Thanking God!!

My Dad had a pet-scan done last week and we are thanking God for the results! The spot on his lung has shrunk considerably and is minimal now!! First praise report. Secondly, the way to detect cancer throughout the body is the scan will light up where spots of cancer are, there was no detection throughout the body (lymph-nodes and such) of cancer in dads body outside the prostate!! God is so good! He may still need radiation in January though, so please continue to keep him in your prayers!! As many of you know, he is now able to walk with the aid of a walker.

Shout out to you Dad: Keep the Faith!! We got your back in prayer~

Family Pics~

Congrats Mike & Sheri!!!

Sheri was such a BEAUTIFUL Bride, so wholesome and graceful~ Mike didn't make a bad looking Groom either =) Ireland was a flower girl along with Madison, Luke the miniture groom and Catalyn was able to pull off doing a great job at lighting candles~What an absolutely lovely wedding~ Congratulations to the HAPPY couple!!!

Harvest is Here!!

We went to a Harvest Festival and the kids were able to go through a GIANT corn maze, eat carmel kettle corn and get a pumpkin. Chandler got to go on his 1st horse ride.

Miss Ireland Grace....Gotta Love her!!

Chandler Blake...SUCH a DOLL!!!

Happy Birthday Mom~

Happy Birthday to my AMAZING & GODLY Mother!!!!! So Thankful for the BEAUTIFUL example I have in her!

Sign Up

I have added a fasting sign up link on my blog for the following:

~We are trusting God for a Miracle for my Dad.

~Continued strength for my Mother.

~Strength for the Gospel Lighthouse Church in Lompoc.

(I appreciate the church in Lompoc holding up strong during this time. I know it has got to be one of the darkest times the church has gone through. I understand not having a Pastor there for already two months is not easy. God is our strength during these times and he's brought you all this far and He will not forsake you. The church has been in our prayers and will continue to be...together we shall overcome this obstacle...only through PRAYER & FASTING!!!)

Trusting in the Lord

I have been singing this old song for the past couple of days and it has been my prayer as of late that I need to just trust His heart...God has a plan and I want to make sure I am a part of that plan. Also, thank you all for the prayers for my Dad, just knowing that there are people are praying brings comfort. Because I KNOW the power there is in prayer!

(sang by Babbie Mason)
All things work for our good
though sometimes we can't see how they could
struggles that break our hearts in two
sometimes blinds us to the truth

Our Father knows what's best for us
His ways are not our own
So when your pathway grows dim, and you just can't see Him
Remember you're never alone

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart

He sees the master plan
And He holds our future in His hands
So don't live as those who have no hope
All our hope is found in Him

We see the present clearly
But He sees the first and the last
And like a tapestry He's weaving you and me to someday be just like Him

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart

He alone is faithful and true
He alone knows what is best for you
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand trust His heart

How Dad's Doing

Dad has been home for a week and 4 days now and has made some progress physically, he was able to take 10-12 steps last week and he went to church for the 1st time on Sunday night. Of course he did not preach or anything, but at least he was able to show up. Pastor Don Hyler from Atwater preached and I heard it was a wonderful service. My Dad started his Hormone treatments this past Friday and will continue having them for 3 months to shrink all cancer tumors then he will begin the radiation. The cancer has spread, to what extent, we are not sure. The Dr's saw a few spots in his stomach and there are spots on the lungs that they are still unsure if it is cancer or not (could be something caused by living in TX, valley fever???). Dad does NOT want a biopsy at this point and the only way the Dr's are going to be able to tell whether it is cancer or not, is to wait and see if the hormone treatments shrink it. He also had the left stint removed this past Tuesday, so now only the right kidney has a stint. Please please please continue to pray! My mother is holding up by her Faith in the Lord as are the rest of us. God IS in control, God IS able, and God wants us to Trust in Him. Faith without works IS dead, we pray, we fast and we believe. God does the rest!!! We can't stop praying...God's word tells us to pray WITHOUT ceasing~ I will update as things change, but things like cancer can sometimes be loooonnnggg and drawn out. And yes, keep our spirits in prayer, these times can be very wearying. Thank you for your prayers!!!

Going Home

Papa is heading home! He will have to go back to the Hospital next week for more stuff, however, today he is homeward bound...and happy to be!!! They haven't been home in what...nearly 6 weeks??!


