Surgery Update

Hello!  For some reason, I can't access my pictures.  We have been on a couple more RV trips since my last post, but I guess those pics will come later!  We have one more planned before school starts, and we already booked our Labor Day trip!  We are giving serious thought to heading to one of the Six Flag theme parks in November and swapping rollercoasters for turkey and stuffing on Thanksgiving!  Seriously!

Just want to update you on my surgery.  I posted recently that I had a mammogram and "they found something".  I had a biopsy that appeared benign, but required surgery.  I had surgery two weeks ago today.  The preliminary pathology reports "appear benign" and my doc said she didn't "see anything that concerned her", but she was sending the samples off to the MD Anderson pathology lab for a second look to be sure.  I am expecting to hear something this week.  Please continue to pray for good news.

While this summer has been the best ever with all of our short RV trips, it has also been a scary and painful summer for me.  The incision seems to be healing well, and I can swim again in two more weeks...when summer is basically over.  I have pretty much been forbidden to swim since the biopsy in June, so it was a bit of a bummer!  Oh well!  My ghostly white legs will still be ghostly white when school starts back up!

So sorry for the lack of pictures!

My baby is growing up!

Mia decided last week that she wanted to get her hair cut short.  It turned out super cute...but she looks so much older!  They really DO grow up too quickly!

Later, alligator!

Well, for now...this is the only picture I have, and I am posting it from my phone!  We are back from our second RV trip! Fun was had, but not without a little drama...and...well...damage to the RV.  Our campsite was on a steep hill. When it was time to close things down and head home, the back 2 jacks could not handle the weight and angle as the front one was lowered.  The girls and I were inside when the entire RV jumped and shook.  Charles let out some loud, choice words and came to check on our safety. We were fine and exited quickly.  The two jacks are bent pretty badly.  We will have to get them repaired before our next trip in a couple weeks.   Expensive lesson learned...but things happen!

I am not sure if Charles took pictures of himself and the girls fishing.  The one above is of one of the ALLIGATORS that swam toward them while they were fishing!  They were safely on a pier, thank goodness! 

Anyway, I had a scare a few weeks ago, resulting in a mammogram and ultrasound.  A growth was found in a milk duct.  I had a painful biopsy...well actually 3 biopsies of the area.  Thank goodness, the results came back as benign.  I will have to have surgery soon to remove the duct.  I am hoping sooner than later so I can heal before school starts back!  Needless to say, I had to spend this trip resting in the RV from the bruising and swelling from the biopsy...so I missed most of the fun.  It was nice to relax while looking out at the peaceful forest and water, though!

If Charles has more pictures, I will post some when I can.  Please say a prayer that the surgery goes well...and happens asap!

First RV Trip

Miss Mia, hogging the couch in the RV!  Lookin' cute doin' it, though!

Kennedy, chillin' with Mia in the little space that was left!

The Alamo

The Manning Girls

Charles, the girls...and a crazy stuffed buzzard he brought with us to take pictures for work.  It is their "mascot" or something.  We got some CRAZY stares from people who thought we were lugging around a REAL bird!

Our portable home-away-from-home that will FINALLY allow us to have some vacations!  We never realized how necessary those were...until we took one! 

We took our first RV trip about 2 weeks ago to San Antonio.  We forgot the camera the day we went to Fiesta Texas...which happened to be Father's Day and the MOST enjoyable day of the trip!  Kennedy was TERRIFIED on most of the rides, but ended up liking them.  Mia's first real roller coaster...and Kennedy's too...was a crazy ride called The Boomerang.  It went forward, backward and UPSIDE DOWN!  It was the first ride we went on after we entered the park.  It may have been a bit of an aggressive start, looking back now!  Poor Kennedy was sitting with Charles in front of me so I could sit with Mia to coach her through the ride.  When we got to the top before the first free-fall, Kennedy was sobbing in fear.  She ended up saying she liked it, but it was questionable!  Mia did AWESOME!  It was a pretty scary ride!

True sisters!

How sweet is this!!??  This little family was swimming down the Riverwalk with us!

Kirby...the RV Dog!  He is one of the main reasons we got an RV.  Now our WHOLE family can travel together!!!  He LOVED being with us!  He is the sweetest beast on the planet!

We did manage to take a few pictures the day we visited The Alamo and The Riverwalk.  It was a fun trip.  A major learning experience with our first time to take the RV out...but now we have done it!  It SHOULD be easier next time!  In fact, we are leaving again tomorrow for a short trip for the weekend!  Hopefully, we will remember the camera!

BTW...Blogger has totally changed since I used to post regularly.  I am having some issues with it...and I have no idea why my pictures are out of order, and why the text is not all together!  Oh well!  ;)

Check this out!

Charles and I recently realized that it is time to start enjoying life more, relaxing, and building memories with Mia and Kennedy!  Since I am totally grossed out by the germ potential in hotel rooms, and they are ridiculously over priced...we just got an RV and we are planning to make frequent short trips.  The girls are super excited!  We are too!  As soon as Charles learns how to back this thing up, it will be awesome!  For now, we will plan only locations with pull-through sites!

We're Back!!!



Mia with her sister Kennedy...the mermaid!

Just plain cute!

Kennedy holding Mia as they attempted to jump this wave!

Beach Bums

Happy kids!

Me and my girls!

My sweet hubby and beautiful daughters!

Mia and I were relaxing in this chair looking out over the bay.  How sad is it that my legs are still so much whiter than Mia's after spending 2 days on the beach??!!

It was time to head home from the beach, but they were not ready!!

Thanks for the prayers...

...please keep them coming!  We are trying really hard to move forward through all the fog here, so we need you to continue to pray.  It is getting better.

Needing prayers and support...

No fun pictures.  No sweet stories.
I have to logically try and understand that dishonesty and maniuplation become survival techniques when you are an "older" child growing up in an orphanage.  That does not make it any easier to accept these behaviors when they are not things we embrace in our family.
As time moves on and we settle in as a family of 4, more behaviors surface and more things get revealed.  A recent trend in manipulation has led to another mountain to climb.  Boundaries are being pushed and limits tested.
If you refer back to the posting on November 20, 2011 entitled "Things are not always as they seem...", Kennedy told us that her birthdate was not accurate and that she was actually 12.  VERY long story short, that was not the truth.  Well...the DOB she was assigned is not accurate, but the chronological age was basically correct.  Though we will never know the exact information...she is indeed 14...or at least much closer to 14 than any other age.  I wish I could explain it, but I can not.

For now, she will remain in the grade we moved her down to as a result of that "information" in November.  It is truly where she needs to be academically at this point to fill in her many gaps in learning.  If she catches up eventually and can place out of a grade or two, great.  If not, she will be a "mature" high school senior when she gets to that point.

I am weary.  I need your prayers and support.  Thanks.