Update on Ryan's Biopsy

Ryan had an 1 hr surgery today which removed some of the tissue from the mass. He has 7 large sutures from the tissue removal. While in there the oral surgeon drained a large amount of fluid from the cyst,  including lots of fluid which had pooled in his nasal cavity. The doctor told us once again what a miracle it is that Ryan's teeth on that side are still in place due to the fact that the jawbone has all but deteriorated away and the roots of his teeth are mostly all displaced due to the enormity of the cyst. We were able to give the Lord the glory for that! The doctor says that he shouldn't lose any teeth and that his jawbone most likely will fully regenerate.  We will be waiting for the results of the biopsy ( up to 2 weeks) but it is the doctor's opinion that Ryan has a cyst, not a tumor and that it appears to be the non-reoccurring type, Praise the Lord! After the results are available he will be scheduled for his second surgery which will be a lot more detailed, including opening up his nasal passage in order to fully remove the cyst. He is in tremendous pain but we are all taking great care of him.. Feeding him yogurt and mashed potatoes while he listens to his favorite audio book- Pilgrim's Progress. :-) Thank you again for your prayers. The little notes, texts and emails were such a blessing.. They have really encouraged him!  We even had some friends come join us today while he was in surgery to keep us company and to be there for him.. That was so special. We are so blessed by you all! Thank you for keeping us in your prayers, for your concern and love..
Praising the Lord, The McDonald Family

Our beloved Ryan! Picture taken this morning before his biopsy.

A Day Trip

The children and I took a day trip over the mountains to the other side of Washington..Daddy had to stay at home and work..We missed him so much!   Ashley and Amanda had to transport 2 fun Bernese Mt dogs to their new homes and I got to do the driving! We had such a nice sunny drive.. 5 hours both ways!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took our time getting to our destination in order to have the option to stop along the way.. the boys had conveniently thrown in their fishing gear..

 

which came in handy when we chanced upon this lovely fishing hole..

 

Our fly fisherman

 

'Be careful boys!' Grace is always mothering the boys.. it is so funny! Well, actually she tries mothering all of us.. not so cute while trying to mother daddy and mommy! :-)

 

 

I think he has a bite!

 

He catches a trout! Too small though.. this one got thrown back

The girls play in the sand

 

 We sure enjoyed the lovely fall colors..

 

 

 

Mission accomplished! These lovely ladies now live in Canada with their new owners!

Thank you children for a fun road trip...

 

 

Nisqually Wildlife Reserve Adventure!

Nisqually Wildlife Reserve-
The Nisqually River Delta, a biologically rich and diverse area at the southern end of Puget Sound, supports a variety of habitats.  Here, the freshwater of the Nisqually River combines with the saltwater of Puget Sound to form an estuary rich in nutrients and detritus.  These nutrients support a web of sea life - the benefits of which extend throughout Puget Sound and beyond.


  

We started the field trip with one of the men in the group sharing a wonderful testimony about the LORD! Next we all took turns reading information about the reserve, reading the topic and giving a short report. Although my children (even the older ones!) do not prefer public speaking, they all did a great job summarizing their topic and presenting the information to the group. Mr. and Mrs. R. gave us a scavenger hunt list which kept the children looking for items and observing their surroundings throughout the walk.

Ashley points everyone to a very tiny creature..

What are mama and Laura looking at?

Oh look! A tiny tree frog! Can you spot it?

These beautiful rose hips give a hint to just how beautiful this area is during the late spring when all of the wild roses are in bloom...

We set off on the 1 mile walk around the reserve. It was so enjoyable to walk through the lovely leaves, which were dry and fun to kick and throw. Since our fall has been unusually warm and dry the leaves are sticking around longer than usual.

 

The walkway to the Reparian Forest Lookout.. in this area there is vegetation which can handle living near both salt and fresh water.. and can handle the diverse environment, including both drought-like conditions as well as thriving also in water when the area is flooded by either the fresh water river being high or during extra high tides where the sound mixes with the fresh water..

Special Friends..

 

We all thought this was a funny warning!.. it kinda became the joke of the day.

While viewing the water from the lookout, we saw an otter, lots of salmon, a red winged black bird and a blue heron.

 



 

We enjoyed looking at the Twin Brown Farm Barns, built in the 1930's back when the reserve had been habitated by a family who had diked off the water and farmed the area. The reserve since has been reverted back to it's natural state with the dikes being removed.

 

 

 

 

The walk ended near this marsh where the Canadian geese were hanging out. It was such a fun, albeit COLD day! We enjoyed our time with our friends. They always make outings so much fun. Their adventurous attitude and love of God's creation has inspired us to go on more outings this year. Thanks you guys for inviting us to join your 'Creation Adventure Team' ! It is such a great ministry.

We look forward to the next adventure!