Angel wings

My dad received his wings this afternoon. I will post more later. We love you all and thank you so very much for your love, prayers, and compassion for our family. What a great gift you are to us. We love you, and thank you endlessly.

Dad update

Without saying this in so many words.....I will be direct. There is no easy way. There are no words to make this ok. My dad is terminal. Period. There isn't anything more to do for him. We are devoting our time, love, attention, stories, laughs around his bedside and holding his hand at every opportunity we have. We are telling him how much we love him and showing him every second we can. No one knows how much time my dad has here with us....that is all in God's timing. I am not sad for dad. He is going to be one wonderful guardian angel for my kids. I know this. I just hate that my kids will not grow up knowing their grandpa. I am glad I have the pictures I do and the many stories to pass on to them. I am not mad at God. I do wonder why us, though. I am sure everyone in this position does.

I ask for prayers. Prayers that Dad will remain comfortable. Prayers that Mom will be at peace. Prayers that my brother and I can sort through all this in our minds and accept the truth. Prayers that I will be able to explain this all to Ellie. Prayers that things work out how they are supposed to. Prayers that I will stay strong for my mom. Prayers that my plan does not get in the way of God's. Prayers that I can cherish each moment I have with my dad. Prayers that God will cover our family with grace. Prayers that we are able to show my dad how incredibly lucky we are to be able to call him our dad. Prayers.....Prayers......and more Prayers...... I will keep you updated. We love you all.

There's no such thing as too many prayers....

Dad is a very sick guy right now. We covet your prayers. He received 2 units of blood today. His counts were very low today. He is retaining fluid from his kidneys not working well and that is cause for concern, too. We are glad he is "home" but frustrated by many things at the hospital where he is. I just ask one thing of you..........please, just pray.
Dad in the ER after waiting for 13 hours (after flying home from Florida). How he was awake, I have no idea.

Dad resting today......trying to get that bile out of his system through stents and get that yellow color to leave.

Welcome "HOME" Grandpa....

What a day it has been for my parents. Dad was released from the hospital in Florida and was taken directly to the airport this morning. He and Mom were able to get a direct flight home which was good news. I think the physicians had him pretty drugged up for the ride home. Wouldn't you know it.....the plane had malfunctions and had to land unexpectedly in Atlanta. Mom and Dad had to get on another airplane and wait to get going again. So, instead of landing at 1 something....it was 3:30. A long day for someone who isn't feeling good.

My brother and Brian (and some other family friends) were there when the plane landed and greeted Dad. Mom said he was quite emotional at this point.

They got my dad to the car and took him directly to the Cleveland Clinic ER. That was before 5 pm. Brian just called at it is almost 9 pm. Dad is STILL in the waiting room sitting in a wheelchair. He hasn't sat up for more than 15 min. at a time prior to today, and he has sat up most of the day today without food or pain meds. Brian said he is not hungry and is extremely sleepy. He is quite yellow in color and is just a sick guy. *****NEWSFLASH***** Brian just called. Dad was just taken back to the ER where there is at least a bed for him to lie down in. Time check....8:55 pm. I have no idea how long he will be in the ER before he gets admitted...but I pray it's not too long. They meet with a surgeon tomorrow morning. At least, that is the plan for now.

I ask for your prayers. My dad has a defibulator and so he can not undergo MRI's. The doctors truly don't know what they will find until they "open him up" for his surgery. I pray for good things....for peace for my dad and mom, for continued faith for our family, for understanding for my children, for answers from the doctors, for healing from God. If you have some time....we covet your prayers. So sorry I have not been able to catch up on so many of my friends' blogs. One day things will slow down. For now, we are in a little bubble trying to figure things out. We love you all....and thank you for your unending support. .....until next time.....

Reid and Grandpa....summer 09. My dad loves this little boy to pieces.
A favorite of mine.....Ellie and Grandpa....summer 2005. Dad was just finishing up his first round of treatments in this picture....and we were celebrating.

For Grandpa...

