From the Recovery Room

Carol here...I am sitting watching my beautiful boy sleep. The pain meds are keeping him sedated. He roused once not long after we got back here, looked at me and said, "I love you, Mommy," and then promptly started snoring again. The doctor Dad says the fact that he is sleeping means that the epidural they have inserted for pain control is working. Otherwise, at this stage of post-surgery, he would be crying with pain. That's a praise!!

He did wake up again just now and ask what time it is...he has been very concerned about losing precious summer vacation time! We were reluctant to tell him that it had been nine hours since they took him from us this morning! He drank some water and has gone back to sleep. Again, apparently pain-free. Praise God!

So much praise from here -- Dr. Segal told me this morning that he could feel the prayers. Thank you for praying for him by name! He was concerned that if Benjamin had been losing too much blood he might only be able to correct one hip -- Benjamin didn't lose enough blood to even require a transfusion! Both hip x-rays look great (according to Wade!)!!

In addition to the hip and pelvic osteotomies (the hip and socket reconstruction) , Dr. Segal lengthened Benjamin's adductor tendons on both sides and cut his hamstrings on both sides. The goal is that this wonder boy will have more range of motion and MOST importantly will have solid hip construction that will NOT cause arthritis and dislocation!!

I have to share a funny story from our morning. As most of you know, Benjamin is a talker. He had chatted with Wade and I like a trooper until about 7 (we left the house at 5am)...but then he got teary and clearly nervous. The nurse brought him in some Versed (we call it happy juice) just to help him relax until they took him back. It began to work immediately.

The docs came in and asked how he was feeling. When he responded, "Good, real good!", they laughed and Dr. Ozer (anesthesiologist) said, "Well, we must have given you the right stuff!" To which this boy of mine promptly replied in his somewhat-slurred-voice, "Oh, does that mean I get to be an astronaut now?!" (Get it? Right Stuff....oh you can take the Daddy out of NASA but you can't take the NASA out of the family....apparently!!)

Today was a long day. But please, precious prayer warriors, continue to lift up this boy. We are only through phase one. He could still need blood (he has drains in because cutting the bone causes lots of bleeding so they will be checking his numbers regularly to ensure he doesn't need a transfusion.); and because he has eight incisions and so much bone reconstruction, there could be pain. But we serve such an awesome God -- thank you for praying boldly that Benjamin will NOT feel the pain!!

We are humbled by the messages we have received from you today, our sweet prayer warriors; humbled by the kindness shown to us by this dear staff at Phoenix Children's; and humbled by the mercy of our creator who loves this boy EVEN MORE that we do. Amazing.

Blessings.

Recovery

Benjamin is in recovery, please pray for his pain control as he wakes up. Praise God for a good surgery outcome. Thank You All! 

Surgery Done!

Hi Friends, 

Benjamin is out of surgery. Carol said he did great. Thank you for all the prayers. 

Surgery update...

Dr. Segal is almost done. About 30 mins to go. Everything looks good. 

Update on Benjamin!

Carol just sent me a text message. Benjamin is half-way done. She said that the left hip looked great. Dr Dad was pleased! Few more hours..please keep praying! 

Surgery Update...

Just got an update from Carol... All is going well. They are about one-forth done. Keep Praying! 

Benjamin's Surgery

Hi Friends, 

Benjamin is now in surgery. The surgery will last 6 hours. Please Continue to keep him and the Doctors in your prayers. Thank You. 

Time.

I am heading to bed. We have to have Benjamin at the hospital at 6 am tomorrow. Please please dear ones, keep him in your prayers!

Just to remind you -- the surgery will be 4 to 6 hours long. He'll be in ICU tomorrow following and possibly Saturday. Hopefully he will be able to come home by Wednesday.

His surgeon is Dr. Lee Segal -- pray for him by name -- for his wisdom, his steady hands and discernment to know exactly how much to do!

My mom is here with the other kiddos -- they should be spoiled completely rotten by the time I get home! My brother, Len, will be updating my blog until I can get back to the computer!

Thank you for your prayers. Being able to bring this request to you -- my prayer warriors -- is a blessing!!

