Good News

We've had a great weekend, just hanging out and doing a whole lotta nothing, cause remember that's what we're committed to this spring, ha ha.  Jacob is recovering from his ear surgery really well.  His doctor is being really strict on him this time with his recovery...he doesn't want Jacob doing any physical activity for 6 weeks.  


The thing is Jacob feels fine but the bionic ear needs some time to heal.  So I've got a perfectly fine 9 year old boy on my hands that can't participate in recess or PE at school, can't ride his bike, can't jump on the trampoline, can't run, can't shoot basketball and can't even wrestle with the brothers.  Don't they know that 9 year old boys don't walk any where they go...they run.  This will be no easy task.


We received some good news from Sophie Kate's urologist on Friday of last week.  SK has passed her kidney stones. Yes, the kidney stones she has had since she was 6 months old.  The kidney stones her doctor said at our last visit that she wouldn't be able to pass on her own.  Yes, the kidney stones that we have visited via ultrasound every 3-4 months for 3 and 1/2 years...and no, we aren't going to miss them one bit.


This is huge news for us.  I am going to try to put it in perspective for you...see SK's urologist has been wanting to get these stones out for some time now, thinking that any day they could start causing her problems.  It's just that she needed to be a bit older and the timing never seemed to work out.  Well in the fall of 2011, with SK being old enough for Lithotripsy, we made an appointment at another hospital to do the procedure because our children's hospital doesn't do Lithotripsy yet.  We had a date scheduled in December of 2011.  However, after the difficult time SK had in recovery after her hip surgery in October, the hospital we had her scheduled with for Lithotripsy called and cancelled her procedure.  They didn't want anything to do with her once they found out about the 4 hour recovery she had after her hip surgery.  


I have to say that Chad and I were relieved by the cancellation.  We knew that Sophie Kate just couldn't be put back to sleep so soon after everything that occurred after her last surgery.  That is when the questions and worries about these stones started popping into my mind...what if the stones start causing her problems? What if she can't pass them? We can't put her back to sleep for another procedure or surgery right now.


So after our most recent ultrasound and visit with the Urologist, it has been confirmed...yes she did pass the stones and her kidneys look and are functioning normally. No surgery needed, no more procedures for her to endure, we even get to take one doctor out of the never ending cycle of MD visits.  She sooo deserves some good news, she sooo deserves for something to work out in her favor.  


We have been told so many terrible things by so many doctors concerning our daughter.  We have been given many diagnoses.  We've been told not to get our "hopes" up about anything.  Seeing her as so much more than those things has been our call.  I always remind myself on days when we get a difficult report that SK is the same smiling girl that day that she was the day before and it's the same when we get good news too.  That little girl is our same sweet smiling sunshine today just as she was last week, except she's doing it with no kidney stones this week, ha!! Thankful that we serve a God who is not bound by a diagnosis.


Thanks for always sharing in the good, the bad, and the passed kidney stones with us.

Jacob's Surgery

Update:  We are home.  The surgery went well.  Jacob did great.  He's been sleeping since we got home.  It's going to be a 6 week recovery instead of the 3 weeks we are used to, but hopefully at the end of it all the bionic ear will be fully functioning once again.  Thanks for your prayers today.


My middle son Jacob is having his fourth ear surgery today.  Please pray for the surgery and his recovery and that this will be the last time we have to do this.  I will update when I can.

Happy Birthday Grey!

My sweet little red headed is 6 today.  I can't believe that he is over halfway through his Kindergarten year, soon he will be a first grader. Time will you please slow down, my heart cannot take him growing up so fast.


He had another birthday party while we were at my parent's house over Spring Break...

He got a new soccer ball and a soccer goal and quickly put them to good use...

Grey seems to think that he turns a year older with each party.  So last year when he was 4 turning 5, after three parties in his mind he was 7.  This year, with 3 parties again, he will be 10 years old by the time all the parties are said and done, ha ha.  Somehow all that seems perfectly logical to Grey.  


He's so much fun.  I cannot help but smile when he's around.  He has the ability to make me laugh hysterically about something he has said or done and then tear up in the same moment when I see his tenderness toward his sister.  His intentions are so genuine with her, so spontaneous and real.  The depth of his feelings for her stirs my heart.

