Update on Evan

I am so encouraged by those of you who continue to ask how Evan is doing and report that you are still praying for him. He is doing so much better. I have not noticed any staring or potential seizures in a long time. The nausea only occurs occassionally. We do still deal with the irrational behavior every once in a while. I think that he is better able to recognize when these fits are coming on and I think he is able to regain control more quickly now. Last week, I decided that we needed a family night at home with a nice meal, games, lots of books and lots of snuggling before bedtime. Evan didn't follow along with my plan. We sat down for dinner and he said there wasn't anything for him to eat. We offered him Meatloaf (which I detest but I made for the sake of the family): "NO!" How about a baked potato with all the trimmings: "NO!" Fruit salad: "NO!" White chocolate dipped strawberries: "NO!" The tears flowed. He was tired, frustrated and hungry. At this point, we have to allow him to work through his emotions. Before too long, he was able to join us. In stark contrast, he later shared with us that he was grateful that we had such a nice meal despite it not being his favorite choices.

We pray that he will remain seizure free. Home life is much better. School is going well. He made straight A's! He continues to thirst for more academically. Mrs. B told me that they began a lesson on rocks today and Evan was asking some tough questions. He loves to do Drew's homework. He is always multiplying things around him. He is a funny little kid!

Thanks to you for all your support. We couldn't do this alone. God is so good!

Not Too Big for Treats

We have been Trick or Treating at Baylor since Drew was a baby. This year, Drew didn't want to join in the fun. It is neat to watch the Collins girls ooh and ahh over all the cute kids. We also always get home with a ton of candy. Last year, the kids came home, dumped their candy out in the living room and sorted through it to find their favorite pieces. Not this year. They had a good time but didn't even bring their bags of candy in from the car.

Drew was dressed as a referee but decided at the last minute that he didn't want to be a part of the activities. Evan decided to use his imagination and dress like an old man. He loved the attention he got as he slowly and painfully walked the halls and occassionally falling down. He always asked Drew for help getting up then with much joy whacked Drew with his "cane." He was really hamming it up and the girls (of Collins) loved it! Although Lindsay has a beautiful Belle costume complete with shoes and wand, she decided to be a cat tonight. Belle was just too itchy. Nothing like last minute changes!

I guess Drew is just growing up. He did manage to sneak about 10 pieces of candy for himself. He may be too old to dress up but you never outgrow the need for yummy treats!

Peanut play

I thought you might like to see what Drew has been up to.

He loved "acting" in the peanut play and is ready to move on to the Showtime production his school presents each year. He is really starting to "come out of his shell!" Ha Ha

New look

Regina wanted to make a change, so here it is... I'll have to figure out how to get all my links and stuff back.

update: Getting the changes in wasn't bad. I'll probably try to tweak it a little bit, though. At least I don't have "Edit-Me" links, like some people.

Obligatory Astros Post

As the game was ending to send the Astros to the World Series last night, Regina asked how many blogs were going to have something about the Astros. She assumed our's would be one of those. So here's my obligatory Astros post...

That's what an Astros game is supposed to look like:
-Dominant pitching- the leadoff guy only got on once and they only made it 2nd twice- once when they scored the run and a 2 out double by Walker
-Stellar defense- Everett made a spectacular diving stop and hopped right up to throw to 1st (and we'll take the tag on the throw that pulled Everett off the base)
-Timely hitting- no real big power numbers, but runners were bunted over and they got hits with runners on

Now, let's hope they can keep it up for a few more games and beat the White Sox!

Regina asked about the White Sox and their World Series history. She had not heard of the Black Sox, so she clearly didn't pay much attention when she saw Field of Dreams. Maybe we need to rent that and watch it. I don't think she's seen enough baseball lately...

Not that it matters, but this seems like as good a time as any to point out that I attended games this summer at all 3 of the Astros' teams in Texas- Corpus Christi Hooks (AA), Round Rock Express (AAA), and of course, Houston.

