My Life

Fresh

2012-01-14T12:40:00.005-06:00

Okay, so I'm not going to continue the last blog. We'll just end it with saying Christmas was rough. It was hard not being able to enjoy everything with Wade. However, we had a great New Years and we're starting off fresh. I promise to go back and add pictures of the kids from some of the fun Christmas things we did. But first, I want to share some of our family pictures that were taken by Kaci Woodroome from Sweet Southern Style Photography. She is an amazing photographer who worked amazingly with us and our kids. The kids LOVED her. Also, click here to read what she blogged about our family.

Christmas

2012-01-04T21:00:00.003-06:00

Wow, those two weeks just flew by! The break started with Wade and I celebrating our 7 year anniversary. We stayed at the Hyatt downtown, went shopping at the Galleria and then on Saturday we went to see A Christmas Carol. It was amazing! It was nice to have some time for just us. Here is a picture from around the time when we started dating. This literally feels like yesterday!

Here's one of our engagement pictures...

The next adventure was another trip to Santa's Wonderland. The people there found out about our story and gave us free tickets to return. We were so excited! The kids LOVE that place! My mom and dad were able to go with us this time. It was their first time. I am so glad we were able to share it with them. We could never thank the wonderful people at Santa's Wonderland for being so kind to us.

Just when we thought we had enough of the lights, we decided to take a trip to Prestonwood. I'm sure if you grew up in the Houston area, you are very familiar with this place. We went with our very good friends Brandi and Alan and their two kids Cory and Madison. That's really what made it so much fun! We're all about making new memories.

It was either the next day, or the day after that, we went to Church of the Woodlands. The kids got to play in the "snow". They had a blast.

The next day we went to Cory and Madison's Reindeer party. Brandi is so dang creative. The kids made reindeer food and exchanged gifts. It was a blast!!!!

(LOTS OF PICTURES TO COME!!)

And then came Christmas eve. Every year we start the morning off bright and early and go to Cracker Barrel. Unfortunately, this is when Wade started feeling bad. He had been very tired and he was complaining that he was very nauseous. He didn't hardly eat anything. When we came back home, we got some gifts together and just relaxed a bit. My dad was coming over soon to put together the trampoline that Santa got the kids. The kids could not possibly find out he was there or the surprise would be gone!

We started getting ready to go to New Waverly at Wade's Aunt's house. We do this every Christmas Eve. The kids were beyond excited. As I began to get ready, Wade was waking up from a nap with Kaden. He began coughing. I pretty much have his coughs down. I knew this was a bad one. Hoping and praying it would stop, I got in the shower. When I got out, Kaden told me that Daddy was sick and throwing up. When I got to him, he was throwing up blood. I felt helpless and my stomach was in knots. Wade's parents had gone to pick up his grandpa and were headed to New Waverly. I called his mom to let her know what was going on and they came to the house to check on him. At this point, he's laying down trying to get it all to stop (which usually helps). He said it was feeling better so we tried again. His parents left and we started loading up. This time I got him and the kids in the car and went to the backyard to tell my dad bye. Wade comes running in telling me to go back to the car and he begins throwing up more blood. My dad was there too. I know my dad was worried and wanted to help, but the kids couldn't see him. He felt helpless. I went to the car to get the kids out and tell them we weren't going. They begin to cry hysterically because they had been looking forward to this for days. They didn't understand. My dad stayed in the driveway until I told him we were fine. Wade stops but lays down. I'm worried about him and devestated that the kids are so upset. I don't know what to do. Wade's parents come back home and I decided to take the kids. I didn't know what else to do. Wade's mom was there with him and I know she would keep a close eye on him. Going was hard though. It just wasn't the same without him. It was good to see everybody, but I needed him to be there with me.

That night, me and his mom wrapped presents and got the kids Christmas ready. That was hard too. That's usually our thing. Something I look forward to doing with Wade and he wasn't there. This Christmas just wasn't the same...to be continued.

Just Beautiful!!!

2011-12-15T20:28:00.003-06:00

Lindsay Moore -
www.fabulousoccasions.com

Busy Weekend

2011-12-11T18:15:00.012-06:00

It's been a wonderful, fun-filled weekend. We started yesterday off with Reagan's Christmas recital. She was the best one of course. We're so proud of her.

Then we packed up and went to Santa's Wonderland. We decided to stay up there this time so we got a hotel. It was so relaxing. We took our time and enjoyed every minute. The first thing we did when we got there was see Santa. The funny thing was, our elf on the shelf, Ellie jumped in our car when we left for Santa's Wonderland. We didn't even know it! She was so sneaky. We figured she couldn't wait to see Santa so when we got up there to see him, Santa was so happy to see her. When he went to touch her nose, his finger lit up! The kids were beyond excited! She even got in the picture with them!!

As soon as we finished there, we went to the petting zoo and then to grab a bite to eat. At that point, it was getting very crowded. I am so thankful we decided to do the carriage ride this year. With the carriage ride, you have an assigned time so you don't have to wait in line. Each person also gets hot chocolate and a bag of popcorn. Did I mention we didn't have to wait in line? We literally walked right up and our carriage was waiting on us. Other people were standing in line for hours for the hayride. It was magical. Just us riding through the lights. It couldn't have been any better.

After a little time by the fire, bull riding, snow chasing, and enjoying the cool weather, it was time to go. Though College Station is not far at all, we were thankful to have gotten a hotel this time. It was nice to be able to go back, kick back and relax after a long day. It was another day full of memories made!

Pictures

2011-11-30T21:30:00.002-06:00

I'm so excited. We just got back our pictures that we took last week. I can't wait to share them. Kaci Woodroome from Sweet Southern Style Photography did an AMAZING job!!! I promise to share soon. Until then, I found one of Wade's old posts from his blog that I wanted to share...

I am about to start another wonderful round of chemo. I am so excited. The Dr wants me to do the last 2 rounds that I didn't finish last time. I am a little worried because the last 2 from last year were pretty rough. I remember going to the hospital to begin the treatment and then I wake up 5 days later not really knowing where I am. Its a scary feeling to lose days.
We had Easter at my parent's house today. It was a lot of fun. It's truly amazing to watch holidays through the eyes of a child. Sometimes I get glimpses of my childhood through my kid's faces and reactions. I was blessed to have a wonderful childhood. I hope to give my kids that same collection of memories that I have. I am so fortunate to know my gifts from God and to actually know how fortunate I am.
Sometimes when I tell people how blessed I am I get strange reactions. Sometimes people think this disease defines me or takes my joy out of life. It is quite the opposite. I take everyday life a gift and I have perspective that I never would have had without it. It's a given that I wish I could have learned this lesson without it but so be it. I am healed and I am just waiting for God to show me on his time.

See, I told you he was pretty awesome!

