Catch up post #3 - A Visit with the Marawi and Hohl Family

I am very happy to report that we had a chance to visit our friends, Ayisha and Adam, recently. We haven't seen them in WAY too long and a lot has happened since then. Let me summarize briefly so you can understand how very important this trip was.

Over the summer, Ayisha had a seizure. She had never had one before so, as you can imagine, this was a pretty scary experience. Shortly thereafter, she discovered that she has a brain tumor and was scheduled for surgery. In the span of a week, she had two brain surgeries. It was a scary and difficult week - especially since she was away from her children the whole time, including Isaac, the baby she had given birth to a few weeks beforehand. I can selfishly say it was a very scary week here in Illinois, so I can't imagine how they were feeling in North Carolina!

Since the surgery, Ayisha, Adam, Lilla, and Isaac have all been doing really well. They are making plans to move closer to family in Columbus, OH and have shifted their lives to be healthier. There is even talk of Ayisha's parents moving back to the states part-time from Syria! The Marawi Hohls are eating a "less meat" (not meat-less) diet, being more physically active, and enjoying more time with people they love. I am so proud of all of their efforts... and I think they are good models of how we might all like to live our lives - with less waiting and more DOING of the things we want to do! I know we have certainly been inspired by all that they are doing to live out their priorities.

So back to our visit. Now that you've gotten the background, you can probably imagine that this was an important trip since we haven't seen the Marawi and Hohl family since Isaac was born and Ayisha's tumor was discovered. We SO enjoyed our time together! We didn't get to spend enough time, but we took advantage of every moment, playing with the kids, visiting a fun market in Columbus, and just hanging out. I can't wait until they move to Columbus so we can be closer to one-another!

Shortly before we left for home, we attempted a photo shoot with the kids. The pictures didn't work out quite as we had planned, but we had fun doing it! The photo above to the right is the best one we had. The one to the left is my favorite of the bunch. The picture says it all! Nothing like the top of one kid's head, tears from another, and a devilish look from the third to really create an unforgettable pose! Despite the photo, the three of them really did have fun together. We even helped to teach Isaac to crawl :)

If you'd like to learn more about Ayisha's post-brain tumor adventures, check out her blog: http://www.braintumormama.blogspot.com

For more pictures from our trip, click the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/laura.wilmarth/AyishaAdamDec09?authkey=Gv1sRgCOby2b6NwszS4AE