And another thing- what is it with baseball and fathers and sons? I know I have many friends who have been closely following the Astros and are thrilled about the victory. But I didn't call any of them. I called my dad after most playoff games (though I felt comfortable enough with a 4 run lead that I called after the 8th last night). Maybe it's becuase he was the first one to teach me about baseball- how to throw and catch, how to keep score, how to appreciate the details of baseball. Maybe it's because he took me to Astros' games growing up (and still does occasionally). Maybe it's because he's been suffering through Astros' (sometimes referred to as the disAstros and/or lAstros) seasons since the franchise was started. Whatever the case- Thanks, Dad, for introducing me to this game. I know Regina appreciates it, too, because she's gotten to watch a lot of baseball lately...

Happy Birthday, Mark!

Today is Mark's Birthday. He has not had much celebration since Lindsay was born four years ago. So if you see him today, you could sing your own rendition of "Happy Birthday" to him or just pass along good wishes. If you are out of town, you could leave him a sweet comment. I am sure he'd love it!

The indoor family

You will not find one of our children in the yard these days! No way. Evan says the backyard gives him the creeps. We happen to really like our backyard. There is so much for a kid to love back there. We love the trees, birds and butterflies that you can't find in new neighborhoods that don't have trees. But along with the cool stuff, we also have armadillos, raccoons, spiders and snakes.



Our neighbor came over this afternoon to inform us that her yard man found a rattlesnake in her backyard. They tried to kill him but he was TOO AGGRESSIVE! Yikes. They are coming back tomorrow to try to get him. Now, this in itself is worrisome but couple that with the hornet incident and you've got yourself some very nervous children. They freak out at any little gnat that flies by them. We've seen some pretty big spiders INSIDE the house lately but the exterminator came today for our quarterly spray and hopefully that will take care of them. He is coming back tomorrow to take care of the hornets!



I told Mark about a lady who has a goat in the creek area behind her house and now Mark thinks we need one too. The idea is that it will eat all the poison ivy and keep the other stuff away as well. The kids like the idea of having a goat but I don't think Sadie would like it!

Uggghhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

As an Astros fan, game 5 was absolutely gut-wrenching. I knew they were in trouble when Lidge was pitching all around Edmonds because I knew Pujols was coming up right behind him. I try to remain hopeful, but the Astros' chances may have left the ball park with Pujols' home run ball (which, had the roof been open, may have made it all the way to Waco).

'Stros fans did get some sympathy from a die-hard Red Sox fan. He's been there before.

Weekend Report

Lindsay went to school Friday. The boys had the day off. I took Evan to Providence to get blood drawn. He was so brave. Not a tear shed! He didn't get his morning meds until after 9:00. We paid later. His behavior was out of control by noon. All of those horrible feelings came rushing back to me. I had forgotten how scary and violent those spells could be. I am glad the meds work but I was sad to know how dependent we really are on the them.

This weekend was crazy! The boys were treated to the Waco High game on Friday night. They had a great time but came home very tired because the game went into triple overtime! I was sure they would sleep late but of course they didn't. I decided I am going to be a terrible parent of teenagers because I worried about them so much when they didn't get home when I thought they would be. They were out with adults. What am I going to do when they are out with irresponsible teenagers? I see Prozac in my future!!!

Mark went for a long run Saturday morning then we spent the rest of the day working around the house. The kids were up late again Saturday because of the Baylor game. Drew was up all night at a slumber party. He chose a party over the Baylor game! Drew has only missed one Baylor home game (August 1997) in his life. He didn't miss much Saturday. Drew camped at a friends' grandfather's ranch. He had a great time. He sure was stinky and tired when we picked him up Sunday morning but that didn't stop us from whisking him off to church! We apologize to anyone who had to be very close to him on Sunday!

We are ready for a good week. We are thankful for the blessing of good health (no throw up this week!) We will try to juggle kids around so Mark and I can both go to meetings this week. Seems that our schedules overlap a bunch. Wish we had grandparents closer to Waco.

No Comments?!?!

Drew is completely in shock that no one had any comments about his cross dressing pictures. I must admit, I am a bit surprised myself.

Lindsay is still throwing up, Evan feels a tummy ache coming on and Drew...well, Drew is just being Drew. For the most part, we are doing well. I finally got 6 hours of undisturbed sleep last night. Lindsay threw up around 11 last night. I was hoping that would get us through the night and it did.

