Our Little Wyeth Family

Weekly Update

2012-02-12T16:32:00.001-08:00

I don't have a ton to report but I have lots of random pictures. Carter's liver counts came down and he's back on his nightly chemo. We'll see how long it lasts. He has a spinal tomorrow that, thank goodness, Bryan will be able to take him to. I'll keep myself occupied at the gym and grocery shopping with the girls. :) (All the while thinking about Carter, I'm sure.)

Here's a quick overview:

On a slow afternoon where we all needed to get out of the house we headed over to see Daddy at work. Carter and Addilyn got their teeth cleaned. Preslee got the paper thing around her neck and then decided that teeth cleaning was for sissies and opted for a tantrum instead. It was pretty much awesome. :)

The closest she got to clean teeth.
The kids aren't the only one with pearly whites. Clint came up to get some work done. (Thank you to whoever smacked him in the face during basketball therefore busting on of his front teeth.) It was seriously so great to see him. He is Bryan's closest friend in the world and I adore him as well. They don't see enough of each other. He was only here for a day but we got to catch up, the boys went out for lunch, dinner, and played some b-ball. Then Bryan got to give him lots of shots and drill away. Lucky Clint! He gets to come back up in a few weeks to finish everything up. Love that guy. I love what a great friend he is to Bryan. Here they are exploring in the wildness which is just past our back yard.
This little munchkin is seriously so insanely cute. I know I always say that but she seriously is. She's absolutely hysterical. Yesterday she was sword fighting with Carter and he told her, "Duck, Pres, Duck!" She she looks at him, jumps up and down, and goes "QUACK! QUACK! QUACK!" It was so funny!

Her big milestone right now is that she is starting to go to sleep in her big girl panties. Yesterday she stayed dry for her entire nap and last night she stayed dry ALL NIGHT LONG! We aren't holding our breaths for this thing to be over. We know she'll have multiple accidents but we're heading the right direction. (She had accidents the two previous days during her nap then it dawned on me that diapers and night and panties at nap time may be a touch confusing so we're giving them up all together.)
We have been getting DUMPED on in the snow department. It's really pretty and I don't really mind it. Here's the house.
I did, however, get my car COMPLETELY stuck at the bottom of the driveway. Our driveway has a dip in it at the base. Of course, Bryan was in Denver for the day and I had a friend's kids so there wasn't a whole lot I could do. I figured it was just going to stay in the middle of the street until the snow melted. I texted my neighbor who had her nice hubby come help me. One of the guys down the road that was working on a house (who we knew well from our home build) also came over to help. They got me unstuck and made fun of me for thinking that my leaf blower would get rid of the snow. (what were my options at that point though.) Needless to say, we stayed inside for the rest of the day. :)
Our beautiful view out back. I LOOOOOVE our view. Forest out the back and Rockies out the front. Can't really complain.
Addilyn got to do a cheer camp (more pics on my photog blog). She LOVED it. They preformed that night at the Varsity boys Bball game. She thought she was a rock star. I took a short video at the practice. She certainly isn't the best one out there but she's most definitely the cutest.

Carter got to go to a birthday party at a glow in the dark mini golf place. It was really cool. His cast looked super awesome, too.

Here's an Intsagram-ed picture of us going into clinic. I find myself not taking pictures of the everyday kind of things. A new years resolution to remedy for sure. And this is an everyday thing for us, nearly. :)
Here's an xray of his port. When he broke his arm we asked for the xrays of this as well. Doesn't he look so small? :) I know it's a really small picture but the port IV goes into his vein which goes into his heart... or something like that. :)

Budding Cheerleader

2012-02-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

Little Miss A went to the local high school for a cheer camp. She had THE best time! The cheerleaders (whom she had met before when Carter was honored at one of the football games) adored her and she, straight faced, told me, "Mom, when I grow up I want to be a cheerleader!" Oh my...

Later that night they got to go to the boys basketball game and preform at 1/2 time. There wasn't a shy bone in that girl's body! Look out world! They were also earning money for Beast Cancer which is so wonderful!! Any way we can fight any kind of cancer is great with me! (Plus, that meant that her shirt was pink... bonus.)

: "Tell them you're from Pine Creek and you're here to stay!" (I've heard that cheer no less than 8,000 times since Saturday)

: Shakin' her groove thang!

: She looked eagerly at her "cheer coach" the ENTIRE time. Such concentration!

: Her favorite cheer leader. (she was also her favorite a few months ago at the football game.)

The Broken Elbow

2012-01-31T13:06:00.000-08:00

: He wanted Addilyn to be the very first person to sign his cast.

We have ran full speed to meeting our medical deductible. And I mean, SPRINTING towards it. As I previously mentioned, Carter managed to fall off our kitchen table bench on Saturday, breaking his ulna at his elbow. Yep. Broken elbow. As my brother so rightly put it, "It's about time he has a normal little boy experiance." Yup. Agreed.

When Carter takes his monthly steroids his bones weaken. The steroids make his bone marrow release all of their white bood cells into the blood stream so they kinda start over empty creating new ones. (I'm not a doctor- shocked, right?- but if I understand it correctly, that's what happens.) Hence the weak bones. The pediatric orthopedic sergeon said it certainly isn't out of the question for Carter to break another bone before he's done with treatment. Awesome. Just what a parent wants to hear.

The good news is he only has the cast on for three weeks.

The even better news? IT GLOWS IN THE DARK! True story. Carter couldn't decide between the green (which nearly glows all on it's own) and the glow in the dark. So, the tech suggested he do green with a glow int he dark candy cane stripe. JACKPOT! So, on our way we were sent with the coolest cast around. And, in case you're wondering on weather or not it really does glow, the answer is YES. Quite well, in fact. Like, I hope it doesn't keep him up at night. But, he's a happy camper and headed to school with three different colored sharpies in hand for all his friends and teachers to sign it.

Because this has taken up a nice chunk of my week, I decided to make this my Glimpses 52 project for the week on Chic Critique Forum. Next week, I am vowing to NO Carter in my Glimpses project. He's getting the boot. That kid just needs to stay out of trouble long enough for me to take pictures of his sisters!

: Clearly I did NOT take this picture (I'm good but not THAT good. :)). However, I did add the green writing so you can see where he broke it... even though you can't really see the break on here.

What a Week!!

2012-01-29T13:35:00.001-08:00

It was quite the week over here as far as the kids are concerned (and as far as our bank account is concerned).

On Monday Carter went in and had his counts checked. His blood counts were really high (which is great!) but so was his liver count. Not so great. They held his chemo again this week. It's been nice in the sense that he can eat after dinner if he wants and we don't have to start a timer every time he's done eating. We don't have to wake him up to take his meds. We don't have to stress about remembering it. But we both worry that this may change how good his chances are with the cancer coming back. Something we don't know yet. It's on our ever growing list of questions for the doctor. He goes back in tomorrow for counts again. They are also going to test him for some immune disorder that would be a result of the chemo (meaning it would go away in a few years when treatment's over). The test will show if he is moresusceptible to catch anything and everything. I don't think he has it. He's been pretty healthy outside of the last 5 weeks of having cold after cold... after cold... after cold.

Tuesday, Bryan and I had to divide and conquer with doctor appointments. The pediatricianreferred Addilyn to an ENT because she has sleep apnea. They think it's because her tonsils are so big (something the pediatrician has mentioned on occasion before) so when she lays down they kinda slip into her throat causing her to snore and not be able to breath very well. This could also be why she gets head aches constantly. (I REALLY hope it's because of this and not hereditary... I have daily head aches.)

Meanwhile, I took Carter to the pediatrician to have his ears cleaned out. That kid had the nerve to FAIL his hearing test at school. Yep. Big. Fat. F. Seriously!?!? Good news is that they got out all kinds of crap. Bad news is that they found he had an ear infection. The oncologist couldn't see it the day before because there was so much wax in the way. (She told me she couldn't see past it.) Thank you Christensen side of the family for that one. :) They also looked in his nose and noticed he has a sinus infection. Seriously?! Wow.

The next few days were MUCH better. We transitioned Preslee to her big girl bed or her "gi-gil" bed. She LOOOOVES it and (here's the best part) STAYS IN IT!!! WOOT WOOT!!! I don't know how long that'll last but right now she's doing great. As soon as she can get herself on and off the toilet and get her pants on and off by herself, bye bye sleeping diapers!

Saturday, Bryan called me while I was picking Addilyn up from a birthday party. I couldn't answer so he texted me. This is VERY unlike Bryan so I knew something was wrong. Sure enough, Carter was trying to turn around on our kitchen bench and slipped off. He tried to catch himself with his arm and fractured his ulna. That's the bone that runs up the pinky side of your arm. It's fractured up near the elbow. They put it in a sling and a temporary cast. This week we are going to go to the pediatric orthopedic surgeon and she'll take a look and decide if it needs to be casted or not. It's a very minor fracture and he's doing much better already. While HE wants a cast ("Mom, people can NOT sign my sling!") we are hoping he doesn't.

So, that's our super duper exciting week in a nutshell. :) Needless to say, medical deductible? Met.

Isn't she so darn cute in her bed?!?!

Getting all bandaged up.

Update on the Family

2012-01-22T18:41:00.000-08:00

Bryan's family has a private blog that each family posts to weekly (insert "should" into that sentence.) Here's ours from this week.

I know what you're thinking! "Jen! You are such a slacker!" But I have a good excuse. I can't tell it to you because then I'd have to kill you, but it's a GOOD one. (Before anyone starts thinking that I'm pregnant I will tell you two things:)

1. I'm not. Never will be again unless the Lord forces my hand.... no, both hands... and feet.

2. The excuse is that I'm forgetful. And tired. I need to stay more on top of my blog. I know this.

Things here are great. Work's great for Bryan. We've all set our goals for this year and are skipping along joyfully working on them.

Addilyn is learning SO much at preschool. We have her all registered for Kindergarten (GASP!) and are hoping and praying she gets Carter's teacher from last year. We are only putting her in 1/2 day. I've become one of those mom's who doesn't want to let go. She's SO easy and so much fun! And Pres is going to be crazy lonely without her. Oh- and 'm cheap. It's almost $200 a month here. NEGATIVE! Even if it were free though, I'd have her in 1/2 day.

Preslee is talking up a storm. Her favorite thing right now is to tell you she's cute. "Mommy tired?" (me) "Yes, Mommy's tired." (Pres) "Oh. Mommy tired and I cute." She even told Bryan that she's a pretty princess. She seems really bright. (What? Nope. Not biased at all...) Only time will tell though. :)

Carter's doing well. He had chemo last Monday. Normal meds but for some reason his body had a really hard time with them this time. A few days after chemo he got sick, major diarrhea, a rash head to toe (VERY itchy), couldn't sleep, and stomach cramping.... I just felt so bad for him. On top of that we've all been fighting a super nasty cold. Carter has gotten it the worst. It's hanging onto him for dear life. The doctors told us this is how it's going to be with his immune system the way it is. We've managed to stay out of the hospital (knock on wood) but it's just not getting better. On top of THAT, his liver isn't a happy little thing. His counts are still so high that his doctor called Monday night and asked us to not give him his nightly chemo this week. He's having an unusual reaction... most kids' livers freak a little bit but not like this. She wants us back in there tomorrow for a blood draw. If things don't correct themselves they'll have to change up his chemo. Not good for a few reasons. 1. Whatever they give him instead won't be as effective (obviously or they'd give it to him now) and 2. The med they'd give him causes hair loss. Booo.... So, only time will tell. She also explained to me that cancer treatment in someone as young as Carter is very different than in someone, say, in their 50's because they have to be more careful with the organs. The organs of a 50 year old need to last a max of 40 more years. Carter's need to last another 80 or so. So, they really have to make sure they don't stress out his liver or heart or anything else too much. The doctor also suggested we put Carter in some physical therapy. His legs and hips have taken such a beating from all the drugs. He literally cannot run. Can. Not. We put him in karate which he has loved so far but it really puts into perspective HOW weak he is. It's seriously amazing. I don't have a doubt in my mind that Preslee could beat him in a foot race. Breaks my heart because he WANTS to play sports... he just can't. He's not strong enough. And it doesn't look like he'll get that way until treatment's done. More info than you wanted, huh?

I'm just doing my thang. Editing pictures from our trip, taking everyone to school/doctors/etc., trying to get all set up for Valentine's (my house was so lonely once I took down my Christmas decor), going to the gym, and trying to lose some lbs. :)

That's pretty much everything that's been going on since we got home from San Diego. I posted about a gazillion pics on the next post. Enjoy!

California Through the Eyes of my iPhone

2012-01-22T17:46:00.000-08:00

We headed for sunny San Diego on Christmas night. It was awesome because the airport was DESERTED! There were zero people there which was super great. The kids were a dream on the flight, especially consiering we didn't get to my parents until 11:30pm our time. The only one that didn't fall asleep, of course, was Preslee. Those who know her well just mumbled "of course" to themselves while reading this.

While we were there we went and did EVERYTHING. Seriously. Ran my poor kids ragged. It was great. We probably won't get out there for another 18 months (unless something falls out of the sky) and we haven't been there for about that long so we needed to make the most of it.

That being said, here are exactly a million and one pictures from the trip. They are all from my phone so they are small and just kinda crappy. I have a million and one MORE pictures on my camera which I am slowly going through.

Heading out! Addilyn got a suitcase from Santa and while Bryan and I tried our hardest to get her to leave it at home she would hear nothing of it. So, it came with us... completely empty. :)

1. Disneyland. It was Awe.Some. Because of Carter we got to go on the fast lane on every ride. It worked out well because I have never in my life been to Disneyland on such a psychotic day. January 2nd. Don't ever do it. The stroller barely fit. The kids couldn't let go of our hands. And Pres? Well, she peed her pants TWO times because she was scared of the self flushing toilets which flushed while she was sitting on it once. (Finally a nice stranger gave me a diaper.)

