Puppy Love.

It's been a very relaxing and refreshing Sunday! This morning we enjoyed some time at home and went to Becky and Mark's for our small group at noon. We ate lunch and enjoyed the company of our newest members, Wayne and Amber, who are expecting a baby in March. Lenny and Tami were at a softball tournament, so we're holding off for Chapter 1 until next time. It was a great few hours of good food and great fellowship, with Hayden providing some musical entertainment with Becky's pots and pans! This evening we're going to church at 6 o'clock, and are looking forward to seeing everyone after missing last week!

Our newest addition is still taking some getting used to, but i'm finally to the point that I don't feel bad putting her in "time-out" in her little doggie house after she does her business in the house ... it's getting easier to tell when she's needing a trip outside, so the number of accidents has gone down significantly ... I wish they came house-trained! :)



I've got some great pictures of Hayden and Abby playing yesterday, but they're on the camera that's in Hayden's room, and he's napping ... so I'll add them later! He's got a bit of a fever and has since yesterday. We're blaming it on his teething, because there are several new ones that are coming in, but it could be anything.

Love to All!
KK

Happy 1st Birthday, Hayden!

On August 26, 2003 we welcomed a precious gift from God into our family, Hayden Thomas Kinnan ... one year and many, many diapers later we celebrated his 1st Birthday! We spent a quiet day at home ... Hayden played with his new toys and even shared them with Abby :), and then enjoyed his first ever encounter with chocolate cake. Mommy made it with white and red frosting to look like a baseball.




Hayden had his favorite, macaroni and cheese with cinnamon apples for his birthday meal, and showed off how well he feeds himself!



The Real Life Church members have been so amazing this week ... and have taken turns bringing meals over this week.

The Menu:

Monday the Schlegel's brought chicken kabobs, made-from-scratch biscuits (yum!), corn, and COCONUT CREAM PIE!

Tuesday the Norris' made spaghetti with the most delicious sauce in the world with chocolate-candy cookies.

Wednesday the McFall's brought ham with scalloped potatoes and chocolate-chip cookies.

Last night the Zvonik's brought KFC extra-crispy chicken and all the "fixins" and we had a great evening of food and laughs. Alli, their little girl is two, and is so adorable. Hayden loves to play with her ... when he can keep up!

Tonight the Neely's are coming over with dinner and a movie :), and tomorrow the Butcher's and Botter's are. We are so thankful for the love and support from our close-knit church family, and are honored and grateful that God has put these giving and selfless people in our lives. They truly extend His arms of love in so many thoughtful ways!

David is starting to get cabin-fever, and we went for a long drive yesterday just to get out of the house. Heather and Jeff gave us a Blockbuster gift card, and we've been using it all week ... and will probably make a trip there today. The pain has decreased, but obviously there is a lot of discomfort ... but he is really doing remarkably well ... his patience and willingness to rest even though he doesn't want to his much greater than mine would be ... and he'll heal much faster! :)

School is going well ... but busy. This is my last semester on campus, and on May 11th I'll graduate from college after only 5 years and way too much money spent. I have four reaction papers due on Monday on reading that I am finally beginning to read. It's so great to be back in class, even if it's just two days a week. I'm excited to be studying what I came to college for, not just gen ed blah blah blah. :)

We love you all and are so thankful for your prayers and support. We are receiving patience and strength that can only be explained by God's power.

We know about these things because God has sent his Spirit to tell us, and his Spirit searches out and shows us all of God's deepest secrets. 1 Corinthians 2:10

"While we read the Word, its message saturates our hearts, whether we are conscious of what is happening or not. The Word with all its mysterious power touches our lives and gives us its power. - Billy Graham

Blessings to You!
KK

Guestbook

A lot of times, when I'm viewing a website that I frequent a lot...I go to certain pages and only look at certain parts.

We just wanted to point out our newest addition on our sidebar: a guestbook that we'd like for you to sign!

Any questions? Just make a comment or e-mail us. Thanks and we love you all!

5 Days/4 Nights...all inclusive!

Where have we been?

