(My friend Rebecca took this picture last fall.  She has a website at www.harmonyhomestudios.com, and does a fabulous job.)

Wow.  I haven't ever consistently written on this blog, but I think that may change.  I have mostly posted to fb, but since my posts are kind of wordy (yes, I am quite verbose when I want to be, and sometimes even when I DON'T want to be, lol),  and mostly I post for my kiddos someday, that this might be a better way to record my thoughts and day to day ramblings. 
I posted the picture above, because it seems like an honest portrait of our family.  We're a little crazy, a little fun, but never dull.  
I can't believe at this point that it was only last December that my firstborn son Joseph was diagnosed with Crohn's disease.  For two years prior, he had not grown any, and had bouts of lowgrade fever and headaches.  My mommy intuition knew something was wrong, but nothing was evident from bloodwork or the specialists we saw.  Then on the way home from a family trip to VA, Joseph developed a high fever.  When we saw the doc after that, he referred us to a pediatric GI here where we live.   They did scopes in December, expecting to find Celiac disease, but instead we got a Crohn's diagnosis.  We asked to get a second opinion, and they referred us to Cincinnati Children's hospital.  We made a trip up there, where we met Dr. Saeed, who answered questions and confirmed the original diagnosis.  We came back with a treatment plan, but the doctor here was not supportive of the plan we had made in Cincinnatti.  After much frustration and a low point where Joseph basically was bedridden for a month,  we transferred to Vanderbilt for care.  Immediately, he began to improve.  Since June, my son has had to be on an NG tube, while he simultaneously began Remicade IV infusions (an immunosuppressant) to hopefully kick the Crohn's butt and get his condition in remission.  It's been a tough journey, but my son is a fighter,  and I can see clearly how God is using this condition to grow him, and me, to be more like Jesus. 
Tomorrow morning, Joseph will have an MRE to look at his intestines, and see if healing has taken place.  I am hopeful.