tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29904862536827806042011-12-21T07:59:01.280-06:00life.family.photographysummer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-52592192341441211532009-08-29T12:49:00.016-05:002009-09-04T00:42:33.662-05:00

'i know god will not give me anything i can’t handle. i just wish he didn’t trust me so much'-mother teresa I am glad that God doesn’t give up on people as quickly as I do because this one took me a while to get. I could not understand how a God, who is supposed to love Cole more than I do, could let this happen to my sweet little boy. Even mean nasty little boys don't deserve to go legally blind

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-5541468174404341332009-07-27T14:30:00.006-05:002009-07-28T09:30:54.745-05:00

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-5441862905850313182009-06-03T08:04:00.014-05:002009-06-03T11:04:31.576-05:00

the boys were in a wedding this past weekend in indiana. cole was the ring bearer and brent was the officiant.  eli and i got to dress up and join the fun too :)  one of our young life leaders from chicago got married and it was a beautiful wedding.  we also got to see some old friends and introduce eli to some of our chicago family.  cole is doing great even though no sight has returned to his

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-73294406581004552932009-05-08T22:34:00.006-05:002009-05-09T01:54:41.921-05:00

it is amazing how many times a day that i, or someone i am talking to, makes a reference to sight..."hmmmm, let's see"  "look both ways"   "hey, watch it"  "wait and see"  "have you seen my.."  "watch where you're going" "how do i look?"   when things like this stand out to me i write them [brent says i doodle them] in my journal. i love to look back and see [yes, another sight reference] what

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-52376543107764112182009-04-29T12:00:00.004-05:002009-04-29T17:23:14.144-05:00

we arrived back in KC last thursday, tired but glad we made it home in one piece.  cole was excited to get back to school and has been doing pretty well this week.  he still goes through times each day where he keeps his eyes closed saying they aren't adjusted yet....it seems to vary day to day without much consistency on when or why but we are working through it and trying to be patient with one

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-28640896520804782062009-04-18T12:37:00.005-05:002009-04-18T17:57:19.031-05:00

"three times i pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. but he said to me "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore i will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. that is why, for Christ's sake, i delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  for when i am weak,

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-27367000056271753142009-04-14T06:44:00.004-05:002009-04-14T08:13:16.871-05:00

Things have been a bit crazy around our house...but crazy is probably the norm.  We got the call from dr trese in detroit that cole would have an appointment there on wednesday april 15, followed by surgery on friday april 17, followed by another appointment on tuesday april 21.  So last week we made our easter/birthday/road trip plans.  last thursday we had a mini birthday for cole and brent

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-66709073642959378562009-03-31T12:39:00.004-05:002009-03-31T13:26:38.641-05:00

we are going to try dr trese in michigan first.  dr trese has been out of the country but cole's info should be in front of him today.  we are hoping to hear something today or tomorrow on when we will be making the trip to detroit.  if there is just no way that dr trese can see cole in the next 3 weeks we will likely go back to the duke eye center to see the retina specialist there but i will

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-14900294959812440242009-03-24T16:01:00.004-05:002009-03-24T18:50:31.335-05:00

cole and i made our weekly trek to children's mercy today to meet with his eye dr.  today was the first time we've seen him since cole's surgery because he was out of town last week for spring break.  dr cassel said that he had been thinking a lot about cole's situation while he was on vacation and he thinks the best thing for us to do now is to go to detroit michigan to the best pediatric retina

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-9753437671394549952009-03-15T09:27:00.002-05:002009-03-15T16:29:46.440-05:00

i apologize for taking so long to update the blog.  i needed some time to process.  as many of you know, cole had his cataract surgery wednesday march 11.  the surgery was scheduled for 5pm and we arrived at the hospital at 330.  the dr did not end up getting there until 630 and the surgery finally began at 745. it lasted four hours and the dr was visibly frustrated when he finally came to talk

