Hello, all… a quick update on Eli;-)  We started Interim Maintenance a week ago today which entails chemo every 10 days ending May 6th.  The longer waits between treatments are enjoyed;-)  Eli’s appetite is starting to slowly return.  He’s lost a few pounds due to his complete lack of desire for food- argh!  He has no chunk-a-lunks to spare;(

~Getting finger poked and blood drawn to check his counts~

~Eli opening his gift from Mr & Mrs Carpenter; a FUN monster chain craft! Beaumont also gives the patients various beads for each component of their treatment (i.e. spinal tap, physical therapy, blood draws, chemo, etc.).  The final  pic is of Ms. Kayla passing out his beads.  At the end of treatment, Eli will have several hundred beads at which point we’ve been given some great ideas on how to incorporate them into a life/legacy project;-)  For my crafty friends, I will be begging for your help!  He enjoys picking out the fun beads and putting them into his special bead bag.~

Eli’s port covering was cute last week; the nurses always draw fun, appropriately themed pictures for him;-)  He also had another spinal tap, which doesn’t even phase him.  He was chillin’ on the iPad while waiting to be taken back.  The bottom right pic was his return from the spinal… they always take special care to tuck in whatever favorite stuffed animal was chosen to make the trip with him;-)  It’s the little kindnesses…

We always start at the Oncology Clinic, which is across the street from the main hospital, and on spinal tap days have to head over to the main hospital so I definitely get my steps in on those days!!;-)  After the spinals his little legs are a tad bit wobbly so the pediatric unit has much appreciated wagons to borrow.  We were happy to have Emily join us; she has such a compassionate, care giving heart…. maybe a future nurse??  She likes to dote over Eli on the days she’s able to come with us, which Eli LOVES!

~Heading back to clinic~

Back at clinic the Life Team makes their rounds with ALL kinds of crafts, toys, technological devices, etc.  Basically whatever will make the kids happy.  Last Monday they made ‘I Find’ bags with hair gel and all sorts of crafty items thrown in.  There was glitter and sequins EVERYWHERE!  Emily even talked Ibrahim, an 18 year old patient next to us, into making one- hysterical!  They were all having the time of their lives helping Ibrahim pick his colors;-)

We were fortunate that everyone in our family, as well as extended family, was healthy over Easter so had a fabulous time celebrating Jesus’ Resurrection at my Aunt Marsha’s home.  The weather was beautiful so the cousins were able to play outside in the fresh air!

~Snuggling with Aunt Marsha~

We swayed from our normal ‘follow the crazy yarn maze to your Easter basket’ this year in exchange for specific egg colored scavenger hunts;-)  The kids had mixed reviews as some prefer tradition over new-fangled ideas (LEXIE!!).  Emily added her touch by including Bible related questions that they had to answer in order to move on- loved that part!  Then off to an amazing church service we went!

My favorite pic over the last few weeks… Eli and his cousin, Ashton.  Ashton’s 15 and has the heart of Jesus.  He bleeds compassion.  He holds Eli when he’s just not feeling his best, plays with him, teaches him things, checks in on him and just generally loves him.  He’s patient and kind and funny, and, and, and…..  We’re very fortunate to have him in our family;-)

~Ashton and Eli after Good Friday service~

And last but not least, Eli and Emmy taking a swim break;-)

I’ll close with a sweet creation of Eli’s… makes my heart sing;-)

~Jesus on the cross~

“…just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)

Please join us in continuing to pray over Eli’s health; that the treatment doesn’t damage anything outside of what it’s intended to kill.  THANK YOU;-)

“I will cause all things to ultimately work for your good.” Romans 8:28  Thank you, Hannah;-)

 

 

