Birthday Blessings

Abigail's birthday is not for another couple of weeks, but we started her celebration this weekend!  She and a group of precious gals from church formed a "Dum Dum Club" to raise money for missions.  Before you start thinking blonde jokes...I'm talking dum dums as in those itsy bitsy lollipops! There's a family in our church who's adopting a teenager from the Ukraine, and they decided to surprise them with all of their proceeds going to this family's adoption fund.  OH,  how I LOVE their hearts!  On their own initiative they formed this club, prayed for this family, organized themselves, initiated selling at the GA's (Girls in Action), made "club" shirts, and are even leading their own bible study (Ab's went this week!).  Can I just tell you how thankful this momma's heart is!?!?!  I think my prayer for Abigaill's intiative and leadership is already starting to be answered.

They've been wanting to have a sleepover, but I think summer just got away from us all.  They were invited to sell their dum dums at a church member's estate sale this weekend so they gladly accepted. We just turned the whole thing into a birthday and Dum Dum Club celebration!  And you know what...they were up all night (ugh!), and didn't complain one time about having to get up early to make it over to the sale-impressive! They were BEYOND excited to do this for this family!

loving her gifts

David being...goofy!

LOVE these smiles!

Just simply thankful for good 'ol fun!

 

That's NOT blood!  Can we say cherry cheesecake topping?

Ruh-roh..

Daddy supervised some bottle rockets before he left on his flight...not just for boyz!  All our friends expect fireworks, bottle rockets and/or roman candles when visiting our house!

So fun!

Bright eyed and bushy tailed...off to the sale in a packed suv!

Dum Dum Club plus 1(Audrey An) but minus 1 (Hannah)..missed you Hannah!

Love you Abigail!  I'm thrilled you're my daughter and thankful for good friends who love the Lord.  Your daddy and I have prayed (and will continue!) to pray for those you surround yourself!

"Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."  I Timothy 4:12

HUGE Praise!

Please pray specifically for doctor wisdom and insight this week. It's a big doctor week- 6 appointments...oh my!
Monday- rheumatologist & chiropractor
Tuesday- internist
Wednesday- well woman
Thursday- gastro doc (consult for endoscope and colonoscopy) & chiropractor

Woohoo - what fun ! Praise God Abigail has no volleyball games this week so I can run around to all these appointments like a chicken with my head cut off!
 
Friday- Abigail bday party (couple weeks early) - I'm throwing pizza, movies (and maybe a slurpee run!) at them!!!

6:00pm- Well, I JUST got a call from my doctor, and he had GREAT news!  My CPK is back down to 1072.  This is SUCH an answer to pray- a 6000 point drop.  HELLO!?!  I truly was preparing myself for it to still be very elevated (as in the 5000+ range). So during my appointment when he said, "Oh, I think it will be back around 1000, my jaw DROPPED!"  (I thought, "Yeah, right!! I'll believe it when I see it!").  Well, shame on me!  My weakness sometimes lags behind my CPK reduction.  Doc was encouraging and felt I'd continue to improve!

I also had a reassessment at the chiropractor last week which he went over with me today.  It included two thermal scans.  It had shown improvement.  I could visibly see it.  Some of my major problem areas had shifted from my neck and upper shoulder to mid back. He explained that can be normal and the nerves are showing good movement and that's a good thing.  I'm probably not explaining that quite right, but it made sense when he said it.

