Holly's Surgery Update - Homeward Bound

We finally got to bring Holly home yesterday (Saturday) afternoon. She went straight to her bed and I expect her to stay there for the next couple of days. She seems to be making good progress in healing and I hope she will be back on her feet starting to do some normal activities next week. Thanks again for all your thoughts, prayers, meals, etc! God bless!

Holly's Surgery Update #6

Holly made some pretty good strides this evening. They were able to remove the catheter and her body decided to start cooperating. She ate just a little bit of dinner, but so far has kept it all down. She's also been able to get up a couple of times and move around. So right now, the plan is to try and send her home tomorrow (Saturday) assuming we continue on this course. We convinced Holly's mom to stay with us a few more days to help out with the kiddos. Well, I hope this is about the end of this little blog series. Thanks again to everyone who's been supporting us.

Special thanks to Melissa for the yummy mexican tortilla soup. The girls loved it and grandma is already asking me to get the recipe!

Holly's Surgery Update #5

After a rough afternoon and evening, Holly was able to sleep a good amount last night. She feels a little bit better today, but still has to meet several critical milestones before she can go home. She just received a little bit of breakfast to see if she can keep it down. She is also going to be forced to walk around a little later this morning. Holly isn't looking forward to that! There's also a chance that she can go home this evening, but we still have to wait for the doctor to visit and see how she's doing.

Holly's Surgery Update #4

I got back to the hospital today at about 3:00. Holly didn't have a great day. She was in a fair bit of pain and her stomach was pretty upset. They took her catheter out this morning, but are likely going to have to put it back in tonight because her body hasn't been cooperating. Jen visited late this afternoon, just in time to watch Holly violently empty the contents of her stomach. At about 5:30 Holly got a fresh round of medicines (both for pain and her stomach) so she seems to be resting lightly right now. We'll be here tonight and well into Friday, but no definite plans yet on when she can go home.

We appreciate all the calls and prayers and hope to be back to normal before too long. It's truly a blessing to have a church family and we love and appreciate all of you!

Holly Surgery Update #3

Sorry it took so long to get back to a computer. Our internet and phone service has been down for a couple of days at the house!

Holly's surgery went well, but she's been in a lot of pain this morning. The doctor's all indicated that their different procedures all went nominally so she's just in the painful recovery stage now. Pain meds at the hospital seem to be OK for her, but not great. That makes me now want to take her home because I know the oral meds won't even be this effective.

Don't try and call us at home since the phone is still out. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. If you'd like to get in touch with us, try calling one of our cell numbers.

Holly Surgery Update #2

Holly was taken back on schedule at about 7:30 this morning. I just spoke with the surgeon who did the first of her two procedures and it went really well. She's just starting the 2nd procedure now so maybe another hour or so before she's out of surgery.

Holly's Surgery Update #1

Seems like the only time I get around to updating this thing is while I'm stuck in the hospital waiting for someone's surgery to happen. It's a little after 7:00 this morning and Holly is in pre-op. I expect to be called back any minute now. I think her surgery is scheduled to start around 7:30 but it seems like these things are always running a little behind. I'll post with updates if I have a chance.

Audrey's Surgery Part 2

They finally took Audrey back and got started. We spent a couple of hours waiting for the doctor to arrive. He was held up at some other procedures earlier in the morning so he was running way behind. Holly wheeled Audrey around in a wheelchair for a long time to keep her occupied. She didn't seem to be too nervous. By the time they were ready for her to go back she had already managed to locate and place about a dozen band-aids on different places on her body.

They finally took her back at about 2:30. She seemed to get a little more nervous when she say Holly and I in our little bunny suits. Holly managed to keep her calm until we walked her back to the OR. Once there we quickly got her connected to the gas mask and she drifted off pretty quick. She was only awake long enough for me to make some big promises about fantastically fun things we'll do when she wakes us (hopefully she won't remember any of that). We hope she will be done between 4:00 and 4:30. Will report in later.