ALMOST THERE!…

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted on Eli.  Since that time, Eli’s been to clinic three times.  For the past two weeks he’s received all his chemo at home in the form of a daily shot in his thigh as well as a pill he took at bedtime.  This all ended this past Sunday.  Praise the Lord!!  Both were much more difficult on Jody & I than on Eli; his persistence, self control and courage continue to amaze us. God’s gifted us with one strong lil’ boy!  Jody administered the shot like a pro while I gave him his pill in the evening.  It required me using a latex glove to handle the little white pill, which was emotionally, and physically, difficult for me to then hand over to my frail, precious five-year-old to swallow, knowing that it would make him nauseous, vomit, bald and fatigued with no appetite whatsoever;(  Ugh.  With his white blood cells so depleted he also picked up a yucky wet cough that’s hanging on way too long.  Poor kid hasn’t been out of the house much in the last two weeks; he’s feeling a little stir crazy;/

Eli’s treatment’s proven to be a family thing;-)  Each morning he’d ask one of us girls to hold him as well as his legs while Jody gave him his shot.  We all cried while he received his first few shots but other than his first shot, he didn’t cry again!

Top left hand photo’s of Eli getting his finger poked; this is what happens at the beginning of each clinic visit.  This is where they check his blood levels to determine where his body’s at currently.  The top right hand photo’s of Eli getting weighed, which also happens each week as well as his height and all other vitals.  They mix his chemo on the spot at Beaumont based on these numbers; there’s quite a science to it.  Chemo has a very short shelf life in all forms. The bottom pic’s of Em and Eli coloring to chase the time as we wait for his blood levels to come back.  This all takes about an hour and a half from beginning to end.

Eli receives this week and next OFF!  His body’s been hit so hard that they allow these two weeks as time for his body to rest and heal.  Yay!!  On Monday at clinic, his blood levels were borderline for platelet and red blood cell transfusions.  One of his oncologists gave me the option of transfusing Monday am or returning yesterday (Wednesday) to check his counts again.  He didn’t seem very hopeful about his counts increasing but I was!  So I brought him home on Monday and began the process of loading him full of great, healthy things, including lots of prayer, and by the grace of God, his platelets increased enough to bypass all transfusions yesterday!  Woohoo!  His countenance has been improving a little each day this week and there’s been no vomiting so all is good.

I don’t have many pictures to share as these past couple of weeks have been fairly slow for Eli and, frankly, he hasn’t been in much of a mood to have me snapping pics of him all the time.  I was able to catch a sweet smile below though;-)  He was showing us his toy lizard!

Jody was determined to break Eli out of the house last Saturday for some fresh air (aka away from crowds/germs) and activity!  Our local county park offers some great Nature programs that Jody typically takes the kids on dates to so that was where we headed. They were teaching about tapping maple trees for syrup;-) The kids got to experience the ranger drilling into the tree (in the pic below) and sap actually dripping out.  They enjoyed some crafts and some maple syrup themed snacks.  Eli was exhausted after the 2-hour program but seemed to enjoy his time out of the house;-)

And a BIG thank you to our friends, the Menckes;-)  They sent Eli a sweet care package from TN!  And added a therapeutic coloring book for mom too;-)  We love you guys!  Thanks for your prayers for your “cousin” Eli, Donevon and Delaney;-)!! (right hand pic is from a year ago with Delaney loving on Eli!!)

Eli heads back to clinic on March 28th to begin his next phase of treatment but the aggressive phase is essentially done!  So thankful is wasn’t as physically difficult as they were expecting it to be.  He’s looking at two months of receiving chemo every 10 days then in JUNE he’ll go to chemo once per month for the remaining 2 1/2 years!  We’re so close we can taste it!!  THANK YOU for your continued prayers… we know this is why he’s done so well!  We’re asking for prayers for Eli’s appetite to return.  Nothing tastes good to him right now;(  Not even cookies or ice cream!  APPRECIATE you all… your emails, texts, calls and packages bless us constantly;-)

“So we do not lose heart.  Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

 

