1 Year

"The only way to correct this to keep him from having blindess, seizures, or possible mental difficulties, is for him to have surgery to separate the sutures to allow for normal brain growth."

Then came the tears...uncontrollable tears in the office of Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine in Charlotte on that day in early May 2009. Will is sitting there, smiling, having no idea what was just said or why I am crying. Isaac had to take over from there...asking the doctor questions, looking at me to make sure I was understanding what was being said. All I could think about was the word "surgery".... which means operation...which means...cut. I couldn't get past that idea...the idea of myself having surgery is not pleasant...the idea of one of my babies? Sickening.

Over the next few months, I became stronger, but still paralyzed by what was looming ahead in the distance on July 20, 2009; the date of Will's craniotomy surgery to correct his craniosynostosis at Levine Childrens Hospital at CMC in Charlotte. In the weeks before, Isaac and I prayed fervently for our little boy...along with our wonderful church family and countless others. We couldn't have gotten through that time without people....who were angels on earth to us.

The morning of the day of surgery I remember riding over to Levine just numb...I've said since then that God truly carried me through that day. If I had been in the natural, I wouldn't have had the strength to get out of my bed...but the Supernatural took over...God lifted me out of bed and gave me the strength to get through the day. From handing him over for the nurses to take back to the OR (which was unimaginable to me leading up to that day) to sitting in the surgery waiting room with our family and our precious pastors to spending the night in the ICU with him post-surgery....He carried me through.

Now, exactly one year later, Will is healthy, happy, active, and into everything!! Everyday is a blessing to watch him play with his older brothers, walk, talk, and play with his toys...He is one of my many reminders of HOW GOOD OUR GOD IS!!

Tyndall Doggy Drama

Again, it's been quite a while since I've written a blog. This year has been consumed with homeschooling, every kind of ball practice you can imagine, therapy for Ben, post-surgery checkups for Will, and dog drama. Yes, after having our golden retreiver, Kobe, for about a year, we decided to "re-home" him. This was after about a month of dilligent dog training that he didn't seem to get at all. He was a great dog, just not the right fit for us. He was 85 pounds and thought he was a 4 lb. yorkie...he didn't know how big (or how strong) he was....not a good combo with toddlers running around. SO, we found a good home for him and went searching for the "perfect" fit for us. (Keep in mind, we thought Kobe was the "perfect" fit....oh well...back to square one). I had been looking into Bassett Hounds for a while. I had heard that Bassetts are great with kids and are just lazy and great family dogs. So, there was an ad on Craigslist (what did we ever do without "Craigslist") for pure-bred Bassett puppies in Lincolnton. Well, we loaded up the fam (with Isaac driving, bless his heart, he doesn't like dogs, but he loves me :)) and headed to Lincolnton. This family was very nice and she had all these Bassett babies in a rubbermaid box (? I thought that was odd too) and she put them out in her front yard and they were the cutest little things I had ever seen. I had in my mind what markings I wanted her (yes "her", I am completely outnumbered) to have and I found one exactly like the one I wanted...she was a "tri-color" one (black, brown and white). We paid the nice people and took her home...we named her "Dixie" because she just looks like a good ol' Southern dog that you would see passed out on a front porch of a farmhouse :) Brought her home...the first week...everything was fine...and then came the following Monday. I took her in to get her shots and deworming on a Monday morning...everything was fine. That night she started vomiting and had horrible loose bloody stools. I thought that it could be a reaction to the shots or dewormer, but the worst case scenario kept running through my head....parvo. So, early the next AM, I took her to the vet. She was lethargic...definitely not herself. They ran all sorts of tests...including a parvo test. Sure enough, the parvo test came back positive. The vet gave me a list of options....either take her home and treat her ourselves with meds, (not very successful, but cheaper) or let her stay there in the "hospital" and receive IV's for a few days....keep in mind, 80 percent of puppies diagnosed with parvo die within 3 days of the diagnosis; a sobering statistic that stuck in my head. SO, we decided on her staying at the vet. After 2 days, she showed improvement and we brought her home. Keep in mind for about a week after that, my mission was to keep Dixie alive, with round the clock meds, syringes of Pedialyte, etc. Now, she is a healthy little pup that we are trying to housetrain...which is a whole different story:) But thank God she is still with us. Throughout these "doggy woes" Isaac said a few times...."other people can go out and get 1 dog and have it work out"...true, but we have never been "other people" :) Now, whenever we go through a trial (however big or small) I ask God what he's trying to teach me through it....so next time you are going through one of life's issues, just ask God, "Ok Lord, what are you trying to teach me?"....I think through this we endeared ourselves to this dog and we have become commited to making this work...even though this was an expensive price for endearment....oh well, such is our crazy life :)

He Was Pierced for Our Transgressions...

