Grace updates

Different plans

2010-07-16T23:13:00.004-05:00

Grace and I are home from our week down at Scottish Rite. We are happy to be home and I am looking forward to sleeping in my own little bed tonight!

Although things did not turn out the way I had anticipated or hoped for this week, Kevin and I are very encouraged by what God taught us and the blessings that were shown to us. It's amazing how often I think we are heading down one path and that path is altered to a different one. I have learned over the past 10 years that it really doesn't do anyone any good to do what I would like to do (and sometimes have done) in these instances (pitch a fit!) Instead God has taught me to step back and try to watch what He is trying to teach us. Sometimes this is easier to do than other times. This week, it took a few days for me to figure out that things weren't going as well as we had hoped for and after getting ready to start grumbling, I looked outside of our window (we had an incredible view of the park and it was all lit up) and I could hear God saying to me Ecclesiastes 3:1 "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven" and also Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord." I was immediately comforted. Thank you Jesus for comforting me.

I don't know if you have read the little story by Emily Perl Kingsley but someone sent this to me right after Grace was born. Emily wrote this as a description of what it is like to have a child born to you with special needs. Here is the story:

Welcome to Holland

When you are going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, Michelangelo’s David, a gondola ride in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”

“Holland?!?” you say. “What do you mean, Holland? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”

But there has been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine, and disease. It’s just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It is just a different place. It’s slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills; Holland has tulips; Holland even has Rembrandts.

Everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”

The pain of that will never ever go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely, things about Holland.

This little story was exactly the way I felt after Grace was born and it depicts how I have felt so many times throughout her life. This week is one of those times. My bags were packed and I was ready for one trip yet someone sent me somewhere else....but it was just as beautiful, just different!

Some of the blessings that we received this week were meeting so many children with so many needs (kids that had just been through major surgeries, kids in wheelchairs, and multiple kids with amputations and missing limbs) and watching pure joy on their faces. These kiddos know how to enjoy life to the fullest and embrace each moment as a gift. Another blessing was Grace getting to develop some relationships with some of these children and watching this happen was amazing. I have never seen her at such ease in any sort of peer group. Also, the entire hospital setting and all of the caregivers were absolutely incredible! It was such a blessing to have such a positive experience for Grace in a hospital setting. She actually had fun!

We continue to trust in God's plan for Grace's life and thank Him for a great week! Now, we are anxiously awaiting Cannon's return from camp tomorrow!

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family,

Carrie

Great Summer!!

2010-07-11T23:52:00.003-05:00

Summer has been so good and our family has really enjoyed the time off to relax, sleep in, and not have to worry about our normal busy schedules. It has been so nice just taking a break from the craziness of life. It would be nice if that break would also mean a break from hospitals, drs, treatments, therapy appts, and medicines, but unfortunately, we aren't able to do that! And the good news is that even though none of us likes any of these things, we are all doing well and making good progress, which is a huge praise!

We have enjoyed days at the pool, time at the mall, a week with my brother's son, lot's of time with my mom and dad (so thankful my mom has retired!!!!), movies, friends, eating out, celebrated Cannon's 14th bday, and lots and lots of games. We have had more great family time this summer than I can remember in summer's past but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that everyone is feeling pretty good. Praise God!

The past two weeks have been spent caring for our sweet dog, Mulligan. She quit eating a few weeks ago and began having trouble walking. Over the past two weeks, she grew steadily worse. Our family sadly began preparing for what was to come. Our vet was able to give her medicine to help with her pain. We started having to take shifts throughout the day and night to comfort her. On July 10th, her 17th birthday, she passed away peacefully in her sleep. We had a sweet little ceremony for her and buried her in our backyard. Our family is grieving the loss of a special part of our family, but we are thankful for the years we had with her.

Tomorrow, Cannon will leave for PCBC Thee camp in Oklahoma for 6 days. He seems excited and I think it will be good for him to get away and get his mind off of the loss of Mully. His dr has given him a lot of restrictions for his foot and leg. I pray that he will not get injured while he is gone and that he has a great time despite his restrictions.

Grace and I will be checking Grace in to Scottish Rite Hospital tomorrow where we will be spending the week. We are so thankful that she isn't sick and isn't having surgery! She will be learning how to do all of her medical things on her own. We are so thankful for this program and pray that it is successful!

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family,

Carrie

"For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord." Psalm 117:2

Swimming Again!!

2010-06-05T21:17:00.003-05:00

Grace was able to go back to swimming today....just 72 hours after her surgical procedure! For those of you who don't know, swimming is one of Grace's very favorite things to do. She was so happy and had so much fun! We continue to be quite thankful for all of the blessings in our lives and count a quick recovery as one of these!

Thank you for your prayers!

Carrie

Shortest stay ever and so thankful!!!!!

2010-06-02T19:29:00.000-05:00

Thank you for your prayers today. We are so thankful for God's watchful hand today. He oversaw it all. Grace was scheduled to stay at Children's a few days due to medical history but instead we had our shortest stay EVER... I think it was about 4 hours!!!!! In true Grace fashion, she baffled the nurses and drs by her "nerves of steel" (as they called it). I say it's God living and breathing in her every day to give her strength and endurance beyond words.

I can never visit Children's without being reminded of how blessed we are....there continue to be so many sick children in the world. As Grace was being prepped for surgery, a baby was being prepped across the hallway from us for neurosurgery with Grace's neurosurgeon. We were saddened for this baby and the family. Please hug your healthy children tonight and pray for those who are sick and less fortunate than we are.

Thank you again for your prayers.

Love,

Carrie

Praying as Grace faces another surgery....

2010-06-01T10:31:00.004-05:00

Well, school is out and we are so thankful that we made it limping to the finish line!! We are all so thankful that summer is finally here and we can all rest and relax! yea!!!!

Please pray right now for Grace as she will undergo another surgical procedure tomorrow morning, (Wednesday). As her body has continued to have some medical issues this spring, we are hoping that this will help many areas in her body. Please join us as we pray for drs wisdom and Grace's safety. We are resting in God's plan for her life... (Jeremiah 29:11) and thankful that He continues with provisions both big and small!

Thankful for Grace's willingness as she accepted the news of this...her only question was "when will I be able to swim?" She is amazing and I am so thankful that God has gifted her with such strength and grace to continue to be willing to face each challenge that comes her way. She even commented that this is "not even a BIG deal, Mom." And, I guess for her and everything she has had done, this isn't so big....Wow...Thank you, Amazing, God!!!!

We are so thankful for each of you and your faithfulness to our family!

Love,

Carrie

Psalm 121:1-8

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Grace's Wish Party

2010-05-19T19:41:00.004-05:00

Last Friday, the Make-A-Wish chapter of North Texas had an incredible party for Grace and our family and we wanted to say thank you! They invited Grace's friends and our family to gather at their wishing place, Maggiano's graciously donated a fabulous dinner, we watched footage from our New York trip, and Grace's article in American Girl was on each table along with placemats of the article that were precious!

The entire place was filled with friends, smiles, and laughing girls and it was an incredible night...one that will hold a special place in our hearts for a long time!! It was so fun to watch Grace smile, giggle, skip, and talk with her friends as she shared this exciting time in her life with them. It was also so fun to see Grace show her friends the place where she made her wish and explain to her friends (with my help) how that wish came to be. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is an incredible organization and we are so thankful for them and what they did for our family!

So many of Grace's friends have been with her for so many years and so many of them have been there when she has been so sick and it was great that they all came on a rainy night and celebrated with us. It was such a treat to see Grace with her friends in a different light, having so much fun and away from doctors and hospitals! The best way I can describe it is it was pure JOY! I know I have told you so many times before but it is what I love best about Grace. Her ability to find joy in all circumstances. For this particular night, after such a long week of many, many tests and procedures, it was amazing to watch the JOY on her face!

Thank you to:

Claire, Colleen, and Ashley from Make-A-Wish for everything that you did for Grace....Maggiano's for the wonderful food....to the sweet lady who made the delicious pink cake.....Cannon for his photography and videography skills in NYC and for loving his little sister so well...and to all of our sweet family and friends. WE love each and every one of you!

Praise God for the blessings in our life,

Carrie

Pictures to follow soon.....

God's Perfect Plan

2010-05-11T23:15:00.004-05:00

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

How many times have I planned out my life? We don't have enough days this year for me to write about it or for you to read about it. I do this so often even when I know that God's ways are so much better than my own. What's even stranger is the fact that I am always so amazed when I get through a hard situation and come to the other side and say, "Wow, God planned that out perfectly and can talk through all of the incredible ways that God showed up and was pointing us every step of the way.

Well, He's done it again...and crazy enough I am amazed again! A few years ago, a friend told Make-A-Wish about our daughter, Grace, and her story. MAW contacted us and after many phone calls and meetings they began the process of trying to grant Grace her wish. At the time, Grace was 7 and the TV series Hannah Montana was Grace's life. She had been home for a long time recovering from one of her spinal surgeries and she could escape from her own life when she watched HM. It was no surprise to us when she told MAW that she wanted to meet Hannah Montana because she had been asking to meet her for a long time. Grace was put on the list of kids who wanted to meet HM (Miley Cyrus) and she was #22 in line. We were told that it would be about a year or so. Definitely not my wish, but this wasn't about me, it was all about Grace. MAW was wonderful about it and so we began to wait. Amazingly, God already had a plan! (Psalm 139)

Meanwhile, as many of you know, Grace continued to struggle medically, was in and out of the hospital, and continued to have surgeries. Fast forward to last summer. Grace was recovering from another spinal surgery and we got a call from MAW that Grace would soon be up on the list to meet Miley! When I told Grace the news, she told me, "I don't want to meet her anymore." What? She said, "I want to be American Girl's Girl of the Year and help encourage other girls who are sick, kind of like Charissa did with bullying." Again, I thought, what? and how is that going to work?

But, remember, God, has incredible plans for our lives! (Jeremiah 29:11) MAW and American Girl have been AMAZING through this whole process! On the 1st of May, our family was flown to New York City on a VIP trip! We had limos shuttle us around as we toured the city and all of it's incredible landmarks. (Thank you Bermuda Limousine) We stayed at the Grand Hyatt and Grace commented on arrival, "Wow, this looks like a palace!" WE also had VIP trips to the Empire State Building, Mary Poppins (where we went backstage after the show and saw the sets and met the actress playing Mary Poppins and the children playing the Banks childrens!!), and the Statue of Liberty!

Grace's Wish Day was May 3rd and we were picked up in a beautiful limo and driven to the American Girl Store. Gail was our volunteer escort from MAW and was lovely! Once arriving at AGS, we were met by Robyn Roth-Moise, Grace's very own Personal Shopper! She was incredible and made Grace feel like a princess all day! Grace got to pick out her very own doll! Lots of clothes and accessories!! And then got to learn how to style her new and one of her old doll's hair (Felicity) with Moe at the Doll Hair and Boutique. Felicity also got her ears pierced and then went to the doll hospital to get a well check. From there, Grace had a photo shoot with her dolls and learned that she was being chosen to have her picture on the front of the magazine in the New York store for the month of May!!! Wow!!!! And the fun continued as Grace skipped through the 4 floors of the store. As many of you know, Grace can be so shy. But, this day, she kept a smile on her face, laughed, and had the time of her life! They treated us to lunch in their beautiful cafe and then more shopping! One of the last treats we received was being presented the May/June edition of the American Girl Magazine where Grace's story is told! It is a beautiful story and this brought me to tears. Mary Richards, the editor did an outstanding job capturing the true essence of Grace's personality by phone interview! By the time we left, our hearts were full and Grace was thrilled with her day! Thank you American Girl!!!

God has a plan and it is good. Sometimes we don't see that until years later....sometimes it can be 10 years. In 7 days, my little girl will be 10. Some days, I think it's been an incredibly long ten years for all of us, especially her. Those are the days when she is sick or when we are in the hospital or at the dr. Then, there are the days like when we were in NYC......she was still sick, but there were no drs and no hospital visits....God was revealing His bigger plan for her life, sharing her story with others, and there were His people surrounding us and loving on us...His hands and feet here on earth. Thank You Jesus.

God's Blessings

2010-05-08T23:34:00.002-05:00

"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." John 1:16

So many times I have come to the computer to post an update and I have sat here with thoughts running through my mind and stabbing me in my heart but have been unable to type them. It's been a long 3 months since I have last written and a lot has happened...yet our God remains so faithful to us, even in the midst of my doubt. I thank each one of you for continuing to pray for our family and to ask how you can help us...God hears our prayers and loves us dearly.

The best update I can give you is that Grace continues to amaze us. God has blessed her with such an enormous capacity to endure hardship that it sometimes blows me away. As of now, she is continuing to struggle with several medical issues and will go through a series of medical tests and procedures for the next 8 days. Our hope and prayer is that we would get some answers to why she has been so sick and be able to best treat her.

Cannon continues to be plagued with his foot/ankle/leg fractures from the first week of January. For some reason, these bones don't seem to want to heal. He will go for a bone evaluation this Wednesday. Our prayer is that we would get answers for him too and that he would be able to heal. He continues to be in a lot of pain, has missed a lot of school, and seems worn out from it all.

For me, there are days that I feel like the weight of all of this is too much to bear. The best way to describe it is like trying to tread water in the middle of the ocean in the middle of a big storm....I keep getting swept under the water. When I feel this way, I realize, just as Peter did, I have taken my eyes off of Christ and have put them on my circumstances and am trying to do it on my own. I must remind myself to fix my eyes on Christ and consistently lean on Him for my strength, His Word to renew me, and His people to encourage me and help me along.

