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Best friends and fondue. You can't beat that!!! I love these girls.

Reflection

My birthday last year


The next few weeks will be filled with reflection. Reflection of this time last year spent in a hospital reeling from the news of Riley's brain tumor diagnosis. I of course look back on those 17 days with immense gratitude that Riley is now healthy and thriving. Her tumor is stable. Yet, whenever I think about that time, I cry. Re-living those weeks are hard.
I tell her story with great joy because those weeks, while they were filled with grief, were also filled with incredible joy. We were loved on, prayed for, provided with meals, monetary gifts, but most importantly - time with true friends and community for whom we will be forever in awe of.
As I look back at our blog posts, I can see Jesus. His face is so clear. His constant presence and our ability to cling to Him and know with certainty that He was right beside our sweet Riley was what kept us going.
Thank you again to all those that followed our journey and continue to follow her updates today. We appreciate each one of you!

Cheers to a better birthday this year and a healthy Riley!

Best Friends

Be my Valentine

The tradition is to hide valentines all over the house for the kiddos to find. This was started by my dad years ago when I was little. It was always so fun to search for those valentines. We would find them in the kitchen cupboards, on the inside of the toilet seat, the refrigerator, and tons of other places. This is one of my favorite memories as a kid. I always felt so special and loved. My dad continues this with my kids. My parents dropped them off, along with lots of other fun goodies, and we hid them for the girls the night before. They loved it and we loved watching them search. They each had a nice stash of goodies- lollipops, bubble wands, and disney pencils from Grandma and Grandpa, yummy candy treats and $5 from Grams and Papa, a few cards, and some other fun things.
Jaron made breakfast complete with pink heart pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and hashbrowns. Yes, we did not eat for a week after. :)
Later that night, the girls had a playdate with friends and Jaron and I enjoyed Mongolian BBQ for dinner. Yum!
We love our cutie valentines!

Rough

Riley was hopping in the car with Jaron to pick up sissy from school when she grabbed sissy's booster which was not buckled in. Somehow she fell face first on the driveway. Here is a pic of her road-rash.

Snow Play

Over Jaron's winter break, we were able to meet up with some friends for a few nights at their cabin in Blue Jay. It was great to be in such a beautiful place and enjoy the snow. Unfortunately, Jaron and I were not feeling 100%, but we had a great time despite our sore throats and coughs. The girls loved the snow for the most part. Riley would not walk on the snow. Her new mantra lately is "I can't do it!!" She screams it super loud all the time. Avery loved the snowball fights. It really made us want to buy a cabin in the snow!