In a few years time...

Can you believe how faded the old "Team Grace" bracelets are? JR snapped these photos of our bracelets versus a brand new one, just to see the change that two and a half years brought. Those bracelets have seen MANY long days of chemotherapy, and we're hoping one day we're brave enough to take them off and feel safety that there is no use for them any longer besides a cherished memory.

As of late...

Eva and Ben are the best of buds. It is darling to see the way Eva tenderly cares for him. What a good big sis. Ben will spend a half hour straight looking at books. It's his favorite thing to do!

Grace had an animal presentation, and chose one of her favorites-the Cheetah. She did a great job!

The dinner hour is like paying for dinner and a show...there's always something silly, chaotic, or fun occurring during dinner time.

JR was a judge at Tanner's Classroom Law Project program. Tanner did a great job with spur of the moment questions regarding electoral candidates.

Halloween

Halloween weekend was a blast. Because it was on Sunday we had a whole weekend to celebrate costumes. You can see Grace decided to be a fairy one day and Alice the next. We went to a lot of fun parties and got to see some great costumes. Tanner had fun going out with his friends and Eva, Grace, Ben, and Annabelle hit our neighborhood. Although Ben was dressed as a goldfish most people thought he looked more like a puffer fish...don't tell him he is very sensitive about his weight. Kim wore an authentic "call for" Multnomah County Jail outfit which is for inmates who get into fights, hence the black eye , neck tat, and blacked out tooth. She was a great sport since we all know Halloween is usually a holiday where women wear less not more. The jumpsuit is not supposed to be fashionable, but she pulled it off beautifully and very authentically.

Disneyland Celebration for End of Chemo!!!

To celebrate the end of Grace's chemotherapy, Shele, Glen, Nick, Max, Sam, and Gate were kind enough to take us to Disneyland!!!! This trip was nothing short of F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S!!! Every thing was so amazingly planned out, including dining with Disney Characters, a full princess makeover for Grace (and Eva, though she was too shy to do it), VIP seating at the water shows, and so much more. The kids were in absolute heaven. Even though Grace had chemo the week before, it didn't stop her for a moment. She was in Disneyland with people she LOVES after all, and no amount of toxic medicine would put a damper on that. On Saturday, October 16, she took her final dose of 6-Mercaptopurine, a medicine we hate giving her. To mark this momentous occassion...she did a little dance off right in the middle of magical Disneyland and couldn't have cared less who watched. Other family members even got in on the action. Thank you SO much for the memorable trip. We will never forget such a sweet and grand finale to a very challenging few years. You helped prove that the "happiest place on earth" isn't so much about the places you visit as the company you keep.

Grace's FINAL round of Chemotherapy!!!!!!

In Chinese, the concept of crisis is represented by two characters: one meaning "danger" and the other "opportunity." On August 15, 2008 crisis emerged. Grace was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. Today, on October 8, 2010....she was officially declared Cancer free and not only fought, but conquered her battle with Leukemia. She was a tiny girl when she was diagnosed. Today we see a lovely young lady, brave and strong and not at all the same child that began this battle. She is so mature, wise beyond years and GRACEFUL through hardship. Out of "danger" and crisis, Grace made opportunities. In doing so, she has taught her family how to love more deeply, how to feel more acutely, how to perceive more carefully, how to serve more wholeheartedly, and exactly what God's GRACES feel like.

Today the kids decided to bring a gift for the last time at the hospital. One of Grace's favorite things to do after chemo is unlock the prize chest and pick out a fun toy, stuffed animal, game, or art set. So the kids took their money that they have been fundraising and went to "dollar tree" and bought over 150 toys to restock the toy chest so that the children still going through treatment will always have a good selection. I think they felt really good about it and it even brought a tear to one of the receptionist's eyes. In walked our family of 6 with cookies for the nurses that we all helped bake, 9 bags of toys for the chest, presents for our doctor and head nurse, and an whole new feeling of being done with this. We have seen each one of our kids sacrifice for this cancer. Of course not on the same level as Grace, but they have all been effected by the C word and it was nice to finish as we started, together, hopeful, optimistic, and ready for whatever comes next. Here are some pics from today....

Tonight JR and I took a deep, long,good breath and I think for the first time in two years and two months, we will go to sleep with a different set of thoughts on our minds.