Elle's 6th Birthday and a party in my stomach...

I sent a package to MK in Hawaii for Elle's birthday, including a number 6 candle for Elle's birthday dessert, which was always donuts, and Thankful Trees to match ours at home.

After that, things fell apart as far as my participation. Remember how Getty got "sicker than I've been my whole life"? Ya. I got that. But it wasn't a quick-and-dirty 24 hours. I was wrecked for nine days. By the morning of day two, I told Rob to just kill me. Elle's birthday landed right in the middle of that lawlessness. I could barely lift my head that day. 

The kids wore pink. Cam's sporting a sock beard for crazy sock day at school.

Getty's Instagram

Rob took the kids to Pizza Pie Cafe, one of Elle's favorite restaurants. Hayden made them a Super Pizzookie :)



Rob and the kids released pink balloons with messages. Later, we filled out Thanksgiving Tree leaves and chewed on pink bubblegum.

Elle's best friends wore pink and Justin Bieber t-shirts to school in Elle's honor. Then they had a little cupcake party and balloon release at Elle's graveside. I can't believe how old Elle's friends look. Elle was Si's younger sister's age when she died (far left).

Service Gifts for Elle

MK did baptisms for the dead in the Hawaii temple on Elle's birthday.

Mia was able to connect with this cheerleader's big brother about some of his feelings about the terminal nature of his sister's disease. His mom told Mia later that her son had not been able to open up like that before.

Getty went out of his way to sit by a lonely kid at lunch and talked with him the whole time. He told me, "It made him so happy!"

Cy invited a new kid at school to play basketball at recess with he and his friends.

Cam helped walk his piano teacher's dog. His teacher is the primary caregiver for her son who is struggling to rehabilitate from brain surgery.

I was able to finish indexing 2000 names for the FamilySearch genealogical website for Elle this year.

Rob has been working non-stop for the past couple of weeks, so he hasn't had much time, but he had a friend from out-of-town stay with us for a few days (ya, I helped a bit with that ;) Rob's actually my role model for service, always ready to help out with big stuff like helping people move to small stuff like making malts for the teenagers that come over. 

So, it was a good day for my family. As for me, it was a wake-up call. The torturous nausea, the mind-numbing boredom, not being able to get up or read or even watch tv without feeling even sicker, feeling completely restless and barely able to sleep day or night... suffering does funny things to a person. Like make ice chips taste phenomenal and cool sheets on feverish skin like the ultimate relief. It makes things like getting laundry done and packing lunches for school seem like a dream come true. I realized that even if I just felt 50% better, and I could do something—anything—for myself and my family, that's a reason to feel happy.

I guess Elle gave me a gift on her birthday. I love you sweet girl.