This evening we went to a birthday party for a friend here in the area. The birthday boy turned four and his sister is Sophie's age while his older brother is Lizzy's age. It's nice to have friends that are at the same age levels. Of course, we had two other invitations for things to do tonight! Things are pretty hectic for us right now. It's just a busy month. I've got three out-of-town trips this month and Susan has two. It'll be nice to get through all this and settle in for November and December.

Sophie goes on Monday for her Oncology follow-up. We're getting to the point where this is really not part of our routine anymore! And to think we had weekly visits there for a while! All things considered, I'm thankful for the every-other-month visit and am looking forward to the once per year visits!

Thanks for checking in.

Hurricane Ike is supposed to make its way through the Dallas area tomorrow right when we're there and trying to find our way home. So, we postponed the trip. Elisabeth was crushed, and the rest of us were very disappointed, but because of the weather, we were able to rearrange everything (including the flight, hotel, and reservations at American Girl Bistro for lunch) for next weekend with no problems.

As Lizzy was crying and crying and crying, Sophie went looking for Susan's "Panic Button": a toy button with a sound chip that says, "Stay calm, stay calm, don't panic; on second thought, PANIC!" It's very funny and we have all enjoyed it these past few months. It didn't help Lizzy much, but Sophie clearly was trying to cheer her sister up and really wanted to make things better. I know it's hard to tell some times, but those two girls really, really love each other!

Sophie agreed (bravely) that it was time to get rid of the training wheels. I was surprised, but happy to give it a shot. She was pretty confident that she'd make it work, until she got on the bike. We barely got out of the driveway before she started to stiffen up and get tense. Elisabeth was trying to be encouraging, and I promised that I would be with Sophie to make sure she didn't tip over.

Well, it was a bit rough going at first, but I kept telling Sophie that she was doing well, that I knew she could do it, and that I would do everything I could to make sure she didn't get hurt or fall. About a block from our house, she started getting the hang of things, but insisted that I still hold on. By now I was just barely keeping my hand on her bike seat. As we turned the corner, she started to take off and I let go. After a while, I let her know that I wasn't holding on anymore and it all went smoothly from there.

The best thing of all was that people were out in their yards and they were cheering Sophie on! Everyone could tell that she was riding on her own and they were so encouraging. It made me so thankful that we live in a small town. Sophie felt like a little celebrity--and I'm glad she did!

When we got home, I told Sophie how proud I was of her and how I knew she could do it. She let me know that she was proud of herself (as well she should be). When she went to bed tonight, I told her to have sweet dreams of riding her bike all over town.

Randall had the girls all to himself last week while I traveled to North Carolina and Virginia. I had several work meetings Monday through Thursday, and then Thursday night I drove up to visit with my mom. We rented a huge dumpster and sorted through tons of things that had been stored in the attic and in two outbuildings for years. Mom was in the mood the purge, and I am very good at getting rid of *other* people's things (just ask me to stop being a packrat with my own things!). It felt so good to get through all of it, and Mom now has room to put all of the things she has been paying $100 a month to keep in a storage unit. It also brings her closer to being able to live closer to us.

Funny story we heard from a church member about Sophie. During a potluck lunch on Sunday, Sophie was sitting with Johnny (also our local district attorney) and they got to talking about allergies. They were talking about what they were allergic to, and Sophie told him she's not allergic to anything except cancer. It's just so funny to us how matter of fact she can be about the whole thing (especially given that she remembers so little of it).

Randall is traveling to Albuquerque tomorrow, and I am traveling to Chicago next week to give several presentations at a conference. I haven't even started putting them together yet, so I'd better get to work on that tomorrow! I've spent lots of time this week dealing with my work computer that died on the way home from my trip last week. I think I've gotten that all settled, so now I can turn to my real work!

Thanks, as always, to our friends and family for taking the time to keep up with us.

