The Weekend Update

This weekend has been exciting! We have a new niece!

She arrived yesterday morning and she and her mama are doing great.

They should be going home tomorrow.

We have been able to skype with them, and she is BEAUTIFUL!!

We can't wait to meet her!

As for Ryan, he wants to be done with the pain meds, so he didn't take any before bed on Thursday.

He didn't sleep well at all that night!

Friday he was looking rough and moving kind of slow. His physical therapist lightened things up for him that day. He learned his lesson and took 1/2 dose of his pain meds before bed Friday night and he had a great night's sleep!

This week he has been using just one crutch and hopefully soon he'll be using the cane.

The Weekend Update

It's been awhile since I've posted an update. I'll try to catch ya'll up quick!

• Ryan was able to start weight bearing and physical therapy last week. He also put away the walker and he is just using crutches now.
• We found out what kind of tool the doctor used to remove the bone growth. He described it as a chisel, but beveled on two sides instead of just one. That, and a hammer!
• We like the ortho surgeon. He has quite a sense of humor. As he entered the room he said, "So, do you remember which leg it is we worked on?"
• He also told us they added the extra plate because while they were working they heard a crack. They did x-rays, but could not tell if it was the bone they were removing that cracked or if it was bone that was supposed to stay. Just in case it was bone that was supposed to stay, they added the extra plate.

In other news, both girls had a basketball game this weekend and they both won! Each of their teams played well together and they did a great job of passing the ball. Moriah made 2 baskets in her game and Emma did a great job guarding some aggressive girls that were a bit bigger than her! They were glad Dad could be there to see them play too! Thankfully, at the games, there are chairs on the gym floor which is much easier for Ryan right now than bleachers!

I'll end with one of our favorite quotes from the week:

Aiden, as we're dropping off Ryan for PT: "Bye, Daddy! Don't forget to give them one money!"

Ryan: "I think they're getting plenty of 'moneys', Aiden"

Aiden: "Give them one money! Not two! Oh! And see if they have hot cocoa! That will make you all better!"

1 Week Later

Today it's one week since Ryan had his surgery!
He took another shower today!

I counted the staples in his incision...33!

And it's about 12 inches long!

I couldn't help but think back to his long day of surgery just following the accident. It was about a week after those surgeries that Jan and I took the girls to see Ryan in Flint. It was the first time they had seen him after the accident, and it was my 3rd. I was still using a wheelchair because it was a long walk up to see him!

The girls were eager to help, as always, and here they are pushing me in to see him.

I love Jan's face in this one!

I love this photo of Emma talking to him.

She said her tears were happy tears and sad tears.



Ahh, I'm so glad those days are behind us!

One week later this time around and we are all home together!
Tonight, as I write, Ryan and Emma are in his chair together and he is reading to her.

The other two are listening in while working on a puzzle together.

We're home.

We're together.
We're so blessed!

The Weekend Update

The girls did a great job of taking care of Daddy his first night home!
They were quite excited to be taking care of him, and they assured me repeatedly that they could handle the task! Ryan can't bear full weight on his left leg yet, but he is able to walk using his walker by just bearing weight on his right leg and left toes. So the girls just had to help him with his meals and cleaning up.

 While Daddy was in the hospital the girls missed him and cried for him. They cried as he left for the hospital, when they talked to him on the phone before bed, and when we left after visiting him in the hospital. However, I noticed that when they left me and went home with him there were no tears. None. No crying when I called home to check on them. Nope. No asking to call me at 7am the next morning.

Hmm, I guess I've learned where I rate with them! :)

Ryan has been eating more in the last 24 hours. He's been getting around with his walker. On Thursday he took a shower and we changed the dressing on his incision. The Dr. said he would use the same incision from before but this one is a good 3-4inches longer than the last one! I'm not sure if that's because of the extra plate they added.

Ryan may be down for awhile, but he's still "coaching" the girls in basketball from his wheelchair. Thursday night as I cleaned up dinner he was working with Emma on her boxing out. He was moving her arms and legs to the the correct places and showing her what to do in different situations. I couldn't help but smile as I watched him "coach" from his wheelchair!

