We are Jason & Lisa…….we have been
married for 13 years this June. We were set up on a blind date
by our best friends and there was no turning back! ;) Jason has
been a middle school teacher for 14 years. He enjoys teaching
history and loves to coach both boys and girl’s
basketball and soccer! We are a sports loving family and tag
along with daddy to all his games to cheer on the bulldogs! I am
a “retired” elementary school teacher. I taught for 6 years and
loved every minute of it, but felt the Lord was calling me to
stay home and raise our children. It has been such a huge
blessing to me. Although there are days that I really miss
teaching, I know that the Lord wants my work to be done in my
home, for HIS glory!
We have been blessed with three beautiful children. Our oldest
is Avarie. She is in the Third grade and just turned 9! She
loves school and her American Girls dolls! She has an infectious
laugh and loves the Lord with all her heart. She is a great big
sister, always coming up with fun things to do and great crafts
to make! Avarie loves playing AYSO soccer and is enjoying being
involved with “girls on the run” this year. Avarie is
growing into a beautiful young lady and we are so proud of her!
Evan is in Kindergarten and just turned 6! He enjoys all sports,
just like his dad! He loves to play AYSO soccer, t-ball, and basketball
in the driveway. He can usually be found outside riding his bike
or digging for treasures! Evan has a tender heart and adores
little children. He loves school and learning new things. He has
begun reading this year and that has been very exciting! He is a
blessing to our family! He will make a great big brother to now
2 sisters!
Ella Fern is 4 and will be going to preschool in the fall! She
can’t wait for school to start, so she can be big! Ella loves to
play with her dollies, and have tea parties. She is very good at
taking food orders and serving us endless meals! She is full of
spunk and loves life. She loves Sunday School and Cubbies. Ella
loves to sing at the top of her lungs and we wouldn’t have it
any other way! Ella Fern is our miracle girl! When Ella was
born, she ended up in the NICU for 5 days and was diagnosed with
a “floppy airway”. We were sent home with CPR training and told to
follow up with doctors. We were home for 2 weeks when Ella spit
up and started to choke. She wasn’t able to breathe. Her airway
was compromised and she was quickly turning blue. We called 911
and I ran out of the house with her to our neighbor’s house. We
started CPR and then the ambulance arrived, the medics took over
and Ella started breathing and getting her pink color back. We
were rushed to the hospital, where we ended up in the PICU for
40 days. After our admission and MANY tests, doctors discovered
that Ella had a vascular ring, an artery which had wrapped a tight ring
around her esophagus and trachea. She had surgery to clip the
ring and from there things sort of snowballed and many issues
were uncovered and had to be dealt with. She had surgery to cuff
her stomach so that she wasn’t able to spit up and choke anymore
and she also had a feeding tube surgically placed. We fed Ella
through her GI tube for many months. Ella also came home on
oxygen, hooked up to monitors and had to undergo multiple
breathing treatments each day. This was such a scary time for
us. It still seems surreal. There is much more to her story, but
it’s long and complicated! The point in sharing this with you is
to share that we were only able to get through each day and each
new situation we were faced with by placing our trust in our
Lord and Savior.
He continued
to pour out His grace to us…..AND this brings us to today…….our
Ella Fern is a beautiful picture of health and God’s healing
power! Ella has had no complications and has been able to
overcome all of her health issues….PRAISE GOD!
We didn’t realize at the time, but we can now look back and
realize that God was using all that we endured to prepare us for
bringing home a daughter with special needs. The idea of Emma
Claire having heart issues and possibly having to face a future
surgery doesn’t make us panic…..we feel like we’ve sort of “been
there, done that”! Thank you Lord for the ways you work! You are
ALWAYS good!
“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with
joy.”
~Psalm 129:3 |
Lisa & Jason
Avarie
Evan
Ella |
