2020-2021 School Year 1.0

 It’s hard to believe that school starts tomorrow... I seriously can’t wrap my mind around it and I hardly feel prepared, but we have full confidence that God’s got great things in store for the Rosslings and the rest of your kiddos this year. It’s certainly going to be different, maybe even uncomfortable and probably super frustrating at times, but we are praying we can see God’s hand in the details (a prayer He’s always faithful to answer). Here is an update on the Ross Family shenanigans....

*Andrew Update- He had 5-6 pretty rough days after his first round of treatment. He was SUPER nauseous around the clock, but I couldn’t be more proud of his attitude and character through it all. He’s dreading treatments 2-4 because of the nausea, but we are praying that with some additional nausea meds (one is an antipsychotic and the other is a steroid... who would have thought those would help with extreme nausea🤷‍♀️?!?!), it will be more to tolerable. Based on what the handful of adults have experienced with this treatment, Andrew should start losing his hair this week... just in time for school. Will you please pray for that situation? Please continue to pray that this new treatment is busy obliterating every single cancer cell in his body and that it stays gone... FOREVER (we continue to hang on to hope that God can and He will... until He says otherwise)!

*School- Many have asked what we are doing with our kiddos for school during the pandemic.  It’s easy to judge the decisions others make, but I pray people will consider the fact that God calls each of us to seek His will (which could be, and likely is, different for different families) and be willing to say “yes, Lord” to what ever He calls us to... even if it’s scary, inconvenient, or even unpopular. We have prayed long and hard about what’s best for the Rosslings and consulted Grace’s cardiologist, Andrew’s Oncologist, and many other experts that we highly respect. We have come up with what we feel is a great plan A and plan B and we are beyond grateful that the kids' schools/administrators are beyond supportive in ensuring our kids are safe physically, yes, but mentally and emotionally too. 

Andrew REALLY wants to experience Poly Ryon, the 6th grade campus that is literally famous because it’s the most AMAZING public school ever! Andrew yearns to feel “normal” and going to school in person (especially at Poly Ryon) is a great way to accomplish that. He will miss two weeks of school ever two months anyway for treatment, so in person school will hopefully be a blessing in between his treatments and time of isolation (when he's radioactive). 

Grace will start virtual school initially and we will monitor the Covid rates. If the rates are reasonable in 3-4 weeks, we would LOVE for her to transition to in person school because GRACE LOVES, LOVES, LOVES SCHOOL and she thrives there in so many ways!!!! From her typical peers/precious friends to the incredibly kind, creative, and brilliant teachers who know the balance between setting the bar high for this kid because she's so smart and such a hard worker, but yet making sure to modify where necessary to help her learn concepts in a way that makes most sense for her style of learning... Grace really thrives at school, so we pray she can get back on campus sooner than later.  Trusting God will make each step clear, just as He always has.

Since Grace will be learning virtually and Andrew will have treatment (Lord willing) every two months until February, David will not be going back to work at The Tenney School at this point (they have been SO supportive over the years... taking what ever time David can commit to based on our family's needs and circumstances). 

Abby will be going to Logo’s again this year. It’s a Christian University model school, where she goes in person 3 days a week and works from home 2 days a week. This school has been a perfect fit for her in so many ways. They already had very small class sizes and this year they will be even smaller class sizes, due to covid, so we feel good about the precautions that have been put in place by both Abby's school and our public schools. 

Mom and daughter, back to school mani and pedi.  Both Abby and I's looked GREAT for a couple hours.... this is why we don't routinely get our toes and nails done, they can't handle soccer and the barn life 😂.

*Activities that are a little glimpse of normal...

Soccer scrimmages have started back up and league play is suppose to start Labor Day weekend for Abby! Man, it is SO nice to have a sense of normalcy... I knew we loved watching our girl on the pitch, but this rona thing has reminded us how precious some of the things are that we may have taken for granted. While Abby never really took a break from soccer, that kid is always at extra trainings, the fields with David, etc... we have missed real games! 

Anyway, the second we are uncomfortable with in person school (for and any and all of the kids), our plan B is to have all the kids move to virtual learning. 