If you look really closely you can see my dad in the upper left hand corner being a total goofball. We did space mountain with the two older ones and they both LOVED it. Addi laughed the entire time (reminded me of her Gigi) complete with arms in the air and screaming in sheer joy.

Carter was chosen to be a Jedi Master and got to fight Darth Vader. It was the highlight of his day. Correction: It was the highlight of his life.

My cousin Lisa (Neal's wife) met us at Disneyland with her kids. This is us on the carousal.
What kids don't love Toy Story? Pres LOOOOOOVES "Yeehaw". She know every word to "You've got a Friend in Me." Not kidding. She really does. When she saw Jessi I thought she was going to pee her pants in excitement. (She didn't... that was NOT one of the TWO times that day she peed in her pants.)

Carter and Addi getting ready to ride Star Tours. They've changed it and it's now all 3D. So cool.
We also got to spend a lot of time with my Grandma. She is seriously one of the most amazing women I know and her positive outlook on life has really helped me through the past 10 months. I have countless memories of her from my childhood (from Space Mountain to perms, to shopping, to learning to gamble) and I'm so grateful my kids are getting to know her. Because they have two Gigi's (one is Gigi Meacham and one is GG Christensen) they refer to this one as Granky and Gigi. Granky is what they called my Grandpa. Man, I miss him. But, we had a BLAST visiting with her on a few different occasions.

We also went to the beach a few times. We spent an evening there roasting hot dogs and s'mores. We also went once during the day. Silly me; I was thinking that since it was chilly my kids would only run from the waves and not get in deeper than their ankles. I should have known better. They all got SOAKED (Preslee's hair was even drenched) and drove home in underwear and sweatshirts. Note to self: ALWAYS wear bathing suits under clothes... even if it's cold outside. My kids are tourists. How embarrassing.
This picture just makes me happy. I love Pres's hair blowing in the wind. I love how one pant leg is up and one is down. I love how her little crack is hanging out. I love how she's heading for that water with zero intention of stopping.

S'mores!

Sea World! My kids love Sea World. Addilyn has had a life long love affair with Shamu. Not real sure what sparked it but she adores the silly whale. I couldn't begin to tell you how many stuffed Shamus we have hanging around our house. No less than 20 I'm sure. From bath toys to ones that are bigger than Addilyn. It's quite ridiculous.

Mmmmm... cookies....

This beluga whale came right up to the glass and pushed his nose against it, right up to our kids! He was there long enough for me to get my phone out of my pocket, open up my camera app and take a picture. It was so neat! Literally pressing his nose against the glass watching the kids.

We all touched the starfish.

Pictures with Shamu. (My kids and the Ladies.)

My parents have recently purchased a little cabin about an hour from their house in Julian. We went up there to check it out (they hadn't closed yet) and went and got some apple pie afterwards. Here's Carter with Gig and my Uncle Craig and Aunt Susan. They got such a kick out of Carter. And he loved them, too!

Preslee wondering where the heck her ice cream was. She wasn't real into the pie but, boy, was she sick of waiting for her food!

Preslee and Addilyn outside at the cabin. My parents told them we were going to the mountains and when we arrived, Addilyn got out of the car, looked around and said to me, "Mom, where's the snow? I thought we were going to the mountains." She was not impressed with these Californian "mountains". Hehe. I think it burst my parents bubbles a little bit. But they do have wild turkeys running everywhere. (I wasn't rude by mentioning that we have deer and bears in OUR mountains. ;))

This is Runkin (my brother Ryan) spinning the kids on the hardwood. Why we never thought of this is beyond me because it was the funniest thing EVER.

We also went and got haircuts from the best hairdresser ever. KELLY! She did Addilyn's hair all straight and pretty with every color of tinsel imaginable. She walked away thinking she was a princess.

As I mentioned previously, I took the plunge. I chopped 11" off. It wasn't just for fun. In fact... almost cried. But I'm donating it to Locks of Love. I wanted to for SOMETHING for Carter since he had to be bald for 8 months. I like it short... but I'm growing it out. :) Here's a picture of the back.

We had a wonderful time out in San Diego. It was a VERY fast 10 days full of pictures and countless memories. I can't wait for next time. I love my family and can't wait to see them this summer at Aspen Grove!!!!!

10 Months

2012-01-11T19:07:00.000-08:00

***Wow... I'm such a slacker!!! I need to play catch up on this thing! Sorry Grandma!***

10 months ago today our world was rocked. Like, seriously rocked. Like, changed forever. Like, faith had to take over completely so that we wouldn't go crazy... or cry myself to death.

We got that call.... you know.... THAT call. The one you never want to get. The one you hope will start with, "Good news! It's really nothing at all!" Or even, "It's pneumonia. I'm sorry." Not the one that starts with, "I've been trying to come up with a plan for Carter before I called you." And not one that continues, "Get him out of bed and take him to the hospital. He needs blood. Lots of it. And platelets... lots of them."

BUT.... we have made it this far! We have made it to Maintenance, which, honestly has been harder than we thought it would be. It's been an adjustment... the whole adventure has been. And while I would trade all the silver linings and a future Make-a-Wish trip for a normal, healthy little 6 year old who can run around with his friends, that's not our lot.

Our lot right now is this. Cancer. And that's okay. There are still days for me that are hard.

There are things that I never thought I would hear my 6 year old son say... "Hey Mom. Since my counts are good can I go play at Dylan's?"... "What?!? My liver counts are that high? Oh man!"... "I know, Mom. Don't. Touch. Anything." (Every time we take him anywhere I say that to him.)... "Mom, when I turn 9 and my cancer is gone can we go to Chuck E. Cheese's?"... "No, Addilyn, you won't get cancer, too. I promise."... "It's ok, Mom. I don't mind playing alone at recess. I played with my friends until they started running. Then I got tired and couldn't keep up." (That one is especially hard for me.)... "My name is Carter and I have A.L.L. Leukemia." (Correctly it's just A.L.L. as the last "L" stands for Leukemia... I think it's so cute when he says that, though".)

I am sure to thank the Lord each and every day for his doctors and that they are saving his life. I also thank the Lord for him reacting well to the medications-- meaning the cancer IS going away... although the side affects are less than ideal. I thank the Lord for allowing us the opportunity to save him; giving us that chance and not just taking him from us. I thank the Lord for the friends and family that have taken such good care of us, who have prayed for us, cooked for us, listened to us, called us, texted us, emailed us, sent us sweet cards or gifts for the kids. We have SO much to be grateful for. And I hope I never act otherwise!!!

Ever since Carter was diagnosed and his hair started falling out I have been growing out my hair. Those of you who know me know that my hair is long. Always has been. Always will be until I'm too old to pull it off. While I love my son, I'm not about to shave my head. (Vain? Perhaps.) But I wanted it to get long enough to be able to chop it off and donate it. I don't color it a whole lot so I'm a good candidate. (Don't worry, we pulled up the hair that has been colored and only donated the bottom portion.) It's really easy to donate your hair. Just chop off 10 inches (that's the hardest part, FOR SURE!), fill out a form, and stick it in the mail. Anyways, my sister lopped it off for me and actually made it look cute. It doesn't look as cute when I do it... in fact it's kind of like a have a big poof ball on my head but that's ok. At least I don't have cancer, right? :) Plus, it's a super cute little pony. :)

: Look at all that hair! (I'm super tired in this picture... don't judge.)

: My entire family.

I thought it would be funny to take a family picture like this. Usually Carter has to be the one wearing the mask... but not this time! Everyone else had to wear one and he got to be mask-less. (More of my family pictures to come.)

May 16, 2014

2011-11-21T10:05:00.000-08:00

In two and a half years we will have a cancer-free son! He started maintenance this past week. We have an official "cure" day. May 16, 2014. A meer month before he turns 9. I can't wait for that day. SERIOUS celebrating will be going' on up in her'! I know it's a long, long, LONG ways away still but at least there's a date. We're so proud of Carter for being so strong, brave, and positive throughout all of this. We could not have been blessed with a more perfect son. By Christmas he'll have a short little buzz cut! It's already looking great. When you rub his hair (which is as soft as a newborn's) you can feel little spikes of new hairs coming up. I can't tell if he looks like a cancer patient anymore because to me he has a TON of hair. But then, I think if I saw him like this 9 months ago I would have been horrified.

He was diagnosed with Leukemia 8 months and 17 days ago and now he goes into his final cycle of chemo. What to expect for the next 2 1/2 years is this:

--> 5 days of steroids a month (3 pills in the morning and two pills at night). They cause insomnia for about a week. Sucks.

--> 1 prevacid each morning (helps with stomach acid which is caused all of the other meds)

--> Mercaptipurine nightly (a type of chemotherapy in pill form taken at least two hours after dinner with only water... I have to set my alarm every night. So annoying. Because it's chemo you can't touch it with your fingers... yet I willingly have my son swallow it. Weekends he has two pills at night. This one makes him kind of sick. I don't like it.)

--> Methotrexate (another oral chemo-- again, can't touch it) every Monday (with a few exceptions). 6 1/2 pills at night.

--> Each chemo visit will consist of Vincristine through his port.

--> Each chemo visit will also consist of an hour long dose of Pentamodine (an antibiotic to prevent pneumonia... which could kill him).

--> Every three months he has a spinal tap where they give him Methotrexate into his spine and test the spinal fluids for cancer. (these are the Mondays where he won't take his Methotrexate at home)

There is a chance that some of these will be switched up a bit if he doesn't react well to them. For example, the Mercaptipurine caused serious elevated liver counts last time he took it. He had to take it for a month last time and by the end of the month one of his liver counts was 875 and in a normal person it's 25. Left that high for too long there will be permanent liver damage. If he does that again this time around they will have to change it up with another drug. The one that they would use would probably be one that causes serious hair loss and nausea. (Although last time he took it he didn't get real sick... but went VERY VERY bald.) Only time will tell though. Just because he reacted a certain way last time he took a specific drug doesn't mean that he'll react that same way this time around. (Annoying, right?)

I have mixed feelings about his hair coming back in. Him being bald is a very visual reminder that he has cancer. Once his hair is back in then people won't be as careful but he'll still be as sick... you know? But, it's fun to watch his hair come back in. It's pretty light. I think it'll be a dirty blond. Much lighter than before. But there's still time for a curve ball with his hair color.

Here's the video of what we think of Carter going into maintenance. Be sure to mute the music so you can hear it... actually, we're pretty loud. :)

Pine Creek HS Football Game

2011-11-06T09:48:00.001-08:00

Friday night was an absolute blast. One of the senior football players at the local high school (the one our kids will attend when they are older) wanted to do a service project to add to his college application. He called the oncology clinic and told them he wanted to have one of the cancer kids be a part of one of their football games. The clinic thought of Carter... because he's so darn cute, I'm sure. ;)

Before the game there was a dinner for all the football players that Bryan took Carter to. The boys gave him a jersey and he got to spend the meal chatting with them. He also got to meet the very beautiful team managers. (His words... not mine. :))

The game we went to was Senior Night so they made Carter an "Honorary Senior". We got to walk onto the field with balloons while they announced "Number 45, Carter Wyeth". The announcer then announced that he was fighting cancer and that Pine Creek HS had his back. The crown cheered and Carter felt like a super star. There were strangers taking pictures of him. It was kind of funny. It was probably the Yoda hat. :)

The team also gave Carter a signed football. It may as well be signed by the Cardinals. He absolutely LOVES it.
When it was time for the coin toss one of the senior boys came and asked Carter if he wanted to come onto the field and do the coin toss with them. (Guess what Carter's response was?) This cute senior took Carter's hand and took him onto the field for the toss, held his hand while he was out there, and then gave him a fist bump before they all came trotting back. There's a better picture of it on the high school's website this week. You can see it here. Throughout the game, the players kept coming up to Carter and telling him that they were playing the game for him, that they were going to win it for him, that he was their good luck charm. It made him feel so special!!

The team managers all wanted their pictures taken with Carter. They took Carter around with them while the guys were out playing. He gave the players water and went onto the field when he was allowed to with the girls. (He'll LOVE this picture in a few years.)
This is Cub Olsen. He's the senior that put all this together. It was a dream come true for Carter and I could just kiss this sweet kid for doing it. He will never know how much it meant to Carter and long after Cub has forgotten all about that night, Carter will still be telling his own kids about it. Cub kept coming up to Carter through out the game to make sure he was having fun.(Heading onto the field between quarters to give the players water.)
At 1/2 time all the cheerleaders headed over to meet the kids. They thought they were totally adorable (duh) and wanted to take pictures with them and give them hugs. Addilyn thought they were so beautiful too. :) That colorful hat in the middle of that picture is Addilyn... being smothered by all the cheerleaders.
Carter with all the cheerleaders.
There is a darling boy in our ward that plays for PCHS as well. I seriously adore this kid. I don't know him that well but I'd be a liar if I said I hadn't done the math to see if he's too old for Addilyn... I think he is. :( That's him on the right with Cub. My kids thought they were suppose to kneel down as well. Goofs. :)One of the cheerleaders taught Addilyn (we use the term loosely) a cheer and said whenever she was ready for me to bring her over and they would do the cheer for the crowd. Of course we headed over as soon as 1/2 time was over. They gave her pompoms to use and she did the entire cheer with them... which turned into the entire second half of the game. She shook her booty and her pom poms until the game was over. She also took off her jacket despite the chilly weather because she wanted everyone to see her Pine Creek shirt the team had given her (they game us all shirts).
They even did a lift with her. Addilyn has since declared, "Mom, I want to be a pom pom girl when I grown up!" (Sorry, Uncle Bradley...)

