January 12

Well we've spent the last month celebrating, enjoying the festivities and eating a lot! At the beginning of the month we celebrated Evelyn's 3rd birthday. 

Birthdays hold a lot of meaning and often reflection of the past year. It's hard to believe how fast this year has flown by; Evelyn has grown up in so many ways. We thank God to be able to celebrate another birthday of one of our girls. To see how much Evelyn has grow despite the challenge of a cancer diagnosis brings tears of joy to our eyes - it could be so much worse; we are so blessed! Evelyn was again on steroids for her birthday but that didn't stop us from celebrating all week long. We had a small pajama party, dinners, presents, cupcakes and tobogganing in our back yard. She was spoiled! 

During the month of December Evelyn has had two colds, including RSV so a lot of snotty noses, coughs, snuggling and napping in our bed. With these colds often come fevers and with fevers often come hospital visits/admissions but we are SO thankful for the tough little girl she is that her body was able to fight these colds by herself and no admission was needed. 
This particular morning she was up at 4:00am with a fever. It was a Thursday so we were planning on going to clinic anyway but there was a snowstorm coming and I thought it was best to get to the hospital before the snow started. Off we went at 5:00am.

Shortly after we arrived Evelyn's fever was gone 

She was checked over and swabbed and they had determined she had RSV, a virus that just needed to run its course with lots of rest and fluids. Her counts were high enough for her dose of chemo so that was given and we were on our way by 9:30am. Once we got home Evelyn curled up on the couch and snoozed for an hour; all the while her fever returned. Thankfully with some Tylenol and more rest the fever never came back. 

Christmas came quick, colds were gone and we were busy! Christmas Eve morning we had another round of chemo at clinic and Steve was able to come with us. It was unusually quiet at clinic so we were able to be done quickly. Evelyn's counts were on the low side so we had to be extra cautious with the upcoming get togethers to keep the germs away from Evelyn and as healthy as possible, especially this time of year. That night the girls opened their gifts from Steve and I and we had a quiet night at home

                                                         Sneaking on the nurses with Kristen, a volunteer.

On Christmas morning we were up early to get ready for our busy day ahead. We decided Christmas was the perfect time to take Evelyn into church for the first time, that way we could go as a family. We loaded her little purse with candy, crayons and paper and she did great! 

The next three nights were filled with family, food, gifts and good times. It was a blessing to be able to celebrate the birth of Christ and being able to teach the girls about it this year. 
Things settled down after Christmas and we had a few quiet days at home before the flu struck our house. Steve and Evelyn managed to escape the bug but Charlotte and I were out of commission for a couple days. 

In the midst of this Evelyn made the transition from crib to big kid bed. We were a little skeptical since she was in the middle of steroids but she has done great and is loving all the extra room :). 
The rest of our holidays were spent quietly at home although Evelyn didn't seem quite like her normal self over the weekend. She hardly ate a thing and she was sleeping a lot - early to bed and late to rise, and usually a  2-3 hour nap in the afternoon - not like her at all! 

We thought maybe she was coming down with the flu or another cold. By Monday, the fourth day, nothing came up and we were a little worried. I called clinic and we were told to come in for blood work and a check up. 

It was a long morning but thankfully everything checked okay and we were sent back home to ride out the last couple days of steroids. 

By Friday steroids had worn off and Evelyn was coming around :).  
As we reflect back on the past year we've gained new friends, noticed beauty in the small things, learned what's really important and have grown intimately in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. We have watched our girls blossom and grow and we thank God every day for the opportunity to love and raise these girls in the fear of His name. We have welcomed this new year with open arms despite the challenges to come - our journey is our story and we can't wait to see what the next year brings. 

Lindsey and Stephen

Psalm 143:8 "Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul."