Kheri update

well little Kheri get her breathing tube out yesterday and is doing better. she is resting more comfortable. Regina can now pick her up and hear her cry. she was not making any sound when she would cry because of the breathing tube. she is breathing on her own, praise God! Now in a couple weeks when she is healed up they will try to feed her from a bottle. lets hope she can feed from a bottle, other wise they will have to give her a g-tube and that means more hospital time for them all. keep praying! thanks everyone-Tricia

Kherington's surgery

baby Kherington had surgery this morning on her tongue. they stitched it down to her lip to keep it from blocking her air way. now after about three weeks of healing in the NICU, they are hoping she will be able to eat from a bottle. the surgery went well and the doctors are very optimistic that she will be able to eat on her own and thrive. thanks for the prayers and thoughts.

health tip #3

Organic fruits and vegetables are by definition grown without the use of pesticides. But some find the expense of organic foods prohibitive. Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories in the Guide to Pesticides, the following twelve foods had the lowest pesticide load when conventionally grown. Consequently, they are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume:

Broccoli
Eggplant
Cabbage
Banana
Kiwi
Asparagus
Sweet peas (frozen)
Mango
Pineapple
Sweet corn (frozen)
Avocado
Onion

What Should You Buy Organic?
Aside from the fact that organic food contains higher levels of vital nutrients, organic foods are also lower in other residues and compounds that are seriously detrimental to your health, such as herbicide- and pesticide residues.
Additionally, the use of pesticides and herbicides in conventional farming practices contaminates groundwater, ruins the soil structure and promotes erosion. They’ve also been linked to the mysterious “colony collapse disorder” that threatens pollinating honeybees around the world. With that in mind, buying or growing as much organic food as possible is not only best for your health, but for the health of the entire planet.
That said, however, certain fruits and vegetables are subjected to far heavier pesticide use than others. And with food prices rising, many are looking for ways to buy the healthiest foods possible at the lowest cost. One such way would be to focus on purchasing certain organic items, while “settling” for others that are conventionally-grown.
This is where the EWG study of pesticide residue on produce really helps.
Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories tested, these 12 fruits and vegetables had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy or grow organic:

Peaches
Apples
Sweet bell peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes (imported)
Pears
Spinach
Potatoes

Conventionally-grown strawberries, in particular, were found to be highly toxic due to a poisonous blend of pesticides in a previous 2007 EU study as well.
But be VERY careful as the list above is for fruits and vegetables. Non-organic meats have far higher concentrations of pesticides than all of the fruits and vegetables. And the highest concentration of pesticides is actually in non-organic butter.
So if you can only buy one organic food item it should be butter. Next priority would be meats and once those are addressed, you will want to focus on the fruit and vegetable list above.
Locally-grown organics are your absolute best bet, but bear in mind that many times buying locally-grown food is your best choice even if it’s grown conventionally, as the environmental impact of shipping organic produce across the globe can cancel out many its benefits. Organic farming standards are also questionable in many parts of the world

Beach trip

well we had a not so good trip to the beach. I have to say it was my least favorite one of the past years. We had crummy weather and a tree fell on our truck and trailer! tree did some major damage to the trailer, so lets hope the claim process doesn't take a year to get the forest service to fix it. not so great, but the kids all had a great time despite the cold and rain. In fact I think my boys loved the big puddles and all the mud, you know boys!

Clay in his jeep

Isabel got her first sand experience

Kherington is Born!

well we have another sweet little girl in our family. all four of us kids have had a girl this year! Kherington is 5lbs 4oz and has lots of dark hair. she is only 16.75 inches. her physical challenges have yet to be determined by the doctors, but we do know she has a cleft pallet (you can't it see from the outside) and is having trouble breathing. she is not downs or dwarfed but there may be other complications. please pray for her breathing and eating. also that God will help her and Regina through each day. she is just beautiful and Regina is looking forward holding her soon, as she had not been able to yet. thanks for your prayers in advance-

Regina

Please be praying for my sister and her family. she is going into have her baby tonight. she has a high risk pregnancy and has been told the baby has dwarfism. it's has been a very unfamiliar road to travel for them and they need your prayers. she has three wonderful boys that are all miracles and we are all praying for another miracle with this baby. Regina is physically and emotionally at the end of herself, so lets lift her up to the Lord! thanks-

six months!

I can't believe it but Isabel is six months old! we have been so busy it feels like she has only been a part of our family for a short time. she is such a happy and silly baby. she laughs at us whenever we play with her. so is a very content baby and is really keeping an eye on her brothers. she is just starting to really get niosy when she wants to. here are a couple pictures of her playing yesterday. Love you Isabel my baby girl!



happy day

talking

Making noise

she loves her binky