Long Time Coming

2011-08-09T16:12:00.005-05:00

So I keep putting off the inevitable. It's been several months since I've written. Up until mid July, we were having a great time. Reagan celebrated her 4th birthday and we were enjoying spending quality family time together. At the end of June, Wade went to the doctor for his usual 2 month appointment. When he went, they found the tumors had grown a bit. He had to make the decision to either do a chemo in the form of a pill or some other clinical trial. Unfortunately, they are unable to do any type of surgery to remove the tumors because of their location. They are all wrapped up in blood vessels and are very close to his heart. Okay, no big deal. He will do some more chemo and shrink those bad boys and we will move on as we always have. Wade decides to put off starting the chemo until after his birthday. We went to the beach on 4th of July weekend and spent time with my brother's family who came in for the weekend. We had a blast!

July 13th...Wade goes in because he's coughing up some blood. We don't really think to much about it. They go in to try to cauterize what's bleeding, but they were unsuccessful. Still not thinking too much about it. They tell us they are going to try another procedure that is a bit riskier. We're optimistic and are up for anything. However, Wade was running a fever but was no longer coughing up blood. They decided the risks of doing the procedure were too great so we'd wait it out. That afternoon, we're happy the bleeding has stopped and we're looking forward to hopefully going home. However, the news we've dreaded for nine years. I will never ever forget it. Three people walk in...they have a funny look on their faces. Now, think, we're sitting back relaxing, relieved he didn't have to have the "risky" procedure. Then the news..."it's about time to start getting things in order." What does that even mean?!?! It didn't even seem real. They went on and on for what seemed like an eternity. All I could think was "This is it. How can I live without him. The kids. Oh the kids. How will they ever understand? How will we explain it to them?" A million things are running through my head. I'm no longer hearing the babble coming from these people. I no longer hear that it's time to research Hospice, ways to talk to your kids about death, signing a DNR, getting papers in order...no more! All I could do was tell Wade over and over and over how much I loved him. I didn't want to leave his side. It was like a crazy dream that I couldn't wake up from.

Then all the phone calls. Reagan was at her summer princess camp for dance...in the middle of her performance when I hysterically called my dad. I'm sure he will never forget the call. I just wanted to have the kids with us. From what they were telling us, it could be minutes, days, months...we had no idea. All we knew, was our time was limited. We have so much to do...how will we fit a lifetime of memories, what should be years and years, into a short time?

We discuss Disneyland. Too scared of the newness and worried about what could happen...we decide it's too far. So we decide on a beach house. Had we known how well Wade would be doing right now, we would have waited just a bit to where he could have really enjoyed it. Our house was wonderful. I was baptized in the Gulf of Mexico. It was great. Wade just didn't feel good though. We even had a scare one of the last nights we were there and we rushed (literally 100 mph) to the hospital in fear that he was having a heart attack. It was just a scare.

The people...oh my the people and how blessed we are. My school, family, friends and even strangers. People from all over praying and giving. My school provided us with so much food, activities, money so that we wouldn't have to worry about a thing. Reagan's dance studio donated for months. I don't even know how to explain how thankful we are to all the people who have supported us. The benefit we had in October...WOW! We saw people we had not seen in many years come to support us. We had people donate so many great items. Sundance Head and Await the Day played beautifully! I just can't explain in words how amazing that day was for us. It wasn't even about the money at that point. We were just in awe of the many blessings surrounding us. And to Wade's "sister" Brandi, which by the way is not is sister and is not even related to us, without her, the benefit would have never happened. She worked endlessly for months on this. We love you Brandi!

And now here we are. The doctors never gave us a timeline. The day they were going to, the kids walked in to the hospital room and the conversation was never completed. For that I am thankful. It's not in our time, it's in HIS time! I remember sitting in the hospital room thinking, "Please God, let him be there for Kaden's first day of kindergarten." Prayer answered. "Please God, let him see Kaden's first T-ball game." Prayer answered. "Please God, let him be here for Kaden's 6th birthday". Prayer answered. God is truly amazing. We've had a few scares here and there. A few times of chest pain, fever, coughing up blood. But we're taking it a day at a time. Wade has a harder time breathing since he has one lung 100% blocked. Mornings are extremely difficult for him and it's so hard to listen to him struggle. I always fear the cough. I even shudder when I hear strangers cough in the store. I'm so used to worrying about that dang cough.

Things are difficult without a doubt. I worry more than I should but I try to put a lot in the back of my mind. It still sort of feels like I dream. It just doesn't seem real. This time of year is especially hard for me. However, we're going to enjoy it like we always do and continue our traditions as always if not do a little more and appreciate it even more.

I know one thing is for sure, you can never tell somebody you love them enough. You can never hug them long enough and you can never smile enough together. I am thankful for the amazing man that has and continues to fight an amazing battle. Not many people have what we have and I'm thankful everyday to God for sending me Wade. I can't imagine life without him.

I promise to try to stay more up to date. I wasn't sure if I'd ever finish this blog. I started the first part of it in September. The hard part is over! More to come...(by the way, it's late and I'm so proud for just finishing this. Please overlook errors!).

Eagles!

2011-04-01T23:42:00.002-05:00

In love with, and possibly obsessed with http://www.raptorresource.org/falcon_cams/index.html. We've been watching in our classroom since the eggs were laid. We were hoping to see the first egg hatch today, but all we saw was a pip, or a little crack in the egg.

Hoping to see at least one little eaglet tomorrow!

Checking In

2011-03-05T19:42:00.003-06:00

Things are moving along here in the Baker household. I can't believe it's already March. Where in the world does the time go? It was just Christmas people!!!

Wade finished chemo last week but he's had a very hard time getting over it this time. He had to have a platelet transfusion last night. He's VERY tired and just not himself.

The week after next is Spring Break. It's a break we all need. Unfortunately, we've been so sick around here. The kids were sick off and on for two weeks and I was too. Then Wade catches whatever we all had the week he did chemo. Not only were we sick, but our babysitter was too. The negative to having an in-home day care is that when they're sick, we have to find other arrangements. The other arrangements happened to be me taking off. During the month of February, I took off six days...SIX DAYS!!!! That is way too much!!! I'm ready for a fresh health streak!! We are all in need.

I promise to at least try to keep up with this...I just get so busy that I don't have time to write. We will see...

Happy New Year

2011-01-09T10:20:00.002-06:00

So I know it's a little late, but HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's been a great start so far and we're looking forward to what this year has to bring us. Wade did more chemo on Monday and he's just now starting to feel a little better. We're all starting to get back in our routine (which is SUPER hard). I could totally get used to staying home with the kids.

Here's to a great, happy year full of many blessings.

Awesome News

2010-12-28T20:50:00.010-06:00

Wade went to the doctor today and he got GREAT news! All of the tumors have shrunk "considerably"!!! When the doctor was talking about the two blood transfusions he had to have, she said she was shocked that was his first time ever and that he was the only patient of hers that has ever gone so long without ever receiving one!! Pretty awesome. He will start more chemo January 3rd in order to keep attacking the tumors. This is awesome news.

