This week

This week we went to Family Camp.  We had a wonderful time together, enjoyed each other's company, and loved having Sarah there to have fun the whole week, since last year we had doctor appointments part of the time.

And this week, while we were celebrating our family being all together, our sweet little buddy, Micah, went home to be with Jesus.


Dear friends, it has been one emotional week for me. 

Micah went in for his surgery, and so many were praying.  The surgery went very well, although the surgeon found when he went in there, that things were worse than he had originally thought.  He had to put in an artificial artery, since Micah's was so full of cancer, he had to delicately work around some tiny new ones that the body had started creating (isn't the human body incredible??  Hmmm...I wonder what kind of crazy, miracle mutation could have caused that in the evolutionary process...)  And he ended up needing a whole lot of blood.  But after all was said and done, the surgery was a success, and all the cancer in the liver was gone.  We heard the news and rejoiced, praying that all would be well as the scary recovery time began.

But, so sadly, all was not well.  Micah did not stay with us even until the sun came up the next day.  There were some complications, and his family had to say good-bye.

First, let me tell you that his family is doing well.  They know the Lord, He is definitely comforting them and helping them through this, and today at the funeral, I could see that they are making it through. 

I am just struggling to make sense out of something that simply doesn't make sense to me at all. 

Why did God allow two 2-year-olds in one relatively small church to both have rare types of cancer within a year's time?
And why did God leave one family with a beautiful story that ended in healing, and the other family with empty arms? 

We will never know the answers until we join Micah in heaven someday, but one thing we do know is that Micah is healed.  God answered all of our prayers in the best way, even though it definitely doesn't seem like the best way to us.  We know it is best because God is only good, always loving, and ALWAYS has what will ultimately be best for us in His plan.  Once more, we just have to trust Him.

I took a walk around my neighborhood tonight.  It was a beautiful evening, after a storm. A soft breeze was blowing, the clouds were tinted pink, the trees were dark green silhouettes against the dusky sky, and the fireflies were just starting their nightly show.  And as I breathed in that sweet, fresh air, I thought about Micah, and about Steve and Elizabeth, and I remembered again how much God loves us. 

Good bye, precious little Micah.  We will see you soon.

Remember Micah?

Hello friends!

I am writing tonight asking for urgent prayer for my sweet friends, Elizabeth and Steve, and their precious two year old boy, Micah.  If you don't remember, I wrote about him here and here and here.

Well, Micah's story is so unusual.  First, because the type of cancer he has is so rare, and second, because the stinking tumors are not going away, but he has been feeling better and better!  For a while he had been so sad and sick so much of the time it was heartbreaking.  Now, the good news is that his strength, energy and joy have been returning, but unfortunately, the news about the cancer is not good.

Steve and Elizabeth recently traveled to Chicago where surgeons will be operating on Micah's liver.  The optimal choice would have been a liver transplant, but since there are still tumors in the lungs, he is not a candidate. The chemo has seemed to stop being effective at shrinking the tumors, so their only option now is to try to remove the cancer from the liver.  It's a very risky procedure based on where the tumor is located, and when all is said and done, only 25% of the liver will remain.  The doctor is confident that the surgery will be successful, but he is concerned about the time he will spend in recovery in the ICU, since his liver will be functioning at such a low level.   Elizabeth will be in Chicago for a long while while he recovers, and from what I was told by family members, no visitors will be allowed because of the chance of infection.  I feel for her having to be there alone for so long, as Steve will have to go back to work after a time. 

When all of that is done, there will still be the tumors on the lungs to tackle.  I believe they are planning on surgery to remove those as well.

