My Majic Family

You know the old saying timing is everything? Well, that is so true. Today, was a very rough day. In case some of you aren't aware, there was a plane crash today and there was only 1 survivor. Our really good friends mom was on that plane. We felt very thankful we were able to be there for her and help her figure out what to do next. Thankfully, her father's friend was able to fly her home on a private jet so she could go and be with her family. It was an incredibly emotionally charged day and toward the end of it we both felt very depressed and numb. Anyway, we were sitting here minding our own business when this new name on aol popped up inviting us to chat and when I clicked accept I heard sweet music to my ears. It was Betsy laughing and a bunch of other voices that made me smile. Of course no sooner did I hear that but then I saw what appeared to be someone wounded dancing. HAHA, just kidding Tonya. You are such a great dancer and wow what a gun show. Anyway, the only point to this post is how timing is everything. It was so great for Brian and I to see those familiar faces and hear those familiar voices. It was such a great comfort. So, here's to you Metromom, dad and cute kid, Lunar world, South Afrikan baldy (who looks good that way), and the ever beautiful Wes and Tonya:you lifted our spirits, made us laugh and helped our day end in a much better way then when it started. THANK YOU!!! WE LOVE AND MISS YOU.

Posted by The Mac Fam at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments

I don't know if any of you have seen this before but this was just sent to me and it is worth the read and then watch the video. Just make sure you have kleenex. This is such an amazing story of love and perseverence.

This Father does it all just for the purpose of seeing the smile on his
son's face. If you want to see the most profound reflection of the
Father's love for us that you've ever seen....watch. Time taken to
watch this is the best time you've ever spent on email..

STRONGEST DAD IN THE WORLD [From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay
for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots. But compared
with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in
Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a
wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and
pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.
Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back
mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes
taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?
And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was
strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged
and unable to control his limbs. ``He'll be a vegetable the rest of his
life;'' Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was
nine months old. Put him in an institution.

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes
followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the
engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was
anything to help the boy communicate. NO Way, Dick says he was told.
There's nothing going on in his brain.

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a
lot was going on in his brain.

Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by
touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to
communicate. First words? Go Bruins! And after a high school
classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a
charity run for him, Rick pecked out, Dad, I want to do that.
Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described poker who never ran
more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he
tried. Then it was me who was handicapped,Dick says. I was sore
for two weeks.''
That day changed Rick's life. Dad,'' he typed, when we were running,
it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving
Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly
shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.
No way,Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a
single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few
years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then
they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran
another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the
following year. Then somebody said, Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?
How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he
was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick
tried. Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour
Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzz kill to be a 25-year-old stud
getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you
think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? No way, he says.
Dick does it purely for the awesome feeling he gets seeing Rick with
a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.
This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston
Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best
time'? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world
record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to
be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the
time.

No question about it,Rick types. My dad is the Father of the
Century.

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a
mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries
was 95% clogged. If you hadn't been in such great shape, one doctor
Told him, you probably would've died 15 years ago. So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life. Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always
find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and
compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this
Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants
to give him is a gift he can never buy.
The thing I'd most like, Rick types, is that my dad would sit in
the chair and I would push him once.''

Watch CAN!

Posted by The Mac Fam at 6:55 AM | Permalink | Comments

All I can is this: if I could have done this at Starbucks I would have become famous.

Posted by The Mac Fam at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments

