Children's Christmas Parade 2009

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!

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

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!!

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

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!

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

"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....

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!!!

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!!!