Refuge in the Shadows...

We live in the desert. Shade is a premium. The trees just aren't quite big enough to offer much respite from the beautiful (but warm) bright sun in the cloudless sky! As a matter of fact, my kids always laugh at me when I find a parking space "under" a small two branch tree at Target and claim the "shade" will help the car stay cool!

And even in the pool, we seek out the shade. Yesterday, Cate was swimming around and kept saying, "Mommy, come back to the shadow part."

This week, after zooming through summer, the days have begun to drag. We, as a family, are getting increasingly anxious to have Friday and Benjamin's surgery behind us. While my kids are being such troopers, I can feel the tension mounting and hear it in their voices, in the way they are getting up earlier as if rest won't come, and the way they are moving through the day as a group...in huddle-mode, if you will.

So, I've been seeking comfort from the ONE that never fails. Have you spent much time in Psalms? Wow. Such beauty. Such comfort. I have to share this from Psalm 36:

"How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings." Psalm 36:7

We spent some time at the Arizona Science Center a couple of weeks ago -- there was a lot to do and see and we had a blast! My favorite thing though was the Shadow Wall...it reminded me of when Wendy had to sew Peter Pan's shadow back on...I was so glad nobody needed that!! Everyone brought their shadows home with us!!

And this morning, I am taking comfort in these cool shots as a reminder of this scripture -- God is my refuge. He will hide us in the shadow of his wings where the harshness of the surgery and the rehab can not touch us. Oh, praise Him!


Mason -- thumbs up is his signature photo stance!

Claire doing a dance...and that third arm is her little sister's!!

Cate showing off her muscles...and pigtails!

And I love this profile of my Benjamin....complete with his joystick and can you see the eyelashes!! (They go on for days!)

Whatever your struggles today, may you find the blessing of being hidden in God's shadow!!

Distracting myself...

Today is Sunday. And we are in quarantine mode around here -- half the family went to church last night, while Daddy kept Benjamin and Cate at home. We desperately don't want this boy getting sick this week, so didn't think he needed to be working in the preschool department (which we all four do on Saturday nights) and of course, if anyone of us is going to bring germs home, it is our littlest angel who is still at the age for touching everything/everyone!

So this morning, I leisurely drank my coffee and read the Sunday paper. Now, those of you who know me, know that I love love to read the paper. It is my news-media of choice, and in a distant reality (read: before marriage and children) I had the pleasure of writing for a newspaper -- a job that even with my oh-so-conservative-slant (rare in the field) I purely enjoyed!

I know I am not the norm. Even in my house, Wade prefers the Internet for his news and always knows things several steps ahead of me. I remember in my Media classes in college (so many years ago), my professors discussed how newspapers would be a thing of the past one day. I felt the sorrow then.

And I felt the sorrow this morning. The Sunday paper is shrinking. The editor has already written one letter explaining the need to combine some sections and minimize the comics. And then today there was another letter from the editor explaining how they are eliminating the TV magazine and making it a subscription-only feature. I don't even read the TV Weekly, it goes straight to recycling. But, I feel the desperation such a move must represent. I only hope it helps.

So here is to the blessing of ink print-stained fingers and to finding distractions wherever possible!

Ah, the therapy in a good cut...

Thanks to Victoria....and her good cut and amazing color (I gave her carte blanche to pick something different....she said this was her vision!)...I am ready to face our week.

It is a blessing to find therapeutic value in the snip snip of scissors!

When the going gets tough...

Well, I was raised in my Mama's beauty shop in Mississippi and if I learned anything there, it was this: When the going gets tough....the tough get....a haircut.

Seriously, I don't think that was a lesson my Mama intended to teach me. But whenever I had a crisis (and you know pre-teen, teen, college-age girls have nothing if not crises!), she suggested a hair cut. So, today, I am totally conditioned. When I feel stressed, I need to hear the snip snip of scissors!

So this is what we did today....the boys went from this:

To this:

And I have an appointment tomorrow!!

Ah, the blessing of the quick fix!!

