Medical Mission to Honduras

Both big and little Dr. Fahy recently returned from a week in Sula, Honduras, serving as part of a medical mission team with Evagelistic International Ministries.

The country is a mix of natural beauty and extreme poverty. The patients we cared for were very appreciative of the medical care they received.

Here are some glimpses of our experience:

Patients come to be seen and have their surgery on the very day that they are first seen (literally, "same day" surgery). They wait for hours on empty stomachs for remedies to ailments that they have lived with for months to years.

Although many aspects of care have been modernized, some of the equipment is outdated and in disrepair. In addition, the working up of patients and the layout are much different than in the U.S. There is much less privacy than we are used to in our medical facilities.

Harrison enjoyed working with other students (Kate, David, Allison, and Kristina).

Harper finds a home....

We got a new puppy!

  

But first things first.  Please pray for sweet Emily.  On 1/23/09 Emily will be undergoing a procedure in Birmingham to close a small, persistent blood vessel that usually closes at birth.  The problem is called a PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus), and the procedure involves running a small catheter up through the artery in her leg to the problem vessel and then closing it with a very small coil.

So please join us in prayer for an effective, uncomplicated procedure with a quick recovery.  We love Emily so much.  She has been entrusted to us by The Lord, and we want only His best for her! 

This past weekend we added Harper to our family.  He is a sweet little Golden-Doodle, and he has already grafted into our organized chaos.

Our dear friends from Norfolk Virginia, The McCormicks, flew in and got their new puppy, Scout.  He's a Schnoodle.  The two of them played so well together.  Parting is such sweet sorrow...

This is a picture of Christine before her trip to the psychiatrist....

Christmas and New Years with Emily!!!

Just like most of you, Christmas at our home is an incredibly joyous and busy time!!  We were especially joyful this season with the addition of sweet Emily to our Christmas and New Years celebrations.

Emily was as excited as can be on Christmas morning.  We celebrated the birth of our Savior and Lord with gift giving, feasting, and a birthday cake for Jesus later that day.  Although the events of the day may have been a bit confusing for Emily, she was full of excitement, and she has really come to love blowing out birthday candles.

After Christmas, we packed up and traveled to Naples, Florida to visit "Nan" and "Papa George".  We had a great time visiting with Nan at her place on Gulf Shore Boulevard.  We went to the beach during the day, swam in the pool, and returned to the beach on New Year's Eve to watch the fireworks.

The girls loved staying in hotels during our travels, while the boys enjoyed staying at their Papa George's home in Huntington Lakes.  We celebrated Papa George's 76th birthday, and, once again, Emily enjoyed blowing out the candles....

Another very fun part of our trip was the day at The Naples Waterpark. Everyone had a great time swimming in the many pools and going down the various waterslides!!  Emily loves to swim and relax in sun.  Needless to say, her late grandmother "Mimi" would be very proud!

Traveling, Visiting, Thanksgiving, and Skiing!!

Life continues to be quite busy.  What a great trip to Virginia for Thanksgiving!!  It was great to see so many friends and relatives.  Here is a random assortment of the many pictures that captured our fun trip....

Breakfast with cousins.  Emily met Hunter and Owen for the first time!

A day in Mamont Park with the Carrolls...

P. F. Changs--yum--no MSG please.....

Someone in this picture just turned 44....

Hopefully hair curling doesn't become a part of Harrison's daily grooming routine....

H&H had so much fun together...

Uncle Dave cookin' up his famous breakfast sandwiches.... Can anyone recommend a good cardiologist?

Brett Favre has nothin' on Mary Kate Hester.....

Cousins together again...

Coloring cousins...

So good to see Aunt Kass who met Emily for the first time!

What a crew!  Who feeds all these kids?!

Lots of snow on Snowshoe Mountain!!

This image gives new meaning to the term "frozen smile".

Enjoying a beautiful Fall weekend.....

We enjoyed a beautiful, crisp Fall day today!  Dad got the camera out, and the pictures tell the rest of the story.....

Mei Mei goes to Boston

Caroline recently flew with her Daddy to Boston to visit friends and relatives. They had an awesome time visiting with everyone!

While away, Daddy and Caroline were missed by all, and Emily especially missed her big sister.

Below is a video of Caroline taking off with all the excitement and a few second thoughts once up in the air.....

Finally...We Post Some New Pictures and An Update....

We, the backslidden bloggers (lol), have received some hate mail...please don't hate us because we are not faithfully updating like we promised (and hoped). I don't have any good excuse for not blogging! I want to be able to cover the  last 3 months and that just isn't possible. So, I will post some pictures from the past months and strive to do better!

We have been amazed by how well Emily is fitting into our crazy family. She has a very spunky personality and she lights up a room with her smile. Each of her siblings have become new and fun playmates (each with their own special flair). We are witnessing Emily "mothering" her babies and showing them tender love. Her attachment to us is growing with each passing day. All of our prayers are being answered regarding her bonding.  Thank you Lord.  We have visited our share of physicians since our return from China. It looks like Emily will undergo a cardiovascular procedure (closure of a patent ductus arteriosis) done in the cath lab sometime in the beginning of the year. Next week we will see a pediatric hand specialist at UAB for an evaluation. We are so thankful that we can provide her with great medical care in this country.

We do have 5 other children that deserve some equal "air time." It has been a busy fall with 4 of them playing soccer, and Conner playing football. Our days have been spent on the soccer field, and in the bleachers cheering them all on. Even though at times it has been hectic, I love the opportunity to watch them all be challenged through athletics.  It is a joy to sit on the sidelines and be their number one cheerleader.

School has been busy as well. We are so thankful that God provided a wonderful teacher, Miss Alice, to help me home school the boys this year.  Alice is so understanding of "life happening" in the midst of "doing school".  Emily enjoys sitting at the school table for bible reading and prayer each morning.  She puts her hands together when she hears the word pray!  Caroline is loving her K4 class. She is working hard writing all of her letters and beginning to blend sounds. 

We have had several guests come and visit this fall. We so appreciate everyone who has stood with us through our adoption journey...we are so blessed!

Hopefully the updates will be more frequent...sit back and enjoy the pictorial update!!  Below are a few more snapshots of our gang....