Groovy

This wallpaper is in the kitchen of the house that Randy is remodeling right now. I LOVE IT! I totally thought of Pam when I saw it so I took a couple of pictures of it. I would love to do my whole kitchen like this.

Deep Thoughts by Jocie

Jocie, in a very serious Valley Girl sort of way said to me:

Oh My Gosh...I don't like commercials. THEY ARE ALWAYS BRAGGING about the stuff they have. They're always like, "My stuff's the best." or "Buy my stuff because you will like it better." They should not be bragging because bragging is bad. And it's rude. That's why I don't really listen to what they are saying to me.

Young Love

I just got finished cleaning out a drawer in my desk that hasn't been touched in a very long time. Periodically I would put stuff in there but I haven't looked at anything in there in so long.

It was filled with LOVE LETTERS between Randy and I. (Mostly in high school but throughout the years as well.

I'm blushing! There was some risque material in there! I had to use two different storage boxes to hold them all. I made one box with neat stuff like my pregnancy journals, some sweet love notes from Randy, a flower book I made in the 7th grade and some pictures the kids have made me through the years.

Then I made the TOP SECRET...my kids cannot read until they are age...I mean when I'm not around anymore to answer all their questions "Special Box." Instead of labeling it that...I think I will label it "Bills" or "Washing Machine Instructions Manuals."

Here's a spicy photo I found while I was cleaning stuff out. It's of Randy and I when I was 16 and he was 18. We had been together for about 8 months. That's our nephew Andrew in the picture with us. He has a baby now!

I Heart Cornerstone!

Today something so awesome happened!!!

Today was the last day of school for the kids so they had a half day. When I went to pick the kids up I had to talk to the Principal. I clean the school once a week on Saturdays so I have keys to the school. I wasn’t sure what to do with the keys so here’s how the conversation went:

ME: What do you want me to with the keys after I clean the school tomorrow?

P: Oh, you can just keep them.

ME: (confused look on my face) Why?

P: Well, you agreed to clean the school next year so you might as well just keep the keys.

ME: (Really confused look on my face) Um, no I didn’t.

P: Yes, I thought we talked about this.

ME: I don’t think so.

P: I thought we talked about you cleaning next year on Wednesdays and Saturdays for Melody’s Kindergarten tuition.

ME: WHAT??? Are you kidding?

P: No.

ME: Yes Yes Yes I’ll do it! That will be great thank you…(then me hugging the Principal and being genuinely excited to clean a boy’s bathroom twice a week)


I am so thrilled! I’m more than thrilled! A couple of months ago I felt like the Lord told me that I didn’t have to worry about the kid’s school next year. Well, every time I started feeling a little panic about how much four children in private school would cost I just reminded myself and the Lord that I don’t have to worry about it! Today I was as happy as I could be about my HUGE blessing! I just had to share that with you!

P.S. Can you find Spencer in the picture?

Living and Breathing WORD!!!!

Tonight before Life Group, Miles was laying down on my bed and I decided to read the Bible to him for a couple of minutes. I flipped open the Bible and this is what I read:

There was a man in Lystra who couldn't walk. He sat there, crippled since the day of his birth. He heard Paul talking, and Paul, looking him in the eye, saw that he was ripe for God's work, ready to believe. So he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Up on your feet!" The man was up in a flash-jumped up and walked around as if he'd been walking all his life. --THE MESSAGE Acts 14:8-10

How awesome is that? Let's continue to believe the same thing for Miles!

Are You A Mitchum Man?

Randy has used the same deodorant since I've known him.

It used to be the "cool" deodorant, but I think they started going for another crowd.

Their slogan has always been: So Effective You Could Skip A Day.
(Like that's the goal in life)

Anyway, they've got something new on the lid that Randy just can't get into. Now it says: IF YOUR FAVORITE VEGETABLE IS A CORN DOG, YOU'RE A MITCHUM MAN.

Are you Kidding me?

Everyone in my family has the Chicken Pox except for Miles and I.

Yes...even Randy!

They're a spotty bunch!

How crazy is that?

NKOTB

THEN



NOW!!!!


Oh my gosh! They got cuter!

New Update on my Cooks Hospital account. Last Wednesday cost $69, 335.

Miles looks great and he's feeling great! Does he look like a house or two brand new cars...no, not really, but he can lift his arms above his head for the first time in his life.

Aw, the things we take for granted!

Hospital Pictures

Hospital stay #...oh, who can remember?

This is the outside of Cooks Hospital. Looks like a hotel...smells like a hospital.

This is the inside of the lobby. It's so beautiful to me. It looks like a castle.

