It was warm and cozy inside, although the weather outside was unseasonably warm for the prairies at the end of December!!
On Christmas Eve day we enjoyed a fabulous turkey dinner with Kim's mother's family in Regina.
The Christmas Eve service at Tim and Kim's church was wonderful, but proved to be a little too much for a very tired little girl!
A few of the family experienced a one to two-day flu bug, but thankfully Kim wasn't one of them!! She had her first chemo two days before Christmas and felt pretty normal until extreme tiredness overtook her on the third and fourth days following chemo. There were lots of us around to help, so she was able to rest when she needed to.
The most "touching" present that was opened on Christmas morning was the gift that Tim made for Kim. He took a few horseshoes and nails and re-shaped them to form symbols for FAITH (a cross made of horseshoe nails), HOPE (the breast cancer ribbon complete with a touch of pink on the nails in the horseshoe!), and LOVE (a heart of course!). He then twisted wire to write the three words under each symbol, then mounted them on some bead board, and framed it into a wonderful wall-hanging.
Of course Christmas morning was all about the kids and the excitement of opening their stockings and presents. Star Wars "stuff" dominated the boys' "haul" as well as Nerf guns, and the girls loved their dolls and "little ponies", etc. But I think they both would have liked their own guns too!!
Kim crocheted slippers for everyone and no two pairs were alike!! David's fit his zany personality just perfectly!
Enjoying an abundance of food and precious time with one another filled our week.
We came home tired, but very happy and so thankful for God's goodness to us as a family this past year. BOB's time away was shorter because of needing to get back for dialysis, but he was able to miss one treatment with no negative effects. And chemo is suspended now until there is an indication that the tumour is growing. He really is feeling quite well, just more tired than he'd like to be!!
We've had a couple of days' rest, and now we're preparing for the arrival this evening of my sister Barb and her husband Buddy, who are flying up here from Texas for four days. Then we'll have another two days' rest before Bob's sister Lois and her husband Duane arrive from South America for over a week. All of their children and little granddaughter are coming as well for a few days. Excitement will abound I'm sure. Thankfully the guest suite in our condo complex is available and they will have their own quarters down the hall from us.
My brother JIM saw his radiation oncologist yesterday and was encouraged regarding his cancer. There's a strong likelihood that all of the cancer was removed through the aggressive treatment he received and the following surgery, so he won't be engaging in any further treatment for now. They will monitor his condition by occasional PET scans. The everyday challenge is being able to "ingest" enough to keep his weight and energy up. He can only eat small amounts at a time so must continue to supplement his diet with protein supplements given through his feeding tube. This takes a few hours each day. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.
And KIM will be getting chemo every third week for the next four to five months and will lose her hair quite soon. She's a very brave young woman whose courage and faith in God amazes us. Tim also is facing this challenge with incredible strength and confidence in God, but he needs our prayers that he will be able to carry the heavy workload at the stable and the extra demands of family life.
At the end of this year our hearts are FULL of joy, gratitude, and expectancy as we approach a new year that God has already planned for us and we are confident in His loving and sovereign care.
Well, believe it or not "that's all folks!""--at least for now!!
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