Bring it on!

YUMMY!

I just wanted to share a couple photos with you of Noah taking his medication.
These were taken on the day after his surgery.
I am so blessed that neither one of my kids struggle with taking medication.

I think it is funny how far he opens his mouth for me.
He makes it look easy!

Say Goodbye to the "M" Word

No More Meds!

Noah made it through the whole day without pain medication. Hooray! If you ask me, that is a great achievement. We are now four days after surgery and the only time Noah is really acknowledging his bandages is when he changes his clothes. He thinks they should come off every time he changes his shirt, but when I tell him that it is not time yet, he does not argue.

My parents and I took the kids to the Bee Movie tonight. This was the first time Noah has been to the movie theatre. He did a great job for the most part. Towards the end he got a little restless and he drank all of his soda and his sisters, but that's far from being the end of the world. : ) By the way, I'd give the movie a big thumbs up! The movie was really cute and certainly kid friendly (it kept Madison's attention). If you got some free time this weekend - go check it out.

Warmer Kids in Kazakhstan...

Three more kids in Kazakhstan have been been given warm clothes this winter since my last update. As you can see we are 73% of our goal. Even $10 can make the difference in the life of an orphan. Place your donation now at www.firstgiving.com/kazakhkids!

Getting Back to Normal

Noah is hanging in there!

Yesterday I returned to work and he returned to his normal routine of being with Grandmom. She reports that eating soup at lunch was pretty tricky for him. He wanted to use his bandaged hand as guide. I am sure you all can imagine.

Last night I discovered a couple other things he has adapted to promptly. Whenever I take the kids out I ask them to hold hands so that I can keep them together (especially in a parking lot). He discovered he can't hold Madison's hand with his bandage. He didn't complain; it was just a lesson for me. How many times in life do we get frustrated and feel sorry for ourselves? If anyone deserves to be frustrated I'd say Noah pulls rank but he is taking his surgery in stride. He has redefined tough for me. So, thank you Noah!

Good news... we are weaning him off his pain meds and he doesn't seem to be bothered by that at all. And last night I asked him to give me a high five and he hit me with his bandage so I thought that was a good sign. Thanks for checking in and I'll post more later.

One Day at a Time

Noah's 2nd Day

I (Kristi) went to bed last night prepared to get little sleep. I assumed that as soon as Noah's pain meds had a chance to wear off he would be waking us up. I was pleasantly surprised to hear him stirring about 8 this morning. That's sleeping in for Noah and I was greeted with a smile.

After a pancake, he started his first round of meds for the day. He played normally and even did some coloring with his left hand and since he normally does this with his right I was surprised. He did not ask me to take off his bandages today - again surprised.

He took a longer nap than normal but after his long day yesterday I am not too surprised. His worst episode came tonight. We were instructed to keep his bandages out of the water so this means no bath time. I let him put his feet in the sink while I washed him down. After he realized that was all the water time he was getting he argued and argued that he should be able to get in the tub. Now, if you know my Noah you can't understand most of what he says but the crying, pointing, and yelling was all the interpretation I needed. He did not think it was fair that Madison got a shower and all he got was feet in the sink. I suppose he will come to accept this too.

He has done great taking his medicine. I am so blessed to have kids who don't fight taking meds. He opens his mouth as wide as he can and points to his mouth for so I know were to put them in. : ) It's pretty funny. I hope to have a picture of this for you later.

Thanks for praying as you can see they are working. He's doing great and we know that it is because so many of you care and pray for him. I'll let you know how tomorrow goes.

Our Riley Trip

Noah's Surgery Day

Our day began at 4 a.m. this morning. We had put Noah in his clothes to sleep in so we didn't have to fully wake him to get him snuggled in the car for the long ride to Indy. We picked up my (Kristi's) parents at about 4:45 and then we were officially Indy bound.


We arrived in the Riley parking garage around 6:15 a.m. or so and then it was off to the outpatient entrance. We did not wait there long until they took us back to Room 2 that would be our "home" for the next few hours. Noah received a dog from my parents that saved the day. He carried, loved, and pretend fed the doggy which kept him busy for spells.

Soon it was time to get to change into our fancy hospital pajamas. The doctor came in and marked his hand and hip (in case of skin graphs) to confirm the areas of treatment.

This is what his hand looked like before surgery and we have yet to see what it looks like now. Doesn't he look like a sweet little man in his scrubs?