GOOD GOOD FATHER…

Eli continues to press along in his treatment protocol.  Five weeks down, three to go in this Delayed Intensification phase!  He made counts last week so received a spinal tap, intrathecal (administered into his spine) chemo, a drip bag of chemo, a new chemo shot that Jody administers in his thigh four mornings per week this past week and next and an oral chemo at bedtime for fourteen days.  Needless to say, he’s being hit pretty hard currently… but despite this, he’s actually had some good days this past week!  It’s truly such an answer to prayer!!  Each week we meet complete strangers that know of Eli’s story and acknowledge that they’ve been faithfully praying for him.  It’s so incredible !  Thank you, prayer warriors;-)

Lexie & Eli

Eli’s developed a few mouth sores, inside and out, but they seem to be healing more quickly than last time;-)  His nausea goes from bad to worse but he’s able to push through it during the bad phases and lay low during the worst phases.  The last week’s been, by far, the most volatile for him since beginning treatment.  Some days he’s been down and out, while others he’s felt pretty great!  In fact, on Thursday he was asking to go skiing with the girls during homeschool ski club.  I didn’t think it’d actually happen due to fatigue, nausea, etc but packed his equipment up anyway.  As soon as we got there he was begging to get suited up and out we went…. TWO HOURS later I was begging him to head back into the Lodge to warm up and eat!  After lunch, he wanted to go back out and ended up skiing for another hour and a half!  The exercise and fresh air were absolutely great for him but best of all, it was so fun seeing him enjoy himself!  It was such a great day!!

Click on below picture to see a short video;-)

We took another trip to Mrs. Lafferty for some much needed reflexology.  She’s done wonders detoxing the chemo particles in his feet, which cause intense itching, usually in the evenings.  She had some hot chocolate, pretzels and cheese crackers waiting for Eli, which he shared with Ella the dog.  He also had some fun with the wolf cap;-)

A huge thanks to Logan, Rebekah and Anna Young for their awesome cards to Eli!  In the picture on the left, Eli’s working on a dot-to-dot that Logan sent him and Rebekah included a fun maze (Eli LOVES mazes!) for him;-)  You guys made his day!  He was also able to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa this week:-)  He was able to show off some of his reading skills to Grandma!

And last, but surely not least, is our fav Ms. Lisa!  She’s SUCH a HUGE blessing to our family… she’s loved us with dinner every Monday since Eli’s diagnosis and breakfasts often, she’s always up for a card game, hanging with the kiddos so we can have a night out and just general memory making with lots of laughter 😉  We love you and appreciate you!!!

I have to share my favorite memory of Eli this week…. I was holding him for the final song at church this morning and he was singing Chris Tomlin’s “Good Good Father” with all his heart 😉  It was the sweetest thing I’ve heard all week!  Wish I could’ve taped it and shared with you all;-)

We’re asking for continued prayer over Eli’s body, mind; that he can finish this phase strong and on time. Strength for Jody and I as this past week’s been a little more emotionally difficult.  Thank you!

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

ANOTHER SHORT BREATH…

Wanted to send out a short update on Eli…. his blood counts didn’t make it to receive chemo on Monday, which shocked us because he’s seemed so well the last week.  He’s not even complained much about his stomach bothering him, which is a constant issue for him.  So, we’re in a holding pattern until next Monday when they’ll check his levels again.      It’s bittersweet as it’s GREAT to have another week off but we know treatment will continue as prescribed as soon as his body is strong enough to take it.

Below are a couple pics from the clinic on Monday… he busied himself with an awesome Minion sticker sheet from Mr & Mrs Carpenter and then we raced cars until the final blood results arrived and we were told to head back home!  Woohoo!

 

The past two week have been full of fun stuff since Eli’s endurance’s been so strong, although we have shied away from more public/group events (Awanas, small group at church, etc) since there seems to be LOTS of strong, yucky germs going around out there;-(  He continues to do well with his school work and highly enjoys creating anything and everything with tape (see pic below with cars/planes all taped together!)  I’m now purchasing our tape at Costco in the family hippo size 😉

We’ve been to see Mrs. Lafferty and Ella continues to seek out and love on Eli the entire time we’re there.  It’s sweet!  And we’ve been to see Dr. Bowler, a cranial sacral chiropractor; she’s a huge blessing to our family as well!