Thankfully, we continue to be encouraged. Just a week ago, we were jetted off to New York City where Grace was granted her wish from Make-A-Wish and American Girl-New York. It was a wonderful experience for our whole family despite all of the medical issues going on right now! My next post will be about our trip but for now I wanted to update you on Grace's status and ask for prayer for her in the coming days.

Thank you for your faithfulness,

Carrie

God is good!

2010-02-16T22:42:00.002-06:00

I receive an email several times a week from Randy Alcorn's Eternal Perspective. Today, I was very encouraged by what he wrote because it is something that I have struggled with over the years and I know that many of you that read this blog also struggle too.

So, forgive me for not writing my own thoughts today. His were too good not to share. I also found it very interesting that when I read this I had just returned from the bookstore where I had picked up his latest book, If God Is Good. I hope you find this as encouraging as I did.

When we lock our eyes on our cancer, arthritis, fibromyalgia, diabetes, or disability, self-pity and bitterness can creep in. When we spend our days rehearsing the tragic death of a loved one, we will interpret all life through the darkness of our suffering. How much better when we focus upon Jesus!

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus... who for the joy set before him endured the cross.” The following verse commands us, “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:2–3).

However great our suffering, his was far greater. If you feel angry at God, what price would you have him pay for his failure to do more for people facing suffering and evil? Would you inflict capital punishment on him? You’re too late. No matter how bitter we feel toward God, could any of us come up with a punishment worse than what God chose to inflict upon himself?

Tim Keller writes,

If we again ask the question: “Why does God allow evil and suffering to continue?” and we look at the cross of Jesus, we still do not know what the answer is. However, we know what the answer isn’t. It can’t be that he doesn’t love us. It can’t be that he is indifferent or detached from our condition. God takes our misery and suffering so seriously that he was willing to take it on himself.... So, if we embrace the Christian teaching that Jesus is God and that he went to the Cross, then we have deep consolation and strength to face the brutal realities of life on earth.

If you know Jesus, then the hand holding yours bears the calluses of a carpenter who worked with wood and carried a cross for you. When he opens his hand, you see the gnarled flesh of the nail scars on his wrists. And when you think he doesn’t understand your pain, realize that you don’t understand the extent of his pain. Love him or not, he has proven he loves you.

If you hate suffering, does it make sense to choose eternal suffering when God has already suffered so much to deliver you from it?

In your most troubled moments, when you cry out to God, “Why have you let this happen?” picture the outstretched hands of Christ, forever scarred... for you.

Do those look like the hands of a God who does not care?

(Excerpted from my book If God Is Good.)

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family and your notes and emails of encouragement. Kevin and I are leaving tomorrow for a few days of R & R while his parents hold down the fort. Please keep all of us in your prayers.

In Him,

Carrie

December 2009 Pictures

2010-02-11T22:26:00.006-06:00

Christmas with the Greens

Cannon's Christmas party

Christmas Eve...our front yard!

2nd snow of the year!

Christmas Day

Nannie and Grace....celebrating Christmas with my parents

Grace sleeping...this is how she spent much of December

Happy New Year!

Do not be anxious about anything

2010-02-08T21:59:00.004-06:00

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:6-7

Please forgive me for letting so many weeks go by without writing anything. I have often thought about writing but have not been able to find the words to put on paper. As Grace continues to get older, I find it harder and harder to share with you in detail what is going on in her life. She covets her privacy. I hope you will understand.

What we do continue to need from you is prayer. Life looks different in our home than in most homes of a 9 year old little girl but thankfully God is not surprised by that. Most days I take comfort in knowing that everyday was planned out for us before even one of them came into being. But, unfortunately, some days, I let fear and anxiety get the better of me and I begin to question. These are the days that I take my eyes off of Jesus...these are the days when I am the most sad.

This evening I watched Grace experience this same thing for the first time in her life. Something, she has never experienced. She is really growing up. Thankfully, I had spent the better part of my day reading my Bible; God had equipped me for what was ahead! As we faced some really hard things, we leaned heavily on the Lord and were comforted by His word. Most importantly, we were reminded that we must give our fear over to God and let him do the worrying. As I held Grace until she fell asleep, I kept reminding her of His words, the same words that He had me read today. God is so good!

Thank you for continuing to pray for our family!

We love each of you,

Carrie

Children's Christmas Parade 2009

2009-12-31T14:56:00.000-06:00

The Children's Christmas Parade has been a tradition and something that Grace has always looked forward to going to watch in downtown Dallas the first Saturday in December. This year was extra special because Cannon got to come with us! He was asked to be a jester (as part of his playbill group from school) at the Christmas Breakfast that benefitted children in need at the Adolphus Hotel. We surprised the kids by spending the night at the hotel the night before and had a fun 24 hours there! God is so good! Who would have known that the very next day is when Grace got so sick. Here are a few pictures of our fun time at the hotel, at the parade (where we saw Selena Gomez!!), and where Cannon is entertaining kids!

Grace with Lily from Lily's Purple Plastic Purse

Grace at the parade

Grace!

Gotta love our hats!

On parade route....Cannon was freezing....it was in the 20's!

Cannon and friend

Cannon with other jesters greeting for breakfast. He didn't like me taking pictures!

Snow Day 2009!

2009-12-31T14:33:00.000-06:00

Grace's 3rd grade class presented the musical, Snow Day, the first week of December. (I know I am a little behind in posting this...) This same musical, Snow Day, Cannon's class sang, four years ago, so it was really sweet to watch again. Even more magical was the snow that fell that morning! Grace's role was a school kid and she sang, danced, and played her instrument beautifully! We were very proud of her! This was all just 3 days before she got so sick... Here are a few pictures of the day!

Grace in front of window as snow is falling outside!

Grace and good friend, Lily

Grace and her class

Grace and class on stage!

Pictures in the hospital December 2009

2009-12-11T19:46:00.003-06:00

Getting ready to leave hospital today...worn out.

Thursday, Dec 10th....Happy Bday Taylor!!!

Passing time in the hospital......Playing school...Grace's favorite pasttime!

Another favorite thing....reading!

Grace....can we leave yet???

Praise God, WE are HOME!!!

2009-12-11T18:13:00.002-06:00

God is good! and not just because we get to go home but because He loves us enough to take us through another storm and care for us all along the way! Never leaving us or forsaking us.

Thank you for your prayers and faithfulness to our family! Her tests were fine and so drs decided to send her home and we will monitor from here.

Love,

Carrie

Friday midmorning update

2009-12-11T13:30:00.000-06:00

Keep praying....right about the time I sent the last update, Grace began having blood in her urine. She will have some additional tests to see what could be causing this. Grace is sad that this changes our plans yet is so tired she curled up and is sleeping.
I look to my favorite verse for Grace to find comfort.
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. " Psalm 139: 14-16

Love,
Carrie

Friday morning update

2009-12-11T10:10:00.000-06:00

Thank you for your prayers! We feel them. We had a nice evening last night. Taylor's 25th bday was yesterday and so we had an impromptu celebration for him down here last night. All 5 of us. It was wonderful. Grace slept all night and held down her breakfast this morning and a water bottle without getting sick! Her IV has been stopped to see if she can maintain her fluids and not get sick this afternoon.
If all goes well, we could be home by late this afternoon or sometime tonight. We are praying!
We continue to be grateful for God's faithfulness in His Word that comforts us, for His love/forgiveness/mercy/grace/ that He gives to us, in His Spirit that groans with us, in our friends that He has given us to walk this road with us, and most importantly in the great sacrifice that He made for each of us.

"If we died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we disown him, he will also disown us;
if we are faithless, he will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown himself." 2 Timothy 2:11-13

We love you,
Carrie

Thursday update

2009-12-10T20:07:00.000-06:00

Another day is almost over and things are about the same around here. Grace's body is slowly responding to fluids. It has taken 5 bags of fluids so far to get her little body hydrated and it is still being pumped in. She is still sick but that has slowed down a little this afternoon. I pray that it continues and we are able to go home soon.

Thanks for the continued emails from each of you as I am growing weary yet continue to be encouraged and lifted up by your faithfulness to us.

Grace remains steadfast in her zest for life, her happiness, and her overall disposition. I wish I could be more like her. Although our room is smaller than a postage stamp, she finds ways to entertain herself and make me laugh. We spent yesterday evening making out a list of our blessings. Boy, we have a lot to be thankful for! Our room has a window that overlooks the landing pad for the careflights for Childrens. We watched several flights come in last night...some of these patients and families looked shell shocked. I am so thankful that Grace is so comfortable here because this is all she has known for 9 years. We have seen so many children who are so frightened as their worlds are being turned upside down. I tell you all this because I want you to stop what you are doing (you know the crazy days of December where you are running around checking off everything on your list) and go hug your precious children and your families. Life is too short to
miss out on the sweet part.

Thanks again for loving us.

Carrie

Wednesday update

2009-12-09T18:06:00.000-06:00

Faithful Friends,

Thank you for all of your emails and encouraging words. It was a very long night last night. And so we were carried by each of you Grace is struggling today and that fighting spirit is in full force.

Her labs and tests are back and just as we suspected her numbers are off, but much more than was suspected yesterday. Her poor little body is going to need a lot more fluids and treatment than we had initially been told and so our stay will be longer.

Please pray for Grace's body to respond to treatments and to heal, for her to feel loved, and for us to be a shining light down here and not give in to tiredness or lack of patience.

Thank you sweet friends,

Carrie

Back in the hospital

2009-12-09T14:48:00.002-06:00

Please pray for Grace. She was admitted to the hospital last night after several days of fighting a stomach bug. Even though she seemed to be doing pretty well at home, her little body couldn't fight the bug and she got too dehydrated. For Grace, this means needing IV fluids to restore fluids to her body, to help her bladder not get infected, and for her kidneys to start functioning properly again.

She handled being admitted to the hospital and what that means with the several IV pokes, the tests, the being woken every hour last night, and just the pure madness of a night in the hospital with true grace and patience. I always marvel at her inner strength and tenacity. God gives us exactly what we need!

Today has been a little harder of a day for all of us. Grace continues to be sick and she has had a harder time dealing with the reality of being here at the hospital today. Please pray that her body would heal and that we would be able to go home soon. We thank God for the little girl that He has given to us! She is amazing.....

Thank you for your prayers,
Love,
Carrie

October and November's Pictures

2009-11-29T21:41:00.003-06:00

Grace and her Junie B. Jones "Boo to You Too" pumpkin at Pumpkin Day

at UP Elementary

Grace (Gabriella from High School Musical), Caroline (Ketchup), and Alex (Mustard) on Halloween

Grace as Junie B. Jones on Book Character Dress Up Day

Cannon and Grace at the Gaylord Texan

Freezing....it's 4 degrees in ICE in Whoville...I mean the Gaylord

Love it!! Grace is not a snuggler, so this is a rare moment!

Grace and Taylor-Thanksgiving Day

Cannon, Grace, and Brett Jr at my parent's home

A lot has happened in a month

2009-11-28T07:29:00.006-06:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I have posted anything. I have had several people find me and ask me how Grace is doing and say, "I've noticed that you haven't written anything on the blog and so things must be good." In many ways, that is so true. Overall, Grace is doing great! To look at her, she looks great! She is happy and still hasn't gotten sick since the beginning of the school year and that is such a praise! She even had perfect attendance at her school for the second six weeks! She loved that because it is so rare.

Four weeks ago, we celebrated Pumpkin Day at Grace's school during the day, which meant that Grace had to decorate a pumpkin. It's a huge event at her school and something she loves to do. The next day was Halloween and our new block threw a block party that was a blast! Grace had so much fun! You will see as you look at her picture in the next blog that many people didn't even recognize her. She was Gabriella from High School Musical and wore a black wig. It was quite a contrast from her blonde hair! There were times that I even did a double take. Cannon spent the weekend at Pine Cove with our church and in true Cannon form he was his favorite character, Jim Carey. The next time you see him, ask him to do a line from one of his movies, you will crack up.

Kevin and I celebrated our 11th anniversary on Oct 30th and were looking forward to our fall getaway a week later when God had different plans for us. I had not been feeling well for a few days but had been ignoring it. Things finally got so bad and when I couldn't climb our stairs, I called our good friend Matt who is an ER dr and he helped us out. I ended up having my gallbladder out and had an extended stay in the hospital...was told that besides needing my gallbladder out I was just plain exhausted. Needless to say, we missed our trip to Italy. But, God never holds anything good from his children. I am thankful that I got sick here and not overseas, that God slowed me down and gave me some time to rest and do some thinking, and that we were surrounded by family and friends that could care for our family. It's been 3 weeks since my surgery and I am still running low on energy and my stomach still hurts pretty bad by the end of the day. Of course, I am not very patient, but am trying to work on this. I am also having a hard time eating normally and so I have lost a considerable amount of weight, not something that I needed to do.

