Please pray!

We got an email from our pastor today. His daughter has been battling cancer for the last 6 months or so. She's maybe five or ten years older than me with a husband and three kids. The youngest little girl is only two. Dawn Marie has had chemotherapy, radiation, and has been in the hospital multiple times. The doctors have repeatedly given her little chance of living. The fact that she is alive today is nothing short of a miracle. Both the chemotherapy and the radiation failed. The chemotherapy was the wrong kind, and while they were doing radiation on one cancer, another larger one grew elsewhere. Their last ditch effort was to try a new drug. The doctors did a scan yesterday to see how the cancer was reacting to this new drug, and it has had no effect. The doctor pretty much said there was nothing else he could do, and to go home and pray for a miracle. I just thought I'd ask you guys to pray. Other than God's miraculous and merciful intervention, there is no hope. I don't know Dawn Marie at all - or most of her family. I just feel such a burden for them. She has such little kids who need their mommy. Watching her family deal with crisis upon crisis has been such a lesson in trusting God even in extemely difficult times. Anyway - I just know several prayer warriors who will read this. Please pray for Dawn Marie and her family. This is what her dad (our pastor) wrote: "We are committed to filling that ‘prescription’[asking for a miracle from God], knowing that we are safely protected in the shadow of His wing, that we have a refuge in His strong name, and that His arm is not too short or His hand too weak so as to heal. We have known from the first that only God could spare her life to fulfill her calling as a wife and mother. We simply have medical affirmation today that we are completely dependent upon His mercy and His grace. Please ask boldly for a miracle of physically healing for His own name’s fame and for Dawn-Marie’s joy in dreams fulfilled . And ask for Divine peace, the unexplainable kind that defies circumstances, in the process of waiting on Him."

God's kids

I love having another girl in the family. Kylie is so.... girly! For lack of a better word. I always thought we'd have fun some day shopping for clothes or watching girl movies. But, Kylie is fascinated by girl stuff now. She loves to put anything on her head. I try to keep cute hats up there, since she has pretty much no hair, but she has been known to put Ethan's underwear on her head, too. She also likes to dress up in pretty dresses. We went shopping for summer clothes recently, and she walked around sorting through clothes saying "WOW!" and "Pretty". Then, when we got home, she had fun trying clothes on. She would look down at them and point to a flower or a button and ask "What's that?".

Then, just yesterday we got a package from Rob and Christina (thanks guys!) full of Marti Gras beads. Kylie was in heaven! She must've said "WOW!" 20 times. She's been walking around the house with at least 3 strands of beads around her neck ever since. They're such bright, shiny colors!

She also loves baby dolls. She gives them lovies (rocks them back and forth while hugging them) and feeds them bottles. She's just got these feminine traits so wrapped up in who she is. It's amazing to me to see them so clearly when she's so little!
Now in all fairness, I'd like to say that Kylie is not always so girly. She can eat dirt and bugs, throw rocks, and jump on the couch right along with the boys. And Ethan is fun, too. He LOVES to be tickled! And his curious mind and sensitive heart keep me busy, entertained, and surprised all the time. He also has done his share of not so manly things. He's tried on lots of clothes cuz mommy thought it would be fun. And, he's watched Cinderella and Mary Poppins many times. But, at three, he's much better at running screwdrivers and poking sticks in fires than I will ever be. It's just so exciting to watch these little people be who God made them to be!