take me out to the ball game!

Last night, we hung-out with the Children's Miracle Network gang and some awesome teens from the Ada Service and Learning Program at the Redhawks game. What a great time! Before the game, the kids decorated basketballs and cards to be auctioned off at a future Thunder game to benefit CMN. We enjoyed the company of two of my nephews and one of my nieces. I think everyone had a blast! As usual, below are some fun pictures :)

Joshua and Rowdy the Redhawk!

Jenna was NOT a fan!

Joshua's crush :)

Jenna would've loved to have taken this teen volunteer home :)

Joshua's finished masterpiece!

Jenna's finished masterpiece!

Time to wash your hands!

Jenna decorating a card for a lucky CMN donor :)

Jenna decorating with a Miss Oklahoma hopeful.

Joshua decorating with Miss Oklahoma 2009.

Little hands, HUGE heart :)

The 3 Amigos!

Sarah and Jenna sharing giggles.

anger towards an unlikely

Worship was fantastic yesterday, as usual. One song in particular was God's way of dealing with me. "Healer" by Kari Jobe. As we were singing, I started to cry-out to God and ask, "Why don't you heal Jenna, God?" "Why can't you be glorified in her life another way?" I began to realize I was really angry with God. I'll admit, I still am a little, but we're working on it together. I know God has great plans for Jenna. The more I think about it, I think about all of the chronically ill kiddos that I know and how I see the love of God radiating on their little faces... God made no mistakes when He made them...they're perfect. If you've never been in the life of a child who is chronically ill, or even an adult for that matter, you should allow yourself the honor. I guarantee your heart will be touched. If you feel sorry for them, you're not getting God's message. I guess I just want to say that I know God is being glorified through Jenna and I should count it all a blessing that I even have the privilege of being in her life...to be so near His work...His plans...His grace.

If you want to listen to the song (which I highly encourage), scroll to the bottom of the page and pause the music player (it is set to play music as soon as you pull-up our blog).

backyard playtime fun!

Beautiful Oklahoma sky :)

Joshua trying to whistle like daddy.

Jenna trying to whistle like daddy.

Oopsies!

Joshua loves baseball :)

"Catch me, daddy!"

"Huh?"

Showing-off...she's good at that ;)

Joshua loves to slide!

Little Miss Grinny Cheeks :)

Yesterday, the weather was perfect for playtime fun in the backyard! I'm so ready for Fall. It was almost chilly! Definitely better than the 100+ degree temps we have been enduring. Joshua and Jenna have had major cabin fever. Poor Jenna really suffered during the night with allergies and it is continuing today. It was so windy, but so enjoyable; perhaps she just needs some time to adjust.

Joshua's party and Church!

Saturday was Joshua's birthday party. As always, he enjoyed all of the attention, cupcakes and presents! Below are some highlights from the party. I had a video clip of singing "Happy Birthday," but for some reason it is out of focus :(

Jenna hid under the table with some of Joshua's presents and played...how sneaky ;)

Toy Story cupcakes from Sam's...yumm-o!
I was so excited to find cupcake stands at the Dollar Tree :)

Joshua's first set of "big boy" Legos! No more Duplos for him!

The spread...smoked hot dogs, Nick's famous smoked ribs, spinach garden salad, Leslie's famous potato salad...delicious!

Hot Wheels...he's a fan :)

Yesterday, we visited Council Road Baptist Church (this is where Nick and I met) for the second Sunday in a row. We have recently been in search of a new church home. Well, we're back at Council Road and really excited to be there :) I'm so excited about the children's programs! Joshua and Jenna are both having a great time!

Times are tough, but God is good.

Jenna's Upper GI (cont'd) and Joshua's Birthday!

I finally got a hold of a person at the GI office yesterday. Unfortunately, Jenna's doctor is on vacation this week. Ugh! Well, thankfully, the nurse read the report to me and it is exactly what I heard the Radiologist say on Monday..."enlarged intestines" and "malabsorption/malnutrition." Both of these are red flags for SGS/SBS, but it doesn't necessarily mean that's what it is. So, we're going to wait anxiously for Monday and pray, pray, pray!!!

Poor Jenna had a horrible time passing barium Tuesday night. Despite multiple doses of milk of magnesia (usually does the trick) and a glycerin suppository, Jenna remained in pain and unable to pass a stool. She started passing gas before we put her to bed though; thankfully the next morning I had a present waiting for me ;-)

Onto a more fun topic. Not that I couldn't talk about poo forever. Because, trust me, after being a NICU mom, poo was the highlight of my day at times :-)

Joshua is 4-years-old today! I can hardly believe it. Four years ago, today, I gave birth to a tiny, 5lb/12oz little boy; now, he's a sturdy 42lbs! He never fails to make us laugh and astound us with his abilities and desire to continually learn new things. He keeps asking me about going to school. Poor buddy...hopefully he isn't too disappointed with being home schooled! Looks like we'll be taking tons of field trips to cure that eager mind :-) Science Museum, Zoo, etc. I'm making a list...any suggestions?

Saturday is Joshua's party. I will make sure to take pictures and post them. We're just doing a small party this year. Mostly just family, the kids' godparents and adults who have obtained "uncle" and "aunt" status throughout the years :-) I think I'm going to have to chill-out on the big parties for a while. It's expensive and exhausting! So, sorry to all of the kids' friends out there. Maybe we can have a play date at the Zoo to make up for it :-) Jenna's doctors have also said getting Jenna over-excited can bring on seizures as well, so that's another deciding factor.

