Another 12 year-old!

It is hard to believe that another one of our kids has reached 12 years, but indeed, Ethan has.

(2001 - 3 months old)

(2008)

(2013)

Ethan is a great kid.  He is a good brother and son.  He enjoys swim team, and loves to play baseball, and despite living in the land of the Red Sox, he still holds true to his love for the Angels.  Ethan is an amazing artist, especially when it comes to drawing dinosaurs.  His attention to detail is impeccable.  It is fun to discuss some of our favorite movies and books with him.

For Ethan's birthday, we got him some baby chicks, which he picked out yesterday. Meet "She-rex (the yellow fluff ball, she is a light brahma), "Mrs. Bean" (the brownish speckled sussex), and "Black Jack" (the black australorp).

Happy birthday Ethan.  We love you!

Life is Good

Thank you all so much for your kind comments, both on the blog, and on Facebook, about my cancer.  My surgery went well, and I am now the proud owner of a 2.5 inch scar on my neck:

It was fun to read the surgeon's report of the surgery (they counted the sponges to make sure all were accounted for before sewing me up, and apparently also transplanted one of my parathyroid glands!), and the pathologist's report (what ended up being an additional cancerous nodule from the left side of my thyroid was termed a "red-brown gelatinous mass", and "the remaining thyroid parenchyma is tan-brown, beefy red & hemogeneous." Love those descriptions!)

Tomorrow I see my endocrinologist to make sure my hormone levels are all in the right ranges, but for now I feel good, my energy levels are rising, and things at home are mostly back to normal.  Thank you all again for all your prayers on my behalf.

In other news, if you follow me on Instagram (wifeoferp), you have seen the quilt I have been working on for Sophie's kindergarten class.  Each year, the teachers ask a parent from each class to make a quilt from squares of fabric that the children have drawn a picture on.  I volunteered to make the quilt for Sophie's class, and this morning I finished the last few inches of binding.

(Sophie's block)

The quilt will be unveiled to the class when they study the letter Q, which is the last letter of the year, so sometime in late May.  I'm really happy with the finished product, especially the border.  When you design a quilt from scratch, there is always the possibility it won't turn out how you were hoping!

Now I have several more quilts that have been waiting for a few years for their binding, so I have made it a priority to get those done before I get start a new project.

What's keeping you busy these days?

It feels good to be loved.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, our family spent the weekend watching the church's semi-annual General Conference.   I felt very uplifted, listening to the messages spoken by the apostles of our church.  They brought messages of hope and peace, and that is exactly what I needed to hear.

Probably most of you who read this blog already know that about a month ago I was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer.  Assuming the cancer hasn't metastasized, which the doctors don't think it has, it ends up being more of an annoyance than anything else.  Unlike most cancers, it is generally cured with a single surgery, and then possibly a follow up of radioactive iodine.

About a week after I was diagnosed, I was given a priesthood blessing by Elliott and our home teacher.  In our church, we believe men who live righteously and make specific covenants with God can be ordained to hold the priesthood, no special divinity school required.  It is one of the things I love about the church, that Elliott has the ability to call the powers of Heaven to heal me, if that is how he feels the Spirit directing him. And he did bless me that I would be cured.  This has given me great peace the last few weeks.

I have also felt a great outpouring of love from friends and family who have shown their support to me by fasting and praying for me.  I never really understood how people could say that they felt the prayers others had offered on their behalf, but now I can.  I really have felt this immense power within me, because of the prayers of others.  To all of you who have prayed for me and for our family, I thank you.  Especially to my sister for organizing an additional fast for me today. I have felt so loved as I have thought of all the prayers ascending to Heaven on my behalf.

Elliott has always said how much I hate to have others go out of their way to help me.  And really, I suppose that is true.  I know that anyone who is helping me is sacrificing their own time and energy, which amongst my friends and family is pretty scarce as it is.  I remember that when I was pregnant with Sophie, I had a visit teaching companion who was constantly bringing us the most wonderful biscuits (one of the only things I could eat without getting sick), and soups, and assorted other foods. I felt so bad that she was bringing us food all the time, because I felt like there was no way I could repay her kindness.  In fact, I started complaining to Elliott because I didn't want her to bring food anymore.  (Gah...  so jerky of me!!)  The other day I was pondering on this, and pondering on the fact that I have had offers from dear friends to help me while I have been dealing with doctor appointments and blood draws, and all the other fun things that happen when one has cancer.  It occurred to me all of a sudden that my visit teaching companion was, in a way, an example of how our lives are with Christ.  There is no way that we can ever repay him for his gift to us of the atonement.  That he redeems us from our sins, and that he heals us in our afflictions, through his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. I will never be able to repay that debt.  And furthermore, he doesn't expect me to repay it.  He asks me to follow Him by serving others, by being kind, by keeping the commandments, but no matter what I will never be perfect, and he doesn't expect me to.  He gave me the gift of the atonement as a gift, knowing that I cannot repay him.

A long way of saying that now, when my friends offer help, I take them up on it as needed.  And when three of my good friends stopped by today with meals, books, washi tape (fun!), and hugs, I welcomed them with open arms, knowing that they did not expect repayment.  That they were just saying, in essence, "we love you."

