Janet started out the month of April still doing PT twice a week for her right knee replacement, and hurting in her right shoulder. She still had the allergic reaction to the spray adhesive used in surgery with redness, bumps, and itching all over her right leg. It slowly got better with a Medrol pack over 5 days, and much anti-itch cream and Benadryl applications. She was thankful to be able to give Rowen a haircut on April 2.
April 3, Randy and Joy and their family came for a visit before Interchurch Holiness Convention (IHC) the following week. Jason and Karen were able to come for that Thursday evening
and got to see RJJMJJMMJ too. A lot of visiting took place in the living room, and a lot of Legos, trucks and cars, and dolls happened downstairs. It was a good evening of visiting, and we were so thankful for the many safe miles all the way from Mitchell, SD.
It had been a year since Randy's family had been here.
The kids are growing up! It was so good to see them.
James and Jewelyn.
James, Micah, Jonathan, and Mishael stayed here with us, so it was only one motel room for the others.
On April 4, Janet had a whole body bone scan. It showed that the bone cancer is on the move again, with most of the vertebrae and ribcage involved, plus the right upper femur (near shoulder) and both hips. This was not good news that we wanted to hear, but made sense with the increased pain in back, ribs and shoulders.
The rest of the day and the next few days, there were lots of games played, eating, talking and laughing.
Micah, Jonathan, Joy, Randy, Josiah, Jewelyn.
A funny picture of Mishael and Joy.
Aunt Elizabeth reading to Josiah and Mandylyn.
Mishael, Jewelyn, and Josiah on the swing
Aunt Elizabeth playing Uno with Mandylyn.
Janet, Mandy and Josiah playing Outfoxed!
Jewelyn, Janet, Rowen, James, Micah, Jonathan, Joy, Randy, Josiah.
Elizabeth photographer.
Mishael and Mandylyn sitting at the island.
Jewelyn and Mishael playing Clue.
Play Nine is one of our favorites!
Janet was still using the ice machine on her knee in the next picture.
Seven of our ten precious grandchildren!
Our youngest grandson, Josiah. He wanted to do a puzzle on Grandma's phone while we waited for Sunday dinner to be ready to eat.
Playing Junior Church. Josiah manning the song visual.
Playing Junior Church. Mandylyn leading the singing with the song visual.
All the wooden puzzles Mandy conquered.
Playing Mastermind
The family puzzle we put together Sunday afternoon.
Jonathan, Janet, Mishael
Practicing for the special song
A sneaky picture in church of two handsome grandsons.
On Sunday evening, Randy's family sang "Isn't the Love of Jesus Something Wonderful!"
It was so good to have a few days with our precious SD branch of the family! They left Monday morning and went on their way to Gatlinburg and the IHC. They got home safely late in that week.
Janet had CT scans on April 10. Waiting for the time to go by after drinking the contrast material.
The CT scans confirmed more bone cancer, but none in the organs thankfully.
On April 11, we saw Dr. Cody, Janet's oncologist. He showed us some of the bone scan images. He said her skull even has probable cancer. He recommended started a different anti-estrogen, and chemo pills, two weeks on, one week off, and repeat scans after several cycles to see if it is slowing the cancer progress. (The chemo pills were started on April 19.)
That afternoon, a homeschool friend from Colorado, (now lives in Missouri) came to see us!
Stacie Hartwig and her family were visiting the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter for her son's 13th birthday, and Elizabeth saw on Facebook that they were so close to us and invited her to come and see us. We had a lovely 1.5 hour visit, catching up on being away from each other almost 9 years!!
Stacie Hartwig and her family were visiting the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter for her son's 13th birthday, and Elizabeth saw on Facebook that they were so close to us and invited her to come and see us. We had a lovely 1.5 hour visit, catching up on being away from each other almost 9 years!!
Saturday, April 12, we had the opportunity to host the McKays for lunch. They were traveling from IHC in Gatlinburg back home to Iowa and put us on their travel schedule.
It had been five years since Rowen and Elizabeth had seen them, though Janet saw them at IHC two years ago. So good to see them again. They are our daughter-in-law, Lesa's family.
Sunday, April 13, we were privileged to have Darrell and Regina Stetler, Lonnie and Nate Witt over for Sunday dinner.
