Little Things...

...that mean a LOT!

• Lunch date for Sierra and Ally with Grandpa.
• Mid-morning vanilla latte drop-off from Summer.
• Lots of help from friends with the lasagna dinner at church.
• Precious drawings and get-well notes from the Berggrens.
• Susie stopping by unannounced with a yummy dinner in hand.
• Chuck and Missy taking the big girls overnight so that Marc and I could get some rest.
• Mom calling to check-in and offer help everyday this week.
• A husband that cleans up dinner dishes for me EVERY NIGHT!

Thanks, everyone!!!

We feel very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. Valerie is pretty much back to her old spunky self. We are really looking forward to spending this week of Spring Break together as a (healthy) family.

Poor Baby

Teething - check.

Pink Eye - check.

Ear infection - check.

Roseola - check.

In other words, this has been a miserable week for Val-Val. Where we got all these germs, I have no idea!!! This poor girl has only wanted to sleep on me for the last 5 days. Her fever completely knocked all the energy out of her and she really hates all the medicine she is taking. BUT - today I have seen the first signs of life! She has tried to play and is eating a little more. I have even heard a squeal or two come out of her. Her energy doesn't last long and she soon crawls back to me for a cuddle. Although it has been a difficult week, my last post helps to keep things in perspective. Thanks for praying for Tim. The update today was that his cells are beginning to engraft. Praise the Lord!

Please pray with us....

...for Tim Beck.

He is my brother-in-law's (Benjy) younger brother. There is no blood connection, but he's part of the family. Just the fact that we've attended the Caldwell Night Rodeo together gives us a bond that is stronger than blood. ;)

You can read the whole story on his blog called "Fighting Hodgkins", but tomorrow is a very important day.

He is receiving a stem cell transplant after a week of intensive radiation and chemotherapy.

Please pray that his healthy cells (which were harvested a couple of months ago) would do their job and fight off the cancer that has been attacking his body. Most importantly, pray that he would be strengthened in the inner man.

Thank you!

Miss Piggy

Valerie has a new trick! Isn't it lovely?

Life with Little Girls

I always thought that I would have a houseful of boys. I was wrong. Wonderfully wrong. I can't imagine anything better (for me!) than staying home with three little girls. I may be singing a different tune when they are 17, 15, and 12.....but for now I am perfectly content. Here are just a few "girly things" that I really enjoy:

• Hearing Sierra and Ally sing all of The Sounds of Music songs at the top of their lungs.
• Creating new hair-dos using as many clips as and ribbons possible.
• Playing house, school, store and doctor.
• Crafts that involve jewels and sequins.
• Reading and watching Little House on the Prairie together.

Ally and Val-Val playing in the tunnel.

Kissy lips on Valentine's Day....courtesy of Uncle Chuck and Aunt Missy.

Dr. Ally gives Belle a thorough check-up.

Valerie loves her new toothbrush. (She still has only one tooth!)

Sierra brought this book home from her school library last week and read the whole thing (32 pages!) to me.

I was SO PROUD!!!

No Greater Joy

This post at least a week overdue, but I just have to share it:

Last Thursday (Feb.25) sometime around 8:00a.m. Ally Grace asked Jesus to come into her heart and be her savior! I was in the middle of fixing her hair when she blurted out, ""I believe in Jesus." She has often said this to me so at first I didn't think too much of it. But, for some reason, in the middle of our mad morning rush to get Sierra to school, I decided to take a little more time and ask her what she believes about him. She told me that she believed that he died on the cross and was in heaven now. I'm sure I've done it before, but I explained again that if she really believed that then she should pray and tell God. Her next sentence took me completely off guard. "I want to do that right now." I almost dropped the comb. The ponytails could wait - this was it! Right there in the bathroom, I led her in a prayer. What a joy to hear her repeat those simple words of faith after me!

Fast forward to this Friday (March 5). We were in the bathroom again getting ready for the day. Ally says, "Mom, you pray after me this time." With a smile in my heart I agreed and put the comb down again. Line by line I followed her in this prayer:

"Dear God, please help me not to do bad sins. I want You to forgive me. I believe in You. And I really want to have a garden in the spring. Dear God, Amen."