Today is a significant day in my mom's journey to beat breast cancer. She will be receiving her first chemo treatment later this morning.

Although it has been just a few weeks since her diagnosis, what an incredible journey she has had so far, seeing glimpses (often big ones) of God's care for her. The Lord is so good! Many verses have come to our minds in the last few weeks. This path that He has chosen for my mom is a difficult one to be sure, but we are promised in His Word that He has gone before her (Isaiah 45:2). He promises to be her refuge (Psalm 46:1) and to provide her with peace that defies human comprehension (Philippians 4:7).

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3)

A few weeks ago, while my parents were here for a visit, we were aware that my mom had much on her mind. You see, she had recently discovered a couple of suspicious areas and had immediately reported her findings to her doctor. The day before they drove down to NC, she had undergone biopsies on those areas, and while they were here, she and my dad were awaiting the outcome report. It was actually not until they returned to PA that they received word that she did in fact have breast cancer.

Since that time, mom has been such an incredible witness of God's goodness in her life. The Lord has truly been her strength during this time of many tears and uncertainty. He has been faithful in providing her excellent medical care, and even allowing one of the doctors on her team to be a close friend and fellow Believer. We are praising the Lord, that despite being aggressive, that her cancer is treatable and is in the early stages. What an awesome God we serve that He would allow my mom to detect a problem when it could have easily gone undetected, even by a mammogram.

And so now, we pray...That my mom will continue to feel well and that the treatments will not be too difficult on her. We pray for the doctors, that they will seek wisdom from the ultimate Physician, that they will have great discernment, and be able to provide my mom with special care. And, we pray that ultimately, that the Lord be glorified through my mom's witness to those who travel this road with her...those in the medical profession, her church family...and our family...my dad, their children, and grandchildren.

I love what she recently wrote in a letter to her praying friends. “This is a new pathway for me and yet I am holding strong to the fact that I love and serve a God who is sovereign, who knows how to give good and perfect gifts to His children, and who has promised to be with me. I am experiencing His complete peace and comfort, even in the midst of tears. Often it is coming through people that He sends my way, as well as through Scripture and songs. I am testing His promises and finding that they are definitely true! My prayer is that the Lord is glorified in my life and that I will be a testimony of His faithfulness to those in the medical field who will be advising and caring for me.” And then, she added this verse: As for God, His way is perfect - Psalm 18:30.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am you God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Fall Fun (That about sums it up!)

This Fall we have enjoyed some wonderful, and much needed family time.

Of course, to kick off the Fall season, we needed to get over to the pumpkin patch (or rather, the FV United Methodist Church field) for a few good pumpkins. We selected our favorites to decorate our doorstep, carve on Halloween-Eve, and of course, roast the yummy seeds!





In early October, what a blessing to have a visit from Grandpa and Grandma! It is always such a treat to have them here. We had a fun week of shopping (I waited until mom got here to visit Fuquay's new Kohl's for the first time), chatting, watching them spoil their grandkids, and watching presidential debates...

Shortly after Dad and Mom left, it was time for the NC State Fair! Micah had the day off from school the week of the fair, which worked out great so that we could go on a less busy weekday. We were able to meet up with friends, Noah and Joy, and we all had a great cotton-candy-eating-going-on-lots-of-rides time! Although that I realized that the cost of going to the fair for half a day was about the same as an entire day at Disney World...Those prices our outrageous! But hey, it is the fair afterall.

Micah not appreciating the scent of the poultry tent.

Emma and Joy about to take off on the kiddie coaster.

Micah and Noah wishing they had enough tickets for a "real" coaster.
Micah, "This is no Space Mountain."

Halloween was loads of fun this year. Not only did the kids go trick or treating, but we went to three Fall Festivals over the course of the weekend. For Halloween this year, Micah chose to be a detective again, while Emma had three costume changes this year...a (disgruntled) pumpkin for the preschool parade, a pink poodle named "Fifi" for trick or treating, and Sleeping Beauty for the neighborhood Fall Festival.

