Monday, September 29, 2008

Go Tigers!

Hey there! I know it's been a while, but you know how it goes when life happens. Anyway, we went to Clemson this weekend to watch the game and to visit some family! We got to see Eric's cousin Craig, his wife Erica, and their 2 kids Hope and Hunter. This was the first time that Grant has met all of them so we were very excited. Sorry that we didn't get to see you Todd. We were a lil bummed about that, but hopefully next time. We had a great trip. Grant did much better than expected for so much traveling in one day. I don't know why we expected any less. He's the best! So, here are some pictures from our trip.


Grant was so excited about going to the game that he refused to sleep the whole way there, so this is how much he enjoyed almost the entire first half.

Now this is a little better. Second half he came alive, unlike the Tigers. He smiled and cheered and made friends with everybody around us.


Here's Grandaddy and his lil Tiger after the game! Thanks for letting us go Grandaddy. We had a great time!

Here we all are, the boys in their Clemson gear and me in my orange. They haven't convinced me to get a Clemson shirt yet! I love you boys!

Grant finally got to meet his cousins Hope and Hunter. He had such a great time playing with them. We had a great time getting them to pose like this.

The boys are playing hard and enjoying their Clemson cookies! Hunter is exactly 3 months older than Grant. They are too cute together!

Hope decided to read to Grant before we left. This picture was too sweet to pass up! We had such a great time with you guys. Hopefully it won't be so long until we see you again!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Jordan!

I know that I have given the latest info. that I have about Jordan's condition, but he has created a CaringBridge account that will probably do a better job of keeping you updated than I will. I'm going to put a link to it on here so you can go there and see what's going on with him. I do want to ask that everybody keep praying for him and for his family. They could definitely use a miracle! Here is the website: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jordanbanks

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Labor Day

We got to go to the mountains for Labor Day and we had such a great time! The weather was beautiful and Grant got to do all kinds of new things. Here are pictures of some of his adventures.

Here's Grant and Daddy feeding the ducks. He didn't mind the little ones too much, but he wasn't such a big fan of the big geese getting close to him.


He got to climb through a cool tunnel!

He got to go down a big boy slide and he LOVED it!


The last thing he did was play in the creek! It was sooo cute! It was also freezing, but it didn't faze him. He splashed and played like crazy. He got so wet that we had to take him home in his diaper. He screamed when we took him out to go home. I think we've already got another Mountaineer on our hands!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Another Update

Ok, so this is a little long, but it is a great explanation of what is happening with Jordan. The latest is that he will have an MRI on Oct. 1 and the biopsy on Oct. 3. So, we can all be praying for the miracle of healing that only God could give to Jordan between now and then.

This is from Jordan's mom, written like a true nurse. So neatly organized:)
Dear Friends and Family,Jordan's consultation happened yesterday: The tumor they found is more than likely malignant. He will have a definitive answer after biopsy. Fortunately, Jordan's neurosurgeon is the best in the southeast, but unfortunately he is involved in speaking for a national convention over the next two weeks and won't be available to do the biopsy until the end of the month. Because the tumor is low grade (slow-growing) and Jordan's seizures are under control we opted to wait for Dr. Ashton instead of having another doctor do the biopsy.Treatment after biopsy: chemo and possible radiation without surgery as this glioma's growth has finger-like elements that are growing into the brain tissue. The location of the tumor is in the part of the brain that is responsible for movement on one side of the body. Surgical excision is probably too risky.What this means: At this point, Jordan cannot be left alone, he cannot drive and he cannot continue working his current job as it requires him to drive and cannot have anyone drive him d/t the confidential nature of his job. Jordan is my athlete and fitness/sports/and physical activity have always been a huge part of his life (his plans are to coach track and basketball as well as teach history). He cannot do anything right now that will cause him to overheat or jar this tumor. He can continue to attend school at least until the biopsy (he has one semester left). Jessica needs to continue to work, so I need to stay and help out probably for the next three months. I will need to find temporary employment (night shift) here in Charlotte to help them pay rent and continue to pay my bills.What to pray for: As an experienced cancer nurse, I know how important it is to keep a possitive attitude. So pray for courage and lots of happy moments full of laughter. Pray that Jordan's frustration with this new sedentary lifestyle will be kept in check. We can still pray that the tumor is benign despite the probability that it is malignant. Jordan will need an adjustment in his work arrangement so he can continue to work as much as possible. I need to find work and need to keep my job in Denver so I can return to it when I am no longer needed here. Pray that Dr. Ashton will be on top of his game when the biopsy is performed. Pray that treatment will be tolerated well. Pray that we have the optimum outcome after treatment. Pray that God will continue to keep Jordan safe and that treatment will be tolerable. Continue to pray that Jordan and Jessica and our entire family will experience the presence of God during this time and we will find meaning in this trial.