I loved this light display.


This is where the pump was put in. Now he has an "Outie" belly button.

Stitches on his lower back. That just makes me hurt looking at it!

Obviously not too terrible for him. That smile blesses me more than I can explain!

Miles was hooked up to all this and more while in ICU. Can you believe that? Who designed this thing?

I bought this salad for $4. At this point I had already eaten as much as I could. That is one huge salad.

The wagon ride from ICU to the regular room.


The surgery was a success even though he had a rough recovery. I can't tell a huge differece in his body yet. The dose they have him on is too low to tell. The doctor didn't want to pump him too full of medicine before we knew how Miles would handle it. I'm looking forward to being glad that we did the surgery. :) I'm sure I'll be glad when everything is working as it should.
I got a statement from the hospital showing how much the surgery cost. Just the surgery...not the hospital stay. Ya wanna guess the total? How about twenty thousand dollars? My goodness. What more can I say?
Thank you for covering us in prayer! We needed it and I felt it. I appreciate all of you more than you will ever know! I wouldn't want to do all this without you.

(UPDATE)
One day later and a lot of difference! Miles stretched today! Randy pulled the covers off him this evening and Miles lifted his arms above his head and stretched and smiled. Randy and I rejoyced! It was a beautiful thing! He couldn't do this before...EVER. He can move! The boy can move! He's happy, he's pooping better (big deal really!) he's moving. REJOICE WITH US!!!!!

New info

I swiped my brain card in heaven a thousand times in the last two days and it looks as if it didn’t work.
Part of the boy’s family (of the boy I told you about yesterday) came to my curtain today to talk to me. I told them how I’ve been praying so hard for their nephew. I told them that I was expecting a miracle. They told me that they didn’t receive their miracle. All the scans showed that he was brain dead. The Uncle smiled as he told me that a lot of little kids were about to helped out by all the organs that were being donated. I lost it. I just couldn’t believe it.
The couple that came over brought me snacks. Can you believe that? They said that they’ve been watching me take care of Miles and they just wanted to be nice to me. They were sad that I was alone. I told them that I had a crew back home that supported me, but they were still sad that I was alone. They told me that if I needed anything to let them know. WHAT? If I needed anything?
These people were saying their last good bye to their nephew, their eyes were red from sobbing and they asked me if I needed anything!

As Miles and I were being wheeled out of ICU the parents of the little boy were going in the room to say good bye to their son. I don’t remember a time that my heart has broke for someone else as it is right now. That couple looked like the perfect couple. They were surrounded with a ton of loving family. Their son was their only child. The wife miscarried a baby about a year ago. Now their son is gone as well.

I say that, but I don’t know it for sure. I have an alternative plan.

While Miles and I were still in there Miles was having one of his hours long laughing fits. I was woken up this morning by all the nurses that were surrounding him because of all his laughing. One lady kept yelling, “That boy is seein’ Angels!” He didn’t sleep all night. He stayed awake happy and laughing.
This morning after the family came to talk to me I went to Miles to love on him, but his eyes were fixed on something and he was laughing and yelling. I did something I’ve never done before.
I spoke to Miles very seriously. I told him to send those angels that he’s seeing over to the other boy to minister to him. When I said that his eyes seemed to change to a grey color. He was laughing loud and moving his head. He was so happy. I told him to send the spirit of death away from that boy. I told him that he could see and do things that I couldn’t do and that I needed his help. I prayed that Jesus would listen to Miles.

Miles continued on with all his laughing and carrying on. As soon as we left that floor and made it to our regular room the laughing stopped. He got quiet and fell asleep.

I don’t know if any of that made a difference. I do know that Miles can see better than me even though he’s legally blind. I know his spirit is full of the Lord’s joy.

I don’t know what happened to that little boy. I know my heart is so heavy for their family. I’m also humbled by their kindness to me. I’m also thankful for the part that Miles has in God’s Kingdom. I’m praying that all the things he knows and sees now he will remember when he’s healed. He has a lot to teach us.

I believe we’re coming home tomorrow. That will be a great Mother’s Day gift.

My goodness, tomorrow that lady won’t be a mother anymore. Pray for her. Please, as a favor to me, pray for her. In the last two days she’s seemed to age about 10 years. When she first came to the hospital she looked all cute and dressed up. Today she looks like she’s been ran over. She doesn’t even look like the same person. Please pray for her.

Miles has been in the ICU for the last two days. It's been crazy. He's stable now and hopefully we will be put on the regular floor sometime today.

