When I’m tired, I get grumpy and eat lots of candy. I know, neither of those things are charming or healthy, but it is what it is. We’ve had several busy weeks in a row and we’ve all been tired. There have been many things that I’ve wanted to write about, but have apparently been distracted by the candy. Sorry about that, guys.  I’m going to attempt to catch y’all up with what’s been going on with us.

Three weeks ago, we spent the week at a beautiful beach in Florida with some dear friends of ours who were sweet [and brave] enough to let us crash their vacation. There are two words that perfectly sum up the glory of that week: lazy river.

Oh. My. Word. Pure bliss. Beauty and bliss. Angel May and I floated around and around and around in a fog wondering where that river had been all our lives.

We stayed perfectly relaxed…until Super Man jumped into the shallow end of the pool and sprained his foot. But truthfully, even that didn’t faze us too much. Honestly, after brain surgeries, a sprained foot is a cake walk. The nurses in the ER even joked about how calm we were about it. If not anything else, major medical problems teach you not to sweat the small stuff. He was on crutches for a few days until he could tolerate weight and now all is good.

Two weeks ago, Angel May had a CT scan and then both of the Minis had an appointment with their neurosurgeon. I am over the moon excited about the results of the CT: HER BONE FLAP IS FINALLY REABSORBING PROPERLY!!!!!!

I wish there were adequate words to describe to you how HUGE this news is for us. In April, her X-rays showed barely any new growth at all. Now, there is plenty!! In fact, there is more new growth than holes. There is so much new growth that even my untrained eyes could see it immediately on the screen. And the screws that we were 100% sure were loose (because we could literally wiggle them with our fingers from OUTSIDE her skull) are fixed in the right places and not moving at all now.

I asked you to pray, you did, and HE ANSWERED US!

This means hopefully no more surgery, no more staples, no more 1/2 shaved head! This means we can continue taking steps forward without giant steps backward. This means I can breathe again. It truly felt like I’d been holding my breath in anxious anticipation since April.

The neurosurgeon, who was also surprised and delighted with her progress, said, “Wow, this looks great!”

And I let out the biggest sigh in the history of sighs and had to grab the table to keep from giving him a big ole bear hug. Relief, friends – pure, unexpected, blessed relief. I am so very thankful. Woo hoo!

Last week, the Minis finally started equestrian therapy and they love it! The therapy center is called New Heights and it is full of kind people and beautiful horses, two things the Minis and I adore. They go once a week and are doing very well so far.

This week, Angel May finally had an appointment with the neuro ophthalmologist. She has been experiencing blurry vision and some “black outs,” where her eyes go completely black for a few seconds. Her eyes have been checked three times and they seem to be working fine so the doctors suspect that it’s not her eyes, but the part of her brain which controls her eyes that is the problem. The neuro ophthalmologist examined her and ordered a MRA – it’s like an MRI, but with contrast so they can monitor the activity in her brain. We will be going for that in a few weeks. Please pray with me that all goes well with that.

Next week, we are going to Houston for the week. Since this post is already too long, I will give you the short of it:

I had thyroid cancer nine years ago when I was pregnant with Angel May; it has reoccurred. I had surgery to remove it on May 2. Because this reoccurrence seems to be sneaky and smart (I’ll explain that more in another post) my endocrinologist is not comfortable choosing the next step in my treatment. A team at MD Anderson will evaluate me and my records and choose the next step while we are in Texas next week.

It’s not time to worry yet, friends. People rarely die from thyroid cancer. It’s true – google it. It’s a very, very manageable disease. I know MD Anderson sounds scary, but really my treatment options are the same no matter where I go, so why not let the best doctors decide?

Plus, the Minis and I have never been to Houston, so we are counting it as just another adventure. We never seem to be in short supply of those. 😉

Today, we are at the beach with my Momma for her birthday. We are feeling so thankful for her;

for beaches;

for laughter;

for answered prayers;

for horses;

for good doctors;

and for new adventures. 🙂

I’ll keep you guys posted about horse therapy, the MRA, and MD Anderson. We appreciate your continued prayers and love.