Happy Halloween.

well all it's been a busy end to the month of October! My brother who was diagnosed last year with Acromagela (only 3-4 new cases per million every year) came over the mountains from Spokane to meet with a surgeon specializing in removing pituitary gland tumors. After two plus years of varying symptoms we were happy to have a diagnoses but the treatment options were limited and the medicine route they were planning to take just didn't seem to work out. We were all praying hard and wondering why he wasn't getting any relief and why the red-tape on the meds never seemed to clear up. Once it was made clear that even meds would not be a long-term solution he made the aforementioned trip to Harborview in Seattle to get an evaluation. The surgeon and endo he saw were confident that taking the tumor out was the solution so two weeks later (last Thursday) over the whole family came for the procedure! Friday was the pre-op, my mom was here to to help me watch my niece and nephew and to go back and forth from the hospital if needed. Then we spend the weekend enjoying ourselves just hanging out. Monday Zack and Mishael headed for the hospital with mom not far behind. He was supposed to go into surgery at 10ish but it got pushed back to 1:30. He was done by 3:30 but they didn't get to see him until 8. He came through it with flying colors and returned to our house Tuesday and stayed another 24 hours through Wednesday (Halloween) because they said if anything happened it should in the first 48 hours. Praise God nothing happened! It is CRAZY fast to have gone from twiddling thumbs to having the tumor removed. Mercifully, these tumors are almost always benign and Zack could possibly be cured of Acromagela! It's such a blessing. He will have to come back for a 2 week and 6 week post-op where the cure will be confirmed. Now we are just telling him to rest up! I see God's hand all over it. So extra kids and surgeries made for a whopper of an end of the month but you won't hear me complain. Here are some pics from our trick or treating. The kids had an amazing time with their cousins and our trick or treating with our dear friends the Donothans was bittersweet as they prepare to move to Texas this month. We will miss you guys soooo much but this isn't goodbye! Disneyland 2013! maybe. . .

 lookin good for having your brain roto-ruetered

 Halloween shirts

 "CAR" nee-nee, 'Car"

 I mean seriously. . .

 ognore the ugliness of the left side, admire the adorable ruby fairy

 ARgh??

 Trick or Treat!

 sweetie