A day

I've wanted to post all day. But today was one of those days. You know. THOSE days. A day where for absolutely no logical reason I kept tearing up in the middle of Target. Actually needing to weep.

Oh, I bought the groceries (and all the various and sundry non-essentials that I always leave Target with -- like the adorable big sunflower bucket that was on sale for 50 percent off and will look so cute with ice and drinks....). And I did the ironing today. And I played dollhouse with my littlest girl. And attempted to make paint selections for the niches.

See, I did some stuff. I did NOT sit and ponder the surgery sneaking up on me. And I waited until dark-thirty to even type about it. But it was sitting with me all day. All day.

Maybe it's because I think Benjamin is starting to "feel" the stress a bit. He had a non-explainable attitude yesterday that left him in tears of frustration. We talked but he kept saying he isn't worried. Then sweet little Cate woke up this morning and right off the bat she said, "Mommy, I think I know why Benjamin was bad yesterday." Hmm, I said, you do? "Yes, she said. It's because he watches Batman." (Currently, for Cate, the root of all evil in the world stems from watching too much Batman. Not sure why.) I said, oh, I think he might be worried about his surgery. And this three-year-old looked utterly relieved as she looked at me and said, "OH! Well, I can pray about that for him!" And she did.

So, while I know you have July 31 on your prayer calendars, would it be greedy to ask you to cover us this week as well? Just that our hearts would be comforted and protected from the need to obsess and fret?!!

Blessings to you, my friends.

Blessings in the big sky

Last week was exciting for me. I attended my first ever Homeschool Conference. I was astounded by the number of people. Astounded by the fervor for which they pursue the discipleship of their children. And humbled by the fact that many of the issues that have frustrated my children in their learning experiences (both in school and by ME) could have been lessened (if not completely avoided) by my earlier recognition of their learning styles.

But as my dear friend has advised me...now is not a time to look backward, only forward! So I am eagerly anticipating a school year where we learn from the past -- without dwelling on it -- and try some new (to us) and exciting things! I can not wait!!

Now, you should know that I go to the gym very early in the mornings. And while it is a crazy-early hour, it is absolutely vital to my state of mind. I put in my Ipod full of praise music and pound out stress, frustration and anxiety on that treadmill while pouring out my heart to God.

Now, we are sailing right into July 31, folks. And so, you probably can imagine the focus of so many of my prayers right now -- Benjamin, Benjamin's surgeon, my other kids while I'm away at the hospital, Benjamin, Benjamin's surgical team, you know. And so as I left the gym this morning, I was still mid-prayer. But the sun had come up and the cloud cover -- so unusual in our part of the country -- was making the light shimmer as I got in my van. I backed the car out and looked up at the sky to see...

A huge FULL rainbow! Full! Complete. So vivid that I could totally make out the red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple! It was glorious. And I felt the complete assurance that God intended with the first rainbow:

"Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." Genesis 9:16

Oh, thank you, Lord. Thank you for the peace that only you can give!

Rest assured, my friends, that perfect peace is a blessing indeed.

This is all that was left of my beautiful rainbow by the time I reached home...can you see it? Trust me, it was majestic!

The previously scheduled post...

Before I begin my last post on our wonder-filled Summer 2009 Trip to Disneyland, I have to give you a little background info...so bear with me.

As far back as I can remember, I have been a huge fan of Dumbo. Huge. And if you know me at all, you know that I don't even for a second consider this a coincidence...no, absolutely not. God has been preparing me for mothering my sweet boys with their own special needs (like Dumbo's amazing ears) my entire life!

Now, you probably also know -- and if you didn't you maybe could have deduced -- that Wade and I went to Disney World for our honeymoon (My first Disney trip ever!). After one of the parades, where we had seen Dumbo in the final float, Wade and I made a beeline for ToonTown where we were told the characters in the parade would be greeting guests. Wade knew that I really would cherish a photo with the elephant with overgrown ears. Sadly, upon our arrival at ToonTown, we were told that Dumbo had flown to Disneyland in California. Really. To which I promptly sat down on a bench and shed a few tears. (Would this be a good point to interject that I had gotten very ill prior to our wedding with Mono....actually fainting on my sweet Wade three weeks before the wedding and having to be rushed to the Emergency Room? Clearly, the exhaustion of our beautiful wedding day and the fun of WDW was catching up with me...but Wade rarely tells the kids that part when recounting the story...much better to believe Mommy cried over Dumbo at a completely grown-up age!)

