Wow... I almost forgot how to access the blog, it's been so long since I've posted an update. My lack of posts isn't a result of a lack of excitement in our lives or a lack of thought for y'all, our faithful prayer warriors, but instead an answer to prayer that, as it often does, came in a way that I didn't expect. I have been praying about having God honoring balance in my life as I strive to juggle being a wife, mom, work, ministry, etc at this stage of our life. I'm keenly aware that each day is a precious treasure, an opportunity to see God's hand in the details of our day, and to be used by Him to positively impact the lives of those around us. I've been especially prayerful about being purposeful with every minute, so as not to miss the joy of every stage that we are in with the kids... you see, so much of our lives has been spent in survival mode, where life feels like it's moving a mile a minute and it's absolutely God's grace that allows us to survive and thrive while in survival mode, but I don't think we are meant to live in that place forever. I think the reality of Abby starting high school and Andrew starting junior high (which I purposefully never allowed myself to think that far in advance because of the timeline the Dr's gave us and all the unknowns that surround his future) has caused me to pause at the realization that time is flying by faster than I had appreciated while in survival mode. As we come up for air (while Andrew's cancer is stable and everyone is doing well), I want to relearn how to prioritize my life in a way that honors the Lord. All that to say, God's answer to that prayer was taking away the desire to engage with social media. It's not like I made a commitment to push pause on the use of social media or something like that, I just literally lacked the desire to post on the blog, look at Facebook or Instagram, etc. I realized that the pivot in my heart was God freeing up time and attention that could be better allocated. The result has been such a sweet time of recalibrating how I pour into my first ministry... my family. Look, this wasn't some radical transformation, especially since I didn't spend much time on social media to begin with, but it's been pretty amazing to see how the Lord changes our heart, He changes our focus, and our "wanter" to align with His when we ask and fully submit it all to Him. That was a long explanation as to why it might appear that I've been less present here, but please know that we continue to covet your faithful prayers and support.
Here is a rapid fire update on the Rosslings:
Abigail
-She has finally made it over 5 feet tall... she was projected to be 4' 8"-4'10" and has been hopeful that she would make at least 5 feet and she made it! To be clear, Abby knows full well that God doesn't make mistakes, so no matter how tall she turns out to be, she is prepared to rock it and she actually likes being small and mighty.... for soccer purposes, she has always hoped to be at least 5 feet tall.
-Grace's favorite time of the day over the Summer was when Abby would tutor her. Abby would spend between 30 minutes to an hour and a half every day tutoring Grace in math, reading, and writing. We love that she takes her role seriously, desires to help Grace grow, it's sweet bonding time for them, and it's a great way to make money. Abby always saves her money and ends up spending it randomly on other people, which is a quality I admire about her.
-After much prayer, Abigail decided to apply and was accepted to Episcopal High School, in Houston. There are a million different reasons why we didn't think Episcopal made sense for Abby (and our family), but God sure did change our hearts and make a way where there didn't seem to be a way. So far, Abby loves it and we continue to be blown away by how amazing and purposeful the teachers, coaches, and administrators are.
-Abby's note to Grace during baseball- Grace played baseball with the Dream League and it was quite possibly the best sporting event to watch of all times. Kids with special needs are paired with a "Buddy" (Andrew was Grace's buddy) and they play games on Saturdays. Everyone cheers for everyone and the kids have an absolute blast! Grace took her baseball games super serious and talked about them allllll week. For her final game, Abby couldn't make it because she had soccer that conflicted, so when Abby told her she wouldn't be there the night before, Grace lost it. She was SO sad that her Sister Buddy wouldn't be there to cheer for her on her last game and Abby was absolutely crushed seeing Grace so hurt. She would explain the situation as Grace was being unconsolable and Abby felt absolutely awful about it. She did what only Abby would do.... after putting Grace to bed (David and I were out that night at an event), she made her her favorite pancakes to eat before her game in the morning, she posted little post it notes all over the house encouraging Grace, and she typed her up the sweetest note.
-Soccer continues to be Abigail's happy place and we have had to begin really talking about colleges, which seems so crazy. She went to a couple soccer ID camps this summer at Vanderbilt University and Texas Christian University; had the opportunity to play in a showcase tournament in Florida where more than 800 college coaches were present; went to a regional ODP training/games in Tennessee (consisting of 11 different states); attend a team camp at the ranch home and property of one her teammates in Jonesboro, TX; began training with Albion (her club team) at the beginning of August; and lastly, last month Abigail had the opportunity to head to Dallas for the day to attend a Youth National Team Identification center training that she was invited to be a part of with 28 other girls from Oklahoma and Texas who were also born in 2007. Next up, we are super excited for school soccer to start next month!
Andrew
-Andrew's recent scans revealed a 90-95% reduction in tumor burden! It seriously feels like a miracle and we can't stop praising the Lord for, again, making a way where there was no way! There are four spots that still light up on imaging (active tumors), so we have an appointment with Dr. Liu, oncology surgeon in Denver, CO that specializes in Neuroendocrine Cancer, to see if it's a possibility to go in and remove those four tumors. He is an adult Dr, so that could be a stumbling block, in addition to the fact that we don't know how accessible the tumors are, but we are trusting God to align our steps with His will. Will you please be praying for our virtual appointment on Tuesday? We would covet your prayers for wisdom and open doors to eradicating every cancer cell in our sweet boys body! THANK YOU for always standing with us in prayer!!!
