big and messy!

So. I just have to share this burger that Nate had for dinner tonight. It was gi-freaking-NORMOUS. I didn't get to snap the picture until after he had already snatched it up and had a bite. But it was called 'The BIG and MESSY' and it came with a GIANT knife stabbed in it. And he ate the whole thing.

After that dinner, we definitely had to go play a game of tennis to even attempt to counteract the bajillion calories that was in it. But, oh, it was worth it! Let me just say that those onion strings were AMAZING. And I was not at all sad about going to play tennis since we hadn't played in at least a month and a half because of Nate's back problems.

Speaking of his back, I guess I need to update y'all on the issue. He went to the doctor this past Tuesday and for now - NO SURGERY! Thank God! The disc seems to have healed itself for now; he has just taken quite a few layers off it as this isn't the first time it has been herniated. The doctor wants him to come in and get steroid shots every few months for the pain. And he's going in sometime soon for an MRI to get everything checked out. The doctor also said the reason Nate was having so much pain in his leg was that when he hurt his back so badly there were chemicals in his body leaked onto his nerve, which caused a good bit of damage. They can go in and clip the damaged nerve, but we're not taking that route right now. Maybe in the future if we need to, but we're going to see how things go now that he has a good doctor and some sort of plan.

So thanks again for all of your kind words and thoughts and prayers! It means a lot to both of us! And we're very glad to know what's going on now.

ALSO. I just entered this INCREDIBLE giveaway on Rose à la Mode's blog. She is giving away, not one, but TWO pairs of Hunter boots (one for you and one for a friend!) to celebrate her one year blogiversary! So you should totally stop by her site and check out the giveaway! You should also check out her blog because she has awesome style and can show you how to be creative and look great without totally draining your bank account. :)

We would love to return the favor. So please leave a comment and let us know anything we can say a prayer about for you!

it's worth it.

As of tomorrow, I will have officially completed my third week of teaching.

I'm working with children who have language delays, due to a variety of reasons. They might have autism, or down syndrome. They might have sensory processing disorder. Or they might have motor conditions such as cerebral palsy. Whatever their diagnosis, I have gotten to know these children and they are pretty amazing.

It hasn't been an easy three weeks. Combine the fact that this is my first job as an OFFICIAL teacher with the fact that these children all have very unique special needs with the fact that quite a few of them have never been in a school environment before and you have a lot of challenges in place. But I've made it out alive. And they have made it out alive. And while it hasn't been easy, it has been extremely rewarding.

Today I got to experience a child whose verbal ability is extremely limited look at me and request something with NO assistance, completely voluntarily. Up until that moment, he had not spoken to me on his on volition ONCE since the program started two and a half weeks ago.

We also have another child with some challenging behavior who hasn't really opened up to me. Working with him has been tough, but we're slowly making steps. And today he came up to me and gave me a hug. He didn't say anything - just put his arm around my waist and squeezed. And that was enough.

One little girl started with us later in the program, and when she first came, I didn't think she could talk. It was all I could do to pull a whisper out of her. And now when I ask her a question, she's answering me in a loud voice I can actually HEAR.

No matter how many challenges I face, it's the stories and moments and progressions like these that make this job completely worthwhile. No matter how tired I am at the end of the day. No matter how much work I have to do when I get home. It's worth it.

(speaking of - nate has been so great about all the extra work i've had to do lately. he has been very patient and supportive. :) also, he's in some bad pain. we think he has a pretty severe herniated disc in his back. we went to urgent care this weekend and they've referred him to a specialist to get an MRI and then see what needs to be done from there. we're just waiting to get an appointment. i've been playing phone tag with the receptionist at the office for the past couple of days. he's on pain meds and some steriods right now and he's doing a lot of sleeping and lying around. so prayers would be extremely appreciated. thanks!)