Cards to Jedidiah

For those wanting to send Jedidiah a card.....

Jed Harper
PO BOX 123
Story, AR 71970

Thank you!!! He loves opening his mail and taping the cards to the wall!

Surgery, Port, Bone Draws

We met with Jed's surgeons on Thursday morning to discuss all the details for everything taking place on Friday. Talk about too much information in a short amount of time. It was a bit overwhelming. I worried that Josh and I wouldn't be able to concentrate on what the doctors were telling us since Jed can be a handfull in the tiny rooms but thankfully, he was near perfect! We may or may not have tricked him into being good. =) As we were visiting with the surgeons, we told Jed that the doctors would be giving us tickets to the zoo if he was a good boy. It worked. He was as sweet as can be. After the final doctor consultation, we grabbed a bite to eat and made our way to the zoo. We only stayed about an hour since the weather was a bit windy but Jed enjoyed seeing all the animals.

What's a trip to the zoo without a stop at the snack bar?

We made our way back to our hotel room to settle in for the night and prepare for the big day that followed. Jed made sure he was nice and clean and his hair was super dry. I think he blow dried it for 30 minutes!

I was busy gathering up everything we would need for the hospital, ironing our clothes and packing Jed's bag while he watched Spongebob. Yes, I let him sit on the luggage rack the entire time (sorry Peabody) to watch his movie because he was a baby chimp and I was his mother gathering bananas for our supper.

Jed was such a big boy on surgery day. We had to get up at 4am in order to be at the hospital and checked in at 5:30am. Both sets of grandparents met us at the hospital and we were called back to meet with the surgeons and the anesthesiologists around 6am. For the next hour and a half we tried to talk, watch tv and play with Jed while our nerves were about to get the best of us. Each doctor would have stacks of papers to sign and instructions for us and it was almost too much to take. Thankfully, the medicine they gave Jed to drink helped him to get very sleepy before they took him from us. I don't know how we would have made it if he would have been crying as they wheeled him through the big double doors to surgery. Instead, in a slurred voice, he told us he was going to a big toy room and waved goodbye as Josh and I walked the opposite direction to the waiting area. Dr Williams was able to go back in to the site of the tumor and remove more tissue and the chord leading to his left testicle. The port was placed in Jed's chest, and bone marrow was taken from both hips. After almost 3 hours, they called us back to the recovery room to see our sweet little sleeping baby. He woke up looking for his daddy and wanting to go home! He was in very little pain...another BIG blessing! Our dear friend, Drew Pannel brought Jed a cute little basket full of toys to the hospital and Jed couldn't wait to play his his new "big monster truck".

While in recovery, we wrapped him in one of his prayer blankets. We have received a couple blankets from two separate churches. How comforting it is to know that he is wrapped in many prayers!

His cooney (stuffed raccoon) made a great, soft pillow!

We were discharged after a couple hours and made our way back to the hotel. We decided to stay another night since we live so far away from the hospital. Jed slept most of the time but did wake up long enough for a few bites of supper and for Josh to read him some of his messages from the blog and facebook.

Thankfully, he slept comfortably most of the night. Josh and I took advantage of his resting time to catch up on our emails and mail and I took a nap for a couple hours. As usual, as soon as the sun starts to go down, I start to worry and become more anxious. Josh has figured this one out. He seems to become more and more encouraging as sunset approaches! We decided to watch a movie (Blind Side) to take our minds off of everything for a couple of hours.

Early Saturday morning as I was TRYING to sleep in, Josh was up and packing and ready to go home! We checked out of the hotel and made our way to Story, Arkansas. Jed couldn't wait to get home. Look who was waiting at our neighbor's house.

Since chemo starts this Wednesday, I decided to let Jed hunt eggs at home this week. He loves it and has had a blast rolling eggs around on the floor with Biscuit. Doesn't he look sweet in his little pull-up hunting eggs in the house?

A shot of sissy (Kendall) before church on Sunday. (No we don't have covers on all of our wall outlets yet. For those who didn't follow my blog, we bought a fixer-upper home in Sept and now all our home plans are on hold. Check back next year, I may have the outlets covers on by then. Right now, a swing set and sand box is more important that cabinet paint and light fixtures.)

Counting his get-well cards on the wall. He calls them "tickets". He doesn't understand that he is sick since he feels great....hard for a little one to understand. Hard for us big ones to understand sometimes, too!

Love his long eyelashes and big blue eyes!

Please remember to pray for us on Wednesday. This will be Jed's first round of chemo and although we are anxious to get it started, we are also scared of what is happening to our sweet little boy.

