Mitton Clan

Victoria is almost two!!!

2012-02-10T13:57:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to say that Victoria,at around 3:50 p.m will turn two years old!! We are all very excited about this. We are so grateful to God for letting us have our little treasure for so long. We will try and post pictures of her party soon. May you all be led of the Spirit today. "But thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!."

Skiing

2012-02-01T22:25:00.006-06:00

The entire crew. Front row,from left to right, Jeshua C,Matthew M,Ronnie C. Second row; Caleb M, Ellen C,
Isaac K. last row; Linda M, Elizabeth M, Rachel M, and Priscilla K

Jeshua. There was a wonderful view from the top of Buena Vista.
The weather was very, very delightful.

The Lodge.

From left to right; Caleb, Isaac, and Ronnie.
This is the middle and largest lift at Buena Vista

Caleb, Jeshua, and Ronnie were all new skiers. They did very well. Here Jeshua, Matthew and Caleb (hiding behind the mask) are ready for another fun run!

My sister Rachel. As you can see by the look on her face she (all of us really) was having a great time:)

Priscilla and Rachel after getting of the smaller lift...ready to head down...in the blinding snow...which didn't last too long.

Ronnie and Elizabeth coming up the ski lift. We are so glad that our cousins and aunt were able to join us for a day of fun and exercise.

Elizabeth did fine on the slopes...but here she is just taking a quick break. The weather was mild...at first it snowed heavily...but it cleared up and was such a nice day, we really didn't want to stop.

My wonderful mom. Thank-you Mom for taking us to Buena Vista.
Thank-you very much Daddy for staying home with the little girls..we wished you could have come with us.

Our Cousin Isaac hit into a deer.(we are glad you are o.k.) Isaac gave us the meat from the deer.
Here Caleb is cutting meat of the bones..notice his lovely apron:)

"But let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven."
May our great God give you all many opportunists to share the Lord with others this week. No light is too insignificant. I once read a story about a little girl. She was a housemaid in a large house. Her jobs were lowly and menial. Whenever her companions saw her she was cheerfully fulfilling her tasks. When asked what her secret to joy was,she replied" I know that Jesus sees all I do. I want my candle to burn brightly even in this small corner of the world.
You never know who your life is touching.

Linda's Latest Creations

2012-01-13T13:47:00.001-06:00

Um, something interesting for lunch? Nope, just the latest of Linda's projects.

I don't think boiled sweater would taste good anyways. I think she was making sure it was shrunk.

After cooking it, she hung it up to dry and shrink. From there, it will end up looking something like this....

Beautiful wool mittens, lined with fleece. Sold in stores for over 25.00. Made in just about 1 hour. Old sweater gotten at second hand store for .50 cents. Or, Sportsmans guide is selling 4 wool blankets for 31.00. Either way, these are nice mittens. I love my Mitton :))

December in Review.

2012-01-06T13:36:00.001-06:00

Just a smattering of what we have been up to lately.

We take the seniors center service all the month of December.

Bringing bright sunshine to the elderly.

More sunshine.

Our piano players.

Jesus, the reason why we serve and love.

Caleb celebrated his 11th birthday this December. We sure love him.

Then of course there is all the Christmas baking. We sure had fun this year sharing with some of our neighbors.

We even got a little snow this year. Though most of it is gone now.

Victoria has been doing pretty good lately. She grabbed her own feeding tube here and it looks like she wants to feed herself. Here teeth are still bothering her, but slowly they are coming. We enjoyed a second Christmas with her.

Wearing a gift from Grandma Mitton

And of course the Christmas play on Dec. 24th is always a favorite.

Christmas morning. Wearing her new pj's with her new dollie. I wish she was more expressive. :)

Christmas dresses that mamma made. How come we boys don't get anything like that?

Ahha...we did get something. The Mitton boys doing the "Christmas can can"

I could get nothing for Christmas, but would still be happy with this cute little "package"

After bath time, and wearing more presents.

After the 25th, the S.D gang came up. Some of us visited the shed...what a fun place.

Enjoying a game at the Grandparents place. Someone said this year that we are getting to the point where grandpa will have to build a 3 stall garage to accommodate everybody.

Daniel "boone" and his white elephant gift. Too bad you didn't get to keep it. Such fun.

The rink is opened, and so we have been enjoying some skating.

New years eve this year we celebrated at home with some fondue...so good.

I end this post with our little dollie. What are you focused on? This year, may it be Christ and His kingdom. We received power to be His witnesses...may it be so in word, and by the way we live all year round. For each one that reads this, I pray that this will be an extraordinary year for you, being filled with the very fullness of God,and delighting in Him. If you have never received him as Lord and Saviour, drop us a line and we would be glad to tell you how.

Reuben, we sure missed you this year, and hoped you enjoyed seeing some of what we have been up to. Blessings on y'all. Bruce

2011-12-23T15:05:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas Everyone

To all those who didn't get our email, we post our Christmas letter here.
I hope this finds you all enjoying this wonderful time of the year. It has been a terrific year, filled with new adventures and new trials and new discoveries about the grace of God, and how sufficient it is to meet our every need. In Christ, we have received every spiritual blessing we need to love and live for Him every day of the year.
As many of you know, we have been blessed with Victoria , who is now 22 months old. She had an interesting first birthday as she spent it in the ICU ward of Gillette children's hospital in St. Paul Mn. She was so very sick with so much wrong with her, that we were sure that the Lord was going to take her home to be with Him. We all went down and stayed at a friends place for one week, then Bruce had to get back to work, so left Linda there with her for another month. The longest we had ever been apart, and we missed them so much…but God’s grace and presence proved to be all that we and they needed. Though I would be the first to admit that there was much wrestling with God in prayer about what He was doing. After many trips down (and flying Linda home one weekend as a surprise for the children and a balm for myself) Victoria slowly got better. The three operations helped (for the shunt and to put in a G-tube for feeding), and we are now enjoying her at home. There are still many trials in taking care of her, but blessing and joy too.
For most of the year, Bruce was on 32 hour work weeks, but God’s grace helps us to live within our means and we are blessed to have all that we have need of. He is pursuing another job about 1.5 hrs from here, and we are just waiting for the house to sell before we move there…Lord willing of course. He was able to fly to Toronto for a nephew’s wedding and got to see all his family for the first time in 5 years, such sweet memories.
Linda still keeps busy as family accountant, mother, wife, nurse, pyschologist, counselor, entrepreneur, full of good works for neighbors and widows, gardener, teacher, and so much more. What a wonderful domestic engineer she is. She had many wonderful opportunities to share Christ with others during her stay in the hospital.
Benjamin 22 still lives on his own in Thief River Falls and is enjoying his job as training supervisor with Digi Key. He has just joined the Army National Guard, and as I write is at his first training weekend. Please pray that God would guide and sustain this godly young man.
Reuben 19 lives a little further away….like, the far east in Nantou ,Taiwan. We all spent a wonderful week away camping with all the family in Aug. and then said our goodbyes. He is teaching English there for the year, all paid for by the Taiwanese gov’t. To say the least, he is loving it. He has 6 different schools he goes to every week, along with work on Sat . in an orphanage. He is there with a team of 40 young people, though lives with only 7 of them at one of the schools. Please pray for his health, spiritual growth, safety, a burden for the lost there, and for the gift of tongues, that he would be able to learn the Chinese language. We miss him so much, but are thankful for Skype and FB and email.
Elizabeth is 17 and will be graduating next year, so would appreciate prayer for God’s will for what she should do next.
I could write about all the other little (and not so little ones) children, but this letter would get quite lengthy . Rachel is 15,and along with Elizabeth, are mother's great helpers. Matthew 13, is growing tall, and loves to drive....not yet sonny boy, need more practice :)) Caleb 11,is full of life...and a little mischievous? at times . Marie 9,loves to read and quote from videos..please, no more UP Joanna 6, is quiet, shy reserved, and then wakes up. And Esther is 4 and comes up with just the greatest one liners. Do you know she is faster than snow? If you would like to see a few pictures of all of us, here is a link that you can go to. https://picasaweb.google.com/home We are so blessed to have so many young disciples to train up for Christ. Thank you for praying for us as a family, we are blessed.
We are so far from being what we ought to be in Christ, but little by little , here a little , there a little we are changing into the image of Christ in practice what we are already in position with Him. At this Christmas season, and always, may you hold tight to Him in trials and joy, sorrow and good times…He is coming again soon .
With much love , prayers and blessings , Bruce, Linda and family

""God has a reason for everything He does. You may not understand why he leads you now in this way and now in that, but you may, nay you must believe that perfection is stamped on His every act." E. Prentiss

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!

2011-11-30T18:52:00.000-06:00

Happy 24th anniversary Mom and Dad!!
Since our camera is not working I can't post a recent picture of Dad and Mom.So instead of pictures here are 24 reasons that I am thankful for Mom and Dad.
1.That they are Christians.
2.That they have stayed together all these years.
3.That they love the Bible.
4.That they are pro-life:)
5. That they bring us to a Bible-believing church.
6.That they home-school us.
7.That they have a sense of humor.
8.That they have instilled in us a love of Scripture.
9.That they teach us to honor others.
10.That they teach us to respect government.
11.That they have believed in dressing us modestly.
12.That they have protected us from bad videos.
13.That they have a BIG garden.
14.That they have taught us to love books.
15.That they teach us about Creation.
16.That they have good standards about music.
17.That they enjoy playing games with us.
18.That they discipline us when we need it.
19.That they believe in having personal bible reading.
20.That they humbly ask us forgiveness when they need to.
21.That they have brought us on so many fun vacations.
22.That they have always had time for us.
23.That they teach us about our heritage.
24.That they love each other so much:):)

I love you so much Mom and Dad. May God continue to give you joy in your marriage. Thanks for the great example that you are.Here is an old picture of Mom and Dad when they were in Banff.

Marie's Birthday

2011-11-22T20:05:00.000-06:00

Marie is nine years old now.

Mom made a special castle cake for Marie.

Blowing out the candles!!


Marie with her gifts from her family.

Smile!!

Marie working hard.

Wood for the winter!!

Our men work so well together.

Marie's birthday wish came true! She was so excited!

We are very grateful for you Marie. We hope that you would grow up to love Jesus more and more. Happy 9th Birthday!!
Every time that I look at the snow I am reminded of the verse in Isaiah."Come now, let us reason together,saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Here is another verse that I like about snow.Psalm 51:7" Purge me with Hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter that snow."Psalm 51:7 I want to thank all that made Marie's birthday special. May God bless you all with a Great Thanksgiving. Remember To be thankful for the best gift of all, JESUS. 11 Cor. 9:15" But thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."11Cor.9:15

Dad is Rambling again...

