Handsome

Now that is one handsome little stud. He's all dressed up in his new Sunday best. I love those cheeks!

This is a look of pain, taken right before we headed out the door to the Emergency Room. We were getting the kids ready for bed and I started to feel like a cold or flu was coming on. After prayer and scripture the pain it. Hard. It stared in my entire abdomen and then localized in the lower right side. I knew that that was typical of appendicitis because I have looked up those symptoms before in worry. My mom convinced me to just go in somewhere after having constant pain for two hours or so that I could barely talk through at times. We grabbed a few things and loaded everyone up in the car, I was close to tears at time. Knowing the ER would be pricey we pulled into the Urgent Care parking clock. It was 5 to 9:00 and it was almost closed, our last chance. Worried they wouldn't be able to help us I told Adam to say a prayer and decide where to go. He said he didn't even need to pray and drove straight to the ER in Chandler. The desert stretch was painful. I firmly gripped the door handle and clenched my body as the pain came in waves. The girls fell asleep, but my sweet little boy serenaded my with primary songs to help take my mind off of the knives stabbing my innards.  I then asked if he would pray for me. He did. In his prayer he asked Heavenly Father for the hospital to take my pain away. My parents met us at the entrance and switched cars so that we could go straight in. I walked through the doors and was startled by instant, almost perfect relief. The pain which could be easily categorized as a 9 was diminished miracously to a 2. Checking in I was smiling and laughing...not the look of someone who needed to be in the ER. I myself questioned if I should just walk out. Miraculous, yes. The hospital had taken away my pain, literally. A little boy's prayer was answered, his perfect faith proved. They took me back and questioned whether I really had been in pain, confirming the symptoms did indeed point toward apendicitis. Now the waiting game. CT scans, blood work, and waiting in the little reliner are watching TV and wishing I could sleep. It was confirmed. I needed to have my appendix removed. We finally were moved to a "room" at about 3 in the morning. Not much sleep. Adam left for awhile to be with the kids and after I had finally drifted in a deep, heavy sleep I was awoken by the nurse. She said it was time for surgery. I hadn't eaten since Sunday dinner (after fasting all day) and was now preparing for surgery at about 1pm. Adam wasn't there. They wheeled my up and prepared me, but he still wasn't there! I started to panic a bit because he hadn't given me a blessing, and I was going to be put under. I asked if they could call him and then finally got a hold of him. Apparently he was in the parking lot doing work stuff. He rushed up, and relief flooded over me. He pulled the curtain and blessed me with the authority of God. I felt peace fill my heart. They gave me the medicine to put me under and after being taken to the OR I closed me eyes to the nothingness. I awoke reluctantly in the recovery room, tired, and completely out of it. Adam was there. The surgery went well. I spent the night again recovering and was finally able to return home with my sweet babies who had been spending time at Grandma and Grandpa Francois' and Aunt Jackie and Uncle EB's. Lyndie and Benton had a sleep over with Jude and Emery. They had a blast. So grateful for family close by and for the Lord protecting and watching over all of us. Prayers are answered and even inconvenient, painful situations can be made light.