Deborah's been playing with my camera. Here's one of her better shots today (minus the thumb).

More Art from Jacob

Today Jacob had an art assignment where he worked "together" with the teacher to express his feelings through his art work. Here are the resulting pictures:

I promised some pictures of Ryan's feeding pump and here they are. You can see from the above picture that it's just a little unit that hangs on an IV pole. The pole is adjustable and easily moved, which is really nice. We also have a little backpack that we can put the pump in and take with us. So far though, we've opted to just leave the pump at home. We're usually only gone with him for a few hours at a time and it just feels a little easier to not deal with the pump feedings then.
You can see from below how we just place the IV stand next to Ryan. We can still hold him and play with him. Here he just happens to be hanging out with the other kids.

David was playing with and reading to Deborah while Johnathon finished the book "The Lightning Thief." If you haven't read it yet, you should. It's a really fun book based on Greek Mythology. It's a pretty easy read and it seems to appeal to a wide range of ages. Jessica is almost 15 and she enjoyed it and Johnathon is only 7 and he's loving it!

Man, it's been a long day!

The t-shirt says: "Judge me by my size, do you?"

More biopsies ordered...

I met with yet another specialist today. This time it's a GI Specialist. I really like him. (Thanks for the referral, my Relocated Angel!)

Anyway ... he explained that it's common for Lymphoma to present in the GI tract, most commonly in the stomach. So, next Tuesday he will be doing biopsies of my GI tract. Thankfully, I'll be asleep during the whole procedure.

And, THAT brings up another point ... Why will they put me to sleep for this procedure (and insurance will pay for it), but NOT for bone marrow biopsies?? Really? Who made that decision?

Oh, well, it was worth the $307.

I love my job! Today.

I was just watching last night's American Idol episode and doing laundry. You know the routine ... hanging clothes and folding towels, sheets and pillowcases. Such a mundane task. Then during the first commercial break, I went into our bathroom to put away the folded towels and replace the used towels with fresh towels.

That's when it occurred to me. As I was taking down my husband's towel that was still slightly damp from his morning shower, I felt such joy! I love my job! I'm not sure if he even realizes that I give him a fresh towel every time I do laundry. But, I love that I can serve him. In such a simple way, I can do something nice for him.

I haven't always loved this aspect of my job. So, why do I now?

Perhaps, it's because of a conversation I had with a friend last night. She commented on how sweet she thought it was that when Dwight spoke in church last week about maintaining faith while enduring trials, the only thing he talked about as a trial was my health issues. It was just me that was at the top of his radar. She thought it was sweet. I hadn't really thought about it.

It was sweet.

She also shared with me a conversation she had with a friend. This friend had attended one of the conventions they have about families. I've heard of it. You probably have too. It's a worldwide conference to discuss ways that we can strengthen the family in these days when the idea of family is really being attacked. One of the comments that was made by a woman from another country was directed to the women of the western culture. In her country, women have been forced to start their children in government run schools by the age of 2 (or was it 3?) and they are required to go to work. She spoke of her confusion as to why women of the western culture would willingly choose to do those things.

I recognize that not all women willingly choose to put their kids in school early and I am truly aware of how many women are returning to the workplace when their heart's greatest desire is to be a full-time homemaker. However, with that said, and understanding that I am not placing judgment on anyone's situation, I think she has a very valid point.

And, today, I am very thankful for the mundane tasks like laundry, cleaning bottles, changing diapers, vacuuming, etc. I am thankful for the opportunity I have to serve my family, to have my children with me, and to (do my best to) make my home a little piece of heaven.

I hope you love your job today, too. Whatever that job may be.

Johnathon and I slipped away for a yummy treat at our favorite breakfast place! We had lots of fun this morning!

If you've ever wondered what I do all day, just look at all that laundry on the floor. :)

"If thou canst believe,
all things are possible
to him that believeth."
~The Savior

Well, the news isn't exactly what we'd hoped, but ...

The dermatologist's office called today. The spot they biopsied from my leg is just scar tissue. We thought it would be, and we're glad it is. Unfortunately, the spot they biopsied on my back still shows cancer cells. The good thing is that it is still the same type of Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. It hasn't mutated.

So, how am I? Ummm... I had a large slice of pineapple upside down cake (yum) and now I'd like to do nothing for the rest of the evening. I'm a bit bummed.

But ...

I also know without a doubt that everything will be alright. I know that prayers are spoken on my behalf frequently and I know that God hears those prayers. I have felt the burdens lifted from my shoulders. As the Apostle Paul admonished, "[I] believe all things, [I] hope all things, [I] have endured many things and hope to be able to endure ALL things."

Bummer.