We're Back!!

We're back - we had a wonderful time!! At one point we were walking through the park and Ryan looked up at Rob and said, "Dad - Disney World is funner than Chuck E. Cheese ...." - so, I guess it must have been pretty great for him. I 'll update later with the details and pictures!! Thanks for praying - we had great weather and everyone was pretty healthy - Addie and Ryan both have runny noses and croupy coughs, but 'tis the season ........ Rob and I now need a vacation -ha! As one mom calls it - we have the Disney Daze - just tired and feeling a bit out of it :). I have to say I did feel like royalty when I returned home to a house that had been "blessed" - clean bathrooms, floors, clean carpets - wow! - thanks Traci and Mom ..... also yummy food in the fridge and a plate of Rice Krispy treats - my favorite - thank you Patti!! Ryan felt pretty special as well when he found a really cool new bed in his room too ...... pictures later (a special thanks to Larry and David for getting that all set up - Addie says "they are good men!" - yes, you are good men and we are so blessed to know you!

Someone started a terrible rumor while we were gone ..... they even had the audacity to put streamers in my tree, stick forks all in my yard, balloons all in my car, candy all over the place (the kids loved that!!) and write terrible things such as "40 - the new 50", "over the Hill - not the Rainbow" all over my car ..... they even put "my wife is 40" on Rob's truck ...... can you imagine!!! I don't know how this rumor was started, but when I do find the source ....... well, you know what they say about paybacks!!!!! Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a day over 30 ......... It has been terrible - even Addie and Ryan have been chanting "Mommy's 40, Mommy's 40 ..... she's an old lady". Really, it's been a good day and it went by much to quickly - I'm praying for that snow and sleet tonight so we can have another day at home - you know how you need a vacation after your vacation ...... I will say that even though I'm no where near 40 - my body has been aching after all of that walking we did last week!! This birthday has been much better than last year - last year we were in the hospital and my sweet baby was having his first chemo - still seems so surreal. A sweet memory I do (a true gift as there is not much sweet about your baby having chemo!) have of that first chemo was while I was taking a nap(I think that is what I was doing) Rob and Ryan decided to sneak off to the gift shop to get a present for me .... well, the gift shop in the children's hospital was closed ... so they went outside (IV pole and all - it was freezing - no coat on Ryan and he was in his PJ's) and went over to the adult hospital .... came back with some pretty flowers for me ..... I was a bit freaked out that they had done that and asked if the nurse knew they were doing that .... Rob responded with, "Ryan was determined to get you some flowers and it is easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission ..... ". That memory is still very vivid in my mind ...... much better way to spend my birthday - no IV poles, hospital beds, no more chemo!! Praise you sweet Jesus ..........

I have some very dear ones that I need you to pray for .... our friend Jackson had his MRI this morning .... please agree with us in prayer for clear scans - his site is www.our little engineer.com
Another is for our friend John Marlin - he recently celebrated 3 years of being cancer free - Praise Jesus!, he had a place on his leg biopsied last week and they are waiting on those results - please agree with us in prayer for those results to be negative. Also - please keep the Avery family in your prayers - their sweet boy, Julian, is with Jesus now - he was diagnosed a few months after Ryan - my heart is broken for his momma and daddy - once you are a part of this cancer world - it is always with you - you get some good days, good moments - but your heart is always towards the other families and you never really get an emotional "break" from it - no matter what you are doing, it is always with you-the families you get to know are a part of your heart - please cover them as they are just at the beginning of the most difficult journey they will ever make. You can leave them a note on their site: www.carepages.com , his site is called JuliansWorld and tell them Ryan Carrigan sent you. Mimi reads every single note. A very, very special family with so much love ........

Again - thank you for praying - thank you for continuing to pray for Ryan's healing!
I promise to update soon with pictures - I'm going to learn how to do a slide show :).

Love to you all!! (thanks Ann for coming over and taking the pics and posting for me)

"He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light."
Job 33:28