The Scenery Never Gets Old

First, here's a little bonus picture- Addison ready for take-off!

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Today we woke up feeling a little less jet-lagged (except me, who's wide awake till 2 or 3am) so we decided we would go to Roath Park/Lake and feed the ducks. The day started off a bit rainy, but by the time we were ready to go it had subsided for the time being...

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I have countless pictures from this very spot, I seem to take this all the time but it just never gets old for me. The lake, hills and clouds- well this really does not do it justice.

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Back in Wales

Tonight is the first time I've been awake enough to blog! We made it home and are all doing well, thank you so much for praying for us! The girls did so great on the "long" and "short" flight. I could not believe how well Addison behaved herself. I mean, an almost 18 month old being strapped in her car seat for 9 hours? It was the grace of God, plain and simple. We were at the back of the plane so we did get to walk some and she made friends with about 50 Russian women who had been in Dallas for a Mary Kay event. Who knew? Not sure if it was all the make-up or the red sequined hats. It was special, y'all.

Jet-lag has not been too bad this time around or maybe I'm too delirious to notice! I've been wide awake from 2-5:30am the last couple of nights and then dead asleep when it's time to get up. But we just make ourselves get up and dressed for the day and that has helped. The girls were so happy to be back home with their beds and toys, but emotions are still running high. The girls are tired and grouchy with each other so we've had our moments. Bailey cried herself to sleep last night saying she was happy to be home but really missed all her friends and family in Texas. But today was a bit brighter for us all. The sun has been out on and off and it's in the 60's! We are loving it, but I'm quite chilly and wearing long sleeves!

We had a play-date this afternoon with some friends from school so that was a lot of fun to be reunited. I did some food shopping as well so things are slowly getting back to normal. I was nervous about driving but it's like riding back, it all comes back to you! Addison is wondering where in the world we are and has been extra clingy and fussy, following us room to room. We did finally get her room put back together today and that has helped her. She loves all her "new" toys and after sleeping in a pack-and-play for so long she's really enjoying stretching out in her bed!

That's all from here for now!

Oh, my back is holding up! I was okay on the flight but feeling quite sore now. The ice pack is my friend.

The Last Day

Well, all 10 of our bags are packed and we just have some last minute stuff to pack in the morning. We have enjoyed a day with my family- they came home for about 24 hours in between trips. They will leave for Florida about 4am and we will get up and head to the airport around lunchtime- the worst possible time of day for an 18-month old. Ha. Oh well. *relax Charity*

Here are some pictures from the last few days-

Won't be missing this- but I will not complain, it's been fun actually!
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Daddy and Addie with their iPods
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One last mall stop and lunch with friends
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Gold Class Cinema in Allen, TX with Marc's brother and his wife, so fun!
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Sonic last night! :)
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Lunch with my family today
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I love this one! Tonight after dinner we ran into Target to get some last minute stuff and so I could walk the aisles once more. My brother took Addie so I could think straight and I found them in a toy aisle! Who's having more fun? It's hard to say. Ha.
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Thank you Lord for a fun day! We will update from the other side of the ocean when we can!

Sunday!

I think most of you know from my Facebook page, but we are flying to Wales on Sunday! This coming Sunday! I knew it was coming soon but just having the date and tickets makes it seem so real. We are thankful for the extra time we have had with family and friends, it's been really, really good. Which just means the goodbyes are super tough.

My back is healing and since we have decided against surgery at this point, there is no point in sitting around here. Physical therapy has really helped ease some discomfort plus given me some tools to have if my back acts up again. I'm very nervous about the flight- not only juggling the girls but just doing so in a way that does not cause strain on my lower back. Even if the girls behave and do sleep, I probably won't be sleeping for long just to avoid becoming stiff. Sitting is really the worst position for me, so this will be interesting! I have visions of me laying flat on my back in my wonderful bed in my house in Cardiff and I can't wait!!!

So, what am I looking forward to about going back to Wales? Here's my list in no particular order:

*my bed, my house, my kitchen, etc
*ROUTINE
*school starting (just keeping it real)
*the electric kettle
*catching up with our elderly neighbors and hearing him complain about the parking in front of our house
*our church and our friends!
*cooler temps!
*seeing our university students

What am I going to miss in Texas? Again, in no particular order:

*Sonic
*cheaper prices
*my family
*my friends
*the malls
*Target

I know there a lot more for both of those lists, but I will leave it at that. We fly on Sunday, around 3pm. Dallas-Amsterdam-Cardiff. We value your prayers- for health before and during travel, for safety during the flights and for peace and just a calmness to cover all of five of us. I get so stressed worrying about other people and I just HATE it when we board a plane and I see people's eye roll as we walk by. I mean, like I WANT my baby crying and disturbing everyone? Please! So if I can just stay calm and relaxed I know that will help us all!