Emma in the preschool parade.

Heading out for some Trick or Treatin'

Hayride...For a John Deere Tractor, this was one wild ride!

Check out that overhand!

Micah tossing bean bags at the neighborhood Fall Festival.

Our Sleeping Beauty

So, now I've done it...I've finally brought this blog up to date! Yay!! I hope in the coming weeks to include more timely updates on what is happening in our family...actually writing down those funny things that the kids say, or posting those great pictures when they happen...not 3 months later! Thanks for bearing with me.

In the meantime, enjoy this wonderful Fall weather...I'm just hankerin' to bake an apple pie!

Our Sporty Kiddos

The last couple of weeks, our schedule has quieted down a bit, due to Fall sports wrapping up at the end of October. This was the first season that Emma was able to participate in the FVAA (Fuquay Varina Athletic Association) soccer league. And, Micah's first season of machine-pitch baseball. Although our evenings and weekends were busy, shuttling the kids between practice and games, but we sure enjoyed cheering our kids from the sidelines!

Here's a picture of Micah playing catcher. Although he didn't appreciate the dust in his face, he really learned to play this position well. Prior to playing machine-pitch, he had played a couple of seasons of t-ball, but really enjoyed the competitiveness of "real" baseball much better. He's already said he wants to play again in the Spring. By next Fall, he'll move up to "player-pitch" ball.

Do I look menacing, or what?

Emma played to the beat of her own little drum (or make that danced) when it came to soccer! Sometimes she would tear out on the field and get right into the game, but other times (most other times -- hee hee), she would flit and flutter around the field (usually humming), not paying a bit of attention to where the ball was or where she should be kicking it! But, her coach was great (and very patient with a bunch of 4-year olds), understanding that at this age, it's all about having fun!

CHARGE!

Victory Jump!

Disney Day 8 - Our Last Day of MaGiC

What a week it had been! Saturday morning dawned, and we sadly packed up the van and headed over to the Magic Kingdom for our last "hurrah!" We had certainly had a busy week, and were a bit tired, but it was a good kind of tired, you know?

Before we left the All Star Movies Resort, we took a few shots of the kids. I love how the close-ups turned out...complete with their ears!

We arrived well before the "rope drop," so we had plenty of time for the kids to collect Mickey "glitter" and play with the hula hoops scattered around.

Here the kids are standing in a Mickey created with Micky "glitter." Needless to say, this Mickey didn't stay intact for long...despite our kids' efforts to protect it!

Today's pace in the park was nice and leisurely, since we had done a lot of what we wanted to on our two previous days in MK. We had plenty of time to stop for photo ops and hit some of our favorite rides...Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Goofy's Barnstormer, Mickey's Philharmagic, and Buzz to name a few.

Our one picture from the entire week with a Disney character!

Trying on hats...with ears, of course!

And, the final ride of our trip...Space Mountain! Micah had been waiting until the last day to ride this. He had to "build up" to it! Immediately after riding it, he gave it a "thumbs in the middle," but now he wants it to be the first thing he rides the next time we go!

So, there it is...Our family's first trip to Disney. What a wonderful week it was for us...Lots of great family together time...and many, many special (and funny) memories! We can't wait to go back again...

Disney Day 7 - Back to Disney Studios!

Well, we decided to make one more trip to Disney's Studios before we left Disney World. So, for our last full day, we headed back to there for a bit more "Hollywood" magic.

We spent the day returning to our favorite attractions. First on the list was, of course, Toy Story Midway Mania...Such a fun ride!! During the ride, you shoot at carnival-type "midway" games and at the end, receive a score for your efforts. Geoff has safely scored away all of our high scores, so we know what we need to beat next time!

We all returned to the Beauty and the Beast show (Micah had "missed" out on this the first time) and Indiana Jones. Geoff took the kids on the Star Wars ride, while I got one last blast on the Rock 'n Roller Coaster! Sadly, we didn't return to the Tower of Terror...actually not sadly at all! (Well, maybe for Geoff).

