Adding to the family

My sister is married and we have a new brother-in-law!! I can hardly believe it, but I am so so so happy for them. My sister looked radiant and I'm very sad that I did not get a picture of her in her wedding dress. However, I think I will be able to post their gallery from their photographer's site when it is ready.

So the weekend was craziness. Complete craziness. It seemed like we just kept running home to change into new outfits and sleep and then go somewhere else! The boys were so adorable in their tuxedos...Landon walked down with the flower girl and Liam walked down holding our hands. And of course Landon was in full character for the audience. He had the biggest grin you've ever seen as he walked down the aisle, then as he climbed up the stairs at the front he of course had to pick his wedgie, then he waved to someone (I think it was Uncle Mark), then he proceeded to make faces the whole time. I wish we could see his face on the video, but you can't. Kevin and I couldn't see his face so we didn't know what he was doing, but I guess he put on a real show. Meanwhile, I just sobbed through the whole thing!

So this picture was taken at the reception and so the boys already had their jackets off, but you can still tell how handsome they looked.

These are long time family friends that traveled all the way from Glenwood, Colorado for the wedding!
Me and Tiffany........looks like we like the same lip gloss and eye-make Tiff!

And drum rollllllllll please.................................we had one more in the wedding!!! Little peanut in my tummy!!! That's right folks we are prego with number three......yipee!!!!!! We will be eleven weeks tomorrow and we are due around Feb. 18th-ish. And I say that b/c I have never made it full term, so I think we may have an end of January baby. I will of course keep you all posted on my progress and the sex....we are definitely finding out:) We are super excited and we would love for you to keep the baby in your prayers. We had Landon btw week 31 and 32, so making it to at least week 36 is our biggest prayer request.

Home from Montana and Drew's Blog

Well, we are back! We wish we could have brought the weather and scenery back with us...oh wait then Texas would be pleasant..that will never do! Sadly, I did not get a picture of Kevin's parents beautiful home or the mountains behind it. But let me tell you...you would want to live there, trust me.

Anyway, the main reason we went was for Kevin's grandparents. They both turned 80 this year and celebrated 60 years of marriage! So the Staples families planned a wonderful party for them and we had a great time honoring them and their commitment to one another. We really missed not having Drew and family with us to celebrate, but we know that he is where he needs to be:) Here is a link to their new blog: http://jkpdclark.blogspot.com/

You all will really enjoying reading their perspective on things. They are so up beat and are truly trusting God through this entire situation. They have been an inspiration to me and I know they will inspire anyone who reads their story!

Drew is home again and summer-time fun

Drew has been home since Friday evening. They will be going back in at the end of the month for another biopsy, but until then they would like to stay home and manage this. Also, Kari and Jordan are working on a blog and as soon as it is ready I will give you all the link. They will be able to give much more detail on his condition from day to day or week to week than I have been able to and that will awesome:)

My dad surprised the boys a few weeks ago with a 'new' play set. He set it up while we were gone and the boys having been loving it ever since. It needs a little work still, but Kevin and I having trouble working up the motivation to restain and seal a playset that we won't be moving with us to our next house! Anyway, the boys also love their little blow up pool. The little slide that we put in it has a a place to attach a hose and it shoots water out of the top. Needless to say, they love it.

This last picture of them at the table cracks me up. This is so typical. The boys wearing their hats, eating cereal in their favorite bowls (the ones with built in straws:), a train on the table that they have been driving back and forth to each other, and Minnie trying to lick up every bit of milk Liam spills before she gets caught!

We are leaving for Montana this week! Landon is so pumped. So hopefully we will get a chance to snap some pictures of the beautiful scenery up there so you all can oogle at what Kevin's parents get to enjoy on a daily basis!

