More Christmas pictures / New Year's pictures / Caleb's firsts

One of the best things about Christmas this year was celebrating with my dad. We had great time. He was able to sit with us all the whole time we opened gifts, and he joked around with us a little bit. This picture is of him reading to Little Karl (the nephew formerly known as Kade) at our Lung Christmas. (That's my mom's side of the family.)

You know, since the accident, my mom's been praying that my dad will come out even better than he was before...And I think the Lord is answering her prayer in a way I didn't expect. My dad's been a Christian most of his life, but he's never been very vocal about it. He'd always pray at mealtimes, and we always went to church whenever the doors were open. We knew he had great values, but he didn't talk about the Lord much. Well, now he's talking about the Lord much more! I almost cried...at our Lung Christmas, I heard him say to a relative, "Uncle Roy, have you been praying for me?" And then, "Now I can be a testimony to (the Lord)." And then later he told my cousin, "You need to love the Lord with all your heart, and serve Him." Then when we were in church, he stood up and thanked everyone for their prayers and remarked how good God is. WOW! My dad may not be as strong physically as he used to be, but I'd say this is a change for the better! He could be bitter and angry that all this happened to him, but instead he's praising the Lord. Thank you, God!

The second picture is Grace at the Lung Christmas - after the pinata was broken. Can you tell she's excited about the candy?

Third is Grace and me testing out her new sleeping bag that we got her for Christmas. Snuggly!

Melissa, Karl, Karl, and Emma were here for New Year's. (We switch back and forth, and this year was their year to come here.) We had a great time hanging out, eating food, and chasing the kids. Although, I must admit, we pretty much went right to bed after the ball dropped. What can I say? We're old fogies. The fourth picture is Grace and Karl kissing Emma. Awww.

Now, the exciting news...Caleb took his first step last night! All by himself! YAY! What a big boy! And he was only 9months, 3 days old. Then Luke and Grace helped him walk around the house (picture #5). Pretty cute, huh?

And one more first for Caleb...Today was the first time he sat in the grocery cart seat (picture #6). I decided he's big enough to leave his silly car seat in the car when we're at Meijer. He was pretty enthralled with it at first. He didn't move. He just sat there and stared, like it was a whole new angle on grocery shopping. Ha.

Let's end with a giggle...If you want to see something really funny, go here. Luke thinks it's a little creepy, but it makes me laugh.

-{lkr}

Rumley Christmas pictures!

Beautiful Grace looking like a teenager!

Happy Caleb loves the laptop - and he always makes us smile!

The newlyweds are still having fun!

These beautiful sisters have boyfriends now! AHHH!

Mom and Dad Rumley

Have you missed his smile?

Countdown: Six days

The weekend was a success!

Friday night's white elephant party was HILARIOUS. We took a funny tie and a pair of ceramic boots (I think they're planters, like to put plants in). We received a Christmasy jar and the ugliest tissue box cover I've ever seen. You fit it over the tissues, and it looks like a couch, only with tissues coming out the cushions. Yikes. I'd post a picture, but I already put it in our Sunday School room at church. I wish I could post a picture of the funniest present I've ever seen. Pastor Craig (youth/family/music pastor) picked it. It was a dark blue hat that says in bright yellow letters "Hemmorrhoids can be fun!" I guess I forgot that our host is a colon-rectal surgeon. He got the hat from one of his medical suppliers. TOO funny.

Saturday was great, too. We got a surprise visit from Erik, Amy, and Grace Buskard. They were on their way to a family Christmas. It was great to see them! They're living in O-H-I-O now. So, we got to catch up and have lunch with them. Then we took a long nap, which was also lovely. (I still can't believe we got both kids to sleep at the same time for that long!)

And then, we had our date! Our friends, Craig and Kathy (yep, the guy with the hat) watched both the kids while we went out by ourselves. It was SO nice to do that! We went to a place called Mojo's, which is a dueling pianos bar/restaurant. It was a nice little place in the center of downtown. And we got there early enough to see the beginning of the show and eat dinner, which was really yummy. We stayed for about two hours, and the music definitely got better during the second half. But it also got really vulgar after a while, which is part of the reason we left. (I realize it is a bar, but still. It was totally unnecessary stuff they were saying/singing. Sheesh.) Oh, and we were the only ones there not drinking alcohol. The waitress looked at us a little funny when we ordered water and Diet Coke. Ha! I wouldn't recommend going to Mojo's, especially after 8:30pm. Maybe lunchtime would be better? But all in all, it was a good time anyway!

And then Sunday was church, home, meeting, and caroling! We went caroling at a nursing home, which gave mixed emotions for me. It was nice to be able to bring some Christmas joy to the people there, but it was also so sad. There were older folks just sitting in their rooms hardly moving, looking absolutely forlorn. And I thought, I'm so glad my dad didn't have to be in a nursing home. I was nervous to have him home, but I would be so sad if he had to go to a nursing home just to sit by himself all day in a quiet, lonely little room. I'm glad God knew where Dad needed to be.

Well, I guess that's the update. This week, I'm trying to madly finish the gift for my parents. I hope it gets done! We'll have Christmas with them this weekend, so I'm on a deadline here! Does anyone want two kids for the week? :-)

-{lkr}

White elephants, AWANA anniversaries, and tent beds...

We're facing a fantastically full weekend ahead. Tonight is our Sunday School class Christmas party at the Figgs'. It'll be fun. We're doing a white elephant exchange. I can't tell you what we're taking - what if someone from class reads our blog ahead of time? I thought it would be super funny to take our old vacuum cleaner, but MomR (or DadR) is going to try to fix it. No worries - we had other options up our sleeves! I'll let you know how it goes, if I remember.

Then tomorrow, thankfully, we get to sleep in! We need it! Poor Luke has been working really hard lately, so he's pretty beat. We will hopefully not do a thing until the early evening...

Then we're going out on a date (without the kids!) to celebrate our third anniversary! Three years already! WOW! (I guess that's good, since we have two kids, the latter of which is already 8 months old!) Our anniversary is technically next Wednesday, but we'll be spending that evening at AWANA. Not my idea of a date. So we moved the celebration to tomorrow. That'll be fun. Details later, again if I remember.

But the craziest, coolest thing will happen tomorrow around noon. My dad is going home! WOW! I don't know if he's fully ready, but the doctor is discharging him anyway. He's SO excited to go home and sleep in his own bed. (Currently he sleeps in an enclosure bed, which they zip him into at night, like being locked in a tent. He HATES it.) I am thankful beyond words that I will get to celebrate Christmas this year with my WHOLE family - Dad included. I've never been more thankful for his life. Praise God for His goodness!

-{lkr}

P.S. Does anyone want to take a Christmas picture of us? I need one. But I can't get my camera to work. And even if I could, I should probably be in the picture...What a pain. Oh, but don't expect a Christmas card in the mail from us - SORRY! We definitely won't get around to it this year. Hopefully next year. How about I just say "merry Christmas" on our blog? MERRY CHRISTMAS!
P.P.S. The picture - Grace found some stickers and got herself "Veggie-fied."