At 2 pm (CST) on Friday, I was admitted into Mercy Regional Health Center (i.e. the hospital). Diagnosis: DK's going under the knife! I will spare the graphic details of what the doctor did, but the general problem was that the MRI showed that I'd torn part of my calf muscle which then caused some internal bleeding to go on for awhile in my leg...that's not a good thing. So...surgery was scheduled to remedy my problem.

As we all know...doctors have to keep their tee times on the weekends...and much to my dismay they were unable to finish the surgery on Friday. SO...the 5 Days/4 Nights all inclusive stay was not in a luxury resort with sandy white beaches and a low roar of crashing waves against the shore. I was in a bed...loaded up with morphine...waiting till Monday for the completion of my surgery.

After-surgery cast
I'm home now...got home Tuesday at 10 am (CST). The anesthesia and morphine is still making its way out of my system (not fun). I have a bottle of narcotic drugs...am I the only one that things that's unsafe for me? I've only taken one...and no...I don't plan to sell what I don't use.

That's the reason for our absence.

Now...for better stories...

We offically have a new addition to our family: Abby!






Once we've got our feet back on the ground, we'll have more and better pictures.

Without obligation, I must close this blog by saying my wife is incredible. Here is what she has been managing over the past week:

1. 1 year old baby boy
2. First week back in classes
3. Husband in the hospital
4. Planning and then cancelling Hayden's 1st B-day party which would have brought 25-30 to people to our home. (Daddy is having a hard time with this one...we are re-scheduling)
5. A ten-week old puppy

Seriously...I dare anyone to try all that. Katy is an incredible woman with a heart that will take me years to understand. She is so generous...I love her more now than ever before.

Healing,
DK

Sonograms and MRI's

The swelling has continued which prompted a phone call to the Doc early this morning. He ordered me to visit the orthopedic specialist across town. His diagnosis: a torn muscle...AND...possible continual bleeding from that injury...thus, swelling...lots of swelling. Once this new guy was done with me...he sent me to the hospital to get a sonogram of my leg. The purpose of this test was to look for blood clots. I got over to the hospital and they ushered me into this room with two women sitting at large, torture-like machines. One woman commands me to drop my pants and get on the bed. At this point I'm experiencing two emotions: fear that I will never leave this room and shyness now that my pants are down in front of two women I don't even know. SO, I drop my pants and hop on the table so I can allow this woman to probe all up and down my leg. Just about 15 seconds after she begins (remember, I'm a bit fearful that I have a blood clot which we all know isn't good) she screams out, "OH MY GOODNESS!" I immediately, using my hasteful voice to say, "WHAT! WHAT!". Her response..."I need to fill up my gas tank before Pat uses my car!" Now, my face is displaying an "Are you serious?" look. I kindly asked her to keep any further outbursts to a minimum while we search my body for life-ending blood clots. She obliged.

Well, the sonogram was finally complete and no blood clots seemed to be visible. They released me back to the orthopedic's office. Once I returned, I was told an MRI will take my afternoon tomorrow...2 hours of being completely still! Is this possible?



I'm at home now...resting...keeping my leg elevated...wondering if I'm bleeding internally. If this is my last post...ever...remember this: There are no bad people...there's just people who haven't been loved yet.

New Topic:
Katy started classes today. I now know why her tuition went up...you should see the size of her syllabi!

We finish the bedroom this evening...actually...Katy will finish with the 2nd coat because I'll be elevating and icing.

OH...Katy visited the dentist the other day (Monday)...to be tested for TMJ. She's got it. She's gonna get braces which doesn't excite her that much, but she's happy to have a possible cure/solution for her jaw. Braces: $4000, Test to be told you need braces: $300, Analysis of tests: $300, Sedation Dentistry: Priceless.

Countdown:
Mommy & Daddy pick up Hayden's present - 2 days
Hayden's B-day Party - 3 days
Hayden's actual B-day - 8 days

Possible diagnosis

It just got too painful...I woke up this morning with an intense pain running through my left leg. The swelling has not decreased one bit! I got into the Doc around 11 am...he diagnosed me with a possible tear in my middle calf muscle. His concern was the swelling. They took X-Rays...which was fun (the little boy in me thinks casts are cool). There wasn't any bone damage...no cast. The Doc told me to go home, elevate my leg and ice it down for the rest of of the day. If the swelling is at the same level tomorrow morning, I'm supposed to call in and possibly meet with a surgeon. This does not excite me. I was also told that physical therapy is invevitable. For those of you who know, p.t. is not the most enjoyable experience one can have in life.

