A get together to thank everyone who has been so supportive

We will be in Utah on May 8, and would love to see you. My parents will be having a pot-luck dinner at their house from 5:30 to 7:30. All of you are invited and we would love to personally express our gratitude for all your support. Please bring your favorite dish and come and enjoy a fun evening.

Their address is 1411 E. Perry's Hollow Dr. , Salt Lake City, 84103.

Grace's spinal tap and maintenance routine and kids update

First, I feel I need to explain this picture. Grace has always been fascinated by the fact that as a child I used to have an imaginary friend named DEE-DEE. I told her that when I was little and was asked what DEE-DEE looked like I explained that DEE-DEE looked exactly like me just with glasses. Since I told her this she would show up at random times wearing glasses saying "I'm DEE-DEE" and laugh. I think she thought I was a little crazy and was hazing me for it. During this time we were also talking about animation, computer graphics and how movies sometimes make things that aren't real. We decided to make a picture of Grace and her imaginary friend DEE-DEE. Grace was really into it as you can tell by the facial expressions and the change of outfits. Anyway, with a little photoshop and cropping Grace got a kick out of seeing her "evil" or visually challenged twin.

Gracie had chemo today and a spinal tap. She is really worn out, but taking it well. Although we are happy that Grace will be visiting the hospital less during this Maintenance phase we were saddened to learn that will all the new medicine she will be taking at home, she might not be as energetic or even as pain-free as we imagined. She has been amazingly strong and even today mustered up enough strength to ride in the bike chariot with her sister and eat a little. At other times she was laying on the couch or sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. We are so grateful for how well she is doing, yet it is so hard to see Grace struggle in such a way. She tries hard to smile, laugh, and be the girl she used to be and yet her medicine weighs on her heavily.

Eva is great and loving the great weather. Today, stealing a second to eat my breakfast, she managed to sneak outside, drag a chair to the trampoline, climb up, unzip the netting, crawl in, zip up the netting, and yell "Dad, bounce-bounce!" She is constantly climbing, jumping, and laughing. She is full of pure adventure and joy.

Tanner is loving baseball and Soccer. For once in his life he is actually playing on a team with kids his own age and it is great. He also is doing great in school and soon is going to surpass both his mother and father in math since he is in pre-algebra right now. He has a big day tomorrow, his school is finishing up their maturation classes. He asked us today at the dinner table if he could play "Hooky". Guess he is going to have to sit and try not to laugh tomorrow with all the other boys snickering.

belated Easter pictures...

Happy Easter!

This year, Easter has taken on new meaning. When we heard that Grace had Leukemia, we became vunerable in a way we'd never been before. Suddenly something that happens to "other people" was happening to us. Faced with the fact that our child has a potentially terminal illness, suddenly the concept of eternal families became so much sweeter. We know that our family is forever, and neither the bonds of death or wordly sorrow can destroy that. We know that because of our Savior Jesus Christ-and his marvelous sacrifice-we can live with our Heavenly Father again. It has been a comfort to know that nothing we have experienced, big or small, has escaped our Savior's notice. Not only does he care about our sorrows, he has borne them with and for us. In 2 Kings 20:5 it states, "I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee." I read in a book recently a quote which reminds me that to be healed doesn't necessarily mean cured in the way we may ask for, which explains why sometimes hardship doesn't make sense. It said, "You can be cured without being healed, and you can be healed without being cured." Interestingly enough-this came from a person who'd lost a loved one to Cancer. So, after the long and dreary winter we watch the buds on the trees renew themselves, the flowers show promise of blossoming, and life continue on-good and bad. We look to the spring as our promise that after the dead of winter-there is life!

Avarie Giles and family

Hi Everyone! We are so excited and humbled by people's generosity! So many people have helped support the Giles family! We're planning on sending the money their way, so if anyone else would like to donate, I know they would be grateful. No amount is too small to relieve their burden. To see more about Avarie, look down a few posts.
Thanks!