The long-awaited hair pictures

Well, folks. My hair is gone. On its way to Locks of Love, hopefully. Here are the pictures:

Before, front view.

Before, back view. Isn't it long?

The day after - not styled quite the same as the hairstylist did the night before. (I'm costmetologically impaired, remember?) But you get the idea. P.S. Don't mind the unmade bed behind me - it was Saturday morning!

The beauty of our backyard in the winter...

...and the promised pictures of Grace in her snowsuit:

1-2-3, A-B-C

I know it's been a long time. I apologize. I feel quite busy lately, and I also don't really have a lot to say. Let's see...

With my dad, each Wednesday the doctors and insurance company have a battle. Today's the day. We'll find out if Dad gets to stay at Mary Free Bed one more week, or if he has to be discharged. When the insurance company gives a final "no," they have 48 hours for him to leave. Right now it looks like he'll go to a nursing facility if that happens.

He's doing well, always improving. Praise the Lord for that! He seems to really be improving cognitively. He's not as confused when he's tired now, and he's been remembering the kids' names a lot better. The down side of being more aware is that he seems to be very aware of his limitations. He's been sad, and I asked why. He said it's because "life is hard" and "I can't do everything I used to do." He was a very capable man before, and now he's having to rely on others for all his needs. I can't imagine what it would be like to be "trapped" in your body - where you know you should be able to do things, but you still can't. So, please pray for continued improvement and some peace and JOY in his heart. Also pray for my mom as she's going to be making some big decisions in regard to his care.

In Rumley-ville, we're doing well. Caleb's about to sprout his third tooth (top right middle), and we're working on his ability to stand by himself (without holding onto anything). Grace is smart - she can say "1, 2, 3" and "A, B, C" now. She's learning to count and recite the alphabet. Not bad for barely-2, right? Luke took her sledding last night while I was at our church's Ladies' Christmas Tea. We have some super-cute pictures of her in her snowsuit, but I can't get them up here right now. (Luke, you wanna post one?)

Next on the agenda: HAIRCUT! I'm scheduled for a haircut on Friday evening, finally! It's probably been a good year since I got it cut. Yikes! I'm donating this mop to Locks of Love. I'll be sure to post before and after pictures. Anyone have suggestions for the new do? Ideas? Feel free to help. If you know me, you know I'm at least slightly cosmetically/aesthetically challenged. Thanks!

-{lkr}

Birthday, sickness, Thanksgiving, Christmas...

Grace's family birthday party was great. It was nice to have everyone here (except "Papa" Liabenow, Betsey, and DanO). We had pizza, snacks, cake, and ice cream...a simple menu! But she had a great time and just LOVES the gifts that everyone got her. She's been playing with her puzzle, tea set, and bike every day. And she loves to read her new books, and color her new coloring books...I'd say her party was a hit! (Thanks, family!)

This past Wednesday, we took Caleb to the pediatrician, because he had a fever and was super crabby. And he has an ear infection in his right ear. DaRn! So, we got his medicine and headed to Indiana...When we got there, his temporal artery temperature was 106.1! Wow! We got him undressed and gave him some Tylenol, and put a cool cloth on his head, and it came down to about 103.5. I still called the pediatrician's office, and the nurse said if it went above 105 again to go to the ER, but it was probably so high because he was bundled in his car seat all the way down to Indiana...Still, it was scary. So, we kept tending to poor Caleb, and by the morning, his fever was gone. He has the sweetest disposition, though. Even through his sickness and fussiness, he'd take time to stop and smile at us. He has such a sweet little smile!

Thanksgiving Day (and Elyse's 7th birthday!) was good! We had some great food and fun times with the whole Rumley clan. We number 12 now! An even dozen with two parents, six kids, two in-laws, and two grandbabies. Crazy, huh? Makes for some entertaining times at the Rumley house.

A tradition at the Rumley Thanksgiving is to say what you're thankful for. Grace is too cute - she says she's thankful for the Bible (a completely unsolicited response from a two-year-old -- not bad!), and for her friends Luke, Noah, and Kade. As for me, I have SO much to be thankful for, but a huge thing that I'm thankful for this year is my dad's life and recovery this far, and I'm thankful that I've been able to learn such valuable lessons at such a young age. (Such as, God is good and sovereign no matter how awful my situation seems.)

We came home from Indiana on Thursday night, and Caleb had a very high temp again, but we got it to disappear by morning again, and he hasn't had one since. Thank you, Lord!

I did go shopping a little bit on Black Friday. What a crazy day! I got some good deals, but I'm not sure it's worth it to get up at 4:30am and brave the crowds. I'm sure I'll go again next year, though, just because I can't pass up the amazing deals.

Christmas is coming so soon! I feel like I have so much to do to get presents and everything ready, let alone making candy for the Ladies' Tea and preparing for Christmas festivities! I love all the fun-ness and craziness of Christmas, but I also just love the peacefulness of sitting in the living room with the lights dim, listening to Christmas music, and looking at the lit Christmas tree. It's then that it's easiest to remember that it's not about presents and candy and family get-togethers. It's about Jesus!

-{lkr}

7 more days...

The insurance company has granted Dad 7 more days at Mary Free Bed. And so begins a game where they say "7 more days," and then we wait the 7 days, and then we fight for more time. And then (hopefully) they'll say "7 more days" and the cycle will continue until Dad is well. We'll see how it works! We might really only have 7 more days left, or we could have more time. Hopefully the doctors can be persuasive with the insurance company! Either way, praise God for more time! And thank you for your prayers!

Tomorrow is our family get-together for Grace's birthday. It'll be fun! Pizza, chips, cake, and family! Who doesn't like that?

-{lkr}

Please pray!

My mom just called to tell me that their insurance company is trying to send Dad home already. They apparently think that he's ready to go home, even though the doctors and therapists say he's not! (Or the truth of the matter is that they're ready to stop paying for him to be there, even though he needs more care.) Mary Free Bed is fighting with them to allow him to stay, and we should know something by the end of the day today.

We know that God is still in control, no matter what. Please ask Him to allow my dad to stay in rehab, so he can have more of a chance to get well! Thank you!

-{lkr}

Two years ago...

...a beautiful baby girl was born. Read the labor story here.

This is a picture of her when she was three months old:
Now here's a picture of her yesterday, on her second birthday. (We got her a play cell phone.):

I told her yesterday, and it's true, this has been the best two years of my life! Praise the Lord for His gift of our children!

-{lkr}

Prayer Request

I received this prayer request through the grapevine, from my parents' church in Manton. It's doesn't involve anyone from that church; the man that sent the request is the son of a couple that used to go to the church. (Confused, anyone?) I'll just paste the email here, so you can read it and so I won't confuse anything. Please pray for this family!

