It seems like forever since the last post...wait it has been!!  A lot has happened since then.  Avery celebrated her eight birthday in January!  I can't believe how fast time has flown by, it seems like it was just yesterday that we were celebrating her first birthday at the Target House in Memphis.

Shortly after her birthday we headed down to St.Jude for Avery's sixth month scan.  This was a big one.  This was Avery's five year off treatment scan.  Overall, I think we felt very confident that everything was going to be fine.  But, as many of you know things can change fast in the cancer world.  Thankfully that change didn't happen... Her scans looked great.  Dr. Armstrong even uttered the words "cured".  It's safe to say Mom and Dad were ecstatic! However, with that news came the scary realization we didn't need to come back for an entire year for scans.  To be honest this makes us a little nervous, but we weren't complaining.

Avery completed second grade in May.  She had a fantastic school year and was ready for summer.  She spent the first week of summer vacation with Nana in Minnesota.  While there, Great Grandpa was having some troubles and was hospitalized.  Fortunately for Grandpa, Avery knows her way around hospitals and knows a thing or two about cheering people up.  As soon as she returned to KC it was time to head off to Camp Quility.  This was Avery's fourth year at camp and she is a regular there now.  She had a new companion this year (Melissa) that she really bonded with.  Melissa was a great fit for a companion and totally "gets" Avery.  The rest of the summer included a trip to Iowa to visit Grandma and Grandpa, playing in the back yard with her brother and sister, our family vacation to visit our good friends at lake Okoboji in Iowa, and finally another trip back to Minnesota with her brother to visit Nana and GJ.  She was a very busy kid for sure.

School started last Friday.  Third grade!  Avery was excited to find out that several of her best buds were in the same class with her.  She is looking forward to another great year at Mill Creek.

We want to thank everyone for their support over the years.  We are so proud of Avery and so thankful she has all of you in her life.  Don't forget September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month and the St. Jude walk is September 23.  You are all invited to join Team Avery and walk with us to help raise money for the fight against childhood cancer.

Happy New Years!

It's hard to believe that 7 years ago we spent an excruciatingly long day waiting for a man we'd just met to give us back our baby after cutting open her brain to remove a tumor the size of a golf ball.  Yes, that was our New Years Eve 2009.

Fast forward 7 years....yes I said 7 years.  Avery is 22 days away from her 8th birthday and 3 months away from that fictitious milestone every cancer warrior aims for...5 years NED...true remission and to some, "cured".  I don't know that we'll ever truly feel that way or use the cured word because we know all too well how unpredictable this nasty cancer can be and how quickly it can return.  And we have lasting daily reminders of its presence in our world for those 4 years of battle....but we also have hope. And grateful hearts. And perseverance.  And much to our amazement, a huge army still standing behind us - just in case.

So 2017 is bound to be a big year for us and we can't wait!