Updates on us!

I haven't actually brought you up to date on our lives in a while. Frankly, the last month or so has been a bit of a whirlwind and it's kind of hard to even know where to start.

Eli had his birthday last week and we decided that we'd celebrate with just our family. Since Eli has always had a hard time in groups, we thought he'd probably enjoy the day more just being the center of our attention. It's hard to believe that he's 5 now and the reality of him heading to school in the fall is really starting to hit me. I'm not sure what I'll do with myself without Elias around to entertain us all with his antics.... Then again, Sam will keep me so busy without big brother around to play with, I'm sure the days will just fly by. We've decided to send him to the catholic school that's just down the street from our home. I like the idea of him continuing to learn about Jesus and that everything he learns will somehow come back to God's truth. Makes me feel like I can let go of my desire to home school him in order to protect him from the big bad world.

Sam's still Sam. He's crazy and fun and silly. He copies everything Elias does and says... Definitely is Elias's biggest fan. Sam can count up to 15 now, although I can't figure out where he learned it. I asked Eli if he'd been teaching Sam how to count and Eli said, "No, Mom. (Insert eye roll here) We just like to count stuff!" Sam is absolutely fearless, jumping off stairs, climbing walls, carrying around a hot sauce bottle like a juice cup (to clarify, it's not something we encourage.... He breaks into the fridge so that he can drink it!) I'm hoping he's going to get this adrenaline-junky, dare-devil part of him out of his system before he's a teenager and can do even nuttier things! He makes me laugh, that's for sure!

Trev is the center of most of my drama right now. Last month, he was driving home from Brooks in his concrete truck and he hit his head on the ceiling of the truck. After a couple of trips to the Emergency Room, a doctor ordered an emergency MRI on his neck. The MRI showed 7 herniated discs, 2 ruptured discs, and one disc that is effected by arthritis. He was told that he could not, under any circumstances, work for a while and so he was home for nearly 4 weeks, mostly on bed rest. I literally became the single mother of 3 children! I spent two weeks driving Trev to numerous appointments and waiting on him as much as I could without neglecting the boys. I'd rub his neck and head until 2 or 3 in the morning every night. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of pain he's been in. For more than a week, he was taking percocet every three hours just to cope with the pain... And that's on top of all the pain meds he was already taking! He just went back to work on Monday, doing strictly desk work. So far, all they've done is make him watch hour after hour of training videos (some made in the 70's!) Even sitting in a chair is difficult for him and he wasn't able to be at work for more than 5 hours. We are so thankful that he's covered by Workers Comp! They're paying him his full wage for 8 hours every day. Even now, when he's gone back to work part-time, they're making up the difference so that we're still being paid for full-time hours. Praise God! He's so faithful!

Since I've had to be so much busier this last month, my back has made me pretty miserable. I had a cortisone shot this morning and I'm looking forward to the relief the doctor has promised me! I have been so thankful for the friends that God has placed in my path. Last week, my dear friend treated me to a pedicure and lunch for my birthday! The last time I had a pedicure was when I was about to deliver Elias! Oh my goodness, it was absolutely amazing. But even better than the wonderful treat is the fact that I have someone who I can talk to when things get over-whelming for me, someone to help me break up the week with play dates, someone who understands the tough things that wives feel and experience that hubby's just don't get. I think sometimes wives forget that our husbands just aren't designed to be our girlfriends and that they think so differently than we do. I find that our marriage is easier because I'm not always dumping every thought and feeling on Trevor... Because it's not fair of me to expect that of him!

We have had visits from a few people this last month. Mom & Dad came down in the middle of November to help us lay new flooring in the kitchen. It was so nice to have them here for 5 whole days! I'm really missing Mom & Dad, having a hard time without them being near us to support us. We had such a good visit, playing games, sitting and visiting with each other. I think I've seen Mom & Dad more since they moved in August than when they were living here since they come and stay with us now. It's different when you get to sleep in the same house and enjoy every meal together. Love that! Trev's parents were here for the weekend following Mom & Dad's visit. Valerie looked healthier and was able to be more active than she had been in at least a year! The kids, Val, and I went on a long hike in the coulees and the kids really enjoyed that. Val also brought a cake to celebrate Eli's coming birthday together... So thoughtful! One other visit that was very special came last week... The last owner of our home, Mrs. Merrick dropped by with one of her old piano students so that she meet us and see what changes we'd made to the home she lived in for 60 years. She was so gracious and sweet. She was understanding about why we'd made changes (like the fireplace we tore out.... that her dead husband and brother had built!) She told us that she and her priest had been praying that God would use this home and that the people who needed it would be able to buy it. When I told her what had happened to us and that this house was indeed used by God, tears glistened in her eyes. She was thrilled that a young family of believers filled her home. Such a sweet little woman!

One other thing happening right now. Trev's grandpa was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma a while back, but we've just learned that it has now spread through his entire lymph system. He starts chemo today. We've been so sad about this and are trying to figure out when we can get out there to see him. I told Eli a little bit about what was happening to Great-Grandpa the other night and he took it very hard. I really dumbed it down for him.... Told him that G.Grandpa was very sick with something called cancer. He asked if we needed to go to take him to the 'hopsicle' and I said that G.Grandpa was already in the hospital. I said that the doctors were working hard to help him feel better and that we needed to pray that God's will would be done quickly. I chose to warn him that sometimes God chooses to allow people to die, but since G.Grandpa is a believer in Jesus, he'd get to go to Heaven where he'd be healthy and whole, able to walk and talk to Jesus. Eli was not comforted by my explaining how happy G.Grandpa would be in Heaven... Eli was just too upset at the thought of losing him. Please join us in prayer for the whole Muirhead family, for G.Grandpa and G.Grandma especially and for Eli too. I gotta tell you, my knee-jerk reaction to this bad news was to hide it from Elias in order to protect him from sadness. I didn't want to take Elias to see him & I didn't want Eli to come to the funeral if it comes to that. I remember my Grandpa Bartell's struggle with cancer and his death (which I was present for) very clearly and, while it literally saved my eternal life, it was the hardest thing I've ever experienced. Watching this man who was bigger than life, who would visit the 'old folks' at the hospital (even though he was well into his 70's), who could dream up inventions waste away and die was something I wanted to shelter my kids from. I was already in my 20's when Grandpa died and was therefore better able to cope with his loss than a 5-year old boy. After talking to my folks, I finally decided that it would be hard for him, but God may be using this to help Eli better understand Heaven and death. My Mom and Dad told me that if I chose to shelter Eli from this pain and Heaven forbid something happen to someone even closer to Eli should die, he would have no frame of reference with which to cope with his pain. Oh, a mother's job is so hard. Mom told me that she STILL wants to shelter her kids from pain! How do I decide what to allow the boys to experience and what to hide from them... where's the line?

Anyway, you're caught up, I think! I'm sure I'll think of more I could talk about. I'll do a picture post soon!