2011-11-20T21:15:00.001-06:00

Greetings to one and all. It has been so long since I have rambled on here, (probably no one has really missed it anyways), so thought I would share some of my thoughts with you tonight. As I write, our family is shrinking. Reuben is on the other side of the globe teaching English in Taiwan, and loving it. Ben is a training supervisor at Digi Key about 1.5 hours from here. So we are left with only 8 blessings at home. How did they ever grow up so fast? They go from diapers, to driving to dreams in lightening speed, and our time to train and nurture is gone in a blink. This week, Linda and I will have been married for 24 years...did I mention that I married her, and she has become my very best friend, and still is. She is the most incredible woman I know (shouldn't every husband say that about their brides?). She has taught me so much, especially with Victoria. Her steady belief in the sovereignty of God in our lives has been such an encouragement to me.
She has such a simple, yet profound childlike trust in God's goodness and providence, believing that He always does all things well..even when we do not understand. Thanks my dear. Jesus is represented in my little Victoria's life, and he said, if you do it (acts of kindness) to the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me..so we are learning to love Jesus. Many times His blessings come wrapped up in packages that might not look like blessings, but they really are. Learning to love those that are many times overlooked or considered not important. It takes, love, patience, unselfishness, perseverance , time, for which I am trying to learn about these qualities. This week is also when we celebrate thanksgiving, even though we should be grateful every day. Are you thankful that your children can talk, walk, feed themselves, dress themselves, smile , all these simple little things we take for granted, and really don;'t miss them until they can't do these things anymore. Be thankful. Be thankful for trials...for the glory of Jesus is revealed in them. They are used, or can be used to draw us closer to God. Be thankful for trials. Be thankful for possesions, but be willing to give them up joyfully, because you have a country and an inheritance in Christ. Be thankful that you know a God who loves and cares for you, and that He knows you and has written your name on His hands, how humbling to be known by Him and be able to serve Him. Serve Him with joy and gladness of heart....can't wait to see Him face to face. Blessings on all who read this. Love Christ with all your heart today....He is worthy of such affection. Affectionately, Bruce

Victoria

2011-11-03T17:22:00.002-05:00

Caleb acting like....well Caleb:) We love you Caleb!!

JoAnna and Esther acting like sisters should.

Matthew and Victoria enjoying each others company.

Victoria loving her dolly:)


Victoria has not used her hands much like this since her sickness in	February.

I love this picture of Victoria looking up at Mommy!

Our content treasure.She is almost 21 months old.

Victoria is trying too get teeth,it is going rather hard.

Where has the time flown to?! It is November already!
Notice the chunky hands...Victoria now weighs over 22 lbs.

We are so grateful for our little miracle baby!

God has been so good in providing us with plenty of wood for the winter.

Daddy,our faithful provider.

Working hard trying to sharpen the chain.

You walk in from the cold and put your hands by the fire.AAAHHH!!!

Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth,seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat,and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. Genesis 8:22

Canadian Thanksgiving and More

2011-10-18T15:05:00.002-05:00

Mom and Dad on Canadian Thanksgiving day.

Some holidays are worth celebrating more than once!!
We always try to have our own little
Canadian Thanksgiving celebration.

Our beautiful mums. They always bloom nicely in the fall!

Pumpkin crunch, our C.Thanksgiving dessert.


Daddy was able to make a visit to Toronto for a nephew's wedding. This photo is of him with his dad and mom, brothers, and sister.

Dad and his three brothers

At a youth conference with 21 other people.

Matthew and Caleb rappelling:)

A very interesting quote that I found on another blog, I thought I would share it with you.

"What if you woke up this morning and found the only things that you had left were the things that you thanked God for Yesterday?" Terry Shock

Mom made a house for the three little girls..they love it!
Hey Reuben...what do you think of JoAnna's toothless smile??

Matthew's science experiment..yeast and sugar reacted to fill the balloon.
If you look closely, you can see that the yeast mixture is about 2/3 of the way
up the bottle...it started at only 1 inch.

Our new mini-van.
It is a 2000 Plymouth Grand Voyageur.


We no longer have a 15 passenger van :( This means when we all go, we need both of our vehicles... even with both vehicles, we will get better mpg than when we drove together in the Chevy van. I do have to say, though (in defense of 15 passenger vans) that when we drove the Ford with the V10 engine, it really got excellent mpg for as many people as it hauled...it got 16.

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest,and cold and heat, and summer and winter,and day and night shall not cease. Genesis 8:22 May God bless you all with his peace today. Thanks for taking the time to look at our blog!!

God's Creation!

2011-09-26T22:03:00.001-05:00

In the Beginning..

God created the Heaven..

and the earth.

These are some pictures that my Mum took. These show just a little of God's creation. We are such a privileged people to live in such a beautiful environment. Our Countryside just screams a Creator. My favorite of all of God's creations are people. I even love people that are unloved. John 3:16" For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son; that whosoever believeth in him should perish, but have everlasting life.John3:16 We have a great God!

Please Pray!

2011-09-22T20:45:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to Voice of the Martyrs. Persecution.com. Please look under prayer. There is a man that needs our prayer. People around the world are being persecuted. One way to help these people is to pray for them. Psalm 94:20-22" Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law? They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. but the Lord is my defense; and my God is the rock of my refuge."Psalm94:20-22 I Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. I Peter 4:7

Rocks, Cookies, A trip to the Beach, and JoAnna.

2011-09-21T22:15:00.002-05:00

You might be wondering what rocks and cookies have in common. In our science we have been learning how rocks are made from different minerals coming together. Well...cookies are made by putting lot of things together. So...we decided to make a batch of cookies and let each child put extra things in the cookies to make them nice:) We put different flavors, different colors, different chocolate chips, and different nuts. It was a lot of fun!! We also took a field trip to Zipple Bay. We discovered a lot of neat rocks. We are going to take some of these rocks and put them through a rock tumbler to learn more about erosion. The Bible tells us that we are to put our trust in the solid rock called Jesus. Matthew 7:24"There fore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house on a rock."Matthew 7:24 Psalm 62:7" In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God."Psalm 62:7

Starting

Product.

M@M's!!

Mixing.

The Chef's

The Finished product...they were delicious, by the way!

Zipple Bay...where we found many interesting rocks.

Rachel

The Little Girls (The Littlest Girl,Victoria, loved the beach...
the sand had a strip hard enough, we could push her in her stroller!)

Matthew and Caleb

Another picture of Zipple Bay.

My Wonderful Parents!!

Jesus is to be our Rock.

Daddy with his little girl.


And I could not resist showing you all a picture of my

                                               little sister JoAnna.
    (notice the missing front tooth...she is now missing both!)
                                 May God bless you with a wonderful evening.

Apples and our bike ride.

2011-09-15T21:13:00.001-05:00

This is Elizabeth trying my hand at blogging. We have had a bountiful harvest of apples this year.We have made over 200 quarts of applesauce, 21 quarts of apple pie filling, and 10 quarts of apple juice.We are grateful to God for all of his gifts that He has given to us!

My little sweet sister Esther. She loved climbing the apple trees!

Me. We shook the trees on a tarp so that it was easy to gather apples for applesauce.

Matthew! Don't Fall!!(The ground is only a few feet down)

Matthew, Rachel,and I decided to bike to the Krahn's corn-maze.It took us one and one half hours.

Starting Off! Thank-you so much Uncle Arthur and Aunt Camille for letting us work at your corn-maze. We all love working there!


Victoria is doing pretty well. She had some good appointments In The Cities. All the doctors were so surprised to see Victoria doing so well.We thank God for our little treasure.Even though she is a lot of work, it's nice to be taking care of a miracle!!

Sorry these pictures are out of order.This is Rachel and Matthew manning the applesauce maker.

Apples!!


Another good helper! JoAnna loves to help to make applesauce. In fact, our whole family enjoys applesauce making. May God Bless you all. Keep Walking with the Lord.

Summer Birthdays.

2011-09-07T16:54:00.001-05:00

We were going to try and post birthday posts regularly,but it didn't happen.So here are pictures of all the birthday people in May, June, and July.Enjoy!

Psalm 100 make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness:come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us,

and not we ourselves: we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,

and into his courts with praise.

be thankful unto him,

and bless his name.

For the Lord is good:

his mercy is everlasting:


and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100

Shots from our Camping trip

2011-08-24T19:01:00.003-05:00

Yes, believe it or not, we are still alive. These shots are mostly taken by Reuben during our recent camping trip. We went about 2 hrs from here, and then did a day trip on the north shore of lake Superior. It was a wonderful time together. Could be a long time till we are all back together, as Reuben is on a plane to Taiwan as i write this.

Taken at Split rock Lighthouse. Now how did I get to be the dog?

Matthew, chillin out, or something like that.

Mom, Elizabeth and Rachel.

Split rock in the background, lots of love in the foreground.

Nice shot Reuben

Part of the highlight everyday was swimming in the lake.

Caleb and Marie at Two Harbours. It was so hot that day, I really wanted to jump in, but had no suit with me.

Reuben. As I said, he is on flight 881 on his way to Taiwan for the year to teach English...all expenses paid by the Taiwanese govt. Please be in prayer for him and for us as he comes to mind. Here is a link that shows where his plane is. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL881

Joanna, being Joanna, twirling!!!

This little girl just loved camping, swimming and just about everything about the trip, it was really sweet to watch.

Wearing big brother's clothes. Sweet Marie

We had some really beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I think Reuben only Photoshopped one thing in this pic.


Yes, Victoria had a great time. She is doing really well of late. I guess there is only one pic that we left out of this post, and that is of a for sale sign out in front of our house. I have a job offer in Thief River that begins the end of next month, so we are asking that if God would have us go, that we would sell our place and find another place down there. Please pray with us for His will to be done.

Gooseberry falls were absolutely beautiful. Well, as refreshing as this looks, may the presence our Saviour be more refreshing to you today. Blessings, Bruce

Mi Key Button (pronounced "mickey" ) and BMC

2011-06-27T22:57:00.001-05:00


Victoria... feeling content

I got the photos ready for this post in April, not long after we were home from the hospital...thinking maybe some of you are not familiar with a "g-tube" and how it works. The g-tube gives direct access
to the stomach. When we came home from the hospital, she was on the pump nearly 24 hours a day. Little by little we changed that, and have added other foods, so we mostly run it twice a day now. In between, we feed her orally. She is doing reasonably well with soft 'baby' foods, and with drinking from a bottle. We give her what she can take orally, and make up the difference of what she needs with the pump. The first six weeks were home, she was not gaining weight, but over the last 5-6 weeks, she has begun to gain again. She got sick at 17 lbs, dropped to 14 at her lowest while sick, then got stuck at about 15 for awhile. Now she is back up over 17 1/2. Her legs were SO skinny. They are still not fat, but they are growing and looking healthier. She is already 16 months, and we are so thankful for her.
She enjoys the great outdoors, loves her stroller and being held. She rolled over today...something she has not done since she got sick. She does not like having her arms exercised...but her legs are limbering up, and she does not mind when we exercise them. Well...sorry the photos are all so old. I am doing this post on Reuben's lap top, and I don't have any newer ones to choose from today. I will try to get some more up to date ones...sometime, when I find my way back to this blog... : ) ...meanwhile, it is summer, and we are all enjoying the sunny days, when we happen to have them, and catching up on indoor things when we don't. The garden is up and growing...at the moment, I am pumping water out of the low end. I am so glad for our raised rows! So far, only the weeds are drowning! We are hoping for a little drier weather, so that we can get into the garden without sinking up to our knees, and get the rest of the weeding done. I have one end of the 2nd garden which I can not reach with the pump, which has a lot of standing water...the low end of that garden. I was thinking of sending out my boys in swim shorts to bail it out...hmmm...it could be messy, potentially useful fun. Hope you are all enjoying the beautiful summer days...and stopping once in a while to hear the birds singing.

syringes we use with the mi-key button

The pump which pumps food for Victoria.
It fits neatly in the little black back pack you see
it in for 'on-the-go' use.