*Andrew’s arm is healing SO SUPER slow (likely because of all the radiation his little body has seen), so he’s still in a removable cast. Therefore, he hasn’t been able to practice obstacles with Otto in preparation for the Obstacle Course challenge he competed in this past weekend. He really wanted to participate in the competition, even though he hasn’t been able to practice until this past week and he only has one arm to work with. I kept praying that God would help him feel successful (you know how a momma’s heart works... he’s experienced so much hardship and disappointment lately, I just didn’t want him to be let down AGAIN). I was so nervous for him, but by God’s grace... he and Otto went out there and crushed it. We couldn’t be more proud of him for his courage, willingness to take (calculated 😬) risks, and for reading his horse so well to help them be successful. 

David took Andrew to the Obstacle Course Challenge, where they spent 10.5 hours at the barn.  I requested a video of Andrew competing, so that's exactly what I got and not one more pic or video😉.  I took this pic before they left.  He doesn't wear his barn boots in the house or even the car, so he doesn't have those on yet.  

*Grace turns 8 years old on Thursday!!! I seriously can't believe it!  We’ve had a blast celebrating her birthday with family the past two weekends (and really everyday 🤣)!!!

We celebrated with the cousins last weekend by playing Grace's favorite game EVER...  America Ninja Warrior!  In fact, if you ask Grace what she wants to be when she grows up, she would say "an American Ninja Warrior girl!"

 

 

If you haven't seen this book, please check it out... its precious!

This was her interview on how she prepared for the race! 

Being announced...  "in the turquoise bathing suit, we have GRAAACE ROSSS!" 

Grace running the course!

Papa Toot didn't want to be left out!

We celebrated these Birthday Buddies with my parents today!  Just because David was born on August 30th... 3 days away from Grace, he has the title of her "Birthday Buddy" and that trumps all other "Buddies" in the house!  She is obsessed with her "Birthday Buddy" 🎂.  

"Scar Buddy" (Andrew- they both have scars from major surgery...  Grace from 6 open heart surgeries and Andrew on his belly from surgery to try to remove some tumors), "Sissy Buddy" (Abby- that's an obvious one), and "Earhole Buddy" (me- we both have what looks like a tiny hole in this random part of our ear) are always trying to knock David off the podium and be Grace's favorite "Buddy," but he's virtually impossible to dethrone, but we won't quit trying because "Rosses never give up!"... that's what Grace says anytime she does something scary or hard.😂   

 

We appreciate every single one of you!  Praying that you will see God's hand in the details of your week and that you would experience His perfect peace, hope that doesn't disappoint, and that you would know that you are deeply loved.  #butGod #hopeon #fightlikeaRoss 💚

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

NEVER A DULL MOMENT- Thanks for tuning in to the next episode of The Ross Family Shenanigans, You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

These three prayers tend to be my daily plead with the Lord because let's face it, without God's divine intervention it would be all too easy to be overcome with the uncertainty and depravity of this world we live in.

*"Lord, please help me to see myself, others, and my circumstances through your eyes."  It's far too easy to view life through our own fleshly eyes that can be full of doubt, fear, envy, selfishness, confusion, disappointment, discontentment, entitlement, and misplaced affections (making people or things little gods in our lives.

*"Lord, will you please align my heart and mind with your will?"  I feel like over the past 17 years, but really intensely over the past 8 years, we have had to make decisions that could literally mean life or death for two out of three of our babies (Grace or Andrew).  From the lack of peace we had about how our local children's hospital wanted to handle Grace's very broken heart and the way the Lord lead us across the country to Boston for Grace to have what was a very risky set of surgeries with the hope of a better long term prognosis to Andrew being diagnosed with an exceptionally rare form of cancer that doesn't come with any sort of protocol or pathway, especially not in children.  I'm passionate about shared decision making between patients and their care team (you should always feel like an integral part of your child's/your care), but if I'm honest, there are times when I feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility, power, or influence that is waaaay above my pay grade.  Since there isn't any evidence available in children with stage 4 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (because there are less than a handful of kids that have this type of cancer and I don't know any that are Andrew's age and with his burden of disease... meaning as much disease as he has), it's on us to make BIG decisions around Andrew's care (it was a similar situation with Grace... there had only been one child like her to have the same type of surgeries we were considering), so the last thing we want is to make any decision in our own strength, we need to make sure we hear from the Lord SO clearly!  Again, He has been so faithful to answer this prayer in big and small decisions, so we will continue to pray for His perfect wisdom and provision, trusting in His faithfulness because that's the only way we know how to do it.  He hasn't left or forsaken us yet, so we trust He won't start now.

