It’s been a busy few days around here.  On Friday I headed to Omaha and spent almost 24 hrs at Methodist while my sweet Michelle had a radical hysterectomy due to cervical cancer.  She came out with shining stars and by the grace of God is able to avoid chemo and radiation.  It was a rough couple days for her but I’m thankful she is sleeping soundly in the comfort of her own bed.  There’s nothing like having a sleepover in a hospital room.  And as Michelle said, our next sleepover will require a hotel room and hot tub.  Saturday brought the wedding for a beautiful co-worker of mine.  I simply love weddings and hers was elegant and fun.  By the time I got home I was completely exhausted and ready to lay my head on my pillow after hardly sleeping the night before.  The kids enjoyed spending lots of time with their friends after their first four days of school which went well for all of them.  Ryan didn’t take any time at all to get back into the routine of school and knows when we say “it’s time for school” that it’s time to go.  Taking him in the afternoons only has proved to be the right choice since he sleeps all morning.  And he has the same SPED teacher as last year which we were very happy about because she knows him so well.  His para is one from last year as well and she is wonderful with Ryan. 

Sunday we had a special service at church which included lots of music, testimonies and baptisms.  It was the first time Travis and I have actually shared publicly, besides this blog, about Ryan.  We are very open to sharing our story with anyone but it’s the first time the opportunity has been there.  We both laughed when one of the pastors called several weeks ago to ask if we would share a quick, 4-5 minute testimony with a few pre-selected questions because he said our names came up when they were trying to find a couple to share about pain and suffering.  I have to admit it felt good after the service when numerous people came up to us and thanked us for sharing, said they were praying, some who could relate.  I have always said our story isn’t about us but about making a difference in others lives by how we handle life, sharing our testimony of grace.  And my friend sent me this today ~

It just goes to show that no matter what we face, it’s our choice to stick together, trudge ahead, lean on each other and persevere.  And that everyone can find joy no matter their circumstances.  The saying mind over matter is more true than a lot of people care to admit.  I’m thankful to walk this road with Travis because we have certainly faced enough situations that should have torn us apart but we really have come out stronger in the end – with a lot of forgiveness and grace for sure. 

Well the second week of school is successfully under way.  We, like most everyone else we know, are living the busy life right now getting back into school, activities, sports.  Or translated another way, we are playing taxi cab.  The boys are both loving football and have the usual bruises all over their arms and legs.  Both start their seasons this weekend, and all three kids plan on going to the Southeast varsity football game this weekend….and every other weekend for the season.  I love college football, but I love high school football even more so it will be fun to get back into that scene again. Sidney just made  a spot on a volleyball club that is much more competitive than the club she played for last year.  She is especially excited because her coach is a former Husker volleyball player. She lives, eats and breathes volleyball so this will be good for her.  And little Ryan is doing well.  Napping for three hours every morning then going to school for the last 2 1/2 hrs of the day is working out well.  Even after coming home from school he often sleeps again for another thirty to sixty minutes; the little guy just needs a lot of sleep.  Thankfully with Travis only working part time now, as hard as that is, it’s worth it so one of us can always be here for Ryan.  This works so we’ll stick with it.  Ryan has been transitioning to a ketogenic formula meaning high, high fat and so far he is doing OK on it.  We won’t be able to give this to him at night because it can’t go into his small intestine which is where his night time feedings go now.  But if we can transition him to getting the formula for all his day time boluses, we are hoping it might help at least a small amount with the amount of seizures he is having.  It’s worth a try and so far he is tolerating the changes. 

Yesterday I was able to go to lunch with two very dear friends then we had pedicures.  It was so fun,  and these are two of the ladies I’m going to Branson with for five days next month.  We rented a beautiful cottage on the lake, and I can’t wait to go relax with them.  After lunch we stopped home to see Ryan before he headed to school so Lori and Candy could get some Ryan time.  He loves these ladies but with the amount of love and affection they shower on him, I’m not sure how it could be any other way.

We desperately need to have family pictures taken again but simply keep putting it off.  With fall around the corner I hope to get some good outside photos to share.  And I need to post some more pictures of the kids…something to get working on for the next post.