Goodbye 2017

2017 has been a crazy year.  We have been through things this year that we never in our whole lives thought we would ever have to go through.   Cancer was never in our life plans but sometimes the Lord has other plans and ways for you to learn and grow.  This had been a trying year but also a growing year.  

We started the year off like any other.  We made big goals and plans for the new year.  In January, Russell helped move Traci and Sean out to Texas.  February we celebrated Logan's 4th birthday.  He has grown so much this year.  He is a smart little boy and so friendly to everyone.  Logan learned to read this year and write his name.  He also learned to tie his shoes so that he could go to preschool.  Logan loves school and wants to go everyday.  March we celebrated Colby's 6th birthday.  This boy is getting too big!  His also a very smart kid and loves going to school.  He mostly loves it because he gets to go to recess though.  He has made a couple of good friends this year and they are always playing together.  Colby also loved playing soccer, T-ball, and wrestling this year.

Also in March, our world came to a halt when I got the "You've got Cancer" news.  We did not expect this or want this but it is what happened.  Now, looking back, we were able to make it though together and with the help of others.  

April we tried to get in a bunch of fun things before this cancer journey took over.  We had a blast at Baby Animal Days, Spring Break in St. George, and Easter.  Then I had my mastectomy and my life began changing forever.

May was crazy with the end of the school year in sight and spring fever hitting us.  All we wanted to to was be outside in the awesome spring weather.  Healing continued as well as wig fittings.  Russell finished his semester at UVU and now only has 10 credits to go until his Bachelors Degree.  Unfortunately for him but fortunately for me, he decided to take time off of school to take care of me for the rest of the year.  Thank you Russell and I'm sorry!  He is now planning on returning in January to finish.

In June we welcomed a new member to the Farnsworth clan.  Our niece Kari was born.  We also knew that chemo would be starting soon and taking over so we planned a couple of fun outings as a family.  We visited Hill Air Force Base, and Hogle Zoo.  Both were great hits for the kids and they loved every minute.  Colby and Emily tried out a new sport, baseball.  They loved it and Emily said it was her new favorite sport.  We loved watching the kids play and seeing them get better each day.  Colby and Logan also did some dare deviling at the rodeo as they rode in the Mutton Busting.  I am not so sure if they will want to do it again but it was a new experience.

In July, Russell and I celebrated our birthdays and our 11th anniversary.  This month I also became an official cancer patient by starting chemo and losing my hair.  The kids liked shaving my head but said I looked funny.  I agreed.  We also took a short camping trip to Left Hand Fork which turned out to be the only camping trip we took this summer.  The rest of the summer was pretty consumed with just feeling better.  With chemo treatments every three weeks and recovering in between, there was not much energy to do anything else.  I felt so bad for the kids because we did not have any fun trips this summer.  They seemed okay with it though because they had a blast playing with their friends all day everyday.  They rode bikes, had lemonade stands, and just got to be kids all summer. They also got to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Morwood as they came to help us out over the summer.  All of July, August and most of September was spent this way.  In August the kids started school again and are really liking their new classes and teachers.

September we celebrated Charlotte's first birthday.  This little girl has grown up so much.  It is not fair she needs to stay a baby!  Charlotte learned to crawl, walk and is learning to talk this year.  Charlotte had to be weaned a little earlier than I had wanted but switching to the bottle was not a problem for her.  Charlotte is a light to our family.  She has helped me through some tough times by just letting me cuddle her.  

We also celebrated Emily's 9th birthday.  She is also growing so much.  She is an amazing daughter and always helping out around the house.  Emily has really stepped up this year and has learned to do a lot of things around the house.  She was great at taking care of her sister and brothers when I was sick.  There were times she would tell me, "Go to bed Mom, I've got it."  Thank you Emily for being a great daughter and helper.  

In September we all celebrated the completion of the last chemo treatment.  We also celebrated the news of not needing radiation and we celebrated the news of no more cancer!  

One sad thing about September, though, was that Russell's Grandma Farnsworth died.  She was 90.  We will miss her so much but we know she is in a better place with her beloved husband and other family members.  

October was also a fun and busy month.  Now that I was on the road to recovery from cancer and my energy level was coming back up, we decided to have some fun.  To make up for the summer, we decided to take a big family trip over Fall Break.  We had a blast in Lagoon, Moab, Arches, Mesa Verde, Four Corners, and Dead Horse Point.  This trip really symbolized and celebrated us getting passed our trials this year and coming together as a family to do it. We had a great time.  Halloween also passed with some epic costumes and even more Fall fun.

November began with recovering from surgeries for Logan and me.  It ended with an awesome week with family in St. George celebrating all the blessings we were thankful for at Thanksgiving.  We are so thankful to have health bodies, answers to prayers, doctors that know what they are doing, and the advances of modern medicine to keep us well.  This has been a trying year but one that has been full of blessings too.

December has also been a time to thank the Lord for all of our blessings.  We remembered our Savior's birth this Christmas season.  We were also immensely blessed by our community as we received gifts from two Secret Santa's.  We in no way asked for this to happen to us but were very grateful and humbled by the love, compassion, and service of others.  If there is one thing we learned this year it is that there are good people out there in the world and the Lord knows us and is looking out for us.  There are no words to express our gratitude and love for the service and love people have shown us this year.

To celebrate the coming of a new year, we hung out with our friends on New Year's Eve.  This is the only picture we took... 

We played games and ate and just had a great time.  We are looking forward to the new year and hope that this year will not be as crazy in the area of medical as it was this last year.  It is my prayer that we all remain healthy and happy and have no unexpected surprises.  Thank you 2017 for the lessons learned, the trials overcome, the fun had, and most of all the blessings received.  On to 2018.