March Madness Continue's

We had a great Easter here, hope you all did too! We had a wonderful dinner at Matt's parents last night and enjoyed the evening with his family. Saturday morning we had a little Egg Hunt at our house. The morning was so cold that we didn't enjoy it much. By afternoon it warmed up a bit and we even got the horse out for a while.

We have been warned (by doctor's) that Kael's skin will be sensitive to the sun because of the chemo. When we came in the house Saturday night I noticed he had blotchy skin and bumps on his face. I kept asking if he was okay and he said yes. We gave him some Benedryl and went to bed. We kept him home from church and it seemed to go away later in the afternoon. I don't know if the sun is to blame or if the shampoo he used is. I hope it is the shampoo. We went back out today for a bit but I made him wear long sleeve's and a cowboy hat. He still had bumps on his face but not the blotchy skin and itching. I guess we will just keep an eye on him unless it get's worse. Anyone have any suggestions???

Trey finally proved he can be scared of something. Saturday afternoon Matt was treating a downed cow and we were all just standing around watching him. (Trey was 'bulldogging' the cow earlier because she can't get up. He has no fear of animals 1000x his size.) Anyway, Matt was giving her a shot and she lunged forward and made some noise and Trey thought she was hurting Matt. He was scared out of his mind. It took him a half hour to calm down. I wish I would have had the video camera, I don't know if we will get that kind of reaction out of him again!!

Church

So Kael made his debut at church yesterday!! He was really nervous to go because he was afraid that the kids would make fun of him. I only took him to Sacrament Mtg. and we snuck out early because we didn't want a bunch of people around him. We will wait until at least April (let flu season pass) to let him go back to Primary. He still thinks he is in nursery though, that is all he talked about yesterday is playing with the toys. It is going to be a sad reality when he has to sit through two hours of lessons and singing:)

Trey continues to give me STRESS!!! Yesterday he loaded the toilet with misc. paraphernalia and then rubbed his food all over the table. Kudos to Matt for cleaning up both messes!!! Today will be something else, I'm just not looking forward to whatever it is. I want to tape mittens on his hands. Is this legal??

March Madness

Do you have your brackets filled out??? The smell of basketball is in the air. To bad our Ag's didn't make it this year. It is probably because 'Coach Matt' didn't get to go to any home games. I know he could have talked them through the WAC Championship game if he would have been there!! All of you know how much he loves his Aggie's (and sports in general) so those wives with husbands of equal addiction know what I am talking about:)
So if I post huge amounts of messages on my blog the rest of the month, it's only because I lack communication with other adults. (Rhonda, I expect to have the same reaction from you!!) Go North Carolina!!!

Wait, there's more

so . . . as I was waiting for pics to download, I was getting kids ready for bed. I am a little out of practice with Kael's meds (three weeks is a long time:)) but I was in the middle of giving them to him when he puked!!! Delicious. He has complained of a headache tonight but I contribute it all to the backpoke he got today. Why am I telling you this???? I don't know, maybe you could all have a laugh with me. Nothing like cleaning food chunks and puke off of a kid that can't have a bath!!

MARCH HAPPENING'S . . . . . so far

As many of you know, Matt's little sister Sonnie Rae was married on the 1st of March, (yes I am slow). We are so happy for her and Mitch and wish them the best. She looked beautiful and it was an awesome ceremony for the family:)

Kayson was finally blessed on the 2nd of March. We just had family come here for the simple occasion. We enjoyed pizza and ice cream for lunch. Thanks to all those who traveled so far just for this. We feel bad we could not have more people but with flu season we felt like we couldn't chance it again. We love you all!!