*"Lord, help me to see your hand in the details..."  I feel like Moses when he told God, if you're not going, I won't go.  Seeing God's hand all along the way gives us the peace and comfort we need to put one foot of faith in front of the other.  Often times the way God shows us His hand is through y'all!  We can't stop thanking you for ALL the ways you stand in the gap for us!  There is never a comment, text, email (even if I'm not timely in responding), words spoken, or act of kindness that goes unnoticed or unappreciated.

Update on what we've been up, unexpected twists and turns, and what lies ahead (at least from today's vantage point):

-Andrew has had a great attitude about his broken arm, but it's been super hard not being able to ride Otto, go swimming, ride his bike, etc.  He has his next orthopedic appointment on Tuesday next week, so we are praying his bone is healing perfectly aligned and he can get a shorter, waterproof cast on.  Will you please join us in praying for that?

We weren't able to go to Pine Cove Family Camp this year because of Covid 19 and the risk it poses to Grace and Andrew, so we were planning to go to Oregon with precious friends in a few weeks.  We were hoping it would serve as a giant blessing for Andrew (and the rest of the family) before Andrew embarks on his next round of treatments.

WELL, that was the plan until we learned that David and I had been exposed to someone with COVID 19.  We both went to get tested out of an abundance of caution and......................................... I tested negative and David tested positive :-(.  We then had all 3 kids tested and PRAISE THE LORD, they were negative.  The timing of this COVID 19 exposure means that we can no longer go to Oregon.  The kids were obviously devastated that we won't be going to Oregon (they were SO looking forward to it), we can't go to the barn for a bit, and Abby certainly had a lot of tears about about having to miss two weeks of soccer training (she's obviously still finding ways to train at home, but I'm sure it's not the same as her 3 hour training sessions at TTi).  Will you please pray that the kids and I will stay safe from getting COVID 19 (David is wearing a mask and trying to stay away from everyone as much as possible)?  Will you please pray for an extra measure of strength and endurance for me (trying to work and be the primary caregiver is no easy task) and the kids (the big kids have been so helpful with Grace and taking care of each other, and Grace has had such a great attitude about it too)?  Will you please pray that we can find another way to take a family adventure before Andrew's treatment (more on that in a minute)?

All that to say, it's been a rough 5 days so far, but we have seen God's hand in the details.  We talk a lot in Ross household about having an attitude of gratitude, so here are the blessings we are grateful for in the midst of disappointment and exhaustion-

-Abby to the rescue...  I was feeling so weary and broken on Monday night because I feel like our poor kids just take one hit after another in life (I know that's where their grit and resilience comes from, but it's gut wrenching as a parent to have to watch your kids constantly take a beating and know there's nothing you can do to take away their pain).  I gave the kids the best game time pep talk I could muster up, trying to help them fix their eyes back on Jesus (see this through His eyes) and we prayed together before I went to my room to have a quick cry.  I walked out after having gotten myself together and Abby handed me my phone and said "I think someone texted you."  I looked at my phone and here is the text I found...  I'm sharing this with you in case it ministers to you too.

Abby's words ministered to my heart in a way that seemed to make all things right in the world for that moment.  Then, a sweet friend and Godly mentor reminded me that it's not about vacations, a horse, soccer, or anything else, but instead it's about pointing our children to Christ, the One who truly satisfies.  I'm reminded that they (we) already have the greatest treasure and that treasure can't be taken away by this stupid virus, cancer, a broken arm, or any other disappointment in this world.

more reasons to be grateful...

-The kids have been SO helpful and selfless through it all (so far), especially Abby.

-I've loved getting to lift weights with Abby at home.

-Grace continues to love playing make believe with Andrew, watching/practicing American Ninja Warrior, reading, playing card games, frozen monopoly, and going for a run with me (or Abby) around the block.

My office buddies!

-Andrew's pain has been well controlled (praise the Lord) despite the fact that we know his disease is progressing.

-We have always wanted to rent an RV and we are going to try to make that happen instead of Oregon.  The kids are beyond excited about this possibility, so please pray that if it's the Lord's will, it will all work out to be able to squeeze a fun filled trip in before Andrew's treatment.