So, now that you have the appropriate background info...you should know that Claire is following right in my footsteps with a complete adoration of that cute elephant. So, when Wade heard that for the first time ever -- EVER -- Dumbo would be flying in the fireworks at Disneyland, we began booking our tickets!!

As we approached the trip, Disney announced they would be having a patriotic firework show (read: no Dumbo) every night but ONE of our trip. I don't take my prayer time lightly...but I can confess that I actually prayed for good weather that night so not to disappoint my children (by then all four were absolutely giddy with anticipation). And OK, I didn't want to test whether my disappointment in 1991 at WDW was completely illness-related or not!

And friends, it was a perfect night. The weather was lovely. The fireworks amazing. And Dumbo. Well, Dumbo was just magnificent!! He flew around the castle, back and forth, back and forth before joining Tinker Bell!!


Sadly, even though I was using my tripod, I was so excited about SEEING Dumbo that I couldn't focus well enough to take his picture...if you look carefully...that blurry blue thing above the castle, with the yellow hat and the red collar....well, that is Dumbo in flight!

The castle was so beautiful during the fireworks...I love watching the colors change.

And just one of my favorite shots of the trip, reminding us all that our fun trips were all started with....this Mouse!! M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E...see you real soon!

We interrupt the previously scheduled post...

To tell you about the fun thing that happened at the grocery store yesterday. The kids and I were on a mission to create a Chinese meal from scratch (we had done this menu previously after studying China and it was so delicious everybody was eager to try it again!), and so we were hunting through the produce department for items not generally on our grocery list. As I'm counting heads (of my kids) and searching for won ton wrappers, a dear lady leans toward me and says she's glad we enjoyed our Disneyland trip. I, of course, am racking my brain (perhaps you won't understand this unless you are say 41ish like me but my knee-jerk reaction these days is that I'VE forgotten something, someone, somewhere...) as to who she is and how she knows about our trip. I assume, after my memory reservoir comes up empty that she is a mom to one of my kiddos' friends...but as I look at them they are staring at her blankly.

She obviously recognized our rude, blank stares because she quickly interjected that she is a neighbor of my friend Kristin and reads my blog!

Did you hear that -- she reads my blog? I have a reader!!

Well, the kids and I were so excited that we barely made an audible thank you....and completely forgot to ask her name or introduce ourselves. So, I need to publicly apologize to this sweet neighbor of my friend Kristin...and promise her that NEXT time we will use our manners and behave in a much more civilized manner...

But for now, can I just say, you made our day?! You were a blessing indeed! (And please keep reading...we are just tickled that you do!)

Smile Therapy

July is zooming...it always does. I remember my college days when the fourth of July marked the halfway point of our summer work at Camp Garaywa (one of my favorite places on earth). The days always seemed to accelerate after that.

This year is no different. We are rapidly approaching my sweet Benjamin's hip surgery date of July 31. I want the days to s-l-o-o-o-w-w-w way down. Instead, they seem to be zipping by two at a time!

With that in mind, I am in extra need of smiles this morning. So, I decided today would be a great day to share some of my favorite smiles from our Disney trip! I'm feeling better just thinking about the fun we had!!

Claire and Mommy on the King Triton Carousel in California Adventure!

Mason's smiles always make me smile. They are very contagious!

I love love the Storybook Land at Disneyland. So while I'm sure the kids are humoring me, they never protest about loading the boats and heading into Monstro's mouth for the journey through the miniature land of fairy tales!

Daddy and Cate were having a "stick-out-your-tongue" contest of some sort...I think he was aggravating her and she was using her favorite defense -- tongue out! The sight made me giggle.

Sweet sister moments always bring joy!