My brother is "home" from Kentucky because he was going to surprise Dad by picking Mom and him up at the airport today. That didn't happen because Dad is back in the hospital in Florida. I had flowers sent to their house here in Ohio that would be waiting on the table for Dad when he arrived home "today". They are from Ellie and Reid...and are just wishing Grandpa a real speedy recovery. Ellie and Reid are ready to wrestle with their Grandpa real soon! So, instead of Grandpa seeing these in person.....my brother took a picture of them to share with Dad. The meaning is still there, and we want Dad (and Grandpa) to know how much we love him and how so many people are pulling for a full recovery. Get home soon Grandpa!!!!!! We love YOU!

Dad update

I have so much to do....so I can't blog long. I just wanted to update those of you who are following Dad's story.

First of all, Dad was discharged today from the Florida hospital. Soon after he arrived at their place in FL, Dad's stent came out. Mom called the hospital and they needed him back to take a peek at things. Just in a short amount of time, Dad became very yellow in color because the bile was not leaving his system as it should have been. Dad is very weak and can not walk alone. He is just a very sick man.

When Dad arrived a the hospital, he had a fairly high fever and so he needed to be re-admitted. He had his stent replaced and was totally sedated. A chest tube was also inserted. They are looking for infection. The fever suggests something is wrong. Now what????

So, as for flying back home tomorrow....no. As for getting him to the Clev. Clinic and admitted....no. He will remain in FL for awhile in the hospital as they look deeper to what this could be. Mom had to cancel their flight for tomorrow and who knows what will happen. He is too weak to fly. Honestly, I don't know if he even can fly. He can't sit up. We need a private airplane to fly him....seriously. Anyone have any connections???? We are grasping at straws and need help. I know he has a lot of people praying....and we need that. We also need a miracle to get him home soon. I believe in them....and I know they can happen. If anyone has any suggestions for me....lay them on me. We NEED him home....and will do what it takes to get him here.

We appreciate you all....and love you for the prayers. Give Mom some prayer time, too. I am sure she could use it about now.

Love to all.....

"C"

"It's" back. Something I NEVER wanted to have to post ever again, but here I am posting about "it".

You see, my dad is a cancer SURVIVOR. An awesome one at that. He has been through more in the past eight years including major surgeries, removal of his jugular vein, removal of part of his tongue, losing his taste buds and ability to swallow without trouble, countless choking episodes many of which landed him in the ER to get the problem resolved, radiation and chemo horror stories, weight loss that never seemed to end, teeth issues from the horrible radiation that destroyed so much of Dad, hyperbaric treatments that lasted for hours and hours, days upon days, weeks upon weeks, countless PET, MRI, and CT scans to last a lifetime, and the pain of going through this process knowing that his family that loves him was watching him suffer. Dad has been through a lot, and we are so proud of him. He is a SURVIVOR and always will be.

But, tonight, my heart, mind, and soul are heavy. I can't even bring myself to say it. So I won't. But, you see....the "C" is back. Yes, it's back. The problem gets even deeper. Mom and Dad are in Florida now, on vacation.....if you call it that. Dad has been in the hospital since last Friday and a mass was found in his bile duct. From what the scans show, the liver and pancreas seem to be clear and "C" free. We pray that is correct.

Dad has been through scopes and scans and all tests seem to show that the bile duct is obstructed by something.....a mass...."C". My mom and dad have the task now of figuring out what to do. Do they stay in FL and get treatment and go through surgery there??? Surgery is going to entail taking some of dad's stomach, liver, and pancreas, take the mass out of the duct, and re-route some things internally. A long surgery with a long recovery time. 8-10 weeks. A stent was put in Dad to help drain some of the bile that is an issue. This will stay in until surgery time....here in Ohio or in Florida. Yeah, I hate "C". I am mad at it....hurt by it....and confused by it. I can't even imagine what Dad is feeling. Or Mom. Dad also has a defibrillator, so some other tests are going to be done tomorrow to see if his heart is in shape to go through this ordeal. Then, they are praying that they will have a concise answer as whether to stay there or make the airplane ride home to meet with his doctors here. I can't make this decision for them....and I know this is probably the biggest dilemma they have had to face.

