Prayer

Would you once again lift Ryan, Ron's brother, up in prayer?  He will have a lung biopsy surgery tomorrow.  This is a pretty serious surgery and I'm simply asking for the Lord to be present and surround and hold Ryan.  The last 24/48 hours have been rough.  Ryan is fighting for his life.

Pray with us that the Lord will sustain him.  That this journey he is on will one day be a platform for him to share Jesus with others!  The Lord is moving and working and healing - we are praising Him for that and asking for His continued Healing!

First Day

Today was not only the First Day of school, it was the First Day of School in a New School.  This year the boys are going to Fairview!  They were nervous this morning -but have been non-stop this afternoon about their day!  It's hard to believe we have a 5th, 4th and 1st grader this year.  We really believe the Lord Blessed them with Great Teachers and we are excited to see what this year holds for each one of them!

Of course their little sis (who reminded me a couple of times today that she gets to go next year), had to get into the pictures too!

Then someone had the bright idea to Cheer on Our Buckeyes who will begin their season very soon!  I love all 4 of these Buck-nuts!

I still have a love/hate relationship with this day!  I love that they did well on their First Day at Fairview.  I really believe that today was an answer to prayer.  So thankful the Lord is going with them and before them and surrounding them!

Then today was also the first day with Babysitting Kids!  We have 6 regulars this year and then a couple more added before and after school!  Maddie is pretty excited about our newest addition - Aubrie!  She's only 5 months and lots of fun!  It was a pretty smooth day, again an answer to prayer!  It will take a few days to get our routine down, but these are good kids and I'm so thankful!

So...day 1 was a success!  Praying for Day 2 now!

Thank you for all of you who prayed for all 4 of mine today and for their First Day!

Update

This has been a rough couple of weeks!  

Ron's brother, Ryan, is not doing well!  

On Sunday things were good.  We left after church and traveled to Columbus to see Ryan and Holly.  The kids could not go back to visit him,  but Aunt Holly came out to be with them in the lobby -looks like they had fun!

Ron and I spent a good hour with Ryan and he was very talkative.  He didn't look well (lots of meds), but he was sitting up and holding a conversation and had so much on his mind.

We came home and then Monday morning he continued to improve.  He got up, walked a little, ate his lunch sitting up and was doing well!

Then Monday night into Tuesday morning we got a call that he had gone back to ICU.   His lungs filled with fluid again and his heart rate dropped.  They had to vent him and put him back in ICU.

He remains there today and he is sedated.  Please pray!  

Cook Out

This week we had a cook-out with some wonderful friends.  Friends we have known since college and Seminary!  Friends who not only do we enjoy their company, but we can totally depend on them for prayer and encouragement and just FUN!

This group of guys are all Pastors and have been friends 10-15 years!

So the four families together have 14 kids (2 are missing from the picture below) ranging from 19 down to 2 years.

That's a lot of PK's (preacher kids) 

They all enjoyed playing and running around together!

The Blank family (minus their oldest son), now minister in Montpelier, OH at a United Methodist Church.  They were Ron's dorm parents in college and also went to Wesley Biblical Seminary with us!

The Wolheter Family minister in Kendalville, IN.  They planted a church and are seeing the Lord work in some Amazing ways.  We met them our last year of Seminary, and have loved ministering alongside them.

The Diersing Family is in Ligonier, IN now and have been great friends since our college days when Ron and Troy were in the dorm together.  We married just one month apart and moved to Jackson, MS together for Seminary!

It is such a Blessing to have Godly Friends who we can not only have fun with, but also turn to when we need them!  It seems crazy that there are now 14 kids between the 4 couples!

Maybe this is how PK's really act :)

Fun Times with Great Friends!

Last week we met my parents and my brothers family at a KOA Campground in Wapakoneta.  I wish I had used my camera a little more, but my mind was preoccupied with all that was going on with Ryan!

I did manage to get a picture of these 2 cuties sitting at our picnic table!  

Maddie adores her big cousin, Terra!

Daddy spent most of the weekend around the fire.  He loves fire!  He made bacon one morning, pork chops one evening and hot dogs for a lunch!  Love, love love grilled food!  And this handsome guys is my all time favorite cook!

We did have a good weekend, just wish there hadn't been so much other stuff going on!

When we packed up to leave, we left our Big Brown Eyed Little Man.  Nathaniel would be spending the next few days with Pap and Grandma!  It was his "turn" for the summer trip with Pap and Grandma.  Only Terra and Ronnie had gotten a summer trip and now it was Grand kid #3's turn.

They went south to Louisville to the Louisville Slugger Company!  As you might have guessed, Nathaniel LOVED it!  Then they also went to Indiana Caverns, which just opened in June.  They went on a underground boat ride.  Nathaniel thoroughly enjoyed his trip - although I think he missed us a bit!  We missed him a TON!  

All 3 of his siblings were so anxious for their brother to come home.  They tackled him with hugs as soon as we saw him on Tuesday afternoon!

I didn't get the greatest picture of Pap and Grandma, but they all 3 had a great trip! (I have to learn not to snap pictures when people are talking - sorry)

Thanks Pap and Grandma for a fun weekend and a Fun Summer Trip!

Sometimes Life is Difficult

The last 5 days have been an emotional challenge for Ron and I.  We really concerned about Ron's brother, Ryan.  I haven't taken the time to update on here, so I'll try to explain what is going on.