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-14320013734441259452009-03-03T19:52:00.003-06:002009-03-03T20:07:08.839-06:00

we got to schedule cole's surgery today!  it will be wednesday march 11 at 5 pm.  he won't have to miss any school at all because he will be out for spring break :)  they will be removing the cataract, putting in a new lens and removing any remaining debris from the infection.  they will also be able to get a clear look at his retina for the first time since the infection.  if everything goes as

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-34879023386857130242009-02-25T20:13:00.006-06:002009-02-26T23:29:41.158-06:00

the drs have tentatively planned to do cole's cataract surgery on tuesday march 10th.  we will still have to go back next tuesday to make sure though.  doing it that tuesday would be great because then he'd only have to miss one day of school since they are out that thursday and friday and the whole following week for spring break.  we have learned that after the surgery with his new plastic lens

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-34391542762547892682009-02-16T00:08:00.004-06:002009-02-16T01:26:56.887-06:00

cole, eli and I spent the weekend in bartlesville visiting my family...we missed brent but it was nice to get away and catch our breath. cole's eye continues to look better...he keeps it open about half way now and the skin around his eye is back to normal. we will see the dr on tuesday and hopefully the redness and inflammation will be clear and we will be able to set a date for the cataract

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-65959375238093176932009-02-09T15:24:00.011-06:002009-02-09T16:56:01.003-06:00

i love our church [http://www.jacobswellchurch.org/]...God always meets me there and this past sunday was no exception. they played a song during worship that made me cry the ugly cry...i'd never heard it before but its called, "words to build a life on" by mike crawford and his secret siblings. if you click on this blog title it will take you to the site where you can purchase this awesome cd!

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-76875125107630164762009-02-07T13:49:00.003-06:002009-02-07T16:27:02.499-06:00

patient [pey-shuh nt] adj. 1.bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like. patience [pey-shuh ns] noun 1.an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay. 2.quiet, steady perseverance.the dr appointment went well yesterday. cole continues to do very well in his

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-39602765459098930702009-02-04T19:59:00.003-06:002009-02-05T10:01:42.416-06:00

cole is continuing to improve, he is opening his right eye more and more each day. we saw the dr. yesterday and he thinks the infection is all gone out of his inner eye and only the inflammation remains. cole is still not seeing out of his right eye and we will not know why until the inflammation clears up. we will see the dr again on friday morning and we are hopeful that the inflammation will

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-37292255334447209262009-02-02T22:42:00.007-06:002009-02-05T10:01:16.782-06:00

we got to bring cole home today! he did an awesome job this morning and let the dr get a good look in his eye so we didn't have to do an exam under anesthesia! the skin around his eye still looks pretty bad but the infection inside of his eye seems to be clearing up.we will be going a couple more times this week to the dr to make sure everything continues to improve. once everything is healed he

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-77048949773867339732009-02-01T20:29:00.004-06:002009-02-05T10:00:44.058-06:00

here is a pic of coler taken today. as you can see his eye is still pretty red and irritated. he is still not opening it very much. the dr saw him briefly today and said that he thought cole was looking a little bit better. he wants cole to be seen in the opthamology clinic in the morning and if they can't get a good enough look they will do an exam under anesthesia tomorrow afternoon. during the

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-60278092329201989012009-01-31T17:57:00.004-06:002009-02-05T09:59:51.916-06:00

i think my blog will be the easiest way to keep everyone updated on cole so keep checking back here to see how we all are doing. i will explain everything the best i can![background]as most of you know cole was born with glaucoma. he has had several surgeries to get his glaucoma under control. his left eye has two tube-shunt implants that keep his pressures under control however visually he can

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-43755611028582101682009-01-15T23:28:00.000-06:002009-01-15T23:29:08.413-06:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-2501941135488615002009-01-08T17:52:00.017-06:002009-01-11T21:07:39.256-06:00

photos from christmas day

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-54494933780106936062009-01-08T17:18:00.013-06:002009-02-05T10:02:31.779-06:00

these are a few of my favorites from dave and wendy's wedding... ...they are good friends of mine and it was an honor to be a part of their special day!

