Through the VB Family Window

Goodbye 2009.... Hello Neglected Blog!

2010-01-01T12:14:00.004-06:00

2009 (like just about every other year) was a rather eventful year for our family. It is funny because I can remember talking to Dave this time last year asking him what we would do for excitement this year. After all, how could we possibly have a year that could compare to any of the previous years of our married life, each which seemed to include many life-changing events. It was bound to be a pretty boring year. Dave was settled in his job. We were done transitioning between different homes in different states. Ella was finished with all of her hospital stays. We were excited to just have a year of settling in and exhaling.

The year was still pretty new when the first exciting event took place. After much more time had gone by than we had had anticipated, we were shocked as we discovered that baby #2 was on the way. I will never forget that feeling of joy I felt at that moment, and how long those minutes of waiting for Dave to finish snowblowing the driveway and sidewalks and come inside so that I could share the news with him seemed. Yes, the year started on a very good note. And my theory of a "boring" year ahead was already proven wrong. :)

With the spring came the first thoughts of how looking for a home to purchase was actually something that we could and should do. We communicated with our landlord and with our selling agent and the ball was rolling. Weeks were spent getting our house ready for multiple showings at a moment's notice (not fun), and going on many showings of our own (kinda fun) to find that perfect home for our family. We finally found a home that fit most of our criteria and became homeowners in the middle of May.

Since we had to pack and move ourselves (we had professional movers the last time) and I was five-months pregnant, this move was a bit more difficult than the last. Having so many wonderful people from church help us, and the thought that this was a FINAL (for a looooong time anyway) move made everything much more pleasant though. Of course, with home-ownership there comes a never-ending list of work that can and should be done. So every spare moment before moving and since then (well, until September 9 anyway) has been filled with painting, tearing apart, installing, and repairing, various parts of our home.

September was by far the most exiting month of anticipated events. September 6 was the Giants/Brewers game at Miller park. Giants lost. Boo. But the Brewers won, so we could still be happy for Dave. And we saw a very rare triple-play. Too bad it was the Brewers' fielders that could brag about it though. September 8 was Ella's first day of school. Kindergarten, here we come! And she went without looking back. Baby listened well and stayed put until after both of these moments had passed. But not for long....

On the afternoon of September 8 I went to a routine doctor's appointment, and ended up being admitted in anticipation of being induced. I had mixed feelings about this, but was filled with nothing but love and joy as we met our new little girl, Lauren Rose at 10:26 am on September 9.

So another move, a new home, a new schedule, and a new baby. I would say that all adds up to another eventful year. I find myself now thinking that 2010 will be rather calm in comparison. Dare I say that?

God is Good and we have been blessed more than we could have imagined. I wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. May God bless each of you in 2010 more than YOU could ever imagine. :)

Our NEW (permanent?) Window!

2009-07-09T22:11:00.015-05:00

Well, to say that we have a LOT to catch up on since Easter is an understatement, I think. Since then there has been quite a bit of change going on with the VB family. We have spent the past couple of months hunting for a home to call OURS for the first time. After seeing about 40 or so places, we finally submitted an offer on one that we really liked - it had just about everything on our wish list. The excitement and whirlwind came during the next few weeks after the offer was accepted. To say that Dave was stressed in dealing with everything needed to close - financing complications, down payment, inspections, securing homeowners insurance, and many other details to figure out - is probably an understatement.

But on June 15, after all was said and done, we became official homeowners! Here is our new place, front and back:

The first couple of weeks were spent trying to both pack all of our (tons and tons of) stuff and complete some of the painting we wanted to do before moving in. I now vow to never ever put wallpaper up anywhere at anytime. Removing it is NOT fun - or easy. We painted most of the basement and then wanted to do Ella's room upstairs as well. Then new carpet was installed into all of these areas just before we moved in. Ella was a great little helper as you can tell!

Here she is painting and then showing off her family portrait artwork:

Here are a couple of pictures of how the rooms looked when most of the painting was done -

The basement main living area: the baseboards and trim still need to be put back up and carpet has since been installed. What a difference!

The basement bedroom AKA "the red carpet room" as named by my sister Annette. Sorry Annette, the red carpet is no longer. I'm sure you are sad. I'm not. :)

And finally, Ella's room: We were pretty thrilled when this carpet came up to see that there was some pretty nice hardwood floors underneath. That gives us a lot of options for what we might do in the future in some of the other areas of the house.

So after all of that work was done, it was time for our big move. HUGE thanks to a wonderful group of people from church, we had everything moved into our new home on Friday, June 26. It was a long and tiring day, but don't know how we could have done it without so many people giving their time and energy to help us.

So now we are slowly but surely getting all of the boxes unpacked and putting a few things into place. We have quite a ways to go yet until we are really settled in, but hopefully we'll get there soon. For now, we are enjoying our new windows and slowly but surely are feeling at "home." I'm still not sure if I can really believe that we actually might finally be settled somewhere. If I can remember and count correctly, I think we have lived in seven different homes in our 8 years of marriage. This is number eight. Ella has lived in three in her five years. This would be her fourth. So this is definitely a first for us. And I think I can admit that it feels pretty darned good. Everyone is invited to our box burning party. :)

Happy Easter!

2009-04-14T15:12:00.008-05:00

We hope you all had a WONDERFUL Easter Weekend! We had a great time spent celebrating Jesus' death and resurrection. What made it even more special was that we were able to spend it with some out-of-state friends that we had not seen for a while.

On Thursday morning my good friend Sarah was able to come for a short visit since she was in the area - well, a little ways away visiting her family in a Chicago suburb. She came with her two little girls and Ella had an absolute blast spending time playing with them. I had an equally good time talking and catching up. And it was fun to see her pregnant belly too! :)

Thursday night our church had a Maundy Thursday service. It was led by the choir and was a service of shadows. Ella thought it was pretty cool how all of the lights went out a little at a time. And she really paid close attention to the Christ candle, which was the last light at the end, and was carried out to end the service. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk with Ella about all of the symbolism involved and how it related to the death of Jesus and how we felt about that. And a great build-up for what we would be celebrating come Easter morning!

Late Thursday night our friends Gerrit and Michelle and their two kids arrived after making the 6-hour drive from Pella, Iowa. We were very excited to have them here and looking forward to spending Easter with their family. And to the many rounds of Settlers and Euchre that we could manage to fit in during our time together. :)

On Saturday morning the dads took the girls to the local easter egg hunt. They had a lot of fun, but we didn't get any pictures since I forgot to give Dave the camera. According to him, Ella had more fun running around and couldn't be too bothered to take the time to stop and pick up many of the colorful eggs abundantly scattered around her. So she came home with a much lighter haul than she could have had. But that was just fine as far as I was concerned.

Later that day we dyed and decorated eggs with the girls. This was the first time Ella has done this, so she was pretty excited. Here are a few pictures of the process and the results:

Getting the different color dyes ready:

Ella carefully decorates one of her colored eggs with stickers:

Showing off her work:

Admiring her four works of art - two glittery eggs and two sticker-decorated eggs:

Tessa and her beautifully decorated eggs:

Later on Saturday the dads hid a few plastic eggs and other little items in our backyard for the three kids to find. They did a great job hiding and the kids did a great job seeking (with just a little helpful hints from us when needed). Ella was pretty excited at how full her basket was at the end.

On the hunt:

Look what we found!

The girls and their loot:

On Easter Sunday we enjoyed a beautiful Easter church service. Ella was not too happy that we chose a lily to take home from the front of church instead of one of the tulips. We tried to explain that we picked the lily to honor her grandma that died since that was her favorite flower. She told me that next time we can order a tulip too for my dog Ginger that died. :)

After a very yummy ham dinner we had to say goodbye to our friends. That's never fun but we were happy to have had such a great time with them and will hopefully see them again soon.

Oh, I almost forgot what happened at the very beginning of our weekend - our 18-week ultrasound on Thursay morning. We know what we're having! It's a....

... GIRL!! :)

Hi Everyone!

2009-03-24T19:04:00.004-05:00

Well, Hello to my mom anyway! It's been a looooooong time since I've posted anything, so I thought I'd better get something on here. So this one's for you mom - finally! (:

We've done quite a bit since December. There's been Ella's fifth birthday, a trip to the Milwaukee museum, kindergarten registration & readiness testing, getting ready for and beginning the hunt for our new home, and last, and most exciting - finding out about the new little brother or sister that Ella will be getting!

Ella is VERY excited about starting school next year. She is definitely done with being at home with me, and ready to move on to more exciting things. I know she would have really enjoyed it if she had been able to go to pre-school but, circumstances being what they have been the past couple of years, she missed out on that. So I know she will begin her first year of school next year with an extreme amount of gusto.

On February 17 Ella turned 5 years old. I still can't believe that my "baby" is growing up so fast! I took Ella and her friend Emily (who is just a few days older than Ella) to lunch and a movie. Then it was home to play for a bit, then have a special birthday dinner, cake, and open presents. Here are a couple of picture of Ella on her big day - one with her friend Emily and one with her princess cake.

She's also very excited about becoming a big sister. It's such a joy to hear some of the comments and suggestions she comes up with. She pretty much took over all of the pregnancy books I have, had to discuss each of the diagrams and pictures, and now claims to know everything about babies. I guess we'll see how she really feels about it all sometime around September 12.

Things to Do In December

2008-12-20T21:44:00.009-06:00

Decorate the Tree!

Run Through the Snow!

Take a Little (okay, maybe a BIG) Taste Of the Snow!

Make a "Car Bus" out of one of the many boxes that have been coming in the mail the past couple of weeks!

Wear Rudolf Clothing! It's especially fun if the nose on your shirt blinks and you have socks with reindeer on them as well!

Enjoy what Ella calls our "Beeee-yoooo-ti-ful" Pointsettia that Pake and Beppe sent to us!

So those are the fun things we have been up to lately. Hope you are having a great December as well! (:

2008-12-19T15:20:00.001-06:00

Who Wants To Come Over?

2008-12-19T11:27:00.005-06:00

Good luck getting here if you do! We have about 11 inches of snow on the ground right now. It's still going - but looks like it will end soon. Here is a picture I took around 10am. I don't think the guy across the street got too far this morning, hee hee.

All of the schools, government offices, and even some malls are closed right now. People are getting their cars stuck all over the place - after spending an hour or two burying them out of the snow. It's a good thing Dave has today off. He worked this past Sunday, so could pick a flex day this week to make up for it. I think he made a great choice!

There's no question that WE are gonna have a White Christmas!

Weekend Fun!

2008-11-04T17:24:00.004-06:00

For Halloween/Reformation Day this year I was a good frugal dutchwoman and talked Ella into wearing the same costume that she wore last year. Even though she told everyone who asked that she wanted to be a sprinkler for Halloween, we had no arguments when it was time to put the old kitty-cat suit on once again.

Here she is, ready to go!

It worked out pretty well because we left to go trick or treating at the same time the neighbor girls came out with their parents, so we were able to walk along with them, which more than delighted Ella.

After many blocks, a few meltdowns (not by Ella though), donning of the glowbracelets, bags of candy getting heavier and heavier, and Ella asking "When is it time to go home?" it was finally time to call it quits for the evening.

We had a great time, and what made it a million times better was that the weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Last year we went out for just a few minutes, and Ella had on her huge coat, gloves, and hat. It was freezing, and not really much fun to be outside. This year we didn't even need any extra layers. Definitely a rarity that we thouroughly enjoyed!

Then, on Saturday morning we were up bright (well, dark actually) and early, so that we could be dressed, packed, and ready in time to catch the train to Chicago. Considering the fact that we could ride the metra train an unlimited number of times for $5 each (and Ella was free) for the entire weekend, we thought that would be a great way to travel down to the big city and would be a fun and somewhat cheap day out.

Ella had a ton of fun on her first trainride. Of course she commented on and questioned just about EVERYTHING. But I think she provided a lot of entertainment to those seated around us. Once we arrived in Chicago, we found out that they had trolley busses that ran for free and would take you to any of the major areas and back. So our cheap weekend became even cheaper. Woo hoo!

We ended up on Michigan Ave, and had to go into the American Girl Store. It was pretty crazy and busy in there, so not as much fun as it could have been to browse, but it was definitely an interesting place to be. Dave called it a whole separate culture. And I would have to agree.

We walked around, found a restaurant that served the deep-dish Chicago-style pizza, and looked in a few more stores. Then we got back on our trolley, rode back to the train station, and boarded the train back home. When we finally arrived at out stop, I told Ella that she was becoming a train expert. She replied "When I grow up, I want to be a train expert." A young woman in the aisle started laughing out loud and had to tell us how cute and entertaining Ella was. Yep, that's our Ella!

Painting and Pumpkins!

2008-10-27T21:44:00.009-05:00

We've had a pretty exciting day of crafts/special projects in our home the past few days. I must admit that I'm not one of those moms that likes to get down and dirty and messy. I'm usually not planning any type of activities that might involve finger paints, glue, scissors, glitter, or any of those other "messy" arts and crafts items. So when Ella and I made a trip to Hobby Lobby (LOVE that store!) this past week, and picked up some wooden letters, paint brushes, and paint, Ella was pretty excited to be involved in the project that was to come. We covered the table in newspaper, got out all of the supplies, and before long we had the letters E-L-L-A hand-painted to match the colors in Ella's room.

Here's my little artist at work:

And here's our finished product! (completed with just a *little* help from me)

Then on Saturday, we decided to make our way to a pumpkin farm to pick out a few pumpkins. There were goats and llamas to pet, play houses to explore, hay piles to climb on and walk inside, and many other fun things that Ella enjoyed running back and forth between. If my camera display hadn't died on me, and Ella hadn't done such a great job of running away each time we finally caught up to whatever attraction she was involved in, I would have captured a lot of cute pictures. But this is about the only one I got.

We did find a pumpkin for myself, Dave, Ella, and Pumpkin. After a much needed nap, we once again covered our table with newspapers and the pumpkin carving fun began!

Ella was our professional pumpkin-scooper-outter. (:

And here is our new pumpking family - a "classic" smile for Dave, a kitty-cat pumpkin for Pumpkin, a goofy smile for mine, and a scary-faced (chosen by her) pumpkin for Ella.

Ella was less than excited when I told her that pumpkins' home would be our front porch. She really tried to talk me into keeping them in the house where she would then be able to see them all the time. Sorry, they had to be outside where they were able to get a good view of the snow (yes, SNOW!) that we had blowing in the air today. Brrrrr!!

Colors of Fall

2008-10-21T23:34:00.010-05:00

So I guess one of the up-sides of living in Wisconsin is that we actually get to experience a taste of the fall colors. I am absolutely in love with the deep reds and oranges that the leaves on some of the trees have turned right now. I can't remember seeing anything so vibrant growing up in California.

So, this past Sunday, Ella was all dressed up for fall as we went to church. It took some fancy talk to get my anti-tights child to put them on, but I think the number of people who commented about how cute she was in her pumpkin tights I think made her pretty happy to be wearing them.

It was such a beautiful, sunny afternoon that I decided to take her outside and try and get a couple of pictures with all of the leaves in the background. Here are a few of my favorites.

