Summer Part II and into Fall Y'all

Strawberry-Rhubarb pie at my Aunt Jeannie's. Doesn't that look spectacular? It tasted even better!


Bethany playing at Grandma and Grandpa Hay's house.

Bethany and Grandpa

We took a trip to the North Shore and this was at Duluth Harbor at the lift bridge.

Trent received his first bible at church. He is really taking off in his interest and ability to read.

Toby demonstrating my wood graining project.

Bethany's dedication at our church. We're thankful for a strong community of believers!

Still here... Summer part 1...

Camping in June with lots of friends at Baker State Park. First the adults... (and Chewie)

and then all of the kids... (I think there were actually some missing)

Fishing with the kids... or should i say the kids fishing with their bait assistant dads!

Becky looking as beautiful as ever!

For some reason I can't get rid of the text underline here. This is Bethany and I at Trent's soccer practice.

Over the 4th, Matthew ran in the kid's Pan-O-Prog fun run. He placed third overall. It was a lot of fun for all of us.

Matthew and I went to camp Nathanael earlier this summer. It was a great time for just the two of us to ride horse, shoot things, make things out of wood, sing songs about God, discuss some important life stuff and just hang out!

Matthew really enjoyed shooting targets and earned two merit badges for his sharpshooting ability.

What made the experience even better was that we were able to spend it with some good friends of mine. Here we hiked out into a field filled with ticks, built a fire and had a hobo supper. It was sweet! Except, of course, the tick part.

Matthew is doing piano lessons and has been doing soccer. He's doing well although can be our most challenging child at times as his will is strong. I'm sure someday we will be thankful for that!

Trent has started 1st grade and is our most happy go lucky child that goes with the flow. Unfortunately this causes him to go a long with the flow too much depending upon who he is hanging with at the time. Trent has just completed a great flag football season... more to come there...

Toby and Bethany are at times the best of friends and others, the worst of enemies. Both are doing well and clearly have accepted each other as brother and sister. I know I fought with my sister battle royale style growing up so I guess all is well there.

More to come about how our summer wrapped up!

Busy, busy, BUSY!

We have been busy. I'm sure you are experiencing the same! I heard a story of a conversation between two friends. One was going on an on about how crazy his life was for quite some time while the other friend listened. Finally the silent friend spoke and said, "You don't have to do this."

The troubled friend said"Yeah, I should try not to be so worked up". The other friend said again, "you don't have to do this" in a calm voice. He then said it over and over and over again.

It seems that it is so easy to get busy but it is so much harder to stop being busy in this stage of life! Especially with all that goes on. The point of the friend saying, "you don't have to do this" over and over again is that our God is much bigger than the situation we are in. He is working through it, around it and it. He will get us through it and help us to the the next challenge. He wants us to take refuge in Him as we work through life's challenges and struggles.

May you find peace and hope in God's plans for you on a daily basis! Hopefully my story made some sense today...

The kids are good. Very busy and very much typical kids.

Dan

Bethany is home and recovering well...

A quick update on Bethany... She came home late yesterday afternoon as she was doing well with her liquid intake and pain control. They usually say two nights in the hospital because the surgery is usually done on children that are younger than Bethany. I've included some pictures that better tell the story of her (and our) experience. Thanks for all of your prayers through this. She is doing very well!

Just before surgery after we got her dressed in the hospital pjs she began to get the worried look... It makes us wonder what her surgery experience was like before we got her. We believe that she had two prior surgeries to repair her lip while in China. Shortly after this picture was taken I carried her to the operating room where the anesthesiologist gave her the "sleepy gas" to put her out for the procedure(s).

After over 2 1/2 hours we were finally able to see Bethany again. It's kind of hard to see her so groggy, bleeding and in pain. Thankfully the doctor and nurses did a great job of staying ahead of the pain. The first day she really just dozed in and out of consciousness. That was a good thing as I'm sure that everything felt sore from her ears (tubes) to her lip (removal of dysfunctional salivary glands) to the biggest part, the installation of the soft palate. The doctor said that we shouldn't look in her mouth because it will appear as if a bomb had gone off in there. He then said I know you're going to look but I just wanted to warn you. He was right. The soft palate was literally formed from existing skin from within her mouth/nose. Amazing! Keep in mind, Bethany woke up with a much smaller airway to breathe through and a much smaller space to move her tongue. Instead of breathing through a large space which consisted of both her nasal cavity and mouth ,she now had two smaller spaces to breathe through. The doc said that this can be a big shock for them as well.

