Spring 2016 Trends

Well, I finally got to go home for a two days!! When I was home I had to go through a MONTH worth of mail and I found my new InStyle Spring magazine! While Luke was playing this morning, I read the whole thing cover to cover and took some notes on what was going to be in style this spring! I have done this in the past, and my followers loved it, so I decided to give you some modest inspiration of the upcoming trends!

The two main colors of spring are Rose Quartz (blush pink) & Serenity (grayish baby blue). I LOVE the rose color, not a fan as much on the baby blue, but it might grow on me! Here's a few swatches of some other colors that compliment them well too!


Like I said, I'm in love with the rose color, so here are some adorable outfits I found on Pinterest!


Here are a few looks with the baby blue.


Some of my favorite trends to be looking out for are:

1. High-Shine Sequins


2. Scalloped-Edged Hems


3. Built-in Bows


4. Cat-eye Sunglasses


5. Grab & Go Totes


6. Purple Shades of Eyeshadow: My favorite purple palette is my Younique palette 3, which you can get here.


Hope this helps you, while you are out and about shopping for the spring! ♥

Goodbye Control!

If you have been a faithful reader, then you remember my post about struggling with anxiety and fear. I was re-reading it this morning and I saw this line, and it made me tear up..."I can only worry about today, and when I start to worry about today, I just need to give it ALL to Jesus. Such peace comes from giving it ALL to Him." The reason it made me tear up was because Luke has Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The abbreviation for his cancer is ALL. Since I have been reading so much about leukemia, when I read the "ALL" in caps, my mind read it like Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which made it perfect for our current situation.

I really can not worry about tomorrow, if I did, I would go crazy. There are SOOO many unknowns that we may face on this battle. If I think about the things we may face, I just get a heavy feeling on my chest, so I have to stop and give it to God. I'm so thankful that I did not marry a worry-wart like myself. He has SO much trust and faith in God. My husband is constantly reminding me that God is in control.
I think the hardest thing for me with this cancer is that I can not plan anything. Nothing is going to be normal for a LONG time. It also frustrates me when people are expecting us to "get back to normal" after this induction phase. People think leukemia is like adult cancers, but it is nothing like adult cancers. I just want to help you understand what we are going to be facing over the next 3.5 years. It may help someone to not say something inconsiderate, just out of pure ignorance.
What is acute lymphoblastic leukemia?

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the white blood cells that normally fight infection. The cells do not grow and develop properly, filling up the bone marrow inside bones, where blood is normally made.

ALL is the most common type of childhood cancer, accounting for 35 percent of all cancers in children. In the 1950s, an ALL diagnosis was almost always fatal. But now, thanks to advances in childhood cancer research, about 90 percent of kids with ALL will survive.

What is the treatment for ALL?

The main treatment for children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is chemotherapy (chemo), which has 3 phases:

Induction
Consolidation (also called intensification)
Maintenance

Induction

The goal of induction is to bring about a remission. This means that leukemia cells are no longer found in bone marrow samples, the normal marrow cells return, and the blood counts become normal. (A remission is not the same as a cure.) More than 95% of children with ALL will go into remission after 1 month of treatment.

Treatment during this month is intense, and your child may spend some or much of this time in the hospital. Frequent doctor visits might also be needed.

All children will need to have spinal taps to put chemo right into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to try to keep cancer from spreading to the brain and spinal cord. Some children may need radiation to the head, too, but doctors try to avoid this if they can because it may cause some problems in thinking and growth, no matter how low the dose.

Consolidation

The goal of this phase is to get rid of leukemia cells in hidden places. This phase lasts about 1 to 2 months. Several chemo drugs are used, depending on the child’s risk category. Some children may benefit from a stem cell transplant at this time.

Maintenance

If the leukemia stays in remission after the first 2 phases of treatment, this last phase can begin. The total length of therapy for all 3 phases is 2 to 3 years for most children with ALL. Because boys are at higher risk for relapse than girls, many doctors favor giving them several more months of treatment. Source: (cancer.org)


Luke was diagnosed with high-risk ALL because his white blood cell count was 367,000 when we first went to the hospital. He also had a huge mass covering his whole chest. Thank God, after a month of chemo, his mass has shrunk almost down to nothing. I hope you understand a little bit more about leukemia and that it is NOT a quick and easy fix. Even if Luke is in remission after induction (which we should figure out sometime next week), we will still have to go through the whole treatment process to ensure we kill all of those leukemia cells.
**Other disclaimer** Although I know we can not keep every germ and sickness away from Luke, this next phase of his chemo (Consolidation) is VERY rough. It will drop his immune system to practically nothing. So, please don't try to visit if you are sick, have been sick, or have even been near someone sick. A cold, stomach bug, or the flu can be VERY dangerous to him. If he has a fever, we have to immediately take him to the ER and will be staying for at least 3 days, so PLEASE be conscious of that.

**One more, lol** If you are a parent, please do not bring your child out in public if they are sick! Not only are you putting every normal child in risk, but you never know who is fighting for their life! So PLEASE, don't be selfish and bring your child out sick. THANK YOU! :)

I will update you all as often as I can! Love you and God Bless! ♥

Lord, Stay Close to Me

I should have done this post 2 weeks ago, but you will understand why I haven't had time to post it when you're done reading this...