So, aren't her pumpkin tights pretty cute? (:

Ella Talk

2008-10-01T15:08:00.003-05:00

Well, I figured it was high time to post another enty onto my "abandoned" blog. And I figured I'd let Ella do the talking on this one since she's been amusing me so much lately. Here are just a couple of our recent conversations:

The other night Ella pulled out one of her very heavy and vibrantly illustrated Bibles that we had not really looked at before. We were looking at the pictures of the creation story, and then read the story of adam and eve. After describing how the serpent had tricked eve into eating the forbidden fruit, I asked Ella if that was what God said to do. She immediately said "No." She paused, looked at the picture of the fuit, and then asked me this:

Ella: "Mom, what kind of fruit is this?"
Me: "It looks like an apple"
Ella: "But she didn't even wash it before she ate it"

Oh, how great of a sin that was commited on that day......

Then just this morning we were talking about all of the special days coming up, and started talking about Christmas. I asked her if she knew whose birthday it was on Christmas. She said "baby Jesus." I then asked her where Jesus lives. Her response: "Is it in another state?" Ha ha. I guess you could say that...... Kind of funny though since she's been talking so much about how Jesus and God live in her heart lately. I guess all of this moving and traveling and talking about the different states where different people we know live is affecting her thinking.

We're Here!!

2008-09-16T20:28:00.010-05:00

Definitely high time for a new post!! Nope, we haven't been traveling to our new home in Wisconsin during the past month -- we made it just fine!!

Here's how it started:

As you can see in the above picture -- it just wouldn't be a move for the vb's without the use of a Pen*ske Truck! The truck was used to retrieve our belongings from Sibley. We never unloaded it in Rochester -- we just backed it up to the big moving truck and loaded the stuff right in!

The professional movers were great! It was definitely a new experience for us. The crew in Rochester was excellent. It was evident they knew what they were doing and loved doing it. We basically just tried to stay out of their way.

After all of our belongings were down the road it was time to clean up the townhouse.

We worked hard and the maintainance man that came to check us out of our townhouse was very impressed with how well we took care of the place!

One of the bad parts of moving is saying goodbye to friends. We made some great friends during our short time in Rochester. Ella too had to say goodbye to her great nextdoor friend whom she loved just to run outside and play with whenever she saw her outside.

But it was time to go ... so we packed up Pumpkin ...

... and headed to Wisconsin.

And this is what we said "Hello" to:

So far, I would say we are really enjoying it. I (Dave) am really loving being able to watch and listen to my Brewers, Packers, and Badgers!! Even though I love my Wisconsin sports teams, I still must admit that Ella looks pretty cute in this outfit:

We're just going to have to replace it with a Milwaukee Brewers World Series Champions T-shirt!!

We're Almost Outta Here!

2008-08-20T16:11:00.004-05:00

Our time here in Rochester is QUICKLY coming to an end. Tomorrow the movers will be here. They will pack everything (including this computer!) up and load up the truck. Friday will be spent deep cleaning our townhouse, returning the "big yellow truck," and then we will do a final walk through and turn in all of our keys. Then....it's off to our next stage in life that will take place in Racine.

On Monday we made the 3-hour drive to Sibley, IA to re-claim all of the belongings that we were so graciously allowed to store there. Man, we sure do have a lot of stuff! It's amazing how you forget about some of the things you have. It really makes you think about whether or not you really need all of those things that can be so hard to part with. We were surprisingly greeted by a nice crew of men and women from the Sibley CRC who helped us move all of the boxes and other stuff out of the building and into the truck. We are truly thankful for the way they generously gave of their time and energy. What a wonderful group of folks!

Ella was pretty excited to find Dave's old bouncy horse (I think they're considered "unsafe" for kids now, so they're no longer made), his old tricycle - which is bigger and better than the one she has now - and his old red wagon, which now has all of the wheels fully attached (thanks Don!). It wasn't easy getting her to let us load them onto the truck. But she finally did, and then dutifully served as Dave's Co-Pilot of "the big yellow truck" on the way back to Rochester. So now we hav a big Penske truck full of extra stuff sitting in the driveway. We'll just let the movers take it from there. :)

Last Friday was Dave's final day as an official Mayo employee. It was definitely happy-sad for him. He's very excited about the job awaiting in Racine, but found it somewhat difficult to leave the job here behind. It was a great experience, and he would have loved for it to have lasted longer I think.

So now - it's time to finish getting ready for the packers that will be here bright and early tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how Ella reacts to the frenzy. And how she reacts when all of her "essential" items are being packed up. It should be interesting.

So the next time I write it will be from a new place. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next few days. Pray that all of the million little details that need to be figured out and dealt with during the move go smoothly.

I'll let you know....

An Evening of Celebration

2008-08-08T11:58:00.006-05:00

Last night we celebrated. Dave and his colleagues each received certificates recognizing the completion of their four units of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education). It was an intimate ceremony. There were three others who completed the year-long residency alongside Dave. Each of them came from very different backgrounds, and each will continue on to very different future endeavors. It was an interesting year. It was a year of spiritual and personal growth. I'm sure Dave will never forget the unique personalities of his supervisors and fellow residents. And I don't think they will easily forget him and his "Christian Reformed doctrinal firmness" either. :)

After they were given their certificates, they responded by reading Robert Frosts well-known poem "The Road Not Taken." They followed it by offering up their own Frost-inspired poem entitled "Residency: The Road We've Taken." Here is Dave reading his verse.

It was an evening of accomplishment, thankfulness, inside jokes, dancing on the stage (by the kids, not the residents), dinner, wine, and warm feelings all around.
Congratulations Dave!

Afterwards, we walked outside where we found music and flea market style booths downtown. We walked around, taking it all in. We never realized what a happening place it is downtown on Thursday nights! And Ella even got to play in the water.

We Have A New Home!!

2008-08-04T19:21:00.004-05:00

Yay! I am just SOOO excited! I was almost scared to write the last post since I didn't want to jinx it, but the house we were so excited about is OURS! Yippee!

I am excited because it is a BRAND NEW one - never before lived in by anyone else! It has a living room with vaulted ceiling and fireplace, a family room, pretty large kitchen, nice laundry room, 2-car garage, 3 bedrooms, and 2 and a half baths. So plenty of room for us and all of our stuff. I think my mom just may be a little jealous! :)

It's actually located just outside of the city, but still super close to all of the major shopping, and still a fairly short drive to the hospital for Dave. Here are a few pictures so you can see what it looks like:

So now we just need to plan all of the details that go along with moving, including the exact date that will be. But at least I won't have to do much packing. Oh yeah, did I mention that Dave was able to make it part of the job offer that they would pay for professional movers? Oh yeah! As much as I just love to pack (NOT!), I am way more than willing to pass all of that work on to the professionals. This is gonna be pretty nice I'm thinking. :)

The Hunt for Our New Home

2008-08-03T22:33:00.005-05:00

Well, our weekend of house hunting is over. Yay! And we survived! We left for Racine on Friday afternoon and spent a good chunk of the day on Saturday viewing different rental properties. One was REALLY nice, a couple were definite possibilites, and a couple were places where we just couldn't envision ourselves living - ever.

The second home we looked at was the one that was really nice. Both Dave and I felt very good about it, and didn't want to "lose out" should it be the one we would decide to go after in the end. So we took a bit of a risk and went ahead and filled out all of the necessary paperwork and gave a small "earnest money" deposit to ensure that we would be first on the list. And it was a good thing we did since two other couples arrived to view the home just as we were about to leave. And in the end, it was the home that was on the top of our list. We would definitely have been a bit disappointed had someone else filled out a rental application first.

We definitely got to know the area much better. And after many u-turns after realizing the roads ahead (that we had planned to drive down) were closed, scrambling to find new routes that hopefully were "closed-road" free, as well as a stop for a drawbridge, we did eventually arrive at all of our destinations. Even if a bit stressed out from all of the construction chaos.

But I think all that we went through was worth it. We did end up finding a home that will be just about perfect for us. So now we wait. We should know whether the house is "ours" for sure in a day or two. So, hopefully we will have some good news for you then! We'll keep you posted!

New County, New Fair

2008-07-31T17:44:00.018-05:00

It must have been about a month or so ago that the TV ads began. And Ella definitely noticed them. She heard the words "fair" and "Rochester" and figured out pretty quick that the fair was coming here. The commercial was on a few times. And every time it was - even if she was in the next room - she heard it. "Is the fair here yet?" is what we heard from her just about every other day.

So, when the time finally arrived, we knew we couldn't let it pass without a visit. We had gone to the county fair last year when we lived in Iowa, so we figured we better go and see how this county's fair stacked up.

So here is our evening, in pictures:

Riding in the Hot Air Balloons:

The Flying Elephants aka the "Jumping Jumbos":

Mini Donuts (they are the "talked about" fair food around here):

Petting the "pony":

The Airplane Ride:

The whole family got to ride in the ferris wheel:

Riding the Carousel (she's petting her horse here):

We definitely made a night of it. And seeing that smile on Ella's face was worth every dollar we paid. :)

Our Future....

2008-07-28T12:47:00.006-05:00

Golfer! Dave thinks she is the next (just a sec, let me go do a little internet research to find out the name he used, I keep forgetting). Okay, found it on the LPGA website - Michelle Wie. So, here she is, the next Michelle Wie!

Dave was pretty excited to "win" the auction for this golf club set for her on e-bay. Just before she swung her club at one point, she looked at Dave and said "Watch me Daddy! I'll show you how to get it done!" Ha ha! That was definitely her quote of the day.

Okay, so seriously though, I am happy to report that we FINALLY do know where we will be living next! Yay! Dave was officially offered the chaplain position in Racine, WI. So it looks like that's where we will be moving. I wanted him to be the one to post this, but he took too long, and I couldn't keep all of our friends in suspense any longer, so I'm finally announcing it!

Our trip to Racine last week went very well. Dave had an extremely enjoyable time during his interview on Wednesday. He is rather excited to join the team there. It truly feels like an almost perfect fit, and he is very comfortable there. A true night and day difference between how his interview in Bakersfield went. We are certainly thankful that he was not offered that position, and that this is where he will be going. There definitley IS a reason for everything! It most definitely is the better position for him, and I think he will thrive there. He was kind of like a fish out of water in California, and I don't think he is quite ready for the environment there yet. I guess you can't easily take the midwest boy out of the midwest - even though that was kind of my hope when the job search process began!

So now begins the task of finding a home to move to. Hopefully finding something that fits the criteria we are looking for and is within our budget will not be too much of a challenge. Please pray for us through this process. Oh, and ask anyone you know if they know anyone in Racine that has a place for rent! Hee hee!

Just One Thing Bright and Beautiful

2008-07-21T21:03:00.006-05:00

Last Saturday night, as I was helping Ella to get ready for bed, we heard Dave yelling from downstairs. "Ella! Come look outside! There's a rainbow!" She quickly runs to the stairs before I could stop her. Uhhhh.. Dave, she's kinda in the buff right now. So he quickly tells her to go upstairs and finish getting dressed. We quickly put on jammies and look out her window. Wow! Yes, this definitely WAS a RAINBOW! We hurried outside, where it was sprinkling just a little, and stared in awe at the sight that we saw in our Minnesota sky.

I wish I could capture the beauty that we saw in pictures, but they just don't really do it justice. I don't think I've ever, in my entire life, seen a rainbow this huge. And how cool to be able to see both the beginning and the end. A "double rainbow" I guess it's called. Definitely not just the small bit of prism that we can sometimes see when the sun shines through the rain.

Oh yeah, this rainbow was definitely dance-worthy. And that's just what Ella did.

"All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all."

Oh what an awesome and good God we have.

Stuck on Politics

2008-07-18T11:55:00.006-05:00

Okay, before your expectations are raised too much, NO, I have just about zero interest in discussing politics. But apparently for Ella, the interest in all of the candidates is starting early. Although from the looks of things so far, she's definitely spreading her vote around.

So, should I be concerned about her first political statement?

"Stuart Smalley" as senator? Hmmm.. The daily affirmations never won me over. So, do you think he'll be good enough, smart enough, and that people will like him? I sure hope not. Now, if Jack Handy were running, that would be a whole other thing. (:

I guess it's a good thing we are moving out of Minnesota soon.

Where our Next VB Family Window will Be Located

2008-07-16T14:55:00.010-05:00

So, you want to know what our future holds? Where we'll be 2 months from now? Okay, just look up. Higher. Yep. That's where the answer is. As of now, it's up in the air. But here's a summary of what the past few months have brought.

So, a few months back, Dave and I had pretty much determined that we were both on the same wavelength as to the area that we felt he should direct his energy in his job search: hospital chaplaincy. For one, this is the area where he feels the most comfortable in and excited about - I guess you could say "called to" - right now. And for another, the whole issue of there being a time constraint on when he needs to move on to a different position doesn't lend itself too well in the area of finding a job as pastor of a church. So it was settled. There would be no more energy exerted on looking at vacant churches, scouring the Banner classifieds, requesting church profiles, sending out letters, etc. etc. etc. The entire focus would be on hospital chaplain positions available. So the search began.

Dave soon discovered that the days of sending out the resume are somewhat over. Each and every position he found required an on-line application to be filled out. And these weren't just basic, one-page applications. They were extensive, exhaustive, and quite time-consuming. So he did have to narrow down the field somewhat. Many hours were spent on his laptop, by our kitchen table. He made a list of cities that represented the applications filled out. The cities were all over the map. Then - our first phone call. A sister from a hospital in Bakersfield, CA wanted to talk with Dave. The anxiety and excitement of the reality of the situation finally set in.

So, Dave survived his first phone interview. About a half hour later, they called back and said they wanted to fly him out there. The flight, hotel, and rental car arrangements would all be made. And he would be going to visit on July 1. So what did this mean? If they were going through all of that, certainly they must be VERY interested in him. It was looking pretty good for this California-blooded girl to maybe be getting back to her home state. And how exciting that we may end up about three hours from my parents and family!

Fast-forward to about five weeks later. Dave called me just after returning to his California hotel room, having survived the gruelling day of his on-site interview. The news came - he was not offered the job. Apparently, they really needed someone who could do much of the end-of-life paperwork - something that the chaplains do not handle in his current residency hospital. But it was really rather odd hearing this news. It would be expected that I would be really disappointed, really sad that this option was taken away. But I wasn't. In fact, I was almost relieved. Very odd indeed.

After his day of travel, and lots of thinking and reflecting time, he returned home. And he said that the more he thought about it, the more he realized that that hospital definitely would not have been a good fit for him. There were quite a few red flags - things that made him uneasy. But he also said that if he had been offered the position, he definitely would have taken it. After all, it was a "bird in the hand," right? So logic would say that this was for the best. But still there was that little blow to his ego.

And now we were at square one again. And there was even less time to figure something out. We had given our two months notice, planning to move out of our townhouse at the end of August - a mere six weeks away. But had no clue where we were moving to. August 20 is the last day of the residency. The paychecks stop. Our health insurance stops. My mom is stressing. Dave is stressing. Me? Well, for some reason, I'm not stressing so much. I suppose I should be, but for some reason I'm not. I know things will work out. I know that Dave has the gifts and talents that will be a wonderful asset to any hospital. They just need to find each other. And, we always have Gerrit and Michelle's basement - they told us a few months back we could always move there if need be. But I don't think they really thought we actually may end up taking them up on it. (:

So, this brings us to where we are today. Well, the good news is that things are looking pretty good right now. Through a personal contact, Dave was put in touch with a hospital in Racine, WI that is looking for a full-time chaplain. Dave had a phone interview with one of the heads of the department last Tuesday. It went EXTREMELY well. He had a wonderful conversation with her. But there was another woman that was also one of the heads of the department, and he needed to interview with her as well. So, more waiting for her to contact him. The weekend came and went, and then Monday morning, they finally were able to get in touch with each other. Apparently, she had been trying to e-mail him last week, but the messages never went through. So on Monday he had his second phone interview for this position. And it went just as well as the first one. Yay!