Speaking of treatment (a lot of you have asked about the details, so here goes)... we continue to praise the Lord for making a way for this Alpha Therapy (so many miracles already revealed in the timing, location, and approval of this treatment) and pray that the Lord carries us through all the nuances... it's starting to get real!!!  UPDATE- We got a call from Andrew's treatment facility that the radiation manufacturer had to push back when they will have Andrew's dose available, so his new date for treatment is August 6th.  He will have 2 days worth of scans and labs and we have a meeting with his Dr's for a consultation, to sign consents, etc that same week.  Lord willing, he will get his first dose of radiation treatment on August 6th, then he and David will leave the clinic where he is treated and stay at a hotel that night, return to the clinic the following day for more scans, and then head to David's parents house where they will live upstairs for a couple nights and then go camping for a couple nights before returning home.  After Andrew receives a round of treatment, he has to stay away from Abby and Grace for 4-5 days and we (adults) have to stay a meter away from him at all times because he's radioactive.  He has to have his own bathroom, flush the toilet 3 times, we have to bag up any clothes or toys he plays with and put them aside for 2 weeks to allow time for the radioactivity to biodegrade off.  In terms of the side effects he will likely experience, he will likely have a rebound of pain from the tumors being radiated, nausea/vomiting, fatigue, and his hair will fall out a good bit.  It sounds like he won't be bald, but he will have very heavy "shedding" which will likely make him want to shave his head.  Will you please pray all of these side effects are minimal or even non existent?  Andrew isn't excited about losing his hair, especially upon entering a new school/campus (he will be going into the 6th grade, which is the most AMAZING school ever, so I know he will be in good hands, but it will be much different than the precious elementary school bubble he's use to).  Above all, will you PLEASE pray that this treatment literally eradicates every single cancer cell in his body?  The results in the 7 adults that have received this therapy are pretty astounding, however, what we don't know is how long these results last, long term consequences of the treatment (especially in a child), etc, but the good news is that God knows and this story is His to author, so we will continue to pray and hope for a miracle.  THANK YOU for being such faithful prayer warriors!!!  Your prayers mean everything to us!!! #fightlikeaRoss #butGod #hopeon

Quarantine and a New Quest...

Hello our sweet Army!  Kristi here- 

We pray you and your family are healthy and well during this crazy new "normal" that we are all trying to embrace.  Many have asked how our family is doing, considering we have two "vulnerable" or "at risk" kiddos in our home, so thank you for your prayers and concern for our family.  The truth is, we are most concerned about Grace getting covid 19 because she has been in the ICU and intubated due to a much less virulent virus before, so we are well aware of the huge risk covid 19 poses to her and her special heart.  We are of course also concerned about keeping Andrew well, since he has a compromised immune system.  With all that being said, not much has changed for us in terms of being ULTRA cautious about germs, since Grace was born, we have been programed to avoid germs in every way possible.  While our hearts ache for those afflicted by covid 19 and those on the front lines of this battle, we have found the slower pace and increased family time to be pretty amazing.  How often in life do we have a relatively empty plate to offer the Lord to fill in a way that He says is best?  Time outside playing lots of soccer, basketball, bike rides, eating meals together,  lots of barn time, family bible studies, and watching Grace's zest for learning (she joyfully does her school work everyday like it's a gift versus a chore...  we could all use a little of Grace's attitude in our lives) are just a few of the things that have been the source of sweet memories that we aren't taking for granted.  Don't get me wrong... it's not always rainbows, unicorns, and sprinkles over here, but we are trying hard not to miss the lessons and blessings God has offered us during this CRAZY and unprecedented time.  Andrew's next scans are scheduled for May, however, I'm not sure how covid 19 will impact that plan, so we will keep you posted.  In the meantime, we greatly appreciate your prayers that Andrew's cancer isn't progressing and for all cancer patients, since we know that cancer doesn't pause because covid 19 has appeared on the scene.  

David taking over now-

It's hard to believe that just nine months ago Andrew had just begun talking about wanting a horse for his Make-A-Wish gift (after his original Make-A-Wish choice, a cruise, had to be cancelled twice because he was in such a rough place physically).  We spoke with Make-A-Wish to see if that would even be possible and they sent us their guidelines for doing a horse wish.  One major issue...we weren't horse people and had no clue how to go about finding the right horse for Andrew.

