The Finish Line

Dear Family and Friends,

We are rounding the final corner and the finish line is in sight! Jenna has been on her journey to beat breast cancer since August 2010. Next Tuesday (December 20^th) is Jenna’s last chemo treatment ever! It begins at 8 am and will probably go until about 9:30 am. We wanted to invite anyone who would like to stop by and join us at the Cancer Center at Missouri Baptist Hospital. With the finish line in sight it only makes sense that the theme of Jenna’s final Chemo will be Race Day. Wear your best race/workout gear to help celebrate crossing the finish line of this marathon.

We want to say how thankful we are for everyone’s support, thoughts, and prayers during this time. Everyone has helped to make this journey easier for Jenna, Emma, and myself. With the holidays approaching, we want to give back to others that have just begun a journey and they need help and encouragement to cross their finish line.

If you choose, please bring a new pair of baby or kids shoes to Chemo and Jenna and I will make sure that they get donated to an appropriate charity to help someone else start and finish their race. Hope you can stop by on the 20^th.

Love,

Rett, Jenna and Emma

Inspiration

Per the Merriam-Webster online dictionary...

 

in·spi·ra·tion/ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃən/noun

plural in·spi·ra·tions

▪  a [noncount] : something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create : a force or influence that inspires someone

▪ b [count] : a person, place, experience, etc., that makes someone want to do or create something — usually singular ▪ His children are his greatest inspiration.▪ Her courage is an inspiration to us all.▪ She truly is an inspiration.

 

 

People find inspiration in all different places and I found someone who inspired me this weekend.

 

Friday night, Rett, Emma and I decided to go to Dewey's Pizza for dinner. We sat at the bar while we waited for our table. Totally focused on Emma I didn't notice the table in the back corner. However, a gentleman walking to the restroom caught my eye...a co-worker of Rett's. Our name was called and we were being seated next to the table in the back corner, also the table where Rett's co-worker and family were dining.

 

As we walked back to the table, I noticed a lady at the table, a lady without any hair. It was Rett's co-workers wife. We had no idea she was sick. As we got settled in they were beginning to grab their coats and stand up from the table. We said hello. We met their sons and daughters and she asked how I was feeling. I was so excited to tell her I only had one more treatment left. I then told her that we didn't know that she was sick.

 

Come to find out she has a brain tumor and is in her third round of treatments. Here is where the inspiration hit me. It was so great to see her with her entire family, out celebrating life, enjoying good food and time together. They had just gotten back from a trip to Vegas, had just completed a marathon and was training for something crazy in January...a marathon on Saturday followed by a half marathon on Sunday. All while embracing the fact that she didn't have hair on her head.

 

For that, I went to work today with my REAL hair. I took off the mask of the wig and showed that I am proud of my accomplishments this year. I have beaten breast cancer, I have become a mom, and I have excelled at work and being a wife.

 

Thank you, friend, for being a true inspiration to me and to give me the courage to embrace my accomplishments and continue to achieve the unimaginable.

 

Love,

Jenna

Prepping for Emma's first Christmas!

Christmas is my favorite holiday. I loved trying to stay up to hear the reindeer hooves on the roof and catch Santa coming down the chimney to fill the stockings and drop off all of the presents. I never achieved either. However, my brother and I would wake up super early to get downstairs in anticipation of Santa's big delivery. The stocking would be full, the cookies half eaten, the milk gone and the carrot and water for Rudolph enjoyed.

Rett and I are so excited to be planning our family traditions and beginning to celebrate all the same excitement with Emma.

Emma helped us decorate the tree this year. She was in charge of all soft ornaments and the tissue paper they came wrapped in. She got to the bells and was hooked.

We went to see Santa at Frontenac Mall today. He was so nice, charming, and great with all the kids. He told me he loved Emma's beret! He said "Ho, ho, ho" to Emma and when I told  him "hope you have a Merry Christmas" he replied, "I already have."

"are we there yet?"

"so Santa, I was thinking about a car for Christmas."

"well why not, Santa?"

"let me check you out again."

"I love, Santa!"

Ho, Ho, Ho...Merry Christmas!

Wishing you health and happiness this Christmas and New Year!

Play Dates and Less Playing in the Crib

We went to the Gerhardt's for fondue a week ago and Emma and Elle loved playing together. I only took a couple of photos, but Emma loved to play with Elle's feet when Elle was in the jumperoo. They have a cat and this was Emma's first time around a kitty (although we sing about them on the school bus all the time) and she did not like being on the ground when Mahalo would run by. However, she enjoyed being in mom's arms high above the ground and would spy on the kitty.

Emma was such a great girl and went to sleep in the pack n play so mommy and dad could have an adult night out!

i love this...everything goes into their mouths

So, fondue was Friday night and Saturday morning we woke up to a baby girl standing in her crib. Therefore our chore at 6AM was to lower the bed.
Watch it all unfold.

Emma's nursery is decorated with lambs (as we call them "lambies") and lately she has been obsessed with them. Every morning we tell every lambie good morning. Good morning to the lambies in the mobile; good morning to the lambies on the wall, etc.

We love you, baby girl!
Mommy and Daddy

Thanksgiving 2011

We traveled to Kansas City for Thanksgiving this year.

We had a jam packed weekend and were so grateful that the entire family was able to be together.

• We celebrated Papa's birthday
• We watched the Christmas lights turn on on the Plaza
• We had our first night in a hotel with Emma
• Extra special as it was a suite at the Raphael on the Plaza so we had front row seats for the lights (thanks, Mumsy!)
• I debuted my "real" hair
• We went Black Friday shopping
• We played and played and played
• We had Thanksgiving dinner
• We started to get sick with pink eye :(
• We had a great time with family

Here are some photos to help us remember Emma's first Thanksgiving

opening her presents from Aunt Aubree and Uncle Taylor

loving the tissue paper

just out shopping

ready for Papa's birthday dinner

love this photo

getting ready for the Plaza lights

Plaza Lights!

watching the fireworks

can't wait til PIE!

crawling on Taylor

Queen of the mountain

Black Friday cashmere outfit for shopping on the Plaza

the turkey weighed more that Emma

playing in Mumsy's bed

the beautiful Thanksgiving table

vegetarian??

nope! she loved her turkey, potatoes, veggies and stuffing

choke hold

plank, anyone?

We hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving with friends and family!
Love,
Jenna, Rett and Emma