whit's end

Two Years Ago...

2011-10-10T10:25:00.003-04:00

Two years ago, I was with my sister's family at an apple orchard when I Michael called from his doctor's office: he was being rushed and admitted to the hospital for a 14 inch DVT blood clot in his right leg. He told me that he loved me, and that I needed to get there as soon as possible. I was 5 hours away.

I remember asking him what this meant. He told me that it wasn't good. My sister and brother-in-law helped get the kids in the van (Emma was 3, Elliot was 1 and Ethan was just 7 weeks old at the time), we headed back to Massanutten, packed our suitcases (we had been vacationing with Michael's parents that week), and headed home with Mom in tow to help with the kids.

I am much more emotional looking back at this than when we were going through it. Michael told me that there was a strong possibilty that he would not make it when he called me at the orchard. When I got to the hospital, the doctors asked him questions like: "Do you have family? Call them, tell them to come." "Do you have life insurance?" "Do you have a will?" "Your condition is life threatening. Do not move for any reason." They wouldn't even let Michael move from his wheelchair to the bed on his own.

Shortly after I got to the hopsital, he was wheeled away for surgery. The clot was so large, though, that the surgeon could not get through his vein to clear it. Michael was admitted to ICU with some sort of medication dripping directly to the clot area in hopes to dissolve the clot and retry the procedure in surgery the next morning. I went home to get Ethan- I was nursing him exclusively at the time- and brought him to the hospital with me. He was with me the whole time we were there. The nurses took turns watching him while I was in the ICU unit with him. He kinda stole the show, that little peanut.

I don't even remember crying through any of this. In hindsight, I was told by several nurses how miraculous it was that Michael didn't die. And when the doctors found out that he had driven stick-shift four hours through the mountains to get himeself to the doctor's office, they were shaking their heads in bewilderment. It was difficult to grasp how close Michael was to death at the time- Michael had been so sick up to this point, we were already exhausted, weary, tattered emotionally, spiritually & physically ...everything happened so fast, the nurses and doctors flowed constantly out of our room, trying to make phone calls to family, texts sent out, Ethan had to be nursed...

No fear in life, No fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me. From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny."

Before Michael's surgery, he told me that he loved me and that he wasn't afraid to die. He knew where he was going. He was calm, and kept apologizing to me, as if he was responsible for creating this clot.

Two nights in ICU, two surgery procedures to remove clots, strong dosages of blood thinner (which was quite risky since he was already so sick...he was now at more risk for a bleed-out), and still so so sick from the ulcerative colitis.

It's hard to express what this time was like for us. I remember snippets. My heart is overwhelmed as I look back. Many times I wondered: "why us? why Michael? why me? why so much pain? why couldn't we have a normal life? why so many complications? why is it getting worse, not better? is this what my life is going to be like til I die? i can't handle this. you picked the wrong person to handle this, God. this is weakening our marriage, not strengthening it. will our kids remember this? they don't even know their daddy. they can't even sit on his lap because he is in so much pain. what's the purpose? what do you want, God? make it stop.

Thank you, God, for NOT stopping. God knows what we need, and He loves us THAT much to pursue us until we were broken and submissive to His will.

I don't remember crying at all through that week, oddly. But the tears flow so easily now. When I think about how resistant I was to our circumstances, and how I see God's goodness through what I learned, and how he broke my heart and drew me to Himself...I am so thankful for our sufferings. A matter of fact, I REJOICE in our sufferings. Our sufferings were precious.

So many times, I hear people requesting prayer for those struggling physically. We want to escape our physical pain. We want a good, comfortable life. Michael being sick affected our whole family. It was not convenient. It was not cheap. It was not pleasant. We wanted out. I am in no means minimizing physical struggles...God is our great healer, and we know he is powerful to make us well. But it is so easy to get absorbed in your trials that your focus is on escaping them rather than clinging to the fulfillment of the cross and the contentment that comes solely from being a child of God.

It has been two years since the blood clots. This past summer was the first summer that Michael has been healthy in the past 5 years. Emma turned 5 in August. Our kids got to see their daddy well for the first time this summer, but we are now remembering our sufferings again as we approach Michael's 3rd and final surgery next week.

We don't even really know how to prepare for the valley's that are ahead of us. Pray that our minds will be strong, our hearts pure, strengthened by God's Word and dedicated in our conversations with God.

This surgery was originally scheduled for January of 2011, but, Michael had a very small hole in his intestine which took months to heal completely. Since he has been physically well for the past 8 months, he is stronger going into this surgery. We've been told that this surgery will not be as difficult as the first two, but now that Michael has been well, this will be a huge setback in many ways. Back to bed, back to figuring out what he can/can't digest properly...

So we would appreciate your prayers: Friday, October 21st at UVA Medical Center. Ironically, we will be coming from a few days of vacation with Michael's family at Massanutten- where we were when the blood clot appeared.

Emma's First Day of Kindergarten

2011-09-12T15:54:00.003-04:00

Family Staycation: Day Two

2011-07-08T17:31:00.004-04:00

We tried to plan our outings according to the weather forcast and since it was supposed to be near 100 degrees, we settled on doing something mostly indoors. After enjoying a lazy morning and a big, homemade breakfast, we headed to Norfolk to catch the ferry to Portsmouth. We only walked a block or so, and by the time we got to the ferry, I was seriously contemplating jumping from the ferry into the water, skirt and all. It was HOT and very humid. Once the ferry got moving, there was a pleasant breeze. The kids loved it- seeing all the boats and military ships and barges and tug boats...

walking to the ferry...Ethan's first time riding!

Elliot, Emma and I stood on the top level, right in front of the black smoke stack...it had the best view and the best breeze.

our crew on board...next stop: Children's Museum in Portsmouth.

The Children's Museum in Portsmouth was such a pleaser for everyone. After getting off the ferry and walking another block, air conditioning never felt so good!

Oh! There was sooo much to do there- especially for the ages of our kids right now.

Emma's favorite part of the museum was the Market. They had a whole area set up like a grocery store with fake food to buy & aprons to wear...she enjoyed filling her own basket: the first basket contained only coffee and her second only contained veggies.

But what she enjoyed most was the barn- retrieving eggs from the chickens...putting the eggs in the barrel, down they came under the chickens and into her basket they went. She'd walk around with them for a minute and start the process all over again. I really think this girl has farm in her blood!

You can't tell by this picture, but Elliot is standing up on a tugboat.

from the farm to the fires.

Daddy and his girl on a police bike

After spending a couple hours at the museum, we ventured downtown Portsmouth to get lunch. It was so hot, so we didn't linger making a decision. We chose the first deli we saw!

The owners were so kind and friendly to our family- bringing complimentary fresh fruit cups and cookie ice cream sundaes for the kids. It was a pleasant experience, and our food was great. Michael and I split a sandwich- and it is a good thing! Look at the size of it!!

We headed back to the museum after lunch and let the kids play and explore for a while longer. Elliot's favorite spot was the trains. There were hundreds on display, train tables and Thomas trains to play with, a massive train model with tunnels for the kids to go through and watch the trains pass by...the boys were elated & we had a hard time convincing them to go elsewhere in the museum.

Ethan couldn't understand why the ball was not coming down.

Here are all three of our kids, well, imprints of them anyway!

I was in stitches watching their impressions pop through...

We caught the ferry back to Norfolk before thunderstorms rolled in...a perfect second day together!

Staycation, Day One: Train, Splash, Park & Doumars

2011-07-07T20:21:00.004-04:00

I've been so excited to post about our little family vacation! What a treat it was to leave our house in the morning and have fun all day before crashing and starting all over again.

Over the past five years, we have had three children, gone through life-threatening health issues, completed seminary, moved a few times...God is good and He knows what we need and when we need it. He allowed our family to take a few days off and we decided to stay around our area, since we haven't been able to explore with all the other exciting events we've had in our lives. We are quite familiar with most all of the Hampton Roads Hospitals though, ha.

Our first day we went to the zoo- I have taken the kids once every summer, but Michael had never been well enough to go. Watching the kids take new things in is such a happy experience for me, but watching Michael being able to share that joy with is just wonderful. We are thankful, and pray often that God will help us remember that each day is a gift and has a specific purpose for His plans.

{The pictures got out of order} The kids cooled off in the fountains at the zoo.

Since Emma and Elliot LOVE the opportunity (when given) to hold the camera and take pictures, you just might be seeing more of me and Michael...

After the zoo, we went to Doumars- an old-fashioned burger joint and ice cream parlor. It felt like we stepped back into time...everything was in it's original condition, the menu was simple and cheap, the burgers came wrapped in plastic, freshly made waffle cones with plain ice cream flavors...it was fun, and yummy, too. Here is what remained of my burger!

ooh la la. i'm sure i SWEATED the calories off the next day...it was SO HOT! (and notice the water. see, I'm balanced.)

homemade waffles cones every day

these weren't ours, although i was tempted to dip my finger in that whipped cream.

Emma enjoying her chocolate ice cream cone.

We rode the train around the zoo. Elliot was just beside himself with glee. That boy loves trains (except when he hears them go through town at night...then, he wakes up crying. ??)

Daddy and his crew

So on day one, we rode the train, played in the fountains, went to a park and then ate at Doumars...but, honestly- I think what made it so enjoyable was just being able to be together, uninterrupted by sickness!

Mark's Graduation

2011-06-18T12:18:00.002-04:00

Michael and Ethan flew to Michigan for Mark's seminary graduation the same weekend that Amanda and I went to Delaware. It was a short visit, but they had a great time together!

Michael & Ethan, Matt, Jen, Mark, Mom & Dad

Congratulations Mark & Jen!!

GirlTrip.

2011-06-18T12:09:00.002-04:00

Visiting my dear friend, Annie, at their new home in Delaware! The time went by entirely too fast, but we still got in some good laughs and great conversations.

Amanda and I went to a "Pure Freedom" conference led by Dannah Gresh.

Me and Annie and baby Levi ;)

This is the very first time that Annie and I have NOT been pregnant at the same time. When she told me her baby news, I told her that she was on her own this time...then soon found out that my sister-in-law, Rachelle, was expecting! At least one Whitcomb gets to share her pregnancy...except, Rachelle is having a GIRL, and Mark and Annie will be meeting Brumbaugh BOY number FOUR!!! She is more than half way in this picture and looks stunning. Can't wait to meet this little one (well, hopefully little...right Annie?!).

A Perfect Evening in Williamsburg

2011-06-18T12:02:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful, relaxing evening as a family in Williamsburg a few weeks ago...probably one of our favorite places to go around here!

Chick-fil-A 5k

2011-06-18T11:58:00.002-04:00

I finally signed up to run a 5k {and then managed to pursuade Chad and Manda to run along with me}. It was a great experience and I would like to try participating in an 8k this fall. That means...I better get running again!

Two Funnies.

2011-06-18T11:50:00.002-04:00

I had just taken Emma's french braids out and brushed her hair. After looking in the mirror, she bolted back into the living room where I was and exclaimed, "I LOOK JUST LIKE AUNTY EMILYYY!!!!!"

Ethan happens to be one of those children that if you notice silence, that means mischief. He was eating a snack that I gave him at the table and I got busy doing something else. I'm not sure how long he sat there before I realized that he was so quiet. Upon checking on him, I noticed he had helped himself to the bowl of apples. ALL OF THEM. Each apple looked like it had been attacked by a mouse, none of them were fully eaten. This face says it all!

"Look what I got away with, Mom!"

The Pool is Open!

2011-06-18T11:42:00.004-04:00

OH, we are LOVING having a pool!

Congratulations Amanda & Chad!

2011-06-18T11:22:00.003-04:00

Michael and I had the privilege of watching two of our teens graduate last night. In a couple months, Chad plans to attend Boyce College in Louiseville, KY to study Music Ministry. He has been one of my piano students for the past few years and an intern at our church, leading choir practice, part of the Easter Cantata and providing special music for the services. Chad, we are gonna miss you and seeing you come to church in your slippers!

