In the Middle of Something

So I heard this sermon the other day that really hit hard.  I’m sure most of you know the story about Moses and him leading his people out of Egypt.  They made it to the bank of the Jordan River and sent spies ahead to check out the promise land.  The spies came back with stories of “giants”, but the land flowed with milk and honey.  They were scared and turned back. Not to mention this river that they needed to figure out how to cross. They ended up wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.  Sounds like fun, huh?

Then after 40 years Joshua is going to lead them to the promise land.  He knows that he has the river to cross with all these people.   The river was in his way.  River=problem.  So what does he do?  He sends the presence of the Lord before him and the people.  He sends the Ark of the Covenant before them and lets them know that the waters will part once it enters the river.  How many of us can say that when we are faced with a problem, we send out the Lord’s presence?  What about praying for a problem instead of trying to “fix” it ourselves.  I am so guilty of trying to fix my own problems.  However, God wants us to trust in Him and let him fix them for us.  It might not be quick.  It might not be easy.  But if we trust in Him and give them to Him, he will take care of them.

So this “problem” of a river is before them.  Joshua and the people praised God for what he was about to do.  They had faith that the Lord would solve this problem for them.  Did they moan and complain?  Nope.  Did they sob and ask why?  Nope.  They praised and worshipped for what they knew would happen.  The priests carrying the Ark dipped their feet into the water and it parted.  There they stood on dry land.

Problem solved.  Right?  The people walked across dry land and the priests stayed in the dry part of the river with the ark.  When all had passed, they could have stepped up and out.  The problem was over.  How many of us pray for a problem and are happy when it is solved.  Then we tend to forget about it.  We may whisper a quiet, “Thank you Jesus” and then go on like it never it happened.  Not Joshua.

He then placed twelve stones in the center of the Jordan river as an alter.  He continued to worship and praise God in the midst of this “problem”.  He also ordered that twelve men carry shoulder size boulders out of the river to take to town and build a memorial.  He wanted everyone to see the smooth river rocks as proof of what the Lord had done to get them there. 

This is the part that I like best.  When the priests stepped out of the dry river bed with the Ark, the river returned to normal.  This “problem” was no longer there, it was then a miracle.  How many problems in your life have turned into miracles?  How many times have we looked at what could have been a disaster but turned into something so good?  Do you praise God before, during, and after all of these times?  That is the hard part.  It’s hard to praise Him when things are tough.  It’s hard to praise Him when you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.  But He deserves it!  He can turn your problems into miracles.  The people of Israel stood and looked forward at the Jordan and saw a problem but looked behind them at the Jordan and saw a miracle.  It all depends on which direction you are looking.

I know that through the past 11 months we have had plenty of problems.  Ones that seemed like they would never end.  Ones that we are still in the process of getting through.  Ones that are no longer problems, but miracles.  I have tried so hard to praise Him throughout.  When I heard this story about Joshua, I couldn’t help but relate our own situation.  When we found out about Ricky’s tumor, we were crushed.  However, we used the power of prayer and sent the Lord ahead of our situation.  He helped us find the right surgeon and then the right neuro oncologist.  Even though we were faced with speech problems, radiation, chemotherapy, mood swings, sleepless nights (I could keep on going), we tried to find even small things to be thankful about. 

Were we disappointed when Ricky came out of surgery and couldn’t speak?  Absolutely.  However, we praised God that he had all of his motor skills.  Were we disappointed when the doctor said he could remove 100% of the tumor, but only got 90%?  Yup.  But we praised Him that it was operable because so many are not.  Were we disappointed when the tumor was a very rare Grade III Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma when they thought it was a Grade II benign tumor.  YES!  But we praised Him that it was not a Grade IV Glioblastoma that would have been even worse.  I could keep going on and on, but I think you get the point =)  Praise Him in every situation. 

So, this cancer diagnosis is the river in our lives.  We are 100% positive that God is working a miracle in our lives. We try hard to praise Him even during this difficult time.  God is the same now that He was before the cancer diagnosis.  He deserves the same praise that he did 11 months ago.

 Remember that on the other side of every problem is a miracle.

