As we pause in our crazy schedule to celebrate Christ’s birth, we want to take a moment and express our gratitude to each of you as well.  We want to thank you for your continual prayers and also for the encouragement and support.  God has been so good to our family and we want to continue to give him the praise.

Here is a little peek into each of our lives.  I will start with the eldest and end with the baby. 

Ed has been working in the construction field for almost 21 years.  He has been with JEY Construction for 8 yrs.   He loves to be active, though sometimes feels he is “too old” to work in the elements and do hard labor.    His Amish boss has been very kind and he and his family have become some of our good friends.  When he is not working, he enjoys camping, watching his daughter play sports, building things with Brian and any type of R & R.  This past summer, we celebrated our 19th anniversary.  Wow….time sure does fly.

I have been with Hummel Group for 5 1/2 yrs.  It is hard to believe, but has been an extreme blessing.  I work with a team of 6 others, in the Financial Services Dept.  I love my job!!  When I am not “working” (home or otherwise)….I like to watch the kids in their various activities, go camping, lay in the sun, shop, read, sleep, play solitaire, do Sudoku, or just chill.  I love to spend time with my family!!!

Britney is 1/2 way through her Freshman year at Orrville.  She is doing amazingly well academically and in volleyball.  She was on the Freshman Volleyball team with the other 9 freshman.  They had an awesome season and ended up undefeated.  (20 – 0)  She will be playing JO volleyball this spring with the Kidron team.   Her goal right now is to go to Turkey this next summer for 1 month.  She is saving every penny that she makes.  She loves to babysit, read, listen to music, spend time with friends, EAT, watch movies, play volleyball and when she gets a chance, take a nap. 

Brian is enjoying his 6th grade year.  This is his 2nd yr at the Middle School.  He has really enjoyed his teachers and does very well in school.  Brian’s health has been amazing.  We were up to Akron Children’s in August and we do not have to go back until March.  He is a walking miracle and never ceases to amaze people when they see how well he is doing and how good he looks.  Brian is still a very busy young man.  He loves to play with Legos, build things (out of wood/nails/wheels/duct tape/etc), play in the woods, play video games, read, watch TV/movies, spend time with friends, and annoying his sister.    Oh, he can also give a pretty convincing back massage. 

Taz is now 2 yrs old.  He has been more nice than naughty this year.  He is getting a little thick in the middle, so we are trying to cut back on his treats.  He sits, shakes, and knows what the word squirrel means.    Despite the shedding, he has been a very good dog.  Britney will not let you forget that we have him as an added member to our family.    (He is a terrier mix that we picked up from the Humane Society)

We want to wish each of you a blessed Christmas and a HOPEful New Year.

God Bless – Jolene

We finally were able to take our vacation.  We spent 10 days in Florida.  Ahhhh, it was very relaxing.  We went to Panama City Beach and then we spent Thanksgiving with Ed’s Dad and Step Mother.   The weather was gorgeous!  Low 80′s for 5 days. 

We all enjoyed the beach.  It was amazing and our room was on the 4th floor overlooking the ocean.  The view and sounds were exactly what we needed.  The kids enjoyed playing in the ocean and then we swam in 2 heated pools.  I appreciated the convenience of having a washer/dryer in our room.  It was a very nice time, we traveled a long way, but stretched it out over the time we were gone.  We were also able to spend 1 night with my Niece in Cinci and 1 night with Ed’s brother in Charlotte.

We are home now and the kids are back in school.  Ed went back to work today, and I go back tomorrow.  I was able to get my Christmas tree up last night with Brian’s help.  Now, I just need to accomplish the shopping.    It is very cold here, we did have a few flurries this morning.  (I do not like the cold temps!!!)

