Here We Are

It has been a rough two weeks here. Kaitlyn's stomach pains seems to be with her everyday and lasting longer. I am the only one who really sees this, it seems like. I think some of it is anxiety whenever her stomach starts to hurt. After putting the girls to bed each night, it seems she calls me at least twice if not three times for me to come up stairs to comfort her. I feel so empty because I don't know how to help her. I have prayed over her and talked to her. I don't have a solution and she understands this. I know I give her comfort and I am glad. I may not have the solution but we are working together in finding one. We have a docotor's appt. at 1:30 tomorrow, we are meeting with the pediatric surgeons. I am not sure what is going to happen. I don't want her to have surgery but will do what needs to be done so she can have a normal life without her stomach hurting. She is nervous about it, which I can understand. The unknown is always scary. As I was reading through my cousin's blog, she talks about her little boy who has many setbacks and a lot of physically challenged problems. When I read her blog their was a verse from the bible, one she found strength in. The one she uses from her most recent blog is from Corinthians, No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. I Corinthians 2:9. I take comfort in this verse, knowing God has plans for Kaitlyn and she will get through this. This is such a small thing compared to my cousin's everyday struggles with her son. I know my cousin has such great faith in our Almighty God even though she struggles with things everyday. I look at her blog and love seeing the faith she has and the ever growing of it. She is a wonderful mother and puts all she has into taking care of her children.

I trust in God and lean on Him to help me through. I have asked for a lot of patience and for Him to give me a more loving heart toward this situation. Sometimes it is easier to be a little indifferent because I just can't take away the pain. All I know is God is in control and I have to trust in Him. "Trust in the LORD with all your hardt and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Such a beautiful sight!!

So, who is ready to help me make my own gingerbread house?! Ingrediants are all listed. Hey, that is good enough to eat.

Waiting for fire works to start in Epcot.

Princesses' Character Dinner Dinner with Pooh and his friends!

Hear no evil, See no evil and Hear no evil. Something must be really funny?!

Joel and the girls inside the Akersus House in Epcot. It is in Norway. Hollywood Studios.

Magic Kingdom.

Dinner in Cinderella's Castle.

Me and Emily riding the race way!

This is one of my favorite pictures. The castle would change colors every few minutes. Here are some examples.

Emily in Minnie's house. Kaitlyn in Minnie's house. This is her art room.

Mama and her baby on a safari ride in the Animal Kingdom.

Girls posing in the dinasaur land.

Joel and the girls in Animal Kingdom. This was our first full day in one of the parks.

When we got there on Monday, after checking in the kids chose the Magic Kingdom to go to. This parade was happening when we walked into the park.

Disney World

Well, I finally got our pictures and video downloaded on our computer. It has been so busy since we have gotten back. We really enjoyed our time together as a family. Joel and I were ready to come home but the kids probably could stay a few more days. I think my favorite part was eating in the Cinderella Castle. I noticed the food was pretty good and the portions were not very big. That was nice. You didn't feel like you had to eat until you were stuffed. I don't have a lot to say because Disney speaks for itself. We did attend the Merry Berry Christmas parade, that was not included in the price with our park tickets. The weather was perfect, cold about 45 degrees. We were all dressed in our coats and some even had mittens. It was funny to see some of the people with mittens and scarves. I guess when living in Florida people are unacostumed to having cool weather or bring out the hats, scarves and mittens when it hits 48. We all had on light jackets with long sleeve shirts underneath. We were pretty comfortable. Well I will just put our picture so you can look at them. We have some really good ones of the kids and especially the castle at night!!

I got a call from the hospital and Kaitlyn will have her procedure done Dec. 2 at 8:30 in the morning. I have to go to the hospital on Friday to pick up the dreaded barrium for her to drink. I guess through out the day on Monday she will have to drink it. They will explain how I am suppose to give it to her. I won't let Kaitlyn know what is going on until Monday. Obviously, she will notice the jug I am to pick up at the hospital. Drinking this will be the hardest thing. Please pray for her on Tuesday. Ask God to calm her spirit and to relax as much as possible. She will also have an IV of iodine. The hospital asked if she was allergic to it and I said I don't know. She has never had this done before. I am pretty sure she will be fine but that is just something else to think about. I am hoping the doctors will be able to see what exactly is going on inside her intestines and have a game plan on her treatment. I know God is good and I rely on Him everyday. I am so glad He is my Heavenly Father.

