SIGH.....

Doctor says HOME TOMORROW!!! HOORAY! In the meantime, look at the video Lange sent me of Jaclyn. I have to hurry and get there before she takes off....

"Fun" at the hospital

sweet little angel

"HI" everybody!

Jonathan LOVES airplanes and trucks.

He sure did wish that was a REAL ice cream cone.

He loves riding with baby sis' in his wagon.

Telling Memommy "bye" before she left

HOORAY FOR JUICE!!!!!

BIG DOUBLE HOORAY FOR FOOD!!!!!!

My Prayer...

FEBRUARY, 2010

I believe Jonathan has a strong aversion to holidays and special events. He got his first bowel obstruction on Jailyn's birthday. He spent Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day in the hospital. After receiving a new surgery date of February 16th, Jonathan decided to scare us to death in the middle of the night on February 12th by waking up vomiting profusely. We took off to Cincinnati as fast as we could - fully thinking this was enterocolitis again and that surgery would be postponed yet another time. He was admitted - knocking off Valentine's Day... As it turns out, though, he had a seriously aggressive stomach bug. How do I know? Well, Jaclyn, Lange, I, Jailyn, my mom, and now Justin have all been very sick in that order this past week. Although it was miserable for us, it gave the surgeons confidence to go ahead with surgery. They removed a whopping 13 inches of colon (I have a picture of it) on Tuesday, February 16th, and we are waiting seven days for Jonathan to have anything to eat or drink. He is healing rapidly, but he is hungry. The nurses are giving him nutrition by a PICC line, but it isn't like eating and drinking. We are thankful to have surgery behind us, but would someone please go ahead and start praying over St. PATRICK'S Day? :-)

Lange and I got engaged in February of 1993. When I really take a look back at all the Lord has brought us through, I am amazed - and thankful - for every single minute. God gave me a partner for life that I sure didn't deserve - at a time in my life when I really didn't care about pleasing HIM. What a gift. Aside from my salvation, I am awed by my incredible husband the most.

He has been faithful to me and our family throughout circumstances that many would have walked away from. In addition to caring for our sick child alongside me all week, Lange drove home last night so he could work in our basement - attempting to complete a huge renovation that we have been working on for almost 8 months. He will stand tomorrow before a congregation of people and lead them to worship the ONE he desires to please above all else. I am grateful to share my life with him.

JANUARY, 2010

January was pretty much uneventful - aside from twice daily irrigations and life "stuff." We kept Jonathan home as much as possible to keep him well for surgery, and we had ALOT (did I say alot?) of snow!!

"little miss priss" sitting in a high chair for the first time

Jailyn playing basketball

She is a point guard in the making.

Did you call my name?

DECEMBER, 2009

It has sort of become a tradition that Jailyn sing with Lange and I in our Christmas candelight service each year. She hears harmony really well - particularly high tenor. We sang "Christmas Offering" this year, and it was nice. Her grandma sent her and Jaclyn new outfits to wear during the Christmas season. Aren't they pretty?

Because Jonathan was due for surgery on December 28th, we spent our first Christmas in Kentucky. Lange's parents came early Christmas week and surprised us by bringing Julie, Brandon, and Brad along. It was LOUD and FUN - and those of you who know us Patrick's - we ate WELL!!

Okay, I see a trend developing. Below you will see Jailyn receiving her "favorite" gift and then scroll down to see the joy on Jaclyn's face as she receives HER "favorite" gift.... too funny.

Lange's family left on Tuesday around lunchtime. Until that time, Jonathan seemed to be doing fine. By Wednesday morning, though, he was VERY sick. We took him to Kosair where he was diagnosed with enterocolitis. This is basically gangrene of the intestines. It is a danger with Hirschsprung's disease. What baffles us is that he lived for almost 2 1/2 years without any problems and less than a week before the surgical repair he became deathly ill. We remained at Kosair until Christmas Day when the doctor there felt he could discharge us to go home until we reported to Cincinnati on Monday. Lange was at the hospital with Jonathan, and I was at home busily preparing Christmas dinner - trying to salvage what was left of the holiday. I hopped in the van to go get Lange and Jonathan and left Justin and Jailyn in charge of putting dinner on the table. When we arrived home, this is what we saw:

They had gone to the basement and found Christmas china I had not even put out this year (because things had been so hectic). I could have cried because I already knew Jonathan was not well. He seemed really lethargic on the ride home, and by the time I got him inside I was worried. We took his temperature, and it was 104.5 degrees. We put in a call to the surgeon (on Christmas Day, no less) in Cincinnati and sat down to gobble our food. When Dr. Frischer called back, he told us to get in the car IMMEDIATELY and get to Kosair. He said he would give further instruction after Jonathan was stablized. I jumped back in the van and left a teary Lange, Justin, Jailyn, and Jaclyn and headed back.

