Wrapping up 2011

What a year. In many ways, I'm glad it's over... in others, I think I'll continue learning from its events for many years to come.  In it we've seen some of the happiest days of our lives and some of the most trying days as well.

Interferon update:  Nine down, 11 to go.  After the first week, I didn't really feel that bad, but undoubtedly my body didn't like it as my blood counts/enzymes were too out of whack to start the 2nd week on time. After a day of being bummed and feeling a little defeated, it really worked out well since I felt great for Christmas!  We started week 2 December 27th at 20% lower dose.

I went back to work the week before Christmas for 4 hours a day which has been good... a little taste of normalcy returning to life:-)  I go every day for the IV infusion about 3pm and it takes about 2 hours. After driving home and hugging my babies, we eat supper and then Mommy crashes. I'm in bed 5 minutes after Silas and Avery are in bed!  The side effects aren't as bad as some said they'd be - it basically feels like I have the flu - body aches, headache, fatigue... just feeling plain puny. BUT nothing we can't handle.  Whatever it takes to make sure we do everything we can to keep this melanoma from popping up again!

We're believing God for total healing... and are trying to trust in His greater plan. Looking forward to a new year of new blessings, new adventures, new challenges, and fun times!

The Days After

When we returned home the day after Christmas, Avery couldn't wait to try out her new doll cradle... only, the baby was thrown out and Mickey was put in. She rocked Mickey into head-banging dizziness while we tried to explain that the cradle is for rocking baby to sleep... it was more like a mosh pit for Rock and Roll Mickey.

Sooner or later, it was bound to happen....

Santa had a little delay in putting together Silas' cozy truck.  It was like Christmas morning all over again when this thing appeared... This boy loves to drive!

Merry Christmas 2011

On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed a FULL house in Grenada. We all attended the candlelight service at FBC (Silas and Avery made it through about 35 minutes before having to visit the hallway to exude their energy).  We returned home and enjoyed a delicious feast prepared by Mimi!  Mimi gave the grands these cute PJs and the kids enjoyed staying up wayyy past their bedtime. We had to pause for a photo op: 

Avery was just tickled to death at Eleanor and her matching pajamas. So sweet.

Silas really understood that the shiny paper comes "off" the box and had a blast helping everyone unwrap their gifts. Maybe next year he'll understand that it's what's inside the box that is the goal... not the box or the paper (which Avery still enjoys eating. oh geesh.)

Aunt GG gave Silas and Avery a "band in a box" complete with kazoos, wooden cymbals, xylophones, triangles, tambourines, harmonicas... you name it.  Fun (and very noisy) times!

Mimi and Papaw gave Silas a real basketball goal... he loves it!  You should see Bruce smiling with pride as Silas runs around with the ball and tries to throw it in the hoop;)  Avery got Rock and Roll Mickey (more pics to come on that later)

Cheesin'

We pulled into Mop and Pop's house and Silas spotted his rocking horse... Happy little guy.

Avery's baby doll cradle...

Playing with cousin Kaelyn

Enjoying Christmas dinner at Moppy and Poppy's house

Moody-Gore-Warf-Cravens-Sturdivant Christmas

On Christmas Eve afternoon, we got together with the Moody's for a little visit. My, how we've grown over the last 20 years... babies everywhere!  You've got to see this picture of Jack and Avery hugging!  These two are hilarious... they never stop moving... wild!

I love, love, love this... makes my heart smile.

Ho, Ho, Ho

Since we would be in Grenada Christmas morning, Santa decided to come a little early to see Silas and Avery.. and they were excited about it!

Silas and Avery were a little unsure about what was going on... but eventually saw all the new toys!

"I just don't know what to try first!"

It took about 10 seconds for Avery to spot her new baby doll. So precious. She went straight over to it and looked at it in the face and gave it a big hug!  She also got pajamas that matched the baby's... and eventually would get a little cradle from Mop and Pop for the baby. Our plans were to teach her how to put the baby to bed...then maybe Avery would learn to go to bed;)  I'll let you know if it works!

Silas and his little computer...

They both love their little piano (so does Mommy)...   Here we are singing Avery's favorite: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

I had to share this picture of Avery's 'mischevious' face while she teases us about trying to open everyone else's presents.

Not yet Avery!  More Christmas with family to come in the next posts...

First Haircut...

I've been putting it off for way too long... so we finally decided to get Avery's bangs trimmed. She won't leave a bow in her hair to keep it out of her eyes, so as much as this momma didn't want to cut her hair, it was time.  She was all decked out and posed for the occasion!

Silas also got a little trim in the front to get his hair out of his eyes ... this little man's hair is growing wild!  His curls are so cute:-) and they seem to grow every day.

Whom Jesus Loved

When all this "C" stuff started, I thought about how I wanted to study in my quiet time.  When something unexpected (and certainly unwanted) creeps into your life, of course the search for comfort, peace, rest begins.  I didn't know where to start, only knew that I wanted to see God working in the situation, to feel Him in charge of it all.  It's been awhile since I've read the Gospels straight through... and I could think of no better way to draw nearer to Jesus than to walk alongside Him during His days on this earth. I started with the book of Mark, because I could think of no better way to expect a miracle in my own life than to see Him perform one after another as Mark recorded. This fast-paced, almost in-your-face account of Jesus' authority over all things sick, hurting, broken, empty - proven by one miracle after another - is a picture of our all-powerful, compassionate Christ... and helped me pray believing He could do anything.

