Home at Last

We finally got power back on Friday afternoon around 4:30. We decided to stay one more night because we had already planned to go to the Cy Fair homecoming game. Even though things got hard at times we had an awesome time at our family's house. Don, Julie, Wesley, Allie, and Tanner-words cannot express how grateful we are to you. We had so much fun amidst all the homecoming activities and your busy fun filled lives. James loves watching Wesley play football and now any time any football is on whether its college or pro James say " Go Wesley, Go Bobcats"!

We have settled back into our house and are looking forward to getting back into a routine. James started school back today and although apprehensive at first, he had a good day. He also finished up his 5 days of steroids yesterday and he seems to be doing well. Continue to pray for him--flu season is around the corner and we want to be free of any sickness.

Enjoy these pictures from our time last week.

Adrianne was mad she had to take a nap so she decided to pull everything she could get her hands on into the pack and play with her!

Healthy and Together

Praise God that we had a great visit to MD Anderson yesterday. James put on his best "I ain't sick!" persona and presented as a happy and healthy 2 year old. His doctor looked at him as he was pounding on a play piano and noted through keen observation that, "Well, he seems like he feels good." All of his examinations and blood work looked normal and his antibiotic seemed to be helping tremendously. I believe that the love of our family and the respite provided by AC has made the biggest difference by far. While we are displaced and referred to as "refugees" by my brother, we have felt comfortable and had fun during this challenging time. As we have stayed in contact with our neighbors, we have found that power has not yet been restored and will likely be restored by next Thursday at the latest. Pray for sooner! I had a chance to go back to the neighborhood a couple of days ago and it seemed more together with a stronger sense of community than ever before. It's been awesome to see the kindness of neighbors and how people have banded together to make the best of an unfortunate situation. We thank you for your prayer and support and hope to be back in our home very soon!

Ike Hath no Power

Ike has absolutely wrecked devastation across SE Texas. It's been horrible to see the extent of the damage and the people that are displaced. I am sure that many of you have seen the horrible conditions and damage in Galveston and surrounding areas. Our home, The Woodlands, was hit quite hard as the eye of the Ike passed right over us bringing over two hours of 100 mph winds. As the name implies, The Woodlands, is full of dense forests and preserves, making these trees weapons against homes and property. Our home was hit by a tree, but we were fortunate to only have a softball size hole in the roof above our attached garage. The morning after the storm passed with continued pounding rain, it was heartwarming to see all the neighbors banding together with chainsaws in hand, making their way around the neighborhood to cut loose debris blocking the road or obstructing people's ability to get in or out of their home.

I say we were fortunate because there were homes virtually split in half by large trees. In my immediate neighborhood, there were no serious injuries. Just yesterday, as the temperature began to rise, we noticed that James seemed lethargic more than expected. His temperature was close to 101 for almost an hour. We attempted to call MD Anderson and found that they were without power, and we were instructed to go to our local ER. We showed up to Chris and Stephanie's house to see if they could keep Adrianne (as phones have not worked). Thankfully they were home and without incident. As we approached the ER, we were screened before entering as the hospital is working on generators. After blood draws, examination, and x-rays, we found that James has pneumonia. Perfect timing, right. The doctor called MD Anderson and together they said that we had to make sure James slept in AC because the heat and humidity of no power could significantly worsen his illness. Right after this diagnosis and advice, my brother Don called and said that they have power and plenty of AC. God is so good and helped provide respite for us once again. When we arrive home to pack, we found that our amazing neighbors had cut down the tree resting on our roof dragged it away. I was able to put a tarp over the hole and will await for the insurance adjuster to come in the coming weeks to months.

Please pray for James and his well-being. Our trusted friends and doctors at MD Anderson are out of commission right now and we are not sure when they will be available. James is taking an antibiotic, but please pray he is able to fight off this illness. We are thankful for our family and their willingness to house us as long as needed. We are expected to be without power for up to 3 weeks in The Woodlands. Please continue to pray for all of those impacted by Ike. Grocery stores and gas stations have lines that can take hours to get through. One friend noted that this was the 3rd worst storm (in terms of damages and storm severity) in US history. We will keep you updated on James' health. Love, Greg and Joy

James' first day of school

It was an emotional day on so many levels. James did great today. I found out from his teachers that he had moments of crying but that was true of others in his class. I was a little nervous about sending him because on Sunday he developed a runny nose due to allergies. As a result he didn't sleep very well so I really didn't know what to expect. But all in all it was a good first day. I have to say we missed him today even though when I asked Adrianne if she wanted to go get her brother she said "no". I think she enjoyed having her mom all to herself! Enjoy the pictures from the first day of school and from Adrianne's gymnastics.

A Week in Review

We had a great week with all the cousins in the house. We celebrated Adrianne's birthday with friends and family, we went to the zoo, and we even braved the outlet mall. Needless to say we all were exhausted but we had a great time and James is missing all his cousins. Next week is a big week-James starts school!!! Pray that he would be protected from any sickness!