A Girl and Her Dad.

The girls each talked Kevin in to taking a few pictures with them.  We had a very special collage of pictures made for each of them to put in their rooms.

 

 

 

Beautiful Words (contributor: Sherry Strong)

My sister in law put this post on Facebook a few weeks ago.  It has stuck with me ever since.  Her words captured so much.  I wanted to share it here.

Words from Sherry Strong:
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this pic and we all love this big teddy bear of a man in the middle! 💜This guy....he IS our hero.💜
Kevin Strong has been in a battle for his life after a diagnosis of Stage IV Esophageal cancer w/metastasis to liver & lymph nodes & given 12-18 months. This was 4 YEARS ago in October! This guy has such resilience. He has been to hell & back with radiations, chemos (many, many rounds of three different types); is on his 2nd of two different types of an experimental immunotherapy drug, all while enduring many miserable side effects (some life-long & life-threatening) through the various treatments. Yet, when many would want to throw in the towel, Kevin keeps on fighting through all the battles as this disease and the side effects of treatment ravage his weary body. And, although we all are keenly aware he most likely won't win the ultimate battle... We celebrate the many small victories. Kevin has the most positive perspective on life and he LIVES for all the small victories.....another day, another month, another year with his loving wife & his two precious little girls that adore him beyond measure! EACH and EVERY day beyond that 12-18 months has truly been a gift for him....and for ALL of us who love & respect this big teddy bear...a true Esophageal Cancer WARRIOR! We have ALL been blessed by him, his presence, his amazing positivity, his fortitude & his extreme resilience to keep pushing through on this very tough journey! It would be much easier to give up; throw in the towel...but, if you know Kevin at all, he doesn't do "easy". Nope! Never!
So, Kevin Strong....
THANK YOU for hanging in! We all LOVE YOU and are so grateful for the gift of YOU & treasure the precious TIME we have been blessed with to spend with you! 😘💜💜💜💜💜💜

Kendall Marie - The Ultimate Tweenager!

It is very hard to believe that Kendall will be starting middle school this year.  She is beyond excited.  She has grown up so much this summer.  I love this young lady to pieces!

 

 

Sidney Nicole - 4th Grader Extraordinaire!

It is that time of year again.  We are transitioning in to 'back to school' mode.  The girls always enjoy getting their new school supplies and clothes and taking pictures.  I wonder when they will stop being so excited for school to get back in session?

 

 

 

Back to Reality...Not so Bad.

After a week away, I came home to a bounty of vegetable.  Kendall promptly made a batch of chocolate zucchini brownies.  Isn't that the responsible thing to do?

Kevin was happy to reunite with the girls after two weeks away.  He had bought them each a new fishing pole.  He and Sidney went out fishing one evening. 

Sidney caught several fish that she took home to Grandma Terrell to fry up.

I had cleaned out Sidney's room while she was gone.  Thankfully, she was very excited about it.  She made a fort under her bed and had me help her make these vinyl decals for her fort.

It was great to get away and unplug for awhile!

North Idaho Getaway.

While Kevin was enjoying Montana, I joined the girls for week two of their North Idaho trip.  It was such a very relaxing time!  Lots of sun, lake water and family time.  Hallie enjoys taking pictures of the girls.  Truly I think the girls love it equally as much.  She has become quite a photographer.  Here is just one of the beautiful pictures she took of Sidney.

The girls, my sister, Hallie and I went to the Farmers Market.  The girls decided to use some of their money to get a henna tattoo.  The artist was amazing.  She asked the girls what they wanted (generally), where they wanted it, and what their price point was. 

She treated the girls so well and took her time giving them each a very special creation.  We sent this picture to Kevin to try and freak him out.  He is no longer phased by our antics and knew the tattoos were not permanent.

We enjoyed lunch at Noodle Express.  I tried to take a selfie.  Clearly, I am lacking some experience in this department.

We took the kayaks to Spirit Lake one day.  It was really nice to cruise around the lake.  The girls met a few other kids to play with, while my mom sat on the beach and chatted.

My Dad showed us the fish pond.  There is a small coin machine in which you can get a handful of fish food (which the ducks also enjoy).  The fish are awesome.  They actually jump out of the water to get the food.  The ducks and fish take turns being the boss.  We went over most evenings to feed them.

My Dad and I went golfing one morning.  We were paired with a super nice man named 'Bruce'.  Bruce was visiting from Sedona, AZ.  It was a great experience after my l last golf pairing with the grumpy man. 

I had a few really great holes and a few that we will not speak of.  It was a wonderful time. 

 

The girls and I went over to the pond and park one morning.  They had fun watching the ducks and fish fight over the food.

The girls loved the play structure.  It was a pretty cool one, with some unique things to do.  It was all fine and dandy until the sprinklers came. on.  Really though, it was so hot the sprinklers were refreshing.

We met Jason and his parents up at Priest Lake one day.  On the way up there, we toured some of our old schools and homes.  It was really fun showing the girls our old stomping grounds.  Everything seems so much smaller as an adult.

 

Lake water relaxes me like nothing else.  Rob took us across the lake in his boat.  We had our own private beach.

On the way home from the lake we stopped for some amazing Mexican food.  The best part...they give you a cinnamon chip with whipped cream, strawberry and chocolate syrup for dessert.

The girls and I made the 8 hour trek home.  We took it easy and stopped at all of our favorite spots along the way.  Kendall decided she did not want to order off the kids menu this time.  I think she was shocked to see the difference in portion size.  She made it about a quarter of the way through this stack!