Amanda graduated with honors and a list of accomplishments that would take up an entire blog page. God has special plans for this girl, and we are thrilled to watch what He does. She will be attending Virginia Tech this fall to study engineering. Our kids LOVE her (and she loves them), and so do we. We will miss you Pocahontas!!

Congratulations Amanda & Chad!

Bub's Birthday

2011-06-16T16:56:00.004-04:00

It has almost been two months since I've posted on my blog! We've been super busy. And as much as I'd love to catch up with many blog-worthy events that have occurred since April, I don't know that I will have time to do it! But it is "birthday season" in the Whitcomb house!!!

This was the first year that Elliot really anticipated his birthday arriving. When he talked about his birthday, he reffered to it as his "woo-woo cake day" and liked to say that he was gonna "be a big guy. I'm gonna be fee." It was adorable to watch him light up every time we talked about it.

I asked him what he wanted to eat for his birthday and he said "PIZZAAA!!!" and "woo-woo birthday cake" with BLUE ice cream. So that's what we had.

Here is the big guy in front of his presents on his birthday morning(in his Thomas big boy pants). Daddy gave him three thomas PEZ dispensers for his morning present. Eating PEZ for breakfast was a great start! {I recently read that eating a donut for breakfast is better than skipping breakfast, so why not PEZ?!}

all ready for his party to begin and buddy Nate to arrive!

We love you Elliot Haddon!!

a very special letter all the way from California from Aunty Lai, Uncle Brian, Rose Marie, Autumn, Havilah and Isaac...signed by the girls and a one dollar bill inside!

Since we've let the kids tell us what kind of cake they want, we've made it a tradition not to show it to them until we start singing. Elliot's expression when he saw it was so cute. He was pleased with his "woo-woo cake". I used one of the pieces from his track set- one part of a bridge. He has many, many train track pieces. Wouldndchaknow, that he came to me on Wednesday morning asking me to help him find his other bridge piece?!

yep, we did trick candles. The kids love blowing out the candles so much, we got them to save ourselves from the effort of relighting over and over!

Elliot sat in his new chair while Emma brought presents to him one by one. He soaked it all in, beaming with contentment and joy!

Happy 3rd Birthday to our "big guy"!!!

We are praying for you to be the very best boy that God wants you to be!

A Reason to Hope

2011-04-24T18:14:00.001-04:00

Because our Savior lives!

Death could not hold him

The grave could not keep him

From rising again!

Whitcomb Family, Easter 2011

shelter through the storm

2011-04-17T12:34:00.004-04:00

Last night we had a tornado rip through our town, only a mile or so from our house. Several of our friends watched this monster touch down and hop from field to field, strewing debris everywhere. Our friends, Brad and Dawn, had the tornado actually touch down in their front yard, snapping mature trees in half, but their house is still standing. God protected us and many others, although cleanup is going to take a lot of work!

A few miles from our home, the tornado is forming directly above our friend's home & alpaca farm (I think that this picture was probably taken a few minutes before touching down):

(it is only appropriate that I get to post such weather-worthy events on the occasion of my Dad's birthday. Happy Birthday to the dad who used to draw weather maps and storm systems while we colored together!)

to the mountains...

2011-04-11T23:55:00.002-04:00

dontcha' just love it when you snap a picture that accurately captures each personality? (Ethan is usually smiling and happy, but our adventurous day did not include a nap, and he was not happy about his brief stop for a picture.)

{Ethan}

passionate about eating, always smiling, trying to keep up with Bubs & Sissy, no fear

{Elliot}

sweet, mama's boy, learning new words and forming sentences (quite humorous to hear at times).

{Emma}

our little mommywannabe, sensitive, planner, creative, imaginative

funnybunny, stinkybunny

2011-04-06T17:42:00.002-04:00

hello spring.

2011-04-06T17:32:00.003-04:00

Rejoicing for good health, a season much different than the past 2 years for us...our God is big.

post no. 300...

2011-03-13T15:19:00.004-04:00

and a wonderful way to celebrate such a memorable blogging event: minus one hour of sleep, a wonderful worship with the body of Christ, warm & sunny weather, the aroma of lunch seeping from the crockpot, flowers blooming, family pictures...

two handsome boys ready for church. one is going to be fine without that extra hour of sleep, the other isn't.

for my sweet husband behind the camera. this picture documents the last day of my 30th year.

my boys. this picture is so sweet. michael has been regaining strength and we are LOVING his "return".

oh, i could just EAT HIM!!

our beautiful girl...looking a little mischievous.

pretty girl who loves and appreciates all things pretty.

the waiting game...

2011-03-09T23:57:00.002-05:00

Here is little Ethan, about a year ago, sitting in Michael's hospital bed at UVA.

Here we are now, a year later. A very full, busy, and sick year later. Surgeries, doctor's visits, ER trips, recoveries, infections, sicknesses, many medications...

We are so thankful for God's grace which gives us strength and sustains us through our weaknesses. We need our Savior every day. There is no doubt about it in our minds. We want to praise God for who He is, despite circumstances happening that we do not understand.

Our trip to UVA gave us some answers regarding Michael's current condition. The test he had revealed that there is still a leak and very small hole in the J-pouch area, although the area has made significant progress since the 1st and 2nd tests he had. His body is healing itself, which is what we have been praying for, but it is a s-l-o-w process. With all the meds, extreme

auto-immune suppressants, surgeries, and infections that he has had over the past few years, it is taking his body a longer time to regain strength and build resistance.

Because there is still an area of concern, we will continue to wait for his body to heal itself. Michael will continue to undergo tests to check the healing process. When the radiologists, nurses and surgeon give us the green light, we will schedule his final surgery (although there is no time-restraint for this process of healing. so it could be weeks, months, even years.)

Because the hole is so small (we've been told it is the size of a pinhead), surgery to repair the hole is considered to be too great of a risk. We were greatly encouraged to hear that his body is healing gradually and are completely content waiting for it to heal on it's own.

In the meantime, Michael is regaining strength. The stronger he is going into the final surgery, the easier his surgery and recovery will be.

We appreciate all of your prayers and notes and wish we had the time to personally talk to each one of you. Our God is great, and He is good. We don't know the reason for the waiting game, but we know that God is doing what is best for us and that this is the best way for Him to receive glory right now.

While we were at the hospital today, I had the opportunity to visit my neighbor, LeeAnn, and her sweet little 8 month old who recently had his second heart surgery. He has been in the PICU on floor 7 at UVA for months now and is a living miracle. As we talked, LeeAnn patted his bed and put him to sleep...his tiny 12 pound body looks perfect, despite all of the things hooked up to him. A few weeks ago he flatlined which resulted in brain damage (the extent is still undetermined...time will tell). Please pray for this family, our friends~ LeeAnn, Chris, Baby Bradley and his two big brothers, Nicholas & Douglas.

changes...

2011-03-02T22:46:00.004-05:00

We finished off "sick month", also known to the outside world as February, by saying goodbye to our friends. The evening of their move, we were able to get the one and only picture we have together, and for sensible reasons we concluded, following the agonizing 2 minutes spent trying to get six children just looking in the same direction.

This month is always a happy one in our household since it is my birthday month.

or maybe it's because of March Madness?! I decided to add more madness to the month with fierce determination (and a little budget relief) to get Elliot out of diapers by summer. So the madness began on Monday morning.

Emma was offering some great support for Bubby to be successful while he sat on the potty. He sat there for 15 minutes and got up when the oven timer started to beep. One minute later he had an accident...and it was quite distressing for him. That was the last accident of the day. Actually, he has only had 3 accidents since Monday, including nap times and night times...I'm shouting praises to Jesus for such a quick learner!

We have been enjoying watching Elliot's personality bloom...he has become much more self-confident and independent. With Emma, I had to ask her often "Do you need to go to the potty?" or make her sit down for a while with the timer set (you know, she was the type that needed a movie to watch, a book to read, her drink at her side, and my coaching. every time. ) I've stopped asking Elliot "Do you need to go potty, Elliot?" because

1. his answer is a consitent "NO WAAAY" and

2. He goes to the potty unprompted. Which means that he probably could've been out of diapers before now, right?!

Elliot executes thoroughly. His behaviors are not impulsive or random. So it should not have surprised me when he sat on the toilet to fart. Seriously. Every time he has to poot, he does it on the potty! (I'm not complaining!!)

I was wondering if Ethan would learn at the same time because he tries to do everything that the older two do...after breakfast, he went straight over to the potty and sat down on it and gave me a huge smile as if he had accomplished something big...he still had his jammy bottoms and diaper on ;) Thought it would be worth the try though, so we were all humored for a few minutes with two boys running around commando like wild little injuns. This was the last time Ethan sat on the potty (without freaking out completely.)

What kid doesn't love a gumball/candy machine? We had one growing up (which was rigged to work even without a penny). Elliot loves getting his reward treats all by himself...if only I could have captured his "accomplished expression" right after he did it! There was great rejoicing!! His success has not surprised me entirely since he is very picky about having dirt or food on his fingers, snot on his nose, lint on his clothes...I knew it would drive him crazy to "make messes" or feel uncomfortable. Emma, on the other hand. Let's just say I did a lot of poo poo laundry...while I was going through 1st trimester pregnancy with Elliot.

We are so proud of you Bubby!

(and a very special thanks to Annie, who gave me great potty training advice for boys)!!

goodbye...

2011-02-24T07:35:00.008-05:00

‎...today, our dear friends Mark & Annie Brumbaugh are moving to Delaware where God has led them to serve...no words can express my full heart of thankfulness for them and how they have reflected the greatness of Christ to us over the past years...

for His sake...

2011-02-15T13:32:00.004-05:00

In Philippians 1:9, Paul prayed for the christians of Philippi in this way: "That your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve all things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteouness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

This is my prayer, that, like Paul, I can say "that the things which have happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel" (1:12); and that "Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death" (1:20)...that "my conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ" because "it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake." And my sufferings are little compared to what Christ put Himself through for ME.

On Saturday, Emma came down with the flu...high fever, body aches, sick eyes, deep chest cough, sore throat...by the time we realized that she didn't just have a cold, Michael had already been exposed since this flu is an airborne virus. Elliot climbed into my bed in the middle of the night on Sunday and upon feeling his head and listening to him cough, I knew he had it too. Yesterday, Michael woke up sick. Today he spent a few hours in the ER, being treated for dehydration. He tested positive for the flu, so he will be on meds to help cope with that. Ethan seemed extra sleepy this morning, so he ended up taking a morning nap...and woke up with a 103+ fever.

Praise God, he is all powerful and He sustains us through our weakness. Sing with us in your hearts...

Water You turned into wine
Open the eyes of the blind
There’s no one like You
None like You
Into the darkness You shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There’s no one like You
None like You

Into the darkness you shining
Out of the ashes we Rise
There’s no One like You
None like You.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…

And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Chris Tomlin {"Our God"}

thankful...

2011-02-03T14:04:00.002-05:00

for loving, prayerful friends...

for chocolate

for time with Emma, painting her tea set from Grammy.

Michael was treated for dehydration at the hopsital on Sunday night and released a few hours later. The doctor said that it was good that he came when he did, otherwise, he could've been looking at several days hooked up to fluids rather than just a few hours.

Everyone is well now. After over a week of sickness, it is gone.

Regarding Michael: he is still weak and tired, taking things slowly in order to build endurance and strength back up. Most likely he will be back at UVA in a month or so to see whether the hole in his j-pouch has healed. There have been cases where surgery is performed to fix the hole, but our nurses have strongly cautioned us against that. They have encouraged us to continue to wait and let it heal on its own. The risks of surgery to repair the hole outweigh the benefits by far. Please continue to pray that God would heal him and that in the meantime we will respond with praise to Him.

here we go again...

2011-01-30T20:19:00.002-05:00

Back to the hospital. Michael is dehydrated yet again and the only remedy is to be hooked to IV fluids. Hopefully it will be a short stay. Ethan still has the flu and is amazingly chipper considering he has been mostly confined to his pack-n-play and has eaten very little all week. Michael and Emma have managed to avoid the flu so far.

storytime

2011-01-27T11:19:00.003-05:00

This past week has had it's moments- countless blowout diapers and baths to follow, oodles of laundry, sippy cup refills of pedialyte and nibbling on boring bland foods, a constant odor of lysol, dry hands from washing so often, buckets by each bedside, night time stomach bug attacks resulting in a repeat of all of the above...