We had a great Christmas! It's a CRAZY couple of days, but it's all worth it!

We start Christmas Eve morning at Cracker Barrel.

That night we go to Wade's Aunt's house in New Waverly.

Kaden and Reagan in their matching pajamas.

The kids went outside to hear/see Santa. Reagan was soooo scared!!!

This is the first time that I've ever had Christmas away from my own house (well, the kids too!). It was a little hard, but it turned out great.

Christmas Day we go to Granny's house...

...and then back to Wade's mom's house.
(I didn't have good pictures here...they were all blurry!) :(
However, here's a cute picture of Reagan all wrapped up! The best gift EVER!

Let's not forget my mom and dad's. We did that Sunday after Christmas. It's too bad I don't have pictures from Gran's Christmas (which was on our anniversary and the week before Christmas!).

We played our new game...LCR. It's so much fun...as you can see! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LCR_%28dice_game%29

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T14:49:00.003-06:00

Last night we went to Santa's Wonderland. We debated about going this year, but I'm so glad we decided to go. This was the third time we've gone and it definitely won't be the last. It will be something that we will make a tradition and do every year. The kids had a blast. I hope y'all have a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Time

2010-12-21T21:01:00.007-06:00

I love this time of year! It's the best! The lights, trees, smells, cold weather...wait a minute...HOT weather! What is up with this hot weather?!?! It can really get somebody out of the Christmas spirit. But that's okay. As long as it is cool on Christmas Eve and Christmas, it will be just fine. More than anything, I love spending time with my family. I couldn't be more blessed. This will be the most magical Christmas yet, thanks to the amazing people that I work with!! I can't wait to see the looks on the kids' faces when they wake up Christmas morning. Several weeks ago, we rode The Polar Express in Palestine. It was so cool! I have some really good pictures from this. My grandmother bought our entire family tickets to go. She even got the kids matching pajamas. I believe she initially thought it was called The Polar Bear Express hence the polar bear pajamas. Either way, they were all super cute! The only negative thing about the trip was the thousands of bees! One even flew inside Reagan's pajamas and stung her! It's a pitiful face, but a cute one!!! After the train ride, the city of Palestine had their Christmas parade so we made our way down there. It was soooo cold!!! The weather was perfect!

And one more cute Christmas story. Santa Claus called the kids one night! They were soooo excited. http://www.sendacallfromsanta.com/ Santa makes each call personal by calling them by their names, saying where they're from, and calling them a nickname (plus more). ~~Mommy~~ Santa made the mistake by calling Kaden first and not Reagan. Just watch the video...it shows why this was a mistake!!!

Our Christmas shopping is complete. Oh, and by the way, please make sure you always check the handles of your car doors before you open them. Unfortunately, when Wade and I were leaving Walmart last night around midnight, I went to open my door and I felt something mushy on my hand. When I looked down, my hand was covered in POOP! Yes people, POOP!!! I was so disgusted! I cursed a little, gagged a lot and then we EVENTUALLY laughed it off. It's all we could do! I did go in and wash my hands ...for about 10 minutes straight. When I came back out to the car, we noticed the two cars parked next to ours had it on their doors too! Who does this!?!?! I began to leave a note on one of the cars when the guy was on his way out and we just explained to him what happened. The girl parked next to us also came out so we were able to tell her too...before either of them would get a hand full of poo. I went in to complain to the security guard (who was inside sitting instead of monitoring the parking lot). He pretty much just laughed and then went to his little corner away from the store to smoke a cigarette! Come on now...do your job! I was parked two parking spaces away from the store. How hard is it to do your job?!?! So anyways, silly me, when I went to get back in the car, I opened my door again to get ANOTHER hand full of poo! Back in the store I went to clean my hands!!!! Not so happy at this point. I've called, but was unable to get the response that I was wanting. According to the manager, my car was not vandalized or broken into, it just had poop on the door handle! Nice! Okay, so back to the jolly, happy Christmas times stories. Only 4 more days until Christmas! Woo Hoo! Wishing you all a VERY blessed Christmas with your family and friends!

Things are Looking Up

2010-12-20T20:22:00.002-06:00

Long story short, Wade went in Monday to do his blood work and it showed his hemoglobin was dangerously low. By Monday night he had to have a blood transfusion and received 2 units of blood. The very next day, he began running a fever so back to the hospital he went. He stayed in the ER over the night and came home Wednesday after getting 2 more units of blood and after they pumped him full of antibiotics. They sent him home with even more. He is now feeling much better.

J.R. had surgery on his eye on Tuesday and HE CAN SEE!!! Praise God!! Truly a miracle! We were all thrilled and J.R. was even more excited. I am so happy for him. We were all together this past weekend to celebrate Christmas at my grandmother's in Coldspring.

Saturday, December 18th, was our 6th anniversary. I can't believe it's been 6 years. Where does the time go? I remember that day like it was yesterday. I married my very best friend and with every passing day, we grow closer and closer. We've been through so much together...more than most people should ever have to go through. We've been blessed to experience life at a whole new level. We enjoy every day to its fullest. I love you Wade more than you will EVER know!!!

Dance, Dance, Dance!!!

2010-12-12T16:52:00.009-06:00

**See the most adorable video below!!!** :)

Yesterday was Reagan's first ever dance recital. She was absolutely beautiful. I do have to say, she was the prettiest one there...and I don't just say it because I'm her mom. She was also the best dancer. Again, it's not because I'm her mom!!! Seriously though, she did an amazing job. I am so very proud of her. I knew she'd be so good at this. She loves to dance and she's good at following directions (wish she did this at home!). Anyways, here are some pictures.

Rollercoaster

2010-12-10T14:53:00.005-06:00

Sometimes I just feel like I am on an emotional roller coaster. When things are up, they're up, when they're down, they're down.

Since Wade's last treatment, quite a bit has happened. My brother was in the hospital over Thanksgiving and stayed there for a week. They drove down from Dallas even though he wasn't feeling so good. When they got here, he began throwing up blood. They immediately rushed him to the hospital. After days of trying to get his blood pressure regulated, trying to get him to stop throwing up and many other problems, they found he had a yeast infection in his esophagus. His body was struggling to keep up and fight it off because of his diabetes. Due to the straining during the vomiting, he can no longer see. He went to the doctor on Thursday and they have planned to do surgery on his eye. The doctors think that once they clear out the blood and cut off the blood vessels, he will be able to see. Please pray that J.R. is healed and that his vision will soon return.