I hope you each had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I have so very much to be thankful for.  God Bless!  -Jolene

Tomorrow is Brian’s 12th Birthday.  It truly is amazing how fast time flys.  He is getting taller.  (He has grown 3 1/4 inches since 6/14/10) He is not real tall for his age, but he continues with more height.  I praise the Lord for healing his bones!!!  When I think about the complexities of his Leukemia and how it affected his bones, I am humbled.

Sometime this weekend we are going to squeeze in some birthday celebrations.    I have shared this before, but Ed and Brian share the same birthday.  So, we are indeed going to enjoy Olive Garden and maybe a movie or something.  God is Good!  Today is also my great-niece’s 1st Birthday….so big celebrations in my family.

Right now Brian loves Harry Potter (books and movies), he still loves Lego’s, “wants” an iPod touch, loves to play in the “Great” outdoors, loves to build/create things (out of duct tape, wood, nails, cardboard, paper, wheels, etc), and enjoys his DS.  If anyone has some property to hike on or horses to ride, etc….he would LOVE the challenge.  I am trying really hard to keep him away from the TV, video games, etc.  I want him to be active.  (Wintertime does not help me with that….though he can not wait until it snows!!)

We are looking forward to the holiday season, but my #1 goal is to keep it simple.  I want to soak in the time together, the hot chocolate, playing cards/games, snuggling together to watch a movie….and try to steer clear of the hustle and bustle.  The begging and the whining is going to entitle my kids to Living with Less this year.    (The more they beg, the less they get)  Now we will see if Mom can carry this out.

Britney is working towards a goal of some international travel in the early summer.  She has been dreaming about it for a long time….but now she has it in her eyesight.  If you are interested, ask me about it.   She MUST have a travel partner in order for me to allow her to go.  So….she is very eager for you to talk to me. 

Ed and I are doing good.  We definitely enjoy our weekends.  Not that work is a bad thing, we just both love the family time and tend to focus on Saturdays and Sundays.  His job has kept him busy, which has been a true blessing.  My job seems extra busy right now…trying to finish on a high for the EOY.  God has blessed us both with really awesome jobs.

God bless each of you.  During this Thanksgiving season, try to stop and take the time to truly thank God for how he has blessed your life!  (Health, safety, family, friends, our jobs, the sunshine, the colors, etc)  God is Good, All the Time!!!!

Love – Jolene

Well we have passed the 3 yr milestone of our journey.  Oct 1st was the day that we ended up at Akron Children’s ER and then to PICU.    Sat, Oct 8th was Brian’s 3 yr diagnosis date.  We are humbled by what we have been through and grateful for where we are today.  God is Good, All the Time!

We have had another burst of summer weather.  70 + and gorgeous.  Yesterday Brian had his bike out riding, and we took a walk.  Oh, how I love summertime.

Brian’s favorite pastimes, besides riding bike are: Playing with Legos, playing games on the computer, playing Wii, reading Harry Potter, watching movies, making forts in the woods, building anything.  (Give him wood, cardboard, duct tape, nails, wheels, rope…..and he will construct just about anything.)  On Friday he built a little go-cart out of a piece of wood, 3 small wheels, an old stadium chair and even had some sort of brakes.  He is too funny.  He said “It’s a little bumpy going down the driveway.” 

We are anticipating another trip to Florida this year yet.  Brian still is not supposed to be in the sun much, so we post pone our vacation until the cooler months.  I am ready!  I need to get away from the norm for a while.  I don’t want to say that I have a bad attitude….but I am leaning that direction.  I can’t wait to relax!  You can pray for us that we can all be on the same page with our decisions and that we can have an enjoyable vacation together as a family. 

Well, the morning is getting away from me.  Hope you each have a wonderful week.

Jolene

Good Morning.  I do not have much to post, but wanted to update since it has been awhile.  We have been busy with work and school.  The kids are doing very well.  It seems we are heading straight into Autumn.  It has been cooler than normal and the evenings/nights are downright cold.  Sorry, I like warm temperatures.