Medication port...but we use it for many other things

The extention, which connects to the mic-key button on one
end and to the pump on the other. The
white thing you see is very important.
It is a clamp, and must be clamped when the tube is
not being used.
If Victoria has a burp...it can come out her mouth,
like any baby...or...open the clamp.
Getting air out with the tube is called,
'venting'.

Priming the $30.00, 1- day use bag, which
is for use with the pump
(We have learned to clean these bags well, so
they can last much longer)

The Mi-Key button.
This is what we see of the G tube.
It is held in place by a little
balloon inside which has about 5 mls
of water in it. The extention attaches in the
middle, and gives access for feeding.
(This is an old photo...the incision you see
has been all healed for a long time now.)
When we are not using the tube, there
is a little stopper...somewhat like what
you find on a beach ball that we close.
In side the mi key button itself, is a little
valve which automatically closes, until the end
of the extention is inserted, and opens it.

The bottles with this little hole
make measuring out meds or
vitamins so very easy
with the different syringes.

Caleb with Victoria

Daddy with Victoria.

What do three little girls look forward to every
week??? BMC, of course!

BMC is short for Bible Memory Club...Rachel
decided she wanted to do something with them,
and this is what she began.
She teaches them a Bible verse,
sings songs and tells them a story, and
quizzes them.
This year, many in our church were involved with
the Scripture Memory Fellowship
program, so she used this time to help the younger
two learn their "ABC" verses.

When they are done, they get prizes for their hard work.
sometimes the prize is getting their nails painted!

Both toenails and finger nails.
Sometimes the prize will be some fun stickers.
Sometimes it is the privilege of
baking with Rachel.
Whatever it is, the little girls love it, and look
forward eagerly to their BMC!
Well done, Rachel!

Father' Day

2011-06-19T21:44:00.001-05:00

Well, here we are , on another Father's day. One of our traditions is to take a picture with all our kids with dad. I have such wonderful children that make being a Dad so much easier. Thanks kids...I am proud to be called your Father.

Happy Father's day Dad. What a great dad you have been.

Are you sure you are really 81 this year?

One of my sweet treasures

Now here is a nostalgic picture. Sorry Steve, you weren't born yet. Aren't we such cute children? Blessings on you dad. Love you. Bruce

Graduation Open House

2011-05-31T10:17:00.000-05:00

Reuben is Graduating!

You are invited to his open house!

Sunday, June 5th

12:00 - 2:00 PM

Family Fundamental Church

Pine Ridge Road

Warroad

We would love to have you celebrate with us!

Congratulations, Reuben, on a job well done!

Never stop learning and growing!

We love you!!!

"For the LORD giveth wisdom:

out of His mouth cometh

knowledge and understanding."

"Wisdom is the principal thing;

therefore get wisdom:

and with all thy getting,

get understanding."

May Spring Post

2011-05-23T12:17:00.002-05:00

Okay, so its been awhile. Here are some of the things that we have been up to lately.

Piano recitals. Matthew and Elizabeth doing their best

We also visited Benjamin's new apartment in Thief River Falls.

Living Room, with his new couch and IMac

The outside of his apartment.

And of course spring planting. We have such great helpers

We have also been working on this little guys graduation which is in a few weeks. How do they go from that to this so fast?

And of course, no blog is complete without a picture of Victoria...seeing that today is "Victoria's" Day for all you north of the border people. She has been doing really well lately. She has relearned how to eat out of a bottle, how to eat baby food with a spoon, and has learned that mosquitoes love to bite her.

Well, so much more has been happening around here, but I guess that's enough for one post. Blessings on your day. P.s, for those of us that missed the "rapture" this weekend, keep living for your Lord. Thought...how would you live this day if you loved Jesus with all your heart soul, mind and strength....any different?

Happy Birthday Benjamin

2011-03-25T15:52:00.002-05:00

This post is a little late, but, better late than never. We love you a ton, and are glad to be called your parents.

Blessings on your year. Trust in the Lord with all your heart . Your grateful parents.

Mommy is Home

2011-03-25T15:32:00.000-05:00

Saying goodbye to the wonderful staff at Gillete. And saying hello to....home

I'm sure you think that we have disappeared off of the face of the planet. Not really...we are just enjoying have Linda and Victoria home again. Reuben was to fly down on Friday to help Linda drive home, but he got bumped off of standby, so Linda made the trip by herself. All went well, and she arrived home Friday evening. To say the least, it was so nice to have them home. Now, I have to admit, I was not here when they got home. I was invited to play in a forty and over hockey tournament with my bro in law, (yes Linda thought it was a good idea for me to go) and didn't get back till Sat. night.

These are just a few pictures since being home

Victoria and Marie. Notice the black bag and tubing. That's the pump that attaches to her g-tube. Right now we are using it to feed her momma's milk, as she still can't seem to remember how to eat. She wants to, but cannot seem to figure it out. Prayer and patience I guess. We are using braces for her hands to help them out, and are doing therapy on her legs, as they are pretty stiff. Overall, she is doing so well. At first, she was going through what seemed like withdrawal symptoms from being on so much medication, but that seems to be abating , for which we are really grateful. She seems so much more content now that we are home, and so are we.

She still fits in her swing, but not for much longer.

For the first time in 5 weeks we were all able to go to church together. We have such a great church family, so kind thoughtful, generous, supportive. Could not imagine going through this without them. Right now, Linda is at the doctors...nothing wrong, just a check to see that the white cells are up and that the bacteria is not coming back. Thank you all so much for all the kind comments , and especially your prayers on our behalf...we are humbled. My memory work for this week is, be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus. This has been a constant truth for us these days. May it be so in your life as well. The two little words, nothing and everything are so easy to forget. Blessings on your day today. Bruce, for all of us grateful, joyful, content, Mittons.

The Time Has Come : )

2011-03-17T12:55:00.001-05:00

It has been very busy here at the hospital today...in fact most days have been fairly busy. Today, they have been giving me last minute training and information, as we are supposed to be discharged tomorrow.

The iv antibiotics have been stopped, in fact Victoria is IV free right now. Her white blood count has come down, she hasn't spiked a high fever recently, she is doing well with her feeding through the g tube. We hope to get back to oral feeding...but time will tell how that will go. She still has some discomfort, but is getting easier to comfort, when she is not feeling the best.

So, the plan is for us to head home tomorrow...are we excited...just a little : )...
I know this is short, but I will try to get more details down later...just thought you might like to know the plan for heading home. Thanks for all your prayers...and don't feel like you need to stop now...we stand in need every day, and Victoria will definitely have further healing needed. ..Still we are so grateful to be just about home! We thank God for all He has done so far, and are so grateful that He holds the future, as well.

"God has a reason for everything He does. You may not understand why he leads you now in this way and now in that, but you may, nay you must believe that perfection is stamped on His every act." E. Prentiss

Wishing for better days

2011-03-14T21:35:00.000-05:00

Linda wanted me to post a little something. Seems like Victoria has a fever again, with high white blood cell count and high platelets..looks another infection of some sort. It seems like a replay of a month ago, but we are praying that its not. We are obviously disappointed... to say the least, as they were to come home today, but God had other plans. Pain, sorrow, tears, frustration, fear, impatience...all words that have been reality lately, but after wrestling in the quiet place with God....peace, assurance, quietness, trust are just as much a reality. Our precious saviour is in the boat in the storm with us...it does seems like He sleeps, but He cares eversomuch, and He speaks peace to us in the storms of life. His delay is for His glory. Thought I would put in some pics of "better days"

Our theme this month with our schooling is about praying in secret...um, coincidence? Lord, teach us to pray. Blessings on each of you. Bruce

Look, Mom! No Turban!

2011-03-11T18:12:00.000-06:00

Victoria having a little snooze the evening after her surgery.

Victoria's shunt replacement surgery yesterday was moved earlier by 1 hour, so by 9:45, the nurse upstairs was washing her hair. She was brought into the OR about 11:00 am, and by 11:30 they had begun the surgery. Victoria actually had two doctors for this surgery, because they knew she had some adhesions...likely from the infected CSF...and did not know if they would cause some trouble with finding a good place for the drain. So the neurosurgeon did the shunt placement, and another ped doctor, who works a lot in the abdominal area did the stuff in the abdominal area. My beeper went off at about 11:55, and I thought it was a little early...maybe they were going to tell me that it was going to take longer than planned.
Thankfully, the opposite was true. They had not run into any big issues with adhesions, and the surgery was done. About an hour later, they brought her back up to the 7th floor. They had extubated her down in recovery...she had used high flow O2 for a few minutes...then did fine on her own. She came back up breathing completely on her own. Her digestive system began functioning again by evening, and they started to give her milk again through her g tube. They are also giving her some nutrition through an IV, but that is decreasing, as the stomach feeds are increasing. Victoria had been doing really well since the surgery, and we are looking forward to thinking about home before too long.

What is left to go? Upping feedings, and making sure that her stomach is able to handle them, watching the shunt to make sure the setting is acceptable for Victoria's flow rate, starting a little PT to help get back her muscle tone which was lost during the last 6 weeks. I've also been learning to use the g-tube. I was able to give her a little milk today orally with a syringe...and she did enjoy it. Every day we are getting closer to home, and I am SO thankful!!!

For those of you who have been praying for Noah...his mom came up yesterday for a little encouragement. He was being extubated after 11 days on the vent, and she was a little worried about it. He had a hard time with it at first, but when I talked with her today, he was starting to do better with it. He still has a little ways to go, but this was an important step for him.

A Little Surprise and Shunt replacement surgery

2011-03-09T18:00:00.002-06:00

If you wondering why it has been a few days since I have updated this page...it is because I was occupied with other important things...or should I say, people. Monday morning, after a nice long cuddle with Victoria, I drove 10 miles to the other side of the Minneapolis airport, to a small terminal called Signature Flight Services.

I boarded this plane...which carries 19 passengers...at 7:30am, and walked in the door at our home at 9:00am! I could not believe how quickly the flight went! We traveled about 260 knots or around 300 mph, at an altitude of about 16,000 feet, today, though I think we travelled a bit faster on Monday. (Matthew, that means that 1 knot is about 1.15 miles)

Just about to land at the Minneapolis airport.

The height in the airplane was probably 4 1/2 feet or so, I'm not sure exactly, but you did have to bend over a little to walk down the aisle to your seat. As you can see, every seat is a window seat...except the front two. This plane is used primarily for bringing in customers to see the plant and visitor center and get a feel for the company up in Warroad, and for transporting Marvin Employees when they need to travel for work.

It is, however, available for a reasonable fee, (if there is room)to others who have some connection with the company, and want to go all the way up north to Warroad.

After nearly 4 weeks in the hospital, it was so refreshing, to be home. We caught up on lots of hugs and cuddles, had a belated Valentine's meal, enjoyed playing some games, reading, doing schoolwork, cooking together, and a little skating...just the fun things we do together which make up everyday life. It was a surprise for the children younger than Reuben...and a surprise that we all enjoyed!