Over Thanksgiving, I took Kaden in to get X-rays on his legs. He complains quite a bit about his legs hurting at his knees. It's a painful cry! My babysitter even said he complains more than any other kid she knows. However, I don't think she's ever known any other kids as active as Kaden!!! While I was almost certain it was nothing, something in the back of my head was saying get this checked out. So, while Reagan went to the doctor (for strep), the doctor decided to have him come back and do some x-rays. She knows about Wade (and I'm sure felt sorry for me once I started crying in her office) and just wanted me to feel okay about it. So, the day before Thanksgiving we went in for the x-rays. Now, Kaden is fascinated with bones and the skeleton. When I explained what they were going to do, he was beyond excited. Walking up to the doctor's office, he yells, "This is the best day of my life! I'm getting x-rays today!!!" He did great too! They even let him back there to get a look at his leg bones. He loved it! However, he did not like getting blood drawn...nor did I!!! Reagan was very comforting though telling him, "It will be okay buddy. I'm here honey!" She's such a mommy. So, the Monday after the break, they call saying they found a benign fibrous area in his lower left leg. Of course this sounds horrible to me and I immediately panic. They were certain it was nothing but because of Wade they wanted us to go to an pediatric orthopedic. To make us feel better, they said this was pretty common and to try not to worry. Scary news...not really wanted to hear...but I'll take it and pray constantly!!!

We went to the orthopedic doctor (Kaden had his cape on) Thursday afternoon. After examining him and viewing the x-rays, the official name for what they found is nonossifying fibroma. Sounds bad, but it's not (http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1083/mainpageS1083P0.html). It is something that will get better as he grows. This is usually found accidentally on an x-ray. The pain that Kaden feels is not coming from this, but rather growing pains. Just as we thought. Praise God! He gave us some exercises to do with him before he goes to bed every night. Thursday was a good day! This was also the day they told us that J.R. would have surgery and they were not eliminating the chance that he would be able to see! Great day!!!!

Then comes Friday...which is actually the day I started writing this blog. It was a terrible day. It was one of those days that you just want to hurry up and get over with! The morning started with me learning that Wade fell during the night. I didn't hear him because I was in the other room. When he does chemo, he gets restless and sometimes sleeps on the couch. So apparently, he fell not once, but like four or five times. His mom saw him crawling to the bathroom and asked him what he was doing. He said he couldn't walk and that he was going to fall if he tried to walk. He hit the back of head, his forehand, his knee, his ankle and I'm sure many other parts of his body. By Friday afternoon, he was extremely sore with a swollen eyebrow, horribly bruised and swollen ankle and swollen knee. He was having to use a cane to walk around. On top of being a little toxic from the chemo he started this week, he was also taking ABH, which is a combination of ativan, benadryl, and haldol. He said he would remember walking and then he would black out and fall. He took it before he went to bed and when he woke up...probably shouldn't have taken it so close together. Either way, he had a VERY bad side effect from this and he won't be taking it again. So that's how Wade's day was.

I started the day learning about this. Not good. It was our Polar Express day at school. It was supposed to be a good day. And it really was a good day at work. Although, the kids are crazy to put it nicely! Only one more week!!! Woo Hoo! So anyways, I just had one of those days where you just want to cry at anything and everything. I was worried about Wade and for the last week I've just sort of been on my own. He's been so out of it this time. I told him today, "I don't want you to feel bad, but I just want you to know that I want you to feel better because I need you to talk to." Don't get me wrong, I have people I vent to and people I can talk to who I love dearly and I know these people would do absolutely anything for me. However, Wade is my absolute best friend and there is just something different when it's just me and him. I just miss him when it's like this. Plus, I've just been so stressed with the kids. Sometimes dealing with 5 and 6 year olds at school and then coming home to my kids who lately seem to not want to listen or do what they're told, is a little stressful...especially when it's just me. I really don't know how single moms do it. They are truly AMAZING people! I just feel like I never have time to myself. And yes, we do get tons of help from my in-laws. But staying with them sometimes is hard too. I hate when they get too loud or do something they're not supposed to because I don't want them (in-laws) to get irritated. And God love them...they are special people for putting up with us for so long. We're so thankful for all that they do for us. But long story short, sometimes it's just hard. So, I just cry. I just cry when I get frustrated and when I've had a bad day. I cry when I can't find the video camera, chargers, memory cards, etc. because that's what Wade normally does. I cry when I'm tired of coming home, getting my things and the kids' things ready for the next day, griping at the kids for not listening, eating dinner, giving them a bath, griping some more and getting them in bed (with me included in the bed!). I sometimes just want some peace and quiet all by myself...and with Wade. And yes, I know I'm not the only one that wants this once and a while. I'm just saying...I just had one of those days and I'm feeling much better by ranting on and on about it on here! Don't judge!! :) See, I already feel better.

Now, because this is ridiculously long, I will post later about Reagan's dance recital (she was sooo dang cute), Polar Express and other happy times that take away all my stress and any negative thought I've ever had. And this I promise you, I am so okay today. Wade's feeling a little better and Reagan was the highlight of my day. I ask you not to feel sorry for me. I'm just a normal person who just had a couple of bad days. But I do thank the people who already prayed for me while they were reading this! haha. Believe me, I did a lot of that yesterday...which is why my today is MUCH better!

Sickness and Good Hearts

2010-11-21T14:28:00.000-06:00

Wade did his first round of the new chemo. He went in on Monday and then had his shot on Tuesday. He's really doing great considering. He was feeling so good that he went to work on Thursday and Friday after being off for months. Unfortunately a little bug struck our family and Reagan had strep and Kaden had a fever with lots of congestion. I think Wade caught a hold of what they had and he ended up with fever too. I had to take off Thursday for Reagan and then I took off Friday for Kaden. That's usually how this works. One gets sick and then they all get sick. Knock on wood, I've been fine...just extremely exhausted from not getting sleep because I was checking on all three kids every 2 hours. But today is a good day. Praise the Lord.

For the last few weeks, my good friend Carla and my friends at my school have been working hard to collect money through our school district for our family. They offered a Jeans Week to each school. If anybody from the schools wished to participate it would cost them a minimum of $10.00. As of last week, 13 schools participated and they raised a total of $3200. Wow! I am just speechless!!! It couldn't have come a better time. My family feels EXTREMELY blessed that so many people were moved by our story and helped us out more than they could ever imagine! It literally brought tears to my eyes.

And with this news, I learned that our Sunshine Committee decided to give our family Christmas!!!!! Talk about CRYING!!! I honestly didn't even know what to say. I was told to make a list of the things the kids wanted, what Wade and I wanted AND other things that needed repairing, such as our cars. I'm not even sure how to put into words what I was feeling the moment I was told this good news. It's hard for me to think that Christmas was going to be nearly impossible for us this year. I think I stayed in denial that it was going to be fine...or maybe I just prayed REALLY hard that it would all work out somehow. Boy did it!

Though it's been a super crazy week, we're all starting to feel better. And to think we have so many wonderful people in our lives...it couldn't get any better than that. We are EXTREMELY blessed!