Houston Trip 2009

Our trip to Houston was amazing!  I tried a new way of posting my pictures since there are so many and it wouldn’t let me order them the way I wanted.  So, they are kind of mixed in together in no certain order.

Our trip started at the Ranch and it was beautiful.  Our week included horseback riding, spotlighting at night for animals, lots of swimming, fishing, a trip to the Jersey Farm to milk cows, a visit to the neighbors “zoo” where there were lemurs, and a tour of Blue Bell Ice Cream Creamery. The pictures of Riley at the jersey farm cracked me up.  He had his nose covered almost the entire time.  Way to stinky for him =)  However, he couldn’t wait to see a horse poop and was thrilled that he got his wish.  All boy…that’s all I can say about him.

Ricky did some welding with Josh and had a great time.  Josh had a couple of projects and Ricky spent the afternoon helping him out.  He then worked on welding a cross for his mom made out of railroad spikes.  They are amazing!  Speaking of Josh, he was amazing with the kids.  They loved riding the horse with  him and getting thrown into the pool.  He took Lily and I spotlighting and we saw a ton of animals.   Lily has what I would call a tiny crush on Josh and enjoyed every second with him =) 

Nana Baker was amazing and just loved all over the kids.  They were spoiled with ice cream after every meal and cuddle up rest time every afternoon.  Teresa and Lily hit it off and you can see them working together in the kitchen.  Ricky did have a couple of sick days while we were there, but he had the bunkhouse to rest in while we were at the main house. 

After a week at the Ranch, we headed to Tyler Texas to visit the Brink Family.  Rebecca and Andy have four children and one on the way.  They have two boys who are totally into jousting and sword fighting.  Riley now has a new love of sword fighting and came home with The Armor of God helmet and sword set.  They also have two girls that Lily just adored.  The three of them were like peas in a pod all weekend.  Ricky was sick on Saturday and slept most of the day, but he couldn’t wait to go do the prison ministry on Sunday morning.  He said it was amazing!!  He got to share his testimony with over 100 prisoners and said that it was something that he will never forget.

Then we headed to Houston for a week with Roy and Nicole and their two little girls.  Once again, we had a great time and the kids enjoyed a lot of swimming and indoor play.   The kids set up a lemonade stand and enjoyed selling lemonade to…us!  They live in a cul de sac and there weren’t a whole lot cars!

It was HOT in Houston!!  They had record temperatures that week.  We got to go watch Roy pitch one night and that was a lot of fun.  The roof was closed at the stadium so the temperature was perfect.  We got to go out to dinner and enjoy catching up!  I also got to see my friend Cara’s sweet new baby girl, Abigail.   She is so precious.

Ricky is doing great although he is a little tired.  He is leaving to go fishing with his dad on Friday, so he is trying to get in plenty of rest.  His dad goes on a fishing trip every summer and Ricky has never been able to go. Ricky always said that when he was done with baseball he was going to go.   His dad usually goes to Canada and does the whole backpack and carry your own food and canoe, but this year they are going to stay in a cabin in Mississippi.  I am much happier with that than I was with Canada =)

The top picture is what happens to your garden when you leave for two weeks!!!  We were stunned to come home and find a jungle out there.  Mental note,  next year plant less =)

Enjoy the pictures and thanks for checking in!

Great News!

Okay, so sorry it has taken me so long to update!  The MRI was clean and showed no regrowth.  We continue to praise God for such great news!  We go back in August for his next check up!  I am so thankful that round 7 of chemo is almost over.

He is currently on Day 4 of chemo, and unfortunately today was not so great.  We went on a tour of Blue Bell Creameries to see how they make ice cream and boy was he miserable.  When we got back he took one of his strong anti nausea pills and slept for 4 and a half hours.  He did feel better when he woke up, so that was good!

The ranch has continued to be such a blessing.  We have enjoyed the company of the Bakers and Teresa so much.  They are all truly family to us!  The kids just love them to pieces and will be so sad when we head out tomorrow!  We are so thankful for their kindness!

Tomorrow we are headed to Tyler, Texas to visit with Pastor Andy and his family.  Ricky is going to visit the prison on Sunday morning with Andy to share his testimony and then we get to hear Andy preach at his church.  Please pray for Ricky to feel well as we travel this weekend.  There is nothing worse than driving on these country roads and feeling sick to your stomach.

