Before...After...Matt is amazing!

So the surgery was a week ago now.  Above is a picture of Matt right before he went into surgery and below a picture from a few days ago.  The folks at Shriners are so great with kids.  He got some presents, a hospital baby, and lots of TLC from the staff.  The surgical team was outstanding!  Tubes and furlough plasty (back soft palate extension) were both successful.  His front reconstructive surgery was more extensive than they thought and they were not able to do bone grafting at this time.  The remaining holes in his front gums and palate were much more extensive as they extended into his nasal cavity.  So, it was tissue and gum repair all over up in there.  When everything heals in 6 months, they will attempt the first bone grafting.  Our buddy was a real trooper!  Lots of scary stuff for a 6 year old when blood is coming out of all your openings in your face.  The first day was the worst for him for sure with numb spots, soreness, swallowing blood, nausea...bleck! But a week later, he is doing really well!  He is still a bit tired and sore, but he amazes me how he has bounced back so quickly.  Thanks everyone for your prayers on his behalf.  I can tell a difference in his nasality all ready with the palate extension and the repairs in his tissue.  We are thankful for all that has been provided for him.

Matthias Update...Age 6

Updates on Matthias:
First, I must apologize that it has been so long in blogging.  Especially to members at New Day who so faithfully pray and love on their kids...I am sorry I have been remiss.

Matt is now 6 years old and has started kinder.  As you can tell by his photo and those who remember him...he has not stopped loving to be the center of attention!  He is such a smart guy that he was accepted in our local dual language program and is learning in both English and Spanish.

Matt goes in for his first big surgery since coming home 2.5 years ago.  We will travel tomorrow to Shriners Hospital in Portland which is where the cleft team is located.  They will be doing bone grafting from hip bone into one of his palate openings, a palatoplasty (attaching a soft palate using Matt's mouth tissue?) and putting in tubes. This will be the first of several surgeries done over the next several years to try and build up bone in his palate.  We would sure love to have your prayers covering him and for a fast recovery. 

Other than that, Matt is a healthy, vibrant, busy, busy boy!!  Did I say busy?  He still loves to be our little ambassador and invite people into our home and greet people at church.  He also loves to be in charge of most things...we are sure he is future CEO material!!

Thanks for your prayers on his behalf!!

Went to a Garden Party...Kindergarten that is!

Our little Fall Chrysanthemum turned 5 and started Kinder this fall. She is very proud of being in kinder and loves to tell Matt all the cool things she gets to do there. Her favorite is library day and music class. She loves to sing as you can see here she was pretty pumped to sing herself happy birthday. Esther had all the big boys partying with her this year...party hats included!! What a sweet blessing our little "Star" is!

First Homecoming?

Evan is a sophomore this year and attended his first homecoming. We had the honor of hosting the crew at our house for a pre-dance meal. What fun!! There were 12 in all...each part of the drama team and many part of the speech and debate team which Evan has become actively involved in. No need to entertain these guys and gals...they are quite the creative crew and entertain themselves. We are so proud of Evan and all the experiences he is creating for himself as he reaches out and tries new things. Way to go Evan!!

What's up with Matt?

Matt turned 5 this fall and is trying out some new things. He attends K-4 preschool and just loves learning and has performed in two plays with singing and lines. With his boisterous personality, he could be heard above all others shouting "I love you baby Jesus!" during the Christmas play. He also got to try some pee wee wrestling which was right up his high energy alley. He enjoyed cheering his brother on at many a football game and just has a zest for life, as you can see by his exuberance chasing down the first tastes of snow. Matthias truly does mean "a gift of God" and he sure is!!

Ru Turns 10

So as my older boys would say it was the first year of teen hood...0-teen. She's not so interested in Pollys or Barbies anymore. A new era filled with friends, hairstyles, and clothes. Her feet grew 2 1/2 sizes over the summer...where did my little girl go? The fall has been filled with competitive soccer and now basketball. She's a great kid...awesome big sis and loves hangin with her big bros too!!

Football Season Highlights

CJ finished his best season ever this year. The Riverhawks went undefeated and won league. CJ was first team all league for both defense and offense. He later was voted all area for defense which was quite an honor. It was a weird feeling the very last game to think...we will never get to watch him play football again in this setting. He is a senior and has applied to both Naval and West Point Acadamies. He's got a great shot with his GPA, leadership skills, sports and activities he's involved in...all I can say is senior year has this bittersweet flavor of excitement for future but knowing it is also an end to a season!