Colorful Colorado

Crisp clean air, wild flowers, no need for air conditioning, the soothing sound of the river, a deck over-looking amazing mountain views.....yeah that about sums up our trip to the cabin. It was wonderful. My parents cabin is breath-taking and pictures don't do it justice at all. My mother grew up in the Chrystal River Valley and we have made numerous trips up to my grandparents and great-grandparents' homes over the years. We lived up there for a few years when I was in grade school and my parents have longed for a cabin in that valley since we moved to Texas. Well, their hard work and patience has paid off. They designed the cabin inside and out and our good friend who is a custom home builder here in Texas traveled with his crew up to the mountains all last fall and winter to make their dream cabin a reality.

My parents are still at the cabin working on finishing touches. Since these pictures were taken my dad has put in rock steps up to the front door and my mom has stained the insides of the windows and removed the protective films from the windows that you can see in the picture of Lyndi and I on the deck. It was so hard to come home, but we look forward to our next visit!

Words of encouragement

I haven't posted about Drew in a while because the reports have been like a roller coaster ride. One day we get good news and the next 4 days we get bad news and then we get good news again. We have yet to get an accurate diagnosis. We have been through epilepsy, EPC, rare mitochondrial, and now we are looking at muscular diseases. Up until last night, the doctors were pretty confident that it was mitochondrial (this is a degenerative disease that shuts down body systems and eventually leads to an early death and it is very individualized), but we were given hopeful news last night! But back up some more first, his jerking/having seizure-like movement is now everywhere but his right foot and head basically now. It was just the left side of his body for quite some time and it spread to the right side a week ago. That was when mitochondrial became the number one player. But this weekend, things started to turn around and instead of jerking every other second and it only stopping for 30 second here or there, he would go like 4 minutes with out jerking and then only jerk every other second for half a minute or so. Anyway, he got a pass from the hospital to leave for 4 hours, so they took him to their church and everyone prayed over him. We are hoping for another good day. He usually has a bad day after he gets a pass to leave the hospital (he has had 4/5 passes so far and has been home 24 hours in the last 4 weeks plus 5 days) And he passed his liver test and eye-sight test and those are one of the first things to be affected by mitochondrial disease.

So, it could still be mitochondrial, we are waiting on two more muscle biopsies to come back. But we are hopeful that it is something else, something that is somewhat treatable and will allow him a long life and not effect his organs and most importantly his brain.

If you would like to send them a card of encouragement to let them know you are praying for them or thinking of them please email me for their address. lauramstaples@hotmail.com

First Family Trip

This weekend we went to San Antonio just the four of us! It may seem crazy that this was our first family trip, but we are just so close to our extended families that our vacations always include people other than just us. Which we LOVE, but it was really good for us to travel and hang out just our little family this time. We had a full weekend I tell ya! We started off getting family pictures taken by an amazing photographer, Sarah Jones, on Friday night. The boys were cooperative and happy, so I think we got several good ones! Then Saturday morning we went downtown to the River walk and did the boat tour and ate lunch on the river. Then we gave the boys a much needed nap and took them swimming at the hotel after they woke up. Next was Sea World! We met our friends Andy and Kelli and their two little angels at the park on Sunday. We saw Shamu, road some roller coasters (even Landon:), almost petted some dolphins, and much more! I saw a Clydesdale for the first time and HOLY ROLLY those things are, as Landon would say, SUPER DUPER GINORMOUS!

I didn't take many pictures.....but I'm not going to apologize! I was busy playing with the boys and so was Kevin! Here are some that I did manage to get and steal from Kelli's blog:)

Not the news we were hoping for.

The doctors were able to see where the 'unusual' electrod acitivity is coming from in Drew's brain. It is in the subcoritcal cortex (a very deep part of the brain) that can't be operated on and doesn't respond to drugs well. Therefore they have pretty much told them that this is the way he is going to be for the time being. They are being released from the hospital tomorrow. He is still seizing in his left arm and left leg currently. Please pray for strength for Kari and Jordan as they perpare for the future. Pray that God just chooses to reach down and heal Drew and take this away from him forever.