Love this old photo

This is Elizabeth...how could you mistake those eyes for anyone else? She looks so different now, she was such a ham....what am I saying? she still is!

UPDATE on little Joshua

Joshua Is Getting Released TODAY!
Posted 3 hours ago
Joshua is doing so well today! He's up walkin'! From what I understand from his Aunt Kim, Joshua walked and played with her and Aunt Darlene last night! He hasn't walked since last Thursday before his surgery. This is a BIG step for our Little Man. I was so excited to hear that my baby is doing so well, as I'm sure y'all are too!
Today they are placing his Mic-Key button @ 1 PM because it came too late yesterday to place while he was getting de-accessed and his drain tube taken out. They should do an X-ray to determine placement of his Mic-Key button and then we will get his walkin' papers! :O) Yippie-skippie! :o)
Aunt Darlene left the Cincinnati Children's Hospital @ 10 AM to catch her flight at the Cincinnati Int'l Airport; however, we get to keep Aunt Kim for the duration of our stay here in Cincinnati. Please pray for Darlene's traveling mercies going back home today.
This Friday,July 31st, we have an appointment @ 10 AM with Dr. Geller in Hematology/Oncology. We don't plan to come home for a few more days; actually, this Sunday morning after church @ Grace Baptist Church-we plan to leave out from their Mission House. Please pray for our traveling mercies because Joshua's incisions will be uncomfortable to say the least.
We praise the Lord for what He's done in and through Joshua and we praise Him ahead of time for what He's going to do with Joshua! I believe with all my heart and soul that Joshi will be healed completely! Please keep spreading the word about praying for Joshua's healing, God never ceases to amaze us with His power and provision through the midst of this storm.
Please help pray for Tim and I because we need the Lord's wisdom and wing-we need his knowledge to make some BIG decisions tomorrow and we need His comfort for the hard news too. Thank you all for your continued support in any form or fashion but mainly in your prayers to our LORD Jesus! Don't forget that we love you but God loves you more!
Christ...The Cure All,Nadene
Joshua Lee Freeman~JLF~Jesus Loves FirstMatthew 18:5

Tell Them Tuesday

Go and Tell

www.tellthemtuesday.blogspot.com

Photo Winner!

The Winner is getting a great gift from my company, Thirty-One Gifts. www.mythirtyone.com/simplify If you would like to donate the next prize, contact me today! Next contest is coming soon!

UPDATE on Joshua

Surgery is Over!!!!!!!
Posted 47 minutes ago
Hi this is Aunt Kim reporting for Nadene.
Message sent July 24,2009Joshua did great after being in surgery over 7 hours yesterday. This one is a new one on me but I was able to spend the night in Joshi's room in the PICU! It made me happy that I was able to watch over him through the night but sad that I couldn't hold my baby through the deep dark night-my only comfort was that God was holding the both of us through the night. By the way, Joshua is expected to stay another night in the PICU. It is possible if he has another great night, they can move him into a regular room tomorrow.
Yesterday's surgery was long and arduous for us all. The surgeon, Dr. Tiao, was able to remove all of Joshua's tumors in the liver except for one in his Right Vena Cava, which is a very important artery in the liver. It was necessary to leave that artery in place b/c 1-Dr. Tiao did not want to take a chance @ damaging the vessel b/c it was stuck to the walls of the artery very bad. 2-Dr. Tiao said if we removed that artery that the necessary chemo would be ineffective.
We love you,
The Freemans

My Day

So it's been an interesting day. First let me say that I serve an awesome God. And that if this post comes off as a "poor me" session, it is not meant to. It has just been a reflective day and I have had a little sadness. Missing a friend, dealing with "what to do" with another one that has hurt me, learning that Grace is good to give as much as it is to accept, and really aching to see my family. Especially today. No special reason, but it just came out of me in the toy aisle at Wally-World.