Andy and his wife have four children with one on the way, so I know the kids will enjoy having so many friends to play with this weekend.  Then we are headed to Houston Sunday night to stay there for the week!  We are staying with Nicole and Roy and their two little girls and Lily is so excited!  Ricky can’t wait to visit with Roy and go see everyone at the field.  He hasn’t been to the field in Houston in a couple of years, so this will mean so much to him.

Okay, I better jump off here before they come and find me.  I am hidden on the only computer in the ranch in the back of Mrs. Baker’s closet!

The Ranch

We are so excited to be here at the Ranch.  The kids have enjoyed every single second of our stay.  We got in Friday night around 10:30 and they were out!  So our first full day here was Saturday.  We started out the day by taking a jeep ride.  They loved sitting in the back of the jeep and spying all the animals.  We topped out at 10 mph and they loved every bump we hit!  We made it down to the horses and we were in for a surprise.

Josh had already saddled the horses and Elvis was ready to take Lily and Riley for a ride.  Lily went first and was a natural.  She was steering the horse all by herself!  She had a smile from ear to ear!  Then Riley got on behind her and she took him for a ride around the arena.  What a great time!

When we got back they couldn’t wait to swim.  So swimming was first and then lunch by the pool.  Daddy rested all morning and then went to do some welding work with Josh after lunch.  While Daddy worked, we took a rest with Nana Baker in the playroom, had snack, swam again, and ate dinner.  When Ricky got back he was starving!  Working at the ranch is hard!  Nana Baker served us all some ice cream for dessert and then we just hung out and chatted.  Ricky and Riley said goodnight at 9:00 and Lily and I stayed up for our next adventure.

We went spotlighting in the jeep with Josh.  You can’t go until dark and you spotlight the land and look for reflections from eyes.  We saw 13 raccoons, 2 beaver(yes, beaver), 1 coyote, 1 skunk(Lily’s least favorite!), 1 wild cat, 1 deer and 1 rabbit.  Lily giggled the entire time and enjoyed every minute!  It was so sweet of Josh to take us out to do that.

Sunday was spent at church and the pool.  It was such a relaxing day. 

Today we got up and decided to go fishing.  The weather here right now is HOT!  High 90’s to 100.  Today started out cloudy and overcast, so we headed out to the pond.  Lily and Riley both caught a fish and Ricky caught 7!  I stood back and helped and got bit by fire ants!  Ouch!  Better me than the kids.  We went back home and the kids and I swam while Ricky napped.  Another beautiful day in the country!

Tonight we plan on going swimming.  The kids want to swim when it’s dark and we thought that would be fun.  The Bakers are back in Houston until tomorrow, so it’s just up here! 

Tonight is also the start of round 7 of chemo.  We are leaving here early tomorrow for Ricky’s appointment at MD Anderson.  The kids are staying here at the ranch while we go.  I will update as soon as I can with the results.  Please pray that Ricky has a smooth chemo week.  This is the first time that we have traveled while he is doing chemo but we couldn’t pass up this family trip!

I will update tomorrow!

Tying Up Loose Ends

So, we leave tomorrow for our trip to Houston.  Bloodwork and MRI were done today.  Bloodwork looked good and we won’t know about the MRI until Tuesday.  Oh, it kills me to wait that long!!  Ricky has had a stomach bug the past couple of days that they were a little worried about, but he feels much better today.  The upset stomach fatigued him even more than he has been, so he is upstairs snugged up with Riley taking a nap.

Chemo starts again on Monday.  This is the first time that he has traveled while doing chemo, but it is the only time that we could go.  Not to mention that his appointment is scheduled for Tuesday, so it just seemed to all work out.  We are taking the kids and staying for two whole weeks!  Please pray that his treatment goes well with no sickness so we can enjoy our time there!

In other news, Lily started her new gymnastics class this week.  It was all conditioning and in her own words, “It was AWESOME!”  It is amazing to me that a 6 year old can be that excited about conditioning for 9 hours a week, which is what she will do this summer, but she is.  They won’t start routines until the fall.  She also is officially on summer break and started it out by sleeping in until 9:30 this morning!  Woohoo!