While we were talking and praying about how to even begin figuring out a way to make Andrew's wish a reality, we happened to be going to Pine Cove for family camp that same week.  While we were at family camp, we remembered that Pine Cove leases out some of their horses to willing families during the non-Summer months.  This got Kristi thinking, rather than having Make-A-Wish buy a horse and then we would have to figure out stable, vet, farrier costs, etc, what if we leased a horse from Pine Cove and then Make-A-Wish could potentially cover the stable fees (this way we would not be committing to a long term situation of horse ownership, without even knowing whether this would be something Andrew would love forever).  Not only was Pine Cove fully on board with this idea, "Costa" (the Pine Cove Crier Creek head wrangler) had an amazing horse in mind for Andrew, Otto, as he was one of their best horses and was great with just about any rider that got on his back.  He is all the counselors favorite horse... now we understand why!

Once we got home from family camp, Kristi got the ball rolling with researching different stables in the area, while I began reaching out to Make-A-Wish to find out if they would be willing to change the way they do things and pay for 9 months of stable fees and vet bills, instead of paying for a horse.  Thankfully, Make-A-Wish was on board as well, but needed a lot of details on a few different stable options throughout the area.  Kristi had found some great stables (like the one he had been taking lessons at) and some questionable stables, and everything in between... but we still weren't sold on where we should board because we were looking for a stable that wasn't too far away, allowed Andrew to ride as often as he would like, etc.  We lucked out when we received a phone call from two different friends who had boarded or were boarding their horses at Carroll Stables (where Otto is boarded now).  They had glowing recommendations of the stable, but even above the stable, they couldn't say enough about how amazing the owner, Mrs. Jody, was and they highly advised us giving her a call to see if she would be willing to take on a unique situation such as ours.  We were overjoyed to hear her views of us boarding at her stables and even though she had never done anything like this before, having to coordinate with two different entities about payment and the horse, with neither of those entities being the person who would actually be the horse owner.  However, it all came together in a way that had God's finger prints all over it!

It is crazy to think that 7 months has already gone by since we first had Otto delivered to Carroll Stables.  Andrew was so surprised when he first met Otto and realized that Otto would be HIS horse for the next 9 months.  Otto has been the perfect horse for the whole family.  He knows who is riding him and how to adjust based on their riding level.  Otto has been great this whole time, but after having Otto for a couple months, you could tell that Otto began to change...  It's like he realized that this was more than just a job, he saw that we kept returning 3 to 4 times a week and before long we were his people, and he was another member of the family.  Prior to this change, I wouldn't have known how to tell if a horse likes their owners or not, but you could tell that he knew we all went together now.  

We always knew that we would only have Otto for 9 months and that he would have to go back to family camp in May; however, none of us really wanted to mention that reality or talk about what that would be like for Otto to leave us.  You see, we would've never thought that in just 7 months we would be a barn family, but we have loved every moment we spend out at the barn.  It has been a great experience for the entire family and such an answer to prayer.  For Andrew in particular, Otto has brought him so much joy and confidence, but it has also been the missing piece for us as we struggled to find ways to really get into Andrew's world, outside of time spent at Dr's appointments, hospital stays, etc.  

Fast forward to us now being in the month of March and family camp begins in just two months.  The reality of Otto leaving us, just for three months, is so saddening.  We love Otto just as though he were another member of the family.  We would often joke with Mrs. Jody that Otto can't go back to camp because he has picked up some bad habits since being with us, for instance, Andrew enjoys trying to act like he is a real cowboy and tries to jump on Otto while he is walking.  Now, Otto has formed the habit of starting to walk when we are about to get on him, thus making him no longer suitable for campers (or at least that is what we were trying to convince ourselves could help us to keep Otto ;-).  The amazing Mrs. Jody was fully aware of our dread in having to return Otto in two months and since she needed to speak with Pine Cove anyway, in order to begin discussing when Otto would need to be picked up to head back to camp, she was willing to ask Pine Cove on our behalf if they would be willing to sell Otto (which we thought was a looooong shot because we knew when we received Otto that he was their top horse out of roughly 60 horses).  

After Mrs. Jody spoke with Pine Cove, she called to tell us that "Costa", the head wrangler at Pine Cove, answered the phone and said right away, "I know why you're calling me."  To our delight and amazement, Pine Cove was on board with wanting to make selling Otto to us happen and Mrs. Jody stated that they gave a very fair price for us to purchase Otto....$2,500.  We have no clue about horse prices or value, but we trust that Mrs. Jody does, so while $2,500 sounds like a lot to us, I know that a horse as well trained as Otto could sell for much more than $2,500.  Plus, he's priceless to us!