Lindsay wanted Rice Krispie Treats instead of a birthday cake. I thought of Cliff as I made them. (Mark's comment)By the way, did we tell you how funny all our kids thought that story was? They can't wait to meet the fool that can't read a recipe and dumped in a whole box of Rice Krispies.(/Mark) Cliff, I was at Toys R Us the other day and they had a Rice Krispies Maker on sale. I thought about getting it for you but you don't need it now that you know how to make them the old-fashioned way. Maybe you need should start sculpting with them.

The boys don't have school tomorrow. Lindsay does but probably will not go. Looks like it will be a great day to enjoy the outdoors. Especially since two of them may be throwing up. It will make the clean up so much easier!!!!!

Prayer needs: Evan has blood work tomorrow. Continue to pray for healing from the stomach bug

What luck...

When I was watching replays of the Astros game, I thought it looked like the same guy caught Burke's game winner that caught Berkman's granny. It turns out it was! You can bet he was glad he took his glove to the game that day!

Despite the odds cited in the article, I'd still consider him extremely lucky, considering the fact that he didn't chase them down or knock over some little kid to get the ball. He caught both of them in his glove on the fly and both were highly significant, not some random homer that put the team up 8-1 instead of 7-1.

Lindsay is four!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINDSAY!! I can not believe how quickly four years have passed. You are a joy and a blessing to us!

Star Wars

Friday I took some clothes to Smarty Pants, a children's resale shop. As I was heading out the door, I noticed a rack of Halloween costumes. One in particular caught my eye. I picked it up and immediately recognized it as something I'd seen in Star Wars. I was so proud of myself. I thought the boys would be crazy excited because they are trying to get costumes for their movie Star Wars Episode Zero. I got in the car and called Mark. As I was talking to him, I read on the tag, Padme. PADME! Isn't that a girl? All I could hear was Mark laughing hysterically. I thought I would be a hero for the weekend. NOPE, just a DOPE! Once Mark stopped laughing, he tried to comfort me by saying that he was sure the boys could salvage some parts and would be delighted to own anything having to do with Star Wars.

Lo and behold, he was right. Drew thought it was hilarious! He asked if I would take his picture and put it "on that blog thing." So here it is. He has no shame.

Which one is Drew?

Birthday Party

We now know more about Strawberry Shortcake than I thought possible. The party was fun and I think Lindsay enjoyed introducing us to her new friends~ especially the cute boys. I must say, though she is far too young to be noticing, she can spot the cute ones. The inflatable was a huge hit! I committed the details of this party to God because I felt so overwhelmed and so tired. Everything came together at the last minute and I hope that everyone had a good time. I even made strawberry scented play dough which I had never done before. I guess now I am a real mom. It was a fun experience to share with Lindsay but like I told Mark, it is hard for me to understand why anyone would want to MAKE play dough when you can buy four cans of it for $1.



Up until Friday night, I wasn't even sure what I was going to do in regards to a cake. I had some ideas but nothing concrete. I think it turned out okay. The cake wasn't all that great but the chocolate covered strawberries were yummy!



Well, tomorrow is Lindsay's actual birthday. I know what she is probably going to be doing----throwing up! Yes, she has the little stomach bug that has been going around. She was suppose to take cupcakes to school tomorrow but that's not going to happen now. Pray for healing...I could really use some sleep. Between the boys' yellow jacket stings and this stomach bug, I've been awake for most of the last 48 hours.

What a weekend!!!

Warning to women and those uninterested: Sports only post. Look for Regina's next post for something with a little less testosterone.

Wow... Where do I start?

Let's just take it in order- The Bears won their first Big 12 road game EVER. 0-37. 9 years. It should have happened last weekend, against the Aggies, but the Bears have gotten that monkey off their back. And I think they have a very real chance to beat Nebraska this weekend. Nebraska is not the team they were 5 years ago, but still, to beat a team with that kind of national reputation would be huge. Go Bear!

Speaking of college football, you've got to love the resurgence JoePa is leading at Penn State. I've always been a JoePa fan. I could be wrong, but he just seems to do things the right way up there and he's so humble about it. So many people have been on him to retire for the last several years, but now you don't hear him telling those people "I told you so." I've read articles about the millions that he's donated back to Penn St. (and not just to the football program or other sports). Granted, when you've been head coach at Penn St. for a 100 years, you can probably afford it, but most coaches don't give anything back, I would think.

