Playing Catch-up!

So, my last post was about the highlights from the end of last year till now. My goal is to play catch-up and really detail those highlights with pictures and more than just a sentence description.

All about our "1" year old and his "1st" BIRTHDAY BASH...A Winter ONEderland...was his theme! 

 We were blessed to have some pretty awesome people in our lives who helped us make his day so special! The cake was made courtesy of Amanda Cabe & the wonderful photography was done by Courtney Wilkerson over at www.twinklingeyephotography.com

 My hubby had a wonderful idea...he went and bought cupcakes to ornament Bear's cake table. I love that man & his creative ways.

 You can't have a Winter ONEderland with out some make believe SNOW AKA Epsom salt. Courtesy of Pinterest.

 Our Winter ONEderland banner that I made..l.because I refused to pay $25- or more from etsy. I just hated that you can't see it in the picture! My husband wrote the words out...and he did great!

 Party favors for Bear's friends...Bear even personalized it, on the back of their stocking, by thanking them for coming to his party...which they can hang on their Christmas tree every year as a remembrance of Bear's 1st Birthday! :)

 Courtney is great & so creative...have I mentioned that before?!?!?!

 I wanted those who were in attendance to write something special to Bear that he will be able to open (hence the box wrapped in Winter Wonderland paper) on his 18th Birthday!

 My beautiful family. Who I thank God for everyday.

 This sweet face makes our lives so much richer!

 Seriously. Is that not the cutest picture you ever did see?!?!? LOVE it.

For the adults & kiddos--cake pops! Something sweet for them to indulge their sweet tooth!









After just one taste he had officially become a lover of sweets...too bad for him he won't get anything like that until his 2nd birthday! Ha. Remember via my last post we are on a journey to eat healthier as a FAMILY.



We were so very thankful for all of those who came out to celebrate with us! Bear has some pretty wonderful & supportive people in his life and we couldn't ask for anything more!

Totally love this picture of these two! Shiloh is Courtney (our friend & family photgrapher) & Jeff's daughter. She was born just a few weeks after Bear was born. I sure hope that their friendship will be life long as well as all of Bear's other friends.

Son, here's to your 1st year of life. We celebrate you, your accomplishments (even at this age) & all that God has set before you in the years to come.

We are blessed to call you ours. We love you to infinity and beyond!

Momma & Daddy

The.New.Year.

So, do I have lots to write about? Of course. However, blogging is the last thing I ever think about doing, so kudos to those of you who make it a priority in your life.

A lot has transpired now that we are in the year 2012 and the last time I blogged was in 2011, November to be precise...22nd I believe. Maybe? I dunno. It's.been.that.long.

Some Highlights:

-Bear turned 1 back in December 2011
-Changed Pediatricians
-Trey took me to Savannah for a few days (without Bear) towards the latter part of December--it was awesome...BUT I definitely missed Bear...we both did.
-Celebrate Christmas Eve at home..Gigi & Poppa were with us this time around.
-Rang in the New Year at home with friends!
-Started letting Bear cry it out (New Year's Eve).
-Bear has made remarkable improvements in so many areas. God is good!
-Bear loves him some carrots & apple sauce and he is growing fonder of table food
-I completed the Love Dare
-Reading a book titled "Made to Crave"-AWESOME...so far!
-Currently on a 21 day fast with my church
-Trey asked me to join the Gold's Gym Challenge with him, so I said sure!
-More aware of what Trey and I are eating. I can't say that sweets will no longer enter my mouth because I would be lying...however, they are much less.
-I'm refraining from Facebook and have for the last several days...and may be for awhile. So, if you need me email me, text or call! :)

I think that sums up what's been going on in my life. Eventful.I know.

Happy New Year to You and Your's!

~Jenni~

Teacher.

I miss the classroom and kids but there's no greater joy I get then teaching my son.

I truly believe the 2 years that I taught were in preparation for teaching Bear. Other then having a love for teaching (why would you do it, right?), patience is a HUGE factor in teaching.
I taught kids who were incredibly smart to kids who struggled.daily. However, the rewarding part of being a teacher is seeing the "light bulb" go off & the huge smile on your students' faces when they realize that it finally "clicked" for them.