I am standing there trying to figure out a good gift for a friend's daughter, and I find myself staring at these two grandparents, having a blast with their grand kids. They are picking out all sorts of fun summer toys, giggling over their bounty and the grandparents have smiles from ear to ear. It came flooding, I stood there and started crying and an overwhelming feeling of "I miss my parents" came over me. E and A have never stood in a toy aisle and playfully picked out toys and gotten that "grandparents are such suckers but we love them" feeling. I will see my parents in just a few weeks, and I think I want them to just spoil my girls. I want to see her completely over stimulated and caught up in a moment of total "I am the grandparent and I can do what I want" moment with her grandparents. I can't wait to watch that.

I miss my family.

I miss this face

They just grow too fast. These are my favorite photos of Elizabeth starting at one until we brought Anna home. It just seems like somewhere between here and there, my baby is no longer my baby!

My day with Gina and Leah

We had a great time visiting with Gina in AL. It was a perfect day, perfect weather, great behavior from the kids and a much needed time away with our best friend Gina. Leah and I rode together and just really had a great time. We love you Gina!

Blog Hop-Recipe is Cool Whip icing

It's really all about the icing. Find your favorite chocolate cake recipe.

Icing: 8 oz cream cheese, cup of powder sugar, 1/2 cup gran. sugar, 16 oz cool whip

Mix cream cheese and sugars into a paste (cc needs to be room temp)

fold in, with mixer, the cool whip. (it will be slightly runny, but will set quickly)

mix in chopped- bag of andees mints and 6 plain hershey bars. (save about 1/2 cup of this to sprinkle on top and decorate) spread this icing in between a 2 layer cake and on top. It will be goopy, let it set in fridge over night.

You can mix this up by adding different ingredience and using different flavors of cake!

(enter my photo contest below)

I can't walk, but she crawled!

So after a year and a half, this old mom started back at the gym today. And since I can't take anything easy, I killed myself. Now just walking is a challenge, but we will press on! I am ready to be a size 12 again! Pray for me now...

As for Anna, while she was in the Kid Zone, she decided to crawl for the first time. Did she wait for me to see it? No way, apparently she thought her Child Care workers deserved that honor and I get to just wait a little longer to see for myself.

So it's official, I can't walk, but Anna can crawl!

Don't forget to go be a part of the picture contest below.

Picture Title Contest (Prize tba) July 20-25

Picture Title Winner (you get a hug!)

Praise and Tears

From Nadene-

Great News!
Posted 3 hours ago
Joshua had his left chest tube taken out and will have another X-Ray in another hour or so and see if his lungs are doing well. He seems to be doing well. He just maybe going home if all goes well. Please continue to pray for him as we know you will.
Early last week I heard the news that Jayden; a precious, young boy from TC Thompson Cancer Clinic in Chattanooga, TN; lost his battle with Neuroblastoma and went home to be with the LORD. Now he is able to run again on the streets of gold in heaven!
This was a post from his Mommy this past Sunday..
**************************************************************************Good afternoon. I just wanted to let everyone know that my baby boy Jayden as of 14:30 this afternoon unzipped his old earth suit, and put on an incorruptable glorified body. No more neuroblastoma. It is defeated, and Jayden is well. Thanks to everyone who prayed for him and for us. We are so heartbroken, but we're looking in hope for HIS appearing, when we will see him alive and well again. We did everything that we could do, prayed every prayer that we knew to pray, and we (all 3) fought as hard as we could."2Ti 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.2Ti 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:2Ti 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. "*************************************************************************
Early this week when I heard the news about Jayden, fear and panic came all over me. God has sent His Spirit and His Messengers to comfort us all through this cancer ordeal with Joshua. Please continue to pray that God will heal Joshua of this cancer. I just am a selfish momma and want Joshua around 'till he's a ripe old age. I'll keep y'all posted. Thank you all and we love you.
Christ...The Cure All,Nadene

Joshua's update

Lung Surgery
Posted 16 hours ago
Hello All! It is Uncle Ray and Aunt Kim. Nadene couldn't get to a computer tonight so she has me to update the care page.