My mom and dad were on their way to celebrate Christmas with us - planning to stay for Jonathan's surgery to help the following week. We ended up opening presents that evening in the hospital - while we waited for an ambulance to arrive to take Jonathan to Cincinnati. Jonathan perked up at the hospital once they got another IV in him with heavy medicine and fluids. We still were unsure how serious the situation was. Here we are opening presents in the hospital with my mom and dad. We can make anything fun!

And here we are, saying "goodbye" as we head to Cincinnati.

Once we got to Cincinnati, the surgeon performed numerous abdominal x-rays and bowel irrigations. On Sunday - two days after we arrived - he finally told me that he was scared on Friday night when he first saw Jonathan's x-rays. Jonathan was apparently in bad shape then, but because of his quick action, by Sunday he was on the mend. Unfortunately, though, Jonathan developed a pretty serious case of pneumonia, and they had to postpone surgery indefinitely. Jonathan wasn't even well enough to come home until New Years' Day. But when we got home, we got to celebrate Christmas with our immediate family. How thankful we were - not so much for the material gifts - but for the gift of good health and family close by.

Jonathan LOVES books and animals. My mom got him this GREAT BIG BOOK about animals.

Look beyond the goofy glasses at the braces - another special event in December -sort of a rite of passage into "teenager-hood."

Isn't she cute?

NOVEMBER, 2009

Well, November got off to a BIG start as my parents drove in to our neighborhood late one night on this....
for Justin's big 13th birthday...



Justin and Jailyn have been begging for a golf cart for two years, and my mom and dad came through in an unbelievable fashion. Needless to say, this was Justin AND Jailyn's birthday present from my parents (and Christmas and New Years....)



We finally broke down and got a dog, too. I found an Aussie mix on Craig's list which is exactly what we had been looking for. Her name is Noel. She was three years old and most importantly FREE!! She has been a great addition to our family....Wonder if anyone fed her today? (Just kidding, sort of)



On Sunday, November 8th, Jailyn was baptized by her daddy alongside some of our close friends in ministry - Nathan and Johnathan Platt. Jailyn had gained assurance of her salvation earlier in the year, and after talking with her and studying Scripture together, she AND we felt she was ready for this important step. The Holy Spirit is evident in Jailyn's life. I have seen some marked changes in her behavior as she daily seeks to please Him.











I had the wonderful privilege of speaking at a ladies' retreat in the mountains of NC on the week of Lange, Justin, and my birthday. We slipped away a few days early and enjoyed our favorite pasttime as a family - hiking in the mountains.




We also visited the Biltmore Estate. Call us crazy! The Biltmore was NOT designed for a double stroller on a rainy day, but we still had a blast. I think it was the BEST time of year to go because we got to enjoy the beauty of the fall leaves, and they had already decorated for Christmas. You can't take pictures inside, so there aren't any to post.



I had wanted to give something meaningful to Justin on this momentous birthday, so the Lord gave me the idea of writing the Proverbs in my own words as a book to him. I presented this to him on his birthday in our hotel room. Lange also gave him a really cool sword and talked to him about the Word of God - our sword - and its importance in the life of any man. I pray he will read the Word and truly internalize it as he grows and matures.

We (especially Lange) enjoy eating in "out of the way" joints. We found this great diner right by the water, but while we were eating we began to notice all the "rules" posted throughout the

restaurant. Jailyn proceeded to take picture after picture. It got really funny before we left. Here are just a few of the MANY signs we saw:




In the meantime, I must not forget to mention Jaclyn who continues to grow, and grow, and grow... I think this was the month when someone asked for the first time if Jonathan and Jaclyn were twins. We think it is due to Hirschsprung's disease, but Jonathan hasn't grown at all in the past year. We are hoping his surgery helps.









Because of Jonathan's health, we decided to stay close to home for Thanksgiving. I haven't mentioned this yet, but we were and are in the middle of a HUGE basement renovation to add 2 bedrooms, one bathroom, and a new laundry room. Lange has worked tirelessly in the middle of the birth of a new baby and a sick child. It has been quite stressful at times, but he has persevered. Oh, yes. We had a sheetrock party the night before Thanksgiving, and I cooked for all the men. SO...we ate Thanksgiving dinner at Cracker Barrel. Our parents felt so sorry for us, but we LOVED it!

Jaclyn was asleep in her carrier, and I took the picture - lest you think we stayed home. :-)