She became particularly attached to this cheerleader, Sarah. She even asked me Saturday morning if we could call her. :)After the game the cheer coach gave Addilyn some roses for being such a good cheerleader.

Here are the souvenirs from the night. he also got a water bottle from the team managers.

The night could not have been more fun for all of us and more magical for my kids. They had so so SO much fun and I'm so glad that Cub put all this together for our cute little fighter. Major blessings in heaven for that kid!!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween I kinda flaked. I'm just tired. All. The. Time. I'm just kind of done with life, ya know? We all get like that, sometimes... right? (please say "right" or I'll feel super slacker.) Addi wanted to be Spider Girl and we found these really cute spider accessories at Claires. She loved them so don't tell her they look nothing like the real spider girl. Carter wanted to be Darth Vader. No problem. Everyone I know has a Vader outfit so we borrowed one and called it good. As for Pres, well, I called my dear old pal, Katie Budge, how has a little girl almost a year older than Preslee and borrowed Brinklee's outfit from last year. Pres was happy as a bug in a rug about it. She just wanted the candy. :) We had a really fun evening and made it to about 30-40 houses before everyone pooped out. Even though the kids only had a few pieces of candy last night Carter still got kind of sick at school and came home after lunch. Last week at chemo he got a really high dose of meth (don't worry, the real name is Methotrexate, but it's more fun to say our 6 year old is a meth-head) and he hasn't felt great since. Poor thing. Thank heavens for Zofran. All in all, Halloween was a success!

An Update

2011-10-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

So, it's not Sunday. In fact, it's not LAST Sunday which is when I should have posted. But, we've been busy moving. We are slowly getting settled into the house and LOVING every last millisecond of having space. My parents came up to get us started andGrammie and Namoi (not a spelling error :)) were here to help us get settled. It was SO fun having everyone here.

Clearly, I was excited about getting the keys. (Bry was at work so I had to text him the proof.)

Addilyn's current favorite game is Memory. And, let me tell you, she WILL smoke you. She WILL take you to the cleaners. She WILL beat you. You don't have to go easy on her. This is from an actual game where I honest to goodness TRIED to beat the little twirp... and failed miserably. :)
We had our first snow fall of the season last Saturday. It snowed... ans snowed... and snowed... and then promptly melted. That's how I like my snow. Pretty, and then gone. Here's the house from the outside during the snow. The kids were SO excited and couldn't wait to go play in it... for about 4.3 seconds until they got cold. :)
My poor cold Halloween spider...
Here are a few pictures from before we moved in. Do I even need to state that it is nowhere near this clean right now? Because it's not. :) This is the family room. The front door is over my right shoulder and that is the kitchen counter just to the right. Basement stairs are to my right and the master bedroom is to my left.

Our kitchen. I LOOOOOOVE this kitchen. LOVE.

The most exciting thing that happened this week is that Carter was able to start school again. He loves it and while he was really nervous, he is happy he's back. My only hiccup is that he doesn't have anyone to play with at recess. Because he's so tired and weak he can't keep up with his buddies so he just walks around alone. Did your heart just break a little? Because mine shattered into about a million pieces and I spent all afternoon and night crying. Just another sucky thing about his situation. I don't know if it will get better over time... I'm planning on asking the doctor though. His teacher (the man on the very left side of the picture, the lady in the pic is the school counselor who did a little thing on Leukemia) is AWESOME. He's funny and watches over Carter without mothering him, which is perfect. One of his best friends who is also in his class at school lives right across the street so they play every afternoon. It's good for Carter to have a boy to play Wii, Legos, Light Saber fights, etc with.

We had SOOOOO much fun with Grammie. The only lame thing is that she had to leave. :( My kids were heartbroken as always. They made a super cool volcano cake with her. The kids helped decorate it and it tasted lovely, if I do say so myself.

Pres is still totally hysterical and giving me 20 new gray hairs a day. She now calls Grammie "Gram" and Grandad "Powpow". You know his little "Pow Pow Pow!" thing he does with the kids? Well, Pres thinks it's the funniest thing ever and canNOT get enough of him. Grammie has taken the back seat to Powpow for the time being. :)
Work's going great for Bryan and we are just putting along. Carter's hair is starting to grow in (he still looks totally bald though) and we think (*think*) it's coming in blond? It's still a little early to tell but his eye lashes are darkening up again so it could go either way. He wants it to grow in dark.

I still need to play catch up with hte blog but this is better than nothing right? :)

Breckenridge- Painting

2011-09-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

While we were in Breckenridge we went to "Ready, Paint, Fire" twice. The kids loved it and it was a nice relaxing activity that was perfect for Carter's low energy level... although not a real "Preslee-friendly" place. The kids made some darling little things and were SO excited that they got bright and shiny. My parent made a plate with their hand prints on them and we made some coasters for Gigi for her birthday. I could have taken my kids here every day. They seriously loved it... even if Addi DID paint her little angel forest green. (seriously?)

Our Big 2 Year Old!

2011-09-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

Never mind that this post is nearly two months late... at least it's here, right? We got up to Breckenridge the day before Preslee's 2nd birthday. It was so fun to celebrate her birthday with just our family and my parents. We sat in the hot tub (hence the kids looking like drowned rats), went up the gondola, and just spent time together. It could not have been more perfect. Plus, Pres got to eat all the cake she wanted! We even brought up all her presents so she could open them on her actual birthday.

Look at her, eye on the prize....

Blowing with all her might. You may notice that Bryan is holding her hand. That's because last year he wasn't watching her closely enough (I was taking pictures a few feet away) and she totally burned her finger on the candle... oops. :)
Happy little thing.
We finally took her cute birthday dress from Nona and Papa off because she was ummm... kind of a piggie with the cake. :)
JACKPOT!
These two were do good about letting her open her own presents. They sat on teh table so they had extra good seats but they stayed away from the presents.
Preslee's favorites:

Show: Dora ("Dowa"), Team Oomie Zoomie ("Soomie"), and Bubble Guppies ("Buppies")

Color: "PINK!" For the record, every color is pink, and so are a few items... like their vitamins for some reason. "Want pink, Mommy!" (That's how she asks for a vitamin.)

Activity: She LOVES playing with Carter and Addilyn. She brings me her dress ups first thing in the morning and will wear them all day long. She takes after her big sister. :)

Food: Gogurts.

Preslee is the PERFECT caboose for our family. She is so stinking cute! She has a spice for life like no one I've ever met and the curiosity to prove it. She's really funny too. She will growl "Thank You" when you give her something. Or she'll whisper it. She knows the words to the Phineus and Ferb theme song. She loves to be rocked... almost as much as love to rock her. She's potty trained (during the day... diapers still at night since she's still in a crib). She's really verbal and loves to sing. She dances like a white girl. She's got THE cutest laugh. She's got awesome hair. She gives the best hugs of all three of my kids... complete with a kicked up leg. (Again, learned that from her big sis.)

We couldn't possibly love this little girl more. Carter and Addi feel the same way. They love to give her hugs (which are sometimes met with smacks and sometimes met with a returned hug). We can't imagine life without her. We would be incomplete without our little Tasmanian devil.

First Day of School!

2011-09-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

It may or may not have been three weeks ago... :) I just haven't been in the blogging mood. Lots going on. Mostly doctor appointments. Addilyn started at a new preschool this year. She ADORES her teacher. She's learning a ton which is great and I have no doubt that she will be ready for Kindergarten next year. She's in there with her little bestie, Rylee, as well as her cousin, Blake, and a few other friends. It's a perfect fit and I can't wait to see how smart she gets this year!

Carter will *hopefully* start up school again in about three weeks. As soon as his counts recover from this past cycle of chemo and stay recovered he has the go ahead to get back to school. It will be touch and go for the first little while. I'm sure he'll catch everything in the entire school... and probably a few other things as well. But we can't wait forever, right? He's anxious to get back, especially as he sees his little sister go to school 3 days a week while he stays home with Preslee and me. He is, as always, a total trooper about it.

Check the Photography Blog

2011-09-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

I'm too lazy to post the pictures and post again here so go check out my photography blog. I posted some super cute pictures of my parents. Some with my kiddies and some without. Either way, they are so priceless to me!!! Peace.

C Money

2011-09-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

I just looked through my blog (thanks for the comments here and there!) and realized that I hadn't posted these pictures I took of Carter while we were in Breck last month. He's such a good sport... me shoving my camera in his face all the time... 1/2 of the time when he feels like doodoo. One of these days he's going to just puke on my camera just to prove a point. :) But, until then, camera in the face it is! :) I think I'm a touch bias but isn't he SO cute?!?!? I love him in hats. I also love him bald. As crazy as it seems, he has TONS of hair in these pictures compared to what he has now. He's so cute and shiny-bald now. There's not a lick of hair to be seen. The other day Bryan painted his head black... just for fun. We enjoy having the Bald Eag around. :) While Addi and I were in San Diego for my girls weekend (girlfriends from AZ) she saw a picture of Carter all cute and bald at Gigi's house (my super cute Grandma). She turned to my mom and exclaimed, "That little bald boy misses me!!" Indeed, he did. I think it was just as much that he wanted to make sure she wasn't having too much fun without him. He has declared that he and Daddy will be going on their own Boys Trip as soon as he's healthy enough to travel. Not sure how to break the news to him that his cancer has left nothing but crickets int he bank account. :) I really can't get enough of this kid. He's my hero and I hive him millions of kisses every day... since he's still small enough that he's not embarrassed by me yet. :)

A Little Update

2011-09-19T18:25:00.000-07:00

I know I've been neglecting the blog. Lots going on. Here's a quick update on the family.

Bryan went on a boys weekend to New Orleans with Clint (always), Bill (Clint's brother), and Collin Christensen (his cousin). They had a lot of fun. They went and saw Joe Rogan (the Survivor dude who is also into UFC) do a show about UFC, went on a cool swamp tour, went to what I can only assume is an aquarium (he texted the kids a picture of a baby alligator and turtle), and of course, hit up an NFL game.

My mom came and hung out with me for the weekend with the kids. Always makes it a little better having someone to spend the weekend with when Bryan is gone. I get so bored at night.

Carter's counts are super sucky. They more or less have been since the beginning of August. He hasn't really played with anyone since then. He hasn't even seen his sweet friend Taeler except for once since then. We avoided a blood transfusion this weekend by the skin of our teeth. That wouldn't have been a huge deal but it would have been a day in the hospital and a day away from the girls. We went to the doctor again today for his monthly antibiotic and checked counts again. Still bad but showing signs of heading the right direction. He has another appointment on Friday and IF (big "if") he passes counts he will start a new cycle of chemo on Monday morning. Personally, I don't think he'll pass.

Pathetic moment of the week: Addilyn for the past few weeks has been complaining of being tired and having pain in her legs and stuff like that. Those were the same complaints that Carter had when he was diagnosed. So, Dr Reaves (the oncologist) let me bring her in today and they tested her for Leukemia. Good news guys; she doesn't have it. :) Dr Reaves giggled when I requested the test with the disclaimer of "I know I'm being silly but..." and assured me that I am NOT the first parent that is uber paranoid about siblings getting cancer as well.

Pres is still too cute and wild for words. She learned how to climb out of not only her crib but also a port-a-crib. She's only done each one time but unfortunately I think our days in the crib are numbered. I can't believe I'll be getting rid of it... never thought I'd see the day.

I'm good... same old thing. I'm working away on getting a few photo sessions done. I took out some girlfriends this weekend for a "Hot Mama" shoot. We had so much fun. The weather and girls were beautiful so in turn the pictures are beautiful.

Next I'm going to post about our vacation to Breckenridge... over a month ago. :) Until then, I'll find a random picture to post with this post.

This picture is from Breckenridge. I have been SUPER bad about just pulling out the camera. I think after we move (IN TWO WEEKS!!!!!) I'll be better about it. I'll be sure to take pictures of the disaster of a house while we are unpacking. :)

Family Pictures

2011-09-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

It took THREE times to actually get our family pictures taken. THREE. Not because of the cancer (although that would be a better story). Nope. It was because the weather up here kept giving us storms on my picture day! Seriously? What's up with that? But, we finally got them done. It was very important for me to get family pictures taken while Carter was bald. I want this documented. (It's the photographer in me.) This is (hopefully) the most life changing thing my sweet little family will EVER go through. Plus, it's been almost two years since we had pics taken. With moving and everything last year we were aiming for spring time and then the whole "your kid has cancer" thing happened so pics got put on the back burner. But, alas, here they are and I couldn't be happier with them. My super duper awesome friend Chelsea Bevans of Shutter Bliss Photography took them. These ones I edited but you can pop over to her blog and see the ones she edited of us.

Addi is such a poser. And when the light hit that super pretty time and the other three kids were done (who's the third, you ask? Why, it's Bryan. :)) Chelsea wanted to take advantage of Addilyn's killer hair and took a few pictures. As you can tell, Addi put up a REAL fight... (eye roll)

Love this man more and more with each passing day. Don't know what I did to get so lucky but I thank our dear Father in Heaven for him each and every day.
This is the Christmas card one so... get ready! :)

I pink puffy heart this one. It'll be framed somewhere.
His shirt made me giggle. We support drugs in our house. :)

Bryan is SO good with making the kids laugh.

Tired

2011-09-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

Long night last night. Carter's in the middle of Delayed Intensification. (Head to my photography blog to see details on that.) He's been doing amazingly well. He should be puking his brains out and while he doesn't feel fabulous, he's not throwing up. YAY! Last night when he was heading to bed he felt particularly nasty. He went to sleep at 7:00, garbage can in hand ready to vomit... whimpering. Poor guy. At 10:00 Bryan and I were in the family room and we heard him crying. He was in our bathroom going potty and on FIRE. His temp was 104. Again, poor guy. So, we called the oncologist who told us to head to the ER. Bummer.