 

 

We had the opportunity to make Easter baskets with Mrs. Naseef at Provide, Inc for 70×7 Ministries in Detroit.  We took some friends and had a fab time together!  Eli made about 10 baskets himself;-)  The kids have already asked to go back so we’ll be looking for another serving project soon.

We were able to sneak away to the Keys for a few days this week after we received the news of having another week off… the warmth and sun have been AWESOME, especially for Eli!  He’s been clowning around, running, dancing, swimming and playing!  We’re thankful for this time to have some quality family time… and to all be TOGETHER!

We also toured a sea turtle hospital, which was very fun!  We got to visit their “patients” as well as feed them a little turtle chow;-)

Overall, life is good!  Four weeks to go with his final aggressive treatment and it’s been pretty darn awesome for being so aggressive!  We know it’s due to everyone lifting him in prayer- THANK YOU;-)  Please continue to pray for Eli’s body to strengthen and to handle  his treatment with unexplainably miraculous ease!

“You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.” Pros 19:21

Well, it’s been a couple of weeks since my last blog and life is plugging along;-)  Eli continues his aggressive phase on Mondays, which is taking a toll on his system.  Particularly his stomach as the chemos he’s receiving this round are known for stomach irritation and nausea;/

Last Monday Jody had the privilege of taking Eli to clinic.  They participated in a coloring contest and enjoyed some snacks and games .  They also enjoyed some ‘Man Time’ at the Monster Truck show at Ford Field.  Eli LOVES trucks and although he wasn’t feeling his best and their date had to be cut a little short, he still enjoyed his time with dad.  This phase has definitely taken its toll on Eli more quickly than we anticipated.

A Kids Kicking Cancer donor generously shared their suite at the Fox Theatre with some children going through treatment, and their friends, on Friday.  So Eli was able to enjoy some time with his friend, Curits, and Sesame Street Live!  They gobbled down brunch, ogled over the huge bowl of marshmallows intended for the hot chocolate, felt the vibes of Elmo & friends and were spoiled by Mrs. Brown with a light-up, spinning toy.  For two five-year olds, it doesn’t get much better than that;-)

Eli was also able to get in some ice time now that our temps have finally reached freezing;-)  He was towed around on a sled, played a little hockey with Henry, Emmy and daddy, rode around with Mr. Hughes in his ATV and made snow angels on the ice.  Overall, a pretty great day for getting some fresh air!

Then yesterday arrived… and Eli just wasn’t feeling his best.  He’d had 14 consecutive days of steroids, which REALLY take a toll on his body.  He’s had crazy cravings again but he’s also been extremely nauseous so he basically grazes ALL DAY because his tummy can’t handle eating too much at once.  He’s craving CARBS, CARBS, and more CARBS!!  His weight’s up a little so all’s good;-) His blood levels were pretty darn good at clinic but a low grade fever was hovering.  Due to his central line, they require him to be admitted to the hospital if his temp reaches 100.5.  They just can’t risk his port getting infected, which is understandable.  So he received his chemos at clinic and then they advised us to go get lunch, maybe run an errand or two and come back to check his temp again.  They just didn’t want to de-access his port if he was going to be admitted… so my little munchkin requested honey chicken, with rice, of course, from Pei Wei for lunch. We enjoyed our time together, went back to clinic and they made the decision to de-access and send us home.  Well, his temp continued to rise so we had to head back to the hospital. It’s Tuesday evening and we’re still here.  He’s back down to a low-grade fever and we’re waiting on his swab culture to come back so they can determine if he can be released.  We’re still hopeful for a late night release;-)

Getting a little schoolwork done while we hang out;-)  Thanks, Mr Blake Elle, for the cool camo pjs!!

And last, but certainly not least, Happy Chinese New Year to everyone with a throwback pic of our sweet peas;-)

We’d LOVE, LOVE, LOVE prayers covering Eli’s health right now;-)  Also, that his treatments affect only what needs to be killed and nothing else; for protection over his brain, organs and tissues!  And faith and peace for Jody and I as this phase is taking it’s toll on mom & dad right now too;/   Thanks so much!  We APPRECIATE you!