Riley forgot to read the memo about sleeping in now that summer is here =)  He is excited about going away and can’t wait to hang out with the boys. I have no idea who the boys are that he keeps talking about, but hopefully he’ll find some to hang out with in Houston!  We are trying to decide what sport to let him try in the fall.  I am looking for a fall t ball team, but have yet to find one.  I am most likely going to put him in some type of karate, because the boy loves to do some karate!

I have been doing well.  I have to admit that I haven’t even begun to pack and we fly out tomorrow.  I have to leave in 15 minutes for a three hour sit at gymnastics and I am blogging instead of packing!  I work better under pressure =)

Enjoy some pictures from the past couple of weeks!

Lily at field day!

So much fun!

A tea party in Lily’s room.  I know, Riley’s in his underwear.  Hey, at least he wasn’t naked =)  It’s hard to keep clothes on him!

A night at the drive in with friends.

I will update on Tuesday, hopefully, with the results.  We are staying at the ranch, so I don’t know if I’ll have computer access or not!  Check back on Tuesday night!

I Love Summer!

I love summer!  I love the warmth of sunshine on my face.  Sitting on our deck and watching the kids play.  Hearing their screams when they hear the ice cream man.  Watching the ice cream melt down their chins as they try and eat it before it melts.  Grilling out.  Eating watermelon.  Catching fireflies.  Kings Island.  Swimming. Late summer nights.  Sun kissed faces.  All of it!  I love it all!  Here are some pictures from our first taste of summer this year.  There will be plenty more to come…

Lily is quite the little fish.  She loves the water and has been a swimmer since she was 2.  However, this year, she can really have fun.  She can finally touch!  She is so excited.

Swimming with her cousins.

Riley hanging out on the noodle.

Getting the courage to let go.  He can swim and finally touch in the shallow end!  Woo hoo!   Mommy gets to sit on the edge this year and just dip my feet in.  Love it!

Swimming to Justin

Getting braver

Super Riley!!  Jumping in and swimming to the steps.

He loves goggles. 

Snack time with Luke!

End of the soccer season party with Lana.

Yummy ice cream from the cone.

Everyone on the team got a medal.  Coach told her she was small but mighty.  She would face any girl, no matter the size.  Then one of her teammates said, “And she was always falling down!”  HA  So funny and so true.  I think she fell at least 10 tens in the last game.  Coach said, “But she always got right back up!”  Too cute!

Here is movie night in our cul de sac.  Our neighbors have a movie screen they attach to their house and they put on a kids movie every Friday night at dusk.  It is so much fun and the kids love it!

Finally, here is a picture of Ricky and I from date night.  It doesn’t happen often enough, but it was so nice to have a nice evening out with him.  We had a really good time!

The Booger Game

So, I pick Riley up from school yesterday and Lily is with me.  I HAD to go to the grocery store with both kids which ranks up there with getting a root canal.  However, I had no other choice.  So, off we went.  I bribed them with a cart that shows a movie and a cookie from the bakery and honestly they did fairly well.  Then we have the car ride home.

I’m on the phone with Pastor Andy from Texas setting up a visit for when we are down there.  I hear Riley say, “Which hand do you think the booger is in?”  I ignore it since I’m on a phone call with someone who has never met my kids and try to finish up quickly.  Then I hear the same question again, but this time from Lily.  My extremely smart 6 year old.  Surely, she wouldn’t be putting a booger in her hand and playing hide the booger.

So, I politely get off the phone and ask them, “You really don’t have a booger in your hand?  Do you?”  Silence.  Complete and utter silence.  So once again I ask, “Seriously, one of you tell me it’s a pretend booger!”  Then Lily starts sobbing and confesses saying it’s a real booger.

At this point, I just want to scrub them and my car down with sanitizer.  I would love to know what in the world would possess them to play “Hide the booger” but neither seemed to have an answer.  Hilarious, I know.  Disgusting, I know that too.  I just had to give you a small glimpse into my life.  If you don’t want your kids hanging around mine anymore,  I totally understand =)

PS  You may not want to ride in my car either.  I didn’t find either of the boogers!