And to correct some information from a previous post, at first I thought the Dr. said he took out 90% of the bone growth, but that is not necessarily true. He did not give a percentage. He only said he took out a LOT of bone, and that is one of the worst bone growths he has seen. He did say he got his leg to bend at 90 degrees, but he did not get it to go 100% flat....close, but not quite.

He has been straightening his leg while standing with his walker. He says it feels weird to straighten it, and that it feels as if something should be blocking it. He can tell that it doesn't straighten out fully and it makes that leg seem shorter than the other. I heard him say to himself the other day, " Gosh darn it, I'm going to have to wear a lift."

Some things to pray for:

Ryan said his vision in his left eye has not been as clear as it was before surgery. This is the eye he had trouble with but it has been improving.

He also has noticed the same thing with his jaw. It seems tighter and harder to open since the surgery.

We'll ask about these things when we see the Dr.

 

Ryan is scheduled for surgery tomorrow in Flint at 1pm.

We have some friends there warming the place up for him!

Some dear friends of ours have had an emergency medical situation with one of their daughters and they were sent to Hurley last night. We are praising God that this sweet little girl is still with us! She is stable now but has some recovering to do. Please pray for them! I talked to my friend today and she said they just had to go get the place ready for Ryan...to warm it up for him! I think next time we'll just let Ryan tough it out in the cold!

Tomorrow they will be removing the abnormal bone growth in the hip area. He will be there for a few days.

We had a special time of prayer with our church family this morning, which was a great encouragement to us.

I will do my best to let you know how it goes as soon as I can!

Thank you for your prayers!

Then and Now--The Girls

I thought it would be fun to take a look back at how far we have come in the last year! Here are a few pics of the girls following the accident.

Emma had a some black and blue marks on her face, but you can see it didn't stop her from smiling! Isn't she adorable?

Moriah didn't have bruising on her face, but she had a mark on her neck from the seatbelt.

And here they are last month, with Grandma at a pumpkin farm! Still looking adorable and so much taller!



The Weekend Update--1 Year Later

Well, here we are....the one year mark! Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday, and sometimes it feels like an entire lifetime has gone by, but it was a year ago this Monday. However, we'll probably remember it more as the Sunday after Thanksgiving rather than November 28th. It has been a long difficult road, one we would never choose to take, but we have learned so much about our faithful and loving God that we would not otherwise have learned.

Many people have said we have been an inspiration because we faced this situation with grace, strength, and a good attitude. If there is anything inspiring in our actions, it is only because God has walked with us and carried us through this last year. We could not have gotten through this on our own! God was not taken by surprise last November 28th. He is not surprised at what may be going on in your life right now. Whatever your difficult situation may be, He knows all about it. Whether it's an illness, a miscarriage, infertility, financial struggles, the loss of a loved one, a troubled marriage, or a car accident.  God is God, He is sovereign, and He is good. He is willing to carry you through your trials, if you only ask Him. He will work ALL things for the good of those who love Him.

Today we were able to spend the day together, going  to church and hanging out at home. Usually we spend the weekend in IL and we are driving home on Sunday. This year my family came up here for the week, and they left on Friday. As we were on our way home last year, our accident just after 6pm. Tonight at 6pm we were reading through our Thankful Box. Of course, top on our list is just being home together! But here are a few more things that were listed in our box:

food

my mom and dad

our cozy home

emma's smile

food

moriah's laugh

everything God made

food (yep, we like to eat around here!)

my dad

my Ryan

my bed

our cousins

my microphone

my sister and brother

 "Squeaky" (Aiden's toy hamster)

Aiden's mischievous eyes

We are also thankful for all of you that have been a blessing to our family! Thank you for your support, prayers and encouragement over the past year. 



