New Jersey trip

On Sunday after Thanksgiving Dave, Manna, Hanna and Matthew got on the road heading to New Jersey where Mate had an orthopedic surgery on Tuesday the 27th. We had the best trip and we are all excited to see how successful it was after the walking cast comes off after 4 weeks. (Dec 27th). It should help him to lower his heels and be more flat when he walks. Hopefully this means less stretching and realistically more strengthening, which we don't mind.
We stayed at the Ronald McDonald's House in New Brunswick, which was an amazing blessing. So many sweet moms to relate and pray with. It really brought back the old premie days.
On Monday after meeting the surgeon we were able to have a wonderful visit with our Hungarian friend Tunde and her little boy Christopher. Oh, the kids played so well and it was really so much fun to spend time with them in Hoboken.
Tue we had the surgery and in the evening Tunde's husband Tivadar, who is a really good friend of Manna's family came to have dinner with us.
On Wed one last doctor's visit and Thursday morning we were already on our way back to Indy.
We are so thankful for an incredible surgeon like Dr. Nuzzo, who helps so many kids and we found out that 80% of his patients come from all over the world outside of the States. It is truely unique what he is doing with such excellence.
Hanna was such a sweet addition to our team and she was a great helper and so much comfort for little brother. They did so well in the car (13hrs!). Time really flew by quickly.
So glad we did it.
Enjoy the slides

I am thankful“For each new morning with it’s light.
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.”

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Ps107:1

Here is a little fall update from us. We have been so blessed this beautiful autumn. We were able to enjoy so many great things and activities with the children. Different fieldtrips including our anniversary trip with Dave to Lexington. Until the very last week of November the kids are on fall break, which gave us plenty of opportunities to home school. We were learning about God’s creation like the Sun, Moon, Leaves, Apples and we turned into little Indians as we were discovering the history of Thanksgiving. I cherish cuddling with them on the sofa and reading or making apple sauce and jack-o-lantern. Matthew will have an orthopedic surgery on November 27th in New Jersey.  The doctor will perc his legs at three different points to bring his heels down. More than likely he will have a walking cast for several weeks. Much to pray for. For emotional support we are bringing Hanna as well, who means the world for our little boy. We use the cast on his right hand every weekend and trying to work with him as much as possible. He still eats only with his left hand and just recently started to go to the bathroom as a big 5 year old boy (standing). So proud of him.

 

Birthday pictures

The day before and the day of their birthday there was no school so we took adventage of that and went to several places. We love the library's story time on Thursdays and on Friday we visited Conner Praire with our Hungarian friends Andi and her children. They love patting animals in the barn, chatting with the Indian. The inside play area is always a hit. They can pick animals, milk the cow, do farming and shopping in the old times...
Enjoy the slides!

Happy Birthday rhymes

Happy Birthday to our five five year olds!


Children are blessings from the Lord.
The Lord gives them to enjoy them all.

Five hearts beat at the same time,
Five mischievous minds think alike.

Great plans and ideas they have many.
Their goal is to trick Mommy and Daddy.

Annabelle is usually the chief commander
and guess what?
The other four surrender.

Tomi comes up with the plan
Lili and Hanna are eager to help
And Matthew just giggles in the end.

We praise God for their life,
Without Him they wouldn’t have survived.

Happy Birthday our miracle Babies!

We love you so much,
Family, Friends, Mommy and Daddy

October 19th

October 19th here we come again. Wow, they are already 5! We had an amazing time at one of our favorite places, which is Conner Prairie.

Final thoughts

Conclusion of the trip and final thoughts. The following quotes made me think the past couple of months.