Meanwhile, Grace has had 2 more rounds of monthly injections down at Children's. This last one was really hard on her. She was sore for several days and it reminded me of how hard this is on her and how brave she is. The drs believe that these injections are helping and so we are going to continue them and pray that there will be times that they don't hurt Grace as much. She is also still requiring medical procedures every 3 hours round the clock and so my sweet husband has been carrying the load on this and has been waking up every night to care for Grace. We have also met with her urologist regarding her bladder and kidneys. Although she has the appearance of things looking stable on the outside, he believes things on the inside regarding her spinal cord are beginning to start to deteriorate yet once again. This was very hard news to hear because she has been so healthy and she looks so good. He has recommended a less invasive day surgery and also some medicine to help with pain and nerve issues surrounding her legs. For now, we have opted for the medicine and are praying through the surgery aspects. The medicine is quite experimental in children and so it is something that we are monitoring very closely and have prayed about for over a year. All of this is just a reminder of how fragile her little body really is and how blessed we have been this fall because she has remained so healthy. As far as her kidney goes, we will wait until end of Feb to have an extensive test to see about the function of it.

This past weekend, we took advantage of Grace's health and spent an overnight at the Gaylord Texan. We enjoyed all of the Christmas festivities that they had available, meeting Santa, looking at lights, saw the ICE exhibit, and enjoyed each other's company. It was great to do this with Grace feeling so well, and even then with all of the walking we did, by the second day, she began looking at Kevin and with her great big smile she would say, "Daddy, could you carry me, my legs hurt." In these times, I have to guard myself from becoming anxious and worrying about whether this is the beginning of yet another retethering of her spinal column as the urologist is suggesting. I continue to pray through Phil 4:6-7. We also enjoyed some much needed R and R. It did our whole family good. We had some great family time and got lots of sleep, which we all needed and enjoyed some time with my brother and his family.

The week ahead holds many exciting things for our kids. Grace is busting at the seams as her grade will be performing Snow Day the Musical. She has been singing and dancing for weeks preparing for it. Cannon will be involved in the Shakespearean Feast at his school and is excited about it too. It should be a fun and busy week around here.

As always, we covet your prayers. Please pray for Grace to remain healthy and pray for her spinal cord, bladder, and kidneys. Pray for her little spirit to be able to withstand all that it has to endure from shots, to medicines, to medical procedures every 3 hours around the clock, to pain. Please also pray that I would regain my strength and be able to eat again. Pray that we would allow God to take these burdens from us and carry our loads. Lastly, pray that our family would be a light to others during the Christmas season.

Thank you sweet friends!

Love,

Carrie

Never a Dull Moment at our Home!

2009-10-27T12:04:00.005-05:00

Well, we've been busy again! Two weekends ago, Grace was enjoying the beautiful weather and her friends on the block when she fell off of her razor and fractured her elbow. How do my kids do these things??? She cried for a little bit but had such a fun day planned it really didn't slow her down for several days....then we went to the dr and found out, yes, it was REALLY broken, AGAIN! (you might remember, she did this in May a few days before her surgery). Another sling and more weeks of learning to use her right arm (she is a lefty!) But, she is a trooper and nothing seems to slow her down.

Another broken elbow!

Grace and Caroline at Junie B. Jones play

That same weekend, our family was invited to see Miley in concert. Grace was able to go with her good friends and see one of her favorite singers. She had a great time and fortunately is still too young to notice that Miley is growing up a little too fast. She loved the concert and hanging with her friends but she was just as happy with the Junie B. Jones play and seeing her favorite book character come to life!

Kevin and Grace waiting to see Miley

This past week was filled with singing and rehearsals as Cannon's acting career was in full throttle! His playbill class at school put on Oliver the Musical at his middle school and he had many long days and nights rehearsing and gearing up for the 4 day run of the show. It was so fun to watch him do something that he absolutely adores! I am thankful for this class and the outlet that he has with it.

In true Grace fashion, with things being super busy for Cannon, she seemed to be getting sick over the weekend but thankfully it never amounted to anything more than just needing some extra sleep and rest during the day. I am thankful that at this point, she is still very healthy!

Thank you for continuing to pray for our family!

Love,

Carrie

Another praise of thanksgiving!

2009-10-15T15:02:00.003-05:00

Praise God that Grace was able to receive the H1N1 vaccine today! I am so thankful for the compassionate team of doctors and nurses who surround her, care for her, and watch out for her! I received a phone call that they were holding one for her and to come in immediately to get it! Grace was so excited to get picked up in the middle of the day from school and afterwards I treated her to a quick lunch at McDonald's, her favorite stop!

We are thanking God for the provision of this vaccine and are hopeful that Grace will be protected from getting this horrible flu and all of it's side effects!

God is good!

Carrie

Celebrating our normal

2009-10-14T21:30:00.003-05:00

Another week has come and gone and Grace continues to get healthier and healthier. Praise God!

She is really enjoying 3rd grade and always has something to tell me when she gets home, which is new, in years past, she used to be really quiet about school. She is constantly reading a book or writing a little story for us when she is at home too. She continues to enjoy going to

her art class and her dance class and has also enjoyed some play dates with friends...something she had really been missing when she was sick.

Our family also made our annual visit to the State Fair this past weekend and we had a great time. One of the things we talked about was how fun it was to watch Grace be in a crowd of people and not be afraid about her getting sick. I also continue to marvel at her love for food...and the State Fair is a fun place to watch her eat! We have so many things to be thankful for!!

Three prayers I have right now: 1. that Grace would remain healthy 2. that she would somehow understand the medical things that are required of her and not fight having these done. 3. patience for me during these struggles with Grace

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family and for checking in. We are celebrating the joy of a somewhat normal life right now and trying to not get caught up in the fear and anxiety of when could things get bad again.

Love, Carrie

Protection and Provision

2009-10-05T23:27:00.004-05:00

The Lord continues to offer a shield of protection around Grace and we are so thankful! She has now been back in school 14 days and has stayed healthy as friends and family continue to get sick all around her....Praise God for His mighty protection! She is enjoying being back in school and is loving 3rd grade! She has become such a little chatterbox about her life again! Praise God! Grace also began her outside activities this past week...dance and art and was thrilled to be back! OYM at church on Sunday morning (Grace's Sunday school class) was also a highlight since it had been weeks since she had been there. So many praises...

The Lord has also provided for us in amazing ways. As many of you know, Kevin and I (along with many who love us well) have been in communication and prayer for over 4 years about what to do about our 90 year old home. Although it was perfect for us when we moved in almost 9 years ago, an old home needs a lot of work and maintenance to keep it running smoothly and with Grace's medical status, the house just always seemed to get pushed to the back burner. There just never was enough energy and resources to do what needed to be done and so each year, as Grace's health ebbed and flowed and take up most of our time, we seemed to see our home decline more rapidly...the roof was leaking in multiple rooms, the AC quit working, the utilities quit working, and many, many more issues. But, over the course of these years, we have made many wonderful memories in our sweet home with family and friends and so it was a really hard decision for us as we sought God's wisdom and guidance. After years of waiting, God answered us and provided a wonderful new home for us where we will begin to make new memories. He worked a deal where we were able to buy a new home and trade our Westminster home at the same time. This all happened in less than 2 weeks! With the help of loving family and friends, we packed our Westminster home in under a week and moved in last Friday! The picture that you see on this post is Cannon and Grace surrounded by boxes in our new garage!!!! (We didn't have a garage in our old home, so Grace thinks it is really cool!)

I have to tell you that we are grateful beyond words and most days, when I talk about it, I tear up. As we continue to unpack boxes and feel weary from that whole process, we continue to be blown away by God's amazing provision in our life. Our prayer is that we will remember His goodness and continue to thank Him and that we will continue to hold this world loosely and instead fix our eyes on Him.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family!

We love each of you,

Carrie

"You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God; and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 118: 28, 29

Close call

2009-10-01T00:58:00.002-05:00

We continue to pray each day for good health and protection for Grace as more and more friends and neighbors have gotten sick in the past week. There seem to be all sorts of bugs out there from swine flu to strep throat. I continue to have to remind myself not to be anxious about anything but to trust in the Lord with all of my heart, and mind, and soul. My grandmother used to tell me, "Carrie, don't borrow trouble." That is something that continues to play in my head when I begin to fret and worry about the "what ifs."

Well, our healthy world at home became not so healthy yesterday. Cannon came home from school early with a stomach ache and head ache. He seemed worse today and it appeared that Grace might be coming down with it too. After a quick phone call to their dr and a trip to see him, I am happy to report that neither one has the flu!!! Grace seems much better this evening, but Cannon has a stomach bug.

I pray that Cannon feels better soon and that Grace doesn't get as sick as Cannon is. Praising God that it isn't worse...

Thank you for your prayers,

Carrie

So far, so good!

2009-09-24T10:06:00.004-05:00

Grace has been in school a week now and she seems to be doing well. The first couple of days were a little bumpy, just because I think she was still tired and was adjusting to being back in school. She started going full day again on Monday and the past 3 days seem to have been very good for her. She is happy and has a lot to tell me when she comes home. She also has been surrounded by friends and staff at UP who are loving and encouraging her throughout the day. Praise God!

She has also stayed healthy and we are so thankful for that! There are so many people that she has been surrounded by that have gotten sick in the past week and so we are counting our blessings that she has remained healthy this past week. I continue to pray for all of our sweet friends who are sick and also that Grace will be protected from all that seems to be going around.

On Tuesday, Grace went for her monthly injection down at Children's and I was so proud of her! She didn't complain about going and was so brave! I am attaching a picture of us with our masks on for protection! Grace thought this was really funny.

Last night, Kevin's parents spent the night at our house so that Kevin and I could get a full night's sleep. I am so thankful for their kindness; we now have 2 sets of parents living here who are willing to help us! God is so good to us...He continues to provide for our every need.

Please continue to pray for Grace as she juggles all of her medical issues yet tries to get back into a "normal" routine. Please also continue to pray for protection from sickness. Thank you for keeping our family in your prayers!

Love,

Carrie

Cleared for school! Praise God!

2009-09-15T23:00:00.002-05:00

Things have been quite busy around our house and so please forgive me for the lack of updates this past week. Between managing Grace's medical issues and all that requires, to keeping up with her school work, to trying to juggle the rest of life, we have been busy. Exhausted, would put it mildly, but I have to say, it has been worth every second! Just when we think we can't do it one more second, God gives us the strength to continue. I am so thankful that God gave me Kevin to walk this path with me. He is an incredible father and husband!

Grace continues to be an example of finding joy and peace in all circumstances and it has been incredible to watch her this past week as she seems to slowly be growing stronger and healthier. I still think she looks like a ghost but I am hoping that if the sun would come out a little bit and we could get outside, some color might come back to her beautiful face.

Best news we have heard in awhile (besides Cannon got his cast off!!!).....Her dr cleared her for school and she will start 1/2 days this Thursday. Grace is pretty apprehensive about going back and so we are asking for a few prayers:

1. that Grace would be protected from illness

2. that Grace would be surrounded by friends that would love and encourage her

3. that Grace would not feel overwhelmed at school and would stay strong

4. that we would continue to trust in God's plan for our lives, whatever that might look like

Thank you for journeying with us!

Love,

Carrie

Keep praying

2009-09-08T20:55:00.002-05:00

Grace saw her urologist today and although he had some good things to tell us, like she is looking better and her sonogram looked better. He also had some things to say that made me sad, like it could be several more weeks before Grace is back to full speed and she will have to be monitored very closely going forward with regards to her kidneys and blood pressure. In true Grace fashion, she seemed okay with the news that she might be home from school for a few more weeks and in true Carrie fashion, I was quite sad. I pray that she continues to heal completely and that each day she grows stronger and stronger. I also pray that she does not get too far behind in school.

Thank you for your prayers!
Carrie

Tough Times but God's Love Prevails

2009-09-07T17:07:00.007-05:00

Okay, I know it has been a really long time since I have written anything on the blog. I'm so sorry for all of you who keep checking. Right after Kevin, Cannon, and Grace came back from Kansas, Grace had about 8 more days that she felt REALLY good! And we took FULL advantage. I think we crammed ALL of our summer activities into that short span. We were so busy during the day that I didn't even stop to think about writing something on the blog. Their cousin, Brett, (my only brother's only child) came to visit for a week and we had a such a wonderful time with him. We went to a water park where Grace road waterslides for the first time in her life, we visited several museums and the zoo, and we finally celebrated Cannon's bday with some friends at Six Flags. I think we all had begun to think that maybe Grace's medical issues were behind her.

Sadly, this pain free existence was very short- lived and Grace cratered quickly. Unfortunately for me, these were the hardest weeks I have ever experienced in my 36 year walk with Christ. For the first time in Grace's life, I began to be really mad at God and I questioned why he would stand by and allow her to have so much pain her life. I kept pleading with Him to either take her to Heaven, where there is no pain or if He planned to keep her here to make her well...I knew He could. Why wouldn't He answer me? As I began spiraling downward, Grace's pain continued to worsen, she was up more at night, and to make matters worse Cannon broke his arm. Two weeks ago, both kids started school, Cannon began 7th grade and Grace started 3rd grade and I came home and cried. I knew in my heart that she was sick and it was heartbreaking having to watch her try to make it at school when I knew she felt so bad. I so badly wanted my little girl to be like every other little girl in her class with out a care in the world. Why was she brought into this world to have to suffer so much?

Thankfully, when I didn't think I could fall any lower, God began to speak to me through loved ones, His Word, and through remarkable ways and He began showing me that He loves Grace more than I will ever know. He showed me that His ways are better than mine and that He is in control even when it doesn't look that way. Slowly, he began to pick me back up and I knew that regardless of what happened, we would be okay.