But there have been sweet moments, too. One night I was able to capture Emma reading to Elliot...definitely one of the highlights of my day to listen in and see her be compassionate and helpful all on her own. She is the only one who didn't get sick and she was a huge help to me- in her attitude and in her behavior. Daddy is going to be taking her on a special date to show her how much we appreciated her outstanding response.

Thanks to many friends for offering to pick up needs from the store, bringing by soup, laundry detergent, juice, ginger ale, pedialyte, popsicles...and for friends that are graciously hosting Michael until our house is cleared from the bug completely. Ethan still is sick and contagious...this virus has been brutal and I would imagine that it would put Michael into the hospital if he were to get it so we are trying to be extra careful. That means that it's just been me and the kids here since Sunday afternoon!

We appreciate your continued prayers for recovery.

appointment results

2011-01-24T12:06:00.002-05:00

Michael still has a hole in his j-pouch. Which means: NO surgery tomorrow. Praying that we will be still and calm, even when we don't understand God's plan.

these two...

2011-01-24T06:20:00.002-05:00

need your prayers today.

As I was preparing hotdogs for 15 kids coming over on Saturday night, I started feeling icky but thought it was the hotdog smell. Not so. It has been years since I've been as sick as I was Saturday night. My back & stomach muscles felt the same way they did after having a baby...I knew that if Michael got it, it would probably land him in the hospital.

Within a few hours on Sunday morning, we had made arrangements for Michael to stay at a hotel right across the street from UVA and someone here to take care of Emma and Elliot while I took care of myself and Ethan. How comforting to know that God does take care of the intimate details of our lives. I have been regaining strength. Ethan on the other hand is not better yet. He has still been happy. Pray he feels better soon and that Emma and Elliot stay well.

Michael has an appointment at UVA at 9 this morning to determine whether he is ready for surgery tomorrow. Last month, tests revealed a hole in his j-pouch and what was supposed to be his final surgery on January 4th was cancelled. We have been praying that the hole healed up. If so, he will have surgery- his FINAL surgery- tomorrow.

Since October's surgery, Michael has not really been back to any sort of regular routine due to many challenges and complications. We have anticipated this last surgery. He is ready for it. Please pray with us this morning that the test will reveal that the hole is gone. Pray that our hearts will be encouraged regardless of the test results.

This song is a favorite of mine. I've been singing it in my mind all week...I love the words of the second verse especially.

THERE IS A HOPE
by Stuart Townend and Mark Edwards
Copyright (c) 2007 Thankyou Music.

There is a hope that burns within my heart,
That gives me strength for ev'ry passing day;
a glimpse of glory now revealed in meager part,
Yet drives all doubt away:
I stand in Christ, with sins forgiv'n;
and Christ in me, the hope of heav'n!
My highest calling and my deepest joy,
to make His will my home.

There is a hope that lifts my weary head,
A consolation strong against despair,
That when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit,
I find the Savior there!
Through present sufferings, future's fear,
He whispers, "Courage!" in my ear.
For I am safe in everlasting arms,
And they will lead me home.

There is a hope that stands the test of time,
That lifts my eyes beyond the beckoning grave,
To see the matchless beauty of a day divine
When I behold His face!
When sufferings cease and sorrows die,
and every longing satisfied,
then joy unspeakable will flood my soul,
For I am truly home.

bye bye...

2010-12-29T23:57:00.001-05:00

...baby mullet...

hello mr. ethan

8

2010-12-28T12:15:00.002-05:00

8 years.........

only God knew we would experience for sickness or in health, for richer for poorer, for better or worse.............and only God could give us the strength and grace to make it through.........

praising Him today for His great gifts.

Praise the LORD, O my soul!

While I live I will praise the LORD;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

anyone for a picnic?

2010-12-26T23:38:00.002-05:00

we are serving snow.

it started snowing late Christmas Day...and still hasn't stopped...

record amount of snowfall for this area in years...

Ethan's first real snowstorm experience...he couldn't move because

1. the snowsuit

2. the snow came to his waist

he seemed to enjoy it though!

Emma definitely inherited the "marcello" side with her love for snow. She would stay out til all four layers were completely soaked and still not want to come inside. Unfortunately, mommy & Elliot had to stay inside since we are sick with colds. Hopefully the snow will stick around a little while so that we can go out and play in it!

Family Outing...

2010-12-23T12:47:00.004-05:00

our first family outing since Michael's surgery:

Busch Gardens Christmas Town, Williamsburg

so thankful for our friends, Amanda & Chad, who came with us and helped us out with the kids. and very thankful they had rental go-carts for Michael so we could enjoy being all together.

and a very special thanks to PaJoe, who wanted us to have some fun family time for our Christmas gift...we love you PaJoe, and can't wait til' you get back from Bosnia!!!

Three Smiles

2010-12-21T13:51:00.003-05:00

Emma 4 years old

Elliot 2 years old

Ethan 1 year old

we are

2010-12-06T22:06:00.001-05:00

alive...in case you were wondering.

at our second home...

2010-10-30T14:54:00.003-04:00

which is UVA Medical Center ;)

Last weekend: traveled to South Carolina to celebrate the 25 year anniversary of Community Baptist Church

Wednesday, October 27th: traveled back to Virginia & brought Grammy Whitcomb with us

Thursday, October 28th: did laundry, grocery shopping & unpacked and re-packed. Gave hugs & kisses to our kiddos & Grammy. Traveled to Culpepper, VA to our friend's house- where I am staying during Michael's surgery/recovery time.

Friday, October 29th: Surgery prep started at 9am. Surgery began at noon. Almost 5 hours later, I was relieved to hear from Dr. Friel that the surgery was completed. Two hours later, I was able to see him for the first time since 10:30am. His first words: "HURTS"

Saturday, October 30th: Michael is resting and finally has medication that is helping him manage the pain. His heartrate is also coming down- last night it was quite high due to a reaction to the pain and the medication he was given for the pain. He has been sleeping most of the day, but managed to get out of bed, sit in a chair and then walk across the room and back to his bed- a huge accomplishment for not being out of surgery for even 24 hours!

I am especially thankful for: our wonderful friends Ethan & Beth who have helped in countless ways (Ethan had the same disease, same surgery, same nurses at the same hospital- and we went to school together)
Also thankful for: the window side of the hospital room with a beautiful view of the mountains and bright fall colors.

We are very grateful for your prayers, phone calls, cards, texts and will try to update as I have the time.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

Psalm 29:2

my favorite season...

2010-10-11T23:38:00.003-04:00

Lots to catch up on, but decided to just post some pictures from our little family getaway today:

sold

2010-09-01T00:55:00.001-04:00

our new home

Ethan is One!

2010-08-26T10:16:00.002-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ETHAN!

Bowls

2010-08-18T22:59:00.006-04:00

As I washed dishes tonight, I was thinking about how few nights I have left without a dishwasher...if all goes smoothly, we will be first-time homebuyers by this weekend! And the house comes with a dishwasher.

But tonight, I washed by hand{always wearing gloves & apron}. And my thoughts wandered to the things that daily surround me. I have shelves on both sides of the sink and there's a collection of mismatched bowls on each shelf. Every one has a story, and every one is special for one reason or another. I like to collect fun bowls, and usually only purchase them on special trips or occasions. So here are some of the bowls and their stories...

{"Forget Me Not"}

Seriously, Lai, WHO could forget someone like YOU?!

This bowl set (the other is shown below) was given to me by my sweet friend, Lai, as a thank you gift for playing for her wedding in the summer of 2002. So many fun memories from that weekend...played Canon in D a record amount of times with Andy as the guests just kept coming! What a precious occasion to remember...

Bowl on left is part of Forget Me Not set

The pottery piece from the right is obviously not a bowl, but it's still special...

Michael and I picked out this piece together on our 1 year anniversary celebration at the Middleton Plantation in Charleston, SC. It was special to stay at the plantation because while we honeymooned in Isle of Palms, Charleston, we had an unforgettable fireside dinner at Middleton. Michael still talks about that steak! It was so quiet and romantic...even though there was a large table in the same room, it was group of deaf people, so they spoke in sign language and they didn't hear anything we were saying...but I've heard the deaf are pros at lip-reading...

Perfect for a scoop {or two or three} of ice cream...

This bowl came back on the plane with me all the way from San Luis Obispo, California in March of 2008. Due to plane difficulties on a previous trip, I was rewarded with one free round trip ticket to anywhere in the US serviced by AirTran, and I chose to go visit Lai in California. Oh, all the special plans Lai had lined up...she was full of surprises and was bounding with excitement for me and Emma's arrival! One of her surprises was going on an overnight trip up the gorgeous west coast. We stayed a beautiful inn and managed to get a little bit of rest with me(pregnant with Elliot), Emma, Lai(pregnant with Havilah), RoseMarie & Autumn all in the same room! Everything about that trip was unforgettable...many late nights talking, and a LOT of laughing...

This stack of oversized soup bowls are from a few years ago when my mom, Erica & Emily were shopping at Pottery Barn Outlet in Leesburg, VA. That was an interesting night, too. Emily managed to squeeze herself into a child's size halloween hotdog costume, and Regan was carrying on a conversation with GrandmaDee from the other end of the store.

I JUST got this one! Michael "sent me away" for the evening and I picked this out. I love green & I love stripes. Really contemplating painting our new kitchen Guacamole ...

This one's from another dear friend I haven't seen in years...Charissa Glazner...we have many awesome memories, too. One of the greatest: Our husbands got together and planned a surprise trip for us as a Mother's Day gift. This being WHILE we were both quite prego...we stayed in historic Williamsburg, went biking {yeah, we still laugh about the sight we were to behold: two pregnant ladies biking our way through town}, had delicious food, and shopped till we dropped at the Outlet Mall. The next time I get a free plane ticket, I'm going to choose to visit my friend Charissa in Colorado.

I can still hear Lai saying..."Oh, Nin...But it's sooo pretty..." as I contemplated whether to buy it or not on a TJMaxx trip...since it has made it's way from the shelf to my home, it has served many a large salad and I think of Lai every time and how we couldn't stop laughing hysterically as we tried on shoes{I do believe Liz was there for this trip, too.}

So MANY colors...

yup, another set of bowls purchased while with good ol' Lai and Liz...this time while we were in Greenville. It was special for us all to meet up there...Lai came from CA to visit family, I came from VA to visit family, and Liz came from IN...

This all gave good cause for much rejoicing. Oh, and making homemade chocolate mouse to serve in these fun bowls.

Hmmmm....I'm starting to notice a trend here....

because this bowl was purchased while with Lai, too...

I'm from a big ITALIAN family and we eat BIG salads.

another one from Lai...actually, it's from Lai's mom, NiNi...but I can't remember the occasion. Unless it was just because she thought my name was so cool like hers.

And, lastly. The polka dotted bowls were also purchased while I was in CA visiting Lai{surprise, surprise}!

The ice cream bowl was found quite oddly and randomly at a little markdown sale in the hospital at UVA the week Michael had his surgery last month. I don't think I need a bowl to remember that week, but I do love stripes and i dooooo love ice cream!

that's all.

Windsor Castle

2010-08-16T20:55:00.004-04:00

Our dining room was temporarily transformed into a castle for a grand princess celebration for our big 4 year old!

The girls took the royal procession so seriously. When they arrived, we had some activities outside of the castle gate. Then we had some princess music and each of the girls were escorted by the prince one at a time to their place at the table in the castle...

Searching for jewels

Emma & Kaydence, the first guest to arrive! Poor Emma, it was almost torture for her having to wait ALLLLLLL day lOONNNGG for her party...she was so very excited when her princess friends started to arrive!

the castle

girl's parties are so much fun to plan for! Emma asked for a princess party and so that's what she got....

the royal guests

the princess opening her presents

the cake was a surprise...she kept asking to come into the kitchen on Friday while I was making it...the look on her face was worth her wait!