We had fun on Saturday and went to the County Fair.  We just love that place.  Yummy food, good friends, watched my nephew showing his steer, yummy food….do I need to say more?  I actually took off today so that the kids and I could go back.    I enjoy watching the kids and also seeing friends that I haven’t seen in years.  It’s just one time a year. 

Brian is still doing amazing.  A week ago we attended the calling hours of a young friend that lost her battle with Neuroblastoma.  I asked Brian, as we were waiting in line, “Hey buddy, how are you feeling?”  He said, “Okay,” as he shrugged his shoulders.  I said, “Do you feel blessed?”  He said, “Yes” and looked up at me.  Yes, there were tons of tears!  Sadness for our good friends!!!  Sadness watching grown men, women, teens, and children who were also mourning the loss of a beautiful angel.  Tears of happiness for the life of Brian, tears of sadness for the grim reality that Cancer will always be in our midst.  It never goes away, it just goes into remission.  We continue to pray for his health, which is good…..but also we give praise of each new day that we can spend together.  Life is often too short!

Brian is enjoying the 6th grade.  He likes his teachers.  I am very proud of him, he started reading one of the Harry Potter books.  This is an accomplishments.  I have been trying really hard to find him a book that interested him.  He has always hated to read.  Well, now he is loving it.  Hooray!

Britney is now at the High School.  Yes, I almost cried her first day.  I dropped her off, she looked at me and said, “Mom, I’m scared!”  I told her that it would be okay, and she said, “Will you pray for me?”  OF COURSE!!  I ended up with a crazy case of acid reflux ALL day, I decided it was my reminder to pray.    She has a heavy class schedule, but is managing to keep up.  She also has Volleyball practice, basically every night.  (Games on Saturdays and some weeknight’s)  She is doing amazingly well.  Brian has even started to go with us to some games.  I just hope this doesn’t mean he likes to watch the girls in spandex! 

God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything that you did or didn’t do!

Have an awesome week – Jolene

Brian’s blood counts are: WBC = 6.7, Hgb = 13.8, Plat = 219, ANC = 3.2

We had an uneventful appointment last Thurs with Dr Patton.  Brian is doing very well and she said that we can probably go 6 months before we have to go back.  Praise the Lord.  We were able to stop in and say Hi to the Dodez family.  Karrie was doing as good as can be expected.  She was comfortable when I was there, getting some blood products….but I heard that later that night at home…she was miserable because she had to go off all pain meds for the hospital visit.  We are praying for a complete miracle in Karrie!!!

I was also able to go into PICU to see another family.  (I made Brian sit in the waiting area.)  A little 8 yr old girl named Emily was inpatient.  She had contracted viral meningitis from a mosquito bite.  She was doing much better when I stopped…but had been in critical condition.  They are not sure yet if she will have any permanent damage…she suffered multiple seizures.  (they are not sure how many…but lots.)

Over the weekend we were privileged to be a part of a Benefit for a good friend from Church.  Her name is Carol and she also was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2008, went into remission…then relapsed this past spring.  She under went a BMT in May and is doing awesome.  Obviously she is still recovering and gets tired easily, but her spirits are great.  Her family had a Chicken BBQ and a raffle to help with some of the expenses.  It was humbling to be a part of.  I praise God for Brian’s life!!!

School is almost here.  The kids start next Monday the 22nd.  Not so sure they are looking forward to it, yet I think we are ready.  We were able to get shoes and book bags this past weekend….and already had purchase most of the school supplies.  Tonight we have Freshman Orientation for Brit.  Summer is coming to a close. 

“All things in life are temporary.   If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever.  If going wrong, don’t worry, they can’t last long either.” 

Have a wonderful week.

Jolene

 

Wow this summer has just seemed to fly by.  It is sad to think that school starts in less than a month.  Today Brian heads off to camp for a week.  I will pick him up on Sat morn.  It is such a good time for him to get away and to be on his own.  Both kids love to go to camp and it is a privilege that our church provides for them.  Britney went 2 weeks ago and had a blast.  They meet new people and make some good friends.

