Shared photo book from Shannon

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Lazy Daze of Summer!

God has truly blessed me this summer - I believe I have truly felt the lazy days of summer. This summer has been so good - low temps and humidity. I have been able to spend more time outside sitting in my chairs listening to the birds chirp,

feel the breeze on my face and seeing the clouds passing by.

I usually take a book out to read but I get distracted with God's awesome nature he has given me. I am not one to sit still for very long but this season in my life has brought me to slow down and enjoy the little things of life we take for granted. Well we have about 5 more weeks of summer, although by the calender it is more like 8 weeks. I hope to enjoy a few more lazy daze of summer.

Unemployed and enjoying it!

God has given me the greatest joy this summer. Since I have been terminated from my job I have had a peace and calm about it. Almost a relief - don't get me wrong I loved my job and the people I worked for but I love my family more. I have felt I would like to serve them. Who would be better qualified other than the parents to care for the children when their parents work? Not some child care center that has many children per teacher. Not an at home child care who we don't know - But Grandma ('Ganma' as most of them call me) who loves her children dearly. The problem was I could never quite distinguish between God's will and my will in this situation though. I know God loves me and only has what is good for me, but how can I think a God would give me such an awesome job of spending time with ALL my grandchildren DAILY or being available for my children to do whatever they wanted. Well I think the door openned to serving my children when I was terminated. Although the summer has been some what light I know come September the early hours will start and everyone will be back to the grind. So the summer gives me a little bit of different pace so I don't get bored. I have been able to get projects done that have needed to be done years ago so that is good. I have got plans in August to do a 'unit study' on Rainforest with the children. That will be exciting. I still have more closets, drawers, and sheds to clean out and I have refinishing projects to do and oh yeah don't forget it is summer, some time away with my hubby.

Libertie-Ann GRACE 1st year

Thanksgiving Day of 2007 Vern & Tiffani announced they were having another baby. Shortly after, Tiffani was taken to the emergency room with what she thought was a migriane. She was told after having an ultrasound that she was having a Spontaneous Abortion. God was already at work performing another miracle with this baby's life.
Libertie-Ann Grace was born mid July of 2008. A bit early but not unheard of. The delivery was a bit difficult but Libbie-Ann finally entered the world. She looked to be a healthy normal little girl and went home to her awaiting family a couple days later. But it wasn't long before she started having complications. She was put on a monitor for apnea & brady cardia because she would stop breathing day and night. Then she became allergic to breast milk and other formulas and had to be put on a very expensive formula that the pharmacy had to order. We thought she was starting to do well and gain some weight.
Then reaccuring ear infections started. Antibiotics after antibiotics were given and she still wasn't getting better. Emergency room after emergency room and no one could find anything wrong with her. She wasn't eating, losing weight, just lying there doing nothing. The blank look in her eyes. One more trip to the emergency room @ CHKD. Again they wanted to send her home because the test showed nothing.
I remember that Tuesday in November very well - just finished having my yearly mammogram and bone density test, then off to the Dentist office. I was planning a day retreat to Bluebird Gap Farm after my appointments. A long needed time by myself. But God had other plans for my day and weeks to come. My daughter called as I was on my way to the Dentist office to say she was taking Libbie to CHKD. I didn't want to change my plans if I didn't have to so I told her if she was still there when I finished at the Dentist office I would come to the hospital to be with them. Not really thinking they would still be there. Tiffani had been at 3 different emergency rooms that weekend and they couldn't find anything wrong with Libbie. So I thought it would be the same thing. As I was just leaving the Dentist office I called Tiffani to see if she was still in the emergency room. She was, so I pulled next door to Dairy Queen to get some lunch for our long wait at the hospital when Tiffani said she thought Libbie was having a seizure she had to hang up. The pictue of our youngest, at that time, having a seizure did not set right. The trip seemed so long from Indian River to CHKD for both myself and Tiffani. I wish I could fly. I was praying for everything to be alright - nothing serious. Called Ben & the Parker's to let them know. I was just passing over Smith Creek when Tiffani calls me again crying, screaming where was I? Libbie is still having the same seizure, almost 30 minutes. I am almost there - oh Lord I cried.
I was rushed right back to little Libbie's room - half thinking that the seizure has got to be over by now - it was more than 30 minutes. But no her little body was convalsing on the table. Her eyes looking for someone she knew. We had to get ourselves together for Libertie's sake because she needed us now. A little short older man, a Doctor, took us aside to tell us that the seizure has gone on too long and that there is nothing else they can give her. It's been 60 minutes and her body can't survive this. It doesn't look like 4 month old Libbie was going to make it and if she did she would have brain damage and probably wouldn't be able to hear. I couldn't comprehend that he was talking about Libertie-Ann Grace. I didn't feel like this was the end for her. Was it the peace of God? We had to keep talking to her. We had to call family. We had to call the Care Group. We needed prayer.
72 minutes the seizure stopped. They rushed her up to PICU, by then Vern and Ben had arrived. They rushed us into a room - a bunch of nurses, doctors was there asking us tons of questions. They wouldn't let us see Libbie. The liason was there trying to tend to our needs while they still worked on Libertie behind the double doors. Care Group was cancelled, Beach Fellowship Bible Study was changed to a prayer meeting that evening, all the family started arriving. It was now late afternoon. They only would allow 3 people at a time. Tiffani wouldn't leave Libbie's side. The Parker's took a turn to see Libbie - to lay hands on her and prayed for her. The Bizzell's just arrived back in town and came straight to the hospital. They also went back to see Libbie, to lay hands on her and pray for her.
It was a long night but she was a live and stable. God was good. Now we had to wait to see if there was going to be anything wrong with her.
Day 2: We just didn't know what to expect when Libertie-Ann Grace would finally wake up, if she did. We were haunted by what the Doctor had said yesterday - would she survive? Would there be brain damage, blindness, hearing loss? We didn't know.
God was so kind and gracious to us because we got the best news ever that day. Test showed that Libertie-Ann Grace had no evidence of the seizure from the day before. But we were also told that Libbie had bacterial menegitis. Survival rate was not very good. God wouldn't have brought her this far to take her from us would he? We have got to have faith - she survived the seizure, she will survive this to.
The good thing and bad thing was that Libertie-Ann Grace had been on antibiotics which slowed the menegitis down but covered up the menegitis so it was harder for the Doctors to diagnosis. Praise God! Libbie slowly throughout the day started waking up for short periods of time to eat. She was so exhausted from the seizure.
Day 3:






Day 5: 5 more seizures




Continue later! RSV & breathing issues