We will update here and Facebook once we arrive and I get to lay flat in my bed :) We love you all and appreciate your prayers as we say goodbye and explain again to the girls what God has called us to do for this season of our lives. In the words of Bailey, "Saying goodbye is really hard!"

Finally...headed back to Wales!

A decision has been made. We will head back to Wales very soon.

I had my MRI last week and did not get the results I was hoping to get. I was very discouraged and won't lie to you- I moped around all weekend. We have just felt so out of sorts- living out of suitcases, so many doctor appointments, living with my family- which that part has been a lot of fun and very little stress. I say very little stress because it's not my family, it's Addison who stresses me out. I found her twice on my mom's dining room table. ON the the table. About to stand up. She wormed her way up there somehow. Numerous times I've found her digging in the bottom cabinet of my mom's hutch- pulling out crystal bowls and other nice breakables. But she is so sweet.

Back to the MRI. After 4.5 weeks of decompression therapy my disc only moved in 1 mm, so it's now at a 9mm. The disc above did show some improvement- it was at a 3mm bulge and has gone back in, so that was the only good news. I had my appointment this morning with my Orthopedic and he told me he would do the surgery for a quick fix but said it was not a "necessity" at this time. I still walked away feeling unsure, but after talking through things with Marc and our company, it was decided that I would not do the surgery. I've made big improvements (pain levels are down and I am functioning) in the last few weeks and the ortho seems to think I could get better over time. I'm very nervous about going back because I am not sure what I would do if this flares up again, but then again he said surgery is not 100% effective either. So, here we go!

So, that is where we stand. Soon we will be cleared to fly! I have started praying for that 10 hour flight- and long day of travel (Dallas-Amsterdam- Cardiff) and that our sweet Texas Tornado (Addie) will behave herself so Momma does not have to wrestle with her. I was told to walk around every hour on the plane, but perhaps he was unaware that we would have a 5 year old, 4 year old and an 17 month old with us? Even though it is an overnight flight, I will still be up walking and stretching. I'm sure I will be so sore, but my own bed will have never felt better!!!

This also means we will be saying goodbye to my family tomorrow- yikes! My parents and little brother are leaving for 3 weeks so it's likely we will not be here when they get back. I'm already in tears over it and even though we have been here longer than expected, it's tough to suddenly have to say goodbye.

He is my constant source of stability..... Isaiah 33:6 (NET)

I Have No Interesting Title

I have not updated much simply because there is not much to update you on! I have finished my decompression therapy and will have another MRI this afternoon. I really do feel like the disc has gone back in at least some because I'm not experiencing the severe pain I was several weeks ago. Once we have the results from that my doctors and physical therapist will have a look at it and decided if I'm ok to travel back to the UK. So, if everything looks better then we could be going back in just a few weeks or less. Crazy.

As I mentioned before we are living with my parents now and I have two younger brothers that are at home. It's been a full house but it's been fun. Summer is always crazy busy for them since my youngest brother plays basketball all summer long and my Dad coaches them. He plays for the Deron Williams Elite team. Deron plays for the Utah Jazz but grew up here in The Colony, TX. So it's been tournament after tournament for them. This past weekend was a big one and a bunch of college coaches came to scout. I got to go to one game and it was really exciting! Since my Dad is coaching that team this summer they are hardly home!

In the middle of all that, my Dad leads a basketball camps all summer. This week it's at the school he coaches for during the school year. It's a private Christian school that is pretty wealthy. We laugh sometimes at the stories he comes home with. Last night my Dad was telling us about yesterday at camp, he was talking about hustling for the ball- and he asked one kid to hustle over to him. He didn't really hustle and so my Dad usually pulls out a $20 bill to motivate them and of course he never lets them get it, he's just making a point. Anyway, he didn't have any cash on him yesterday and so he used his phone that was a new touch screen and he asks the kid if he would hustle for this new phone. The kids goes, "No thanks Coach, I have an iPhone." I could not stop laughing. What middle schooler has an iPhone??? Don't answer that.