SOOOO, all in all, two appointments down and four to go! I felt the prayers of many today as the Lord went before me, encouraged me, confirmed a decision David and I made about medication last week, and found out I dropped 5 lbs due to my better eating habits this last month.  YAY! (If I gave up breads, sweets and caffeine for a month already...I'd better had dropped something.  JUST SAYIN!!!).  Last week, David and I made the decision to start the "steroid sparing medicine" that I've been so conflicted about for so very long.  I must say it was not an easy decision.  It was a decision that I didn't have complete peace about, but I felt we just at a point a decision needed to be made.  I was reading in Acts 2 on Wednesday about the choosing of Matthias.  Two things were impressed upon me.  One, they (the apostles) were in constant prayer and two, they cast lots.  Well, they cast lots because "the Lord knew their hearts"...that's what encouraged me to make this decision.  David and I make all our major decisions together.  Always.  I praise the Lord the HE is the leader (that's the hard job!).  We've prayed and prayed.  God KNOWS I've not wanted to take yet another medicine and one with some potential serious side effects, yet God KNOWS that I would take it if that where God was leading us.  Well, again I didn't have quite the peace I was hoping for, but David made the point the my rheumatologist is now my "main doc" and that doc feels this is my best option at this point (even with possible side effect).  SO...there ya have it. It may not seem like a huge thing, but it is.  Every big decisions we've made we've just known that God was leading a certain direction...this one...not so much.  It was more of a step of faith.  AND I felt the confirmation came today.  This decision may detour in months or even weeks but for now.  I think we made the right one.  Praise the Lord He doesn't give up on me!  In a way...I cast lots! (not literally!)  I said, "God, choose for me.  You know my heart."  God is sovereign , and He knows best.  I really know He'll not let me screw up when we're earnestly seeking Him in our decisions.

On other more exciting fronts...We had our annual beach trip with David's family right before school started, took the girls bowling, and Abigail's started her volleyball season!

Cousins!

How'd she get all grown up!

Supah Star!

Ok, how high can she jump?!?!

Rainy day activities: Twister...

Clue!  Skip Bo!  Uno! and...

Kilwins!

My little piranha!

Kiddoes are growing up!

Fashionistas!

Group effort!

GO #9!!!!

That is one massive Middle School volleyball team!  I'm praying leadership and overhand serves for our Abigail this year!  They won their first game (second game of the season), and she's scored several points in each game already...yay #9!

OH, summer...where did you go?

My sweet 2nd and 7th graders started SCHOOL today!

Thank you all for praying specifically for my appointment this morning!

Praises are...l1. They allowed me to KEEP my appointment even though I have a rather large outstanding bill due to insurnace issues! (please pray that will get resolved ASAP!)! All were amiable and I hope they can see I've been trying VERY diligently to resolve this with my insurance and their billing department. 2. Nurse Practioner I saw this am is just so kind..slow and steady. She listens! 3. David accompanied me as my cheerleader...AGAIN!

I took lmy latest lab results from the rheumatoligst with me, and she was surprised with some things he didn't do (not shocking to me bc of different philosophies) and we've seen this rise in CPK before).

Bottom line...I'm in a Catch 22!

Steroids are horrible on one's body ong term. Steroids are what helps my inflammation. Steroids are evil. Steroids are good (used sparingly!). Steroids make me Pillsbury dough girl ...yeast is rising and rising! Steroids CAUSE yeast issues. Oh, did I say steroids are evil? MUST. GET. OFF. STEROIDS.but the steroid is the constant medical thingy that has shot down my CPK...hmmm.

Rheum prescribed a medication at last appoinmtment and I've not filled it- he's probably not going to be very happy with me...oh, well! As many of you know I DO NOT, and HAVE NOT ever wanted to this medication and don't have a peace about taking a med that can knowingly cause cancer. Yes, it's a “steroid sparing agent” but...Hello...cancer. I think I'll take dough girl.

Requests:

1. God will continue to give me the perseverance with dietary changes and chiropractor...long term good health and healing.

2.  WISDOM for ALL team members involved... (honestly, when David and I look at my pattern of treatment with/without IVIG...its the high dose of steroid that is the common theme when I'm consistently doing doing better)

3.  body to ADJUST and MAINTAIN balance with lower steroid.

PRAISING that I'm functioning and functioning well!  Praising that God went before us and took care of billing issue for TODAY.  PRAISING my girls are in school and happy!  PRAISING my hubby is my cheerleader and support!  PRAISING that God knows the outcome of all this even when I (we) don't!  PRAISING that we got our fingerprint appointment invitation from USCIS...hoping they'll take us as a "walk in" tomorrow due to David's schedule!  PRAISING that we get to pray for ADB and this continued journey God has placed us on!  PRAISING that Abigail is getting to play volleyball again this year...something she really enjoys and initiates! PRAISING that Audrey An is blessed with same teacher she started with last year!

Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."