Happy 4th Birthday, Princess Emma. You are loved!

thirty + one

2010-07-30T23:19:00.006-04:00

homemade vanilla ice cream, delicious red velvet cake specially made by a sweet friend, help from two little ones to blow out three pink candles...who says being 30+ is a bad thing?!

laughter

Glad to have Daddy at the dinner table with us to celebrate his 31st birthday...

Last year during the months of July & August were some of Michael's sickest months. A short period of relief followed in September before Michael landed in emergency operation to break up a 14" DVT clot in his right leg. Sickness returned. At times we were so discouraged and felt like we were just surviving, waiting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But here we are, a year later. Michael has docked more sick days than well days over the past year and is recovering slowly from a surgery we would never imagined we'd have to face. We are just thankful for the wonderful love of our heavenly Father and His constant patience in teaching us and helping us grow. We are still in the tunnel, but not necessarily even looking for the light at the end. What if God wants us to stay in the tunnel for all our earthly lives? What if being in the tunnel is the best way for us to bring Him glory? We remind ourselves of that often...and humbly seek to praise Him through the storm. Today we thank our Father for His blessings...

Compared to the other two E's at this age, E3 is the best eater and doesn't want to be left out of whatever the big kids are doing or eating. I gave him a cookie and turned around a minute later to see that he had stuffed the WHOLE thing in his mouth at once.

have you met the little who from whowhittyville named Elli-hoo?

This is how Michael received some of his gifts. I was just being green by saving wrapping paper...teheheehee...

Bless the Lord

2010-07-25T09:38:00.003-04:00

You give and take away for my good

For who am I to say what I need?

For You alone see the hidden parts of me

that need to be stripped away.

And as You begin to refine

I’m learning to let go and rely

on One who walks with me

As hard as it may be,

You’re teaching me all the while to say

Bless the Lord, O my soul

All that’s in me bless Your name

Forget not Your power un- told

not Your glory or Your fame

For You came to heal the broken

to redeem and make me whole

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

~Laura Story {Great God Who Saves}

home at last

2010-07-20T13:49:00.004-04:00

Lead me to the ROCK that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower...

very glad to be home. a very quiet & clean home for only a very short while since the kids are coming home today, due to arrive in the hour with grammy & poppy. overwhelmed at the love & generosity of family & friends. pathology report came back inconclusive, so we are waiting to hear something this weekend after more tests are run. michael is doing well, making progress recovering little by little. resting much better at home {well, we'll see how much rest he gets once the kids are here again}. eating a little bit more. hobbling laps around the house...i'm sure ethan will be able to crawl faster than his daddy can walk!

thankful for God's faithfulness...reminded of His promises yesterday when I saw this outside...

Baby Steps...

2010-07-16T19:13:00.003-04:00

I was afraid this would happen...this week is starting to blur together. Thankfully, I've been journaling each day so that we can look back and reflect one day. The Lord has been good to us. Michael has done very well with his recovery so far and the doctors hope to discharge him on Sunday. He is still in pain, and has felt pretty exhausted, but overall, he has done wonderfully. Each day he has been determined to walk a little bit, and each day he makes it further away from our room. Today he made one lap all the way around the west wing!

Sunday night was the last time he ate a normal meal, but tomorrow, he has been given the green light to eat what he feels like he can handle. He hasn't complained about being hungry {part of that may be all the unpleasant smells being on the digestive health floor}.

Unfortunately, he has had an interesting roommate and there seems to be nothing that we can do about it except pray that he gets discharged/moved soon! Michael said he yelled the whole night last night and refused to let the nurses close the door or turn the light off. He has been a very stubborn patient for the nurses, refusing to do as they ask. This morning right before I arrived {thankfully}, he pulled out his own catheter. The scene upon my arrival was.not.pretty. To top matters off, he only speaks & understands spanish. The nurses do not speak or understand spanish. So Michael did not sleep well, even with his ear plugs in.

Last night was the first night I didn't sleep at the hospital. I found out I was much more tired than I thought I was when I slept through my alarm this morning and woke up at 10am.

Dr. Friel, the surgeon, came in again today. He told us that the results from testing the colon are not back yet, but that he would be very surprised if it was crohns. What an answer to prayer that would be. And a possibility that we never even knew until a couple of weeks ago. Basically, for those who want to know why this is such a big deal, both ulcerative colitis and crohns are very similar in nature and are treated with the same medications etc. Crohns can affect any digestive organ from the throat to the rectum. Colitis affects the colon only. Michael had a diseased colon and it was completely removed on Tuesday. So if the test comes back that it is colitis, the disease is gone. So we wait and trust that God will do what is best for His glory!

We have been encouraged through friends visiting, texting, calling, notes, flowers...we know the body of Christ is praying for us and we are soooo grateful for your love & support. I honestly don't know how people deal with times like this without Christ.

Please continue to pray for baby Bradley, our neighbor's baby in the PICU on floor 7. I've been able to spend some time with LeeAnn, and progress is very slow for Bradley. He is still on the ventilator, but they are hoping he will be strong enough for him to come off of it this weekend. That is the first big step in his recovery. He is absolutely precious, even all hooked up to the machines. For about an hour he gripped my finger...his tiny hand is about the size of the top of my index finger.

{home for the week}

{since I've been prohibited from posting any pictures of the patient, I've resorted to posting pictures of his room sign}

{glad to have found this place a little walk away from the hospital}

surgery day...

2010-07-13T16:53:00.002-04:00

i found this picture on michael's laptop...how cute is she?!!

We arrived at UVA at 7:00 this morning. Surgery prep was busy and seemed to be quick. Michael was joking around,making me and the nurses laugh as they colored on his stomach and gave him a sweet robe and an oompa-loompa-like hair net. I did take pictures, but have been warned not to post them...hehehe... He was wheeled away a little before 9:00am and surgery started soon after. He was confident and calm, an obvious working of God's comforting strength in his life.

A little after 11:00,

Dr. Friel called to let me know the surgery went smooth and he was about to head to recovery. His exact words were "I am almost one hundred percent sure that it's colitis, not crohns." That would be a wonderful answer to prayer as the surgeries would be curative and that he would be able to live a normal healthy active lifestyle.

During surgery prep this morning, Michael was given an epidural for pain management post-op. Unfortunately, it didn't work and the risks involved with it interacting with his blood clotting meds are too risky. Unfortunately that means when his surgery pain meds start weaning off, he will really start to deal with some intense pain. The next few hours will be difficult, most likely, as the nurses try to figure out how to manage his pain.

Right now he is resting. Occasionally snoring~which is a good sign that he is getting some good rest, although in pain.

We are in Room 5148A. It's a shared room, so that is interesting. I have a chair that reclines a little bit. Tonight I'll be here since it will be tough.

Specific ways to pray:

*Michael hasn't eaten since Sunday night and won't be able to eat anything for a few days. He was on an all liquid diet for surgery prep yesterday and has not had anything to drink today. Tomorrow he may be able to have a few ice chips.

*Pain management

*Good rest

i kid you not...

2010-07-08T12:00:00.002-04:00

it has been a morning.

You know, one of those mornings...

Truthfully, it started last night. One of the unpleasant side effects of prednisone Michael deals with is restless leg syndrome. Last night his legs became rather jumpy right as I was dozing off. A little while later as I was close to falling asleep again, our shaking, creaky bed woke me up. Then we both were awake, he was having a horrible migraine and I was having mixed emotions of pity for Michael and irritation that I couldn't get to sleep. He ended up on the couch.

So, of course, you know the way it always seems to work. The times you feel really tired and need to have a little extra sleep~ that is the time that your kids will decide that they will wake up super early. If you haven't experienced this yet in motherhood, you will.

6:40am. All three kids. Wide awake & like little baby birdies with their beaks open, squeaking to be fed. I manage to open my eyes enough to get out of my pjs, the kids fed and Michael out the door for work. Did you get breakfast babe?? I don't even remember....

In the process of getting the kids dressed, Emma brings a poo-covered piece of toilet paper to me. "Look mom!" Gross. Why? What? !!! Please go put that in the toilet where it belongs. "It was on my panties. Sorry Mom, I had an ax-i-dent".

hmmmm.

As I worked on getting my already potty-trained almost 4 year old cleaned up, I went into the kitchen to throw something away only to discover that Ethan had managed to pull himself up to the trash can, open the lid and dig through the trash and grab one treasure for himself: a used coffee filter. The kid was covered in coffee grounds from head to toe, not to mention the kitchen floor. And he was giggling with sheer excitement as he flung the filter in the air and shook it some more.

I had just gotten Ethan out of the bath when I heard a knock at the door. It took every ounce of kindness I had for me not to slam the door in his face after I told him several times that now was not a good time for me to talk. Comically, he was trying to sell educational stuff for kids. While I stood there with a wet, naked squirmy baby in my arms, a dramatic girl wailing for help in the background, Elliot running around like a crazy loon half way dressed for the day, and my appearance not having received any attention at all. He kept asking if he could come back in a week or so. And for some strange reason, I found myself feeling the need to explain that my husband was facing major surgery. "Oh, I'm sorry...well this would only take five minutes of your time." I. don't. have. time. OR MONEY to spend on that right now. unless you are going to get in my house and start cleaning up and helping with these children, I suggest you high tail it out of here. He asked again if he could come again next month. aggravation. I was seriously being very gracious and patient with the guy, but finally I was just like, "Look, my husband is having major surgery in a few days. We will be out of commission for several months. I am not interested at all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have three small demanding children to take care of." I was annoyed with myself that I even answered the door. If Elliot hadn't beaten me to the door, it would've been easier to ignore him and pretend noone was home.

It was only 8am.

The next hour included dealing with cranky children, finding out the cost of one of the surgery meds Michael needs for prep, and being unintentionally being peed all over by E2.

You can laugh. Because that is what I'm doing now.

I kid you not.

one minute away from us...

2010-07-07T13:41:00.004-04:00

is where this perfect house is located. In the very back of a beautiful neighborhood. On a quiet street. With a huge yard backed up to woods.

Just one minute away is what we are going to be packing our boxes up for...we are about to become first time homeowners!!!

1.7 acres, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (YAY! YAY! YAY!) office area, finished room above the garage{guest, play & school room}, completely open living area with vaulted ceilings, utility room, plenty of closet and storage space, big windows, beautiful porch, huge deck and patio & a pool, swingset, two sheds...this house meets every item on our "needs list" and every item on our "that would be nice if we could find a house that has..." list. And it's move-in ready!

Thankfully, God works in much greater ways than we understand and has clearly shown us that He wants us to stay in this little town{you can read more about that here }.

Our realtor, who happens to be a sweet friend from our church family, told us that in all of her years in this business, she has never seen a situation like this. The home inspector and several others that know the specifics have said the same thing. The details involving this sale can only be attributed to the direct working of God, so we are praising Him for the great things He has done in providing this home for our family. He is so good.

Who would have thought. That the week before Michael's major surgery we would be going through a house inspection and signing papers???!

15 days...

2010-06-29T01:33:00.003-04:00

Where to begin?

First, our God is so good. He has been gracious and full of loving kindness and mercy towards us. His love is steadfast and we are full of joy and have peace that passes all understanding because we are His children. Michael has struggled with health issues over the past four years, with this year being the most difficult. What God has allowed for our lives has not always been easy. There have been exhausting and overwhelming days, nights, weeks & months. We do not enjoy pain & suffering, but we can honestly say with every bit of confidence in our hearts that we would not change any of our circumstances given the opportunity because of what God did in our hearts through these times. Speaking for myself…I have learned that if the cross of Christ is all I have, it is ALL I NEED and far more than I deserve. When you are there, at the foot of the cross, and you see your brokenness and unworthiness compared to the absolute holiness of God, you are stripped of all self righteousness & pride. It is at the cross that true contentment and joy is found!