-Another HUGE praise and honestly, a blessing that feels of miracle proportion... Since Andrew's most recent (investigational) treatment, he is off of all pain medications! Many of you remember that Andrew used to be on 11 different pain meds around the clock, and yet, he would still have break through pain. We were talking about inserting a pain pump at one point... today, he is playing football for his junior high! This is his first time playing tackle football and he is loving it. Honestly, we are just thrilled that he is healthy enough to be able to play a sport that is so physical and requires a lot of work. A couple years ago, this would've been unimaginable, but he is doing great, wants to practice all the time at home, has such a teachable heart, and looks forward to it everyday. Proud and grateful is an understatement!
-Much of the confidence Andrew has right now, comes from F45, the gym where he worked out at the entire Summer. The owner of the gym and trainers who work there did a fantastic job pouring into these kids and really cared about their growth, physically, mentally, and in their character.
-Andrew continued to compete in obstacle challenges with his horse, Otto. He continues to grow in his ability to lead Otto through new obstacles that are terrifying for horses, especially Otto, since he used to work at Family Camp, where his job was to stay far away from anything that looked like an obstacle because he had precious cargo (unexperienced riders) on his back.
-Over the Summer Andrew earned money by tutoring Grace on the Bible. He was absolutely, positively, amazing at breaking down scripture for Grace (drawing pictures, acting it out, whatever it takes to get her to understand), and preparing her to come and tell us what she learned.
-This Summer was a great opportunity for Andrew to attend a youth camp with some friends at their church. Andrew had a great time, met some new friends, and was able to grow in his understanding and relationship with God. Since this Summer camp, we have been praying as a family about which junior high school is the best fit for Andrew (public or the private school that Abby went to for junior high). Andrew really felt called to go to public school and we totally supported that (nothing like seeing your kid seek God's will and watching them listen to His leading). The first 9 weeks have been fine and football has certainly been a highlight, but God continues to stir in him (and us) the possibility of pivoting to private school. Will you please join us in praying for wisdom as to where God is calling Andrew, as it relates to school, and that whatever He calls us to, that He will fling the door wide open and work out all of the logistics? We just all want to be in the center of His will!
Grace
-Grace turned 9 at the end of August!!!
-Grace is LOVING school and is especially excited about her school play in December! She even has a speaking line!
-One of the many ways Grace ministers to us (and so many others) is the way she sings loud and proud during worship at church. It is truly amazing to watch her!
-Grace is looking forward to staring cheerleading again. She will start back up in a few weeks, once Andrew's football games are over because she takes her role as Bubba's #1 cheerleader SUPER serious and wouldn't miss his games for the world. She is also super excited to start basketball and baseball (again) in the winter.
-Some of my favorite Graceism's... on our way to school in the morning, we pray together and talk about what God is up to in our lives. Grace will often times look at the sky in "awe" and say "God paints such a beautiful sky!" or "God is fantastic!" When we arrive at school for drop off, the precious kids that open the car doors to let the kids out of the car rider line all hope they get our car because they so badly want to be the one that get's to let Grace out of the car. When we pull up to the open spot, the child often times cheers and jumps up and down with joy, simply because they "got Grace!" I feel like a celebrity just getting to be Grace's chauffeur (LOL). Then, she always turns around and we say our little ritual and then she does our "I love you" sign with her fingers and yells "I LOVE YOU" until I drive off. Every. single. morning, I drive away feeling blessed waaaay beyond what I deserve.
-Tomorrow, October 18th, Grace has her semi-annual cardiology appointment and echocardiogram. Will you please pray her heart continues to look healthy and amazing (that little heart is so far from "normal, but beyond amazing) and that there are no complications at all? We know that she will outgrow her mechanical heart valve at some point and need it replaced, what we don't know is when. Thank you for your prayers, these appointments come with echoxiety instead of scanxiety, so we appreciate you presenting our Gracie girl before the throne of grace.
David
-Went back to work as the College Counselor/Student Advisor at the Tenney School which allows him the opportunity to car pool to and from school everyday with Abby. What a sweet blessing for these two to have uninterrupted time together.
-David had arthroscopic surgery on his knee back in May in order to fix another meniscus issue; however, somehow he now has some a spot of fractured cartilage in the same area on his knee. Doctor said definitely no more soccer or running, so David has a second opinion on Wednesday and is hoping for something miraculous. Will you please pray for options, wisdom, and healing? As most of you know, David is a very active guy (loves running the Snowdrop race, playing soccer, and all the things), so the thought that he won't be able to do the things he loves is pretty devastating. His biggest hope is that he can at least get to a point where he can kick the ball with Abby again (planting his foot to shoot is not an option at this point). Thank you for covering him in prayer!
-David and I began helping to lead Refuge, the college/young adult ministry at our church. It has been a tremendous blessing for us to have this opportunity. We get to learn from them and grow in our faith alongside of them. It has been so awe inspiring to watch God move in the next generation!
Kristi
-Work is busy, but great!
-Helping lead refuge. LOVE those young adults!!!
-LOVING my job of being a cheerleader for the kids at soccer, horse, football, baseball, cheerleading... ALL THE THINGS!!!
