Australia!!!

We finally arrived in Australia yesterday morning! The weather is gorgeous and Sydney is even more beautiful than I remember! It's good to be home :-)

Dad and Ceci picked us up from the airport. We were blessed to have a really good day of travel from Virginia to Sydney! We made all the flights and Zachary was an angel baby, even sleeping for a good part of the way from San Francisco to Sydney! Zev was a real sweetheart and had pre-coordinated with United Airlines for my ticket to be upgraded to business class. He wrote an email, explaining the situation of my rain cancer, and they were kind enough to upgrade the San Francisco to Sydney leg. Unfortunately we couldn't get Zev's ticket upgraded but he had a bulkhead seat which allowed him some extra leg space. I was nervous about having Zachary in business class with me, but I was blessed to sit next to a lovely lady named Sue, who was so sweet and accommodating and even lent me her travel pillow!

So we stayed up yesterday and caught up with Las Tias Guapas, Charo, Gladys and Fabi, as well as cousins Shelly and get boyfriend Oscar, cousin Jimmy and uncle Phil. We are staying with Meme and Howard and they have been the hostesses with the mostest! Their new house is lovely and we enjoyed walking around their beautiful neighborhood and exploring the shopping center. We even got to see some traditional Aussie food like Lamingtons, Pavlova and of course TimTams. This morning I had Weet-Bix for brekkie. I kept signing the old ad song "Aussie kids are Weet-Bix kids" in my head while I was eating the cereal. Zachary even liked Weet-Bix! He's official an Aussie!

Today we headed into downtown Sydney on the train, so that I could get a referral for my blood work here. We went to the same medical offices that took my X-rays for my Temporary Resident Visa back in 2004!! The US Consulate was next door, hence the reason why our insurance sent us there. After the appointment, we ate lunch in Martin Place and then walked down to Circular Quay. The weather was PERFECT: blue skies, gorgeous warm weather and a little breeze. We walked to the Harbour Bridge and we showed Zachary an aboriginal man playing the didgeridoo and then we headed towards the Opera House. It has been so awesome being in Sydney and visiting family again!

Zachary had to have a little bath when he got home, just to cool down. Tomorrow we are planning to go to the beach with dad and Ceci. Should be fun!

Thank you to all the prayer warriors who prayed for our journey! We could definitely see the power of prayer by the way he was so well behaved on the flights over. Enjoy the pictures!

Love FIFi xo

Anyone seen Abraham Lincoln?

Maybe he's having a bath at our house!

To God be the Glory!

So in the category of "coincidences don't just happen" or "the similarities are just so uncanny", there is the wonderful story of how I met Brie. We are both battling brain cancer, both Air Force wives, both in our early thirties (she 31, me 32), both had brain surgery at Johns Hopkins within the span of about 6 months (albeit by different surgeons), both our husbands work in logistics, both share the same roller coaster of fear and joy, hope and anguish, but the best part is we are both sisters in Christ and she encourages me so much!!!

A mutual friend, Rhonda, who's husband works with Zev, introduced us. We all had lunch together yesterday and it just felt so natural and good to connect with this godly ladies! I laughed over how Rhonda and I met last September. She was introduced to me by another Air Force wife and I remember her telling me how she had heard of me through a mutual friend stationed in Florida, who had PICKED MY NAME OUT OF A PRAYER REQUEST BASKET IN A CHURCH IN FLORIDA (side note: I had no idea that I was on a prayer request list in a church in Florida!) and when Rhonda mentioned praying for me, her friend told her "I think I am praying for the same Fiona!" Ok, to God be THE GLORY!!! Seriously. That is no coincidence!

I think I stopped believing in coincidences a long time ago. I like to think of these occasions as "meant to be's".

So here I'll leave you with some pictures from lunch. I'll also include some of our little Casanova, also known as Zachary, who was on flirtation mode big time yesterday. He flirts from everyone including teenage girls to older ladies. Hopefully his charm will last the long flight to Australia!

