we are frail, we are fearfully and wonderfully made

Gosh! He looks like his Dad here! Well, I get so used to our family, and my kids especially, being fairly healthy, so it really shakes me up when one gets really sick. Warren, our oldest son, had been complaining of some pain since June or July, off and on. The pain seemed mostly in his right leg/knee, and would hurt for a day or two and he would limp severely, and then one day he'd be fine, play soccer, ride his bike, etc. We just thought maybe arch problems ("stop wearing flip-flops!") or growing pains ("here's an Advil"), but it still kept showing up every now and then. Then on Wednesday of last week, he was limping heavily again and avoided walking if he could. I was a little concerned, but then when he woke up the next morning and his right knee was the size of his head, I was definitely freaking out. He could barely walk, and was really lethargic. So we made an appt, spent all day seeing nurse practitioners, Drs, lab techs, and an orthopaedist. The ortho decided Warren's knee needed to be aspirated, as there was way too much fluid to leave in there. My little guy was very tough during the very painful procedure, and the Dr was amazed at his stoicism (so was I!). Yesterday the blood/fluid tests all came back positive for Lyme disease. No, we don't remember seeing a tick, and no, we never saw the "bulls-eye", and no, he hasn't run any fevers. Very strange, but here we are. For about 28 days he'll be on antibiotics, and hopefully that will be enough to kill the bacteria that's attacking his body. Poor guy is so tired and the pain is intermittent right now. He's handling it pretty well, just asking anxiously every now and then if they'll need to stick another needle in his knee. I am thankful this wasn't anything more serious, and that there are such good treatments for Lyme these days. And I have a lot to be thankful for, including that this was the first time I have taken a child in for a "sick" Dr visit in 3 years! I think God has been very gracious. He is so good -- all the time.

where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came

Some great Tex-mex place (I miss REAL food!) in Arlington, VA
You know we had to get one picture in front of the tree.
Our "good-bye" shot

I really do have the best friends. This was a much-needed long weekend, mostly just hanging out, catching up, trying new wines, watching silly movies, some sight-seeing, and lots of laughing and crying. We stayed at Janelle's house, just outside DC (thanks Craig for turning the house over to us!), Amy drove up from SC and Jackie flew in from UT. I'm so blessed that we are all still so close, though far in distance, and that after all these years we still can't wait to be together! And we're already planning for next year's Posse reunion. I could post paragraphs about each girl, who they are and what they mean to me, but since they already know how important they are to me, I'll just share the pics here. Now, back to normal life....

I'm strugging to cater for the space I'm meant to fill

Precisely because its been a tough two weeks and even in free time my brain is too tired to think, I've been remiss in posting. I haven't even taken any pictures lately, so no good ones to share with you. Tomorrow I'm heading out for "Posse 07", my annual college-girlfriend-getaway-weekend -- much needed right now! I'll post again when I get back, hopefully in a better frame of mind, and ready to tell you nice things about my children.

In the meantime, if you haven't already, check out the Warren family blog here if you want a good laugh and a dose of what our childhood was like. We had fun putting it together.

if I could, I'd do anything spontaneously

Once again, Henry has made it (safely?) to his next birthday! He is 5 today, and will start the day with Count Chocula cereal (that mean Mom never lets him have except on his birthday), and we'll have a party tonight where he'll collect his loot. Pictures of that to come! Not much has changed, Henry is still a fireball of energy and constantly pushing me to the point of exhaustion, but is also the crowd favorite in almost all settings. He's an entertainer, loves most forms of weaponry, and is currently on a Ninja Turtle and Harry Potter kick (sometimes they even cross paths...don't ask). We're starting a **bit** of Kindergarten stuff, but I know him well enough to know that starting very slowly and tricking him into learning will help keep me sane. No seat work (or sitting, for that matter) for this boy, school will mostly be completed while standing on his head, or on some unsuspecting sibling. Happy Birthday Cricket!

what tho' the odds be great or small

GO IRISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!