Praise the Lord, Kenny is doing well!

Kenny came through the surgery pretty well. His family was going to see him tonight around 9:00. The doctor was able to remove the aneurysm. Even though things did not go completely smoothly, the surgeon was overall pleased with the results. Today, I was informed that the statistics I gave about a 10% survival rate were inaccurate, it was much higher. I do not say this to diminish what God has chosen to do in response to his praying people but just to tell you that the situation although dangerous and life threatening was not as dire and bleak as I thought. Even still, ALL the praise goes to the Lord for a successful surgery and sparing Kenny's life. Thank you all for joining me in prayer. Will update soon with fun july fourth and cow appreciation day pics!

Please pray for Kenny Simmons!

Just asking our friends and family to pray for my sister Shawna's father in law Kenny. He was diagnosed a few months ago with a aneurysm on his aorta. You can not live long term with this condition, it will in time rupture and take your life. The only surgery that is available to try and correct the problem is very risky. Only about a 10% survival rate. After much pray and thought Kenny and his wife Susan have decided to have the surgery. It is this Friday morning. Please keep Kenny in your prayers, asking God to spare his life and for the surgery to be successful. Pray for peace for Susan, Kevin and Shawna and Kenna(Kevin's sister.) Thanks for joining us in prayer.

"We are the world."

This past week Dave taught Ellie the classic 1980's song "We are the World." She really likes singing it and so I decided to show her and Sam the original music video on you tube. It was a big hit with both of them. It is a 7 minute song and Ellie watched it through twice and then asked later on in the day to watch it again. I thought this would be an appropriate post with the death of Michael Jackson this week who both performed and co wrote the song. It was truly one of my favorite songs growing up and I still love to imitate all the different singers voices. I hope you enjoy the Ellie version of "We are the World" by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie.

Super Busy...well not all of us

Now you all know my 2 1/2 year old still uses a pacifier, well she is not potty trained yet either and is not in a big girl bed yet. OK, I know I know this is getting out of hand but the move and new baby are throwing a kink in my plans. She is moving to a big girl bed at the new house in her new pink room! However potty training will wait until a few months after Henry is born.  She has no interest in it and I hear a new baby can cause a child to regress, so it is on hold. But I promise my girl will not go to first grade with a diaper:)
My hearing aid is awesome!!!

MOVING
We are on the move again, we close on a house this week and will be moving next week. It is a long story of how we are moving 7 months after we got into this house but we believe it is the Lords will for us and we are really excited about the new house. We are thrilled and scared to be homeowners again. I will post some pics in a few weeks when we get settled.

Sam's tubes and hearing aid
The tubes went really well, he seems to be doing a lot better since we had them put it. He is happier and seems to be hearing better. Except for the fact that his hearing aid is now getting terrible feedback, so we are having to get a new mold made. Unfortunately it will not be ready for a few weeks. As far as the hearing aid goes, he has been doing pretty good. He is beginning to tolerate it a little bit better when we put it in. He has been great about bothering it once it is in, which we are very thankful. It is hard to tell how much it is helping since he has a good ear but it seems that he is locating sound better and we have heard him making some new sounds. Overall I want to do whatever I can to make sure that his hearing is as good as possible b/c we really desire for his speech to develop as normally as possible. Our prayer for his speech development is that when he is an adult he would as be easily understood by a stranger. And obviously his hearing is essential in this. Please join us as we pray for this.

Sam's Cat scan/neck instability
Sam's cat scan went well, he held still relatively well once we decided to give him an bottle. We did learn from the scan that Sam does have Atlanto Axial instability.


Atlanto-axial instability or AAI describes an increased flexibility between the first and second bones of the neck. Most individuals with Down syndrome have some increased flexibility of joints, called ligamentous laxity, which can affect any of their joints. AAI refers to this condition when it affects the joint between the first and second cervical vertebrae.
Since the vertebrae surround and protect the spinal cord, instability of the joint could place the spinal cord at risk for injury.

Basically we have to put restrictions on his activities. No trampolines, no Summer salts, no contact sports. This was obviously disappointing for us, we want our little boy to be a little boy which includes the rough and tumble. Pray that we will have wisdom of how to protect him but also to let him be a boy.