We went to Lubbock on Tuesday and spent the night there. Lizzy had an orthodontist appointment at Double T Smiles. It was her first "real" appointment after a consult last month. Lizzy got spacers to create room around her molars for the equipment she'll get next week. She will be getting expanders for both her upper and lower jaws, which will hopefully help with crowding issues and give her more room for the rest of her teeth. She'll also get four braces on the top four teeth. She's very excited and just a little bit anxious about the whole thing. Another girl from church that's her age just got braces, too, so I guess it's that time!

Anyway, while we were in Lubbock, we went to Joyland and had a great time. Sophie even went on one of the "big" rides that went fast and spun around. I was surprised. Lizzy is such a daredevil when it comes to amusement parks, and Sophie is the exact opposite! She ended up riding that one ride three times, though, and proudly kept her eyes open the second two times (and let go of the bar both times as well).

The next day, we spent the whole day at Science Spectrum. Both girls really enoyed that, and we had fun with all of the interactive displays. We came back home late last night and are having another lazy day at the house. We went to Clovis to have lunch and pick up the dog (we had her boarded for a couple nights) and got some laundry done. Susan has been putting out a fire at work and I've been reading (and making a list of things to do for when I do decide to get some work done). I may need to work twice as hard next week to make up for this time off!

Just a quick post to share something funny Sophie said last night at dinner. After we had been pestered with flies for a while and had all expressed our frustration with the fly situation, Sophie chimed up, "You know what I hate the most? Flies. Flies, and cancer." As matter-of-fact as she can be. That's it. What Sophie hates the most is flies (and cancer).

Here's a little story I was amazed by. We were shopping at Walmart the other day, and Sophie saw a guy who was having trouble walking--his legs were shockingly thin and he could barely get around. Sophie asked what was wrong with him pretty loudly, so I kind of pulled her aside and told her it's okay to be curious about other people, but that we shouldn't ask what's wrong with them in a way that would make them feel bad. I asked her to remember how she felt when she lost all of her hair and people would look at her funny or ask questions. Here's the thing--she doesn't remember when she lost her hair! She has already forgotten all of the most traumatic early parts of her treatment. We came home and I showed her pictures from when she lost her hair and gained so much weight on the steroids. She doesnt remember any of it! She says she remembers when we had to have the chest catheter removed and she had to deal with the PICC line, but the early stuff is all gone. She was only 3 at the time (half of her lifetime ago!), so I guess it's not that surprising, but it's amazing to me that these memories aren't just fading over time--they're just gone.

The girls are both home today. Their summer day camp ended on Friday, so now they're home with us until school starts on the 25th. At the moment, they are playing together nicely with two fisher-price dollhouses we received as gifts a while back.

Next week, we play to take a "staycation"--we will take a week off but won't travel anywhere. We will spend time together at home doing nothing in particular and taking day trips to nearby places. We know we're going to spend one night in Lubbock because Elisabeth is having braces put on next week. We are also thinking one day will be devoted entirely to reading books! Now if only Randall and I can get enough work done this week to feel okay about taking time off this week!

It has been a crazy and fast summer. I can't believe there's less than a month left before school starts. Our family is doing really well. The girls are really growing up. We've been experimenting with leaving them home by themselves while we're up at the church (5 blocks away) for meetings. That's going mostly well. I usually get a call from Elisabeth around bedtime with Sophie crying in the background, but it's clear that Elisabeth has tried hard to calm her down.

Sophie is now one year post-treatment, which means we only have to go for blood checks every two months (90 miles away). That's less school she'll miss, which is more important now that she will be in the 1st grade. She was tested with some cognitive delays (quite likely the result of one of the chemotherapy drugs she took that goes into the brain). So she's probably not going to be a straight-A student like her sister. But she honestly doesn't give a flip, so I guess that's okay. She clearly is bright, but she struggles with timed assignments and rote memorization.

Elisabeth is getting ready for fifth grade and has made lots of friends. She is trying to decide whether to pursue cheerleading or 4H. I thought we had to own a horse or something for 4H to work, but it turns out there's quite a lot she can do, so that's what we are subtly pushing. Although she displays a teenage attitude a little more often than we would like, she is a good kid.