Please pray for dear Brie and I. She encourages me to believe that I can be healed. In God's perfect timing :-))

Love Fiona

The irony of it all

Having brain cancer is not fun. I'm sure you already guessed that :-). Chemo is not fun either. Chemo makes me tired. The irony is that which makes me so tired now is meant to help me get better. I am taking Temodar in the tablet form at home. I am on a 3 weeks on/ 1 week off schedule. I was explained that this chemo is cumulative and that I would probably feel pretty tired towards weeks 2 and 3. Another irony: I am blessed that I don't suffer from the other common side effect: nausea. Life is full of delicious ironies. The latest one: although I have been "officially shagged" (Australian for really exhausted) this week, I am so excited about our trip down under next week, that I got up super early because I couldn't sleep. I'll have to nap later. The best irony of all? The fact that Jesus Christ died for my sins, despite me being a sinner and not doing anything to deserve His salvation. I love that. And I love that this is a promise with a guarantee :-))

Have a great week!!

Cluck, cluck, "I love you", cluck, cluck...

If you're happy and you know it...

Darling Darla :-)))

Our dear friend Darla (as in "Darling Darla") flew all the way from Shreveport, Louisiana to come and visit us! We had a fun today (and ate way too much) but really enjoyed catching up. Seems like just yesterday we saw each other; it's crazy to think that we all haven't caught up since 2008!

Thanks for visiting us, Darla! We love you and hope to see you in your neck of be woods soon :-)

Happy Australia Day!

Although it's snowy and cold here, we did celebrate Australia Day with our dear friends Mark and Ginny, who hosted an awesome and yummy dinner party in honor of Australia Day! We brought some ANZAC bikkies and told the story of how they don't contain dairy products and can therefore keep a long time. We even found some Australian T-shirts to wear as a family! Can't wait to see our Australian family soon!! It was also fun for Zev and I to reminisce about where we were on this day, 10 years ago. We were dating and I took Zev and my brother out to HMAS Watson, where we watched the traditional boat races on Sydney Harbour. That time seems so long ago and yet seems like just yesterday. I wonder what the next 10 years will bring?

Sending you much love and joy,

Fiona xo

Long and skinny

We had Zachary's 9 month well baby visit yesterday (a little after his actual 9 month birthday). His statistics confirm what we had a suspicion of: our son is long and skinny! I think his big head makes it look like he's bigger than he really is :-). Here are the stats:

- He weighed in at 21 lb which puts him in the 53% for weight
- he measures 31 inches in length which puts him in the 99% for height
- his head circumference is 48 cm which puts him in the 99% for head circumference

He gets the long and skinny part from his dad. The big head I can safely say he gets from his mama :-)

He has had a bout with a stomach virus that has lasted 6 days now. Meaning he needs his drawers changed every 2 hours and oftentimes a complete outfit change. The doctor said it could last anywhere from 10 to 14 days! That may account for some weight loss too.

I hope you enjoy this update on Zachary's development. He's just opened up the air conditioning/ heater register in the floor and is exploring the interesting and nasty world of dead insects as we speak. So I've gotta go. Such a boy!

God bless,

Fiona

Baby dedication

Today was Sanctity of Life Sunday at our church as well as Zachary's baby dedication!! He did so good up there. He has also started to officially crawl this week! January 16th to be exact. Just in time for our visit Down Under!

Here is Zachary's life verse. It is painted on the canvas tryptic in his room.

"For I know the plans I have for you" declares The Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. That verse has helped me a lot this past year too!

Had a lovely day :-))

Cookie Monster brought cookies for daddy today :-)

A beautiful day

Today is going to be a great day, I just know it. I had a great week last week and it was ALMOST tainted by the news on Saturday from my oncologist that my blood counts are low, but I am not going to let that news dampen my day. The good news is that: a) I am alive today; b) I am saved and am going to go to heaven one day (although God please let me stay on earth a little longer!) c) I am blessed to have an awesome husband, son, family, friends, access to expensive chemotherapy and diagnostic tools such as an MRI every 3 months; d) Zachary is such a doll. I know I already mentioned him, but he seriously wakes up HAPPY every morning. He makes my heart sing. As Zev does too of course :-)

So I would like to leave you with some of pictures from this past week which brought a smile to my face. Yes, one of the pictures includes a picture of Coach purses. We went to the outlets on Friday. Zachary was such a good shopper. Purses make me happy. So do cute shoes. I'm still a girl :-)

Have a great week!