Summer Catch Up II - Oh Canada

In August, Ru and I headed north to Canada to spend some time with family. Ess and Matt did not go, as it is a rustic family cottage with too many hazards for non swimming 5 year olds. Their time will come. We had a great time with Gramps and Grams and other dear family members. Below was Ru's first time driving a boat. Next Gramps and I revisited days of old of snorkeling in the cold northern waters...but this time we were smarter and wore shorty wet suits :O)

One of our highlight adventures was cliff jumping off granite rocks into the cold clear water. Ruthie suprised us all by leaping off the 30 foot cliff 3 times!! Atta girl Ru...way to go!!

Summer Catch Up I

So, somehow three months have past since I last blogged??? What??? How did that happen? So in an effort to catch up I have uploaded all pics to my computer and will do a little Summer recap series. Here is part I.





In July, we did a family camping trip...it was a little sentimental for me as I realized with a senior this could be our last time the 7 of us could take a trip like that together. Our oldest has applied to two military academies and as of current has gotten his LOA (letter of assurance) from one of them. Very proud of him...but also realize we will be doing the last of lots of things this year as a family of seven!! As noted in the picture above...I had everyone choose a flat stone that we stacked in a little memorial as we threw rocks in a mighty glacial river (the brownish one) that was converging with a mountain river (the clear one). I spent some time reflecting here on this season of change...rivers converging into something new...Robert had just been layed off from his job of 27 years...thankful for all we have been givin' but on the horizon of something new?! At present, still seeking the Lord, job hunting, and waiting...excited and a little nervous for what lies ahead.

Ess and Matt made new personal bests this year in hiking. They made it almost 3 miles before having to be carried!! Way to go kids!!

In our area...summer means fresh cherries. A fun family event to go and pick our own...wish you coulda seen all the red cherry happy faces when we got back home :O)

Marking Four years with our "little star" Esther!!!

So, July 4th marked Esther's Forever Family Day...her 4th year home with us!! Hard to believe 4 years have passed with our sweet little princess! She is a strong character...quiet...but STRONG! I think that strength is what helped her to be a survivor. There have been many sleepless nights, medical issues, night terrors, passive aggressive battles, attachment issues, developmental delays...just to name a few. But here we are at four years and can't imagine what our family would be like without her! The Lord picked this precious "Star" to be part of our family. We are so grateful to Him for the healing progress that has transpired in her little heart as she overcomes trust issues and learning difficulties. She is a fighter and a beautiful, compassionate, full of nurturing for her babies, sly sense of humor, girly-girl!! We love you sweetie!!

Matthias home for 1 year!!

We will have Matt dedicated at church this Sunday marking his one year home anniversary! We are calling it "Forever Family" day for both Esther and Matt as July 3rd and 4th mark their annivery of citizenship (day they stepped on US soil Esther 4 years ago and Matt 1 year ago) and the start of our lives together as a family. It is hard to believe a year has passed. Matt has grown physically, emotionally, cognatively, and brotherly:O) I recall our crazy summer last year when Matt was trying to figure out his new boundaries, learn English, taste new foods, and figure out his role in his new family. It was really a time of survival, chaos, and being flexible as we rolled with many aspects that were part of adjustment for all of us.


It is so fun to look at these pictures and see how this little boy has matured and changed. His glasses have changed his life dramatically as he is much more coordinated and loves to point out details in books he could previously not see. With how poor his vision was it is amazing how well he adapted and was successful at so many things. I believe that is just part of his "go for it" personality!
Matt also received tubes in his ears over the last year. The doctor described the stuff in his ears as "amber goo". Very technical, but said it was no wonder Matt was so loud...he could not hear very well. Again, it shows Matt's ability and aptitude to acquire language and communicate as well as he did. He is an overcomer for sure!! He loves to be the leader in anything that others will allow. He has quickly learned English and is making great progress on lots of difficult sounds for him each week in speech class. Some could call his budding leadership style "bossy", but I am sure the Lord has great plans for Matt's desires to be in charge.

Matt has learned how to be the littlest brother in a family with 5 kids. He loves wrestling with his big bros and fighting the "bad guys" as seen in the photo with his sister. We are trying to promote the idea of him attacking those dinosaurs and keeping them away from his sister princess instead of battling her. He loves to swing his pretend weapons with gusto and lots of boyish growls...we just need to make sure no one is near by :O)

There have been lots of medical visits for Matt this year and some surgeries too...not his favorite as you can see in the photo. But he really tries his best and always tells me how brave he is. His next event will be getting a specialized retainer called a palatal obturator which will give him a solid roof of his mouth for speech purposes until his cranial plate is large enough for his next major surgery between 7-10 years old. Matt really is quite brave and always shakes his doctors hands and can't wait to get his hands on any medical equipment they will let him touch.

