Hello friends and family!

I am so sorry we have been a bit slow on the updates this week. It's been VERY busy and even has had a bit of celebrating with my 30th birthday and our 8-year anniversary on Tuesday! Whew - lots to be thankful for, and Casey and I even got to go out to a nice dinner Wednesday night together. Very special.

The week has been pretty busy as we have been home nursing Kieren to health and so it requires a bit more time and energy. The journey is very slow but we ARE seeing improvements in Kieren's burns which is a HUGE PRAISE! We have gone the the hospital to see doctors and get her burns re-dressed almost daily but were thankful to stay home and have a break today. Yesterday Kieren and I waited for a long time and finally were able to see the main 'professor' and our doctor along with about 10 medical students. They made note of Kieren's improvements - her face is looking healed although red, sensitive, and dry (all which is normal). Her neck is also healing well which means she has the bandages off her head - we can see ALL of her sweet face and hair! It's such a gift to her and us! The doctors still continue to have some concern about some spots of the burn on her chest, as they are healing slower than they would like. They continue to talk about the possibility of skin grafts (where they take a piece of skin from one part of her body and put it on wounds) but will not make a decision until 14-21 days after burn. So we still have time for God to heal our baby and that is our prayer! We truly believe that God is going to heal ALL the parts of the burn so she won't need a graft, and really don't want her to have that extra pain and scars. Please join us in prayer! Kieren's moods have been better and she is obviously feeling better. This morning her and I just ate breakfast, played, and got ready for the day - LIKE NORMAL! She is still in some pain, a bit wobbly, and moves slow, but we are beginning to see more of her smiles and hear her beautiful laughs. It's incredible. Granny Jacoba and I were talking today about how she is noticeably more timid then usual and has a fear that wasn't there before, so we are seeing after-effects of the trauma. Please also pray that God would fully restore her joy and take away this emotional trauma!

Casey and I also slowly returning to normal life, even though we both still feel we are in a sleepy fog. We haven't been getting enough sleep as Kieren has struggled to sleep at night (although last night she slept STRAIGHT THROUGH the night!! Praise!), so we are just tired physically and still worn out emotionally. However, we claim each new step and day and have been really focused on God and supporting each other through this. We are stronger than ever - work that God had been doing in our marriage in the months leading up to this accident and we are seeing the fruit for sure! So also be praying for our recover, also something that will take a while, but we know it will happen. Overall, we are just encouraged by Kieren's progress, and even more, encouraged by our God as He continues to lift us up and give us hope for all that will still happen!

Lots of love,
Sarah