I was able to spend last weekend with my sisters + mom - children = great fun!!! We went to Alamo, NV (yes it is as remote as NewCastle), a small town an hour or so north of Vegas. My Aunt owns a resturaunt/hotel out there so we spent the night there and tried initiating the newest sister into the family. (That is if she still want's to be a part of us, I think we embarrassed her, sorry Kayla, we love you!!!) We spent a little time in St. George on Saturday shopping, eating, and going to the movie. I had a great time and look forward to it next year already. It was a much needed break for me so kudos to Matt for keeping Mattie, Kael, and Trey. He even took them to Boise to the Aggie game, something they probably wouldn't have enjoyed if I would have been here. Thanks to Barbara, too, for watching the kids while Matt worked. I owe you one:)

So today Kael finally got his much anticipated surgery. It was a success!!! He was so brave even though he knew what was going to happen. When we checked in at 'same day surgery' he started getting nervous but he never cried. The anesthesiologist put him in a wagon to take him back. We walked with him for a while and then had to let him go. We gave him loves and I watched him go down the long hallway. Just before they rounded the corner, Kael looked back at us. Emotional!!!! It only took about an hour. We were lucky to have the same surgeon that put his broviac line in. I went into recovery while he was waking up. The first thing he did when he woke up was grab his chest. I think it was a big relief to him. They put the port on the upper left side of his chest so his arm and shoulder are sore tonight. We were able to do chemo before surgery though so we didn't have to access his line and leave the needle in. Everything went perfect today, even better than some days we only have chemo!!! Thanks for the prayers!!

up, up, and away

Counts are up so Kael will be having surgery tommorow!!!! Say a little prayer for him and we will let everyone know how it goes:)

!!SHARP!!

Have you ever filled a sharps container??? I don't recommend it but here is a picture of the one we just filled and shipped off. Note: this was filled with blood draw and chemo syringes not with the flush syringes we do every day. I took 81/2 months to fill. (Just in case you wanted to know).

I have been able to get out in the sunshine the last two days. It has been nice here and everything is muddy. I don't know how many changes of clothes the boys went through yesterday but they thought it was fun to throw rocks in the puddles and then wade into them. These are not small puddles and Trey was knee deep in water most of the time. Anyway, I have enjoyed being out in the fresh air!

I had a panic attack the other day. I was in my office doing bookwork and Kael came in screaming "Trey just pulled my line out!" He had on a red shirt so when I pulled it up the lint looked like blood in places. I SCREAMED!! The top of his bandage was coming off so I was sure it was all the way out. Luckily everything was still intact. Trey stepped on him and I think it just tugged enough to cause some pain. The other day he was playing and 'tackling' a lot and he managed to pull it through the bandage to the point of breaking but he caught it in time and we fixed it. I'm ready to get it out!!!
Yesterday we went to the grocery store and I was having a hard time getting him to wear his mask. He didn't want to wear it but he didn't want to go home either so I made him a deal. If he wore his mask, I'd put one on. This was much harder than I thought it would be. It was interesting to be on the 'other side' of it. I guess it put into perspective what he deals with day-to-day: everyone can see that something is wrong on the outside but no one knows what he is feeling on the inside. It was interesting to watch people, watch us. Some avoided us at all costs and others looked and quickly looked the other way. Just before we checked out a lady finally asked me if we had colds! I said "No, but we are trying not to get one!" I feel I have been well educated throughout my life but I never thought I would learn life's most important lessons from my precious children:)

Matt is out of town again this week. We can't wait to see him tomorrow!! Sonnie's wedding is this weekend and hopefully Kael's surgery on Monday. We have a busy weekend ahead but look forward to seeing all the fam. We got to spend time with Jackson, Shade, and Aynslee for a while last night. It was a great time:) Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!!!

BORING!!!

Life at our house has been very uneventful this past week. Trey, Mattie, and I have been sick and Kayson and Matt have decided to participate. We are so lucky that Kael has not gotten it yet. I think the only reason he hasn't is because he is on Pentamadine (sp), an anti-biotic. We pray multiple times a day that he won't get it and I'm sure that has more to do with it than anything. Aunt Merr showed up yesterday to help me . . . and this was a life-saver. I am up and functioning today although I don't feel 100%.

We had a blood draw on Tuesday and his counts are up slightly. We just keep praying they will be up on Sunday to continue with surgery on Monday. If it doesn't work out, we will just wait another week.

I have to send a big thank you to Hayden and Tad for the Fun-Dip Valentines they sent. It brought to my attention that my 7-year-old, or any of the others, had never eaten such a thing. We had FUN-DIP EATING 101 and everyone but Trey passed. (He must get his educational drive from his mom) He had his powder all over him and the floor. Crazy I could eat the stuff with one hand tied behind my back and blindfolded and my kids didn't know why there was powder and a stick with a Valentine message on it:)

Aunt Sonnie get's married next weekend and we are so excited to see the Mississippi cousin's. Now Sonnie get's taken off the 'Favorite Aunt' list and is put back in the rotation with everyone else. However, the application deadline isn't until June so feel free to re-apply!!

