I Did It...I Did It...

Finally I have found some kind of template out there that I could make work. When everyone else had such cool blogs, I was stuck with Mr. Soto. Now that everyone else has just about quit blogging, I finally figured it out. It seems I am often a day late and a dollar short. Speaking of dollars, I hope, I think it is payday. I had $4 in the bank yesterday. I felt poor. I have been spending a little extra lately in an effort to save money. That sounds crazy so let me see if I can make some reason out of it. I heard somewhere that you don't buy things because you need them right then. you buy because the price is right to buy them. Like for instance, Walgreens had Windex, BOGO at $2.79. I also had a manufacturers coupon for $1 off. So I got 2 bottles of Windex for a little over a dollar bottle. I also bought instant coffee at such a terrific bargain. I saved $35 in there.

I have turned sale watcher, coupon clipper. It really pays. I am not one of these people that are terrified about gas/food prices. I am being wise though and making an effort to reduce spending and store up some things. I found canned goods on sale the other day and filled the pantry back up. I am not going crazy though. I will not have to buy vitamins for a year. I think it is kind of like the thrill of the hunt. I love a bargain. The other day I went to a local thrift store and found 5 student desks for our children's church room. They were $5 each and in great shape. They even had the books of the Bible taped on top on a bookmark. I went to TSC the other day and found dog food for about $4 less per bag than Wal Mart. Good times!!!! It is great. At Wal Mart, I found cereal in the bag for $1. My old way of shopping was crazy!

Well, I gotta go. There are bargains outs there calling my name, if my check hit the bank! I will have to find that out first. I off to find a bargain!

Crossing the Dela"where"...

A Scene From the Wizard of Oz

Watch Where you Put Your Foot...

Seally Kids!

Petting Zoo...

ZOO TOO (I mean 2)

Okay, I had trouble getting the pictures on here, Rather than give a big long narrative play by play I will let what pictures I can get up do the talking.

It's a ZOO Out There...

In our Children's Church we have been studying "fearfully and wonderfully made." We have looked at the diversity of creation and the brilliance of the Creator. So to kind of cap this off we made the hour trek (sounds like we walked it, barefoot and in the snow) to the Memphis Zoo. I have long wanted to go to the Zoo. Do you perhaps see a bit of ulterior motive there? Well, we got there with our children clad in F.R.O.G visors which I stayed up until 2 am finishing. Some people are such procrastinators. PITIFUL!!! The F.R.O.G of course stands for fully rely on God. You may catch a glimpse of them in the photos.

We had a very good time. I did notice that children are not like they used to be. I am still a child, pretty much. I wanted to see everything, bounding around like an escaped ape. I am mystified by the awesomeness of creation. I think all of the kids took at least a little turn riding in the rented stroller. These are not all small children. Hmmm! Lazy bums!

Treasure Hunter...

I was trying to come up with a phrase that had Hunter in it. At first the title was "Great White Hunter." That seemed a bit racist or something. Anyway it was not the right fit. However that kid is ghostly white. I heard that he was even more pale in his illness but that his color had returned and swelling reduced but he still has a way to go. His other grandmother, Brenda (that could be confusing because my mom is a Brenda as well) asked a nurse if he was out of danger. The answer was a stern, "No."

He is making progress though. His kidneys are producing minuscule amounts of urine. There was a set back on Wednesday as his dialysis catheter clogged and a new one had to be inserted. That typically is an almost surgery like procedure performed in the xray department. He returned to dialysis on Thursday and had 700 ml filtered from his blood. That was the most successful dialysis session he has had. That is really a lot of fluids to be floating around excess in a small child's body. He has lost 5 more pounds, leaving him somewhere around 28 pounds.

The poor kid has not been able to eat or drink due to vomiting and fluid control. Last night everyone that entered his room was quickly informed by a near 2 year old that he wanted his cup and he was hungry. They finally decided to allow a Popsicle which he was so grateful for. If he did well with that he might get something else.

He has been playful the last couple of days. He has had his oxygen line wrapped all around him. He even knocked it off during the night and his saturation level remained high. That means that although he has very rapid, labored breathing that it is for the most part effective.

