Prayers Needed for Grandma Smoak

What a week this has been for Grandma & Granddaddy Smoak as well as for the rest of the family!  As I type this right now Charles is down at the hospital spending some good one on one time with his Grandma. We received news on Wednesday that a tumor was found on the back of Grandma's brain but they weren't sure exactly what it was.  They brought her up to the hospital here in Columbia to get more CAT scans and MRIs done in an attempt to figure out what was going on.  The tests showed that she has a tumor, the size of an orange, on the back of her brain (imagine the size of an orange and then imagine it in your head and the amount of pressure it has to be putting on the brain).  The neurosurgeon has made plans to go in on Monday and remove the tumor.  He said that based on the latest MRI part of the tumor looks like it could be the "good kind of tumor" and part of it looks like it could be the "bad kind of tumor" (meaning cancer).  Once he is in there and can determine what type of tumor it is, he will then determine how aggressive he will be in taking it out.  Please pray for wisdom for the doctors, as well as for strength and comfort for everyone involved.  It is so hard to see someone you love have to go through this at such an old age but the tumor is so fast growing that they have no choice but to go in and take it out.  I am not sure what time the surgery is going to be but it will be sometime Monday morning.  I will update once we know something for sure.  It is definitely a little scary when you think about Grandma Smoak having to go through such a major surgery but we know that the Lord is in complete control and none of this has been a surprise to Him.  We can all rest knowing that she is in His hands and that He is the great physician who is capable of doing more than we could ever imagine!!  We are so thankful for the salvation that Grandma and Granddaddy have in the Lord... that alone is such a comfort to all of us during this time.  Thank you for your prayers and I will post more when we know what time the surgery will be!

This picture was taken on Christmas day.  Jacob is showing Grandma Smoak a new toy that came in his stocking.  She loves her great-grandkids so much and takes so much pride in them!!

Jacob with Granddaddy Smoak... for some reason Chase was not around to participate in the pictures.  Please be praying for Granddaddy as well as he is very limited in what he can do.  I am sure it has got to be very difficult seeing your wife in this situation and not being able to do anything to help.

Taking the dive...

Well, here we are!  I've debated over the last 3 or so years whether to start our own blog or not and finally, with the encouragement of some great friends, we decided to try it out.  I don't feel like we have anything particularly interesting to share on a daily basis, but with how busy we are with the boys (and soon to add one more to the mix in August) I felt that this was in the very least a good way to document things that happen around our house... the serious, funny, hard, silly, good and bad.  As I sit here this morning, I am so thankful for how much the Lord has blessed me.  I could not ask for a better husband or more precious children.  My boys are the most loving little boys I have ever been around... they love to laugh, play, and give lots of hugs and kisses.  They both are so excited about having a baby in the house around August, although I don't really think Jacob understands fully what this means.  In the next few months, our baby, Jacob, will learn to sleep in a big boy bed, hopefully get potty trained, and move into the room with his big brother.  We're hoping to move them together sometime around the beginning of June so that they have the summer to work out all the issues that come with sleeping together (interrupted sleep, etc.).  Chase is so excited about helping out with the baby... he asks me at least once a day if the baby is ready to come out yet.  I laugh and tell him that it is still going to be a while!  He talks about helping with diapers and getting a bottle for the baby (which won't happen too often since I will be nursing)!  Chase was only 14 months old when Jacob was born so I'm excited to see how different it will be this go around seeing that Chase will be almost 4 and Jacob will be 2 and 1/2.  The boys are going through a little bit of a rough stage together right now... they live to see who can irritate the other more and it's driving Mama a little bit crazy! :)  I seriously feel like I should be wearing stripes and a whistle.  We're trying to teach Chase the right way to talk to his brother and we're trying to teach Jacob not to mess with Chase when he's in the middle of something.  I know it is only a matter of time before they play nicely together for the majority of the time, although I do know arguments will come in here and there.  I am also making a huge effort to remember that these days are going to come and go so quickly and before I know it they will be in school and there will be no more laughs, cries, arguments, and playtime like there is right now.  That keeps me focused on today... to appreciate every stage they go through, whether good or bad, hard or easy.  These children are blessings and gifts from God.  We take the responsibility seriously and we know that our job is to love, teach, mold, and direct their minds, eyes, ears, and hearts towards our Heavenly Father!

This picture was taken on Christmas Eve but when I look at this picture I am reminded of how much they really do love each other!