Our Valentine's Baby

 

Hey, Jude! (You will need to get used to that song...you are bound to hear it often!) 

 

Welcome sweet baby...first to our hearts...and now to our arms.

 

From the moment when we first heard that you were on the way...

 

...through the magical moment when we saw your first picture...

Right to the moment when you arrived on the scene...to your mommy's waiting arms...and through Eternity... we love you Jude Steven Patient


Love you Tons & Bunches...and Always! ~ Grammy

MILESTONE MARKER: More Than Enough

The moment we have waited for has finally arrived. From across the miles we see this shot of Blake, our hero, ringing the bell that declares to a world around him that the battle is over. 

It is finished!

 

 

A  new chapter of life begins today.

 

The smiles on their faces speak volumes. This war that has been raging within Blake has come to an end. The final round of chemo has been administered and our little hero now walks into his new day. There will be new battles to face...new foes to conquer.

 

 

And for today...this feeling of elation is more than enough. 

If it were possible for all of the people who have been involved in Blake's journey to gather in this exact place and be together at this exact moment in time...the space could not contain us.

And for today...this precious gathering of friends is more than enough.

 

If every nurse, every doctor, every technician, every medical team member who played any role in Blake's care in his journey to this moment could have made their presence known in this exact moment...we would be astonished at just how many gave their time, energy, talents and care so that one little boy could have the hope of a healthy tomorrow.

 

And for today...this cirlce of care is more than enough.

We may never know the name of every researcher wo put in countless hours of study, every donor who provided resources to make the dream a reality, every patient who participated in the countless elective medical studies of Wilm's Tumor cancer care, every expert who defined a diagnosis, or team member who designed a protocol, every individual who held the responsibility to make the impossibly difficult moments bearable, or every unseen Angel that stood watch...and still stands watch today.

And for today...to carry each one in our hearts is more than enough. 

 

 

 

Our hearts are full to overflowing at the thought of so many who have given so much to make this exact moment of smiles possible.

 

God is forever faithful!

 

And that delcaration of our God is always more than enough.



   UPDATE: May 15, 2012 | Christina Bowling Patient
Blake Update: Packing up for Blake's final 4 night hospital stay!!! After this we'll have two weeks off, then three more chemo infusions. We are all getting excited! Pray for
1. Continued protection of his body from the effects of chemo and
2. Perfectly clear and cancer free scans. Not sure when those next scans will be scheduled yet.
.... .... ..... ..... ....

November 14, 2011 now seems a lifetime ago and a blink away all at the same time.  Some seasons of life are like that. While life flows along with the same measured moments for us all, some news makes time stand still and hearts skip beats....a phone call, a doctor's somber face, a PICU room with your grandson's name on the door, the sound of beeps and buzzes interrupting his briefest moments of sleep...a parent's whispered prayer for a 3 year old boy who is fighting harder than we can imagine...seeing the smile come back to that sweet little face...watching cars incessantly and not minding one bit...seeing tentative steps once again become running strides down a hospital hallway...to see medical teams who love your children so much that they work through the tears (his and their own) and never...never...never give up.

And then a day like today arrives when we are far closer to the end of the protocol than we are to the beginning.  We are close enough that we can almost hear the ringing of that final bell!...and finding it hard to believe the fullness of the past 6 months. Now realizing those months didn't pass in clumps, but in moments ~ one breath at a time...and more often than not strings of moments when we couldn't catch our breath at all.

To see the complete embracing of our "children" now doing heroic measures beyond what they ever thought possible ... as they spend nights on end in a Children's Hospital...and encourage the "little boy" playfulness to shine, and giggle and really live in each moment...doing whatever it takes to make sure that in every moment faith, grace, hope and love shine from their words, their gentleness and never fail to see the miracle that rose from the ashes of the news of November 14.

So while today is the eve of another challenging chapter in the story...it's also a realization of a fearless, relentless love of a family that believes for the best and sees the streams of light...even in the darkest moments.

I am so proud of the super heroes in my life: Steven, Christina...and BLAKE ...unceasing prayers, unfailing love...tons and bunches ~ and always...

Happy Birthday Steven

Dear Steven,

I have started to write this HAPPY BIRTHDAY note to you dozens of times.  I have pondered the wording in the early morning hours, mentally written sentences on the drives to and from work and fallen asleep reformatting in my head.  But somehow nothing seemed to quite hit the mark. The reality that you are turning 30 isn’t quite as shocking to me as is the reality that I am no longer 30 J

Where do I start…and where do I end?  How do I put down in words the fullness that is in my heart and my life because of you?

It’s challenging to remember life without you because you have always been a part of my heart.  I love that God answered the cry of my heart with such a precious you!  From the first moments of knowing that you were on your way, life has never been the same. 

