update on tummy troubles

Here's a tip...after suffering a stomach bug, don't let the first solid food you eat be a bagel...it will NOT settle down and digest nicely. Your stomach will cramp so badly you will WISH you were pregnant and in labor...until you throw up that offending bagel, then you will feel MUCH better. It is now just about 11:00 pm and I am getting ready to hit the sack for the night. I have kept down a handful of grapes, 1/2 a ham and cheese sandwich, and a small chocolate frosty. (Boy, Grandpa was a GENIUS in figuring out that chocolate malts will cure whatever is ailing you!) I have lost 8 pounds in the past 36 hours. I know I have wanted to loose weight, but this is a bit ridiculous! I know it's all water weight and most of it will be back soon, but it would be nice if it stayed away! I have not weighed this since before I got pregnant with Bethany...so even though the flu is horrible, there is a bright side :o).

Abbigail is away at a girl scout lock-in...it is so weird only having two kids here! Plus, I am officially done with the child-care thing. I will miss my CC families, but it will be nice once I have all the "baby" stuff put away and we can make the house our own once again.
Well all...I'm signing off for the night. Hopefully we are ALL DONE with the sickies for a LONG time! Please remember the Chapman family during this terribly hard time. I can't even imagine the pain they are enduring...I just can't imagine. My heart aches for them.

Christmas Shopping!!!! (and feeling better)

I did some GREAT Christmas shopping last night! Can you believe it? It's only April...and I already have a HUGE start on Christmas. Since we are planning our Disney trip just after Christmas, we told the kids already that we won't be having the "BIG" Christmas gifts like we did last year. We explained that the trip is a major part of our family Christmas gift. However...since I am a woman obsessed (right now) with all things Disney....I was on the Disney store website. I started looking at their "outlet" and got excited. All their coats are on clearance. I got 4 things for each of the kiddos....1)a coat, 2)a T-shirt 3)flip-flops and 4)sunglasses. Yes, flip-flops and sunglasses are a weird Christmas gift, but we are going to Florida just a week and a few days after Christmas, so they are VERY fitting! With the clearance and a special of 25% off their new summer merchandise, my total was less than $90, and that was including shipping! The girls' stuff is all princess themes, while Andrew's stuff is either Cars or Buzz Lightyear themed. I'm so excited for the stuff to get here!
Thank you all for your prayers for my little girls and their ears. I believe they are all feeling better. Abbie was NOT looking forward to her second shot, so that was no fun. She was in pain all evening and was pretty sore all weekend. She'll be fine, but now does NOT want to go back to the doctor for fear of shots. Oh well...I don't like shots either!

Linkage

I have been reading a blog written by a pastor in North Carolina. He is the father of Nate (the husband I have been asking for prayers about)...anyway, Rick has a series on his blog about pastoring and pastor's families. One post was "What you might not know about your pastor." The second one in the series was "What you might not know about your pastor's wife." The last in the series is "What you might not know about your pastor's kids."
For those of you in the ministry (or married to it!), these essays will hit you in the heart. It is so comforting to read someone who knows how you feel. Someone who knows the hurts and joys of being in the ministry of God's people. For those of you who aren't in the ministry, but are in the church, it will give you insight into your pastor and his family. It will give suggestions on how to relate to and support your pastor, and his family.
Now, how do you go about getting everyone in church to read a blog?? ;O)

By the way...Tricia is up and walking without any support...no vent or oxygen...for the first time since October! Rick is posting updates so Nate can take a short blogging break to be there for his "girls." Go on over and see how they are doing...

(For those who might not know how a "link" works...click on the underlined words above and it will take you directly to the site...:o))

Tricia is out of surgery, and in the ICU

Tricia's surgery to transplant two donated lungs into her body was a success. The doctors reported that the surgery was more difficult than normal (how can a double lung transplant be normal??) because her disease is so progressed. She is now in the ICU, getting used to her new lungs. She is still ventilated and sedated...hopefully both of these will be "undone" soon. Keep the prayers coming, she still has a long road to go!

Update on Tricia...

Unfortunately, the lungs didn't match, so last night ended up being a "dry run." Hopefully the lungs and the rest of the organs were a match to someone out there and have helped them to start a new life. I continue to pray for the donor's family, that they would find peace and comfort. I also pray for Tricia and Nate...what a totally emotionally exhausting night. The hopes were all so high...and then to have them not match. I pray that the right lungs are found, soon...and that God will comfort the family of that donor. I pray that Tricia and Nate continue to be strong, both mentally and physically. I pray that they continue to be brave, and such a wonderful example of faith in the face of a crisis. I pray that little Gwyneth continues to do well, and starts growing even bigger and stronger!
I found some fabric yesterday that I'm going to use to make them a sling. Slings are so wonderful for preemies who thrive on the close cuddling provided by the sling...she might just be a bit too small to sling right now, but soon she will be perfect sized for "slinging!" I made sure that the fabric isn't too "girly" so that Nate will feel comfortable slinging little Gwyneth...I can't wait to see pictures of them using it!
Thanks, everyone, for your continued prayers for this incredible family.

