Boys and their dogs...but oh so much more than that

Kens 5 aired a story last night on the 6:00 News, about the Toughest Dog in Texas Event that was planned for today.  Here is the link to the news video.  It captured the heartwarming story of how this event came to be.

http://www.kens5.com/news/Victory-lap-Toughest-K9s-in-Texas-compete-227845831.html

But what the news didn't tell or couldn't have known, is that today would end up the coldest, wettest day we've had in a long time, with non-stop rain in the hill country.  It could have been a recipe for disaster.  Dog handlers could have backed out. River Road could have flooded.  People could've decided to stay home, warm and dry.  But that didn't happen.  Instead Ingram ranch employees and family came out in the rain and started cooking barbeque at 4:30 am, Comal County Deputy's set up the tent and tables in the pouring rain, and people came to watch the first ever Toughest Dog in Texas Competition...in the rain.  There were 24 dogs in all, and they came from Police Departments, Sheriff's Departments, Air Force and Marines.  The farthest team came from five hours away! All in the name of Rowan's Foundation, the Rowan Jameson Windham Foundation, which helps chronically ill children and their families, especially while they spend a lot of time in the hospital, like Rowan so often does.

We were all blown away by the support from Ingram Ranch, from the community and from the many branches of law enforcement and the military.  Rowan said "this is another best day ever, I don't want it to stop."  He loved on the dogs, gave them good luck before they took off running, fed them some of his homemade dog treats, and cheered them as they came back across the finish line.  It wasn't just the dogs he was enamored of though.  Their handlers were so kind, encouraging, and inspiring for Rowan.  As you will see from the pictures, it seemed to be a two way street.  They told Rowan how proud they were of him for trying to help other kids even though he is sick so much himself, and he just watched them all in awe as they took of with their gorgeous, strong, brave dogs and led them through the course.  Each handler ran 2.3 miles with their dog through the rugged terrain of the ranch, crossing the river twice and climbing up and descending down a huge cliff .  One dog even ran the course twice! 

I took a lot of pictures, but wish I even took more.  It truly was a great day, despite the rain.  All I kept thinking about as I looked around today was this: there are so many good people in the world,  paying it forward is what it's all about, good begets good, and the circle of giving just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Rowan was blessed by Kidd's Kids, so he raises money to help other kids go Disney too.  Rowan has been blessed by so many during his life long battle, so we started a foundation to help others like him.  And now, all the K9s and their handlers are joining in to help him further that mission.  It does a heart good to see acts of kindness like this.  I pray these pictures and this story bless your day too!

Let's get this race started!

 

Jake and "King" were the first to run the timed course.

Then dogs took off with their handlers every 10 minutes.

 

Scott and "Titan" getting some good luck before they run.

 

 

Next up was "Nitro", he stopped by for a good luck kiss first too.

 

"Rex" went fourth, led by Deputy Duane.

 

 

 

Jake and "King" making their way back across the finish line.

 

Jake laid down, but I think "King" was ready to go again.

 

Rowan feeding "King" one of his homemade treats after the race.

 

 

One by one, well I guess two by two (dog and handler:)

they left and came back,

some running the course in 20 minutes or less,

in the RAIN!

 

 

There were K9s from several cities, from the Police Department, Sheriff's Department,

Air Force and Marine.  24 teams in all!

 

 

Ingram Ranch employees and family barbequed like champions,

preparing an amazing meal for everyone.

 

 

 

 

 And just look at these beautiful trophies (donated by Harley Davidson)!

 

 

 

 

  There was a terrific table of silent auction items, a raffle and door prizes.

 Did I mention the puppies, K9s in training:-) So adorable!

 

 

 A HUGE thank you to Mr. Ingram for opening up his 5000 acre ranch for this event!

 

 Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, the Lackland Airforce Base K9 team told us that they wanted to present Rowan with a gift.

 

 

 

They gave him this perfect stuffed K9 named "Hero".

Rowan later said he was making Hero's middle name Titan:)

So now it's "Hero Titan", and he just keeps hugging him.

They also presented him with this gorgeous Military Working Dog coin.

He wouldn't set it down or put it away for hours.

