So we went out for Chad's birthday last night. We were supposed to go to Red Lobster for the 1st time, but we were running late and Chad didn't want to be rushed so he picked Panda Express. Not what I had in mind, but what he wanted.
Once at the civic center, we found our seats which were just right and enjoyed a great show; The Celtic Woman songs from the heart tour. The music was great, the performers were very energetic, and they even had some seriously cool bagpipes! Chloe and Levi got to hang out with Aunt Stac and Uncle Stephen and had a great time at chuck e cheese.
Now that April is almost over, I'm hoping life will slow down a little and we can get some spring work done (if it will stop raining long enough!). Now it's time for a bunch of babies to come!
Don't forget to enjoy today and help someone else do the same!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Divine Intervention
Wow! No one can tell me God doesn't lay out our steps! My sister and I were planning on taking our families to St. Louis for a Cardinals Game this last weekend. We decided on Wednesday evening to go north to Grandbear Lodge instead. We didn't want to get stuck in St. Louis not able to do anything because of the weather. Hellllooo tornadoes!
We had a great time at grandbear! They had a wave pool, baby pool, lazy river, water slides, and snacks at the indoor water park. The kids loved it! They had an arcade and the best ice cream ever. Across the parking lot, they had the loudest indoor amusements park. The kids liked that too, but boy was it loud! They got to ride rides and play ticket games. On Saturday before we left, the sun came out and we got to play on the playground and see a waterfall.
We made it to church for Easter Service yesterday and to Aunt Nancy's for an egg hunt. Of course, today I am under strict orders from Chad to rest. I didn't argue too hard with that! It's been a great week and weekend! Thank you God for sending us north!
We had a great time at grandbear! They had a wave pool, baby pool, lazy river, water slides, and snacks at the indoor water park. The kids loved it! They had an arcade and the best ice cream ever. Across the parking lot, they had the loudest indoor amusements park. The kids liked that too, but boy was it loud! They got to ride rides and play ticket games. On Saturday before we left, the sun came out and we got to play on the playground and see a waterfall.
We made it to church for Easter Service yesterday and to Aunt Nancy's for an egg hunt. Of course, today I am under strict orders from Chad to rest. I didn't argue too hard with that! It's been a great week and weekend! Thank you God for sending us north!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Good Days and Bad Days
Good Day:
Doing whatever Chloe wants for her birthday.
Bad Day:
Sending Levi with Pappa for the day because he's the only one of us not sick.
Well, I guess we can't have it all all the time!
On Saturday, we picked up best buddy and went to McDonald's with the playground for lunch. We then stopped by the new horse ranch my parents had just won at an auction. That's right, my parents bought a horse ranch and selling the house they built 30 years ago. The ranch is here in town, but there is 30 years worth of stuff to move now! After the ranch, we went to Planet X. Chloe did great and best buddy caught the hang of it soon after. Poor Chad was rollerblading around with 2 little girls by himself! He did awesome because he's such an awesome dad! Aunt Nancy, Zach, and Grams came by to help too! I really do love skating and am good at it, but it isn't really in the cards for me now :(
We went home for naps and then out again for pizza and a movie with Aunt Stac and her family. We saw "Hop". Good family show!
Saturday night, not so fun. Chad and Chloe took turns in the bathroom, Levi & I retired to the couch. Anti nausea meds kept me from the bathroom, but the nausea was still pretty strong and has hung on for several days. I think I'm finally getting it out of my system, but it was definitely not a fun Sunday! I'm very sorry for those of you catching the same thing going around! Remember good hand washing and replace your toothbrush!
Doing whatever Chloe wants for her birthday.
Bad Day:
Sending Levi with Pappa for the day because he's the only one of us not sick.
Well, I guess we can't have it all all the time!
On Saturday, we picked up best buddy and went to McDonald's with the playground for lunch. We then stopped by the new horse ranch my parents had just won at an auction. That's right, my parents bought a horse ranch and selling the house they built 30 years ago. The ranch is here in town, but there is 30 years worth of stuff to move now! After the ranch, we went to Planet X. Chloe did great and best buddy caught the hang of it soon after. Poor Chad was rollerblading around with 2 little girls by himself! He did awesome because he's such an awesome dad! Aunt Nancy, Zach, and Grams came by to help too! I really do love skating and am good at it, but it isn't really in the cards for me now :(
We went home for naps and then out again for pizza and a movie with Aunt Stac and her family. We saw "Hop". Good family show!
Saturday night, not so fun. Chad and Chloe took turns in the bathroom, Levi & I retired to the couch. Anti nausea meds kept me from the bathroom, but the nausea was still pretty strong and has hung on for several days. I think I'm finally getting it out of my system, but it was definitely not a fun Sunday! I'm very sorry for those of you catching the same thing going around! Remember good hand washing and replace your toothbrush!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Update
Yesterday was chemo #4. We always meet with a care provider first. We met with a nurse practioner. We expressed concern over some hearing side effects (What?)and some steroid side effects. They decided to change one of the chemo meds. Instead of cisplatin, I was given carboplatin. They are sister drugs. Carboplatin was one of the meds originally considered. It has less harsh neurotoxins. That makes it slightly less aggressive, but hearing loss would be permanent and continuing the cisplatin is seriously risking just that.