"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, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6-7

I Can See Some Light at the End of the Tunnel-I Am Waiting on God

Well, I am back from Disney but have not put any pictures on the computer yet. I am still trying to get back in the routine of our daily life. Going on vacation is great but it is nice to be back home! I will put pictures up though. We got back on Tuesday from vacation and then on Wednesday morning we(Kaitlyn and I) had to be at the hospital at 7:45am. (St. Mary's) So that means we had to get up early. Joel was off so it worked out great for Emily to stay at home! Some of you know Kaitlyn has had stomach problems since she was in kindergarten. In the last year and a half it has gotten pretty bad. It has effected how long she can do school, whether she eats a whole meal or whether or not she will enjoy playing with her friends. At times she is in a lot of pain and there is nothing I can do about it. Last summer we started to really look into what was going on, on the inside of her body. After many visits to the dr.'s he referred us to a pediatric gastro dr. Kaitlyn has had several tests done and finally one of the tests showed something. She drank the barrium while having ex-rays and it showed a small little twist or something but not a true blockage. It was such a relief the doctor was able to pinpoint something. He said it was not a blockage but for some reason the rest of the liquid was not going through. Our next test will be in the next few weeks and Kaitlyn will have to have CT scan with an IV and she also has to drink the barrium again. It is one thing to see your child in pain and not be able to do anything about it but having to watch her do medical testing and know you can stop it but can't is hard. I know that God will see us through this and there will be a treatment. It is just the waiting. Kaitlyn had a hard time drinking the barrium the first time and now she has to do it again. Please keep her in your prayers for the upcoming tests. She is a strong little girl and has tried very hard to keep to regular activities even when her stomach was hurting. I know God will use this in her life to help others who may be in pain or dealing with other things. She is a very deep thinker and is very tenderhearted.

I look forward to the time Kaitlyn does not have to worry about whether or not her stomach will hurt if she eats something or will it bother her when she is playing. It will be such a huge change for her!! I will keep you guys posted on our journey. Thanks for everyone who is praying.

Here is view as we were going through the lake. Very pretty time of the year!

This is one of the views from the boat at the dock. I really like the fall colors!

Kaitlyn is on the head of the boat. The boat is still on the slip.

Here are some ducks that the girls wanted me to take picture of. They followed us as we walked up the dock.

On Dad's Boat

We went to my dad's house to visit Oct 14th and stayed a week. Overall it was a good week. Emily had a fever the night we arrived and end up getting sick the next day. Thank goodness it was just a 24 hour thing. She and I did miss going to the Barter Theatre and seeing Beaty and the Beast. My stepmother said she was mesmerized by it. Kaitlyn was also mesmerized. We did school on Thursday, Friday and Monday. It was a little harder since Emily was a little more distracted than she usually is. We walked to Macadoo's to eat on Saturday with my step sister Becky and then came home and played games. The weather was very nice overall but I did a horrible job of packing. Especially for Kaitlyn. I packed no short sleeves for either of the girls so Nana bought each of them a couple of short sleeve shirts. At least that was some relief for them on the warmer days. Poor Kaitlyn had no jeans, hardly any pants. I have never been so unorganized with packing. Hopefully when we go to Disney in a couple of weeks I will do a little better!! Overall it was a nice trip but we were so glad to come home and get back into our regular routine. Plus, we were looking forward to seeing Joel again.

Emily looking from the out side in. (head of boat)

My dad standing on the head(It is the front of the boat) of the boat. Sorry dad if this is the incorrect terminology!!

Vist to to Dad's

Kaitlyn and Emily on dad's boat in the slip.

Emily & Kaitlyn sitting on one of the beds on the boat.

Golden Delicious Apples down the row! The other picture is taken at the top of the mountain and you can see the skyline. The weather was wonderful that day.

Carter's Mountain Apple Orchard

Joel, Kaitlyn, Nicole and Emily

On Saturday, we went to Carter's Mountain to pick apples. The flyer said it would be a festival weekend. When I think of a festival I think of a lot of vendors selling food and crafts. This was nothing like it. There was a total of about 7 vendors and only one of them offered food. The farm itself had somethings to eat but it was more like apple cider donunts, yummy apple carmel cookies(they were out of this world, I am trying to find a recipe on the internet still like these), choco. chip cookies and apple pie. They also had some really good apple cidar. The main thing you did there was pick apples. Everyone except Joel had never picked apples. I had a great time. It was so neat to see row after row of apples. The apples they had to pick on Saturday were red and golden delicious, stayman, granny smith and jonagold. We picked about 30lbs of apples, mostly the jonagold. The price was a good one, $.99/lb. We invited the Plummers and had a picnic lunch in the parking lot of the farm. We all had a good time. We took home some apples, cookies and apple cider!

