My girls are AMAZING

A few weeks ago I mentioned to Tyson that I wish Rusty could make a video of Brooklyn.  He asked "What for? What would be the purpose?"  I couldn't come up with answer right away and have since thought a lot about why.   Do I simply want people to know what she is going through? Do I want to send some type of message? The more I thought and prayed, the more I just wanted to share with others what we have learned.  So here are a few thoughts from me:

I hear often that I am a strong Mom. People often tell me, they don't know how I do it and I am amazing.  Honestly these comments make me feel uncomfortable.  I have NEVER felt that the girls' allergies and Eosinophlic Diseases have been MY trial in life.  It is THEIRS.  My girls are STRONG, they are AMAZING! I don't know how they do it.  I on the other hand have felt it is my job to help them deal with their trials at a young age as they come to accept and learn about their health and realize just how strong they really are. I consider this a blessing.  I am so truly blessed to be in this position as their Mom to help them learn about their divine potential as daughters of God.  When Brooklyn was blessed as a baby, she was blessed with a strong body that would hold no allergies.  For a while this really bothered me because not only does she have allergies - she has "The Mother of all Allergies" an Eosinphilic disease that for now means she can't eat. Nor will this diesease go away, it will be something she will deal with her whole life. 
It took me a while to remember that Brooklyn's "whole life" is not limited to her time in this mortal body.  She will have the blessings of a ressurected body with No physical ailments some day.
During Relief Society one sunday a sister who has two boys with Autism said the quote that "God won't give us anything we can't handle" should state "God won't give us anything we can't handle without His help" It's true. We are not meant to go through life on our own. We are meant to reach out for help and strength not only from our Heavenly Father, but from our Brothers and Sisters all around us as well.
I try to teach my girls these things I am learning.  It warms my heart to hear Cristine say "It doesn't matter that I can't eat that now, someday I will be able to" and "I know I am a princess because my Heavenly Father is a King and I am His daughter." Brooklyn tells me, "Mom, don't worry, I can try another food later!"
my girls are STRONG, they are AMAZING!
 I am always awed by their example of faith and prayer when they are going through a particularly hard time.  this last weekend Brooklyn "failed" pork. meaning we let her try very small amounts to see if it is a food her body will accept or not. After a week of trying it she started to have stomach bleeding.  We see the fresh red blood come out the sides of her feeding tube.  My brave girl was very sad at first, she prayed that night for strength and comfort in her own personal prayers without any prompting. She woke up the next morning, ready to face a new day, let her body heal, and look forward to what she will try next. 
I tried the weightwatchers diet a few months ago and as I walked into the candy isle at the store I realized there wasn't a single thing in that isle I could eat. It was HARD. Go to the store and try it, walk down your favorite isle and pretend there isn't a single thing there you can try.  It once agained opened my eyes to the world my girls live in and reminds me how blessed I am with the ability to take the very few ingredients I can to make something they can eat and will make them smile.

This is a video of a sweet girl who has a feeding tube just like Brooklyn.  She has chosen to look to God for strength and serve others instead of wallowing in her own plight. Brooklyn was facinated not only to see someone use the same tube, bags, and pump, but to see all the medications she has to take everyday as well.  I asked Brooklyn what we could do to help others like her and she said "Make them cakes!" 
We have thought about this before but now seemed a good time to really make it happen.  I make Paper cakes. or Favor boxes in the shape of cake.  you can see them here Too sweet to eat .  I am now giving away one cake a month and offering others the chance to "sponser" a cake for someone else.  I love giving away these cakes to those who can't have a normal birthday cake on their special day.  I am hoping this will give us the chance to help give another smile and hope to others.



 you may need to link to my blog to watch the video or go to lds.org.  It's on the front Home Page under the youth section titled "God will lift me up".