Christmas 2018

Whereas our 2017 was a year full of goodbyes (Leah's mom, our home, school, our car, etc), our 2018 was a year full of new beginnings! While some of these beginnings were more positive than others, we were brought into new places throughout this year, and we'd like to share a snapshot of the Garland Family 2018...

JANUARY - We started noticing Eliana daydreaming more often. At first we thought she was simply spacing out (or bored with us!), but we began to suspect there was more to the story. No matter if we clapped loudly or said her name, we were unable to pull her out of these deep daydreams. They began to increase in frequency, so we brought her in to see a neurologist. The doctor ended up diagnosing her with the mildest form of epilepsy, which she will hopefully outgrow in a couple of years.  Upon hearing this news and also knowing about some other health issues in our family, we made a big decision to completely change over to the keto diet, which was developed for childhood epilepsy, and also known to help with autoimmune diseases (Jerod), and a host of other things Cayla is more susceptible to (i.e. Celiac Disease).  

This new diet has come with a huge learning curve. Does cauliflower pizza crust sound good? No, you say? Well... you're right. It's terrible. Spaghetti squash turned into mac n' cheese? Yeah, swing and a miss as well. I will admit that many of the first few weeks were full of many failures, as recipe after recipe was met with disgusted looks at the dinner table. However, I will never forget the first time Jerod tried a new food and asked with a surprised & pleasant look on his face, "Is this LEGAL?" Yes, although we still have some epic fails, this has gotten much easier over time, and we actually are enjoying most of what we're eating:) We are SO thankful for those who've gone ahead of us in this journey and left behind nuggets of cooking wisdom! JEROD HERE: I just want to say Leah has been amazing, as she's worked SO hard to find things that worked! I always hated admitting something wasn't tasting so good in those early days because she has poured her heart and soul into this! But she can read me like a book, dang it.

MAY - Cayla walked away from Madison Elementary for the last time. We once took a picture of her on her first walk into that building, over-sized backpack nearly covering her entire little body as she walked up cautiously. Seven years later she walked in, and we snapped the same picture. Lots more confidence in that walk, and much more knowledge in her head thanks to the incredible staff that invested so much into her. It was a roller coaster ride as she learned not just how to say sounds clearly or read words on a page, but also how to manage others in a social setting. There have been quite a few rough days along the path, but we are so thankful for the patience of her teachers and associates over the years, and very proud of her for working her way through it all with the uphill battle she climbs every day of her life. She was very sad on her last day. I think it's because she was loved so well. We will carry special memories of her times at Madison.

But as she said good-bye to to Madison, we got to say hello to Jefferson in August, as well as what seemed to be a magical 10-year birthday! I don't know if this something more well-known in the Downs world or maybe just a Cayla thing, but September seemed to bring about a major change that had Cayla go from a dependent, strong-willed child to a much more mature, determined young lady! Our mornings no longer normally consist of us dragging Cayla out the door, as she now prefers to dress herself, do her hair & even make-up some mornings on her own, and even walk out to the school van on her own - WOW, where did our little Cayla Joy go? Loving this new-found freedom!

JUNE - Jerod began the course of 17 trip to Omaha to begin the ridding of his body of toxic lead levels. We were THRILLED to have so many awesome people come around him/us with envelopes full of cash to cover the cost of these summer's health adventures! After trying to get to the bottom of health issues for many years, a doctor in Missouri has us on a path that we will continue to pursue. We covet your prayers!

AUGUST - Jerod & Leah enjoyed a trip to NYC! While Leah would rather sit by a pool and truly relax, Jerod loved the challenges of navigating the Big Apple. Plains, trains, and automobiles. Uber in New York isn't perfect, as we found out when a couple from a nearby hotel climbed into our vehicle at 4:45am before we could. It was an honest mistake, and we were able to catch another ride and still make our departure time. Other than that, we visited the Statue of Liberty, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, saw a Broadway show (Anastasia), went to Hillsong New York, Leah got yelled at by a random homeless lady that scared her half to death, went up the Empire State Building, took a LOT of subway rides, walked 14 miles one day, spent some time at Wall Street, Central Park, and....... probably won't do New York again for a long time. It was definitely memorable!

SEPTEMBER - Leah felt called to enter newfound freedom by sharing her testimony at church after hearing many testimonies through the Summer of Story series. JEROD HERE: I have been able to see how Leah has been changed by the loving hand of God over the years. It was SO COOL to see her be courageous and share her story with others. It was a powerful message! She has now decided to lead a group of high school girls, as she desires to help be a part of their stories.

ZOEY is 4 and thinks 4 means 9. She is full of zest for life. She wants to do everything her sisters are doing and doesn't usually wait to be asked. In the span of 15 minutes, she can be sweet as pie, as strong-willed as an donkey, as furious as a storm, and as hilarious as your favorite comedian. She started Preschool in September. We've been holding our breaths for phone calls from the school. We haven't received any. Yet. Maybe Cayla wore them down. She is loving it, and while she doesn't tell us a lot about her day, she always looks forward to going. Oh yeah, and her giggles sound like a machine gun. When she starts really laughing, we yell, "Everybody get down!"

Quick hitters:
*CAYLA and ELIANA both got their ears pierced this year. They were both incredibly brave! It was fun seeing their excitement!
*The girls loved watching re-runs of Full House. You know it's bad when you can tell somebody what season the episode is from by looking at Jesse's hair. "Mmmmm... Season 4."
*ELIANA enjoyed playing soccer again!
*CAYLA and ZOEY are both in dance this year and loving it.


We are so thankful you are in our lives! May you have a wonderful Christmas and 2019!
Blessings,
Jerod, Leah, Cayla, Eliana, and Zoey:)