Oh, I’ve had my moments. And my heart is still prone to wander. But God is so patient with me. Some days are battle days where every single thing that is normally simple becomes so challenging. Then there are days on the mountain top where I’ve felt invincible. God’s grace has sustained me through both the battles & the mountains. I have seen the grace of God every day, but when Michael is sick and all of the responsibilities fall to me, I see God’s grace even more clearly. And I can testify that He has strengthened & encouraged me. I guess that is one of the coolest things about going through such difficult times: when I look back and reflect on those hard times, I ask myself how we managed to get through it. I cannot take any credit for what strength I have. I am not superwoman or just hard-wired to be tough. God, in His abundant mercy, has always provided strength, and He alone deserves the praise for it!

Many have prayed for Michael, and I have purposefully avoided posting many details concerning his health and the challenging decisions that we are facing. Why? First, we just trust God. We trust that He led us to UVA Med Center. We trust that He led us specifically to be under the care of Dr. Behm & Dr. Friel. We trust that we are in the best possible place for receiving the right care and attention. Secondly, due to the very nature of Michael’s disease, I want to be careful to protect “our” privacy and have the liberty to disclose information at our discernment rather than it all just putting it “out there”. All this to say, we do appreciate the sincere suggestions from family members & friends, but ultimately this is about us trusting God. We have spent countless hours researching, reading, speaking with doctors across the country, getting second & third professional opinions, making huge diet changes etc. We have not reached this decision overnight. We have prayed about this decision for years. We would avoid this decision if possible, but Michael has not responded well and continues to live in poor health and a lot of pain.

15 days…Michael will be undergoing major digestive surgery at UVA. Recovery time in the hospital is estimated to be 5-7 days with an additional 4-6 weeks recovery time at home. Aside from the pain from the surgery itself, this procedure should give Michael immediate relief from his disease. At the time of the surgery, Dr. Friel will evaluate the diseased organs to see how to procede. During our consultation today, we were extremely encouraged {and surprised}to hear that Michael has a very good chance of resuming a normal & healthy lifestyle, but that he will most likely undergo two additional major surgeries within this year.

So that is where we are and we are content with this. I can actually say that I think Michael is looking forward to surgery, in a way, because it will end his pain and allow him to live “normally” again {we don’t know what “normal” is anymore though!!}

What we have come to love is the body of Christ praying for us and with us. It is amazing how God has brought the right people at the right time to encourage us. Last night, we sat down with Ethan & Beth Stanley, who graduated from the same college as us, and talked for hours. Ethan went through the exact surgery Michael is facing. They’ve shared similar histories with their diseases, and it has been a tremendous encouragement to Michael to have a friend to talk to that knows exactly what he is feeling. They see the same Doctor. Michael’s surgeon’s technican was Ethan’s, too. They live near UVA, and I will be staying at their home for part of the time Michael is recovering in the hospital. Beth shared from a wife’s perspective & her personal experience so much helpful information in order for my mind to be better prepared. These are things that only God can do. Then there’s our next door neighbors, who we have shared Christ with over and over again. Their little 4 pound baby boy, born a week and a half ago, just underwent open heart surgery. The location that her OBGYN recommended for the surgery: UVA. Two floors above Michael. Today we met that sweet baby, whose life is so fragile yet looks so perfect, and shared the goodness of God through sustaining life. And then there's Rachel. I met her when I was visiting BJU as an 8th grader. She was a student at BJU and I stayed in her dorm room. Years later, when she contacted me through my blog, I felt an instant bond. Her husband's name is Michael and he has had Crohn's for years. She spent hours on the phone with me encouraging me through God's Word. Does this not amaze you?!? I could go on and on about how God has provided in countless ways for us and how blessed we are to be part of the body of Christ. So many have showed Christ's love to us through caring for our children, preparing meals, sending cards & emails. We are very thankful for all of you and for your love and support.

There are several ways that you can pray for us:

1. No complications during Michael’s July 13th surgery

2. No infections or complications specifically related to his recent DVT clot

3. Our kids, Emma {3 ½} Elliot {2} & Ethan {10 months} as they will not understand much of this and will be away from us for part of this time~pray for me as I know I will miss them, like crazy.

4. Safety as we travel to SC with the kids, and as I commute daily to and from UVA

5. Pray for us to share the joy of knowing Christ with those we come in contact with as well as our neighbors as they will still be there with their baby.

6. Pray that Michael will be able to taper his prednisone dosage before the surgery. It will be beneficial for his recovery, but the prednisone is the only thing that is keeping him from completely crashing.

7. As Michael weans off of the prednisone over the next several months, pray that his adrenal glands would function properly. For those who have any knowledge of the effects of this steroid know that it is powerful. The group of doctors caring for Michael are going to be keeping a close watch on his progress to make sure his body responds well.

As I type, it’s really late. I know there will be something I forgot, as my brain switched to OFF a while ago…

Rejoicing in the goodness of our Saviour…expecting great things because we serve a great God

crumb trail

2010-06-22T23:21:00.003-04:00

So, while child no. 1 was taking a bath, I was temporarily preoccupied with a "terrible two" session with child no. 2 in his room.

and child no. 3.................well, you'll see what he was up to here............

My Dad Is The MAN!

2010-06-20T16:37:00.005-04:00

nuff' said.

a little bit of poo never hurt anyone, right?!??

enjoying daddy at chuckecheese

playing miniature golf...this was the day before he ended up in the hospital with a severe DVT clot.

snuggling son no. 2

see, guys DO multitask.

daddy entertaining our little princess

her prince charming

these two sleep just alike

it was so difficult to pick out which pictures to put up...soooo many good ones to choose from! each of our children love their daddy...one of the best feelings Michael gets is coming home from work to hear "Daaaaaaaaddddddddddy's home. DAaaaaaaaaaaaDDaaaaaaaaaA!!!!" and little feet pitter pattering across the floor as fast as possible to greet him with tackle hugs.

we are blessed. super blessed.

we love you daddy!!

twosday

2010-06-15T15:26:00.004-04:00

Today we are celebrating...two years ago, God gave us our first son, Elliot.

What a joy he has been to our family.

This time last year

14 hours old, meeting his sister

we love you Elliot!!

Sumptious Saturday

2010-06-12T12:57:00.002-04:00

As a kid, I detested oatmeal. It didn't matter how much brown sugar was dumped on top, it made me gag. I remember refusing to eat it for breakfast before school and finding it at my plate for dinner. Yes, my mom used that tactic. I detested that tactic as much as I detested the oatmeal.

Until I tried Laurie's oatmeal.

{which tastes nothing like the oatmeal I had as a kid. it's baked, not boiled. and it's simple.}

{ Baked Oatmeal }

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups oats

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup milk

Stir first four ingredients together, then add last four ingredients. Mix well. Pour into greased casserole dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes {or till it's golden brown}.

I've modified this recipe different times:

*usually only make half batch

* use less sugar than what is called for

* add cinnamon to the first four ingredients

* serve with fresh berries & a dallop of whipped cream

* sprinkle some chopped nuts on top of oatmeal before baking

* mix a tablespoon of flax into mixture

{a few years ago Laurie also gave me her Banana Bread recipe ~ which i use regularly and make muffins instead of a loaf}

Banana Muffins

3 or 4 bananas, mashed

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1/3 cup melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix in order given. For banana loaf bread: bake 1 hour at 350.

For muffins: spray bottom of muffin tin with cooking spray, or use liners. Fill each 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 14-17 minutes at 350.

{some variations i've experimented with}

* today I doubled the recipe since I had a lot of ripe bananas and used half whole wheat flour and half bread flour

* sprinkle cinnamon & sugar on top of batter before baking

* mix in nuts with batter

*mix in chocolate chips ~ my kid's favorite

*today I just sprinkled some chopped pecans & chocolate chips on top rather than mixing it in the batter. It made it easier for me to make a variety of muffins using the same bowl of batter: plain, nuts, chocolate chips & nuts with chocolate chips

EnJoY !!!

the treehouse

2010-06-10T08:46:00.004-04:00

This tree was climbed on by all the Marcello kids, although certain trees in the yard were given claim by either "the girls" or "the boys". We tried our best to convince Mom & Dad to put a zip line across the yard between the two trees, to no avail. But we had many memories from those trees...oh the days of being a tomboy!

So I arrive home and Dad is pointing out some of the flowers he has planted in the garden. We go inside, I ask about Tim's whereabouts {which could be anywhere: his most recent excursion was Hawaii for a few weeks}. "Oh, you didn't see what Tim has built outside?!?" Dad asked...we went out back and then I saw it:
Going up to visit Tim. I was feeling adventurous. And a little frightened.
Made it to the first level! There are 5+ levels to this treehouse and there are no enclosed walls.
This was taken right after Tim explained to me how NOTHING is nailed or screwed into the tree itself. He constructed everything out of natural materials and wedged it in place so that it could grow with the tree.
Tim, walking on a couple of levels higher than me. I wasn't feeling THAT adventurous to join him way up there. I do have three children to raise.
You see the black cloth behind me? That's where Tim sleeps. It's a hammock, hanging oh-about 40 feet up in the air, above slats of tree branches that have been wedged into place. I would not recommend this type of arrangement for sleep walkers.
Tim has amazing and unique interests and skills. This isn't the first treehouse he has built. Years ago, he lived in Colorado "off the land" and told us that he was living in a treehouse. That made me concerned, for a few reasons...but when I saw this, I could totally picture him actually living in a treehouse.
good morning tim!
He has designed a pulley system, a rain water-collection system, and even has a source of electricity up there.
As I listened to Tim share some of his adventures and creations, I was fascinated. If I lived closer, I told him that I would start a blog just about him. Have you ever seen the old movie "Swiss Family Robinson"?! That is what the back yard is starting to look like...

a boy and his blankie ~ a girl and her glitz

2010-05-20T12:13:00.003-04:00

and before retrieving his precious blankie for a break,

he had been digging in the dirt...can you tell?

this girl is every bit a princess and requests to donn her fruify Sunday

dresses for everyday wear...and a princess must always wear princess shoes...

Two Boys...

2010-05-10T09:43:00.002-04:00

Two very different little people!

In the Paper...

2010-04-22T23:53:00.002-04:00

...me and my sweet kiddos were at the Health Day for Kids at our YMCA last Saturday...and our picture was in one of the local newspapers this week!

Giggles

2010-04-11T02:14:00.001-04:00

1st Easter as Family of Five!

2010-04-06T08:28:00.003-04:00

Last year this time I was pregnant with Ethan, Elliot wasn't walking yet and Emma seemed so little! Now we have a crawling baby, a running toddler and a little girl that never has enough time to say everything she wants to! Here are a few pictures from this weekend. My dad came to visit us and we had a wonderful time with him!

Running to Daddy when he got home

Emma and "Ella", pretty matching girls in their "princess dresses"

our three little munchkins and some of their loot

{you can imagine the other loot that PaJoe brought for them...large baskets FULL of chocolate!}

This picture makes me laugh. Emma's expression. Elliot's stance. And my arm hanging around an imaginary child?

PaJoe and Little E

Happy Fella...who is working on getting molars in before his front teeth!

Easter Breakfast with our youth group on Sunday morning. Dad shared his testimony with our teens. Praise God for the power of the Gospel!!

After Michael showed Elliot what was inside of the eggs, he really got into finding them!

our spunky monkey...beautiful Emma girl.

Blessed by the goodness of God.

Full of thankfulness to our Savior, Redeemer and Friend.

Our Easter celebration continues year round...

Better than Christmas...

2010-04-01T21:46:00.006-04:00

Easter, that is!

What would our faith profit if we don't belong to a risen Savior?!

We have such an intense desire for our children to have personal relationships with Jesus Christ and want them to be exposed to the Gospel from an early age. We know it is only by His grace that He calls His children to Himself, and that is what we plead for our children.

It is easy when holidays come to get lost in the family traditions, good food, picture taking, making memories, present giving...that the focus is shifted, and even replaced. We didn't want that to happen this Easter, so Michael and I planned something special each night for our family Bible time:

first time coloring easter eggs with the kids

the story of the last supper

had to sneak a few pics of the little E...how could we forget this cute, smiling face?!

and soo wiggly?!?

Little E trying to snitch my rice krispy....

