Fresh Courage Take

Home was so healing.  Emotionally and Physically.  River thrived at home.  

Tanzi and Mommy:  Welcome home River!

River called us when they pulled into Kanab and we headed to main road to greet our Rivy!

I enjoyed SO much being able to cook for all of us together!

Meals were constant and unrelenting part of my everyday Mommy life - breakfast, breakfast dishes, lunch, lunch dishes, dinner, dinner dishes.  I do not naturally enjoy the meal prep and clean up.  

I have a new perspective:  Meals are such a blessing!!  A time to serve each other and a time to gather together to make food to nourish our bodies - conversation to nourish our souls.  The enjoyment of seeing River eat after days and weeks of nothing to very very little going in.  Meals will forever change for me.  Dishes are a blessing - they mean that you had food to eat.  They meant that you had someone to cook for - 

Tanz and Daddy

This picture is SO cute - The yellow pop of the flower - the movement of the sisters.

River and Tanz

One of God's blessings to us:  Pretty amazing flowers for our visit.

I was amazed at River's ability to face it all again.  The first time we left home we had no idea the severity or extent of what we were going to Primary Children’s hospital for.  She didn’t know that she wouldn’t be back home for two months. 

As we left November 2^nd she knew exactly what she was going to and bravely climbed in the truck and said goodbye to sisters – The next morning she got up early without complaint and had a full day in the hospital for many many tests.  The day after that she got up, chose a flower to match her hat (wanted the one that looked most like an indian - the picture above) and faced it all with cheerfulness and vibrancy.  

This is not just putting on a brave face.  This is inward courage such as I have never seen before – full trust in getting better.  Full trust in the Lord and His goodness and grace.  She is a modern pioneer – knowing first hand that God gives us the strength to continue.  The strength to bear our burdens.  Job 17:9 – The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger. 

We sang “Come Come Ye Saints” as part of our Sacrament meeting – just mom, dad and River.  She liked the phrase “Gird up your loins; fresh courage take”

A song that the Mormon pioneers sang crossing the plains:

1. Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear;

But with joy wend your way.

Though hard to you this journey may appear,

Grace shall be as your day.

'Tis better far for us to strive

Our useless cares from us to drive;

Do this, and joy your hearts will swell--

All is well! All is well!

2. Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?

'Tis not so; all is right.

Why should we think to earn a great reward

If we now shun the fight?

Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.

Our God will never us forsake;

And soon we'll have this tale to tell--

All is well! All is well!

River lives this way.  

Testing day:  This outfit is SO River:

Indian boots - Indian turquoise necklace

Chamo coat and her favorite penguin pants. 

Xrays

GFR Kidney Function Testing

Hearing Tests

River knows what is coming - she knows this will make her nauseous and sick and blah!

But she sits up, smiles and makes the most of the feel good time.  When she is nauseous and sick we watch movies and read books.  When she feels great we do crafts - she decided to make puppets. 

Happy flowers on her hospital bed for a happy girl

River and mommy made this duct tape rose:

"We Can Complain Because Rose Bushes Have Thorns, or Rejoice Because Thorn Bushes Have Roses" Abraham Lincoln

The nurse said that River looked like a pretzel

G-tube was too tight - It was really hurting and bothering her.  With tears rolling down her face they removed the water from the g-tube that holds it in place, and removed the tube from her stomach.  Then they needed to insert a tube to see how long it needed to be.  Take out that tube.  Insert the new tube and fill the bulb with water.  Each step was very painful!  It bled and really hurt and she held still through it all.

"Fresh Courage Take.  Our God will never us forsake"

I Love these boots - they are so cute with her skinny legs - little puffs.

Walk with Mommy and Daddy - up through the neighborhoods and a cemetery.  Lots of great conversations about life and death and where we go after this life.  Purpose for this life and the great plan of our Heavenly Father for eternal happiness.  The purpose of hard things.  

We enjoyed gathering such a variety of leaves.  

Silver Summer and Tanz - our sandbox :)

Silver and Mommy

Summer & Silver

Silver & Summer

Summer, Mommy, Silver and Tanz

Summer at the library computers

Tanz and mommy

Silver wearing a tie for Principle appreciation day.

She skyped with daddy and had him teach her how to tie a tie.  

Summer with her Daddy tie too

Summer will save her candy "For daddy and Rivy"

Helping mommy clean the house - love Summer's purple worker gloves

Summer remembers Rivy constantly - if she can Skype with Rivy regularly she doesn't feel so sad.  Here she found a pretty piece of rubber for Rivy at the park.

Silver and Tanz

Summer

Playing tag with Silver

She was running and running.  Silver loves to race and play tag.

She started with having trampoline base or this or that base.  Then we switched to colors - everything yellow or pink or orange was base.  Then the color for base was white.  The smartie picks up the chair and starts walking with it because it is "base!"

Summer and Mommy able to go to Kindergarten with Silver

I SO enjoy watching Tanz eat!

Silver and River making plastic canvas boxes

Rio with her pink camo sunglasses - 

Chemo makes your skin very susceptible to burning in the sun.

I had her in the shade - and it burned her shoulders - through her shirt where the sun was on her back in this swing.  Yikes!

I love how Tanz is getting it in her hair!

Plain tuckered out!

Tanz with her favorite blankie from the hospital.

Mosiah 4:9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.