We enjoyed a nice long weekend camping.  We left Thurs eve and headed to Alum Creek.   We were with 3 other families.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my camper this summer and never realized how much I need the R & R.   It is so nice to get away and relax.  Even though we come home on Sunday and I have LOTS of laundry.   But then again, I would have that anyways, right?

Brian is really doing well this summer.  He did have a slight sunburn about a week ago, and it literally disappeared overnight.  This is a miracle in itself, they had told me that he would be sensitive to the sun for the rest of his life.  For Brian, this ends up to be GVHD (Graph Verses Host Disease)  So, we are again humbled by his recovery and at God’s healing!!!!!!

Please pray for an issue that our family is dealing with right now.  I don’t want to share exactly what it is, but it is again residual side effects from the Hospital stay, the separation from Ed and Brit, being thrown into the face of death, and the post traumatic stress that still shows it’s ugly face.  Please pray that we would be able to have a clear picture, to seek God’s will, and make a positive choice.  (I did not sleep very well last night.  A lot of praying and restless sleep.)

Next week on Thurs, Aug 11th, I take Brian back to Akron Children’s for a Back to School Check-up.  We will get to meet with Dr Patton.  Not sure the reason for this appt, except I am sure they will do blood work.  I would like to try to extend our next appt out until March 2012.  He is doing well, and originally they had said we would go to semi or annual appts after a while.

Thank you for your continued prayers.  We have a praise for Brian’s friend Hannah from ACH.  She is just reaching her 1 yr post transplant.  She has also been a miracle of Christ’s healing.  Another good friend Carol is just about 2 months post transplant.  She is doing well, but has been really weak and doesn’t have much of an appetite.  Please pray for Karrie, a little girl in a neighboring town…she is struggling with Neuroblastoma.  We pray for a miracle….and less pain!

May you each have a wonderful week and enjoy the beautiful warm weather.   (I love the sun!)

Jolene

Brian is doing awesome.  We have had a fun summer thus far.  This past weekend we went to Hocking Hills State Park to camp and do some hiking/biking.  Brian didn’t have as much stamina as he did 3 summers ago, but he did better than I did.    He is still working on rebuilding muscle strength and endurance.  But it doesn’t hold him back.  He biked about 16 miles and hiked probably 8 or 9.  We did some swimming….and just enjoy camping and being with friends. 

We are gearing up for each of the kids to have a week at camp.  They will be going separate weeks, but for both I will drop them off on Monday morning and then pick them up on Saturday morning.  It is a good time to make new friends and to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Britney has been enjoying volleyball and doing some babysitting.  Both of the kids have been able to help with the Farmers Market here in town.  They assist my sister with baked goods and some other things.  It is fun to watch them have a purpose. 

Ed and I are celebrating our 19th anniversary.  It doesn’t seem possible that it has been that long.  We have been together for 21 years.  That is more than half of our lives.  Wow!  God has definitely strengthened our marriage and has given love a deeper meaning.  We had some rough years, but they keep getting better and better.  God is Good!

Well Happy belated 4th of July and I hope your summer has been as fun as ours has.  Thank you for your continued prayers. 

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.  His love endures forever.”  Ps 136:1

Jolene

Well we went to visit Akron Children’s today.  Brian had a scheduled appointment with Dr Patton at 1pm.  They did a finger poke, and we got good results.

WBC = 7.7, Hgb = 14.2, Plat = 227, and ANC = 4.5

The main reason for our visit was for Brian to get his last Baby Shot.    He received his MMR (Measles, Mumps & Rubella).  Yes, he cried….but surprisingly, he didn’t hold his arm at tension for long afterwards.  Dr Patton had an emergency and was not in Clinic, so we met with Sue Neitz.  Carla the school teacher came in to visit as well.  They are so proud of Brian and can not believe how his looks have changed.