There is not really anything that can be done about the steroid side effects until another brain MRI is done. So we also scheduled an MRI and CT scan for April 28th, the week before chemo #5.
With the drug change, treatment went faster and smoother. I did not have to have extra fluids,or the shot that cleans my kidneys (which is uncomfortable!) so I even finished a couple hours sooner than usual! I have been tolerating the chemo pretty well, but I really feel like the hearing loss was getting too drastic. By the way, my apologies if we have been on the phone or having a conversation and I misheard you!
There is not really anything that can be done about the steroid side effects until another brain MRI is done. So we also scheduled an MRI and CT scan for April 28th, the week before chemo #5.
With the drug change, treatment went faster and smoother. I did not have to have extra fluids,or the shot that cleans my kidneys (which is uncomfortable!) so I even finished a couple hours sooner than usual! I have been tolerating the chemo pretty well, but I really feel like the hearing loss was getting too drastic. By the way, my apologies if we have been on the phone or having a conversation and I misheard you!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Lessons Learned
It is important to me to make sure that I live every day to the best of my ability. I am learning, however, that changes each day. The latest news from the doctors was that we would keep doing chemo and scanning 3 weeks at a time. It overwhelmed me that there is still no definitive timeline to our plan. Oh how I like to be able to plan! So, I made a decision. I will continue to live everyday to my fullest, I will record story books for my kids, I will make plans. I will purge our home and our lives of chaos and disorder. I will maintain as regular of a schedule as I can. I will move forward with plans to make our home our own.
I still get pretty tired, but I am learning that projects do not have to be completed in a day and it's ok to stop and take a rest. Of course, most men operate that way anyway :)
I still get pretty tired, but I am learning that projects do not have to be completed in a day and it's ok to stop and take a rest. Of course, most men operate that way anyway :)
Friday, April 8, 2011
Thank You!
Last night was the fundraiser at Yesterday's. Again we had a huge turn out! My family is so blessed by all the support and encouragement we receive! I can't tell you what a difference it makes in my recovery! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Busy Bee!
Monkey Joe's
6th grade lunch party
Alabama relatives
Birthday party
So much to do so little time! Those of you wondering, Monkey Joe's is definitely a fun play date. We had 3 moms (2 of them pregnant!), and 7 kids! They squealed, ran, and giggled the entire time! The price was reasonable and I never once had to climb into an inflatable myself :)
A group of 6th grade girls came for a lunch date Thursday. There are some pretty awesome 6th grade moms out there! I sat down with the girls and we were served finger sandwiches, chips, cheeses, and drinks. There was even a delicious jello cake for dessert! I didn't even lift a finger! The girls made some very special posters for me and shared some great encouragement. My favorite: When life gives you lemons, make grape juice and watch the world wonder how you did it.
My cousin and her family arrived Thursday evening from North Carolina. They have a 4 year old and a 5 month old. We had a blast getting all our kids together! I think they were a little overwhelmed, though! When we get together there are a LOT of us!
We topped off our spring break with a birthday party. Since Chloe and Levi have birthdays only a couple weeks apart, we decided this year we needed to have one party instead of two separate ones. We decided on a Sundae Bar. We got all sorts of ice cream and toppings and even a cake shaped like an ice cream cone! We played pin the cherry on the ice cream cone and indulged in every ice cream sweetness we wanted. The kids opened a million presents and a good time was had by all!
Today it's back to the grind stone and prepare for another weekend of visits. Of course, I may never actually be DONE going through toys and putting away presents!
This Thursday is a "Guest Bartender" Fundraiser at Yesterday's Bar and Grill down town. Chad and I will be there with the kids for dinner to kick the night off. We appreciate all your support!
6th grade lunch party
Alabama relatives
Birthday party
So much to do so little time! Those of you wondering, Monkey Joe's is definitely a fun play date. We had 3 moms (2 of them pregnant!), and 7 kids! They squealed, ran, and giggled the entire time! The price was reasonable and I never once had to climb into an inflatable myself :)
A group of 6th grade girls came for a lunch date Thursday. There are some pretty awesome 6th grade moms out there! I sat down with the girls and we were served finger sandwiches, chips, cheeses, and drinks. There was even a delicious jello cake for dessert! I didn't even lift a finger! The girls made some very special posters for me and shared some great encouragement. My favorite: When life gives you lemons, make grape juice and watch the world wonder how you did it.
My cousin and her family arrived Thursday evening from North Carolina. They have a 4 year old and a 5 month old. We had a blast getting all our kids together! I think they were a little overwhelmed, though! When we get together there are a LOT of us!
We topped off our spring break with a birthday party. Since Chloe and Levi have birthdays only a couple weeks apart, we decided this year we needed to have one party instead of two separate ones. We decided on a Sundae Bar. We got all sorts of ice cream and toppings and even a cake shaped like an ice cream cone! We played pin the cherry on the ice cream cone and indulged in every ice cream sweetness we wanted. The kids opened a million presents and a good time was had by all!
Today it's back to the grind stone and prepare for another weekend of visits. Of course, I may never actually be DONE going through toys and putting away presents!
This Thursday is a "Guest Bartender" Fundraiser at Yesterday's Bar and Grill down town. Chad and I will be there with the kids for dinner to kick the night off. We appreciate all your support!
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