That takes us to about a week ago. Grace had a pretty rough weekend, was battling side and back pain and by the time she went to bed she had a fever and it was climbing. She woke up last Monday morning with a fever and even with Motrin and Tylenol it kept climbing. We headed to the pediatrician's office and by then it was 106.7. Grace was admitted to Children's Medical Center and continued having high fevers, side and back pain, and urinary issues for several days. The drs and nurses did an incredible job of sorting through her extensive medical history, ruled out some really scary things, and ended up treating her for 6 days with IV antiobiotics and pain meds. Grace ended up having a kidney infection that penetrated her upper right quadrant of her left kidney.

God spoke to us in mighty ways throughout the week while we were there. First, He provided sleep and rest for Kevin and me the Saturday night before Grace was admitted. My parents invited Grace and Cannon to stay with them for 24 hours while Kevin and I slept, went to dinner with friends, and rested. God was preparing us for the battle ahead. Next, He provided an incredible hospital, caring and wise doctors, and the most loving and compassionate nurses to care for Grace while she was hospitalized. He sent His people to surround us with prayer, have our physical needs met, and to love us when we were weak. He gave us His Word to strengthen us for the battle and to remind us that He is still with us and loves us. He is still the God of miracles because we watched Him perform miracles in her room everyday. Grace was able to withstand pain that isn't humanly possible. He showered us each with a measure of grace and patience that could only be from the Lord. He answered our prayers and brought us home where Grace can continue to rest and recover. The Lord provided in incredible ways throughout the week and showed us over and over again that He is right beside us.

Grace wasn't healed and will continue to have medical issues, more than likely throughout her life. It is still unclear when she will be healthy enough to go back to school. She will continue to have to have her kidneys checked for a long time. We have been home for 24 hours and she already has begun the pain again and had a slight fever this evening. What I have learned through this is my little girl was wired for this. God gave her something that He didn't give me....she is a warrior and she will fight to the bitter end, she is full of grace and strength from the Lord. Praise God for that! I pray that as He continues to mold me into the person that He wants me to be, that I trust in His plan, and that I quit trying to tell Him what to do.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family.

Love,

Carrie

Grace having PICC line placed

Kevin in PICC room- gotta love the hat!

Going Home!!!

St. John Vacation July 2009

2009-09-07T16:48:00.004-05:00

St. John Vacation July 2009- I know these are so overdue for getting them on the blog. We've been a little busy and I had a bunch of pictures to look through. These are some of my favorites!

Cannon and Grace canoeing in Caneel Bay

Grace on beach in St. John, love the color of the water!

Boat trip to British Virgin Islands- The Baths are in the background

Family picture- just outside of our place

another one outside of our place

Favorite thing to do....snorkel

Grace snorkeling

Before dinner one night, outside of our place

Me and Cannon...he is almost as tall as me!

A Blessed Weekend

2009-08-03T22:45:00.003-05:00

This past weekend, Grace, Cannon, and Kevin went to Dodge City, Kansas to visit Kevin's parents, go to Dodge City Days and the Rodeo, and to have fun with cousins. While it was a very hard decision for me to not go, I am happy to report that it ended up being a great decision for me in the end. I was able to get some much needed rest, spend some time with friends, and do some things around the house that I have neglected for years. It wasn't until Sunday that I was able to reflect back and realize how truly exhausted I had been and what a blessing it was to have been given 4 days to rest and rejuvenate.

Kevin and the kids had a great time. The kids reported the highlights as playing with their cousins, spending hours upon hours outside in the land surrounding Kevin's parents home, hunting rabbits and whatever wildlife they could find, touring the town Kevin grew up in, going to Boot Hill and seeing an actual saloon, going to a craft fair, driving go-carts, and seeing the rodeo "where a real live monkey rode a dog and everyone was in cowboy boots and hats and stared at Grace's island braids, Mom." A very special time for them and the last time they will visit their grandparents home. Kevin's parents will be moving to Melissa, Texas next month to be closer to all four sons and their families. So it was a bittersweet weekend for all.

Another milestone in this eventful weekend is that Grace and I were separated for the first time since her surgery and both of us survived. I had been concerned at how attached Grace had become to me post-surgery and so this weekend was great in that Grace was able to go do something fun and not have to have me right there with her. I great weaning opportunity! I know that this will give her the confidence to be able to continue to be more and more independent.

I also believe that Grace has finally turned the corner and is really feeling much better. I see her energy and stamina lasting longer throughout the day and her wanting to get dressed instead of staying in her pjs during the day. She is asking to have friends come and play again and telling me that she is bored when she is playing by herself. All such good signs! I am so thankful that we still have 21 more days of summer!

Matthew 11:28

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family,

Carrie

Caught off guard

2009-07-29T14:34:00.005-05:00

Grace with prize/bribe after injection (she talked me into going to American Girl Store and getting PJs for her doll and matching ones for her. Her braids are from her trip....and yes, I promise I will post photos soon.)

Thank you for your prayers, emails, and phone calls regarding Grace's appointment at Children's yesterday. It was a very tough day for her...one of the toughest she has had since surgery. Just as they had told me, the injection really did hurt and Grace reacted to a needle for the first time in her life. I think we were both caught off guard because she has become so used to needles in her lifetime...but thankfully, we serve a loving God that was not caught off guard and He had a wonderfully, loving nurse stationed there to take very good care of Grace. We are so thankful for sweet Martha Cate and for her loving arms and encouraging words. It's been a long time since we have both been that sad but we were comforted by the sweet hands of Jesus.

I am also thankful that we have 27 days until the next one! Although Grace is very sore today, she continues to amaze me with her sweet spirit. When she woke up, she hobbled down the stairs and told me that even though she hurt, she had so many things to be thankful for. I pray that the soreness goes away soon and that she never loses her sweet spirit through this medical storm that never seems to end. I also pray that the treatments will be effective.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family.

In Him,

Carrie

Growing stronger each day

2009-07-26T22:35:00.003-05:00

Thank you for your continued prayers regarding our family. We have had a good week this past week. We were able to visit a few spots around Dallas that the kids enjoy going to and Grace did pretty well. We also made a few short visits to the pool, which Grace always loves and on one of those trips she saw some school friends and really enjoyed her time with them. So, all in all, a good week with Grace continuing to make progress and grow stronger and stronger. Praise God!

Please continue to pray for Grace for the coming week and for the many weeks ahead. She will be going to Children's on Tuesday to begin treatment that she will have every 28 days for about 3 years. She will receive an injection of a medication, that we have been told is quite painful and then we will have to wait about an hour to make sure she doesn't have a reaction. We pray that the treatment is successful in treating her pituitary cyst and that there will be no side effects for Grace. We are so thankful for all the doctors involved in this decision and for the Lord's guidance.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family!

In His Love,

Carrie

Vacation Bliss

2009-07-20T15:44:00.004-05:00

Thank you so much for your prayers while we were away. We ended up having a wonderful vacation and are so thankful that we were able to get away! God heard us and answered our prayers and we are so thankful to Him! We are rested, relaxed, and ready to do life in Dallas again!

We ended up spending 9 days in our favorite beach spot in the entire world, a little place in the US Virgin Islands on St. John called Caneel Bay. It is absolutely gorgeous and for me, it is my version of the Garden of Eden, here on earth. Our little spot is just steps from the baby blue water, a place that offers such a tranquil, peaceful setting and really restores my soul every time I am there. I am always so amazed at how wonderful the people are there, how kind and giving they are to us and how much they love their island. They don't have much at all, but they are filled with such joy and it is really refreshing to talk with them.

Thank you for your prayers for Grace. It was really good to get her out of Dallas and into a different climate and environment. Even though, she still had days that she didn't feel well, she was able to lie in her bed and look out into the water and be at peace...knowing that no one would be taking her to the dr anytime soon. She also had one day that she played on the beach and in the water for hours and for that one day it was so good to see a glimpse of the child that she will one day become again, once she gets all of her strength and endurance back. All in all, it was a good trip for her and she came back with her island braids again. She looks really cute.

Cannon and Kevin had a great time too. They spent a lot of time snorkeling and looking at a lot of different things underwater, like eel, turtles, barracuda, at least those are the really cool things that Cannon mentioned. Cannon continues to grow up before our very eyes...and growing taller every day. I continue to thank the Lord for his desire to be in His Word each day. We have been reading through the Proverbs and he and I have really enjoyed some great discussions regarding all that God has to teach us about wisdom.

For me, I think the most important thing that God taught me on this trip was to continue to trust God's perfect plan even through the pain and the hardships. On one of the days that Grace was feeling really sick and was in a lot of pain and I had already had several conversations with God that went something like this, "Ok, I just don't understand this God, we're here, in a beautiful place, I look up and down the beach and see other boys and girls enjoying the beach and the water, I'm really trying to trust you, Lord, but I just can't seem to understand why Grace can't just feel good. Oh, why, Lord, does she continue to feel so badly? Can't you please, please take this pain away from my sweet baby girl? I just want her to run up and down the beach with the other kids, please?" I was sitting in a chair by the water but I kept looking back at the window where Grace was lying in bed. About that time, the woman, Beth, who was staying next to us walked up to me and asked me if my little girl was feeling ok. She had noticed that she had been inside all day. We started talking and I found out that she was a speech pathologist in Atlanta and she has a patient, who is three years old that has a similar diagnosis that Grace has. His parents, who are friends of Beth, have been given a very poor prognosis and after watching Grace the past few days, Beth was very encouraged. I ended up giving Beth my email and phone number to give to this family so that we could talk more and I could hopefully encourage them more. I walked away from the conversation with Beth, asking God to forgive me for not trusting Him, thanking God, and being reminded that He does have a purpose and He is in control. I know that I would not have had that conversation with Beth, if Grace had not been sick that day. Thank you God for your plan is greater than mine will ever be! 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

Thanks again for your prayers regarding our family. Please continue to pray for Grace to grow stronger, for pain to subside, for wisdom regarding her medical tests and decisions that we will need to make, and for us to continue to be able to enjoy the rest of our summer. Stay tuned for pictures of Grace and our trip!

In His Love,

Carrie

We're out of here!!!

2009-07-06T23:13:00.003-05:00

Thank you for your prayers. Grace felt better by the morning of the 4th and her body held up pretty well throughout the day. She loved our neighborhood parade, came home and rested, enjoyed swimming for a few hours, came home and rested, and then ended the evening with friends and fireworks. We were very thankful for a great day for her!

Sunday and today have been spent resting a lot but Grace doesn't seem to mind too much. She keeps busy by reading, playing with her toys, and sometimes even arguing with her brother. We also made another trip to the dr today to have her elbow rechecked. For some reason, it's having a hard time healing completely. We continue to pray for complete healing so that she won't have to undergo another MRI.

Tomorrow, our family will be going on a vacation and I'm not sure who is the most excited about it. We are all thrilled that the drs have agreed that Grace is able to travel! Grace seems very excited to have a break from tutoring, working on math and language skills, and to know that we don't have ANY drs appts or trips down to Children's scheduled for at least 2 weeks! I wanted to let each of you know so that you could cover us in prayer. We ask for specific prayer regarding: travel safety, Grace's health while we are away, fun family times, rest, relaxation, and most of all that we would be able to shine our lights brightly for Jesus while we are away.

Thank you for your prayers.

Love,

Carrie

Keep Praying Please

2009-07-03T22:39:00.002-05:00

The last few days for Grace have been pretty hard. She hasn't felt very well and I'm not sure if she picked up a bug from Children's or if it's just more of the same. The heat has also really become a factor for her as well, and so I am thankful that we are blessed with air-conditioning!

We continue to pray for her body to grow stronger and for her to feel well again.

Thank you for your continued prayers,

Carrie

Thankful this day is over!

2009-06-30T22:32:00.003-05:00

Thank you for your prayers today. We really needed them. I think the effects of yesterday hit Grace today because she had a really hard day today. She spent most of the morning and afternoon crying. I love the way God always sweeps in and takes over when I just don't think I can handle it anymore. Today, it was in the form of my sweet husband walking through the door right when I needed a helping hand and consoling Grace for 15 minutes so that I could get Cannon where he needed to be. Just getting out and away from the situation for a few minutes allowed me to pray without hearing crying, gather my thoughts again, and be able to come back in and gear up for the afternoon. I had a hard time convincing her to get in the car so that we could make it on time to her scheduled appointment and blood draw, but thankfully once I got her in the car and we were on the way, she seemed to calm down.

We are all rejoicing that, as long as things go smoothly, Grace is not scheduled to see a dr or the hospital for a few weeks! I pray that this holds true. We also pray for patience as we wait 2 weeks for the blood tests to be analyzed and information to be gathered regarding the latest testing that was done and wisdom as we decide how to proceed further.

Thank you for your continued prayers and love for our family,

Carrie

Relying on the Lord

2009-06-29T22:43:00.002-05:00

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:28-31

This has always been one of my favorite verses and one that I have clung to in times where I have thought, "Ok, Lord, we just can't do this one more second." I have found such comfort in this verse. I am so thankful that the Lord reminded me of this verse just this morning during my quiet time. He knew that we would need to cling to it today and be reminded that we can't do it alone. Thank you God for your words!

