Nine and a high chair

I took the kids to lunch today to the Chinese Buffet. They have a wide array of fine things to eat including something that looks like little octopus and they have pizza for those less adventurous.
They even have a "whole line" of desserts and big things of ice cream you can scoop yourself like 31 Flavors. My kids ate so much it was "linner", lunch and dinner. Angeline even burped out loud like a truck driver at the table. The kids kept telling me after two helpings of dessert that they "promise not to throw up in the van on the way home". I let them have at it and enjoy it... it's rare that we actually go "out" to eat. This was my fortune for the day. Now is that really what is supposed to be, or is that "PLANT" supposed to be "PLAN".
Either way it MUST be a good thing.
Good fortune to you today. :)
Sarah

So Super Sonic Part 2

So I am doing it again... I have about an hour of time before Angeline will wake up and a week has past since my last update which means that there are many exciting things to talk about so I am going to be doing several updates right now. See below for more pictures of "the Sonic Temple"...

This is really "the Masonic Temple"... it hasn't been used for that purpose for years and it's for sale. It's not super cheap, but its a good price for the area that we live in. At the end of the quiet street it sits on is Pugent Sound, it's amazing and beautiful. The kids call it the sonic temple and we spent some time there this morning exploring and dreaming BIG. This is a BIG building, 6000 PLUS square feet... there is an additional usable 1000 square feet in the attic, so it would have MORE THAN enough room for my big family. But it does need some work... for starters new paint and flooring and another bathroom.

It even comes with a water fountain, urinal and exit signs... His and Her bathrooms and a circa 1960 industrial sized kitchen.

My husband is out of town with work this week and we only saw it at night "together". So we plan to go back over the weekend... bring a builder friend to help dream big with us... and we will pray and see if we are supposed to move to the BIG sonic temple. :)

Fun times.
Sarah

The Sonic Temple

Another Miracle... GREAT NEWS!!!

Please click the arrow, enjoy the music and the memories and the big news is at the end.
Thank you.

View full size

Surgery Update

Sorry for taking so long to update everyone. I truly appreciate the prayers and well wishes, they mean so much to us.

Angeline did very well. The surgery took a bit longer than expected and the recovery took a bit longer than expected, so we didn't actually get to be with Angeline until a couple hours ago at 2pm PST...

She had lots of snuggles with her Dad and I and drank some BOTTLES (2 of them!) then went back to sleep. She is on pain meds that make her sleepy. They are hopeful that if she does well through the night she can come home tomorrow morning!

Angeline does sound a bit gunky in the nose and chest after she got out of recovery so just pray that this clears up without causing any problems with stridor or anything like that.

Her casts are very heavy! They aren't like the "soft" cast that she has been having over the past couple months so they make her less mobile, which makes her a bit more grouchy... but she will certainly adjust.

So in three weeks we have a cast change, then another change at 6 weeks along with Angeline getting fitted for her AFO's (leg braces)... at 9 weeks or so she should get her braces in and will be well on her way to learning to stand and maybe even walking someday! :)

Dr. M said that Angeline has very little muscle in her feet which does lead him to believe that she doesn't have a lot of sensation in her feet. That is what caused the surgery to be a bit longer because it was harder to differentiate the muscle fibres from the "other" things going on in there.

I better get back downstairs to see if Angel is awake yet.
Much love and thanks for praying!
Sarah
P.S. Please pray for Josiah. Please please. Thanks.

Surgery Time for Prayer Warriors

I just got a call from the hospital to update us on things.
Angeline goes to pre-surgery at 6:15am (tomorrow PST)

She will be in surgery from 7:30am-10:30am

If things all go well she should be done in three hours.

This will be her longest surgery.

Thanks for praying.
Love,
Sarah

Surgery Again... and More...

Thanks Aunt Amy for the adorable birthday outfit for Angeline. She will be wearing it today to go to the hospital for her big foot surgery. I love the piggie socks. :) Thank you!

Angeline's surgery is tomorrow morning. We aren't sure at what time exactly, but they go youngest to oldest, so we believe that she will be one of the first to go, if not the very first to go into surgery for orthopedics. Hopefully things will go well and she will just have to spend one night in the hospital. We were very blessed with family and friends around that will help with caring for and "schooling" the children while we are gone, so my husband and I BOTH get to go with Angeline this time. (What a treat for us both to be there with her, thank you all! Esp. Aunt Nina!)

We think that Angeline is sensing that something is coming up because she has been unusually clingy the past few days. Please pray for her that she stays strong and does well before, during and after surgery. Thank you.

I will try to update the blog sometime tomorrow to let you all know how she did. This surgery stuff doesn't get any easier, let me tell you. We have been through this so many times now I would have thought that by now we would be calm, cool and relaxed about things... but that is not so. It's like the first time all over again!

Nothing else too "newsy" is going on. We are still working on the medical Visa "stuff" for Baby Josiah (he has severe hydrocephalus). (Sorry I am not able to post his picture at this time.) But please remember to keep him in your prayers as well. There are MANY people working on getting his care set up here in the USA as well as the people in Haiti (particularly Antonio) working on getting the paperwork from there together for him. Just pray that it all comes together in time so that Baby Josiah will be able to experience some life without pain. Josiah-there are many people praying for you and we are anxious with you to see the Lord's miracles start to take place! You are already a little miracle and such a strong fighter! Hang in there little buddy.

