Our visit to Utah...

There was too much fun to be had on our trip back home. In fact there was too many pictures to share without making a slideshow. We loved seeing everyone and had an amazing time. The van was a champ on the road, the kids were awesome, and annabelle slept the entire roadtrip. We wanted to thank everyone and let them know how nice it was to feel your love, support, and be able to spend some time with you. Shele, Glen, Nick, Max, and Sam thank you for your hospitality and the wonderful princess party you threw for Eva and Grace. Thank you also for all your help with the baby blessing and allowing us to do it in your home. Gill and Virginia thank you for the wonderful party you helped throw at Mk's for Kims belated 30th. Thank you for your help with the blessing. MK and Bri thank you for allowing us to party at your house and thank you for all that you did. I am sure I will miss someone if I list all the thank yous, but please know how grateful we are for all your help and love. We had an amazing time.

To update you on Grace, she had chemo today and is very tired. Of course we are now counting down the treatments left. She did not have a spinal tap today, but will have one in march.

Way To Go, JR!!!

JR loves his career at the District Attorney's office. JR is a liason between the police beaurea and his office as they curb prostitution in Portland. He oversees a team of officers-who are fantastic people. He has done an incredible job, is so devoted to his work and always goes the extra mile to ensure that he's helping clean up the community! I am so proud of how hard he works, but I'm even more in awe that he manages to still have time to be the best father and husband in the world. He really is someone to admire, and I adore and respect the person he is! Evidently, the Portland Police Beaurea has noticed as well. JR was given a Distinguished Service Medal for all of his efforts to assist the victims of crimes and prosecute those who perpetrate the law. We're so proud of you, J and the best part of it is seeing the twinkle in our kids eyes as they saw their hero-their daddy-get his award!!! Way to go JR!!!

Grace has had loads of fun utilizing her chemo supplies...sterile gloves, a play stethescope, and her flush needles for her port (minus the needle of course). Ben is a willing-or perhaps better phrased-helpless participant in her game of doctor. Grace says he is very ill, but she thinks he's going to make it.

Eva, as you can see in the video, LOVES playing with her siblings. She has a happy little spirit and they have so much fun playing together-most of the time! :-)

Tanner had a toothpick bridge competition in school recently and he put in a lot of hard work into it. It was fun to go to the school and see how much weight the bridges could bear and how hard all the children worked. We were so excited because Tanner won both awards-for strongest bridge and most beautiful bridge! Way to go T! Sometimes even REQUIRED assignments end up being fun, right?


This...I could not exclude from the blog. It melted my heart! Grace recently acquired an email account-password protected by us of course-and loves to drop sweet little somethings to people. One day when she wasn't feeling well she emailed me, I emailed back a message, and here's what she wrote back to me: you have to read from the bottom of it to the top to see why her response is so sweet.

From:Grace To:Kimberly Sent:Thurs, February 4, 2010 6:15PM Subject:

thanks mom you are a sweety pie feel good. doing wate you can is wate i ask for thanks

________________________________

From: Kimberly
To: Grace Sent: Wed, February 3, 2010 5:53:29 PMSubject:

Re:What a beautiful message! ANd, I really like the page! I love you so much, too, Gracie girl. You're like sunshine on a cloudy day! I am so sorry that you felt so yucky this afternoon, and I'm really sorry I couldn't cuddle with you because Ben was also sick. I know that is hard when you feel so yucky. I wish I could just help you every second. I will do my best though, ok? XOmom---

On Wed, 2/3/10,
Grace wrote:>From: Grace >>Subject: >To: kim>Date: Wednesday, February 3, 2010, 6:45 PM>>> > >

dear mom i love so much xoxoxoxoxo grace wednest day 3. 2010 >

KIM IS 30!

So Friday was Kim's birthday and she turned the big 3-0. There is not enough room on this blog to write how remarkable Kim is. She has always been an amazing mother, wife, and friend, but with the challenges that have entered our home the last 2 years she has shown with grace and courage the rare person she is, inside and out. When needed she can be the strongest pillar for our family to lean on and then become the most sensitive and thoughtful matriarch. She is wise beyond her years and wakes up everyday with a smile on her face and optimism that would have been beaten out of most people. I have heard people say that Kim has endured a lifetime of trials, way beyond her years. I don't know if that is true, but I am sure she has amazing things in store for her. She brightens up our day and has compassion for each individual she comes in contact with. We love her and were grateful to have a day to celebrate her.

If you are wondering about the picture above (crabclaw with candle) it is due to the fact that Kim is trying to avoid dairy and chocolate to help Ben's tummy. Because most desserts are made with those two ingredients we had to come up with a creative place to place her candle. The kids and I thought since we were having dungey crab for dinner a crab claw would suffice. A little creepy, but the kids loved it.

Eva loves Belles, but in this video you can tell she sometimes has the devil in her eyes. Look at how much fun she has scaring Belles.

What happened to our skinny premie. Ben's thighs are a sight to behold and he is doing great. Although this picture shows his "sad face" as Eva would deem it. He usually is smiling.