I'm sure many of you have been waiting for an update on Bryna. We would like to thank you all for the much needed prayers.

A little history if you don't know what I'm talking about:

So last Friday, Bryna showed me that she had a small sore on her foot. A little bump that itched. It shrunk and grew and shrunk and didn't stop growing.

Anyway - we went to the Naval hospital on Tuesday of last week to get it checked out. We were given an oral antibiotic because there was an infection spreading up her foot. But that naughty blister-like sore kept on growing.

We had been soaking it, keeping it clean (and safe!) and were told NOT to burst it b/c of creating the large open wound and adding to the risk of a worse infection.

After a night of observation (not much sleep for Bryna or mom) and further growth, we wondered if this could be a spider bite - a brown reclusive, in particular. This was after some online research and suggestions from family/friends.

I had kept her from school on Wednesday and she'd been playing, resting, andwatching movies on her own while I worked.

Although in a lot of pain, she was very brave and tough! I had asked her if she was feeling dizzy or sick to her stomach and she quickly said - "Well there is the problem of my hollow leg!" :-) So she was able to joke around in spite of her pain, which was good for both of us.

Due to the combination of extreme pain, rapid growth, and the notion of spider toxins in a 50 lb body, we decided to return to the ER on Wednesday afternoon.

They ended up draining the abscess and she was feeling a whole lot better Weds evening. It took 4 Navy corpsmen to hold her down. When asked how she got to be so tough she said, "My Daddy's a Marine!"

Thursday morning we went in for a recheck and the wound was looking good, as we could see that new skin was forming. The infection had improved considerably, but they wanted us to come in once more on Friday to be sure we were in the clear.

Long story long, she's doing very well now and was able to return to school today with her foot bandaged. A nice scab has formed and skin regeneration looks good. As for the cause of the infection - it still remains unknown. However I think we've concluded it was not a brown-reclusive bite because so many of the symptoms we ruled out in Bryna's case. We're just very glad she's on the mend and infection-free!

Here are a few non-gory pics of our adventures. Also, after our Thrusday visit we had the chance to spy on some coyotes who were trying to find some food near the horse stables on base.

After our visit to family practice. Still dime-sized on Tuesday.

Quarter-sized on Wednesday.

Waiting for the Corpsman to treat her foot.

After the scary/ouchie part. Popsicles make everything better.

All bandaged up and waiting to be released.

There were four coyotes lurking near the stables, here are two of them:

I Know My Mother Well - by Bryna Disney

My mother is 27 years old.
My mother is 28 feet tall.
My mother weighs 90 pounds.
Her job is technology.
She is happy when we go to Starbucks.
She is sad when she burns her finger.
Mom likes to take me to Wal-Mart.
I'd like to buy my mom some new plates.
I love you, Mom, because you take me on fun trips!

Happy Mother's Day. Love, Bryna

Yay for sleep! Yay for visits from family and friends!

Today we had a great visit from some church friends from back in Minnesota. Vineyard's headquarters are here in Anaheim, CA. Our friends Joe and Denise stopped on their way through to the denominational conference. We had some great Mexican food and went hiking at Joshua Tree Park. We even discovered a great place called Hidden Valley when we were there. Bryna lead the way and is now nicknamed Sackagabryna.

And - even more great news - in only 3 weeks, Adam's mom, brother and his wife will be flying in to see us! The girls don't know this yet, but we will be spending a day at Disneyland when the come out! I can hardly wait. We are going to have way too much fun. Livia is a die-hard fan of Mickey Mouse -she is totally in love with him. I can't wait to see the priceless look on her face when we get to see him "in person!"

Well, that was a lot of exclaimation points. Sorry for the enthusiasm. What can I say? Life is good.

Ever-thankful, Gena

The hour count for Adam's sleeplessness will soon be up to 72+. There have been major disciplinary issues in his section and everyone is feeling the fallout. I'm just praying for his protection until I have him back here with his head on a pillow. I can't imagine how awful he's got to feel right now.

43 days until the move back home! The Marine Corps will be picking up the bill for that, which totally rocks. Ooh-rah. I am going to miss this place. It's bittersweet - I'll miss Joshua Springs, I'll miss the desert - believe it or not. Having said that, I am looking forward to having "real" furniture again. Yay! Good thing we're young enough to sleep on an air mattress for 5ish months and not be too affected by it. Our backs are still intact, albeit a little sore and tight. Can anyone say "professional massage" ? Although - I do love the simplicity. Who cares if your living room chairs are the $5 lawn chairs from Walmart, right? Less clutter, more hapiness. I digress...

If you get a minute - say a quick prayer for a few folks today -

Little Oliver, the son of a friend. He's a little over 1-year old and was in an accident that caused a major head injury: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/oliverschweim

and Adam - going on 1.5 hours of sleep in the last 48.

I am very behind on updates here. It has been totally crazy between goings on at home and work alike. I'll do my best to fill in some gaps. Our Bryna has had some ups and downs. She has done phenominally well in school this last trimester. We are so proud of her accomplishments. She's reading like a pro and is exhibiting serious feats in math. Woo hoo! I can tell you right now she did not get that from me. She tried out for the school talent show this spring. She sang "Who Am I?" by Point of Grace. We had her dressed up with a bun and daisy in her hair. She got up on stage and although a little bit shy, sang that song so beautifully. The waterworks were full stream for mom that day. In spite of all her hard work and bravery (again - not from me!) she did not make the cut. One of those hard, hard moments as a parent to see your child fail (underserved in my mind) and have to pick themselves up enough to try again. Character-building life lessons - albeit hard ones. My hope is she'll be given the opportunity of an audience or two when we're back home. My guess is that there may be a few willing participants.

Everything is winding down at this point - Adam's days are long ones. Lots of supervision on his part, lots of new physical demands. He is still number one and should have no trouble holding that spot thru the end of the year. A wife couldn't be more proud. He absolutely amazes me with all that's required of him. Not only to do it all - but so very well. Up at 4 am, running 10 miles, in class all day, (some glorified baby sitting at times for a few of his boys), then home to wrestle with the girls, help with homework - all the good stuff.

Little Livi is an abosolute goof with all her particularities and sayings - and CONSTANT commentary! We're not the most talkative family ever, but Livi makes up for the lot of us. She's just hilarious. And so happy!

With that - just a few new pictures - visits from great friends, swimming, and homework time. Can you believe how long Livi's hair is?