Ps: My oncologist wants me to come in for weekly blood work this week. She may readjust the dose of chemo (Temodar) that I am on. Please pray that my blood levels stabilize. And that I don't get sick :-)

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6

Guess who's 9 months old today?!!

Little man, you rock our world. We love you so much!!

What are you up to these days?!

- you are VERY active, inquisitive, talkative. You are crawling with your belly on the floor, doing what Miss Ginny calls the "inch worm crawl"
- you are getting used to your play room but still don't like being alone in it. Mummy leaves you in there for about 15 mins and then you start to fuss. Mummy is excited about making it a fun space for you :-)
- you eat solids twice to three times a day, plus a 6oz bottle of milk with each meal
- you are starting to pull up on things and can get on your knees! We still don't have baby gates on the stairs! Soon though!
- you have rhythm and mummy has watched you bop up and down to her favorite songs. She thinks you get the rhythm from her :-)
- you look so much like daddy
- you are a little flirt with the ladies, especially the sweet ladies who look after you in the church nursery. I know that they love you when they "fight" over who got to hold you.
- you are still wearing size 3 diapers
- you are a long baby but not so chunky. You wear 12 month clothes and sometimes 18 month clothes. The waist is sometimes loose on you though. Long and skinny like daddy. Trust me; you will appreciate this when you grow up!
- you are definitely photogenic. You can turn on the smile and pose whenever you see a camera. I wonder who you get that from?
- mummy and daddy love you more with each day. You truly are a blessing and you are our treasure and our gift from heaven. Thank you, Lord!

Hope you are all well and happy and healthy. Health is so important!

Love FIFi xo

This day will be a great day; this year will be a great year :-)

Merry Christmas and happy New Year to you! Zev and I hope that you had a lovely holiday!

Sorry that I haven't written in so long. I'll be honest, although I appreciated the love and joy of Christmastime, it was a really hard time for me emotionally. Dealing with cancer has been harder, much harder than I expected. I am doing well physically and am tolerating the chemo well (thank you, God!) Zev has been my strong rock here on earth, to encourage me and reassure me. Zachary is my little angel and his sweet face propels me to continue on, to make the best out of each day. Local friends have rallied around me to cover me with their kindness and friendship and encourage me without realizing it! I do believe that God gave us Zachary when He did, to help Zev and I get through this tough time. And of course my family in Australia has been outstanding in listening and encouraging me and helping me see the positive side of things :-)

I feel good on all fronts now (thank you, again, God!) and feel like I have come out of a "cloud" of sorts. I am sure this will sound crazy, but I believe that I was in the middle of a spiritual warfare there for a little bit. But I prayed to The Lord in the midst of the storm and He held my hand and led me through it. I am so grateful to Him for that.

So we stayed local and low key for Christmas. Zev and I had more fun than Zachary I think, in watching him open his gifts. As can be expected of an 8 month old, he loved the wrapping paper more than the gifts themselves! Sweet boy :-) We received some really unique gifts, such as a beautiful music box filled with delectable German "Nuernberger" cookies from my German teacher, Ulla and her husband, Manfred (herzlichen Dank!); a package of German homemade cookies from my German Masters of Laws colleagues, Laura and Philipp (auch danke schoen!!) a goodie packet from sweet Leslie and of course gifts from the grandparents and our brothers.

New Year's Eve weekend we spent with Zev's little brother, Deven and his wife Lauren. They flew down sans kids (thank you, grandma and grandpa for babysitting!) We had such a fun weekend! I'm so glad they came down!

So the next big adventure is....Australia!!!!! We are so very excited to be heading Down Under very soon and can't wait tointroduce Zachary to the family as well as meet all the new additions and just spend some quality time with family and friends. It also helps that it is the middle of summer in Australia and nice and hot :-))

Well, hope you enjoy the pictures from the previous few weeks. As always, THANK YOU so much for your prayers. I have especially seen first hand this past year how POWERFUL prayer truly is.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6