Joshua had a bilateral thoracoscopy today. On the Left lung Dr. Tiao resected three scar tissue like nodules and said that the cells from them appear to be dead. Which is great! On the Rigft lung Dr. Tiao resected three nodules but the right side appears to still have active cells in it. Which we didn't won't to here. The pathology will be back Monday for the final results on what is still active. Joshua has chest tubes in both his right and left lungs for drainage, he will have to have these in for a couple of days. There plan right now is to do the liver resection next Thursday depending on how Joshua does. If they feel like he is to weak still from this surgery they will postpone till the next week. Joshua is in and out tonight he is on allot of pain medicine, but when he would wake up he was in good spirits. His Aunt Charlene is staying with him tonight so that Dad and Mom can get a good night's sleep.

Nadene hopefully will have access to a computer tomorrow and will send you her update, there is nothing like hearing from the mom.

Continue the prayers for Joshua, Tim, and Nadene they have a very long road ahead. But we all know that God is in control and equipping them for journey.

We love you and thank you for everything!!!!!!!!!!

Hopscotch Camis GIVEAWAY!!!!

Hopscotch Camis GIVEAWAY!!!!

Joshua's Lung Surgery

Update!

The plan for Joshua's lung surgery is this Thursday (7/16) at 7:45 AM but we have to be there at 6 AM for the pretesting and prep. The surgeon's plan is to cut out all the cancer and it may take 2 1/2 hours or more to complete. We hope and pray that all the cells extracted from the lung show no signs of active, living cancer cells. If there were not any active cells they can go after what's in the liver. After this lung surgery, Joshi has only short time to recoop because it is on to the next surgery on his liver is planned for another surgery next Thursday (7/23) on his liver. and then follow up with chemo to clean up what may have been missed.
I pray that Joshi will be responsive and understanding to a degree but then again, ignorance is bliss at times. This has been tough on ALL of us because we know what's at stake but I believe that Joshua knows a little about what's going on. His inquizative nature allows him to explore his thoughts and feelings on several issues. Please continue to pray to God on Joshua's behalf, we will see what God can do in and through him and us because HE IS ABLE!
Christ...The Cure All,Nadene

Blog Hop

Things you may not know about me:
1. Grew up on the home of missionaries and lived in Guam, Korea, Japan, Hawaii and England.
2. I am addicted to Facebook because I have found a way to connect with all the people I know in the US and around the world
3. I met my husband in a Taikwondoe class.
4. Need to add, I started Tell Them Tuesday- Go tell someone that you love them today! www.tellthemtuesday.blogspot.com


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Elizabeth's Birthday Donations

This year, instead of letting our friends bring gifts to Elizabeth's birthday party, we asked everyone to bring donations for a local Ministry- A Women's Pregnancy Center. They are a safe haven for any young ladies who are facing a crisis pregnancy. Not only offering an alternative to abortion but sharing Christ as well. We had a great time taking the donations today and Elizabeth was excited about taking "diapers to the babies". They gave her a copy of "Horton Hears a Who" as a thank you and took her photo next to her donations. If you have a birthday for a child coming up, you should consider allowing them to pick a charity or ministry and allowing your friends and family to help you bless others. It's a good learning experience for your kids and let's the world see what it means to "love your neighbor".

Our Play date

Before Gina left town, Leah, Amanda and I had the chance to hang out with the kids and let her and Brent get some packing done. We had such a great time together. The sweet picture of Amanda holding S is when he saw his mommy pulling up in the car to come and get him. He was very happy to see his mommy again! We miss Gina and it was our pleasure to spend time with M and S...

My Facebook Group

Please join me on my Facebook Group!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=207962815163

Joshua

Yesterday Joshua had an echocardiogram for his heart and even a hearing audible test-both of which went really well. Yesterday afternoon we got to go to the Cincinnati Zoo & it was great. Here's a pic at the end of our visit. We are planning on staying until Sunday to have a little fun as a family before the seriousness starts next week. We plan on coming back Wednesday b/c Joshua's lung surgery is planned for July 16th, based on what we find out from his lung surgery, we will follow up with liver surgery on that following Thursday July 23rd. Both of these surgeries will just be cutting out the bad cancer. It is the plan to follow up these surgeries with 2 or more cycles of chemo. Please be in prayer that we continue to get great results about Joshua's prognosis as we know you have and will. We love you but God loves you more. ~Nadene~ {JLF~Matt. 18:5}

As I feel sorry for myself...

