The latest on Amber

Things are improving for Amber! There has been a lot of confusion and varying versions of stories on how she is really doing, but the most recent news from Ford is that her temperature is normal and has been for 36 hours. The doctors have brought her further out of sedation and she is breathing at a 1 to 1 rate now (meaning that she takes a breath and the machine takes a breath). Last night she was at 3 to 1 (3 machine breath, 1 Amber breath). She is certainly not out of the woods, but over the past 24 hours, she has made a massive improvement! She has been sedated and intubated to help keep her calm and not coughing because her lungs are in such a delicate state right now.

Susie, Ford and I spent some time with Eric and his mother last night at the hospital and they are holding on. They are extremely tired, but have felt the love and support of their friends and family. Please continue to pray for her recovery!

Brady's bumps

Brady has had some red bumps that pop up, disappear and then show up somewhere else on his sweet little body. They started in his armpits and I honestly thought it was ant bites because they had a white raised section in the middle of it. But there were no ants in his bed and his teachers at daycare said there hasn't been an ant problem. So we took him to the doctor yesterday. Turns out he is having an allergic reaction to a virus! Poor baby! But you wouldn't know it by looking at his happy mood! He was smiling at the doctor while she was checking him out. But his sweet, soft skin didn't look so hot.

The good news is the doctor gave us a prescription to help with the hive-like bumps and he woke up this morning with no bumps!

My Maine Family

Chris was born and raised in Maine, so now that we live in Louisiana - we only get to see his family a few times a year. And since we have had children (plural now!) - we aren't able to travel as often. So we were thrilled when his mom, dad, sister, brother and niece decided to travel down south to our great state! They arrived at the airport and Kadence (her cousin, also known as "KK") ran to Kennedy and they hugged as if they were old friends. Memere (pronounced MEH'-meh) scooped up Kennedy and Brady and loved on them both for several minutes. This was the LaPierre family's introduction to Brady. It was a very sweet moment.

Memere and Brady

Kennedy and Kadence

We spent Friday at the Fair, which was a blast! The girls rode rides and even the adults rode some of the big rides!

Chris, Kelly, Matt, Monique, and David - a rare LaPierre family picture!

Kennedy and I rode the ferris wheel together

Matt, Chris and I rode this ride. I think I left some of my brains there... this HURT!

We spent some time at home and Brady fell in love with his Aunt Kelly!

The girls dressed up as pirates for Halloween and Kennedy's other cousin Lauren came with us as well. Kelly and I dressed up, too! We spent a lot of time laughing, telling jokes, enjoying the fire on the back porch. We enjoyed time as a family. We are all looking forward to seeing them again very soon.

Prayer

I believe in prayer. I believe that talking to God and "handing over" my worries is a valuable tool in my day-to-day life. It's not always the first tool in my toolbox when I am stressed or overwhelmed, but it is something I do on a regular basis. I am teaching Kennedy about prayer, too. Her prayers tend to be conversations about events as if she's telling God what happened during her day, which I think is precious.

I have been praying a lot lately. There is a lot to pray about. My friend Amber, who is struggling with fever and infections in ICU right now. She has a rough road to recovery.

I am praying for my friend Mercedes, who delivered her twin boys six weeks early and they are both in NICU in Dallas right now. They, too, are fighting infections and have premie complications. Her days are spent by their side in the NICU and her nights are spent at home with her husband and her other two boys.

I am praying for my friend and co-worker Viki, who's father suddenly passed away on Monday from a heart attack. She is pregnant and dealing with this major loss in her life and so I pray that she is able to heal and remain calm for the sake of her baby.

There is a somber feeling in my heart these days and I think it is because of the tough times people around me are going through. I have a tendency to internalize things and take on other people's feelings. I am an emotional person under "normal" circumstances, but I have been even more emotional lately thinking about the challenges life can bring us. I have had my fair share of challenges in my life, but nothing like what these friends are going through.

I pray that God will protect them and help them all heal.

A New President

Whether you voted for him or not, we have a new president: Barack Obama.

I have noticed a lot of panic among friends and acquaintances about our new leader. I don't know if that stems from the fact that we live in the south and are somewhat less open-minded than our neighbors of the north... or if it's that he's African-American... or if that it's that he is "different." Maybe you disagree with him on some of his views. But I think we should all be appreciative of anyone willing to take on the role of president with the current state of our country. I, personally, am ready for the wars to end. I am ready for financial stability. And whether or not you voted for him, I feel it's an important time in American history to celebrate the election of our first African-American president. My children and grandchildren will look to me to hear about what it was like to live through this time in history... just as I looked to my grandparents to learn about World War II.

Now, if we can just start looking towards our first female president.

Oh.. and ps. I took a picture of myself voting. I'm pretty sure it was illegal, but I wanted proof that I VOTED in this election!

Family Fun...

Kadence and Kennedy have enjoyed their time together... playing at the park, going to the fair and being scrubbed from head-to-toe in the tub! More on their trip to Louisiana later, but for now, here is a sneak peak:

LaPierre Family Halloween

My family from Maine has been in town for the past several days and we have enjoyed spending time together... especially Friday night for Halloween. My sister-in-law Kelly and I always enjoy laughing and cutting up together and this trip was no exception. Our daughters were pirates... and so were we! Arrrrrgh! Trick or treat!