Posted in Family Life
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Posted in Family Life
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Here are a few special memories from our 2008 Christmas celebrations..... The kids in front of a real gingerbread house at Disney World: Dressed up for the Christmas service on Sunday morning: Baking cookies on Christmas Eve: Tree on Christmas morning: Claire loves soccer: All Anna wanted was this parrot: Audrey loved the horse costume: Drew and his Little People Rescue Chopper: The remains of the day: |
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Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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Happy 5th Birthday, Audrey Rose!
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Drew has had several haircuts during his first two years of life. Until yesterday, all were buzz cuts given by Mommy. With school pictures pending, I decided to have a professional cut his hair for a change.
He sat right down and let the hairdresser do what she had to do. I was a bit surprised, because it seems that most first haircut pictures feature screaming, thrashing boys frantic to be anywhere else. No so our Drew. He sat very still and seemed to enjoy the process.
Of course, as you can see from the above picture, he did age with this haircut....he's growing facial hair now ;-) Later, at home, he showed off his new do:
Today, we had school pictures taken. I'll share those when we receive the finished product. I'm so proud of my little man and how well he did with his very first haircut!
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We are in the midst of finishing an unfinished bonus room above our garage. Once complete, this will give us one extra bedroom, turning our three-bedroom home into a four-bedroom home. The girls are currently sharing a rather large bedroom, so it hasn't been a problem. But recently, occasionally, as our oldest falters through the journey of puberty, sharing a room with two younger sisters has become more of an issue. So today, my husband began the first step of this home improvement project: Lay the sub-floor under the eaves, so that we can use that space for storage. After the first half of that space was in place, we were impressed with how much extra storage this will give us. We went downstairs to get lunch, leaving the kids upstairs to play for a few minutes. Can you guess what happened next? See if this helps you guess:
Or maybe this shot from below:
In case it isn't obvious, one of the kids (name withheld) decided to check out the space below the eaves. The plywood we put down for storage was sturdy. But aforementioned child won't win any long jump competitions: As this child was leaping from one section to the next of the storage area, she lost her balance and a foot went through the drywall separating the garage from the area above.
We are thankful that no one was hurt. It could have been much worse. Instead of a crying, repentant child standing before us making a dramatic confession, we could have been waiting on an ambulance. So yes, we are very thankful. But I can't help but lament that this little escapade put us another weekend behind on this project :-( Maybe we'll have that room finished before our oldest daughter goes off to college ;-) |
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Happy Birthday, Anna Grace!
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A friend asked us to go to the zoo with them this past weekend. So off we went, Brian and I with our four kids, and Melissa with her four kids. The weather was perfect, the animals were active, and the kids were all well-behaved. It was a perfect day! Here are our three girls with their friend Connor.
We saw elephants.....
.....and giraffes.
Just how tall are these adolescent giraffes, anyway?
The kids climbed trees....
.....and bears.
And everyone left later that afternoon, tired but happy.
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Posted in Family Life
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Way back in 1876, during this country's centennial, Americans were introduced to a lovely little vine from Japan. It was pretty and looked so lovely in those Japanese gardens that people spent the next few decades actually paying farmers to introduce it into the American landscape.
Pretty, isn't it? Like many other plants introduced into a foreign soil, kudzu decided it liked it here. It liked it a lot!
It flourished in our southern soil.
True, it's good at fighting soil erosion. And apparently, animals will eat it. I hope so, since this is where our woodchuck lives.
This nice little vine can grow as much as a foot a day during the summer months -- sixty feet a year!
All the green you see in these pictures is kudzu. We're not seeing the pretty leaves on our trees, or the grass, or bushes. We're seeing kudzu. Just kudzu.
Somehow, some native flowers were able to flourish through the kudzu. It's nice to see some color in the midst of all the green! These vines take over everything in their path. Every empty lot in our neighborhood is a solid mass of kudzu. Trees are no longer visible through the kudzu. I find it quite amazing! I heard someone on the local radio station say recently that if we could figure out a way to turn kudzu into fuel, the south would be the new Middle East. If only we could harness this fast-growing vine for the good of the economy! That's our nature study lesson for this week! |
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Posted in Family Life
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It's nice to be able to share good news! First, from my Aunt Becky about my 17yo cousin Robert, who is now staying in an apartment near Duke Medical Center until his treatments are complete: "Day30 Post Transplant - More Good News! Dr. Martin called us last night and told us the test results came back showing 100% of Rob's blood is J.B.'s cells which is a very good sign that the transplant has worked. They will test this again in 100 days. "I was checked off this morning to give Rob's infusions and draw bloodwork. Nurse Sharon said I did a good job, so now Rob and I both can care for him outpatient. "We are at Clinic again and will come daily for awhile, then 3X weekly, etc. Please continue to remember us in your prayers as we care for Rob and keep him infection free."