Audrey's Surgery Part 1

We're at the hospital right now waiting for them to take us back for Audrey's surgery. I'm hoping there won't be many updates. Just enough to say that everything went well and it's over. Will update as things progress. So far Audrey isn't nervous because she doesn't have a clue what's going on. I just hope that it stays that way. It's always so hard to watch them "gas" your kid.

Budding Meteorologist

Claire made it on TV tonight so I thought I would share it. She was on 9 News during the weather segment. Here's a link to the video. I'm not sure how long this video will be available.

9 News Video

Men Are Bums

No, this isn't the ranting website of your local suburban femi-Nazi...

Modern American culture defines men as people who drink beer, watch football, enjoy the occasional use of power tools and fart when and where they please. However, the book I've been reading has really opened my eyes to see that we're pretty pathetic if that's how we define manhood.

Every other week I get together with 5 or 6 other guys and we discuss The Christian Husband by Bob Lepine. It has really challenged us to look at what we think it means to "be a man". I've always known that God calls men to be much more then what our culture tells us, but reading this book has been a humbling experience. The book addresses all the things you would expect: Bible study, prayer, meditation and memorization. But in the second part of the book, Bob challenges the reader to consider the real role of a man in the family. The real role model for manhood is Jesus Christ. According to the Calvin, Jesus fulfills his role as the head of his church by serving as the prophet, priest and King. If we (as men) are to be the head of our wives and families as Christ is the head of his church, then as Bob Lepine suggests, we must then understand the, "...prophetic, priestly and kingly roles we are to fulfill."

That sounds all nice and doctrine-ey, but when Bob lays out the reality of those roles, it humbles you to the core. Bob then begins to describe the responsibilities of each role as prophet, priest and King. It's not just prayer, it's leading your family in regular worship and being an intercessor for your family. It's not just trying to listen to the voice of God, it's hearing him speak, building the families doctrinal foundation, proclaiming the truth of God in your home every day, confronting sin and encouraging through the truth and love of God.

And it doesn't stop there. I stop there because I don't want a 20-page post on my blog. We've got this life all wrong as men. We're not here to be served, watch football and gain weight around our middles. We're called to be leaders. Don't be fooled, this is hard stuff. We need to put the remote control away and stop pretending we can lead a wife and a family from the recliner. The next time you're tempted to plop down in the armchair and turn on the TV, go pray with your wife instead. The next time you want to fiddle around in the garage on nothing in particular, go lead your children in worship. When you commute to work, turn off the radio and intercede for your family. The time we have on Earth isn't me time, it's lead time. I just pray I can accept my own challenge.

Surviving the Sniffles

Well, since the beginning of December we've seen 70-some inches of snow and had about five major illnesses beat up the whole family. We've had the flu, strep and various "common" colds. I guess this is the short term reward I get for putting my 3-year old in school! This past weekend we've battled thru yet another cold. Fortunately this one hasn't been too hard on us; just a few sore throats, coughing and congestion.

All of a sudden summer is looking nice. No one's in school so I think that means we'll be healthy for a few months. I've also got to decide whether or not to attend my 10 year high school reunion this summer. I'm thinking not because I'm still in denial that I'm that old. Anyway, we're alive. Maybe when we're all better I will post more then once a month...

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Dashing through the snow...

...in a 275-hp, turbocharged suburban sleigh...

Finally, a real snow storm. With Christmas just around the corner, I was extremely happy to welcome the Blizzard of 2006. It may not have been as big as some past blizzards, but my sore back is telling me that it was big enough! Here in Highlands Ranch we got 33 inches of fresh champagne powder. Above is a picture of the snow on the back deck and patio furniture taken from the comfort and warmth of the kitchen.

I spent 6 hours shoveling over the course of two days just to get the driveway cleared off. I haven't tackled the snow on the deck as of yet. It was so quiet and peaceful on Thursday morning as we awoke to all the new snow. Only a handful of huge trucks with chains even dared venture out. The rest of us enjoyed the pause from the Christmas rush.