AWESOME NEWS!!!!

I have two pieces of good news to share.
First...AWESOME NEWS! Mrs. Wonderful (Abbigail's teacher who is receiving treatments for cancer) is in REMISSION! After only one round of treatments, she went back for her second round, and the cancer is GONE!!! She will stay in Texas (where she went to receive treatments) to being the transplant process. From what I understand they will remove some of her bone marrow and the stem cells inside, "clean it up" (I think this means making sure it is cancer-free) and then give it back to her. She will remain there for the next 6-8 weeks. Which means, she will obviously miss the rest of the school year (this was expected already) but she will be coming home just in time to see her daughter graduate from high school. What a blessing! The doctors had previously told her that she would probably have to undergo at least 3-4 rounds of treatment...she just did one! We serve an AWESOME, All-Powerful God!

Second...good news, for me! I was totally stressing out about the amount of paper-work needed to expand the license for the preschool. I must have called our county lady 4 times yesterday morning. She gave me the name and number of the state lady last week. One time I tried to call the local lady to ask a question, but she was out to lunch, so I called the state lady. She was also out to lunch, but I left a voice mail. She called back about an hour later. I explained what I was trying to do and she asked why I was doing so much paperwork. Apparently just to get the new number approved, they need a new director (ME!). My credentials need to be verified. The only other thing we need to do is be approved by the fire marshal. I already had the forms for myself done! The head of the board is taking care of the fire marshal...so I'm done! Praise God! I spent about 5 hours working on the various paperwork yesterday (before I found this out) and was only making a dent in what I thought needed to be done. In defense of the local lady, we are the only preschool she deals with. When they hired a new director a few years ago, they also had to get a new license because they changed the owner (from the board to the church) and a few other changes, so they did have to get a whole new license. She thought this was standard procedure...I'm so glad she was wrong!
Oh, one more "good news" thing. Hubby called Dell yesterday and ordered me a laptop! In honor of St. Patrick's day (and because it's my favorite color) he even ordered a green cover! :o) I can't wait till it arrives...in about 10 days-2 weeks. Thanks Hubby! I love you!!! I just might even let him borrow it once in a while! ;o)

Picture update

I've been making posts lately, but not many pictures...so let's get caught up!

Andrew is in wrestling, and likes it very much. The thing he hates the most is the fact that when he gets home he has to shower. He doesn't like to take showers, but endures them for the love of wrestling. He is a pretty scrappy little guy. He's quick, and pretty tough. I guess all that wrestling with dad has helped! :o)

Tough guy!

Silly Boy!!

The kids and I went to the zoo a few weeks ago on a 'nice' day. We thought it would be so wonderful, but truthfully the sidewalks were either icy or muddy. The kids love to take their bikes to the zoo and ride around. It goes much quicker for us! They only SLOW down to see the animals, not stop and watch. But that's ok, we go to this zoo quite often, so they know what all the animals look like! :o) (They usually don't get this far away from me, the rule is they have to stop at the next bench and wait for momma to catch up, or at the next corner!)However, with all the ice and mud, I was constantly pushing or pulling them out of being stuck. Andrew was spinning his tires in the mud and flinging it EVERYWHERE! We were all a big mess and left after just over an hour. It was still fun, but will be much more fun once the sidewalks are properly cleared! (The pictures don't show the bad sidewalks, during those my camera was away so I could get the kids unstuck!)

I mentioned a while back that our kids just MIGHT get a gift for Epiphany. Well, they did. Andrew had misbehaved before Christmas and lost two gifts because of his behavior...He got one of them for Epiphany, a new set of Lego's. Abbie and Bethany both got a new baby sling. They love playing with their babies (and dogs as you can see in Abbigail's pictures). I made them each slings a year or so ago, but had a lady call and want 6 child slings that night...I sold theirs to her to finish the order because I was out of fabric and time! They never complained, plus they then got to pick out their own fabric. After a year, I had lots of pieces big enough for this, so they each picked their favorite fabric and I made them a sling. One of my childcare girls is having a birthday in a week and she will receive one as well...with a baby!

We have wonderful new neighbors. Well, not SOO new, they moved in during the summer. They have a son Andrew's age (also in wresting), and a daughter Bethany's age (in her preschool class and dance class). They also have twin baby girls who were born in August but premature. The babies are SOOO tiny! The four of our kids love getting together. Abbie enjoys it too, but feels a bit left out since they don't have an older daughter. Well, the weather was nice yesterday and we were outside playing and the kids came over. When it started cooling off and it was time to fix dinner we went inside. I got out the camera to see the action. Bethany and 'P' went strait for the Barbies and Andrew and "K" went for the XBox. Abbie got to work on her homework. (The girls had dance class earlier, thus the pink outfits)

I almost forgot...Abbie has a bit of a black eye! Saturday morning during our weekend of puke, she crawled in bed with daddy since mommy and Bethany were in the living room. Dad was doing something with his Zune and dropped in on Abbie, right in her eye. I heard her scream and ran in there afraid someone else was puking! No puke, just a hurt eye. It has a small bruise, and a little black around her eye. Poor thing!