Then

Now

I'm going to close this post with one of my favorite passages in God's Word. It helps keep me check when I open my mouth and want to say things that aren't edifying to the Lord and reminds me that I have children, whom I am suppose to be pointing to the cross!

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates."

Deuteronomy 11:18-20

Jenna's Upper GI

I was pretty optimistic about Jenna's Upper GI. Until recently, Jenna's health seemed to be evening out. Well, unfortunately, it appears that Jenna's intestines are "larger than normal." Not sure what that means, but the person performing the Upper GI asked me if Jenna had ever been diagnosed with SGS (Short Gut Syndrome). Obviously, my answer was "no." As soon as I heard this info, my mind started whirling and the room felt like it was spinning. Ugh! Poor Jenna :( Not only did she have a miserable time enduring the Upper GI, but she got bad news to boot. Thankfully, the Radiologist should have all info transcribed and accessible to Dr. Sferra by in the morning. I usually have a difficult time with Dr. Sferra's office staff, so they're REALLY going to love me tomorrow.

I know God will be glorified somehow, but I wish it could be under different circumstances or not through my daughter. Please help me understand, Lord.

yesterday and today

We visited the church where Nick and I met, yesterday. It was fun to stroll down memory lane (even thought it was just a little over 5 years ago that we met). Lots of friendly faces whom we still see on a regular basis. Perhaps we have found our nitch? Maybe we should've never left? I know Joshua had a blast! He was begging not to leave. I think I may have frightened the nursery workers when I dropped Jenna off. I explained her medical issues (in a nut shell) and told them to watch for seizures and to keep an eye out for kiddos trying to pull her Mic-Key button out. Their eyes were like saucers! Bless their hearts, but at least they'll be prepared for next week :)

After church, we went to Jason and Eilene for lunch and popped-in for a visit at Jonathan and Jessica's to visit their new little bundle (less than a week old), baby Taylor. Precious! So tiny, so sweet... yes, baby fever kicked-in a long time ago, but I'm in no shape to be having another baby and Jenna still needs a lot of attention. I'll just keep holding other babies to satisfy that itch. There are tons of new babies and still more to come, so that itch will be satisfied for a while, at least :)

Today, Jenna has an Upper GI to check on her hernia. Her doctor is keeping a close eye on it with the hopes that it won't get worse and require surgery. She's already had one hernia surgery in the past...we don't really care for her to have to go through another one! I'm so grateful for Dr. Sferra. He watches over Jenna like he's her guardian angel; in many ways, he is just that. I have to keep her from eating for the next four hours until her appointment. Not fun! Praying her glucose levels don't decide to plummet. I'm keeping juice close by, just in case.

I have already posted about this, but it helps to keep things in focus. Jenna's next obstacle is getting her liver function levels to decrease. At or around October 22nd, Jenna will have another blood draw to check her levels. If her numbers are still elevated, she will have a liver biopsy. Please keep praying! Jenna has been a miracle from conception...to God be the Glory!!

What do you blog about at 4am?

Joshua came into our room at 4am this morning. When he does this, I usually run through a multitude of questions, "Is he sick?" "Did he have a bad dream?" Okay, I guess those are the only two I reall ask myself :) After him sleeping (or so we thought) with us for about 15 minutes, Nick carried him back into bed. I can usually fall right back asleep, but this time, I was kept wide awake with my thoughts.

The thoughts of sickness, pregnancies and death have been streaming through my mind. I find myself praying for so many that are sick. It seems there are far more in my life (or those that I know of) than usual. I don't know if I notice it more since Jenna struggles with her conditions, or if it's just this year. I also have a TON of pregnant friends or friends that have had babies this year. I need to sit down and write all of their names out on paper. It's a CRAZY amount! It's so fun to celebrate life with so many people :) On the down side, I also have known of so much loss this year. Little babies now sitting on the Lord's lap; sick adults finally finding peace after a long, drawn-out illness; and sadly, I just learned of one who passed who did not want to know the Lord. Their son, knowing of their eternal fate, still wished his mother "RIP." I think mostly to console himself through the shock of his loss.

Saddened by sickness, over-joyed with new life, and mourning over death. Such a mixture of emotions. I'm completely baffled by how "all at once" it is that I have a hard time spending time with my thoughts on just one particular instance.

Random thoughts... That's what you get from a sleep deprived mom at almost 5:30am :)

"The Pledge of Allegiance" (Joshua's version)

We're so proud of our little patriot :) It was his idea to learn, so we worked on it for about a week. Yesterday, he was able to start reciting without any help, whatsoever!

Branson (pictures part 2 and in no particular order)

Italian ice!

Ringing the Church bell @ Shepherd of the Hills

Brother Joshua, sharing an important sermon ;)

Godparents: Jason and Eilene

Jason and Jenna have a special bond...especially after a week together.

Our little deep sleeper :)

Blackmail...muahahaha!!!

Our home away from home...haha!

Jenna feeling the breeze from the amusement ride. She just laughed and laughed ;)

Nick and Joshua...ready for the regatta ride to begin!

Joshua and "Diggy" before the stunt dog show! Unfortunately, none of the pictures I took during the show turned out :(

"Hi Daddy, what are you doing in here?"

L to R: Nick, me, Joshua, Uncle Dirk, Jenna, Aunt Dodie

Aunt Dodie and Jenna...friends forever.

Jenna was completely captivated by Uncle Dirk's music.

Uncle Dirk

Cousin Karen

Aunt Dodie

Uncle Dirk

Buddies!