We are home!!

We have finally moved to San Francisco!! Some sweet friends came to help us unpack and settle in!



We soooo appreciate them and all their hard work!
Our family is having so much fun exploring our city! There is so much to do here and such a rich history to discover! One of our favorite places so far is our neighborhood park, the Mission- Dolores Park. We have already spent many hours here and our kids are enjoying making new friends.






The park hosted the 'SF Film in the Park' last weekend (Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail) which was lots of fun!! And really COLD!






We loooooove this city and its emphasis on building 'Community'- there are so many fun opportunities for us to get to know our city.
Last week we were so excited to welcome our friend, Brooke, to SF and look forward to the month she will be spending with us.



We are soooo happy to finally be here and looking forward to a great summer! Thank you for praying with our family as we make this transition.
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Ready, set.....

Almost time to GO! Well, in just 4 short months we will be heading out to San Francisco!! It has been so fun being back in Longview these past few months renewing old friendships, spending time with family and being encouraged by our home-church.


Our kids are loving school this year and have made so many new friends. It has definitely boosted their confidence and allowed them to see that they can make friends easily, which will no doubt ease their transition into another new school when we get to S.F. (By the way- they are most excited that at their new school in S.F. there will be a vegetarian option offered at lunch EVERY DAY!!! Haha!)
We have been out to S.F. several times in the past few months and have fallen in love with the city. It is such a remarkable place- we cannot wait to call it home :)



We continue, daily, to be inspired and encouraged by the plans the Lord is laying out for our family's future. We are ready to GO!
In the meantime, we are LOVING life, one day at a time, nestled deep-in-the-heart of TEXAS! Missing our Florida-family!!!!! Love to all :)


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Let's try this again!

I DONT EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START!!! It has been a YEAR since I last updated our blog. Shameful. Sooooo much has happened in the last year too! But, in my own defense- this past year I have been MORE THAN BUSY taking an OVERLOAD of classes at the University of South Florida so that I could finish up my degree in Speech & Hearing Sciences (Speech Therapy). And I DID IT!!

Most of the previous blogs that I wrote were updates on Connor and Luke's unexpected diagnosis (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) last Spring. It has been a year and half and since that time, our doctor visits (every 6 months) have been ever-so-boring and uneventful. Praise the Lord for that!!! The boys' heart-wall sizes have remained the same and there have been absolutely no signs or symptoms that have resulted from the "disorder". Our cardiologist (renowned in the pedi-cardio field and has never seen this disorder presented in such a way as in our boys) has seemingly come to the conclusion that their hearts may just be biologically unique and is hopeful that they will eventually just "grow into" their heart size. Of course, we will continue to monitor for growth, arrhythmia's, etc. And as a precaution, Connor is not participating in organized sports until a conclusion is made. So, onto our most recent journey... I write this blog from our hometown, Longview, TX. As most of you know, we moved here 3 weeks ago to join with our home church, Mobberly Baptist, to begin preparations to plant a church out West (probably San Francisco area). We will serve at Mobberly this year while we prepare to launch the church and head out West at the beginning of next summer. We feel so blessed for the time we spent in FL and already miss our friends terribly!! We feel confident that God is calling our family to GO and make an IMPACT for Him, and without hesitation- our answer is yes. So, for now we are living in the mission house next to Mobberly and are enjoying serving here and reconnecting with family and friends. We know it will be a BLESSED year as we anticipate what He is preparing us for. For those of you that have asked... Here are pics of Mobberly and our home in Longview:

Ways to pray for us: * that our Florida home would sell quickly * our boys as they transition to a new school next week (Longview Christian School)

Journey of Blessings

Summer has been great- not long enough!!! We have been so busy having fun, swimming, SLEEPING-IN (my favorite part), and going on youth trips! 2 weeks ago Connor, Blake and Morgan went with Randy and I to Miami for our middle school mission trip. It was a great week and such a blessing to see our kids sharing the love of Christ.
Last week, we received the results from Connor's genetic testing: "No disease-causing mutation was detected". As our cardiologist told us, "This is good news for you, bad news for me." This does not mean the boys do not have Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, but it does affirm that this is not a "classic case" of it. From the start, Dr. McKenna has said that he has never seen this particular kind of HCM. Which makes it more difficult for our doctor to suggest treatment and assess prognosis. Both of the boys had echocardiograms done last week and their hearts have not changed in appearance or functionality. That is GREAT news: the enlarged portion of the left ventricle has not grown any larger over the past few months. So as things stand right now, there is no need for medication/treatment at this point. Dr. McKenna wants to run a few more blood tests on Connor to rule out any other HCM causing diseases. Results should take several weeks. But, other than that we will follow up every 4-6 months to keep an eye on their hearts and monitor progression. Our next appointment is in mid- December. The best part of our visit was that Dr. McKenna is going to allow "moderate activity" for Connor as he starts 2nd grade which means he can participate in P.E. and best of all, KICK BALL! Connor is so excited about that! Still no competitive sports at this point. We will have to wait on that.
Our prayer continues to be for complete healing. We are so thankful for the provisions the Lord has already made. The past 6 months have been a journey of blessings. God has graciously guided us through our questions and fears and used this opportunity to draw us closer to Him. We have been forced to re-examine many things in our lives and make some tough changes and choices. God speaks the loudest when our hearts are truly open to hear from Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take". Over and over in our lives, God has proven this to be true. When Randy and I seek His will for our lives, He is faithful to show it to us. Sometimes it takes a while longer than we think it should and sometimes it is through extraordinary circumstances. But He is faithful. Trusting in God is a choice. He doesn't force it on us or try to convince us it is what we should do. When we do trust Him, it doesn't mean things get easier or that we get a free-pass into a life of no worry or heartache. But when we do choose to trust Him with our lives He promises to guide us, love us and deliver us. Nahum 1:7 "The Lord is GOOD, a refuge in times of trouble. He CARES for those who trust in Him."

