As Gomer Pyle would say: "Suprise, suprise, suprise!"

As you may well know, a week in the life of a Mitchell family member is not without surprises. Thursday evening found us partying and having a good time. Friday evening found us in the emergency room. The birthday girl was suffering from dehydration due to non-stop vomiting...fun stuff. We tried as best we could to manage things at home, but she couldn't keep anything down. So, we finally made our way to the Temple Scott & White ER at around 1:30 a.m. Our ER doc was actually one we saw quite often during Laura Kate's many hospitalizations, so that was nice. She knew exactly who we were and what LK's history was.

Dr. Saenz postulated that LK either had a stomach virus or was having some residual GI pain from the HSP and the pain presented itself by way of nausea. Anyway, LK got some IV meds and fluid, and it was like she was a whole new critter. She perked right up, literally. She sat up and began chatting with everyone. She felt good and was ready to go home. A few hours and many sips of Gatorade later, we were on our way home. What was Anna doing in the meantime, you might ask. Well, our beloved eldest daughter was a regular night owl. When I woke her up to get her dressed, her little brain clicked on and didn't shut off until we were well on our way home to Waco. I suppose the sleep she got from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. was sufficient to keep her rolling through the night. Our ER room had satellite t.v., so she watched Even Almighty, Enchanted, and some Disney cartoons. Justin and I caught a few precious moments of sleep while we waited. All in all it wasn't too bad.

After we were released, Anna promptly requested breakfast at McDonald's, to which her daddy readily complied. Anna ate her McGriddle and hash browns as she watched her first sunrise after pulling an all-nighter. She handed me her various wrappings, thanked us for breakfast, and fell asleep almost immediately. I think about 9o seconds elapsed between her last word and her first snore. It was pretty amazing. Her pleasant attitude throughout the early morning hours made the whole ordeal so much more bearable.

So, how is Laura Kate now? Well, after about 3 hours of sleep Saturday morning, her engine was revved up and ready to go. Had you never known what had transpired in the 15 hours prior you wouldn't have imagined anything had been out of the ordinary. She wanted to eat, color, jump on the trampoline, anything that kept her brain active and her body moving. She is simply amazing. She was well enough to attend church Sunday morning. Following services, we were treated by the Hedges to lunch at Don Carlos'. It was pretty good. Pretty darn good, actually. I think Justin has decided we'll definitely go back. We had a nice, long nap Sunday afternoon. Then we enjoyed waffles for dinner, followed by a family viewing of The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. By the way, I highly recommend the movie. The songs are awesome. Steve Taylor and the newsboys did a song (Anna quickly identified Peter Furler's voice; I've raised the girl well), and Mike Nawrocki as Mr. Lundt sang a remake of "Rock Lobster" by the B52s called "Rock Monster." Classic Veggie Tales wit and creativity.

What started out a little rocky turned into a really fun and relaxing weekend. I told you God is good.

Here are a couple of pics for your viewing pleasure:

This morning the girls had story time and a "picnic" in Anna's room
This picture was taken in February. The girls were in love with some weeds that sported little purple flowers and picked them by the handfull.
Laura Kate, Anna, and cousin Ayla at Travis and Cori's wedding in March
Laura Kate and Anna get their groove on at the reception

May fun :)

Anna climbs the rock wall at gymnastics. This was taken in June.Laura Kate, almost one month before her illness, watching big sister at gymnastics.
Daddy reads Laura's Star to the girls before bedtime
Two of a kind
Laura Kate's first encounter with curlers. We were getting ready for Melody and Marcel's wedding, which was in September.