Not Long Enough

Nancy and Ronnie, July 4, 2008 @ Mike & Joyce's house on the River, Calleo
Ronald Earl Brooks
BROOKS, Ronald Earl, 64, a beautiful light of God, was called home to receive his heavenly rewards on September 11, 2008. He is survived by his beloved and devoted wife, Nancy A. Brooks; his father, Fredrick F. Brooks; his brother, Fredrick M. Brooks; sister, Peggy Strong; daughters, Lisa B. Rick, Karen B. Nickolaou and Melissa B. Goodwin; and stepsons, Carlton L. Clark, David C. Clark and Jason A. Clark; ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild. A memorial service will be held on Friday, September 19, at 4 p.m. at Hunton Baptist Church located at 11660 Greenwood Road in Glen Allen.

Last week started off not so good and got worse by the end of the week. A week ago Sunday I stayed in bed most of the day with sinus problems and achiness. I have such a hard time staying still because I get so bored but just don't feel like doing anything. I really like to be doing something instead of just having idle time on my hands, not that I don't like to waste a few good moments every once and a while!

As the week went on I was feeling better but couldn't seem to get my energy up to what I am use to.

Then in the middle of the week my uncle went to the hospital...

The last two years my uncle has been trying to beat cancer. He lost his battle Thursday, Sept 11. This was not a shock but a disappointment. He was so kind and always had a nice compliment for me. I will never forget just in joking he did call me Aimless. He had kindness in his eyes, and you didn't have to look very far into them to see if it was genuine. He loved his wife and his last parting words to her were, "You were the best thing that has ever happened to me." I am so glad that he was conscious enough on Wednesday to say those last words to her. I know she will cherish those for the rest of her life. Life without him will be hard especially for my aunt. We always want our loved ones to live longer than they do but God has a plan and he knows when we have suffered enough. My uncle is in Heaven and that is a comfort to us left behind. Knowing we will see him again is in God's great plan.

As the bible verse says I have plans for you declares the LORD....Jerimiah 29:11

Science Museum

On Friday we met some friends at the science museum. The kids had so much fun. They played on the moon walk. When we went outside to see the trains and trolley the kids ran all over the place and even some places they should not have been. If mamma hen ain't watching then the little ones try new places to jump from. LOL All in all they had a great time and was sad when it was time to leave. We told them not to worry b/c we have a year membership and we can come back as many time as we want.

Abby and Clara head's on a platter of fruit.

Emily's head on a platter of fruit.

Kaityn is getting ready to walk on the moon.

Having Fun Surfing!!

Having Fun Before Bed

One night last week Kaitlyn decided to have a party for her squirmmel (sp). It is one of those fuzzy caterpillars that have an almost invisible string so it looks like it is moving by itself. She decided it was going to be beach party. By the way the party only lasted about 15 min because it was time for bed. Both the girls decided it was time to go surfing. I thought it was cute and they had music from the Beach Boys, Surfin' Safari. Me and Joel just kind of watched them and told them how well they knew how to surf!! It was fun and it is always interesting to watch the girls come up with their own ways to do things.

First Week of School

We started school last week. We only did three days. They went pretty good. It is a little overwhelming for me to do two children but I should get in a routine within a month or so. Emily likes school but is impatient at times and seems a little bored. I need to play around with her curriculum and see if I can't do a couple days at a time. She just needs a little more challenge! Kaitlyn started just fine. We started our read a loud from Sonlight and it is a bit slow but sometimes that is just how things are when you first start to read a book. We are hoping it gets better! I am glad to be back into more of a routine. I just feel we accomplish more during the day and things flow better. I am looking forward to a fun and exciting year.

Last Free Week

Well, this is our last free week before we start school next week. It has been quite busy this summer. Even though we won't go on vacation until November it has been a nice summer! We saw a lot of our friends, went swimming a couple of times and played at the park. This week has been pretty busy getting ready for our co-op to start. Tonight we have our meeting to sign up for co-op. I think we will lose a lot of the older members. We have several new families coming tonight. I am excited about this. The other two core members and I have planned a good year and are looking forward to it. New topics this year are sign language, earth science, the human body and a theatre course. Not sure how the theatre course will go, not quite ironed out all the details. We will be doing a latin course with a group at one of my friend's house. Kaitlyn is looking forward to this. I think she just likes hanging out with her friends. But that is typical for a child of any age!

We will hit the books hard next week to really get going. It will be interesting this year since I have two kiddos to teach. Emily is looking forward to it, at least she acts that way. I am hoping she will enjoy her first year. We have done math during summer and she has enjoyed doing her math book. We were able to complete about 1/3 of it this summer. I think we will slow down once we start the phonics and she has to learn the concept of adding. I am looking forward to this school year. Once we hit summer I felt kind of lost b/c we didn't have that much of a routine. It got better once we started doing things with our friends and it was nice when we didn't have anything to do some days! I think we all need days like this. It helps us appreciate the down time. Well, I will report back sometime next week to let you know how our first week of school went. Until then....

There is a kid in all of us!

Joel helping Kailtyn. She doesn't seem to sure about this.

The girls are discussing their biking strategies!!