March

Thank you for the many kind and encouraging notes and emails I have received from those of you who are still reading this blog (shock!) and wanted to respond to the news of my cancer.  I am continually grateful for the way I've been supported by friends and family, near and far.

We received confirmation on March 3rd that the removal surgery produced clear margins, thank you, God!  We gratefully went to bed that night with alarms set for an early arrival to the hospital on March 4th.  I underwent a reconstructive facial flap plastic surgery that took a little over two hours.  It was easy to be all-smiles before the surgery =)

While Ryan and I spent most of the day at the hospital, the kids were in great care with Uncle Steve and Aunt Vallerie, learning the art of mosaics.

Fun selfies that end up on my phone!

After watching the movie, Annie, with the girls, I thought it best to give them a real taste of the "hard knock life" - our floors have never been so clean! =)

Aunt Vallerie helped the girls make beautiful vases filled with colorful roses to cheer me up as I recovered.

A general picture of what I looked like for most of the month . . . this lovely contraption is literally called a Jaw Bra!  It was annoying to wear, but very helpful in the healing process.

Just as I was starting to turn a corner in healing after my surgery, COVID-19 kicked in, and . . . Bridgette turned EIGHT!  While she was very disappointed about how the increasingly serious quarantine suggestions ruined some of her long-awaited birthday plans, I'd like to think we made up for it with a few extra special elements, the best being a surprise visit from KayeK!!  Because of how fast the Coronavirus affected plans, KayeK had to make some last minute changes to her business travel and ended up getting to spend the week with us, working from our home!  What a great side-effect of the pandemic.
Two special memories from this visit are the drive-thru breakfast picnic-in-the-car dates KayeK did with each of the kids.  And, the tall stack of games we played through.

Bridgette's birthday breakfast: fruit, bacon, eggs, and cronoughts (a deep-fried and sugar-glazed croissant), which we aptly renamed as corona-nuts =)




Uncle Steve and Aunt Vallerie joined us for a birthday dinner

We snuck in a beautiful walk around the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms blooming just before they barricaded the streets 

We also joined friends for a take-out double-date before the more restrictive shelter-in-place order was in place, and before these dear friends moved to another state.


Planting flowers

My mom and sister thoughtfully gave me this fun puzzle as a get-well present.  I'm a bit obsessed when a fun puzzle is out, and this was a fun way for me to spend a low-key weekend.


One of the kids' favorite perks of the pandemic: Ryan isn't going to work every day and will sometimes play on the trampoline with them!

The new normal, for now, when it comes to connecting with classmates and friends

Making the most of good weather and healthy bodies in God's creation - the easiest way for us to enjoy social distancing

Baking with my twelve-year-old . . . I was cracking up when I turned and saw this because I immediately thought of this time when I baked with my two-year-old!  He was mostly laughing, by the way - just annoyed that I was taking a photo instead of helping him clean up - ha!

February

The beginning of the month started with a house full of friends and food for a Super Bowl party

Bridgette's shoes were so rank, we didn't even bother to bring them to our own trash bin after shopping for a new pair!

A weekend full of basketball games . . . Rooke shooting a free throw for his team after a technical foul. 

Basketball buddies on Team Sharks

Uncle Steve passed on tickets to us, so Bridgette and I got to see the UMD ladies play!

Uncle Steve and Aunt Vallerie took the kids to explore a modern art museum in Baltimore - I have no idea what's happening in this photo, but they all had a great time!

I love the surprise photos I find on my phone

Ryan and I had a lovely breakfast date in between Valentine's Day and my birthday.  It was also a good time for us to be together and talk through some medical things I was going through.  The bandage and yellow bruising from the procedure seen in the photo below matched nicely with the restaurant decor!  A routine dermatologist appointment in late January resulted in a biopsy on a mole I've had for years, which confirmed a couple weeks later that I had stage one melanoma cancer.  I was turned over to a surgeon, who did another invasive biopsy, and we spent a week waiting to find out if the cancer was contained in my cheek.

Meanwhile, fun family and friends helped make my birthday a very special day!  My dear neighbor, Chesed, spontaneously took me, and all our girls, shopping for a new birthday top!

Jessie sent a gift card for a favorite dinner meal, and we had a lovely evening together as a family

A thoughtful birthday gift from a friend, reminding me of truth while we waited for the results of the second biopsy

The results finally came back and confirmed that the cancer hadn't spread!  So the third step was to have a Mohs procedure done, in which the surgeon hoped to remove all the skin containing cancer cells.  A week later, the doctors confirmed that all the cancer had been removed - hallelujah!  More follow-up procedures coming in March . . . And the size of the bandages keeps growing!  

These little guys love playing basketball with Rooke

Another school day . . . 

Brigette made sure we had some special activities for our 100th day of school this year

Truly a dream come true: my kids playing a piano duet!

Following doctor's orders to keep my bandages dry: Ryan lovingly played salon and thoroughly washed my hair =)

Rooke's basketball team played in two leagues this year.  One of the leagues held all the games at a school down the road from a Cracker Barrel.  After his last game in that league, I surprised Rooke with a breakfast-for-dinner date.

Ryan was asked to fill the pulpit at a church in a neighboring town.  We were grateful to hear him preach, and glad to join the kind people at Landover Hills Baptist Church for one Sunday.