The nice thing about him having cancer is that when Carter and I got there they knew he was coming (thank you to the oncologist for calling) and we didn't even sit down. We headed back to Carter's room and he went back to sleep. He still had a fever, though it was a little lower at this point. When he gets a fever we aren't allowed to give him anything to treat it until they get his blood counts and give us the okay. They want to see what the fever will do on it's own. It wasn't until I asked the nurse a few times at 1:00am for Tylenol that we actually got one. (Poor ER nurses. They are going a million directions at one time.)

By the time they finally accessed his port he was no longer numb from the numbing cream I had put on him. They missed his port the first time (they did this last time we were in the ER) so they had to poke him twice... at 12:30am... while he wasn't even numb. He was NOT entertained. But, we finally got his counts. They were really high, which is GREAT! What that means is that his body sensed the sickness (whatever it may be, we still don't know) and his white blood cells went crazy multiplying trying to fight it off. This is great! They pumped him full of some pricey, super strong antibiotics and by 3am we were back in our own beds at home.

It was a long, looong night but it was good to hear that his body's doing what it should be doing. His fever is all but gone this morning and we are heading into the oncology clinic in a few hours to get some more of the antibiotic. Poor kid. He had been de-accessed for a grand total of 12 hours before they poked him again. We had de-accessed him at home yesterday morning (that means that we took the poke out of his port) after we had given him his dose of chemo at home. But, as always, he took it in stride, slept in this morning, and hasn't complained even once. Amazing.

Here's a picture I took at the hospital on my iPhone last night. He looks so darn tired... :(

Addi Cakes

2011-08-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

This child.... honestly, she couldn't be more perfect... couldn't be more adorable... couldn't be more sensitive... Sometimes my Mommy-guilt sets in. She is the middle child and I do my best to not let her have "middle child syndrome". But, right now, it's hard. With Carter going through everything he's going through and with Preslee being such a little spit-fire right now (and potty training), I worry constantly if I am being a good enough mommy to this little sweet heart.

She is IMPOSSIBLE to stay mad at. I dare you to try it. You won't be able to. Her heart breaks into a million little pieces when she knows she's done something wrong or made you upset in any way. She sobs very sincere tears and just wants to hug you when she knows your upset with her. Every ounce of frustration or anger instantly melts.

She is also our little snuggle bug. Always has been. Ever since they handed her to me the moment she was born, she has loved cuddling (every mother's dream). She will constantly come to us (sometimes if she wakes up to pee or something at 2am...) and sweetly ask, "Can I suggle wis you?" in her cute little voice. We could not be more in love with this little girl. I just wish I could freeze her like this so she doesn't turn into a mouthy teenager.

I know there is a reason the dear Lord gave her to us. I think it is a reward for something... not sure what, but I'm going to question it. I could spend every last moment of my life with her. She's my littel angel.

Our Big 2 Year Old!

2011-08-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

Preslee turned two on August 1 while we were up in Breckenridge on vacation. It was so fun- and easy- to celebrate it while we were there. My parents were up there with us so that in itself was a birthday present for her. We took her out for a little photo shoot (it's beyond stunning up there). It was a photo shoot I left feeling frustrated and like I had gotten exactly ZERO good pictures. Turns out I got tons of great ones. The key for Pres is having Daddy behind the camera to get her to smile and laugh. She was definitely hard to photograph (I wanted to super glue her rear to thr ground) but well worth the sweating and running to get these pictures. I want to freeze her just like this... she's so darling! (With a Tasmanian Devil edge to her.)

This one below is SO "her."

The one below she was mad a a wet hen in. She had taken off her shoes and refused to put them back on so she was just in socks. She was NOT pleased with me (nor was Daddy, I think) when we took her out of the stroller to walk across the beautiful field.

Pikes Peak

2011-07-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

One of our new favorite places to go is up to Pikes Peak. There are literally hundreds of places to go exploring up there. every time we go we end up somewhere different. This day was fun because we just played in the sand, put our toes in the water (shhh... it's the drinking water... that has fish in it so I didn't feel bad about my kids putting their toes in it), and then went exploring. So FUN! I LOVE LOVE LOVE days like this. Makes me feel like our family is "normal". It was perfect!

Daddy Dearest

2011-07-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

I have the BEST dad. Ever. Really. In the entire history of the universe. Search high and low, far and wide, and you will NEVER find a dad as great as mine. (Ok, well, Bryan ties with him.) He's AWE-SOME. He is so well rounded. He hands the credit cards over to my mom with fairly little grumbling. (Although he does run his hands through his hair when finances are brought up.) He is a very successful wealth manager. He loves his Mom and brothers. They are so important to him and I know that he's felt the responsibility to step it up since his Dad passed away almost two years ago... something he was GLAD to do. (My Grandma's freaking AWESOME! Hanging with her is hardly a chore!) He's a MASTER car-packer. Seriously, stay out of his way when he's packing it up. Talk about a man on a mission. He took us on some amazingly fun vacations. (There was one time we ran out of gas... won't lie... it's on video.)

He's silly... oh, is he ever silly. (Case in point: My nickname is "J-bird-digger-dogger". I'm so use to it that I don't even notice when he calls me that instead of Jenny.) When we were kids we use to play Slam-to-the-Turf with him. We would climb all over him and he'd grab us and tickle us and kiss us all the while we would squeal in delight. (Always right before bed time... got us all hyper. My mom, I'm sure, loved it.) He would give us Honk-n-Kisses. He'd kiss us on our cheeks with his mustache and then he'd say, "HOOOOONK" while tickling us with his mustache. (They were "in" then. Don't worry, he shaved it.) When I was in high school and played music (probably far too loud) in my room he would come in and dance around like a complete idiot. He would do this hopping backwards thing with his hands out in front of him... so goofy. (Still does it.)

My dad is also so tender-hearted. I've seen him get emotional (I won't say "cry"... it's not manly) very few times. One was when Kelly and Robby moved to AZ. I don't think he gave two craps that they were leaving, but they took those two little angels with them. I'm pretty sure his heart broke a little bit that day. He's a loyal man. He loves my mom and his family more than anything in the world. Never once did I feel like work came first. He's faithful. He loves God and our Savior with all his heart. One was when his Dad passed away. That one absolutely tore me apart. He's also let anyone who's wanted to, move in with us. I had a friend live with us while we were in high school. We have had countless cousins and friends live with us through the years. He never seems to mind feeding the extra mouths.

I always knew I wanted to marry someone like him. And I did... only slightly better looking! (That's right, Mom, I said it!) If you look at these pictures my mom took with my camera while they were out here a few weeks ago you'll see all those qualities listed above... ok, maybe not. But you'll see HIM. The "real" him. I love my dad. I'm so lucky I get to be with him forever and ever. He's such a great husband, dad, son, brother, and Papa to my sweet little ones. I love you, Dad!!!

Water!

2011-07-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

When Brigett and Koen were here we took a little adventure down to Helen Hunts Falls. It was a beautiful day. Perfect weather to play in a stream. Brigett was in heaven having it only be in the 80s as the weather in Phoenix got up to 118, setting records. (NOT missing that!!) We knew, from previous trips up here, to come with bathing suits and flip flops in hand. The kids just played; it's not "swimming" water. They built a dam and threw rocks to make splashes. Preslee, of course, was SOAKED after about .3 seconds so we stripped her down to her diaper so her clothes could dry. That's right, it was a SUPER classy look. She is by FAR my busiest child. She can go go go all day long. But she sleeps well... :) from burning all that energy, I can only assume. It was the perfect day. Relaxing, great weather, wonderful friends, beautiful children, and a picnic. ***Side note: My poor children are the definition of pasty... poor kids. I take full responsibility for that.***

Preslee, in true form.
Chucking a rock. I can't believe she didn't hit anyone.
Building the dam. Bryan was the site manager... did a great job. ;)
I love this picture. She absolutely adores her Daddy. (So do I!)
I told the kids I would give them some gummy worms if they would sit in the water for a picture. Preslee, obviously, was great with it. Koen also did great... I'm sure he was thrilled it didn't feel like a bathtub like water in Phoenix does. Carter and Addi on the other hand... wimps.

Reunited and It Feels So Good!

2011-07-05T20:48:00.001-07:00

Last week, Brigett brought Koen up for a surprise visit. She woke him up at 4:30am and they headed to the airport. We didn't tell Carter and Addilyn... just headed out to "run errands" and ended up at the airport to pick them up. The kids were SOOOO excited. Koen is one of Carter's best buddies and Brigett is like a mommy to all my kids... but especially Addilyn. Addilyn has been attached to Brig her entire life... to the point that she use to call her Mommy Brigett. (How cute!!) We had an absolute BLAST with them. We went exploring, played in streams, and had picnics. The boys played Legos, played the Wii, played the DS's, laughed, and got far too little sleep. Brigett and Brad will never know what it meant to us having them here. Brad has been telling me for 4 months, the minute Carter's healthy enough he'd fly Brig and Koen up for the weekend. So, for a late birthday present, up they came!

And it was an added bonus for Bryan that he got to do whatever he wanted. He got to sleep in, hang out with his buddies, and skip out on bed time because he knew I was perfectly entertained with Brigett here. And for me, Brigett's one of my closest friends so we enjoyed catching up and chatting all weekend... over frozen yogurt... twice. :)

I love Carter's face in this picture.

One morning we took the kids up to Pikes Peak to explore. We had a picnic and a lot of fun. Koen even graced us with his "I'm the King of the Mountain" dance. Loverly.

These two are such goof balls together. They laugh contantly. It's a noise I love to hear!

Side note: Preslee eats the oddest things. Example: wood. Another example: wipes (clean ones. She'll just suck on them... so strange)

I think Addilyn has a tiny crush on Koen. :) She just adores him; always has. Gotta be honest, I wouldn't fight that one in 15 years. He's such a great kid and Addilyn Martineau has a nice ring. :)
Koen took this picture. Good job, huh? I told him he could be my apprentice. :)

Happy Birthday Little Man!

2011-06-25T17:32:00.001-07:00

For Carter's birthday this year we went a little more low key. He isn't really healthy enough to have a birthday party so we just took a trip up to Denver and went to the Lego store. We gave him $50 to spend. (Actually, it ended up being $60 because I had to bride him with $10 at a photo shoot I did with him a few days ago.) He thought he had struck GOLD! It's was so cute. He also had some money from my Grandma that he decided to spend there. He picked out one cool Start Wars thing and when I told him that it cost over 1/2 of his money (like, "are you sure you want it?") he looked at me, his eyes lit up and he said, "You mean I can get MORE?!?!?!" So cute. He got a few really cool things that he probably wouldn't have gotten from anyone but Santa so the trip was well worth it. The best part is that the Lego Store was nice enough to let us come in at 9:30, 30 minutes before they opened so that Carter could shop without a ton of germ infested kids everywhere. We were out of there 5 minutes before they opened and spent enough money (I think) to make it worth their time.

My parents came in town for about 36 hours on their way to Texas for my Granny's 90th birthday. They went with us to the Lego store on Thursday which was SO nice since Bryan had to work all day. They had to leave at 11:00 on Friday (Carter's real birthday) morning so we partied HARD Friday morning. Carter awoke at

Favorite Color: Green

Favorite TV Show: Phinneus & Ferb and Tom & Jerry

Favorite Toy: Legos

Favorite Food: Baked Spaghetti and "just regular spaghetti"

Favorite Place to visit: Disneyland and Disneyworld (We're conditioning him for Make-a-Wish. :))

Favorite Movie: Star Wars

Favorite thing to do in his spare time: Play with Legos

One thing he's learned this year: "I learned that with cancer I always have to get shots." (for the record, he's super brave- most of the time.)

Favorite Video Game: The New Super Mario Brothers

I love that Preslee is pushing Addilyn in this picture. Papa's taking a business call and Carter is pointing out all the things he wants to buy to Nona.

I love how the Lego store has their Legos set out. It's very aesthetically pleasing.
Daddy had to work when he headed to Denver so having Nona and Papa there was a big bonus.
JACKPOT!!!
The morning of his birthday. We had a bunch of papers and cards that the Ladies had sent him all hung up. It was a nice accent to the balloons. :)
The present that Nona and Papa got him at the Lego store. Nona wrapped it up even though he knew what it was already... which of course he thought was silly.

Shooting off rockets with Nona and Papa.
Taeler spent Carter's birthday with us, as well, and had a chance to shoot off the rocket. It's kinda loud. :)
Hello?! Look up here! (He ALWAYS does this when I take a picture. It's like he doesn't want to make eye contact with the camera...)

We are so glad that Carter is a part of our family. He was the perfect first child to have. He's chill, brave, logical, and just PERFECT. We would be so very incomplete without him balancing out all the girl-ness going on. We love you sweet Carter!