The Weekend Update--From the Kids' Perspective

• We recently were talking about the accident, and how far we have come. I asked the girls, "Don't you think we have come a long way?" Moriah responded, "No! Daddy still can't run! I want Daddy to be able to run!" She asked if we remembered the night last fall before the accident that we stayed outside and played hide and seek-tag. I had forgotten all about that night! We laughed as we remembered chasing each other in the dark on a warm fall night. I think one of the girls said, "Remember Dad hid up in the tree? And no one could catch him, but he caught all of us?"
• Aiden plays "crash" quite often. He will be driving his Jeep or tricycle in the backyard and have a crash. He lays on the ground and waits for the ambulance (his sisters) to come. Sometimes I laugh watching him play, I don't know if I want to laugh because it's so funny, or cry that this is part of what he plays. He still talks about his real ambulance ride. He remembers that he was in the ambulance with mommy (which is correct) and that mommy was all snuggled up (which to him means having a blanket up to your neck.)
• One evening a few weeks ago we were all in the living room and Emma was sharing a story. Suddenly, we heard the sirens of an ambulance. Emma stopped talking and her face grew dark. She looked at Moriah and said, "It's coming this way."  Within seconds the ambulance passed by the house and Emma said, "I don't like sirens. They make me feel sad and scared." Ryan and I were both surprised by her reaction. As we talked later we thought about what it must have been like for them that night--waiting in the van, in the dark, listening to sirens coming in the distance, hearing them get closer, knowing they're coming for you--it was something I had never thought of and it made my heart ache for my little ones! Thankfully, someone shared the idea of encouraging the kids to pray for the people in the ambulance. What a great idea to help them take the focus off their fears by saying a prayer for the other person!
• Although much has changed for our kids, there are somethings that never change--they still are growing like weeds!! We measured the kids this week and they have each grown an inch since July!
• And they still have fun together! They have been enjoying this gorgeous fall weather, making leaf piles, and leaf houses, and dens--because they are always pretending to be some sort of animal!

The Weekend Update

• Apples have been the theme this week! We took our apples to the cider mill with Ryan's parents, so we have been enjoying fresh cider along with other apple treats! We've had cider donuts, caramel apples, hot cider, cold cider and one of our favorites....apple cider oatmeal! When making oatmeal replace the water with cider and YUM-O!   A fall Michigan tradition that I look forward to is cider and donuts. Where I come from we have donuts with milk or coffee, but not cider. My first fall here I kept hearing the phrase "cider and donuts" and I didn't get it. Until one night at a bonfire we had hot apple cider and fresh cinnamon donuts. And that's when I realized that I had been missing out on one of the yummiest fall traditions ever!! It's now something I look forward to every year!!
• Thinking of things that I learned after moving to Michigan.... just after we moved here we met with our customer service rep to set up our auto/home insurance. The woman was explaining our auto policy to us and as she pointed out one deductible she said,  "Let's say you hit a deer, then your deductible would be___." I thought that was such a random thing to say, hit a deer! Really? She might as well have said a cow or horse! I asked if that really happens that often, and she gave me a look that said, "Oh my, you have a lot to learn!"
•  Ryan did see his family dr and he was able to come off the blood thinner that he was on. Not only is it great that he doesn't have to take it anymore, but it also means 1 less appt. each month! He was going to the lab for monthly level checks, but not anymore! Other than that, there's not too much new to report. He's still going to rehab therapy twice a week, and I'm going to physical therapy twice a week. This week my therapist asked me to lay on the table face down and raise my arms above my head. Then she asked me to raise my arms up. I couldn't do it with the right arm! It just didn't budge! So she had me stand against the wall, arms above my head and lift my arms away from the wall. With some help from her, I was able to do that, but straining and grunting like I was bench pressing 100lbs!! It's crazy that something I used to never think twice about doing is so much work!

A few of our favorite recent quotes:

"Oh Mommy, I love you so, so much!"--Aiden in the kitchen with me. Yep, this one's my favorite this week!

"Well, you see, we've lost our GPS, so we need a map of the solar system so we can travel around in our spaceship."--Emma, while making a map for their spaceship game they have been playing with their friends.

"Uh, don't call me that."--Moriah, to her friend, after he called her by her nickname that she only allows her mom, dad, and sister to use!