Their first meeting, he was still just a baby himself...

  

One of my favorites of these two...

Just look at the way Sophie Kate is looking at him.

This one captures him perfectly...

Grey's life verse: 1Peter 3:15 "But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."  

He's a living, breathing, walking, talking example of kindness and compassion.  He is a pleasure to parent (99% of the time, ha ha).  Happy Birthday Grey!! 

Please keep Jacob in your prayers, he's headed for his fourth ear surgery tomorrow (Thursday March 29).

While on Spring Break...

While on Spring Break we stayed with my parents and visited with my sister and her family.  Although my parents live in Mississippi, they are not far at all from Memphis which is where I grew up.  So while we were there we took some time to hit the big city and with the "big city" comes a "big park."

I was going to crop some of these pictures down but I wanted y'all to see just how big this place really is and this is just one of about 5 different areas.

This is the playground at Shelby Farms in Memphis. 

Love his face in this one...

There was an area of all different types of swings...

These swings are all connected so when one goes down the others go up.

As you can imagine, Grey was flyin' high on these swings...

This is where we found the most awesome swing ever invented...

I have never seen a more perfect swing for Sophie Kate ever!!

She spent a lot of time swinging with her brothers...

Next came the slides and rock walls...

Once again I am trying to give you an sense of how big this stuff is. The slides are huge and are literally built into the dirt, for lack of a better word.

We cooled off with some Slushes before we left...

We had lunch at my favorite barbecue place in Memphis, Corky's.  

Their dry ribs are an experience in and of themselves.  A friend I have known since we were in 3rd grade together met us there.  It was wonderful to catch up with her and introduce her to all my kids.


We ended our day with one last surprise stop.  One of the last exits as you leave Tennessee just before you cross the state line into Mississippi, will take you to this famous house...

Do you know who it belongs to?  I do and I have been in it several times too.  If you know me well that last statement will not surprise you at all.  Chad actually prides himself on having grown up and lived in Memphis for years and years and never visited this home.  He's obviously not the fan that I am.

Yes, it's Graceland home of Elvis Presley.  Now we didn't take the full tour this day, we just stopped by to take a picture in front of the house.  These children aren't old enough to appreciate such a tour yet.  They would not have been showing it the reverence it deserved and that would have irritated me verily.


Well, we did all that in just one day and I did it all by myself with all of these kids and we all survived and nobody ended up crying, not even me, ha ha.


Thanks for checking in on us.

Still Spring Breaking

We have had such a full Spring Break and the good news is...it's not even over yet.  We cut out early and left town Friday morning heading to my parents house to hang with family and friends.

  We did some things in Memphis that I had never done growing up there, isn't that the way it always is. 

 We packed a lot into our 5 days days there including another party for you know who...

and then there was the usual trek in the woods too.  Also, y'all aren't going to believe where I took the kids to have their picture made...well, maybe you will if you know me really really well.  


We're back home enjoying some down time before we have to go back to school.  I'll be sharing more of our Spring Break adventures soon.


Sassy is having a good week too...

Thanks for checking in on us.

Spring Break So Far...

Enjoying our Spring Break with some front porch sittin'...

Happy Spring Break y'all!!

This boy and his sister

Just a glimpse into my world with this boy and his sister...

I put this picture on Facebook this week, but wanted to share it with all of you.  Grey wants to hold Sophie Kate all the time, but she is almost as tall as he is so this is what he does instead.  He loves her so much, it can be heard and seen through his words and actions.  They are never far from each other, neither in body nor spirit.


Grey also lost his first tooth at school this week...

I wish I could put words to their relationship, but I think it is more than my simple words can describe.  The tender moments between them just keep coming and coming.  He absolutely won't leave her without a hug and a kiss.  


The other night we were playing the board game "Trouble." Grey insisted SK play, picked out what color she was going to be and moved the game board every time it was her turn so that she could click the bubble with dice in it.  He wouldn't have it any other way...and guess what...she beat both of us!!


The anticipation and excitement of Spring Break is about to eat us alive, we're so ready!!  Can't wait for a week of nothing.  Thanks for  checking in on us.