We are grateful for another
year that was spent undergoing surgeries and treatment, embarking on a family
cruise to Mexico, transferring onto long-term disability, giving a fireside (jtrainride.blogspot.com),
celebrating Jordan’s 35th birthday, taking a trip to Michigan, and Jacob baptizing
Ellie. We’re grateful for the Savior, who was with us through it all.
Lauren (9)- Participated in chorus,
made honors, read a million words, played volleyball, started the violin, and
shows great compassion on hard days.
Ellie (8)- moved up in piano,
went to BYU soccer camp, traveled with Jake to Nebraska for a football trip,
recently had a birthday, and is aware of everyone’s needs.
Ada (6)- started piano
lessons, graduated pre-school, started kindergarten, played her first season of
soccer, made many crafts, and is the peacemaker in our home.
Thomas (2)- voicing his opinions,
friendly to people he meets, loves to eat, started going to nursery, loves Daniel
Tiger, Elmo, balls, and trucks, and makes us smile every day.
December was a great month around here. We are starting the stage where our kids have holiday events and activities and it makes for a good dose of Christmas spirit.
We started out the month going to see Lauren's school chorus sing at the mall. They had their official concert the following week and we loved seeing her sing up on stage. Ellie got to go on a field trip to see the Snow Queen and enjoyed that play and time with her friends from school.
The following week Jake and I took Lauren and Ellie to the Phoenix Symphony production of Handel's Messiah. Jake and I have gone almost every year, but it was the girls first time attending. They did really well and absorbed the spirit of that wonderful music.
The next night Jake and I were invited to attend the Cardinals game with his boss Howard and his wife Vicki. It was a great night and an amazing game with a last minute win and we loved spending the evening with them.
The girls also played in a piano recital and had two Christmas songs to play in front of a packed audience of doting parents and grandparents. We love their piano teacher and are so grateful for the way she's helped them progress on the piano. I had a lovely book club meeting where my sweet friends shared wonderful Christmas gifts with each other.
Our ward Christmas party was later that week and we loved the luau theme and the delicious meal. The kids got to sing in the program and sit on Santa's lap. Tommy did much better than we were anticipating and it was fun to see him overcome his Santa fear.
Lauren had a strings concert last week and it was fun to see her playing the violin. Ada had a kindergarten concert and was so darling singing up on the stage with all of her little friends. Even Thomas took his turn up on the stage.
Last weekend Jake took a day trip to Las Vegas to watch BYU's bowl game with members of his family and mine. It was a sad ending, but a fun day for him. That night I took the girls to our traditional viewing of the Nutcracker ballet. It was fun to have a girls night out with them and see them enjoy that fun production.
Last Sunday we hosted our traditional cookie party with friends from church. As usual, I forgot to take a picture, but it was a fun night with a good spread of treats.
This week was fun and started out with the kids getting to have a morning play date with Ada's kindergarten teacher while Jake and I attended Star Wars with some generous friends. We went out to dinner the next night with good friends and loved driving around Moon Valley and looking at some amazing lights with them.
Phoenix really does lights well and all month we've spent many nights
driving around and appreciating beautiful Christmas lights together.
We've seen yards filled with blow up figures, houses completely covered
in lights, a string of 11 homes flashing their lights along with music
on a radio station, and a live animal nativity complete with real
animals, hot cider and a fire pit. Looking at lights is one of our
favorite family traditions.
We are grateful for the people in our lives who made this month extra special. We rejoice in the birth of the Savior and are grateful to know that Jesus is the reason for the season.
As there has been increased traffic on the blog, I wanted to post a status update on Jacob so that you don't have to scroll back for months to get the story.
Currently, Jake is feeling great. He completed a round of chemo at the beginning of the month that was rough, but he rebounded quickly and has had a few good weeks.
His status is stable. This kind of brain cancer never goes into "remission" but rather it is watched every other month through MRI and as long as things stay the same the individual is considered stable.