So Lucky

2011-06-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

**No clue why it's printing funky... annoying. Sorry.**

I feel so lucky to have the life that I have. I am so blessed. My kids are amazing and the girls are super healthy. Carter's on his way to getting back that way. Bryan is the most awesomest (yep, that's a real word) daddy and husband ever. I have so much fun playing with my kids during the day and playing games and watching shows with Bryan at night. Sometimes I need to remind myself of how great my life is. (We all need those reminders, I think.) Sometimes my kids make me question my ever-fleeting sanity.
Truth be told, Carter and Addi are a breeze... It's the wee one that's a challenge. She's just at that age where she's into everything. IN. TO. EVERYTHING. EVE.RY.THING. It's seriously a talent of hers. In about a ten minute period she will get into the pantry, the pots and pans, the garbage, my make up, the chap stick, the Lego's, the marble set, the DVD's, and anything else she can possibly find. STINK.ER. But, we love her dearly. As much trouble as she is, she's also so darling. She's got the FUNNEST little (actually, big) personality. She knows what she wants and is starting to talk enough to tell us what that may be.
We will hopefully be going to San Diego in December for Christmas. That's the soonest that Carter is allowed to travel... and that request was met with some reluctance. It was kind of a, "He SHOULD be ok but we'll have to wait and see for sure" type of answer.
We are doing great. Having a few issues every few weeks with Carter (to be expected) but, honestly, we can't complain. It could be a million times worse. His liver isn't too thrilled with one of the meds he was getting (mercaptipurine) which caused his liver count spike at 883 when it should be 25. No permanent liver damage though. He was really really sick last week. Some kind of throat virus. He had a fever of 105/106 for 3 days and was sick for about a week total. We were lucky enough to get him into his oncologist on Friday afternoon and check his counts. They were awesome and super high (in a good way) so when his fever went from 101 (which it had been since Wednesday) up to 105 that night she didn't make us go to the hospital. Thank goodness!!! It's hard to be away from my girls and I'm sure we would have been there for 4 days until his fever broke. But, those are small hiccups compared to what we could be facing. He's not super sick yet. Only throws up every few weeks. The worse is yet to come for sure. In about 6 weeks they'll switch up his drugs and then he'll really get sick. REALLY looking forward to it. :) The rest of us are adjusting to our "new normal". Addi isn't even phased by the vomiting anymore. She'll drag the big kitchen garbage can over if he's feeling sick "just in case you need to puke". So thoughtful. :) Pres doesn't know any different which is kinda nice.
I worry about Addilyn. I know she feels neglected. Up at girls camp last week I had a chance to talk to a girl who's little brother had cancer when she was a kid. She was quite a bit older than Addi but it was still really nice and interesting to hear her perspective. We are quite lucky in the sense that Carter doesn't have to be in the hospital a lot. Several types of cancers (including the other type of Leukemia) include tons of hospital time. The treatment for Carter's type of cancer is much longer... which I suppose is the trade off.
His attitude is as great as ever. I am always amazed by him. He doesn't enjoy spinal taps which he gets on a regular basis but he still goes with a good attitude. I have heard horror stories from other people about their kids throwing monster tantrums when they have to go to chemotherapy. I have always known that Carter has a very special spirit and this is just more proof of that. There is something very grand in store for him some day. I am thinking he'll be the person to find the cure for cancer. After all, he DID win the "Future Scientist" award in his Kindergarten class. ;)
These pictures are from Flashes of Hope. They are are group of photographers that take pictures of Cancer patients for free. They do only studio (which I do NOT do) so I took them up on the opportunity to have Carter's pictures done. Pres stayed home to nap but Addi wanted to come so she and I got in on some of the pictures... I mean, how often am I actually IN the pictures? :)

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

2011-06-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, there are some great perks with your kid having cancer. One is the freebies. (Even though with the money we have spent on insurance, we could have done the zoo a thousand times over and paid to feed every animal there a Thanksgiving feast.) All over the country, on the same night, all the Zoos open their doors to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. It was seriously so cool. There couldn't have been more than 2000 people there and everything was free. We did the carousals, had a free dinner, got the kids' faces painted, got to see all kinds of cool animals, chatted with some police men and went to the top of a SWAT van, and got some cool gifts. We traded Chelsea Preslee for Taeler. I was on my own for the first hour until Bryan got there and it's a really hilly zoo. Trying to get all three of my kids up those hills when none of them could really walk would have been a challenge. Plus, we were out late. (By Preslee's standards.)

Oddly enough, trying to keep up with this massive beast long enough to get a picture was a challenge... it's a turtle... shouldn't they be, oh, I don't know... slow?

A baby wallaby.
Taeler and Carter.... ROAR!
Addilyn touching a real bear claw.
The grizzly bear exhibit was so cool at this zoo. (It helped that there weren't a lot of people in it.) The bears played in the water up against the edge of the exhibit the entire time we were int here- 15 minutes or so. They were pushing off the glass wall, playing with each other, swimming, diving for trout.... it was seriously awesome. Best part of the zoo in my opinion.

Taeler and Carter... the perfect little couple- despite her Canada shirt. ;) Again... wedding album material, right here. Love these two. They are such great friends and she's so great for him right now. She's super laid back and content just hanging out. Because of his energy level he can't do too many little boy things like running around like a mad man and playing sports. (That part really sucks.)
Carter, our little grizzly bear. This is more hair than he's had for 3 1/2 months! :))

The gorilla exhibit was really cool too. It's so crazy how much like people they are. The silver-back they have in there is super loving to all the other gorillas. His had was the one that saved the little boy that fell in. He was right there when it all happened. (Apparently you can see him in the uTube video) They think it's because of his father's example that he is so sweet. Cute, huh?

We had a "feed the giraffes for free" card but by the time we got over there at the end of the evening, the giraffes had headed to bed. But they were very friendly and let the kids pet them while they snacked on their metal fencing. :)

Castlewood Canyon Park

2011-06-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

While my parents were here we went to Castlewood Canyon Nationaly Park. We love that place. We went for a leisurely stroll with the kids in strollers... that's right, all three of them. Carter still has a lot of muscle weakness from the steroids he was taking and chemotherapy makes you very tired and fatigued in general so we had the double stroller and the single stroller. (Fun times.) It was fun to go in the spring time. Last time we went there was at least 4" of snow everywhere except for the walking trail.

Preslee, of course, tired of her stroller so she took a ride with great views on Daddy's shoulders.
Group picture! Preslee was SUPER excited to take a picture with Nona and Papa. Stinker.
My parents are the cutest. They are more in love today than they were the day they got married... and just as pathetic as newly weds. I love it. I hope Bryan and I are still like that when we're OLD like them. (That's right! I said it. Now we can all see how long it takes for my parents to read my blog. I'm sure I'll get a call as soon as the read the "O" word above. Don't worry, I don't really think they're old.)

Happy Actual Birthday!

2011-06-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

Addilyn's Birthday is on May 31st. She turned FOUR! I cannot begin to list all of the great things about this little girl. She is a light in our lives for sure. She has the most adorable personality. If ever she gets in trouble, she cries and hugs you. It's not an annoying cry. She cries out of sincerity. She is so sad that she did something wrong. She also has the cutest facial expressions. She rolls her eyes, furrows her brow... all kinds of cute little things. She will show up in our room at 3am asking if she can "snuggle wis you." While it was hard at first, we do tell her know... bad habit to get into. (Plus her hair is everywhere so it always tickles our face.) She looks out for Carter. Sometimes she'll bring him a garbage can "just in case you need to throw up." She is the eternal hugger and kisser. Sh

e always tells us that she loves us more than we love her (not possible). She loves to kid around. She lives in bathing suits and princess dress ups.

Here are some of her current favorites:

Favorite movie: Ariel 2 (she's never even seen that one)

Favorite Princess: Snow White and Ariel

Favorite Color: Pink (giggle... "Hot Pink!")

Favorite Show: Dora

Favorite food: Lucky Charms

Favorite animal: Giraffe

Favorite activity: Color

When she woke u[p the morning of her birthday we had some cute princess balloons for her. We also covered the floor in pink balloons. She loved it.

Addilyn with all her presents... spoiled little thing!

Carter got a pink Leapster from Chemo (in a gift bag). Since he has his DS he decided to wrap it up and give it to Addilyn for her birthday. Thanks to some donated games the Ladies have outgrown, she has games and her "big" present... all without us spending a dime!
Super cute boots from us. (Gotta say, I love living in boot-climate. :))
Ripping through the loot from Grammie and Grandad. It was everything Tangled... including the dress. I think she has taken the dress off once since getting it. :) It was a massive hit.
Pretty new duds.
I've had these shoes sitting in my closet for months! I was so excited to finally give them to her and even more excited that she loves them.
Her card from Gigi. :) This little girl is SOOOOO excited to go buy whatever she wants from the store with her money.

Addilyn adores Carter's camera so Nona and Papa got her the same camera... but pink, of course!

The Princess cake she picked out... It's only been 10 minutes since we opened the presents and the Tangled dress is already on. :)

We love this little munchkin and our family would be SO incomplete without her. Heavenly Father did us a major service by letting us be the ones to raise her. She's such a wonderful easy child. I just wish I could freeze time.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

2011-06-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

Bryan turned the big 3-1 on May 29th. I am happy to announce, once again, that I have THE MOST amazing husband ever. He never ceases to amaze me. He's so kind, caring, handsome, the most perfect father, and an even better husband. I thank my Father in Heaven each day for allowing me to be the lucky woman who gets to spend eternity with him. I hope that someday I can treat him as well as he treats me... until then he just has to settle for the person that I am. I love you, Bryan!!!

The Little Birthday Girl

2011-06-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

For Addilyns's birthday this year we decided to take a few of her friends to Build-a-Bear. It was SOOO much fun! It was great because I had to plan NOTHING. We went, we picked, we stuffed, and we left. We went back to our apartment with her little friends, did cake and presents, played for a while, and took everyone home. It was just a glorified play date. I am sold on this way of throwing birthday parties. And Build-a-Bear doesn't charge any extra for a birthday party. They just ask that you make 6 bears. Done. The kids had a blast and they each took home a decked out bear/dog/cat.

Addilyn with her rainbow-heart bear, complete with Cinderella outfit.

We brought Taeler along for the ride. Carter would have been bored to tears without a friend there and since Addi really only has two friends here... why not!? Plus, I love Tae like she's my own. I just might steal her.

Addilyn putting her little red heart (that she made a wish on) into her bear before it got stuffed.

The Build-a-Bear person that helped with the party, had them all rub their little hearts all over their bodies. Here they are rubbing it on their funny bones so that the bears will laugh at all their jokes. I seriously love Addilyn's face here. So funny. :)

Addilyn and Rylee picking out pretty pretty princess outfits for their bears.

Brynlee, Rylee, and Addi "bathing" their bears.

Everyone who made a bear... that's right, Nona wanted one too. :)
Addi with her two little friends, Rylee and Brynlee.
Bryan mostly just chased Pres around the entire time... for which I will be forever grateful for. She will NOT hold still! (Unless Dora's on...)
Blowing out her candles at the end of her birthday party. What a wonderful day!

Ballerina

2011-06-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

For the last several months Addilyn has been taking super laid back ballet lessons at the neighborhood club house. It's nothing hard core but she just loves it. They had a short little recital in May. She was, of course, the cutest little ballerina in the history of the world. She did a lot of waving during her performance... which we loved!

"warming up" :)

A few of her little ballet friends.

Tender Mercy

2011-06-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

It's no secret the last three months (and one day) have been trying for our little family. At times it's been sheer hell in fact. It's had it's ups for sure, and it's amazing blessings... but it's been hard. Right after Carter was diagnosed three of my closest friends decided to book plane tickets and come visit us three girls that have moved up here. 5 of the 6 of us lived within 8 houses of each other. The 6th lived 2 streets over. I LOOOOOOVE these girls.

I honestly cannot begin to say how wonderful it was having them up here. When we picked them up from the airport it was filled with shrieking, tears, laughter, and SOOO many long hugs. Bryan took the weekend off and we shopped, ate, laughed, shared WAY too many secrets, ate some more, shopped some more, ate some more, and then, that's right, shopped some more. For the first time since Carter's diagnosis, I slept well. I slept like a person SHOULD sleep. The night before they left I laid in bed after Bryan was asleep and cried. (How pathetic, huh?!) I was SO sad they were going home. They will NEVER know what that weekend did for me mentally. Being able to, for a short time, walk away from this hand that we've been dealt, and laugh way too loud, eat WAY too much, and spend way too many dollar bills (thanks Grandma!!). I've taken it upon myself to get these girls to relocate up to Colorado. I think our "bipolar weather", as Katie Brown called it, pretty much shot that idea in the foot. :(

I miss these girls, and so many more, every day. My life is so much richer for having known them and I count them among my most special blessings!!

From left: Katie Budge (now living here), Chelsea Bevans (now living here), Brigett Martineau, Katie Brown, yours truly, and Bridget Carroll.

(Can I please just say that, clearly, the waitress at this place could NOT work my camera... annoying!)

Goofs

2011-06-12T19:21:00.001-07:00

About a month ago Bryan and I went in to tuck the kids in and found this. They share a room while we are living in the apartment and have a trundle bed. We were wondering how long it would take them to figure out they could sleep underneath it like their own little fort... It took about 5 months. :)

(Bryan is holding up the matress in this picture.)

Rockets!

2011-06-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've neglected the blog long enough... I'm just, well, kinda done.... done with everything that doesn't absolutely HAVE to be done. That being said, this blog is very important to me (and my dear Grandma!) so I want to keep it updated. With that said...

In May my in-laws game up for a weekend to visit. It was SOOOO much fun having them here. My kids absolutely adore them! Preslee literally just laid on Grandad when he picked her up (which is awesome because she's really picky about who is allowed to touch her... or look at her for that matter.) She didn't want anything to do with Grammie compared to Grandad. It was really cute.

We had such a blast while they were here. Carter's counts were great so Grammie and Grandad took Carter and Addilyn to a very empty movie (with Lysol wipes in hand... and death threats from me making sure Carter was kept as far from germs as possible). We also went and shot off Carter's rocket. This rocket was sent to him from Grandad when he was in the hospital. Bryan and he put it together and then we waited patiently for Grandad to come so we could go play with it. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint! It was pretty darn cool. The kids each got to push the "blast off" button.