 "You never really leave a place you love. Part of it you take with you. Learving a part of yourself behind." This is how both Mate and I felt after we said our goodbyes in Birmingham. God blew our socks off with this trip! God's devine provision was like a weaving thread through the whole journey. It was so much more than just therapy. It was a road for Matthew to grow up, be independent and for me to realize he is indeed a "big boy"now (even though he is our baby) and I have to treat him accordingly. I personally felt like I was in OT school (so enjoyed it). I learned so much and try my best to intergrate the new approach in our everyday crazy busy life. We miss Alabama but the beautiful friendships that were born there still remain and the memories will be cherished. Now we have hearts to love and be loved and cared by down there too. What a blessing! You might now that the meaning of Matthew's name is: "Gift of God". Little did we know about the Lord's mighty plan when we picked it.

"What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God." Your gift made it possible for our little boy to gain life long skills and learn to use wings instead of crutches. Our trip continues here in Indiana, which requires much dedication, conisistency and wisdom to balance everything. Thank you so much for your investment of time following the updates, your support in any ways, prayers and your sweet Friendship, which means so incredible for us!

Love, Dave, Manna and children

Short clips

Just click on each clip and it will take you to our photo site where you can play the mini clips. One is at the airport on our way home. Two clips were recorded as Matthew's siblings woke him up the first morning home. The last one is just a fun race we had on the deck finally together.

Farewell and warm welcome

Our last days in Birmingham

Home sweet home

It has been for a week since we got back from our Alabama therapy trip. The last days were really nice. We did something special every day leading up to our flight on Friday. Wednesday Matthew had the chance to say goodbye to her best friend Amber (11) and had a super big ice cream with left hand of course at chick filet. Thursday we had a Hungarian farewell dinner for our host family. It was so lovely. Friday they tested him with the same activities as the very first day when we started the program. It was amazing to see that some things he could not even do before and now he did it because he has the strengh and some motor planning to put it in action. He is an amazing buddy to travel with. I constantly have to remind him but some things are becoming a routine to use his "trained side".

Awesome play date

Tuesday night we had an awesome play date with new friends. It was like visiting the Children's Museum. The kids pretended dishes pretend, looked through some pics and just thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. Thank you Ms. Felicia and family for a great evening.

Clean dishes and blueberry muffins for dinner

Practicing right and left

I am free

Bye bye cast

Tuesday our last day in cast

Tuesday our big day. The cast came off. It's exciting and fearful to me to see what he does. Left hand is definitely strong, has some amazing skills. I call it a gold mine. It has so much potential. What I have to keep in mind that we have to undo many years of patterns using mainly the right side and that his brain is still telling his left side "you can't do it" or "you are not strong enough". It will take lots of verbal coaching and helping him to motor plan the different actions. It is a learning curve. I learned so incredibly much during this month. I feel equipped but it will take tremendous dedication and patience. It is neat to see many goals accomplished and all coming together

Brush the doggie

Matthew and Mia take each other to a walk

Throw the ball to Mia

Mia the therapy dog returns

Monday was marked on the therapy calendar. Matthew's reward for his good work was to see Mia the therapy dog one more time. Her owner is an OT and leads a research about how motivating it is for children to do the same tasks with or without the dog. It's through an organization called Hand in Paw. Words can not describe Mate's excitement once Mia showed up on the scene. He did better then ever. So neat to see all the mastered skills paired with motivation. Videos will follow soon.

Our very special and busy Sunday in AL

Our last Sunday here in Birmingham was busy and overwhelming. You can see some photos of Matthew's Sunday school (the 4 year olds teacher is Ms. Lisa and her assistant is her daughter Amber). Amber has a very special place in Matthew's heart. When he talks about her his face and eyes light up. On Wed they will have ice cream before his last Bible class. It is truly a sweet friendship! After church we went to our favorite place to Jason's Deli. Matthew did not need any reminders to squeeze and control his spoon full of ice cream. It just shows his skills when he is motivated. Short afternoon nap, evening service and we were invited to a youth gathering right afterwards. He loved hanging out with teenagers. It was another unforgettable day and so special to see how many new friends the Lord blessed us with while we were here.