Bethany's room. Notice Bethany's arms. After surgery "no no's" are strapped to her arms to ensure that she cannot touch her mouth. These are velcro-shut tubes that keep her from bending her elbows. She still has mobility but it is very limited. This was and continues to be a source of frustration. Within moments after waking up, she complained about these and thankfully yesterday we were able to remove them when she is closely supervised. She must wear them at night for the next two weeks. My parents came to help and keep us company. We were glad to have them!

Bethany really perked up when her brothers arrived for a visit on the second day. She was also glad to have the no no's off!

Finally, a picture before all of this happened. Easter morning. Doesn't everyone look happy?

Thanks again for checking in. We have a resilient and amazing little girl!

Dan for the family

Bethany's Surgery Update

Early this morning we went to Children's hospital in Minneapolis for Bethany's surgery. The procedure took about 2 1/2 hours and was successful in addressing multiple issues. First the surgeon installed tubes in her ears releasing large amounts of fluid from her ears. This has already dramatically improved her hearing. The second piece was to install a soft palate in her mouth. This took most of the time as the gap was especially large and the doctor forms the palate out of existing material from within her mouth and nose. He equated the feeling in the mouth/nose to that of a skinned knee feeling as she recovers... OUCH! Thankfully she has much in the way of drugs to help through the most difficult healing. The final piece was to remove the pits in her lower lip. They proved to be much deep and more numerous than the doctor expected so that took a good amount of time as well. The rest of the day was spent sleeping restlessly as nurses and aides cycled through the room to administer more medication and check vitals. She is doing as well as can be expected. Probably the most frustrating part for Bethany right now is the arm "no-nos". They keep her elbows straight so that she cannot get her hands into her mouth. When she did come to consciousness I would ask her if she wanted to watch tv, have daddy read a book, have Grandpa sing a song ;), drink or go potty? The only yes we got was to go potty.

We are thankful that she is doing well. We are glad that Grandma and Grandpa Hay were able to come to support us and Rox and Tim were able to spend time with the boys as we have been at the hospital. The doctor says tomorrow may be more difficult as the drug levels diminish and she becomes more active. I'm back home with the boys and Becky stayed the night at the hospital. It is likely that she will be there through Sunday but it is possible that she could be released tomorrow. Thanks for the prayers and keep them coming. Pray that Bethany will know that we will always be there for her and will love her through this. Pray for Becky that she gets some rest and that she can muster patience through her fatigue.

Dan and Becky

He is Risen...He is Risen Indeed!

Hi! Well, yes, we have not been great on keeping you posted with the blog. However, Bethany's surgery is this Friday, April 17th, so the activity will pick up a bit as we post items relating to her surgery and recovery. So, stay tuned and check in from time to time!

Dad and Bethany playing cards...

Matthew placed 4th in design in the pinewood derby with his landspeeder.

We are finally through the "birthday season" here at our house, with Toby's occuring April 1st. Since he is just 4, we didn't have too big a "party." Grandpa and Grandma Hay, and Aunt Julie and the girls joined us at Chuck E. Cheese to do the games for about an hour, and to have cake and presents. Then we went to Broadway Pizza for dinner (Chuck's Pizza is expensive and yucky!) and back to our house for a bit! It was all very exciting for him and the other kids, and very overwhelming and tiring for us grown-ups!

Grandma and Grandpa made a special birthday cake just for Toby!

Grandma Hay with cousin Jillienne and Bethany.

Birthday song for Toby.

Monday Trent and Matthew return to school for 4th quarter, after having their 3 week spring break. I wish I could say it was a relaxing break, but with my work schedule, sickness that went through all 4 kids, yearly well-checks and other scheduled appointments, and swimming lessons that started a few weeks ago, it was quite hectic. I think the boys were glad to have the break, however, and are looking forward to finishing up their years! It's hard to believe Trent will be going all day next year! I will really miss him.