We are driving out there next Tuesday, and he will have his on-site interview on Wednesday. Although we know that this job is not a certainty, there are a few things that make it very appealing. First of all, half of the position would be in the field of mental health - which is the area that was Dave's absolute favorite over the course of the past year. Second, there is a CRC and a CSI Christian School in Racine. Considering that there is both a need and a desire to stay connected to the CRC, this would be a huge blessing for us. And third, geographically it would be a wonderful area. It is close to Chicago, so flights to CA would be reasonably priced. And it is close to his family and my grandparents, and driving distance to many of our close friends. I could definitely see some road trips to Grand Rapids and Pella in our future. Woo hoo! (:

So, now that you have read (or at least skimmed) my novel of a post, please keep us in our prayers as we continue this whole job-search journey. And please pray for Dave next Wednesday as he once again will go through the interview process. We don't have any definite answers as to where we will be living next, but things are looking very good. And we know that God knows our future. And we know that he both has been and will continue to be there to provide the strength, peace, and comfort to get through any and all of the disappointments and joys in this process.

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Oh, and what post would be complete without a picture of Ella? Here's one of our FIRST PIGGIES! Aren't they cute? She's studying her book about how the digestion system works from Uncle Paul and Aunt Dana.

A Metamorphosis in Our Home

2008-07-14T22:09:00.004-05:00

The day after Ella and I returned home from Iowa, we were sitting out in the front yard and I noticed a cute, furry little caterpillar crawling across our driveway. We watched it for a bit and then got the idea that maybe this would be an opportunity to give Ella (and ourselves) a great science lesson. So Dave found a jar, Ella gathered up grass, leaves, and sticks, and these items created a new home for what then became our new pet caterpillar.

It didn't take long, and the caterpillar made himself at home at the very top of the jar. That night, we could tell that he was already beginning to spin a cocoon. The next morning, we no longer had a caterpillar in a jar, but a cocoon in a jar. So now we just waited. And watched. And waited. And waited some more. Many nights were spent reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "The Caterpillar and the Pollywog." Two weeks went by. My parents came and went. Dave flew out to California. I'm not sure exactly how many days went by, but it was close to three weeks. Then, the day finally came. I woke up, checked the jar and noticed something quite different on the top. What was it you ask? Well, it was this little creature.

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So, not exactly a beautiful butterfly. But definitely a beautiful example of how amazing God's creation is. And a priceless experience for Ella.

Playing Catch Up!

2008-07-13T23:55:00.013-05:00

Wowza! 2 months sure did fly by! Sorry about the super long break from posting, but I'm back! So, without further ado, here are a few pics from the last little while.

In June, Ella and I made a drive to Iowa to visit with some friends there. We had such a wonderful time - Ella played so well with Abby and Sam, and I had some great conversations with Greg and Sarah. And meeting new little Gabe was definitely one of the best parts of our visit. It was definitely worth the 4 hour drive!

Ella and Sam

Ella and Abby - don't they look like twins?

Demolishing (and later re-building) the wagon

"Baby Gabe" Isn't he just the cutest!?

Then, later in June, my parents made there way over from California to visit and see our home here in Minnesota. It was wonderful to see them again since we hadn't seen them since our trip out there in November. And I think it was a much-needed time away for them as well. I hope they were able to relax a little! We didn't exhaust them too much, I don't think. Although Ella certainly did keep them entertained! Here are a few pictures from their time here:

Playing Dolls with Beppe
Ella modeling her new dress from Beppe! (and eating junk food that probably was given by Pakke)

Ella and her Pakke

Yes, we definitely did enjoy seeing them, and it was sad to see them go. We will miss the constant brewing of coffee, the many hands of Rummy, and the many hours spent sitting outside. Thanks for bringing the cans of California almonds and the jars of the yummiest Dutch applesauce! Ella is enjoying them both!

Tulip Time!

2008-05-06T10:33:00.015-05:00

This weekend was another super fun time of visiting friends. We drove about 4 hours south of here to Pella to visit Gerrit and Michelle, and it also happened to be the weekend of the annual "Tulip Time" festival.

The last time we were in Pella for Tulip Time was in 2002 - 6 years ago. It was during Daves year-long internship, and our first year of marriage - So Pella is our "honeymoon" town! (:

We brought the kids down to the parade on Friday night - it was a bit windy and chilly. We shared the must-have funnel cakes, and later, as we shivered in the cold, got some coffee and cappaccino from Casey's - coffee never tasted so good! Here are a couple of pictures of the girls on their spot - although for viewing the parade, the warm laps of their moms was definitely the preferred place to sit!

On Sunday afternoon I took Ella to a couple of places where we could enjoy some of the beautiful tulips. Here are just a few of the pictures we took.

The yellow rose she is holding she got at the parade - for the price of a kiss on the cheek. I couldn't believe how quickly she gave out a kiss to someone she didn't know - just shows how excited and happy she was to get her "lellow" tulip!

I Was Tagged - Guess I'm "It!"

2008-04-29T21:25:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I'm pretty new to all of this bloggy-talk. But apparently there is something called a "meme" - I don't know what it means, but I guess it's what I'm about to do. Sarah (Rose in the Making) "tagged" me in her post, so here goes!

3 Things Meme:

3 places I go all the time:
- Wal-Mart - definitely my #1. In fact, I think Ella thinks that if you can't get it from Wal-mart, it can't be gotten. We get everything there.
- Church
- The Mall. Definitely still getting my fix after living so far from any major shopping for so long.

3 people who email me:
- Carma - she's amazing that way. Me? Not so much.
- My sister-in-law Dana - The Morgan updates always bring a huge smile to my day!
- My Bible Study Leader

3 favorite places to eat:
- El Rosal in my CA hometown (can you say "WITHDRAWAL?") I almost miss their burritos as much as my family.
- Olive Garden
- Fuddruckers

3 places I would rather be right now:
- With one of my college friends, having some "girl talk" (yay! get to do that soon! Can't wait to see you Rebo!)
- Visiting my family in CA
- On a cruise with just myself and my handsome husband.

3 Projects I'd like to get started:
- Packing up Ella's winter clothes
- Getting our file system set-up and organized
- Re-organizing Ella's room and closet

3 people who will do this: Hmmm. Well, only if they want to, I'll say Jen VM, Michelle B, and Carma. No pressure though! (:

3 TV shows I could watch over and over:
- The Office
- Seinfeld
- Sex and the City

The Return of the Rubber Chicken

2008-04-29T00:23:00.008-05:00

This post is for my mom - since she gets a kick out of seeing Ella with her rubber chicken.

Last summer, the rubber chicken was in a wedding gift (roasting pan) that Dave's niece Jennifer opened. Ella happened to be right there, "helping" open the gifts, so quickly claimed the chicken as her own. And so the love affair began. She played with it constantly, and even needed to have it next to her when she napped. Well, when the time came to leave Wisconsin, we conveniently "forgot" to take it with. The next time we visited - a few months later - Jennifer made sure that Ella and the chicken were re-united, and this time she would not let us leave it behind.

But the rubber chicken was an outdooor toy. Considering the fact that it was fed grass, dirt, leaves, rocks, water, and whatever else could be found outside, it wasn't allowed in the house. So the winter went by, and the rubber chicken was neglected. Until this past Sunday that is. Ella spotted it on the shelf in the garage, and was happily reunited with her rubber buddy. Yes, we have a strange child. But she sure does make life fun!

So mom, these pictures are for you! (:

Finally! A SUN-Day!

2008-04-22T23:34:00.007-05:00

Temperatures around 70 degrees are a whole new experience when they directly follow months and months and months (and months - or so it seems!) of FREEZING and snowy winter days. That's what we had this Sunday. And boy, did it feel NICE! (:

But I think Ella loved it even more than we did. She was pretty excited to be outside, soaking up the warmth, and playing with sticks, rocks, bark, kick balls, her tricycle, and.... her rubber chicken.

We were pretty excited to break out some of the spring wardrobe. Thanks mom/Beppe for the tulip clothes you sent in February - Ella FINALLY gets to wear them!

Now, let's just hope this weather sticks around for a while.

Survived the Big 5.2 of 2008!

2008-04-19T14:05:00.005-05:00

We survived the big Midwest earthquake! In case you haven't heard, the Midwest experienced an earthquake yesterday morning. I (Dave) heard about it at work and didn't think much about it. Then at night when I read one of the headlines in the local paper I found out that the tremors were even felt in our city and I thought "That's crazy! The epicenter was so far away from us. These people are nuts!" But then I read the article and saw the time of the earthquake and immediately my memory was jarred.

I was up early yesterday morning because I needed to finish up a presentation I was doing at work. At approximately 4:38 am the cat was sitting next to me on the floor and all of a sudden his eyes got big, he perked up his ears, and was staring at the door. I watched him and then I heard a "crack" and thought "Hmm, that's weird." I even looked over at the door and wondered if someone was outside. Then I just decided to dismiss the thought as nonsense. But ... little did I know that I had just survived my very first earthquake!

Our Little Chatter Box

2008-04-18T23:51:00.009-05:00

This shirt is definitely fitting these days. There is lots and lots of "Ella chatter" in our house. When we got dressed this morning, getting ready to go to Ella's friend Peter's house, we had an amusing conversation:

Me: Do you know what your shirt says Ella?
Ella: "B" "O" "X" "Chatter Box!"
Me: Yep! That's what you are! Are you going to tell Peter what your shirt says that you are?
Ella: Peter can't play with a box. That's goofy and funny momma.

Later, as we were driving, Jars of Clay was in the CD player. Their CD "Redemption Songs." "I'll Fly Away" came on. Ella started singing along. Funny how those words were so appealing to her. It was almost like a kids song - about flying. But then kinda odd too, since it's really about death - well, life after death - but, you know. She loved that song. I think I played it about 5 or 6 times as we were driving today. She was really blaring it out the last couple of times. It made me smile.

We also had a made-up song sung today. Original lyrics by Ella Grace VB: "Snow! Snow! Go A-way! Come again another day! The fountains want to fill with water, Sno-ow, sno-ow, Go a-way!..." Oh, and just for the record, it was raining today, not snowing. But Ella is fascinated with all of the fountains, waterless since winter began, that now are full and flowing.

Tonight, we visited another little friend of Ella's who is in the hospital. Her name is Cady. She is 3 years old and has been having seizures - I think around 50 total in the last week. It's such a scary thing for their family, and there are so many unknowns. She's been in the hospital since Monday, and they are still trying to get the seizures controlled. When we were there, she was pretty lethargic. Had kind of a blank stare. Her mom and dad said she had been like that all day. Her "spark" and "smile" was gone. They were pretty sad about that. After being there for a little bit ("Dora the Explorer" on the TV in the background), Ella blurts out "Swiper No Swiping! OH MAAAAN!" All of a Sudden, Cady's face changes, and she lets out the sweetest giggle. Her mom bawled. And said "Thanks Ella, that's the first time she's smiled all day." A little "RX Ella" was what she needed, it was decided. From then on, lots more smiles and giggles followed - coming from BOTH girls! (:

Yes, I am definitely thankful for my little "chatter box." Life most certainly would not be as awesome without her.

http://www.last.fm/music/Jars+of+Clay/_/I'll+Fly+Away

BOO!

2008-04-16T23:52:00.014-05:00

Ha! I bet you're surprised to see me! It's been a while. As my sister Annette mentioned, we've been having "fun in the snow" for a very long time now. (what's even sadder is that we actually have). I guess when she called to make sure we were okay, I knew it was time to get back on here and post another entry. Yes, we ARE okay!

Ella is as crazy and rambunctions as ever - her stitches are really starting to heal, they've almost all dissolved - yay! And her hair is starting to grow a bit in the bald patches - another yay!

So my family has been pestering me for pics. So here you go. Just for you! Although, believe me, it was no easy task getting these. Ella is anything but cooperative when it comes to having pictures taken. There is just way to much fun to be had running around or making goofy faces.

So, to start, here's what our Easter looked like - Yes, you guessed it - Snow! Our friends Gerrit and Michelle and their family - Tessa who's 5, and Nathan, 1 - came up for the weekend, and we had a wonderful time! Lots of playing in the snow, playing Settlers and Euchre, and catching up with each other. They were our first official visitors since we moved here, and we couldn't have been happier to have them over!

Here are the dads and the girls, getting ready to play in the snow. Tessa went sledding for the first time!

Nathan wants to play outside too!

Then, the following weekend, we had more company - Dave's dad, sister Ardell, and friends Susie and Bea came to town. The ladies stayed with another friend in town, and "Grandpa" stayed with us. Ella absolutely loved all of the attention and activity. She was Grandpa's little buddy when they first arrived - bringing him books to read, and making a spot to sit right next to his. They were quite the pair!

One of the must-visit places on their list was a restaurant called "The Pannekoeken" - specializing in Dutch food. We have two locations here, so we dined at each one, making sure everyone had their fill. Ella thought it was pretty funny how they ran really fast, and sang about pannekoeken when bringing them to the table.

Here's a picture of Ella I took on the Sunday after Easter. You can see what her stitches look like fairly well here.

Here's another picture - I took this just last Friday.

Ella terrorizing/loving the cat:

And lastly, a pic from this past Sunday - look! NO SNOW on the ground! YAY!!

Fun In The Snow!

2008-03-10T16:53:00.012-05:00

Well, I was going to start this post by saying that one thing us freezing midwesterners can do that you sweltering west coasters can't is to play in the snow. But then, a certain california family reminded me with their recent post that they can do that too - and in 60 degree weather no less! Ah well, at least we get the 24 hours per day/7 days a week/unlimited number of winter weeks view of the snow out our window - and don't have to drive to it anyway. Yes, the joys of living in the midwest. Sigh.

But at least Ella loves it! And that's what matters the most anyway, right? And the poor little girl has definitely been jipped of quality "fun in the snow" time this year. With the way too freezing temps, limited daylight hours left once she woke up from her naps, and her expanders being in, outdoor playtime hasn't happened for quite some time......until yesterday that is!

With the pefect amount of snowfall remaining, the perfect (meaning, above freezing) temps, and Ella being pretty much recovered from her surgery, Dave took the opportunity to take her outside for some sledding with daddy! So here are a few pictures of their time together:

Here they are, at the top of the hill. Wait, is that really TWO sleds I see? Can Dave really be planning on sending Ella down all by herself? Oh, my anxious heart....

Yep, she's going SOLO for the first time!

A close-up of that picture - look at that huge grin! I think she loved it!

And....the safe landing. Okay, "phew" I can breathe now.

As soon as she would stop, she would giggle and say "That was Fun! Can I go again Daddy?" And again she went. I lost track of how many times. But it was certainly a LOT!

The next thing she decided to do was to plop down and make a snow angel. Well, angel wings anyway. She got the arm motion down, but wasn't quite getting the whole moving the legs part. After the work was done she would get up, admire it, and find a new space to plop down. It was pretty darned cute.

Here's a picture of the two snow bunnies. Dave knelt so niceley next to Ella for a picture, but as soon as we told her to look and smile for a picture, off she shot up the hill. She never was a willing picture poser, and today wasn't going to be any different. We finally told her that she needed to stand by daddy for a picture if she wanted to sled down the hill again. Bribery works pretty well with 4-year-olds. So she did stand still, but she still wouldn't give a nice smile. Oh well. That's our Ella!