The Weekend Update

• It has been a rough week for us here.  I think we were both feeling tired, frustrated, and we just want to be done with the whole accident thing, but of course we can't be.
• We met with the oral surgeon on Tuesday and he told us that after discussing it with the other surgeon in the office they have decided they aren't comfortable performing the surgery on his jaw. Ryan's TMJ joint needs to be opened up and have scar tissue removed so that he can open his mouth more than 15mm. I am very happy that they were honest with us instead of taking on something they were not sure of. It just would be nice to have heard a "Yes, we can do this and we'll get ya in next week!" There still is another surgeon that is willing to do it, but he is just a 2hr drive from home.
• On a positve note I have started back to physical therapy. My lower and middle back have really been bothering me as a result of not using my shoulder correctly. After just one PT appt Ryan said he thought I was standing straighter and walking taller. But that night he said  my back must have been hurting again. Apparently he can tell just by how I move around. Anyway, he was right! Hopefully, physical therapy will be helpful with the back pain while we wait for the nerves to heal.

Weekend Update

• The last 2 weeks we have been getting used to our back to school routine. It is a challenge to work around all the doctor/therapy appts we have! We have tried to keep up as best we can, and the girls have been great about taking school "on the road."
• Late in August Ryan had a consultation appt. with a local oral surgeon concening the scar tissue in his jaw. Ryan has had limited ability to open his mouth since the wires came off and we found out at this visit that he can only open his mouth 15 mm.....that's not much at all! Go check a ruler! The doctor said that he believes with surgery Ryan should be able to open 25-30 mm. I think he said average was about 40mm. He was honest with us and said that this is not something he does everyday, and their are risks involved. He wanted to discuss the situation with another surgeon in his office, and consult a few others by phone. They will decide if this is a job they can do, and if they can they will come up with a plan of action. We meet back with the surgeon on Tues. Sept 6 to see what they say. We would greatly appreciate prayers for guidance for us and the doctors.
• I recently saw my doctor for a re-check concerning the shoulder. We are still assuming I have nerve damage that is not showing up in an MRI and he believes that with time it will heal. Meanwhile the nerve damage has made my muscles tight, weak, and not stable. I have also started to have pain in my middle and lower back, probably as a result of compensating for the right shoulder/arm. Ughhh!! Next week I will be back in physical therapy to see if that will help while the nerves finish healing.
• This week we had a tough decision to make. Ryan is not taking his chili to the Chili/Salsa Taste Off in Midland. For the past 2 yrs Ryan has entered and it's something he enjoys doing with the girls. They help him with everything from shopping, to cooking and serving! 2 yrs ago he won 2nd place People's Choice for Spicy Chili and last year he won 1st place Judge's Choice for Spicy Chili! We were planning on defending his title, but we decided it's too much for us right now. He has to make 5 gallons of chili and then serve it on the day of the taste off. He is just not up to a task like that yet. So, we'll let the other chefs have a chance this year. Next year, he'll be back, trying for first place in both divisions! Until then, here's last year's first place winner!

The girls have been learning about light in science this week. They've done a couple experiments and Aiden was thrilled to "help" Moriah with one of them.

Moriah had a friend over and as we were taking her home I heard this conversation in the backseat. It began with Oreos and how much they love all Oreos, especially the mint ones.

Moriah--"My mom bought hot cocoa with a hint of mint." 

Friend--"Oh, that sounds delicious! But, how can you have hot cocoa in the summer?"

Moriah--"We're stocking up for winter!"

Yep, Moriah doesn't need to stock up on bread and the milk for a winter storm, as long as we're  well stocked on the hot cocoa...with a hint of mint!

Other quotes recently overheard in our house:

"Do you ever get the feeling that you've stopped a truck with your face?"--Ryan, as he was getting ready for bed last night.

"I'm going to get that booger! I'm going to eat that booger!"--Aiden, rather loudly, with his finger up his nose,  in the hospital parking lot. Very proud parent moment.

"We're going to get a baby mouse!"--Moriah, excitedly running into the house in search of some sort of container. Thankfully Dad put an end to that idea!!