Our last Sunday in Birmingham AL

"It's time to go to bed" song- our very favorite

The best time in Birmingham zoo

This last Saturday was our last field trip. A sweet friend invited us to the zoo. We had a great time. Rode the zoo train, play the African drums, play at the play ground and of course loved all the African animals. Among my photos you can see a gorilla who had a heart transplant (he got a human heart). Matthew walked and walked the whole time. Thank you Adena for a lovely excursion!

Visiting the zoo in Birmingham

Happy Birthday Matthew's card and his dog Brownie

Friday evening family birthday party

Friday afternoon we were busy in the kitchen getting ready for our host family's family member's arrival for a collective birthday party. We spent the whole evening with wonderful fellowship. They are all very special and beautiful people. We both felt so honored to be in the midst of them. This night will be truely one of the highlights of our trip. In the end one their little girls sang a children's song in Russian and Matthew sang one from Hungary. Like · · Unfollow Post · about an hour ago Options David Manley added photos to Family Celebration Friday night.

Matthew got mail!!!!

On Fri we had a surprise walk to the mailbox. He got mail. You are talking about excitement. He slept with his card and we had to sing for the card. Thank you Papa Cliff and Debbie.

Visit to the Helena post office

Finally we made it to the post office. He made little surprises for our family and friends in Indy of course with his left hand. He was so excited to take them to the post office and mail them. It was quite a field trip. It's so easy to make him excited and happy.

Scooter board is my reward

Scoop them up

Pour those beans out

It's time for beans and ducks

Beginning of week 3

Beginning of week three. We have less left than the time we have already put in. This pushes us to work even harder. Tuesday was our "bean day" lots of scooping, rotating, using the wrist. His pincer grasp improved a lot. He is able to curl the last three fingers back and seperate pointer and thumb to point. It is so exciting!!! We have moments when he does not want to follow instructions and refuse to obey. We have a new strategy to handle that he has to push a hard container bin all the way to the wall. He does not like it and it puts him back on track quickly. (at the same time it builds muscle not only breaks his stubborness).

Hello Thumb!

Stand the blocks up!

Sunday-our fellowship day

Sunday and Monday: Super days. Sunday was a day of rest however we were very active in church (morning and evening service both). During the morning service Mate lost his balance in the pews so we ended up in the quiet room until I was able to comfort him. One more bump, no big deal. We participated in a pot luck lunch with the congregation. It was such a great fellowship with lots of good food. Nothing can compare to Sunday naps. The evening service was a singing worship service. Monday back to work. Ashley our OT saw many improvement after 4 days of everyday use. It is so encouraging. Today he had his cast removed for a bath. He followed instructions and worked so beautiful today. In the evening had some gross motor time (so glad to squeeze that in whenever I can) then we were watching the Olympics and had dinner with our hosts.

Depth perception

Loved the colored vials

Grab the chain leftie

Visit in the McWane Science Center

Today we had the chance to visit the local science center (McWane Center). It is really similar to our Children's Museum in Indpls. It was so neat to see how he was using all the skills we are working on all week long. We watched an IMAX movie about the Last Coral Reef. It was fascinating. Enjoy the photos and check out the newest videos.

Bubble land/ McWane Center

Field trips in Birmingham/ 2nd weekend

Days off

Last week we had therapy 6 days in a row to make up for this week since our OT had to be out of town. So this Thursday and Friday we had off. My homework was to fade back and let him figure out different situations, let him learn through mistakes and let me tell you frustration as well. She said it will prepare us for going home. We had field trips. On Thu we went to the Botanical Garden. It was so beautiful and towards the end he kept sitting down more and more often saying "I am tired". We marvelled God's beautiful creative creation. He really did so good on uneven ground, up and down the slopes and going through rough roots. On Fri we had a playdate in Chuch E. Cheeses or as he calls it "Cholate Cheese". You are talking about motivation to use the left hand. It was beautiful to see. Oh, it's so nice to relax a little and see Birmingham. Today we are going to the Science Center where UAB has free passes for us

Hungarian song

Hallo this is Tomi?