One of the other highlights of the weekend was the Nerf gun war we had. I wish I could say that it was solely for the kids. While they were quite involved and it was Carter's idea, Grammie, Grandad, and Bryan were just as into it. We had 5 guns and at least 60 bullets. It lasted for HOURS! I found the bullets laying around the house for two solid weeks in the most random places ever! We all enjoyed that and for the first time in two months, Carter ran! It was one of those afternoons that I will never forget... and I'm pretty sure it's etched into Carter's mind as well.

Getting ready for take off.

Addi's turn to push the button.

Preslee just wandered around the whole time. She loved it. :)

At first it kinda scared the kids because it's loud but they quickly got over it. :)

Carter and Grandad heading back to the "take off zone" after retrieving the rocket.

Thanks for coming up guys!!! We can't wait for next time!!

The Good and the Bad

2011-05-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

Carter's, overall, doing awesome. He "passed" Consolidation (the second cycle of chemotherapy) on Monday and started Interim Maintanence 1, which *should* be two months long. "Should" means that as long as he passes his counts every 10 days he will receive two different types of chemo: Vincristine and Methotrexate.

I was so excited to receive the good news that his counts were high enough to start IM. After he received both of these meds on Monday, the doctor called with some blood test results. Before he gets the meds they check his blood along other things. One of the "other things" is checking how his liver is holding up. They don't get those results until the end of the day. The past month his liver counts have been kinda high... like 7 times what they normally are. That is kind of expected with the chemotherapy he has been taking at home every night (Mercaptipurine). But, even still, 7 times is high for that. Normally one of his liver counts (there are two types of ways they test it) should be 25. Last week at chemo it was 172. High, right? This week, BEFORE they pumped him full of meds, it was 873!!!! When the doctor called she said had she known his liver counts before he got his chemo there is NO WAY she would have given them to him. This will NOT cause permanent liver damage, but it will push his chemo back (my guess) at least 10 days... which means 10 more days he'll have to wait until he starts school.

Dr. Reaves (who I'm pretty sure walks on water) also told us to expect Carter to fail his counts at least once, if not more often... now I'm wondering if not only are we going to have to make sure he passes his blood counts, but will we also have to watch his liver counts. I mean, don't we need our livers to be functioning?

And the worst part (to me) is that the med he was taking this last month which was causing the aggravated liver is one he will have to start taking again in a few months and take until his treatment is DONE! That means at LEAST 2 years!!!!! BUMMER! It makes his tummy a little upset. It makes him throw up some times. Because it's chemotherapy, we canNOT touch it. It can make us very sick if we do. We have to dump the pill into a medicine cup and Carter has to eat it out of there. He also has to take it two hours after he east dinner so if we have a late dinner we have to wake him up to take it. It's so annoying. And, apparently, it tastes gross. (Haven't tried it.)

Dr Cook, his other oncologist (also a water-walker), said to not plan on Carter going back to school until JANUARY..... His comment was met with complete silence from me. I literally just stared at him. I thought (I think it was more hope than anything) he would be going back in the fall with the other kids. Nope. The worst part of chemo is coming up in about 3 months. There's a 5 week period that is super rough on the kids. That will fall in the beginning of the school year... IF Carter passes his counts. The more his chemo is pushed back, the more the hard part of chemo is pushed back... and the later he goes back to school. Dr. Reaves (who is the less conservative of the two doctors) said Carter may be able to go back a little earlier if he's doing well. I think the absolute earliest will be October. And that's if things go smoothly... Suck nugget.

Although his liver is in poor condition right now, his spirits are as high as ever. He's THRILLED he only has to go to chemo every 10 days instead of every week. He's looking forward to his birthday next month and I'm finally backing off of the whole "you can't touch a single person" thing. He's getting healthy enough, and familiar enough with what he needs to do to stay clean, that we are talking about having a friend over every now and then. We frequently talk of what he wants to do for Make-A-Wish. We talk about how he'll get his port out when he's nine and then he'll be all cured. As always, his attitude amazes me. He brags about how he's had more surgeries than I have.

At the end of each cycle of chemo we celebrate with a cake. We write the name of the cycle on the cake and we put a candle on it. The candle number represents which cycle he has just completed. I'm SO proud of him and how far he's come. I'm so proud of him for not being angry about this whole thing (who knows if and when that day will come). I know he's going to turn out to be an amazing man... just like his daddy!

Grammie

2011-04-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

In March Bryan's mom came to visit. It was so much fun having her here. (She left the day before Carter was diagnosed with cancer.) Before we took her to the airport we went to the park (on a blustery day) to play. I brought my camera so I could take pictures of each kid with their super sweet grandmother.

You hear stories about the dreaded "mother-in-law". I must say, mine is a walk in the park. She's awesome. She's one of my closest friends and does her VERY best to not overstep her bounds. (Which I know at times is hard. ;)) She drove up with me when we moved up here a few months ago and helped us get settled... which was REALLY nice considering we all got sick on the ride up and first few days here. (Pres puked all night in the hotel room and Carter had massive diarrhea the morning we left AZ.) She surprised the kids last month with a visit. They were THRILLED! They asked her if she was going to live with us and, of course, there were SOOOOOO many tears when she had to go home. (It's in my grand master plan to get them to move up here once they are empty nesters and Dru retires.) Anyways, it was a beautiful day at the park with tons of sun light to play with. I got some cute pictures of the kids with her.

The Shaving and the Support System

2011-04-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Carter's hair was falling out for about 5 days before we finally convinced him to shave it. We wanted to wait until he was ready. It was his last thread of being a "normal" kid and we wanted to respect that. His hair was EVERYWHERE (woot woot, Dashboard!)!! I told people it was like having an Alaskan husky in the middle of an Arizona summer. It was crazy. It was on his clothes, his pillow, the couch, the floor, the table, the counter, the toilet, on Bryan, me, Addilyn, and Preslee. Honestly, everywhere.

When he finally decided to shave it, I don't think Bryan or I were quite prepared for just how "cancer patient" he would look. Carter has always had a TON of hair. Nice thick mousy-brown-with-a-touch-of-strawberry hair. The oncologist told us that more than likely it would not fall out for a bit longer. But, as they tell us ALL the time, "Every child is different". He does still have some peach fuzz for sure. But you look at him and think, "Oh, that poor little boy has cancer!" He has received tons of awesome hats from friends all over the country. He has also received so much support. Now, not everyone can shave their heads. People need to keep their jobs and Bry and I are the very first to understand that. We in no way expected anyone to shave their heads. But we love that he received support from those who felt shaving their heads was an option. Here are some pictures from the shaving. We started with a 2 on the clippers and he looked ridiculous. :) So, we went to a 1 which was much better. In this first picture you can see how thin his hair looks.

Uncle Bradley, who Carter has always been really close to (his name is Carter Bradley, after all) was on skype within 30 minutes so that Carter could watch him shave his head. We tried to get Aunt Jessi to join in with no luck. :) Here's a picture of them over the computer. (taken with my iPhone...)

Uncle Bradley's complete excitement with the shaved head.... :)

Uncle Neal. When Carter saw this picture he said to me, "Uh oh, Mom. Does Uncle Neal know that my tattoos are just pretend?!" He knew he shaved his head so he could be like Carter so Carter just assumed that Neal got tattoos because he saw Carter's Star Wars one on his arm. :) That comment gave me a good laugh.

Uncle Bryan was the first one to shave his head. He even beat Carter to it. When Carter saw the picture he said to Bryan (Daddy Bryan, not uncle Bryan), "Does he have leukemia too, Dad?" HA! So cute!!! I gotta say, I love these two cousins of mine. Neal and Bryan are honestly two of the most amazing men in the world (and both married, sorry ladies.) They have it all. They are so grounded, great personalities, funny, clearly VERY handsome... they are just amazing. I consider them brothers in every sense of the word. I'm so proud of the men they've become and I love them to pieces!!!

Uncle Kevin just started at a new job so he couldn't completely shave his head. He went as short as he could so we are totally counting it!

Uncle Robby. He went into Aunt Kelly's salon and the Ladies shaved his head. Aunt Kelly even sent us videos of it.
Sweet little Trevin. He's our newest cousin (Jon and Nicole's little one). He had a touch of hair but shaved it all off for Carter. :)
Braden and Koen Martineau. Koen is one of Carter's best buddies in Arizona. They were thick as thieves and had an absolute blast together at least 3 days a week.

Uncle Ben and Will. They match!!! Ben is Bryan's younger brother. He told Bryan that if Bryan shaved his head, Ben would do it too... that was enough to make Bryan do it. :)

The finished product.

Now, I'm not gunna lie. This was hard for me. I had to excuse myself for a few minutes to have a good cry. I mean, try to envision your 5 year old bald. Going through this. It sucks. But he's so darn brave, it's hard to stay sad for long. Plus, you can't live your life in complete tears. Every few days I'll just go lock myself in the bathroom and have a good, long cry. But then I pull myself together, thank the dear Lord for all the blessings I have in my life, and move on with my day. I think crying is good for everyone. I really do. I know it helps me. And usually it's something small that sets me off. Something that wouldn't normally even phase me.

All in all, everything ended up good. He refused to touch it when we were done shaving it. But, once he saw it in the mirror, he thought it was hysterical that there was green still on his scalp. I'm so glad he found the humor in all of it. That is something that we are really trying to instill in Carter. That there is ALWAYS silver lining. Always. Sometimes you have to look super hard. But it's there. Now he really likes it and doesn't want his hair to grow back until after Halloween because he wants to be Yoda for Halloween and he doesn't have any hair. :) Love that kid!!

A Visit to San Diego

2011-04-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking: "Where on earth does this crazy lady find time to go to San Diego while her son is undergoing intense chemotherapy?! And furthermore, what kind of lame-o mom leaves her very, very sick child?" Well, don't get your panties all in a wad... I went on a VERY relaxing girls weekend with my sister-in-laws and my mother-in-law in February. It. Was. Awe. Some. Seriously. It was a relaxing weekend where most of us stuffed ourselves into one bedroom, stayed up FAR too late talking about everything from boys (for the single ones) to make up. We went out for frozen yogurt, went shopping at the swap meet (Yay for cheap MAC make up), ate at a beautiful restaurant on the beach, took turns holding my SUPER cute new nephew, did each others hair, had make up lessons from Naomi, spent time walking around the Temple, got tinsel in our hair from Kelly, watched the sunset at the beach... did I mention how awesome it was?

It was even more amazing for me because we stayed at my parents house. It was a two-fer. I came out a day early and stayed a day late. I got to see Kevin and Abby's new BEAUTIFUL home, spend day with my my amazingly cool Grandma, and have a sleep over with the Ladies (two of the coolest nieces EVER!).

This was a weekend that I needed. I think the dear Lord knew what was coming. He knew that I would need this weekend to look back on right now. To keep me going when things are nuts... which is literally ALWAYS. I need another weekend like that. A weekend where I can just pretend my life is "normal" (if there is such a thing).

Smile Bradley!! (He's on the phone with Jessie.)
Naomi. Isn't she cute even when she's silhouetted.

Moving Carter's Updates

2011-03-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

For a few reasons (which I'll list below for those interested) I am going to be posting most of Carter's updates on my photography blog. Just a little safer (in my mind). Click HERE to see my photography blog.
Reason 1: Have you heard of SEO? It means Search Engine Optimization. It basically means that the more that your blog is viewed, the easier it is to find. The more links you have linked in a post, the easier it will show up in web searches. I'll be linking things a lot in referring to Carter's cancer since there are so many things people, like myself, don't know about. I'm not super into my blog being that well known and I know stories like this tug at heart strings of mothers everywhere. I would be a liar if I said I don't follow a few blogs of women I don't know because of what they are going through. I feel for them. Pray for them. Want to know how their baby is doing. I know this is happening with my blog... which is ok, but I am more ok with my photography blog being easier to find because it's less personal. Hopefully that makes sense.
Reason 2: Everyone can leave comments. One thing that has ALWAYS bothered me about blogger is that not everyone can leave comments. How lame. On my photography blog anyone can leave a comment whether I know them or not. I'm ok with that.
Occasionally I'll post things on both blogs but for the most part, check over there to see what's going on with him. I'll post on facebook and on my photography blog. Thanks!

Quotes of the Day

2011-03-13T23:41:00.001-07:00

A few texts from my brother Ryan (who is living in Maui with his family) regarding Carter's cancer:
Me: Please pray harder than you ever have.
Ry: I will... I'll even go to church every week
Me: Good. Maybe this is the Lord talking to you. :)
Ry: No... he tried to flood and drown us.

********
Later that day in a different conversation:

"Heck ya the prayers are working... I stopped a tsunami last night and saved tons of people... this is nothing. I'll have it cleared up in a few hours."

He makes me laugh. I need that right now.