A meal at home...with family (our belated Valentine's dinner)! How enjoyable!! Benjamin even ran down from Thief River Falls for Monday evening and was able to make it in time for supper. It was just so refreshing to be home with family! I did enjoy a couple of nights in a real bed, as well, and we even managed to get to a little deacon & wives supper over at my parent's place...though we didn't stay too long...it was very nice, as well. This morning we all got up a little early, so we had time to get in a good amount of school work, and Bible reading together, and then play a little game, before my dad came and picked me up to head to the Warroad International Airport, for my return flight. (Bruce had to work, so we had to say our good byes early this morning, after 2 days of just enjoying being together.) My flight left at 12:00 PM, we arrived in Minneapolis about 1:20 (we had a little head wind slow us down a bit, and we had to circle around and come in from the south), and after parking near the top of the parking ramp at the hospital (because the rest was full), I arrived back up with Victoria about 2:00 pm. While I was gone, they had volunteers come in and cuddle with her, and there was one holding her when I came in. Now she is resting, but I do look forward to a good cuddle this evening.

Victoria's fluid has remained bacteria free and they feel that she has been recovering well from her last surgery, so they have scheduled her Shunt replacement for 12:00 pm tomorrow, March 10th. We would appreciate your prayers for her, as she faces this surgery. Thank-you all for all you mean to us! We are blessed to have so many friends and so much family upholding us during this time!

Quick Update

2011-03-06T13:19:00.000-06:00

Just thought that you would like to know that Victoria was extubated early yesterday afternoon, and she did really well. They did give her high flow oxygen overnight...gradually decreasing the amount of O2 in the air flow, and this morning they removed that, and her oxygen level is staying stable...99 to 100 mostly
They have just moved us out of the PICU, and we are now up on the 7th floor in a smaller room with a really nice view...as city views go...we can see both the capitol and a big cathedral from our window.
We are now in room number 7324 and our new phone number is 651-312-3161. If you end up calling the old one, they may be able to transfer you...and I think that with our name on mail it will find its way up here, as well. Victoria has been here long enough, she is getting well known.

Up on the seventh floor, they were not comfortable with Victoria's external drain being unwrapped...so the she has been re wrapped...looks like a little helmet. The things you see on her face are all relics...of various tape jobs, and glue which helps the tape to stick...and the special sticky things that held the high flow O2 in place.

We appreciate you all so much...thanks for your continued prayers on our behalf!

"Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness." Ps. 97:11,12

Hospital life for mom

2011-03-04T17:47:00.001-06:00

Where am I staying, and what do I do during the days at the hospital? Bruce thought you all might enjoy a little glimpse of where I am at the moment...

Victoria and I are at Gillette Children's Speciality Healthcare in St. Paul it is located about two blocks from the Minnesota Capitol Building: Gillette's mission...which I found prominently displayed on a large plaque in the skyway is:
Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare provides specialized health care for people who have short-term or long-term disabilities that began during childhood. We help children, adults and their families improve their health, achieve greater well-being, and enjoy life. Gillette has been in existence since 1897.

If you come park in west parking, level D, you will be able to walk right into the Gillette children's clinic area.
There is an info desk with helpful staff ready to answer questions, and stamp your parking ticket, which gives a reduced parking rate.

I sleep in the same room with Victoria. The PICU down here was just redone last year and the rooms are private and fairly roomy.

The top picture is my bed, which is a couch by day. It is reasonably comfortable, now that I have gotten used to it. It is about 2 1/2 feet wide when it is pulled out. It pulls out about 6 inches further than what it is as a regular couch. The second photo of the rocking chair is located beside the couch, and is where I do my pumping, or can sit and relax. I also use the rocker to hold Victoria. If you look past Victoria's bed in the bottom photo, the rocker is behind the curtain to the left, and you can just see the left side of the couch.
The curtain you see, is about 5 feet from the wall, and pulls across the entire room to give a little privacy.

This little nurses station is located directly outside Victoria's room. The window behind Jenny looks right into the room, and she can see Victoria and all her vitals from right where she is often busy charting. The nurses here have really been exceptional. I have been so thankful for each one!

These photos are of the Family room which is just for PICU. (a special PICU card is required to get in).
There is a fridge we can use, microwave, a coffee/hot chocolate/cappuccino machine as well as a computer, couches, some toys and games for children. I had been bringing my meals here...for about the first two weeks I was here...but I have started bringing them to the skyway...as there is sky there.

I have also gotten well acquainted with the washer here, as they are using cloth for Victoria at the moment...any thing to try to deal with the rash she is fighting...probably somewhat reacting to antibiotics.

They are doing some construction work at Gillette. This is the hallway leading to PICU...it just got two feet smaller overnight.

Exercise is essential...so I have found places to walk here at the hospital to walk. If I go down the above hallways...and two more, I can a walk a mile in 10 times around. If I walk the skyway, it takes about 10 times back and forth. I try to get a minimum of a mile in everyday. Most days, I get two. Sometimes I walk outside, and sometimes in the other part of the hospital for a little variety.

Here is the skyway where I have been having most of my meals lately...and the view from the skyway...you can see the capitol in the background. On sunny days, it is especially nice to be out here. There are tables in one end of the skyway where I often take my meals. There are also chairs where I can sit and read a bit.

One of the things I like to do best, Is to cuddle Victoria when I can.

Victoria just before they took her down to surgery this afternoon. Surgery began a little before 4:00, and I just got a call saying that the first surgery...the longer one is done...and went well. the shorter one about to begin. Update: Second surgery is done...Victoria will be intubated at least overnight, because they were not able to do the surgery with the little camera., as a guide,.so it required an incision...so the RT team is here waiting for her to come back up. Update: Well she is back...sedated and on a tube, but she came through the surgery well, and we are thankful! Please keep praying...the length of her illness has been hard on her.
We praise God for His goodness in giving this little treasure to us.

Surgery Planned for Today Mar. 4

2011-03-04T09:47:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday, the CSF which was tested was positive...not for the staph, but for some other unrecognized bacteria. This, of course puts back the replacing of the shunt...until this is dealt with. They are also going to be doing some testing, I believe, to make sure that the sample was not somehow contaminated. There is a possibility that this is related to the external drain which has been in now over two weeks. This afternoon at 3:30, they are going to replace the drain, and while she is under for that, they are also going to put in a G-tube. She has sucked a little, and has done ok taking milk from a dropper...but is a long way from being able to get the nutrition that she needs on her own. The G tube will allow her to get all of the nutrition that she needs...she will still be able to eat on her own as she relearns how and is able.

We would appreciate your prayers for Victoria as she goes into surgery this afternoon.

Psalm 145:9 "The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works."

2011-03-02T21:53:00.000-06:00

"If we are marvelously wrought upon even before we are born, what shall we say of the Lord's dealings with us after we leave His secret workshop and He directs our pathways through the pilgrimage of life?"
                                                                                                                                            C.Spurgeon

It is definitely time for an update. Victoria has now had quite a few clear days...where no bacteria showed up in the CSF. This means that she is close to being able to have the shunt put back in. However, right now, our main concern for her is her feeding. She is being fed via a nj tube at the moment...but she will of course need to eat on her own. If she is not able to get enough nutrition on her own, we are considering having a G tube put in.  Right now she is in the testing stage...we are trying to feed her, and see if she will be able to remember what she needs to know on her own. We have begun feeding her orally with a little dropper. She sucks that milk down well, so she can still swallow reasonably well. She has not done well with a nipple before today. This afternoon, they tried a special nipple, and she did suck on that one for a little bit...with a little help reminding her cheek muscles what they need to do, and a little pressure on the chin.
It seems like her muscles have forgotten how to suck properly. After having nearly a 3 week break that is really not too amazing, and of course, she has been very sick, as well. I was really excited to see her actually do some sucking, though. It was a lot of work for her, and her heart rate was pretty fast while she was doing it...but hopefully she will get at least some better as she gets stronger.

The reason watching her feeding, and trying to help her re-learn is stalling things a bit, is because if it seems a G-tube will be essential to help her get good nutrition, the neuro surgeon would like that surgery to be done before the shunt is put back in. The reason for this is that a shunt infection is more likely to occur if there is a surgery in an area close to where parts of the shunt are located...so it is to help eliminate factors which could cause a shunt infection to reoccur.

She has had a somewhat agitated afternoon...she did calm down for a little while when I patted her back and put my other hand on her tummy...but mom's 'magic touch' only lasted about a 1/2 hour, then she was uncomfortable again. We even cuddled for a little over an hour...and she still was not at rest.   She is at rest now though, and looks peaceful and comfortable. Thanks for praying!! We are so grateful!

Maybe you could add one more to your prayer list. There is a boy here named Noah with a bad case of pneumonia. I met his mom in the family room...and I know she also would appreciate your prayers for Noah. Thanks!

In acceptance lieth peace,
O my heart be still
Let thy restless worries cease,
And accept His will
Though this test be not thy choice
It is His -- therefore, rejoice.
                    H. Hurnand

Happy Sunday!

2011-02-27T14:28:00.002-06:00

A little cuddle with Daddy

Well, I thought that I would have more definite info to share with you today...but I will update you on what I do know.

I do know that Victoria had two clear tests...both Thursday and Friday. I have not received the results from Saturday's test yet. We are so thankful for these days without any bacteria in the CSF.

Victoria had a really good day yesterday...and last night she slept really well. I even got an excellent rest last night which I am really thankful for. We are hoping to start trying to bottle feed her in the next couple of days, now that she is over all feeling better. She has been getting her nutrition from the nj tube for the last little while, so it will be essential for her to transition back to getting her nutrition on her own. After they took off her breathing tube earlier in the week, she was agitated, and they decided to give her hi flow oxygen (with a little tube that blows into her nose). As the week has gone on, and her agitation has gotten less and less, they realized she was really not needing the hi flow...so though she does still have have the little thing on her face it is no longer on high flow. (update...Victoria has not been using the oxygen at all since mid morning...and her oxygen levels have remained good and stable) (feeding update...victoria got 3mls of milk with a dropper this morning and tolerated it well...it's been awhile since she had anything in her stomach...and longer since she has had to work to eat...about 1/2 hour ago she got to try the bottle a little, but was a bit gaggy with it...so got a little more with the dropper. she did do a little bit of sucking, though...so she has a start.)

Well...that is the latest, and as to day is Sunday, I imagine they won't be bringing me too many results today.
I was so blessed this week with company! First, my Aunt Pauline, and Uncle Dave came to visit...then Michelle, Jim and their Esther, then my dear husband. The day after Bruce left, my cousin Steve's wife, Jenny came and gave me a little crochet lesson, while we had a nice leisurely chat, then my Uncle Jim stopped in for a visit and yesterday, my cousin Mary stopped in for a while! Thank-you all so much! Thanks to those who sent cards, and comments, also. You have all been more of an encouragement than you realize, and I am truly thankful.

"Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits...the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and his righteousness unto children's children." Psalm 103:1,2,17

A father's Ramblings

2011-02-24T21:50:00.000-06:00

I (Bruce) made the 6 hr trip here yesterday to see my two wonderful girls. I was able to hold both of them today, and it felt so ...well nice. Though Victoria's bacteria is so close to clearing up, she still is struggling with settling down and breathing right. I was thinking as I sat here in front of the screen...if only somehow I could take her place, take her struggles upon myself somehow so she could have rest...sweet delicous rest. Breaks a fathers heart to see one's flesh and blood suffer so.Was it not the Father's love that sent His Son into this world to take upon Himself our sins and sufferings, so that we might have rest in Him? I can only imagine how it must have broken His heart to see His Son suffer ...truly ours though real as it is pales in comparison. I was crying some the other day at home looking at pics of her when Reuben comes up behind me, puts his hands on me and comforts me...I am so blest . Sorry, this is getting , what shall I say, mushy, sappy..real? Just a father's ramblings. On a more positive note...I am stealing Linda away tonight to stay at her aunt and uncle's place...she really does need the time away from here as it has been 2 weeks already.