We have mentioned in many Facebook posts how amazing Mrs. Jody is (for so many reasons), but here is another example of why only God could've know how important it was for us to board Otto at Carroll Stables.  Not only has Mrs. Jody been so amazing with everything at the barn, she also let us know right away that she knew $2,500 was a lot of money for our family (especially since we would also be taking over the fees for boarding Otto) and that she wanted to help in anyway she could to help us get Otto.  We found out about being able to get Otto just a week ago, and in just that amount of time, Mrs. Jody has built these amazing Texas flag boards and had the idea to sell raffle tickets for $10 a ticket.  She is awesome!  We couldn't have done this without her!  #butGod #OttoisaRoss 

Raffle tickets can be purchased via https://paypal.me/JodyCarrollStables?locale.x=en_US

For every $10 donated, Mrs. Jody will add a ticket to the raffle with your name and phone # on it. She will text you a photo of your ticket(s) if you’d like!

***Andrew would love to be able to sell raffle tickets in person, but obviously the quarantine makes that impossible, so that's why we are all virtual.  Thank you for your understanding and support!

Summer and beyond... update on the horse!

Helllllloooo our sweet Army!

I think about, pray for, and praise the Lord for y'all often! The way you have prayed us through the darkest of days and rejoiced with us on the brightest of days is never far from my mind.  I wanted to give you a quick update, since my last post, on what God has been up to over the past couple months.

Summer and beyond:
We had a crazy busy summer, filled with lots of great memories:  A grown ups only vaca in Costa Rica (the trip we won in the raffle at the Gigi's Playhouse Gala last year), Toga party in Corpus Christi for a TOKC fundraiser (where an amazing family paid $5,000 in a live auction for a pomeranian puppy and then gave it to Andrew), officiating the wedding of two dear friends, our 7th year at Pine Cove Family Camp (best family vaca ever), soccer in Colorado, Family Reunion in Branson, awards trip in Park City, Utah, Abby and Andrew meeting up with family friends in Tennessee and then all of us meeting together in Louisiana, and to cap off the summer....  ANDREW'S MAKE A WISH WAS GRANTED!!!

Costa Rica did not disappoint!

Our favorite pediatric cancer foundation, Triumph Over Kid Cancer's fundraiser! 

Still can't believe we were blessed with this little guy, Rocket Chase Ross!

Can you tell, I'm SO SUPER excited for these two?!?!  After introducing them a year earlier, it was truly an honor to marry them!

FMILY CAMP!!! Year 6!!!

Family Reunion in Branson, while Abby and I were at a soccer tournament in Colorado...

Since David took Andrew and Grace to the reunion, I only got 2 pics from the whole trip😜!

These girls crushed it at Nationals!  They made it to the semi-finals (lost in over time), playing up an age group!

 The one pic I got of Abby playing, thanks to another mom taking it!

Team bonding with some white water rafting!

Besties reunited at the airport in Tennessee (just missing Glo Glo)!  This was Abby and Andrew's first time flying all by themselves!  They did great!

Amazing 9 mile hike in stunning, Park City, Utah!

***A SUPER SPECIAL DAY....ANDREW'S MAKE A WISH!!!***

The day Andrew got his Wish granted!!!

A boy and his horse (from just this weekend)...

Otto doesn't love playing soccer, but he will do it.

The first time Andrew taught Otto to jump...

Catching a ride back to the barn after catching Otto in the pasture one day...

Abby loves Otto as much as Andrew does... she's become quite a little barn girl when she's not on the soccer field!  Andrew and Abby have taught Otto how to run barrels... and Grace walks the barrels course :-)!

