A Little Down But Not Out

Today was a day of ups and downs but we know, without a doubt, that God is in control and His plans and timing are perfect. He knows what is best for Jaydon (and for all of us) and we have great comfort and peace in His promises. 
Thankfully, Jaydon got his double casts off today and we are oh so grateful! He can now swing in the swing, ride in the jogging stroller, sleep more comfortably, wear undies and shorts, sit at the dinner table, and have mom and dad kiss all over his healthy leg. Blessings abound!
Unfort., his left leg has not healed enough to be cast free just yet. So, the nurses took the double casts off and gave him a shiny, new, red one for his 'boo boo' leg. How wonderful it was to see his healthy leg again though! Bob and I kissed it, rubbed it, massaged it - that was the least we could do for him. This tough kiddo has been through so much more in 3 short years of life than most of us will go through in our lifetime. It is truly the little things in life that matter most, no doubt. We are so honored that God chose us to take care of him, love him, nurture him, teach him about Himself and His love.
Thank you so much for praying for us during this time. Today was very rough on Jaydon as he was dealing with great fear and a huge disappointment to have another cast. It was obviously not easy on us either but we choose to see the blessings in this unexpected chapter of our lives. 
We thank God for getting us this far. May He be glorified if there be anything good in us.
Many blessings to all of you!
The Hinton Family

Phase 2 (Yahoo!)

We are back in Greenville, SC this morning getting ready to head to Shriners to get Jaydon's casts off. He has talked about this day for weeks. He is obviously very excited about being mobile again but he's a little apprehensive at the same time - I can't blame him one bit. The unknown is always a little scary - esp. for a 3 year old. He's still his happy, smiley, silly, energetic self this morning though. :) Love that kiddo to pieces.
His appt. today is at 9:00 a.m.. We're unsure of the time of his surgery but it should be close to 9:30. We will update as our time permits.
Thank you for praying for Jaydon and for our family during these past months. All of your incredible support has gotten us this far. God has blessed us beyond measure in so many ways!
May we live worthy lives that bring Him honor.
Because of Him,
Jill and family

'When Love Takes You In, Everything Changes'

Here is a photo of precious little Zhi Da before finding his forever family.

And here is Zhi Da (Jaydon) after finding his forever family!

However, don't be fooled, WE are smiling even bigger and have changed even more because of this little guy. He has blessed us beyond measure and truly reminded us of what life is all about. No doubt, he adopted us!

Single Digits

6 days to go until the casts are gone - we have one excited little boy on our hands!!
Not sure if he's more excited about the casts coming off or about the huge celebration we have planned for him! We'll fill you in as the time gets closer.

Many blessings to all of you.

Baba / Papa / Dad

Back in October of 2010, Zhi Da (a.k.a. Jaydon) finally got to meet his wonderful earthly father - Bobby Ray Hinton, Jr.. What an overwhelmingly happy day for both of them!! It was so beautiful to witness - a son finding his father and a father finding his son! Only God could have orchestrated such a beautiful reunion. I will never forget watching Jaydon being so comfortable with his 'baba' on the very first day they met. Jaydon knew exactly who Bob was and he was so happy to finally see him! Of course, the feeling was mutual. Bob was beside himself with JOY - his 3rd son was finally in his arms.

I can not think of a better man, father, to lead this little one to his heavenly Father and come to love Him.

Happy Father's Day to you Bob! You are absolutely the best father in the world and I appreciate you and all you do for our family! How blessed you are to have 3 incredible sons to love and nurture - John, Ben, Jaydon.... and how blessed they are to call you 'dad'!

To my 'Papa' - I love you. Love, Jaydon

"Somebody's Praying"

Tomorrow we will be down to only 2 more weeks in casts - yea! Jaydon is still handling his situation very well. We are so proud of him and his courage & bravery. I can't wait to see his sweet little legs again, kiss his precious toes and hold him like a baby! He'll be begging me to put him down.

We will be returning to Shriners hospital on June 27 for the casts to come off and the pins to be taken out of his heel. He will then have a compression sock put on his leg/foot for 2 weeks. We will keep you updated as the time gets closer.

Again our family just wants to THANK YOU for praying for us and esp. for Jaydon during this time of recovery.

I heard a Ricky Skaggs song recently that reminded me of those of you that have been praying for us.
We can't thank you enough. God bless each and every one of you!

"Somebody's Prayin'"

Somebody's prayin, I can feel it
Somebody's prayin' for me
Mighty hands are guiding me
To protect me from what I can't see
Lord I believe, Lord I believe
That somebody's prayin', for me.

Angels are watchin', I can feel it
Angels are watchin' over me
There's many miles ahead 'til I get home
Still I'm safely kept before your thrown
'Cause Lord I believe, Lord I believe
Your angels are watchin' over me.

Well, I've walked through barren wilderness
When my pillow was a stone
And I've been through the darkest caverns
Where no light had ever shown.
Still I went on 'cause there was someone
Who was down on their knees
And Lord. I thank you for those people
Prayin' all this time for me.

Somebody's prayin', I can feel it
Somebody's prayin' for me
Mighty hands are guiding me
To protect me from what I can't see
Lord I believe, Lord I believe
Somebody's prayin' for me...

Half Way!

Ps. 92 : 1-2 It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High.
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness by night.

Three weeks down and three weeks to go in the casts. God has blessed beyond measure!

Being half way is def. cause for a celebration. Granny Nunn gave all 3 boys some kind of 'water blaster' this past weekend and we just had to give them a go. We wrapped Jaydon and his wheel chair in a waterproof tablecloth and the water blasting began. He thought it was so funny that he could blast everyone but no one could blast him. Talk about deep down, gut wrenching laughter!!

We are truly grateful to be on the downhill slope now. I obviously have the easy job here but we know easier days are coming soon for our tough, little Zhi Da !

Honor

This is Ben's fabulous drawing of the Great Wall in honor of Jaydon.

Ben takes an art class once a week and this was his last project for this past school year. In his class, he chooses whatever he wants to draw/paint for the next several weeks. How sweet that he picked to draw something to honor Jaydon.

This drawing reminds me of our visit to China which seems soooooo long ago yet just like yesterday......sweet memories.

We've started a savings account for Jaydon in hopes that we can take him back to visit his homeland one day. Can't wait to see him climbing the Great Wall with his new leg/foot!

Giving God all the praise for each and every blessing,

Jill