"I am feeling wonderful this morning, something like my old self. Went out to grocery and Sam's and Home Depot this morning and acquaintances told me that they love my hair and I tell them it's a wig (or not). My internist thought I looked great yesterday. I say "not quite up to normal but good enough, all things considered." I have the rest of today and then tomorrow and then it's chemo again. Then I only have two more. YES. Getting there. Radiation after that but I hear it's not as bad as chemo. Odd the things we look forward to when pressed really hard. As always, we appreciate and covet your prayers! |
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From my cousin Robert's CaringBridge site this morning (updated by his mother): Good News on Day 18 Post Transplant. Rob's counts went from 0.1 to 0.3 !!! Signs of Engraftment are: Low grade fever- check Skin rash on palms, soles and abdomen - check Bone pain - check and Runny Nose - check. The count may go up and down each day but for now we are thrilled that is is UP. When Nurse Jincy told me at 2:30 am I had trouble falling back to sleep. The following came to mind: Praise God from whom all blessings flow Praise Him all creatures here below Praise Him above all heavenly hosts Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Update on my mother: My mother began her second round of chemotherapy last week, introducing Taxol. She was in a lot of pain until she took the pain killer her oncologist recommended. Now, she's feeling better. Once she finishes this round of chemo (three more doses, I think), she will begin radiation therapy. Please keep her in your prayers, that every cancer cell will be killed and that she will come out of this healthy and strong, living to enjoy her great-grandbabies some day :-)
New prayer request: A homeschooling friend's little daughter was recently diagnosed with lymphoma. They have already begun chemotherapy on this little girl, starting a treatment regimen that will last two years. Here is an excerpt from her mother's e-mail: "Friday morning, we got the specific diagnosis of T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. This is a very common childhood cancer, very aggressive, but relatively responsive to treatment. Tests of her bone marrow and spinal fluid show no signs of the cancer, which is surprising due to the fast spreading nature of the cancer, and very, very GOOD news! Long term survival rate of this cancer is anywhere from 75 – 90% Her treatment protocol, done in 3 stages, will last a total of 2 years. The first week or so is considered the induction stage, and she will stay in the hospital so they can closely monitor how well she is responding. Also, as the tumor shrinks, the fluid draining from her lung cavity will decrease and go away, and they can remove the tube." Please pray that God will completely heal Grace and keep her safe, and give her parents peace through this long and difficult process. Grace now has a CaringBridge page, as well!
Thank you for your prayer support! |
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This is what the kids are up to:
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Last week was Vacation Bible School at our church. The kids had a blast! Mom was worn out by the end, but had fun too LOL. I helped teach the toddler group, so most of my pictures are of Drew. The kids loved the songs, which is why I added two of their favorites to my Playlist. Claire had fun....so much so that I only got this one shot of her!
Anna and Audrey are enjoying the closing ceremony.
Daddy helped with parking duty, so he was able to visit during the toddlers' outdoor pool time.
Everyone wanted to attend VBS! At least we got some nature study in during the week ;-)
This is everyone on the last evening at the Big Event. After the kids sang, they scattered to enjoy free food, bounce houses, water games and even fireworks at the end.
Drew even enjoyed cleaning up at the end of each day!
Now all the kids are looking forward to next year. Me? I just want to rest for a couple more days ;-)
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From Robert's mother, my Aunt Becky: Tuesday night was another rough one for Rob. Temp of 104, throwing up, shakes. |
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This note came from my mother last night: "Chemo tomorrow. Last of the A&C, Adriamycin and Cytox. Whew. Glad.
"Next will be Taxol.
"I have a new doctor. I was not happy with my present oncologist and told a friend here in Charleston about it. She is well-connected and made a phone call and now I have the head of oncology as my personal doctor. I owe her big time. There is a story here and I will write it up when I have the time and email it to you. The hand of God is on this one.
"Learned today that my eye problems may be caused by the steroids I've been given. Should go away. That will be good.
"My nephew Robert has a bone marrow transplant on Thursday.
"My son David is in from his tour in Saudi Arabia/Pakistan. I realized yesterday that my cancer experience is brand new for him, like it started a couple of days ago. He has been gone for four months and this hit him hard when he touched down from his plane, stepped onto WV soil, and was smacked in the face with his forever changed mother. He is in between reeling and getting used to all that's occurred. He knew that this was happening but now it is real.
"So much happens in our lifetimes. So much to process." |
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My mother greatly senses the need for prayer to cover her right now. She is in the middle of her chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer and appears to have a yeast infection (she wakes up with a white film covering her teeth and mouth) and is fighting a cold, which is not good when you're already immunocompromised. Also, while she trusts her oncologist, this man has no bedside manner (or much of a personality, according to Mom), and this makes communicating with him and getting information from him difficult -- not good when you're already fighting for your health. She is also noticing problems with her vision, which may be chemo-related.
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