Fun Times!

Friends came to visit, what a blast it was to see them! Thanks so much for coming. It was a joy to see you all. Hannah, who has appointments at Stollery Children's tomorrow. Please continue to pray for her, she has Primary Pulmonary Hypertension. Love you guys!

Sara's eye appointment went really well last Monday. We saw Dr. Drummond, he says her eyes are looking really good, and wants to see her again on March 7th. Praise God! Thanks for praying! Her next appointment with the Cardiologist in Edmonton on January 31st.

Before & After

Here is Sara before the surgery, and after. The redness in her eyes should go away within 2 weeks. Her next doctor's appointment is on Dec. 6th in Edmonton, a follow up for her surgery with Dr. Drummond.

Sara's eye surgery & Our trip to Alberta!

Our trip began Sunday afternoon, Sara & I left after I finished cleaning & packing up the car, and going to Church. We met up with Ashley & Natalie in Nanaimo, it was so fun! We went to Victoria and had a wonderful evening with my friend Kim -thanks for having us! On Monday Sara & I went for her surgery. It was scheduled for 8:30am, so we had to be there at 7:20am. Sara got through the weighing and getting changed into the hospital clothes fine, only a few meltdowns. Then we waited, and she played. We got into the OR at 10:50 and she went to recovery until 12:15. Sara's surgery went really well, the surgeon, Dr. Pegado, was great. They let us leave knowing we'd have a long trip ahead. We left at 2:45, and met up with Taryn! We were at the ferry terminal at 3:45 and waited for the 5pm ferry to Tsawassen. Joel & Hailey packed up the U-Haul with friends on Quadra, they also caught the 5pm ferry, but from Nanaimo to Vancouver. We made our way in the rain meeting up with Hailey & Joel in Chilliwack. Travelling together was really nice, the roads we bare most of the Coquahalla. We stayed in Barriere, and left early in the morning to continue on. Driving to Valemont was the most slippery & snowy, but it cleared up, and bare roads again through the park, and all the way to Entwistle. The gravel roads were slippery, and I didn't make it up the hill into Brightwood with the car & trailer. Joel & a few guys came to help push! We were at our new place at 3:30pm, and unloaded the 14' U-haul with the help of the Cox family. Thank you so much Greg, Kathie, Sara-Jane, & David.
It was a crazy trip, and I'm really happy to be here, Hailey and Sara are loving the new house! Sara's back to her old self, getting into everything and unpacking for me! Sara's eyes are sensitive to the light, and her balance is a little off, but she's happy as always. Hailey is really enjoying the snow, she goes out to play all the time. Joel's busy getting to know how things run around here, and getting to know the staff. I'm busy unpacking and organizing, fun times!

Thank you all who prayed for us. The timing of this surgery was awful, but we made it work anyway. We're so thankful for amazing friends, family and we're praising the Lord – He is so good! Pictures to come...

Sara's eye surgery

Our Zebra & little Giraffe...

I was in Victoria yesterday with Sara. She had an appointment to see the optimologist and the surgeon. They measured her eyes for surgery, her eyes have been turning in or cross-eyed since July. It's mostly her left eye that turns in, so she's been using her right eye to see. She may have already lost some vision in her left because she hasn't been using it. Because she's going to have the surgery before she's 2 years old her 3D vision may develop still. Please pray that any vision lost in her left eye will be restored and that the surgery and recovery goes well. The surgery is a day surgery in Victoria on November 29th.

Sara's heart is doing ok, no change. We are happy to have a growing little girl doing well right now! We're having fun seeing her walking and talking a little more everyday.

Please continue to pray for Hannah. The new drug therapies have had positive effects, Praise the Lord! They have been in and out of the hospital because Hannah has suffered a few cardiac arrests at night with no explanations. Please pray for the doctors, that they would continue to try and figure this out. Also pray for Hannah's family, and that Hannah will be in good spirits as they do more tests.

"For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 100:5 (ESV)

Please pray for Hannah

Right now we have a prayer request...

Our friends have a girl named Hannah, she is not doing well. She has Primary Pulmonary Hypertension and it is an extremely rare condition in children, and is life threatening. They are waiting to hear from the doctors, as the last check up releaved her heart had enlarged considerably since April, and the pressure in her heart was very high. The options the doctors have given them have huge risks, and have no guarantee that it will help. They'll be heading to Vancouver or Edmonton when they hear from the doctors.

She is a sweetheart, and a good friend of Hailey's. We miss spending time with Hannah and hope to see her soon.

We love you Hannah, and we're praying for you and your family. You all have been a blessing in our lives, and we thank the Lord for you.

"Be Joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

Romans 12:12 (NIV)

The greatest part of August was having Hailey & Sara's cousins visit! My sisters came for a visit and it was and awesome time! We had a horseback ride, we explored the ocean shore, we played all day together and loved every minute of it! Thanks for coming! We love you all!

Also, Sara started walking and she's getting better and better at it! It's very exciting for us to see her doing so well. Thanks for praying.

July 28th Appointment

Here is Sara after being sedated, and having her Echo (ultrasound on her heart) at Victoria General. She didn't settle down easily with the Chlorolhydrate it took her a while to rest & sleep for the Echo. Her O2 Sats are 92 here, and her heart rate is 118bpm, which is normal for her, and it also please the Dr. to see. She is on 3 drugs, 2 of which we will be weaning her off in August. She is doing really well, Dr. Sinclair was happy to see her growing and not much change in her heart function. We will be seeing him again in about 3 months, and it will be in Nanaimo! We're so glad to hold off surgery for the time being, any time out of the hospital is awesome! Thank you for continuing to pray, God is so good!

This was on our way home!

May

Mother Daughter Activities

Enjoying the sunshine and running through the sprinkler with friends!
















Our Garden Plot, and Hailey helping Mel & I plant our veggies.

May Day on Quadra

what's happening...with pictures to come!

May is here and we're getting ready for camp more camps & spring staff to arrive. It's been a beautiful spring, and the girls are loving being outside. Joel has joined the slow pitch ball team here, and the girls and I have been watching most games. A few families come out to watch the game too, so there's usually some kids for Hailey to play with. It's great getting to know some new people on Quadra.
Sara's growing and getting around fast. Climbing is her new thing, trying to get up onto things, so far unsuccessfully! Which makes for a lot of bumps on her head! I'm glad she's trying new things, she's curious and mischievous! She tries to get away with things when we're not looking. It's so hard not to smile while saying "Don't touch". She knows how to wave goodbye, and give slobbery kisses. She's even cuddles when you ask for a hug! She likes playing pass the ball with Hailey. And as long as Hailey can sneak in a couple hugs while playing, without Sara being annoyed, they'll play for a while together! Hailey's still very much in love with her little sister!
Hailey likes drawing and painting all the time. We've been making cards for fun, and she's getting pretty good at writing letters. She's also right in there helping me plant a few tomato plants, and soon we'll be working in the garden. We're just going to do a few vegetables for ourselves this year in the camp's garden.
I enjoy being here at camp! It's nice to be close to where Joel's working. I'm up at the barn with the girls once in a while. We're there a little more now that we got a cute little calf. There's two calves at camp, ours is Oreo, and the other one is Chip. They're both pretty friendly and Hailey & Sara love going to pet them. I'll have to post pictures soon!

Happy Easter :)

This Easter we enjoyed a beautiful sunny day with friends. We had a great meal and fun hunting easter eggs. Hailey & I made cupcakes and decorated eggs. It was a great weekend to celebrate the reason we have Easter - Jesus. He is Risen!