It is possible that the cat scan could be repeated when he is older and it could show something different and we also know God could choose to heal his neck if he chooses.  This is clearly our hope! 

Well, I need to pack or something... but I wanted to give you a short update, since it might be a while!

Two super cute kids on video!

I thought I would tide you over with these little clips of the kids. I want to blog about a lot of things(we are moving again, Sam's hearing aid, Sam's tube surgery coming up, Sam's cats can on his spine) but these will have to wait b/c I am too tired and need to go to sleep. The video of Ellie is her telling a story that she made up about her dog bubby based on a true story I told her about my dog Rocky. It is very amusing. The one of Sam is him showing off his speedy hitch crawl. The therapists do not like him crawling like this but it is really cute! Enjoy!

Memorial Day, then and now.

Two years ago this memorial day my brother, David went to be with Jesus in Heaven.  Tonight I scrolled through the pictures my sisters friend took at the funeral, they are strangely beautiful pictures.  I could not bare to post the pictures of the family and friends that she took , it was hard to look back at our faces...it still brings back very raw emotions. What a strange day to look back on, so much of that day is a blur. It is kind of nice to have the pictures to be reminded of how special a day it was. Special because I was able to look back and see all of the people that loved David and honored him on that day. He was so greatly loved. He is so greatly loved.

 Providentially today in my Bible reading I read John 14: 1-6

  "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;  believe also in me. In  my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and  the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

What a sweet gift of God to be reminded in his word today that although we grieve we grieve with hope!  We have hope in the sweet sacrifice of Jesus, he went before us into death so that if we believe in him death will not hold us, just like it did not hold Him!! He is risen and because of that there is no fear in death.

 David is already enjoying the room that Jesus had prepared for him and he might even be helping Him prepare ours with our loved ones right now.  I wonder if he is with my grandmothers getting my room just right. Grandma Ann is probably painting some pictures for my room using colors we did not have on earth and Grandma Bishop is probably planting flowers that I have never seen before to go inside it and  she is hopefully making me some yummy  heavenly peach ice cream. And if I know David he is probably  rounding up all our our old pets but especially Rocky and Caesar  to show them where I will live so they can come greet me when I get there.

 Maybe, it does not work exactly like that but I am sure that there will be big reunion with those we love but most importantly with the one who first loved us Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit. I am so thankful that I have this hope on such hard day.

THEN
NOW

David, I know you are aware of how much our family has grown since you left us. Mom and Dad now have 3 new son in laws and 3 new "grands"(as mom likes to put it) plus two more on the way. But no matter how big our family gets there will always be a place in out hearts for you. I only wish you could be with us and share in all the family craziness. But I know that all that you are experiencing is far greater then our best moments here on earth. What a glorious day it will be when Jesus comes for all of us and our crazy family is whole again. More whole then we ever were on earth. I love you my sweet brother and look forward to seeing how you have decorated my room. 

Be there, 

Rachel

Bishop Family Mother's day get-away!

We had a great time down at my sister and brother in laws families home at surfside.   They have a beautiful home on the beach and we enjoyed every minute. It was so fun to be directly on the beach, we were able to easily go back and forth with the kids.  Both kids really loved the beach, Ellie liked the water and Sam loved the sand.  He actually brought a lot of sand home with him in his digestive system.  He  really improved in his self feeding after all of his practice with eating sand. ( I am not kidding about this, it seemed to help.) Ellie loved the beach so much that she would sit on the porch and just beg to go back down.   Her favorite story to tell about the beach trip goes like this...

"Daddy took me way out into the waves(not far at all) and then a big wave(very small wave) hit us and we fell in a hole(this part is accurate) and the water came over us and water got in my nose and mouth and I coughed like this(then she coughs) and I cried(she sticks out her bottom lip.)" My dramatic daughter!  I wonder who she gets that from? Sorry for the lack of pictures I forgot my camera andgot these from someone else.  Thanks Hickman's for a great weekend!

The family, not a great shot of little Sam though!
Ellie is under the towel asleep on papa! So cute!
This is me pregnant with Henry at 27 weeks. Just a hot summer to go!
The beautiful view from the porch