Movin' On Up!

Hey there! Missed us? Well, we've sure missed you.

We are finally unveiling the newly designed No Muck Messages and want to make sure you get there.

The new URL for the blog is now www.nomuck.com. Cruise on over there and take a look around! Make sure you re-subscribe on the new site to make sure we stay in the loop with you. Also, make sure you give us some feedback on what you think through the comments or the different ways to contact us.

Thank you again for all the blessings you have given us by visiting our blog and allowing us to serve you in some way. It's time for a new chapter! We will be back with all our weekly posts next week.

Let's go!!

Sy's Burning Bash!

We realized that we missed posting about Sy's big birthday... When it comes to a kid that can't eat much, you have to focus on doing some super cool stuff. Check it out!

Sy was definitely pumped to turn 7! He even lost a front tooth for the event.

First stop was coming to see Pop at the firehouse and do some cool stuff.

Only Essi would find a way to shoot rainbows from a fire hose.

Waiting to blast someone...

Just a couple more years to grow into this seat.

I'm so proud to be a part of this crazy kid's life.

Quite a fire brigade, huh?

Sy is now a huge baseball fan, so it was off to the batting cages...

Sy was a complete natural. He crushed probably 80% of the balls.

Even Mom had to come show off her home run swings. She really got in there!

I don't think anyone would argue when I say that 7 has definitely been Sy's healthiest birthday yet. We had tons of fun and made him his own birthday cake made of nothing but potatoes. We are looking forward to future birthdays and continuing to see Sy grow up to be a godly young man.

Happy belated birthday, big man! We love you!

Anderson Live Show Clips (Updated!)

**Updated show clips to show full segments, including intro video and surprises. They are hand recorded and the audio is a bit low, but it should be clear enough.

Thank you to all of you who tuned in to watch our handsome boy make his daytime TV debut. We all were very happy how the show was put together and we are so thankful to the Anderson Live crew for having us there. We really hope that we were able to help at least one person in some way. There's only one complaint...I still have not received a phone call to become a jewelry hand model on QVC. Did they not shoot my amazingly strong, yet tender hands enough?

We've been looking to find the entire interview. We've found both parts, but the first one is not the greatest quality. We'll keep looking and try to find something better. Anyway, thanks to the person who took the time to record this on their TV! Here you go! Oh, and also, just for the record, I'm really proud of both my son and my smokin' hot wife.

Lastly, a huge thanks to those companies that blessed our family in a huge way...Bunny Luv, Global Organics, and Lego! I just noticed that this part isn't on the video. Big hugs from Sy for these great folks!

If you can't see the videos below click here for part 1 and here for part 2. Enjoy!

Here's still the portion straight from the show...much clearer.

Sy Lights Up The Studio!

I know I have been extremely annoying about getting you any details about the show. What fun is it if I don't keep you in suspense, right? Well, let's just say that there was some "paperwork" that says that I can't discuss much about it before it airs (we are still waiting for the air date, btw). In the meantime, we'll give a few obscure details about our day and all the things happening around us...

Before you read any further, just know that our family is continuing to seek God first on all of this. Even on the day of the shoot, it was easy to get swept up in nerves, excitement, etc. and miss what is REALLY happening. If you go back and read from when this blog started, you can see the amazing story that God is already weaving into this little boy's life. Heather and I have fought hard to not just sit back and let life happen or get sucked in to complacency. We want all the aspects of our lives to reflect the real reason behind them (though we are not always successful, we try). You cannot look over Sy's journey and say that it's only about a boy with a incurable disease. God has given him an incredible platform and we want to be good stewards of his story and use it to help others. We are just waiting and trying to make ourselves available for whatever God has next or for the next person who needs to be reached... We have walked in this valley in hopes that others can be spared and ultimately to encourage them with the hope of healing... Patience is not always our strong suit, but then it only takes thinking about Sy and the amount of patience required to live with his struggle, EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Anyway...now for a few details!

Our family got to hang in the green room as we waited for our time to go on the set. We finally got to meet some of the great people we had been speaking with on the phone for weeks. They were really fun to work with and took care of us in so many ways. They even had someone to entertain and babysit the kiddies as we were in and out. Here is Sy with his remarkable Dixie cup castle. Isn't he handsome?

Sy's sis, Essi, had a great attitude the whole time as her little brother got a lot of attention. We will say her beauty got the attention of several TV folks! She is another one who is ready to be used by God!

As Heather got dolled up, these were the shoes that were chosen for her to wear. If you know Heather, you probably know how she felt about wearing these... She also had to lose the jeans and slip on some black dress pants. And change her shirt and add a blazer... She jokes that she looked like she was ready to anchor the 6:00 evening news!

