Tuesday, September 5, 2017

A lot of what is beautiful in this world arises from struggle

Hello everyone!  Sorry Ive not been updating.  We've been super busy over in the Fowler household and I have not had the chance to update.  So lets start with Team Impact!

So Braydon was able to join an organization Called Team Impact.  Not sure if I had the chance to explain it however, it is for children who have/ have had chronic illness.  They get to join a college sports team and become a part of the team.  We got to join the APSU baseball team and Braydon was able to attend and practice with the boys and then also be in the dugout of every home game.  We absolutely fell in love with all the boys and the coach.  This team is TOP NOTCH for both talent and being all around good people.  I can not say enough wonderful things about both the organization and the baseball team.  It got Braydon out of the house and around people, he really needed it.  Here is a picture of him and Jordan one of the players he became close with. 



Braydon also has really really flourished in his Explorers program.  He is truly excelling in the program and has decided to start training for the competition in February.  He has made some awesome friends and when it comes to volunteering to work he does not moan and groan, he loves doing it.  Not many kids I know that have their life planned out but he does and being an officer is at the top of that list.  Here he is at a local run honoring a fallen officer.

We had a ton of amazing firsts this summer and Braydon got to meet my Uncle Mac, which is my dad's brother.  My dad passed in 2003 and he did not leave the majority of his family on good terms.  Ive always stayed in touch with my Aunt Mary, however my dads brothers have been a different story.  I have minimal memories of my Uncle Mac but the ones I do have were at the beach.  Well this summer my children got to meet him and it was the most amazing thing ever.  Uncle Malcolm looks and sounds so much like my dad it was amazing.  I am so very glad my children got to meet him and I cannot wait to have many more family vacations of us all together.  I love my family more than they will ever know and I am so incredibly lucky that my Aunt and Uncle love it when we crash their beach vacation. Here are a few pictures from the beach!


 Braydon got his permit this summer!  WHOOP WHOOP!  One of the biggest things we wanted to accomplish this summer was staying seizure free long enough to get the permit and we did it!  He has been driving all over town and will be getting his first car for his 16th birthday.  He passed the permit test on the first try and I could not be any more proud of him if I tried. 
Not long after he got his permit Braydon was off to Ireland, Wales and London.  He did fantastic!  I was so scared that he would be so forgetful that he would lose his money or passport and he didn't.  Responsibility is a huge thing for kids who live in a constant state of fog from all the medications.  He proved this summer he could handle it!  His teacher announced that the summer of 2019 that he would be taking a group to Germany and Italy and Braydon has already asked him to let us know when and where because he is going.  Here are a few of his pictures from the trip.





Then to end this amazing summer, Braydon got his first job at 15.  He is now making pizzas at Papa Murphys here in town.  He goes straight from school to work most days and works until around 7.  He is doing good at his job and more importantly he is stepping out of his comfort zone and trying to get more social.  Before he was diagnosed he was a super social child and once he started the medications it instantly shut off.  It was like a light switch.  But now he is working on it and getting out there more.

Because of his new job we missed his most recent Neuro Appointment.  We went in and got blood work to check this liver though.  While the initial blood work is showing his liver function is returning back to normal she wants to run an additional panel and recheck a few things this week so we will head back down.  Hopefully they continue to improve. 

Claudia is in full force cheer after her second hip surgery.  She is starting to run again and is pushing herself much harder than the average person.  Her grades are phenomenal and she is starting to amaze me with her capabilities.  She is so super smart, but chose to take the easy path and never study which got her ok grades.  So far this year she is pushing hard and I like it.  Between her hip and a life she has been knocked down by those curve balls a lot, but she always gets back up. 

Well, we are moving in the next two weeks!  We are buying a slightly larger home in the same neighborhood and we have made a mother in laws quarters in the home for my in laws.  So it will be a new crazy adventure for all of us I am sure, but like with everything It is just something new for us to conquer. 

Right now things are good and as with everyone it can change in the blink of an eye.  I am so very thankful for the good times because it always out weighs the bad.