We left early afternoon so that we could spend some time getting the room packed up for our departure the next morning.

Here's a picture of our cute and cozy room before we started packing up.

While I packed up, Geoff took the kids to the pool!

At suppertime, we drove back over to Downtown Disney for one more delicious meal at Wolfgang Pucks and to spend the last of our Disney "Bucks" on a few souvenirs for the kids.

Day 6 - Epcot's World Showcase

Thursday was the one morning we didn't push to get out of the door in time for the "rope drop." Nevertheless, our kids were up early anyway, so we took some time exploring around our resort before heading over to Epcot for the day.

Micah and Emma hamming it up in the 101 Dalmations wing

Today our plan was to explore Epcot's World Showcase. We weren't sure how much the kids would enjoy this, compared to the rides that the other parks offered. But, it turned out to be a really fun (and don't tell the kids, but educational) day! Our first stop was Mexico. There was a kids' craft table set up where Micah and Emma could each design a mask on a stick. The idea was that at each country that they visited, they would receive a little "charm" to hang off their mask, and receive a stamp on their mask handle. Having a reason to stop in each country was a great way to get the kids involved in planning our day's intinerary.

Micah and Emma designing their masks in Mexico

Our vikings in Norway

Hugs from Snow White in Germany

We stopped for lunch in Germany, in honor of Uncle Joe and Aunt Tammy! The kids weren't so sure about the tan-colored hot dogs, but definitely enjoyed the German desserts!

Browsing the streets of Germany

(Note Emma in the stroller...quite a bit of walking today!)

Enjoying the sunshine in Italy


Enjoying some drum and fife music in the good 'ol US of A.
Emma was selected as a volunteer "recruit" in the band!
(Can you spot her in her purple t-shirt?)


Dodging the camels in Morocco


Enjoying the sights of Paris

We couldn't resist the 'ol telephone booth shot in the UK

And finally...Canada!

This was our final destination of our 5 hour tour around the World Showcase.

The kids were thrilled to receive their last charm and stamp for their masks!

I love this shot of Micah's eyes...He kept blinking for the pictures,

so I said, "Micah keep your eyes open!" This was the result!

We had definitely worked up an appetite for the delicious steak dinner we enjoyed at Le Cellier in the Canadian pavillion that evening. Definitely a place we'd like a return visit...yum!

Disney Day 5 - Magic Kingdom

On Wednesday morning we were ready to head back to the Magic Kingdom for a full day of pixie dust. Because of the popularity of this Disney park over the other three for families with young kids, namely the rides in Fantasyland (the rides, like Dumbo, that Emma had been dreaming about), this was where our pre-planning would come into play...big time! But, once again, TGM did not fail us!

A quick stop to pose in front of Cinderella Castle

We entered the gates and confidently strode to Fantasyland. The kids and I immediately got in line for Dumbo, while Geoff ran to get a Fastpass for Thunder Mountain Railroad. We were able to ride on the very first Dumbo "spin" of the day...what a thrill! (For Emma, at least...Micah had a few choice words about why the Dumbo ride is named what it is). Believe it or not, within an hour, we were able to ride everything in Fantasyland...walking onto all the rides, including the Carousel, Small World, Snow White, Mad Hatter's Tea Party, and so on. And, that was perfect timing, because after an hour, Toon Town was opening, and we could head over to ride Goofy's Barnstormer and then ride the train around to Frontierland, getting a nice railway tour of the park.

Whee...We're on Dumbo!

Taking a spin in the teacups...

I'm spinnin'

The kids loved Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain in Frontierland. While in that area, we also took a ride through the Haunted Mansion. Both kids seemed up for it, until the ride got stuck! We were trapped in that spooky place a couple of times for 5 minutes without moving. It was a bit freaky, but Micah and I (who were sharing a car), just got out my iPhone and played a game or two on it while waiting...That kind of took our minds off the fact that there were spooky things all around us! :-0

Here's a shot of Emma the way she likes to ride roller coasters...