Grandpa and Grandma loving on Matthew!

Our dear friends the McGraws recently gave us their piano (Thank you again!!!!) and Matthew is chomping at the bit to start lessons. I think we will wait until the fall, though. In the meantime, he has taken all of his recorder music from school and plunked it out on the piano. He loves sitting on the bench and playing around with notes. Let's hope his enthusiam continues once the lessons start!! All this time Dan and I have been waiting and hoping that he would sing...but it just may be that instrumental music is going to be his niche!

Bethany continues to do very well. She is very demanding of attention and tests boundaries fairly regularly, but she is happy and comfortable in her family! She is eating and sleeping well, and is trying out a lot of English. We are so glad her surgery will be over soon so that we can start speech therapy! There is a lot of things she is saying that we just can't understand...even though we belives she is using mostly English, or a combination of Cantonese and English. She now knows the camera is for smiling, and poses and grins the minute she sees one out! We took formal pictures at JC Penneys last week, and she did a great job! We can't wait to get them back and post them for you.

All dressed up for pictures. She's still not sure about dresses as you can probably tell...

Today we did our Easter egg and basket hunt at home, since I am working all morning into the early afternoon tomorrow at church. Tomorrow afternoon we are spending with our long-time good friends, the Hartmann family, which we are really looking forward to. Between our 2 families, we have 9 kids, so there will be a lot of activity!!

Trent enjoying his Easter basket (we did the Easter egg hunt Saturday morning...)

Despite our busy schedule, we have tried to focus on our Savior this week and the sacrifice He made so that we can live eternally in heaven with Him someday. We are reminded daily of our need and dependence on Him, and are so thankful for His gift to us! God's blessings to you on the most beautiful and wonderful of days tomorrow!

In HIS Joy, Becky for the hayfam6

March is ending and so the birthday season is nearing an end at the Hay household. At least until December at least... Here are a few pictures and a brief update on us mostly told by the pictures. We continue to grow, learn and love every day. Some are more challenging than others but we will continue to restart our efforts with every new day. We hope that you are all doing well and hope to hear from you all soon.

Matthew's Birthday was in February, Becky and Trent in March followed by Toby in early April.



Trent's costume birthday party crew.



Matthew enjoying some reading. He is our reader. Just give him a book (or Wii) and he is entertained endlessly.

Trent (and SpongeBob) getting ready for bed.

Bethany is finally starting to look at some books. Sometimes. Here she looked at a book for a few minutes in her bed before going off to sleep.

Finally, here is a picture that clearly demonstrates how Bethany feels about dresses. Even though she was cute she did everything she could to try not to look so... I don't think it worked!

Here's to hoping you are found with happiness and great joy during this last push of winter cold before spring rushes in! God Bless you all,

Dan

A few pictures today

Hey all,

Just a few pictures of what is going on in our world lately.

Why am I looking at a picture of Dan in red shorts???? I had to post this to appease some of our friends that we met in China. This one is called Dan and the lucky reds... Darryl and Sharon, our travel partners and now friends were with us in the Chinese Wal-Mart. While we were there we noticed a lot of red underwear for sale. Apparently red under-garments are HOT during the Chinese New Year and thus there was quite a market for them. Since I pointed them out Darryl dubbed me Dan, "Lucky Red" Hay. I vowed to live up to my name and when I saw these gym shorts I just couldn't resist. ENJOY! Darryl, this one's for you brother!

The kids holding their PEZ dispensers from the Grimaldi's. They sent them to us along with some other gifts. So nice and what kid doesn't like spending 10 minutes loading those little candies to voraciously consume them from the dispenser in less than a minute?

Matthew's birthday party. Don't worry, everyone had a good time, REALLY! Grandpa decorated the cake in STAR WARS style.

Our good friend Cheri holding Bethany.

Bethany all gussied up to go to a shower that was held in her honor at our church. We are blessed to have so many folks that care for her and our family.

Matthew and Bethany hanging out on Matthew's sick day. He's been better and will finally get to go back to school tomorrow!

We were very excited to see Uncle Jim. The kids introduced him to the Wii!!

Toby and Uncle Jim box each other. (notice Trent in the background)

Toby takes out his uncle with a K.O.!!!!