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Dad's surgery

Thanking God that yesterday my Dad finally got the 10mm stone broken up. This was a long awaited surgery. They also did an exploratory on him to see what was going on and replaced the stints on his kidneys. What was supposed to be a 20 min-2 hr surgery ended up being 5 hrs. The reason is when they went in to replace the stint on the right side, the ureter was dilated so the stint got sort of swallowed up and they could not get it out, therefore he now has 2 stints on the right side and 1 on the left. The left will be taken out next week, however, due to the condition on the right side, this one will be in for a while. They found while doing the exploratory that the prostate cancer has spread outside of the prostate and is pressing on the bladder and there is a tumor pressing on the ureter which has caused the swelling or dilation. Dad will not be having surgery to remove the prostate at this point, he will be undergoing hormone treatment for three months (this is to stop the cancer or to help prevent it from spreading) and then start radiation for about 6 weeks to shrink all the tumors/cancer. We spoke with the Doctor who did the surgery yesterday and he let us know that he had confirmed this treatment with Dr Aronson who is the Chief of Urology Doctor for UCLA and the Veterans hospital. We are not sure if Dad will be sent home today and have physical therapy come to the house or if he will stay at the V.A. until he regains strength. He is able to stand for a few moments with a walker and they also had him on a stationary bike for 6 minutes a few days ago which is wonderful, however, with the Guillain Barre Syndrome that he is recovering from, they have to be careful not to over exert him or else it can have the reverse effect and actually set him back. We continue to TRUST God in everything that happens and we still covet EVERY prayer!! God has seen him and my mom through thus far and He is not through yet!!! Thank you so VERY much to all you that have shown love and support to our family.....you may never fully know what it has meant to all of us, but we Thank you! Also, Thank you to Pastor & Sis White, Sis Blatto and the Burbank church for a DELICIOUS meal that was prepared AND served yesterday. Also for the laughs.....those are needed too!!!

This was taken last night @ 8:30PM after Dads surgery, he was being a little goofy in the pic, but he didn't feel the greatest either. =)

San Francisco

We stopped by to spend a few days with Wayne & Stacey and the kids on the way back home and went to San Francisco on Saturday.

Lake Tahoe

Emerald Bay (2nd most photographed spot in the world)

So glad the kids have a late start going back to school so we could get away for a few days for a vacation. The cabin we stayed in was so quaint, built in 1936 and at the base of Mount. Heavenly. What a great time we had with the kids making memories that will last a lifetime!! Moments spent together are priceless!! Here are some pics of our "lazy days of summer." =-)

We went on a 5 mile rafting ride on the Truckee River and this is Ireland floating on her back! lol The girls and Stephen floated most of the time...Luke did SOME, but SOMEBODY had to man the boat!! lol

Skipping rocks on the Truckee River

Overlooking Emerald Bay

We rented bikes and biked on a bike trail down to the beach...it was one of my favorite things we did.


The last night we played miniture golf...we won't say WHO won!

Dads Progress (Saturday)

The girls & I just got home from spending a few days with mom & dad. They transferred dad to the V A in LA on Thursday and we are hoping & praying that his kidneys get taken care of real soon. One of the V A team Dr's finally came in this morning and said we will talk with the scheduling dept on Monday to see when we can get dad in. This is our focus right now...getting the Lithotripsy done (breaking up the stones and then getting both stints taken out). We are so thankful at how much dad has improved in his mobility. He is able to get himself from the bed to a wheelchair without any help!! He can stand for a moment and cannot walk, yet! Dr's were impressed at the quickness of his recovery in this area after the GBS. Stephen went to PATH this week and the Ministry anointed a hanky that he brought to dad at the hospital today. When Stephen arrived, dad was ready to go to the Chapel. We had such a wonderful prayer and believe that God is and has been at work in dad's body. GOD is NOT finished yet!! God has blessed, kept and provided so far in these uncharted waters and we know that He hasn't brought us this far to leave us! Thank you JESUS!!! Mom is in the Fisher House which is so beautiful and we are so thankful that God provided such a place for her...and for FREE!!! Like I said, God has provided all along the way even things we don't really think about until we arrive at such a need.

Tuesday

Mom texted me at 2 something this morning and said Dad was running a temp of 102.8 and they called a Dr in to see what was going on. They took blood tests and found out Dad has an infection in his spine. Not sure what this means, but the antibiotics he started him on in the night brought his temp down to normal. So so THANKFUL for all those that have gone to see mom & dad over the past few days. The strength of a true FRIEND is strong!

Monday

First of all I would like to say, on behalf of our family, Thank you so very much to each of you that have been praying and fasting for my Dad. I told my Dad that he is just riding on the wings of prayers and fasting, and he agreed. He has had 4 treatments so far of the plasmapheresis ( a type of dialysis) and the Dr's believe it has worked to stop the progression of the Gulliun Barre Syndrome (GBS). Because Dad is doing so well, the nurse told mom today that she didn't think they were going to do any more lung xrays, which they were monitoring because that is where the GBS will go as well and can cause one to end up on a ventilator or worse. Dad is still very weak, but we know God will restore his strength in His time. God has worked such amazing things this far and like I told my mom, "it's the little victories that win the battle." Yesterday he was able to bend his legs. Please remember to keep my mom in your prayers as well. She has been faithful to my dad's side unless one of us kids were able to relieve her, so it has been very exhausting. When things kept getting grimmer last week mom said, "the darkest hour is always just before the dawn." We Thank the Lord that He has been good to us and has been with us every step of the way....actually, He has been a few steps ahead of us at every turn.

Chain Fast

Our Family has started a chain fast for my Dad for strength & another miracle in his body. If you would like to join in this fast, we have set up an online calendar that anyone can sign in on. We so appreciate ALL the Love, Prayers and Support that has been shown to our family during this time. Here is the link for the fast chain schedule:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/prayer4


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Update Tuesday Morning

Dr came in this morning and said the MRI came back showing nothing in the lumbar (spine). Which is great news! The bad news is we still don't know why his legs are so weak and he has the pain in his back. They just took him down for a brain scan to make sure it wasn't a stroke. However, all the signs are not pointing to this. Yes we just need the mighty hand of God! Thank you for all the continued prayers.

