[survivor]

i had the great honor to be with my friend and hero super spencer as he had his last round of chemotherapy last month!

remember this cute boy?

a year ago last february spencer was diagnosed with a rhabdomyosarcoma, a malignant tumor in his parapharyngeal space.

and today i am so incredibly pumped and excited to report that he is

cancer free!

he has gone through so much and been so strong!

after a grueling year, he's done it!  he's conquered cancer and his journey continues on!

  instead of hospital beds, doctors, yucky medicine and scans, he will be home playing, going to school, swimming this summer and doing all the things he loves!

a HUGE shout out to his parents too!  oh my gosh, i can't even begin to imagine all that they've been through.  they are so strong! when i met them up at the hospital to take these pictures, i could see in their eyes and demeanor what a toll this has taken on them.  they were exhausted.  

what relief, excitement and pure joy they must be feeling now!  

 i hope they are so proud of themselves and know how proud our heavenly father is of them too!  

they have endured MUCH and accepted this challenge like champs! 

  can i just say, his mom holly is the most amazing woman i know!

 moms and dads have different obstacles, so as a mom myself, i have enormous respect and love for all that holly has done for her family.  she is so beautiful!  i love you dear friend!

and get this, on top of everything, holly organized a quilt drive for primary children's hospital.  they received oodles of beautiful quilts from all over!  now, so many sweet little sick children will rest cozy with these soft new blankies!

we're SO proud of you spence!!!

it's was so great to see your smile and share in your special day!

congratulations gooch family!

love you!

see more pictures here

read all about this amazing boy & his family here 

[nursery rhymes]

it's almost done!

i think.

it seems like it's taken us forever to get this little man's room together.

i laugh because with our first, everything was ready super early for her.  

we planned and prepared and wanted to have everything just so.

even with our second and third we had things a lot more "put together" than this time around.

life gets busy!

remember my dream nursery?

well, this room is quite the opposite.

funny how opinions and minds change, huh?

jack's room is white, chocolate and silver sage.

very traditional.

the important thing was that sam signed off on it :)

i can't wait to finish this project and show you the final product soon!

[did you say banana?]

banana bread is one of my favorites.

loving it, but feeling guilty for eating way more than i should when i bake it, i set out to find or create a new recipe.

must require but not limited to: 

100% whole wheat flour, honey for sweetness,

and of course must taste AMAZING.

okay friends, i have it ready for you.

and i am so excited to tell you that the texture and taste have not been compromised.

yes, i promise.

my whole family ate it right up and had no idea i changed the ingredients!

it's so much healthier.

and the best part of all, it's SUPER moist too!

i'm so excited!

you must try it!

ingredients

•1/3 c canola oil

•1/3 c all natural applesauce

•1 c honey

•4 eggs

•2 c mashed ripe bananas

•2 t vanilla extract

•3 1/2 c whole wheat flour (i use high altitude hungarian)

•1 t sea salt

•1 t baking soda

•1/2 c hot water

•1 c chopped walnuts (optional)

directions

preheat oven to 325º F.  

in a large mixing bowl, beat oil and honey together.  

add eggs and mix well.  

stir in bananas and vanilla.  

stir in flour and salt, careful not over mix.  

add baking soda to hot water. stir together and then add to batter, again careful not to over mix.  

blend in chopped nuts.  

pour batter into 2 greased 9X5 inch loaf pans.

bake on center rack for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  

cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing.

enjoy!

let me know what you think!

*recipe derived from PEDGI'S on allrecipes.com

[jack attack]

today while the older girls were at school, i thought i'd try and snap a few shots of jack.

he's been changing so much!

we had a few melt downs.

better luck next time i guess.

i sent sam to the store last night for some new similac - the sensitive kind.

nursing has been an adventure (that's a whole different story i'll someday tell)

this poor little guy has not been happy.

he's fussy and unsettled.

if he's not asleep, he wants to be held.

i am exhausted.

well, sam came back with the formula and some different kind of binks to try.

low and behold, i think we have a keeper.

they're the gerber cherry nipple kind.

i'm praying he will continue to like this type... if not, we may be in trouble.

i just want my baby to be happy!

i want to enjoy him.

i want him to enjoy me.

i want to lay side by side and listen to him coo and watch him smile.

it's close.

i can feel it.

when i pointed out to sam that this new bink he bought had pink on it, 

he said, "ah, he's secure enough in his manhood!  it's fine."

i laughed.

boys.

[as white as snow]

new life

fresh new beginnings

 oh how i love the innocence and wonder of spring!

we were invited to our neighbor's farm sunday afternoon to see this new baby lamb that had been born earlier that morning!

the girls were so excited to hold her!  a little reluctant at first, they quickly felt of her calm demeanor and right away realized they would be safe to take her :)

it was such a gorgeous day.  the sun was bright and all the new smells of spring were there, swirled in with animal essence lol.

what a fun outing!  thanks edie and jacob!

and who doesn't love a little hammock, right?