About a month ago, I was noticing that Luke wasn't acting like his normal self. Then, he started to not want to eat and then started bruising really easily. I googled his symptoms and my stomach dropped, I instantly felt sick as I read webMD explaining all of my son's symptoms are signs of leukemia. So his babysitter and I decided to take him to the doctors the next day. We took him to our pediatrician and she said it was probably just anemia, so let's get full labs done and that she would get back with me in a week. I knew I couldn't wait that long and my Mommy intuition was strong that this was something more than just anemia, so we took him to a pediatric ER and our fears were confirmed. Luke was diagnosed with leukemia. We weren't sure which type at that moment, but the ER doctors said we were going to be transferred to Shand's Children's Hospital immediately. When the doctors came in and told my mom, Luke's babysitter, and I that he had leukemia, I sat there with a blank look on my face, while my mom and Luke's babysitter were hysterical and crying. No emotions came out of me. I was prepared for that news, they were not. I didn't get emotional until I remembered that my husband was totally unaware. He was coaching a basketball game 2 hours away. I couldn't believe I had to call my husband and tell him that his whole world had cancer. It was the worst phone call I have ever made. He instantly started crying and I told him someone was coming to pick him up and drive him to the hospital.

I almost felt guilty for being so calm, while everyone else was falling apart around me, but I had a unexplainable peace that God would take care of our sweet baby boy. The next couple of days in the hospital confirmed that Luke had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL T-Cell Type). He also had a mass covering most of his chest. He started chemo the day after we got to the hospital. Luke is currently in the Induction phase of his chemo, which is 28 days long. My greatest fear was the well-known side effects of chemo. I asked everyone I knew to pray for Luke and that he would have mild side effects from his chemo. Thankfully, up to this point (day 19) he has VERY mild side-effects! Praise the Lord! Hopefully, I will have some time to keep all of my followers here updated. If you want a day by day update, please find me on Facebook and follow me (Don't friend request me, please! I don't accept people I don't know, but you may follow me), or follow me on Instagram (@lauren_modernmodesty).

God has been SO good to my family during this crazy life-altering trial. My husband and I made a list of some things we have learned in these first couple of weeks of our new-normal life:1. God is good. He is good with and without cancer.
2. We looked to God instantly and He has never felt closer to us. "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you."
3. We've never experienced the kind of "peace that passeth all understanding" until now. There truly is peace in this storm.
4. There is a lot of people who love our family and have showed us the love of God.
5. We have learned to wait on God. We don't really know what our future holds, but we know who holds the future!
6. God can use a little baby boy to soften hearts and turn people back to Him.
7. God always provides. He provides friends, family, finances, faith, & everything we need.
8. God is still in the miracle-working business.

I'm sure we will learn SO much more in the next months and years that we will be "fighting" this cancer, but our biggest prayer is that this is not in vain and God will be glorified as a result of all of this.
One thing I know for sure is that I don't know how someone could go through this pain and unknown without God. If you are not sure where you would go when you pass away, I BEG you to look at what the Bible says about how to get to Heaven. My son's cancer would be worth all the pain and fight, if just ONE person got saved as a result from it. Here is what the Bible says.
1. Recognize your condition - know that you are a sinner.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
No person is good enough to go to Heaven on his own merit. No matter how good you are, you will still fall short.

2. Know that there is a penalty for your sin.
“For the wages of sin is death...” (Romans 6:23)
Just as there are wages for good, there is a punishment for wrong. The penalty for our sin is eternal death in a place called Hell.

3. Know that Christ paid the penalty.
“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
Christ’s love for us was shown when He died on the cross to pay our debt. He alone could do that.

4. Trust Jesus Christ as your Savior.
“...But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
"That is thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9 and 13)
Everlasting life is a gift that was purchased by the blood of Jesus and offered freely to those who call upon Him by faith.

Let me help you in a word of prayer. (Realize it’s not mere words that save you, but it is your faith in Jesus Christ.)

Dear Jesus, I know that I’m a sinner and i deserve Hell, but right now by faith, I trust You as my Savior and my only hope for Heaven. Please forgive me for my sins. Jesus, come into my heart and save my soul from Hell. I’m trusting in You and You alone to take me to Heaven when I die. Thank you for saving me. Amen!

If you accepted Jesus as your personal Savior today, please let me know, by emailing me at laurenlambert_89[at]yahoo.com or commenting below!

I wanted to share some pictures from our hospital stay! We are currently out of the hospital, but since we live an hour and a half away from the hospital, we have to stay at the Ronald McDonald House. The house is such a blessing to us and makes our lives SO much easier.
Our first night in the hospital. 1/22/16
I love all the snuggling I get to do with my baby!
My uncle got him this HUGE life size baby giraffe! It made him laugh so much!
Our new room in the Peds Oncology Floor
Still smiling even when he's fighting the greatest fight of his life.
More snuggles!
Scary port surgery was successful! Another answered prayer!
Our first out of the hospital pic! Our new home away from home!
A sweet lady brought her dog to show the kids at the RM House. Luke was SO happy!
Our first outpatient chemo treatment!
Our community has rallied behind us and has raised so much support for Luke's fight. We are humbled by the overwhelming love shown to us! We have a YouCaring account that was started by my parents that is almost at $10,000!
My friend has also started a shop to get Luke Gear! If you are interested, you can get some here.
I will eventually get back to posting my outfits, but please be understanding at this time in my life! Please keep my baby boy in your prayers. Love all of you! ♥ I want to share a song with you that has been such an encouragement to me.
Lord, I knew a time like this would surely come my way
When in disbelief, I'd watch my whole life change
I thought I'd have the words to tell You how I feel
But the only thing my heart is telling me to say is

Lord stay close to me, as I journey through the darkness of this great unknown
Lord, stay close to me, though I've place my faith in You, I feel so all alone
My heart trembles like a child as I walk each scary mile
And the only prayer my lips can find to speak is Lord, stay close to me

I guess that I could ask You for some miracle
To even take away this trial that I face
But Lord, I know that You alone know what I need
So would You hold me tight as I journey through this place

Oh Lord, when I'm so scared, please be there, Lord
So I can rest in the promise, the promise that You care
Lord I know that I can make it through if all I have is You