Pages

Saturday, August 23, 2014

A-mazing Time Down South

Long before we knew what the past few months would look like, we planned a trip down south to attend a wedding of a really close friend and spend a few days with friends back from our days on "the farm" as well as try to get in a trip to an Indian beach which was our first! 

Then life got a little crazy, I got a lot pregnant, and we had no idea how badly we would need that little getaway. Nor how truly amazing it would turn out to be! 

Our hosts were so incredibly hospitable and we had a blast just chatting with them, watching our kids play, meeting new friends, and touring a new to us part of India. 

We are so grateful for the way the body of Christ works together to uplift and encourage one another! We can't wait to "pay it forward" so come see us! ;) 

*Real BEEF at the Hard Rock Cafe! What?!? And super sweet friends! 

*Picture compliments of Melissa. :)

*Really fun exploring the rocky grounds at this tourist attraction. 



24 Weeks 5 Days

Kamden's Ever Maturing Heart Part 2

This morning, surrounded by new and old friends, the girls were watching some old VBS music videos. When a special song came on that Kamden just loved and made up motions to with me and made me do it over and over, Jason said "Kamden! It's your song!" She then just glares at us and says "it's not my song anymore!" Well, ok, then! Someone is embarrassed. Well, we didn't say a word, went on about our day, flew home, and when we got home about 10 hours later, she comes up to me completely on her own and says "I'm sorry for saying it wasn't our song anymore."  My. Heart. Burst. Because she was CONVICTED! She felt guilty and came to make it right! I told her it was Ok and that I was just proud of her for letting God work in her heart! 

Then, a few hours later, she comes to show me her freshly brushed teeth. Well, I like to check them but she really struggles with fear over some of the smallest things! She was afraid it would hurt or that I was going to pull her new loose tooth. So, very out of character, she says, "Can I pray first?" Are you kidding me? Of course! I reminded her that after praying for help to be brave it became her own choice whether or not she chose to be brave. Sadly, this time she didn't and she got in a little bit of trouble for fighting me so badly over barely even touching her teeth. But once again, I was so proud of her for choosing to PRAY in a time of fear! It's not always that she even lets me pray for her when she's having a difficult time. So I was so very proud of the growth I saw in her life today! 


Sunday, August 17, 2014

First (hopefully, only) surgery in South Asia

This post's purpose is two fold:

Just to remember the events of yesterday and to entertain those of you who enjoy getting a laugh from other people's misery. ;) ie. embarrassing moments. 

First off, we took the girls for their yearly check up about a month ago and the pediatrician said Kamden's ear was full of wax and we should go to an ENT to have it removed. Well, it's not like we were in the middle of a move or anything. So, it took a few weeks. 

Finally, Jason was headed to the cap so we sent Kamden in just to have a quick fix... so we thought. The doc sent her back with tons of meds saying her middle ears were so full of fluid that we barely escaped surgery. She took antibiotics for a week and we went back in for a follow-up. At that time, the doctor looked in her ears and said it had gone way too far and that she needed surgery as soon as possible. As a mom, I was like, "What?!?!?" She's never complained. We've never had problems with ears. We have no clue what you're talking about. But after thinking in through, checking with a few medical consultants, and praying through the night, we decided to go ahead with the surgery. 

We took her in and, of course, Waite about two hours past the time of surgery. The only problem was that she was so hungry! But we survived. 

Well, one sad thing about the culture here is that people often make promises they can't keep, especially to children. If she said she was hungry, they responded with "you can have a chocolate!" When they snatched her "Dolphie" out of her hands and ripped her out of my arms, they told her there would be a new stuffed animal waiting for her. None of which was true. 

Well, with Kamden's seizure history, I had demanded I see the anesthesiologist before surgery. That never happened. So as they ripped her (literally without warning) from my arms, I said "I told you I needed to speak to the anesthesiologist!"  So, I did and then I said "can I please go in until she is asleep?!?" I had asked numerous times, and everyone said no. But the doctor said, "oh. You want to?@ Well, yes! They made me change clothes, which I did at record speed, and rushed in and she was, sadly, already asleep. So I just sat outside alone and prayed and waited. The doc invited me in to see the fluid he was removing. Then I waited some more. It wasn't a lengthy procedure at all- tubes and adenoids. 

Of course, I had asked multiple times to be sure I was there when she woke up, but when they came to get me, I could hear her crying. Thankfully, the next day when we talked about it, she said that everything was blurry and when she could finally see, she saw MOMMY! Yay for that! 

Well, here comes the embarrassing part! I had gone in to get her, picked her up, was carrying her out of the OR while she cried, soothing her, and what happens? My pants fall DOWN!!!!! Yes, there for all the medical staff to see (they're all walking out behind me!) So I'm grabbing my drawers, holding Kamden, walking, pregnant. It was a sight. I just said "sorry"! And kept moving. Lol! 

When I told Jason, I was laughing so hard! Could only happen to me! A very pregnant me.  I showed Jason about how far it felt like they had fallen and he said he couldn't see anything... But they were down pretty far so I'm not sure how anyone could have been spared.  

Anyway, our day droned on and none of us really ate anything so on the way home we grabbed McD, not to be boring, of course, Jason drove into a hole, I spilled the drinks all over the car, dropped water bottles in the dirt, and we finally made it home.  

Would you believe that Kamden woke up ready to start back to school the next day! 

And that was the adventure of surgery in South Asia! 

Memories

It happens just like that... When you least expect it. Kamden was playing hairstylist on me today so I was browsing pics on the iPad, and all the memories came flooding back. I honestly stopped to wonder how I could have been smiling so big in those pics when my entire world was being turned upside down.  And then it hit me, that smile was there because the love between true friends doesn't change with distance. And it was like somehow I knew it was going to be ok. And I knew that God's plan for us was not to harm us but for good.  I'm so incredibly thankful for the paths I've tread. It's just that sometimes that gratitude shows itself in huge cheesy grins and other times in tears. 

Just a few pics for memory's sake. 


-The 4 Cokes