The Phone Call You Never Want to Get

2011-03-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

**Friendly reminder: I'm the mom. I get to put in as much detail and as many useless facts as I want. My journal. :) **

Carter is our oldest son (and only son, actually), a sweet 5 1/2 year old boy. A few weeks ago, we noticed that Carter was getting tired really easily and was starting to look pale (which is really saying something since his complexion is normally already very Casper-the-Friendly-Ghost like). He was also complaining of stomach aches and random pains in different parts of his body. His doctor thought that they might be Abdominal Migraines (we hadn't ever heard of them either) and started him on some medication. The medication (at least we thought it was the meds) were making him even MORE tired. It was ridiculous. His teacher talked to me about how he was always so sluggish, he was falling asleep at his friends houses (SO unlike him), he couldn't wait for bed time, he wouldn't join in on my dance parties with the kids... things like that.
His doctor asked to see him immediately, gave him an exam (a quite thorough one) and ordered some tests. During the exam he was asking us some very random questions ("Has he been waking up in the middle of the night?" Ummm... a little bit which IS strange for him. "Have his lips been fuller than normal?" Actually, yes. I had even commented to Bryan about that.) The doctor, who we just adore, assured us it was more than likely anemia and nothing more. While examining Carter he had spent WAY too long feeling around his arm pits. Of course the first thing we think is "lumps". I asked him why he was lingering there and he said he felt some VERY small masses. They were small and kinda squishy so they were more than likely nothing. He said if he wasn't looking for them specifically he wouldn't even have felt them. But he did have some reason for concern so he ordered tons of tests. We, of course, worried of the worst case scenario. After a lot of time waiting (it was only 6 or so hours but that's a LONG time when you're scared) we had to take Carter to get MORE blood drawn.
By this point it was 4 in the afternoon and we were very worried we would have to wait through the weekend to find out what was going on since the pediatrician closed at 5. We were worried it was something serious... you know, like mono or pneumonia. (If only!!) Dr Kim (the ped) called a little after 5:00 and said he should know within the hour what the results were but that they had crossed off bone cancer and liver problems. That's good, but scary they were looking at things so serious. He had given the lab his cell phone number and had my number in his phone.
About 6:30 the doctor texted me and said the lab was rechecking something but he should know within the next 30 minutes or so. I, once again, started to cry. Why on earth would they need to recheck normal lab results. Obviously something wasn't right. He finally called me a VERY long hour later (while Bryan was at Costco of course) with the news. He was 98% sure. He was SO sweet while talking to me. (What a HORRIBLE call to give!) He had been on the phone with the oncologist (whom he kept calling the hematologist- she's both- I think as to not further scare me) and with the hospitals all over Colorado Springs trying to find a bed. He sent us immediately to the closest one with an open bed and told us to cancel our trip to California next week. He then asked me if I was religious and prayed with me over the phone. It made me love that doctor that much more. (He had BIG shoes to fill after my super awesome doctor in AZ.) The fact that he didn't care if it was breaking doctor rules was so great to me. He just wanted to comfort a crying mother who had just received some very heartbreaking news.
After being a human pin-cushion over the next 24 hours, Carter was officially diagnosed with leukemia, specifically pre-B cell Acute Lymphoniblastic Leukemia. (A.L.L.) Of all the kinds of cancers, this is the "best" one. We were obviously devastated, as all of the worst-case scenarios flooded our minds. It was the beginning of a very scary journey. Thanks to some wonderful doctors and nurses, our minds were put a little at ease as they informed us that of all the types of leukemias, Carter has the most treatable and curable form.
They taught us that leukemia, unlike solid cancers, is cancer of the blood. That means it is everywhere almost immediately (they think he's only had it two weeks or so), which makes early diagnosing and treatment very important. Carter's bone marrow, which usually makes all of his blood cells, was malfunctioning and only creating a type of white blood cell, B-cell, at a very rapid rate. So rapid in fact, that those types of cells took over the blood producing marrow and Carter was unable to produce oxygen carrying red blood cells, platelets that help with clotting, infection fighting white blood cells, etc.
After a few platelet and blood transfusions, (and a formal diagnosing) Carter was taken to surgery where he was given a spinal tap, had a bone marrow biopsy (NOT transplant) from his little hip, and had a port placed in the left upper part of his chest, that will remain there for easy chemo treatments for the next few (2-3) years. This is the point we are at now. (It is SO strange to think that a little over 48 hours ago our lives were 100% different. 48 hours ago I couldn't even spell leukemia.-- although I bet Bryan could. He's quite the smarty pants.) The chemotherapy should begin to work immediately, and in the next week most of the cancer cells should be dead or dying. However, because leukemia goes wherever there is blood, which is just about every square millimeter of your body, it is very difficult to get rid of it completely without lengthy chemo treatments. So, the next 6 months will be a very intensive chemo regimen (during which Carter will lose his hair- hat time!!) followed by 2-3 years of maintenance chemotherapy. He will start losing his hair in a few weeks and be pretty darn miserable for the next 6 months. (And we hear we will too with the steroids they will be giving him. Turns him into a major crank, I guess.) But, obviously this will all be worth it to have our healthy little boy back. It's strange to think that when he finally gets this port out of his body he will be preparing to be baptized... that seems SO far away.
Carter has been a real trooper. Aside from a few rough hours after surgery, he's been in good spirits and has been soaking up all the cute nurses and TONS of attention he's getting. He has borrowed a DS, watched movies on the iPad, watched Star Wars with Daddy late at night, gotten shakes, cookies, treats (as well as healthy food), and played countless games with Mom or Dad- one of which is always with him. This has obviously not been a fun experience for him, and will only get worse before it gets better, but he has had a pretty good attitude through it all, at least for a 5 year old with cancer. :) We are so blessed to have in our family. We know that this will be a learning experience for us all, and that we will grow closer as a family and closer to our Savior and Father in Heaven through this.
We are absolutely amazed and blown away by the amount of support, prayers, thoughts, and fasting we have received the past two days. Our inboxes are literally busting at the seams.
Our prayers are FULL of things to be thankful for. We are SO grateful my girls and Bryan and I are healthy. We are so grateful Carter is getting the help he needs. We are SO grateful for those kind souls that donate blood and platelets. We are so thankful for modern medicine. If this was 40 years ago there would have been NO hope. We are so grateful for perfect strangers that are praying and fasting for a little 5 year old boy they have never and more than likely will never meet. We are grateful for facebook! The word spread so fast through facebook which allowed so many more people to keep our little fighter in their prayers.
We have definitely asked the question "Why?" through this. But not with anger. We wonder why the Lord has given us this challenge. What are we suppose to learn here? How are we suppose to grow in order to learn what the Lord wants us to learn. One thing we know for sure is that the Lord will NOT give us something we cannot handle. We are going to kick the crap out of this cancer! A few weeks ago I was listening to an old friend tell me about her 5 year old nephew with cancer. I said to her, "I don't know how your brother and sister-in-law do it. That would literally kill me... watching my 5 year old suffer through cancer." (should have knocked on wood, I guess.) But, with the Lord's help, all is possible. I've been taking pictures (some are on facebook) and when I have a chance to get home for longer than a few hours sleep and an occasional shower, I'll upload some.

Things I never thought I would say that have come out of my mouth over the last 48 hours:
~I hope it's just pneumonia.
~My son has cancer?
~I'm so glad it's just Leukemia.
~This could be SO much worse.
~Let's dye Carter's hair blue!! It's gunna fall out anyways.
~MAKE A WISH!?!? We get to apply for that? AWESOME!
~Do you think if we took Carter to Disneyland while he's still bald that they'll let us cut in front of everyone on all the lines? We should really look into that.
~"Hey Bryan, did you ever think we would spend our 8 year anniversary in the hospital room of our little boy with Cancer?" His response "Yep. I've been imagining this day since I was a little boy." (goofball)
~Man, having a kid with cancer really helps me take off those last few pounds. (Lost 3 already.)
~Our child WILL be a cancer survivor.

Thank you everyone, once again, for the countless prayers. We can say without a shadow of a doubt, the prayers are the reason we are getting by. Our testimonies have only grown (not as fast as the cancer, but pretty darn fast!) and our Savior is near by. This is one of those times that He is carrying us, and we truly appreciate it. Our Father in Heaven loves our Carter as much as we do... and we will never ever doubt that. Hug your babies a little longer today; life changes quickly.

100th Day Project

2011-03-03T20:40:00.001-08:00

For the 100th day of school (which got pushed back twice because of snow days) Carter wanted to make a pretzel maze for his project. So, with 100 pretzels, we made a made he was SURE would stump Albert Einstein, himself. He enjoyed himself and was proud to show it off to his classmates. Man, I love this kid!

Carter's Valentine's Party

2011-03-03T20:31:00.000-08:00

Carter's Kindergarten Class

I got to go in and "help" with Carter's class Valentine's party. I loved it. It made me REALLY miss teaching. I love that he's at the age where he's still proud of me. He enjoys having me there and showing me off to his friends. Why is it that that will change one day? Lame. I (almost) always loved my parents and was proud to show them off. (It helped that 1/2 of my friends had a crush on my mom...) Anyways, I absolutely LOVE his new school. And so does he. He loves the school, the playground, the kids, the teacher. He loves it all. Although he doesn't love learning Chinese so much (Crazy, huh?!). He says it's hard. Duh. It's Chinese. Maybe I'll have my Uncle tutor him. :)

Carter with his Valentine's box. Dead ringer for looking like him, huh? :)

Carter and his teacher, Mrs. Miller. (ADORE her!!!)
Delivering his Valentine treats. He wanted to give his friends Ring Pops... sick. Just trying to drum up some business for Daddy, I guess. :)

The Tiger Sanctuary

2011-03-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago on a beautiful Saturday we went to a tiger sanctuary just outside of Colorado Springs. It was really cool! They were all in cages of course but a lot of them were "famous" tigers. All of mike Tyson's tigers were there (only one is still alive), one of the lions from Secondhand Lions lives there. There are also cougars and other animals. Each animal has it's own unique story. We really enjoyed it. Bryan had to finally escort Preslee from the premises because she wanted to just go up to the cages and touch them... can't do that. So, they played outside while Carter, Addi, and I finished the tour. Fun morning with beautiful weather.

Nature Walk

2011-03-03T19:42:00.000-08:00

One thing I love about Colorado are all the national parks. I know AZ has them and so does CA but I decided when we moved here that we need to get out more. The kids are finally to the age that they can go and play. Together. And have fun. Together. With us. It's pretty much awesome. We still have nap for the wee one but until then it's party time. So, off we went last month to a great national park (I should know the name... maybe I'll look it up). It was really fun. Preslee REFUSED to sit in the stroller (shocking) and would N.O.T. stay out of the snow (again, shocking). The other two were whining 30 minutes into our walk (on pavement... not like it was a real hike) so THEY ended up in the stroller while we chased Preslee around. But, still, super fun. I love my family so so much. They are the best in the whole world. I can't imagine more adorable kids or a more stellar husband. We all have so much fun together and I can't believe I get to be with all these goofballs for eternity!

This is literally the ONLY picture of my tree children that I have that I love. Sad that you can't see their faces but I just love it. Literally, it's the only one... ever.

Lunch time. Carter with his mouth full and me telling him to smile.

Typical Pres. You gotta work hard to get those cheeks!! ;)
See-food.Addi-cakes deep in thought.

Little Miss "Into Everything"

2011-02-17T16:35:00.000-08:00

First of all, I ADORE this child. I mean, I love her head to toe, inside and out. She has a zest for life unlike any other child I’ve met. BUT… (saw that coming, huh?) she reminds me a touch of the Tasmanian Devil. She is literally into everything. EV. ERY. THING. If she can reach it, she opens it. If there’s something in it, she takes it out. If she can climb on it, she does. And to her, it’s completely funny. Always. *sigh*. I fear Bryan and I have our work cut out for us with this one….

Sisters

2011-02-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

I love her. She's one of my very best friends. Don't get me wrong; we fight. She makes me mad.... SOOOO mad sometimes. But I do the same. Some times I hang up on her. Sometimes I curse her name. Sometimes I want to smack her. (But I don't...) Sometimes I tell her to butt out. (But she doesn't...)

But far more often than that we make memories that will NEVER fade. They seem clear as day in my mind. Memories like brownie mix in our dresser drawer (seemed like a good idea at the time). Memories like making fun of ALL KINDS of people on Facebook. (Don't worry, if you're reading this blog you're far too cool to be made fun of.) Memories like trying on wigs and attempting to take pictures of ourselves in the bathroom mirror resulting in laughing so hard that we are both scurrying for the toilet. (Kelly made it first). Memories like pouring out our souls to each other. Memories of talking far too long about how cute our kids are. Oh, how I adore her. No one in this world could EVER replace her and I'm so proud of the woman that she has become. She truly is a special daughter of our Father in Heaven and she has finally began to believe it. I love you, Kelly!!!!

Something's Not Right...

2011-01-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

Can you tell what it is?

Yep. Her pants are on backwards... Love that girl.

Playing in the Snow

2011-01-30T13:30:00.000-08:00

We had a ton of fun playing in the snow with my family while they were here. The kids didn't get enough "snow time" sledding so we headed out for more the next day. They attempted to build a snowman but the snow was too dry so they settled for snow angels and pathetic snowballs. We even managed to get a few cute pictures of Kel and the Ladies before everyone was too hammered from the snow.

Gracie striking a pose.

Abby.... she reminds me of myself when I was her age. :)
Papa with Carter, Abby, and Addilyn.
Little Miss Addi-cakes.
Kel and the Ladies.
I love this one.

Carter Loses a Tooth

2011-01-21T13:52:00.000-08:00

Last week while I was at a church meeting Carter decided he needed his tooth pulled. For some reason that kid is NOT scared to yank out his teeth. The first one was during sacrament meeting about a month ago. He leaned over to Bryan and said, "Dad, this loose tooth it REALLY bugging me. It needs to come out NOW." So, off to the bathroom they went where Bryan yanked it, got blood on his shirt, and used the excuse to go home and check the scores... I mean, change his shirt.

So, fast forward a few weeks and he needs the accompanying bottom tooth yanked. This is a time it comes in really handy to have a dentist for a dad. Bryan put topical anesthetic on his gums so he would be numb. I told him we should record it so we could send it to his mom. I'm glad he did since I missed the first (and now second) tooth coming out.

This video just cracks me up. I think it's so funny that it takes Dr. Daddy THREE tried to get the already-loose baby tooth out. And Carter didn't even wince. What a tough kid!

(Remember to scroll down and pause the music so you can hear the video.)