Dear 13 year old,

On this day 13 years ago the Lord physically brought you into my life. In actual fact you entered my life 6 months earlier when I found out I was carrying you. Although the circumstances were far from perfect you became the only thing that mattered in my life. I loved you from that moment and waited with great anticipation for your birth. When the day finally arrived I was beyond excited and although terrified of delivery I was surrounded by the very best support system to get me through. After 6 and a half hours at 1:15am the midwife (you were born in England) placed you on my tummy for our first introduction. I will never forget it. Both your little eyes had bruises from the forceps they had to use and your face was a little squished but you were perfect. Since I was exhausted I told the midwife to hand you to your Grammy who had held my hand and gotten me through. She was ready and willing to hold her new grandson, she was so proud and told me later that it was the most precious moment she would treasure all her days. Once they finished weighing you and cleaning you up they placed you in a little bassinet by my bed. You layed there wide awake and as I looked at you I was overwhelmed by the love I felt. I wondered how it was possible to love someone so much. I was overcome and began to cry feeling so blessed but also wondering how could I be the best mother possible given the circumstances. I shouldn't have even worried. God never took His eyes off of us and less than 2 years later we met the man of our dreams. He loved you as if he had been there from the beginning and you adored him and called him "daddy" that first month. That bond has never been broken and as you are now being shaped and molded by us but more importantly by God my only prayer for you is you become the man your father is. I love you so much, there are not even the words to describe. As you enter these teenage years and life has it's many ups and downs please hold tight of the ONE who has always held you tight.
I know I won't always be cool, or with it and I know I will embarrass you b/c that's what mom's do but I will ALWAYS love you unconditionally. No matter where you go or what you do I will be here with open arms.

You are my son and I am so proud of the man you becoming.

Love, Mom

As I am sure you guessed our oldest has hit his teens. I thought I would share with you this letter I wrote him. The pics below are just some fun ones I took recently. The bottom is of him and his girlfriend. Yes, already. Believe me it still freaks me out. She is a really good girl who attends church with him and our families our really close. I feel as though now he has hit 13 time will just start flying by and it scares me a little. I remember years ago after he was first born and thinking about what I was like as a teenager I told God the rapture had to happen soon b/c I was not about to have teenagers. I would even have conversations with people and tell them it would be coming soon b/c surely God would not let me go through teenage years. What a joke, here we are and I have little doubt the rapture is coming anytime soon at this point. Anyway, enjoy the pics and leave him a comment I can pass along I know he will appreciate it.

Posted by The Mac Fam at 7:39 AM | Permalink | Comments

The beginning of the new school year went off without a hitch and considering both younger boys have been asking when school would start since summer began it really didn't happen soon enough. After making sure all school supplies were ready to go before our vacation all that was left was to make sure they were well groomed and reminded to "do everything as unto the Lord" (it might sound cheesy but this has been our mantra since our oldest was in 2nd grade). Anyway, they all had a great first day and by day 2 the youngest guys didn't even need us to walk them to class. That was a little sad, I have to admit. The main thing freaking me out is having an 8th grader! Isn't it bad enough he's 5 inches taller than me and wears a bigger shoe size than his dad but 8th grade??? Is this a joke? I mean come on, I am not even close to being old enough to have a kid this old...am I? Tell me I look good for my age...PLEEEEASE. Seriously, I am hanging on to this year with everything I have in me b/c one thing I know is this once highschool hits, that's it!!! Before you know it they are out on their own. He is talking about where he wants to go to school (college) and what he wants to be and yadda, yadda, yadda. Let me tell you, we are blessed. He is an amazing kid. OK, so back on track...the second day of school Jayden lost another tooth and was not shy in letting me know how he was disapointed in the tooth fairy and her inability to leave more than a dollar. I sternly let him know I would be sure and tell her so she wouldn't waste her time with an ungrateful child. He quickly changed his tune and said he was sorry. To which I responded...I only got a quarter, get over it. Anyway, suffice it to say it's been a pretty good start and I am excited for the things to come. The pics below are the kids and some of their friends on the first day. Oh, and the youngest and his missing tooth.



































































P.S. If you wanna check out some vaca pics go and see my better half.

Posted by The Mac Fam at 8:43 PM | Permalink | Comments

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works everything for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

This verse is one I have used and stood on more times than I can count this last year. Here is something that perplexes me. Have you ever heard that satan puts opportunities in your path just like God does? I have and I believe it. Lately, (as in, the last year) I have had so many opportunities I was convinced had to be a "God thing" but then as I get in deeper it seems the "God" part disappears and all I am left with is...a "thing". Before I know it I am questioning all the decisions I just made and wondering if I heard from God at all b/c if I had would there be so much adversity. I will not know if all those opportunities were from Him until eternity but this one thing I do know...even if none of them were He sees and knows how much I love Him and am learning to trust with a whole heart so I can be at peace and know IT'S ALL GOOD!!!!

Posted by The Mac Fam at 8:45 PM | Permalink | Comments