I moved on to Luke and noticed more eloquent or complex language, more medical details about some of the miracles Jesus performed, parables told in such detail that I can only imaging Luke pouring over many eye-witness accounts and determining what was truly accurate. His careful attention to detail gives us unique insight into that special night in a stable 2,000 years ago... the verses we learned as children from chapter 2, the verses read aloud in families all around the world at Christmastime each year.  For us female persons... details are nice!

But John.  When anyone asks what book they should start reading if they've never really read the Bible before, I have always said, "start with John."  His tender account of Jesus' love and ministry along with solid theology introduces one to my (our) Jesus in ways that inspire us to seek Him more. Mark and Luke weren't part of Jesus' original group of 12 disciples... John was.  John didn't write the book as a historian, he wrote it so that we can know his best friend... and fall in love with Him.   Reading his conversational and emotion-filled account of Jesus, we see John as a sensitive, empathetic, heart-filled man who truly 'got it'.  John's relationship with Jesus was special - on the night of the last supper when Jesus told the disciples that one of them would betray Him, John was reclining back on Jesus. He felt comfortable enough around Him to lie back, leaning on His chest... I bet he could even hear the steady thump, thump, thump of His heartbeat.

John penned himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" and refers to himself in the third person as such throughout the book.  I personally don't believe John thought Jesus loved him more than any other... he only understood the magnitude of Christ's abundant and never-ending grace and mercy... and love for us.  After all, John wrote three additional books about true love that warned us about false prophets proclaiming bogus love (1st, 2nd, 3rd John).  As we see in his last book of Revelation where God's justice burns up the pages, John grasped that even in God's perfect love for us, there is perfect justice.  Praise God for His perfect love.

What would happen if we all referred to ourselves as "the one Jesus loves"??  How would that change our thoughts and perspectives?  I think I might have to start doing this.

I love the passage where Jesus is speaking in John 11:3 and tells them, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" As John records, Jesus spent a good amount of time defending Himself against the Pharisees and others who were skeptical... and yet again, proved Himself on the cross of Calvary, fulfilling what the prophecies foretold.

This weekend marked the 42nd Carols by Candlelight at our church. You can watch the full service here: http://fbcj.org/Video-2011-12-11-Carols.html      It was odd to 'sit out' this year, but special at the same time. My heart was blessed a million times over as the choir sang and drew attention away from the 'story' of Christmas towards the 'purpose' of Christmas... that God sent His only Son to this earth for you and for me, to become like us in flesh, to walk with us, abide with us, and ultimately endure a cruel death... which He conquered by rising from the dead three days later ... so that we can spend eternity with Him. It is fitting that I just finished reading the book of John and have been focusing on the person of Jesus... perhaps my favorite part (besides Amazing Grace) of Carols this year was a poem Walt Grayson recited. He has recited this in Carols past several times before, but this time it really hit home.  The poem was written in 1926 by Dr. James Allen Francis and goes something like this:

One Solitary Life

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was 30. Then for 3 years he was an itinerant preacher. 

He never owned a home, never wrote a book. He never held an office, never had a family. He never went to college. He never stepped foot inside a big city. In fact, he never traveled more than 200 miles from where he was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself...

While he was still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied him. He was turned over to his enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had - his coat. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed tomb. 

Twenty long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race. 

All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that have ever sailed; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life. 

This one that Jesus loves believes.

Be blessed, you whom Jesus loves.

Elle's Sip and See

Sweet Eleanor's Sip and See was held at the Moody's house in Grenada on December 11. Little Witt couldn't keep his eyes off of her... too cute!

Elle was an exceptional honoree and cooed, smiled, laughed at everyone who came to meet her. She loved all the attention!

Proud Grands!!

Grace, Elle, and the hostesses

You better watch out, you better not cry...

Yesterday, Grace, Eleanor, Bruce, Silas, Avery, and I bundled up and set out to meet Santa Claus.  Silas and Avery had a ball running around in the Bass Pro Shop, stopping at the animals and aquariums... and talking to other people: 

"Hi there. I'm doing great today, thanks. How are you?"

 Avery walked like such a big girl holding my hand all the way to the back of the store where Santa had set up shop.
Both Silas and Avery were excited as the elves greeted them by their names (monogrammed outfits are a plus! ha).  They approached the jolly ole man with caution, hesitating to take the little candy cane he offered them... but were intrigued enough not to run off in a different direction.

UNTIL.....Mommy and Daddy stepped away.   

Operation Meet Santa, Take 1:  FAIL. 

(FYI, this Santa was every bit as stoic as he appears. I almost tried to pull his beard just to make sure he was real myself.)

 Precious Eleanor, on the other hand, couldn't wait to meet Santa. She was not shaken by the twins' traumatic introduction.  Sweet Elle sat in Santa's lap very contentedly and posed for the picture.

Silas and Avery quickly diverted their attention to the gazillion toys within toddler reach: remote control cars, My Little Ponies, stuffed ducks, gators and fish (this was Bass Pro). Then we made our way over to the big boy toys.  

"See Papaw, I can handle the popscooter. Wait, now do I make it 'go' again?"

"oo, oo, oo... pullleeeaassee, Santa!!"  

"But I'll be really good... I promise."  

Pictures as of late...

Got my cookie, got my barn... lounging around!

It's basketball time around the Warf house:

Practicing the pivot on the left foot... or maybe 'ready hands' on defense too:

Shhh.... don't tell Daddy... I'm really a Rebel at heart...

Highlights of Avery's photo session. What a model we have!

"Wait... make sure you get my good side..."

"I know I'm looking cute in my jeans..."

"Oh, I can do Sassy..."

"Silly Avery.  See, I can pose too."