One More Good Thing About Saturday Evening Church Services

2008-03-08T22:06:00.004-06:00

The worst night of the year, for me anyway, has always been this horrible horrible night that is coming tonight - the night where all of the clocks (well, I think there are a few rebel areas of certain states maybe) are "Sprung Ahead" one hour. Sounds so chipper, doesn't it? Well, for me, losing an hour of sleep is a terrible idea. Having to get up for church an hour earlier on this day every year makes for a very groggy morning. No fun at all.

Well, this year, maybe the only year ever, I am not minding the time change at all. We went to church TONIGHT! Ha! And don't have to get up early for anything tomorrow. We are sleeping in! Yay!

Now we just have to hope that Ella will get that memo too.....

So, "Nighty Night" everyone! We will be dreaming about you tomorrow morning as we are sleeping in, snuggled under our covers, and you are walking around your houses with your eyes half-closed, donning your Sunday best! (:

Looking and Feeling Better!

2008-03-08T00:30:00.006-06:00

Yesterday we went to the doctor to get Ella's drain removed. She did SOOO good, and was SOOO brave! The doctor is very pleased with how she looks. He is impressed that some of the areas of skin are already laying quite a bit flatter in so short a time. So a great follow-up report!

The first thing we did when we got home? Took a much-needed bath! I gently washed Ella's hair, but didn't even try to comb it out. Then today, when she came in to my room as I was still laying in bed, the first thing she told me was that I was stinky and needed a shower. Well, that's really a nice "Hello!" I thought! But it didn't take long for me to realize that was she was REALLY saying was that SHE wanted to go in the shower - so that's what we did this morning. So I have a clean-haired girl anyway, even if still dishevelled!

Here are a couple of pictures from today. She has not been a good cooperater posing for the camera lately. These were actually both taken as I "tricked" her into coming into her room. I clicked the camera just as I saw her come running through the doorway. So they are action shots.

Oh, and just to comment on her forehead area - the stich you see is her hairline. What appears to be a bald patch above it is actually not bald, there is a little bit of hair starting to grow back there. This is one of the areas that was pulled out by the surgeon during the expander insertion surgery. So there are hair follicles there, the hair is just really short!

Our Puffy Little Girl

2008-03-05T23:41:00.005-06:00

So we're not exactly sure why, but Ella's face - especially right around her eyes - is really swollen right now. When she woke up this morning, her left eye was just about swollen shut. She definitely looks quite a bit different than she did a few days ago.

Here's a picture I took today - you can see the left side of her head here. I realized that I had not posted a good picture of this side yet. And this is where all of the "pieces" came together - so it's kind of interesting to see. You can also see her puffy little face. Hopefully the swelling goes down soon.

Here's another picture from today. The quality isn't the best (flash setting wasn't right and Dave's feet in the background - oh well!), but I wanted to show that, even with what she's been through, and how tired she is, she's still has a big smile on her face, and joy in her heart - and that makes us smile. (: She also has this sweet little voice right now. It's just so gentle and soft. Makes you willing to do anything she asks of you, that's for sure. (:

Drumroll Please!....................

2008-03-04T15:21:00.006-06:00

This morning was when the drumroll sounded for me - as I snipped the netting and our RN Jim slowly unwrapped the long piece of gauze that was covering Ella's head. Here is what she looked like after surgery, with all of the dressing still on her head:

And here is what she looks like now, with no more skin graft and no more expanders. The beginning of life with a full head of hair once again. (:

With that being done, we were more than ready to go HOME! Well, Ella actually wanted to stay in the hospital longer, but she was outvoted. So today we did just that - and it sure does feel good!

As was expected, Ella was very sleepy (and thirsty!) for quite a while last night. Until exactly 3 o'clock a.m., when she decided to become wide awake, and full of one story after another to tell me excitedly as we sat in the rocking chair. She never really did fall back asleep, and then we had the doctor who is doing a fellowship under ours come in to see her twice, our RN Jim came - to do the "unveiling," - and then our doctor came to see her. After that, it was time for a trip to the playroom, other exciting adventures outside of the room, and then discharge. So, needless to say, by the time we were packing up to go, Ella was beyond tired. Here she is as we are just about ready to leave. I wanted her to open her eyes for a picture, but they were just way too heavy.

Good thing she is now home, in her own bed, and getting that much-needed nap. (:

Surgery results

2008-03-03T17:03:00.002-06:00

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow -- mission accomplished! The journey that began during the afternoon of August 13, 2006 is coming to an end as our Ella once again has a full head of hair!!! Yet, we are not able to see it because her head is fully bandaged.

I had a feeling that today was going to be a good day when I woke up, looked outside, and saw that the horrible weather that was predicted for us overnight seemed to have completely missed us. We made it to the hospital in plenty of time and it wasn't long before we were able to speak to our surgery team. In this conversation they told us that the plan was to remove two of the expanders, deflate the third expander, use what they could from the expansions, and then leave in that expander so we could continue expanding. This made sense to us.

Before the surgery Ella was her usual self. This morning her thing was to play with her cats and pretend that they were trying to escape out of the room. Fortunately, she was able to catch them before any escaped!

About the only time that Ella seemed to get anxious was when they came in the room and told her that it was time to go to the OR. She cried as Sarah and the staff took her down to the OR. But once she was there it wasn't long that they were able to get the mask on her and she was soon sleeping.

Shortly after she was in the OR, Jim the nurse came out looking for us. He was looking for our expansion records that we were keeping at home because he wanted to add to the records that they added 75 cc of water to the largest expander in the OR. This was a major expansion considering that we were usually adding only about 15-20 cc at home. We couldn't believe they were able to add that much and wondered what that must look like. Apparently they did this to get as much elasticity as possible in the scalp.

They originally told us that the surgery would only take about an hour. But it wasn't long and an hour was past, then two, and then three. Finally, we got some word that the surgery was going well.

After about 4 hours the surgeon came to talk to us. The first thing that he told us was that all of the expanders were out and that he got the entire area covered. He congratulated us on how well we did with the expansions and said that the aggressive expansions that we did over the weekend were a big reason for today's success.

The surgeon was extremely happy with how everything went. He said that he thought he might be able to do it today but wasn't sure so he didn't want to get our hopes up. But everything went, in his words, "perfectly." We said it was divine intervention and because of all the people praying for us. He said, "Yep, that's what we said in the OR -- her dad's a minister." Then he told us that the timing of the date of the surgery was perfect since next week he would be in Vietnam doing some medical missions. Granted, he would've preferred that the expanders would not have become exposed and he could have waited until after he came back. Yet, no one was complaining.

Ella is now in her room. She is extremely tired and I don't expect any trips to the playroom tonight. She hasn't quite yet caught the joy of the situation. That probably won't come until she's able to look in the mirror and see that her "pink" is all gone and she now has a full head of hair. Having mom comb her full head of hair is something that she's been looking forward to for a long time!

I end this post where I began -- giving praise to our God! We are thankful for his leadings and his faithfulness! Now we continue to pray, as we have in the past, for Ella's continued recovery.

Out of Surgery

2008-03-03T14:21:00.001-06:00

Ella is out of surgery and is in the recovery room. We are waiting for her to be brought up to her hospital room. Surgery went well -- more details later.

Our Little "Butter-Bwy"

2008-03-02T21:20:00.005-06:00

"Daddy, can you come and play with me?" It's a request heard nightly in our home - after daddy comes home, dinner is eaten, and the dishes are cleared usually. Tonight was no different. Well, except for the daddy coming home part - and having a Sunday with daddy not working is something I definitely don't take for granted!

So, tonight's play activity of choice? Playing "Butter-Bwy!" Dave helped Ella get on her butterfly gear, even put on some of his own (sorry, no pics of that), and they did some butterfly flying and dancing. I'd tell you the words of the song dave made up, to go along with the dance, but I'm afraid they may be copyrighted and I don't want to get into any trouble. Hee hee.

Soon, the game turned into "the butterbwy hits the ladybug (a backpack held by dad) with the plastic bat." That was a new one. Dave called it "an accident waiting to happen" and Ella reapeated that phrase a few times. That game was short-lived, and thankfully an accident never did happen.

So these are a couple of pics of Ella with her expanders - at their largest and their worst. You can see in this one what the exposed spots looks like. They are really an odd thing to see. Sometimes they look black, and sometimes they look clear, depending on the angle. Kind of scary and intriguing, all at the same time - depending on my mood, I guess!

So tomorrow is the big day for Ella. We have mentioned to her that we are going to the hospital and that they will be taking her balloons out. She's not exactly excited about it, but not upset either. So I'm sure she'll do fine - she always does. She has already decided that her baby kitty Curtsy will be coming with her - because she does not "hessle" (hiss) - like the other two boy baby kitties do. She's a "good cat" - the others are "naughty cats." So at least she's looking out for the best interest of her doctors and nurses! She doesn't want them to have to deal with her hissing kitties! (:

It's funny how much different I feel about Ella going into surgery this time than I felt the last time. This time I feel relief and calm. Last time I felt dread and stress. Dave and I are both just so ready for these expanders to be taken out - and to not have to worry about the exposed areas anymore. We just pray that there will be plenty of extra skin to cover the area and we can finally say the word DONE! Of course, we know that it is very possible that there won't be enough, but if we're not done, we will certainly be able to handle whatever needs to happen next. It would just be so nice to not have to. (:

We thank God for our little "butterbwy" - for the courage, strength, and joy that he has so engraved into her little personality. And for the peace and strength he has given us through each step in Ella's medical process. We also thank him for each of you - for each of our family members and friends - who keep us and Ella in daily prayers, and give us the love and support needed to get through everything. Thank you and we love you all! (:

Monday Surgery

2008-03-02T10:36:00.002-06:00

Ella is scheduled for surgery tomorrow (Monday) morning where the surgeons will remove two, possibly all three, of her tissue expanders. This came up quickly but it needs to be done. Last Thursday we sent them pictures showing where two of her expanders were exposed. The doctors decided immediately that two of them needed to come out because there was just a little too much exposed. There is also a good chance that they will take the third one as well -- if they think that there is enough expansion there to cover.

So tomorrow morning it's off to the hospital. We have to be there at 6:45 and Ella should be her surgeon's first case. We are hoping and praying that they can take all of the expanders out and have enough to completely cover the area. If not, they will leave the larger one in and we will keep expanding it. For now, we are aggressively expanding that larger expander and hoping that it will be expanded enough to provide all that they need.

We are confident that all will go well and we are praying for the best results. We'll post updates here throughout the day tomorrow.

Doctor Visit

2008-02-23T09:15:00.002-06:00

We had a doctor visit on Friday. As usual, Ella was all excited to go already as soon as she got out of bed. This time, she herself, had some questions for the doctor. She wanted to know about the drip that was coming out of her "baby balloon" at night time. She was very excited to ask him and was busy practicing her articulation of the question.

Her appointment was supposed to be at noon. But since the doctor sees her on his operating days between operations, we call in the morning to see if the scheduled time is going to work out. Sarah called in the morning and found out that 3:30 would work better. When Sarah told Ella that she didn't have to go until 3:30 Ella said that was okay and that we could just go at the same time and wait in the waiting room. Sarah thought that might be a little bit of a long time.

The time came for the appointment and Ella was again articulating how she was going to ask about her drip. Jim the nurse came in the room first and we told him that Ella had a question. What does Ella do? She starts talking in Curious George language! Jim just kind of looks at her confused. He leaves the room to get his magnifying goggles and Ella starts talking in English again. Sarah and I looked at each other, laughed, and said, "Oh Ella, why in the world with other people do you speak Curious George instead of English?"

We were quite interested in this doctor visit since we had some concerns about two of the expanders. As we have reported in earlier posts, we are not filling two of the expanders because the skin was getting thin in a couple of spots near the incisions. The skin didn't seem to be improving any and there was now one spot where the expander was exposed. So we were anxious to hear the doctor's opinion.

As usual, the doctor didn't seem too concerned. This appears to be his style. We trust his expertise and know that he has seen a lot more of these than we have. He instructed us to keep expanding the largest one (that one looks really good yet) and not to do any more expansion on the other two. Even though we are not expanding them we need to keep an eye on them for any signs of infection. If they were to get infected, the plan then would be to surgically take those two out, use as much of the expanded skin as possible, and leave the other one in and keep expanding it. Needless to say, we are hoping that we don't have to do this.

We are hoping that we can continue on as we are. Right now there is no sign of any infection and Jim says that Ella's body is doing a great job in keeping it away. Our prayer is that would continue to be the case.

I talked to the doctor and gave him a friendly reminder that we really need to have all of this done by August. He didn't seem too concerned and seemed to think that we have plenty of time no matter what happens.

So that's where we are today. We're praying that any infection will stay away. We are thankful that the main expander is still looking very good. And we are thankful for good health in general. When we left, one of the nurses told us that the ER was extremely busy with people with the flu. We are thankful that the flu has stayed away from our house. This might be because Ella doesn't get around any other kids. Yet, with me working in the hospital every day I'm amazed that I haven't brought it home!

Yesterday, my CPE group celebrated the half-way point of our program. We just finished up our final evaluations for the second quarter. For me it was another week of receiving feedback and defending Reformed theology! That seems to get more fun all the time!

All in all, we are thankful that God has led us to where we are. God continues to provide even when our faith and trust is tested. With the recent concerns with Ella's expanders, God's providential hand is again evident in bringing us geographically closer to her medical resources!

Picture Share!

2008-02-19T15:09:00.014-06:00

Well, these past few months, there have been quite a few pictures that have been taken that I have looked at and thought "That needs to go on our blog!" Well, of course, so many of them never make it, and before too long, they have become "old news"

So I thought I'd take this opportunity to post a bunch of the "never-seens" that I think need to be shared. Hope you enjoy!

I'll start with a few from our trip to California last November. I just love how much fun everyone is having here. We wanted a picture of my dad with his two granddaughters, but Ella would not cooperate and sit on his lap or next to him. Of course, when Uncle Paul jumped in to help, she was more than willing to sit by and act goofy with him. (:

My brother Paul and I and holding each other's little girls.

A very rare moment of calm - It was so nice to sit and snuggle with my little girl and my little niece. And they both were normally always in high-energy mode, so having them this calm at the same time was quite the surprise. What a special moment. This was the night we had to say goodbye to Paul, Dana, and Morgan.

Here's Ella and her buddy, Paul's dog Buster. This was taken the morning we left California. This one's for my dad. He thought it was pretty neat how Ella and Buster played together - although the only thing he wants to do in this shot is to share her lunch!

And this is the day after we came back home to Minnesota. Definitely no eating lunch outside here! Snowball anyone? Ella will make you one!

The next couple were taken at Christmastime. This is me with my mom's parents, who live in Wisconsin. It had been quite a while since I had gotten to see them, so we needed to get a picture with myself and Ella with the both of them. This one's for my mom. (:

Next is Dave and Ella playing with one of Ella's Christmas presents - Tinker Toys! Ella requested that her daddy build her a roller coaster, and he graciously complied. (:

And finally, a couple of pictures of my great little kitchen helper! If there's some cooking or baking to be done, Ella always wants to get in on the action!

Making Banana Bread...

And Making Grilled Cheese...

Thanks for looking! And I hope you enjoyed our "catch-up" picture share!

More Ella Logic

2008-02-18T21:59:00.003-06:00

As Ella's vocabulary begins to explode, it is rather amusing to listen to some of the things she comes up with. I really wish I took the time to write so much more of what she says down. It is really hard to keep a straight face during the more serious or strict moments.

