Birthday girl!

Today is a true celebration.
Today our EvanMarie turns three years old!

Three years ago, on the darkest night of the year (the winter solstice) this radiant little light burst into our lives. From the very beginning, she arrived with a kind of quiet authority: soft, joyful, expressive… and just a little judgey. We didn’t know then all the ways she would teach us how to live, but we know now, she’s been our teacher from day one.

Let’s be honest: this isn’t how we imagined celebrating her third birthday. These days include extra caution because of infection or injury, hospital visits woven into the week, uncertainty still ahead, and a valley we never expected to walk as a family. And yet, this is life for us. The real stuff. The kind of day-to-day living that doesn’t wait for things to be neat or easy before it shows up.
And somehow, the flowers are still blooming here.

EvanMarie teaches us daily how to be silly, how to do hard things, and how to be kind even when you’re feeling yucky. She still lives with a sense of wonder and awe at God’s creation, noticing things the rest of us rush right past. Lately, the blue tiles at the hospital have become lava. Even in the middle of the night, half asleep, she’ll gently warn us: “Don’t step on the lava.”

She also deeply relishes time with her people, and she has so many.
Eight siblings who dote on her every whim. Two sets of grandparents who love her fiercely. Aunts, uncles, and cousins who cheer her on. An entire class of peers at school whom she loves and misses dearly, sending her updates, notes, and most recently, a video of them singing Happy Birthday just for her.
And beyond all of that, there is Team EvanMarie, which seems to grow by the day. There are literally thousands of people lifting her up in daily prayer. As parents, we can’t imagine a better birthday gift than knowing our daughter has drawn so many hearts and minds toward God. Because of her, people are pausing, praying, hoping, believing.
She’s easy to rally around too, because she’s just so dang sweet! Please pray for her today.

This morning, as she opened a few birthday gifts, something small but holy happened. After giggling with delight at each unwrapped surprise, her first instinct wasn’t to hold onto the gift, but to hug the person who gave it. Again and again. No prompting. No reminders to “say thank you.” Just pure gratitude expressed through love and a tight EvanMarie hug.
It’s a moment we’ll never forget.

May we receive God’s manifold gifts with the same childlike disposition: open hands, open hearts, and then big gratitude.

All we have ever wanted for our children is life to the fullest. These past few months have been full of the real stuff of life: fear and courage, tears and laughter, loss of control and new, deeper trust. We would not have chosen this road. But here we are, discovering that this is where love grows deep, where it becomes tangible, where hope stops being theoretical and starts being lived. It is the fullest life we’ve ever experienced. 

Today, on her birthday, we are reminded to thank God for all of it: the mountaintops and the valleys. For life.
Today, we choose gratitude. Today, we celebrate life. Today, we marvel at the beauty that refuses to stop blooming.
Happy 3rd birthday, sweet EvanMarie. You are a gift to this world. And we are so very proud to be your parents!

Treatment update: Cycle 4 of chemotherapy was a doozy, definitely the hardest on her body and spirit so far. There were many days of utter exhaustion and tears. Chemo is rough at any age. But this past Wednesday she received a blood transfusion, and it perked her up in a big way. She’ll have regular labs this week, and surgery is scheduled for January 5th. More to come soon.
Thank God with us, the treatment is working! 

Blessed Stanley, pray for us! 
Glory to God in the Highest!

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