That's the leg update.

Tonight, we had our weekly Launch Team meeting. We discussed possible "Engaging Activities" that our church can be a part of. The question, "What can we do that no other church is doing?" was posed for us to ponder. Lots of good discussion...we're forming ideas of how we can introduce someone to the church. Christ is a perfect example...he was a wedding planner...a story teller...a chef...what would he do today? What can we do to engage God's people in everday, real life? Fun question, isn't it?

-DK

Softball + DK = Injury

We had a great time last Thursday when Uncle Pete came to visit! He helped us trim some things in our work-in-progress backyard, and lended me some of his arm strength to carry some heavy stones. Hayden enjoyed showing him some cool tricks on the XBox, too! We're painting the master bedroom and bath, which is making the yard work much more pleasant, because we absolutely detest painting! Ahhh!

On Friday afternoon, we headed to Hutchinson for the state softball tournament with the Westview team. Grandpa and Grandma Kerby came to visit and watch Hayden for the weekend ... my first night without Hayden since he was born ... scary! It was a great weekend of fun and fellowship with the first game on Friday night at 9pm and a busy day of games on Saturday. We stayed at the Harvest Wesleyan Church's parsonage, which was so generous of them to offer to us! I could ramble on about everything else BUT softball, but I'll try my best and let David add on to whatever I missed. I do know that they were 2-4 ... but played so well at their first ever tournament as a team! They're actually a compilation of two Westview teams, so they did well considering the circumstances. I'm not just saying this because he's my all-star, but David played so well ... and hit the ball like a pro ... and did a great job at 1st base!

By the end of Saturday after 5 games in the south-central Kansas heat :), there were many injuries and a tired group of guys (and wives!). David was among the most serious of the wounded ... he got hurt in the 4th game and his stubbornness helped him tough it out through the remaining two games, much to my dismay! We think his right calf muscle has a bruise, so it's deep and definitely uncomfortable, and he's got a great new strut. If it's not any better in the next few days, he WILL be going to see the doctor. :)

David's addition:
I learned 3 things at our softball tournament this weekend:

1. Mennonites know how to play softball.
They handed us a defeat after 3 innings...yes...only 3 innings were played because they hit enough homeruns and triples to get to 15-0 by the end of the third inning. It's the first softball game I have ever played where I only batted once.

2. I'm not 17 years old and invincible.
Perhaps it's due to being out-of-shape, but my body hurts SOOOOOOOO bad! In our 4th game, I hit the ball and took 3 steps towards first...and all of a sudden a pain that I have only felt a few times developed in my left calf. My calf is so swollen and I walk like Egor. We played a total of 5 games just on Saturday...if we'd won more...we would've played 7 or 8!

3. I don't care if I'm not 17.
I've already committed to another tournament two weeks from now and our fall softball league starts in 3 weeks. Pain? Who cares!







After an exciting and tiring day of softball, we came home to a quiet and very clean house (thanks mom and dad) ... and they had even done all kinds of work in the backyard, and Hayden was sleeping soundly. I survived my first night away from our little guy! Yipee! If I have anything to do with it, I probably won't be having another one anytime soon, but at least I know I can do it!

Tonight we had a phenomenal service at Real Life Church ... most of the time was focused on prayer, and you could truly feel God's presence. We are so thankful that God has called us to this place with these people and at this time ... His perfection is just that ... extraordinary and divine.

Tomorrow morning (Monday) I go to the dentist for tests ... hopefully they will figure out what to do about my TMJ ... I can't stand it anymore! Please pray for wisdom for Dr. Wisdom (catchy last name for a denist, huh!?), and for courage for me!

