fall

Pictures from a fall 2005 post.

This one of Will all bundled up was taken at one of Liam's soccer games. I think I was secretly pregnant with Maya when I took this picture of her big cousin Will.


I'm thinking about fall...even wore a sweater today. It was premature. The girls and I were peeling off layers when we got back into the car at the library.

But I think it's okay to start pretending it's fall. A few nights ago, we had squash bisque for dinner.

We bought another butternut squash today... and all the ingredients for pumpkin pie and a big bag of apples (which may become a pie as well).

That wreath is back up on our door...only now our door is navy (it'll probably end up red soon though, I just can't help it.)

But we've also been thinking about our little Will all day...he's much bigger now than in the above picture. And today, he's pretty sick, maybe pneumonia + asthma...needing oxygen and staying the night at Hackley.

four kids are sleeping upstairs.

We feel pretty proud of our accomplishment. Four children, all of them under four are having their very first sleepover slumber party. They are sharing two bedrooms. They are all asleep.

And the only one who really struggled with bedtime was Maya...she was just...way. too. excited. She was so determined to obey. To go right to sleep. To do 'better' than she did at nap time (when she was removed from the 'sleepover room'). But she just couldn't leave poor (exhausted) Natalie alone. She kept telling her to close her eyes. The 'no talking' rule seemed less important than her need restate the rules in a mother-ish condescending tone to her silently annoyed friend.

We tried hard to keep them so busy today that no one would have time to revolt or whine and so tired that they couldn't help but sleep. It worked, everyone in the whole house (except myself) took a 2-3 hour nap, and I got a lot of reading (even some lesson-planning) done. But after naptime, we had to get them all tired again, so there were two long walks, one carousel ride, side-walk chalk art, soccer games, bike riding, bubbles, races around the house with all the neighbor kids, violin lessons, snacks, pajamas, and stories.

Success.

It seems like there should be something else to do.

But I am utterly incapable of doing anything...except to pray. I know I should realize that more often. But this evening this truth is very real to me. And even more to my friends.

Please pray with us....

We have enjoyed forming a really deep friendship this year with Rick and Cindy Kamp and their daughter Lauren (2). In early August, Rick was diagnosed cancer. They arrived again at Mayo this week to begin the Mayo 'Protocol' for his type of cancer....a process that involves cancer treatment followed by a Liver transplant. This treatment plan is usually very effective...and his prognosis is quite good if all goes well. It has been an incredibly difficult summer for them, but they have been grateful to have good treatment and a solid plan from the doctors at Maya. Their faith is humbling.

But today, a CT scan showed bumps in Rick's peritoneal cavity that the radiologist interpreted as metastisis. This disease is rapidly terminal if there are metastisis in PSC patients and Rick would be excluded from his 'eligibility' for the 'protocol' (treatment and Liver transplant) that has been planned.

They should find out tomorrow afternoon if these bumps are cancer or if the CT scan results were wrong.

Please pray.

Rick's carepage