The Arnold Family: What's Going On???

Do you wonder what's been going on?????

I LOVE this picture! It captures my girls' personalities oh so well! This was definitely a "desperate times call for desperate measures" moment!

This particular day we simply needed to get out of the house. So, I loaded up the back of the van with a couple wheelchairs and we headed to the local flower shop. Needless to say, I was sweating before we even backed out of the drive!! It was an adventure and we provided great entertainment for those who encountered us on our outing.

It has been a LONG four months. At times, our home feeling more like a medical ward. As we near the end of this season of procedures and recovery, I will never say that it has been easy, but filled with God's provision for each day! God continues to reveal my ugly, selfish heart, and keeps the process going of molding me into His image. For that process, I am hopeful that on the other side of the physical change in my girls there will be spiritual, heart change in this mama.

We are feeling a bit lighter at the Arnold house this morning. Maggie had her casts removed yesterday after 45 days!!! The whole family is so in awe of this brave little girl! We know that her challenges in this life have been great. How thankful we are that this challenge is not one that she will fight through without us!

As you can tell she was feeling footless, and free yesterday when those casts came off!!! Today has been a little rough as the reality of more work and pain sets in. Watching her experience pain is difficult, yet I am thankful that I can hold on to the hope of what this pain will produce for her body.

Libi had her 7th Birthday and got a new swing! It was such a joy to celebrate another year of greatness in our sweet Libi Love! We continue to pray for Libi to gain the ability to walk, and seek God's healing of her body!

Somehow my little man-child has grown into a BIG man-child! He will be graduating in just a couple of weeks and my heart does not know how to process this new chapter. Jacob is the child who delivered to me a lifelong dream, to become a mother. From the moment he entered my life he was teaching me about growing up and putting another person above myself. It does not surprise me that Jacob desires to live by the words of Luke 9:23-24:

and He said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it."

God has allowed many circumstances to enter Jacob's life that have required self denial. Days of an unwed mother and a foster sister entering our family, leaving him without a bedroom, or a bed, for 6 months. Being completely changed by the joy of a beautiful sister and, having to let her go. Embracing 3 more sisters with various medical needs, that leave little time or attention yet, he says he is a better person because of it.

I told him the other night that he has been an easy child to parent, outside of the horrific 18-36 months that I try to block out of my mind. The truth is, he has not just been easy, but he has been a DREAM COME TRUE!