What was supposed to be a 4 hour stay at Children's ended up being over 8 hours, with lots of blood draws and more pokes than we were anticipating. Even though it wasn't the ideal situation, God covered us every step of the way. The nurses and staff were wonderful and so compassionate. Grace's main nurse ended up staying 3 hours after her shift to continue taking care of her and ended up making sure we made it out of the hospital okay because it was dark outside. We are so thankful for her care. Grace was like a little angel the whole time we were there. She never complained and kept her radiant glow about her the entire time. I know that it is only through the Lord that this is even possible because a little body can only take so much. I continue to pray that He will strengthen all of us.

Tomorrow, she has will have a follow-up appointment and will then have to have more blood work. Please pray that we will continue to rely on the Lord for our strength and that we would not question His plan for her life.

We continue to be so thankful for your prayers. They were really felt today.

Much love,

Carrie

Here we go again....

2009-06-28T22:11:00.002-05:00

Please continue to pray for Grace. She will be checked in to Children's Special Procedures Unit tomorrow for at least four hours where they will be doing some additional testing. She will have an IV put in, have blood drawn every half hour, and will have an experimental medicine pumped into her to see if it helps with some issues that she has been having. In true Grace fashion, she seems very calm and so at ease with knowing where she will spend her day tomorrow. I pray that it will all go smoothly and she will be loved well by all that we come in contact with. I also pray that she will be a light to others....I know this is part of God's purpose for her life...pray that we will remember that when we grow weary tomorrow.

I am so thankful for a great weekend of rest, relaxation, and lots of fun so that we can be recharged for another week of testing and appointments.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family,

Love,

Carrie

Psalm 55:22 "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken."

Great 24 hours!!!

2009-06-27T22:56:00.004-05:00

It's been a GREAT 24 hours at our house and I would like to thank you for your prayers for our family! Yesterday was Cannon's 13th birthday and we have been celebrating for the past 24 hours. Since Grace was born 9 years ago, half of Cannon's birthdays have been spent with Grace in the hospital, so we were all very thankful that this one was celebrated with Grace only having to make a short trip down to Children's for an appointment! Cannon slept in and didn't even notice we were gone!

It has been really great to have both Grace and Cannon feeling so good too! Cannon had a wonderful day getting ready for his performance and we all truly enjoyed the musical last night. It was great and Cannon did a fantastic job. Afterwards, we celebrated at one of Cannon and Grace's favorite restaurants and were even treated to the regular event of the raccoons coming out to beg for food...I know it is bizarre but something they love to watch. I had to pull Cannon away from them when I noticed that he was hand feeding them...we have spent enough time down at Children's lately, no need for a rabies scare right now! The night ended with Cannon enjoying a few presents from family and a special treat from his small group leader's (Amit) mom. She baked Cannon a chocolate chip cake and sent it to him. So sweet and Cannon loved it.

Since Cannon had to have his birthday party postponed due to his injury, we planned to take him to Dave and Busters today for some games. This is another spot that Grace and Cannon love and we always take them there sometime during the summer to get out of the heat. It was great to just watch them have fun and forget about everything that has happened over the past few months. I loved watching them count their tickets and decide what was the biggest stuffed animal they could come home with!

I think the best part of Cannon's bday showed up at around 5:30 today....My brother and nephew drove up from Houston and surprised Cannon. It was so fun to see his expression when they showed up! He said it was the best present he could ever receive! Cannon, Grace, and Brett Jr. had a ball at dinner at Magic Time Machine joking with all of the characters and just plain laughing. I don't think any of us have had so much fun in months. It was so good to get out, laugh, forget about health issues, and be normal!!!

Thank you for all of your prayers. We feel so blessed that our family has had such a great Friday and Saturday and that everyone has felt so good!

Carrie

Cannon as The Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland, The Musical

Cannon feeding a raccoon at one of his favorite restaurants in Dallas

Cannon's cake from Amit's mom flown in from New York!

Happy Birthday Cannon from Grace and bunny!

Cannon and Grace with their prizes at Dave and Busters

Having fun at Magic Time Machine....Grace is hiding in my lap...my brother (Brett) is the one on the far left, my nephew (Brett Jr) is next to Cannon...my dad took the picture.

Our family celebrating bday at Magic Time Machine!

Happy 13th Birthday Cannon!!!

Refreshed and ready

2009-06-25T17:06:00.003-05:00

For those who have been following regularly, you will be happy to know that Cannon is going to be able to participate in his musical tomorrow night. His theater teacher and all of the instructors at PCD have been wonderful throughout this past week! He practiced his role today and they say he is ready!! I can't believe he is ready and we are thrilled for him! I know how much it means to him and am so thankful that he feels so much better! He hasn't even taken any pain medicine today!!

So, they will be performing in the Bob Hope Theater at SMU (really cool!!) tomorrow night at 7pm. General public invited! $5 tickets at the door, so come if you want to! It's Alice in Wonderland. His role is the caterpillar and he has a solo. Should be really cute! If you can't tell, I am really proud of him and the way God has wired him to be so passionate about this. For those who have known him for a long time, you know he has always loved dressing up and doing some type of dramatization and we are just excited that he can finally have an outlet for this! Thank you God for healing Cannon's body and we pray that he feels loved tomorrow as he celebrates his 13th birthday!!

Grace had a quiet day today of resting and building up her energy again today. I think she is getting used to this new routine and I am thankful that she is so cooperative. Tomorrow, she will spend the morning down at Children's for further testing. We will all need our strength and patience for that! Please pray that no abnormalities will be found in Grace's sweet body tomorrow.

Last thing I wanted to share was that I had a sweet, sweet friend treat me to an afternoon out. For a few hours, I was able to forget about life at home and I came home refreshed and with a full cup again! I continue to be overwhelmed with the blessings that our family receives from so many wonderful friends!

Thank you for the way each of you continues to love us!

Carrie

Another great day!

2009-06-24T22:56:00.000-05:00

I am so happy to report that Cannon and Grace both had another great day! Praise God! Cannon was able to go to his theater workshop again and was even able to participate! I can't tell you how excited he was and how happy he looked when I picked him up!

Since I felt that Cannon was being taken care of, I was able to take Grace and a friend to the pool for a few hours to swim. Grace had such a good time at the pool and really enjoyed hanging with one of her buddies that she has known for many, many years. It was so good to be out and to know that both of our children were enjoying themselves! I felt that a huge burden had been lifted off of my shoulders.

We also enjoyed a nice evening too. I am so thankful for a good day and pray for more to come!

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Carrie

A Good Day...Praise God!

2009-06-23T22:59:00.002-05:00

Lamentations 3:22-23 "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Praise God for a good day today! Cannon woke up and seemed rested, his color was back, and so was his personality....dimples and everything! He had a good morning and so he ended up getting to go watch his Musical Theater camp today. It was so fun to see his face light up when everyone in the room shouted his name when he walked in! I think they were all relieved to see him! And it was great to see him back where he loves to be. Although the afternoon was really good for him, he came home really exhausted and so he rested this evening. He did get enough energy later in the evening to ask if we could have a family game night...again, it was just so good to see him back to himself! WE compromised with 1 game and then bedtime.

Grace also had another good day. She enjoyed some one on one time with me this afternoon as we played Polly Pockets and her dolls. I asked her if she was bored with staying at home and if she was ready to start going places and she told me, "No, momma, I get too tired when we go out. I really like it when we just play at home." I think some of this is true but I also think she feels safe at home too. My prayer for her is that she will learn to feel more comfortable being out more and will gain more and more strength, as well. She did walk to the end of the street and back with Kevin tonight, which is great exercise for her!

I continue to be so thankful for my sweet friends who love us enough to continue to call, email, and post to this blog to check up on us. I am also so thankful for the thoughtful friends who take time out of their busy summer to check in on us here at the house. Cannon had a nice visit last night with his small group leaders from church that really seemed to bring him a lot of joy and ice cream for the kids and we had sweet friends today who stopped by with the kids favorite treats! Thank you for the way you are loving our family,

Thank you also for your continued prayers,

Carrie

Trusting God

2009-06-22T18:11:00.002-05:00

Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." I know you know this verse, as do I. I have said it a million times in my lifetime and have prayed it even more today.

After a rough night with Cannon again we decided that we needed to call the dr to see if he wanted to see him again. After a full evaluation at the dr's office, he quickly sent us to Children's for a CT scan. I am very thankful to report that his scan looked good! I am also very thankful for a great team that saw us very quickly and also got the news back to us very quickly. It seems that this stubborn little concussion is just going to take some more time to heal and that Cannon's body is just going to need to rest more. Please pray for Cannon's body to heal, for patience for all of us, and for us to continue trusting in God's perfect plan.

Grace's appt also went well today. Best news we have received in a long time....the cyst in Grace's nasal septum hasn't grown and this particular dr doesn't need to see Grace for one year and then reevaluate then!!!! Praise God for this good report! Praise also that she has had a good day and seems to be feeling good today!

If all goes well, we shouldn't have to go back to Children's until Friday when Grace will have a sonogram. We would love for your prayers surrounding that test and that the drs would not find any abnormalities in the sonogram.

Please pray for all of his to get rest and be comforted by Him.

Thank you so much for your prayers,

Carrie

Continued prayers for Cannon and Grace

2009-06-21T21:25:00.002-05:00

Thank you for your prayers and calls regarding Cannon and Grace. Cannon has improved a little since Thursday getting a little more of his personality back but has spent the entire weekend laying flat, in a dark room. He has continued to experience incredible headaches and when he walks he has been dizzy. We thought he had perked up a little more this afternoon and even tried to move him to a sitting up position but that only lasted about 15 minutes before he became very sick to his stomach and started having blurred vision again. So, he had to lay back down. We continue to pray each day that he gets better. Now that he seems to have more of a memory, he is very upset about missing his theater camp last Thursday and Friday and we are all praying that he feels better tomorrow so that he will be able to go tomorrow afternoon and throughout the week. He is supposed to be in a musical on Friday evening but looking at him now it is hard to think that he could rehearse for 4 hours each day and be ready for that on Friday. But, we are still praying for him since we know how much he loves this and this is the only activity he signed up for the entire summer. His 13th birthday is also 5 days away and so that is another prayer....that he will be well to celebrate that. He already knows that his party (taking a few friends to Six Flags) has had to be postponed for several weeks but it would be nice to have him feel better. Please just continue to pray for him and thank you for all of your prayers for him to date.

Grace's appt at Children's on Friday was very long and hard. We heard a lot of information regarding a new medical condition that will require further testing this week and in the weeks to follow. Grace came home from the appointment and had a really hard afternoon, spending most of the day crying. I am not sure if she was sad from what she heard at the appointment, tired from the long day, frustrated that her brother was getting so much attention from me, or a combination of all of the above. Saturday wasn't much better for her and so Kevin took her to swim for a few hours and even though she seemed tired, I think it did her good to get some one on one attention alone with Daddy. Today has been a better day for her, but overall, she is still very tired.

Tomorrow, Grace and I head back down to the hospital to see another specialist. This time to discuss MRI results from April regarding the cyst in her nasal septum. I expect that he will want to just keep watching this area, based on what the MRI report said, and so I hope this appt is just routine. But, I will tell you all of the drs appts are starting to wear on Grace and me. Please pray for our patience tomorrow and that Grace will have a good day.

Thank you for continuing to pray for all of us,

Carrie

Prayers for Cannon and Grace needed

2009-06-18T22:44:00.003-05:00

Please pray for our sweet Cannon. He was hit in the head last night and has a concussion. He has been in terrible pain all day today along with severe headaches, blurred vision, dizziness, nausea, and bouts of vomiting. He is supposed to be laying in a dark room until his headaches go away and we are unsure of when that will be. Another hard part of this is that he has lost his normal bubbly personality. He is like a blank screen....no smile, no dimples, just staring into space. It has been really weird all day but the drs promised me that this is very normal for a head injury and he should return to his old self when he begins feeling better. Please pray that he will feel better soon and that he will have no long term effects of the injury.

Please also pray for Grace. She is going tomorrow for another evaluation down at Children's. Please pray that the drs will have wisdom on how to proceed with some issues with Grace. Please pray for our decisions that we will need to make. Most importantly, please pray for Grace as she will have to undergo some more testing.

So many of you have asked how we are doing and I would be lying to you if I just smiled and told you we were fine. But, I will say, even though we are weary, we are hanging in there. It takes a lot of Bible reading and praying to make it through the day and I still fall so short in how He would have me live my day. I am thankful for sweet friends that continue to check in on us and continue to lift us up in prayer.

2 Corinthians 4:8 "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair."

Love,

Carrie

Swimming, at last!

2009-06-15T13:31:00.000-05:00

On Friday, Grace woke me up asking me if her incision was healed enough to be able to go swimming. This has been the ongoing question for weeks now and something that I had been saying "NO" to over and over again. But, on Friday.....the answer was "YES"....there were NO MORE stitches sticking out of her back!!! I think that one little word, "YES" is what she has been holding onto hope for, for so many weeks now.

So, what does a little girl want to do that has just been cleared to swim? She drags her parents to her brother's VBS family night at Hawaiian Falls on Friday night, knowing that there isn't much there that she will be able to physically do but in her words she tells us, "All I want to do is go to that big area that dumps water on you, Momma, and just sit there, please." "Oh yea, can I please, go down the lazy river, too?" So, for 72 minutes, one little girl who has been counting the days until she could swim again, had the time of her life! Then, it began to lightning and we came home. I think most people were sad to have to leave, but not our car, I think we were the happiest family leaving the parking lot.