 



 

 The next big surprise came from Sheriff Bob Holder.

 

As he made Rowan a Junior Deputy.

 

"Junior Deputy Rowan Windham"

 

 

The guys were all so nice to Rowan.  He really looks up to them too. 

These two amazing gentlemen drove 5 hours to compete in the competition,

and promise to be back next year too.

 

So many of the handlers made sure to bring their dogs to meet Rowan and let him pet them.

He was in Heaven loving on all these dogs in one day.

 



 

Sam and his family (from Ingram Ranch) worked so hard to make this event super special

and made Rowan and all of us feel very welcome.

 

 

It was a long cold rainy day, and being anemic and a little under the weather,

we did have to let Rowan nap off and on as needed.

 

 

But for the most part, he watched on and cheered the men and their dogs

as they left the starting line and crossed the finish line.

 

 

This smile says it all...this was definitely "another best day ever!" in Rowan's life.

We can't say thank you enough.

Thank you to Duane and Cindy for organizing this event.

Thank you Mr. Ingram for use of your beautiful ranch.

Thank you to Sam and his family for cooking some great barbeque.

Thank you to all the teams and their dogs who ran in the race.

Thank you to all the volunteers and crew who cooked, set up, cleaned up, and ran the event.

Thank you to everyone who donated goods, services and auction items.

Thank you to Kens 5 for doing the news story about this event.

Thank you to everyone who came out, bid on items, bought raffle tickets, plates & door prize tickets.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all law enforcement and military personnel

not only for what you did today, but more importantly what you do on a daily basis! 

 

Here is the last picture of Rowan for the day...

asleep in the car on the way home, hugging his new dog "Hero", wearing his Junior Deputy Badge and clutching his military work dog coin.

 

Today was about boys and their dogs, but it was about oh so much more.

It was about humanity, and charity, and paying it forward.



Angels can come in the shape of horses and butterflys too...Happy 8th Birthday Chrissie!

Today would be Chrissie's 8th birthday, so Rowan and I went out to her gravesite at her families ranch.  We took a special cake and cupcakes for the family, to celebrate Chrissie's birthday and to kick off their new Ministry, the Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministry Experience which was having an Open House today.  I made the theme of the cake rainbows and butterflies, with edible butterflies on the cake even, for what I thought was a simple reason...but God had bigger plans:-)

See, rainbows and butterflies have always been special to the Patterson's and to Rowan when thinking about Chrissie.  They saw many rainbows while God was confirming for them that they should go adopt Chrissie from Serbia, then there was a huge rainbow painted inside the orphanage when they got there.  Rowan wrote Chrissie a note in the sand (with my help) after she passed away and then he saw a rainbow in the sky and immediately said "Mom, Chrissie loves it!" Rowan had a dream after she passed away and says that Chrissie told him to tell her Mom to look for her in everything that is beautiful: like rainbows, flowers, birds and butterflies. Rowan then raised butterflies from caterpillars and released them at Chrissie's grave one year.  Amazingly, Lorraine saw them around the grave later, coming back to visit.

Here are some pictures of the cake, cupcakes, and cake board that we took out to them today:

Rowan had also colored a picture for Lorraine, as he usually does when we are going to visit on one of Chrissie's special days.  And notice, even his picture has a rainbow and two butterflies.  He says the pink one is Chrissie and the blue one is his butterfly.

Once we got to the ranch, we all talked about how bright and colorful and Chrissie-like the cake was, Lorraine mentioned that the butterflies were perfect too because her Mom always loved butterflies and her birthday would have been next week as well.  She said there were always butterflies everywhere decorating her house as a little girl.  Then she told us the beautiful story of how last year as they were celebrating what would have been her Mom's next birthday (she passed away the Christmas before), all of the sudden a yellow monarch butterfly started flying around in a bouncy house that the children were playing in.  She explained how, in the middle of October, out of nowhere, this butterfly just kept landing on the children's heads and seemed to be playing with them. They just felt like it was her Mom, visiting the children. I had not realized that Lorraine's Mom had liked butterflies too, or that her birthday would have been next week, but it made me even happier that I had decided to decorate the cake that way.