The girls are restless for home and asking every day if it's the day we go back to Wales. I'm grateful it's not "please don't make us go back to Wales" but I'm also finding it hard to be patient since I know it all kind of depends on me and my back!

I will update with my MRI results as soon as I get them! Thank you for your prayers.

Ok, change of plans...

So not really sure what to say, but we are back living with my parents for the time being. We enjoyed parts of our living in the country, but it was best for us to move in with my family. It's a bit cramped at time with 9 people under one roof, but it's just fine. We are living out of our 8 suitcases. Fun times.

I have 4 more sessions of decompression and then I should be having another MRI to see how much the disc has gone back in. (That will be a total of 20 sessions, about an hour long each time, 4 days a week!) I'm doing good, can basically function with minimal pain. I can sleep all night now and don't even take any pain meds! We still do not have a date of departure, a lot of that will depend on what the MRI shows and I need to get the all clear from my doctors and physical therapist.

Props to my amazing husband for taking care of the girlies while I'm driving back and forth to all these appointments! I feel so bad about it, but he's been awesome!

The Scoop

Accept each day just as it comes to you. Do not waste your time and energy wishing for a different set of circumstances. Instead, trust Me enough to yield to My design and purposes.

Dear Jesus,
I waste so much time and energy yearning for different circumstances. When it's cold, I long for warmer weather. When it's hot, I look forward to the crisp coolness of autumn. This is illustrative of how my mind works: rejecting the day's circumstances and daydreaming about how I would like things to be. I realize this is arrogant and foolish, by my mind- left to itself- tends to work that way. I really want to accept each day just as it comes to me, but I seem to have little control over my thoughts.

Beloved, you are right in recognizing that you need more control over your thinking...your time and energy are limited; only I know how much of each you have. Try to accept each day as a precious gift from Me, thanking Me for it rather than wishing it away....As you come close to Me, I embrace you in My everlasting arms.

From Dear Jesus by Sarah Young


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(You would not believe the amount of "stuff" Marc crammed into this thing! I was doubtful at first, but now I'm totally impressed!)

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Well, most of our belongings are packed into this 50 cubic feet crate and ready to go, but we will not be going with it...just yet. So, here's the scoop.

With the recent onset of this back/leg/hip pain from my herniated disc, we are delaying our return to Wales. We were suppose to fly next Wednesday the 23rd, but we are now on medical leave for a while.

I had a follow up appointment yesterday with a new doctor and that was very encouraging. Surgery is not on the radar right now and he feels that I can recover over time with some physical therapy. I'm also under the care of a chiropractor and it's has all been very beneficial.

The girls are a bit disappointed that they will not be able to finish out the school year in the UK- they would have had 3 more weeks of school. We will be missing two very special weddings plus our busy summer time with our iGO students and interns. We trust God has it all under control. In fact we know He does. While we are missing out on some things in Cardiff, we get to spend a bit more time with family and friends and that is a blessing!

We are having to move out of this house on Thursday as there is another family coming next week. We also need to return "The Merk" to Houston...with all of this looming over us it was quite stressful last week. We prayed God would provide for our needs and I would love to share that He is faithful! We realized last week that we would not be returning on time and we began praying for a car and a house to live in. It's no small thing, but our God is huge and nothing is impossible with Him! A lovely couple that we have gotten to know better during the last 6 months asked us if we would mind if they sent out an email to some of their friends about our needs. It's hard to ask for help, especially when you need big things like a car and a house! A few days after this email was sent, we got a text that a car had been found for us! A couple that we barely know found out about our need and they "just happened" to have an extra car since they had just purchased a new one! It was perfect timing because they were about to put it up for sale until they heard about us and the immediately and generously said it was ours for as long as we needed it! They handed us the keys on Sunday. He is so good!

Saturday night we got another text saying that there was an empty house that someone was selling that we could use. We were hopeful, but knew that it would be tough to live in an empty house because we have no furniture, sheets, dishes, etc. here. But we figured we could make it work somehow. I have been pretty much "sleeping" flat on my back for the past 2 weeks anyway, right? We prayed about it and just left in His hands.