FROM EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING YOU ARE GOD. Psalm 90:2
"Almighty God, to know you are unchanging gives me peace in a frighteningly changing world." Billy Graham

Have a Blessed Week!
We Love You!
Katy

Science Experiment

The thoughts in my head say:
If a person so desires, each day of their life could be a repeat of the previous 24 hours. Roll this around in your mind. What did you do differently today that you didn't do yesterday? I have to admit that it's easy for me to dig out a trench of custom and habit for my weeks and months. I have set meetings on Tuesdays @ 6:30 pm, Thursdays @ Noon and 6 pm, Fridays @ 6 am, Sundays @ Noon and 6 pm. Mondays usually bring a softball game. Wednesdays and Fridays are family nights...are you seeing what some would call a routine? It's so easy to only "attend" these meetings. I want to engage.

From now on, in my science experiment that most call "life", I am choosing to reach into the chemical cabinent to select a different reactionary agent to provide some cool "bubbles" and explosions for my days. Spontaneous trips...fun letters and gifts for Katy and Hayden...Games...less TV...less computer...more face-to-face interaction with friends and complete strangers. Being so comfortable has actually exhausted me. Strange though, huh?

As for current news:
We have found our puppy! What puppy? To shorten the story, over two years ago, I got a pure-bred golden retriever...great dog! This spring, "Roy Williams, Jr." was stolen from our backyard.




I'm not ashamed to admit that both Katy and I had a difficult time with this...tears had to be wiped away from both of our faces.

A time has come to add to the Kinnan family...meaning...a new puppy. August 26th is Hayden's very first birthday...so...mommy and daddy's present is a puppy.

Wanna know what kind? I'm not telling. You'll see a picture eventually...

My softball tournament is this weekend...we play tomorrow night @ 9pm. This is serious stuff now, folks. It's time to prove my manhood! It's time to represent God by hitting homeruns and turning double-plays! Whatever.

Reaching for new chemicals to add,
DK

The Calm After the (thunder) Storm.

We had quite the weekend, and would love to share it with you! On Friday, David and Ben went to Colbert Hills (rated one of the top 100 courses in the nation, #1 in Kansas) to golf ... and got on for 18 holes for free (fully equipped with GPS to know he was 183 yards from the snack bar), compliments of Aaron, one of their youth at Westview that is working at the course while on summer break from Oklahoma Wesleyan. It was a great time of relaxation for David ... especially because of the "free" part! :)

On Saturday morning Hayden and I left for my folks house, leaving David and giving him some quiet to prepare for his sermon on Sunday. The Kuckelman's, my aunt Jo Ellen, uncle Mike, and cousins Sara, Jacob, and Matthew live in London and left Sunday for home after a month-long visit, so there was a dinner/celebration in their honor. It was held at "Jerry's Again" the restaraunt Mike's sister and brother-in-law own in Atchison, that is named in honor of their parents' now-retired restaraunt, "Jerry's". It was a great time of food and fun and family ... and we slept well after the long evening. We'll add more pictures soon ... I need to gather them all from others who had cameras there.




Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Hayden has graduated to the big boy car seat! While we were at Grandma and Grandpa Kerby's for the weekend, they gave us an early birthday gift ... and we used it right away! Hayden looks so much more comfortable (he was getting too tall for the little car seat) and definitely appreciates the view better ... the back window would get pretty boring after looking at it for almost a year! We're excited about trips now that our little guy is seeing where we're going ... he's much more excited to be in the car now!



David preached his first sermon as Assistant Pastor on Sunday in our new temporary facility at Flint Hills Christian School! Two blessings! There were 13 adults for the service and five children ... the service was so touching ... i have found a true benefit of the early days of church planting, and that is the intimacy that grows among the launch team group ... we have become so close, so open, so vulnerable to one another, and I believe God is using this time to reveal Him self in so many ways, especially to me through the genuine and loving hearts of the other team members. The musical worship time was amazing ... it's not often you can sing a hymn at church and hear the voices of nearly everyone around you. It was so simple, but so spirit-filled. I felt so many emotions as Real Life Church became so "real" to me ... we had prayer time and communion ... and David spoke. His sermon was more of a sermonette or devotional not only because of the size of the group, but also because it is more conducive to others sharing their thoughts during the time ... asking questions, offering their views on scripture, etc. It's a great thing that I cherish now, because it may not be the same setting as we grow in number.