That was written yesterday, by Bruce. He has gone back home now...but what a treat it was to have him here! It was also nice to have a full night's rest in a normal bed and a delicious and quiet little breakfast with Uncle Dave and Aunt Pauline. Victoria has been restful most of today...heart rate and respirations have also told the tale of her rest. She actually slept a good part of the day. This evening she is more restless again...but not as bad as Monday-Wednesday. Each day they take a sample of Victoria's CSF and test it to see if it has bacteria in it. Tuesdays was clear...Hooray! Wednesdays showed something...but today the slide came back clear again...we are hoping that will continue. They have upped Victoria's milk she is getting through her nj tube to about 32 ounces now...so she is getting a good amount of calories...but if I kiss her and rub her little forhead she looks up at me and makes these 'I'm hungry' motions with her mouth.

When a patient is in PICU, they figure that running around is the last thing the patient needs, so if for some reason, they need an Xray...the X ray comes to the patient. Here is a portable x ray machine...they were taking an x ray to make sure Victoria's breathing tube was in the right spot. These photos are from a few days ago...as she has not had the tube since Monday. There is a screen that pulls up, where the xray can be seen right after they are done.

This photo was of Victoria just before she got sick.
Well...thanks so much for praying...there is no question that our God's peace and strength are here. He is so good...even on the hard days.

2011-02-22T08:46:00.000-06:00

Victoria made it through the night with out the breathing tube. She is still agitated, and breathing fairly quickly. She does get some more restful moments, though, for which I am so thankful.

2011-02-21T21:19:00.000-06:00

Hi All:
Linda wanted me to send a quick update on our little treasure. She has been breathing on her own since 10:30 today. Its been a struggle some of the time and she sounds a little horse (something about a tube shoved down your mouth for 6 days ), but she is fighting. I think they may sedate her a little, just so she can relax a little tonight. Thanks to all who have called, sent us food, prayed for us, sent us financial assistance and just loved us....we are privileged to know you all . I am planning on heading down to see Linda tomorrow for a few days. Someone commented that I guess your life is in limbo while you are at the hospital. Not really...this is part of our life now. We embrace the road that God has us travel on, because that is where we find his presence and strength. His strength made perfect in our weakness. Blessings on each of you. Live for Him...He's coming soon. Bruce

Monday morning Update

2011-02-21T09:34:00.000-06:00

I am thankful to report that Victoria's numbers have continued to go in the right direction. Both the white blood count and the CRP continue to decrease. Platelets have increased...which is good. Her stomach seems better today...not so much gas. Yesterday they had her breathe on her own for 2 hours. They just adjusted her sub clavian main line (which is an IV which goes under her collar bone), and are intending to shut off her sedation now, in order to extubate (remove the ventilator) her this morning. So if you want to pray for Victoria this morning, pray that she will not have problems with breathing completely on her own when they remove the ventilator. Thanks so much.

Friday Update

2011-02-18T19:28:00.002-06:00

Dad and JoAnna with Victoria in the PICU

Victoria in the first couple of days at Gillette...notice her IV pole....it is a little different now.

Victoria and I in the recovery room...just before her 1st surgery

The IV pole now...notice any difference?

Victoria today...she was opening her eyes more today and was a little more responsive.

Victoria has been getting a little of her colour back today. They have started giving her mama's milk via her n.j tube. Her digestive system seems to be getting back to work again...which is always a good thing after surgery. She also has some numbers which we are thankful for: specifically, her CRP and her white blood count. Her white blood count had gotten up to 35.4 and has now dropped to 18.7. The normal range for white blood count is 5.0-19.5, so she is within an acceptable range for that. Her CRP had gotten as high as 36.9 and is now down to 14.2. The acceptable range for CRP is 0-0.9, so she still has a little ways to go on that...still we are seeing progress, and are very thankful.. This morning they were still not sure what bacteria had caused all of this challenge, but I heard unofficially that some kind of rare staph infection is the culprit. I haven't seen the doctor since, and I don't know how much time is required to take care of this infection. Hopefully we will know more tomorrow. She is still a little gassy today, but with the digestive system kicking back in, hopefully that will take care of itself.

Victoria and Elizabeth...on Victoria's 1st birthday.

Learning to Trust

2011-02-17T16:12:00.004-06:00

Linda wanted me to post some pictures she took of Victoria with her sister's IPod. We (Bruce and the rest ) had a nice trip home yesterday. We certainly miss our girls , but know that they are in good hands.
Thanks for all your comments and prayers...even from those we do not know yet...so encouraging. If anyone wants to send mail to Linda or Victoria, they can at:
Gillette children's Speciality Healthcare
200 University Ave. E.
St. Paul, MN 55101
PICU. Victoria Mitton

In all of this, we so want to share the love of God with those we meet. We were talking to one of the neurosurgeons about our family and especially about our Micah who lived for only 9 hours. Not often you see docs tear up, but she did...oh to be a light to a hurting world. Showed her a pic of our family, and she commented on the brightness and joy of the children. Now, you know our family, how imperfect we are, but people are watching...that they would see Christ in all of our lives. One of the docs wanted to know how the rest of the kids were handling it. Were able to share how we talk to the kids about life , and death. We love this life, but we do not fear death, as we believe in eternal life. Most of the kids seem to have a real understanding and faith in Christ to trust Him in this...thank you Jesus. Well, I'm praying that each of us would "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways (where ever those roads may lead) acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy paths." Blessings, Bruce

Did you notice the little tube in the top of Victoria's turban? That is draining her CSF for the time being.
Also, there has been a huge drop in Victoria's CRP count. This is a good indication that the infection is finally being dealt with effectively. She has had a gassy tummy today some of the time...but this is to be expected after two surgeries. (Thanks, Daniel for the technical tips! : ) )

Wires, wires, tubes and wires...what are all of those things for?? The thin wires that you see are to monitor Victoria's heartbeat and respirations. . The big clear tube with the blue and green connectors on it is the ventilator.
Just below the ventilator, you can see clear tubing from one of her I.V.s. Up on her shoulder, you can see the two ports which are connected to her 'central line'...they are just laying on top of her left shoulder, as they are not being used at the moment. The drainage tube for CSF is sticking out of the top of the white gauze on her head. That is what you can see in the photo. Along with what you can see, she also has a blood pressure cuff on her right calf, she had another IV in her right arm (but they took it out today, because it had stopped working), an ng tube, and an nj tube, an oximeter (to measure oxygen level) on her big toe, and LOTS of tape to keep it all in place.

Surgery complete

2011-02-16T21:32:00.000-06:00

Victoria was brought down for surgery
Sometime a little before 4:00pm.
Her actual surgery began at 4:30
And was complete at 4:49pm...the rest of
The time was prepping, which included
About 20 minutes washing. She came through
Surgery well and is now resting.

I thought that I would have had a photo for you, but
I was not sure how to get them to the blog on Louise's
Ipod (any tips Daniel??)...I thought you would all
want to know what is up tonight...the photo can
wait for now. Hopefully
we'll have a photo or two before too long.

I was so thankful to have Doug, Louise, Daniel, Jonathan and Joshua here
during Victoria's surgery...the timing was so perfect! The hour and
half went by really fast with them for company.

Shunt infection confirmed

2011-02-16T10:58:00.000-06:00

When they discovered that the shunt was not working, they were able to get 1 drop of spinal fluid out of the reservoir in the shunt, which they sent to the lab. Yesterday it had not grown any bacteria. When they did surgery yesterday, they sent some more spinal fluid to the lab. Earlier this morning, they said that there was some indication that there could be some infection in the fluid...so they reserved the OR for this afternoon...just in case this was confirmed. A few minutes ago the Neurosurgeon NP, came and told me that the fluid from the first sample had indeed grown bacteria, confirming a shunt infection. What does this mean? Surgery this afternoon in which her shunt will be externalized. It will need to be this way until the infection is gone. When the infection is gone, they will replace the shunt. So it sounds like she will be going back to surgery somewhere between 3:00 and 4:00pm . I will try to get another update out later tonight. Thanks in advance for your prayers!

What does it mean to externalize a shunt? First, a shunt is made up of three parts: the catheter which goes into the area which needs draining, the valve, which regulates how fast it drains, and the tube which drains the fluid into the stomach cavity. Yesterday, he replaced the catheter, which was blocked, and I think maybe the valve also. However, he left the tube, since it was working, and they did not think that it was infected. Today, they will take out all parts. The catheter will get access through the skin, and the valve and tube will be outside her body and will drain into a bag on an IV pole. When the infection is gone, new equipment will be put in.

Surgery is over

2011-02-15T21:41:00.000-06:00

Well, thanks to God, and the prayers of y'all. Surgery went well. Victoria is back in her room and sleeping as peacefully as you can with tubes down your throat , and nose and 3 IV's in. They found that the shunt was clogged and were able to replace it. They now have to test and see if it was infected with bacteria or if the fluid in her head is infected, which will be a few days. One hurdle past, and now on to the next. If you could pray : that they could find out why her white cell count is so out of wack (laymens termanology for where the infection is) and that she could get off of the breathing machine and breath on her own and that she could eat again on her own. Pray too for Linda, that she could get the rest she needs, as she will be staying at the hospital with Victoria. We are thankful for a God that goes down the road before us and with us. Our lives are certainly not what we would have scripted for ourselves, but our great God never makes a mistake. He formed Victoria in the womb as He saw fit, and we just want to take care of our treasures that were given to us. Is it easy...not, but is God good? yup. Well, its been a roller coaster of a day...my tank is almost on empty and so is Linda's, so I am off to put her to bed and then head there myself. Resting in the arms of Jesus, cause we have no other recourse...blessings, Bruce

Surgery Planned

2011-02-14T19:29:00.001-06:00

Well, today Victoria's sodium made it up to normal...but she showed higher white blood count, so they started to look for another solution. In order to rule out shunt infection, they tapped her shunt, and found that it is not working properly. So, she is scheduled to have a shunt revision tomorrow at 5:00pm. We would appreciate your prayers for her. If they find infection in the spinal fluid, it will mean external draining until the infection clears and then putting in a new shunt...but we will not know that until tomorrow. If it just has one part of it which is not working, they will replace the clogged or malfunctioning part, and it will then continue draining as usual.

2011-02-13T10:42:00.000-06:00

Victoria had kind of a hard night last night. She had remained stable, and was improving slowly, as they were slowly increasing her sodium...so they decided to speed it up a bit yesterday. Around 5 in the evening, they moved us upstairs to the regular children's hospital area. When Bruce came in to visit in the early evening, he noticed that her stomach was more distended than it had been...and her heart rate and resperations were going up...she was showing signs of discomfort. Then we looked at her feet...they had been swollen...but this was worse than the ankles of a lady who is nine and a half months pregnant. We called in the nurse, who in turn called in the 'on call' doctor...they decided that she was not able to handle the quicker flow of the fluids, and so turned them down. She didn't really settle down until after midnight...I was able to hold her...wires and all and help get her settled down and more comfortable. When her breathing slowed down and she started to doze...it was SO peaceful! I was so VERY thankful. I had them tuck pillows around my back where support was needed, (I wasn't going to mess up the spot that was giving her perfect comfort)...and cuddled her until about 2:30....when they had to do something which required her to be back in her crib. When they were done, she remained at rest...so I pulled out my lovely "pull out" bed/chair...and got a very peaceful rest for most of the rest of the night. Victoria slept peacefully most of the rest of the night, as well.