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"This summer a five year old boy (Jade) & his 10 yr old sister (Katie) visited our Vacation Bible School with their babysitter. They absolutely loved coming to church & finally convinced their Mom about 6 weeks ago to start coming them (she started really liking it too!). Friday night Jade & Katie were with their 15 yr old aunt(Brittany) & 18 yr old friend of the family(Eric) were on their way to their Dad's for the weekend. The roads were bad because of the rain & snow & they got in an accident. Jade & the 15 yr old Aunt were both killed instantly. Katie & Eric are both in the hospital. The Dr's are planning to take Katie out of ICU tomorrow although with the spine injuries that she suffered, she'll still have to be monitored very closely. They also had to take part of her intestines due to seatbelt injuries & are keeping a monitor on her head from hitting the seat in front of her.

Please pray for all involved. Last night I visited Katie in the hospital & she was sedated. One of many prayers is that Eric & Katie would not have those horrific nightmares reminding them of the accident. Katie's Mom (Sarah) was at the hospital also trying to hold it together for Katie, but she is very new to the church. Please pray that she feel the comforting embrace of our Father & the love extended to her & her family through the church. Also for Sarah's Mom & Dad as they now lost a daughter, a grandson & have the devastating reality that another one is badly struggling in the hospital.

Brittany, I've been told, recently was baptized & gave her profession of faith PTL. Our youth pastor was with Eric last night as he went through some reconstructive surgery on his jaw. After the surgery was when they were going to tell him about the others being killed.

I know that God has complete control, but it is hard sometimes to understand that He has a plan to give a hope & a future. Please, also pray for our children's ministry & schools. Jade was in Katie's (our Katie) kindergarten class at church and school. He was a very excited little boy. And Katie (the 10 year old) is in Austin's grade & my small group class that I teach on Wed. nights....this hurts!!!!!

Our kids have taken this very well, way better than their Mom! But, I am nervous of how things will go tomorrow at school when their classmates find out for the first time & the school is full of guidance counselors."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know firsthand the power of prayer. Please pray for some miraculous happenings in the life of this family! And remember, no matter what, God is always good.

-{lkr}

Happy (belated) Veteran's Day!

Sorry I haven't blogged lately. There just hasn't been a whole lot going on with my dad.

On Thursday, the doctors, therapists, and who knows who else met together to discuss Dad's progress. They said really positive things. They said that he has improved significantly across the board, in all areas, which is great. (Some people only improve in one area.) They also said they are hopeful for more significant progress. They determined that his total stay at Mary Free Bed will be 6-12 weeks, depending on how things go from here. That is quite a broad range, because it means he could go home anywhere from 2-1/2 weeks from now to the middle of January. Crazy. But it all sounds like good news anyway.

This weekend (the 11th) was Alonna's 13th birthday. I can't really believe she's a teenager. AUGH! We threw her a super-cool spa party. It was fun. I had a really good time chatting with Emily on the way there and back. (Thanks for coming, Emily! You did a fabulous job on their hair!)

And Tuesday is Grace's 2nd birthday. My baby is almost 2! Wow!

That's all for now.

-{lkr}

Election Day thoughts

I am baffled. Why has my generation abandoned traditional values for liberal views? I'm not talking about the unbelieving portion of our generation. I'm talking about Christian people. The gospel has not changed, so why have they?

How can someone who professes to be a Christ-follower also be pro-choice? How can you know the God of love, who protects the innocent and forbids murder, and yet say it's okay to kill an innocent life? I know abortion is the never-ending debate, but I didn't expect it to be a debate amongst Christians.

I admit, I've never had an unwanted pregnancy. I have had two unexpected pregnancies, but I've never not wanted my children. That's a foreign concept to me. Even when Grace and Caleb are being awful, screaming, making messes...I've never said to myself, "I wish I would've had an abortion." Or even worse, "I wish I would've had an abortion, and if I had, God would've thought it was okay." That's such a sickening thought to me. Come to think of it, I've never met anyone who has children and regrets not aborting them.

What kind of God would I serve if He thought it was okay to kill babies, depending on the circumstances? Today I'm praising Him for His faithfulness, His love, and His justice. I'm thanking Him for the kids He's given me. And I'm especially thanking Him that He's the God of LIFE.

-{lkr}

One down, plenty to go...

As many of you know, we are taking a Crown Financial Ministries class, learning how to handle finances God's way. We were so excited yesterday when we paid off one huge debt that has been looming over us for the last 9 months, without incurring the finance charges that were accruing over those 9 months. There are many more debts to go, but this will provide a big relief to our finances; it is fun to watch God provide!

--
Luke

P.S. Lacey is doing better than she was in the last post. We had a pretty restful Saturday, and a busy, but good Sunday.

I don't want to be awake right now...

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. Not a whole lot has been changing with my dad, and yet life has been CRAZY. Being with my dad four days a week, plus church responsibilities and having my whole family here all the time, makes for some very tired Rumleys. The past couple of days I've been very frustrated, because I know it will be a while until we can actually rest. I need some sleep, and my poor children need some sleep. Caleb hasn't been sleeping well ever since the accident, and it doesn't help to have all this going on. I know I need to have a better attitude, but I just feel exhausted with no hope of reprieve.

As far as my dad goes, things are still progressing, but it just doesn't seem as fast since he started walking and talking. Sometimes he seems very clear on things (cognitively), and sometimes he seems confused. He talks about work a lot, and he has been pretty restless/claustrophobic. They say the restlessness is a normal thing to go through, and most people get better. I hope so, because he needs some sleep, too!

Well, that's not a very uplifting update, is it? We do also have a lot to praise the Lord about. Our church family is one huge gift from God in our lives. They are so special to us, and so encouraging. Not only did they give us two generous Meijer gift cards, but they also got a work crew together and came to finish framing and drywalling a room in our basement so that my mom (and family) will have a place to stay other than the couch all the time. Isn't that just amazing? I'm so thankful that God has placed us with a group of believers that truly see needs and take care of each other. I think that kind of unity and service really brings glory to God.

Our friends Craig and Kathy also had us over for dinner last night – thanks, guys! It was so good just to get away and have some great food and fellowship for a while. They are a fun, godly couple that we've learned a lot from, especially in the area of parenting. (Grace just loves their adorable daughters!) We're thankful for their testimony and friendship.

I think that's all I have to say for now. I will try to work on my attitude, and maybe by the time I post next, things will be better (or at least my outlook will be, ha!). Feel free to leave some encouraging Scripture or something to get my focus back where it should be! Bye for now!

-{lkr}

And he's walking!

Just a really quick update...

When I was in with my dad on Monday, he kept asking to take a walk, and I kept telling him he couldn't walk yet. He'd get there, but not yet. Well, unbeknownst to me, he had walked in physical therapy that day! His therapist had him standing between the parallel bars, and he just started walking. So when he got to the end of the parallel bars, they put him in something called an eva walker, and he walked a total of 260 feet that day! And he's still walking in therapy! Praise the Lord! His therapist wasn't expecting him to be able to walk already; it's definitely an act of God!

It was nice to be able to spend some quality time with him on Monday. We got to talk, and I trimmed his fingernails, and I read him some Scripture and his Daily Bread. It was nice to be able to do something after being away for a few weeks.

And guess what? He's having some problems with his rear. (It's a prayer request - but I won't go into any more detail!) Anyway, his colon-rectal specialist is Ryan Figg, a friend from church! That's got to be another God-thing.