Last Thursday afternoon, Holly called a squad for Ryan.  He had been sick for what we understand to be a couple of weeks and was simply not improving.  When the squad came they checked him out. Said that his oxygen levels were low, BP was not good and something else (but I just can't remember).  They said they could only transport him to Circleville, not up to the James in Columbus where he has been seen since before the transplant.

So Holly decided to take him herself.  Anyway, they admitted him and gave him oxygen.  The rest is a bit of a blurr as to specifics, but they discovered he has pneumonia with fluid around both lungs.  They needed to do a biopsy to determine exactly what type of pneumonia.  On Friday he was moved to ICU and was not breathing well at all!

Ron and I decided we needed to go.  We had been on family trip with my parents and brothers family to a KOA campground.  That made it possible for us to be 2 hours closer to Columbus and we were able to leave the kids with my parents - the Lord worked that out!

So on Friday evening we went to Columbus.  We arrived at a bad time, because there were very few "visiting hours" in the ICU.  So...we waited.  They did actually let us go back about 30 minutes early for visiting hours.  We were encouraged.  He was alert and talking and even joking some.  We couldn't hear him real well because he had a full mask on -eyes to chin- that was giving him oxygen.  When they had moved him to ICU they had to give him 100% oxygen.  They were beginning to ween him a little, but it was a slow process.

While we were in visiting him, the Pulmonary doctor came.  The plan was to do a do a biopsy on Saturday morning of the fluid on his lungs.  The difficult part of that is that they would have to put him on a ventilator to do it.  He was not at all happy about that, but the doctor assured him it was reversible and could come out!

So...Saturday morning the biopsy was done.  The ventilator was put in and he was pretty out of it for that time.

Thankfully he didn't have to have the vent too long.  They were able to put him back on the full face mask and by Sunday evening he was even able to eat a little bit too.  Slowly they have increased his good intake and oral meds.

Now tonight he is suppose to be moved out of ICU to his own room.  The word is that he will still be in the hospital for a week or so and will probably go home with oxygen.

We don't know anything for sure yet, but it appears that what is going on is the graft vs. host disease.  I have mentioned this before.  It is his body rejecting the stem cells from Ron.  He had graft vs. host in his mouth, diagnosed early this year.  So now they are thinking that it is progressing.

He needs prayer!  I have written all this to say, please pray!  Pray for Ryan, for healing!  Pray for Holly, for rest, encouragement and wisdom.  Pray for the 4 girls, who start school next week and have been dealing with all of this for too many years.  Pray for Ryan and Ron's parents (Ron and Frances).  Frances went to Circleville on Thursday after she learned he had been admitted.  She has been with the girls since then.  Ron was able to go down over the weekend and even was able to sit with Ryan while he was in ICU.  He is now back home alone.  Please pray for everyone!  Ron and I are struggling now knowing what to do, how to help.

Life is difficult at times.  It's downright unbearable at others.  The only constant...Jesus!  He is our Hope.  He is our Strength!  We put our Trust in HIM!

Getting So Big

I had to take our little girl into the doctor on Tuesday morning.

You wouldn't know it from this picture, but she was up most of the night screaming in terrible pain.  She is usually a pretty good sleeper, so we knew something was up.  Turns out she has 2 ear infections.  (She's actually doing much better already).

This visit to the doctor was the first time she sat up on the table instead of my lap.  The first time she voluntarily talked to the doctor and did just what he asked.  Granted she hasn't been in to the doctor in many months, but my little girl is getting so big!  

It's a love/hate relationship I have with Growth!  I love to see her grow and develop and learn to communicate with adults - yet I hate to see her grow and develop and not need her mommy as much! :(

I'm so proud of the little lady she is becoming!

Big Game

You may remember that the boys received tickets to Indians games this year through their High Achiever Program.  Well one of the dates available to go was during the Indians vs. Tigers Series!  The kids were excited. It was only the biggest series in baseball right now, and we were going to be there!  

We had different seats that usual, but still good! 

It was a great defensive game and a fun one to watch!

In the end our closer came in and ended up not closing real good.  We lost, but we're still HUGE fans and feel so blessed to attend 2 games this season!   We'll watch the rest of the season at home and hopefully cheer our Indians on to Victory!

Jehovah Jireh, My Provider

The Lord has provided...again!  

I just love it when we can watch His plan play out in our lives!

At the beginning of the summer we started Ronnie and Nathaniel in piano lessons.  This meant that all summer long the boys and I would walk the 2 blocks down to the church every day to practice their lessons (It's not that it is a LONG way, just time consuming.  Good exercise, I guess - but not something I wanted to continue into the winter months).  We were in need of piano!

Well, as you can see, the Lord provided.  Not only a new-to-us Piano, but at no cost to us either!  

Love it when He blesses!

The boys are still loving piano lessons too.  In fact, I'll tell you how much they love the piano and practicing!  They will sit and watch the Indians games and then race to the piano during commercials (WOW- there are a lot of commercials)!  It's been great!

I also had to get them off at 6:30 this morning because their little brother and sister were still sleeping!

Their favorite to practice are Hymns!  Love that my kids know the Hymns.  Perhaps there is a future music major in our family :)  

So we are praising the Lord for His Blessings and Provisions!