Blessings to all of you!!
Jilanna

Luke's Check-up

We took Luke to the cardiologist on Tues and his heart looks the same as it did 3 months ago. Thankfully the area has not gotten any thicker over the past three months and at this point shows to be functioning normally and at full capacity (no blockages or blood-flow restriction, etc.). So, we will follow up with another echo in 5 months and in the meantime, continue to watch for any signs and symptoms of cardiac stress. He is a little underweight so we are going to attempt to fatten the little man up for the next few months. He is a very happy and energetic little boy- already walking at 11 months!

Luke has also been dealing with chronic ear infections for the last 3 months. He has been on 6 different antibiotics but nothing seems to be working. So, our ENT doctor has suggested we have ear tubes put in. This procedure is done all the time and not generally a big deal BUT in his case there are greater risks associated with the anesthesia because of his heart condition. So, please be in prayer for him. The ENT doc has not scheduled the surgery yet- he is waiting on "cardiac clearance" from our cardiologist. Should be scheduled for ear tubes this month or next.

We are still waiting on Connor's genetic test results- they are expected to be complete by mid-July. So, after the results come in, we will follow up with our cardiologist to "make a treatment plan" based on those results. The genetic test will help the doctor determine how best to treat Luke also.

We are enjoying a BUSY summer. Thank you for your support and prayers! Will update in a few weeks.

Help is on the way

A little update~ Last Wed, May 11th Connor had his blood drawn to be sent off for the genetic testing. He did awesome :) It takes 6-8 weeks to process the results. So, until then we wait... They are testing Connor first since they know his heart has the abnormal thickening. Then they will use his results to further test Luke (who also is confirmed to have it) and then the rest of us. The genetic test will hopefully give us a clearer picture of the condition of Connor's heart and direction in treatment.

Connor is feeling great and though his activities are restricted in PE and sports, he is carrying on as usual. He still rides his bike to school every day, wrestles with his brother (and sister :) ) and swims like a champ! He is learning what it means to "listen to his body" and we are learning how to help him do that without him feeling like all of the "fun stuff" is off limits. We are looking into golf lessons currently, which he is really excited about (he had shown interest in the sport before we even knew about his heart)! Luke is also exhibiting no signs of illness. He is growing just as he should be and is trying his hardest to keep up with his brothers and sister! He will be walking SOON I am sure!!

We ask for your prayers for healing of course. And also, for wisdom for Randy and I for the decisions that are soon to come. We feel very blessed to have one of the leading experts in the country as our cardiologist. Please pray for Dr. McKenna as he treats and oversees the care of our children.

Psalm 121:1-2 says, "I raise my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." Our hearts are truly at rest, knowing our help comes from the Lord. He has been so sweet and faithful to us over the years as we have sought His will for our lives. He is our stronghold and is never inconsistent with His Word.


"God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble" (Ps 46:1)

Blake and Morgan update

Well, we got some great news yesterday at the cardiologist visit with Blake and Morgan. Their little hearts are beautiful and functioning normally. What a HUGE blessing!
As I said before... our entire family will still have to have the genetic testing done. Since Connor and Luke have identical cardiomyopathies, they believe it is genetic. Meaning, Randy or myself carries the gene AND Blake and/or Morgan could also, even though all of us had normal echocardiograms. Whoever is a carrier would be born with the gene but not necessarily exhibit any symptoms at birth. The gene basically decides when it wants to manifest itself. You can be a carrier and have no symptoms for years.
They will do an extensive genetic test on Connor first since they KNOW he has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The doctor told us yesterday it typically takes 4-6 weeks to get the results back. Then they will test all of us to determine who else is a carrier. The information they can obtain from genetic tests is very specific. It really is amazing. Once they determine who the carrier's are, they can monitor each one closely and devise a treatment plan.
Thank you all for your continued prayers.