Be strong and brave. Don't be afraid...and don't be frightened, because the LORD your God will go with you. He will not leave you or forget you. ~Deuteronomy 31:6

Cupcakes in the Tub

Right after we found out that Jed had cancer, I remember having a thousand emotions at once. One emotion was a sense of urgency. I felt like we had so much to do and so little time to do it. I told Josh that I felt like time was running on fast forward and I was trying to keep up with weights on my legs. We knew that his surgeries and chemo would begin in a matter of days so we threw together a 13th birthday party for Reagon. Not the 13th birthday party that I had dreamed of for her. You see, I'm big on birthdays in our house. I love birthday parties and since I am a natural planner, I have been planning her 13th birthday for a long time. We decided to only invite family due to the circumstances and I tried my best to not even think about the word cancer for a couple of hours during this party. It's crazy how one word can consume everything about your life. No matter if you are in the shower or driving down the road or trying to read a book, it's never away from your thoughts. Reagon said she really enjoyed her party and all of her gifts but I know that she too had a lot on her mind and was worried about her little brother.

Here are some fun pictures from her birthday! Josh and I can't believe we have a teenager in the house!!
Reagon Brooke..the oldest of all the little cousins

How did the past 13 years go by so fast? My beautiful little first born baby is now a beautiful teenager.

Look who couldn't wait to get a bite of birthday cake.

Love this picture. Taylor Ann looks like she has Jed in a headlock! For those new to my blog, I am the oldest of three sisters. We were all pregnant at the same time so now my parents have three little three year old grandbabies. When the doctors were meeting Jed for the first time, they asked him if he had any sisters. He said "yes, one sister, her name is Taylor Ann". We got a big kick out of that.

So thankful God blessed our family with Reagon. She has been a pure joy to raise, although I sometimes think that we are too much alike!! She is a great big sister and a mini mom to Jed and is so much help around our house. It's not unusual for her to come home from school with a story to tell that takes forever because she can't stop laughing long enough to tell it. She has a great personality and is always smiling. Almost always! LoL She loves facebook, gets grounded quite often from her cell phone and has a ton of friends. I pray that God will use her and her life to bring glory and honor to him and that she follows the path He has planned for her. She is super smart and I can't wait to see what she will do with her life.

After the party it was time to clean up and get ready for bed. Look who sneaked a cupcake into the tub!!!!

You know..I think we should all eat a cupcake or two in the tub at least once in our lifetime. I mean, why not? If I have learned one thing over the last few days it is that we should enjoy every single second of our time here on earth. We should use our good sheets that have been in the closet since our wedding day, (even if they get peed on the first night they are one the bed), we should use our good dishes, burn our good candles that have sat unlit for the last year, take that family vacation together that we somehow thought we didn't have time for, spend a whole day playing with the kids even though the yard needs mowed and the laundry is touching the ceiling light, tuck our kids in bed with a goodnight kiss every night even if they are teenagers, let the kids have a puppy even if it makes a mess that we really don't want to clean up, stand in the hall and smile as your 8 year old staples 15 posters to their nicely decorated walls, drink diet mt dew from champagne glasses and eat cupcakes in the tub.

Biscuit and Eggs

We are busy packing and cleaning and getting everything ready to leave at 6am in the morning.

We will meet with Jed's surgeons tomorrow morning at 9am to get all the surgery details. Friday morning Jed will undergo a lengthy surgery (three separate procedures/three separate surgeons) Please be praying for him. I worry so bad because he has a mild cold and stuffy nose (allergies) and it makes me nervous since he will be in surgery for so long. Thankfully, they will have a sedation team in the room monitoring his breathing. Pray that he will not be scared and that God will give him (and us) comfort.

What does this have to do with biscuit and eggs?

Well, meet biscuit.....

He is the newest member of our house. No, we did NOT need a dog to take care of. I had a temporary lapse in judgement. A sweet lady gave this precious peek-a-poo to Jed. He is already in love with biscuit. Anything to make this sweet little boy smile.

And here is the eggs...

Look who made breakfast this morning. It's a good thing we like omelets in our house because this little 3 year old loves to crack eggs!!! LOL

Thank you all for your comments and prayers!!! When I have trouble sleeping at night, I get up and read the comments on FBook and this blog and they always make me feel so much better.

Isaiah 40:31
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

CT and Bone Scans

We had a long day at Childrens hospital on Friday. Jed went in for a full CT scan and bone scan to determine if the cancer had spread to any other part of his body. He ate supper on Thursday night and he was not able to eat again until Friday night around 5pm. He was sooo hungry. He begged the nurses for food, asked the doctors if they had "a little kersy (hershey) bar to eat" and would see other little kids drinking milk in the waiting room and point to them and say "mommy, feed me my milk please!" It was heartbreaking. After the final bone scan, he started waking up and told the nurse "I want a kersy bar NOW NOW NOW!!!" I don't know how many he ate, but I was certain that he would end up with a belly ache! LOL

Jed did great during the scans. Childrens hospital allows the parents to be in the room and watching during the entire process of scanning. This was such a blessing for me since I would have been worried sick the entire time in the waiting room. They also allowed us to text during the scans so I was able to keep the grandparents updated the entire time. The nurses and doctors talked to Josh and I during every step so we felt comfortable and informed. Every little beep and alarm scared us to death so they were quick to assure us that everything was going smooth.

