Counting our Blessings

To say it has been an eventful week would be an understatement.   Last Friday night we were enjoying the evening together as a family and taking some pictures of Caleb and Noah outside.  I was looking forward to the first weekend in a LONG time when Kevin would be home all weekend!!!  The boys had had enough picture-taking, so I took them inside to get ready to take baths.  Kevin said he was just going to quickly burn a pile of branches in our yard  that we had accumulated over the last month.  I didn't think twice about it.

The next thing I know, I look outside the kitchen window and see Kevin walking up to the house, soaking wet.  My first thought was that he had fallen in the pond behind our house (I couldn't see him very well).  He told me to call his Mom and Dad (a nurse and retired paramedic) for help because he had been burned.  Thankfully, he had the sense to jump in the pond.  When he told me that, I was thinking he burned his hand.  It wasn't until he got closer to the house and smelled the stench of burned hair and flesh that I knew it was way worse than that.  He had been completely on fire once he lit the pile (he poured gasoline on it first--something he now knows NEVER to do again). 

Kevin's right side of his face, arms, hands, leg, and a foot had all been burned--thankfully all first and second degree.

I should have called an ambulance, but Kevin didn't want me to.  We quickly "googled" first aid for burns and had him jump in a cold shower.  Kevin's mom and dad came over to help.  My parents and little brother and sister were in Zimbabwe for 2 weeks, so normally my dad would be over in an instant (he is a doctor).  We called his partner, though, and he met us at the clinic and took 2 hours of his Friday night to treat Kevin so that he wouldn't have to go to the hospital.  He said he was just about to send him to the burn unit, but knew he would have to wait a while in the ER first since it was a Friday night.

Now, 10 days later Kevin's face looks amazing.  He just looks like he has a really bad sunburn!  Just a few days ago, it was blistering and oozing.  His foot and insides of his upper arms are the worst.  He is still having to go in everyday to get those scrubbed and re-wrapped.  He has been in A LOT of pain these last 10 days.  It will be a while before he is completely healed, but we are SO THANKFUL that it wasn't worse. 

I don't even want to think how drastically our lives could have changed had there not been a pond just two steps away from where he was burning the branches.  It could have been 100 times worse.  He could perhaps not even be here...I am SO THANKFUL for that pond.

Unfortunately the rest of the week didn't get much better.  I had mastitis.  Caleb got sick with a high-fever and sore throat.  Two days later both Noah and Kevin got the same virus Caleb had.  Noah decided he didn't like to sleep at night anymore and started waking up six to eight times at night (when he was sleeping 11 consecutive hours prior).  I don't think I got more than 4 hours of sleep each night for 10 straight days.  It just didn't seem to end. 

But things are looking better today.  Kevin went back to work (hurt foot and all) and everyone is healthy again (so far).  I am hopeful that tonight will be a more restful night. 

We have been so touched by the love and support from family and friends.  We have received prayers, visits, meals, cards, Sonic drinks (for me), offers to babysit, and so much more.  Three sweet friends even cleaned our house for us!  We are so humbled by the love that has been shown to us and the major acts of kindness.  God has truly blessed us with an amazing network of love and support.  THANK YOU!