SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Apparently, a month or so ago, Mike's brother Jason started scheming with Mike to come surprise the kids with a visit. Uncle Jason is probably the favorite Uncle in the family (sorry Uncle Jarrick and Uncle Bill!)... more than likely it's because he's just a big playful kid himself!

I wish we would have had a video camera to record all of the reactions... he got here when all of the kids were actually out of the living room. So, we had him sneak up the steps into the living room and he just sat on the end of the couch.

Kayleigh came through the hallway first... when she saw him she squealed, then cried! Paige heard all of the commotion and came running, then she yelled UNCLE JASONNNNNNN as she tackled him on the couch with a big hug! Then comes Chase... all he could say was "how'd he get here?" with a stunned look on his face. Last, Devin came home from being out, came up the steps and FROZE! He couldn't even speak!

(Kayleigh... still in shock that Uncle Jason is here!)

Jason's trip couldn't have been more perfect in God's timing. Kayleigh has ALWAYS had a special bond with Jason. More so than any other family member. His trip just happened to be timed perfectly with the week that she was having her procedure and tests done at the hospital. It was great to have him here to keep the mood light and fun, and to keep her mind off the serious stuff!

By the end of the week we were all sad to see him go! The kids had fun wrestling with him, playing basketball, watching movies, and just hanging out with him! Mike enjoyed having his brother around as well. And even me, despite the craziness of having that many Lyons boys in the house... had a good time!

Happy Father's Day My Love...

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And Now We Wait...

We spent the day at Brenner Children's Hospital while Kayleigh went through some various tests and procedures. She handled it all like a trooper - just as I knew she would.

She has a follow up with cardiology on July 14th, Neurology is supposed to call us in the next few days.

So now, we wait...

HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY DEVIN!

Michael Devin Lyons

June 12, 1993

5:31pm

9 pounds 6 ounces 21 1/2 inches long

Let's see if we can go back and remember how that day went ... oh ... wait ... it actually started two days prior!

Thursday June 10th I had the WORST back pain I could have ever imagined!! I suffered through it all night long, not realizing it was actually contractions! Mike reluctantly went in for his third shift schedule - I assured him I was fine! When he arrived home Friday morning I was still miserable. He stayed awake with me to be sure I was ok. Little did he know he'd be needing that sleep that he should have had!

Later that afternoon it got so bad that Mike called the hospital. The advice they gave was to have me lay on a heating pad set to low. So - that's what we did. NOT SMART! Within 15 minutes of laying on that heating pad my water broke and I was in the worst pain - now realizing it was full blown contractions! I jumped up yelling - terrified I was going to electrocute myself on that heating blanket!

Mike came in the room to see what the fuss was about and he immediately freaked out! In the prenatal classes - he saw the water break, then the baby come. He thought we were having that baby right then and there. He grabbed the phone, called the hospital and I'll never forget what he said - "HER WATER BROKE! THE BABY'S COMING NOW! WHAT DO I DO?!?!" I'm sure the nurse on the other end was laughing! She calmly told him to put me in the car and drive.

I got in the car (Mike's new car I might add) and with every contraction more water came! I'll spare you the details - other than the fluid was full of meconium and his nice new car seat was now covered in it! That 10 mile drive to Paulding Hospital felt like an eternity! By the time I got there we were told that I was dilating quickly and we'd have a baby by the time the night was over (this was Friday, June 11th)

They were half right ... I dilated quickly and began pushing sometime around midnight. But - by morning there was still no baby. Devin was posterior, face up, and I was small in the hips (ok - stop laughing now!). They started talking c-section and I refused. I kept pushing for several hours (and literally broke 2 of Mike's fingers!), and only after the baby's heartrate starting getting irratic did I start to consider it. By now - it was noon on Saturday, June 12.

When I finally caved to the c-section - we found out that my doctor, a small-town family doctor, was not certified to do a c-section and the only surgeon for Paulding County Hospital couldn't be located! I could keep trying while they kept trying to locate him, or I could transfer to a different hospital. The decision was made to transfer by my husband and family.

I layed there - in full labor - pushing when I could - until after 3pm while they made arrangements. By now - Mike had been awake since Thursday night at 11pm . . . over 30 hours! I went via ambulance, he and my parents followed. For whatever reason the doctor chose not to stop my contractions - - - YIKES!