Since I was so sharply dressed when I arrived (in the only nice Target shirt that I own), the only thing they changed on me were my shoes. I swear I was ready for the ski jump in these things. Every time I turned a corner, I would knock people down. Since they wouldn't be seen much, I didn't throw a fit.

So, here's the final product before we hit the big lights!

Soon after this we were whisked away for the shoot. The shoot went great and I managed to avoid throwing up on the hosts (bonus!). Now that it's over, we can just leave it in His hands to do what He likes. Please pray that whether things are good or bad, we would continue to keep our focus on the right thing.

Like I said before, we can't share many photos and details now, but we promise to get the details about the air date as soon as we know. In the meantime, we will share a photo of a really nice guy that we met while we were in NYC. Scroll down...

Things Are Suddenly Moving At Light Speed!

So, today marks the beginning of an exciting week! We are still coming off the high of the Snowflake 5K and we now are looking forward to hosting some cool folks in our home today. A camera crew and reporter from a popular, national talk show will be coming to spend the entire day with us to get a glimpse of our family's routine and Sy's God-authored story. As some of you know, there will be plenty of energy from this household for these folks to capture. We just hope that these peeps like the smell of veggies simmering, the aroma of fresh carrot juice, and seeing every Lego creation in our home!

Today will be a big day and we hope to clearly portray the way that God has blessed us with the immense challenges and miraculous times of provision through family, friends, and even those we don't even know. Anyone can easily see the incredible power of love and support poured on our household as we struggle through healing our son.

After this experience, we will step onto a plane early next week and find ourselves in the midst of the Big Apple for his national TV debut. (Is America really ready for such a handsome and lion-hearted boy?) With the help of our hosts and countless logistics, we have made arrangements so that Sy's therapy will hopefully be seamless and without interruption. We will keep y'all up to date as we encounter these unique and fun changes. (We promise lots of pictures to come!)

I'm not exactly how much we can share in the digital world yet, but we promise to provide whatever details we can when we can... Stay tuned for more!

One last thing before we embark on this journey... Please pray for us and that the true reason behind our family's adventures shine through Sy's smile, Heather's smokin' hot looks, and my buffoonery. For all of you who know us, you know that all of this could not be happening on our own efforts. We ask for the right words to express the events and emotions that have emerged over the years. We love all of you and know that our bottom line is to bless those who can benefit from our experience and our desire to reach out to those in need.

And away we go...

Carefree and Gluten Free!!!

So, this is a post for my readers! I get a lot of questions in regards to being gluten free...

How do you do it? What can you eat? What is gluten? What all is it in? Why do you do it?

The task of going gluten free can seem rather daunting at first but it is definitely manageable and not that big of deal once you figure it all out. I was diagnosed with Celiac's disease over a year ago and sadly had to give up all of that yummy, gluten goodness. Most people don't even know this about me because I'm really not into talking about diseases and diagnoses (despite Sy's stuff); I don't like to identify myself or my kids by their health issues. We have too many blessings to be overshadowed by our little "glitches." However, I get asked so many gluten questions (from those who know that I just don't eat it), that I thought it was worth a post. I do this in hopes of helping someone out there who needs some encouragement or direction.

Even though I've only been completely GF for over a year, I've been very familiar with it for the last five years or so. Back when Sy was a 18 months and was actually eating some foods, he had to stop with the gluten because of his allergies and, surprisingly, because he was on the autism spectrum back then. Yeah, crazy that there was a time he was on the spectrum! You would never know it today and I definitely think that going GF helped in his situation. (If you have more specific questions in regards to that, feel free to ask.) There were several times in the last few years that we all just stopped eating it. It was pretty amazing how much better Jordan and I felt.

So for me, it is not merely a preference of not eating gluten or just a mild sensitivity; my body cannot handle it. Celiac's disease can often lead to other more serious or life threatening diseases. I'm not worried at all about it because I know God has it under control. I just do my part and am very careful to stay away from gluten, not only in my diet but also in personal care products. You wouldn't believe what all it is in--make up, hair care products, soaps, lotions etc. You see it in almost every ingredient list and it likes to hide under loads of different names/labels. It is definitely a lifestyle change but if you think you need to go GF, you absolutely can do it and you'll probably end up not missing it much.

I am slowly starting a modified version of the Gerson Therapy (mostly raw foods, vegan) so I know that some day the Celiac's won't even be an issue. Yahoo! Meanwhile, going GF can be very enjoyable, simple, cheap and not a big deal. Soooo, I don't want to bore you with any more random details. If you have specific questions, please comment below or shoot me an email. If you're on the fence about trying it, go for it!!! You may just be surprised how much better you can feel!