Friday, August 03, 2012

Day +118 We're Home!

We made it! I can't even begin to start to describe how wonderful it is to be home!

We could not have made it through this arduous separation without the love and support of our family members, our ward family, and our wonderful friends. Thank you to everyone who has helped us through this. Our hearts are full of gratitude.

On Monday, we had our last clinic visit and infusion at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. My parents flew in Monday evening to help us pack the car, to drop us off at the airport on Tuesday, and to drive our car home. Besides me being nervous about how crowded the airport was for fear of germs and being keenly aware and tense about every cough and sneeze on the airplane, the flight home went smoothly. Time will tell if Jacob picked up anything or not.


Here is Jacob getting his last infusion at SCCA.


Jacob and I getting dropped off at the airport and saying goodbye to my parents
(who made it home safely last night with the car)


Jacob is SO excited to get home.  Here he is on the plane.

Josh and Ethan picked us up from the airport. The boys were so excited to be back together again. It was such a sweet reunion. 


The boys are back together! Their eyes just sparkle with love for each other.


Jacob and Daddy missed each other!

As we were driving up our street I noticed an unusually large number of parked cars. Suddenly I noticed some people waving and holding signs. As we got closer I realized they were church friends. As we turned the last corner onto the cul de sac, I saw that the whole street was was lined with ward members cheering and waving to us. Through tears I was able to grab the camera and capture a few pictures. Josh rolled down the windows so Ethan and Jacob could wave back. I was overcome that so many people were rejoicing with us. We are blessed to belong to an amazing ward family.

The next several pictures are the ones I took as we drove up to our house.







Jacob and Ethan were so excited with the celebration!  
Jacob proceeded to do several fancy dance moves for everybody. :)

Not only did we have a huge, warm welcome on the street, but I quickly discovered that our whole house had been scrubbed and sanitized from top to bottom. It was immaculate! Josh told me how our family, friends, and ward members had volunteered their time and cleaning expertise. It felt so wonderful and welcoming to walk into a clean home.

Then to top off the perfect welcome home, our ward provided some delicious meals to give us a chance to get adjusted. Thank you so much to everyone who pitched in on the meals and our house.

There were just so many who helped! We appreciate it more than we could ever possibly express. We feel so loved and blessed. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

4 comments:

Trisha said...

I have tears...what an awesome homecoming! Congrats to you all! YOU MADE IT!!

Wendy said...

That is so cool!

The Stoddard Show said...

What a wonderful welcome home! I'm glad you are all together again. We love you ;)

Delanie said...

So happy for your whole family! What a wonderful homecoming. How sweet and thoughtful your ward has been. That is truly the gospel in action!

Jacob looks so good in the pictures. Hopefully his immune system will continue to improve, you can back off on some of the meds, and begin to have a more "normal" life. You have all been through so much, especially little Jacob. Your darling, sweet family deserves a break from the the wild roller coaster ride you have been on.

The McKendricks continue to send their love and prayers. You have truly been an inspiration for us.

Love,
Delanie McKendrick (RN)