"This hip hurts so much I'm almost looking forward to having surgery."--Can you guess?

"Dad, please, please, pleeeaaasssee can we get a turtle?" --Emma, on the phone with Grandma and Moriah at the flea market.

"Yep, you sure can."--Ryan's reply to the above question!!



The Weekend Update

• There's not too much new to report on medical conditions. Ryan has a long day of evaluation this week at a center for cognitive rehab. Thankfully this will be in Midland! My shoulder issues are still there, but as I have mentioned before the Dr. thinks it's nerve damage that is not showing up in an MRI. He thinks it will heal, but it may take 18-24months.
•  We have been getting ready for the new school year. We'd like to get an early start since we will likely have to take some time off for Ryan's other surgery.
• The girls have been busy this weekend writing a children's book! Moriah is going to write the story, and Emma is going to take the pictures to use in the book. They told me they are going to dedicate their book to their sweet little cousins! This morning they asked me if they need to mail the story to a publisher or if we need to take it in.
• The girls have recently taken an art class in Midland which has encouraged a new interest in art. After the last class we were at Michael's buying charcoal and oil pastels!
• Someone this week asked Emma if she had taken any fun vacations this summer. She replied, "Well, if you count Flint. We've been there lots this summer!" She must've already forgotten about our trip to IL!

A Visit With Family and Friends

On our recent trip home we spent a few days in St. Louis and then we stayed with my mom for a few days. We had the chance to visit with some of our family and friends. It was our first time seeing most of them since the accident. I have been looking forward to hugging them for so long now! I guess there's something about a near death experience that makes a person want to just hug those people that are dear to them!



We celebrated mom's birthday with pizza and ice cream cake! She had all of her daughters there, all of her grandkids, a few of her nephews and their families, and some close friends.

We also celebrated a birthday for this cute little boy!

We had some friends over for some birthday fun in the sun!



There was lots of time for loving on our cousins,

Thanks Uncle Scott for the yummy treat at Eckert's!

And the sisters had lunch together.....



Notice anything different?? Yep, that would be my friend Jenn and her son Evan!! They recently moved to Kentucky, which isn't too far from my mom's, so they came up for a few days! Which was really great until she devised a plan to boot me out and be the "new" sister!! Looks like her plan is working perfectly!

We were rather spoiled this trip! Uncle Mike took us our for a lunch date! Doesn't he have some adorable lunch date ladies?

Some of my friends from college were able to get together for a little reunion of our own. Of course I don't have a group shot of all the moms, but I do have one of all our kids....well, we're missing 3 of them!

These two boys look like they could get into some trouble together!

Their mommies were college roomates!

We are very blessed to have such wonderful family and friends! We know that God has put each one of you in our lives for a purpose. Thank you for spending time with us and for loving on us while we were there! Making a trip down was a much needed part of our healing process, and I thank you for your prayers and encouragement as we went! We love you and we can't wait to see you again!

The Weekend Update

My sister told me that it has almost been a month since I have posted on here! Must be I'm enjoying these summer days! Here's a quick update on our family.

The kids and I made a trip to my mom's at the beginning of July. That is where we were coming from when the accident happened; we had been home for Thanksgiving. To answer the question that I hear most often, yes, it was hard! Very hard. But it was very worth it! My mom turned 60 and I really wanted to be there to celebrate with her! Even though I tried to hide my anxiety about the trip, the girls and I were all feeling a bit anxious as we left home. Not even 10 miles from our house someone hit a deer right in front of us! My shoulder/neck was feeling sore that day, and we made a stop for motrin, but we made it to mom's!  My brother in laws, aka my BILS, take good care of us and they helped load and uload the van several times, carried the diaper bag, drove in downtown STL for me and helped in many other ways!  Ryan did stay home, he is not up for a road trip yet. It was hard being away from him, even the kids missed him more than usual. Every day one or more of them would cry about missing him. Even Aiden said several times, "I want to go back to my daddy." He was well taken care of by his mom and some other family and friends. Thanks to everyone who helped him out while we were gone! Even though it was a bit difficult for all of us, it was a good thing to get "back in the saddle."