Cuddling with my girls in the big comfy chairs in the Grand Californian's lobby also make me smile!

And Daddy especially loves the chairs...he'd like them for our house!

This one might need to be enlarged...the twelve year old daughter riding with her twelve-year-old brother and smiling and having fun together! Do wonders never cease?!

Did I mention I love Storybook Land...we also ride the Casey, Jr train through this delightful land!


Riding Mickey's new and improved Fun Wheel brings nervous smiles until we get used to the sliding and swinging of the Ferris wheel!

I love taking pictures of my family. Love seeing their smiles over and over again. It brings me great pleasure and joy and yet, Hebrews 12:2-3 reminds me how to keep my joy:

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

So today, I am happy for the blessing of the beautiful smiles of my family who remind me to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, the one who will sustain us through this month.

The Baby reaches new heights...

The wonders of having a baby when your big kids (who came here all at once, no less) become adolescents never ceases to make us smile! We all -- Mommy, Daddy and her big kids -- marvel at the wonder that is our Cate (and yes, we worry a bit that our marvel might be spoiling her completely!).

This trip to Disneyland was no exception. Although, she has been quite a number of times in her little life, it had been six months since our last visit (gasp, I know) and apparently when you are three, six months is a lo-o-o-ong time. She kept saying, "Oh, I neber did that." Or, "Oh, I think I 'member this." With complete and utter awe. It was so much fun!

And she had grown....not enough for everything...but enough to ride Gadget's Go-Coast for this first time with her Daddy (it is a short roller-coaster and the big kids decided long ago that it wasn't worth the trouble of loading to ride), and big enough to ride Matterhorn with the whole family! ("Dat was shcary!")

Can you see Daddy and his littlest thrill-seeker? (They are in the second car.)

I love this tummy-holding shot of her coming off the roller-coaster. She is still talking about how her tummy "rolled up and up"!

Sadly, in spite of eating all her veggies and drinking all her milk for months in her effort to "get big enough to ride Splash Mountain," she still wasn't. A few more inches, I think.

The roller coasters weren't the baby's only adventures this trip....she also contracted some sort of stomach virus (after the coasters...hmmm?). Phase one hit while we were thankfully in our hotel room resting. She was so FINE, afterwards that I was convinced she had just over-indulged in snacks. And we were at Disneyland after all, so back we went to the park. Dinner with Jessie, the Yodeling Cowgirl and off to ride "It's a Small World." Well, I won't gross you out with details...suffice it to say that the cast members are very adept at hand-scrubbing those brick pavers when necessary. (And Daddy can pick out adorable t-shirts when he needs to get a quick-as-lightning change of clothes!) Oh my.

But the most telling photo of the fact that Wade and I had a baby "later" in life....when the trio were first visiting Disney, we were adamant about "helping" them pick their ears...they wanted REAL ears, right? Mouseketeer Ears. Our persuasion meant something back then.

Not so much today.

This all-pink girl had been looking at the Princess ears for a couple of days when she finally coerced her Daddy into the Mad Hatter shop. She went right to them and promptly handed them to him. There was NO room for discussion. She couldn't/wouldn't be persuaded. And so, this girl has pink. princess. mouse. ears. complete with tiara!

Did I tell you that she is such a blessing? (Oh, there will be more tomorrow!)

Character Counts...

Or for the Shraders...we count characters! Truly, one of the thrills of Disney continues to be our interaction with the characters -- the wonder in Cate's eyes as she interacts is a delight to all of us, and then snappy comments Benjamin comes up with pertaining to each movie makes us giggle, Mason and Claire show restraint but only after years of hugging -- we really just have fun meeting our favorite "movie stars" up close and personal!


From Brother Bear -- Kenai and Koda at Storyteller's Cafe!

And this is Dale -- Cate was a little mystified by Chip and Dale. When they walked in she looked at me and said, "But Mommy, Chip and Dale are supposed to be tiny." Of course, I explained that they have to be bigger at Disney so that she can hug them...

Cate loves Tinker Bell -- I think her brothers are very sweet to stand in line to get into Pixie Hollow to meet her!

