Letters to PawPaw

Well, I fully intended to post pictures of the kids creating get well cards for PawPaw. But, my virus software got a bad virus signature update which makes it say my iTunes is full of a trojen. They are working on an update, so perhaps I can post the pictures tomorrow.

For details on PawPaw check over at http://therottenkidney.blogspot.com

In Other News

So we decided to buy a new house this past weekend.

We really didn't go into the weekend looking to buy a house. We've been casually looking for the past couple of years. Friend down the street was insistant that we needed to go look at this one though. Pretty nice house.

Addendum. Guess I should tell folks about the house. It's a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath colonial. Has a family room with fireplace, living room, dining room, eat in kitchen. Yard has a sprinkler system. House has a whole house generator that runs on natural gas.

I'd post an address but I'd prefer to know who has my address so send me a message and I'll pass it on.

Sam

"The" News

For those who follow my blog that aren't plugged into other family news channels you may want to sit down.

So mid last week phone rings and it's dad. They've found a mass on his kidney, don't know exactly what it means yet, we'll know more in a day or so once the MRI and CT scan are done. Thursday's the big day, we're on the way to KC to pick up the kids when the text message arrives "Stage 4 Renal Cell Carcinoma with mets to inferior vena cava and lungs". Do what? OK, Renal = kidney, good, they can just take that out simple enough, God planned ahead and gave us 2. Inferior vena cava, what the heck is that. Hang on there a sec, did that say lungs? Not good. OK, back to vena cava, what's that (Alicia made use of the iPhone's data connection as we're bebopping down I-40 at 75 mph to ask the knower of everything, Google). Vein from lower body to the heart. OK, that apparently explains other symptoms that started the whole diagnostic process a couple of months ago.

Siblings gather over dinner and do what siblings do when a parent is ill, they talk. Wow, what do we do now? What do we tell out kids? The consensous? Keep on like life is normal, that's the best option for everyone, we've gotta keep our optimism up. We've never been a family to shy away from living life. We have a hugh network of friends coming out of the woodwork offering support and prayers. We're taking this one step at a time. It's going to be a long couple of months as things play out but I think we're ready for whatever God has planned for us.