Randall just finished a great book/sermon/study series that really seems to be having a big effect on the church. We both really hope we can find a way to keep that mindset alive rather than just moving on to the next thing. We had quite a lot more people attending worship on Sunday than normal--many of them kids--so that was really great. It's just nice to see the church fairly full and to have lots of smiling faces pointing my way when I am leading the singing.

Part of the reason attendance was high is that there was a big annual event--Border Town Days. Our town (Farwell, TX) and the one just across the state line (Texico, NM) have a big parade that goes from Texico to Farwell (they even stop the trains that constantly run through here), and then there's a big party in the Farwell park, with music, food, crafts, and games. We usually get about 2,000 people who come for the event. This year, as part of the study Randall had us do, we gave away free bottles of water (imprinted with a scripture verse and the name of our church) to people in the parade and people waiting for the parade to start--in an effort to show God's love to those around us in practical, genuine ways. The whole day was a lot of fun, but it sure wiped us out. It's amazing how tired you can get just sitting around!

So, that's the news from our corner of the world. We hope you are doing well too, and we thank you for continuing to visit and check on us!

Saturday was kind of a lazy day and we met our new friends (he's a pastor in a town about 30 minutes away, and they have 3 kids younger than ours!) for dinner at a new Thai restaurant and then went to one of the contemporary worship services in Clovis. Our two families have been attending worship at this church three times now--it's nice to hear good contemporary worship music, and it's nice to worship together as a family (since Randall's usually preaching, we don't get to sit together). We're really enjoying getting to know these new friends better, and our kids all play together nicely.

Sunday, of course, was filled with church stuff. The service was good. Randall is finishing up a five-week series based on a book called Outflow, and I think we're all fired up to do loving things around our community. I completed my last of five weeks teaching *all* of the kids Sunday School (preschool through upper elementary--whew!). There was a wedding shower in the afternoon, and then we had dinner and a movie at church. It was Evan Almighty. What a fun movie that was!

Getting the girls going this morning was amazingly difficult (and I stubbed my little pinkie toe!). But now Randall has taken them to day camp, and I have the house to myself as I try to get back into work.

Medically, everything is going great. Sophie got to skip July for her checkup and her next appointment is the first week in August. The girls both have dental appointments on Wednesday this week. Sophie will be getting several small fillings, and Elisabeth has her first consultation with the orthodontist. I'm looking forward to hearing the results of that visit!

On Wednesday night, we drove over to Albuquerque so that Randall could do some psychological testing that's required as part of the ordination process. I decided I could miss a day of work and go play while he was at his appointment. We stayed with our friends Barbara and Jeremy, and Sophie played with their kids (they have a sitter during the day) while I spent some much-needed time on my own. We had lunch with friends who went to seminary with Randall and had dinner with Barbara's dad and mom (who was celebrating a birthday). Before we knew it, it was time to head back home and we got in after 11:00. It was a nice little mid-week break that reminded us of all the reasons we love Albuquerque. It's nice to be home though!

Our latest obsession (other than facebook) is that we're planning a trip to Disney World right after Christmas. I spent much of the drive to and from Albuquerque reading out loud from a really good guidebook. It's still months away, but we are really looking forward to it!

Meanwhile, a friend of mine from work asked me how my weekend was, and I nearly wrote a novel, so I thought I would share it with you all as well! Our weekend was really great! Friday we picked up the girls from camp and did some shopping, which was fun. We slept in on Saturday (always good!), and in the afternoon I went to the closing ceremony of a Walk to Emmaus. It was the first one since my walk, and our group was responsible for setting up the potluck meal that closes out the weekend. That was nice.

Then I drove as quickly as possible from Amherst to Clovis (about an hour) to meet Randall and the girls and some friends of ours at the big Baptist church on the east side of Clovis. We had decided that we would all go to the Saturday night contemporary service together. Partly so I can better learn how to lead contemporary worship songs, but also so we can worship together as a family. It was nice to spend time together and get to know our new friends a little better. Sunday worship at our own church was really good. Randall's doing a five week series on "natural evangelism" called "Outflow"--lots of images of water, and we have a fountain in the sanctuary. After lunch and a much-needed nap, we all met back at church for dinner (potluck) and a movie (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). All in all, a very satisfying weekend!

