Surgeries and Other News - June 2

Tim had a doctor appointment today - so I waited for the results before posting a family update.  So, I'll start with Tim.

Tim has been approved for rehab and has been going for nearly a month - but each session seemed to wipe him out more than the last (from my perspective) - as well as the heat and humidity, which has been very high.  Shopping trips were short and wore him out for hours.  Then he started to complain of chest pains again.  So on Thursday, June 9, at 2pm, Tim will go in for surgery again to place a 3rd stint in his heart.

WE NEED SOMEBODY TO SIT WITH HIM FOR 6 - 8 HOURS AFTER THE SURGERY AND POSSIBLY OVERNIGHT.


He has to lay very very still and will be groggy, so needs somebody to keep reminding him to lay still, especially as the pain meds wear off and staying still gets harder.   His parents and I will watch the surgery from the observation room (still making plans for the kids that day) and then I will collect the kids as quickly as possible (LaRue is clingy, and does not handle disruptions to her day at all - although she is improving) and bring them back home - hopefully in time for supper.  


Tim had been going back to work most of April - at least once or twice a week for part days, but as the heat and humidity increased, he has found it harder and harder to function.  He was approved for rehab late April or early May - and has been going in for work outs and classes 3 - 4 days a week.  ...  We've had little or no income since his heart attack.  We are completely living on God's grace and provision.


Tim continues to do the Sunday night radio show and has co-hosted a few other days of the week.  He is enjoying this and taking his turn on the Sunday night sermon rotation.  It would be wonderful if there were a way this could work into an income - explaining eschatology in a short seminar.  But we have to get his heart working again before he could travel.


He apparently had a job offer this week - in Ohio, but because of his heart, would have been unable to move or travel as he needed to immediately.  God has a plan - we are trying to be patient.


In the meantime, Tim will continue to do rehab and classes, and needs to find a way to get new glasses for the next reffing season.  Actually, the whole family needs to get in for eye check ups as soon as we can - and Vannan needs to be gotten to an orthodontist.  We are currently on CHIPS, but I'm really struggling with how to jump through hoops to get these needs met.  I've been told over and over again - but I'm a "make a check list and I check off each box" type of thinker - so these vague instructions leave my head spinning.    We dislike being on these programs, and try to use them as little as possible - although on the plan we were assigned, we do have to pay a token fee for everything.   (I could write a whole post on our struggles with government programs... maybe someday.)




Kendra :   

For the most part, Kendra has spent most of her days and into the nights, working on her book that she wrote in November for NaNoWriMo.  Sitting on my desk, is her proof copy.  I told her she could open the box AFTER she finished this weeks school work.  She has also been blogging and making up new stories.  ...

Otherwise, she does manage a bit of "real" schoolwork - and her assigned Chore area is the kitchen and vacuuming and dusting.  She cooks most of the meals and cleans up after them.   Learning new cooking habits has not been entirely easy.

In school, she is steadily going through her English book, nearly completed her Geometry book, and works on her other subjects at least twice a week.  Now that she has met the deadline for her book, I've told her she must finish her schoolwork before she is allowed to do the NaNoWriMo this fall.  If she can manage to focus, she could still finish with all of her schoolwork by the time she is 18 or shortly afterwards.  ...  She wants to continue to write as a career, so SHE is focusing mostly on her reading, writing, English, and Bible classes.




Vannan :  


Has been working really hard at becoming dedicated to her work.  She has her violin lessons weekly, and manages to practice at least 15 minutes every night - with an hour being optimal.  She is determined to finish her schoolwork for 7th grade by November, and start 8th grade in January.  Her dylexia has made it difficult for her to go much faster, but she works very hard and makes progress daily.    She would also like to start going with Bethie to her lessons to volunteer at the therapy center.


She also is very dedicated to our garden, though she has gotten quite irritated at the geese, who have dug up a few of the small plants.  She keeps it all watered and soon we should start getting tomatoes.  We really should have planted a month sooner at least.  


She has a LOT of rabbits.  We are going to have to butcher out all of the bucks very soon - as they have been fighting quite a bit.  But these Harlequin Rabbits that she raises are beautiful and super docile.  She keeps hoping to figure out ways to sell them as pets - because they tame down faster than any other rabbit breed that we have ever owned.  The ones she works with daily, she has trained to come when she calls them and allow themselves to be handled by even small children without problems.  She would like to start breeding the most docile ones to make a good pet rabbit.




Joel :


Is rapidly approaching his 6th birthday - like 2 weeks away!  How did he get so old?   Somehow, he doesn't seem as old as the girls did at 6.  Maybe because the girls are older and he is still my "baby".


He is finishing Kindergarten - and reading seems to be as easy for him as it was for me.   He is a natural scholar - and his rapid ability to learn new concepts amazes me.  I've not been able to officially measure his reading level, but I know it is at least 1.5, and possible as high as 2.3.  He is loving Beatrix Potter and Dr. Seuss and Henry and Mudge books.    He is still mutilating words in a hurry to read them, but can sound out most words if he stops to think for a few seconds.


He gets to looking and (Tim's folks say) acting more like Tim all the time.  He certainly has that sweet and charming and loving personality that swept me off my feet.


His favorite things these days ... computers, Angry Birds, Fish World, Cars and all types of race cars, tractors - especially yellow ones, building blocks and legos, and listening to MP3s.


Marriana :

I don't often mention Marriana, but I know that many relatives read this and want to be kept up with the details - so a brief update ...