Our first Chuck E. Cheese experience

Our evenings in Birmingham

Matthew's very favorite ball game

Testing and casting at UAB

Testing with basketball

Our trip to Alabama and welcome

MATTHEW'S THERAPY TRIP TO BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA

For those of you who don't know it after a year of praying and dreaming about an intense OT program for Mate our dream came true. From July 14th we are in Birmingham Alabama and he receives 6 hours of therapy Monday through Friday. The other four children are home with Dave and Manna's parents are coming to help out for 2 weeks in the next few days. We arrived July 14th and starting our 9th day of treatment on Wednesday. It has been incredible to watch Matthew working so hard every day 6 hours. He is making a lot of progress every day. We are showered in our wonderful host family's love and warm hospitality every day. We could not requested a better home like theirs. The occupational therapist who works with Matthew is a dynamic and really hard core young lady (Ashley). Again, wonderful personality match for Matthew. She pushes so hard, is very firm with him and makes sure he uses his left side without cheating. We are able to go to church three time a week since our host dad is an associate pastor of the church. Almost the whole church knows Matthew now and he stands out with his freshly picked pink cast now. (Next week he hopefully picks orange).There is not a day when we would not think of you. It is really a dream to be here and do this program with him. Thank you so much for your love and support. Manna and Mate

Horse pics

We don't drink but ride Mocha

Right before this hot summer hit we were able to visit our friends Joe and Kathy. They have horses and it's kind of a tradition now to visit them and ride Mocha. Our kids love horses and the previous horse therapies were not just fun but very helpful in their development to close some gaps and build new skills. Anyways, I love seeing them snuggle up and holding tight to each other in various combination on the horse. Thanks Joe and Kathy. We love you Mocha! Tip if you click on the slides it will take you to the photo site and will see the photos in larger format.

Field trip slides

Trip to camp Belzer

Towards the end of May four of the quints and Mommy Manna Manley had the chance to go on a field trip with the preschoolers to camp Belzer. Tomi had a fun date with Papa Cliff and Debbie. He had their attention all to himself :) We were picked up by the school bus. I just love riding it whenever we have the chance because I did not grow up with it. We walk to school in Hungary,bike or take public transportation for the most part. Camp Belzer is huge and they have all kinds of fun stations for the kids to get messy, satisfy their sensory needs and just enjoy spending some playtime outside. Our favorite stations were the music stations where they could try different instruments and at another one dance cha cha cha... Having a firefighter Daddy/Husband we all loved the "smoking house" where a firefighter lady taught us about fire safety in a breath taking way. In the end we were all "rescued" from the "smoke" through a strong and courageous fireman. We enjoyed having lunch with our peers and riding home with the bus. Enjoy the slides. Thank you Teachers and Assistants for such an amazing time during field trip.

Mother's day in slides

Mother's day at Molly

The week of Mother's day the kids brought home so many precious, handmade, heartfelt gifts. Marygolds, sweet cards with photos and songs. They were almost more anxious than me to open the surprise bags and show what they made. I was pretty excited too :) Friday topped our excitment before the weekend. The school had a "Muffins with Mom" event where we all went. I made special muffins they can eat. We had such a beutiful time. David and Brother Tim put up a garden while we were enjoying our social event. On Mother's day Dave had to work, so we the kids and I went to church, which is always the best start of our Sunday. They love it in Sunday school (8 am!), learn so much and it really makes a difference in our walk with the Lord when we can all go to worship Jesus together as a family. After church we fixed our special lunch, pumpkin pie, picked lavenders for Grandma and finished her card. The Manleys got together at Aunt Molly's place. What a neat and sweet home. Thanks for hosting us! Again, the weather was perfect and we hung out outside. We missed Dave but we are used to having him only on the phone due to his schedule sometimes. Enjoy the photos!