David spoke on the stories of Adam & Eve and of Job ... similar stories in that they lost everything they had, but for for very different reasons. Using John 15, David focused on Jesus' parable with God as the farmer, Christ as the vine, and we as the branches ... and the difference between being disciplined and being pruned. It was such a wonderful message ... and very relevant in our lives as Christians, and as launch team members!

As soon as we left the service a thunderstorm arrived ... and stayed for awhile. The winds were terrible, but we got some much needed rain. It was a sunny and beautiful day, today! Shine, Jesus, Shine!

We Love You!
Katy

Web-design

I spent the last several hours developing our church web-site. My eyes are blurring as I type this.

Give us a visit: www.realifechurch.info

It's still being "worked on"...so don't critique it too much.

This Week

Yes, it's true. We haven't blogged since last Saturday. Why, you ask? It wasn't for lack of want or even lack of goings on to talk about. Actually, we have no excuse, but I will hopefully catch everyone up on our week at the Kinnan house!

First, the most exciting for these new parents who find it hard not to live and breathe for each new "trick" Hayden does ... he has started clapping. Not just when he's happy, though ... he claps ALL the time, and has quite the rhythm! He's also standing up on his own, not holding on to the couch, or us, or anything ... many times to clap ... it's hard to believe that he's less than a month away from turning a year old! Time flies when you're having fun!

Sunday I was a bit under the weather, so David took on many different roles, including nurse and sole diaper-changer. He was so amazing and it was nice to be able to rest and know that everything was taken care of. What a perfect husband God has blessed me with! :)

Monday morning our Children's Ministry had a meeting at Jena's and it was so great to outline some guidelines and policies, as we look to and plan for Real Life Church's January launch date. Every time we meet for anything to do with Real Life Church, I sense God's presence ... I fully believe and and so thankful for His perfection in ordaining this time and these people to serve. God is so good! David had a softball game Monday night, but they had to forfeit because they didn't have enough guys. They did get to scrimmage, though, which gave them good practice for their tournament in Hutchinson which is NEXT weekend, not this weekend like we had thought. That would have been a long drive just to wait a week. Ha.

Tuesday afternoon we VOTED in the primary election! We were so proud of ourselves ... we had researched and learned about the different candidates and were so excited to be a part of such an important tradition and civic duty! We hope you all voted, too! November 2nd is coming fast! Tuesday evening we had our launch team meeting at the Emig's beautiful new home just outside of Wamego. We welcomed a new member, Becky, and had a great meeting! More good news to report ... we have found a place that we will be able to consistently meet in until our launch date in January ... the Christian school between Manhattan and Wamego is renting two buildings to Real Life Church for much less than we had budgeted, which is a huge answer to prayer! The meeting was followed by some ice cream cake to celebrate Megan Emig's birthday ... Hayden got a taste test ... and his diapers have not yet gone back to normal. Yuck.

Tonight we are going to Becky and Mark's for dinner and planning for our Bible Study this Sunday afternoon. David and Mark are leading a study on "Raising Godly Children" for our young parents small group through Westview. It will be a great time of fun with our great friends ... plus, Becky is an awesome chef! :)

For a follow-up on Saturday's news ... the heat and lack of mulch the yard-work is at a stand still. Mark is bringing mulch over in the next few days, and my brother Pete will be down within the next few weeks to choppy-chop with the chainsaw. He's so nice to help us! As for the war on the fat, Hayden and I have been walking in the mornings ... nice, long stroller rides do wanders for our little guy ... and David and I have been spending lots of time with our newfound friend, the Gazelle. We'll keep you updated on our progress. We gave up soda a few weeks ago, and although I thought life wouldn't be as sweet without it, I am doing alright. I'm a nut.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
"You are to take His message everywhere, telling the whole world what you have seen and heard." Acts 22:15

We are called to follow Christ onto our streets and into our neighborhoods. The outward journey, that journey which takes us beyond our own small world to the world in need, is the inevitable outworking of a genuine inward journey. They cross points in two directions - toward God and toward my neighbors. Billy Graham

May God use you to share His love in a special way today.
We Love You!
Katy