Updates

It's about time for some updates on the other kids.

Ethan.  This big guy is totally in toddler-almost-two mode.  He can be very accommodating and easy going, or he can be very demanding about what he wants.  He can communicate his wants and needs quite well, which we love.  No more guessing games about what is going on in his brain.  He likes going new places, being around other people (both kids and adults), van rides, black car rides, and truck or tractor rides (whenever he can convince Matt that he should get a quick one around the yard).  He can have a pretty goofy sense of humor; it's obvious that he likes making others smile and laugh.  He enjoys singing and dancing and loves, loves, loves showers when the sprayer is up high.

Some of our favorite phrases of his right now are:
"Daddy's awesome truck" - in reference to either the real one or his remote control truck
"pretty cool truck" - what he called the little car carrier that Anna gave him
"I wike cars." - He says this whenever we read through one of his many car books.
"I am happy!" - Ethan sometimes says this when he and I are having our lunch together.
"Why?" - Ethan asks why in several different tones.  There is no way for me to write down the fun intonation that Ethan uses when he is in a silly mood or the particular crying way he asks, which he must have learned from Kate.

Kate.  We had Kate's fall conference with her kindergarten teacher last week.  No real surprises surfaced.  She is doing great academically, is a role model for her peers, was a bit reserved about making new friends at the beginning, and is doing well overall.  She still cries sometimes, or feels like crying, but has been able to figure out a few strategies to help her move through her feelings.

Before Kate entered preschool, we shared with her preschool teacher that Kate has a sensitive soul; nothing has changed in that regard.  She usually doesn't cry when we drop her off anymore, but she might cry for sentimental reasons.  For example, she told us once that she felt like crying during rest time because she was thinking of Ethan and just how much she loved him.  So she drew him a picture that day.  Or she may feel like crying because a book or story is particularly touching.  This kid does not need any lessons in empathy :)  She is also a perfectionist and will sometimes get teary because she is overwhelmed with a task that she doesn't think she can do.

Kate is a budding reader, which is fun to watch.  She often complains, however, about how there isn't enough time to play now that she is in school all day.  Poor kid doesn't know what's coming ...

One positive thing about how life has worked out this year is that every day Ethan and I get to see Kate during her lunch recess; we pick Anna up at the same time that the kindergarteners are outside playing.  Because of this timing, I have been able to meet many of Kate's classmates and friends, as well as watch her progress from the shy kid who watched on the sidelines, to someone who loves to run around and play chase with a variety of different kids.

Kate was also able to go to a friend's birthday party yesterday afternoon, someone who we have known since he and Kate were infants.  Neither Kate nor I quite realized until we arrived, but she was the only girl going to this five-year-old boy's birthday party.  After taking her time to warm up to things, she ended up having a great time.  I'm not sure of many other five-year-old girls who would have ended up having as much fun as Kate did at a birthday party full of boys :)

Anna.  Anna has been very tired lately and there are many reasons for this ... six months of chemotherapy and rehab to name the biggest two.  She usually puts on a pretty good face for everyone else, but Matt and I have been bearing the brunt of her crabbiness and the other results of her fatigue.  She is naturally a hard worker and, right now, just about everything takes hard work and concentration on her part.  Miss Anna is certainly a different person than she was a year ago.

According to her, she just wants to be able to go to school every day.  Well, she is getting closer to that goal, but she will still miss time this week for a few appointments and will start missing some other time for different therapies.  Hopefully, her stamina will increase as her body heals from the chemo and she will be able to attend school in the afternoons some days.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) Anna will have a quick brain MRI in conjunction with her clinic appointment.  This was supposed to be the end-of-treatment-let's-talk-about-the-next-step appointment (and it still will include that), but because of her tiredness and continued nausea, her hydrocephalus status needs to be checked again.  Surprisingly, this will be her first MRI in almost three months!  When I told Anna today that she'd have a quick brain MRI tomorrow, she said "Really?!  I love those MRIs!"  Ever since she has been awake for these short MRIs, Anna and I play a game with the loud sounds the machine makes; we pretend that Ethan is trying to break into different fancy cars and their car alarms are going off.  The noises we hear in the room sound an awful lot like car alarms and/or fireworks, even through the layers of ear plugs.

Even though the treatment is past, we will never really be done with the effects of Anna's cancer.

Time for Prayers

Thanksgiving
Please give thanks that Kate has had a great adjustment to Kindergarten this year.
Please thank God that Anna loves school and learning as much as she does.
Please give thanks for Ethan's flexibility and ability to roll with life.
Please thank God that Anna's treatments are done!
Please give thanks for all of the people who delivered meals to our home in the past nine months; what amazing support we received!

Requests
Please pray that the MRI on Tuesday shows clear information.
Please pray for Anna's strength and stamina as we begin the process of weaning her off of some of her many medications.
Please ask God to continue to grant Matt and I wisdom and strength as we work through the next steps, whatever they may be.
Please continue to pray that Anna's treatments were 100% effective.
Please continue to pray for all those who are working with our family.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support.