My husband goes back out of town soon. (We are "playing it by ear" right now as far as things go with Angeline and waiting to see how her recovery is. His work is being very flexible with his time and for that we are truly blessed and thankful.) We are looking at 6-8 weeks out of town (home on weekends), then he should be doing local work all summer. WOOHOO! (His work will also be flexible while I am in Haiti! Phew!)

Well I have to go now and start packing up the bags for the next couple days for everyone. Thanks so much for praying and for the well wishes.

Love to All and Happy Valentines Day!
Sarah (and Angeline)

P.S. NO NEW NEWS ON ISAAC! Thank you for asking and thinking/praying about him though :)

Birthday Party Highlights

I have a ton of pictures so I am hoping that I can make a cute little slide show and post it on the blog. Angeline had a fantastic birthday party and of course the chocolate cake was her favorite part. Angeline is having her big foot surgery on February 13th. She will then have nine weeks of casting (three changes in the nine weeks). Angeline then will have custom leg braces made and wear those for ??? (There is some risk of her feet growing and turning back in, that is why they start with leg braces.)

Happy Birthday Angel Baby!!

Love,

Momma

I'm SO nervous!!!

Lulu was having a BAD day today. She had preschool this morning and came home and decided that life was just too overwhelming. We were out of grape jelly. She had her PBJ for lunch, creamy peanut butter and grape jelly is what she likes. But creamy peanut butter and strawberry jelly was what she got. Lauren and I encouraged her to come to the table and eat because swim classes were this afternoon. I told her to finish eating and to put her swim suit on under her clothes...

"But Mom, I am so NERVOUS!"

Why are you nervous Lulu...

"Because I have to eat my lunch, get my swim suit on,

and then go to swim class"

Life can be overwhelming when you are five.

"And I got STRAWBERRY jelly on my sandwich. I only like grape jelly. I like strawberries and sugar, but NOT strawberry jelly. That makes me nervous."

She then told me in her best "teenage" drama queen voice...

"I am NOT eating lunch"

She grabbed her "special pillow" and went with stomping feet into

my bedroom and snuggled on the floor with her two best friends,

her thumb and our dog Charlotte.

Now she is over at my dear friend Kelly's house for a sleepover tonight. Kelly my brave friend is having SEVEN of my children spend the night tonight. She will be taking them to home school classes tomorrow while I am at the "boots" doctor with Angeline. (Thanks Kelly!)

I sure hope that Lulu is sleeping and not so "nervous" anymore. lol

Oh... and that you have GRAPE jelly.

Goodnight my lovely children.

We miss you!

Mom and Dad

The Birthday Angel Sleeps

Happy Birthday Angel!

Today wasn't exactly the party day, just the birth-day. So we don't have any fun party pictures but we will be doing the birthday bash on Saturday. Today was a nice day though. We were able to take Angeline's casts off today because she goes for re-casting tomorrow. The days that her casts come off are by far the most happiest days in her life. So today was a good day. And now she sleeps. I am really one blessed Momma. Thanks God.

Love,

Me

P.S. I am doing "it" again... updating the blog with many posts at one time!

A New Face for Marlie

Meet Marlie. I saw the documentary about Marlie called "A New Face for Marlie" on the Discovery Health Channel several months ago. It was a very moving and touching story about a now teenage girl from Haiti with Polyostotic Fibrous Dysplasia. The pictures above are when Marlie was 3, when Marlie came to the USA from Haiti for surgery, and then Marlie, after her first set of sugeries and finally able to talk!

Marlie had a 16 lb. tumor that was suffocating her. Marlie is now 15 and living in PAP with her Mom, Marlin. Money is being raised to bring Marlie back to the USA for more medical treatments:

http://www.internationalkidsfund.org/ikf_kids/details.cfm?KD_ID=123

This is where my day today got really interesting...

I was calling around for medical care for another child in Haiti and the woman on the other end of the phone mentioned Marlie. I was talking to the hospital that had treated Marlie and she mentioned that maybe there was something that I could do to help her. So I didn't get the answer that I was looking for regarding care for the other child... but I did get to hear all about Marlie. Her story was so amazing and she is such a remarkable teenager, how could I say no?

If you missed the show about Marlie, here are the times that is it showing this month on the Discovery Health Channel:

FEB 18 2007@ 08:00 PM
FEB 18 2007@ 11:00 PM
FEB 24 2007@ 04:00 PM

Be sure to tune in.

So here is the situation. Marlie is in PAP with her Mom Marlin... Marlie because of her special needs has to eat only soft foods. She should also be drinking ensure each day and everything she needs is very expensive to buy in Haiti. Her Mom also uses a lot of charcoal to cook down the foods to make them soft enough for Marlie to eat. Marlie's Mom just doesn't have the means to be caring for Marlie the way that she needs to be cared for. I am praying that I am able to set up someone to help deliver supplies to Marlie in Haiti. And I personally will pledge to donate money for this cause. If anyone would like to join me, please send me an email:

sisters3designs@aol.com

I am waiting to hear back how we can best help provide for Marlie's needs. I will update the blog once I hear more.

Blessings,
Sarah