Only God could have known how much Andrew needed a horse in his life and really, how much our whole family needed this horse in our lives.  As I've shared previously (I think), when Andrew was little he was always a major mama's boy.... once Andrew was diagnosed with cancer and on SO many pain meds around the clock (including multiple narcotics), we saw a change in his personality that made him very hard to connect with, especially for me.  I'm not a very creative person, so trying to get into his world often times felt impossible.  I missed my boy so much during this time and had to fight the thoughts that maybe God was putting distance between us during a time all I wanted was to draw near to him to protect my heart for when he called him home.  Once Andrew was able to come off the narcotics (praise the Lord), we saw his personality return to normal, but I still yearned to find a way to connect with him like we use to, when it was so easy and came so natural.  This precious horse and the stables it is boarded at (Carroll Stables), has been beyond anything I could have even thought to pray for.  I absolutely love going to the barn with Andrew, it is our happy place (totally a God thing, since you know I'm not someone who loves a whole lot of dirt and being around horses... is not a dirt free environment ;-).  The owners of the barn have become like family in just a few short months.  They have taught us so much about caring for a horse, they take amazing care of Otto (and all the horses at the barn.... those horses are all living their best life now), have taught Andrew how to throw a rope (lasso), Grace is always looking for Mrs. Jody, so she can help her around the barn or just talk her ear off, we get to go on family trail rides, and really, they just love us well.  Pine Cove couldn't have leased us a more perfect horse (for our family).  Otto is 17 years old and works hard for Andrew, whether he's teaching him how to kick a big soccer ball, do an obstacle course, jump, run barrels, or just go really fast (Andrew's favorite thing to do), but he's equally amazing if Grace and Abby ride him.  David and I love riding him too, even though we usually just ride after the kids (so we are riding in a kids saddle).

One more thing that is an extra little hug from God is the drive to the barn...  the barn is about 25 minutes from our house, but it is such a beautiful drive, complete with a painted sky (especially during sunset) that boasts of God's majesty.  The drive to the barn is always a great time chatting with the kids, listening to worship music, or just talking to God.  Andrew's Make A Wish gift has been such a tremendous gift to our family in SO many ways.  I did my best to give you a glimpse of what the blessing means to us, but it really feels impossible to articulate.  We only have Otto until the end of May and then Otto has to go back to Pine Cove to work over the summer for camp.  The kids will often say, "I can't imagine not having Otto in our lives anymore.  I hate to even think about it!"  Then, I know they are really hoping we can get Otto back after he is done working for the summer, but by that time the Make A Wish gift will be over (the gift was boarding and vet for Otto for 9 months) and owning/leasing a horse isn't cheap 😬.  I have to be honest, when I think too much about it, I sort of get anxious at the thought, so I have to choose to give it to God and trust that He will either change our hearts or provide a way for us to get Otto back.  Will you please join us in prayer about God's will?  I know it sounds silly to already be worried about that, since we have still have 7 months left with Otto, but it's a reality that's already on everyone's heart.

ABBY- playing for the u13 Houston Dash DA (soccer continues to be her happy place), loves Logo's (this school couldn't be a more perfect fit for her), and is still my little (big) side kick.  Having a sibling with special needs makes for a pretty amazing human, but it also requires a lot of sacrifice and potential issues that, if you aren't hyperaware of, could be overlooked.  For instance, studies show that kiddos of a sibling with special needs often times are perfectionists because they don't want to mess up and cause more stress on the family, they may feel over looked, may feel like they don't want to share their feelings/stress because they know their parents are already stretched so thin, etc.  You take that reality and multiply it by two because both of her siblings have special needs of some sort.  Therefore, we pray often about how to best pour into Abby and make sure she gets the time and attention she needs.  One way we have found to be super helpful is making sure there is time for me to take her on a lunch or dinner date 1-2 times per week.  I pray about what topics God wants me to talk to her about on our dates and He is faithful to answer that prayer every time (whether I go into our dates with a topic on my heart or let it organically come up).  The time spent with her in the car driving to and from soccer is also a great time to connect with her one on one.  I know we are quickly approaching the teenage years, so we pray that God preserves her, keeping her the sweetheart she is now, despite any teenage hormones.  A peak into this girl's heart...  you know Abby hates when David and I are away overnight, so us going to Costa Rica for 5 nights without her was a big step for all of us.  When we came home, I found this as Abby's screen saver and she hasn't changed it yet (even though her friends often ask her "why do you have your mom as your screen saver?" 😂😂😂).