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1  Love you, Melissa!  Thanks for the encouragement;-)

ONE TOUGH COOKIE…

This 2 1/2 week break’s been glorious and has given us time to rest Eli’s body as well as boost his immunity and just let him be a ‘typical’ child.  We were able to work in a speech assessment and an audiology appointment while on break; he passed both with flying colors (thank you, Mrs. King!)  We were seeing some stuttering, especially in the fall, that had us slightly concerned but they speculated it was chemo induced!  What?!?!

Eli was also able to have some play time with one of his favorite friends, Henry.  And we were able to say goodbye to some other favorites… the future Leader Dog puppies our friends helped to whelp.  The girls and Eli all had their favorites so they prayed blessings over them and gave lots of kisses and hugs.

 

However the time arrived this week for Eli to head into the next eight-week aggressive phase… Delayed Intensification, which is similar to the first four-week Induction phase.  It was a long, rough Monday as he was given three different chemos, had a spinal tap and oral steroids were added back into his treatment.

The nurses always make sure to decorate the tape strips with whatever festivity is around the corner;-)  Eli was super excited to send this particular one to daddy!

Below he’s being prepped for another spinal tap; so far all his spinals have come back beautifully clean and cancer free!  Amen!  Check out all that gorgeous, fuzzy hair growing in!!

After having to fast for 18 1/2 HOURS for his spinal, Eli was ready to eat and asked for…. Papa Joe’s RICE!  He’s not requested this for several months so it was a sweet reminder of his rice laden days;-)  A movie and rice… life is good.

Eli didn’t have any issues with his port being accessed this week but getting de-accessed is painful and therefore long;(  The tape around his port is extremely sticky so he prefers to pull it off himself so he’s in control of it but it hurts as it comes off so it tends to be slow going.  Ms. Anne was so patient and just chatted with him as he worked through his anxiety. We love the pediatric oncology team;-)  They all have such gifts in working with these children!

Coach Craig came to visit and love on Eli!  There were lots of laughs and fun, including the Pie Face game!  Eli wasn’t super crazy about getting whipped cream on his face but he highly enjoyed everyone else getting doused with it!  He also loved Emily stacking chocolate chips on his face; he was pretty confident he could dump them all into his mouth at the same time;-)

Mrs. King, Eli’s speech therapist, has graciously come to our home each week since his diagnosis to work with him.  Eli looks forward to his weekly time with her because she’s super creative and always makes their time together fun;-)  Thank you, Leah!

Emmy and Eli participated in their Awanas Grand Prix Derby… excitement doesn’t even come close to their emotions going into this!  They worked hard with daddy over the last several weeks tweaking their cars to perfection!  Emmy placed 2nd overall- woohoo, Em, but unfortunately, Eli’s car was just too fast, ran off the track and bent a wheel on its first run;/  He was a tad disappointed but then decided he was pleased to just play with his car;-)

We headed back to Mrs. Lafferty’s for another reflexology session.  He’s struggling with intense itching, mostly in the evenings, which is a result of the chemo particles breaking down.  A small dose of Benadryl tends to help ease this but it’s one more frustrating side effect that he has to deal with.  Reflexology is helping to detox those particles, therefore offering him longer times of comfort and peace.  Ella snuggled right up beside him and laid there the entire time!  Mrs. Lafferty says she doesn’t do this for anyone else!  It’s like she knows he just needs a lil’ snuggle from her.

 

And Grandma and Grandpa came down for dinner and games.  Eli was delighted to get some book time in too;-)

Not gonna lie, this week’s been tough;/  We know life’s going to slow down substantially this round.  We could definitely use prayer for strength & endurance to get through this next phase.  Also prayers for Eli’s stomach as the newest chemo is known for being hard on stomaches and Eli already struggles with daily nausea.  His oncology team’s preparing us for all the negatives, and it’s quite the list;(  It’s very hard to see Eli’s system hit so hard again with so many drugs in such a short amount of time.  But we serve a BIG God and Eli’s done extremely well so far so we’re trying to stay focused on that.  Appreciate all you pray warriors- thank you, thank you!!