I feel the same way when it comes to Bear. When he gets it or does something that took him a little longer then others to do it's a HUGE deal for me & Trey. Just recently Bear clapped on command (I know it sounds like I am referring to a dog but you get what I am trying to say) & I kid you not I screamed, I cried and I jumped up and down. He sat in his high chair with this BIG smile on his face as if he knew--the "light bulb" went off for him!

I was so glad Trey was there to witness it as well. It was a big day for us Sheneman's. We are believing the Lord for daily breakthroughs when it comes to the "little-big" things regarding Bear.

He is faithful.He sees.He hears.He cares.He knows--my constant reminders.

Thank you Lord for Bear...and for these "little-big" breakthroughs!

Thankful for Gigi and Poppa!

Why? For many many reasons.
Besides from the fact that they take care of Bear's every need Gigi is the person that Bear sees most other than us.
I really wish that Bear could see all of his grandparents and great grandparents as much as he sees her but unfortunately that is not the case. :(

Can I just say that the boy loves him some Gigi. When Gigi is around & you ask Bear, "where is Gigi?" he looks straight at her! Not to mention the GIGANTIC smiles that he gives to her pretty much every time their eyes meet.

Bear loves his Gigi and so do we! Can you see why we are so grateful for her?

We appreciate the monetary things that she & poppa do for Bear, but what matters most to us is all the time she spends loving on our boy. Love trumps any outfit & toy.

Although I know she has worried & probably has cried herself to sleep questioning God about all that we have been through, at the end of the day she looks at her grandson, as Jesus would, and sees "perfection."

And Poppa has been so steady with his reminders about what God has told him about Bear and how confident he is that Bear is just fine. We know they have prayed for him since conception & continue to pray for him daily... what more could a parent ask for?


For that we are extremely grateful and thankful for Gigi & Poppa and we know that Bear is too!

WE LOVE YOU GIGI AND POPPA!

Bear, Jenni & Trey

"If the mountain was smooth, we couldn't climb it...."

I often wonder if that's what life is really about...climbing the mountain AKA going from glory to glory to glory. The process of sanctification is no easy one...as Christians we have to "put up our dukes daily" to prevent the enemy from invading our territory.

Now that I am a mama, I "see" the enemy that much more at work, trying to invade my camp so to speak. Well, I got news for him, I may shed a few tears, OK A LOT, but he must not know who he is coming up against.
I don't back down...well, I may grow weary every now and again, but quitting is not an option. I have a race to "run" and I will finish strong. Why? Because I have a husband and a son who need me.

For those of you who don't know, Bear was born with Bilateral Microtia Atresia (BMA), and with that comes some complications, his speech being the most affected. He may be slow to speak but I declare that when he does that wisdom and understanding would flow from his mouth. In Jesus name.

Over the last several months I have noticed some unusual behaviors that of course I googled and googled until I was pretty much sick to my stomach. I was a basket case for a few days but I regained my strength & sanity. The internet can be a great thing and a horrible thing all at the same time. However, I am glad I did it because I have an understanding now of what lies ahead for us as a family.
We took Bear to see a developmental pediatrician today and he was WONDERFUL! He even told us that the name 'Sheneman' was German and it meant 'beautiful person.' He obviously was referring to our son; little did he know he was prophetically speaking over him...
We know he is beautiful both inside and out. He also mentioned that when he looks at Bear he sees such determination. Amen. We receive it.

So, for the last few months I have been very open about what I think was going on with Bear...and I am pretty certain a few people thought I was a hypochondriac, over paranoid, not thinking clearly...you know- "CRAZY." Even my pediatrician with out saying it thought I was a little extreme in my thought process. However, if you are a parent, excuse me- a mama, then you know when something is going on with your child. It's instinctive. Ya know?
With that being said, Dr. Rubin "diagnosed" Bear with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-not otherwise specified. Bear shows characteristics of autism but not enough to label him autistic. Obviously, speech plays a huge role but that has to do with his hearing and the fact that he doesn't want to wear his hearing aid. :/


So, I ask that you would pray for my family daily as the road ahead will be long but promising. We believe that God has given Bear to us for so many reasons and we will do whatever it takes as his parents to see that he flourishes in every area of his life.
There will be lots of doctor visits involved as well as speech therapy and occupational therapy and at home visits from medical professionals, but all in all he is 10 months old and intervention is starting now! The brain, at this age, is so "moldable" that the things Bear does now can "easily" be fixed with help, so that's what we will do. It won't be easy and I'm sure there will be days that I will be exhausted but my help comes from the Lord and I will draw on his strength that much more.

