A close to 2009...

It is hard to believe that 2009 is coming to a close! We have been very busy in the month of December. We have celebrated many different emotions, from the happiness of Mallory Kate's 3rd birthday, the joy of Christmas, and the sadness of losing a loved one. In many ways I am ready to close the 2009 book and open up to chapter 1 of 2010, and on the other hand, I feel like the year went by way too fast!
It is hard to believe that Mallory Kate is 3- where did the last 3 years go? She had a small birthday party at our house with some close family and friends. It was a "girly" party- of course- with dress-up, nails, and hair! She LOVED it!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Mallory Kate! Our family had a WONDERFUL Christmas with several family celebrations. Graham and Mallory Kate were so excited this year! Graham even got upset with Mallory Kate because she wasn't focusing on the real meaning of Christmas and she only wanted presents! I had to explain to him that she was only 3 and she didn't quite understand the meaning yet- although we will teach her. They both enjoyed making food for the reindeer and cookies for Santa too! It was a great Christmas!

...and Santa came!

And the sadness comes with the loss of Granny, at the age of 85. She was a precious lady who I so much admired for her kind and genuine spirit. I am so excited that she is now reunited with Grandaddy! Granny will be missed, but we will certainly hold tight to the fond memories we have with her.

Mom, me (with my REAL STRAIGHT hair), and Granny

Mallory Kate, Granny, and Graham- Halloween 2008

I hope you all have had a wonderful 2009! I can't wait to see what 2010 will hold!

A little of this, a little of that...

Can you believe it is time to send out Christmas cards? This year has gone by so quickly! In reflecting back on this year, our family has gone through a lot, but with the support of our friends and family, we made it through. We have so much to be thankful for!

My last surgery was done almost 2 weeks ago. I had a complete hysterectomy, which wasn't bad at all! My oncologist thought it would be a wise decision to have this done since my cancer was fueled by estrogen. My doctor did the surgery laprascopically and vaginally, and the recovery hasn't been bad at all! I had a 2 night hospital stay. The pain meds and I didn't agree so much, but after I got off of all of those, I started to feel so much better! I go for my 2 week post-op appointment on Friday. Hopefully my doctor will release me to go back to work on Monday. So that should be the last of my "treatment"! Yay....now I'm just waiting on my hair to grow! It is still really curly, although it is getting longer! It has relaxed a bit, but nontheless, still incredibly curly!

I am posting random pictures from all of our "Fall Happenings!" Enjoy!

I ran in my 4th 5K race on November 7th. This was "Racheal's Run," which was a 5K run and a family 1 mile walk dedicated to the precious life of a 2 year old who lost her battle with cancer a year ago. Her mother is a chemo nurse at the Cancer Center where I go. The Gleason's are an incredible family with such strong faith, that I admire. This will become an annual event...will you run/ walk next year to support research on childhood cancers? I hope so!

Graham finished another soccer season with CESA. He has learned so much this year and is an awesome defender! He also played goalie a good bit. We will return to soccer in February for the spring season!

Fun with friends...We had a day of fall fun with the Columbia's, Will and Meredith!

Thanksgiving visit with Uncle Daryl, and his 4 month-old puppy, Major! Graham and Mallory Kate ADORE Uncle Daryl! We can't wait to see him and Liza and Kathryn in a few weeks for Christmas!

Pumkin Patch...

Today we went to the Pumpkin Patch to get our pumpkin. It has become a tradition to get ours from St. Giles Pumpkin Patch. Mallory Kate had so much fun finding the perfect "baby Pumpkin" as she called it. Graham helped find one that was perfect to carve. The kids are getting so excited about Halloween next week! Graham wants to be Harry Potter, again, and Mallory Kate wants to be Tinkerbell, again! Pictures to come later from trick-or-treating! Happy Fall to all!

One year later...

Is it bad that I couldn't remember my password to log-in to my own blog? It has been that long, huh? Or can I blame the "chemo brain" for that one? Well...let's see where to begin...I guess a recap of our busy summer! We enjoyed a short beach trip, several lake trips, a visit to Alabama to visit family, and a week-long anniversary cruise to the Western Caribbean (w/o kids)! Unfortunately, we came back from the cruise to hear my step-dad had a massive stroke. It is a slow road to recovery, but he has made lots of progress. Phew...what a busy, but very fun summer!

And then school started...Graham started 2nd grade and LOVES it! I have a great class this year as well. It is so nice being back at school with co-workers that I absolutely adore! Mallory Kate got moved to another 2's class with a new teacher. She is adjusting...still, but I am happy to report that we are in BIG GIRL PANTIES 24/7 now! She was potty trained in June and has done AWESOME! Yeah...saving more money!

Can you believe one year ago, I heard the dreaded the words, "You have stage III breast cancer." In some ways, it has been a really long year, but in others I feel like it is all a distant memory. The only constant reminder of BC is my hair...now VERY CURLY and short. I stopped wearing my wig at the beginning of June, but am still not digging the short-do style. Believe it or not, I get compliments on it all the time. "Is your hair naturally curly?" or "I wish I could wear my hair that short." And then I respond with, "Yes, my hair is NOW naturally curly, and yes, you COULD wear your that short if you had to!" It will grow- hopefully longer rather than out like an afro! I am thinking about going to buy some good hair product to tame it a bit! Last weekend I ran in Race for the Cure at ICAR. I attended all the "Survivor" activities and marched in the Survivor Parade. What a great experience to be in the midst of co-survivors! I hope to one day be able to march in the 30+ years out category! I had my 1 year breast MRI 2 weeks ago- and all was clear...PRAISE GOD! I see my oncologist in a week and get labs done as well. So far, so good! My doctors are keeping a close eye on me, and I see my oncologist every 3 months for now. I have my hysterectomy scheduled for November 19th. Hopefully the recovery won't be so bad...nothing can compare to chemo! So I feel good about it. I have kept up my running 5 days a week, so hopefully that will benefit me!

Enjoy the pictures from the summer and some from the Race for the Cure! And thank you for all the prayers that have gotten my family through to this one year mark! I love you all!