Dear friends, I remember when Sarah was battling her disease and we were in the midst of the fight, the very, very best thing of all was knowing that people were praying for us.  We could feel God's presence, and we knew without a shadow of a doubt that God was answering all those prayers that people around the world were offering up on our behalf.  I know that most of you haven't been following Micah's journey all along, and sometimes it's harder to pray for someone you don't feel a connection to.  But I am asking you from the bottom of my heart to pray and pray fervently for this sweet boy.  Quite honestly, by the world's standards, it doesn't look really good.  BUT...  GOD is in control.  The very same God who formed this entire universe with mere words, and keeps everything going so marvelously and miraculously, who healed our own sweet girl, and made little Micah...He can heal his body as well.  I love how that would amaze those skeptical doctors!  Please, please pray tomorrow as they travel to Chicago, and especially Monday as the surgery is done, and then in the days following as he moves into the scary recovery phase.  I just know that my friend would be so glad to know even more people are praying.  The address to his Carepage is here.  I hope you can get to it easily.  The name of his page is WatchHimWork.  I love that title!

Thank you, faithful bloggy friends!!  You guys are awesome!!

When he wasn't feeling well, Micah liked to be pulled around the hospital floor in a wagon. 

Enjoying time at the Hematology/Oncology picnic with Daddy and brother!

Having fun feeding pie to Rhys, the Child Life Specialist : )

Oh how this little girl makes me smile. : )

Sarah and I play a little game every day.  I say, "Do you know how much I love you?"  And she grins so hard she can barely stop the giggles and answers, "a little!"  And I yell, "NO!  I love you a lot!"  And tickle, tickle, tickle her.  And then between belly laughs, she squeaks out, "a little!"  And I yell, "NO!  A lot!!"  And tickle her some more.  And she laughs, and I squeeze her, and I tell her how happy she makes me just because she is Sarah.  And she says, "I make you SAD!"  And I say "NO!"  And tickle her some more.  : ) 

I love that little girl so much, sometimes I can barely stand it.  If I didn't think it would bore you all to death, I would post pictures of her (and all my kids) on here every single day.  : )  I just can't help it. 

So, just because they make me smile, here are some pictures of Sarah, simply because she is wonderful.  

(These were taken back in June.  Her hair is even longer now!)

 Sprinklers??

 Can't wait!

 Woo Hoo!  Cold!

 Love it!

And one of the best brothers in the world...

She is absolutely beautiful, isn't she? My precious, water lovin' girl.  : )

Happy anniversary to my honey and me!

Today is my hubby's and my 17th wedding anniversary!  How these years have flown by...


Marriage is funny, isn't it?  Only God could have created such a relationship--it's downright amazing, really, when you think about it.  We are born into a family.  We automatically have parents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents...and we love our immediate family members, usually unconditionally, because God created this bond between parent and child.  When we have children of our own, we normally automatically love them too.  They are from our own flesh, after all (and adopted children become grafted in just like our biological children.)


But marriage is different.  Here is a person who was a stranger.  You meet, decide you like this person, feel attracted to them, "fall in love" with them, and ultimately decide and make a covenant to spend the rest of your life together.  You become "one flesh" with this person whom you did not even know just a relatively short time before.  Through the mountains and valleys of life you weather the storms together,  even when you, yourselves in your sinful natures are the embodiment of those very storms.  And through it all you love each other with the most intimate love God has given  us to experience on this earth aside from Himself. This person you once didn't even know.  Isn't that interesting when you think about it?  I think it is. 

Of course it makes sense that marriage is not easy.  It would be a miracle if it were.  But isn't it sweet when you are relying on Him to help you, and deciding that come what may, you are going to be committed to this person, that God is going to bless you so abundantly?  And isn't it a little bit of heaven when we are enjoying our marriage the way God intends it to be...such a beautiful picture of God's love for us.  He is the bridegroom, and we are the bride. 


I hope you will commit yourself again to your spouse today.  Do something special for him or her, and be thankful for your life's partner-- even if you're going through a rough patch.  Pray and trust God.  He can do amazing things, and He will bless you when you honor Him and your commitment to each other!


I know this song is kind of old now, and I'm sure just about everyone has heard it, but I still really like it.  So just in case you haven't heard it, or even if you have, listen and enjoy!

Andrew Peterson (One of my very favorite singer/songwriters)--Dancing in the Minefields.  http://youtu.be/_Gs3fg_WsEg

Book reviews! Book reviews! Need something to read??