Saturday evening, we took the kids to see The Wizard of OZ at the Dallas Summer Musicals. Another fun outing for the family! Even the wicked witch didn't seem to scare Grace. I guess when you have been through what Grace has been through, not much can scare you!

Sunday, Grace got to go back to church for the first time since her surgery and was excited to see her teachers and her friends, but also seemed a little nervous. Her OYM teachers and friends were so sweet to her and made her transition back to church very easy. Lauren was there and even though Grace seemed a little apprehensive when she walked in, as soon as she saw sweet Lauren's face, she was able to just kind of peal off of me and onto Lauren. I am so thankful for the way she and the other OYM leaders serve and love Grace!

The question of the day after church on Sunday was, " Could we please go swimming at Royal Oaks?" Grace was thrilled to get to go swimming at her favorite watering hole and looked like a fish in the water. She definitely is such a natural in the water and I am so thankful that she has a place that she feels so comfortable being. And, so thankful that she can swim again!

I am so thankful for the blessing of swimming for Grace! She was so happy this weekend! Please continue to pray for her as her body continues to heal. She is very worn out today and is needing to rest. I pray that her strength and endurance will come back, but that in the meantime that we will be able to balance fun and rest. I pray for her body temperature that doesn't regulate properly....I ask that we would be able to keep it under control as the Dallas temperatures are increasing. I also pray for her bladder pain and other issues going on in her body. I pray for complete healing of her body. I pray for her studies as she is being tutored each morning throughout the summer; that she won't grow weary but that she will grow in knowledge and understanding. I also pray for Grace as she begins to adjust to having to be more independent, after months of relying on me for everything this is hard for her. She deals with so much, but right now I am going to bask in the memory of this weekend and the pure joy that I saw on her face, and not be burdened by the many hardships that she faces!

Thank you for continuing to pray for our family,

Carrie

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass thorugh the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
when you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you

Isaiah 43:1-4

The Land of Imagination

2009-06-13T10:16:00.000-05:00

Grace had a quiet Wednesday. I think her body had to rest from all of the playing in the sprinkler that she did on Tuesday. I think she was also sad because Kevin left for New York on Wednesday. This trip had been planned for him months ago...a celebration dinner for a big event that happened last fall for him. Our family had been planning on joining him on this trip and staying on extra to see the sights of NYC but had to cancel due to Grace's unforeseen lengthy recovery. Although everyone in our family was very sad about canceling the trip, we knew that it was the right thing to do for our family and that God had something better planned for our future! We just needed to be patient and wait.

Thankfully, by Friday, Grace's body was ready to venture out again. Mrs. Kuhne came by and picked Grace and a friend up to go get icecream. They had so much fun! Grace left giggling and came home giggling. Grace felt good enough when she came home to play with her sweet friend for another hour and a half! They escaped to the land of imagination. It was so fun to listen to the world they went to. I am so thankful for friends and for imaginations that can take Grace to a world that sometimes can be much more fun than the one she lives in!

And a sidenote, after a horrible thunderstorm, rainstorm, and lightening storm that began Wednesday night and didn't end until Thursday afternoon in Dallas, dropping over 10 inches of rain in the Park Cities, Kevin made it back on the ONLY flight that left La Guardia the entire day! The report from NYC was it was raining there too so we didn't miss much!

Thank you for continuing to pray for our family,

Carrie

Fireflies and Sprinklers

2009-06-09T23:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday and today were much better days for Grace. She seems to be feeling better and we are so thankful for that. We have been trying to push her a little more to try to build up her strength. We have also been trying to find activities to keep her occupied as summer is in it's second week and she still can't swim. To a little girl who didn't seem to mind having to miss out on so many end of school activities, having to miss out on swimming AND the trampoline is starting to take it's toll on her. So, what does a big brother and friend do about that? They find other things for Grace to do that also represent summertime fun....catching fireflies and running through sprinklers....good old fashioned fun! I have to tell you, my little heart leapt for joy when I saw Grace's face last night as she watched the fireflies in amazement. It was so good to see her on her feet and giggling to her heart's content. And again, today, when she was sad about not being able to swim, the sprinkler was dusted off and put out in our front yard and the giggling began all over again. The afternoon ended with a few of the neighborhood kids shooting water balloons with a huge slingshot and all of us watching it fly down to the next block. I don't think I have laughed that hard in weeks. It was great to see the smiles on my sweet kid's faces and know that we are so blessed.

Thanks for your prayers for our family!

Love,

Carrie

Cannon and the water balloon slingshot!

Let Go and Let God Be God

2009-06-07T22:28:00.001-05:00

I will have to say that this has been quite a long week for us; this being the first week of summer. While it started off with some fun activities, Western Day on Monday and a lemonade stand on Tuesday, the week began to drag on. I think a lot of this had to do with Grace not feeling very well. She complained much of the week that her bladder was hurting and seemed to be in a lot of pain. We ended up making a trip on Thursday to Children's Hospital to see her neurosurgeon and after a very rough Thursday night, we made a trip to the urology office on Friday. I am disappointed to say that we don't know much except that she is still not feeling great and no one seems to know what could be wrong.

I spent a lot of yesterday feeling down and sad for her, as I watched her seem so accepting of just laying in her bed and feeling rotten. I wanted to scream at someone as I looked at her and thought how unfair it is that she has this "lot" in life. Thankfully, I didn't. I took her cue. She seems so okay with where she is and so I must learn to accept it to. As a parent, I want so much for her, but I must shrink back and remember that God has a perfect plan for her life....what is so amazing is that she gets it....why can't I? Some times I can rest in Him and be so strong and

other times I fight so hard to take it back and be in control. My prayer for me today is to let go and let God be God.

I am thankful for the joyful moments of the week where we definitely felt loved....the fun activities that Cannon planned for us, a visit from Lauren (one of Grace's OYM leaders from church) and her dog-Jack, a visit from Grandma and Grandpa, several visits from Grace's friends, date night for me and Kevin, "samples" made from Papa and Nannie (the kids favorite dinner), porch sitting and chatting with my mom, and making Kevin and Grace's favorite cake and singing Happy Birthday to Kevin (his bday is in September, just to make Grace smile), and all of the other ways that each of you have showed up and made us smile this week.

Thank you for your continued prayers for Grace and for our family,

Love,

Carrie

First Day of Summer!

2009-06-03T23:10:00.000-05:00

Monday was an exciting day around our house. It was the first day of summer and Cannon and his friend, Lydia, declared it National Western Day. They decorated our house and dressed up in western wear and demanded that we all put on our best western wear to celebrate. It was quite a change from the quiet days Grace and I had been living! The day ended with a Western Party in our backyard, where they invited several friends to join in the fun. They read a story, played games, and even had a scavenger hunt. It was so good to see Grace smile and have so much fun! I am so thankful for Cannon's tender heart for wanting to entertain his sister and for his creative spirit. He always knows how to have a good time!! Kevin's parents were in town visiting from the weekend (our oldest nephew, Jordan, graduated from high school, Yea!!) and so they got a real kick out of watching the festivities too! Praise God for good times and brothers who know how to think outside of the box! (you can have fun in summer without going swimming!)

Sack Races

Grace playing pin the rope on the bull

Grace after bobbing for apples

Cannon after bobbing for apples

The Gang

Thanks for continuing to pray!

Love,

Carrie

Last Day of School Celebration!

2009-05-31T16:39:00.000-05:00

The last day of school brings many celebrations each year for everyone and this year was no different. Our family has been operating under a completely different set of circumstances for the past several weeks and so I wasn't sure how Friday would roll. As I reported in the last blog, Grace was able to go to UP for her class visit and say goodbye to her friends and Cannon had a class party to end out his year. I am thankful that not only did Cannon want me to come to his class party, but I was able to have care for Grace so that I could attend. It was so fun getting to watch Cannon interact with his 6th grade friends, one last time. He had such a great year this year! When we left MIS on Friday, he turned to me and told me he was going to miss his friends and his teachers, something he hasn't said in years....I think this is a true testament to the incredible teachers he has had this year! Thank you Ms. Taliaferro, Mrs. Melson, Mrs. Almarez, and Mrs. Dahlberg and thank you Dr. Pool for keeping an eye on him for me!!!

Cannon and Stuart at end of school party

Another end of school tradition in our family is to go to Benihana to celebrate the end of the school year with our sweet friends, the Bushes. We are so thankful that this is a tradition that Grace was able to participate in on Friday!!! As you can see from the pictures, the kids had so much fun! We had a good night of laughter and good times and are so thankful that Grace felt good enough to be able to go!

Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for complete healing. Throughout the weekend, Grace has been having a lot of bladder pain and she is having to take pain medicine again. We would love your prayers surrounding this.

Love,

Carrie

Grace's visit to school

2009-05-31T13:55:00.000-05:00

Grace was still very apprehensive upon waking up on Friday and fortunately it didn't take very long to figure out what was bothering her. She did NOT want to ride in the school wheelchair because she "didn't need it" and didn't want her friends to think she couldn't walk. (This was the plan we had devised for her to try to keep her safe and not worn out while visiting at school) Thankfully, it just took a phone call to our incredibly resourceful and great friend, Nurse Jenny, to brainstorm a new plan and off we went to school! Nurse Jenny also praised Grace for being able to speak up and share her feelings with us, something that she hasn't always been able to do. Praise God that Grace is maturing emotionally in so many ways!

Once at school, sweet Nurse Diane pushed me in the wheelchair with Grace in my lap. Ha! You should have seen us....we had lots of stares and I'm sure there were plenty of people wondering what in the world was wrong but I had to remind myself that it was more important that Grace was comfortable than what people thought. Grace seemed very happy that she was able to walk into her classroom without any assistance and her friends could see that she was doing okay. Mrs. Kuhne, Grace's teacher, did an excellent job preparing Grace's classmates for her arrival. They were all seated and one of the students immediately said to Grace, "We aren't supposed to jump up and run to you and so we are sending you air hugs, Grace." It was so precious. Another sweet friend, who has known Grace for several years had told the class earlier in the day, that Grace would be very uncomfortable if everyone stared at her....so thoughtful.

It's hard to know exactly what Grace thought of the day. In true Grace fashion, she was pretty stoic throughout the time that we were there. She sat at her desk and ate her lunch very quietly and listened as the students one by one shared their summer plans. I could tell she was just taking it all in. I sat off to the side and did the same. I can't even begin to share with you the emotions that I felt as I watched her classmates and Mrs. Kuhne love her so well. I think they were afraid if they got to close to her she might break, like a china doll. But, they watched her and talked to her and told her how much they had missed her. One of her friends had even changed his afternoon plans so that he wouldn't miss Grace's visit. My eyes are filling up with tears right now as I type this and I am remembering the day. I think the sweetest part of the day for me, besides watching Grace walk into the classroom, was hearing several of the children tell Grace that they had dedicated their fairytale , Connen's Dream, to Grace, who they believe is a heroine. This fairytale they wrote, illustrated, acted out, and had published. I know that Grace and I will never forget this sweet class and Mrs. Kuhne and the love that they have shown to Grace.

Apprehension

2009-05-28T21:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday and today have been normal days around our house. We are definitely in a routine. Grace continues to work on reading, writing, and math during the day, but we split it up throughout the day so that she doesn't wear out. I have been a little concerned about Grace's recovery progress because she is still not wanting to venture very far from her room but I have been told that she looks good and seems to be doing well....so I am not going to worry that she is still pretty tentative.

We did have a little excitement at our home last night when Taylor brought his girlfriend, Larren, to our home for the first time. It was so fun to get to meet her and it definitely put a smile on Grace's face. We all enjoyed our time with her and can't wait for her to come back!

Tomorrow is the last day of school for Cannon, and he is thrilled! Grace's elementary school's last day is tomorrow too, and so we are planning on making a visit to her classroom to say goodbye to her classmates. They will be eating lunch in the classroom and so that is when we will visit them. Grace seems a little apprehensive about this but I know she will be very happy to see her friends. Please join us as we pray for her anxiety about seeing her friends again and for protection for her body while she is at school.

Thanks for your prayers,

Carrie

Venturing out

2009-05-26T21:32:00.000-05:00

Our family had a nice relaxing weekend. Grace went on her first official outing on Saturday. We decided it would be fun to go to the movie. So, we packed a pillow, a blanket, and off we went. We all enjoyed getting out as a family, and Grace was so comfortable in the movie that she fell asleep! It's amazing how quickly she gets worn out but it was fun to get her out!

On Monday, we celebrated my mom's birthday (a few day's early) and enjoyed a picnic lunch outside. Grace and Cannon both thought it was a little too sunny and so that is why they are holding umbrellas.

Today, Kevin headed back to work and Cannon went back to school for just 4 more days until the last day of school. Grace and I decided to venture out again. This time to the bookstore to buy Grace a new book. We were gone a little over an hour by the time we went to the bookstore and I drove through the line at the bank. By the time we got home, Grace was worn out again. Every couple of days, we will venture out again, in hopes that Grace will begin to build back up her strength and stamina. I am so thankful that she is beginning to be able to get out even if it is every few days for just an hour or so. I am also thankful that her spirits are so good! She is such a joy to be around.

