Special Friendship

This is Henry. Henry is quite the miracle dog. He went into unexplained renal failure several weeks ago necessitating an end of life decision by his family. John Caden, having a special love for dogs, wouldn't stop praying for Henry. On the afternoon that Henry was at the vet to be put to sleep, John Caden and I tearfully left a sympathy/care package on the front step of his family's house. As we returned home, "Miss Mary" (Henry's mom) called to let us know that the vet had decided to draw blood work one last time and miraculously, his renal function was much improved--they were bringing Henry home! Since then, Henry has made a complete recovery and John Caden and Henry have developed a very special bond--they text each other quite frequently (thanks to "Miss Mary's" help, of course).

State Meet and a Valuable Life Lesson

 

 

 

Beam 8.8

Floor 9.350 (4th place)

Vault 9.175 (4th place)

Bars 9.550 (3rd place)

All Around 36.875 (5th place)

Team 116.625 (1st place)

 

A state gymnastic meet is a little bit of a big deal.  Spirit Week precedes the meet. Anna was on trek to place among the top three in her age division and would have...if it hadn't been for a fall on beam.  She hadn't experienced a fall during a meet all season, but it happened Saturday...and my heart broke...but only for a second.  I have read numerous articles in the past entitled, "I Want My Kids to Fail" and after seeing the character she displayed Saturday, I concur, "failing" can be a beautiful and beneficial thing. Our hearts were blessed to see how she hopped right back up on the beam and finished her routine strong and unshaken. Over the years we have sought to teach her that it's not about how/if/when you fall; rather, it's about how you rise.  And Saturday, she indeed rose well, and for that, we couldn't have been more proud.

 

"The road to success is paved with failure because failure teaches us how to succeed. It is only when they fail that they have an opportunity to pick themselves back up.  It is only when they fail that they learn to work hard.  It is only when they fail that they learn what doesn’t work.   It is only when they fail that they learn empathy for others. I want my kids to fail.  It is how they will learn to succeed." - Joshua Raymond

"I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.  And that is why I succeed." – Michael Jordan

Easter Sunday

Gymnastic Teammate Olympic Bound

 Anna's gymnastic team had such a fun time Thursday welcoming home one of their teammates, Megan Skaggs, from her international competition in Italy. Megan was selected to be on the US National Team and will be representing the US in international competition this year and hopefully the Olympics in 2016. The media joined in Gymnastic Academy of Atlanta's celebration (if you look closely you can spot Anna on one of the beams in the background): 

Is Megan Skaggs headed to the Olympics? | FOX 5

When Mom's at Work

 

Evidently these little friends joined Anna and John Caden at school today. They must have been well behaved and quiet, hard workers because Daddy, who was working from home, didn't even realize that these extra students had snuck in.