Our next appt is right before school starts in the fall with Dr Patton.

On Sunday our family had the privilege of going to Cedar Point with some friends.  We had an awesome day.  Brian rode basically every ride.  (including Top Thrill Dragster)  YIKES!  Ed and I watched.  It just doesn’t look as appealing to me as it used to.    The day was perfect.  Warm in the sun, but not too hot, and cool in the shade.  The kids were practically running from ride to ride.  Wait time was 15 – 20 min max.

The miracle healing of Brian’s back just brings me to tears.  The fact that he was able to ride those roller coasters without pain…Thank you Jesus!!   God has blessed us in so many ways!

We are loving the warm weather.  Memorial Day weekend we took a camping trip to Baylor Beach and invited Ed’s sister and family along.  It was beautiful and the kids were able to swim.  I think Brian’s cousins are begging to come along again before summer is over.    We have some more long weekends planned.  One to Seneca Lake, one to Hocking Hills, and one to Cooke’s Forest.  We just love our camper and I enjoy being with Ed and the kids.    We have two families that we are really close to that we caravan along with.  We take the 3 campers and have loads of fun. 

Well have a terrific week.  Here is one of my favorite sayings:

Work like you don’t need the money.  Love like nobody has ever hurt you.  Dance like nobody is watching.  Sing like nobody is listening.  Live as if this was paradise on earth.

God Bless!   -Jolene

Wow, I believe Spring has finally arrived.  We have had marvelous warm temps this entire week.  I am so thankful for that.  The kids can wear shorts and t-shirts. 

Brian has been doing awesome.  He has been healthy and school is going well.  (Though, he is ready for summer break.)

Last weekend was our first weekend out camping.  I decided at the last-minute to go for Mother’s Day weekend.  It was wonderful.  Our family loves to go camping.  We just recently got a different camper, thanks to some friends of ours that “made” it happen.    I love being together.  We were able to swim at an indoor pool, take walks, cook over the fire, and just relax.  It was just the break that I needed from our hectic lifestyle.

Britney gave me a book  that I “HAD” to read called “Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie”, by Jordan Sonnenblick.  (She is reading it for school)  Definitely not something I would pick up to read, but Brit said it was so much like her life story.  So, of course I picked it up and read it in lightning speed.    I cried my eyes out.  (literally!)  It is about a 14 yr old boy who was having a normal life, when his 6 yr old brother (who he thought was annoying) got Leukemia.  Then it talks about the feelings, the emotions, the blame and denial that go along with the diagnosis.  For the 14 yr old, for the Mother and for the Father.  WOW!!!!  It was a very good read, but a really strange title.  It took me back to the issues that we had to deal with 2 1/2 yrs ago, and what Brit must have gone through.   There are no right or wrong answers in how you deal with life situations.  Sometimes you have to live through them to realize what you would have done differently or the same. 

Brit will finish up JO volleyball this coming weekend and we only have 2 1/2 wks of school left.  Brian has 2 field trips, one to Amish Country.   Ed has been busy again with work.  It was a rough winter.  He had work each week, but often only 3 or 4 days.   I am very thankful for my budget and the fact that we haven’t strapped ourselves.

God is good All the time.  I am constantly reminded of the miracle of Brian’s life.   We watched, lived, and have had the privilege of  having him right under our noses.  I have one prayer concern, Brian has been struggling with some anger and resentment.  Not sure if this is residual “stuff” from the Cancer and treatments, or if it has more to do with hormones.   It is usually when he is tired or bored….but then the whole world crashes for him.  I keep praying for God’s love to encompass him.  I am ready to have my carefree, happy child back.

Well, Happy May.  Hope each of you have been able to see the beauty of God’s creation outside as the trees are budding, flowers and bushes blooming and the lush “green” of the grass.  (not to mention the birds and their sweet songs.)

Till the next time, May God bless each of you -  Jolene