Ryan does have a consultation with an oral surgeon in Midland concerning his jaw. He is still very limited in how wide he can open his mouth. That appt is late August.

He recently had an appt with the ENT surgeon in Flint. He said things are still continuing to heal well, and they will do a hearing test the next time they see him.

Last week I had an MRI to look for damage to a nerve bundle in the shoulder area and the MRI came back clear.  My doctor said that there can be damage to the nerve(like a stretched nerve) that may not show up on the MRI.  For now we are going to assume that is the issue. Damage to a nerve could cause the muscle loss that I have.  We are going to watch it and he'll see me again in a few weeks.

 We may not be able to do all the things we usually like to do, but we are enjoying this summer. I feel like I have been able to take a deep breath for the first time since the accident. I'll post more later on our summer fun!

The Weekend Update

There's not too much new to report this week. Ryan did have an appointment with the ortho surgeon in Flint this week. According to the Xray, the bone growth in the hip(where he should have scar tissue) has grown since last time, but not a lot. He was not willing to give us a time frame for surgery. He only said November would be the earliest they would do it. They will not do it until the bone has had time to grow and mature. He said if they remove it too soon, it is pretty much a 100% chance of it growing back, and growing even more than before. So, we'll wait till the time is right! He has been hurting this week. He described it as more of a sensitive pain rather than the dull, aching pain he has had.

As for my shoulder issue, we still do not know exactly what is going on there. They have scheduled another MRI to see if they can find something. The last MRI ruled out a tear in the rotator cuff, this time they'll be looking for an injury somewhere else. I still have pain from the back of my head, down through the shoulder and down to between the shoulder blades. I also have difficulty extending my right arm away from my body, or trying to lift while it's extended. So, lifting Aiden into a car seat, isn't as easy as it used to be!

I Told My Wife No

Since the accident there have been many people that we have never met, yet they have prayed for our family. Last Friday we had the chance to meet some of them!

We enjoyed meeting these dear brothers and sisters in Christ and their precious families!

We are so thankful for them and so many others who approached the throne of God on our behalf.

While visiting with them, Ryan shared what he considers the greatest miracle of the accident.

He told me, "No."

This is the story in his words.

The trip to Michelle's mom's in Illinois is about 10 hours and we usually share the driving. I usually do the most driving, but sometimes Michelle gives me a break and drives a short leg of the trip. This trip I drove the whole time. Our last stop was in Marshall, MI where we filled the van up with gas and bought some snacks for the last leg of the trip. The next stop was home. As we loaded the kids in and buckled up, Michelle offered to drive. I told her, "No, I'm okay. I'll just finish it up."

As you already know it was during this stretch that the accident happened. The van was hit on the driver's side. Some of you know what the van looked like after the accident. I suffered multiple injuries, breaking 13 or 14 % of the bones in my body. The constant aches and pains that I have are nothing compared to what I would be feeling if I had to watch my wife through this.

I consider it a miracle that I was driving.  Seeing my wife go through something like this would make me feel lifeless. Just watching her with the aches, stiffness, and other issues she has still hurts me.

I just know I am thankful that I was in the driver's seat that night. 

Since the accident, I (Michelle) have heard my husband tell numerous people that he was thankful that it was him and not me or one of our children. Each time I was reminded how much he loves me and our children. I know he loves us so dearly he would give his own life for us. It is such a beautiful reflection of another man, Jesus Christ, who loved us so much He gave his life so that we can all be free from sin and live forever with Him.

The Weekend Update

I am long overdue for an update, and we've been busy so there's lots to fill you in on! Where to begin......