An update on Dad

Well, it's Friday night, and I've been in Wichita for about 28 hours. I've spent hours at the hospital with Mom and Dad, and I've also had time with my brother and sis-in-law, and their cuties. Dad is still in a lot of pain, especially when the nurses move him from one side to another for various procedures. His blood pressure has been a little low today, so they are watching it. Today, Dad has started really grasping what is going on, and I think he is pretty scared. We keep telling him "YET!" No, you can't move your legs...YET! No, you can't wiggle your toes...YET! We kept repeating the verse from Jeremiah "I have plans for you"...God has plans for Dad...whether those plans include a 100% recovery or not, we just don't know. We do know that everything works for the good of those who love Him, and we love Him. We must trust that God is doing what is best for Dad. We must trust that God loves him even more than we can, and will take care of his every need. Even if prayers aren't answered the way we want them to be answered, or in the time that we want them to be answered, they are answered. God hears our prayers, our pleas, and our groans (Dad does a lot of groaning when he is in extreme pain, it is SOOO hard to see). He knows Dad's pain, He loves him and will take care of him. Dad was praying today, kind of under his breath, but he was begging God for a miracle. He knows that only God can provide a miracle, and he's asking for one.
Jill and I are planning to take mom out tomorrow sometime for a little girls' day out...SHOPPING! Mom's 30+ year old refrigerator died two weeks ago, and she needs to get it replaced, she has just been putting it off. But, it will be good to get her out and do something to distract her and have a bit of fun. Aaron will go and stay with dad while we are out.
Thank you all for the continued prayers. We all appreciate them.
To my family back home...I miss you. I love you! Abbie & Andrew, be good for daddy!!
Blessings to each of you. Good night.

Dad update, and I've been tagged!

Well, as of this morning, Dad hasn't made much progress. He's still in a lot of pain (immense!), and they are trying some sort of pain patch to help. He has wiggled his toes a few times, but they aren't sure if it's voluntary or not. He does have some feeling in his feet, so we are still hopeful. He is still in the SICU, don't know how long they will keep him there. They are trying to make sure his lungs stay clear, so they want him coughing and blowing in this breathing machine, both things bring on more pain. Please continue praying for him.

Mom actually has slept in her own bed two nights in a row (I don't think she's slept in her bed for more than a nap since the end of July), so that is good for her. She still sounds completely overwhelmed. I don't have any childcare kiddos on Friday, so I'm planning to leave after my childcare kids leave on Thursday. Just Bethany and me! We're going on a road trip. Daddy will stay home with Andrew and Abbigail. That way I can stay there as long as I need to. The older kids will be in school on Friday, and then back on Tuesday. I don't have any childcare children until next Thursday, and that one is flexible. So...we're off to see if we can offer any support. My family in Wichita is so wonderful. I have had emails and calls offering to watch my kids when I come to town so that I can just spend time at the hospital with mom and dad. My aunts and uncles have been spending time at the hospital giving mom a break, and just being there to offer support. I can't thank them enough!!!

Ok...onto the tagging thing. I've been tagged to tell you something about me, using my middle name...good thing it's so short, my brain is fried! Here goes!

J...joyful, jolly, jelly...??? I'm usually a joyful person, I try to see the joy in things (I'm having a bit of a hard time right now, though). Jolly and Jelly remind me of Santa (a tummy like a bowl full of jelly)...that pretty much describes me! :-)

O...ornery...my grandpa used to call me ornery, it was my nickname from him. Gee, wonder where I learned to be so ornery?

Y..YOUNG! At least I like to tell myself I'm still young! 33 isn't old, is it?

Now I have to tag 3 people (JOY has 3 letters, so I have to tag 3 people). So, here goes...Elizabeth (I know she's on vacation, she can answer when she gets back), my cousin Loni, and my Canadian buddy, Unashamed.

Okie dokie...I've got to get off the blogger thing and get to work. We've got the youth group coming over tonight for a back-to-school-bbq. Better do some picking up! :-)

Thanks again, everyone for praying for my family....and family, thanks for being there for Mom and Dad.

UPDATE!!! Wednesday 9:30 am

Well, the fire is out. The fumes are disipating. The town is supposed to open up again (at least most of the town) this morning.
Dad was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon after deciding that his back pain was entirely muscle related, not spine. They gave him megga doses of pain meds, and he felt much better. Mom and dad stayed in a hotel last night...just in case the winds shifted and they would have to evacuate. They didn't think they should deal with anything else...they had enough to deal with. I'm assuming they will be going home later today. My cousin and her family were staying in the same hotel.
Thank you all for your prayers. I'm so thankful to know that they are safe and doing ok. Mom and Dad have decided that they should not travel to Florida next week for the National Youth Gathering...they haven't missed one as long as I can remember. This will be hard for them! But (don't tell them! :o)) I'm glad! Hubby is going with our youth group...and now I have someone to go visit! :o)