I took Claire out in the sled for a couple of hours and we just tromped through the neighborhood and had friendly exchanges with neighbors we've never seen before. Everyone is so friendly after a big snow. Maybe because they know they're going to need help digging their cars out! Fortunately we don't own too much junk so we have room in the garage for actual automobiles. Those stuck shoveling their cars out had a tough time. This was another one of those times when I was really thankful to have a 4x4. We got stuck more then once even in the SUV, but were always able to manage a way out; not true for a few thousand other folks. There are abandoned cars everywhere and many will be unreachable for weeks (at least without a skid loader or something).

I guess our hopes for a white Christmas have come true this year. This is one tradition that I could live with every year! Here are a few more pics of the snow. One more on the back deck and two looking at a large tumor of snow that is our Bar-B-Q grill! Merry Christmas!

November Already

I can't believe it's November already. Turkey Day has come and gone and I'm still eating leftovers. Praise Jesus for Pizza yesterday because I don't think I could handle another night of leftovers. Thanksgiving is over but there's no rest for the weary. I gotta go out and meet the guys tonight for a Christmas-shopping-for-the-wives party. I imagine it will be a testosterone fueled fury to see how fast we can get from one end of the mall to the other buying as much as possible along the way. I guess we'll be like a swarm of shopping locusts devouring everything in our path. Look out retailers, here we come and we're on a mission!

Goodbye Terrible Two's

What an exciting event! Our oldest turned three and officially exited the Terrible Two's. Unfortunately, whoever coined the term "Terrible Two's" hadn't yet had a three year old. Turning three just means a new set of challenges to work through. At two we were worried about potty training and getting good dietary habits established. At three it's bullies at school and learning to look both ways when crossing the street. Every stage in a child's life brings new challenges, but new joys as well. Our daughter's party was an exciting time. This was her first party where her "friends" came and they really enjoyed one another.

She decided that she wanted a pumpkin cake since her b-day is so close to Halloween, but she also wanted it to be her favorite color...PINK! So, she got a pink pumpkin cake. Her lovely pink pumpkin cake is all gone now thanks to Mom and Dad!

This is the first birthday that I really feel like my little girl is beginning to grow up. Any parent will tell you how fast kids grow up and I'm beginning to finally understand what they mean. I guess I have to move past the Terrible Two's and take advantage of the fleeting, but Terrific Three's.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics

The second law of thermodynamics is an interesting concept. Simply put, it states that whenever there is an energy distribution that is out of equilibrium, a "force" acts to dissipate or minimize that imbalance. If I've lost you, consider this simple example:

You place a glass of hot water in a cold room. What happens? The heat from the water dissipates into the room until the room and the glass of water are the same temperature. The glass of hot water represents a concentration of energy (heat in this case) that is acted upon by a "force" to minimize the imbalace. Sometimes the second law is described as a natural decay from order to disorder.

I am convinced that the second law of thermodynamics is actively at work in my household. Every time I get a room picked up, some "force" is at work behind me that takes the order I have created and turns it into disorder.

After intense experimentation and statistical analysis of the data, I now have the answer to the question that will redefine the known universe. This breakthrough likely represents the single greatest achievement in science in the last two-hundred years. I have finally discovered the origins of the mysterious "force" that acts to dissipate energy imbalances...

...Her name is Claire and she's three years old. No matter where I go, she's right behind me bringing chaos from order. It's as if it is her God-given role to be the enforcer of the second law of thermodynamics in my household. As much as I would like to keep a room clean for long periods of time, I would rather have the ensuing chaos Claire brings then imagine the terrifying world where the second law of thermodynamics does not apply! Thank you Jesus for Claire and the second law of thermodynamics.