Though we are starting to feel better, my brother J.R. is having more problems with his eyes (see http://mylifeaskatiebaker.blogspot.com/2009/09/good-news-and-bad-news.html and http://mylifeaskatiebaker.blogspot.com/2009/10/updates.html for just a little background on the things he's been through). This past week, on his birthday, he was in the hospital for a staph infection on his face. He went home but has had an upper respiratory infection. He's been coughing quite a bit, which is believed to be the reason why he is now unable to see out of his only good eye. They believe his eye has hemmorged. The blood is covering the lens of his eye. The good news is retina is still attached but he will have to get his blood pressure and blood sugar under control. His blood pressure was 172/90 and they said if it got 175/95 he would have to go to the emergency room immediately. They are hoping the blood on the lens will clear up on its own. He goes to the doctor on Tuesday and hopefully if they blood hasn't cleared, they will be able to put a syringe in his eye and draw the blood out like they've done before. Please, please, please pray for good news!!!

Disappointing

2010-11-10T19:56:00.005-06:00

Wade went to the doctor today for the results from his scans. Unfortunately, all of the tumors have grown. The biggest one grew 1 cm and the other four tumors grew just a bit. Enough to be annoying and cause the doctors to look to other options. They feel that possibly Wade has become immune in a way to the Ifosfamide. They will now start him on Adriamycin (AKA "The Red Devil"). This was the first chemo he had ever received back in 2003. When he did it then, he would do at least 3 or 4 days back and forth from the hospital to home. He would also have a little backpack that continuously pumped non-stop all those days. For now though, they are choosing to only do one day of it and then home he goes. He will come back the next day for a a Neulasta shot (see www.neulasta.com/patient/howcanhelp/how_canhelp.html for more info on this). Of course he will continue to do blood work 3 times a week, but other than that, he wouldn't do anymore treatment for 21 days. So the good news is that he does not have to be admitted into the hospital. The bad news is that the last time Wade did this chemo, he had a really hard time (hence the nickname "red devil"). However, we're hoping because it's only one day, it will be a little different. So this is definitely not news we hoped for, but we are continuing to pray, pray, pray!!! He will begin this new round of chemo on Monday.

For a little background on Wade and his cancer go to www.mylifeaskatiebaker.blogspot.com/2009/09/heres-approximate-timeline-of-events.html. And if anybody knows how to insert a one word link, feel free to let me know!! I haven't quite figured that out! :) Lots of love to you all!

Reagan's Dance Recital

2010-11-05T14:43:00.002-05:00

I am super excited about Reagan's upcoming dance recital in December. She's been practicing during dance class for the last month or so. She loves dance! They're dancing to, "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree" and one other teddy bear song. Here's a picture of what her costume looks like...

(from curtaincallcostumes.com)

Cute, huh?

My Baby is FIVE!

2010-11-03T20:25:00.006-05:00

Yes it is true! Kaden is officially 5 years old today. On this day, five years ago, at exactly 7:07 p.m., Kaden made me a mommy. It was the most magical moment and everything I had ever dreamed of (even if he came out peeing on daddy!). I'll never forget the feelings that I felt the first time I held him. He had a head full of blonde hair and personality like no other. He still has that blonde, blonde hair and the most loving, hilarious personality. He is such a smart boy. A boy at best. The kid loves dirt. He might as well be called "Pig-Pen." He tends to turn a nice dirt color once he's been outside for only seconds. He loves Power Rangers right now and pretty much everything red. He uses all of his mee-maw's rags as capes and pretends he's an actual power ranger. He's pretty good at the drums and he drives us crazy as he bangs on them and sings the many different theme songs of Power Rangers". He gives the best hugs and says "I love you" at least 5 times a day (to just me alone). He loves his sister and his daddy and I couldn't ask for anything more. He calls them both his best friends. He is by far a mommy's boy and I'm okay with that. He's my buddy! I love that boy with all I have. I can't imagine life without him. When I tell him I'm so sad that he's growing up too fast, he never fails to tell me, "I'll always be your baby boy mommy!" Happy Birthday my sweet baby boy!!

November 3, 2005 - Mommy and Kaden

First Birthday - First Haircut

Two Years Old

Three Years Old

Four Years Old

Five Years Old

Bragging a Bit

2010-10-20T10:19:00.003-05:00

I'm not usually one to brag, but there's a picture of me with my limo bus friends on the Humble ISD website! Pretty cool!!!! I'm not sure how long it will stay up, but go ahead and check it out.

http://www.humble.k12.tx.us/humbleisd/site/default.asp

Great Day

2010-10-19T20:58:00.002-05:00

Today was a wonderful day. I was picked up from school today at 10:00 in a limo bus. We drove around picking up about 7 other teachers and headed to the civic center for a lunch given by the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce for Teachers of the Year. We all laughed about how it felt like we were being pampered. My principal joined me at lunch to support me. She rocks! We had our pictures made, were given a little award with our names on them along with a few roses and a certificate. Then we were on our way back to our schools (after lunch of course!). I was the first one on and the last one off!! My kids and all of kindergarten came out to see me off. When I returned, they had all gone home for the day. They were so sweet.

Reagan had dance tonight and it was her first night for tap. She loved the tap sound her shoes made. After about 10 minutes of it I started to feel sorry for her dance teacher who had to listen to about 20 tap shoes all at once! Yikes!!!! She did great though. After tap, they practiced for their winter dance recital. It is ADORABLE!!

And the best news of all...Wade gets to come home TOMORROW! He originally thought it would be Thursday so coming home one day earlier lifted his spirits and our spirits. We can't wait to see him!!! Perfect ending to a great day!

Not So Warm and Fuzzy Post

2010-10-18T19:54:00.003-05:00

So it's just been one of those days. It really started with yesterday. I had a terrible stomach ache (due to some horrible Chinese-which by the way I just started really liking!!!). I went to the hospital and just saw horribly sad things. You know, things like people crying in the hallways and I suspect saying their last goodbyes. I cried all the way up the elevator, but once I got to Wade's hall I sucked it up and put on a happy face. I don't talk much about what we're, well mostly what I'm going through. I know Wade is miserable and he hates every second that he's doing chemo. For me, I don't tell him much about what I feel because I don't want him to feel worse than he already feels. It kills me when he apologizes for making me deal with the things I deal with. It's not his fault. It's what it is and I learn to adjust to it. But I'm allowed to have bad days right???? I first wanted to do this blog so that I could vent and get things off my chest. So this is what I'm doing. I'm just releasing some emotions and thoughts.

Yes I think it sucks that we have to deal with this crappy situation. Yes we had a great summer and yes we enjoyed our holidays last year. But who wants to live their life month by month saying, "Oh this month was a good month?" It just sucks. It sucks that Wade has to be away from the kids and that the kids miss their dad more than words can explain. I hate pulling into the driveway seeing Wade's car and hearing the kids yell, "Daddy's home!" I hate sleeping by myself and I hate not being with my best friend everyday. I have conversations with him in my head all day because I know it's not easy for him to be on the phone. I hate that while Wade is going through all of these treatments, we don't get paid. We rely completely on my salary which feels like nothing when you have tons of bills piling up. I hate that Wade feels like a burden and like he's not a good husband because he's unable to provide for his family. I just hate when I have days like these.