Update on Dad

We came up after church last night to see Dad and will be here in Lompoc for a few days. Stephen is down at the Hospital now, Thank God it's only about a half mile away from the house, this way Mom can come home & rest a bit. Said (with humor) she felt like she was in the belly of the whale last night! lol Dad is still physically very weak (mostly the left side) where he is unable to walk and just barely stand. He is having a MRI anytime now to see what is causing all the pain in his back and also the weakness. So we are waiting for that right now. His blood pressure is doing fine right now but still on the meds for the pain.

Picture of Dad at our church right before he went into the Hospital the 1st time. ( I think the last time he's been in the pulpit)

Coming Home!!!

Last night right before church dad's blood sugar dropped to 68, he started running a fever again, he was really swollen and his kidneys just weren't functioning right. They kept scanning the kidneys and bladder to keep an eye on them. They scheduled for a kidney specialist to come this morning to check out the kidneys. HOWEVER, we prayed AGAIN!!! After all, THAT is what works!! SO, this morning, the Internal Medicine Dr came in and said there was no need for the kidney specialist. Dad's kidneys kicked in through the night and the swelling is going down finally. The blood sugar level was low, the Dr said, because the body is out of whack and just trying to get back to normal. The Dr said all his numbers look good and he is going to be discharged at noon today!!! Thank you Jesus!!!

Miracles Still Happen!

I received the call from my Mom about 11PM Wednesday night that she was taking my Dad in to the Hospital. He had been sick since he left my house on Monday morn. Fever, throwing up, back pain...the whole 9 yards. About 1AM she called and said they were transferring Dad to the V.A. in Los Angeles because his blood pressure kept dropping and about 1/2 hour later called back and said they denied him at the V.A. hospital because they had no room(beds) available for him and were going to take him to Cottage Hosp. in Santa Barbara. They found a kidney stone (size 10, I had one a year ago size 3 and thought I was going to die!!) and also realized he had an infection. He went into Surgery @ 7:30AM and the 20min surgery ended up being closer to an hour and the 1 1/2 hour recovery ended up being @ 4 hours. We knew something was wrong. Finally a nurse informed my Mom that they were taking Dad to ICU because he wasn't breathing on his own. He was on a ventilator and all his organs had shut down. We found out at this point my Dad had an infection in his body that had turned into Sepsis, which is a poison in the blood. 50% of people that get sepsis, don't make it. The Dr put in a stint to bypass the stone (the stone will have to be broken up later, he's too weak to undergo the surgery for that at this time). This was the time to pray and "Trust" God!! He's been improving little by little and we give ALL the glory to God!!! My Dad is doing so much better today. His toxin level is coming down, white blood cell count "perfect", he's off the IV, able to get up and walk a little around his floor and his kidneys are improving. He feels weak and tired still, but that is to be expected. We are all so very thankful for "ALL" the prayers that have been said for him. I was thinking the other day, "Lord I want to see miracles happen like they did in the Bible days." Well, need I say more.......
Dad is definitely a "Miracle from God." I truly believe that Prayer works and just maybe God sent this along our path to increase our Faith for the cancer journey. We found out after the surgery that the Dr that did the surgery at Cottage Hosp. received Dr of the Year. I reminded my Dad of the verse that says, "The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord." If he had been transferred to the V.A. he would not have received the treatment and care that he got at Cottage. I played two songs last night up at the hosp. for my Dad, one says, "God's Not Through With You," and the other is, "I've Never Walked Alone." I don't know how people face things in life without God. He is truly so AMAZING!! Thank you God for my Dad....I still have him!

Braces

My girl grows up even more!!! She has soooo been looking forward to this day...we'll see how she feels a week from now.



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Happy 9th Birthday to my Boy!!

Happy Birthday Luke!!! Today we celebrated at Legoland with his best bud Adam and then at Ruby's. Yes he is ALL BOY!! This morning there were air gun pellets in the washer....hhmmm wonder where they could've come from?!! We love you bunches Luke and are sooooo very blessed that God entrusted us with such a wonderful son!!


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Chandler's Dedication

Mommy getting me ready...


Mamsie & Chandler


Such a wonderful service, Papa had three gifts and spoke on how they were representation of #1. Pocket Knife (represented him being a MAN child), #2. Bible (represents that he needs to be "tender" to the things of God) #3. Bow & Arrow (represents parents (bow) child (arrow) and how parents direct the paths that little arrows take, they are the driving force behind directions that kids take). Bro Bohannon gave a charge to Jason & Jenn and a touching poem written to Jason. Stephen preached an "incredible" dedication message. It was so wonderful to have everyone in service with us...Jason & Jordan came down and Jon, Frances, Brad, Brent & Brock and also Bro & Sis Bohannon & Ashley came from Texas.





The Family

More pics from PCC