So, remember, God is good, all the time! And have a great day!

-{lkr}

P.S. I almost forgot! Caleb's first tooth started to pop out today! He's such a big boy!

P.P.S. Dad also got his trach out yesterday, which is wonderful! Now, keep praying that he'll be able to have a strong enough swallow to have a drink of water.

He's talking!

Good things have been happening. On Friday (I think? or maybe Thursday?) of last week, they changed Dad's trach, and he is now able to talk! It been SO great to hear him verbalize what he's thinking and feeling. It's also a little sad, because one of the first things he said was, "I don't want to be here." And he keeps asking to go home. He also didn't know what happened, so my mom had to explain a little bit of the accident to him (without the gory details). It has been nice, though, to hear him say "Hi, Grace" and "I love you" and things like that.

I think his therapies are going well, too. They've been working on standing with him. I guess he's been improving quite a bit. At first, they had to have someone bracing his knees, and someone behind him bracing his shoulders and bottom. But now, they don't have to have people bracing him. Just someone there to help him keep his balance. That's great! He hasn't even been there a week yet, and I feel like he's improving so much.

Now, please pray for him to learn to swallow again. Once he learns to swallow on command, he can have his trach out. And he can have the drink of water that he's been asking for. Also, please just pray that he'll continue to be strengthened mentally and physically. He seems confused some of the time, so please pray for mental clarity for him.

Now, on an unrelated note, we celebrated Kade's second birthday this past weekend. It was fun! Grace and Kade are best buddies, and they just love to be around each other. The first picture is of Grace and Kade opening one of his birthday presents. He was very gracious to let Grace help with the unwrapping!

And then the other picture is from last week, when Grace got to play on the playset that Grandma and Grandpa Rumley brought for her. She loves it. She was so excited that she walked around the house all day one day pointing to it and saying, "Papa, thank you. Papa, thank you." So, thank you, DadR!

-{lkr}

Thumbs up

Well, I've been able to see my dad a couple of times now, which has been wonderful...On Tuesday evening, all of us (Luke, the kids, and I) went to see him. It was discouraging, because he was exhausted and agitated from the long, bumpy, loud ride in the ambulance (about 3 hours from TC to GR). So, he didn't respond much to us. BUT, the kids and I were able to go back yesterday afternoon to see him again, and he was much better. He opened his eyes really wide and waved at us. He answered our questions with thumbs up and thumbs down. He also tried to talk, which is encouraging, but he can't because he has a tracheotomy.

He seemed happy to see the kids. He held Caleb's leg/foot and touched his face when I brought him close to him.

I think his mind has had a measure of preservation in all of this, because he could answer questions so well. We asked him if he remembered Luke being there the night before, and he said yes (thumbs up). If he really does remember that, it would be great, because it would mean he has some short term memory, which is often damaged in situations like this. Also, one of the therapists asked him if he knew where he was. She asked him if he was in a restaurant (thumbs down), a school (thumbs down), or a hospital (thumbs up).

It's going well. I know the therapies are really tiring for him, but they'll also be SO good for him. (I asked him if he liked therapy, and he said no, hehe.) It's impossible to know what the end result will be, but please keep praying for complete healing. They say some people get out of rehab walking and talking, and some get out not much better than how they came in. Please pray that my dad will make major progress. We'd love for him to be walking and talking his way out in a month or two!

And can I just say that we are absolutely blessed by our church family? They are unbelievably good to us. Praise God for his provision in giving us this amazing family of believers!

That's all for now...We'll probably head back to see Dad tonight or tomorrow, so I'll update if there's anything to say.

-{lkr}

Welcome, Dad!

Praise the Lord! Dad came down to Mary Free Bed for rehabilitation today! They left Traverse City at 10am, and he arrived at the hospital around 1pm. Luke, the kids, and I will be visiting him tonight. I'm excited to see him. It's been almost three weeks! Welcome to GR, Dad!

So, now we'll pray for his rehab to go well and quickly. He's a hard worker, so I'm hoping he'll do really well with it.

For those of you who haven't met him, this picture is my dad holding Grace and my nephew, Kade, on the fourth of July. I'm thankful for memories like this one.

-{lkr}

What is normal exactly?

Praise for the day: Caleb's tests went well yesterday (a sweat test and a blood draw), and we got the results back today. Everything is normal! Yay! So, now I just need to be sure he eats and sleeps well (not always an easy task), and hopefully all will be fine. That's a load off my mind! Thank you, Lord!

And we're trying to get the ball rolling for my dad to come down here to Mary Free Bed. We'll know soon whether he'll get to go there, or if he'll have to be in a nursing home for a while. I think they're pretty ready to discharge him from the hospital. Crazy!

He's doing better each day, though. I know that when I see him next I'll see a HUGE change. My mom said he's been calling her over to him by turning his hand over and moving his pointer finger. (I don't know how else to describe it. Do you know what I mean?) Anyway, I think it's great that he's communicating with her.

Not much more. Just some cute pictures of the kids. The first is Caleb and I during his sweat test yesterday. He's a happy boy. The next one is Grace with her friend Karisa, after church last night. And the last one is Caleb standing up next to the bucket of blocks. He can pull himself to stand now, but I'll admit, I helped him get up this time! : - )

Have a great day, everyone!

-{lkr}

A week of healing

Just a week ago, we were praying specifically that my dad would be able to wiggle his fingers and toes. And in just that week, God has done wonders! Although I still haven't seen him again, I've been told he is very responsive and alert (when he's not sleeping after all his hard work). He is trying to sit up and hold his head up. He's been able to wave at people, lift his hand for a high-five, nod in response to questions, hold up his arm and shoulder, touch his nose, move his head from side to side, hold his granddaughter Emma, and more! Praise the Lord for the great healing that has been happening! I wish I could be there to look in his eyes and see that he's really in there, but my time will come. For now, we're waiting down here in GR, and getting reports every day.

Again, thank you all for your prayers! Please keep them up! We've been so blessed by the many, many believers who have been remembering my dad and our family in prayer. I'm so touched by the many people who have never met my dad, yet they love us enough to pray for him. Thank you!

Even two of my Cubbies (a 3-year-old and a 4-year-old) have been praying for my dad. How cool is that? Little kids are just sweet.

Now, please pray that my dad will be well enough to go straight from the hospital to a rehabilitation center upon discharge. We'd love to skip the step of sending him to a nursing home. His recovery would probably be faster at a rehab center, because they'd be geared to working with him more. (That's what they're there for!)

Please, also keep praying for weight gain for Caleb and wisdom for me. He hasn't been nursing very well lately, which stresses me out. I want to do what's best for him. I don't mind him being skinny. I just want him to be healthy.

That's about all for now. Remember - God is good, all the time!

-{lkr}

Just for smiles

Happy Caleb


He can pretty much crawl now, but only a couple of "steps" at a time. Crazy. Soon enough he'll be everywhere!


