Kids?

Just when you think the kids are gone, a snowman pops up in the middle of the yard!  This of course, is Dawn's creation - you can tell by the hair!  It seems that we all have a little kid inside of us that comes out to play sometimes.

New Years Eve already.  Can you believe that another year has come and gone?  They slip by when we aren't watching then taunt us from our memory banks, teasing that we cannot go back - no reset button, no opportunity to reboot, not even a chance to reload, just some pictures and memories.

But that is okay.  We have today to celebrate and we have a hope in our hearts that says tomorrow holds as much promise as it did yesterday. In some ways, it even holds greater hope because our faith has grown, and with it a confidence that all will turn out for good somehow in the hands of our Creator.  He is good and only allows those things that will bless and/or strengthen us in order to prepare for the road ahead.

Some things we simply cannot know.  Emily is going through a second bout with leukemia and who can say why?  Once again, we traveled to Pittsburgh to see her yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed our visit.  She was joking and talking up a storm.  Other than the fact that she was nauseous and couldn't keep her food down [due to the chemo treatments] she was ready to come home.  In fact, she is scheduled to come home later today just in time for the new year!  She will be home for about a month (maybe two) while they finalize the plans for a donor, then she will return for the toughest part of the treatment - a bone marrow transplant.  The transplant will have her in the hospital/recovery for 4-6 weeks.  We are praying that she will stay strong and that her blood counts will remain in the healthy range so all will go well with the transplant!

We also heard some other great news yesterday concerning Jim.  The tumor they found is isolated and has not spread to any other areas or organs!  They are putting a treatment plan together and are very confident that all will go well.  We will continue praying for him as well because we know that cancer can be very unpredictable, but this is good news indeed!

Mom had a pretty rough day yesterday and was feeling "icky".  That is how she describes how she feels sometimes because she can't put into words what is going on.  Her breathing is good, she is somewhat alert, but simply feels... well, "icky"!

All of that being said, I must say that this has been a fantastic Christmas season with countless blessings! Bringing Will into the family has been a very natural and easy transition, kind of like he has been in the family forever!  We continue to enjoy the time spent with him [and Jackie, too] and find ourselves laughing a lot!  [And not just at Jackie, either!  Haha]  In fact, we have been able to spend a great deal of time with Adam and all of our other family members too, and it has simply been... well, I can't overstate it - it has been a HUGE BLESSING!  It seems like the stars are all in line and the Lord has been filling our little family with His presence and that has brought tremendous peace and satisfaction.

So, another year behind us and one more before us; but that is okay because if it is anything like the others we have seen, let's point our wheels toward tomorrow and press on into another fantastic Great Adventure!