Doing Battle, Week 17

I don't mean for this to be the Pollyanna version of this week, but I honestly can't remember the hard parts very well, and really there weren't many. They are nearly eclipsed by the answered prayer and blessings that abounded.

This week had so many things going for it.

Bullets, shall we?

• It was treatment #7, which means just ONE more left. That means we are counting days. DAYS! Not unknown months, not all-too-familiar weeks, but just days.
• Since its January, our insurance deductible started over. Through many incredibly generous donations, I was able to pay the $2100 to get treatment without worry. Hard to imagine, but they will not treat without upfront payment.
• My wonderful nurse persevered and we found a combination of anti-nausea medicine that works decently, that I'm not allergic to and that doesn't cost $160 per pill. I had many sick hours, but not many days and I did not get sick while sitting in treatment!
• Shaun was "around", meaning he hasn't started tax season in ernest yet. That's about to change, but it sure has been amazing to have him available. 
• It was my birthday week and I felt especially special.
• I mentally braced myself for the worse, to take into account the "cumulative effect", and was prepared ahead of time with scripture to do battle in my head.

For the second-to-last treatment it really was remarkable! I always had some degree of energy and climbed stairs without forethought. You'd think we'd have this down to a science by now, but it seems there are different variables each time, making it an adventure to figure out how to manage each day.

To be clear, I believe that everyday, whether I'm sick or feeling well, have energy or not, am "feeling" blessed or not, that God is working everything for my good.

This is my amazing nurse, Sharon. She's been with me since #2 and I've gotten world-class care. She is attentive, compassionate, experienced, smart, diligent and so warm. Really, all the nurses have been great but Sharon has been super special.

 And my rock star siblings joined me. As the oldest, I should have been more protective and not let them into the cancer center scene, but I'm forever grateful they were there.

Shaun thought it'd be fun to take a picture of how I spent the afternoon of my 40th birthday. Sleep is a welcome respite from the nausea.

 This was my "birthday cake"...perfect!!

I want to thank you for hanging in there with us. People around this country (and in Germany! :) are praying for us and prayers are being answered! I feel so supported and loved and like I'm being carried through this.

I'm learning how to graciously receive and even how to ask for help. I really don't like doing either, but from my vantage point, its been a beautiful thing to watch community come together. My heart is full!

Project 365, Week 3

It was a bit of an ecclectic week, with some hard but many blessings. Here it is in pictures:

January 11

Amanda cooked pancakes for the family, all on her own (with Avery trying to insert herself here and there)

January 12
It was a treatment day and a (botched) snowday, so the kids got to have cousin time. They watched Cupcake Wars (which was my girls first time and now Avery's kind of addicted...Mom, can I just watch one??) and then split up into teams and did their own version. No winner declared, but everyone's a winner when you get to eat the results, right?

January 13
After homework we did a movie in bed. Snuggle time makes us all hate the pump less.

 Shaun took the girls to a free throw contest...Avery hit the rim a few times. :)

January 14
The highly anticipated after-pump-removal shower.

January 15
This was maybe my sickest day of the week and also my 40th birthday. Lots of crazy love in this stack of birthday goodness. Crazy love.

January 16
ABC's.

 I've purposely not spent a lot of time teaching writing with Aiden, because I remember the first grade teacher drills it into them...he'll figure it out next year! :)

January 17
My two engineers building cardboard race cars first thing in the morning.

R was at a track meet for 12 hours and it was one of Shaun's last days off from Block so I set aside the day as a family day. We built things, cleaned the girls room, did way too many screens, read books, played games, snuggled, had deep talks, watched a movie. It was soul-renewing.

Christmas Day

This Christmas was like no other in that I was just incredibly thankful to be here for it. My perspective on life and living is forever changed and each day, each holiday, each hug is cherished just a little bit more.

Not knowing how I would be feeling, or who would be sick, we tossed around several different scenarios of how Christmas would happen this year. In the end we decided to host at our house, which is how we've done Christmas for the past 18 years. It was so important to me to keep with tradition and not have something like stupid cancer throw everything off. And while it was here, I really didn't do much in the way of hosting...all the ladies outdid themselves with the food they made and brought and of course, Uncle Lee the bacon master!

And we had a legit Christmas miracle...everyone (except my mom's husband) was present and feeling well. I think its safe to say this has never happened. This year we had 15 adults and 15 children and usually putting all those people together for a couple days creates a germ free-for-all. God is so good to work out those details!

There are entirely too many pictures here (taken by me, Amy and Elizabeth/Tim), but I deemed them all essential for telling the story of the day. You can just do a quick scroll through, or skip them entirely, but I wanted to have them forever.

Many of the cousins slept over and the girls woke up and got right to looking at the tags on presents.

If there are any "stocking rules" in existence, we've definitely broken them. And hanging by the chimney with care? Impossible!

Miss Sadie Lou Who was so fun to have around. Such a good, sweet baby!

Cousins...the only thing any of these kids want for Christmas.

The kids all pick one name and the adults all pick a name.

The adult swap....ALWAYS good for some gut-splitting laughs. Its a secret swap so there is often some clever packaging and tagging.

Some Aunt Bonnie and Amy goodness right there.

And then the ever-popular "talent" show. As you will see, its an "anything goes" kind of event.

With the work of some strong men, the dining room is transformed into a theater, live and unedited.

My dad and Kiki playing the part of Madison and Renna doing a dance.

C4 has mad juggling skills, the glow-in-the-dark balls adding an extra "awe" effect.

All on their own the kids put on a play of the night of Jesus's birth.