So, if you don't mind tonight....just whenever you have a second....even after you read this mail, just speak my dad's name out loud for me. God will know the prayer. He knows that we are a believing family and He knows that we are leaning on him with all our strength right now. So, a little prayer for Randy tonight would really help our family right now. I definitely don't understand...and I know it's not my place to question....but this "C" thing is just really unfair...not just to our family, but to so many others as well. So, if you ever have a name that I can pray for...for you....just say the word.

My prayer tonight.....is for anyone out there with "C" including my dad.....just know how much we love you and pray for His will to be done.

I love you, Dad......

Dad and Reid...Christmas 08
Dad and Ellie...Christmas 08

School Days...

What a difference a year makes!!!! Ellie started her second year of preschool yesterday, and I had to look back one year ago when she started her very first day of preschool to compare pictures. Thank goodness for my sitter (love you Jen!) for taking these shots for me. Since I am teaching, my sitter has the big job of dropping off and picking up Ellie from school. I am thankful for my "first day" shots here. Amazing how much Ellie has grown!
Here is one year ago....Ellie as a new preschooler! (just turned 4 yrs.)

Ellie and her friend Rachel one year ago.

Ellie and Rachel yesterday....ready to begin a brand new year of preschool together. Don't they look so grown up compared to the first pics????

My Ellie....ready for her big day. So proud of her!!!!

Zoo Day...

This past weekend we took some family time and used our zoo pass to head to the zoo. The zoo we go to is just the perfect size for small kids and is so nice to get through in just a couple of hours....right before Reid can't take anymore. Ellie wanted to pose for her picture by every green plant we came across....I swear. I think I have about 45 pictures of her by every shrub at the Akron Zoo! Then, my other one....I only have a select few of him with his face even showing because he is always escaping from somewhere or someone. So, here is the best I have from our day!
Ok, Brian and I are seriously contemplating covering our basement with these mats. They are standard gym mats, and Reid absolutely LOVED them. I think he played on them for about 30 minutes and to keep Reid in any location for that amount of time is worth its weight in gold. I bet that's about what I would have to pay for them, too.

Ellie climbing the wall and so proud of herself.

This was a first....Ellie and Reid solo in the train. Usually I cram myself in there with them because I just can't trust Reid. I gave it a whirl, and they did miraculously well. Ellie...I don't worry about....Reid....that's another story!

Picture #13 of 45 by some plant near the tigers!

Probably the funniest picture of the day. I was thrilled to actually get them looking at me and staying in one place for a minute. My little penguins!!!!! It was truly a fun day for us all!

This calls for DESSERT!!!

On Ellie's "real" birthday (last night) Brian, myself, and Ellie went to dinner. Reid stayed with Grandma (it's just easier!!!!). We had a great dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant (Ellie's choice) and as we were ready to get the bill and get situated, Ellie informed us that she wanted dessert. So, the birthday girl got JUST what she wanted......
THIS!!!!!
Diving in....with Mommy and Daddy there to "help".
A job well done!!!! It's official.....we now have a 5 year old at our house. : )

Happy 5th birthday, Ellie!!!!

Tomorrow my "little girl" will be turning 5. I so clearly remember the day we brought her home from the hospital, and how unbelieveably fast she has grown in these quick 5 years. God has blesed us greatly with Ellie, and we are so fortunate to have such a treasure. We love you, Ellie!!! Happy Birthday!!!!!

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Someday.....

...I'll catch up from the start of school with my new 4th graders. I feel like I am just getting into the swing of things here. Hopefully I will be back in the Blogging World real soon with some pics to share. I don't think I've taken a single one since I have been back in the classroom. I will make that change soon. Can't wait to check in on YOU all, too. Sooner than later, I hope......until then!