I can't wait until SPRING!!!!

My Little T-BIRD . . .

. . . is officially potty-trained. He really suprised me with how willing he was. Personally, I was in no mood to start this adventure for another six months, or more. He has been fairly persistant in taking his diaper off the last few weeks so I decided to see what he was made off. He totally suprised me. We sat in the bathroom for 2 hours (3 hours shorter than Kael's first experience), he went, we had a party, and ate chocolate. It doesn't get much better than that:) He had a few accident's that day and I had to put him in a diaper here and there so I could run errands. I thought for sure this would spoil it, but to my surprise it didn't. He has done a great job and is so glad he can be like the older kids. I am so proud of him!!!

To My Valentine . . .

. . . thanks so much for all you do for me. You are such a great example and strength for our family. I am so glad I have had you to lean on and share the good times as well as the rough ones. We have had a great eight years and I look forward to sharing many, many more with you:) Can't wait for you to get home! I Love YOU!!
Lena

Dedicated to my Valentine . . .

What is his name? Matt
How long have you been together? 8+ years
How long did you date? 7 months + 3 month engaged = 10 months
Who eats more? Definitely me
Who said 'I Love You' first? Matt
Who is taller? Me, this is a constant fight. I think I beat him by 1/8 of an inch.
Who is smarter? Definitely Matt
Who does the laundry? Our live-in Nanny. Her name is Lena. Perhaps you all could meet her sometime!
Who does the dishes? Lena
Who sleeps on the right? Matt
Who pays the bills? Lena
Who mows the lawn? Lena
Who cooks dinner? Lena
Who drives when your together? Matt, unless were in a big hurry and I am afraid of him getting a ticket!
Who is more stubborn? Definitely me
Who kissed who first? Matt
Who asked who out first? It was a mutual agreement
Who proposed? Matt
Who has more siblings? He only has four. I double him with 8.
Who wears the pants? We both wear pants, duh!! He will probably say I do but I think it is pretty even.

I tag Matt (because I want to see if our answers match), Merr, Crystal, and Rhonda.

Chemo Treatment

Sorry about the sna-fu with the last blog entry. Not quite sure what happened?!? Okay, it is me, I have no idea what it is I am doing:)

I was trying to put some pics of chemo into a slide show for you. We finished with ARA-C on Thursday and that should be it for liquid chemo at home. We had blood drawn today and have to go to PC tomorrow to get a blood transfusion. He is officially at 0.0 for his immune system. This is a first. He has been as low as 0.1 but that has been as low as he has been until today. He is still playing well though for as low as everything is. The other morning I was wrestling with him to give him his meds (an everyday occurance) and he head-bunted me in the mouth and said "how'd ya like that?" Even though it hurt like crazy, I couldn't help but laugh. He seems to have hit another academic growth spurt. Some of the things he says are really funny and he is doing so well with his letters and numbers.

I took Trey and Kayson to the Dr. on Thursday for well checks. Trey is such a stinker. He was running around the clinic trying to give me heart-failure so I couldn't wait for him to get his shots so he would calm down. His turn came and the nurse and I held him down while she gave the shots to him. He didn't even flinch, let alone cry, and he gave the nurse an 'is that the best you could do' look:) Can you say Matt Jr.
Kayson now weighs 9 lbs. 8 oz. (Keep in mind that Kael weighed 9 lbs. 3 oz. at birth.) He failed his second hearing test. I am not worried to much but will probably FREAK if he fails the next one. The Dr. isn't to concerned about his umbilical hernia and says it should repair itself within the year.