Please continue to pray that she will continue to make progress toward strengthening her body and gaining endurance, that her body would heal, and that she would ultimately make a full recovery. Thank you for your prayers! Love, Carrie

Do Not Fear

2009-05-22T12:24:00.000-05:00

Grace has had a busy week with drs. She got to get out of the house twice...for 2 doctors visits...orthopedic dr and neurosurgeon visits on Tuesday and Thursday. The ortho. dr said her elbow should be healed in 3 weeks, which was good news to hear. Yesterday, we made a trip to see Dr. Swift and spent a long time with him discussing Grace's progress. Overall, Dr. Swift continues to be pleased with how well Grace is progressing. He believes that she will still need about 4-6 weeks before she will be able to resume her normal activities, and so we will continue doing about what we have been doing now, up some during the day, with lots of rest in between.

Grace and I both were curious about swimming, since most pools will be opening this weekend and Grace loves to swim. Swimming will be great for Grace because it will help regain her muscle loss without impacting and straining her spine, BUT Grace will not be able to swim until her incision heals completely which could be another few weeks. I am thankful she will be able to swim this summer but to a child who is missing out on so much I am wishing and praying for that incision to heal rapidly. He also told us she can never ever get on a trampoline again....another sadness for her and horseback riding (which she did weekly last year and loved) she will only be able to do occasionally, like once or twice a year, but not weekly. Basically nothing that impacts her spine. So, again, I am thankful for so many blessings that she will walk and run and dance again in time....but there is sadness too, that limitations have been set.

Lastly, he told us that the goal of surgery was really to help with endurance and strength of her legs, and he is still hopeful that he achieved that. He would love to see that she is able to walk and run for distances, without tiring out, or needing to be carried, eventually. Due to the area of surgery needing to heal completely, he said there is no way of knowing if this was successful for about 6 months from now. I look to Isaiah 41:14 for comfort "For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." I know my nature and that is one to worry over the next 6 months and so my prayer is to take each day, each minute as a gift from God and not worry about the next 6 months. I know God will help us and guide us through that. He has brought us this far and given us so many blessings in the process. I am so thankful for everything that the Lord continues to do through Grace. I am also thankful for each of you. I know that if worry takes root in me that I can call out and the Lord will be there and answer and many of you will show up.

Thank you my sweet friends,

Carrie

We will Rock You!

2009-05-22T10:19:00.001-05:00

Thankfully, Cannon is feeling better and was able to go back to school yesterday. Today, he and Kevin are on a field trip at Six Flags...reward for being a Safety Patrol Officer at his middle school this year. I'm glad he was well enough to be able to go and thankful that Kevin is with him. I know they are having fun! I just received an photo email of Cannon rocking out on the bus, singing, "We will rock you!" He hasn't stopped singing since he saw KISS on American Idol Wednesday night. Cute side story...we "somehow" received 4 tickets to the finale of American Idol for Wednesday night and would have LOVED to have gone but really knew there was NO WAY we could make it happen. When I told Cannon, he immediately said to me, "Mom, there is no way I would ever have wanted to go without Grace." Love the way God is shaping his heart.... Even after watching the show and watching all of his favorite rock bands, he still said the same thing.

Rock on Cannon!!!

Six Flags....More Fun!!!

Blessings in the trials

2009-05-19T21:57:00.000-05:00

The past 24 hours have been quite eventful at our home. Last night, Grace woke up several times in the night with her back hurting and about the time she finally went to sleep Cannon woke up and was violently ill the rest of the night and throughout the day. Trying to keep Grace from being exposed to this stomach bug, we kept him on the second floor of our home and Grace stayed in her room downstairs. Grace continues to require a great deal of attention and so I spent most of my time with her today and just kept going upstairs to check on Cannon. I was so proud of him. He never once demanded my attention but waited patiently for me to check on his needs, when I could break away from Grace.

By evening time, Cannon was feeling a little better, thankfully. I also was able to spend some alone time with Cannon this evening while Kevin spent some time with Grace. I am hoping that Grace learned a lesson tonight as she had a hard time sharing me with Cannon, even though she had her daddy with her. I talked with her and prayed with her explaining to her that she always had her mommy all to herself when she was sick but Cannon had to share mommy when he was sick. I reminded her of what Paul told us in Phillipians 2:3 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." I know this is a hard concept for her to understand because most times it is hard for me to understand. I pray that one day we will all understand this. I am thankful that Cannon modeled this for us today. I am so thankful for the man that God is shaping him into. I know that much of this has happened due to the trials that our family has faced and therefore there are so many blessings in the hardships.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family.

Much love to each of you,

Carrie

Birthday Blessings

2009-05-18T21:36:00.000-05:00

Today was Grace's birthday. She met me at my bed at 6:50am and as I said, "Good Morning and Happy Birthday" to her, she said to me, "My back hurts." She crawled in bed with me for a little bit and I cherished that snuggle time. Thankfully, after getting some more pain medicine in her sweet little body, she seemed to be doing better and made herself a birthday hat and a birthday sign for her door.

After Kevin (Kevin took the day off since it was Grace's special day....I am so thankful that he could do that!) took Cannon to school, he came home with Grace's favorite breakfast, pink donuts and we had a pink donut celebration with candles on them! After that, when I told her that we needed to do her schoolwork, she quite frankly told me that she wouldn't be doing any school today because it was her birthday! I'm sure you all know who won that battle and so after a session of reading, writing, and math, we spent the afternoon watching reruns of Little House on the Prairie. At one point, she looked at Kevin and me and said, "This is the best day ever, TV....my mom and dad....and pjs!" I love that!

This afternoon, Grace was blessed with several special visits. Her teacher, Mrs. Kuhne came over and brought a video from Grace's 2nd grade class where they all sang Happy Birthday to Grace.

Grace also had several other visits from special friends today.

Lastly, we had my parents over for dinner where my sweet good friend, Jackie, and her family brought Grace's favorite dinner, McDonald's, and Chuy's for us. We ended our evening with an ice cream cake and Grace almost falling asleep.

It was a great day and Grace felt loved beyond words. Thank you to each of you for making it so special for her!!! I continue to be overwhelmed by the way you model the love of Christ to our family. It reminds me of the passage in 1 John 3:16-18, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

Love,

Carrie

Ups and Downs

2009-05-17T21:56:00.000-05:00

Grace spent most of Friday and Saturday in bed. I know that she will have ups and downs and this is to be expected, but I was sad for her to watch her be in bed most of the day after doing so well earlier in the week. She also had a little bit of a temp on Friday and some swelling in her back around the incision. We are praying that this area does not get worse.

Thankfully, today was a better day again. She woke up happy and after seeing her neighborhood friends outside playing in the sun, that is where she wanted to be too. So, I pulled her little pink feathery chair outside and she spent most of the day outside with her friends. She was so excited to be outside on such a beautiful day, enjoying it with her friends, even if she was confined to her chair!

Please continue to pray for her recovery and for her pain.

Thank you for your continued prayers,

Carrie

Progress!

2009-05-14T20:00:00.000-05:00

Lamentations 3:22-23

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness."

Well, we have been home 72 hours now and Grace continues to do well. Praise God! We have implemented a good schedule for her to follow throughout the day. She seems to be adjusting to her new routine, although she was hoping to just get to lay in bed and watch TV 24/7, I think. Ha! I have to say, the day passes pretty quickly between medical needs, medicines, working on school activities, meals and snacks, and getting up 3 times a day for an hour each time and resting in between. She is sleeping great and getting up fairly well (like a little old person) the three times a day that she is supposed to be up. She is still in some pain but it seems to be decreasing each day. She also is very tentative with her steps and needs/wants someone with her at all times, even when she is resting. I am so thankful to have her bedroom downstairs so that someone can realistically be with her or we can just all congregate in her room. It makes things so much easier and makes her feel included in the family.

My mom has been a huge help to us as she has spent each day with us. I can't imagine having tried to do this past week without her. She is here every morning by 6am and helps get Cannon to school which has allowed me to sleep in and try to catch up on my sleep...what a luxury and I am so thankful for her! She has spent a great portion of the day tending to Grace's needs which has allowed us some much needed breaks. Thank you Mom!

I continue to be overwhelmed by the love and support of our friends and neighbors. The sweet emails, calls, and cards have been so heartwarming and all of the creative ways that you have loved us with meals, food, snacks, desserts, a welcome home cookie cake, snacks, potted plants on my porch, flowers, balloons for Grace, crafts and activities for Grace to do in bed (not to mention every stuffed animal known to the animal kingdom!), caring for Cannon so that he doesn't feel left out, Mother's Day gifts for me, donations to March of Dimes for Team Grace, and I'm sure I have forgotten so many things....these have all taken my breath away. My cup is overflowing right now because of each of you. I know that God has sent each of you to carry us through this time.

Please continue to pray for complete healing for Grace as she struggles to be pain free and get back to some sense of normalcy. Also pray for her as some of her nerves are starting to wake up and do funny things. Pray that I would not worry about this. Please keep Kevin in your prayers as he transitions back to work tomorrow. I know it will be a hard day for him. Pray for stamina for all of us. Lastly, please pray for Cannon. His cornea was scratched in a little accident last night and we have spent part of the day at the eye dr and feeling horrible. We are thankful that it is not worse and that there is medicine to make him feel better.

Thank you for loving us,

Carrie

Pictures say a thousand words....

2009-05-13T22:00:00.000-05:00

Friends and Family,

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures that we captured over the past week that I thought you might like to see. To me, they exemplify one of my favorite passages from the Bible, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?...For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither the present not the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35, 38-39. When I look at these pictures, I can see Christ holding Grace in the palm of His hand.

May 7, 2009: Pre-op appt with Deanna from Child-Life explaining about surgery.

May 8, 2009, 6:30AM: Grace is ready for surgery!

May 10, 2009: 48 hours after surgery...celebrating Mother's Day!

May 11, 2009: After working hard with PT, Grace needed a nap!

May 11, 2009: Playing on Daddy's computer.

May 11, 2009, 2:00pm: First steps!!!

May 11, 2009, 4:00pm: Going Home...72 hours after surgery!!

May 11, 2009, 5:00pm: Home at Last!!

May 11, 2009, 7:00pm: Home with Rachel, best friend!

When Plans Change

2009-05-12T15:42:00.000-05:00

Hi Sweet Friends and Family! It's me, Carrie, finally writing a post again. I know it has been several days since I have written anything and I am so thankful that Kevin did such a great job keeping ya'll informed on how to pray and on Grace's progress while we were in the hospital. For those of you who know me, it's not really like me to remain so quiet and so you might be wondering what happened to keep me so quiet and so I wanted to explain my silence, besides the obvious fact that I have been spending a lot of time caring for Grace and her needs.

When Dr. Swift told me several weeks ago that this surgery would be Grace's hardest to date, described the details in great length of what he thought he would do in the 10-12 hour surgery, and how he thought this would be a very long recovery for Grace (at least 2 months), I began to mentally and emotionally prepare myself and our family for what was ahead of us. For the next several weeks, I was in a state of nonstop movement getting every detail ready, so that we would be ready for whatever happened. Although, I did spend a lot of time praying, reading my Bible and mediating on His word, much of my day was spent checking off "the list". By the morning of surgery, I believed that I was completely prepared for whatever God had in store for us that day. Looking back on that, how truly crazy is that to think that I could have been ready for all that Dr. Swift had warned us of! I had convinced myself that I could prepare myself for this...Ha! I truly believed there was nothing that I wasn't prepared for. How prideful I had become! Looking back on last week, I would have thought a fractured elbow and someone rear ending me would have knocked some sense into me...that things are not in my control...but it didn't.... I can't tell you how shocked I was when Dr. Swift came out hours before we expected him to and told us he was finished. I remember thinking in my head, "wait a second, something can't be right, he is finished way too early...." As he called us over to talk to us privately, he began to tell us about the surgery and tell us that once he opened her up, he found something new, something he hadn't anticipated, and that he had decided to operate on this area instead of the area that he intended to operate on (which would have been much riskier), all I could think of was, "No, wait....stop....it can't be, that isn't what you were supposed to do." As I looked around the waiting room and saw all eyes on Kevin and me, everyone seemed so excited and relieved and so I smiled...yet inside I was falling apart as I began to internalize all of my emotions and I began to allow my worry of the "what ifs" to rob me of the joy that God had intended for us in the here and now. How could I have missed the blessings?

Throughout the next 24 hours, as Grace was in horrible pain and couldn't sleep, I began having thoughts shouting in my head over and over again, "What if this area that Dr. Swift decided not to operate on needs to be fixed and it didn't get fixed....how soon will it be until Grace will need surgery again?....How can she go through this again?....She is in so much pain....God, what are you doing?" Instead of being able to rest in the comfort that God was in control and that He had planned the day for us long ago, I continued to unravel as I tried to humanly gain control of the situation, by reading scripture and trying to understand what God could be up to, meticulously taking care of Grace, and ordering around everyone and everything in sight of me.

Thankfully, we have an incredible support system that came around us and loved us so well in those first 48 hours. There were several faithful believers that I was able to share my fears with over the next several days as I honestly struggled with questions to them about my panic and whether it was being caused from plans changing or fear of the unknown of what could be ahead for Grace. One very wise friend put it beautifully as she said to me, "You must let go and release it to God." There was such freedom in hearing that. I had been searching scripture, talking a lot at God, and trying to find an answer...yet it wasn't about me doing anything but just being still and letting God be God.

Over the course of the past 17 years, I have had many times in my life that plans have changed. Just when I get settled in and think things in life are going to be just perfect, that I have it all figured out, I am faced with a different set of plans. What I have learned is that God always has a better plan for my life than I do and He loves me so much and wants what is best for me and my family. Sometimes I don't know why things are happening, but He does and I can trust in that. (Jeremiah 29:11) I am thankful that I know and love a Saviour like that and one who loves me in spite of my consistent failures.