So, now's the time when I take a deep breath, look at my babies, suck it up and move on. Time doesn't stand still. All I can do is pray with all I have. I do know the devil is working overtime on me on days like today. So now I pray, pray, pray and let that devil know who's boss! I realize more than anything how blessed we are to have such amazing friends and family who would do absolutely anything for us. And yes, more than anything, I've gotten pretty good at taking advantage of the good days we have in between treatments, whether that be during the summer or during the holidays. That's one thing I know we're good at. We're awesome at loving one another and our family and more than anything we rock at enjoying the good days! And I know there are people out there who have it way worse than I could ever imagine. Things could be worse. So, now I pray and get over this little pity party I throw for myself. I'm already starting to feel better. It feels good to get things off my chest. I'm getting good at doing that lately too! I'm allowed to have a bad day every once in a while, right?!?!

Chasing Lightning Bugs and River Pics

2010-10-16T12:52:00.009-05:00

Funny Kids

2010-10-15T19:36:00.002-05:00

I just love my job!! These kids make me laugh on a daily basis. Recently I was proposed to, had my shoulders rubbed, and was told that I was going to be a princess for Halloween (by a boy who I believe is a little smitten with me!). These kids are so innocent and so sweet! They can also be brutally honest. For example, when I was drawing a picture of me the other day, I asked them what color I should color my hair and one boy yells, "Gray!!!" Ahhh, gray!?!?! I know I have a few gray hairs, but come on, enough for them to tell me to color my hair gray???? They never fail to ask you what that big thing on your face is or why you always wear black pants. But the days they tell you they love you and that you are beautiful far outweigh the days they are picking out your imperfections. It's those days that you need those compliments the most. It's those days that they can turn a perfectly crappy day into something so much more! It's those days that you want to just wrap them in your arms and hope and pray that when they go home they will be loved as much I love them and even more. Praying is all I can do to make myself be okay with what so many kids face at home. But for me, they are my happy place. They bring normal into my life. They are my stress relief! So while they are with me, I treat them as if they were my own. I love them and hug them and tell them they are special. And in return, I get hugs, smiles and funny stories that never fail to make me giggle! Did I mention I love my job?

River Rats

2010-10-14T19:06:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we spent some time at New Braunfels. This was the last weekend before Wade went back in the hospital so we wanted to enjoy ourselves. And that we did! My parents, brother and his family, grandparents and my aunt and her family were all there. We really had a good time! Sunday the kids were able to ride some rapids on the river. It was perfect for them. Then we found this little waterfall that runs into the Guadalupe River. We put our chairs at the bottom of the little waterfall and relaxed there most of the day. Reagan fell asleep in her tube and Kaden was fishing with Wade, my dad and my brother. Kaden had a blast throwing rocks. This was his thing. Give that boy dirt or rocks and he's good to go. When we went back to the house, we had a lightning bug show! It was amazing!!! I don't even remember the last time I saw one lighting bug much less hundreds of them! It was a day of firsts. The kids first time at the river and first time seeing lightning bugs. Reagan was a tad bit scared of them and well Kaden, he just wanted to smash them. For Wade and I, we were in awe. There was something so magical about them.

The fun must end though and we headed back Monday...back to reality. Tuesday Wade went back in the hospital. The kids already miss him like crazy. I do too!! I went up there yesterday. He's doing pretty good...though he will say, "I feel like poo poo!" He's pretty tough though. He should be getting out next Thursday. Seems like a lifetime away!

Pictures

2010-10-11T22:41:00.008-05:00

As promised...

Finally...An Update

2010-10-03T11:29:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure why I take so long to update on here. Well, I take that back. I get behind and then it gives me a little anxiety to think of all of the things I wanted to post and how it's taken me so long to post them. I have some amazing pictures that I want to share and I just get lazy. There is nothing more I want to do than post pictures of my beautiful family and all of the exciting things we do. So that's what I'm going to do. I will be posting pictures from random events. And just to give a little update on Wade. He just finished his 20th treatment of chemo. It's hard to believe he's had that many treatments. He's really doing good. We have not gotten an update just yet. He will have to do one more treatment before they do the CT scans, MRIs, etc. We had an amazing summer and received even better news over the summer. When we were prepared for Wade to go in to do more chemo (after 2 months of no chemo), his tests showed that ALL of the tumors were shrinking. There's always been one that grows and the others are just there to be annoying. The smaller ones have NEVER shrunk (is this even a word!?!?). But this time they did!!! We literally had already made plans for Wade to go to the hospital and then we got this news. We couldn't have been more thrilled. Plus, a couple of months ago, the bigger tumor grew and he WAS doing chemo. So to hear that ALL tumors were shrinking WITHOUT chemo was a miracle.

When he went in September 1st, they found that the largest tumor grew just a tad. The doctor said that chemo is the best thing in order to stay on top of it. We definitely don't want things to get out of control. Wade started his 20th round started September 15th. To me, he did better than he EVER has. He was in the hospital for 9 days. A lot of people always ask why he stays in the hospital when he does chemo. Most people go in, get the chemo drugs and then go home. For Wade, that has always been too hard. His drugs are extremely powerful and they cause him to become extremely toxic (hallucinating, strange dreams, etc.). He also has what they call steroid induced diabetes. When he is doing chemo, he is given insulin to keep his sugar down. It spikes really high if not. When he is home, not doing chemo, he does not need the insulin at all. So this is why he stays. It is EXTREMELY hard on everybody, especially the kids (and Wade more of course). But it is what's best for him and that's what matters.

The 1st day he was out, he told me, "I feel like I haven't even done chemo!". I could even tell that he was doing better than ever. When I visited him the last day in the hospital, he was awake the entire time and even got up to walk around. Usually he stays in bed and hardly says a word. A couple of days of being out of the hospital the chemo caught up to him. He was very tired and slept quite a bit. Come to find out, his phosphorus and sodium bicarbonate were real low. They gave him some medicine and it's getting a little better. Overall, he's doing great! I'm so very proud of him. Even with these few setbacks, to me, he's doing better than he ever has. He will be starting more chemo October 12th. We are so very blessed to have so many people who are praying for Wade. So many people ask me how he's doing on a daily basis and it truly means the world to us that so many people care for him and our family. We coudln't do this without our friends, family and of course our Lord and Savior.

Don't forget to come back and check out the pictures...I will post soon. I'm going to get out first and enjoy this BEAUTIFUL weather with my amazing babies!