Thanking Jesus for what He did on the cross

Concert Time: the kids LOVE doing this with Michael. They get their stools, turn the light off, Emma grabs her fake mic and they sing praise songs.

acting out Jesus entering Jerusalem:

More to COME!!

Mr. Personality

2010-03-26T16:42:00.003-04:00

8 months old:

Smiling. Crawling. Scooting. Lunging. Sitting. Sliding.

Eating. Squealing. Giggling. Chewing. Slobbering.

Cuddling. Smiling. Grabbing. Climbing. Smiling.

Tumbling. Rolling. Thumb Sucking. Wiggling.

Smiling. Laughing. Smiling...

Just a few things that this little guy is up to these days!

{how we frequently find him in the mornings: wiggled out of his jammies}

We can't get over how happy this kid is...

30

2010-03-14T23:12:00.003-04:00

Michael was greeted by this blankie monster Saturday morning. . . Elliot was growling under at him while peeping through the little holes. {what made me smile even more is that Michael thought to get the camera and capture this moment}!

YES, I made myself a birthday cake...

not just any cake, mind you! It is a four layer homemade chocolate mocha cake with homemade mocha fudge frosting. There is so much butta, cream cheese, cocoa and goodness in this cake that my friend Annie told me it better last me till I turn 31.

{can't wait to share it with you Annie!}

my sweet baby E is sick...poor thing has slept less than 4 hours since last night...

chocolately*goodness

my sweet thoughtful and creative husband surprised me and wisked me away for the evening last night to celebrate my getting old...we had a wonderful time {just the two of us}enjoying great authentic Italian food & maggie moos ice cream!

I Love You, Michael...

Thankful for so much as I reflect on 30 years.

First and foremost, I praise God, my Savior and Lord for His amazing grace and mercy shown to me in bringing me to the cross of Christ. I am justified through His blood and I love my Redeemer. He took my sins, my guilt and shame and covered them with His precious blood. Such love cannot be forgotten. My contentment is complete at the cross of Christ...His mercies are all around me, even through the hard times. His goodness to me through His grace at the cross keeps my heart broken, yet driven to love, obey and serve Him more and more each day. I can honestly say that GOD IS GOOD. He is ALWAYS good and I live to glorify Him and share His goodness with others.

IF all I have is the cross of Christ, then I have what I need and more than I deserve. The rest is the icing on the cake. God has given me a loving husband and three beautiful children, family and friends who love and pray for me...

My heart is full.

Thirty will be a good year. The best one yet.

gimmedatdonut!

2010-03-12T16:35:00.002-05:00

Yes, the competition has already started.

Elliot better learn quick who he is up against, because little Ethan is lickitysplit fast!

Praise to the Lord the Almighty

2010-02-24T14:04:00.002-05:00

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation!

O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!

All ye who hear, Now to His temple draw near;

Join me in glad adoration!

Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,

Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!

Hast thou not seen How thy desires e’er have been

Granted in what He ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!

All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him!

Let the Amen sound from His people again:

Gladly for aye we adore Him.

Words by Joachim Neander * Arranged by James Koerts

Bye Bye UVA 52A

2010-02-23T14:11:00.002-05:00

Michael was admitted to the hospital at UVA Medical Center, Charlottesville for 4 days due to a severe flare up with his Crohns Disease. God showed His graciousness in many many ways, big and small, and our hearts are full of thankfulness and praise for His goodness in our lives. We are so blessed to be His children. God loves His own and knows those who trust in Him. He is great and owns our praise.

There were many that couldn't be here to help physically, but prayed for us steadfastly. And then there were those who ministered to us by caring for our children, providing financial help for the unplanned trip, providing accomodations, meals, visits to the hospital to pray and encourage, emails, texts...the body of Christ is a testament to the goodness of our God. We are sincerely thankful for all those who helped and prayed.

Ethan came with us on the trip, but Chrissy (and Sean...sorry, Sean...I heard he was perfect for Chrissy and cried the whole time for you...!) took care of him while I was at the hospital with Michael. Ethan got plenty of attention from Jonathan, Andrew and AnnaMarie, but I'm sure he was confused about the absence of Emma and Elliot!

When Ethan finally got to see Michael, his face lit up in the biggest smile ever. And he let our a giant screech of happiness. {it had been 4 days since he had seen daddy}

We are glad to be home. Grateful that God allowed Michael to improve a lot. Humbled at God's grace.

Preparation Take Off

2010-02-18T20:55:00.002-05:00

Through the past year and through working in ways only God can, He has brought a core group together for the church plant in the valley. We are thrilled to be a part of what God has planned and are eager to be there ~ we are ready!! Tuesday night was a wonderful time of fellowship as we rejoiced to share in how we've seen God provide and work. It was also a great time to plan and look towards the future- the very near future, as we plan to be making the move from Windsor to Augusta County,VA the third week of April!

Left to Right: John & Darla Collins, myself and Michael, Chrissy & Sean Godden

As you can see for yourself, we already have a children's ministry! They outnumber the adults by one {Ethan was sleeping by the time this picture was taken}.

Top: Jonathan & Andrew Godden

Bottom: Gabe Collins, Emma, Anna Marie Godden & Elliot

Please continue to pray for us as we prepare to take off. Our support has gone from 0% to 25% in the last month alone. We are thankful and confident that God will meet our needs just as we've seen Him provide for us and for the church plant in so many other ways. Pray for us as we consider homes. We plan to rent for a couple of years. This will give us an even better understanding of the area before settling down completely.

Christian Joseph Henry

2010-02-15T13:33:00.004-05:00

Introducing our newest nephew on the Marcello side:

Christian Joseph, born on December 28th, 2009

{our anniversary}!

CJ is the youngest of four and was greeted with delight by his big sister and two big brothers. Congratulations Erica and Steven on this cute bundle of blessing! We can't wait to meet you CJ!!!

Caden Isaac Whitcomb

2010-02-10T10:41:00.002-05:00

welcome, sweet baby boy

we've been waiting for you

and praying for you

what a little miracle you are

and so loved already

God is good.

Caden Isaac Whitcomb

Born February 9th

7 pounds

18 1/2 inches

Rejoicing with the happy new parents: Matt & Rachelle

We love you and can't wait to meet him

Love Uncle Michael, Aunt Nina and cousins Emma, Elliot & Ethan

oh . hello there...

2010-02-07T23:14:00.002-05:00

6 months already...and still the happiest baby ever...

{I think it's time to schedule his first professional photo shoot...Emma had at least 3 photo sessions by age 6 months. Elliot had 2. Ethan~ well, he is living up to the 3rd child status! But don't worry, Mommy still takes plenty of pictures...}

If I could just find the time between packing, maintaining regular household responsibilities, caring for three little ones and tending to a sick husband...hmmmm. Maybe that photo shoot will have to wait until 9 months...

Pa Joe Weatherman was right....

2010-01-30T14:34:00.003-05:00

Pa Joe called us on Thursday night...he was very excited to let us know that a good SNOWstorm system was headed our way. He's a weatherman in the Air National Guard and enjoys such things. I remember many strong thunderstorms & even a tornado that came through Indiana while I was in high school and dad would always be, yup~ standing outside watching while the rest of the family was huddled in a closet in the basement. Funny, because recently I read that more men are killed by lightning than women. And the study concluded it was just because men are more stupid than women. I digress...Pa Joe was right about the snow, much to the delight of Emma and Elliot!!

Since we don't get snow here often, we had to be kinda creative with our snow gear. We looked like a bunch of rednecks, but it worked.

Something tells us that Emma has a little northern blood running through her...she is usually very particular about things when she is uncomfortable, cold, hot, itchy, sweaty...but she was doing face plants- on purpose- into the snow. She had snow packed into her mittens and all over her face, and still didn't want to come inside.

This was Elliot's first experience playing in the snow. He lasted all of 20 minutes. His favorite thing was sitting on the hood of the van and knocking the snow off. Walking was somewhat difficult for him, due to the amount of snow and the number of pants that mommy layered on him.

our little snow angel

aaaaannnnd....these are the "snow" toys we came up with. No sleds. No shovels. The snow isn't packing snow, so we couldn't build a snowman or make snowballs.

happy rosy cheeked kiddos

plumb.tuckered. out.

When we got inside {yay for a warm cozy house}, Emma had a "tea party"- complete with homemade hot cocoa and cinnamon rolls.

[and did I mention it's still snowing?!]

Edible Snowmen

2010-01-30T00:22:00.003-05:00

Emma and Elliot had a blast making & eating these snowmen today. Pretty simple way to get them excited about eating veggies and fruits! {and a good backup plan for tomorrow if we don't have REAL snow to build a snowman...}

I love Elliot's expression as he tries to figure out the apple corer.

Emma named her snowman "Frosty". She's creative, what can I say.

Elliot gobbled his snowman up in one gulp, apparently!

A picture of sharpies in the middle of this post may seem oddly placed, but they make me happy. One of my favoritest Christmas gift I got from Michael this year.

praying together...precious in God's sight!

I know. It looks like a pile of cookie dough on their plates. But it's actually a yummy & very simple dip I discovered in one of my Taste of Home magazines. {1/2 cup vanilla yogurt, 1/2 cup Peanut Butter & 14 mini Chocolate Chips (and since I only have regular sized morsels, I threw them in the food processor for a few seconds). Mix it all up and serve with fruit, pretzels, graham crackers...}

Little Elf observed all the activity somewhat contently from his swing. He's anxious to join the fun. Almost 6 months old already...and our prediction is that he will crawling around in a month.

Emma loves her magic light paintbrush set she got from a friend for Christmas. Mommy loves it too...it's mess free!

Elliot likes to do whatever Emma is doing now. He colors a little bit, but is much more entertained by throwing the crayons on the floor, exclaiming " OHHHH NOOOOO" and then picking them up. Have I mentioned that he is a little OCD????!

These after Christmas wintery cold windy sometimes wet and rainy days can become long for a stay at home mom of three 3 and under. Trying to keep a creative mind and stay away from getting into a rut with the same ole every day, day after day...and remembering that investing godliness into my children daily is eternally rewarding.

Back to the snow prediction.

A friend from my church asked me what I thought about it.

And I think: IF if If we get a lot of snow, then I will be STUCK at home.

Nothing new for me, but at least I'll have a really good excuse for not getting out of the house~

Pretend

2010-01-24T00:58:00.002-05:00

Emma has been very imaginative lately playing dress up. Today she donned this hooded towel to be "Mary" and her baby was "Jesus". She also took the freedom to dress up Elliot as "Joseph". He didn't seem to mind since he was able to keep his blue blankie as part of the gig.

These kids keep us laughing and remembering that simple things bring much joy!

There Is a Hope...

2010-01-16T13:43:00.002-05:00

In July of 2008, a group from our church spent over a week in Margate, Florida with some of our missionaries~ Mark and Teresa Jacobsen. Michael and I were privileged to lead the team {along with 5 week old Elliot}. We went with the attitude: How can we help? We left, blessed beyond words. To see this family's intense love for the Haitian people was amazing. In the short time we shared together, Teresa is someone that made a huge impact in my life. If I could describe her in one word it would be JOY. She is the kind of person that is so full of happiness that you can't be grumpy around her if you tried. As MacArthur states: "Joy is a happiness based on unchanging divine promises and eternal spiritual realities. Joy is not the result of favorable circumstances, and even occurs when those circumstances are the most painful and severe." Mark and Teresa would understand true joy. As our group sat around the dinner table at their house, Mark shared his testimony with us. He showed us the book that a bullet went through when their house was robbed while serving as missionaries in Haiti. God spared their family, although Mark and Teresa were both shot. There wasn't a dry eye after hearing about how God protected them through the ordeal. Yet their compassion for the Haitians never died. Now they serve faithfully to the Haitians in Margate. Mark often ministers directly with the people in Little Haiti. As I've watched the horrific events of the earthquake from the comfort of my home, these are the people that come to my mind when I pray. People that we met, ministered to, shared the Gospel with...people who were working three jobs to meet the needs of their family still in Haiti and their family here in America...people who had no hope until the Jacobsens shared the most hopeful news of salvation with them. A few days ago we got an email from Mark. Here were some of his words:

Apart from my own family, the church which God led us to plant is composed entirely of Haitians, or those of Haitian descent. Every member of our church has been touched by this catastrophe, and most of them have family members or close relatives in Port-au-Prince. Initially no one knew about their loved ones, but little by little, a few of them have received communications, while many others still wait and pray. We pray with them, and offer whatever encouragement that we can.