My best friend moved to another state today....and then I remembered my friend Nadene. And as much as I am sad about not seeing Gina any time I want, and having Mempis over to play with Elizabeth, my family is well. And I am blessed beyong belief. So as I feel sorry for myself, I will direct my attentions back to little Joshua, and ask you to remeber him this week. Update after photo: (I love you Gina)

July 8, 2009We're going to stay in Cincinnati until Sunday. Tomorrow Joshua is going in for a nuclear kidney test called a GFR. Then Thursday we will have an echocardiogram for his heart and maybe even a hearing audible test. The rest of the week we will be hopefully having fun taking in a couple of Cincinnati's sites as a family...fun outside the hospital's walls is something we haven't gotten to do a lot of in a very long while.Joshua's lung surgery is planned for July 16th, based on what we find out from his lung surgery, we will follow up with liver surgery on that following Thursday July 23rd. Both of these surgeries will just be cutting out the bad cancer. It is the plan to follow up these surgeries with 2 or more cycles of chemo. Please be in prayer that we continue to get great results about Joshua's prognosis as we know you have and will. We love you but God loves you more.~Nadene~ {JLF~Matt. 18:5}

Gentry Rose

Please visit -

www.gentryrose.blogspot.com

There is a fundraiser going on and you can purchase an amazing children's dress in her honor. If you can't support, I hope you will atleast go and leave a comment of support.

Photo Blog Hopping and Tell them Tuesday!

It's also "Tell Them Tuesday"around here, go http://tellthemtuesday.blogspot.com/ next!

My Daughter at her 3rd Birthday Party

Pure Joy!

So I am new to this and I hope I can learn how to do this correctly...
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Help Me Spread the Word!

I want you to meet this family...if Autism has touched you, someone you love or even just a neighbor then you know how much more there needs to be done. This family needs us, so spread the word, e-mail the blog out to your friends. You may not be able to help them, but there is someone you know who will reach out and be the answer to a prayer.

Visit them today at: www.gentryrose.blogspot.com

There is a sale on her site for a kids dress that is just adorable. The proceeds go to their needs for treating their Daughter. Hope you will go and at least leave a post to support them.

Joshua is in Cinn. Get your knees dirty this week!

We are still with Joshua in TC Thompson Children's Hospital but believed to go home this afternoon. We are headed out Sunday morn for Cincinnati Childrens Hospital. Joshua is due to have tests that Monday the 6th and Tuesday the 7th. Joshua will have an MRI that Monday and Tuesday a CT Scan of his chest. After that, we have a meeting at the Hemonc Clinic to know more of what's going on. Tuesday at Noon their Tumor Board meets--please pray we will be given some miraculous news about Joshua's cancer status. Thanks for your prayers for our safe travels and for Joshua to be completely healed. We love you but God loves you more! ~Nadene~ {JLF~Matt. 18:5}

Elizabeth's Birthday Roses

I need you to read something....sit down for 15 minutes

If you can't get to this today, then take the time some time soon. Read this post, then watch the video at the bottom, it is http://godms4ever.blogspot.com/2009/06/fatal-attractions.html

You must read and watch this....

It's the Fourth of July! (3 years of birthdays)

Wow, 3 years and one hour, 52 minutes ago, I gave birth to the funniest, sweetest, full of energy little girl that a mom could have! Where did the time go? We celebrated her 3rd birthday on the 2nd, knowing it would be hard to get her friends out on the 4th. But it turned out to be just a fantastic party. I hope you will look down at the MANY pictures I have posted.

Elizabeth's Birthday Party

We had a lot of kids, but they were all so wonderful!

No injuries! Can you believe it?

This is one of my favorite photos of the day! A friend of mine caught this as Elizabeth was standing on the splash mat!

We had such a great day. Brian was able to come home for a part of the celebration. We had sooooo many people come and it was really, really nice. We let the kids play in the water and all of us moms hid from the heat in the garage!