Celebrations and updates

So, my test results came back from this week, and everything looked good!  My white blood cell count fell within the normal range, and my chest x-ray was clear.  I still have a cough and sore throat, but I assume I will be given the green light on my chemo treatment tomorrow.  You can pray that my body continues to fight this cold and that my immune system doesn't get wiped out with this next treatment.  I'm a little nervous about adding the chemo side effects on top of this illness!

The weekend was filled with sweet celebrations...my Mom's birthday was today, so we celebrated yesterday with our whole family (which included a visit yesterday afternoon with my grandparents!).  This was all after the boys' baseball game, so I was feeling pretty spent by the time I climbed in bed last night.  But again, I want to be spent for the good things, when I'm able!  

This morning, the kids brought me donuts and Mother's Day gifts, along with their sweet little cards :)  My brother, who is getting ready to graduate from seminary this week, preached a fantastic sermon at church this morning.  And I was able to go see "Cinderella" with my mom and sister this afternoon!  We attempted a dinner out with the kids tonight, although everyone knows that kids (um, especially 2--year old kids) can be unpredictable.  It was a good thing that we chose Red Robin, because it was loud enough to drown out his "unpleasantness!"

Overall, it was a good day, and I am grateful.  Tomorrow morning marks another hurdle...Round 4 of chemo.  My friend, who is an oncology nurse, told me that the treatments are cumulative, which explains why treatment #3 felt more difficult.  Pray that my body tolerates this one well, and that we inch that much closer to the end of these treatments!  Also, pray that the chemo is doing the job and getting each and every cancer cell that remains in my body.  Finally, as usual, you can pray that my heart remains steadfast, encouraged, and joyful as I head into the more difficult days ahead.  Thank you all so much!!

My sweet grandparents came for a visit this weekend :)

Love these people so much!!!