So, now I have another time in my life where I thought I had the road map all planned out and things got rerouted once again, but I am confident that God is in control and this will be a better plan for our life, if only I will trust Him and let Him lead. Please pray with me that I will allow Him to lead my life and that I will trust in His perfect plan for our lives. (Prov 3:5-6) None of us know what our future holds and trying to control our daily lives doesn't help keep our children safer. I have no idea whether or not Grace will require another surgery but I don't want that fear of the unknown to rob me of the blessings God has for us for today. Please pray that I will not fear for Grace's future but will rejoice in the gift of today.

I am so thankful for friends who love me despite of my many weaknesses, who pick me up when I can't stand any longer, and who are willing to stand in the gap and pray for us when I can no longer stand anymore.

Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus,

Carrie

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work;

If one falls down, His friends can help him up.

But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered,

Two can defend themselves,

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Home sweet home

2009-05-11T20:37:00.000-05:00

We are home! Grace was great with physical therapist and so brave-she was apprehensive because of the pain but she did all that the therapist asked.

When we got home some friends and neighbors had a little impromptu welcome home party and started clapping and yelling encouragement as Grace got out of the car. Those that know Grace know that she didn't exactly join in the middle of the party but I can tell you it is something I think she will remember for a very long time. I know I will remember it because I know that these friends have known, prayed for, and encouraged Grace so many times before and are so geniunely excited for her.

We will no doubt have hard days in front of us helping Grace get through painful days and working through soreness but the welcome was a great way to start it off.

We have enjoyed the messages, posts, emails, and messages. Apologies as our response has no doubt been sporadic at best. Know that we feel loved and very much appreciate your support. For these first few days home, please know that while Grace would no doubt love to see friends, it would be best if she rests as she is supposed to be up for only a short period every couple of hours. So you might call and confirm that it is a good time before dropping by.

If are praying that Grace continues to progress over the next 2 weeks, if so, she might be able to make a short visit to school before it lets out for summer. It might be brief but we are hopeful...

Kevin

First Steps

2009-05-11T11:38:00.000-05:00

Praise God!! Yay Grace!! Great night for Gracie. She was up early with Physical Therapy and took several steps this morning. While she is not exactly gleeful in this picture, she was pretty happy to be up and she would like to go home. She is resting now and will get a second round of physical therapy this afternoon. Rumor has it that if all goes well with therapy this afternoon we may be able to go home late this afternoon. I think a nap and another work out topped off by a ride home would be genius...but I have learned not to take anything for granted so we will see what happens.

Thanks for all the prayers, keep em coming. Grace will still have some pretty significant strides to make once we get home before we get back to "normal"....whatever that is.

Love ya all

Kevin

At last!

2009-05-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Blissful sleep! Grace finally slept for more than a few minutes at one time. She started to take a turn for the better in the afternoon yesterday after a great pain management doc took control of getting her pain managed. Then last night she (and we!) slept in between every scheduled medicine intake. Amazing how sleep and a shower change your entire disposition.

Today will be another eventful day as they will try to get Grace to sit up-this is the precursor toward working to go home. Once she sits up they will be able to make an evaluation towards what physical therapy what might be necessary.

So for those that are prayin'...and we know your out there thanks to the emails, comments, texts, voicemessages, etc. Here's the list for today:

That Grace would do as she has in the past and "just do it". She has always just hit a point where she is tired of the all the hub bub and just done whatever it is that is needed to get her home. She is apprehensive about the back pain she will experience when she sits up in part because she's older and in part because she is experiencing some of it already when they check her dressing. Pray that her incredible spirit kicks in full bore today...we have seen hints of it as she recovers.
That Carrie would experience a unique experience today on Mother's Day that lets her know how much she's loved. She has already observed that this is one holiday that we have never spent in the hospital -unlike most other holidays. I was kinda thinkin of some other type of unique experience.
Pray for Nannie and Papa. They have been a huge blessing in taking care during the day while Carrie and I at least close our eyes for a minute and in taking care of the home front with Cannon. That they would be sustained by the love of Christ and know they are appreciated.
Praise for Cannon. He has matured incredibly over the last couple of years. He is a great brother and has been reponsible, loving and under control in this whole process. Thanks to several folks that have pitched in to help Papa by spending time and hangin out with Cannon to keep him occupied constructively.

Thanks to all for the many ways that you have let us know you care. Nannie has commented a few times that we are blessed to have so many thoughtful friends that have loved us in so many ways, and she is so right. We recognize it, are humbled by it and wish that we knew of some way to adequately say thanks to all of you.

Kevin

Oh what a night

2009-05-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

Grace had a hard night last night-seems like they could never really get her pain managed. She might have slept a total of 2 hours. Not the norm for her post surgery as she normally sleeps very well. This morning when they looked at her incision, she also got a horrible headache due to the leakage of spinal fluid from the surgery yesterday.

So specific prayers would be:

Praise that the surgery is finished and a hope that issues identified and corrected yesterday do truly help Grace's quality of life long term. That we not be left evaluating the need for surgery again.
That Grace's pain would be better managed today so that she might be able to focus on something other than her discomfort. That she would get some rest today and sleep tonight.
That Grace's incision will heal just as it should and that her fluid intake will help her spinal fluids to be restored as they should be without any further leakage. Pray for no more headaches!
Praise that Grace's tenacity is what it is.
Rest for Carrie and I. Thank goodness for Grace's Nannie (Carrie's mom) who has taken over care for the moment so we can at least sit down and close our eyes a bit.
Peace for Cannon. Thanks to friends that are making sure he feels loved and is not overly anxious about Grace's situation.
Patience for me with medical staff. Many have been wonderful and really are caring well for Grace. My lack of rest and watching my little princess suffer give me zero tolerance for those that are less than "at their best".

When it comes to prayer I always have to think of Philipians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

We haven't really received a clear indication of how long we will be here but I am at least hopeful that it is shorter than anticipated. I think a lot depends on making sure the pain is under control, that she can sit up without headaches, and that she can at least stay upright for very short periods. We know that recovery will still include some period of time staying flat-just not sure how much. When we know exactly what the things are that need to happen for her to go home, we will post those to pray for.

Ever since I wrote the title to this post the Four Seasons tune by that name has been running through my head. Another prayer that you can pray is that it is not still running through my head at 2 am....and 3....and 4....because we all are fast asleep! Thanks for your friendship and faithfulness in praying for my family.
Kevin

Praise the Lord!

2009-05-08T19:48:00.000-05:00

Grace is out of surgery and in her room. The neurosurgeon was very pleased with what he was able to do. He identified a place where her spine was tethered and freed it up. It was not what he expected to find...what he expected to find was a bunch of nerves bound up in scar tissue that needed to be cleaned up in a very tedious fashion. He was very concerned with that process because it was so invasive and would have included a graft to enlarge the area around the lower spine. It also would have included several more hours of surgery and any number of weeks of additional recovery. As it is, she was in the OR until about 2:30 and that seemed long enough! So once again, Grace remains unpredictable....

We are relieved that he was able to free the tether without the need to do more a more invasive procedure. It should shorten the hospital stay and we are hopeful it will dramatically shorten recovery at home. We are hopeful that it is a long term solution....so now the hard part, waiting to find out.

We were blessed to have family and friends sit with us for the entire morning and into the afternoon....as well as what seemed to be hundreds praying throughout the surgery. To all, a huge THANK YOU. Grace is in quite a bit of pain so I will sign off for now. Thanks for loving on us.
Kevin

Specific Prayer Needs

2009-05-07T18:14:00.000-05:00

Well, pre-op is over and Grace was cleared for surgery, bags are packed and everything is ready to go. I'm thankful that this day is almost over. It has been a really tough week for all of us...

I keep having to remind myself what I know to be true...that God is in control, that He loves Grace more than we do, that this is for His glory, that He will carry us when I don't think any of us will make it one more step, that He has sent loving friends here on earth to be His hands and feet, and so much more....

We would love for you to join us in prayer as we pray for:

1. Dr. Swift and the entire medical team...for steady hands, clarity and wisdom as Dr. Swift and others will be operating for many, many hours.

2. Good sleep tonight for all of us.

3. No anxiety for Grace or any of us but a peace that surpasses all understanding.

4. No fear for Grace as she heads into the operating room but a continued trust and faith in God.

5. Pray that Grace will feel a closeness to Him and that He will comfort her.

6. For Grace's spine and nerves that are attached to her spine....that every little tiny one would remain in tact with none being injured, severed, or bruised as the team operates to detach the tethered cord.

7. Pain management for Friday night, pray that somehow that she would feel very little or no pain.

8. For God to be glorified through this.

9. For Cannon tomorrow as he is at school, that he would be able to somehow keep focused and that God would surround him with loving friends to support him.

Thank you for your prayers and for your love for our family,

Carrie

Room Makeover....Jen and Sally Style

2009-05-06T18:25:00.000-05:00

I couldn't go to sleep tonight without telling you about the AMAZING thing my sweet friends did for us today. We decided several weeks ago that while Grace was recovering from surgery it might be good to move her room downstairs, our room is downstairs and overall it would just be a good thing to not have to manage stairs, etc. For those of you who have not seen our home, we have a small guest room on the first floor that used to be Taylor's room and before that it was a one car garage. This is the room that we were going to let Grace use, but it was very bare and basic...no pink in it at all and I just didn't have the energy to try to re-do a room right now.

When I came home from Bible study today, two precious sweet friends had "made over" this room and transformed it into an incredibly pink and fun room for Grace! I couldn't believe my eyes and when Grace saw it she loved it too! These friends didn't miss one detail and even left matching pjs for us to wear!

I continue to be amazed each day at the outpouring of many sweet friends who are loving us so well with emails, calls, cards in the mail, dinners, prayers...just letting us know that we are loved. Thank you!

I am also so thankful for these friends who loved us in a very creative and amazing way today. Attached, you will see a photo with Grace in her "new room"!

Carrie

"A friend loves at all times." Proverbs 17:17

Not worryin'

2009-05-05T22:08:00.000-05:00

Several of you have asked me how is Grace is doing regarding Friday. Whether she is scared, anxious, or worried. So, I decided to ask her since she hasn't really talked a lot about it to us or anyone else. Here is how the conversation went:

Carrie: "Hey, Grace, I wanted to ask you if you were getting anxious or worried about Friday."

Grace: "No" (with a look that said that was such a stupid question, Mom)

Carrie: "Well, I just thought I would ask you because several of my friends have wanted to know how you were doing and if you were anxious."

Grace: didn't comment, just still gave me that look.

Carrie: "Well, you know, if you do start worrying about anything or just need to talk, you know we are here for you and if it is at school you can always talk to Nurse Jenny or Nurse Diane."

Grace: "Mom, your friends must never have had surgery before. I have and I know about it. It's really not that big of a deal, you know, everything is going to be just fine."(huge smile on her face)

I think my mouth must have dropped down to my ankles at this. It reminds me of one of my favorite passages in the Bible about worry from Matthew 6:25-34. I love the way my daughter consistently teaches me about having faith.

Carrie

Prayers needed

2009-05-05T14:44:00.000-05:00

We are very thankful for everyone who has read the blog and is praying for our family! I wanted to update you on a current prayer need for Grace. She fell at recess yesterday and has fractured a bone in her growth plate in her left elbow. Sadly enough, she is a lefty and is not able to use her arm at all right now. They put her in a sling and that seems to be helping with some of the pain, but she is pretty helpless right now. What seems to be even more of an immediate issue is that she has an open wound, where she scraped her elbow. We are treating it so that it doesn't get infected before she goes to the hospital and are praying that the wound begins to heal so that there is no question about whether to operate or not due to possible infection.

Please join us as we pray for Grace to quit having pain in her elbow, for the wound to heal quickly and that there would be no infection, for rest for us, and that surgery would go forward as planned.

Thank you for your continued prayers,

Carrie

"Nothing is Impossible with God" Luke 1:37

2009-04-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

Many of you have not heard from us in a long time primarily due to how well Grace has been doing and how busy life has become. Grace has blossomed under the care of her loving 2nd grade teacher this year and has come out of her shell to make numerous friends. It has been a joy to watch her be so full of life, running up and down the street, and playing with her friends. Sadly, though, her health began to decline in December 2008 and has steadily declined since. After several months of visiting with her doctors and evaluating her condition, it has been recommended that Grace have surgery again to release her tethered spinal cord.

This surgery has been scheduled for Friday, May 8th at 7:30am at Children's Medical Center. We have been told that this will be the hardest surgery to date that she will face; to expect an all day surgery, that she will miss the rest of the school year, and that she will be recovering for many, many weeks afterwards. Beyond that... we are not sure of what to expect...yet we remain hopeful. While we are very sad that Grace must go through this again, we are very hopeful that she will experience relief from all of the pain that she has been suffering through and will eventually have a better quality of life.

As next Friday gets closer, we will post specific prayer needs but for now we would love for each of you to begin to pray for the following:

1. Dr. Swift (Grace's neurosurgeon) and the whole medical team that will be working with Grace as they prepare to operate.

2. Grace as she closes out her last week of school, that she will build some lasting and joyful memories!

3. rest for all of us before our time at the hospital

4. that God would be glorified through all of this!

Thank you for your prayers,

Carrie and Kevin