But here are just a couple of her words from today:

- When we were talking about the shape of her head, she replied, "It has an upside and a downside." .... Ah yes, in more ways than one. So much more wisdom in those words than she even realizes.

- When we were discussing the injection that needed to be done this evening, she replied,(through her tears) "You can't put water into my baby balloon - it's too old!" .... We've obviously been talking a bit too much about growing older over the last few days, with it being her birthday, and growing one year older and all.

A Very Happy Birthday for Ella!

2008-02-17T22:39:00.008-06:00

It's hard to believe that it was four years ago today that we drove behind the really slow car, in the fog, to the hospital to meet our new little baby girl. Our sweet little baby has sure grown up! It's certainly so amazing to see her change and mature, sometimes seemingly overnight! But at the same time I want to just stop the clock and snuggle with my innocent and sweet little toddler for as long as I can.

But today we turned four. And it was a HAPPY day! Because it was such a special day, we even wore our pretty kitty-cat dress. Here's our birthday girl, posing for pictures!

So, what does every good birthday need? Well, cake, presents, and people who love you of course! And we had all three! I was a bad mommy and forgot to get candles today when I picked up the cake, so Dave had to go out and find some. Ella was so excited about her presents, but did a great job waiting so patiently for him to return before she got to open them. She made lots of good guesses about what could be inside all of them though!

Quite a few weeks back already, I asked Ella what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday. Her response? "Curious George!" As many times as I asked the question, she never once changed her mind about that. So that's what she got. She loved it, and Dave and I thought it was pretty cool too. (:
Here's what it looked like.

And here's our birthday girl letting everyone know how many fingers old she turned today!

Ella got some pretty fun things, but I think her favorite was this book from Uncle Paul, Auntie Dana, and cousin Morgan. I don't know the title, but it's a pop-up book full of diagrams and information about the digestive system - and includes illustrations of throw-up and a little boy pooping on the potty. You probably can't read it, but inside the blue arrow, it says "Guess the GROSS Close-Up" That pretty much sums up the book. Yes, it was "interesting", indeed! (My guess is that Paul picked it out, hee hee) But Ella absolutely LOVES it! So thanks you guys! (:

Even though we had a very small and intimate party - with just the three of us, it was still a great day, and we knew that there were so many friends and family members out there thinking about Ella and remembering her on her special day. We are thankful for all of you, and we are thankful for this day to celebrate the precious little girl that God has so richly blessed us with!

We're Still Hanging In There...

2008-02-15T22:15:00.004-06:00

Well, a little bit of time has passed since my last update. We're still continuing with the expansion process. Ella still is not very excited about the whole thing, but seems to tolerate them better and better each time. So we are thankful for that.

On Wed, the 6th we had an appointment, and they were a bit concerned about how the stitch made to insert the back (medium-sized) expander looked. It had a little black and blue color around part of it, which possibly could mean the skin was stretching a little bit too thin along that area. So it was decided to give that expander a break for the week and to follow-up at our next appointment. We did do that, and in fact only did one filling each in the other two during that week.

The following appointment was this past Tuesday, the 12th, and the spot that was a concern was still looking pretty much the same. So again we would just leave that one alone. But there was also a little bit of pulling now on her smallest expander's stitching as well. In fact, there were a couple of, what appeared to be, holes in the skin along that stitch. So it was decided that we will give that one a break now too. So the only expander we are adding any fluid to at this point is her largest one - the one on the right side of her head. But this is the most important one anyhow, the one that is creating the majority of the excess skin that will be used. The other two (that are getting a "break" for now) are actually almost large enough to serve their purpose. At least that's what the doctor thinks.

During this visit, our nurse Jim injected a small amount of solution into the expander while Ella was letting him know how she felt about it all. She was not happy. Well, maybe I should say that her baby kitty-cat Rhapsody let him know their feelings about the whole procedure - he gave a couple of good hisses and loud meows. It was pretty funny. Jim thought so too.

So her head is looking a little rough right now - with all of the bruising, dark spots, and holes along the stitches, but she is still doing very well. We continue to be amazed at how she takes so much in stride. She certainly is our little trooper.

The other day, she looked at me and said, kind of out of nowhere, "my head looks like a mountain." That's a pretty good description right now. But when she said that, I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. I think I kind of did both.

An Update! Finally!

2008-02-05T14:19:00.000-06:00

Well, we've definitely been through a little bit since my last post. I know I'm very delinquent - sorry mom!

On Wed, Jan 23 (exactly 2 weeks post-op), we went in to the doctor's office for the first saline injections into Ella's expanders. The nurse, Jim, basically explained and showed how the injections were to be done. He walked me through each step of the process - explaining exactly how to use all of the sterile equipment, and how to best keep everything sterile through the process. It was a lot more complicated than we thought it would be, that's for sure! Well, the whole "sterile" part of it anyway. We weren't prepared for that to be as big of a concern as it was. Another thing we weren't prepared for was how big the syringes would be. When you are used to the 5 ml pediatric dosage syringes, the 100ml syringes look rather huge! Like, 20 times bigger huge!

So the first injections were completed. Ella did extremely well. I don't think she was paying a whole lot of attention to what we were doing because there was a rather intriguing cartoon on at the time. In fact, the most upset she got was when Jim blocked her view of the tv. So we were very happy about that. We scheduled to meet with Jim once more on Friday, the 25th where I would basically do the entire procedure alone, as he was watching and coaching, just to be sure we had it down-pat. And Ella once again did rather well, although she did let us know that she wasn't exactly "enjoying" the pressure of the water going in. So we knew she felt something, but she quickly bounced back from any upset. A good sign indeed. We went home loaded down with supplies - six injection times worth.

To date we have done 5 of those injections at home (about every other day) - and Ella has not been a willing participant in any of them in any way whatsoever. We don't think she is necessarily in any pain, but she does feel some pressure or cold in her head, and doesn't exactly care for that very much. I think her being able to see all of the supplies - the needle, syringes, gloves, etc makes her nervous. As does the anticipation of what may be to come. So Dave and I have been through some stressful and tense moments. It definitely is not easy inflicting any pain or upset on your little girl who has been through so much already.

But the good news is that we have been able to smile a bit at some of the ways she has expressed her extreme dislike for the process. Such as the time I brought down the supplies, and she immediately mentioned that she was "Not doing that!" "Not today!" That it was "Not a good thing!" and proceeded to grab the kit and run. She came back downstairs a few minutes later, thinking she had foiled our plan. But Dave easily found it in our bedroom and brought it back downstairs.

And then, as Dave was pushing some solution into one of the expanders, she had a few choice words for him in the heat of the moment. She told him to "get away from me you stupid man!" Huh? Did she say what we thought we heard? Yep. Because she said it again. We're not sure where those words came from, and we definitely would not encourage their use again, but I must admit I had a little smile on my face when that phrase came out.

So, the injection process has not been as smooth as we had hoped to this point, but we are hopeful that it will get better with time as she gets used to the procedure. And the good news is that she does seem to understand exactly what we are doing and why. And she is very excited about having her "pink" go away and to have hair there once again. And she also seems to be functioning amazingly well in her everyday life with the expanders. So we are very grateful for that. She has been able to sleep very well, which was one of our main concerns.

So now, so that you will be able to see the changes in her head shape and size along with us, I am going to post a couple of pictures. I hope to do this every so often, as more and more fluid is injected, and the expanders grow. These pictures were all taken this past Sunday - after the 7 total injections. I took them while she was in the tub because her scalp outline is much more visible than it would be if her hair were covering it. So you really get a good picture of the shape the expanders are taking.

This is a view from the front. I like this picture because you can see she is still smiling - still very much enjoying life! - even with what she is dealing with right now. (: Notice the bulge above her left ear. This is the smallest of the 3 expanders - her "baby balloon" as she calls it. It is almost half full at this point - the goal is at least 65 mL, and we are at 31.

Here is a good view of the largest expander. It is above her right ear, and basically takes up the entire right side of her head. The goal for this expander is for it to have at least 1000 mL. We are only at 150 at this point.

And then, finally, here is a shot of the back of her head - where her medium-sized expander is located. The goal for this one is at least 350 mL, and we are at 112 right now.

So her head is definitely taking on a rather crazy shape, and the bulges will continue to become larger. We will certainly be glad when they are out and everything is done with! We have our next appointment tomorrow (wednesday) afternoon, where they will see how things are progressing and send us home with many more supplies I'm sure.

We had planned on doing an injection yesterday, but Ella came down with a horrible fever soon after she woke up. It was around 102, so I took her in to be checked out. She was very tired, and kept saying that she "couldn't walk good" and that her legs and bones were tired and sore. Of course, my first concern was an expander-related infection, so I wanted her checked out. So she got out of her planned injetion yesterday. But today she woke up and seemed like her usual self, so hopefully whatever it is she had has passed. We are thankful for that!

Now for a picture to leave you with. Daddy and Ella reading Curious George before bed. I love how Ella's leg is wrapped around Dave's arm in such a crazy way. Yes, she truly is our little monkey. (:

Yay! No More Drain!

2008-01-15T18:13:00.001-06:00

For the past few days, Ella has had to function with that super-long tube, with the kind-of-heavy round thing on the bottom, coming out of her head. Like I mentioned before, this made dressing, sitting, sleeping, and almost every other part of normal life a bit more complicated. But the worst part? With it in, she was not able to bathe AT ALL. And considering the mess that had been left from all of the stitches and tubes, I couldn't wait to be able to clean her up a bit. And, thankfully, that day came today. (:

Basically, the drain was needed for all of the excess fluid that the body creates during any type of "trauma" such as a surgery. So all of the excess fluid that was collecting in the pocket under her skin - where the tissue expanders were - needed a place to go. And, as the amount being collected was reduced, the need for the drain no longer existed.

Ella woke up around 4:30 this morning, and when I put her on my lap she said "ouch!" "You hurt me mommy!" When I asked her where it hurt, she said it was on her head - by her tube. And then I could feel something wet on my leg. That wasn't a good sign. Dave got a flashlight, and looked at the place where the tube went into her skin, and said it looked like some of it had come out already - quite a bit. So since the amount of fluid had already reached a low enough point for the drain to be removed, we knew that first thing this morning was the time to take care of that.

Ella did very good. She didn't want to go at first, because she knew that her hair was pulled when the other one was removed, and didn't care to go through that again. But taking it out turned out to be rather simple - a snip of a stitch, and a small pull, and it was out before Ella even realized what was going on. But when the doctor cleaned up the area just a bit - to get the gunky hair there cleaned, that must have hurt, because she started to cry and, when they were done, told the doctor (who was doing a fellowship under our doctor) and the nurse (Jim aka "Tonto") to "Leave me alone!" and to "Get away from me!" And she was inconsolable for a couple of minutes. But I think it was worth it. My fresh, clean-smelling little girl is great to have again. (:

Surviving Life With Tubes

2008-01-13T17:13:00.000-06:00

Well, we have been home for a couple of days now, and the best way to describe our life right now would be to call it "a life of tubes." Because Ella has a few of them. The main tube will hopefully come out soon though - it is the drainage tube, and makes life just slightly more complicated for us right now. We need to empty and measure all of the fluid that it collects. And Ella needs to manage dressing and maneuvering around it. So we will be glad when it's gone.

Here is a picture we took yesterday. You can see exactly what this drain looks like. It is clipped onto the front of her shirt, so that she can walk around. You can also see one of the three ports - the one that is coming out just in front of her left ear. This is the longest of the three. There is another just behind that same ear, and the third is behind the right ear.

You can also see the stitches on her head - there are three on the top. One going down the center, one in the back, and one just above her ear. The fourth stitch is just above her right ear. Another thing to notice is the area between the middle stitch and the bow on her head - the lighter area of skin on the top of her head. Before the surgery, she had hair there. Somehow, it was removed during the procedure.

Her hair is pretty mangley right now. But there is not much we can do. We can't really wash or comb/brush it, so it's quite a sight!

We have had two small meltdowns in the time we were home. The first was yesterday, when Ella wanted to take a shower or a bath. When I told her that she couldn't, she did not like that answer AT ALL. And the second was this morning. Dave and I went to church in shifts so that one of us could be home with Ella while the other of us was at church. It worked out well because the church we go to is only a few minutes away, and there are 2 services on Sunday mornings. So when Dave went to the early church service, and I was getting ready for the later service, Ella was not too happy to hear that I would be going to church without her. It was hard to tell her she couldn't go to church, when she wanted to come with so bad. She seemed to have a counter-argument for just about every reason I gave why she needed to stay home. At least she loves going to church! So hopefully she will be able to come with us again soon.

Here are a few more pictures I wanted to post. First is a picture of Ella's main Christmas present - the Playmobil Hospital. It is pretty cool. And very realistic. She loves to play with it, and probably knows a little too much already about everything that happens there.

Last Friday, Ella and I drove up to the Mall of America. And I let her ride on the airplane. She had so much fun and it was so much fun to watch her beam as she "flew" her airplane! She is getting WAY too independent for my liking though - and growing up WAY too fast!

The day before her surgery, we received a wonderful surprise in the mail - a package from Uncle Paul and Aunt Dana! Inside were some Christmas presents for us all. Ella was so excited to open all of hers! Here she is with one of her favorites - it was a book all about bones and other parts of the body, and came with a model skeleton, that Dave was busy putting together. She slept with the book that night, and the first night back home. Yes, she is still fascinated with bones, and other parts of the human body. She held up one of the pages to me, and said "Look! Here's a gallbladder!"

We're Home! (:

2008-01-11T13:53:00.000-06:00

Just a quick update - Like the title says, we're home! We were discharged this morning, and came home just after noon.

Ella continues to do great. She has had a few moments of some pain on her head - but it's been after a long sleep, so I think the combination of her having been laying down for so long in one stretch, and not having any pain relievers created a little bit of discomfort. But both times she was quickly feeling better once she was up, sitting with either Dave or me, and had a dose of tylenol.

She still has one of the drains attached - the other they pulled out this morning. She wasn't too fond of that happening. And she wasn't too excited about her IV being removed either. But both were over quickly, and she cheered up shortly after the deeds were done. And she is happy that the "machine" on the pole has now been freed up for another little girl or boy who will need it to get their medicine through the tube. She's also pretty proud of her dinosaur band-aid.

I may try to get a picture taken and posted sometime soon. So those of you that aren't too squeamish can see exactly what she currently looks like.

Now, I think I just may take a nap - if there's one thing that the parent's "bed" (term used REALLY loosely) in the room is not, is comfortable. So after two nights with not so much, and not so great sleep, I'm ready to crash. But at least it wasn't 17 days like the last time. For that, I'm thankful. (:

Our Sleepy Little Girl

2008-01-10T12:24:00.000-06:00

Well, it is about 12:30, Thursday afternoon, so Ella is almost 24 hours after her surgery. She is still doing well - and is resting peacefully right now after a busy morning.

Yesterday she was very sleepy and was pretty lethargic, with her eyes closed about 90% of the time. She drank a bit of juice, but it all came up. At around 10pm, the nurse gave her a dose of tylenol (her only pain med right now) but that came right back out also. We tried again, but still no-go. So after a few sheet and jammie changes, and a soaked baby kitty-cat, she was stilll able to sleep the night away, even with no pain meds. So we are thankful for that.

This morning she woke up and complained of a little pain on her head, so we again attempted to give her a little tylenol, and were very happy when this time she was able to keep it all down. She also took a little more juice, some yogurt, and a few teeny bites of scrambled eggs - all which stayed down. Yay!