ANDREW- pain has been well controlled on only 3 pain meds.  He is thriving in school (even though he is still playing catch up from the 2 years of school that he missed most of from being in treatment, too much pain to go to school, sleeping through most of the day at school because of all the pain meds he was on, etc).  He is going to play basketball this winter.  Last time he played basketball is before he was diagnosed and he would get random bouts of tummy pain that made him have to sit out at times. Next scan is in December. He still has weekly playdates with his best friend, Mr Alan, and plays daily with his buddy, Christian, who lives down the street.  This is big because Christian would knock on the door daily when Andrew was in really bad shape (from cancer), asking if Andrew could play, and I would have to tell him that Andrew couldn't because he was sleeping (Andrew would come home from school, when he went to school, and crash, sleeping much of the afternoon and then going to bed at 7:30 pm.... his poor little body).  To see Andrew get to play hard outside is a gift we don’t take for granted.
***PRAYER REQUEST- Andrew's next MRI scan is on Dec 23rd, will you please pray for no progression what so ever? Also, Andrew had a lot of tears one night this weekend because he hates having cancer and the fact that he has to take so many meds and if he forgets his meds (like he did one morning last week), he has to deal with unbearable pain. Naturally, he gets discouraged when thinking about what his cancer is up to (is it growing, when will it start to grow again, will I always have cancer, will I die from cancer.....).  He is so rock solid in his faith, but there are moments when the “what if” monster sneaks in and tries to steal his joy and hope.  We all just snuggled him in bed and tried to honor his feelings (we want him to have a safe place to voice those thoughts, so we can help him process those fears and not ever think that having those thoughts makes him any less strong in his faith, brave, or that it’s too much for us to bear) and share with him that the enemy attacks us in the same way.  As a family, we talked through the truths found in scripture, reminded ourselves of who God is (His character), and looked back at ALL that God has seen us through thus far (we know He won’t quit now). These types of conversations are SO hard... like SOOOOO hard (who wants to talk to their baby about their mortality and the sin in the world that he is experiencing first hand), but at the same time... it’s like going to the gym and lifting heavy weights... faith weights. Those conversations spur us on, keep us in fighting shape, recalibrate our hearts, and unite our hearts to the One that is all powerful, all loving, all knowing, and always good. Will you please also pray that Andrew (and the rest of us) would continue to root his hope and joy in the Lord and not be led by a spirit of fear? THANK YOU!!!

GRACE- still loving cheerleading at Apex cheer gym!  She fractured her wrist at cheerleading, so she's out for a couple weeks, but can't wait to go back.  Going to the ER for a normal child injury versus a scare with Grace's heart, lungs, etc, is a little refreshing and gives perspective.  We hate that she hurt herself, but it was like "great, wrap that wrist up and we will be on our way!"  She hasn't let her splint slow her down a bit and she never complains about it.  Grace isn't doing her horse back riding therapy at this time because she is busy doing "therapy" on Otto.  I can't believe how brave she has become.  Otto is much bigger than the pony she use to ride and she rides him all by herself, bareback and all!  She continues to LOVE school and is crushing 1st grade in an inclusion class with support 90 minutes a day (in class) with the amazing Mrs. Jones (she was Grace's aid last year too).

KRISTI- I could use prayers for February 22nd, 3 years since Andrew was diagnosed and that is the timeline his Oncologist gave us for how long he thought Andrew would live.  We have expectant hope and trust that the Lord will make a way for Andrew to live a long life and we'll never stop praying for a miracle of complete healing or that he could live to be an old man with this cancer being managed as a chronic condition versus a life sentence.  In March, it'll be two years since his last round of PRRT (radiation treatment that has never been done in a child before, but it was our only hope) and 2-2.5 years is the median progression free survival in the PRRT studies (the average time when/until a patient progresses).  We use to feel like we would be so grateful if Andrew's disease could be stable for 2-2.5 years, but that time has flown by and I am starting to have a little anxiety; I don't want this sweet time to end, where breakthrough pain isn't a regular part of our every day life, acting as an in your face reminder that his body is riddled with cancer.  We will fight to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and continue to change our "what if's" to "even if's".  #butGod #hopeon #Heisourhope

DAVID- he said he could use prayers in preparing for his goal of running 150 miles in the Snowdrop Ultra 55 hour race at the end of this year.  The difference this year is that he knows what he is getting himself into; therefore, training has not been nearly as enjoyable, as he knows the impending doom coming his way (when ever fiber in your body hurts).

If you have made it to the end of this update, you are AMAZING and we really appreciate your support for our family!  In hopes of making you smile, here is one of my new favorite videos ever (it's only 3 seconds, but it's a great life lesson)... this was taken this weekend at Gigi's Playhouse Sugar Land's Trunk or Treat.

When all else fails... just shake it!!!!!!!!