Is rapidly approaching 5.  She has been spending most weekends with Aunt Ruth, so she can go to her own church and spend a few hours with her parents.   I've almost gotten her through her preschool books, and while she is a hard and willing worker while I am devoting my (or one of the other big girls) full attention, she is unwilling to work on her own - so her progress is much slower than it should be - she is really a VERY smart little girl.  She has a lot of her dad in her.  We see her mom in her too, but she is definitely her father's child for the most part.

Her parents recently made the step out of Ruth's house and into their own apartment with Malinda (almost 18 months now).  Her daddy has maintained his job for nearly 2 years now.  So progress is being made forward.   Malinda does have some learning delays, but Early Childhood Prevention people have been teaching her Mom how to work with her (beyond what most parents do instinctively) and we are seeing a lot of positive progress forward with her.

Pray for wisdom as decisions are being made as what is best for her and our families as Dad gets married and is no longer here during the week.  Things have to clear in legal paperwork as well - although we don't foresee any difficulties with the CPS and state approving what we decide.


LaRue:

I can hardly believe how close she is to turning 2.  We are so blessed to have her.  She is full of smiles and giggles.  This one is a LOT like her Mommy, way more so than any of my other three.  Things have to be just so, and her boat rocks very easily.  She'll fight a nap to the bitter end.  Smart as a whip and mimics everything she sees (though she may get that trait more from her Daddy).

Right now her big things are her "kipbor" (clipboard with "her" schoolwork on it), "od dod" (hot dog - making a fist and bumping another persons fist), "i ive" (high five), "ose, mou, eye, ung, eef, chin, cheek, toes, ingrs" (nose, mouth, eye tounge, teeth, chin, cheek, toes, finger ... words like chin, you almost can't hear the final letter and her ch kind of blurs into an sh instead), "og" dog, "at" cat, "peed a boo" Peek a boo, "made da tocks!" mate the socks, "pole tows" fold towels, "teen id up" clean it up, "wada in da tup" water in the cup, "mil pees" milk please (when she wants to nurse), "Mad e ana" Marriana, "Jo" Joel, "Mana" Vannan, "Tena" Kendra ... her vocabulary is HUGE.  We can't always understand her, but she has about 20 sign words that she uses consistently - I really need to start watching more Signing Time with her again.  We got out of the habit when our TV broke last year.

Watching her run is ... fun.  She has that toddler bounce in her run.  She LOVES shoes - and tries them on constantly - everybody's shoes.  Her favorites or "fops" flip flops, and amazingly, she puts them on the right feet at least 80% of the time, and I've seen her stand up with them on the wrong foot, and then sit right back down to swap them.


Dad :

Will be getting married soon - I think they are going to run off with a ladder.  If not, it will be a "me, you, and our kids and grandkids" ceremony.   However, there will be a small reception in July - make sure you send us your address via email if you want more details.

Our sister on the East Coast will be coming to help us pull it off - with her family.

In the meantime, he'll be going in for a long overdue hernia surgery the 13th.  Keep him in your prayers.


Aunt Cindy and Uncle Tommy :

Leaving this evening for Latvia for a week.  Please keep them in your prayers - safety traveling and a good ministry to the children in the orphanage.  There is a large group going.


Me:

I'm hanging in there.  I'll be turning 43 tomorrow.  I'm still not getting enough sleep at night.  The eye strain headaches are horrid - but looks like I'll be getting to the eye doctor soon - so maybe we can get new glasses soon and alleviate much of it.  Lenses are all kinds of expensive for us ... topping $250 on the cheep side.  I'm hoping if I just get a pair for closer work and keep using these outside, then it might not be as expensive.

School will stay in full swing through the summer - we have a LOT of ground to make up from this spring.  Things are still busy, but hoping we can do a couple of hours a day even on busy days.  Right now, we are hoping and praying for a calmer fall.

No, there will be no vacation this year ... not even a staycation ... again.

While Tim has traveled quite a bit with jobs and job interviews, and both of the big girls have gone with grandparents on vacations, and the girls have done camp with the local college twice (thanks to grandparents).  And my aunt and uncle took the older 3 for "camp/vacation" to their house last year.  We also went to another uncles house for a few days while Tim did basketball camp (long before Joel was born) and planned a two day vacation trip to the nearby Creation Museum, but it got cancelled.

As a family, we have not done any vacation time in 11 years - except for a one day trip to 6 Flags (which we were gifted with by somebody in our church - we totally enjoyed it, and the girls still talk about it), and the closest I've had to a vacation, is being the hospital when LaRue was born and after the accident.  This is not a complaint.  Just - this is why I'm weary.  But I figure if God thinks I need a vacation, one will be provided for us.   Still, right now, with Tim's heart condition - a vacation is completely unwise.  ...  And I'm not one of those who finds "going to the spa" relaxing.

When you pray for me ... ask for peace (from upsetting thoughts and dreams), strength (to keep going each day - and to be a good mom and wife), and patience (for God to unfold his plan and with myself and children).   I have read the end of the book - I know how life ends - and that this short life only counts if God is in it and in control.  I may be weary, but I have not yet reached despair or hopelessness.  Thousands have situations worse than I do - and I am thankful daily for God's provisions and blessings.

I got a birthday card from my Grandmother today.  Such an awesome lady, and such a wonderful example to us.  She shares a birthday with my MIL.  Both awesome examples of Christ's love.  Happy Birthday to both of you.

Happy Birthday Michelle and Sarah and Rebekah - and Happy Anniversary too!

and Happy Birthday to Mamaw and Papaw.

Tomorrow we celebrate the birthday of one of our church members - she'll be 90 years old on Monday!   I think that is exciting - and she and her husband are still  active in God's work.