The surgery was scheduled for 1 hour and 45 minutes. After 45 minutes Dr. Mih came back with a positive report. Initially they were going to remove extra skin between his two digits and then do exploratory surgery on his wrist to see about bringing a tendon down to the pinkie. Once inside they found that pinkie had a tendon it was just "stuck" to the bone so he removed it and thinks this will give Noah the mobility we had hoped for.

Still loopy from his meds, he returned to us all bandaged up. He is to remain with these bandages for 2-3 weeks. This has proven challenging for our 2 yr old thumb sucker, as he can't get to his thumb.

We let him sleep for awhile but they told us he could not go home until he got down some liquids. Once we woke enough to drink - drink he did! Three sippy cups of apple juice later we were packing up our belongings and heading out. Riley had a pharmacy on its first floor so we were able to fill his pain meds before we left. He had not eaten anything since 6 p.m. the night before so we stopped to get some lunch on the way home and he did a great job at eating. He finally napped some on the way home and awhile once we returned. He seems to be able to play for an hour or so and then he has to rest to regain his energy.

We'll be heading back for a check up and removal of the bandages in a couple of weeks. Until then I would ask that you pray for our little man as he adjusts to this bandage on his arm and that he would have patience with his mobility.

It was a long day, but a blessed one. We are thankful to be returning home with our little guy, calls of concern, and best wishes from many. Keep checking the blog and we will tell you how the journey goes from here.

Thank you for praying!

Trick or Treat

Halloween 2007


We had an adorable Sleeping Beauty and her faithful sidekick Elmo for Halloween this year. You can see below we did have tricks with our abundance of treats!





We took the kids to IWU this year and they were able to get their faces painted. Noah got a big black spider and Madison got a pink butterfly to match her princess dress.

We were able to go trick or treating at Grammy and Pappy's house this year. What a great picture of them all together!

We had a great Halloween and Madison is already planning her costume for next year. Can you guess? If you said a pig then you're right!

A Spooktacular Fall Break

Fall Break with Madison

Madison had her first fall break from school this year so we planned a few days of fun. Besides time at the park, picnic lunches, sleepovers and Chuch E. Cheese, we had time to make some hand designed ghost cakes. Madison says, "They sure are spooky!"

If you have been thinking about joining my team in raising money for coats for orphan kids in Kazakhstan now we would be a great time. As you can see we are just over the 50% mark and I am so excited that we have been able to provide coats for eight children already and we really want to provide nine more. Would you join us? http://www.firstgiving.com/kazakhkids

WGM on YouTube

Now you can see World Gospel Mission videos on YouTube. This is especially exciting for me (Kristi) because this is the work of my department. There is a pretty good selection of titles out there for you to see. No matter your interest short term missions, volunteer opportunities, internships, or more information about the fields we serve - there is something for you! Enjoy!

www.youtube.com/worldgospelmission

Pumpkin Patch

We took the Madison and Noah out to the pumpkin patch at Hainlen's Orchard in Coverse, IN. As you can see there were lots to choose from but our munchkins stuck with the smaller ones so they could carry their own.

Madison and Noah's final choices.

Noah points his way to the pumpkins!

Madison and Noah take a moment for pictures with the great big pumpkins.

We bought some apples and apple cider while we were there too. Yummy!

Happy Harvest from our house to yours!

New Surgery Date

November 5 is the big day!

Noah's surgeon will be out of town for the surgery date we first set up so we have a new date we would ask you to pray for. We've had a little try at how Noah handles healing with Noah's nose burn and he really did not like band-aids so it will be interesting to see how he does with his hand. I am sure his bandages will be bigger and badder with the procedure. Pray that our little guy will have patience and let things heal the way they need to.

Smiles and Hugs to you all!

Noah Celebrates with the Backyardigans

Noah turns the TWO!

Kristi returned from Dallas just a few days before Noah's birthday so, while in Texas be like the Texans, thus the Texas t-shirt. Yes, that is a boo boo on his nose. He got a rug burn just before he opened presents.

Clothes, Clothes, and more Clothes!

Having fun with the Backyardigans. Thanks Grandmom Avery for making the yummy cupcakes. We enjoyed them!

Blowing out my #2 candle. I knew just what to do!

This is my Pablo cake. This was cake just for me and he was delicious.