Vote for Our School

2010-07-27T18:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T20:47:00.002-05:00

Happy Father's Day to my amazing husband and incredibly loving dad!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T09:44:00.002-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all mommies today. I am extremely blessed to have two beautiful children who are the absolute love of my life. I couldn't imagine my life without them. The love a mother has for her children can never been explained with words. Today is going to be a good day spent with my kids. Happy Mother's day to my mom too. She is an amazing woman who would lay down her life for me. She has taught me so many things and I could not thank her enough. I love you mom!

The only thing that could make this day better would be for Wade to be home. Only a couple of more days though and he'll be here with us.

Catch Up

2010-05-07T20:56:00.003-05:00

I'm at the hospital with Wade tonight. I didn't post for a while after this last time. He did pretty good last time. We've just been enjoying having him home. During the time, both kids were sick. I ended up going to the doctor three times (in two weeks) and I called them two times (one time because Reagan's fever wouldn't go away and they filled a prescription and another time when Reagan had pink eye...I begged them to call it in so I wouldn't have to go back to the doctor). Both of them had a viral infection with very high fever. One night Kaden's fever got up to 103.7. So, one time I took Reagan to the doctor and another time I took Kaden. Then, I took the kids one day to play at McDonald's and some crazy kid bit Reagan. It was a HORRIBLE bite!!! I called the doctor and they wanted to see her. The doctor visits don't count the one day we went to the beach, came home and Kaden threw up three times. Seriously, this all happened in two weeks!!! But, we all spent good time with one another.

So here we are again. Wade went back to the hospital Monday. He will probably be in here until Wednesday. It's hard when we're not all together. The kids miss him so much. It won't be much longer though.

On a bright note, I took the kids swimming for the first time the other day. We didn't last very long. It was pretty cold. However, it took a lot to get Reagan out. She loved it!! She had a while to prepare. For about 3 weeks, she literally puts on her bathing suit and wears it around the house. She even begs to take a bath in it. So imagine how excited she was when she got to wear it in a real pool!!! Haha!!!

Another cool thing happened. As I said before, I was nominated for Teacher of the Year at my school. Well, I am now chosen as 1 of 4 finalists for the DISTRICT!!!! I'm so excited. My principal and assistant principal came down during class with roses and a cute card to announce it. My kids were so happy! I go Monday for an interview in front of lots of people! I'm EXTREMELY nervous so I can't imagine what it will be like Sunday night and all day Monday. Either way, I'm happy with where I am. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Fever, Fever, Fever!

2010-04-12T22:04:00.002-05:00

Let me back up a bit to Saturday. I came up to the hospital to spend the day with Wade. I brought him Arby's (his request) with horsey sauce (yuck!!). I would stop to get him anything he asked as long as he eats. Eating is a big thing. Probably 20 minutes after he ate, he began having severe chest pains. He tried sitting up, walking, laying down...nothing was making it better. They took it seriously and immediately had one of his doctors come in. They ordered an EKG, chest x-ray and blood work. All came back clear. He was in pain for the longest time. He said it was the worse pain he's ever felt and that if had to guess, it had to feel as bad as a heart attack. It was pretty scary. His pain medicine didn't even touch it. After a couple of hours, he was at least able to sleep. They think the cause was the horsey sauce!!

Today he started running a fever. It is currently at 100.3. They took some cultures and now we just wait. They're giving him antibiotics for the fever. He's been sleeping a lot. His doctor came in and is giving him the option to stop the chemo for now and go home. They said he got the biggest part of it and it may be best for him to stop. I guess once they get the fever under control they'll prepare for him to go. I'll find out tomorrow what the final decision is.

Reagan's been running a fever since Friday. It was pretty low grade until Saturday night. She was complaining that her ear hurt so I was pretty sure we were facing an ear infection. I took her in today and they had to clean out one of ears three times (she was amazingly tough). Her ears ended up being clear. Her chest and her throat looked good too. She does have a yucky cough though. So they're thinking it's viral. I just wish her fever wasn't so high. This morning it was 102.5. Saturday it got up past 103. Fever is sooooo scary. But the good news is that she's okay for now. If her fever stays above 100 by Wednesday, I have to call the doctor. I just hope and pray that fever stays down. Unfortunately, I had to take off today and tomorrow. Financially it's not the best situation to be in right now, but I keep telling myself things really good be worse and I should count my blessings. The good thing is I get to spend quality time with the kiddos. Kaden plays outside all day and by the end of the day, he pretty much blends in with the dirt pile. Like I said, things could be worse!!! :)

Yay For Fridays!

2010-04-09T19:03:00.004-05:00

I love Fridays. I really like Thursdays. This is because when it's Thursday, you know the next day is Friday. Then on Friday, you know have the weekend. Saturday's great don't get me wrong, but by the end of the day, you're dreading Sunday which only leads to a day of preparing for another long week. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job. But weekends are GREAT!!! Does anybody else think like this or is it just me? Am I crazy?

Today is Wade's third day in the hospital. It feels like he's been there for weeks. He's been sleeping a lot but eating pretty good. He said other than being so tired, he feels okay. As of today, he has completed 2 treatments. Apparently each treatment is the same as taking two, so technically he's finished 4 treatments. He has 7 days of chemo which equals 14 doses. He should be finished Thursday, but won't come home until Saturday. A lot of people always ask me why he stays in the hospital because most people they know do the chemo and then come home that day. He's done this before too. However, because of the high doses, he has bad dreams, becomes extremely confused about where he is and he doesn't realize some of the things that he does. Also, because of the steroid induced diabetes (his sugar get very HIGH only when doing chemo) they monitor him closely and are able to give him insulin when he needs it. Plus, the commute has always been hard on him. However, we are extremely blessed to live so close to a hospital that millions of people come to from all over the world. I will be going up there tomorrow to see him. I can't wait to see him.

As far as the kids, they're doing a little better. We've been able to talk to Wade on the web cam so that helps a little. They still miss him terribly though.

I hope you all enjoy this BEAUTIFUL weather and of course the weekend!!!

Here we go again!

2010-04-07T21:03:00.007-05:00

As Wade begins his chemo again, we once again fall into the routine that seems all too familiar. I wish I could say we're getting used to it. That sounds awful to say I know. I feel like we're in this constant cycle that will never end. But strangely enough, I don't get used to it. It's like our life is put on hold for months. The kids are away from Wade for days and it seems like months. If Reagan asks, "Where's Daddy?" I tell her he's at the hospital getting medicine to make him feel better. Then Kaden begins to cry. It's heartbreaking. All I do is tell him I know how he feels and I'm sad too, but he's there to get better. As time passes and another round of chemo begins, the kids are a tad bit older and are now understanding more. They love Wade more than anything and are missing him more than ever. He stays in the hospital for 9 days at a time. They're hitting him hard with the chemo and in order for it to not make him completely out of it, they're spreading out the doses. More on this as the days pass.

So here we go again. Lots of traveling, parking, parenting, exhaustion, lonliness, stress. But mostly praying, patience, and being there for Wade no matter what. No doubt it's hard on us, but it's even harder for Wade. He's an amazing man and he's incredibly strong. More to come in the coming days.

