My animal lover picked a kitten that purrs, meows,
takes a bottle, and kneads with it's paws!!
My little "wild thing" picked a princess guitar (believe me...
I tried to duck that one!)
MY LITTLE GROCERY GAMERS
THE PREVIOUS PICS ARE MOMENTS OF SHEER JOY
I CAUGHT AT DRAKES CREEK PARK
Pretending to be lions.
One of our favorite exhibits.
Dr. Dolittle....boy does she LOVE animals.
My first born and stunt double....(wow, does she look like me!)
The girls cute new "do's" in front of our unplanted garden plot!
The girls with Nana and Boonie snapping green beans....YUM!!
THIS COULD GET INTERESTING
My little travelers in front of the AWESOME fountain at the Detroit airport!
The birthday "girl" and her grandbabies...
EASTER in Michigan...we got 5-7 inches of SNOW!!! The pinwheels were actually part of Gramma's birthday, but they looked soooo pretty in the snow! Hiding the eggs was NO problem!
Happy Early Easter! I won't be posting for a few days. My girls are so excited about Easter and have been immersed in it for about a week or so.
They got a "Max and Ruby" Easter video from their Grandma and have watched it over and over. My second born (by one minute) is notoriously difficult to photograph HAPPY....but, she was thrilled to show off her "Easter Bonnet".
"It's just like Ruby's!"
Most of you have called or read Sam’s message posted on the Caring Bridge site last night. We asked all of you over the years to pray for Samantha and you have always come through. For this reason I am once again sending an update as of Wednesday after actually seeing Samantha. Some of you have called and many of you had posted requests for updates on our computers. Please feel free to forward to anyone I may have overlooked or to your extended family or prayer groups. Having spent yesterday in the Le Bonheur waiting room, I can tell you that the prayers were certainly felt. We witnessed several real answers to prayer………the doctors never stopped trying to come up with a better plan for accomplishing the ultimate for Samantha with the least invasion.
They finally decided rather than opening her chest, they would enter her side for the first stage of surgery. They were able to do so with minimal affect on the diaphragm and other organs. The doctors were able to remove cushioning in five different areas of her spinal column and found it very easy to manipulate. This was done in 2-2 ½ hours instead of the 5 or 6 they were forecasting. They were able to take her off the breathing tube in a very short time. What the doctor’s originally thought was to be a tough surgery, absolutely thrilled them in that optimal results in preparation for next week’s surgery were achieved.
I was able to visit Nicey and see Samantha in the ICU this morning for a few minutes. She was sleeping peacefully on painkillers as they are trying to keep her as free as possible from pain. She has already started breathing exercises. I don’t think Samantha really knew I was there this morning, but she was as beautiful as ever. As Sam stated on the Caring Bridge site, they look forward to moving into a private room as soon as one becomes available today.
The groundwork has now been laid for the lengthy second part of the surgery next Tuesday, March 25. Yesterday the doctors freed up Samantha’s spine so they could better work with it. Next Tuesday, they will have a much longer day as they open her back and re-align each vertebra. Once this is done, I understand a rod will be affixed to each side of the spinal column to stabilize it. The doctors are very pleased and optimistic that Samantha’s spine will be almost perfectly aligned after next week’s surgery. So…don’t stop praying for the healing from the initial surgery, giving praise for God’s answer to prayers and for strength and good health for Samantha’s family as they sit, stand, sleep and cope with all the wonderful world of the medical institution.
Remember this next surgery will be a long day for everyone involved and will need to be bathed in loving prayer and support like yesterday. Sam will keep the Caring Bridge site updated until Samantha takes it back over. You can imagine how full their days are with round-the-clock watch and care.
This email comes with love, hugs and many thanks for your continued prayers. May this Easter be a blessed one for each of you and your families. May we all remember that our God is a mighty God and He Lives!
First... Steve Carrell is just the BEST. I watched "Dan in Real Life" the other night, and it just shows his genius even more. Here is a trailer that somebody remixed....kinda cute. Check out the movie, though!
When my cousin Samantha (the baby) was a little younger than my girls, she was diagnosed with a tumor that started at the base of her brain and wrapped around her spine like a hot dog. In her short life she has undergone multiple surgeries and chemotherapy. The treatments have left her spine weakened with severe and worsening scholiosis that now requires surgical intervention to allow her lungs the room they need. Despite the challenges she has faced, Samantha is the most positive, confident, strongest girl I know. Along with her family, they are a testament to true faith. Please read the following email penned by my mom. She is artful with words:This is an update on our niece, Samantha, and a request for renewed prayer on
behalf of Samantha and her family as they face the upcoming surgery to
straighten her spine at Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Hospital in Memphis. We
received the medical decision yesterday that this will not be one surgery on
Tuesday, but that the complexity will call for breaking it into two parts about
one week apart. This Tuesday, March 18, four surgeons (The Great Physician
be the fifth surgeon in the operating room.) and their team will open Samantha’s
chest as they do for heart surgery and move her heart and other organs out of
the way to work on putting a rod in her upper spine. This is the area with the
most complexity and causing her worst problem. They will insert half a rod
during this lengthy procedure. Samantha will then be in ICU for several
days.
If all goes well, the second surgery will be the next Tuesday (all subject to
change) when they will go through her back to insert the rod and straighten
the lower spine.
We have been so grateful for so many of our friends
and church groups who have prayed for this amazing child and
family over the years. The doctors have told the family that this is more
complicated than any surgery of this type they have done and not without risk.
As they put it, “Samantha will be in God’s hands.”
We are asking each of you to lift up our precious family and Samantha in particular as
they face this newest hurdle. Their faith has been an inspiration to all of us
who know them and they’ve made sure the glory has been given to The Great
Physician at every turn. The family decided to develop a blog for all of us who
want to keep up. I am including that address at the bottom of the email.
You many send a note to Samantha and family should you wish and you can sign up
to be notified of any update.
There is no end to the prayer list these days for any of us as problems, illness and hurdles come into our lives. We ask that you add Samantha and her family to your list. Thank you for being our friends and family and prayer warriors. Sometimes the only thing we can do is wrap those we love in prayer. Please visit Samantha's Caring Bridge and leave her a message of strength and support. Thanks.
For those of you who don't know, I spent some time as an RN at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Samantha was a patient there during that time. There is no better charity to support. Please give if you can.
The Grocery Game is a list for which members pay a small monthly fee. On the list is a top secret combination of store sales and coupons that combined can save you up to 80% on items that we normally buy....often they are even FREE! It requires a certain amount of organization and a new focus on stockpiling rather than buying for the week. 
