the last two weeks have been crazy busy, and i'm ready for things to settle down. those of you that travel, i don't know how you do it. we have been on 8 different aircrafts in the past 14 days, and i am not a fan. i seriously don't want to even think about another airplane or airport for a long while.

i can't even begin to tell you how amazing our disney cruise was. before we got off, i had myself convinced that i could just stay on the ship forever. it was stressful and a lot of work with the kids, but i loved every part of it.

wednesday was cody's mri and we held his disc close within our possession for our trip out to duke.

the white "stuff" within the circle is the tumor area. there is decreased swelling in the surrounding tissue compared to the last scan in december. cody's heacaches have decreased, so that has been noticeable. otherwise, the tumor area itself continues to look the same as it did two months ago, which is good and bad. the area hasn't shrunk any but it also hasn't grown either. the neuro-oncologist said she will take no growth any day of the week...and so will we!!

the plan is to get cody back on the 5/23 cycle of chemo (vs. everyday that he has been doing), have another MRI and appointment back at duke in 2 months.

"jenny's strength"

there was a box at our door this afternoon that no one expected. cody opened it, and inside were three pillow pets. the kids were excited, but we had yet to figure out where they came from. inside was a note:

- the jenny's strength story -

 

jenny was a 36 year old mother of two girls and a loving wife. she was a stay-at-home mom, dedicated to raising her two girls. her passion was children and gift-giving: she loved to pour out gifts on her own children, her nieces and nephews. when jenny got ill in 2007, her daughters' lives would be changed forever. jenny was diagnosed with glioblastoma and was no longer able to function completely as a mother. her daughters had to rely on others for their care when their father was busy caring for their mom. at times they would stay with relatives or friends, with pillow pets in tow! the girls were blessed to have family, friends, and church members rally around them to support them. what a difference a community of people can make in the life of a child. the girls then had an idea. why not encourage and support other children who are going through a similar circumstance? after receiving a contribution from a local news station, jenny's strength was born. we were blessed to have jenny with us until her passing in january, 2012. the struggle was hard, but the family learned that life is precious, valuable, and that in the worst circumstances, compassion brings light and hope.

 

 

along with the pets were hand written letters to each of us

 

seriously, how amazing is this?

 

the mission of jenny's strength is to provide comfort to children whose parent has brain cancer.

 

how to get involved:

share | our cause on facebook and through word of mouth

connect | us to a child whose parent has brain cancer

support | with your time, talent, and resources

pray | that god would help all of us bring light and hope to others

 

www.jennysstrength.org

 

....but those who hope in the lord will renew their strength.  -Isaiah 40:31

 



cody's been back on chemo for the past week. and unfortunately, back are the days of extreme moodiness and pure exhaustion.

what's coming--
22nd: labs
23rd: mri
24th: fly out to north carolina
25th: duke appointment and fly home


but on to more exciting things. this winter we've been blessed with the gift of spending precious time with the ones we love the most. over christmas, my parents took our family to florida.  and this coming weekend, cody's mom and her husband are taking the family on a 7-night disney cruise. i cannot even begin to tell you how excited we are for this opportunity. we're not sure who is more excited, the kids or the adults :)