“In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.” Psalm 138:3  From my rock of a friend, Eaton:-)

 

A BREAK!!!

Eli received his final double dose of chemo, of this phase, last Friday!  Woohoo!  Time continues to fly by.  AND… he gets a 2 1/2 WEEK BREAK!!!!!!  No clinic visits, no “pokes”, no chemo, no spinal taps, nothing, nada for 2 1/2 weeks!  We are, obviously, quite excited about this;-)  It’ll be a great time to continue to rebuild his immune system and get him healthier.  He continues to do well outside of the daily nausea.  His blood levels continue to impress his oncologists, hair is still growing (we actually were able to go see Ms. Shelly again for a haircut!) and no illnesses… Praise God!  It’s been so great to see his inner strength and courage blossom…he has a voice in this and it’s one of contentment, silliness and joy despite the negatives that come with having cancer.  He’s truly a TROOPER! (Sorry, huge gumball in his mouth when I took this picture;-))

Eli’s with Ms. Anne waiting for a finger poke to draw blood to check his levels.  And playing cards with dad while receiving chemo.

We continue to visit the puppies each week.  They are SO CUTE and growing like weeds!!  Eli smothers lil’ Henry with hugs and snuggles each visit, they help Ms. Cobb and Ms. Jessie perform the recommended Leader Dog exercises as well as weigh them, feed them and give them their heart worm meds.  It’s been an amazing opportunity!  Thank you for sharing it with us, Ms. Cobb and Ms. Jessie;-)

 

Eli’s continued participating in the Kids Kicking Cancer program on Tuesday evenings.  They teach the kids great karate skills as well as adding in fun games to work on strength building.  Below Eli’s imitating a walking crab:-)

Today was Eli’s annual Cleft Lip Team checkup at Beaumont.  For those of you that don’t know, Eli was born with a cleft lip, which was repaired by a Chinese Smile Train Doctor when he was six months old.  He’s had no issues whatsoever with his repairs but will more than likely need a surgery or two as he ages as well as extensive orthodontics at some point.  He rotates through 13 specialists on these annual visits as well as a psychologist, nutritionist and speech therapist.  Overall, another great team at Beaumont Hospital!  Eli may be receiving “Patient of the Month” here soon;-)

Here he’s waiting for the team to start coming in…

Here are the pictures Smile Train was able to share with us,  pre- and post-surgery;-)  The Dr did an amazing job!  Couldn’t you just eat him!!!;-)

But with a break comes the next phase which is super aggressive with the introduction of several new chemos;-(… and the steroids return although not at the high dosage as before.  The oncology team is predicting hospitalizations, sicknesses, blood transfusions, fevers, hair loss and all the yucky side effects from the steroids again.  We, however, are claiming health and healing in Jesus’ name!  We’d appreciate if you could pray the same over him;-)  THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!;-)

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.  ~Psalm 23:2-3

I’m thankful for my struggle because without it, I wouldn’t have stumbled across my strength. ~ Unknown

 

 

Happiest of New Years!

Happy 2016!  May this year bring you favor and blessings;-)  Eli continues to do very well.  He is struggling with daily nausea but is, miraculously, managing to keep his weight two pounds above his initial diagnosis weight!  The only positive of the steroids was him packing on a few extra pounds.  Hallelujah as he doesn’t have many chunks to speak of!  He received his second to last treatment last Wednesday for this current phase.  The girls were able to go to clinic again and always add an element of fun and laughter;-)

Eli chose Emily to hold him while his port was accessed this time, which made Em feel special;-)  He was accessed like a champ; amazing that he’s actually “used” to being poked each time.  Not a big deal to him at all anymore;-)  Thankful!