Those of you who know Matt from New Day or here in the states...know he is busy and an explorer to the max! One of his funnest events this year was a fundraiser for the children's ward at the local hospital. It was called "The Big Rig" where kids got to get inside every large vehicle from garbage trucks to fire trucks, back hoes to police cars and push buttons, beep horns, and make things move with the help of the owners. Matt, who usually is being told to keep his hands from making poor choices, was free to try everything he could. He was sooooo happy!


I want to thank those of you who have visited Matt's progress over this past year and have continued to keep him in your prayers as he has grown and adjusted to life in our family of 7. Matthias - gift of God - is true to the name the Lord game him. We really cannot picture our lives without him. He adds spunk and personality to our family that some days just makes me laugh. He is known for his chatter style amidst any group of people with "hey, let me just tell you something..." and his same knock knock joke he likes to tell over and over...and then he comes up with phrases like "my mommy is the bestest and just loves me all day". How can you beat that? We love you Matt and are so happy to celebrate 1 year with you!!!

Spring Adventures

Brother and sister bonding!! We work on lots of social issues and cues all the time with these two :O) Nice to see some luvin' and protective natures going on. Although Esther is two weeks older than Matt...Matt now likes to tell us "Esther older but I Bigger" as he weighs about 8 pounds more. An awesome event held last weekend at one of our local parks. A big fundraiser for our pediatric wing of local hospital. There were about 40 vehicles of all kinds with their drivers there for kids to hop in, toot horns, push buttons, etc. As you can see by the look of concentration on Matt's face and his seat belt fastened...it is all about business as he pretends to drive the Bobcat!

Feelin' a little like an Ogre?

Here is our thespian with his cool outfit from Lion, Witch and Wardrobe. Awesome play and fundraiser for our son heading to Scotland next summer. He took out two of the good guys in a sword play fight scene and then died well! Way to go Evan! Next, is our two egg hunters. Both had full baskets and sugar highs by the time we were done. Some smart people at our church filled over half the eggs with non edibles...boy was I glad!! Matt being the go getter he is...opened all eggs by evening. Esther and Ruthie still savoring their basket even today. Too funny!

Prom...a stretch Hummer...16 high school students...all just friends...what fun! Matt thought the Hummer was the best...cup holders...jammin' music...lights flashin'. Was all I could do to keep him from hoppin' aboard with all the teens:O)

Spring is here!!

Well, this week marked my first week back to work and I believe spring has finally...truly arrived here. Matt, Ess, and our neighbor Paul (a sweet blessing just down our road) decided to visit our neighbors horses off our back acre. We took them some yummy grasses to share...but somehow the erratic motions of three 4 year olds scared them off the fence line:O) This is on a windy spring day down in a local park with a friend and her son. Our spring tends to be on the windy side here as we get winds coming in off the mountains with the large changes in temperature from night to day and moving fronts. Can you tell the wind that day by Esther's nifty hair style? She is very proud at how long her hair is getting. She still laughs at her baby pictures and says "Me no hair!"

Tennis anyone? This is Evan's first year playing. We are blessed with a friend who does tennis lessons and gave Evan some pointers over our spring break here. Can you believe he is 6'1" now? I am not sure he is slowing down either. Thankfully, his feet have steadied at size 12. All I can say is WOW!

Answers to prayers...Spring Sports...Esther's Fashions.

So, you can see me there with my buds and my IV pole...but here is the rest of the story! God is healing my body in amazing ways! After 12 days of IV therapy my blood results were so good, the doc pulled my pic line and I was done. Mind you, I was supposed to be on antibiotic therapy for 4 weeks. Miracle of God's healing power #1. This week, I went to ENT to have an invasive ear procedure, which ended up being cancelled because my ear was back in the normal ranges on all accounts! Miracle of God's healing power #2. I shared last entry that in my scripture/journaling the scripture I wrote down before I went into the hospital about the Lord bringing me to "wholeness and healing". Well, I testify to that on these two accounts! I am so thankful for all who have prayed and blessed our family in oh so many ways I could not begin to tell you! My brain is still healing and I am waiting to drive...but oh the joy of being able to walk, hear, play with my kids, eat dinner with my family, and be out in the sunshine again! Baseball is in full "swing". Yuck, yuck! My favorite outfielder making his moves around the bases.

Back to the soccer field. Ru scored her first goal this spring season over the weekend!!

