It's very nearly the end of a strange year. We began settling into our new home in West Jordan. It took several months (and loads of help from our amazing family and friends!) to get it livable. Mike was feeling extra tired and couldn't shake his cold. On April 26, Mike had some tests run and we found out the reason behind him not feeling well for the past few months. May 7, we got the biopsy results. May 20, Mike had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. July 28 he began 6 months of chemotherapy. Those 6 months seemed to fly by (Of course, I wasn't the one being slowly poisoned..) And now he is done! We will have a CT scan done on December 27 to see if there is anything to see. Assuming there is not, we will still be visiting with the oncologist every 3 months for the first year. Until it's been 5 years with no sign of cancer cells, we cannot say he's "cured". But at this point, we are going to say that the cancer is in remission.

Sophia started talking so well this year. I used to worry that she would never learn to talk, and now there are time I wonder if she'll ever be quiet :) She is growing up so fast. She takes life head-on at a full run. She is so full of energy and light that we are constantly on our toes with her antics. Yesterday, she called Santa Claus 3 times to request movies and toys. So much for letters. She is currently re-decorating the Christmas tree. Re-arranging the ornaments her way. She gets her way a lot! We've been making a lot of sugar cookies this week, and she is addicted to the frosting. The other day she even scooped the frosting right off of Averi's cookie when Averi wasn't looking. She is such a turd!

We've had a very strange year, but we've been blessed throughout it. We've gotten closer to family and friends than ever before, and we've laughed more than we've cried. We can't ask for much more than that!

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and that the coming year brings wonderful opportunities for you all!