his 2nd touchdown!  The same little boy whose arms were stuck under his chin at birth.  The same little boy whose worn multiple splints, been stretched and pulled on since his first day in the NICU.  The same little boy who can't turn his palms up or stretch out his arms all the way.  The same little boy who has had three surgeries on his elbows, wrists, and fingers.  The same little boy who may do things differently, but he does them!  The same little boy who can do all things through Christ who gives him strength.  This touchdown was totally unexpected, and Reece says it was the game winning touchdown.  He's told everybody about it, and if I'm with him, he's shown the video.  It just doesn't get any better than watching your differently abled child do these things.  If I could describe the feelings in words, I would.  But, I can't.

In miscellaneous news, he's very excited about his Halloween costume this year.  He's going to be Darth Vader, and we had to have the gloves and red light saber... the full meal deal.  Some days, he decides to go fully dressed in the costume, but most days the mask is enough.  Even with his Dak Prescott jersey...

We managed to squeeze in a mother/son day at the movies on a day we both were out of school.  We went to see Hotel Transylvania 2.  Oh, I just soak up these days.

 We also celebrated Nanny's birthday in Carthage.  He looks so big in these pictures!

We had his ENT appointment yesterday.  He's been having some trouble with his left ear.  Turns out that the tube was out, but just had not fallen out of his ear.  He also has a hole in that ear drum in addition to the one in his right.  Dr. Carron said that there is air and fluid moving through that hole which is why he's had some difficulty hearing.  He's hopeful that it will close up on its own and wants to see him back in a month.  

Tonight, we were praying at bedtime, and I asked God to make everyone who was sick feel 100% again.  This was the conversation that followed.

"Mama, you know some people are never 100%.  Like me.  I'm 99.9%."

"You're right, Reece.  Everybody has something.  Like I have my thyroid problem."

"Yeah, and Daddy has some Escobar Syndrome."

"Yeah, we both have some Escobar Syndrome.  It's in our genes."

"What are genes, Mama?"

"They are what make us who we are."

"So, God didn't really make us?  Genes did?"

"Yes, God made us.  He made our genes that make us each different."

"Oh.  Well, where are our genes?"

"In our blood"

"OOOOH!  So that's why our blood is blue!  Because it's like blue genes!"

All I could think was "Oh dear, this is a very complicated conversation."  and "When does he learn about homophones?"

With love,
Beth