Well, it's Easter week 2010, and I am taking an inventory of what's on my mind to prepare for Easter Sunday: 1) Making sure the Easter bunny makes a visit to the Tyndall house 2) Getting Will some white shoes and white knee socks to match his precious little outfit 3) buying enough eggs to use all of the egg dye that I bought because it was only 99 cents a pack....and a million other things....hmmm, did I leave anything out? How 'bout taking the time to thank Jesus for the sacrifice He made for us on the cross...pretty amazing stuff. On Thursday of last week, we had our "Oasis" meeting at church. We're a group of ladies of all ages, at different stages in our lives, that get together every other Thursday to eat good food, have good conversation and study God's word. In preparation for the study, God so blessed me by leading me back and forth through the Old and New Testaments to show me His sovreign and omnipotent power. Did you know that chapter 53 of the Book of Isaiah was written 700 years before the birth of Christ? Amazing. In that book, Isaiah goes through Jesus's life in such detail that is almost if Isaiah knew Jesus...that He knew the hard road He would walk to the cross...take the time to read that chapter this week...it will bless you!Also, in the Tabernacle in the book of Exodus the "atonement cover" where all of their sacrifices to God were made was shielded by 2 cherubim (or angels). In the book of John, when Mary looked into the empty tomb, she saw two angels on either side of where Jesus was laid, one at the head and one at the foot. Jesus was the final "atonement" or sacrifice for our sins....praise God!So in this week of busyness and preparing for the "bunny" to make a visit, I am going to reflect on His sacrifice He made for my sins everyday....I am going to think about what He was feeling at the last supper, the agony He experienced in the garden knowing what was ahead of him in the following hours, the violence He experienced when the Roman soldiers arrested Him and took Him to Pilate, the humility that He felt when the people yelled "Crucify Him!" and the excruciating pain of the flogging and the nails....no, Easter is not about the bunny and eggs....it's about what He gave for us; a perfect man tainted with the sin of the world. Why? Because "HE SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE"....

Time after Time...

Time...that most precious commodity that we as busy moms never seem to have enough of. Lately, I've been so aware of how quickly time flies, that I was impressed to base our "Oasis" devotional on it. (By the way, "Oasis" is a wonderful ladies group I have the pleasure of leading at our church). I focused on how we, as busy wives and mothers, are each given the same amount of time in a day, it's how we use our time that determines whether or not we are fulfilling God's will for our lives....a very sobering thought :/ . So, since last Thursday, I think I've been overly aware of trying to fit everything in in the course of my day, but now, I think I'm overkilling it a little bit :/ Which, I think is easy for mothers to do...especially, us homeschooling moms. I absolutely adore homeschooling, but with it, definitely can come it's challenges. Good days are awesome...those days where I know the boys are getting it and they actually listened to me and made that separation of teacher and mom, but the not-so-good days, are hard. No, not every day is good, but it's always worth it. Homeschooling definitely fits our family like a glove and to us, there's really no turning back. Nothing great ever comes without it's challenges, and I will just press on through the harder days, as I've always pressed on through the harder days in my life. As far as the time thing goes, it's all about prioritizing....with God always being at the top of the list. Do I fail at that? Yep, but I'm trying to get better. The wise words of my husband are ringing in my ear right now..."Don't sweat the small stuff". If I really take that to heart, I think my days may not be as crazy. Hmm....to be continued....

Busy, Busy, Busy....

I don't think there will ever be a time in my life when I'm not busy...mainly because that's when I'm happiest...when I'm busy! From the time I wake up, life in the Tyndall house is on...coffee for me (has to be first), breakfast for everyone, homeschooling, lunch, bible study and workout, cleaning and laundry somewhere in there, cook supper, baths and bed, then back to do it all over again the next day. Not to mention church activities, sports (which we rotate out each season..we are at the tail-end of basketball going into baseball)...there is really something every single day. In the midst of all of this busyness, I try to take time to savor all of these precious moments of my boys being little, but it's hard not to just be on auto-pilot day in and day out. Being that I am a full-time "stay-at-home mom", I am convinced that this is the hardest job there is. That's why, when people ask me if I work, I should eagerly say "yes....all the time....24/7" but for some reason, I always say, "No, I stay at home with my boys"....like that's not work?!! Well, for those people out there that think stay-at-home moms do nothing but lay on the couch, eating bon-bons, they are sorely mistaken. All this being said....I wouldn't trade one minute of being with my children, teaching them and "rearing" them in the way they should go....everyday is a blessing and a priviledge to be able to be with them. Throughout all of the busyness of each day...I am SO BLESSED:))

Things I Love...