Sweet sister and brother

Skinny baby

In the past couple of days, my dad has been able to respond to these commands:
-open your eyes
-close your eyes
-follow with your eyes (up, down, side to side)
-wiggle your toes
-move your head
-stick out your tongue

These are great improvements! Since he's been out on the floor, he's continued to improve. But he's also been more tired because of a loud roommate and multiple therapies each day (physical, speech, and occupational therapy). Please continue to pray for him - especially that he'll be able to respond with his hands (squeeze or wiggle fingers) and that he'll be able to endure three hours of therapy each day. (The word is that three hours is the requirement for being able to get into a rehabilitation facility instead of a nursing home. This is our goal!) Also pray that he'll be able to get some rest, as that is pretty important to his recovery.

And last, you can pray for Caleb and me. He had a doctor appointment today, and he's actually lost a pound since his last appointment, which is pretty alarming. I think it's because of all the stress of the past 2-1/2 weeks, but we're taking extra precautions. He has to get some blood tests for iron and sugar (and probably more that I don't know about). They also want to do a sweat test, which tests for cystic fibrosis, although the doctor doesn't think that's the problem. (CF babies are usually lethargic, which is definitely not the case with Caleb. It's a just-in-case test.) And then they want me to start pumping to make sure my milk supply is okay and to add it to his cereal. Sheesh. I don't have time for all of this craziness! So, pray for patience for me and weight gain for Caleb. He's a skinny little boy!

Just for the record, I did ask about heredity, because Luke isn't the chunkiest guy in the world. And the doctor said it would be okay if Caleb had had a pattern of not much weight gain all along, but weight loss is a problem. So, let's hope it clears itself up. He'll have a weight check in about six weeks.

That's all for now.

-{lkr}

I'm thankful for you!

Here's the "Dad update" for this morning...They moved him out of ICU into a regular room (on the floor). My mom said he seems more tired there, because it's louder, but hopefully that won't hinder his progress. She's not sure how long he'll stay there before they'll be ready to discharge him, and we also don't know where he'll go when he's discharged. Lots of stuff to figure out! Not much more to update than that. He's still about the same as far as opening his eyes, etc. We would still appreciate prayers, especially that he'll be able to respond to more commands soon.

On a totally unrelated note, I am reading Created to Be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl. (Thanks, MomR, for letting me borrow it! Did you know I stole it from the bookshelf during the wedding weekend?) I'm not too far into it yet, but so far it's a wonderful book. She has great, godly, practical advice for women about how to be the kind of wife God intended. Not only that, but it's an easy read. I highly recommend it!

In the book she talks about the importance of being joyful, and that thankfulness leads to joy. Well, just for the record, I'm SO thankful for my amazing husband. He's a wonderful mate (he's patient, understanding, loving, loads of fun and laughter, willing to help around the house, and more!), a super daddy (again, loads of fun and laughter, but also committed to consistent discipline), and a hard worker (superb work ethic - Steelcase loves him!). He's been so supportive during this time with my dad in the hospital. I love it that he's willing to love my family like they're his own...I'm sorry if all that praise makes you uncomfortable, honey, but it's all true!

Oh, that all women could have a husband like mine!

-{lkr}

Blink two times

Well, today is a "good news" update.

First, they transferred my dad to his room in step-down ICU. And Dr. Dark-hair (I can't pronounce his real name, so that's how I refer to him) okayed him to move out to "the floor." I assume that means out of ICU into a regular room. That's great news. When that happens, Melissa will be able to introduce him to his newest granddaughter.

Second, he was able to respond to a new command. The nurse resituated him (something with his pillow or something) and said, "If that's more comfortable, blink your eyes two times." And he did! He was able to do this again later with a different nurse! Praise the Lord!

Praise God for Dad's improvements! But also continue to pray that he'll be able to respond to voice commands to move his fingers, toes, tongue, etc. This is imperative for his transfer to a rehabilitation facility (possibly Mary Free Bed) instead of a nursing home.

Back at the homestead, something exciting happened today. We asked Grace if she wanted to throw her pacifiers ("tassies") in the trash, and she said yes. We asked her again, and she still said yes, so we took her to the trash can, and she threw them in of her own accord! Wow! We're incredibly nervous about how little sleep we'll get tonight, but also relieved because we wanted her to be done with her tassies before she turned two. Now is as good a time as any! Pictured is two tassies in the trash can.

Also pictured is Grace on the old cell phone that Melissa gave us, and some cute pictures of our afternoon excursion to the playground. Fun!

Keep praying!

-{lkr}

Quick update

"Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything...It is at your discretion that men are...given strength." (1 Chronicles 29:11-12)

Well, I'm about a day behind in my updates - sorry! This is the news from yesterday...

They did an MRI, and his neck looks fine. (They were worried that he may have strained/damaged some ligaments, but they're pretty sure he didn't.) So, they took his collar off. That's probably more comfortable for him!

The MRI also showed no damage deep in the brain or to the brain stem and no sign of stroke - praise the Lord!

They took the staples out of his huge incision from the neurosurgery. And they took out his central lines and put in a regular IV.

This is the good news - He actually opened his eyes and looked right at the nurse and my mom, by himself (without physical stimulation), multiple times! My mom said he looked at the nurse, and the nurse said, "Hi, David. Look who's here." And he looked right at my mom. How cool is that!? So, they're saying he's much brighter and more responsive. But they want him to be able to respond to other commands, like sticking out his tongue or wiggling his fingers or toes. Please pray specifically that he'll be able to do that soon.

Thank you for your continued prayers. Our family really appreciates it. Some days are harder than others, and I think as time goes on it will just get really emotionally exhausting. I've been doing well, thanks to the grace of God, but I also can't think too much about the times my dad was with our kids, because that makes me cry. He loves them so much. I want them to get to know him, too. So, please, keep praying! And pray for my mom, too, because she'll have some decisions to make in the future (when she should go home and be with my little sister, etc.).

On a happier note, baby Emma went home yesterday! What a sweetheart. And Grace is learning to say "Emma." Sometimes she says it clearly, and other times it sounds just like "Momma." : - )

-{lkr}

Welcome, Emma! and Home, sweet, home!

Yep, two titles for one post. That is because so much has been happening lately.

First of all, isn't this face the sweetest? This is my new neice, Emma Jean. She is just a darling, with a head full of black hair. (Poor Melissa had heartburn a lot during this pregnancy!) She was born on Tuesday, September 26 at 11:53pm, and was 7lb 9oz and 20-3/4in. The fun part is that September 26 is also my Grandma Lung's birthday, so now she has a great-granddaughter that shares her birthday!

I took this picture in the hospital, and then we printed some and brought a bigger one up to the hospital in TC to show my dad. I told him all about her and tried to show him the picture. I don't know if it registered at all. It looked like he was sleeping, even though one eye was cracked open. It makes me really sad to think that he's missing this part of Emma's life. I can't tell you how much my dad loves his grandchildren. I just hope he'll wake up to meet her someday.