The doctor was in this morning, and said that she is definitely having trouble processing sodium properly. He is hoping when we get it a little more normal, that her body will be able to go back to processing it as it should, but of course we don't know. In order to help her today, he is turning down her IV to 2/3 hydration, and not allowing bottle feeding...I had already fed her once this morning, but that will be it until tomorrow.
He is hoping that this will help her to deal with some of the retained water, which is diluting the sodium concentrations in her body. He does not feel that she has any respiratory infections which are bothering her right now...and his main concern is this sodium problem. Her fontanelle is still harder than it had leveled off at, but though I do not notice a decrease in size right now, at the same time, I do not notice an increase in pressure, either. This also is not one of their concerns at the moment.

Well...there is Victoria's update...may you all have a truly blessed and restful Sunday.

"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth forever."
Ps 136:1-3

Friday Update

2011-02-11T19:56:00.001-06:00

Last night Victoria drank an ounce from a bottle...the first since she was admitted. Today she has taken a little more. Once she spit most of it up, but the last time when Bruce fed her, she did well, and kept it all down. Victoria's sodium was low, so they have been trying to slowly get it back where it needs to be. She has not been having fever and her breathing has been getting more normal, as well.
I was able to hold her for awhile this afternoon. The nurse unhooked the IV and all of her monitors except the oximeter and we had a good cuddle...it was so nice to actually have her in my arms, instead of kissing her over the side of her crib! So she seems to be improving...there is still a need for more improvement, but we are thankful to see progress!

Thank-you so much for your prayers...we are very aware of the need for strength and wisdom far beyond our own! Thanks too for the comments...they make you seem closer, somehow!

Happy Birthday Victoria Faith!!

2011-02-10T10:09:00.002-06:00

February 10, 2011...Victoria's first birthday! Hooray! We praise God for her precious life.

All the tests said she would not, she could not live. But God......had other plans for her. We are so grateful for each day we have been given with her. She has blessed us, she has blessed others and she has also taught us many things. I thank God for the lessons in trust and faith he has taught me through this year...also for the peace and comfort He has given during times when we didn't know what was coming next.

Right now Victoria is in the PICU here at Gillette. The main reason, I was told that she is in PICU, though she is not considered critical, is for having an isolation room...something that was not available up in the regular children's hospital rooms up on the 7th floor. She had a busy day yesterday. They took blood for testing, did a chest x-ray, as well as a shunt series (also x-ray), they did a CT scan, and also an EKG. The shunt series and scan were to monitor the shunt and see if it was working properly.
The blood work showed an unusually high white blood count, and platelet count. The high white blood count indicates that she is still fighting an infection after 2 weeks of oral antibiotics and 2 injections of antibiotics they gave her in Roseau on Tuesday...so that is a concern. At the moment, she is on an IV, getting fluids and antibiotics. She also has an ng tube which was to relieve her stomach, as it had a lot of air in it. From the scans they think that the shunt is working, but may have been slowed down by the pressure in her stomach...some of which may have been caused by the oral antibiotic she was on.
They did adjust the shunt yesterday to 1.5. (It was on the high side of 2.0...but the last time it had been adjusted, it was at 1.75...so it had changed a bit.) At 1.5, the shunt will flow more quickly, so they will be keeping an eye on that. So there is a lot of info...but not necessarily a definite answer to exactly what is up with Victoria right now. She is stable and resting comfortably at the moment. Her soft spot is not quite as tight as it was yesterday. Right now, I guess we have to be patient, as we watch how she responds to what they are doing presently...and then assess if there are other things which will need to be done. So we appreciate your prayers for Victoria, and for us that we will have wisdom, peace and grateful hearts. We serve a God who knows, loves, cares...and holds the future. He has a perfect plan...and we rest in Him.

New Challenges for Victoria

2011-02-08T21:29:00.000-06:00

It looks as though we may now be fighting a shunt infection. This is an issue for Gillette, so Victoria has an appointment there at 2:00 pm on the 9th...that's tomorrow. We sure do appreciate your prayers...and will try to update when we know more.

"Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice" Ps 63:7

Victoria -- Update

2011-02-03T21:58:00.000-06:00

How is Victoria doing? We are glad to report that she is improving. She has been eating well since Sunday, and has been regaining weight that she lost last week. We are so thankful to see her eating well. She is having somewhat of a hard time with the antibiotics she is taking. She has been very restless, and also has gotten a rash which is making her uncomfortable. Apparently it is very common to have an upset stomach, diarrhea and restlessness with the antibiotic she is taking. We are giving her yogurt each time we feed her, to help with her discomfort, and are counting down the days she still needs to be taking them. She is on day 9 -- 5 days left. We appreciate each one of you and thank you for your continued prayers for little Victoria!

Update on little Victoria

2011-01-30T21:29:00.000-06:00

Thank-you all for praying. Victoria has had quite the struggles this week, and we have been so very grateful for your prayers!! Right now, Victoria is resting peacefully, after downing 3 1/2 ounces of milk.
She had lost some weight, but has regained about 4 ounces. She is still fighting, as her fever begins to go up a bit if I stretch out the fever meds too much, but is making progress. She has eaten well all day today...which is the first day this week she has been this consistent in eating well and wanting to eat.

This is Victoria last Sunday afternoon...she had a fever already.

Victoria today...doing better...still a long way to go.

Please Keep praying.

2011-01-29T10:29:00.002-06:00

Victoria is struggling...please keep praying. Thanks!

Quick Update on Victoria

2011-01-28T13:51:00.001-06:00

We headed down to the clinic yesterday. The doctor there looked at the info from our visit the day before, and thought maybe they should check for influenza and RSV. As Victoria was not doing well getting fluid with the eye dropper, she also thought it might be a good idea to put her on an IV for hydration as well as for some extra antibiotics. They did the tests, which came back negative, did a nebulizer treatment, and were not able to get in an IV.

We headed home, knowing that if Victoria did not begin to take in more fluid, she would be in trouble. Gillette Children's Hospital, where we have been with Victoria was an option, but it is 7 hours away...and a hard trip in the winter for little Victoria.

We were still trying to decide about the long trip when we got home from the hospital. I sat down and took Victoria in my arms. I was going to give her some more fluid with a dropper, when Bruce suggested that I try with a bottle again. I didn't know how she would do...she was getting so weak, but decided to try. I had to force it between her gums...and there it sat. A little dripped in her mouth and then a little dripped out. Then it seemed like she swallowed. I kept watching and she sucked a bit. I kept watching for her to swallow...and all of the sudden, she did. Reuben was standing there and I asked him to watch with me. Pretty soon it was obvious she was actually swallowing. Somehow, my eyes leaked...I was so thankful. It was like it turned around right there. Bruce had been praying specifically that she would turn the corner in her eating, and his prayer was answered in front of our eyes. She has been doing much better...more wet diapers, the way she looks today compared to yesterday is a big change. She is still weak of course, and is eating slowly, but she is eating. Sometimes more slowly and sometimes a little more or less. But I am keeping track, and we are feeding her frequently. Sometimes it takes her 45 min to get 1 oz...sometimes she will get 2 1/2 oz in an hour. After she eats and I check her temp, she is having an hour or and hour and a half rest, then we begin again. She is getting her antibiotics and we have been using fever meds, as well. Her fever has stayed under 100 F for over 24 hours now...most of that time it has been normal...but it does creep up a bit now and then. Her breathing mostly is not labored. Her pulse has come down and her breathing has also slowed down. I would not say that she is 'out of the woods' at this point, but we are so thankful to see the encouraging change in her.

We are so thankful for your prayers! May God's blessing be on you all today!

Prayer

2011-01-27T08:29:00.000-06:00

Hello fellow bloggers. Linda thought I should throw a quick post on here. Victoria has come down with pneumonia , and they called last night from the hospital that her blood work showed that she has some kind of bacteria in her blood. So this morning we are heading back to the hospital in Roseau. Her fever had been really high, but last night was good. She has no interest in eating, so we are feeding her with a dropper. Not really sure if we will end up going to Gillette Children's hospital in Minneapolis, but we will see. One thing we do know, Jesus has traveled down the road we will travel down today. So, would appreciate your prayers...also for Linda, as she is not feeling the best. Blessings on your day. Bruce

"The LORD is righteous in ALL His ways, and holy (holy, or merciful or bountiful) in all His works." Psalm 145:17

2011-01-11T13:28:00.000-06:00

Ready for a walk with daddy.

Victoria


All dressed up for a winter Sunday.

Victoria is 11 months!!! God has been so very gracious! We are so grateful for her overall good health and for the blessing she is.


What a great place to be! I sure love my daddy!


Princess Victoria with Princess Esther's crown.

Now for the the youngest three of Victoria's older sisters:

Marie, Joanna and Esther...glad to be sisters!


JoAnna cuddling little Victoria.

Esther enjoying feeding her new dolly.

Sweet Little Girls

2010-12-21T19:58:00.000-06:00

I know this is really poor quality, but thought is was really sweet. Rachel began a Bible Memory Club with the little girls, and this is one of their verses. Eph. 4:32

These next two pictures are from Hannah, taken over at the Krahns last weekend. Isn't she sweet?

Victoria with her cousin, they were just adorable together.

Victoria continues to amaze us with what she does.

With Christmas just around the corner, this just may well be my last post before that. So we want to wish you all a very merry Christmas. Please remember to adore, worship and rejoice in the gift of God's Son in all your celebrating. Blessings, Bruce

Just how much snow is a "Donut Snow"?

2010-12-03T12:35:00.001-06:00

When Fall makes way for winter, and the frost makes the leafless trees beautiful once again, the discussion begins: how much snow does it take to qualify for a 'donut' snow?

Will a light dusting do?? Hmmm...I don't think so...it takes a snow cover...it doesn't have to be super thick, but there must be more white than green. Yes, the above photo qualifies!

Actually we did not have this much when we had our 'first snow' treat...but it came soon after and makes everything so very wonderfully winter.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow...though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18

So I thought that it would be fun to do a "Donut Post"...since we all enjoy this tradition so much, so I asked Reuben to take a photo of some donuts for me....always be careful what you ask a photographer to do!! I thought a few donuts, a camera, a table to put them on, and we are good to go...but such was not the case. I just had to take a few photos myself...it was so fun watching my simple 'donut photo' being taken...

First, you must begin collecting lights and background accessories.

( : Next, you must find a couple of willing...

.....Slaves!!! : )

An adjustment here and there...

And let the photos begin!


"Just a little closer with the light...and now 1 more"

A little editing and Voila! A simple Doughnut photo!

And one more of Reuben's simple donut photos...these are 'Spudnuts' and we glazed them this year with about half maple glaze, and the other with a vanilla butter nut glaze. They are so delicious...and are hard to beat when they are fresh and warm. Add a cup of hot cocoa, a cozy fire...maybe a game, and you have a recipe for an enjoyable cold snowy night! Thanks for the photos, Reuben!!!

She Said Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-12-01T21:56:00.000-06:00


Ladies and Gentlemen. We are thrilled to announce (finally) that Benjamin and Abigail are officially engaged. He took a day off in the middle of the week, had it planned that Abby would be away most of the after noon, while he decorated part of their house. Linda and I went over afterward and had supper together. We are so happy for them. For all the details, you will just have to ask them yourself. Blessings (P.s This picture was taken from an earlier photo shoot where Ben was dressed up as a knight, with armor, a sword etc.)