On my recent vacation with my mom, I finished two books.  Both were EXCELLENT.  You know the kind when you finish, you just want to flip to the front and start again?  And I'm so lame, I actually did that with one of them, (but no, I didn't finish the whole thing that time.)  And the other, I started reading to my kids as soon as I could.

The first great book is:

I don't want to go into a big, detailed review, but I'll just tell you, I was riveted.  And I will never look at American history the same way again.  I recommend this book to you!  (I admit I didn't like it at first.  If you don't get into it right away, hang in there.  It gets better!)

I also read:

Okay.  This lady's story is absolutely amazing.  As I read I kept thinking, someone couldn't possibly even write fiction as exciting and unpredictable as this.  God's fingerprints are all over every instance in Gladys Aylward's life.  I challenge a non-believer to read these Christian heroes of the faith biographies and still not believe that God is real and Christianity is true!  This whole series of books is excellent, and I intend to collect them all.  That is if my hubby will let me get more shelves.  : )  I am reading this to the boys right now, and they are loving every minute as much as I did.  When I stop for the night they groan, and sometimes get downright angry at me.  Hee Hee Hee...It's fun to be a mom.

Before the Gladys book, I read to the boys:



I am always on the lookout for novels that boys will find exciting.  This one came highly recommended, and I was not disappointed.  It is a really great story of a family working to succeed on a Colorado farm.  I thought it was very good.  It teaches a hard work ethic and gives a wonderful example of a father/son relationship that ought to be sought after.  I admit I found a lot of the cowboy and farming blah blah blah boring.  But the boys loved it.    Lots of cowboy stuff.   Lots. 

Alert:  There is swearing in this book.  I'm not sure why an author would put swearing in a book written for children.  It is a true story, and I suppose he wanted to be make the story as accurate as possible, but frankly, I was annoyed and thought it completely unneccesary.  Since I read it aloud, I of course skipped right over it.  You might want to do that too.

Happy reading!! 

Pictures of Josh : )

I was going to post these pictures of Josh with my last post, but it was long enough already, and I have a lot of pictures. : )

Probably my favorite picture of Josh ever...my handsome boy.  ; )

 He loves to be out there working in the yard.

 Always trying to catch some critter.

 We went geo-caching once, and could not find that pesky box!  Jacob, Ben and I all gave up, but Daddy and Josh kept looking for a really, really long time at the end there.  As usual, Josh's persistence was rewarded. : )

 He's always making something or other.  He made this fun fountain a couple years back.

 Creating different shows with brothers and friends is a favorite thing to do.

 This time a music concert!

 He loves Laser Tag, Nerf guns, air soft guns--any kind of gun!

 Another little play in the backyard : )

 He loves to practice his business skills.  Here he's taking our lunch orders in his restaurant.

 Learning how to tie a cool knot

 He absolutely loves his little Sister!

 Lemonade stand...and why not try to unload some of these books, too?

 Working up at camp

 He loves to be building something.

Helping make the fire on a camping trip. 

I think you can see why Josh is so special.  We love you, buddy!

Joshua!

HELLO!

Did you miss me?!

I took a long break, as you can see.  I was trying to decide whether or not to keep writing my blog.  I spend quite a bit of time reading blogs and writing mine.  Sometimes I'm not sure whether it's always a great use of my time, you know?  Anyway, I took a hiatus, and now I am back...at least for today. : ) 

And today is an important day because..........it's my Joshua's birthday!!!

And he turned 10, which as everyone knows, is a very important milestone indeed.  Double digits!  How can it be so??  I'm so not old enough to have these very big kids running around here.  Anyway...

So, today's post is dedicated to Joshua.  And let me tell you, that boy totally deserves a post completely dedicated to him.  All of my children are awesome and special, and that is the truth.  But I can honestly say that Josh is a really unique kid.  I don't think I have ever met another child like him.  I know God has something out of the ordinary in store for him in his plan for his life.  Something really, really cool!