• Ryan's Jaw--He still cannot open his mouth very wide. He can barely fit his tongue between his teeth. Last night he was watching Man Vs. Food and he was wishing he could eat the philly cheese steak sandwhich that Adam was chowing down on in Philly. We have consulted with an oral surgeon in Brighton, which is a 2hr drive for us. He thinks scar tissue is causing the problem. He has ordered another CT scan to be sure, and we have not heard the results of that yet. He also said that if scar tissue is the problem, there is a surgeon in Midland that should be able to do the surgery; however it just may not be in his comfort zone. We have contacted the Midland surgeon and once he looks over his file he will let us know if he is willing to work on his jaw. The dr. in Brighton said that he would do it if the Midland doctor will not. If the surgery is done in Brighton, we will have to travel down there once a week for several weeks following the surgery. To have this done in Midland would save us A LOT of travel time. However, we do want the job done correctly! Please be praying for direction and guidance concerning this issue, for us and the doctors!
• Ryan's vision--continues to improve on its own, which is good. I can't imagine what it must be like to not see clearly out of one eye all the time. It bothers me to have only one contact in for a few minutes! The sun bothers his eyes, so he wears his sunglasses whenever he's outside.
• Ryan's hearing--again still improving, but is still showing hearing loss in the right ear.
• Ryan's hip--Still has bone growth where he needs scar tissue! This bone growth causes him to walk with a limp, he can't straighten out his leg. He tried to mow the lawn, but couldn't bend his leg enough to get on the lawnmower. I watched him from the kitchen window as he gave it a try. He looked absloutely uncomfortable the entire time! Emma has had a chance to mow a bit and she is super excited about that! Ryan is able to use the weed-eater though. He's been out there several times, even when the lawn hasn't been mowed!!
• Ryan's attitude--he's still positive for the most part. He aches quite a bit and he tires out easily. He has been more frustrated as he tries more things and finds he can't do some of them (like mowing the lawn!) For now, he is looking forward to having a garden and using his weed eater this summer!
• Michelle's shoulder--the MRI they did awhile back came back clear so the Dr. gave me a lidocaine injection and I continued PT. For awhile I felt better, but then I started to feel like I never had the injection. So the dr. decided to give me a 2nd one and told me to continue PT. However, the next time I saw the therapist she said she was going to give my Dr. a call b/c she really thinks something is not right with the shoulder. We are still waiting to hear back from their office. I would appreciate prayer for this issue.  It has been a long time now, and they can't seem to find the cause of the problem.
• The kids are doing great. They are such sweethearts!! They get frustrated too, at times, and they have said things recently like:

                          "Are we ever going to be a normal family again?"

                          "I hope that if we're ever in another accident, it's not a bad one."

                          And this one came just after watching the movie Tangled, "I wish there
                          really was hair like Rapunzel's that heals. Then we could heal daddy and your shoulder."

           Although I can understand their frustrations and fears, I try to remind them that no matter what happens God is in control, and He is with us. I try to encourage them to be thankful that we get to find a new normal with daddy, and not without him. And I remind them of the hope we have that one day daddy will have a new body, without any metal rods or plates. What a wonderful day that will be!!


                         

Our New Wheels!

This is for Angie, she's been asking to see the new van for awhile now!  We had a 2006 Chrysler Town and Country and this one is a 2008. We decided to go with the same kind of vehicle because we really like our  van and we must say, it held up pretty well in the accident (with some help from God, of course!)
She doesn't have a name yet, we just haven't been inspired! Our first van we affectionately called, Vannie. The one we lost we called Vannie Dos, or Dos for short( Dos meaning 2 in Spanish!)

                                                                    Here she is!

And this little guy looks just as cute in this one as he did in the other one!

The Weekend Update

This week I heard this song on K-Love as I was driving to one of our several appointments. It brought tears to my eyes and by the time I arrived at my destination I had to wipe mascara off my cheeks! It also brought back memories of being in the hospital. Jenn gave me her ipod loaded with praise and worship songs on it and this is one song that I remember hearing. It was the middle of the night and I was having trouble sleeping so I pulled out the ipod and and tried to rest while listening. When this song came on, I was overcome with gratefulness that He is greater than the situation we were in, and that He is higher than any other, He is our healer and He is awesome in power!! As I cried out to Him that night, I tried to keep the tears silent since my mom was sleeping in the chair next to me and she needed her rest.