Happy 6th Birthday Lily

Happy birthday my sweet girl!  It seems like just yesterday my water broke at 35 weeks and you came so quickly into this world.  After 12 long days in the Step down NICU at Memorial Hospital in Houston, you were ours!  You were the happiest, easy going baby and you are still that way…most of the time =) 

I love watching you grow  up and excel in all the things you try!  You have loved your first year of school and have become quite the reader.  You love to read and write!  At home, you enjoy crafts and Littlest Pet Shops but your dream is to have an American Girl Doll.  Maybe Santa will bring you one this year.  Makeup is another one of your loves which cracks me up because I never wear it!  You love to have your nails and hair fixed and enjoy lots of girly things.

Your passion right now is gymnastics!  You eat, sleep, and breathe it.  I pray that you always have that fire and passion in your life.  Whether it is for gymnastics or whatever it may be.  You work so hard and your perseverance has paid off.  We are so proud of you!

You love the Lord!  You come home from church telling us what you learned every Sunday.  When you go to choose a story and you pick up your bible, my heart melts.  When Ri Ri gets a boo boo and you stop to pray for him, I can’t help but smile.  I love watching you trace Daddy’s scar with your finger and asking him when he will be healed.  Not if, but when. I pray that you will always have that kind of faith.   Always remember to put God first and you will continue on the right path!

Daddy and I are so proud of you and all you do!  You are an amazing daughter and big sister.  We love you forever and always! 

Enjoy these pictures from your big day!

This one is before cake…

And after…

Can’t wait to get in there and party!

Getting ready to play hide and go seek.

The beautiful cake that Ms. Janette made for you!

Candles lit and ready to sing!

Dancing to the happy birthday Cha Cha Cha’s!

It wouldn’t be a party without all of your friends =)

 

Here you are today at exactly 12:43 PM!  You were enjoying playing with your Littlest Pet Shops and looking oh so adorable. You loved hearing us sing Happy Birthday on the exact minute you were born!

A Really Cool Video

The kids and I decided to get butterflies this year at the house and they have been amazing.  They started out as tiny little larvae the length of my little fingernail.  They at least quadrupled in size before they hung in a j shape from the lid.  Each one fromed a chrysilas which was amazing to watch.  It took them about a week to hatch into painted lady butterflies.  We had all 10 hatch!  I was fortunate enough to catch one of the butterflies hatching on video.  This one had fallen so it was a little more difficult for him to emerge.  So cool to watch!  The best part is the first about three and a half minutes of listening to Riley.  You are going to think, “Does he ever stop talking?!?”  Trust me, I think that every day =)

done

Here is part 2.  I had to flip him over because he was stuck upside down.

done

Summertime Fun

Enjoy these photos from the past week!  We have been enjoying this warm weather!

Here are the kids helping Ricky plant our first vegetable garden.

Don’t laugh at Riley’s pink shovel!

The finished product…

Cold sprinkler water

Lily, Ella, and Riley taking a pool break.

Maddy taking a nap in the sun!

Sprinkler fun!  Lily cracks me up!

Ella and Lily decorating cookies!  Yummy!

Riley loving some cookies!

Ricky with his fishing hat, shorts, knee high socks, and paint roller!  That is so hot =)

The kids heard the music from the ice cream man and went nuts! 

Lily was the birthday girl at school today!  She got to wear a crown and be the helper.

Enjoying her birthday treat!  We made butterfly cookies for the girls and caterpillar cookies for the boys.

She got to share every day this week.  Today she shared her gymnastics trophy.

Of course, I can’t have a post with pictures without one of  Lily upside down.  Except in these, she was upside down in the baby pool!  She is crazy!

In other news, Ricky’s round 6 of chemo has gone very well!  He has kept himself busy with outside projects.  He has done the vegetable garden, planted flowers, and has been working on building a wooden roof for the kids swing set.  The tarp was ripped in the wind storm so that is well needed.  His last night is tonight and do you know what that means?!?…. WE ARE HALFWAY DONE!!  Woo hoo!!