A great week so far, treatment tomorrow

It's amazing how differently this cycle has gone compared to the first one.   Amanda is doing great.  Yesterday the kids went to my parent's house and spent the day with their cousins and we ended the day by going to church at Lawler. I even played the piano since their pianist was gone.  It was just like old times.  Today we went to Double G for a little archery practice and then out to see Grampy while the boys mowed.  The week has flown by, but I guess that is what happens when Monday is a vacation day - it just throws the rest of the week off balance!

Yesterday we shared with our Grace family that Tom and I have made the decision to home school Amanda this year.   After seeing how her body has responded to treatment, which is scheduled to go through next summer, we feel that she will not physically be able to attend classes.  With the Administration and Board of Trustee’s approval and support, we will do our best to include her in various activities throughout the school year so she can stay involved and in touch with her classmates.   It is our prayer that she returns to Grace next year with her classmates.  Brandon will be at Grace, so this is another area where we would appreciate prayers as we learn to balance and juggle the various calendars and schedules.  It should be an exciting year!  I may need to adopt the circus theme for the school year since we will be juggling so many things.  Trapeze anyone?  

I am going to be a teacher.  Who would have thought?!  My first inclination is to panic, but this too is not a surprise to God.   I have faith and trust that God knows best, even though at times I feel woefully inadequate to take this on.

Since Tom and I began discussing this decision some time ago, I have had time to work through all the implications it brings and to tell the truth, I am starting to look forward to being at home full time even if the home school aspect does intimidate me a little.  While I held on to the hope that she would be able to return to school, we now know that God has other plans for our family.  To be honest, I am starting to view home school as another chapter in our adventure!  I truly feel blessed for the opportunity to be with her daily and have this active role in her education. 

  

It has been awhile since we have posted pictures of Ginger, so I thought I would include a few tonight to show how big she has gotten!  This should be as large as she gets - we hope!

Tomorrow will be a long day for us.  We have a follow up appointment with Dr. Brown, the Radiation Oncologist in the morning.  I am excited to see him and talk to him about the most recent MRI results!  We then head to Dell for Amanda’s second transfusion of her IV medication along with a new antibiotic she will also receive through her port.  This will be the third antibiotic they have tried on her.  She had reactions to the first two, so we are praying for a more positive experience with this one!   She is very anxious about it, please pray for her to have courage.  This antibiotic is a preventative medication that she will be on for the entirety of her treatment, plus up to six months after, so we want something that works really well for her.  

God continues to bless us tremendously each and every day. We are thankful.