What a week...and it's only Wednesday!

Wow...where do I start? I guess I'll start with the first day of the week. Sunday, as I was feeling this immense feeling of hope from the Lord little did I know I was already under siege. My parents own a farm in Missouri. It's been their dream to own a farm as long as I can remember. After my little sister passed away they moved up to the land my dad and grandpa used to hunt on when my dad was growing up. They have since built up a farm with horses, cattle, crops, and my dad still manages to do consulting work in the cooling tower industry. On Sunday, as my mom and dad were riding their horses my dad started to fall off the horse and then the horse bucked him off the other side. He landed on his head, shoulder, and hip. He broke his clavicle in two places, broke five ribs, broke his pelvis bone in two places. Ouch-it makes me whince just thinking about it! My mother called me on Sunday night and again Monday morning to let me know how he was doing. I am trying not to worry about my mom because I know God has her. But it's very hard not wanting to rush up there with family in tow and help her on the farm. She is getting up at 3am and not hitting the bed til 11pm because she has to feed all the critters (dogs, cats, horses, and cattle) and clean up after them all as well, and still go to the hospital to comfort and support my dad. And now my mom finds out my dad is going to transferred to an orthopedic rehabilitation hospital that is still a two hour drive from their home. And he needs to be there for two weeks. How is she doing this? God alone!! I still wish I was there to help her out and it's really bothering me.

Then on Tuesday Annaliese had her two month well visit. She is doing great!! But (yes of course there is a but) her pupils are two different sizes and could mean many things (neurological issues, craniosynostosis-like Trinity had as an infant, or maybe just physiological). Either way we have been referred to a pediatric eye specialist and won't know anything for sure until the end of August. I'm not looking forward to this because I don't like to see my babies poked and prodded at as physicians try to figure out what God already knows. I'm scared and trying not to be...it's hard.

We also saw this week we will no longer be able to pay our mortgage payment as of August. We have gotten christian counsel from a non-profit mortgage counselor and been advised to call them when September comes and the mortgage company sends us financial information because we are unable to pay. I have always paid my bills on-time and in full so this is very very difficult for me. I feel like such a loser, dead-beat, etc. But I have no choice. Craig has not been able to find any work.

Then today Craig was getting ready to go grocery shopping for us and he called the 800# on our card, just in case (which he never does), to check on the balance of our food stamps (which is $41) and found out our card had not received our benefits for July AND they canceled our account!! They don't even know why...we were supposed to get more benefits because we have a baby now. We do not have money to get groceries... we need every penny to go toward utilities and necessities (diapers, toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, dog food) that we can't live without. We have to wait for our case worker to call us back and let us know what happened and when we can have the money on the account to get our food for the week. I guess there is always my birthday money I was saving for clothes and haircut I need. I mean we have to eat!

Lord help us stay strong in our faith!