21 days 'til Christmas!

Well, it has been over a month since I have last posted. Fortunately, or unfortunately, there isn't much to post! We had a good Thanksgiving with Jeff's parents visiting Friday until Sunday. We had a traditional Thanksgiving meal, just on the non-traditional Saturday! It tasted the same, and we were just as thankful!

Josh is doing well. We went to his preschool Christmas program last night. It is probably the cutest thing that I have seen in a long time. The kids did a great job, and I think they should all be proud of the hard work they put into it.

Now we are getting ready for the Christmas season. Santa will be making a trip to St. Joseph on Saturday, so we will be visiting him early in the morning. Josh needs to decide what he wants from Santa this year. Last year he knew... this year, he doesn't!

We are going to a pancake feed for Sarah Macy's family this Sunday. Hopefully they will be able to raise a lot of money to help defray the costs incurred during Sarah's illness. Her family is strong in their faith. They are really amazing. It makes me wish that Josh had much more time with Sarah. I know he misses her.

Well, I will post video of Josh's program as soon as Jeff uploads it. Have a great week.

Prayers needed for Erik

Please pray for our friend Erik Troy. The link to his Caringbridge and story is on the right hand side of the blog. He had surgery last Thursday at Duke University to remove a brain tumor. He and his wife are really struggling right now with his recovery. Please send up some prayers that things start going in the right direction, and that Erik and Diane are able to come home to their son Ryan soon!

Josh is 5!

Josh had a great birthday weekend. We went to a birthday party for Kayla, our new neighbor, on Saturday (Josh's birthday). Josh really enjoyed bowling! Sunday we spent the afternoon with Josh and 14 or 15 of his closest friends at Pump it Up. Please note the adorable Scooby Doo cake... Jeff made it! What an amazing guy!

We are thankful for Josh's health, and that all his friends were able to come. Hope you enjoy the pictures! (Oh, and I am sneaking one in from the Spooktacular!)

Prayer reminder - Erik Troy

Please pray for Erik, his family, and his doctors, as tomorrow is his surgery.

Prayer Request - Erik

Jeff's boss Erik was diagnosed as having a stage 2 glioma about a month ago. He and his wife Diane will be travelling to Duke to pursue the best medical care for Erik. He is scheduled to have surgery October 16th. Please pray for Erik, Diane, their son Ryan, and their extended families. Please pray for the doctors wisdom and steady hand throughout Erik's surgery, and any future treatments. Jeff looks forward to Erik coming back to work ASAP, as he is a super boss.

We Will Miss You, Sarah Macy!

On Tuesday, September 30th, heaven gained a new angel. Josh's classmate from St. Joseph, Sarah Macy, passed away after a four month battle with Wilm's Tumor. There is a lot of sadness right now. Please pray for the Macy family, as they said goodbye to their little girl. We miss you already, Sarah! Fly high!

Update on Erik

Erik's biopsy was successful this afternoon, with sufficient samples being taken, and no hemmoraging. Erik was told on Monday that he has a phase 2 glioma. While this is non-malignant, it is still very serious. Jeff and I appreciate any prayers that you can send Erik's way.

Prayers needed

My blog tonight is to ask for prayers for our family friend/Jeff's boss, Erik. Erik had a tonic-clonic (formerly known as grand mal) seizure last weekend. Upon further testing, it has been found that Erik is suffering from a mass on his brain that is roughly 1.5 X 3 inches. Erik will be undergoing brain surgery this coming Wednesday. Please pray for him, his doctors, his wife Diane, their 7 year old son Ryan, and their family. This is a very uncertain time for them, and we are praying for a good outcome. Your prayers are much appreciated.

Trip to Texas

Here are some pics from the trip Josh and I took last weekend to Dallas to visit Jeff on his work trip. We got to spend some time with my Aunt Linda and some of her family. Josh got to see cowboys, horses, and longhorns. It was a nice trip!

More Pictures from Josh's Summer at St. Joseph EEC

Josh's Summer at St. Joseph EEC

Here are some pictures of Josh's summer program at school. He had a great time, and for that we are very thankful!

All The Way to Texas and Back!

Well, Josh is now a "world" traveler! Jeff is out of town on business for two weeks in Dallas, TX, so Josh and I joined him this weekend. It was Josh's first time flying, and overall, he did really well. We spent Friday with my Aunt Linda, Uncle Dan, cousin Kristin, her husband, Juan, and their daughter Carmela. It was a long day, but very fun! It was nice to see Linda's new house, and to meet Carmela.

Saturday we did some tourist things. We went to the aquarium in Dallas, and the Stockyards in Fort Worth. Then we rode out a storm so that Josh could take a dip in the hotel pool. All in all a great weekend. We can't wait for Jeff to get home. We miss him bunches!

We were greeted with wonderful weather back here in KC. Mid 80s... how do you like that Texas? It was so warm down there! Josh and I went to Ellery Green's 2nd b-day party this afternoon, and spent the evening hanging out. I will try to post pics of our trip later.

10 Years

Ten years ago, yesterday, July 11, 1998, Jeff and I were married. It seems so long ago, and yet like it was just yesterday. It was a sunny, hot day in South Dakota. We spent the day with 200 of our closest friends and family. We are planning a trip to Cabo in September to celebrate. Thank you to all of our friends and family for sticking with us! Here's to 50 more years (at least!)

You might be wondering how Jeff and I spent our anniversary... he spent it in Pennsylvania, and me here in Kansas City with Joshie! Not ideal, but I scored some beautiful daisies out of the whole thing! Jeff will be back tomorrow, and we will spend the day doing t-ball stuff, and all that entails!

Jeff and I were both so lucky as to have the flu last weekend, and Josh had Summer Penile Syndrome this week... that was fun! Poor kid! In case you don't know what that is, it is severe chigger bites all over the little boy parts. Apparently very common in KC... who knew? Moral of the story, don't let your kid sit in the grass!

On a positive note, Sam appears to be doing well after his Bone Marrow Transplant. You can check out his caringbridge page by clicking the link on the right side of the blog. Have a great week!

Pray for Sam and Sarah!

Hello to anyone who is reading this post. Please pray for Sam Radke (his mom is Jeff's cousin). He had a bone marrow transplant last night/this morning. Pray that the side effects aren't too much for his little body to handle. Pray that the donor marrow grabs hold, and he is filled with healthy cells.

Pray for Josh's friend Sarah Macy. She has Wilm's Tumor (kidney cancer). She has been in the hospital for over a week fighting off an infection. She has been fever free for 24 hours, so hopefully she either did, or will go home today. Josh misses you, Sarah!