Jeremy has said that this experience puts a lot of things into perspective. they normally only allow one parent to sleep in the room with him. Jeremy will not even leave the floor to rest in the family area. He just camps out on benches or whatever he can find just outside of the unit. He really does not want to be that far away. they have discovered what a treasure they have in Hunter and all of the others. I am sure they knew that all along but this experience has really changed the way they look at things.

Last night Momma came over with the girls to pick up some cards and things from people at Church. they were on their way to Wal-Mart from our house. Low and behold...if Cameron would not go with them. She stayed with me and Tabithia and Scooter while they shopped. She would say "Scooter Pooter." She said she was our little girl and that Scooter was her brother. that kid is such a mess. Due to her eye condition, she really does not open her eyes fully outside that often. When she does it is very quick. I tried and tried to get a wide-eyed picture to no avail. I really believe she would have stayed the night. She was well behaved much unlike her behavior I heard over the telephone earlier. She just played in the rocks around the pond and the sand between the cracks of the brick patio. I guess I should say the sand that was between the bricks. They miss their little brother and I was glad to give them an excursion. Cameron had said the other day that she was going to come to my house and get in the pool. When I asked her about it she said it was not the big one. On Memorial Day I placed a small pool out just in case the big pool proved too much. She was willing to drive 20 miles to get in a little $8 kiddie pool. Well, she doesn't drive but whatever.

I am on the eve of going to work with very much to accomplish. I will try to update this information with what I know over the weekend. I don't know how busy I will be, but I will try. Please keep praying. The results are those prayers are seen and felt already!

All About Hunter...

It turned out to be a very rough weekend for those in the house of Mullins. Hunter Ray Mullins, 23 months, had been sick since Memorial Day with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. He was unable to hold down much of anything for that whole week. On Friday evening his parents, Jeremy (my youngest brother) and Crystal, noticing a continuous decline in his condition, decided to take him to the emergency room. They arrived and checked in at around 8 pm. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 pm after a slight protest they received the next available room in the ER. As his lab tests began to come back it was clear that Hunter was a sick little boy. His creatinine was very elevated at over 3 times the normal demonstrating that his kidneys were not functioning as they should. As the ER staff waited on a urine specimen, it was determined they were not functioning at all.

After a series of exams, xrays, lab tests and consults it was determined that Hunter would be better served by a pediatric hospital. He and her mother were transported by ambulance to Little Rock's Arkansas Children's Hospital, a nationally acclaimed hospital. Upon arrival it was determined that he was in desperate need of dialysis as his blood pressure skyrocketed to 186/133, a critical level for an adult much less a tiny, less than 30 pound infant. As he was prepared for treatment, his lung collapsed, dealing yet another set back and postponing the needed dialysis. Central lines, dialysis catheters, epigastric tube and intubation were all employed and Hunter was placed on a ventilator. Saturday was a horrendous day of waiting for news to surface from Little Rock. It was a day of great fear not knowing what God had in store for this family.

At sunrise Sunday, there was nervous anticipation as to what the outcome might be. Finally the call was made and there was peace. Hunter was waking up wanting his mother and his shoes. He is a child that must have his shoes at all times. When he gets out of the bath, when he goes to bed, the boy wants his shoes. It was the first sign of an improvement and it was very welcome. But little Hunter is still not out of the woods. He remains in the unit at children's undergoing dialysis. All of the intubation has at the time of this writing been removed but he has begun to have labored breathing and is extremely anxious.

It is uncertain at this time what brought all of this on. It was originally suspected that it was E coli and consequential Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. Doctors are now questioning that diagnosis and cultures are pending. His sisters are still here wanting their baby brother to come home. They were in quarantine while their own lab test were out. They came back negative for any bacteria and once again can be around other children.

It has been a rough weekend and start of a week. There have been small improvements in his condition. Those rays of hope are shining and getting brighter at the same time. Please be in earnest prayer for Hunter and the family. Jeremy and Crystal both need the Lord in their lives. This situation may be just the opportunity.