During our time in Margate, we provided Vacation Bible School at their church. Each night we had opportunities to get to know each one better. Many shared with us that only part of their family is here in the US. It is common for a Haitian family to split up in order to provide a better living for some of them...several of the teens hadn't seen their mom in over 2 years...their dad was working three jobs in attempts to save enough money to get his wife to Florida too. As you look through these photos from our trip, pray for them. Many are still waiting to hear from Moms, Dads, Sisters, Brothers, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents, friends...

some of the Jacobsen family:

Won't you pray, too?

the littlest e

2010-01-13T19:27:00.003-05:00

the latest addition to our clan has definitely added a lot of new funny faces to capture...here are some of the things Ethan {or "peanut" or "little one" or "little E"} has been up to in all his spare time...is Opera in his future?
resting his vocal chords...he's a thumb sucker, just like sister

always smiling from ear to ear...this little guy will be the class clown, guaranteed.

his serious sidelookin' all cute and innocent

always watching sister and brother

sitting, kind of.

He's rolling and scooting...he is the one out of the three that I'm afraid might be an early mover. We also joke that he will be talking before Elliot because he is so very expressive. The little fella lives up to the meaning of his name: "strong"...when we pick him up, it's like his hands and feet have suction cups attached. He is such a monkey that I do think that if I let go of him, he would stick to my side. We've often gone in to the bedroom to find him facing a completely different direction in the cradle. He finds his siblings very entertaining and he is loving his exersaucer, jumper and anything that he can put in his mouth.

He almost always responds to us with a huge smile accompanied with his tongue sticking out. He may be the third, but he's definitely not lacking any attention!

{ F A M I L Y }

2010-01-01T16:38:00.002-05:00

Me & Mom Aunty Liz, aka playdough glasses designer
PaJoe & Emma

a string of family has been here over the past week or so...

memories, giggles, spoiled children, sweets...

more pictures to come {just havin' a hard time picking through so many!}

Sweet Times...

2009-12-19T23:51:00.003-05:00

My dear, sweet friend Lai and {one of}her beautiful little girls, Havilah came for a short visit "on their way to Pennsylvania" for another friend's wedding. We didn't have too much time together, but we sure had a blast making the most of the time we had! The last time we saw eachother, I was about 6 months pregnant with Elliot...and Lai was just as pregnant with Havilah because we shared the same exact due date. THERE THEY ARE!!!

Late night pick up at the teeny tiny airport in Newport News. The size of the airport struck Lai funny...she had just come from LAX and Atlanta.
I fell in love with this little girl as soon as I saw her...isn't she a doll??? She didn't know what to think of her crazy AuntyNinNin at first though! At this point, Havilah was pretty confused what was going on. All day on a plane and a three hour time difference will do that to a toddler!

{these pics are not in sequential order}

I had the wonderful privilege of introducing IKEA to Lai. Again, we didn't have a long time to spend there, but we enjoyed a yummy hot {& cheap} breakfast and some time browsing together before she had to leave for PA.

Sweetness

{...mama's girl...}

my Happy Happy Happy child Ethan.

{I think he was excited about our trip to IKEA}

Time for presents

Toiletries ~ Check. Dirty Diaper ~ Check.

Just think what this table would've looked like with Rose Marie and Autumn there too!

{We missed you two...maybe next time!!}

Emma has been sleeping with her adorable new, soft doll {named Emma}...thanks Aunty Lai!

hugs for Havilah

OH BOY....HOLD ON...!!!

~LOVE THAT FACE ~

Kiddos were pretty sleepy. Well, except for Havilah. She's still on CA time.

Aunty Lai and Bubbs

Shared the same due date.

Havilah came exactly one week before Elliot.

We've discussed arranged marriage.

"Mahwee Chrishmash"

2009-12-13T19:35:00.003-05:00

stockings are hung our lovely little tree
celebrating our Saviour's birth ~ hope for ALL
sweet sweet dreams

two cute little whitcomb men

HUGS for BUBBS

E1 & E2

the tree has arrived

snow in the mountains and valley ~ Fishersville, VA

First visit to new Doctor's at UVA Medical Center

So, you ask ~ why has it been such a long time between the last post and this one? Michael has been very sick since the weekend before Thanksgiving ~ he has been on bedrest for part of that time, but has since gotten a little relief since his new doctor prescribed a pain killer for him. We are still waiting to hear results regarding a possible viral infection, pending tests that will be performed this coming Tuesday at UVA. They will be scanning the lower 3rd of his colon during a procedure that they are supposed to put him all the way out for {pray that the anesthesia really works, because in all of his previous colonoscopys he has waken during the procedure and been in intense pain}.

Still trusting God for all matters, even when it has been tough and exhausting. We love our Saviour and are rejoicing with thanksgiving for this time we can reflect on the birth of a Savior.

Over the next few weeks, we have friends coming in, family visiting, more doctor appointments {which means more trips to Charlottesville}, Christmas shopping, a new nephew due any day {who does not have a name chosen for him yet!}, Christmas cards to mail, presents to wrap...a lot going on. We are trying to be intentional in our efforts to not be caught up in the hubbub of the season and have meaningful times as a family to give praise to our great God.

pure sweetness...

2009-11-08T15:03:00.002-05:00

Can you tell by the bazillion pictures ~ i'm smitten?!

We thank God for these boys every day and pray that they will learn to love the Lord with all of their hearts, strength and minds!

i do not know what is going on...

2009-11-05T16:34:00.002-05:00

but I wrote a loooongg note on Facebook about Michael's consultation this past Monday and tried to copy and paste it here several times. It. Did. Not. let me. WHYYYYYYY!? I've done this many a time before and don't know what the problem is. I even tried copying the link instead. It wouldn't work either. Anyone know what the deal is?!

Picnic in October

2009-10-31T14:55:00.003-04:00

I cherish these moments with our sweet little girl. . . .......toting our picnicing treats in a wagon just her size
................taking a short detour to play in the pine needles
.......................and posing for mommy

...............lunch tastes so much better when you can eat it in a fort

.......................proof I was there..........................

........................more proof ..................... : )

.......................................happy happy happy

...........................a little reminder that Fall is here, despite the upper 70's temps

..............picnic spot on the upper deck

Remembering His faithfulness and new mercies given each morning....................................

What to Do

2009-10-28T00:21:00.001-04:00

Life has been a blur these past two seasons. It’s almost November?! What happened to summer?!...

Well, we are at a point that we hoped would never come to with Michael’s Crohn’s Disease: surgery.

After having two successful Remicade infusions between September and now, Michael and I felt relief that something was finally working in treating his flare-ups. About a week and a half ago he began having a flare-up- this time the worst pain he’d ever had. Six days later was his scheduled Remicade infusion. Michael came home feeling much better, but by evening he was already sick again. The flare-up resulted in a trip to the ER, where Michael was given a LOT of steroids {to stop the spasms}, pain meds {equivalent to morphine} and fluids. An x-ray was done to make sure that there were no perforations. Michael’s Doc bumped his prednisone back up again in order to stabilize him and spoke frankly about what to expect if the Remicade stopped working. He hoped that the heavy dose of steroid along with another Remicade treatment would kick the disease into remission, but if it didn’t, we were going to be facing surgery.

Yesterday, 4 days following last week’s treatment, Michael had another Remicade treatment. His GI Doctor spent quite a bit of time talking with Michael about his concerns and Michael was able to ask questions. Lots of them. Again, Michael felt some relief from his symptoms for a few hours, but was sick by evening. Today he has been feeling ok {although not symptom free}, which is an encouraging step for us.

Next Monday Michael has another appointment with his GI specialist. If he continues to have a flare-up through this week, most likely the dr. will be recommending surgery to be performed. And sooner rather than later, seeing that his health continues to decline and his weight is steadily dropping.
So this week is crucial. We need your prayers more than ever before. Surgery would be difficult, to say the least. We have talked about many, many issues concerning the risk of surgery since we have to, but for now I’d rather not get into the details of it. There are too many probabilities and unknowns.

Over the course of Michael’s diagnosis, both of us have spent significant time researching every aspect of this disease. Whether on the computer, reading books & articles, speaking to others who have Crohn’s, seeking nutritional guidance and professional medical opinions…and we’ve always said that if it came to the point of needing surgery that we would seek a second opinion {as the surgery that Michael’s doctor wants to perform would be life-altering and irreversible}. So this week we have been searching out other options. We want to know if there is a medical center or a GI Specialist that specifically is really well known for his expertise {and we do trust our dr., but with the type of surgery that is being discussed, it is really important for us to know that we are making an informed decision and not rushing into something that could possibly be avoided}. We would be willing to fly to the moon if need be.

So that is where we are right now. A lot hinges on how Michael does this week. Pray that he improves.

Our family has been through significant life-threatening trials over the past few months. God knew all of this would happen, and He has given grace. Both of us have learned more about our own hearts in light of who God is, and what we’ve seen in ourselves hasn’t been pretty. In that way, we have been brought to a place that we have never been brought to before. He has broken us. And we do not want to resist. We may never know WHY these things happened, but we will be able to look back and remember what God taught us through it and how God showed Himself mightily in countless ways. We are in “survival mode”- just hanging on and trusting God. Michael and I have had to talk about things that I never thought we’d have to talk about until we were old and gray headed. We’ve been tested on all fronts. There have been many tears and hugs, and hurts and pains…all while caring for three precious little ones that cannot comprehend what is happening around them. Many times, those three little boogers have kept me going…there is not much time to sit around and sulk when you have two active toddlers, an infant and a sick husband to care for. But I can honestly say that we have had the sweetest times amidst this storm…and that our love for each other and for our Savior has grown so much sweeter and deeper. For that we are thankful.

And we have so much more to be thankful for. Our praying friends and family- phone calls, emails,visits & notes. Our church family- who has shown sacrificial love and compassion to us with such a joyful & willing spirit. Our pastor and our counselors- who have sat with us and listened, prayed, cried with us and reminded us about our loving God. We’ve been overwhelmed with blessings we’ve received from others and have difficulty expressing our sincere gratitude. Our hearts are full.

Keep praying, friends. Pray.

Hot Diggity Dog : : : New Jammies ! ! !

2009-10-25T19:46:00.002-04:00

We received a special package in the mail this week...all the way from CALIFORNIA! It was full of fun & sweet things from my dear friend Lai...including these adorable jammies ~ aren't they F U N?! Thank you for sending some sunshine* our way...love you!

THE CLOT IS GONE

2009-10-10T10:02:00.001-04:00

UPDATE AS OF SATURDAY MORNING FOLLOWING EVALUATION/PROCEDURE:THE CLOT IS GONE!!!

Praising the Lord for answered prayer. Overwhelmed. Relieved. Thankful.

Michael just got out of the procedure a few minutes ago and was transferred to ICU where he will be monitored until a regular recovery room is available. Michael says he already feels better than he did...but still in pain and will be in pain for a while.

Other encouraging news: Bedrest restriction will be lifted in a few hours, so he will be able to get a shower. He will be very happy about that. He doesn't have any diet restriction either, so I plan to pick him up whatever he wants as soon as he feels ready to eat. He hasn't eaten too much the past couple of days, so I wouldn't be surprised if he is ready for a massive Tbone steak.

I do not know when he will be discharged from the hospital yet. He is starting on the Cumidin(sp?) which is an orally administered blood thinner. He will be on cumidin for atleast 6 months, I believe. Maybe a year.

Tests will be done to try to determine the cause and prevent more clots from occuring in the future. I don't know when those tests will be done or where they will be done. I do not know the status of his superficial clot in his right leg yet, but will be asking about that asap.

