Keeping on keeping on!

So much has happened since my last post. Super Bowl party, Snow day fun, precious friends, Dance Party, first music lessons, bike rides, lots and lots of doctor appointments, smiles, and tears. Because there has been so much and I have been really overwhelmed with the back and forth with doctors, meetings with different medical teams, sick kids, and changes to Alex's care plan I have not updated. We are so thankful we can know that even when we aren't doing a great job of updating that you are praying for us. This post will cover snippets of the last several weeks to give you a glimpse of life as it has been.

Laura's Wish Foundation was started by this beautiful young lady, Laura. In 2017 she battled a rare form of cancer. This precious girl now gives back to other children who are going through difficult medical situations. A few weeks ago we were contacted by them through a mutual friend because the organization wanted to gift Alex with an American girl doll of her very own. This gift has provided many hours of fun and so many smiles for Alex already, and all of the brothers and sisters have enjoyed it as well. So many people have loved on us and encouraged Alex and the whole family so much through all of this. Thank you, Laura and Laura's Wish for this gift. If you want to learn more about Laura's story here is the link to her website. https://lauraswish.org/

I hope Alex always knows that she has the absolute bet brothers and sisters. They love hard and love well. These pictures are from her asking them to come to her "Saslon", yes that would be her Salon to have their hair done and get a massage. Paul said it felt more like she was trying to put a hole in his back but mostly they just laughed. Her pride and joy were her ability to get all of their tangles out, whether they liked it or not!! When they said it hurt she told them to stop their whining. At one point she told Ethan that if she can get a blood draw without crying, he should be able to get her hair brushed without crying. She is so silly. Kyle was with Grandparents for the weekend so he missed this party. I don't think his feelings were hurt too terribly much. When we are at the doctor or when we are home and the big kids are gone other places Alex always talks about how much she misses them and can't wait for them to get home.

Alex has been wanting to learn to play the piano but she struggles to sit on the bench or stand at the piano for a whole lesson. LaRue has kept working with her in little bits here and there but they haven't been able to make much progress. Thankful for Mrs. Lou and her love for music and children. She recommended hammer dulcimer because we could put it on the floor and she could play there. If you come to our house now you will likely see Alex swinging in the therapy swing or hammering away on the dulcimer. She is quickly getting the nack of dropping the hammer instead of hitting the strings. The other kids are getting some music lessons also and while Alex gets her lesson it is science and history time with the older kids and Mr. Chuck. They loved asking him all of their questions about weather, the Wild West, and just about any other American History. Such a gift these two are. We had a wonderful time at our first lesson and are looking forward to going again.

Tennessee Snow Day!! Those of you from places where you get real snow will certainly call this a dusting but for us, this was great snow!!! Everyone was excited, the school was canceled, lots of snow play, hot cocoa, and warm fires made it a great day. I have to explain the last two pictures because it broke my heart. Alex had said she wanted to play inside so she did but she would watch the other kids all playing through the window. She got dressed and went to join them but got discouraged because they were pretty far out in the field playing. She didn't come in to ask for help getting out there but we looked out the window and saw her watching them and walk over and sit on the brick. I was a puddle of tears watching her because she has pretty much-done everything and kept up fairly well throughout this process just in her own way. One of the downsides to the medication she is on is that she has low energy and trouble sleeping well. She just didn't think she could get all the way out to them. Another person I am thankful for is my baby sister, Rachel. She saw Alex and saw me breaking down and went outside and carried Alex out to the rest of the kids and helped her play with them. Wow, we are so blessed to be surrounded by so many loved ones who help us carry this.

This was a great evening of family fun! The girls dance studio, Sozo Dance Academy held a Swing Dance Fundraiser for Alex. It was a lot of fun. We had a dance lesson and then snacks and open dance floor. Brent and I used to do a little swing dancing when we were dating so it was fun to re learn and to have the kids learn. Ethan, LaRue, and Kyle all did really well and often since then I have found the kids dancing together in the living room. They found they really enjoy swing dancing. Alex had fun but wanted me to hold her so she could dance with us. We made it work and really enjoyed the evening. https://sozodanceacademy.com/

After all the flooding and snow we finally got some sunshine and we took the opportunity for a bike ride. When we bike the greenway we have to stop at least once at a bridge and watch the water. The water was high and moving quickly. We played a couple of games of pooh sticks, racing sticks from one side of the bridge to the other. Several times someones stick just disappeared and never appeared on the other side of the bridge. Lots of laughs! We found the blue harron nesting tree and watched the huge, beautiful birds come and go for a little while. When Alex had enough we went back home. It was really great to get out and get some sunshine. This was our first greenway bike ride with her new hand peddled bike. Thanks again to everyone who helped us get her bike several months ago.

As you can see it has been a busy couple of weeks. It has certainly had it's ups and downs but there has been a lot of fun involved.