Sledding

2011-01-19T15:20:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago my parents came up to visit with Kelly and the Ladies. It was SO much fun to have them up here (and it made me realize just how small our apartment is. No house guests for us right now. (They were kind enough to get a hotel). The weekend was filled with games, shopping, TONS of junk food, and not enough sleep. The Ladies had never seen snow so they prayed and prayed and prayed for it to snow while they were here. Well, prayers answered. We got DUMPED ON. (It probably wasn't that bad but for us San Diego natives, it was considered "dumping".) Although it was pushing 10 degrees we took the kids sledding while Kelly was visiting Bryan at work (fun fun!). We had a BLAST! I don't know where any good sledding hills are so we just went to a neighborhood and went down a hill there. You would have thought those two little girls were born and raised in the snow the way they were cruising down the hill. It was hysterical. Can't say the same for my kids. We even got a few trains going so I could get in on the action.

Me, Carter, and Abby. We really got moving... and I ended up with a VERY snowy and cold tooshie.

Carter and Mommy. We lost Abby about 1/2 way down the hill.
Staypuff Marshmallow Preslee.
Carter coming down.
Addilyn holding on for dear life.
Gracie showing us what she's got.
Pre-sledding. At least the sun was out. Even with the sun, it was still SO cold!! (Abby, Addilyn, Gracie, and Carter.)

Wind Chill

2011-01-11T20:39:00.000-08:00

This place it cold. Cold I can handle... wind chill.... that's what gets me. Colorado Springs has wind that takes your breath away. Like, completely away. Gone. No more air in your lungs. COLD. But, we are trying to make the most of it. Before a big storm blew in (and by that I'm not referring to my family, who showed up with the storm) we headed to the park. It was warm enough; at least 35 degrees (hey, "warm" is relative) so we gave it a go. We lasted promptly 5 minutes before we were all running for the car. Correction: Carter, Addilyn, and I were all running for the car. Preslee couldn't see where she was going because of her hat so she just wondered aimlessly until I grabbed her. All in all, we had fun listening to music to and from the park, taking a few pictures while we were there, and warming up with hot chocolate and marshmallows when we got home.

Sad Goodbyes

2011-01-10T20:36:00.000-08:00

My wonderful in-laws were kind enough to help us move. Bryan's mom drove up with the kids and me (no small feat). She stayed and helped up unpack for nearly a week. She nursed us all back to health when we ALL caught the flu while she was here. (Quick side note: Carter got a bad case of diarrhea the morning we left, Preslee threw up all night long in the hotel in Albuquerque, Bryan got sick the night we got here, and Addilyn and I just got a little nauseated but no puking for us- phew!)

The rest (well, almost everyone) came up for Thanksgiving weekend (we moved here the weekend before) so we got to see most of Bryan's family. I love them. They are so fun. No drama. Everyone gets along. They are just such a breath of fresh air. I have a master plan to get them all to move here. Shhh. Don't tell.

My kids ADORE "Antimoni". Aunt Naomi has become one of their most favorite people in the world. They literally love her more than they love me (but I don't hold it against her; she IS pretty darn cute.) When they see her, they RUN, shrieking to her. All three of them. Preslee is no exception to this. They just love to be with her. Spend time with her. Talk to her. Tell her all about their days. Anything. Anything at all they can do with her, they will. And she returns the affection fully. My kids are TOTALLY her favorites! (That's right. I said it.)

But I digress. When it came time for Dru and Maureen to leave hearts were breaking all over the place. I knew it would be hard. My kids love all their grandparents (they are SO lucky to have 4 very interactive grandparents) but they are use to Dru and Maureen being around. They are use to seeing them at the very minimum once a week. Usually more than that. As they were putting on their coats to leave (to this day I can't believe my dear mother-in-law held it together) Addilyn hung onto her leg, sobbing "I don't want you to leave. Don't go! Don't go!" My heart broke into a million pieces. I can honestly say that was one of the few moments that I thought, "Are we doing the right thing?" Carter had his meltdown the night before when Grammie tucked him into bed. And Pres, well, I don't think she knew it was coming.

The Wyeth's have been so awesome about Skyping every Sunday. They get to see and talk to the kids on the computer. (And my kids get RIGHT up to the screen.) They have been emailed over a million videos from me... but I know it's not the same. We miss them so much and I know the bond they have with all three of my kids will never waiver or weaken. Plus, we have prayers daily for them to all move up here.... and prayers get answered. Maybe they should start packing. :)

Denver Nuggets

2010-12-28T13:09:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago Bryan and I were lucky enough to get front row seats to the Nuggets/Clippers game. And when I say front row, I literally mean on the floor, in the folding chairs, no one sitting in front of us, 10 feet from the Nugget players on the side lines, listening to them talk to each other, almost right under the basket. It was SO awesome. The Nuggets won me over that night. But, LET THIS BE CRYSTAL CLEAR, I AM AND ALWAYS WILL BE A SUNS FAN FIRST AND FOREMOST. I owe that much to my darling husband. But, I have to jump on some Denver bandwagon since we are settled here now... and it won't be the Broncos so the Nuggets win. (plus, I like watching basketball more than other sports.) We had a blast at the game and it was definitely the best date night we've had for a while. The Nuggets squeezed out a win and we got to watch Griffen, who I learned is a rookie who's super awesome, play against them. Did I mention that the tickets were FREE?!?!?

Nene.

Anderson and all his tats. While I this his tats are super awesome I would rip Carter's ears off if he came home with this many tats.
Griffen and Nene fighting for the ball.
Afflalo warming up.
Carmelo Anthony. I wonder if he was wearing his own shoes (like his brand). I couldn't tell but I would sure hope so.

Snoopy

2010-12-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

Ryan and Courtney Alexander are some of our oldest and closest friends. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it's REALLY hard to find couples where the husband and wife get along great. Not only are the four of us really close but our kids adore each other. They love playing together and I think Carter for the rest of his life will consider Blake one of his best friends.
For the past 3 years (at least) Courtney and I have tried to head over to her parents house to take a ride on Snoopy, they're (according to my kids) "really big" horse. :) Snoopy only hangs out in Gilbert during the winters and for some reason we haven't ever gotten our act together enough to actually go take a ride on him. So, about 4 days before I moved, with 6 month pregnant Courtney who was also sick, we headed to see Mr. Snoopy. He was SUCH a hit with the kids. We had a blast and it was the perfect "see you later" (NOT a goodbye) for all of us.

The boys passing the time while patiently waiting for their turn.

Kenzie and Addi. I love this picture!!

Carter and Addilyn loved Snoopy. Not scared in the least.

Can't say as much for Preslee... she was NOT (N.O.T.) A FAN!!

After they all road on Snoopy,Gary hooked up the wagon and took the kids for rides. My kids were a little more worried about this than they were riding on Snoopy.

Courtney and I even took him out for a spin. This picture is our attempt (amid lots of giggling) at a self portrait. Should have taken the camera out of manual. Obviously my photography skills are MUCH better when I'm looking through the camera. :)

Waiting for yet another turn on the stallion.

Preslee just played on the swingset while the kids took turns. (this picture was too cute to NOT edit.)

A Last Minute Visitor

2010-12-03T12:15:00.000-08:00

Bryan moved up to Colorado three weeks before the rest of us. I am not built to live without my sweetheart. I'm just not. It's not the dependence on him that I need. (But he is quite the Mr. Fix-it.) It's not his role as a father. (Although he can kick any one's trash in the "Daddy of the Year" department.) It's just that I miss him. I miss seeing him (Face Time SAVED me!!), talking to him, cuddling with him, just knowing that he's there. And the kids missed him too!
Originally, since it was only three weeks we (and by we I mean Bryan) decided that he wouldn't come home any of the weekends in order to save money and all that. About a week and a half into his move he realized how very boring life is without us (DUH!). So he called me and said, "Why didn't we think to fly me home this weekend? I don't work Friday until Monday afternoon." I said to him, "We talked about flying you home (and by we I mean I wanted him to) but we (and by we I again mean Bryan) decided not to." After a call to my super awesome parents, we were able to use a free flight my Dad had accumulated and Bryan was home for the weekend. I didn't tell the kids he was coming home and when they saw him they were beyond excited. Carter ditched school and we just hung out enjoyed the beautiful weather while it was still ours to enjoy. **Side note: Bryan got home to a few inches of snow on his car.**We spent way too long playing with bubbles. (This is Addilyn's new uniform. It's a hand-me-down and in it's last leg. Poor Cinderella.)

This little girl is the one that had the hardest time with Bryan being gone and has also had the hardest time with the move. She would light up and start laughing hysterically EVERY SINGLE TIME Bryan would Face Time us. She loves him from head to toe, inside and out. (We all do, but she is proving to be quite the Daddy's Girl.) While he was gone she was SUCH a turkey. She took up screaming (I think I would have preferred drinking) and throwing very impressive tantrums. She could not get enough of him while he was visiting. Even still, everyday when Bryan leaves for work I have to distract her. She cries and cries when she sees him leaving and will chase him out the door. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's cute how much she loves him, but what am I? Chopped Liver?

Goodbye Old Friend

2010-12-03T11:59:00.001-08:00

When I moved from Arizona I lost one of my most beloved friends. While I know I will talk to most of my friends on a regular basis, this one I will not. I will hear of this friend from my other friends... spoken of with great gratitude and joy. This friend cannot be replaced. My life will never be the same without my ol' buddy. I sigh daily at the thought of losing my dear friend but I guess I can't keep looking back. I have to look forward and try to find some meager substitute for this now long lost friend. But, fear not, Babysitting Co-op, you will always have a place in my heart. ALWAYS. AL. WAYS. May you rest in peace and may all my dear friends in Arizona continue your legacy with great love. May your sticks change hands frequently and may you provide much needed breaks for young mothers who are in desperate need.

So long, old friend.

Here's my new Babysitting Co-op: He's SO elated about the promotion. ;) And I don't even have to pay him!! (that's the look he gave me when I told him he is my new co-op. Can't you just FEEL the excitement?)

Curls

2010-12-02T21:44:00.000-08:00

I love these curls. I know she'll hate them one day. I know she'll straighten her hair as soon as she's old enough to know that she doesn't HAVE to listen to me (shhh, don't tell her that's an option) but until then I will enjoy her curls every moment of every day. She is hands down the MOST adorable little girl in the world. (coming from a completely unbiased source, of course. :))

Traditions

2010-12-02T21:26:00.000-08:00

Every winter growing up my mom made pumpkin bread. Those who know my mom know that she isn't much of a cook, but pumpkin bread was her specialty. She makes THE BEST pumpkin bread in the world. When I smell it it takes me back to being a kid. Every Christmas morning while we tore through all of the presents we undoubtedly didn't deserve we ate loaf after loaf of fresh out of the oven pumpkin bread.
I am happy to say that is a tradition I have carried on. I don't know if my mom noticed it became a tradition but it was something I always looked forward to. My kids feel the same. They know the smell.... they love to make it with me... they BEG me for it the moment I pull it out of the oven. I don't even think about NOT doubling the recipe. Preslee, at the ripe old age of 16 months will walk over to the counter where she knows the bread is a mere 6 inches away and sign "please" and scream her little red head off until I give her some. (Don't worry, I make her stop screaming and ask me nicely before I hand it over.)
I love love love my mom's pumpkin bread. I hope it's a tradition I pass along to my kids.
Addilyn even likes the batter... gross...
Cooking away...

The finished product BEFORE the kids get their grimy hands on it. (Don't you like how I blame the quick disappearance on the kids and not on Bryan or myself? :))

Eye Lashes

2010-11-29T21:31:00.000-08:00

I have always loved Carter's eye lashes. I don't know what it is about them... maybe that they're long and thick... and multi colored.

Giggle Box

2010-11-29T17:03:00.000-08:00

When I was in San Diego a few months ago I took this video to send to Bryan so he could see Preslee walk for the first time. (Like, for real walk, not take a few steps.) Instead, I got something much cuter and whenever I need a reminder of how darling my little baby is (like right now) I just watch this video.

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

Right now I should be packing... or cleaning... or catching up on some much needed sleep (yes, I know it's the middle of the day)... or washing all the rags from when my kitchen sink decided to practically flood my kitchen yesterday... or working on a client's Christmas Card... but I'm not. I'm blogging. Why? Because I haven't blogged for 10 days and Grandma's probably getting lonely not seeing new pictures of my kids. So, we'll play catch up. :)
Before Halloween we all went to the pumpkin patch. It was so fun, as it is every year. Ben and Jessica were in town so we picked up a pumpkin for them and headed to Grammie and Granddad's for the carving festivities (pictures to follow... when I'm once again try to avoid the things that must be done). Now, I'm going to go cuddle with my amazingly darling 3 year old on the couch and watch a Barbie movie.
Preslee ADORES her Grammie. (What are we going to do without her?!?!)

Addilyn holding the pumpkin of choice.

Luke Skywalker

2010-11-01T10:28:00.001-07:00

Carter was dying to be Luke Skywalker for Halloween. While borrowing Addilyn's outfit from Katie she mentioned that she had an Anakin (not a clue how to spell that) costume as well. Carter's never seen those movies so we borrowed the costume and just told him that is was a Luke costume. It's Luke's dad so I think he probably would have handed it down to his son had he not turned to the Dark Side. :) He was an awesome Luke and had tons of sword fights with his buddies before we headed out trick-or-treating.

His "though" face... something we clearly need to work on. :)

The Vitch

2010-11-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

Addilyn has been telling me for months that she wants to be a "Vitch" for Halloween. I was so excited that she picked something un-princessy. We borrowed this darling little costume from Katie Budge, added fun socks, boots, a purple broom and called it good. She loved it and I'm pretty sure felt like a Princessy Witch.

The socks are totally my favorite part. A little unexpected sass... just like our little Addi-cakes!