Also this week we had several appointments. Ryan had 2 in Flint, one with the ENT surgeon and the other with the ortho surgeon. Our main concern for the ENT surgeon was that Ryan is still not able to open his mouth very wide. He can barely push his tongue between his teeth or out his mouth. The ENT has ordered a CT scan and we will follow up with him in a couple weeks. The ortho surgeon did x-rays of the hip and leg and said both look to be healing well. However, when we talked about the bone growth where Ryan should be producing scar tissue he did say that it is "likely" he will have to have surgery to remove the bone. They have to wait awhile to do it, because they find that if they remove the bone too soon, it grows back and even more than before. The other thing we learned is that in order to do the surgery, they will have to re-open the incision from the previous surgery and it is a 3 month recovery. That was a bit discouraging to me, but not to my husband! As we walked to the van he said, "I might not need 3 months to recover." An interesting side note, Ryan asked the surgeon about the drill that he used to put in the screws. Dr. Burton said that the drill looks like a regular Black and Decker or Craftsman drill, but it costs $15,000! The reason for the high price tag: the drill has to be able to be sterilized. But other than that, your Craftsman or Black and Decker could do the job!

My grandpa (my mom's dad) passed away this week. My mom comes from a family of 10 children and I have over 20 cousins, so there are many children and grandchildren that have lost their father and grandfather. Many of them, including my mom, will be travelling to the funeral. Please pray for safety for them and for a special time of being together. We are going to miss being there with all of my family!

On Monday, while my family will be saying their final goodbye to my grandpa, we will be busy with appointments. I will have the injection in the shoulder muscle, Ryan will have PT and the CT scan of his face.

 We have missed a bit of school this week but we did finish up our study of Africa. We played the African game mancala. Our curriculum gave us instructions on how to make one out of an egg carton, but thanks to Uncle Marty and Aunt Brenda we have one that came all the way from Africa!

Something that made us laugh this week: Aiden was praying before dinner and after he mentioned Percy and mommy he started chanting, "Man versus food! Man versus food!" A little something he picked up while watching those food challenges on Man Vs. Food with his dad and his sisters!

Some quotes from this week:

Ryan to Aiden: "Your mommy is so smart!"
Aiden: "Yes, mommy is so fart!"

Moriah: "I have never understood why it's called basketball. The ball is not a basket. And baseball...the ball is NOT a base!

 "Good news! You have strep throat!" Our family doctor to Emma--yep, the girls have not had a sick visit to the dr. in several years, and now that our lives revolve around appts this week we had to add one more!  It was good news in that if it was not strep, she would have to have a mono test.  Since it was strep she could give us an antibiotic and send us on our way!

"Don't laugh!" Michelle to Ryan after Aiden did an armpit fart in church this morning.

The Weekend Update

• Saturday morning as I was working on my Bible study I heard birds chirping!! What a happy sound! Then later this afternoon the girls and I saw not one, but two robins in the backyard! As Moriah put it, "Spring is here!!"
• Overheard at lunch this week: "You girls could marry a Cardinal fan, or a Cubs fan. It would even be alright if you married a Nebraska fan. But marrying an Ohio State fan is NOT an option!"--Ryan, sharing some fatherly advice with the girls.
• As Moriah sat down to dinner one night this week she noticed the "real" plates on the table. She said, "Wow, Mom! I haven't seen these plates since before the accident!" I must admit, she's right! Since the accident we buy Hostess and we use paper plates. And paper bowls. And plastic cups. The last few days have been an exception, because until I get to Wal-Mart, we're out!
• Ryan walks with a limp since the accident, and this week he realized that his limp lends itself really well to a "gangsta" strut. That should come in handy the next time we're in the 'hood.
• Our movie for this week was Misty, a 1961 film based on the book Misty of Chincoteague, by Marguerite Henry. I read the book to the girls a couple years ago and they enjoyed it. The movie was a hit as well!
• Several times this week you could hear Ryan and I both saying "I miss you!" He may be right there, but I still miss him! I am thankful that we are able to go through each day together now, but we both still miss the way life was. We had it pretty good! And we still do really. It just takes some getting used to!