Family Times

 This month is flying by. Frequently people talk about how busy November and December are with the holidays. For the past 6 years, it is October for me. With Halloween and Maddy's birthday plus a number of doctor's appointments, October just fills up for me. It is a mix of fun and medical, but it is always busy.

Quick update on the crew and then some pictures...

Alex is doing pretty well. He continues to have pancreatitis and we are in the process of considering some new pain control options. He is otherwise feeling well. He had his first in person activity in over six months and he really enjoyed seeing his friends! He is a representative on our church Youth Council and they had a meeting to plan out some activities for the year. being with friends in a safe socially distanced environment was so good for Alex. He continues to plug away at school. He loves his video games and horror movies and is watching a number of TV series to fill his time. He misses his speaking and fundraising for the hospital as well as seeing Sonny for his weekly Violin lesson. Even though he cannot attend his all day gaming event this year he is trying hard to raise $5000 for Cook Children's through his fundraiser. I will post the link at the bottom if you are interested in helping him reach his goal. (BTW, it is much harder to get pictures of 16 y.o.)

Maddy Moo is living her best life. We are doing school 4 morning a week. She spends the rest of her days with private ballet, private art, and two days horseback riding at her PT center. She loves seeing Mimi and PopPop most days and playing horses all day long. She is loving Hart and is excellent about helping care for him. He follows her everywhere and already responds to her better than anyone else. Their connection is really incredible. I have never seen anything like it in a puppy this young.

Bruce has started his chemotherapy and is doing okay. He is experiencing some fatigue and nausea, but overall it hasn't been too bad. We are grateful for his job working from home and his incredible boss so he has been able to continue working so far.

I had to make the hard decision to resign from my job this month. Between Maddy's schooling, the kids health care needs and Bruce's medical challenges there just aren't enough hours in the day for me to do any more. I am still serving on several committees at the hospital and leading the Mom's bible study at church. 

These days and our life are not always easy, but I look around and am so grateful for the life we have. Our life is blessed by so many people we would never have met if not for the kids medical issues. I have watched friendships deepen, faith grow and family bonds strengthen. I am a better person because of the life I have been called to live.

Thank you for making our lives better by being a part of it.

Ali

If you would like to help Alex reach his goal, please Click here.