Quote of the Day

Janie takes a taste of her candy cane and says, "This tastes like toothpaste!"

Saying Goodbye

Our little foster son went to his adoptive family today. He went to live with an aunt and uncle who love him very much and are excited to have him come live with them. We have had him 400 days today. 13 months is a long time in a 4 year old's life. He was very bonded to us and we loved him like our own.

Please pray for his little heart during this transition. He is so little to have to have processed so much in his life already. He knows he is special. He knows God made him and loves him very much. He knows Jesus will never ever leave him!

Please pray for our family. Even though our children know we just got to keep him for a while to keep him safe--they still love him and miss him.

There is so much more I could write, but tonight I am just remembering to breathe and entrusting him to God.

Thanksgiving Dinner Quotes

Thanksgiving dinner quotes:

Isaac: (pointing at cranberry sauce, referring to pilgrims:)

"Why did the tambourines call it stuffing?"

Isaac: (again referring to the pilgrims, groaning a bit:)

"How could they eat so much?"

Janie: (referring to, you can guess!) ;)

"Are you going to get some smashed potatoes, Katie?"

Quick Katie update

Well, Katie is in the process of weaning off the steroids. The tests showed that only about 1/2 of her 6-mp (immunosuppressant chemo drug) was being absorbed. So we have increased the dose and will test levels again in a couple of weeks. She has 'rounded' out nicely while on the steroids and is full of gumption. In other words, the only time we see her chubby and grumpy is on steroids. It's a little amusing to us all.

We are praying as the steroids are removed from her system that her body will go in remission and not flare up again. She will be finished the first week of August. She is tired of all the blood tests and pokes but she is a trooper and doesn't complain.

We appreciate all the prayers. Katie continues to turn to her Father the Healer and seeks wisdom and strength from Him faithfully. As hard as this is on her, she has had great stretching and growth in her spiritual walk.

Katie's Update

Well, it's official, Katie is out of the remission that she just barely got into. She started again on Prednisone today to try to get the inflammation down. She will be on it for 2 weeks and then weaning off of it the next 7 weeks (9 weeks total).

Our Dr. in Portland is sending down a test that will check the levels of her 6-MP (an immunosuppressant, chemotherapy drug) in her system. She takes the 6-MP by mouth and it is supposed to help hold her in remission. This test will show if enough is being absorbed or if we need to increase the dose.

We are all flabbergasted by this. I almost named this post 'Stink' as that was my first eloquent spiritual response to the news.

Please be in prayer for her as she has all her concerts and piano recital in the next couple of weeks. She would like to finish well.

Thank you all.

Pray For Katie...

Well, I was just going to post…”yea, we’ve gone a whole week without someone running a fever!!” But, Sunday night, Katie started running a fever. I am trying to stay calm and prayerful, but it is not good she is running a fever. Please lift her in prayer to our Lord God, her healer and saviour.

Home Sweet Home

Well, we have been home now almost 5 weeks. I have to stare at pictures of Hawaii to actually believe I ever went! It was truly a fabulous vacation for us. ( or at least for me, Alisa!) Neil was up and running at 5:30am. In my book, that is still the day before as the day truly doesn’t start until after 6:00am…right? I am pretty sure that is Biblical. It was great to have a lot of quiet time, walking time and doing nothing time. I loved the time I had with Neil and hanging out in our honeymoon spot. I never would have believed it would be 16 years and 6+ children later before we would come again! Ok, I am still laughing out loud. I was so rested in Hawaii I could actually watch someone yawn and not yawn myself. Then came the red-eye flight home. No sleep Wed. night and up until midnight Thurs. night…so much for being rested!

We arrived home to a banner from the girls saying “Welcome Home!” and the boy saying “Go back to Hawaii!”. I have left Isaac’s sign on the door. I have told him…”Don’t tempt me.” Well, we arrived home by 9:00am. By 10am I am upstairs searching through the suitcases for the presents and Xman goes running by yelling “I need new pants!”

I, of course, ask, “Why?”

He replies, “ cause they’re wet!”

“How’d they get wet?” I ask, thinking I knew the obvious answer…but no…

He replies, “someone spilled some water at the bottom of the stairs and I slipped in it!”

“Oh” I reply and I go investigate the spill. Well, I was 3 steps from the bottom when I could see (and smell) that the huge puddle now smeared across the floor was NOT water. So I very intelligently ask quite loudly, “WHO PUKED?!!” Ok. Yes, I quickly realized everyone bigger than Xman could have told me they did already so that really only left 2 possible choices…Kelly (the dog) or Elisabeth. So I loudly exclaim, “Did Kelly throw up? Where’s Elisabeth??!!” “Elisabeth!!! Where are you?"

I turn the corner into the living room and looked no further. I asked yet another stupid question, “Elisabeth, honey, did you throw up?” To which she sweetly replied, “No.”

I am now looking at her…dripping in vomit, sitting on the couch. “Oh yes you did, honey.” In the bath she goes . Floor cleaned. Carpet cleaned. Candles lit. Lunch time. She seems fine, wants to eat. That is when I learned she had a bad cough. You know, the kind that makes you gag. Yes, she coughed at the lunch table…splattered everything and everyone near her. More baths. All of this by 12pm noon. Did I mention I had had no sleep yet?

Janie, I discover, is running a fever and feeling horrible. Isaac is crying because the boys are gone. Xman is dropping all the emotion he has stored up for the week on me and I have a towel clipped around Elisabeth to throw on her face when she starts to cough.

Oh, Home Sweet Home.

Zoom Zoom

As promised, here's our new Mazda wagon ("New-to-us.") So far, so zoom zoom! :)




And here's my 12 passenger 'vroom vroom!'

Annie's 9th Birthday!

Trading Wagons

On Saturday we sold the Suburban in a day. Isaac cried himself to sleep that night (and so did Neil!). It was a great truck! The best...

We found a little 2004 Mazda6 Wagon to replace it. Ours is a Sand color, not red. I'm looking for the "zoom-zoom" song now. Enjoy the video! Maybe I'll post a picture later...

Katie's 12th Birthday!

Mary's 10th Birthday!

Eagle Crest - snow!

Isaac's 7th Birthday!

Wow!

What an incredible prayer and worship service tonight. I saw so many people there that I have so grown to love over these last 8 years here. 8 years. Where does the time go? I cannot wait to see what God has in store for my Norkenzie Family. He's on the move! Take the plunge! Dive in with us in this time of prayer! Seek God in His Word like you won't have it tomorrow. Hide it in your heart. Fast and see what He says to you. He has ALL the answers. Start right now!

My motto since 1988: "I would rather be sleep deprived than God deprived."

I guess I need to stop saying I need more sleep and start saying I need more God!