LaLa (Trey's name for Mattie) is such a good helper. Her and I are in charge of FHE tonight. We had a great activity planned but I am in no mood to cook so we may have to alter it a bit. We want to wish everyone a Happy Valentines Day and hope you get all the chocolate you deserve:)

Happy Birthday Mattie

Mattie celebrated her seventh birthday yesterday. It was very uneventful, school, homework, and hanging out with her boring parents. We took her to Wendy's drive-through and called it a day! We actually celebrated her birthday on Sunday with family. The power was out for about an hour and a half that night so they all got a taste of life without tv. What a terrible thing!!! We had a good time visiting with Denny and Merr and Dan and Court while it was out.

Monday I took Kael to clinic. He woke up with a temp so we went as quickly as we could. I was upset about the length of time it took to get anyone to see him. We were there for 2 1/2 hours before they even took his temp. It was gone by then so we proceeded with his backpoke and chemo. He had another temp while we were there but the ARA-C (chemo) gives him a fever anyway so they don't know what to blame it on. They don't think it is an infection because his counts were to good on Sunday for there to be any problems. He has a cough and runny nose but they aren't very concerned. They kept saying he looked to good to be coming down with something but I felt different. That night he ran another temp of 104. Keep in mind they don't like him to have a temp of 100.3. I called the oncologist on call but he wasn't concerned either. I gave him some Tylenol and 1 1/2 later he still had a temp of 103. He fevered all night and was still 102 at 6:00 a.m. It finally broke about 7:30. His cough and nose is getting worse and he threw-up last night while we were out-and-about. We give him ansemet before the chemo so he won't get sick to his stomach. I just never know what to expect. We have done two different liquid chemo's here at home the last two day. We will finish with one of them tomorow and the other one lasts for a week. He will have the same treatments next week and then we wait two weeks for his counts to rebound. If they are back up on February 25th we will have his line removed and the port put in.

We were going to bless Kayson on Sunday but feel it is in Kael's best interest to cancel. Hopefully we will get around to it before he is walking:)

Jed, Matt's co-worker and good friend, spent a few nights with us this week. Kael loved having another bald guy in the house! (P.S. Jed, we do have internet again!!)

UPDATE

Counts were to low to go to clinic this week. I am welcoming this, although it means prolonging treatments, it means one full week we do not have to mix and administer meds. Kael has been off steroids one full week now and we have seen a decrease in appetite, thank heavens:) His energy has increased tremendously but he has been taking long naps at about 4:00 so he doesn't want to go to bed. Sunday his hair started falling out. Sure enough, as soon as I make a public statement about how sure I am his hair won't fall out, it does. He doesn't seem to be bothered by it other than it itches him. Last night when he wasn't sleeping (and I was up with Kayse) I went in and we had a chat. He told me he doesn't care that it is falling out and he wants to know when he can get his line out. I told him when we get his line out that he can have a real bath or even a shower if he wanted. His concern is that people will see him naked so I assured him dad would teach him how to wrap his towel around him so he could run from the bathroom to his bedroom without being seen. He was so excited!!!! Sometimes we take the littlest things for granted!!

Trey is starting to talk a lot better, okay maybe not, maybe we are just understanding what he wants a little more. He is very interested in the kitchen and food. The other day I walked into the kitchen to find the salt dumped all over the counter and floor. Last night while I was fixing dinner he wanted to be right by me and ended up grabbing the "HOT" frying pan. Luckily it didn't get him to bad and I think he learned what "HOT" really means.

Matt spent Tuesday stuck on the freeway between Tremonton and Burley (sorry dad, I don't know the exact mile marker). The wind was blowing snow so hard that you couldn't see a thing. After about 5 hours he was able to get turned back around so he could get home. Weather is a crazy thing. Matt's sister Rikki and her family live in Mississippi and experienced a tornado this past week. We are so glad that they are all safe!!! After hearing of their experience it makes our snowstorms seem like a tropical paradise.

We spent Family Night at the movie theater watching "Game Plan". It was a great show!! Our little Lewiston Theatre is the best because you can all get in for $8.00 and then still afford a bag of popcorn and a drink for everyone. It was very humbling for me though when we went to sit down and we took up all but two seats on the long row. AHHHHHHHH!!! Does this mean we get the long pew at church too!!!

Happy New Year!!

So far, so good. I didn't make any resolutions for this year, therefore, I haven't broken any!!

