Stephen's Heart

Well it is almost here.  I  am doing my best to hold it together, whatever that means, but really I am just a ticking time bombs of emotions.    The past two days I have felt ill just thinking about it.  My stomach is in knots and I am trying my best to hold back the floods of tears I know are building up.  Now just isn't the time.  I want to fully enjoy today with my 4 beautiful children.  I want to be joyful, truly joyful, in this moment.  I am so grateful for each of them.  There will be a time for tears...lots of tears, but I want this last day together to be about what we have, not what we could lose.  Honestly I just praise God that one day there will be no pain, no heart break, and no tears.  As hard as this journey is...this earth is the only "hell" we will know.  One day it will be wiped clean and these "momentary troubles" will be gone FOREVER!
Joe and I need to be at the hospital at 8:15 tomorrow morning for a 4 hour pre-op.  We are opting to stay at a hotel tomorrow night to avoid a longer drive in the car with a baby that is not allowed to eat as well as to avoid the sweet but heart-wrenching goodbyes from his 3 siblings.  They ask so many great questions and shower him with so much love, but I don't think we could handle giving answers Friday morning...I honestly doubt I will be able to speak.  We are hoping to have them down for dinner tomorrow night and let them give him big hugs and kisses then.

Please continue to pray for our brave little hero.  He is so strong and amazing.  Pray that all goes well with pre-op in the morning.  I know it will be a lot for him... tests, lab work, etc.
 
We will try to give an update sometime tomorrow night.

With Much Love,
Kim

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.