Remembering What Marriage Is About

I recently had the pleasure of attending my cousin's wedding in Abilene, Kansas. My cousin Donnie (I can't seem to bring myself to call him Don because I've always known him as Donnie) married the love of his life, Shelley. The wedding was nice; nothing out of the ordinary. Besides being an usher, an escort and a candle lighter, I had the opportunity to be a groomsman as well. During the wedding I found myself being distracted by cramps in my back. It has been a long time since I had to stand still for that long and I think my back was trying to tell me to sit down. Anyway, about the time that the exchange of vows started, I really began to resonate with the words that were being said. I thought about the idealistic words that were being spoken between lovers and remembered saying those same kinds of words over five years ago when I got married. In that short time, I was able to reflect on my own marriage and take away a few thoughts that I could use that week in my own marriage.

To make a long story even longer, I found that my participation in someone else's wedding provided a lens for me to examine my own marriage. Reliving that moment of connection with my spouse stirred something in my soul that made me want to recommit those things to my own wife. I think Than's post titled Walking Among the Dead was very insightful. His post exhorts us to ponder our own mortality and sense of being by being in the presence of others who have gone before us. In a similar way, I think those of us that are married should make every effort to attend weddings we are invited to. That experience provides a mechanism to evaluate our own marriages and recommit to the vows that were made. I'm beginning to understand why many couples enjoy a time of vow renewal. I think I would like to pursue something like that in the near future.

Consumer Beware

I'm one of those penny-pinching husbands that refuses to purchase cable television. We've survived five years of marriage with rabbit ears so why change? Anyway, having rabbit ears means putting up with a fuzzy picture most of the time. The other day I happened to be at an unnamed DINKs house. Being a DINK, this particular individual not only had cable, but expanded digital cable being shown on the latest plasma-HD-flat screen thinga-ma-whatchit.

Impressed as I was with the ultra-sharp picture, the thing that was most fascinating to me was my new found ability to read the fine print shown at the bottom of commercials. Many were your standard benign legal mumbo-jumbo. For example, all the great car commercials with sporty models hugging turns always have to say something about professional drivers on closed courses...yada yada (very similar to the red button with the words, "DON'T PUSH" plastered across it). By the way, don't even try to read all the legalize on car dealer commercials, it's futile without your DVR. So back to my revelation. I'm reading all this fine print when a fast food commercial airs touting a new cheap price for a particular item. The fine print states that the actual price may vary. So, they can legally advertise a $0.01 burger and charge you a buck for it. That's messed up.

About the same time I ran across this horrendous misrepresentation, I stumbled across this website: mouseprint.org Mouseprint is a consumer education site that aims to

...help educate the public about the catches or "“gotchas" in disclaimers, and to encourage advertisers to abandon the motto, "“the big print giveth, and the little print taketh away."”

If you think mislabeling food prices is a crime, wait until you see some of the items catalogued here! It just goes to show that corruption does in fact extend beyond politics.

For an ethical approach to sales and marketing, check out Ryan's website.

Geography 101

I've been watching that new Jericho show on CBS and I'm trying to figure out who decided to make Denver west of the Rockies?!

Much to my dismay, the first episode has Denver obliterated by a nuclear blast. Too bad for me and all my friends who are now crispy taquitos. We know Jericho is in Kansas somewhere (presumably western Kansas) so when they see the mushroom cloud over Denver, why is the cloud behind the mountains? Did Denver move west, or has there been some sort of massive geological activity that has raised a new mountain range between Denver and western Kansas??

Apparently the producers of Jericho haven't ever made that terrible drive from Denver through Kansas and back again. If they had, they would know that even on a clear day you can't see the mountains in the west until you hit about Limon, Colorado.

So given that the show isn't all that great and the fact that every time I watch it their ignorance of the local geography makes me mad, I don't think I'll be watching it any longer. Way to go CBS!

Baby Bearman Born!

Yes! Baby Bearman was born today. I talked to Jen this evening. Ella Grace was born around 11 am. this morning. she is 7lb. 9oz. I didnt get the length. Mom and Ella are doing well. Brian got home around 1130pm last night and Jen's water broke around 1.30am. Jen mentioned that everything went well and they are resting now.