Sunday morning as we walked into the church building someone stopped us and said, "Did you hear? We found you a house!" We were excited and confused. A few minutes later a lovely lady came over to us and told us that she and her family live on 20 acres of land in Allen, not far from here and they have a fully furnished guest house on the property that we could live in if we still needed a place to go. We were shocked and so grateful. She said they have all kinds of animals, a swimming pool and a playground on the property! The funny thing is that Cerys was praying that our new house would have a swimming pool. Why not, right? We have not told her yet so that will be a neat time to talk with her about how God the desires of our heart. This sweet lady also told us they have snakes and would teach us which ones we kill and which ones we let live. I sort of had a panic attack, but knew we would be okay. I lived out in the middle of nowhere in Roswell, New Mexico when I was a small girl- with sheep and horses...but that has been a LONG time. I'm a city girl ya'll, so this will be interesting! Marc said I could find my inner "Pioneer Woman!" And you can bet if I ever kill a snake (Lord, help me!) I'll be posting about it.

As the worship music started playing, I tried to sing but all that flowed were tears from this grateful heart. God hears us and knows our situation. I know this in my head but sometimes it takes circumstances like this, eleventh hour answers, for that information to move down into my heart.

So, the crate is packed and sealed and will be picked up in a few hours. It will sit in some warehouse until we are cleared to return to Wales. We have our 10 suitcases to pack and then we're moving to the country!

Thank you to our few readers who have prayed for us! God is so good! And He would still be good if these things had not been provided. He is good, all the time.

Stress

Hi y'all, it's been a stressful time around our home, so I'm here to ask for some prayers- once again.

I will go into more detail as soon as I can, but for now you can pray for my back? After suffering with some back pain and tingling down my legs on and off since February, then waking up last Saturday morning feeling not quite right- I ended up at Primacare Sunday morning in excruciating pain. To make a long story short, I ended up having an MRI this past week and it showed that I have a 10 mm herniated disk in my lower back (L5/S1 for those who are in the know). My doctor was surprised I was able to still walk. We are praying through our options and speaking to several doctors. With our return to Wales supposedly in 2 weeks we need clear wisdom and direction and I need some pain relief! The constant pain and lack of sleep is making me rely more and more on God- but I have to admit that I'm not handling this very well at the moment. Or at least I don't think I am.

We are in the midst of packing our crate, getting ready to move out of this house (next week) and having to return our car to Houston- plus the daily-ness of 3 small children to take care, doctor appointments galore and today is our 12th Anniversary!

Our timing is not God's timing, thankfully, but we are in need of His mercies. Thank you Jesus, they are new every morning!

We did get to celebrate our anniversary this weekend! My parents took the girls and Marc surprised me with a 2 night rest in a King size bed in downtown Dallas. It was just what I needed! I'm so thankful that I get to share life with him, even in the stressful times like these he keeps me from losing it.

I have early morning appointments with my chiropractor every day this week for some treatment and I would love for you to pray with me that it would work so I could avoid surgery. Please pray that we would be patient with one another during this time and that we would know what road to take as far as treatment/surgery goes. Do I even need to tell you that I am scared to death of back surgery? I didn't think so. I realize my diagnosis could be much worse than it is, I'm thankful it's only a disk. But apart from giving birth three times and having one kidney stone, this back thing ranks right up there on the pain scale.

Thank you so much!

Our Week in Pictures

What's this? Oh, a toothbrush!

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Should I brush my hair?

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Oh, brush my teeth!

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Mimi is in town from South Africa! We've played lots of games, read lots of books and had lots of cuddle time!

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Jackie O anyone?
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We went to downtown McKinney to show Mimi our favorite popcorn/candy place! And we took pictures with all the frogs along the way.

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Bailey had surgery this morning and I could not be more proud of her! She was so sweet, so pleasant and everyone just loved her! She got her third set of ear tubes and this time they took out her adenoids. She's been having ear trouble since she was 2 weeks old and many other issues, so I'm hoping that having her (according to the doc, enlarged) adenoids out will improve her breathing and ears.

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She was a bit nervous but when the nurse wheeled out this cool John Deere wagon to go the operating room that sealed the deal and Bailey was ready to go! Her pink lion "Lioney" has been with her since she was 6 months old and I'm pretty sure it's attached to her right arm. That poor thing has seen everything- multiple surgeries, numerous trans-Atlantic flights, and several European countries- oh and Africa too! We wouldn't think of leaving him out of this! I realized a few weeks ago how important this lion is when she got in trouble and the spur of the moment decision was for me to take Lioney away for the night. Boy howdy, did she struggle without him! I have no idea why I've just typed a whole paragraph on her Lioney. Maybe because I've been up since 5am?

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