What We Are Reading

I want to thank everyone for the kind words and prayers for our family -- our son and his wife and children. We truly appreciate all prayer, and hope you will continue to remember us. 

I started out reading a lot this spring and then as things started happening I really slowed down for a while. I have started up again and it is actually a comfort to sometimes do the same things you always do over and over. So, we read and read. 

We read another Lattimore book -- First Grade and it was enjoyed by all. An easy read and pretty short. Next we read A Home for Grandma by Joyce Miller. This was a very sweet book about a family that was making room for Grandma to come live with them. All of the children had such a good attitude and sweet spirit about welcoming her into their home. Everyone seemed to like this book. Then another Lattimore book -- Beachcomber Boy, which was enjoyed. It was a quick read as it isn't a very long book. We then read Eddie's Green Thumb by Carolyn Haywood and The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. 

I think the favorite book so far this summer is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnette. Everybody seemed to love it. Even Sarah kept asking questions about it and she doesn't always pay a lot of attention when I read. Bethany and Andrew were very interested in the garden and how it had been locked up and nobody had been in it for years. I also loved this book as a child and read it many times. 

We are now reading The Five-and-a-Half Club which is an old Alice and Jerry reader from 1942. It is actually a nice book to read in the summer as it is about several children that are bored during summer vacation and so they start a club. So far this book is very well liked, but I find that most of the books we read are enjoyed by at least several of the kids. 

Bella had been outside playing most of the day and was quite hot and sweaty -- and dirty. 

A Difficult Time

It's been a long time since I have been here and written anything. I have had several nice emails asking how we are and asking if I would be back blogging soon. So, thought I would go ahead and do a post.

It has been a very hard month here. On June 1st, I babysat for my oldest son while he went to the doctor for a throat problem. I thought he would be back by early evening but things didn't go as planned. He ended up having a CT scan which showed no problem with his throat, but did show he had swelling in his brain. This led to an MRI to see if he had a tumor. Around three something in the morning I got the text that there was no tumor and so I went to sleep feeling relieved.

The next morning Shannon (DIL) let me know they were 80% sure it was viral encephalitis. He would be in the hospital another few days then go home to finish recovering. Within 20 minutes of finding that out I got another message to forget that -- some other doctors had come in and they disagreed. So, long story short -- they said they thought he did have a tumor but it was hard to tell because of all the inflamation. He had a biopsy on June 6th and got the results the following week -- malignant stage III brain tumor. We have all been in shock and this has been hard to accept. We ask for your prayers for our son.

So, we have been busy researching things and getting a second opinion and just preparing for his treatments. He starts radiation and chemo next week. Because of it's location, it is inoperable.

So, basically our lives have pretty much revolved around this diagnoisis for the past month and we have been trying to do all we can to help them. Things have gotten pretty busy for them and they have two little ones -- a one year old and a two year old. We live only 5 minutes from them so that makes helping a lot easier.

So, I have taken few pictures and we have done very little for the past month or so. We did cookout on the 4th of July and everybody came. It was nice and I think we all realized how important family is -- even more than usual. I will say that I agree with Bill -- he said he has been so proud of all our kids and how they have pulled together to help however they can.

I have felt bad for Piper and Tess during all of this as it seems it is very hard for me to concentrate on all the things I need to do for them, and with them. None of this is how I expected things to go when I first brought them home. But, they are doing well and seem very happy. Tess was talking to me the other night and she said "I Chinese" and I said "yes" and she then said," you America?" and I told her yes I was an American. Then she said "I no go back to China -- I stay here. I stay in America."

Tess turned 8 years old in June. She got a bike and she has been thrilled ever since.

 Also, on July 1st our daughter, Megan, had a baby boy --- on her birthday. She is doing her reisdency in Georgia so is not very close to home. We have not been able to get to see little Jack yet. He is adorable for sure.