Mater and Lightning McQueen -- who wouldn't love that face?

Jessie and Benjamin -- we went to a new barbecue with Jessie, Woody and Bullseye from Toy Story 2 this trip. It was corny, and country, delicious and yummy....and just a ton of fun!

Cate loves Jessie (She was Jessie for Halloween last year!) and was delighted to pose with her!

Benjamin getting a hug from Woody!

Pluto is a Shrader fave -- we named our own dog after him for goodness sake. So we were tickled to meet him in ToonTown!

Donald has always been Mason's favorite -- which is funny because they act just alike!


And of course, because we never want to forget...it all started with this mouse -- MICKEY!!

Oh so much fun -- a blessing, right? And more tomorrow!

Attention to details...

One of our favorite things about Disney is the attention to detail. Nothing is overlooked. The cast members, imagineers (isn't that a cool title?) and the Disney powers-that-be are committed to carrying the story through every part of the attraction -- even to the surrounding vending areas!

I have never noticed this particular detail. But my Mason is very astute and pointed out to me during our drive to California that each of the Popcorn vendors are different...that a different character turns the popcorn wheel depending on the area of the park. I could not imagine. So, it was a "treasure hunt" of sorts for us this trip. We all were on the lookout for popcorn...and look what we found!


The Yeti spins the popcorn outside....can you guess? The Matterhorn, of course!

This little guy is a Riverboat worker...I love that you can see Tom Sawyer's Island THROUGH the shot of popcorn (across the river!)

On Main Street...

Another fun one to guess....outside the Haunted Mansion! (Not sure I would want his popcorn!)

And this one was outside Mickey's Toontown!

Isn't that cool? I'm not sure we got them all -- we'll have to look again on our next visit!

But the fun popcorn turners were a great reminder for me of attention to detail. And as delightful as Disney is....they don't even come close to attending the details that our Creator does.

Luke 12:6-7 says, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

So, as we sail straight toward my boy's surgery, I am claiming this verse as a promise from God that he cares about all the details. And I'm thanking Him for that blessing....and for the blessing of fun popcorn turners....a delightful reminder!

More tomorrow...

The Early Bird...

We are home from a wonderful trip to Disneyland! It was a perfect blend of family time and family fun (and Mommy got to take family photos...which always makes me smile!)

I've decided to break my vacation-blogging down into bits -- mainly so I can savor all the sweetness all over again! So we'll start at the....beginning...

My wonderful Wade is the consummate Disney-trip planner (seriously, he has a second career if he ever wants it!), and we all bow to his wisdom. His biggest mandate has always been that we wake up early and be at the park when it opens, squeezing in as many rides as possible before the crowds hit and then head out around lunch time for a bite to eat and a refreshing rest in the hotel. Though I would be lying if I said I always welcome those early morning wake-up calls from Mickey ("There are big doings going on today!" he always cheerfully tells me and I am never sure I want to hear it THAT early!), I have come to appreciate the wisdom in Wade's plan.

So, it was with great pride that we were first in line Wednesday morning for our first day in the parks. First! And then as if to reward me for working so hard to get everyone up and dressed and out the hotel door, the coolest thing happened.

Cast Member Bob approached us and asked if we -- the Shraders -- would like to "open" the park. Would we? I have accused Wade for years of wanting to do JUST that!



The first step was to sign the OFFICIAL park opener's guest book....I got so excited I almost messed this part up...failing as you can see below to put our last name until Wade pointed out my error!!

Then Cast Member Bob, took us inside the gate -- did I mention we were FIRST?! We were standing, looking out at all the other guests waiting to get in and my kids were just dancing with excitement (OK, Wade and I were pretty tickled, too.) as Bob gave us our instructions.

We helped Bob count down from ten....screamed "Let the Magic Begin" and the gates were opened!! It was a fun way to start our week of family fun, celebrating Benjamin before his big surgery!!

Cast Member Bob and Benjamin -- after the crowds started streaming in! It was an unexpected blessing to kick our visit off in such a delightful way!

Did I tell you there will be more tomorrow?!!