He was accessed, then we were sent over to the Peds floor for his final spinal tap  and intrathecal (into the spine) dose of chemo of this phase, then back to the Peds oncology clinic to receive his second dose of chemo from a drip bag.  Couldn’t resist the close up pic of him sleeping after his procedure… so peaceful and handsome!

He’s a little unsteady on his feet after the spinal taps so the girls gladly taxied him back over to the clinic via Beaumont’s awesome peds wagons!

We were able to hit Lakeland Ice Rink last week so the kids could skate.  Definitely wasn’t Eli’s favorite activity but he negotiated for a hot chocolate at the end…smart boy!  Cute pic of him playing with his new panda building set- woohoo China!

We have a tradition of celebrating New Years Eve with my extended family…games, too much food, a VERY sad football game, sparkling cider at midnight and time with cousins!  Eli made it to 10pm, which is pretty darn good considering!  Plus this mama was good with that seeing as how we’re trying to keep him well rested and healthy!

We continue to be amazed at so many of your messages of extended prayer for Eli and our family… we are SO appreciative!  We have great hope of goodness and sustained healing over this year;-)  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” ~Psalm 90:12

A MERRY LIL’ CHRISTMAS

Eli’s had a busy and blessed Christmas!  He received double chemo on 12/21 and suffered from very few noticeable side effects other than some fatigue and nausea.  The girls were able to attend clinic for the first time and despite my telling them it would be fairly boring, they had the time of their lives keeping Eli occupied!  They played games and read him books, enjoyed snacks and drinks and kept the nurses entertained.  It was a pretty fun morning together;-)

A selfie with nurse Karen;-)

And, of course, Allie’s Angels were there putting on their very own Christmas shopping extravaganza with personal elf assistants.  They escorted the kids to the lobby, which was transformed into a shopping bliss, and encouraged them to pick out something for each of their family members. All gifts were wrapped and tagged beautifully.  It was very sweet;-)

We were able to spend an evening with one of our fav fams… the Browns! We had a fabulous middle eastern dinner in Dearborn followed by a VERY chilly evening at Holiday Nights in Greenfield Village.  We were able to enjoy a model T car ride as well as a horse drawn wagon ride with caroling!

Curtis and Eli LOVED the trains…especially when it dumped candy at them on its way around the corner!  The rest of us loved the train building because it was oh. so. warm.!

Curtis, Eli, Emily & Lexie in front of the chapel at Greenfield Village.

We were fortunate to attend the MSU vs OU basketball game to cheer on our team!!  With an overtime, MSU was able to win 99-93!  Woohoo Sparty!

Curtis and Eli cheering our team on while enjoying MANY snacks and using the popcorn container as a hat at times!

Ms. Lisa joined in our shenanigans from the other side of the court during halftime!  We love her!!

Christmas Eve was spent with Mr. & Mrs. Coe and Ms. Lisa…all VERY special people in our lives.  We were able to enjoy church, a meal and a gift exchange after;-)

Eli has an obsession with nutcrackers…he seriously loves them!  Papa & Gigi graciously bought him one and he was THRILLED;-)

We had an awesome time at Grandma & Grandpa’s yesterday.  The food was fabulous, the company sweet and the games competitive!

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

Hoping your Christmas was filled with love from everyone special in your lives!

 

IMMENSE BLESSINGS

Eli continues to do amazingly well; thank you prayer warriors for covering his every need!!  He received double chemo last Thursday and his blood counts and levels continue to amaze his oncologists;-)  His hair continues to grow against all odds and his energy levels are good.  I continue to work behind the scenes in boosting his immunity and detoxing his little system.  He’s still struggling with some stomach issues which is causing some non-eating at times  but otherwise all is good.

He participated in the Christmas coloring contest at the clinic as well as watched the Minions movie while receiving chemo.  He was in the mood for a ham sandwich with no bread…

Me: “So just ham then Eli?”

Eli: “A ham sandwich, please.”

Me: “But with no bread? So then just ham slices?”

Eli: “A ham sandwich and an iced chai latte, please.”

Of which he demolished the ham, left the bread and shared his iced chai with me;-)  My kinda guy!