Arms up!

Heading up Thunder Mountain...Yay!

Emma sporting my sunglasses to keep her eyes

from getting water in them on Splash Mountain!

After lunch we spent quite a bit of time in Tomorrowland...Riding pretty much everything except for Space Mountain, which Micah wanted to wait until Saturday to ride (our last day). On our way out of Tomorrowland for supper, we stopped at the Monsters Inc. "Laugh Floor." During the comedy show, the cameras zoom in on people in the audience for the monsters to heckle and crack jokes about. Well, out of the couple of hundred people in the auditorium, WHO gets picked out? Micah, of course! Man, that boy is becoming a star here...First Turtle Talk and now Monsters. After this, Micah decided that he had enough of being in the spotlight, and determined that the reason he kept getting picked on was because of his mouse ears. After that we started to call them his "lucky ears." At this point, he opted to give them to Emma to wear, since we was just dying to "get picked!"

So, we headed out of the park to the Grand Floridian for supper at 1900 Park Faire, a character meal with Cinderella, Prince "Charmin" (as Emma calls him), and Cinderella's stepmother and sisters. As our meals went, this one wasn't at the top of our list...We felt a bit rushed between trying to get up and serve ourselves from the buffet and get back to our table in time to meet the next character, but for Emma, it was a dream come true to get a hug from Cinderella!

After our meal, we took the boat back across to the Magic Kingdom for their evening fireworks show, "Wishes." It was actually the only night show that we stayed up for the entire week, so that made it special. After the show, we high-tailed it to the shuttle bus station, and actually got on the first bus out! As we were driving back to our resort, Geoff commented, "The first bus in and the first bus out." Yep, we had a full day of Disney magic!

Disney Day 4 - Animal Kingdom

Tuesday dawned...Our day to visit the Animal Kingdom. I was especially excited about visiting this park...It had been 17 years since I had moved back to the States from Africa. So, I was looking forward to experiencing a "real" safari with my family. (Well, as real as you can get in the U.S.)

So, there we were, waiting at the gates for the official "rope drop," when all of a sudden, one of the Disney "cast members" (what they call all the Disney employees) asked us if we would like to be the Animal Kingdom's "Family of the Day"! Three out of the four of us said "yes" immediately, while one wasn't so sure at first (but soon warmed up to the idea). So, we were allowed into the park early and were given special shirts to wear and instruments to shake as the crowd counted down for the park to open! What a cool way to start the day!

Here we are...The Animal Kingdom "Family of the Day"...

Riding the Triceritops Spin

(prehistoric version of the Dumbo ride)

Before going on the safari, we got wet riding on the Kali River Rapids ride, and then dried off walking through a couple of walking animal exhibits (in the India and Africa sections of the park). There was a lot of walking involved this day, so we opted to bring the stroller for our little Emma whose poor legs (suspiciously) had a habit of not working after the first hour or so each day (So, Geoff's shoulders got a workout on most days!)

Looking at the elephants on the African safari

The awesome Lion King show...Spectacular!!

Despite the size of the park, we were able to finish up our day there by early afternoon. So, we headed back to the hotel to rest up for a couple of hours before heading out to Downtown Disney for some shopping and supper.

Our first stop at Downtown Disney? The LEGO Store, of course!

Here, Emma is having fun petting the dogs,

while Micah is trying to figure out exactly how this massive sculpture was constructed.

They had a building area outside of the LEGO store where Micah happily spent his time!

Micah and Emma racing their LEGO creations...

We had one of our best meals of the week that night at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe. Geoff ordered swordfish, and I had macadamia nut-crusted chicken. Now, doesn't that sound de-lish? For dessert, I had the most amazing, chocolaty-est (if that is a word) dessert ever! Here I am savoring the last bite!

The meal was so great, that we cancelled our reservations at another restaurant for later in the week, so that we could return to Puck's for one more amazing meal! (By the way, I ordered the same dish!)