We finally talked to a nurse late yesterday evening and she was able to read the scan results. The cancer HAD NOT SPREAD to the bones!!!!!!!! I can't tell you what a feeling that was when we heard her say those words over the phone! Josh and I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders.

If the cancer had spread, the cure rates for Rhabdo drop significantly. Jed's cancer is in his muscles and soft tissue and not in the bones.

We know God is hearing our prayers!!!!!!!

Today we should hear back from Dr Cannon, Jed's urologist, who will schedule his surgeries in the next few days. He will schedule the removal of more area in and around the tumor location, have the port placed in Jed's chest and the two bone marrow draws from his hips. After this has taken place, Jed will begin 10 months of aggressive chemo and radiation treatments.

We are nervous but anxious to get this started. I am ready to start killing out this aggressive cancer!

Thank you soooooo much for all the prayers! I don't know how we would make it without them.

Enjoy the pictures of our precious Jedidiah!!!


In the waiting room with Nana
He loves to ride the elevators! He is now known as the little coonskin hat boy!

Jed had a few minutes to play while his contrast started to work, so we were able to take him to the playground area. He ran to the steps and said "you need a picture of me??" He had so much fun playing outside and the weather was beautiful.

Because of his iv area, he had a hard time climbing with the other kids. I love these three pictures. They are precious!

After all the scans, Jed was able to go to the cancer play area! This was great for him, not so much for me. Jed painted and ran and played and had such a great time. I was a little overwhelmed. The cancer play area is only open three times a day so the little kids on the oncology floor look forward to this time. We were the first to make it there and slowly more and more kids came to play. It shook me up a bit. Jed looks so normal, running and playing and laughing. The other kids looked so sick, barely able to walk while hanging onto their iv poles, very few smiles. I was glad my mother-n-law was able to play with Jed because I started to feel a bit sick at that point and just backed away to myself for a few minutes. Reality of what we are about to face was slowly sinking in.

Thank you all for your prayers! Please keep lifting Jedidiah up to the mighty throne of God!

Ps 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Prayer Circle

When we first found out that Jedidiah's tumor was malignant and the cancer was rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer, we wanted everyone to start praying for him. One of our dear friends and church members, Lisa Johnston, asked if she and some others could come to our yard and pray for Jed before we met with the doctors the following day. We said YES, of course! We wanted all the prayers we could get going up for Jedidiah. We live in a tiny community. When I say tiny, I mean no redlights, no grocery stores, NOTHING! Just one tiny store that is out of gas 90% of the time and a post office the size of a walk in closet. I stayed to myself most of the afternoon till it was time to go outside to pray. When I walked out my front door I could see cars lined up and down the highway on both sides of my house. There were over 200 people in my yard wanting to pray for our son. The love and support was so overwhelming! We anointed Jedidiah and prayed over him. It is something that I will never forget. I wish that I could personally thank each person that has commented on facebook or sent an email or a message or a blog comment. The support and prayers are what keep me going. Thank you all so much for loving our little Jedidiah and for praying for his complete healing.

King James Version
James 5:14
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Jedidiah's big fish!

Yesterday we were able to meet with Jed's wonderful cancer doctor, Dr Stine. He is so nice and so compassionate. I thank God that he is Jed's doctor. He answered as many questions as he could right now and helped to ease our minds a bit. We feel so rushed..we want things to happen NOW because we feel like we are on borrowed time but he helped us to realize that the best way to treat this cancer is to get a "game plan" and let all the surgeons, urologists, and radiologists work together to get our "plan of action" ready. Rushing into chemo won't help if things need to happen first (and they do, his surgery).

We will go tomorrow to have full body and bone scans started. This will check all over his body and help the drs to stage the progression of the cancer. We will arrive at ACH at 12:00pm, he will begin drinking his medicine at 1pm, injections at 2pm, CT scans at 3pm, bone scans at 4pm. I tell you all of this so you will know what times to be lifting him up. Pray that he isn't scared of the doctors. Pray that the Lord will hold his hand the entire time.

We will be able to come home tomorrow night. Dr Cannon, the urologist, will read the scans on Monday morning and meet with the surgeons. We will then set the surgery dates for next week.

In surgery, they will go back in and remove some more tissue in and around where they found the tumor in Jed's left testicle. They will also remove all the tubes that lead to his testicle. The plan is to leave the right side, as long as the cancer has not spread.

They will also go into his stomach during the surgery and check all the lymph nodes. If any look enlarged, they will remove to biopsy and the game plan changes a bit.