Thyroid cancer is an annoyance, but I can already say I am grateful for it.  I have been able to feel God's love through my friends and family.  It has strengthened my understanding of the atonement, and my love for Christ.

Tomorrow morning bright and early, Elliott and I will drive to Boston for surgery.  My mom is here, helping run the household while I am in the hospital, and while I am recovering (moms are the best, aren't they?)  I am blessed to have one of the top surgeons in the nation operating on me, but even more I am blessed because of all of you and your love for me.  Thank you.

Just kidding...

...should probably be the title of my last post. I had no idea we were supposed to get so much snow. Spring can't come fast enough!

Spring is coming

Today I am seeing lots of ground, birds, squirrels, and even a few leaf buds. And for that I am grateful. It doesn't look like much, but in a few more weeks, we will be in full color mode.

15 Years

Nov. 1997

Dec. 19, 1997

Dec. 19, 1997

Jan. 2000

Jan. 2000

summer, 2002

Dec. 2003

Dec. 2004 - first Christmas in Indiana

Apr. 2005

Nov. 2006

Dec. 2006

Aug. 2007

Nov. 2007

Nov. 2008

Aug. 2010

Sept. 2010

Dec. 2010

July 2011 - goodbye Indiana

Feb. 2012 - Arizona

Feb. 2012

Pictures cannot even come close to telling the story of our life.  I am so grateful for the joy that has been in my life because of the wonderful man I am married to.  Elliott is an amazing husband and father.  He has enriched my life, and the life of our children, with his patience, gentleness, talents, and love. Through the challenges of our life he has been a steady anchor. I am so grateful to know that through the covenants we have made in the temple, we are married and sealed together not just until death, but through eternity.

Love you, babe.

Ward Christmas Party

Meeting with Santa at our ward Christmas party this evening.

 Andrew: asked for a Red Rider carbon action 200 shot range rifle with a compass 

and a stock and that thing which tells time.   

(I hope you have seen A Christmas Story...  

otherwise you will have no idea what he is asking for!)

 Ethan: asked for a bow and arrow, money, and an iPod touch 

(interestingly, those are also the only things he put on his list for us.)

 Emma: asked for a bow and arrow

 Sophie: asked for a My Little Pony set

Henry:  Probably asked for a Thomas the Tank Engine, 

but he seems to be pondering something here that has Santa a little surprised.

What I'm thinking about this season...

September at a Glance

September was a crazy month for our family.  I won't detail all the issues we have dealt with, but sufficient to say, I am glad most of them are in the past and we can move on with life!

I do want to share a few highlights though:

Some of you may know that Elliott is very into family history.  Through his work on Ancestry.com, he got in touch with a second cousin on his mom's side, who happens to three boys who are the same ages as our kids.  To say the kids hit it off at our initial meeting would be an understatement.  They love hanging out with each other, and always make us plan the next meet up.

This cousin, Laura, and her husband, Chris, are very handy, and last time they were here they begged us to let them help us build the built in bookshelves we were considering for our family room.  Uhm, yes, please! So a couple of weeks ago, when they were in town, the guys got to work.

A few progress pics---

 (family room wall before, looking into the living room)

 (not sure what's so funny...)

(I wasn't there for the first additions, 

as I was at my first Lowe's trip of the day, 

but I'm told they were nervous to put the first screw into the floor.)

 (assembling the shelving units on the deck before bringing them inside)

(installing the final shelf around midnight.)

Elliott and I still have to install the trim work, and sand, paint, and prime.  But I am so excited to have these shelves!

Another highlight this month was when Grandma and Grandpa came to visit!  Tragically, I am not a photographer, so they only pics we have from the trip that actually have my parents in them are on my iphone, which dropped, had the screen shattered, and is with Elliott at work today so he can get me a new(er) one (yay!).  But while my parents were here, we took a day trip to Vermont and visit the King Arthur Flour Company (and may have bought a few things there!), and then visited the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial. 

 (the oblesk is 38.5ft. tall, one foot for every year JS was alive)

 (the boys thought they would be funny for the picture)

 (the girls got the last laugh)

A New Adventure (Or School Begins)

We finally arrived at the first day of school.  The boys left this morning before it was even light out.

They have about an eighth of a mile walk to the bus stop, and unfortunately it was raining buckets when they left.  The worse thing is that the movers lost all of our really nice, large umbrellas, although the boys assure me they wouldn't be caught dead with an umbrella.

Emma left at a more reasonable hour, and the rain had stopped by then.

Emma shares a bus stop at the end of our driveway with a neighbor girl who is just one grade above her.

About 40 minutes later it was finally Sophie's turn.  She didn't seem to be shy or nervous at all about hopping on the bus.  Maybe it helps that our neighbor on the west side is also starting kindergarten.

Now it's just Henry and I. On nice days we will take a walk around the neighborhood, but it was starting to rain again so we came in to have a snack and do some work.

I can't wait to hear how everyone's day went. Hopefully a warm cookie and tall glass of milk will get them sitting in the kitchen long enough for a rundown.