December was a crazy month, as can be expected. But again, like every month, there is so much that happens than what is capture in the big posts. And it's basically all captured on our iPhones. So we're going to take one last look at the last month of 2013, and all the little moments that we don't want to forget.
Luke LOVES his baths! He only gets to take one a week in the bathtub, other than that he still gets sponge baths. His dressing over his broviac has to stay dry, so we let him get it nice and wet right before his weekly dressing change. I wish I could let him have a bath every night.
Early in December, Luke got a little stomach bug. We had gone to his weekly physical therapy appointment, and he did great! Then, right as we're pulling into Costco, he pukes all over the place! I ran into the store to do our shopping as quickly as I could, and added a new outfit to the cart for Luke. Danny got him cleaned up the best he could with what we had available and stayed in the car, with the heat on full-blast, of course. Our Luke has thrown up WAY too much in his short life.
And more Luke! :) We take a lot of pictures of Luke. We still cherish all the little things he does, and I think we will for a very long time. He's getting so big, and is no longer content to watch the kids play. He wants to do what they're doing!
This needs no caption. Peas in a pod. :)
I just love my Lukey-Son! I'm always the one behind the camera, so we took a quick selfie together. I'm loving having him home with me all the time! I gave up so much time with Luke when he was in the hospital to provide some stability for the older kids and keep the house running. I worried so much that he would never bond with me. Not a problem...he's my little buddy!
Like I said, Luke wants to be right in the fray with the rest of the kids. It's right where he belongs, and everyone knows it. :)
Grandma and Papa have a soft spot for Luke. If you ask me, they kind of miss that one-on-one time they used to have in the hospital with him! They still take every chance they get to play with their little guy.
And lest anyone forget, we have other children besides Luke! :) Johnny is still my main man, and he has been so patient with life over the last year. Everything that has been happening with Luke has probably been the most stressful on John. I love this boy. He's the most like me of any of the children, and he needs me more than anyone else. He's my John-Boy!
For Christmas gifts for teachers and doctors, Danny and I went all out and made Homemade Peppermint Marshmallow Hot Chocolate Sticks! They turned out so good, and we've wanted to try making our own marshmallows for a long time. We'll be doing this again next year, only maybe we'll eat them all ourselves! :)
December was an icy one this year. After a storm one day, we had come by Grandma and Papa's house to visit for one reason or another. We parked the Expedition in the driveway, and all seemed fine. Until Danny went outside and noticed the Expedition had slid down the driveway! It stopped only feet from the Dad's Suburban! Yikes!
We thought a lot about our "family" on the ICS during the holiday season. We reflected all month about our time there the year before. We had to take something yummy to our wonderful nurses and techs! Danny came up with the idea of chocolate dipped Oreos...half with crushed candy cane and the other with green frosting flourishes. They turned out amazing! We were the talk of the floor. ;)
Now, December was obviously a busy month. And Luke wasn't feeling so great by the end of the month. So I will forever kick myself that I didn't get a good picture of our kids in their new Christmas dresses and ties! They looked amazing! But Sophie looked so cute and grown up, even with her hair in curlers. I don't know when my girls grew up!
It's hard to end the year like it started...with cancer. But Luke ended the year with the first day of his radiation treatment for they myeloid sarcoma that popped up on his left shoulder. We're feeling good that for now his bone marrow is free of disease, and this seems to be an isolated incident! The radiation should take care of it with minimal side effect for Luke. He's such an amazing boy.
That's it! That's the Call Family History for 2013. This has been a hard year for me to document. I've been months and months behind on the blogging for most of the year. Honestly, it's taken me until half way through 2014 to get it all finished. But as I finish this up, I find myself oddly emotional. Even when I was far enough behind that any sane person would have given up on the project, I couldn't let it go. I had to document our life this year. And looking back, I know it was because it is so easy to see the Lord's tender hand in our life. Through all the trials our family has had, it has never been more apparent that there is someone at the helm. A loving Heavenly Father and a supremely empathetic Savior. I want to end this year's history with my firm testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want my posterity to know that I knew it was true. Every word of it. I understand, in my own humble way, the purpose of this mortal life as a part of the Plan of Salvation. I know that we are here to experience trials and afflictions, suffering and temptation...so that we can learn. It is all an opportunity for us to rely on the Savior, to understand His place in the plan, and to humble ourselves to the point where we can be exalted in greatness and receive all the He has. But with that all that suffering and hardship that we must endure, we are meant to know joy and happiness through living a righteous life. And I feel in my heart that that is the purpose of this year's book. That the world might see the joy that can be had, even in the midst of unfathomable trials, when you hold firm to the rod and rely on the Savior. We are not perfect by any means. But I truly feel like we've done the best we could. And we have been blessed, over and over again, beyond what we could ever have imagined.
I love my Heavenly Father, and I am humbly grateful for the blessing it is to live as a righteous woman on the earth today. I love Danny with a fierceness words cannot describe. He is the greatest blessing I have been given in all of eternity, and I am excited to see our eternity continue. My four children are amazing, strong spirits. I know they are mine, and I know they were always meant to be mine if I managed to remain worthy of them. I struggle to be the mother I want to be, but I would give the world to be with them. Claire, Sophie, Johnny, and Luke...I love you completely and so much it physically hurts.
How grateful I am for this amazing year! Because I know so much of what comes next, having already lived half of the next year, I know we're ready to do anything.
Bring it on. :)
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