I sent a text message out immediately following the good news from Dr. McBee to all those in Michael's phone contact list. My phone is with Michael's mom since we do not have a house phone. I'm sorry for those I am unable to contact via text due to not having my contact numbers. I wish I could call each one individually to share the news and answer any questions, but it would be an exhausting task to speak to each one since MANY MANY have been praying and calling and texting.

Thank you, thank you for praying and sending love and encouragement to our family. I will keep you posted as we find out more information.

UPDATE FOLLOWING PROCEDURE

2009-10-09T20:42:00.001-04:00

UPDATE FOLLOWING PROCEDURE, FRIDAY AFTERNOON:The first words out of Dr. McBee's mouth were comforting: "He's doing fine." The next words weren't as comforting as the first: "The clot is very large." How large, I asked. "About a foot and a half long."

What?! I thought blood clots were relatively small, circular things- just like a little having a chunk of oreo stuck in your milkshake straw. He set me straight on my misconception and assured me that although it is a large clot, it is not extremely abnormal.

The catheter is in place and the blood thinning meds are being administered through it. Dr. McBee had hoped to install the catheter and dissolve the clot, but since the clot is so large, it is not going to be that easy to fix. Due to the possible risks involved with the catheter and meds, Michael was placed in ICU immediately following the procedure so that he could be carefully monitered. Dr. McBee told me that having him in ICU would make it easier and quicker to contact him if a complication would occur. He will remain in ICU until tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow morning Dr. McBee will re-evaluate his clot to see whether the blood thinner has been effective at all. If not, well, we are just taking one thing at a time. Dr. McBee told me that there are other options, but I just didn't have the nerve to question any farther. Worrying about all the what if's won't get us anywhere.

Michael was in a lot of pain today and the procedure caused the pain to increase even more. The nurses have kept him on morphine- which has allowed him to feel better and get some rest. He also was able to eat following the procedure. He won't be allowed to eat/drink tonight past midnight in preparation for tomorrow's procedure.

Two specific ways to pray tonight:

1. That the blood thinner will be effective.

2. That Michael will not get any viruses/infections etc. from being exposed to super germs in the ICU. His remicade treatment for Crohn's disease is an extreme auto-immune suppressant and therefore he is at much greater risk to get sick faster and worse than a normal healthy person.

Lord willing I will have an encouraging note of progress to post after his procedure in the morning. Continue to pray.

Updates

2009-10-09T14:05:00.003-04:00

UPDATE AS OF 1:45PM, FRIDAY, Oct. 9th:

Michael has been prepped for the procedure. A catheter will be inserted and medication injected through it to hopefully dissolve the blood clot in his right leg. We were able to get our questions answered- the nurses and Dr. McBee were very informative and patient with our inquisitive minds. The purpose in doing this procedure rather than allowing the blood thinner to "do the trick" has to do with his age and trying to preserve the function of the valves in his veins. There is a risk that this procedure could actually damage the valves, so pray specifically that that won't happen. Dr. McBee informed us also of the 2nd ultrasound results: there is a clot in the left leg as well as an infection. He is not doing the catheter procedure on the left leg because he thinks that it can be treated with antibiotics (due to it being a different type of clot related to the infection; we don't know what the infection is from; and it's kinda strange that the pain started in both legs at the same time!)The procedure will be atleast an hour once they have inserted the catheter

******************************************************************

UPDATE AS OF 11AM, FRIDAY, OCT. 9:Michael is scheduled to have the procedure mentioned below (catheter to dissolve clot) done between noon and 1pm today. Dr. McBee has been in the OR all morning so we have not had the opportunity to get our questions answered yet. Michael just got back from having a 2nd ultrasound- this time for his left leg. We have not heard results yet on that. The old deaf man that neighbors us here in the hospital has high hopes of getting out of here soon...he says he is getting married tomorrow.

Be Still and Know that I am God: Keeping you updated on Michael's condition

2009-10-09T09:06:00.000-04:00

I'll try to bring everyone up to speed on what has happened. The past 24 hours have been a whirlwind.Last Saturday Michael started feeling some soreness in both calves of his legs. I had gone to Massanutten the day before with the kids to be with Michael's family for our annual fall get away. Michael stayed home through the weekend to fulfill pastoral responsibilities at our church and joined us on Monday afternoon. By the time he was with us, his legs had become more stiff and sore. We couldn't figure out what the cause could be since he hadn't done anything abnormally strenuous. He had been battling congestion and having coughing fits that were so bad that he was having to sleep in an upright position at night (remember the Remicade treatment he is on is an extreme auto-immune suppressant...Emma got the cold bug and despite Michael's best efforts to keep a distance, he got it too, and has had a difficult time shaking it off). So Monday afternoon he arrived at Massanutten. He spent the rest of the day and night trying to rest in between relentless coughing fits. The next morning, his legs were hurting and very tight- like what it would be like to have a constant charlie horse. It had also been almost 2 weeks that he had not been getting good rest due to the coughing/congestion. So we spent the afternoon at an Emergicare in Harrisonburg where he was tested for the flu (negative, PTL!) and given 5 medications (some for the congestion, others for treating thrush). We didn't have them evaluate his legs or even mention it.Wednesday Michael finally felt relief from the cough, but his legs seemed to be even more painful. He was hobbling around, but took Emma to play put-put golf.We were wondering if this could be a side effect of the remicade, but were assured by his doctor that it wasn't a possibility. His doctor actually thought that it was just a calcium deficiency and recommended taking some tums. At this point, Michael's pain was much more intense and traveling up his legs (despite being on Advil and applying a heating pad- things that should relief muscle-related pain). He became quite concerned and pretty confident that it was not a calcium deficiency and started researching his symptoms online. Everything kept pointing to blood clots. He called his doctor and asked him if clots could be a possibility- doctor said that he should atleast get an ultrasound the next day upon arriving home to rule out the possibility of it being a blood clot.Wednesday night we almost, almost went to the ER. Michael was in a lot of pain and his leg was noticeably quite swollen- especially his right leg. The left leg was not as puffy, but had some red streaking discoloration and felt warm in those areas. We were very concerned about Michael driving by himself back home, but the Lord had his hand of protection on him and allowed him to get there safely. Meanwhile, I had traveled an hour and a half further north of Harrisonburg to meet my sister and brother-in-law, neice and nephews at an Apple Orchard for the afternoon. I had only been there for 45 minutes or so when I got a text from Michael informing me that it was indeed a blood clot and that he was being taken to the hospital immediately. A few minutes later Michael called and told me to come home right away. It was serious. Life-threatening serious. As soon as the ultrasound was done, the Doctor came in quickly, no messin' around and told Michael that it was a good thing he came in. He was completely immobilized and transferred to Obici hospital shortly.I jumped into: "i've just gotta get home" mode. I had a hard time trying to comprehend the seriousness of what was going on and felt flat emotionally. Shocked. I left the orchard- much to the dismay of Emma, who hadn't gotten to pick any apples yet and didn't understand why were leaving already...called Michael's parents and let them know what was going on. They were shopping in Harrisonburg and headed back to the condo pronto to start packing up for me.By the time I arrived at the condo, they had almost everything packed up and ready to go. We prayed and hugged and shed some tears and got on the road. Michael's mom graciously came home with me to help with the kids since I would be with Michael in the hospital (we were told atleast 5 days). It was almost 11pm by the time I arrived at the hospital. Michael was in extreme pain and he finally got some vicaden to help relieve his pain. He slept pretty good once that set in. So that brings you up to date on how we got to this point. Here is what we are dealing with currently:He has atleast one clot in his right leg. An ultrasound is being done as I type on his left leg to check for clots or infection. He is on strict bedrest. Blood thinning meds were started last night and checked 6 hours later to see if it was working. 1:30am: Nurse said it was slow, but that's pretty common. She bumped up the blood thinner. The vascular surgeon, Dr. McBee, came in early this morning to evaluate Michael and talk with us. He talked to us about doing a procedure where a catheter is inserted through a vein in his ankle to behind his knee. Medication is then inserted through the catheter to disolve the clot. This is a procedure often used to treat heart attack patients. Dr. McBee talked about doing this procedure in a few hours. We have a few questions regarding the urgency of this procedure as opposed to just allowing the blood thinning meds to do their work. Michael is a lot of pain again since the vicaden has worn off. He was waiting to take more until his breakfast came this morning, but was informed that he isn't allowed any drink or foods until they say. He did get a good dinner last night, thankfully. Due to his Crohn's, he is much more sensitive to taking meds and feels pretty confident that if he takes the vicaden on an empty stomach that he will get sick.Michael is fully conscious and aware of what is going on. He has a positive spirit and has already been able to share Christ with one of the nurses. It is scary, don't get me wrong, but Michael has confidence and peace that most of the world doesn't know. We've had countless calls and texts and mesages...thank you all so much. We still need your prayers desperately as Michael's condition continues to be critical. Many have asked how they can help. Right now we are taken care of, but I will let you know when any needs arise. Michael's mom is taking care of Emma and Elliot at our house. Ethan is camped out at the hospital with me (and I'm just praising the Lord that he sleeps well in his swing and stroller...all the nurses are in love with the little guy...last night they were asking how the BABY was doing, and didn't even bother to ask about Michael.) Some specific ways to pray right now:1. That the blood thinner will be effective and work quickly.2. That Michael's pain will be bearable since he is unable to take pain meds at the moment.3. For Dr. McBee to have wisdom and discernment in his treatments.4. That through this we would magnify Christ to the hospital staff and nurses.5. For Mom W, as she hold the fort down for us. Elliot has been sick the past few days to top things off.6. That Michael would be protected from catching any other viruses/sicknesses roaming the hospital.7. finally, that the deaf man next door would stop yelling for the nurses 24/7 or maybe get discharged soon...bless his heart.

Bible Stories, by Emma

2009-09-27T19:56:00.002-04:00

Isn't our little girl a beautiful princess?! Her hair was pretty straight after I gave her a bath this morning because I blow dried it...but it was rainy outside and her hair just curled right up! So, Emma is still semi-new to the junior church group at church. In previous weeks she has done a pretty good job remembering what her Bible story was about when Michael and I ask her about it at Sunday lunch. This week, all we could get out of her was:

"Who was your teacher today, Emma?"
"Mrs. Cathy. Mrs. Cathy was my teacher."
"And what did Mrs. Cathy teach you today?"
"She said, 'Did you bring your Bible, Emma?' and I said, No, my Bible is at home." (disappointment obvious in her voice as she trails off)

Emma has several "bibles"- none of which I have thought to have her bring to church with her for whatever reason...Michael gave her a little green Gideon Bible today as she sat for lunch and she thought it was the most special thing. She was elated. She often pretends her other story books are her "bible" and so Michael explained to her the other day how the Bible is an important and special book- more than any other book! That little green Bible stayed right by her side during her whole meal and she kept talking about how special it was and asking us to read it to her.

At the end of her meal, she blessed us with a little Bible story (the page she was "reading" was the index) that went something like this...

"OK guys. Listen to this Bible story I'm going to tell you. It's berry important and berry special. It's about Jesus and He died on the cross for you sins. OK. Once upon a time Jesus lived in the hundred acre woods... and saw Pooh, and Piglet..."

Michael looked at me and commented: Seems like we have some work to do!

All Nighter...

2009-09-23T21:28:00.004-04:00

That's how we celebrated Ethan's one month birthday! Of course, it was not the party-kind-of-all-nighter. . . it was a "what-in-the-world-are-you-still-doing-awake???" kind of all nighter. Regardless, we still are in love with the little guy, and think you will be too once you see these pictures!
My First Photo Session with Mom
(who says that the third doesn't get as many pictures taken?!!) " mom tangled my arms up like this. i actually think it's comfy. "

" are we done yet, mom ?! "

" how's it from this angle, mom ? "

" can't...hold...my...head...any...longer... "

" my sister Emma has been teaching me this pose. "

this is the only stage of life when wrinkles and rolls are cute

cool man Elliot

wild thang Ethan...

is that a "marcello" nose that i see?

sweetness

oh. hello sister.

can you tell she loves him to pieces?!

Goodnight little guy. . .

you better sleep more than two hours tonight!!