Wednesday October 17th, Special Friends

Ingram woke up ready to go play and have lunch with his Preschool friends at Chick Fil A!  We all had such a fun time playing and eating and playing some more that it makes me think Ingram will have a smooth transition once we let him go back into Preschool.  Ever since our visit to Preschool last month, he's been talking about going back to school; we keep saying that it'll be fun when he goes back but we've never actually said when it would happen.  As much as I would like to keep him home with me forever, I saw how much he enjoyed being with his friends today and even though I'm scared to send him out from under my protective eye, I know he'll enjoy learning and playing again with his friends.

When we got home from lunch and running an afternoon's worth of errands, Beau had decided to open the mail for us!  We had a package delivered to our door from the Tri-Delts at James Madison University; Beau was so excited about it that he opened it for us while we were gone.  Luckily only a few of the cards that the girls made had teeth marks in them.  I was able to cover the whole kitchen counter with all the cards and when Madison and Lindsey came in from school they were blown away by them.  Once again, my girls felt special and we were speechless from the kindness that came their way!

Also this afternoon, our sweet friends, the Bland family, came to our house to spend the afternoon and evening with us.  They drove down from Missouri to spend a few days in Memphis in honor of Landan's birthday.  Landan was one of Ingram's favorite friends at St. Jude and they would play almost daily while they were going through Radiation.  Landan would have turned 4 years old today and we felt so honored that they spent the evening with us.  I have to admit I was a little nervous how it would go with the kids;  I wondered if Ellie would be scared of Ingram since he and Landan looked so alike with their bald heads and I worried that my Madison and Lindsey would say something crazy or that I wouldn't know what to say or that I'd just fall apart in front of them.  I have no idea why I was thinking of all these things, because it was such a special time and the kids were all so good.  

Madison, Lindsey, and Ingram couldn't get enough of little Ellie and the four of them colored, played with dart guns and the kitchen toys, played with Beau, made Lego towers only to knock them over, and really just made us laugh all night long.  The only thing missing tonight was sweet Landan and we all talked about him and all of our other St. Jude friends all night long.  Our time together with Carrie, Ed, and Beverly was so special that I can't even put into words the emotions that are going on inside my heart right now.  While I am positive that I can say none of us would have chosen to walk this path with our children, I can also say that Craig and I are honored to walk this path alongside such faithful friends who look to our Heavenly Father to give them the grace to live each moment and the courage to keep turning to Him when they know they can't do it on their own.  Please continue to keep the Bland family in your prayers as they make their way back to St. Jude and to the Ronald McDonald house where they made so many memories with Landan.

Ingram Said "The Boys Sit Down Here And The Mommies Sit Down There!"
He May Be Young, But He Knows What He Wants!

These Four Have ALWAYS Been Buddies At Preschool!
I Love How They Look Like Little Stair Steps!

63 Gifts Of Love Covering My Kitchen From The Tri-Delts At JMU!
We Love You Gals!!

Ingram And Ellie Showing Off Their Popsicle Tongues!



Even Though It Was After 9pm, We Weren't Going To Bed Just Yet!
They Just Needed Some Space To Bounce And Land Right On Top Of Each Other!!