Zoo

Mother's day

If I can ask something for Mother's day it's time with my family or a special outing. That's all I need quality time and memories with them. Right before Mother's day we got to visit the zoo. The weather was perfect and it was not crowded. Our sweet Friend Caroline came with us too. We had such a blast. The hightlight our the outing was the dolphine show and the zoo train ride. We finished in the While River Garden, which was breathtaking. The Zoo pass was a Birthday gift from Aunt Lisa and her family. Finally the weather is nice and we can enjoy it. Thank you, what a thoughtful gift. I was the happiest Mom in the end of the day :) Thanks Caroline for being such an amazing companion!

Grandpa's Birthday

Grandpa Manley's Birthday

Happy belated Birthday Manley Papa! It was so much fun having him over for dinner and the kids were literally buzzing around him like little bees. He sure had all the attention. Love you Grandpa and thanks for the special time with us!

Saturday spring hike at Eagle Creek Park

Eagle Creek

One of our favorite things to do is pack our backpacks and go out in the nature. We love going to Eagle Creek Park and walk on their "fitness trail". Our friends and neighbors Chris, Tonya and their kids are always a great company. After so much walking in Hungary, it was amazing to see Mate to be able to keep up with us so well. It was a beautiful, refreshing Saturday morning and we finished our hike at the playground with our lunch.

Easter photos

Easter

Easter was so much fun this year. We did the resurrection eggs this year too. So each day we opened an egg and read a story about Jesus leading up to Easter. In the end they were able to tell the story and the memorized verses. It was so heartwarming. Easter Sunday was the first time this year when we finally were able to go to church together as a family. Grandma Manley and a friend also came with us. Then we had salad together. In the evening we had an egghunt where we hung out with international students including ours (Adil), who is from Marocco. The kids had a blast and Dave+I were able to go to a beautiful spring walk. Enjoy the pics

After getting back

We got back from our long Hungary trip mid March and who would have thought that it will take me/us so long to get back to "normal"?! Blogging was not even on my list since there was so many other things to catch up with. Finally we are here again. What a beautiful spring we came back to. Here are some precious goodbye moments at the airport in Budapest. Great uncle, Great Aunt, Great Grandma and other loved ones are hugging us last and maximazing their time before our long flight. The kids did fantastic! Really we had the best flight ever. Praise the Lord. At all the airports we had assistance (see the 5 wheel chairs). Without them we would have not been able to make all our connections and after going through customs with five tired kiddos...

Hungary pics part 1

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Get your own

January-February

Yeah!!!!! We made it overseas. We have been in Hungary over a month now.
The trip was just about what we could handle with Holly, my Friend.
The kids really did wonderful but waking them up after our plane landed and dragging them through London Heathrow to make our connection was challenging.
It was worth it.
Our loved ones including great grandma were so excited to see us after 2 1/2 yrs.
It was an amazing encounter!
How does it feel to be back? Super. It is just like being gone for only a month.
The kids adopted so quickly to the culture. It is so much fun to see them how different they are yet how well they blend in.
Enjoy the first round of pics.

Comments for the pics.
You can see Tomi and Lili knocked out due to a stomach bug. Virginia and Brother Zoli visiting and spending Manna's birthday together.
We visited a goat farm where we bring milk and cheese for the girls. Just imagine 100 baby goats. We had the chance to see Snowwhite in our local Puppet Theatre.
It was really winter with lots of snow. We kept active though and hung out at the park nearby.
Our most exciting and challenging part of the day is to catch the bus and making sure that all the kids are off the bus before the driver would close it on us. (it has happened to us before)You can see them lined up. They make lots of new friends on the bus. We love our playdates with the Horak family and their six kids. The beauty of it is that we have to take a short trainride to visit them.

Our trip in slides

Our Trip in picture

Enjoy our some slides about our travel. Sweet moments of goodbys and welcome on both sides of the "pond".