After eating a bit, she felt good enough to attempt a little walk. The lure of the playroom provided plenty of incentive for that. She walked all of the way there, played a bit, even made a little craft, and walked back to her room. I can tell she was pretty pooped after that. So she is now resting peacefully in bed.

With her being so much more alert and acive today, we are very thankful that her pain seems to be minimal, and that all of the things dangling from her head don't seem to be bothering her at all - there are three small ports which come out right around her ears, and two drainage tubes, which also oome out right behind her ears. These have clear grenade-shaped containers at the ends, where the collecting fluids can be seen. Ella thinks they are her "medicine" - and that it is going "in" to make her better, as opposed to coming "out" - and we are letting her believe just that.

We are very thankful for the many people who are thinking of and praying for her (and us) right now. She is a very lucky girl to be so loved by so many. And we are pretty lucky too. (:

In the room

2008-01-09T15:37:00.000-06:00

Ella is now in her hospital room and she is doing great! The staff person who brought her up from the recovery room was very complimentary in how well Ella did in the recovery room. When they brought her up, Ella was quite calm and was pretty much just laying there and looking around -- almost acting as if what just happened wasn't really a huge deal. We're continually amazed at how well she handles things -- she's just an exceptional little girl!

She has four incisions, two drains, and three ports. Her head is not wrapped at all so we can see everything. Yet we are thankful that she doesn't look near as fragile as we expected her to look.

Right now she is resting comfortably. She is quite sleepy and that's what she's doing right now. The nurse has started her on some pain medication already in order to try to stay ahead of the pain instead of getting behind.

All in all, we feel very good about how everything went today.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

Out

2008-01-09T13:52:00.000-06:00

Ella is out of surgery. The surgery lasted about 4 1/2 hours. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but not because of any major complications. We have talked to the surgeon and he is real pleased with how everything went. Ella is now in the recovery room and we are waiting for her to be brought to the room where we are.

Surgery

2008-01-09T08:56:00.000-06:00

Just posting that Ella is in surgery right now. Getting there went as well as can be expected -- some soft sobbing but no major protesting. We will be glad when it's over and Ella is in her room. Check back for more updates throughout the day.

Surgery Day

2008-01-08T21:23:00.000-06:00

First of all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! I'm sorry that we have not been very diligent lately in our postings.

Anyway, what is more pressing on our minds right now is Ella's surgery that will happen tomorrow, January 9. Yes, tomorrow is the day that that the surgeons will place three tissue expanders underneath Ella's scalp. The surgery is expected to last 2 to 3 hours and we are anticipating a 2 to 3 day hospital stay.

Ella is doing well. Right now I don't think that she knows that she's going to the hospital tomorrow. I guess we'll break it to her at about 5:15 in the morning. We have to be there at 6:00 and the surgery will begin at 7:45.

We are not looking forward to this surgery and the next following months. We dread the thought of Ella having these expanders in. But at the same time, we know that it is the next necessary step in her recovery.

So we are praying that everything will go well. We are expecting that it will. We are concerned about the amount of pain that Ella will be in after the surgery. We are hoping that it will be minimal and can be quickly controlled.

We covet your prayers and will post some updates for you in the following days.

2007-12-19T00:42:00.000-06:00

Thought I'd share some of the things Ella said today that made me smile. Hope they make you smile too. (:

Me: What's that?
Ella: That's a smoke atector.
Me: What is it for?
Ella: That's for daddy's cooking in the kitchen.

A discussion about the bathroom sink:

Ella: What's this hole for?
Me: That's there so that if the sink gets too full of water, it will go down into the hole instead of onto the floor.
Ella: We don't want water to get on the floor....or on our clothes. Clothes are not for swimming (said as she was shaking her head with vigor). They're just for getting dressed.

Back Home

2007-12-15T13:22:00.000-06:00

Well, we've actually been back for almost a week now. So we're getting back into life here in Minnesota.

When we left California, it was cool, fall-like weather. When we got home, we were greeted by freezing temps and tons of snow on the ground. Ella was beside herself with the anticipation of seeing it. On the whole plane trip she kept talking about how she was going to play in the snow - and apparently that would consist of making snow angels and snowballs. We had a little bit of a delay, but eventually made it home and finally into our beds around 3am saturday night/sunday morning.

We had a great time seeing my family in California. Although we were there for three weeks, and ready to come back home, it was still hard to say goodbye. I have lots of pictures to post, but I left my camera-computer cord in California. So you all will just have to suffer through a photo-less blog for a little bit.

On Sunday afternoon, Dave went out to shovel a bit off of the driveway and porch, so we bundled Ella up and let her have at the mound of snow that made up our yard. She had planned on making snowballs, but Dave burst that bubble when he told her that the snow was "too cold" for that. But she had a great time filling up her little saucer-sled with snow, dumping it all out, and filling it up again. But when she was ready to come in, she was READY. I think she all of a sudden realized that her limbs were starting to freeze, and she did not like that one bit. So Dave brought her, crying and complaining she was cold, into the house. We changed her, and snuggled in the chair with a warm blanket and hot chocolate. Welcome back to Minnesota.

Meeting Morgan!

2007-12-07T13:44:00.000-06:00

One of the best parts of our trip to California was getting to meet my new little niece - and Ella's new cousin - little Morgan Keli! Up until she was born, Ella was the only grandchild on my side. So it's quite exciting to have this new little member - finally!

I had the absolute pleasure of spending some quality time with her since I watched her a few times while Paul and Dana were working. At first, Ella didn't have much interest, but she soon became such a great little helper, always making sure Morgan had her burp cloth and her blanket - whether she needed them or not. (: Here is a pic of the only time Ella held Morgan - she was so excited to feed her, even if it only lasted for a few seconds. Aren't they cute? (:

My mom (Beppe) and dad (Paake) also were so excited to hold both of their granddaughters at the same time. Here are a couple of pics of each of them with their two little cuties!

It was so much fun having a little baby around to hold and snuggle - she is a "girl on the move" as I like to say, just like Ella was. She's not too fond of staying still or sitting on your lap. She'd much rather be moving, swinging, and bouncing. So I worked out my "Morgan muscles" in my arms and legs as I walked and walked with her, bouncing and swinging to keep her content and put her to sleep.

Morgan LOVED the ornaments on the tree. Who needs a baby gym when you have a Christmas tree with shiny dangling ornaments? She was mezmerized by the colors and reflections - Ella helped by making some of them swing.

It's so much fun to see my brother Paul with his little girl. Ella loves her uncle Paul to pieces since he is always willing and ready to be goofy and play with her. So I can see already what a wonderful dad he is and will continue to be.

What Dave did with his week off

2007-12-06T11:27:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I realize I'm a bit delinquent in posting, but I'm going to try to add a few things that we've been doing the past couple of weeks.

Dave is now back in cold, snowy, and icy Minnesota, after his enjoyable week in sunny California. Since it was so nice when we arrived, Dave really wanted to find something for he and Ella to do outside together - so we went on a mission finding the "perfect" items for some backyard activities. The result? A green ball and a bucket of play-doh fun! Here are a few pics:

So, who was having more fun? Well, I have an opinion, but I'll let you be the judge of that!

We also had a couple of celebrations while Dave was here - on Monday, the 19th was Dave's 37th birthday, and of course on Thursday 22nd was Thanksgiving. So the days were filled with time together and time with family. Mixed in was a trip to Jack in the Box, a few card games of rummy, and some yardwork at my brother Paul's house.

So Dave survived the time with my family and is now back home, being a bachelor, spending quality time with our neglected cat, and surviving the ice and snow.

On Vacation! (:

2007-11-20T14:12:00.000-06:00

Yikes! It's been a LONG time since I wrote anything. I guess life had just been "boring" - until lately that is! We've had a very exciting and busy last few days!

On Saturday morning we loaded our suitcases and our Ella into our van - amid the flurries of snow gently falling - said goodbye to Pumpkin and Dory, and headed to the minneapolis airport. It was definitely great timing to be leaving the state of MN and going to California. (:

Our day of travel went relatively smoothly. While we were at the gate waiting to board, Dave and Ella studied the plane and all of the activity going on around it through the window. We boarded, the plane backed up from the gate, and then.... we stopped. And waited. And waited. Hmmm. After a bit, I was starting to think that something may be wrong, and then.... the pilot's voice over the speaker...."mechanical problems" Ugh. Oh well, at least we had a more-than-three-hour layover in Chicago, so we weren't too worried. We deboarded and were told that they were getting a new plane for us. Good news, right? Well, Ella definitely did NOT think so. She wanted HER plane! The "gray and blue" one! She absolutely, positively, did NOT want to fly on any other plane but the one that she and Dave had watched and discussed for so long only a little while before. So we white-lied and said that we were going to fly on the same plane. And all was well. (:

Ella did very well on both flights. I was a little worried since she was still working on getting over a bad cold and had been diagnosed as having an ear infection the day before. But she seemed to have no pain or discomfort with the pressure/altitude changes, so that was a relief. She spent most of the time studying the plane safety card. I'm not sure why she is so obsessed with diagrams and manuals, but she is. We landed in Sacramento just before 6pm, and were greeted by a very happy Paake and Beppe. Oh, and by FABULOUS temps also!

We are excited to be here and looking forward to the 3 weeks - yes THREE WEEKS - that Ella and I get to be here!

And I am happy that Dave is getting a week off from the grueling days and nights of chaplain work. He's had some very heavy and emotional times with families - which usually went along with nights of only a couple hours of sleep. And some very draining (yet very valuable and worthwhile) times of self/group analyzation and theological/denominational defense and learning. So it's wonderful that he has this time to step back and breathe a bit. And to enjoy the California sun too. (:

(I'll try to add a few pics in a bit)

Okay - here are is what Ella did on the plane:

Slept - in this position - for a grand total of 15 minutes:

And read and discussed the "airplane card" - for pretty much the entire rest of the flight:

Ella's Ready To Go!

2007-11-01T22:17:00.000-05:00

Here's Ella just before we left to go trick-or-treating yesterday.

You'd think she already had eaten tons of candy!

Happy Halloween! ....Oh wait... I mean "Reformation Day!"

2007-10-31T23:33:00.000-05:00

Usually we have a little girl in our home, but tonight we had another kitty-cat!

Well, tonight was Ella's 4th official halloween, but the first time to dress up and go trick-or-treating. I took her to the neighborhood just around the corner from us - it was a lot nicer than ours, and much more hopping too! And good candy! A few houses even gave out full-size (and even one king-size!) candy bars! No wonder it was hopping! There were tons of kid out, but Dave only had one knock on our door the whole time we were gone. I think we gave out a total of 8 pieces of candy. And I was worried we would run out. So obviously our neighborhood wasn't the place to be.

I guess watching the cartoons from today was just enough for Ella to get the whole "trick-or-treat" thing down. Because we hadn't really said much about it. When we went to the first house, I wasn't sure what she would do. I figured she'd be shy, but not at all. She walked right up, pounded on the door, and said "trick or treat!" just like she was supposed to. Then took the candy and ran, saying "which house should we go to next!?" Yup. She got it down all right.

It didn't take long and her little bag got somewhat heavy. Pretty soon I was hearing her say "I'm hungry" It didn't take long to realize what she was hungry for. And it wasn't dinner.

Her favorite "score" was a little container of play-doh. She couldn't wait to get home so she could show it to dad. Worms, snakes, and pancakes all around!

Here's a pic of our two kitty-cats:

So, hungry for a Snickers bar? Some smarties maybe? Come on over! We've got tons left!

Monkey See, Monkey Questions

2007-10-25T22:52:00.000-05:00

If you ever want to become fully aware of all of the things you do and say on a daily basis, just have Ella - or any 3-year-old, I'm sure - follow you around for a day. You are sure to be enlightened!

Yes, the questions, which have been going on for some time now, seem to have multiplied exponentially over the past couple of weeks. Here is a sample conversation: What are you doing mom? Wiping the counter. Why are you wiping the counter? Because it is wet. Why is it wet? Because water spilled on it. Why did water spill on it? Because it came out of my cup. Why did it come out of your cup? Because I wasn't being careful. Why weren't you being careful? Because you were distracting me with all of your questions.....

Or when I say something that she doesn't think is correct. A couple of examples (both as we are driving):

Ella: Where are we going mom?
Me: We're going to go home, have some lunch, and then it will be time for you to take a rest. That's the plan Stan.
Ella: I NOT STAN!!

This one as we are looking for a parking spot in the parking garage, realizing that there are little to no spaces left
Me: It's a full house in here today!
Ella: This is not a house mom, it's a HOSPITAL!

Yes, anything (and everything!) we do is questioned. But it does not annoy me. It makes me put myself in her shoes, realizing how much of this big and crazy world there is to figure out. Not to mention this crazy English language. And how cool that I am the one that she is looking to to help her do that.

Beauty and the Geek

2007-10-23T21:30:00.000-05:00

One of the shows that Dave and I enjoy watching on Tuesday nights is "Beauty and the Geek". Probably because the beauties remind Dave of me and the geeks remind me of him, hee hee. (: Two Tuesdays ago we missed it because we were in the ER, and then the following Tuesday we also missed it because we went out for dinner since I hadn't been out of the house for a week. So we needed to do a little catching up.

One of the nice things about having the internet in your home is that you are able to view previous entire episodes of many of your favorite shows. So tonight I thought I'd watch last week's to get ready for tonight's show. As I was watching, Dave and Ella came into the bedroom, and Dave hopped up onto the dresser to watch the ending over my shoulder. It didn't take long, and Ella realized that the dresser was a pretty cool place to sit, and she was right up there next to him.

So there I was with "Beauty and the Geek" on in front of me, and a beauty and a geek sitting just behind.

The Brochure

2007-10-19T22:35:00.000-05:00

As I was laying in the ER examining room and the doctors were discussing my upcoming procedure, they handed me a little booklet, filled with diagrams and explanations of everything involved in my gallbladder removal. Needless to say, I didn't read much of it right then, and I didn't take it to the OR with me. Instead, Ella decided to take it, peruse it, and claim it as her own.

Over a week later, she still hasn't let go of it. And I still haven't read it. I tried. Believe me, I did. But then Ella noticed me with it, and quickly shouted "that's mine!" and snatched it away.

She takes it with her when she naps. She takes it to the dinner table. I remove it. Sorry, can't look at diagrams with intestines as I eat elbow macaroni. She discusses every page and picture in it. I am the main character in the "story". She tells me all about what I went through, and what was happening inside. She makes me smile. I guess I don't need to read it when I have her to explain everythig to me.

Tonight, I asked her "what's in your tummy?" - fully expecting her to say what she had eaten for dinner. Instead, her reply was "my gallbladder! I don't have stones!"

Nope, she sure doesn't. But she sure does have a crazy interest in them.

I'm Home!

2007-10-11T16:58:00.000-05:00

Well, as Dave already hinted at, it has been a kind of crazy last few days for us. But, as always, we survived! And I am now home and hopefully will be my (hopefully painless) self soon!

On Sunday afternoon, as I sat in church, I was feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Oh no. My back. AGAIN. As many of you know, I often have lower back pain after certain periods of sitting in places that do not allow me to use the best posture. So I braced myself for an afternoon of spending lots of quality time with my la-z-boy, and my ibuprofen. But it did not get better. Oh, no, it got worse. Monday morning I was in pain. My entire back. I won't go into details, but lets just say my body was going through digestive and monthly issues as well, so I just figured that this was just part of the deal. But it had never been this bad. And never for this long. All day Monday I was in pain. Took a warm bath, which usually helps, but it didn't. Tuesday morning I awoke and actually felt somewhat decent. But it didn't last long. By the time Dave came home, we were discussing how I could get some better, (prescription-strength) pain relief. So off to the ER we went.