Winter

2010-12-01T15:02:00.002-06:00


Here is my snow blower hard at work. Thanks boys, you do such a good job.

Looking outside, you would think that winter has
definitely come. It came so fast, almost overnight.
I hate to say it, but I do love winter. Not the
blizzards or extreme cold, but winter in general.
Do you ever wonder what we will have in heaven?
Whatever the weather, it will be great.


At our house, the tradition is that when it snows, and it stays, Linda and the girls make donuts.

Esther and Victoria. Children grow up so fast , don't they. Linda took some really nice pics of Victoria, so thought I would put them on here.

She likes playing with these toys. She doesn't like to use her right hand much, but she has started to use it to grab or hit the toys. Every little bit encourages us.

As the really busy season starts, I want this year to enjoy it as a child, with wonder, joy, anticipation, freshness. I'm not talking about all the trappings, but of Christ Himself. May each tradition that we have remind us of Him. May the lights, the tree, the gifts, the giving, the manger scenes, the programs, all remind us of our Savior. Born under the law, who became a curse, sin for us and bore it to Calvary. He certainly is worthy....is He not, of all glory, power, riches, adoration, love and devotion. Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to Thee. Blessings.

To My Best Friend

2010-11-27T19:31:00.000-06:00

There she is. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Wrong. This one must be worth much more than that....price above rubies. Happy Anniversary Linda. God has blessed us with 23 wonderful years. Our joys have been doubled, and our sorrows halved. I am so blessed. I was just thinking the other day how I love to live life with this lady...she is so much fun, so full of life, so unselfish. Sure she has her rough edges, but even after all these years, love is still blind (covers them and forgives them).

Twenty three years ago, the two became one flesh. I hope that in some way, to someone, our life together has been a small picture of Christ and His bride. We are frail and weak, clay in the potter's hand, a work in process. May the glory of our wonderful Saviour shine through these earthen vessels.

So I came home after work to a beautifully cleaned home, and a table set for two. We had a nice candlelight dinner, with two great waitresses. Just ring a bell, and they would come running. Thanks kids for all your work to give us a great night.

Can't wait to see what the next 23 years have in store for us.

Birthday fun and some random fall photos

2010-11-24T11:32:00.001-06:00

The Volley Ball game was a lot of fun...in spite of a cool day.

Reuben had his 18th Birthday recently...Thanks to all who came, ate, played and made such a fun afternoon!!


Even after the birthday celebration, there were many more games!

I do believe this day was the most fun...now the net is put away for the winter.

Someone may have said, "I love you, Grandpa!"

Winnipeg zoo this fall

Benjamin makes a great flamingo

Victoria holding her bottle!

Both hands!


How did you get so dirty?? Pushing out a very stuck van!

We had a good amount of moisture this fall.

Another beautiful fall day!

JoAnna's artwork...her picture of dad and mom.

Victoria is Nine Months!!!

2010-11-10T16:45:00.000-06:00

Here it is November already! Truly our days fly quickly by. Today Victoria is nine months old. We are so thankful that God has given her to us for this long already. She is a blessing to our family, and we thank God for her.

Aaaaaa! They took me to the doctor!!!

Last month we had an appointment with a doctor in our area, and he connected us with the Gillette Childrens Hospital in St. Paul. We were able to get an appointment within a day of having to be in Minneapolis anyway, so we did not have to make two trips, for which we were thankful...it is a long trip down that way. We got to the hospital around 10:30am and were not done until around 5:00pm, so it was a rather long day. We saw a pediatric neurosurgeon, a pediatric neurologist, various nurses, a physio therapist, and one other doctor. They were all thorough, knowledgeable, and treated Victoria as if she were a person and special...which she is, of course! They were surprised by her overall good health, and by many problems which she does NOT have...but which often come with her condition. They were also able to answer some questions we had.

We were able to stay with Ilyas and Tami Masih while we were there. We thoroughly enjoyed their generous hospitality and catching up...(thanks so very much!!) It was so nice to spend time there.

We picked up Reuben at the Minneapolis airport the day after Victoria's appointment, then headed home. We were thankful for the nice traveling weather...and that the deer stayed off the road.

Victoria sleeps through the night...the majority of the time...and is content most of the time. She has discovered that she can sooth herself with her fingers, and enjoys playing with them.

Did you know that different positions you naturally hold your baby in are actually good for their muscles?? I have always carried my babies with their back to me...(like in the above photo) and it is amazing what you can do with the extra hand when a baby is contentedly in that position. I hadn't been holding Victoria in this position because of the weight of her head and her tendency to tip forward. The physio therapist told me that it would work different muscles, though, so we're back to this cozy hold...at least some of the time. We are also doing various compressions, and encouraging movement other ways, as well. She even gets 'tummy time'...which does require a little creativity.

We found that we had already found many things which stimulate her development...but were glad to have them confirmed and find more ways to encourage development, as well as try to help prevent various muscle problems. One interesting the pediatric physio therapist suggested doing is getting her into a crawling position and then putting gentle pressure in the hip area to encouragement the proper forming of the femur ball in the hip socket. So many things to learn...never a dull moment. : )


JoAnna with Victoria

If I had a photo where Victoria looked half smothered by little big sisters, while she is trying to have a little lunch, it would an accurate one. JoAnna and Esther both think that a little cuddling and nursing baby is an invitation to come start kissing her and I often have a little entourage gathered round at lunch time. They also love to hold her. With a good chair and a soft pillow we can let them hold her for a little while, anyway and they feel quite privileged. In the photo above and right, JoAnna still has on her nightgown and her special morning hair style...at least she wakes up cheerful! The position on the lower right is probably Victoria's favorite position to be held in. She does get tired of being held though...and then she just needs her own bed.

A little cuddle with Elizabeth

Victoria sometimes sounds a little funny when she sleeps...but mostly she sleeps peacefully...sometimes with hands in front like above, sometimes with her hands straight up...I'd say above her head, but they don't reach that far. She never sleeps long with her hands covered. If I happen to cover them, she promptly remedies the problem.

We want to thank all of you who have prayed for us over the last nine months. It has been a journey with many ups and downs...but through it all we have been thankful for our God who is good ALL the time. We don't know all of what is down the road in our future...but we know Who will be with us all the way. Our prayer continues to be that God will be glorified through our little Victoria...and through all of our lives, as we lean on Him for strength.

Good-bye for now, and may God bless you all!!

Gardening 2010

2010-10-14T23:31:00.000-05:00

I love working in the garden. It is so much fun to plant things as a family...to watch them grow...to see the garden looking neat and tidy, (after weeding and tilling) and finally to harvest. We have canned applesauce, pizza sauce, peaches, jams, squash and more. We have also frozen corn, beans, carrots and blueberries. You should see the production when we are in action! Everyone enjoys working together. Caleb's favorite job is tilling, Matthew prefers mowing the lawn, but when it comes to gardening his favorite job is pulling out corn stalks. Rachel enjoys freezing and canning and Elizabeth enjoys spading the garden and picking beans. Marie, JoAnna and Esther love planting the seeds...especially onions, beans and corn...as the size is good for their little hands. Reuben prefers eating what comes out of the garden. (He's gone today and so I can say anything I like for him) Actually, Reuben helps with whatever needs doing in the garden... : )...don't know if he has a favorite.

There is so much to learn from gardening...the principal of reaping and sowing, for example.
The seeds that we plant determine what we grow. In our lives it is the same. We reap what we sow...so the question is...what are we sowing today?? Without a doubt we will reap. And we always reap MORE than we sow. Do we want to reap MORE of what we are planting today? There is also the need to take care of little things...while they are still little. If a weed is allowed to continue to grow, it begins to choke out the good plants while they are young...around the older plants the weeds may not choke it out...but watch out! There is nothing like a weed to be ready to reproduce....hundreds and thousands of seeds...which will patiently wait through the winter and then bear fruit...perhaps after we have long forgotten that we did not deal with them. A few years ago, I was my Grandma Doris' gardener. Her garden was a little low, and it was a wet year. We replanted three times, and finally gave up. The weeds grew up in that garden, and in the fall, my Uncle Vernon mowed them down, and later the garden was tilled. Spring came, and once again I was planting at Grandma's. We make a habit of keeping our garden fairly well weeded...because of that, most years, after weeding once or twice, we are well ahead of the weeds, and a little attention here and there keeps us ahead of the weeds...not so the garden at grandma's that year. A little while after planting the garden we came back to weed. I had NEVER seen such an excellent weed crop! It was like a shag carpet! The children looked at it and we were all a little discouraged before we ever began. I reminded them how we usually are ahead of the weeds in a weeding or two...and certainly the next time should be less...and we plunged in! How we weeded...then we waited for things to grow. About a week to 10 days later we were back...what did we see?? The shag carpet of weeds once again! Aaaaah! Once again we plunged in...I admit...I FELT like quitting on that garden. It would never do for the garden in grandma's yard to be untidy, however; so we kept on. We did finally get a reasonable harvest that year. After that labor intensive year...I took some time to think about sin in our lives. Never imagine that we can let it grow up with out paying for it in the long run!
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap...and let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Galations 6:7 & 9)

2010-10-14T23:30:00.001-05:00

7 Months

2010-09-17T15:38:00.001-05:00

Just a few shots of Victoria.

Many ask about her, and how she is doing. We love her to pieces, and are enjoying seeing
her babble, smile and grab for some toys. Not huge things
for a 7 month old, but for her they are. Health wise, she is
doing well...just getting rid of a little thrush.

Okay, now which boy do you suppose took this?
I guess hunting season is just around the corner.

Thanks for all your prayers for us. We are resting . Have a wonderful
time enjoying fall.

Looking back...two of our four July Birthdays

2010-09-09T19:10:00.000-05:00

These photos are from July...Elizabeth and Esther's birthdays are the 25th and 26th...with 13 years in between. We are so thankful for both of them. Esther's sunny disposition and Elizabeth's servant heart are an encouragement to all of us.

Family Music festival at Lake Itasca, and our attempted trip to Toronto

2010-08-18T12:05:00.002-05:00

The Wisseman family singing at the bluegrass festival. These pictures were taken the weekend before we were to go to Toronto.

Joanna enjoying the park

My sweet girls

The Wisseman family did a children's program at the festival

Victoria enjoying the shade. What a face

The cabin we rented for one night at Wandering Wheels in Michigan. No , we did not all fit in the cabin. Our van blew a manifold gasket at 10:30pm, just outside of Christmas. Ho Ho Ho. What a wonderful gift. But we know that God makes no mistakes in our lives, so we were stuck at this campground without a vehicle for 2 days. By the time the van got fixed, it was late Friday night, and we decided that we were not going to keep going down the road. We were so sad to miss my Dad's 8oth birthday party, but felt that we couldn't go on as we had no idea if the van would get us there and back. We stayed at this campground just outside of Munising MI. A beautiful area with lots to do.

Mini putt was favorite at the campground, as well as swimming in the pool.

Rachel in the cabin...now that's camping.

We picked lots of blackberries where we stayed. Even got to share some with the workers at the campground

There were so many beautiful falls, here are just a few pics.

The kids were so good, and really enjoyed themselves. Only ones missing here are Ben and Victoria

Yes, this shot is on the shores of lake Superior, just beautiful. This was taken 300' above.