Thankful that I don't have to do this alone and that I have a husband who is just as much involved as I am, family members who love Bear more then anything in this world and friends who are there to help.

I'm sure you all will want frequent updates as they come, so I will do my best to be more consistent. Not making any promises. Ok? Ok.

I will close with this verse:

Joshua 1:5-9
"5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Blessings to all of you,

Bear, Jenni & Trey

Back to the beginning of the book...

You know, sometimes it's good just to go back to the beginning of the good ole' book. You know? The Bible. The Holy Bible. The Truth. That became flesh and walked among us. That book.

Just to be totally honest, and, well, to show you all that I am completely human; I have been literally going through some serious mental torment. For the record, I am not crazy or need to be committed to a mental institution. I'm talking about the attacks that the enemy throws our way to get us to lose focus of what God's word says about us and our family.
I have never really experienced it to this extreme, but now that I have a baby it's been more prevalent.
To be quite honest, I also believe I have experienced it for other reasons. Possibly to see what others go through and to remind them that God's word is enough to set us free. Jesus' death was enough to set us free.

Keep following.

The fact that Bear was born with Bilateral Mictroia Atresia and spent 8 days in the NICU was enough to send me over the edge. Not to mention the scares during our pregnancy and what we faced when he was born with a potential heart defect, down syndrome etc..
However, God's grace has sustained me.
Yet, the mental attacks still come. Completely my fault because I allow it. I entertain it, unintentionally, of course. Or not?

Still there?

During my devotions this morning, it lead me to Genesis 8. You are probably thinking, "really?" Yep. Really!
Just to briefly recap, in Genesis 7- The Great Flood occurred. God decided to basically start over with the human race because of all the wickedness that walked the Earth. However, Noah and his family were spared because of their righteous living.
Moving forward to Ch. 8- Noah's Deliverance. Not only did God save Noah and his family from dying during the flood but he delivered them. He saw them through.

Ummmm. Hello? Did you get that? It hit me like a ton of bricks.
Noah and his family were not EXEMPT from experiencing the flood, but they were protected by the mighty hand of God, were seen through it, they were delivered! That deserves a HALLELUJAH!

As a child of God, I will always be delivered. Does it mean I will be exempt from the attacks, the storms, the raging flood waves? No. Unfortunately not. Does it mean that life will be a bed of roses and easy? Nope.

The "famous" line in Ch 8.1- BUT GOD REMEMBERED NOAH...and he didn't just stop with Noah, "but every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark."

I don't know about you, but that's so reassuring to my soul. He loves us. He desires to save us, restore us and see us free.

I hope this has encouraged you as much as it has me. God's word is our reassurance of his promises to us. We often forget because we neglect his word. Guilty. Be encouraged; God still loves us! However, true freedom comes when we are in His Word daily, confessing with our mouths his promises and then walking out his will for our lives.

Be Blessed!

~Jenni~

I.LOVE.YOU.

It's a 3 word phrase that can pack a powerful punch. I say it to Bear at least 5-7 times a day...and Trey probably just as much.
I "love" the phrase and when I look at my 2 boys it takes on a whole new meaning. I love to love and be loved. Who doesn't? I believe it is the most natural feeling to have and desire. I mean when we look at the greatest example of love, why wouldn't you say it much less show it?

I believe that when you have the "Ultimate Lover" in your life then loving is like breathing...completely instinctive. It's apart of you. You.Do.It.To.Survive. Just like loving and being loved is something we all desire and want.

I often feel as though we get into a rut of life and fail to say it and show it. We just go about our daily routines and just assume that the other person knows that we love them regardless of whether we show it or speak it.
Love needs to be spoken and shown.

Love is a gift, and if you have received it, then speak it and show it. It's really that simple.

I LOVE YOU TREY & BEAR!