Wednesday, October 28, 2009

ZOO DAY 2009

This post is a few weeks late. I just had to share it since it means so much to our family.


Each year the Frazer singles ministers to a very special group of people. We meet them at the Montgomery Zoo. They are the mentally and physically challenged children and adults of our city. A special day is set aside each year around this time to serve them and to just have fun with them. We gather early in the morning in anticipation of their arrival. Some of us come dressed as clowns (myself), some usher around a "special" friend, some serve in other areas such as serving food, handing out goodies and bags or taking pictures. There are many ways to volunteer. This was the ninth year for me and about the eleventh year or greater for Buddy. Zoo Day has become even more special to us each year because our children are now involved. They have come to love these "special" people and have very kind and sensitive hearts for them.


The reason Zoo Day is special to us:

My second Zoo Day was back in 2002. The day before Zoo Day I had learned that the baby inside of me had passed away. This was our third pregnancy and our third loss. I remember wanting to stay home. I was in no mood to go to the zoo dressed as a clown. To put on a happy face for the children when inside I was dying. However, as I laid in the bed feeling sorry for myself, I felt a special pulling in my heart to go in spite of the deep pain of loss I was feeling.


I put on my clown suit. I can remember so clearly being aware that my baby was still inside of me and I was to go have the procedure to terminate the lost pregnancy on the following Monday.


As I "played clown" for all of those "special" children a feeling of guilt kept growing inside of me. I suddenly realized that I had been praying and asking God for a "perfect" child. As Buddy and I got in the car to leave we both dissolved into tears in each other's arms. He had been feeling the same way. We prayed right there in the parking lot of the zoo for God to forgive us. We asked him that if he choose to bless us again with a pregnancy, we would take whatever he gave us. Yes, even a "special" child.


The rest of the story:

The little baby inside of me that day is my sweet 6 year old Sean Flynn. The same baby we were told had no heartbeat, an odd gestational sac, and other problems. We decided to follow the advice of a Fertility specialist in Birmingham and cancel the termination procedure at our local hospital. We drove to Birmingham expecting her to tell us the same news and do the procedure to terminate there. However, to our complete surprise, there was a heartbeat that day which shocked even the Doctors. No one can explain to us what happened. God is a miracle working God and he heard our prayers. I am sure some would say Medical Science could explain it all quite easily. I choose to believe that God brought my baby back to life.


The next year, Zoo Day had the youngest clown ever - 4 month old baby Sean came with his clown mommy dressed as a clown. This year, my precious Lily was a clown for the first time with me. Sean has now graduated to walking around the zoo with some very "special" friends.


Our special boy Sean with daddy - God has BIG plans for Sean...

My sweet Lily being a clown with me

Lily, doing some silly tricks for a very, very special friend, Katy







Tuesday, October 27, 2009

My favorite time of year...

I love this time of year. There is such anticipation. Fall festivals, school plays, Thanksgiving planning, Christmas wishing. We have had to miss a few things this year (the Fair, Holiday Market, school Fall festival and a few other things) because of my surgery. I was beginning to think we would have to miss our annual trip of visiting the pumpkin patch as well. However, on Sunday we surprised the kids and made a spontaneous trip to Dream Fields in Union Springs and had the best time. The weather was perfect. We took my neice, Sophia along with us.










H A P P Y
A U T U M N !!!!!!!
















Monday, October 05, 2009

Once upon a time.....

There were four little girls in striped tights..........

They played, ran, giggled, and hugged - these four little girls!

Sophia GraceLily Christine

Abigail Elise

Arianna Rose


They were the best of cousins - these four little girls.
And they all lived "Happily ever after".....


Thursday, October 01, 2009

"Life is Good"

Has it really been almost a month????

We have been quite busy lately. With both of us working, Lily in ballet, both kids in soccer, Frazer singles group on Tuesday, Church on Wednesday, volunteer work with "In Christ's Way", football season (ROLL TIDE by the way) and an endless stream of birthday parties, life never slows down.

The past few weeks have been pretty exciting. The biggest news is that we are planning our seventh Disney trip. I am almost embarrassed to say it though. Our spring break trip was a little rough because of my seizures. However, I am thrilled to say that I have been seizure free for months now and I am excited about getting a "second chance" at this years vacation. Going around the holidays is going to be exciting with all the Christmas decorations up at Disney. It is also Lily's birthday so we are looking forward to making it a special celebration time for her.

Last Friday we took the kids to ASF to see the wonderful ballet performance of "Gloria" and "Midsummer Nights Dream". It was simply amazing. Miss Lily, of course, fell asleep towards the end. On Saturday, Buddy took a VERY excited little "Bug" to a Daddy/Daughter dance. She is all about her daddy. I didn't go because I wanted it to be their special night. So, I got dressed up, got Sean dressed up and took my little man somewhere special. We had a "date" together at Chili's. He was beaming as I let him pay with the credit card and sign the receipt. We also had a great time with a wonderful photographer, Derrick Griffin, (link to come soon) as he set up studio in our home and took some wonderful portaits of the kids. I can hardly wait to share all the pictures.

Parties, parties and more parties... We have averaged about two birthday parties a weekend over the past month!

This weekend will keep pace with the previous ones. Buddy and I finally get another "Date night" tomorrow night. We have a sitter coming so we can go see a play at AUM, a local University where Buddy teaches.
On Saturday we will be going to something that is very special to us, Frazer Zoo Day! It is a wonderful ministry to Montgomery's handicapped and mentally challenged citizens. Lily and I will dress as clowns and Sean and Buddy will escort some very special people around the zoo.
There is a very personal story behind Zoo Day which I will share one day. We will wrap up the day with football, of course, (ROLL TIDE again) and a birthday party for a very special little girl who is turning one! Our niece Arianna Rose. And the weekend would not be complete without worshipping God. On Sunday, Jim Cavesil who portrayed Christ in the movie "The Passion of the Christ", will be speaking at our church.

Yes, I am looking forward to another busy yet deliriously wonderful weekend with the ones I love the most.

LIFE IS GOOD......