Ella was excited to go to the hospital with me. And excited when she saw the bed with wheels I was laying on. Excited to ask the question "what's this for?" at every new gadget she saw. And excited when she heard words like "x-ray" and "ultrasound" Excited to follow my bed down the hall and wait with us to get these tests done. Not at ALL excited when she couldn't go into the room with me. "I want to see your letter!" she said. I finally realized she meant my "bladder"

As the doctor examined me and asked questions, I realized that maybe it was more than just my back that may be the problem. As he prodded and poked, I felt pain high in my stomach - right where my gall bladder was. So further imaging tests had been ordered. And, sure enough, as the US tech moved the probe around my gallbladder, she said "well, I think we've found the problem" Yep, my gallbladder. Gallstones - but not just inside. Apparently one had "escaped" and was blocking the tube where all of the fluid would flow in and out. This was causing the painful convulsions that presented themselves as unbearable back pain to me. So with all of that explained, the doctors asked me "So, do you want your gallbladder taken out tonight? We've got nothing better to do!"

So, after entering the ER around 7pm, I was wheeled off to the OR around 11:30pm. They removed the entire gallbladder using laproscopic surgery - so I have about 5 cuts in my mid-section, but no large incision. I was in my room around 3:30am. I was out of surgery, but still in quite a bit of pain.

The doctor told me afterwards that the gallbladder was very infected and inflamed. So I must have been in lots of pain - and that I would be requiring lots of sympathy from my husband. There were several stones, and they were all too large to remove whole. They needed to dissolve them first, before the removal. So no stone souvenirs in a vial for me.

They were hoping I would be able to go home on Wednesday, but I was in quite a bit of pain and wasn't able to keep much down, so they kept me the next night also. Now I am home, and Dave is picking up Ella from our friend Naomi's house. She was very sweet and agreed to have her stay with them today, and tomorrow also, while Dave is at work.

Although I am not feeling the best, I can tell the pain is lessening, and my mobility is getting better. It sure does feel good to be able to breathe deeper and to reach my arms out a bit. Those 2 things weren't so easy-coming yesterday. Now the goal is to be able to eat a little something and keep it down. If only I had an appetite. Oh, one more goal: to be able to deal with all of the questions and comments sure to come out of an excited Ella's little mind. She is rather excited that my "gallblat" is gone. And that there are bandaids on my stomach. So pray that I have the energy to be able to handle whatever may come out of her!

Minus One (Unnecessary?) Body Part

2007-10-10T21:50:00.000-05:00

As of about 1:00 AM this morning Sarah is minus one gall bladder. She is doing fine and recovering in the hospital. She should return home on Thursday. More details and stories to follow.

Here's a sneak preview: the nurse was impressed with Ella's use of the word otoscope and the doctor told Ella (after hearing her explanation complete with the pictures) that she might know this procedure better than him!

Fun With Blocks

2007-10-06T15:17:00.000-05:00

A few days ago we opened a new box of blocks that Dave & I had bought for Ella quite a while ago - way before she was old enough to really play with them, I think.

She was quite excited, and quickly began building. The first thing she did was arrange all of the different-colored cylinders in a long row on the ground. When I asked her what she was making, she said excitedly "a drainage hose!" Huh? okaaaay....

We've now moved on - to making "little houses" and "fences"

I just love little minds. Especially hers. (:

What A GOOD Daddy He Is!

2007-10-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

Dave and Ella have been SOOOO busy lately.....taking care of all of their babies! This is the latest craze in our household - Ella giving daddy all of the babies to take care of, then telling him what to do with them and how to care for them. Meanwhile, Ella is busy taking care of the "favored baby" - Mama Kitty Cat. There's no mistaking that she gets preferential treatment - only the best stroller/bottle/blankets/food/etc for her. Ella will steal from the mouths of the other babes for her precious mama kitty cat!

(notice mama kitty living the high life in the stoller on the bottom left)

I must admit that this is one of the things I most love doing - watching Dave interact and play with his little girl. It just warms my heart. In the mornings, Ella wakes up very early and goes downstairs, where Daddy is usually up and about already. I listen to them as I am snuggled under the covers and often grin at the many things she will say and the questions she will ask. She certainly is a chatterbox in the mornings, and I love eavesdropping on them! But I know that even though she loves her daddy, she is still mommy's little girl. (:

Up is the Wrong Way

2007-10-01T00:13:00.000-05:00

7:55pm: Daddy takes Ella upstairs to get jammies on and put her to bed

8:08pm: Daddy comes downstairs and tells mommy that Ella is in the tub instead of in the bed because that's where she wanted to go.

8:05-8:40 Ella plays in tub and drinks a lot of bath water, most likely as she was pretending to swim like a fish.

8:55pm: Ella is in jammies and in bed (thanks daddy!)

9:57pm: Ella awakens, cries, vomits in her bed, on herself, on the bathroom floor, on her bedroom floor, and on mom's pajama pants. She is not happy. Gets new jammies on, and, when it appears everything that's gonna come up has come up, goes downstairs with mom to sit and drink a little apple juice.

10:22pm - 10:58pm: Ella sits with mom and watches the last few minutes of the "Post It" episode of S&TC & a half-hour episode of Cops. (shhh...don't tell Dave)

10:42pm: Ella mentions that the food in her tummy needs to go to her foot so that it can get all better. Explains to mom that it's not supposed to go to her mouth, that's silly. It needs to go to her foot which is down. Up is the wrong way.

Mom agrees.

Our Doctor Visit

2007-09-29T14:34:00.000-05:00

This past Thursday was our long-awaited visit with Ella's plastic surgeon to start the process of the tissue-expansion. We weren't sure exactly what to expect, but knew that they were going to get all of the measurements they needed and get the tissue expanders figured out and ordered. The doctor had told us to tell Ella that we'd be doing "arts and crafts." And we knew to prepare a bit of time, as the process may take awhile. So in our minds we envisioned having clay molds and plaster of paris out or whatever else in order to get all of the measurements they would need. But, thankfully, it ended up being much more simple than that.

"I got my new George blanket, my new kitty-cat hat, mama kitty, and my cup. I ready to go to the doctor now mom!"

Our appointment was at 10:00, the first hour of which was spent in the waiting room, listening for Ella's name to be called. Ella got a new box of crayons from the receptionist and found two new coloring books about hospital stays - so this kept here occupied for a while. Then, she found some sort of pink brochure. I told her that she should put it back, to which her reply was "I need this mom." I looked at it and it was called "Understanding Your Hysterectomy." Dave and I shared a smile over that one. But then she decided that I needed to have it, since it was pink and I was a girl, and then found a different brochure that she said was for Dave, since it was blue and he was a boy. It was titled "Disorders of the Pelvic Floor" or something like that. Yikes, I hope Dave's uterus isn't falling out! Finally, Ella's name was called and back to the examining room we went.

We were up on the twelth floor, so had a pretty neat view of some of the downtown buildings. Here is what our view was like. Ella tried to tell us that all of the buildings were garages, and just wouldn't believe when we said they weren't.

Finally Jim, the physician extender (the doctor's right-hand man, or "Tonto" as we like to call him), arrived and started by showing us a couple of samples of what tissue expanders looked like. They were a lot thicker and bigger than we had imagined. The two samples we saw were both oval, one was about 8 inches long and 4 inches wide, and the other about 4 inches by 2 inches. Each had a small tube running from it - they kind of reminded me of a computer mouse. And he also showed us what the port (where the solution would be injected) looked like. Ella really enjoyed playing with these and seemed rather excited that these "balloons" were going to go on her head to make it bigger.

When the doctor came in, he chatted with us about what we could expect over the next few months, and about tissue expanders, and answered all of the questions we had. Then they went through the templates they had and decided how best to maximize using her scalp to end up with the skin needed to cover the injury area. Two of the templates were chosen as the right size and shape for the expanders in the back of her head and on the left side, just above her ear. They decided to create a custom-designed expander that would cover the entire right side of her head. So there was a lot of holding plastic films up to her head and checking to see if the fit was accurate, as well as tracing onto a clear film to create the custom-shaped template. Ella was very cooperative through the whole process, and provided us plenty of entertainment as she excitedly talked about her balloons and how they were going to be on her head and filled with water. In fact, when we left "empty-handed" - she wanted to know when we were going back to get her new balloons.

So the plan is to have three total expanders implanted - two smaller ones and the large custom-designed one. They will create a mold of the custom one, have us back in to make sure it is accurate, and then will send it in to have expanders that shape and size made. So it will take a few weeks before all of the expanders are here and ready to be implanted. Right now we are thinking early December for this surgery.

Once they are in place, it will be an overnight hospital stay, and then she will be able to go home, as long as everything is feeling and looking okay. We will be able to do the injections from home - after watching it be done a couple of times in the office. The plan is to inject a very small amount every day for about two months, or until the skin has expanded enough - maybe more and maybe less. Then they will do the surgery to replace the graft with all of the new-grown skin, and we will be done! I SOOOOO can't wait for that day to be here!

And now, a word from Ella......

2007-09-29T00:55:00.000-05:00

Hope this works...

Our Crazy Last Weekend

2007-09-28T23:41:00.000-05:00

Well, it is almost the weekend again, so I thought I'd better hurry and put a few things down about the weekend we had almost a week ago. It was a weekend filled with good times with good friends - old AND new!

On Saturday afternoon, Carol, Carma, and Kristi drove all the way from Iowa to visit us in our new home. We had a nice and relaxing time with them chit-chatting out in our front yard. Carma's lungs and cats don't get along real well, so it would have been a huge risk to her health for her to come inside considering the fact that one of our family members is a feline. But the weather was beautiful, and sitting outside worked just fine. But we could have done without the bugs. They definitely were not staying away. And they were the tiny little black ones that land on you and then give these little stinging bites. But we survived. Here is a pic of us out in the front yard. Kristi is taking the picture, and Ella is way too busy running around to sit still and be in it.

Then on Sunday morning Dave was scheduled to lead the chapel services at both hospitals in town. So we all attended the second service at the same hospital that Ella was (and will be) a patient in. They called it a chapel, but we all agreed that the room seemed to be much more than what that term implied. It was rather ornate, and we were all rather awed as we walked in. Here is a pic, but even it doesn't give a true representation of what the place really was like.

After this it was more fellowship and food as we ate at the local Old Country Buffet. Everything was very yummy. Ella especially liked the orange soft-serve ice cream they had. Well, everyone did actually...

So that in itself was a pretty busy weekend. Then we received a call on Sunday afternoon after the ladies left, inviting us along on a trip to an apple orchard! Our new friends Ben and Naomi were going with their 2 kids and a few others and wondered if we'd like to go too. So we couldn't pass that up, and off we went! There were small animals, hay bales, pumpkins, and lots of apples! Ella and the other kids helped themselves to one of the free samples, and looked so cute chomping them down! Ella used our wagon ride around the orchard as a good opportunity to polish hers off....or maybe it was a new one she grabbed to take with. Who knows! All I know is that we did a LOT of apple-eating that day!

After the wagon ride, we purchased a bag that we could fill up with as many apples as we picked from the orchard. Dave and Ella did a great job picking the best ones (okay, so maybe Ella picked a few of the not-really-the-best ones, but that was okay too), and our bag was filled up in no time!

Needless to say, we all slept really good on Sunday night! What a wonderful weekend it was!

Ella Has a New Cousin!

2007-09-19T12:47:00.000-05:00

Yay! Ella's not the only grandchild on my side anymore! Uncle Paul and Auntie Dana finally gave her a new little cousin, and Dave and I a new little....
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NIECE!!!!! ( :

Little Morgan Keli arrived at 5:54 am California time - just about 6 hours after they checked into the hospital. She was 8 pounds and 1 ounce, and 19 1/2 inches long. Dana was a trooper and did the whole thing without any drugs or IVs of any kind. What a woman! So Paul and Dana obviously got absolutely no sleep last night. Hopefully they are resting right now. ( :

We are so happy and excited to have this new little baby girl in our family and can't wait to see pictures of her! And meet her!

All this talk about babies has Ella telling me that we need to get a baby that she can help take care of. She's looking at the Hanna Andersson (kids' clothing) magazine right now picking one out for us.

Congratulations Paul and Dana!

Spiderman Park

2007-09-18T15:45:00.000-05:00

After a few colder than normal days and the threat of rain coming over the next few days, we just couldn't let the beautiful Sunday afternoon go by without some time outdoors. So off to one of our neighborhood parks we went.

There are a few to choose from near our home, and we found out very soon after our move that each of the parks has its own name, as given by the locals. Close to us we have "the Purple Park," "the Blue Park," or "Spiderman Park." Downtown is a very large park known as "goose-egg park." I was told that it had to do with the, ahem, "goose-eggs" left on the ground by the many ducks and geese there. But I read that the name came from it's oval, egg-like shape. So I suppose I can decide what the name refers to.

But Sunday's park of choice was the Superman park. The equipment is blue and red, and there are web-likd ropes that the kids can climb on. I suppose that's where the name came from. One of the best things about this park was the giant teeter-totter.

Ella, as always, spent most of the time just running around.

Of course, we once again reflected on how nice it was to have a Sunday afternoon spent as a family, relaxing and enjoying the day and our time together. Ella and I have been enjoying having daddy around on Sundays now.....but don't tell him that. ( :

Friends you choose, but family...

2007-09-16T14:30:00.000-05:00

I know it's been said that you can choose your friends, but your family you are sort of "stuck" with. Well I want to post some pictures of the family that I am very happy to be stuck with!

Last weekend we were able to get together with my (Dave) extended family for my dad's birthday. I remember when we used to have these old fashioned family gatherings all the time. But it's been quite some time since I have had the chance to be a part of one. And I must admit that I didn't realize how much I missed them! It was just a great time to get together with everyone else. There was plenty of food, fun, and just enjoying each other's company!

Since it had been so long since we were all able to be at one of these we decided we had to take some pictures. Fortunately a niece of mine brought her boyfriend along so he could be our photographer.

This is me with my dad and my three brothers and two sisters!

I don't know what's up with the canoe -- it's not like we are an aquatic family! Ella decided she needed to be in this one as well. I guess since she's by far the youngest grandchild she gets special privileges!

Grandpa with some of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Again, the canoe is kind of funny because if it were actually in the water I guarantee that my dad would not be sitting in it!

One big happy family!

Life in Black & White

2007-09-14T21:55:00.000-05:00

New Jammies!

2007-09-10T22:17:00.000-05:00

One of Ella's new obsessions is the whole notion of bones. She constantly talks about all of the bones in her body, how they are getting bigger, how hard they are, and where they are all located. She knocks on them, wants YOU to knock on yours (elbows and knees anyway) and is just basically obsessed with them. So, needless to say, she was pretty excited when she got these new jammies. Her "Bone Jams" as she calls them. Thank goodness it is a cool night (the first one in a LONG time), so she is able to wear them.

Ella Logic

2007-09-09T23:37:00.000-05:00

Just a couple of comments made by Ella on the ride home from WI today.

Ella: "Take my cup mom."
Me: "Holy cow Ella, you chugged this down fast!"
Ella: "I hiding it." "It's in my tummy." "The bugs can't see it there." "They can't get it."