1) GETTING MY HAIR DONE!! I got mine done today (I try to go every 8 weeks for a color and cut). Believe me, over the years, I have tried to do it myself (color and cut) and nothing compares to someone else doing it for you. It's my pampering time. I would rather have my hair done than my nails...hands down. 2) Coffee: I have such a love affair with coffee. I am an at least 2 cups a day girl if not more (it's definitely increased since we've started homeschooling). Didn't much care for it until I started drinking it in college; must have been all of those all-nighters.:) 3) Make-up: I've always loved it and always will...not much else to say here:P 4) SLEEP:) (and naps whenever I can get them...) 5) Of course, my husband. What a gift he is to me everyday. I am blessed that God gave me my best friend, wonderful Daddy, and spiritual uplifter all in one! 6) My boys....everything about my boys. What I am really loving lately is hearing their laughter coming from their room and seeing their little relationships develop...precious:). 7) My dog....even though he is hyper most of the time, his sweet and docile spells make up for the 95% of craziness! He's my fur baby! 8) My Savior and my salvation: Everyday it's hard for me to fathom that Christ endured death on the cross for me and my shortcomings...."amazing" doesn't even begin to describe the love He has for us. 9) MY LIFE! I can honestly say I truly love my life...every bit of it...even the chaotic times of the boys running around like little monkeys and the house being a mess 5 minutes after I've cleaned it. It's a really good feeling to be content:) Thank you Lord for all of your blessings on me...

Something Beautiful

One of my most favorite messages I have ever had the priviledge to hear came to me about 9 years ago. I was at a "limbo" time in my life....newly separated, not yet blessed with Isaac, so I was really struggling to find where my "place" was. Keep in mind I was only 22 years old. I was at a women's ministry event at the church where my Dad was employed at the time, and the pastor's wife gave a message that touched my heart. It was about the Potter and the clay. Now I have always loved that illustration...how God is the Potter of our life and our being, and we are just the clay, pliable and ready to be molded. But she went through every detail of the process that the clay goes through to become pottery...."something beautiful". First, the potter starts working with the clay....working, pulling, making it elastic and pliable. This to me is the first step in our walk...when God is working on us to make us ready to receive the life He wants us to live. Then, he takes out the impurities...the rocks, sand, or anything that would make it imperfect. Picks them out one by one so all that's left is smooth clay that is ready to be molded. The next step, you would think, is the wheel. Nope. He then slams the clay on the ground to make it even more pliable. It wasn't ready yet for the molding. This represents to me, some temporary setbacks at the beginning of our walk. Things that we didn't see coming. Then, comes the wheel, which is the true molding and beautifying process. It's interesting to me that during this process, the potter continuously dips his hands in water to keep the clay hydrated. Isn't this how God molds us? Giving us our periodic drinks of His Living Water? How awesome it is that he used this illustration to show our relationship with Him! Again, just when you think it's ready to be dried out, painted and beautified....then comes the fire. What does the fire represent? Trials, brokenness, our test to see if we are truly ready to become "beautiful". But, think about what that pottery gains from the fire....luster, beauty, a more solid foundation. Hmmm.... I know in my life, I sure have been through ALOT of fires....but I always refer back to this message to remind myself, that it is God's purpose to make me into "something beautiful".... "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance." James 1:2-3

It's Been Forever and A Day!!!

WOW! I can't believe how much time has gone by since I've blogged....I think I just had to take a big breath after all of the events of the Summer. Needless to say, this is going to be a long one.

The Tyndall clan is doing WONDERFUL!! God is SOOO good! 2010 is starting out to be a great year, and we are so thankful. 2008 and 2009 were some really tough ones, so we're ready for a good year!

Will is doing great! He wore his helmet for 3 months (August-November) and his head looks beautiful! You can barely see any sign of a scar....it's pretty amazing. He is 16 months old now and into EVERYTHING! I always heard that the third one is your biggest handful, and so far, it is turning out to be so true!

Ben is doing great as well. He is in speech and occupational therapy 2 hours per week and God has truly blessed us with some wonderful therapists. I am so thankful that where we live is full of wonderful resources for those who are on the Autistic spectrum. We have pretty much everything we need in our backyard, which is a blessing.

Zac is such an awesome kid....I can't say enough good about this child. He loves art, music (as always) and as of late, NASCAR (he is a big fan of Jimmie Johnson). He plays about three sports a year (soccer, basketball and baseball) and loves it.

Oh, and probably the biggest news of all, is I am now a homeschooling mom and I am loving every minute of it. We decided mid-November (due to Ben having some negative experiences in a classroom setting) to start schooling Ben at home, and about a week later, Zac said, "Mommy, I want to be homeschooled too." Well, what could we say? So now, I have all three at home and I love it. It works for us...I know it's not for everyone, but it definitely fits our lifestyle.

Isaac is great. New Gate Realty is doing well as we have restructured our business plan (due to this lovely economy) by focusing on rental property management, and so far, that has turned out to be a good move. Within the past couple months, he has also started "Charity Youth Athletics" at our church (Charity Baptist Church in Kannapolis) which started out this Fall with soccer and will continue in the Spring with baseball. He loves it and it has really given him his ministry "niche".

So, hmm, I think that's all of the highlights. We had an awesome Christmas and we are loving our church....God truly took us to that place in the most difficult time in our life and we are so thankful for our Charity family. During Will's surgery, they were there every step of the way and we will never forget it.:)

I PROMISE to keep this updated more often...ya'll hold me to that!

Love and hugs,

Caroline:)