So, Esther might look like she gained weight? But the truth of the matter is that she has learned the art of fashion layering. One night we counted her layers and she had 7 shirts on and one of them was a fleece jacket. Maybe she has taken to her heritage of layering clothes in the winter cuz she does hate to be cold. Anyway, I enjoyed many of her fashion shows while I was still bed bound...I mean who couldn't be wowed by a princess with antennae?

Sadie Hawkins Plus a Need for Prayer...

I will start with the fun photo of my son CJ with his Sadie Hawkins date. It was an 80's theme...they are so cute and they had a great time...they are great friends!!

The need for prayer I am asking is for my complete healing. Two weeks ago I went to the ER after two rounds of antibiotics battling a sinus infection. By the time I went to ER I had a tremendous headache. It turns out my infection had gone septic and I had bacterial spinal meningitis. The docs said if I had come even 6 hours later I would not have made it. I spent 8 days in the hospital and was released 1 week ago to come home. My recovery has been slow, but hopeful. I walked in to see one of the specialists the other day and he told me I was a walking miracle for all I am able to do all ready. I have tremendous headaches each day and have antibiotic therapy several times a day at home. There have been so many sweet people who have come to our aid with meals, rides for kids, taking the kids out etc...it has been a blessing to feel all the love that has been poured upon us.

My Mom flew in to help and will be leaving next Wed. This will be the true test when she leaves...I pray I am more functional by then. I believe the Lord is going to completely restore me through some scripture He gave me before this all happened. So, I would surely appreciate agreement in prayer on that end.

My second prayer request really is for Matt and Ess. This whole thing has been very unsettling and confusing for them to have me away for a week and sick in bed and not able to interact with them like usual. Meningitis has side effects of sensory overload so I just can't take alot of noise or light or jostling...so it is tough to interact even for short periods with high energy four year olds. Please pray for them for peace and security in their hearts through this season of recovery. Thanks so much for your prayers!!!

Ode to Grampapa or Gramps or Bumpa!!

Yesterday an important man went under the knife, to have surgery needed to save his life.
Many prayers offered up to our Father above because this is a man who is dearly loved.
He is Gramps, Bobby Bauer, Bobbykins to some, but he is God's child no matter where from.
He has been my father for 44 years and his surgery yesterday brought me to tears.
You see I have invested some time with my Dad and shared some of the best memories I've ever had.
The last 5 plus years he has lived as my neighbor and we share weekly humor and tea as we sit by his table.
He's a Grandpa of five and he shares moments with each...sometimes with yummy donuts or with wise words he might teach.
I think of the Lorax who on a certain day was lifted above and taken away.
I am so happy to report that's not the case for my Dad...surgery successful...I'm so extremely glad.
My Daddykins is wonderful, a gift from above...I'm so thankful he was blessed with more years to love!!

What do faithful four year old fans do during sporting events?

They eat hot dogs in the hallway on long wrestling days! They cheer on their big sister..."Go Ruey!" they yell.

They roll around on the floor and eat Nerds during basketball games and try to keep their feet off the court.

And they like to give hugs and a few punches to their biggest bro as he finished 6th in Regionals for wrestling.

Some day...their turn will come...but for now...they are faithful four year old fans!

Farewell to you faithful Papa!!

A new season in our lives. For everything under Heaven there is a season...a time to mourn, grieve, and cry. This man, Paul, my father in law, made his last trip out to see us this fall...ultimately to say goodbye. We shared a week with him. He exorted our family...especially our teenage boys about their future. He told stories and life lessons and really praised Rob and I in front of the kids letting them know how blessed they are. He was able to watch CJ make his first touchdown of the football season and pump his arm with great fervor and pride. He was such a proud Grandpa! He passed away this week after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
I am so thankful to have these pictures of him with us. Because this is how I want to remember him best. Surrounded by his grandkids of whom he was soooo proud! He loved and was faithful to many people including his wife whom he saw through a several year battle with cancer.
I believe somewhere in each of our hearts is that longing to be home. It's the one we never quite feel like we arrived at here on this earth. We find pieces of it through relationships with loved ones, marriage, children...but ultimately we yearn for this void in our hearts to be filled and strive possibly to do that through many different actions in our lives. Some of us choose high roads and others go through valleys trying to find it. When I was 20 years old, I met Jesus in a time when I was searching for that "something". That void I wanted to fill found love in a Savior who loved with unending love. I am so thankful that Papa is now in the presence of this loving Savior. I'm sure he heard the words from his Father this week, "Well done, my good and faithful servant...well done." I love you Paul and farewell until we meet again!!