Holiday Inn at Tyler with Rodgers Family

Aledo Baseball

Baseball is in full swing for the summer. Ben, Joe, and Will were blessed to each make an All-Star team which makes for a busy summer...the 3 boys just played 32 games in 10 days! It won't be slowing down much for a few weeks but they are having a great time and learning a lot. Caleb follows along and joins in whenever they let him. He is eager to play and wants to be just like his big brothers. Of course, the boys all wanted to wear #17 for their favorite player, Aubrey Huff from the San Francisco Giants.

Wonderful News...Worth the Wait

After six weeks of waiting for Joe's rescan, we received some awesome news tonight that was well worth the wait! Joe's doctor just called us at home to let us know the spot found on Joe's lung six weeks ago is now half the size. All Glory to God! The doctor thinks the spot is possibly related to an illness Joe may have had at some point, like pneumonia. We are meeting with him tomorrow at the clinic but I believe there is nothing we need to do at this point and Joe can resume his regular three month rechecks. Joe is strong, happy, healthy, and feeling great. Thanks to all of you for your faithful prayers for not only Joe but for Kevin and I as we anxiously waited during these past six weeks. God provided an incredible amount of peace for us.

Philippians 4:7, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

We couldn't have made it through without Christ and without all the prayers and encouragement from our family and friends. It is so exciting to share this good news with you...it is a double joy for us. Thank you. We feel so blessed and overwhelmed with happiness.

Joe's follow-up tough...wait and see

Joe had a routine CT scan this week and it revealed some disheartening news that is "not good but not bad" - only time will truly tell. A small "spot" was noticed on Joe's right lung, the same side he had his kidney and Wilms' tumor removed. At first glance his doctor does not seem to think it has the typical appearance of a tumor but there is absolutely no way to tell unless they have it in their hands and test it. Joe's surgeon was consulted and due to the small size of the "spot" he is not confident that it could be removed with 100 percent certainty at this time. Even though there are methods to mark the area, if missed or mistaken for a slightly different area there could be false hope given that the "spot" was removed only to find it appear in a following scan. To save Joe any unnecessary surgeries and procedures, our doctor felt the best course of action is to wait 6 weeks and then rescan. Kevin and I are also in agreement that we do not want to put Joe in a position for another surgery if we aren't certain the intended results could be met. If this "spot" does happen to be another tumor, it will most likely grow rapidly and a change will be noted on the next scan in 6 weeks. The doctor doesn't feel like we will lose any ground by waiting. There is a chance the spot could be a result of some type of infection or illness Joe had and, if so, the "spot" could possibly get smaller or stay the same on the next scan. Therefore, we have to "wait and see". Tough words to hear! Once again we find ourselves relying on our Lord and Savior for strength, patience, and favor for our sweet Joe. It has almost been a year to the day of his original diagnosis and this news is shocking for us. It is hard not to ask "why" but we still cling to God's promises. As I wrote nearly a year ago...

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for Joe," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper him and not to harm him, plans to give him hope and a future."

God has already used Joe in mighty ways. We will continue to pray as we "wait and see" and depend on Christ. Please keep Joe in your prayers for healing and that this "spot" will be gone in 6 weeks at the next scan. Please pray for our peace and patience during these next 6 weeks as we wait with anticipation.

Isaiah 40:31 "but 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."

Thank you for letting us share this news with you on our blog as we know there are so many faithful people out there who will read this and lift up Joe before the Lord. Please be aware that we will not be sharing this news with Joe or any of our other boys. For our friends who live near , we are asking that you please be sensitive in sharing this information with your children or others as we want to do our best to protect Joe and our other boys from hearing this from anyone else. By sharing this burden that is fresh on our hearts we know that our load becomes more bearable as friends and family come alongside us in prayer. Thank you.

Atlantis Submarine Ride and Back to Texas

Our vacation was coming to an end but before we left Hawaii on Tuesday, our family went on a submarine adventure 110 feet below the water. We could see fish, turtles, artificial and natural reefs, a sunken ship, and a sunken plane. Ben and I wore "sea bands" to help control the nauseous feeling that we had while we were being transported from the pier to the submarine on a ferry boat; and they seemed to be effective. The waters were rough on the way out but once we were in the submarine below the surface the ride was very smooth and exciting.

After our ride on the Atlantis submarine, we took a 6pm flight out of Honolulu and arrived back in Texas at 5am. The flight was great as it went through the night and the boys slept most of the time. The trip back is also about 2 hours shorter due to the winds behind the plane pushing us along. We were graciously picked up at the airport by a limousine and arrived back home in style. We had some jet lag today due to the 4 hour time difference and took some very long naps this morning. We are still dragging a little and before lunch Caleb fell asleep sitting on the couch reading his book. The other boys thought it was cute so we took a picture of him.

This was definitely a once in a lifetime trip and we had a truly amazing time. We kept busy and had big activities to look forward to every day. Everything was planned perfectly for us and could not have been any better. Every last detail was taken care of for us with special touches all along the way. "a Wish with Wings" is a fantastic organization and they truly make wishes come true. Thank you for making Joe's wishes come true this past week and for the lifelong memories.

Helicopter Tour

Parasailing!

The big boys all went parasailing today while Caleb and I went to Starbucks. Caleb was too little to parasail so I took him around to some of my favorite places. He didn't like shopping so much but enjoyed playing around in the lobby before we went to the room and took a nap. The boys haven't adjusted very quickly to this time zone change and someone promptly gets up at 5:00 am and wakes everyone else up. The boys get tired pretty early in the evening if we are not keeping busy and seem to fall asleep wherever they are sitting...like Will below:) By the way, I think parasailing was really a big hit with the boys today!!!