Well, speaking of my dad, not much improvement is happening right now. I can see that it's potentially going to be a very long road for us. He's pretty much the same, except the nurse told me that since he's successfully been off the ventilator for over a day, he's in the "step-down" ICU, which is pretty much just a step down from ICU. That's good news. There's also been talk of transferring him down here to Mary Free Bed sometime for rehabilitation. That would be great for Luke and I, and probably very hard for my mom.

And the home, sweet, home segment of my post....After 2 long weeks of being away, we're finally home! Hooray! It felt so good to be in my own bed last night. We got home around 11:30pm, and Grace was SO excited to be at home in her own bed, too. It was cute. I feel really bad about not being up in TC with my family, but my kids especially needed to come home for a while. They're all out of whack. So we'll be working on their schedules this week, hopefully getting them back into their routine. (And we're avoiding the car like the plague, since we've been in it for at least two hours every day lately.)

Well, that's the update. I'd better go start picking up the mess that we brought back with us! Again, thank you for your prayers. Please keep it up! We want to see Dad completely healed!

-{lkr}

Monday

Today they were able to take my dad off the ventilator. This is good news! That means he's breathing on his own. They did, however, put a "trach shield" over his tracheostomy, which supplies him with oxygen to ensure saturation. (Honestly, I'm a little vague on what that means, but I know it's good.)

He also kept his left eye open longer today, and it looked like he was really looking at me. He moved his arms some, too. Every now and then he gets tears in the corner of his eye(s), and I wonder if he's sad. Can he hear us, but not respond? I always tell him it's okay and wipe away the tears, and I marvel that I've been given the chance to show my dad such care and love even when we haven't always had a very tender relationship. I look forward to hugging him and telling him I love him again when I know he's fully conscious of what's going on.

Caleb and I are leaving tomorrow at 7am to take Melissa to get induced. We're going to entertain her until Karl gets off work at 11am. (If she happens to progress faster than that, of course we'll call Karl to come early.) I'm praying for a quick, easy labor and delivery for her. And a happy, healthy baby! Please pray for her tomorrow! I can't wait to meet my sweet neice Emma!

Again, thank you all for your continued prayers for our family!

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:3-6)

-{lkr}

Sunday

We went up to TC to visit Dad again today. Lately, he's been moving his left arm. (He doesn't like it to lie straight out. He bends it over his stomach.) Anyway, Luke and I were in the room with him, talking to him, and his arm was straight out. After a few minutes, I said, "Dad, show Luke how you can move your arm." And he did it! I'm choosing to believe that he actually heard me and responded. How cool is that?

Also, the nurse said that he opened his eyes and actually focused when he was bathing him today. I wish I could see him open his eyes!

Keep praying! "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16) Pray that he'll wake up and make a full recovery. Also pray for Melissa and Karl - Melissa will be induced to have baby Emma this Tuesday!

And welcome home to the newlyweds, Dan and Emily! We're glad you had a great time and want to hear all about the fun time you had!

Thanks for all your prayers and support! I can't tell you what a difference it makes!

-{lkr}

Saturday update

I accidentally lied in the last post. My dad lost 12.9 pounds of fluid from the diuretic, not 14.8. Sorry!

Not much new. They're going to try to wean him off the ventilator, which is good. It's better for him to be able to breathe on his own than to have to have the ventilator.

Today when Melissa and I were talking to him, his left eye slid open a crack. It wasn't much, but it was encouraging. Maybe he knows we're there? Maybe he wants to wake up?

I really, really want him to wake up before we have to go home on Wednesday. Let's pray for that! Progress is so slooooooow now. If he doesn't make some great improvements before Tuesday, they're going to do an MRI to see if there's some soft tissue damage that they aren't aware of. (Let's hope there isn't!)

Praise God for our friends and family! I really miss our church family. It seems like it's been so long since we've seen them. They are such great friends to us. The Brewsters, Sturmans, and Perrons made Luke dinners when he was home alone. (They must've thought he wouldn't survive as a bachelor, haha.) Then the Brewsters, Sturmans, and Dows made us the nicest gift box of stuff (gas gift card, water bottles, apples, trail mix, cookies, banana bread, chips and homemade salsa...yum!). Truly, we have the best friends. We thank God for them!

On a completely unrelated note, I just had to kill the hugest spider in my parents' basement. It was not much smaller than Argi, although not quite as scary looking. Why do spiders seem to follow me around? Ugh.

And welcome home to the newlyweds - Dan and Emily Stauch! We love you two!

-{lkr}

Slow progress

Not a lot to report...Today my dad underwent a tracheotomy, and they also inserted a feeding tube directly into his stomach. He looks much more comfortable now without all the tubes in his mouth.

Yesterday they gave him a diuretic, and he lost 14.8 pounds of fluids. He looks much less swollen now, which is nice.

When Melissa and I were talking to him yesterday, we saw his eyelids/eyes move. (His eyes were still closed.) It was exciting to see a new sign of movement. I hope he can hear us talking to him, telling him we love him and encouraging him to wake up. He didn't seem quite as active today, but he was also sedated during his surgery, so that makes a difference.

He's going to have quite a scar on his head from the neurosurgery. The staples start in front of his right ear, stretch all the way to the back of his head, and then all the way up the middle of his head toward his forehead. It's crazy. I think it'll be a good way to scare the boys off when they start wanting to date Alonna. : - )

I wish I could report a quick recovery, but that hasn't happened yet. We are still praying for a full, complete recovery, but it seems to be taking longer than we'd hoped. So, pray for patience for us!

Melissa is still scheduled to have her baby (Emma Jean Webster) this coming Tuesday, and then Luke and I and the kids plan to go home on Wednesday sometime. I really hope I can see my dad awake before then. It would be wonderful.

Thank you, everyone, for all your prayers and support. I'm amazed at God's provision, and at the generosity and love of all of our friends and family! I can't tell you how much we appreciate it! Amidst all of the craziness and hard times, I will still say GOD IS GOOD!

-{lkr}

Praise the Lord, again!

He opened his eyes! Both eyes were opened on command today, though just for a second. We have really been waiting for this step.

Tomorrow they will take off his intracranial pressure monitor, and they want the family to begin speaking to him more. To date, the doctors have wanted the family to stay quiet to keep the pressure in his brain down.

Another tidbit about AAR; they are paying to put Lacey's mom up in The Manor House, a low-cost boarding option on the hospital grounds!

Woo-hoo! Keep praying – we know that God is working.

--
Luke and Lacey

Quick Dad Liabenow Update

Dad Liabenow is still in a comatose state, though the doctors have been trying to wake him periodically, and even left the sedatives off today for most of the day. He is moving his arms and legs around, but still cannot obey voice commands (he did try to open one eye when asked to, but was unable to - this is a big improvement over the last couple of days).

Please:

1. Pray that he will come out of his coma, and begin the long process of rehabilitation
2. Pray that his aspiratory pneumonia would be controlled / eliminated by the antibiotics
3. Pray that the family would remain strong / at peace
4. Praise the Lord for his company, AAR, and his co-workers there (AAR is letting him use his sick days, then is paying the 20% of his salary that disability does not cover, and his co-workers are taking up a collection for him!)