After that story we said our goodbyes because Rowan wanted to go down to Chrissie's grave and tie a balloon there for her birthday and leave her one of the roses he had brought Lorraine. 

Here are some pictures of our time down at the gravesite:

It is always humbling and so very sweet watching Rowan visit his friends grave, but two extra miraculous things happened while we were down there today.  First, as Rowan knelt down to say a prayer for Chrissie I noticed out of the corner of my eye that one horse, one of the six or seven that had been grazing way out in the field behind us, was walking straight up to Rowan.  Rowan stood up and turned around and it was Navidad! Chrissie's very own horse, Navidad, who Rowan rode just one time a couple years ago, who Rowan wrote about in his poem to Chrissie, saying that he would take care of her horse Navidad for her.  Yes, Navidad came right up to Rowan and put his nose in his hand.  He didn't care about Cindy or I, just Rowan.  Rowan was so excited. He said "Mom. it's like Chrissie sent Navidad to tell me Hi!"

We were just amazed, but God wasn't done yet...  I turned around to take one or two more pictures as Rowan touched the stone at the foot of her grave and said goodbye....

 

...and all of the sudden what did we see? A single yellow butterfly, and it landed right on the rose that Rowan laid at the foot of her grave. I tried to snap a picture quickly because we didn't think Lorraine would believe us, I was able to capture this one shot...notice the yellow butterfly on the iron gate, just to left of the rose. 

We almost cried, we were so overjoyed.  We got right back in the car and drove up the hill to tell Lorraine, that her Mom was visiting Chrissie's grave too! Rowan ran in to tell Lorraine and it just made the day even more important for us all...to have not one but two angels show themselves to us today...Chrissie in the form of her horse Navidad and Lorraine's Mom in the form of a beautiful yellow butterfly! Thank you God, for showing yourself in unexpected ways today!  (Lorraine, I think I even wrote that in your card today, before I knew any of this would happen.  That God would show you Chrissie in every nook and cranny in unexpected ways...and boy did He!)

Rowan's Poem for his "Special Friend" Chrissie

Next week, October 8th, is Rowan's special angel friend Chrissie's birthday.  As I started planning her birthday cake for this year, which we have made for her family the past couple years (since her death), I realized that I never posted pictures from Rowan's trip to her grave this past May (on the anniversary of the day she earned her angel wings).  It could've been a sad day, but Rowan and I always see it as a day to celebrate her life, and we try to bless her family on that day each year.  Here are some pictures of Rowan, during that visit this past May. 

 

He brought her flowers and balloons as always...

 

...but he also brought some very special gifts this time...

a wooden plaque that we wood burned his handwriting into, for her gravesite

 

 

...and a poem.  Rowan started the poem a couple years ago (telling me what to write down for him in bed one night).  I put the notes in a drawer and forgot about them for quite a while, but pulled it back out and Rowan finished it two years later, right before our visit this year.  I only had to help him with a couple words/rhymes.  The sentiment was ALL his.  It is such a sweet tribute to his special friend.

 

 

 Praying for his friend, and her sweet family again. 

 

 These two days of the year: October 8th (her Earthly birthday) and

May 19th (her Welcome to Heaven day) are very special to Rowan,

but God also uses them to bless me immensely. 

 I am blown away as I watch Rowan's faith and heart shine

as he handles such a difficult thing for a little boy, death of a little one his age.

He proves to me time and time again though, that he understands things far beyond his years,

 and our visits to the Patterson Ranch, and Chrissie's grave, remind me:

 

"Faith makes things possible, it does not make them easy."

"The Art of being content"

Being content is defined in the dictionary as:  "satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else".  I have always thought of it as being happy with what you have.  How many of us are often content? Not me, and I am guessing not many.  We always want more, want things to be different, complain instead of being grateful, etc. This is one area that Rowan has taught me many a lesson on.  He is always glad about something (usually about everything), and makes the most of every situation, even the not so easy ones. I know I've mentioned this before, but this past ten days in the hospital Rowan has really proven his amazing ability to be content.

