Prayer request.

I know that everyone is going through some tough times and we have been also. I have a few prayer request for you guys.

First, my cousin Matt has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He is 14 years old almost 15. The tumor is 2 cm and the doctors think it is benign however it is interrupting the flow of fluids in his brain which is causing mood swings and blurry vision. For these reasons they are going to take it out on Friday. I can't even imagine turning your child over to people who are going to do surgery on his brain. This is such a precious christian family and I know they would appreciate any prayers on their behalf.

Second, my own darling Katie has a most disturbing illness. It is called HSP. She started having spots show up on her legs and bottom that just looked like really bad bruises or some kind of bug bite, I took her to the doctor on Monday and they said it was called HSP and it will run its course in about a month. She could have some stomach problems and some joint pain, we have to take a urine sample to the Children's Clinic once a week but other than that business a usual. She isn't contagious and she isn't restricted from sports or school or anything. So I'm thinking this is regrettable but manageable. She comes home from school on Tuesday afternoon limping and says her knee hurts. Katie tends towards the dramatic so I just said "Let me look at it Baby". It was so swollen you could not even see her knee cap. The skin was tight and a little purple and her feet were swelling as well. I immediately called the Children's Clinic, they called back a while later and said that it was perfectly normal with HSP to just put a warm compress on it and give her some Motrin. The next day her knee looked better and wasn't as painful. Then last night on the way to Awana she told me her fingers hurt and lo, they are horribly swollen as well. *Sigh* As long as she doesn't have blood in her urine she should recover in about a month. It is just really hard to see your kid in pain and not be able to do anything about it. Just pray for me and her that we get through this.

Thank you guys. It is such a comfort to be able to tell guys whats going on and know you care and you are praying.

Update

Finally, after a week of my kitchen being out of commission it is all done. The plumber finished up the last of it this morning. I can now use all of my kitchen appliances and my sink again. I am so relieved. It was quite a trying ordeal. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.

Also, everyone is healthy at the moment so we have much to be thankful for.

No words.

I have no words to describe this last week. I couldn't even think of a title for this blog. I'll just tell you whats happened. Last week I got my dad to come over and look at my washing machine which has been giving me trouble for about six months. (My poor busy husband just doesn't have time for such things) For the past few months there has been a odor in the laundry room. I could not figure out where it was coming from. Dad looked at it and said it looked like the pipe was clogged where the machine drains and it had leaked onto the insulation. No big deal stop the leak and the smell will go away. The next day the dryer stopped working. My father-in-law came out to look at the dryer. Which is dead as a doornail. It had a good life it was given to us used when we got married. Which makes it about twelve years old. So Thursday I took four loads to the laundry mat to dry. No problem Andy's grandmother recently went into a nursing home so they are giving us her dryer and the washing machine will be fixed on Friday. (We called a plumber) Meanwhile Ian and Emma are sick with a virus which consist of a fever and a sore throat. So Friday comes and brings with is the plumber who unclogged the washing machine drain and said the smell was probably just the natural smell of the old house (I wasn't buying that because I have lived here 4 years and it has never been funky). He decided to look under the house before he left and then he found it. Apparently the main drain pipe that connects the kitchen appliances the Washing machine, the sink and the dish washer has rusted and has a hole in it. So for the past four to six months everything has been draining to the ground under the house. Hench the funky smell. Now there are two silver linings on this cloud. One the hole was past the floor so the floor didn't rot out and two the bathrooms are not involved in the problem. So plumber says he will try to get out early next week to replace the pipe in the mean time we cant run the dish washer or the washing machine and we can't let any water go down the drain in the sink. That is the plumbing problem.
Then Saturday I woke up with the virus the kids had earlier in the week. Now as most of you know those little viruses the kids get over in 24 hours take adults forever to get over. Saturday I limped along and buy Sunday I was down for the count. Unfortunately Andy left Sunday morning for a business trip. This is why I thank God for my parents and in-laws. Mom and Dad took the boys to their church and Becky and Frank took the girls to their church. If it wasn't for them I don't know what I would have done. I didn't feel better until Tuesday.
So if we can get the pipe fixed and I can continue to get better we will be doing OK. Pray that the plumbing doesn't cost to much and that Andy and Katie don't get the virus.

Doggie Drama

Hello everyone! I know I haven't blogged in a long time and this may seem like a weird way to get back into it but I have to tell you about our poor little doggie. Technically we don't have a dog but we consider ourselves part owners with Granny's dog. She got the dog a few years ago and Nathan instantly fell in love with it Granny has been trying to give it to us ever sense. We aren't ready for a dog yet so we take care of Carmen whenever Granny goes out of town and sometimes he comes to visit just because. Anyway, last Saturday Granny gave Carmen a bath and had set him up on the counter in the kitchen to dry him off. She stepped out onto the back porch to get his brush and for some reason he jumped off the counter. He broke his leg. Granny took him to the vet where they wrapped his leg and told her to bring him back on Monday. When he went on Monday the doctor told her that it was a very bad break and Carmen has very tiny bones. They said they could either put a plate in it or amputate it. Thankfully Granny wouldn't consider that option so he had surgery last week and they put a plate in his leg. There were some veins and tendons injured in the surgery and the Dr. said if he moves around to much till it heals there will be no option but the amputation. So he is confined to a port-a-crib for the next 4 to 6 weeks. Poor little guy.