We're all doing very well, and the summer is just flying by! We hope you are doing well too.

Since my last update, we finished our work at the seminary in Costa Rica and also had a chance to see more of Costa Rica and interact with local people. On Friday, we went to a shantytown called Los Guido and helped feed some of the kids through a program the church in that neighborhood runs (see http://fairclothcostarica.com/Edgar.aspx). I know such poverty exists, but it's amazing to see it and witness how the church is actually making a difference in that community.

On Saturday we did a canopy tour (I thought that was going to be a boat with a canopy on it--ha!) and white water rafting on the rapids of the Sarapiquí River. I did not have a heart attack while on the zip line or fall out of the raft, so I consider that a success. When it was all over and we were eating a much-needed lunch, Randall kept saying, "I can't believe we just did that!"

I had no idea what to expect in terms of what Costa Rica would be like. How incredibly lush! Plants people have in small pots in their houses in the US can be seen growing outside as bushes and trees in Costa Rica. And the food was so amazing. We ate fresh pineapple nearly every day (along with beans and rice!). The woman who cooked for us at the seminary used to live in Houston, so she knew just how to mix traditional Costa Rican food (gallo pinto, for example) with gringo food (like pancakes, or french fries).

It's good to be home (not sleeping in a bunk bed and covered in paint) but hard to be home too (not surrounded by our friends 24 hours a day, feeling fulfilled by the work we were doing). The girls are back at camp in Clovis (having spent a fun week at "Camp Cindy" in Gunnison), and Randall and I are trying our best to get back into doing our normal work.

We've been working on the building where the people stay when they are attending seminary or working on various mission projects. Much of our work this week has involved painting, painting, and more painting.

It's so beautiful here. We're in San Jose, which is the capital, so it's pretty urban. It's kind of tropical here, though not hot, and the whole city is surrounded by mountains. It rains every afternoon, sometimes very hard, so we save our indoor work for later in the day.

We're having a wonderful trip. We're working very hard and reconnecting with old friends. In addition to Will and Ella (our missionary friends), we are also spending time with our friend Dan and his daughter Maggie, who is 14. Dan and his wife Cindy were among our best friends when we lived in Colorado. Since we flew out of Denver for our direct flight into San Jose, Cindy took the girls and is watching them for the work along with their other daughter Myles, who is 5 years old.

Tomorrow, we're going to go to a local church and help feed lunch to some local kids (we haven't connected very much with the locals). We'll also do some souvenir shopping while we have the bus rented. On Saturday, we have the day off and will be taking a canopy tour. We fly home early Sunday morning and will make the long drive back to Texas.

Sophie had her monthly visit with the oncologist on Monday. Her counts looked great, and she also had an echocardiogram to check for any damage to hear her heart from the chemotherapy she took. He said her heart looked perfect. What a relief! She'll have another echo in 5 years. That visit marks the one year anniversary of the completion of treatment, so now we'll be going in for checks every two months for the next year. What a milestone!

Both girls have finished school (last Friday). At the awards ceremony, Elisabeth racked just about every possible award they handed out. She got perfect attendance, honor roll for the year, and had the highest GPA in her class. She's excited about moving on to fifth grade next year. They don't really do grades in kindergarten, and Sophie had 8 absences (because of those pesky oncology visits), so she certainly didn't have perfect attendance, but we're pleased to say she did well in kindergarten and is being promoted to first grade.

The girls are going to a summer program at a Methodist church in Clovis. It's full-day (which is wonderful for me to be able to get church done). They were in the same program last year and have really been looking forward to it. Making that trip twice a day every day is a drag (especially with these gas prices), but it's great having so much work time during the day.

It was just great to spend relaxing time with friends and our kids. It was a short trip, but a good one. Now.... back to reality!