On to baseball... Padres were swept. No surprise. They were barely above .500 going into the playoffs. Red Sox- swept. Oh, well. Guess there's another curse now. The Yankees and Angels play the only game 5. It was a good one last night. The winner of that one has it though- they fly from NY to LA for a game tonight and then the winner has to go directly to Chicago for a game on Tuesday.

More importantly, though- HOW 'BOUT THOSE 'STROS!!!
On Saturday, Oswalt pitched well and once the Braves had to go the pen, the Astros poured it on and went up 2-1.

But the game Sunday was absolutely incredible. 18 innings. 2 grand slams. 5 hours, 50 minutes. The Rocket pitching 3 innings of awesome relief on 2 days rest, looking better than he did in his start and getting the W. A rookie hitting a walk-off homer. I actually had to leave for a meeting and thought I'd miss the end, as it was in the 13th (I think), but I made it home in time to see the last 2 innings. Now, let's go beat the Cards (and get some revenge from last year).

You can take your basketball and football overtimes (whether it be NCAA or NFL format), OT/shootout in hockey (esp. since I'm not much of a fan), extra holes in golf (speaking of which did you hear about Daly choking away $550,000 grand when he missed a 3 footer?). They've got nothing on baseball when it comes to sitting on the edge of your seat, knot in your stomach, riding on every pitch excitement. Baylor baseball tends to put us through that a bunch, too...

A quick note

Don't have much time now but let's just say we could use your prayers again. For now, I will just let you know it involves 2 boys, a swarm of yellow jackets, lots of screaming and swollen bodies. The only one spared was Lindsay. Otherwise, the day was perfect. Lindsay had a great time at her party and the Bears won. Pictures to follow soon.

Edit by Mark: The boys sent a football into the "woods" behind our house. Drew bravely went to get it and Evan followed. Drew stepped on (or in some other way disturbed) a nest of yellowjackets and Evan followed him right into the cloud of yellowjackets. As best we could tell Evan got 13 stings, Drew 8, and Mom & Dad each got about 4 as we tried to rescue the boys. I think the boys have been cured of their desire to explore the creek for a while...

The enemy:

Cool! (if you run anyway)

And I'm talking about more than the weather, though isn't the change in weahter nice?

I found this site today that uses Google Maps to find running distances. It uses latitude/longitude, so it's only as accurate as you can click, but it gives a good estimation. I did one of my normal routes when I run from the house. (The initial loop around the house is with the dog so he can get some energy out and he doesn't drive Regina crazy while I'm running.) I was hoping it was closer to 7, but according to this it's less than 6.5. I better start picking up the pace- I'm slower than I thought!

Satire

I'm a sucker for satire.

I found this on Bo's Xanga. Check out Vintage21. Click on Media (the old-fashioned film projector at the top) and watch some of the videos.

Here's a sample. As they state on the site- "This is a satirical look at what some people think Jesus is like. Thanks goodness He's not." But what do I really think Jesus is like? More on this later, as I have time...

Cruising

We are cruising along okay. We've had some bumps along the way. No seizures! PTL! Mostly behavorial problems but only occassionally. A horrible feeling creeps over me as goosebumps cover every inch of my skin when Evan begins his mean faces, growling and unfriendly words. My eyes immediately begin to fill with tears because I know what we are in for. I brace myself for the name calling and scratching. I miss my son during these times. The sweet boy that just helped his sister get dressed and told her she looks beautiful is about to lash out with words that will tear down and discourage. I just don't understand it! The doctor says "everyone has a bad day now and then." Of course they do! But do they have such a drastic change in their personalities? I don't think so! I have come to really understand the importance of receiving daily manna from God. We pray each day that God will meet us where we are. We will let tomorrow worry about itself. We will do blood work in a week then go back to Plano 2 weeks after that. Evan is doing great in school! We continue to have difficulty with church. I firmly believe the devil doesn't want Evan learning more about God. This is our biggest prayer request.