I arrived at Defiance Hospital shortly after 5:00pm - was rushed into surgery (by now the baby had low oxygen because of the cord being "pinched" with me trying to push). They quickly put me under general anesthesia as Mike was brought in and at 5:31pm we had our first child.

Now - the story isn't completely over! We were told at our very first ultrasound half-way through that we were having a girl! We picked out the name Kelsey Rachelle. When I woke up after surgery I remember seeing Mike beside me holding a baby with a big smile on his face. I said "can I hold her?" and he said "no . . . but you can hold your son instead!".

We spent about an hour together holding our son, picking a name, and then my parents made sure Mike made it home safely to sleep after being up for nearly 36 hours.

Hard to believe it's been 17 years! We are very proud of you, Devin, and the choices you are making in your life. You are fine young man and bring such joy to your lives.

We love you much!

Love Mom and Dad!

This is getting OLD!

This is getting old...... Kayleigh had another rough day earlier this week. Dizzy spells, headaches, weakness, etc. But, hopefully, we'll have answers soon.

Dr. Sam (Neurologist) and Dr. Covitz (Cardiologist) have finally teamed up and were able to get all of Kayleigh's procedure/testing appointments in one day! They are fabulous I tell ya! Next Wednesday, June 16, we start at 10:30am check in where Kayleigh will be put in an inpatient room (but she will NOT be inpatient). They will then take her to EEG, followed by EKG, followed by the Tilt-Table Lab, followed by radiology. All of this will take roughly 4 hours, then she will have to stay 3-4 hours to be monitored before they release her, just to make sure she's ok (the Tilt-Table Lab could be rough).

It's going to be a very LONG, miserable day... but in the end they should be able to pull together all the results and begin to put a plan in place!

Weekend Retreat!!

Mike and I had the opportunity to spend a much needed, weekend retreat away in the mountains this weekend. We chose Lonesome Pine Cabins on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A friend of ours from church had been there and loved it, so off we went. We spent the entire weekend in the cute little cabin above, and enjoyed this simply gorgeous view from the cabin...


The first place we visited on Friday evening, was the Mabry Mill. We loved our time there, and really enjoyed seeing the still working mill. Along the walk, they also had cabins and work sheds with stories of the original community and what they did. They also had an old whiskey still, still sitting off the lands, where moonshine was made (illegally of course!). This is someplace we plan to take the kids back to - for the history, and for the sheer beauty of it!


Saturday, we timed just perfectly! We arrived at the breathtakingly gorgeous Chateau Morrisette Winery right before their 11am tour. It was interesting to see how exactly they take a simple grape and turn it into wine! Our tour guide was a lot of fun... and we were the only ones on the 11am tour, so she thought Mike was pretty fun too! Of course, he typically is after a few glasses of wine... which is essentially what he had by the time he was done tasting 10 different wines!

After our tour we headed over the Chateau Morrisette Restaurant for a fabulous lunch with an incredible view over the mountains! From there, we drove along the parkway and made various stops along the way taking pictures here and there.

The Pucket Cabin is a stop we made that really touched my heart. It's a cabin where a lady lived to be 102 years of age. In her years, she was a midwife and delivered over 1,000 healthy babies! But, sadly, she birthed 24 of her own babies who never lived beyond infancy. Yet, she continued on helping other Moms and was known to be a very kind, sweet, Godly woman.


Groundhog Mountain was a majestic view from this overlook. There is a cabin way down deep in the woods that we could see from up there... Mike's decided he wants to buy it! Have to admit, the owners of that cabin wake up to the most amazing views of the mountains!!!

Sunday we had hoped to visit Mayberry... Home to Andy Griffith. But it was all closed on Sundays!!! Crazy I tell ya! So - instead we hiked at Pilot Mountain, just the two of us and we had a great time! It was perfect temps with a nice breeze to keep us cooled down! And as always, once you reach the overlooks, we had fabulous views of the Pinnacle!

Every couple needs a weekend away now and again, to remember why they fell in love. To remember that there's more to life than work, kids, errands, and playing taxi. I can't wait until our next weekend retreat away!