Do you think they enjoyed the beach???

Caught you Linda. I think she enjoyed her self more than the children

Reuben on some of the pictured rocks

The scenery was just incredible

Thank you Father for remembering your promise

The end of a fantastic day on the beach. So our vacation did not end up as planned, but I guess we never know what is around the corner for us. I guess God wanted us to bless some of the folks we rubbed shoulders with in Michigan. Victoria traveled okay, but she was also one of the reasons that we did not go on, as her colour in and around her eyes did not seem right. I really missed seeing my family as some of them I have not seen for over 4 years...something to look forward to I guess. One of the lessons that God is teaching me through Victoria is to trust Him when things don't turn out as we plan. Normally I get upset when things do not go as planned, but His peace was so evident in my heart this time (for those of you who have broken down in the middle of nowhere, you will know what I'm talking about.) We have much to be thankful for. Blessing on your day, and remember to pack peace, patience and trust on you next family vacation. Bruce

Victoria is Six Months!

2010-08-10T22:49:00.000-05:00

Hurray for six months. Why are we so happy for six months? Only 3% of babies with HPE are born. Of those 3 %, only 50% will ever make it to six months. So, we count our blessings. At work today as I showed some pictures of Victoria, someone made the comment that life is so unfair to allow something like this to happen. No I said, we don't blame God or think He makes any mistakes in our lives. We are just grateful for the days He gives us, and if He gave us what we deserve, none of us would be here today. Tomorrow, Lord willing, we are on our way to Toronto for Dad's 80th birthday party on Sat. Would appreciate your prayers for a safe journey,and that the van would run well (307k miles and counting on the van)., and that we would be able to be a blessing to those the Lord sends our way. We are so grateful for all our children, aren't they a blessing?

Victoria in her car seat

Thank you so much for praying for our family. We are so weak, but God is so strong. May you be resting in the sweet arms of Jesus today. Sometime today, thank God for how good He is. Blessing. Bruce

Happy Birthday Rachel July 6th

2010-07-14T11:59:00.001-05:00

Rachel had some friends over for her birthday this year.

They had a wonderful time eating, playing games, and having Caleb take pictures. How many did you have to delete off of your camera Krahn girls?

Here she is, our sweet Rachel. Wonderful disposition. Organized. Thorough in her work. Great initiative . Loves Jesus. You are certainly a blessing Rachel. Lots of love, Dad

Mom and Dad's Visit

2010-07-14T11:34:00.001-05:00

WAITING!!!!Have you ever had a hard time waiting for something? I think it goes without saying, that most of us do not like to wait.Whether its in line, in traffic, for appointments...you get the idea. But what about waiting on God, just as tough I think. In Isa. 30 it mentions waiting several times. For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: (and then the sad words) and ye would not." Later it says "blessed are all they that wait for him." Are we part of the waiters, or the others, and you would not rest ? I would love to rush ahead in time to see how certain situations will turn out, but we must wait. I would love to see what Victoria will be like in say 5 years, but we must wait. Thank God its not a hopeless waiting, but it will be an unprofitable waiting if we miss the present. You see, we only live in the present, and sometimes we can miss the joy of the present because of our worry of the future. Quietness, and confidence is to be our strength . Okay, enough preaching.

We had a wonderful time with my parents who came to visit from Toronto.

No visit would be complete without games and food. Mom, you sure made us laugh in the balderdash game
My mom and Victoria
Can you believe that Dad is almost 80? Here he is staying fit in the school playground
Then there was the trip to Macdonalds

Thank you Aunt Ruth and uncle Wilf for providing for this meal. Our famous Roosevelt diner is closed, so had to settle for the Black Bear Cafe.

I am blessed with such wonderful parents. I think they enjoyed Victoria, and all the others too.
The time went all too fast.

2010-06-28T19:29:00.004-05:00

Hello: I hope you are all enjoying our beautiful summer. The flowers are blooming, the grass is growing, the chicks are exploding (sure am glad that children don't grow that fast), and the children are growing older, and wiser. (I hope). these pictures are really in no particular order, just a little bit of what it looks like around here these days.

My parents have been up visiting from Toronto (will have pics on that later). Went to the park to play a little soccer, inspired by the World cup I guess.

We had another birthday this month.
Happy birthday Joanna. Five is just the right number for you

We all love the weekend, and no it is not because we don't have to go to work...its when we get to see Benjamin again. He has been enjoying his job at Digi Key in Thief River falls, and has been a blessing to the seniors he visits every week. He has begun a bible study on Thursdays at work, and had the privilege of leading a coworker to the Lord.
The Lord has officially closed the door for his job with Border Patrol...disappointing, but content in his plan for our lives.

Victoria continues to do well. Please pray for us as we look for a neurosurgeon who is lets say, on the same page as we are in terms of our view of our daughter. Ones worldview sure affects much of how we live and how we view treasures like our Victoria. Sure will be exciting to see what the future holds for us, but till then, we want to be faithful in all we do. We read that tonight in our family quiet time from Rev. 2 Faithful followers of Jesus, through calm days, and when the storms knock the lights out..faithful, till we see the beauty of Jesus, face to face, and here, well done thou good and faithful servant...that will be enough. Press on dear saint, lift up your eyes, shine for Him, enjoy Him.
I won't really comment on any more of the pics. Blessings, Bruce

Memorial Day

2010-05-30T22:27:00.003-05:00

Lest we forget.
"All gave some...some gave all"
Christ gave all...am I????

One of God's amazing creatures

2010-05-27T19:56:00.005-05:00

This bird flew into our flowers tonight. At first I thought it was a bumble bee, as it flew like one. Those are tiny Johnny jump ups its eating in. It had a tiny brown body, and looked like a small beak for eating with. Does any one know what kind of bird it is? Sorry it is not a better picture, but I don't have a very expensive camera. If you double click on the pic, they should get bigger for you.
Tonight the boys and I went to visit an elderly neighbor who is dying of cancer. He has never thought much of receiving Christ, but we shared some goodies and read to him from God's word. If you are reading this, please pray for him. Blessing, Bruce

More living lessons

2010-05-26T19:04:00.004-05:00

Linda, have you seen my glasses???? I am sure I left them around here somewhere..oh well, I guess its old age..or not. :))

The girls helped with the planting this year. Planting is almost done now. Unless a potato falls into the ground and dies, it will never make mashed potatoes. Esther, you must release it, let it go. So what are you holding onto that you need to let go and die to? All the kids were such good helpers to their Ma this year. Linda just loves the garden, and does such a good job with it.

We have done such a poor job keeping you up to date with Victoria. As you can see, she is growing, now if only her brain were growing as well, but who knows, maybe it is, as we do serve the God of miracles. (Mind you, just having her here is a miracle of sorts). Nevertheless, we will love her all the same. She loves to cuddle, loves silk things, loves her swing (even swinging with Daddy outside), she held a cat for the first time today, and thinks she is Houdini. (Linda found her after nap the other day with only a t-shirt and diaper on. she had wiggled out of her sleeper which was still fully snapped up.) We have taken her down to Fargo twice now to have her shunt adjusted, and might have to go again soon as fluid seems to be building up again. Please pray that the little device is still working, as we all would not like another operation. It takes awhile to get used to someone who is different. Sometimes I think people are afraid to hold her as they might think they might hurt her, or don't think they will be able to, but she really isn't that hard to hold now...so love her with us :)) Victoria is almost sleeping through the night now, for which we are all grateful. Well, everyone just got back from the dentist, so will wrap this up. Humble yourself under God, and let Him lift you up..Blessings, Bruce

Random pics of our sweet girl

2010-05-25T20:25:00.004-05:00

Matthew's 12th birthday

2010-05-25T19:52:00.003-05:00

May 6th was Matthew's 12th birthday. We are so thankful for Matthew. He is a cheerful helper, loves history...especially when it is being read to him, loves almost any active sport (right now hockey in the garage is the preferred game) and is full of life. We are so thankful that he was sent to 12 years ago...in our Dodge 5th Avenue...a rather exciting arrival for our largest baby, who has so quickly grown into a fine young man. We have had such a warm spring that the tulips are quite a bit ahead of what they normally are. Notice one of the pics in the slide show is from a couple of years ago, and the flowers are way behind.

2010-05-25T19:50:00.001-05:00

Update

2010-04-24T20:32:00.000-05:00

Thank you so much for praying. Victoria had a good day today with no seizures. She is on a little medication for them, but we are already weening her off of it. We are so thankful. She is up sleeping peacefully in her new sleigh bed (will post pics later.)
We were sad today to eat at our famous Roosevelt Diner for the last time today as they are now officially closed. Sure was nice while it lasted though. Enjoy your day of rest tomorrow, as we are once again reminded that it is not by works that we are saved, but by resting in the finished work of Christ, and that He is the one that sanctifies us and set us apart for Himself. Blessing, Bruce

Prayer appreciated

2010-04-22T21:02:00.000-05:00

Just a short update. Victoria started having some small seizures today. We don't know if it is related to our trip to Fargo where her shunt was adjusted, or if it is just par for the course for someone with her condition. It is quite common for children with HPE to be on anti seizure medication . Our neurosurgeon wanted us to get a Ct scan done tomorrow, so will go to Roseau for that tomorrow. So would appreciate your prayer for wisdom and trust in our great God and Savior. The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth." We are so blessed to have a Father that sees us and cares for us. Thanks everyone. Blessing, Bruce

Spring...piano recital and time for picnics.

2010-04-19T19:49:00.007-05:00

On Saturday evening, April 17th, at 7:00, Reuben, Elizabeth and Matthew had a piano recital. I think they were a little nervous...but they still did well. Reuben played "I am Resolved" and "Calypso Carnival". We have seen so much improvement over this year!

Elizabeth played "God Leads Us Along" and
"Minuet in G". She is also preparing to play one hymn with the congregation at our upcoming Share Night.

"For the Beauty of the Earth" and "The Lonesome Pine" are the songs that Matthew played. They all did a little practicing ahead of time on the piano at the church, as it is a little different than the one they normally practice on.

Friday, April 16th, we had our first picnic! The weather has been unusually warm this spring...completely opposite of last year. Our tulips are 6" high, daylilies are coming up, the lilacs buds are quickly growing, and the rhubarb is making me think of Jean's rhubarb cake. On Friday, I also experienced something else...soft grass, prickly pine needles, soft warm garden dirt, smooth hard driveway surface and the rubber of someones running shoes on top of my feet. Are you wondering how this came about?? With my favorite summer shoes, of course. : ) (which are bare feet...can you guess who is writing today??)

Some more picnic photos...on the menu: pepperoni or taco pizza, coleslaw and smoothie...along with plenty of fresh vitamin "D"...thanks to the sunshine. : )

Easter Sunday mommy was home with three little girls...we made Resurrection Buns.

The buns are made with a marshmallow on the inside, which melts, and leaves the bun empty. JoAnna had so much fun making them, she wanted to make them every day the next week.

Tomorrow we have an appointment with the neurosurgeon in Fargo. I think they want to decide whether the shunt needs to be adjusted or not. The shunt is under her skin, but they can adjust it with a strong magnet if necessary. Victoria is a very content baby over all, and has become so much easier to care for since some of the CSF has drained, making her head much lighter. I can carry her without a pillow to stabilize her head now...and that makes cuddling so much easier! We praise God for His goodness...and look to Him for strength for each day that lies ahead.

"I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth...O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."