During this surgery, they will place his port in his chest and draw bone marrow out of both hips to make sure the cancer hasn't spread into the bones.

The plan now is to start an aggressive round of chemo sometime next week.

Today, Josh woke up bright and early to gather up Jed's tackle box and enjoy a full day of fishing while I worked and caught up on as many things as I could. Josh and Jed go fishing quite a bit but they NEVER come back with a fish. Normally, Jed walks back in and says "well, we didn't catch a thing but I shot a bear (or big buck or whatever he wants it to be)" lol. As you can tell from the picture, today he caught two fish!!!!!!

Jed is not only fishing from the banks of the Ouchita River, he is fishing for men. This afternoon, Josh received an email from someone that did not know the Lord. She said that Josh's grandmother had given her a bible a while back and told her that she was going to pray that she would get saved. She read about Jed's cancer today and sent us an email to say that she picked up that bible, read a while and gave her life to the Lord!!!!!!!!

God has given Josh and I a front row seat to an amazing move of God.

Your prayers are precious to us. We just can't thank all of you enough for lifting Jed up to the throne of God and standing in the gap for us.

I can't wait to see all the fish Jed will catch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please pray with us for our son

On Sunday afternoon after church, Jedidiah had finished his bath and ran to jump on the bed with his daddy. Josh noticed that his left testicle was very swollen. We thought he might have a hernia so we took him to the ER. The ER doctor did an ultrasound and discovered a large mass. It was thought to have been a mass of blood. The plan was to remove the blood during surgery on Wednesday. The doctors instead found a solid mass the size of a egg and removed it along with his testicle. They told us that they were 99% sure it was nothing but wanted to biopsy and would let us know on Friday. On Friday the surgeon called to say that the pathologist wanted another day to analyze the tumor. That scared us a bit but we still felt good about it. Monday around 1pm we received a call that changed our life forever.

Our sweet baby boy Jedidiah has a rare and aggressive form of cancer, Rhabdomyosarcoma.

We will be leaving in the morning for a 11am appt with the oncology dept at Childrens hospital in Little Rock to determine the stage and treatment options.

Please pray in agreement with us that this cancer is gone and that Jedidiah will be completely healed.


Isaiah 53:5 NKJV
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Coffee Table Redo

I am finally getting around to posting my coffee table redo.

Back in September when we were knee deep in moving boxes, I came upon this super heavy coffee table at a yard sale for $10. I wanted it sooooo bad but passed on it because honestly, I couldn't fit one.more.thing in our tiny 900 sq foot rental house and we were still in the process of buying our new-to-us house. The main reason I left it at the sale is because it was soo heavy I knew I would need Josh's help to move it and there was NO WAY he was going to go for another furniture purchase. No matter how much I liked it. No matter how cheap it was. If you could have peeked into our rent house in Sept, you would have certainly agreed with him.

Next day.

Taking checks to bank.

Same yard sale.

Everything Half Off.

Coffee table still there.

Coffee table $5.

Coffee table MINE!


I talked two men into helping me cram this table into my small SUV and I'm still not sure how we were able to make it fit. I quickly ran home, threw on some makeup, whipped up an awesome dinner, baked Josh's favorite pineapple upside down cake and rubbed his feet before asking him to help me unload this from my car!!! LOL I think his first comment...ok, maybe his second comment was "This is one ugly table!". =) Followed by "how in the world did you get this in your car???"

It took me over an hour to clean and sand this crazy thing. Next came two coats of kilz. Then two coats of heirloom white paint.

This is the only picture I could find of the "between" stages. Don't you just love it. Kendall's preschool class, not the coffee table.

I was in love with the table but was never really satisfied with the color. It was plain and boring.

I was working on glazing some picture frames for our hall bathroom when it suddenly dawned on me to glaze the coffee table!!!

I love this glaze from Hobby Lobby. I have used it for several projects and it is still over half full!

Grabbed an old sock out of our mis-match basket and started to work!

The trick to any good home-makeover project is to ignore the real housework and just stay focused on the project at hand! I have no trouble doing this. Coffee table today, laundry next week.

I have now invested in a 100pk of clear disposable lunch lady gloves for my redos. My manicurist has thanked me. She was tired of saying "why you have old paint on you nails again?"

Now the coffee table looks soooo much better and I love it!!!!

After glazing the top, I decided to leave the bottom heirloom white.

No, it's not a $300 Pottery Barn coffee table but I LOVE IT!!!! It is perfect for our house and gets used every single day. Here some of my church kids are using it for their monopoly game.

The best part....the more it is used, the more it is whacked with a plastic hammer, the more coke that is spilled and wiped off of it...the better it looks!!!

I LOVE the look of distressed furniture...and it's a good thing cause my house sure gets lots of distressing!!!! =)