That's all for now...we are praying and hoping for good news soon. Thanks for your prayers and concern,

--
Luke and Lacey

A Beautiful, Heartbreaking Weekend

Emily's wedding was absolutely gorgeous, and went SO well. She was a beautiful bride, and I had so much fun doing all the flowers and being a bridesmaid. I love my Rumley (and now Stauch) sisters!

We planned to return to GR after the wedding on Saturday so we could be at our church on Sunday. We were so exhausted when we got home around midnight and couldn't wait to sleep in our own beds. But as soon as we opened the door, the phone rang. It was bad news.

This may be something that only deer hunters (or their children) can relate to, but my dad had been wanting to hunt from a certain spot on my grandparents' property (across the street from my parents' house). The only problem was that the trees there wouldn't support a tree stand. So, on Saturday evening he and Karl (my brother-in-law) were working on setting a 35-foot telephone pole (in a hole in the ground), so he could mount a tree stand on that. My dad was on the tractor, and Karl was on the ground. Something happened, and the 300ish-pound telephone pole cracked in half and fell on my dad's head. I am heartbroken that Karl had to experience that, but I praise God that Karl was there. He pulled my dad off the tractor and ran until he could get a signal on his cell phone to call 911.

My dad was taken to Mercy Hospital in Cadillac, and the ER doctor knew what needed to happen, but they didn't have the equipment/facilities to do it. It was up in the air as to whether he'd even stay alive on the 20-minute helicopter flight from Cadillac to Traverse City. He did live, and they did immediate brain surgery because he had developed a massive hematoma (blood clot) that was pushing aside his brain and affecting his brain stem. Praise the Lord - the doctor pulled back his scalp and was able to just lift out a fragment of his skull and scoop out the hematoma, which was much quicker/easier than having to drill/cut to get in there.

Still, the phone calls we received told us to hurry up to Traverse City, because they didn't think he'd make it. (Most patients with injuries this severe do not live, and if they do, it's in a vegetative state.) So, we packed back up and left, thinking we'd be attending my dad's funeral this week. It was devastating.

We were able to see him after we arrived at the hospital around 3:30am. He looks pretty bad. But this morning they did a CT scan, and were happy to find that he did not suffer a stroke like they feared. Also, his brain stem is back in place, his brain is working on getting back in place, and the swelling is going down. They tried to wake him, but he did not open his eyes (which is typical of head trauma patients). However, he did respond voluntarily to the doctors a little bit, which is incredibly promising.

It was so hard to be in the room and watch the doctor yell, "David, your family is here. David, open your eyes. Open your eyes, David." And he didn't. All I wanted in the world at that moment was for him to open his eyes, but he didn't.

We are encouraged by his progress, and so blessed by the many people (family, friends, and people we don't even know) who are praying for him. Praise the Lord for the progress we've seen. Please continue to keep him in your prayers, and pray for my mom and Karl (and the rest of us). I will be up in Manton/Traverse City this week, and Luke is coming back to GR. We'll try to keep updating so you know how to pray.

Thank you!


-{lkr}

Our cuties

Caleb is such a big boy! He's sitting up in his crib, playing with his alphabet ball. We have a picture of Grace that's very similar to this one, and look at her now! He'll be all grown up before we know it!


Here he is, sitting up again, chewing on Grace's rubber ducky. Did I mention that he's teething? Oh, yeah, we can't feel them yet, but we can see his two bottom front teeth getting ready to come out. Ouch!


Just because she's pretty! Her 2nd birthday is two months from Thursday! Wow!

The countdown is on for Melissa, Karl, Kade, and Emma/Hailey (I'm not sure which name they've chosen for sure yet). The doctor will induce her on Tuesday, September 26 if she hasn't gone into labor by then. And then I will have my first neice! How exciting!

Speaking of countdowns, only 4 days left until your first "sleepover," Emily and Dan! SO excited for you!

-{lkr}

What have I done?

We took a last-minute trip to Manton on Sunday night, to spend Labor Day with my family. It was a tiring trip with all the driving, but it was really good to see them. We had a great time! Thanks for the birthday gifts/cards and cake! Yum!

We went to the annual Harvest Festival parade in Manton. Alonna carried the banner for the AWANA float. It was fun to be there and see people I haven't seen in ages. (Although, it's a little weird to recognize someone and not be able to remember their name or why you should know them!) Anyway, I saw two of my friends from the past that I really haven't seen in a while. One of them, Chris, still lives in the Cadillac area and has three kids. We used to ride the school bus together. He lived around the corner from my parents' house. I think I lost track of him sometime around eighth or ninth grade.

Then Will. We went to school together for most of the thirteen years I was at Manton. He asked me to "go out with him" pretty much every three years (sixth, ninth, and twelfth grades). In spite of my "no" answers, we were still pretty good friends. Now he works down here in the GR area at a camp for disabled people. I think that's a pretty cool job.

Anyway, today I was online, and I randomly found a whole bunch of people I went to high school with on myspace. (Myspace has the ugliest, weirdest bunch of web pages ever. They make my eyes twitch.) It made me sad. All of them talked about getting drunk and partying (except maybe one? not sure). None of them seemed to have the hope that comes from knowing Jesus.

And so I thought, what have I done, in the past, to either encourage them toward Jesus, or to push them away? I know in high school people viewed me as the holier-than-thou kind of person, because I wouldn't drink and party, and I insisted on staying a virgin until marriage. (Which was the best choice ever!) I made mistakes, that's for sure, but I still aimed to stay pure and keep my focus on walking a Christ-like walk. I don't know if anyone ever appreciated that back then, or if they just resented me for it. I feel like I wasn't able to really make relationships that changed people's lives back then, though. Maybe I was too judgmental and not loving enough?

And, after so many years, what can I do now? I know prayer is powerful, and I can certainly pray for them. But is there more? It just makes me so sad to think that most of the people I grew up with will end up living aimless, purposeless lives. They don't know the real purpose for living! I wish I could share it with them and make them understand. Living for the glory of God is infinitely better than living for our own glory. Maybe I'm finally really starting to understand the need for spreading the Gospel. I want to share this gift God's given me!

-{lkr}

Goodbye, Argi!

Thought you might like to know that Ms. Argi has been adopted by our next-door neighbors. They're going to feed her to their turtle.

-{lkr}

We are AWANA Cubbies, we're happy all day long...

I've been a busy beaver trying to get ready for Cubbies, which starts in one week. (AUGH!) I'm excited for it, and think it'll be a lot of fun, but also not feeling ready quite yet. Hopefully I'll be able to get enough done this week to feel ready when it actually does start! We have 11 possible 3- and 4-year-olds coming this year, not including any new people that might show up. That's a lot of little people!

I'm excited to finally use some of my college education, though. I feel like this is an area where I've been trained - so I might as well use my education and skills to the glory of God!

Emily's wedding is in 2-1/2 weeks! Wow! I'm excited! We took our corsage/boutonierre class last night, and it was harder than the bouquets! I hope it goes well with the real flowers! Now I need to get my dress altered.