We’re staying busy and keeping him focused on life and Christmas right now.  I’ll give a quick run down on Eli’s festivities and honors as of late…

Some dear friends, Rebecca & Jessie, have a mama Leader Dog who recently had puppies and gave Eli the honor of naming the first puppy born.  It was a boy and Eli quickly gave him the name of Henry… in honor of his awesome friend, Henry Keating;-)  Below’s a picture of Ms. Jessie introducing Eli to Henry.  Eli spent an hour in Heaven loving’ on his new lil friend;-)

We were also able to go cheer on our cousin Adrianna while she cheered her school team on!  Awesome job, A!!

We were able to take a family tour of MeadowBrook Hall.  We managed to learn lots of interesting facts about the Dodge/Wilson family during our time there despite Eli;-)…. they gave him a scavenger hunt upon arrival which required him to search for the teddy bears in many of the rooms so that was his main focus!!

We had our annual cookie baking-fest.  Each child gets to pick the cookie of his/her choice to make and Eli chose ‘Melted Snowmen’ this year.  They turned out quite cute and he was very pleased with himself.

We attended Beaumont’s cleft team annual Christmas party (Eli was born with a cleft lip so requires supervision by this team of specialists.  Eventually some surgeries will be required but since he’s been home it’s just been an annual appointment) where the kids had a minute to sit with Santa and Eli told him he wanted “nothing”!  Crack me up;-)  Kids were also able to decorate some cookies, eat LOADS of candy, have their faces painted, although Eli would have none of that nonsense and fun fam pics in the photo booth!  Thank you, Beaumont!!

Four years ago December 5th, we met this amazing lil man who’s changed our lives for the better;-)  He was cuter than a button and melted all of our hearts the minute we laid eyes on him.  He didn’t know what to make of us, especially the two lil white girls smothering him but he took a chance on us and what a R.I.D.E it’s been!  We LOVE you, Elijah James Medford and are so proud to call you our son.  Happy Gotcha Day!!

Each year we celebrate with a cake, a special authentic Chinese gift and a walk through memory lane with a slideshow of his Gotcha Day and our time in China.  He LOVES this, as do we!  As he gets older, it’s awesome to hear the questions he has.  The blanket he’s holding is one my mom made for him; she took it to China with us when we picked him up so it has special memories to him;-)

A huge THANK YOU to Mrs. Munch!  Eli received this extremely special “I Spy’ quilt from some friends of my parents.  She’s a quilter and felt convicted earlier this year to purchase the materials for this quilt without knowing why or to whom it would go to. Late this fall she realized God had placed it on her heart to make this quilt for Eli; a child she’s never met but blessed with such a special keepsake.  Her hope is that it’ll keep him warm this winter during visits to the clinic where we can play ‘I Spy’ with him to pass the time during chemo treatments.  Little did she know while she lovingly sewed this gem together that Eli LOVES anything and everything ‘I Spy’!  God is so good; He cares about every little detail.  Eli couldn’t be more thrilled with this awesome gift!

Some silly pics, of course, with big sis, Lexie;-)

Some Papa time;-)

We took a quick trip to Chicago for some Christmas/winter fun and although it was Christmas-y there was nothing winter-y about it… it was 60 degrees!  Lots of memory making, nonetheless;-)  Instead of ice skating the Ribbon we played at the Maggie Daly park and took selfies at the Bean!

We hit a play, the Christmas Market, our fav French restaurant and the Lincoln Park Zoo for their incredible Christmas Light display, along with the rest of Chicago!  It was packed!!  Eli’s infatuated with Nutcrackers this Christmas so getting his picture with a larger-than-life-sized one was quite the highlight for him!

And last, but certainly not least, a big thank you to Mrs. McWhorter (far right) for running her first marathon and honoring Eli with Mile 6.  She dedicated her marathon to children with cancer and prayed over a specific child each and every mile!  Way to go!  Such an awesome feat;-)

Thank you again for interceding for Eli; he’s truly doing great right now!

“My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” Ps 119:50