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"I not a bone. I a little girl. Doggies eat bones. Little girls are NOT bones!"

(This said after Ella thought about her day playing with the energetic puppy, who also had jumped and nipped at her pants a couple of times.)

Ella's New Stuff

2007-09-07T22:37:00.000-05:00

Shortly after we moved into our new home, a package came for Ella - from Beppe, so we knew there'd be something really great inside! And there was! Hats! Four brightly-colored hats that Beppe hand-embellished with some of Ella's favorite things - rick-rack, buttons, and kitties! Ella loved them so much, she needed to wear them all at once.

Then a few days ago, we finally went out and got something that will make life much easier for us - another carseat for Ella. Where we live, we have only a one-car-wide driveway, and there is no street parking allowed, so if we need to go somewhere with Ella, we need to take the vehicle with the carseat which means - you guessed it - lots of games of "car leap frog" as we like to call it. So now, whichever car is behind, we will be able to use for whatever we need. Ella loves it. We took it out of the box and adjusted the harness height, and she made herself quite comfortable, putting her cup in the cupholder (which she thinks is just the coolest thing) and read the "buhstructions." She is obsessed with those. I think it's the little diagram pictures they have. For some reason, she just loves looking at those types of things - whether it's the airline safety card diagrams, the exit door diagram, or the carseat/airbag diagram you'll find on your car visor - she loves to look at it. Yes, we have a very interesting child.

Why we LOVE our new home!

2007-09-07T15:12:00.000-05:00

Why Pumpkin loves it:
1 - the windows and doors! How exciting to have all of these huge window ledges to sit on and look out at the world outside! And a sliding glass door too! What a view!

2 - No door to keep me downstairs at night! Now, I get to truly be a part of the family and sleep upstairs with everyone else, just like it "should" be!

Why Ella loves it:
1 - the windows and doors! Finally, windows low and big enough for me to see everything going on outside!

2 - the hill in my backyard! No matter how many times I run up and down, I NEVER run out of energy. My favorite thing to do is to say to mom or dad, "let's race!" I always win of course. Oh, and a lot of times I will find other kids to play with at the top of that hill. Well, to run around with anyway!

3 - the kids! There are a lot of kids in my new neighborhood. They are fun to watch and play with.

4 - the dogs! All of my neighbors seem to have cute little dogs. Daisy, a little chihuahua lives right next to me, and Samson, another small dog, lives on the other side.

5 - the church. It is so much fun playing with all of the other kids there, listening to a story, and doing a "craft" I especially liked the story about how God got swallowed by the fish. Or was it Jonah? I got a little confused when I re-counted it to mom and dad. Every time I drive by that church (which is any time we go ANYWHERE), I always have to comment about the fish I made there. And I can't wait to see what I'll get to do there next sunday!

Why Dave and I love it:
1 - the people! It's amazing how many kind and wonderful people we have already met. Even when shopping, the store employees and other shoppers seem to just be super friendly. Dave took Ella to the park only a couple of days after we moved and started talking to a nice young woman with a little boy just about Ella's age. As they talked, they discovered that her and her hubby graduated from the SAME college in Michigan as Dave and I! And even in the same year! And her dad is a pastor in Oregon serving in the same denomination as Dave. Crazy! Oh, and they attended the church we were planning on going to the first sunday here. So we met them there and then ended up at their home for lunch afterwards. Ella and I have even been on two playdates already at their house and have met some other moms and kids. So that has been wonderful!

2 - the city! We were both ready for large-town living once again, and so far it has been great. So nice to have everything so nearby and to drive in a big town once again.

3 - the schedule! Finally, we just might get to live just like most other people, and have a somewhat normal schedule. It has been so wonderful to actually experience a weekend! We have been able to visit friends in central Iowa two weekends ago, and will be able to go to Wisconsin to see Dave's family and celebrate his dad's birthday this coming weekend. We would never have been able to do that before. And a three-day weekend! What is that! Dave finally got to experience one of those too! We even had the pleasure of having John and Brooke visit on labor day evening for pizza, fellowship, and three games of settlers! Yes, I think this will be a great schedule to have for the year. (:

Yes, God is certainly GOOD, and it is amazing how he has already provided for us in so many ways - especially socially. We are truly getting a great start to our life here in this new town!

Our New Windows!

2007-09-07T14:36:00.000-05:00

Well, we're finally moved in and mostly settled in our new home! There are a few things still in boxes that we need to go through and put away, but for the most part we are all unpacked. So, now that I JUST dug through a few things and found my camera-computer cord, I've got some pics uploaded and am ready to get rockin and rollin on this update! (:

Moving day was great - when it was finally over anyway! We had such AWESOME church friends help us pack and load up on the Iowa end, and then also some help on our "new home" end as well. Thanks John and Brooke for making the drive with us so that both of our cars could make it here and we could put you to work helping to unload!

Here is our truck, just before we closed it up.

Ella danced in her empty bedroom - I was sad to leave this, as it was the one room we spent time painting and decorating. I hand-painted the entire border while 8-months preggos to get the room ready for Ella's arrival. I'm definitely gonna miss it! ):

The pilot and co-pilot of our big yellow truck! Ella just LOVED riding with daddy. In fact, when we stopped half-way for a little lunch and leg-stretch, she absolutely did NOT want to get out. While ordering our food, she asked me if she could eat it in her carseat in the truck. That was the only place she wanted to be, not sitting by some boring table. Yes, she was quite proud of her "big lellow truck!" Just ask Dave, after 10 minutes of driving, he said that he certainly new the truck was yellow, since he had heard her say it only about a hundred times. (:

Pumpkin was not such a willing participant in the move, as was obvious by his constant "protests" during the entire drive, but he survived!

Here we are at our new home!

Ella had TONS of fun dancing and running in the long open truck. Yay! All of the unloading is done, let the unpacking begin!

The first morning in our new home. Ella is all set with her "mamma kitty cat" and her little rocking chair. Now she just needs daddy to get the TV out of that box and make it so that she somehow can watch Curious George before she starts going through withdrawal!

We Did It!!

2007-08-20T16:22:00.000-05:00

I just want to let everyone know that we have completed our move to our new city. We're excited to be here! In fact, we love it already!! We are already amazed at how God is providing for us. He providentially arranged for Ella and I to meet some real nice people at the park last Friday night. Turns out they graduated from the same college that Sarah and I did (one of them even the same year) and they go to the church that we were thinking about trying out on Sunday morning. So we met them there and they invited us over for lunch. We had a great time!!

Right now we are accessing the internet at a local coffee shop. Once we get hooked up at home we'll write more.

In the meantime, take care!

Memories

2007-08-09T10:38:00.000-05:00

There was a funeral at our church on Monday. After 3 years of suffering with brain cancer, the 71-year-old church member and friend finally let go and peacefully left this earth. It will probably be the last funeral Dave will perform for a long time. I was glad that I was able to be there - that we were able to say "goodbye" before we left.

Another pastor, a friend of the grieving family, also spoke during the funeral service. He mentioned that during life, we create many different memories. And that what kind of happens is that we "store" all of these memories in a covered cabinet. And every so often, we visit that cabinet, take out one of those memories, brush it off, and look it over. Then we put it back, and close the cover until the next time we visit this cabinet. But when someone dies, it is like the cover is thrown open, and all of those memories come rushing out, all at once. I liked that illustration. What a wonderful way to paint the picture, the mental image, of how we interact with our memories during our life.

There are now only a few days left until we move. We are living in the middle of boxes and organized chaos. I find that during this time, all of the memories from the past almost-four years are rushing back. The cover to the cabinet of our memories from the time spent in this town and at this church has been thrown open. So many things are going through my mind. So many reminders of things that happened. But, just as all of our things are being packed, these memories will be packed up too. And they'll move with us to the next place. We'll bring them with us through all of the places we'll live. And, every so often, take one out, brush it off, examine it, and place it back on the shelf.

Buddies

2007-08-08T23:59:00.000-05:00

Ella had a day full of some of her favorite buddies. First, it was her favorite kitty cat buddy - "mama kitty cat" as she is known around here. Mama kitty cat was treated to a four-course meal and pleasant conversation by the newly-set-up table in Ella's room. Not sure how she did it, but Ella got that out, unfolded, and set upright all on her own. Looks like they were enjoying it!

Then tonight she was able to spend some time with one of her best church buddies, Bryce. It was so wonderful to be able to get some quality play time in before we move and they will be too far away to play together anymore. Bryce loves to read Ella's books. They were too quiet so I went to check on them, and this is what I found - what cute little readers! And don't you just love Bryce's choice of seat? (That's definitely the right part of the body for it's use in my opinion - hee hee)

Of course, that quiet calmness did not last and soon they were back to their rambunctious selves, running around, up and down, up and down, up and down the stairs. They had tons of fun pretending to be in their "house" keeping out all of the monsters:

This One's For Beppe

2007-08-04T17:03:00.000-05:00

So on June 9 (our anniversary), Dave had the honor of officiating at the wedding ceremony of his niece, and Ella had the honor of being a flower girl. I, of course, had the honor of sitting and watching them perform their duties quite well. Here's a pic of how cute Ella was. (You'll just have to imagine how cute Dave was)

The next morning we were able to be present as the newly married couple opened their gifts. Ella was a wonderful "helper" through the whole thing. Upon opening one of the presents, they found a nice large roasting pan. But what is even more noteworthy is what was INSIDE this pan - a rubber chicken. Ella immediately "took" to this rubber chicken, making it talk, well, crow really, and carrying it with her wherever she went. That afternoon she took a nap, and needed to have it by her side to snuggle with. She played with it non-stop, feeding it (literally) and making it crow. ARRR ARRR ROOOOOO!!!!

She and the chicken were companions up until the day we left. Yes, I was a very mean mother and made us "forget" to take it with. The last thing I wanted was to hear "ARRR ARRR ROOOOO!" in the car for 7 hours straight. Or another thing to move for that matter. But for some reason, I don't think that's the last we'll be seeing of that chicken.....

Last Year's Corn

2007-07-25T21:40:00.000-05:00

This picture shows why eating corn with Ella is so special for us. This is a picture of Ella eating corn one year ago. As you will notice, she has a full head of hair. Eating corn together is one of our last memories of something that we did as a family before Ella's accident. So when we eat corn together, it's more than just a meal -- it's a celebration of God's kindness!

First Sweet Corn

2007-07-23T22:24:00.000-05:00

Our time in Iowa is coming to an end. There is one thing we will probably miss the most - and that's enjoying Iowa's finest - sweet corn on the cob, fresh from the field.

This afternoon a wonderful church member named Joyce brought over a bunch of ears for us. Ella (with a little help from Daddy) husked, cleaned, cut, and cooked the corn, giving us a perfect side for our burgers. It was our first taste of fresh-picked corn this year. And it was YUMMY! Ella loved it. Dave and I had just started eating after getting Ella's plate ready, when we heard "I want more!" Sure enough, she had already finished her whole cob! I think we may have an addict on our hands....

Brothers and Sisters

2007-07-22T21:49:00.000-05:00

So Ella has been obsessed with brothers and sisters lately.

First, there was the kitty litter commercial with all of the cats that are invited over to the other cat's house. At the end, one of the cats says loudly "Hey, That's my sister!" This has become a favorite phrase of Ella's - she'll repeat the expression at any given opportunity.

Then there was the fair. The calf she befriended had two sisters nearby. She said "They're brother and sister!" I said, "No, they're sisters because they are both girls." So of course she had to talk about that for a while.

And then today we were playing with all of her Noah's Ark animals - matching up the pairs. Once we had them all matched up I asked her to tell me which of the two of each animal was the mommy and which was the daddy. She proceeded to go through each kind and say "this is the brother and this is the sister!" So apparently now they aren't mommies and daddies, but brothers and sisters.

You think she's trying to tell us something?

At The Fair

2007-07-21T22:02:00.000-05:00

This weekend the annual county fair was being hosted in our town. It wasn't advertised very well and I didn't even know it was going on until Dave asked yesterday if I wanted to go that evening. Needless to say, like everything else in this town, there wasn't much that was exciting. We had gone 2 years ago and there was at least a fairway with a few rides and carnival games. This year, those were gone and in their place were a few inflatables for the kids to jump around on. It was definitely kind of pathetic. But hey, there were some exciting things for a 3 year old, and we just so happen to have one of those!

So down we wandered, on the pleasant 80-degree evening, down to the county fairgrounds. First, we ate some pork buns (of course) in a pole barn. Then we went to visit the animals. The first building we went into had the bunnies, hens, roosters, ducks, sheep, and pigs. So we spent lots of time talking to all of them. One of the little sheep was coughing and Ella enjoyed watching his little body spasm with each labored cough. She kept wanting to go back to the "coughing sheep" all evening.

Next we made our way into the building with the larger animals. Huge black steer were in pens on either side of a 6-foot aisle, and Ella hurried through - a little bit afraid of them. The horses were next, and she loved looking at them. Then we walked down an aisle that had cows tied to the walls on either side. There was a little one there that a young boy told us Ella could pet if she wanted to. Of course she did and then asked (as she does with ANY animal) "What's his name?" It was Justine. And Justine's two (much larger) sisters were next to her. Ella thought it was pretty neat that they were sisters.

Next we made our way to a building that someone said had trains in the basement - so we went in to check it out. It was a pretty neat place! There was a rather large basement with a huge miniature train system. It was something we never had known had existed the whole time living here. Ella thought it was a pretty cool place - and I think Dave enjoyed it almost as much! So it was a fun evening - watching Ella's exitement was fun anyway - we even went back again today for one last look at the animals and trains.

Moving On

2007-07-20T14:12:00.000-05:00

There are only 25 days left until M-Day. The big move. We will be packing up and moving to a new city, new state, and new way of life. Dave will be trading in his role as head pastor for a small-town church for the role of resident chaplain in a major health facility in a somewhat large city. I will be trading in my role as stay-at-home-mom/pastor's wife for the role of working-mom/Dave's wife. We will be leaving a lifestyle of financial comfort and begin a lifestyle of strict-budgeting and penny-pinching. I am excited. I am ready to move on.

We have lived in this small town for 3 years and 10 months now. It is the only home Ella knows. It has never really felt like "home" to me. We have been through hot and humid summers, colorful fall days, cold and white winters, and beautiful springs. We have had joy and we have had pain. We have experienced small-town life to the fullest. The time spent here has been a true blessing to us. We have learned a lot about ourselves, about people, and about the God we serve. We will be sad as we say goodbye, but happy as we look forward to the year ahead in our new home.

I have come to the realization that this life will contain many new homes over the years. I wonder if any will really ever feel like "home." Maybe none will. Maybe that's how it is supposed to be. For this world is not my home. It is only a temporary journey. But I hope that as I have the opportunity to live among different people and different communities, I may be used by God to serve his purpose, and that He will always be by my side until I finally make it to the home that I long for.

Through Our Window

2007-07-19T21:53:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my (well, "our") new blog!

My hope for this site is that it will be a place to post snippets of our everyday life and adventures. Living away from so many friends and family is hard at times. So I hope to be able to give you all a small glimpse - a look into our window - to let you see how and what we are doing.

But I also hope to be able to look out that window as well - to be able to reflect on our daily occurances. I know that God uses the everyday things - the joys, the pains, and the new experiences - to grow us and shape us to become stronger in our faith and to be a witness to the world around us. I hope you enjoy your visit and that some of what you see will make you smile!