From the time Josh was a little tyke, he had this incredible smile.  I mean, when he smiled, it took over his entire face!  And his eyes just twinkled like little stars that had something mischievous up their sleeves.  He was a cuddler, and from those early, early days, that boy was happiest if he was WRESTLING.  Picture the smile as big as his face, those twinkling eyes, and these chubby little legs running at you as fast as they could, trying to knock you down.  That was Josh.  And he is still happiest today if he is in contact with you in some way.  Be it wrestling or hugging, or trying to show me how strong he is by showing how he can pick me up, he is not bothered by personal space issues. 

Josh is our most driven child.  By that I mean, if he gets a goal in his head, he will accomplish that goal.  The boy loves sweets more than life itself, but not long ago, he set the goal for himself that he would not eat more than two sweets a week, and he would not break that goal.  He even took carrots to a class where he knew they would have cookies.  He amazes me.  Right now the boys are all in a summer reading program.  He wasn't my most eager reader, but now that there is a goal to be reached, he is far, far ahead of everyone else.  I am always surprised by his willpower.  He has a very strong will, and he knows how to use that will for good.  (And sometimes not so good, but that is for a different post.)  ; )

Josh also loves him some good, hard work.  He is happiest when he is doing man's work.  You know--dishes and vacuuming are not his favorites.  He wants to be outside mowing the lawn, chopping wood, whacking weeds...whatever Dad typically does.  He loves to help his grandpa work up at camp.  Whatever needs to be done, Josh will do it, and do it heartily.  His dream is to spend summers up there working with Grandpa and Uncle Jimmy, and he hopes ten years old is old enough.  : )  He is also an amazing organizer!  He will spend hours cleaning and organizing his room.  Once, he had to stay home from the park because he had had a bad attitude.  When I got home, I thought he would be sad or angry.  Instead, he greeted me with, "Mom, close your eyes, and don't open them until I tell you."  His room was spotless, and everything was in its place, including the closet, desk and shelves, everything.  He spent hours cleaning and scrubbing the bathroom not long ago just because he wanted to do a great job.  I'm not sure he's actually my biological son...

Josh is also my entrepreneur-in-the-making.  He loves lemonade stands, garage sales... any kind of money making venture.  Not long ago I had to spend the day at a homeschool used book sale, selling my old stuff.  Josh wanted to come.  I explained that I would have to be there all day, there would likely not be lots of customers at this particular sale, and that it would be BORING.  He insisted on coming.  So, he came and was a huge help.  He helped carry boxes, helped set up, and sat, sat, sat there with me, even though the sale was largely a dud.  And when we left hours later, he said, "That was fun."

Does he like to play?  Yes.  But he typically doesn't like to play with cars and trains, Star Wars and Legos as much as the other boys and most of the friends do who come to call.  Josh would rather be building a fort, or stringing up a high ropes course on the swingset, or fashioning a parade float out of things he finds in the garage. He loves to shoot guns and whittle with knives, but  he also  loves to put on magic shows for his friends, and create shows on the trampoline or on skates in the driveway.  He just got a great puppet for his birthday.  I have an idea what will be brewing in that boy's mind in the coming days.

He collects rocks.  He loves his little sister so very much.  He wants to play the violin and the guitar.  He loves to sing, and especially loves singing southern gospel harmony with our family. How many boys do you know who love to wear ties?  And better yet, a suit and a tie?   On the flip side, he has very little fear, including when it comes to catching all kinds of critters and frogs... and snakes--snakes that bite and even draw blood.  It doesn't faze him. He loves it! 

He loves to spend time with you.  Spend the afternoon playing a board game with him or hanging out at the mall, and it will make his day.

He gets really, really excited over little things.  Those eyes still light up like mischievous little stars on a regular basis. 

And he is goofy and downright silly. 

He is one of a kind.  He is our own JOSHUA! 

Happy birthday, wonderful boy!!  We love you so much, and are so very proud of you!!!

p.s.. I want to post pictures on here, but I ran out of time tonight. Check back tomorrow, and I will add them.  : )