First of all, you have to understand that he hasn't eaten anything by mouth in 9 days, and only had half of a popsicle 10 days ago.  He has either had nothing running at all, or just pedialyte running through his g-tube.  His only source of nutrition has been his IV tpn that is fed through his Broviac central IV line in his chest.  He has had major belly pain and gi bleeding for weeks and weeks. But, does Rowan complain about not being able to eat? Of course not.  Look what three amazing things he has done instead.

1. Rowan loves to play with Playdoh, so instead of complaining about what he can't eat, he has just made plates of food that he wishes he could eat, and made me pretend plates of food.  One day he had all of us in the hospital room making sushi and chocolate chip cookies.  It's kind of heart breaking, but amazing at the same time.

 

 

2. Rowan asks to smell anything that I am about to eat.  I try not to eat in front of him at all when he is in here, not taking anything by mouth.  However, at times, if I don't want to leave him for long, or if someone brings me food in, I do have to grab a quick bite and eat it in front of him.  He doesn't cry, he doesn't complain, many of you have witnessed this...he simply asks to smell it.  He inhales big deep breaths of each ingredient, saying "ok wait, now let me smell the bread, ok now the turkey" etc.  This too has brought a few friends to tears, but you know what, Rowan just lays back sighs and smiles, telling me thank you.  Thank you! Thank you for letting him smell my food.  Food that he can't eat.  It leaves you in awe, it really does.

 

3. Finally, and this one was hysterical, and sad, and incredible all at once... Yesterday Rowan asked for a Styrofoam cup of ice with a fork, but first he wanted us to draw some things on the outside.  I'm not sure if these pictures will be clear enough, so let me tell you what he and I drew on the cup. One side said "breakfast" and had a button to push next to it, with a picture of hash browns on a plate just above it.  The next side said "lunch", had another button to push and a plate of French fries just above it.  The last side said "dinner", had a button to push and a plate with a baked potato on it.  Then Rowan said, "what about condiments?" So, I drew 3 more buttons at the top, with corresponding pictures of "salt & pepper", "freddy seasoning" and something he wanted to call "fiesta sauce" to make the food spicy.  (By the way Nelson, he wanted to make sure you knew how he said "FIESTA" every time he pressed that button:)

 

 

 

After we made this cup and I filled it with ice, we played a little restaurant make believe where Rowan would order his meal by pressing the buttons on the cup, and I had to go prepare the food (all ice chips) and bring it back to him.  He would pay for his meal, eat a few ice chips, tell me how delicious it was, and then tip me of course.  We did this for over an hour.  We cracked up laughing every time he wanted more and more condiments on his food and kept pressing the buttons repeatedly. He laughed hysterically at me as I got in the hospital closet aka "refrigerator", pulled his food out of the drawer aka "oven", and shook all the water aka "freddy seasoning and fiesta sauce" on his food. 

 

I will never forget playing this game with him.  Not just because of how hard we laughed, but because of the lesson he taught me.  If you can't do something or can't have something you want, make light of it, have fun with it, don't complain or dwell negatively on it. Here, I had tried to avoid the subject with him because I felt bad for him. But as usual Rowan didn't.  He was content to pretend that he could eat. Oh sweet amazing Rowan, I love you dearly and thank God for all the many many lessons you teach me throughout your trials. Hope this is a little reminder to us all, be content, be satisfied, be happy with what you have.

 



"Boy's best friend..."

Cindy the therapy dog came to visit Rowan in the hospital again last Friday.  I was able to catch these treasured, priceless photos showing Rowan with one of his best friends, and definitely his favorite form of therapy while in the hospital.  

 

 They hugged, they kissed, they talked, played hide and seek under Rowan's blanket, and loved on each other.  Rowan said "She feels like a cloud." Cindy put her paw on his shoulder every time he stopped petting her for even a second.  As always, we commented "not sure who is getting more therapy here, Rowan or Cindy." They have the same color hair/fur, and seem to be kindered spirits.

The pictures speak volumes, so here they are...

 

 

(Kisses)

 

(Naptime)

 

 

Yes, this is Rowan and Cindy under the blanket:-)

 

(Rowan just can't get over how soft her fur is)

 

 

 

True Love...a boy's best friend...

 

Support your local pet therapy programs/charities whenever you can,

they make a difference, they really truly do!

Thank you Suzanne and Cindy:-)