I had a great birthday! I can't wait until next year.

Did I mention that I just love cake!?!

Meek's Farm

And on that farm they had some horses...

We were invited to my Uncle Mike and Aunt Ann's house for lunch today. Here are a few highlights from our visit.

Noah enjoyed playing with the barn cat.

Who said Kelly is afraid to ride the horses? Giddy Up!

Labor Day at Matter Park

Catching Up with the Crisps

For Labor Day we took the kids to Matter Park
where they have just added this new playground addition.
The kids had tons of fun and we thought you might like to see a little of our adventure.

Surgery Update

Noah's Big Day



We now know that Noah will have surgery on October 22 at Riley Children's Hospital. Noah's surgery is scheduled to last for an hour and a half. It's an outpatient surgery so we will get to take him home the same day.

What are they doing? They will take out the extra skin between the digits on his right hand so he will be able to grasp items better and they will do exploratory surgery to see if they can take a tendon from his wrist out to the pinkie on that hand so that he can move it. It currently stays straight but the thumb works like normal. Noah is a right hand-er so we trust this will give the little extra he needs to keep developing.

Prayer Requests:

1. Pray for Noah's safety.
2. Pray for all us as we care for him after surgery. It will likely be a challenge to help this two year old with his curiosity.
3. Pray that Noah will quickly adapt to his new function/coordination.

Memoirs of a Conference Go-er...

What has Kristi learned at the In-HOWse Designer Conference?

I am so glad you asked. Thanks!
Here are some insights:

"Find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life" ~Confucius

If you want to be an innovative company you have to design.

In the last 12 months where were you when your most interesting or productive conversation took place? Likely not in an office. Don't be afraid to create outside of the office.

Collaboration can be forced by the design of an office take down the cubicle walls and talk amongst yourselves. Collaboration leads to communication that will lead to creativity which can lead to innovation.

A strong manager sets and achieves goals, manages by example, inspires & motivates their team, and directs & plans initiatives.

Remember a good brand is consistent and dependable.

What do you want your department to look like? Once you answer the question you are just a plan away of being what you want to be.

You can only perform as creatively as you feel.

Motivation comes from a work environment with trust and a lack of fear.

A Trip to Riley Children's Hospital

ANNUAL CHECK UP

Noah did a great job at the Children's Hospital today. He held still while they took three different X-rays. It was impressive to see our almost two year old take direction and obey. He was a champ!

At Riley you can check out red wagons to "wheel around in" and Noah thought that was cool. He wanted to ride around and say "hi" to everyone as we went from venue to venue.

Noah met his surgical team with handshakes and then with a round of high-fives. The doc was pleased with the mobility Noah has (able to use pens and hold paper) but confirmed our concern that Noah has trouble throwing balls and holding cups. The doc has given the thumbs up and little man will be facing surgery soon. They will call us with an appointment so we don't know the date as of yet but rest assured we will let you know.

Please pray for Noah. We know God has a plan for his life and we want to be faithful to enable him to do what he was made to do.

WANTED: Coats for Kazakh Kids!

I need your help!


World Gospel Mission has launched a new campaign that my (Kristi's) department has really been challenged to get behind. The campaign is The Great Co-Mission Catalog. The catalog was designed for you to "shop" through several ministries who are in need of assistance. You choose a project that means something to you and begin fundraising for the project.



My team chose coats for kids in Kazakhstan. WGM is working with a children's center that are taking in abused children who are in need-not only emotionally and spiritually but also physically. This was a small way we could help kids across the world and by doing so we can show them a little bit of the love Jesus has for them.



My team is doing great, but we have not met our goal yet. Would you help us provide coats to children in Kazakhstan? Just click on the link below and securely give any amount through firstgiving.com. If you don't want to give on-line no problem; just send me a check and I'll take care of the rest!



http://www.firstgiving.com/kazakhkids



Thanks for your help and rest assured that there will be warmer kids in Kazakhstan this year!

P.S. Want to take on a project yourself? You can! Just surf http://www.co-missioncatalog.org/ to see what ministry opportunities await.

I DO

Wedding Day

My cousin Jodi became Mrs. Jerry Cervantes on Septemember 1st.
It was a lovely wedding and the photographer, Lindsey Hawk, shared this picture
with us of Noah enjoying the wedding cake.

Can you say yummy?