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-51381722086419086642009-01-08T15:48:00.020-06:002009-02-05T10:03:14.277-06:00

so yes, it's been a while since i've posted so i will try and bring it up to date. september must have flown by because i can not remember anything except for being REALLY pregnant oh and mom come up and we turned a dresser into a changing tale and finished eli's room. in early octoberwe took cole to deanna rose farms..we had a good time:)deanna roseeli's roomi shot my last wedding before the

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-29442464394372674732008-08-21T14:39:00.003-05:002008-08-21T14:46:40.656-05:00

it is so very quiet at my house from 8 to 4. i know all of that will change in a few short weeks though! i wish i could say thay i'm getting lots of things done but really i'm just getting lots of naps in:)

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-71299046066793530742008-07-30T18:01:00.003-05:002008-12-11T09:19:10.267-06:00

on july 24th brent and i celebrated our 9 year anniversary! we've changed so much since then....both inside and out! cole joined the scene in 02 and in october we are expecting our second son, eli!

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-64867819241000600612008-07-30T17:33:00.003-05:002008-12-11T09:19:10.615-06:00

On july 18 we had a surprise birthday party for dad. He is hard to surprise but we pulled it off for his 60th. Mom hosted family and friends and even had it catered so that daddy wouldn't have to cook for his own party! We also had live music from Uncle Kirk's band! A good time was had by all :) This past weekend the Novak's went to Table Rock Lake for vacation...we stayed in the nicest place

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-2557040149180725232008-06-19T20:36:00.002-05:002008-12-11T09:19:10.983-06:00

this is our third and final week at timber wolf lake...a young life camp in michigan. cole especially loves day 4 each week because he gets to dress up in his 50's clothes, fix his hair in a mohawk and dance with all the girls. not to mention the cheeseburgers, fries, chocolate milk shakes, and a carnival. we head to chicago on sunday then home to kc on monday. i'm looking forward to getting

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-19167416798614649112008-06-18T15:31:00.003-05:002008-12-11T09:19:11.386-06:00

here is the latest family photo of the novak's plus three [and a half] taken at callie's wedding.

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-32051132557875320802008-06-18T15:15:00.004-05:002009-02-05T10:04:35.371-06:00

we went to downtown KC for heather and jonathon's engagment shoot. i also have the honor of shooting their wedding in september...hopefully my being 8 months pregnant then won't be a factor!! more photos of these two lovebirds are on my facebook or my site ;)

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-74171140673106389582008-06-14T14:54:00.003-05:002009-02-05T10:04:07.398-06:00

it was so fun shooting callie and sam's wedding may 24th. it's the first wedding i've done in my family so it was fun getting to take pictures of everyone i know and love. brent performed the wedding too so that made it even more special! you can check out more photos @ www.sp-photography.com.

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-14948033174869853692007-12-13T08:44:00.000-06:002008-12-11T09:19:12.461-06:00

Ice...I've never really thought too much about it. I usually try to avoid it.... it can cause all kinds of damage and destruction and no matter how carefully I try and walk on it...at some point I am going to either bruise my rear or pull whatever muscle one uses to do the splits. The ice was beautiful yesterday though and for reasons I did not yet know, I found myself drawn to it.I am reading [

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-72901877262149563222007-12-10T09:22:00.000-06:002008-12-11T09:19:13.125-06:00

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990486253682780604.post-56723390945537934212007-12-10T00:34:00.000-06:002007-12-10T01:07:48.609-06:00

cole went sledding today. part of me wanted to be out there with him but the cold kept me watching from the window. i wonder if my mom watched me playing outside, if she felt bad that i was out there playing all by myself. i never really felt alone because i had such a vivid imagination. i think cole has some of that in him as well...only his imagination is a bit fettered by the logic he

summer phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02470589817568699059noreply@blogger.com0