This ICU is so emotionally draining. On this floor there are no rooms. Just curtains. Last night a child was moved in across from me that has broken my heart. I could take two steps into his room.
He is 8 years old. Perfectly normal and healthy. No problems at all. Last night he told his parents that his head hurt then he was totally out. He had a brain anurism. His brain is bleeding. He's totally sidated. I've heard the doctors on the phone saying that he will probably die. One minute the kids is totally normal and the next minute his brain is bleeding. Right now I can see all his family is the room crying for the 12th hour straight. His Mom, Dad, Grandparents and other family are in their wailing. My heart is so full of pain for them.
I've been crying all night and day for their family. I'm a wreck. I've prayed for that boy more than I have for my own son in a year it feels like.

It's beyond a nightmare for them. It's the worst thing I can think of.

He needs a miracle. A true miracle. The great thing is that "we know a guy" that is in the miracle business. Please pray for this boy. Jesus is his only chance! Agree with me that all things are possible! Also, agree that Jesus is going to heal is brain quickly!

Even the nurses here are crying about this boy. It looks like a horrible tragedy! Let's believe for this family when it's too hard for them to believe.

More Surgery Talk

We talked to the surgeon this morning. I felt so much better after meeting him and talking to him. He showed us the pump. I kept picturing the thing as light weight plastic, but it’s heavy and steal. He will actually weigh a little more with this thing in! It’s a little bigger than a hockey puck. It’s about as thick. (I’m not sure how it’s going to fit.) The doctor said that it was going to be a challenge but he said he’ll make it work. The Wilson’s all have “innie” belly buttons…but tomorrow that will change. Miles will be an “outie”. They have to detach his belly button so they pump will fit.
Wednesday we have to be at the hospital at 4:30 A.M. I haven’t previously known that the world exsisted at that hour so I’ll be looking forward to checking that out. It will really be interesting since I’ll be required to answer a million medical questions at that hour. We’ll see how that works out!
He has to go in so early because since they’re putting in an implant infection is a big concern so he has to have a round of antibiotics before the surgery. Please please please pray against infection. Also another concern is that his chest is sounding rattley. (The spell check is telling me that’s not a word, but it is in my book.) The humidity here is different and it always seems to mess Miles up. I don’t want the anesthesiologist to mess with me about it tomorrow. They tend to be a panicky kind of people when it comes to Miles. One of them checked him out today and she seemed to understand that this was normal for Miles.

So, tomorrow is the big day. Thank you all for praying for us! I can feel your prayers. I have peace where I’ve had no peace. Please keep praying!!!!!!!! The doctor’s name is Dr. Honeycutt.
I’ll update tomorrow.

Oh, and Happy Birthday Pam!

Pump Surgery

Well, the schedule was changed up a little so we’re leaving today for Ft. Worth instead of tomorrow. A last minute appointment came up for 8:00 in the morning so we ended up having to find someone for the kids tonight. I didn’t want to add anything to the people I already had on the schedule so I was talking to Randy about what I should do. Spencer piped up and suggested that they spend the night with Ashley and Cody. Randy said that he was thinking of them as well. Normally I wouldn’t ask a couple with one little baby to watch four school aged kids, but it felt right. I called her up and said, “Hey, I’ve got a crazy thing to ask you!” She was excited. She talked to Randy and it’s a Go. They’re going to watch the kids tonight and Ashley will get them ready and take them to school tomorrow! How funny is that? I talked to her today and she said they felt like real grown ups today because they will have a big family tonight and their going shopping for a lawn mower.

Well, I’ve been a lot more emotional than usual about this upcoming surgery. It’s a pretty big deal. Long term I know it’s a good thing. I’m just not looking forward to the next 2 weeks. PLEASE pray for all of us.
PRAY THAT:
Miles’ surgery will go perfectly!
That Miles’ body responds well to the pump in his body.
The medicine does a great job in his body! FREEDOM!!!!!!
That I will have peace. (PLEASE pray for this one over and over!)
Everyone will follow the schedule that I have made for the other four children.
That my kids will have peace while I’m gone. Teachers talked to me today about how concerned the boys are about the surgery.
Miles will recover quickly from surgery.
There will be no staph infection in Jesus’ name!
We will have safe travel.
I will not be upset about being there by myself.
We will be in the hospital for the right amount of days.
I will make good choices when I’m eating at the cafeteria for all three meals every day.


Thank you for praying. I’ll have my laptop up there so I’ll make sure and update on all that’s going on.

DID I MENTION THAT I NEED PEACE? I still do.

Creativity at its finest.

Today I was out shopping and as I was almost to my car I saw a sticker on the back of a minivan that totally caught me off guard.

Okay, I know its crude, but I still had to share it.