Jacob's last surgery was at the end of April of 2015, followed by 6 weeks of radiation through May and June. In July he started to wear the Optune tumor treating field device and according to the reports wears it 89% of the time. That means he has the pads on his head and electrode fields active for all but a few hours of each week.
He continues to take an oral chemotherapy pill, Temodor, for 5 days in a row each month. Those pills make him nauseated, tired, and mentally foggy but he has taken more than 15 rounds of the medication and learned some coping strategies.
He is also receiving Avastin infusions once a month that have really helped to alleviate the swelling in his brain. He has tapered down from an infusion every other week to an infusion once a month, and may continue to taper down more.
We met with his neurooncologist on Tuesday. Jake was in a white shirt and tie, as we were headed to the Mesa temple after our visit, and the doctor was so encouraged by his appearance, overall healthiness, and diagnostic measures. She said that seeing him doing well was a wonderful start to her day.
At the same time, as we asked her about treatment options going forward she said that she really doesn't know. Jake has been an unpredictable patient and she, like us, doesn't know what to expect in the future. She said that they will just plan his care from scan to scan which is what they have really been doing all along.
We still have moments of great sorrow because of his disease, but they are few and far between as we've have learned better coping mechanisms, how to live in the present, and how to see the blessings that God gives to us each day. In some ways, it is a much better way to live because we have been able to see God's hand in each day and have come to be personally acquainted with the Savior, Jesus Christ, who is the author of our faith. We are also surrounded by four little people who keep us occupied, focused, and laughing with the childlike joy they bring into our home.
We appreciate each of you who come here inquiring after Jake and sending your prayers, wishes and thoughts for his health. I can't think of a prayer that Jacob offers where he does not thank Heavenly Father for all those who pray for him and asks for God's blessings to be upon each of you. He is there for us ALL.
Last week was emotional, exhilarating, exhausting, energizing, and overwhelming. I arrived to Sunday night feeling burned out and spent. I often get to a point where I am worn very thin, and then take it out on my family members by being short tempered and impatient. I think part that is life with four young kids.
Well, I handed over the bedtime reigns to Jake and took to our room to have a few minutes to pray and communicate with Heavenly Father. That is what I really needed. I am so rarely alone, which is a blessing, but it makes one on one personal communication with heaven hard. I know that we can pray in any situation or in any place, but there are times where personal private prayer is so necessary and hard to come by when you're with little people at all hours of the day.
As I poured out my thoughts Heavenly Father I felt that He was really there and listening. It was so comforting to feel of His love and reassurance and to know that He knew my heart. After I prayed I read some articles from the December Ensign and appreciated the perspective they gave me.
Then I prayed again. This time expressing the new thoughts I was having and more gratitude for the opportunity to communicate with Him. Then I read a few more articles in the Ensign and landed on this one from Elder Christofferson about how to Be at Peace.
I loved his thought of taking time. Time to stop. Time to listen. Time to ponder. Time to sit quietly with that baby in a manger.
Then I prayed again, saying only that I was ready to listen. And then the quiet thought came to my mind that to have better peace, better perspective, better direction from Him I needed to take time to be with him each day. To let Him warm me like a fire in winter.
I felt the truth of this thought and spent a few minutes thinking about how to adjust my routine to make it happen. I then emerged from the room and talked to Jake and the kids about the prompting I felt. And they agreed to help me have that time.
One hour each evening to be alone, to have quiet, to sit with the Lord. I don't know exactly what it will look like each night, but I want to make the effort. Tonight I prayed, wrote in my journal, read a few chapters of scripture and then came to record some of our story, our history, on here.
And I really feel a lot better. More focused. More peaceful. More in tune with the Spirit of the Lord.
I know that Heavenly Father can give us each tailored instruction. Help. Direction. Specific to our needs and desires. I am grateful for His direction to me and for the peaceful voice of the Spirit that I can hear when I tune in to Him.
