Update

I realized yesterday as I was thinking about what to post on here that I don't have much to update about other than just updating on everyday life. Life has been pretty uneventful lately. After a couple very not normal years, it feels really good to be able to say that things are going along pretty smoothly right now with not much to report :).

So I am just going to do an overall update of life here :).

Jacob is doing really well. He has done great in school this year and it has been a joy to watch him grow in so many ways! The other day he asked Jim which he likes better, the Old Testament or the New Testament. He starts really neat conversations and he knows what he believes and enjoys talking about it. A while back we had our old neighbor over for dinner and at the table he was asking her so many thoughtful questions about how she was doing and specific things that he remembered about her life. It was like having another adult at the table. I just smiled inside as I listened to him.

He still loves little legos and his creativity in building them is pretty amazing to me. Below are some pics of his recent creations.

Abbey continues to feel great. There are times when we look at her and feel like she's a totally different kid since being off treatment. You can tell that she just feels so much better, having all of the medication out of her system. If you look in the pictures you will see that it looks like she has bangs. Since stopping treatment, a ton of new hair is coming in. The last several months of treatment her hair started

thinning again from them upping the dose of her chemos, but we didn't realize how much hair she had lost again till it started coming back. I never take for granted her beautiful blonde hair :).

Of all the kids she has had the hardest adjustment with our move. She has had a hard time falling asleep in her room by herself and she's having some

fears with being alone in the house. We went from a tiny bungalow to a much bigger space. We were used to living on top of each other where now we have much more room. Wonderful, but also an adjustment. She has been through so much and has accepted all that she's been through with such grace. Since the first day of her diagnosis we have been amazed at how well she has handled all that she's gone through so we know with time and patience on our part that this too shall pass. We have seen improvement since we've been here, but still working with her everyday on trusting God with her fears and anxieties over this.

We are starting to prepare her for kindergarten in the fall, which will be a huge adjustment (mostly for me :). She's excited and I'm nervous. We know she's ready... don't know if I am.

She goes back to clinic the middle of this month and we feel confident that her blood with continue to look good. I'm ready to go back and get her checked. I haven't had any major concerns, but four weeks feels like a long time to go without her being looked at so the reassurance that things look good will be much needed.

Micah seems to be getting so much older quickly. He used to seem more like Caleb's age, but these past few months he is playing more with the big kids and keeping up with all they are doing. He loves balls and sports and I can't wait to get him outside more so he can run and throw and expel some of his energy. He plays hard all day and sleeps like a log at night. The second his head hits the pillow he is out!

And Caleb is growing so fast! Almost 18 months already! Hard to believe that he's hardly a baby anymore. He loves to snuggle and you rarely see him without his favorite blankie. When I'm washing/drying it, he stands by the washer/dryer and watches it till it's done :). His smile melts our hearts and at times I wish I could freeze him right now because it's going too fast.

And as far as Jim and I.... we are both doing well. Jim is staying busy with work. He has been picking up overtime whenever it comes his way which makes for some long days, but we are more than thankful for his job. He has some projects that he's itching to do once the weather gets nicer, the biggest one being putting a deck on the back of our house. He is hoping to do it with his dad when his parents are here in May.

He's always got a few things going around the house and we've done a lot to make it our own over the past 7 months that we've been here (isn't it crazy that it's already been 7 months?!). Below are a couple before and after pictures of our dining room. We really like how everything is coming together :).

And as for me, I just got a job that will be starting in June :). I will be nannying a little girl in our home 5 days a week and I'm super excited! In the fall Jacob and Abbey will both be in school. Once we moved into our new home and new community we were planning on possibly switching to the public school district, but we really love the Christian school that Jacob is in and have recently decided that if at all possible we would really like to send all of our children through the school (it's k-6). So, by me taking on this new job, it will help in our desire to have the kids at a Christian school. And, starting the end of August I would have had only Micah and Caleb home (which of course I am used to a house full of kids) so we thought this would be a wonderful way to supplement our income while me still being able to be home with our children doing what we normally do. We really feel like God laid this opportunity in my lap and we feel that the little girl that I will be watching will be a perfect addition to our days :). God's continual provision for our family has been amazing to us!

And I wanted to end by telling you about 2 of our very favorite children's books that we love and use often. Abbey and I are reading "Sammy and His Shepherd" for the second time around. The book leads us through Psalm 23, one verse at a time while sharing a story about a sheep named Sammy and the perfect care that he is given from his shepherd. At the end of each chapter there are questions to discuss, which point us to our Shepherds great love and care for us.

And probably my most favorite children's book since we've had our kids.... The Jesus Storybook Bible. We've had this book since 2007 and for as many times as we've read it, it never gets old. I guess that's why the Bible is the living word! Every time we read it we learn something new and God speaks to us in a different way. Every story ties in Jesus and shows how He is the center of God's whole plan. If you have small children or grandchildren, I really encourage you to get it. And if you don't get a chance to do devotions somedays, you will do them while reading this to your kids :)! Let me know what you think!