I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has
Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.
My two boys are so special to me. I am blessed that God thought I deserved to have them. I am grateful.
Lisa
Douglas made vegetable beef stew for his brothers, sisters, his grandparents, and great grandma. I thought this was so nice of him. 
This is Douglas when he was younger. Thank goodness for braces. He had a very bad overbite. I am so proud of Douglas. When I was a teenager my mom use to say you will get it twice as bad when you have your own. So far, I have been very lucky. The other day Douglas was Instant Messaging me on Yahoo. Here is a copy of our conversation. I feel blessed to have such a wonderful son. douglas_sidak: i have none c's in my report card whoooo
.JPG)
Here is our Family picture we have just gotten back. I think it turned out pretty well. Our photographer is such a wonderful person. I am glad that I have had the opportunity to know Brooke Kaczor. We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and God bless each and everyone of you. Please remember why we celebrate Christmas. Jesus was born on this day and he gave himself so that we may live. Never forget the reason for the season of Christmas.... The ultimate gift that Jesus gave to each and everyone of us!!!!!!!
We went to the Lied and Learning Technology Center in Omaha Nebraska. It was there annual Christmas Party for the deaf. The kids had their faces painted. They decorated sugar cookies and made snow flakes. They had their picture taken with Santa and Mrs. Clause. Diezel loved seeing Santa. It was awesome to see Santa sign to all the children. He gave them each a stuffed lion. We all enjoyed ourselves. I think this picture turned out pretty good. 
I thought just for fun I would share my family at Halloween. I love Halloween. I go all out. I did my husband and all my kids. We are Little Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Werewolf. We won first at the Halloween Contest. It is the one time of the year you can be anybody.
Dawson was Scooby Dooby Doooo. He is our shy and quiet child. He is so adorable. He would do anything for you. He is a lover. When he does get upset about something his cry will pull at your heart strings. It's so quiet and sad you have to hold strong..Because what you really want to do is wrap your arms around him and let him get away with everything.
Morgan Danielle is Dracula. She is our tomboy. She isn't into girly stuff. Locust shells is what she collects all summer. Frogs you'll find in every container. Morgan Danielle and Dawson are total opposites yet they are glued at the hips.
Decemberlyn is a Butterfly girl. If you can believe it that is all her hair. I used lots of hairspray,teased it, and sprayed it with color. She is my girly girl. She is a Drama Queen. I think she can shed a tear at the drop of a hat. It's hard to admit but she is me when I was little.
Destiny was our adorable clown. It took me FOREVER to tease up her hair and get it to look like a clown wig but I think I got close. She is half and half. She is girly and a tomboy. She loves Tinkerbell and any type of princess yet she loves frogs, any type of bug and would live outside if you let her. She is our Destiny because I was told I would have no more children. After I had surgery for my sinuses, I went home and got really sick. I went to the hospital and after taking blood they came back saying that I was pregnant. She was Destined to be here. God was taking care of her while I had all those drugs in my system. She is healthy.
Diezel is our spider. I wasn't going to put makeup on him or hair color but he insisted. If his brothers and sisters get it he wants it to. Diezel brings up the rear. He is the last. There will be no more babies for me. I think Seven is plenty. I am sure anyone would agree with me. Diezel is a go getter. If he wants something he will work at it till he figures it out. He is bull headed just like his father. He is a lover like his mother and he is smart like his oldest brother. 
This is my whole crew. I am so lucky to have them. Each one of them has a different personality. I wouldn't want it any other way. I can't wait till next year. The possibilities are limitless............
