Transplant Camp 2009-Camp Twin Lakes

We spent the weekend at Camp Twin Lakes with a group of transplant kids and their families. We played horse shoes, soccer, frisbee, putt putt, and lots of other fun things. The boys favorite was the tree house and the Drum Cafe, where we all got to show off our amazing rhythm! We met lots of friends and learned a few things too.

The boys couldn't resist getting a little muddy after they got home.
"Mud Slide"

Jackson's first soccer game Go Suns!

Jackson and Camden had their first soccer game this afternoon. J-man had some pre-game jitters, but pulled himself together and loved it once he got in on the action. It's going to be really fun having them play together.
Afterward we went to the park in Fayetteville with Jeff & the kids, Nona, Papa and Ashley. There's non-stop energy in this bunch!

Go Suns!

Jackson and Camden are on the same soccer team this year, which should be a blast. J-man was totally pumped about his first practice yesterday and even more about his new shin guards and soccer socks. He had a great time until his team started an offense/defense game called Sharks and Minnows and he had his ball stolen from him. He took a few minutes to get himself together, but ended up getting back in the game and enjoying the practice for the most part. It should be a fun season. Go Suns!!!

First Day of Preschool

The boys both started preschool at the Methodist Church yesterday and in regular Blakely fashion it was a doozy of a day! They were both really excited about going, strutting their new backpacks and ready to meet some new friends. The drop-off went great and they both seemed to have fun until about 10:30 when Cason decided to push his chair over backwards, gashing the back of his head open. After a trip to the ER and a couple of staples he was good to go and ready to go back on Thursday!

The video at the bottom is of the boys singing one of their favorite songs, Everlasting God. We think they're pretty cute!

Friday Night Fun!

We spent Friday night with Jeff & Gina and their crew at the bowling alley. The kids all had a blast and really did great! Cason rolled a strike on his first try (with a little help from the kiddie ramp and bumpers). Every had lots of fun! After bowling we went out for Mexican then to Baskin Robbins for doughnuts and ice cream. It was a great night!

The kids jamming out to Rock 'n Roll.

Great News!

Cason had a great report today. He finally gained some weight! Since his last clinic visit two weeks ago he has gained a little over two pounds! Hallelujah!! It's really exciting that we have finally found a medicine that gives him an appetite. Hopefully soon his little brain will realize that he needs to eat and we can get rid of the medicine, but for now we'll take it any way we can get it!

Also, Cason's blood work has looked so good lately that he will only have to go to clinic at Egleston once a month. We will continue with the weekly labs at Upson Regional, but it's a heck of a lot better driving 30 seconds instead of an hour and a half.

Praise the Lord for some good news! Thanks, as always, for your prayers!

Keeping the doctors busy.

Both boys have sort of thrown us for a loop lately with their strange little health issues. Casons rash is still hanging around, but our pediatrician, Dr.Coker seems to feel pretty confident that it is a reaction with the Rapamune (Casons primary anti-rejection drug). Since being back on this drug the rash has gotten much worse, basically covering his entire arms and legs. He is agitated, rightfully so, and so are we! The plan is to swap back to his original med and hopefully the rash will go away. Please pray that this does the trick. If it doesn't, then we will likely have to completely stop another medicine which could potentially put his kidney at risk. We are hopeful that swapping meds will clear the rash and we won't even have to deal with anything more serious.

Now on to confusing case #2... after a 2 week period of trying to get him to put on some weight, Cason actually lost a few ounces, which is obviously not a good thing. A pharmacist friend in our Sunday School class mentioned to me about a medicine that stimulates appetite. After going to clinic on Thursday and seeing another weight loss the doctor and nutritionist decided that it would be worth a try. After two days of being on the drug it does seem to be helping his desire to eat. Praise the Lord! Thursday night he ate 3 ice cream sandwiches and today he showed a great interest in eating too! Thanks Carson for the idea!

In the midst of all of Cason's trials, we are still having trouble with Jackson's ears. He has not been sleeping well for about a month, so we took him to the ENT and to Dr. Coker to try and come up with a plan for treatment. Please pray that these new medicines allow Jackson to be comfortable enough at night to get a good night sleep.

As for us... we think that the best solution for all of this is to go to the beach for a week. We are leaving tomorrow for Panama City with Jeff and Gina and all the kiddos. We are so excited! Please pray for our safety as we travel and for a fun, but medically uneventful trip.

Sorry for the long explanation of all that's been going on. Check back soon and we will post some fun beach pics.

We love y'all and thanks so much for all of your prayers!