That evening after church, there was surprise birthday cake and ice cream to celebrate Sherilyn Stroud's 40th birthday.
Regina Stetler and Patty Stamper served everybody in front of the fellowship hall.
(Janet popped something in her left back rib cage right before church that has been causing her pain ever since. Just one wrong move!)
April 14, Janet saw Dr. Thawrani, her knee surgeon, who said she didn't have to come back for three months, and she also went to Physical Therapy for her knee for the last time, getting out of two of the treatments because she passed all the tests.
On April 15, Janet started working on a bookshelf quilt for a friend in SD who wanted it for her sister's 30th birthday. She had to take breaks and not work for long stretches of time because of the back pain, but she finished it on May 1.
Janet got her new glasses (post cataract surgery recovery on April 16.
They are similar enough, that no one has even noticed the change.
Rowen has done a lot of work in the front flower bed. Because of a very rainy spring, it's been challenging to get the yardwork done between rain and soggy ground.
He removed the yard planter area for the creeping phlox because it was sinking where tree roots are. He moved them to the front porch flower bed. He's moved quite a few of the flowers around and added several.
He installed edging to make a clear border. Where he is kneeling in the above picture, was flowers last year. He moved sod there and made the flower bed line up with the new concrete sidewalk.
Our baby azalea we babied through the winter did survive!
A few days later
We're hoping for a large beautiful azalea bush in the future, like some of our neighbors have.
Janet's dad's cousin, Sue Cavender, made this for us and sent it in the mail. We took it to Hobby Lobby yesterday to be mounted and framed. Sue does these name gifts as a work of love for people she loves.
Despite Rowen's best efforts to keep birds from nesting on our porch, the robins won, and made a nest in the porch swing supports.
Another bird family made a nest on the garage door light. They are likely Finch eggs.
April 28 peek in the porch swing nest...
Janet's sweet "adopted" sister, Lynell came on April 19 and spent Easter Sunday with us, departing on Monday for Branson for a week with her kids there. Elizabeth, Lynell, and Janet went to Bob Evans for supper, because Rowen was out to eat with fellow groomsmen and the groom of a wedding he will be in in May.
Easter Sunday pictures
We had a lovely time with Lynell and enjoyed Resurrection Sunday at Burlington Bible Church together.
Rowen and Janet tried their hand at making graduation cards.
April 26, Elizabeth finally got a Saturday to work on her sewing project she hadn't touched for a month. She installed an invisible zipper and the facing for her dress project. It should be easy from here on, if she can spare some more time to sew.
The Mahin family dedicated little Olivia Hope to Jesus on Sunday, April 27th.
Jimmy and Danette Garcia were our Sunday guests. It was good to be with them again.
That evening, Lynell came back through for a night's sleep to divide up her trip from Branson to Virginia Beach. Because of the arrival time, Janet missed church and spent the evening visiting with Lynell, since she was leaving early the next morning.
Right before leaving Monday morning.
Within 45 minutes of leaving, this happened to her back passenger tire!
Though her insurance has roadside assistance, she was not able to get anyone to come and help her, so we went to help her. We prayed no bad person would stop to "help" her, as she is so little and vulnerable being by herself. When we got there, no one had stopped, so we were thankful. Within 5 or more minutes a man stopped to help us. He was a great help, being younger and having an impact driver for taking the lug nuts off. He said she had likely hit a piece of metal and her tire was on fire, from how the tire debris looked. Lynell said it was smoking when she pulled over and got out to look. We just thanked the Lord for keeping her safe and sending the right kind of help at the perfect timing. She went on into the next town 20 miles down the road and bought a new tire. She had a safe trip home, arriving 3.5 hours later than she had planned when she left in the morning. We don't know what God protected her from with that delay, but we know He does all things well.
Tuesday, April 29, the Seniors and Friends from church got together for lunch at Spear Ridge Cafe.
Doug and Joan Hodnett, Darrell and Regina Stetler, Janet and Rowen, Lonnie Witt, Rachel Hill, and her friend, Jessica who took the picture.
The men's table after Marvin Stamper joined them.
Rowen, Darrell, Marvin, Doug, Lonnie
Janet started quilting the SD Bookshelf queen quilt on April 30.
and finished it on May 1.
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