New Years Eve night, Kael started in with leg pain again. We were at Leak's celebrating so we brought him home early. Matt fell asleep and Mattie and I brought in the New Year playing Clue Jr. (the game that takes a rocket scientist to figure out!). We ended up giving Kael some pain medicine so he could sleep fine. When we took him to clinic on the 2nd they told us to keep an eye on him and give him pain reliever as needed. We will just watch him until he is off his steroids to see if it goes away. He complains off and on about it but is such a TOUGH squirt!! Tonight is the last dose of steroids. YES!!! Maybe by next Tuesday his eating habits will return to normal.
His weight gain is substantial so he is not able to get around very well. He still hasn't lost any hair and we credit Grandpa Cundick (Matt's maternal grandpa) for that. He is in his 80's and still has a thick head of hair. Perhaps Kael inherited this trait from him!!

Mattie, Trey, Kayson, and I went to church for the first time in months. (Mattie usually goes every week with her dad but the rest of us stay home). I was nervous to take Trey but decided he needs reminded of what church is. The boys got new clothes for Christmas. Trey looks so handsome in his and Kael refuses to try his on. He laughed at me when I asked him if he wanted to come with us. I think we will spend quite a bit of time in the hall when we are all able to go back.

The snow is coming down good tonight. Check out this cool picture Matt snapped when he came in from chores the other morning. Does anyone know what it is???

Ode to Steroids

Did you say buffet?? It has been non-stop eating at our house this past week. I know it is the Holidays and all but our food intake is beyond legal limits. Kael has been on steroids again for 10 days. His dose is three times what it was last time. He is so nonchalant about asking for food , "Mom can you cook that rice soup (in a can) in the microwave?", "Those apples sure look good." or he gives me the ol' "What's for lunch?" (as soon as he gets done with his lunch). Everything is just an appetizer for him at this point. I can tell he has gained a little weight but will wait to post a picture for a few more days so you can see a real difference. Kael is on steroids, therefore, Trey thinks he is on steroids, therefore, Mom thinks she is on steroids. It's a vicious cycle!!

We woke up to a major wind storm this morning. We couldn't see the milking barn, cows, ect. It finally cleared about 1:00 this afternoon. Matt snapped these pics for me when he went out to do chores. He's a great photographer!!



We had our annual New Years Party last night with our old neighborhood friends. This year we had to dress up like our favorite "Rock Star". There were some awesome outfits!! We had to pick and perform our favorite karaoke song and then we 'jammed' out to "Rock Star Party" (Matt's latest game that is played with an actual drummer, guitarist, and lead vocals). We had a great time and are so thankful for great friends and good times!! We look forward to tomorrow night so we can count down to 2008!!

An Official Blogger

It is official . . . I am a blogger!!! With some gentle coaxing (and a new laptop for Christmas), my sister-in-laws have talked me into the cyber-world. I hope I can do as great a job as they have and that my sisters will follow suit so I can keep in touch with them as well. So I dedicate my first posting to Courtney, Rikki, and Barbara (sorry Sonnie, facebook doesn't count!!)

Santa had a little trouble with his sleigh in Cornish this year and left a grundle of things at our house. Although Trey stayed up until 1:30 a.m. and Kayson had to out-do him by an hour (2:30 a.m.) they all managed to sleep until 8:00. They are all at such a fun stage I hate to see them grow up. Mattie got more PetShop animals and a High School Musical Karioke. Kael, a 'yellow combine' and a semi with a bull-wagon. Trey, a dump truck and a semi with a flatbed trailer. Kayson, a few miscellaneous toys. What do you get a two week old??? As I mentioned before, I got a new laptop, a griddle/grill, and a radio that goes under the cabinet. Spoiled!! Matt got new work boots, a battery charger, and a ladder. Perhaps our most favorite gifts were the letters we wrote one another. It was cool we both thought of this on our own and then we followed through on the same year too!! We each shared a few tears in behalf of all the wonderful things we have been blessed with this past year. We are so grateful to have a new precious baby in our home and of course be able to hold the other kids so close. I have to say, this Christmas has topped my list for the most memorable. I am so thankful for the gift of life. We have learned so much over the past year, it humbles me to think of all the Love and Blessings the Lord has sent my way. And thanks to all of you for lending so much love and support. It gives us strength to press on. Thanks for visiting!!