Happy news - Caleb is just about crawling! All the Rumleys except Erin and Betsey got to see him last Friday when he got up on his hands and knees and started rocking back and forth. He's a pretty cute little kid. It won't be long until he gets the hang of actually moving his arms and legs...and then I'll have to chase him around the house all day! : - )

Speaking of babies...It feels like people are having babies all around me! My friend Diedra had a little boy named Isaac Robert 8 weeks ago. Then Angie had a litte boy named Alex Michael this month. Sheri, Kelly, Melissa, and Rebekah are due in October. Stephanie is due in December. Goodness! Must be the time of life, huh?

That's enough babbling for now! Just wanted to update!

-{lkr}

P.S. Grace and I were just looking at Dan and Emily's pictures on their website, and I asked her who was in the picture, and clear as day, she said, "Dan." So, there ya go, Dan-o. She likes her new uncle! : - )

Showers and flowers...

We had two successful bridal showers for Emily, and I've been wanting to post some pictures of the one that was at our house, but it takes forever to upload those things on dial-up. So, I guess it'll wait until another day. Sorry! Let's just say, we had a great time!

Emily and I took a class on making hand-tied bouquets last night, so that we can do all the bouquets for her wedding next month. The picture is actually the bouquet we made. Beautiful, isn't it? It's not the exact bouquet that will be at her wedding, but it's close to the right colors. Next week, we'll learn corsages and boutonnieres. (Definitely had to look up the spelling on that one!)

The wedding's coming soon! We're excited!

Cubbies is starting soon, too - AUGH! It starts two weeks from today. I'm SO not ready. Yikes! And I can't quite put Backyard Bible Clubs out of my head, either, because we have a follow-up meeting coming up with a couple of the elders. Sometimes ministry overwhelms me.

-{lkr}

Argiope aurantia

I was standing about two feet away when I saw this gigantic spider who apparently thinks our motto is "mi casa es su casa." It's an "argiope aurantia," or common garden spider. The name "garden spider" makes it sound like I should invite it to tea or something. Trust me; this is not the case. This thing gives me the creepy-crawlies just thinking about it. Rumley girls, you would have screamed if you were here. This picture is one that Luke took through the basement window, since Ms. Argi has built her home there. I asked Luke to kill our new houseguest, but he thinks it's good that she's eating our bugs for us. In fact, she was eating one as he took that picture.

If you want to read about Argi and her friends, this is a good site. One disturbing thought gleaned from this informative site: This spider can have an egg sac containing anywhere from 300 to 1400 babies, which hatches in the late summer/early autumn. If we have 1400 of these scary spiders around our house, I'm either moving out or declaring war.

-{lkr}

We're still alive!

The plant didn't end up poisoning us. I was pretty nervous for a while there, but things ended up fine.

More good news...Caleb slept through the night last night! From 10pm until 7am. Not bad, hey? We've been waiting for it to happen. Funny thing is, I'm STILL tired! MomR says the tiredness lasts at least 25 years. Lovely.

-{lkr}

The Cardinal Flower

Grace and I were walking around our yard and pond tonight, when I spotted this beautiful plant near the pond:


So of course I picked one of the flowers for Lacey and took it back to the house because it was so cool looking. I held it, then Grace held it, then Lacey held it.

Lacey put it in some water, then got herself some water (touching the ice), drank it, then nursed Caleb.

Guess what? IT IS POISON!!! "Beautiful, but deadly..." that site says. Yikes!

Hopefully, just a small amount, if any, was ingested by Grace or Lacey. Some prayer wouldn't hurt. Thanks,

--
Luke

Remember this?

It wasn't so long ago. Well, it'll be three years in December already!

I FINALLY bought a photo album for all of our wedding pictures. I can't believe it took me 2-1/2 years to do that. Thank you, WalMart, for stocking a wedding album I like. Now, whoever would like to browse through our wedding photos does not have to hold a huge stack of pictures. Instead, there are ten photos in each 2-page spread. Quite pleasant to look at, actually. : - )

Now, it's Emily's turn! I can't believe there are only 32 days until the wedding! YAY! I love weddings, especially when it's my sister (in-law)! I just need to get rid of these pesky tan lines before wearing that strapless dress!

-{lkr}

Grace's First Pigtails!

So stinkin' cute!


The rodeo tickets are still for sale - don't get distracted by the cuteness.

--
Luke

Rodeo, anyone?

The Professional Bull Riders are coming to Grand Rapids. Melissa and Karl have excellent seats (not sure where, but they're Fan Club seats). Anyway, the show will be here on September 22 - just one week before Melissa will be induced to have her baby girl. She's not supposed to travel down here that close to delivery (just in case). SO, would anyone like to buy these tickets from her, and enjoy a lively rodeo?

I gotta tell ya, Luke and I went to a smaller rodeo with Melissa and Karl (at McBain Cow Camp) last year, and it was SO cool! Rodeos are way cooler than you might think.

I think they have two tickets for $100 ($50 each). Sounds pricey, but these are the professionals. Any takers?

-{lkr}

Home sweet home!

We're home! We got back yesterday afternoon, and it still looks like a tornado came through the house! Hope it cleans itself up before Saturday! : - )

Caleb had his four-month check-up today. He weighs 14lb 3oz (35th percentile), and is 25-1/2 inches long (55th percentile). So, he's not as big as Grace was at this age (she was always around the 90th to 95th percentile), but he's healthy and happy. And he did SO well with his shots. Praise the Lord!

Now we just need to get him to sleep through the night again...

And another bit of happy news...Luke's coming home from Texas tonight! YAY!

-{lkr}

North, south, east, west...

I'm in the "northlands" for a couple of days, visiting my family with the kids while Luke is on a business trip. He's in the great state of Texas. (I don't really know if it's great or not, but I'm sure some people think it is. And George W. came from there, so that's good.)

We had a good day today. We drove up here through a rain storm after church, and then visited for a while. Then my dad took us out. He bought burgers for the whole family, and we went to the beach/park. The kids had a great time playing on the playground equipment and throwing a big rock in the water. Then he even treated us to ice cream at the Tasty Treat! We're getting the royal treatment! It was a lot of fun.

It's nice to have help with the kiddos. I love them with all my heart, but I am just not cut out for single parenting. I hope I don't ever take Luke for granted, because I'm really seeing how much he helps me with them. They're good kids; it's just harder by myself. I have to say, I have a pretty daRn amazing husband.

Well, not much more to report. Emily's shower is coming up on Saturday. Everybody come, and bring lots of presents!

-{lkr}

The last of the pictures, for now!

Grace and Kade cruising around Grandma and Grandpa's yard in the Barbie Jeep (again). Notice Grace talking on her cell phone?



Grandpa held Grace and Kade during the "Greatest Fourth in the North" parade for a while.



Then Grandma and Grandpa shared the grandkids! How cute!



Grace loved swinging on this tire swing with Aunt Alonna!



Caleb looks like a little man in this outfit!



Emily, Erin, Betsey, and I spent some time putting together Emily's BEAUTIFUL wedding invitations. Only 54 days until the wedding! Don't forget to RSVP at their website!