You are the firstborn we had prayed for and you brought with you the fulfillment of “family”. 
With you came many things:
…the blessing of experiencing the sweetness of having a baby in the house ~it’s true, a baby changes everything.
...the joy of watching you grow, learn and take on the responsibilities of being the big brother to Danny and Billy.
…the delights of moving through childhood…the introduction to little league, homeschooling, competitive sports, driving lessons, and Bible Quiz.
…the pride of watching you mature into a fine young man with a heart for God.
…the tug on our hearts as you left home to follow the call on your heart.
…the realization that you were in the exact right place as you soared with every new adventure and fell in love with your Christina.
…the honor of walking through the planning of your engagement, proposal, and wedding.
…the enlarging of our hearts and our family with a new branch to our family tree, and a new generation arrived with the birth of your precious Blake…our warrior hero.  Our family story continues with a beautiful chapter that is unfolding daily with paragraphs about…Steven:  Son, brother, husband, father, pastor and friend. 

The days that have led up to today have been many.  The lessons you have learned have been powerful. You have dealt with success and failure with equal amounts of strength and character.  You have been humble in victory and gracious in defeat…and every day you bring the party with you. 

I love that I am the mother of three sons.  I love that you are my firstborn.  I love the lessons of life that you taught me along the way.  I love not only the person that you are, but also the person that I am today because you are in my life.

I could write and re-write this note to you, and never be completely satisfied with the end result because there simply are not words big enough to tell you what a treasure you are to my heart.

So…Happy Birthday, Steven….I love you tons and bunches...and always J ~ Mom

God is Faithful

o       April 13, 2012 | Blake Update from Christina:  We are slowly weaning Blake off of the blood pressure med he's been on since November. Please pray with us that all goes well. Every day he gets closer to a life without any medication, chemo or shots! Thanking Jesus for His faithfulness to complete what he has started in Blake's life.
...
I still find it unbelievable that Blake has been in this battle since November...and that November was only 4 months ago. It is interesting how such a lifetime has exploded in such a short time.  In times like these it always amazes me how time can drag on and rush forward all at the same time.

We have seen God's hand move in miraculous ways in defending Blake.  Oh! what a future awaits a generation filled with such mighty warriors. There is nothing too great for our God to accomplish, there is nothing too small that it escapes His watchful eye.

The journey to the Final Bell continues. Every day brings it's own set of challenges and victories. Whether those challenges are great or small, none of them are insignificant♥.

Thank you for walking this challenging journey with us. Thank you for taking us into the Throne Room with you. Thank you for your encouragement at every turn. And THANK YOU for loving us ♥

You are treasures to our hearts ♥

"Beacon of Hope"

We journey through the challenging days for reasons known only to God. Yet we know that he holds our tomorrows just as surely as He has held our yesterdays and is holding our todays.



We have seen the windows of hope open in the darkest of moments and have trusted in His faithfulness, even when it seemed impossibly difficult. Together my sweet son and his beautiful Christina are raising a mighty man of God...these days are all a part of God's plan for Blake...a future bright with hope. He will go to places we will never see, reaching people we could never reach. This is all a part of the journey to "there". They are incredible teachers...their sweetness and strength to teach the lessons that will lead him into the Man of God that he will one day be.

There are bushels of fruit on display in their life everyday...Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentlness, and self-control...are abundantly overflowing, even when they are tired and weary, they all continue to press on.

I am humbled with the strength and courage that Blake faces each moment with. He doesn't know what a battle he fights...he doesn't realize just this is not a usual part of childhood..but he will forever be my hero...

I am so proud of Christina and Steven...for the people they are

..for the parents they have become

...and for the difference they are making in lives they touch. 

They are treasures to my heart.

Steven and Blake reading a Bible Story before bedtime....even in hospital...

....train up a child in the way he should go...

 

This sweetest of boys...has the sweetest of mothers...

and we are blessed to have them both in our lives. 

The Sunshine Box | March 29, 2012

Today is Thursday, March 29, 2012

After a month of health challenges:

Exhaustion....blood draws....CT Scan

a three night stay in the hospital...more blood draws..

and tests...and blood draws...and tests...

and then sent home to wait for pathology results.

Yesterday, I had a follow up appointment

Again, I hear that there are no answers.

There are no pathology results,

....but there are more blood tests,

...and more waiting.

Yes, it's been a challenging month.

Today, I came home to find a package on the table

...for me...

No special reason

...it's not a holiday

...it's not my birthday

for no reason in particular

...there it was....

  My "Little Box of Sunshine" arrived from Ohio ♥

...filled with happy yellow surprises....

...sweet, delightful suprises....

...from my sweet Christina and Steven and Blake...
...just because they love me ♥

...gotta admit, I thought these chicks were my favorite ♥...

But who am I kidding...nothing is better than original artwork from Blake!

Yes, that's the sun :)

It's a challenge to harness the enthusiasm and color within the lines...

...Grammy loves the explosion of energy!

Yep, my heart is smiling :)