On a MUCH brighter note, we enjoyed our Easter with our family. Here are some pictures to prove it!!!

On to Wade

2010-03-30T18:11:00.002-05:00

As some of you already know, Wade went to the doctor on Thursday for an update. But I want to back up a bit because before this, I haven't posted much on his progress. Wade's last round of chemo was at the end of November. This gave him a much needed break and a chance to really enjoy our holidays. Boy did we!?!? We had a great Christmas and it was nice not having to worry about much. When he went back for a checkup in January, the tumors were shrinking and they decided to take out his chest port. It was great news!!! He hates that thing so it was one less thing for him to worry about. The best thing was that his last treatment was in November and they were still shrinking.

Now back to last week. They found that one of the tumors has grown a bit and in order to stay on top of it, they want to do more chemo. Because he only did 4 out of the 6 rounds last time, they want to go ahead and finish off the last 2. After that, we'll see. The good thing about it all is that there aren't any new tumors and only one has grown. We'll take any good that we can. He will begin his treatments hopefully on Monday. He's still waiting to hear from the doctors. They wanted to start this week, but he wanted to wait until after Easter. I will continue to give updates through all of his treatments.

People are always telling me that they are thinking and praying for Wade and our family. We are extremely blessed and thankful for all that care so much for us.

Awesomely Wonderful Pictures

2010-03-30T17:49:00.005-05:00

I kept meaning to post these pictures after they were taken. One of our really good friends, Brandi, took them for us. She's awesome.

Beautiful, Beautiful

2010-03-29T19:56:00.001-05:00

I don't know what it is about this song, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!

Jasper

2010-03-25T22:34:00.003-05:00

We lost our sweet cat Jasper on Sunday, March 20th. He all of a sudden got really sick and refused to eat. We took him to the vet and found out he was jaundice and had a fever of 104. We had two choices... to put him in ICU for several days or put him to sleep. The vet told us that he probably had some type of liver disease and his chances of surviving were slim, even with being in ICU. Of course we couldn't handle the idea of losing our cat, but we also knew that spending thousands of dollars was not an option for us. We took him home to try and take care of him. We had to force feed him and hope that he'd get better. He was hiding from us and became very weak. He was in a lot of pain. When Wade took him back to the vet, he was even more jaundice. So to keep him from feeling the pain, we made the heartbreaking choice to let our precious cat go. He was the sweetest cat. He loved the kids and the kids loved him. We told them that he went to live with his mommy so she could take care of him. We're not quite ready to get into the deeper topic. So, rest up Jasper buddy. You are missed so much!

Teacher of the Year!!!

2010-03-14T17:13:00.003-05:00

So as my week started, on Monday, I was told I was nominated for Teacher of the Year. At that point, I had no idea how many people were nominated. For all I knew, it could've been 20 people. I was told to write "Why I Became a Teacher" and have it in the next day. If I can, I'll attach this on here somehow. Anyways, the voting started Tuesday afternoon and then all day Wednesday. I also found out it was me and three other amazing teachers. So there were only four!! I was already honored just to be nominated. I knew in the past that the "Teacher of the Year" was always surprised by his or her family Friday morning. So I also knew that if I would be receiving this award, my family would have found out at some point on Thursday. So of course, I was on to their every little move.

My mom was real short with me on the phone. Wade didn't ask one thing about what was going on. He didn't ask if I was nervous, if I thought I had a chance...nothing. I was also trying on clothes (which by the way I haven't been able to wear in 2 years) and he didn't once ask why I was doing that. I was a little thrown off when he asked if I could take the kids to the babysitter's Friday morning. This isn't anything out of the norm...we switch off taking and picking up depending on our schedules. When he told me I was taking the kids, I was a little bummed because then I knew the kids wouldn't be there so I was pretty sure at that point that I wouldn't be the TOY (for short). I was bummed, but okay too. Again, just being nominated was beyond any of my expectations.

So Friday morning came. Wade helped me get the kids ready to go and I was out the door. I got to school and for the most part, it was a normal day. I say that because we were going on a field trip that day and that always makes for a crazy morning. We were called down to the cafeteria at 7:45 with all of the kids where we anxiously waited for the news.

First, the paraprofessional of the year was announced. Ali Delavina was our para of the year. She's super! I was so happy for her. Then I knew what was next. I was sooo nervous. One girl, who was in my first class that I ever taught and who is now in 5th grade, was standing with me. She was more nervous than I was. Our TOY from last year got up and began talking.

He was unbelievably nice. The second he started talking about my personal struggles outside of school I had a hunch. Then he started talking about a situation that had happened just the day before. Long story short...when I was walking 2 classes out to recess, a girl tripped and feel head first into the corner of the wall. He came out of classroom and helped her to the nurse. It was such a horrible noise and I was so worried about that little girl. Anyways, he brought that up and then I knew and began to cry.

When they called my name, I walked up on the stage and the curtain opened. There behind the curtain was Wade, his mom, my parents, brothers, grandparents and aunt. I couldn't believe they were all there. I was so excited. It was such a great moment!

I am so incredibly blessed that I was rewarded doing something I truly love. I have such an amazing staff that I get to see everyday. I am very fortunate to have such great friends and family that support me and my every move. I am very thankful and honored that I was chosen to be our Teacher of the Year and I was so happy that my family was able to be there with me. It was a great ending to my week and beginning of my Spring Break!!!!

Here are pictures of my flowers that I received.

Here's what I wrote...

Why you chose to become a teacher:

I chose to become a teacher because I really and truly feel that I was meant to make a difference in the lives of children who are less fortunate. I’ve always had that feeling deep down that I was destined to do what I do. I never had a second option. This is my one and only true love and I can’t imagine my life any different. Having my students hug me, tell me they love me and learn in ways that never seize to amaze me reaffirms my love for teaching. Teaching is not just about learning to count and knowing your letters. It’s about making a difference in each child’s life and helping them have a positive outlook in their lives now and in the future. I chose to become a teacher so I could make children feel successful, loved and in turn become a respectful citizen. Nothing makes me happier than to hear a student say, “One day I’m going to be a teacher just like you.” I smile and say, “I once had that dream and my dream came true. Your dream can come true if you give your all and try your hardest.”

Other:

As a teacher, it is my goal to enhance student learning. I am to provide students with meaningful learning experiences that will last forever in their minds. The ultimate goal is for me to help these students develop intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically. Not one of these should be overlooked.

I aim to promote student responsibility for learning and inspire children to find ways to contribute to the class. In a classroom, the environment should be set up in a way that tells stories. One should be able to walk into a room and immediately see the community that has developed through the students. It should be stimulating and respectful of diverse views and experiences. Not one child is like another. This is the best way for children to learn from one another. It is a wonderful teachable moment that prevails every single day. Children tend to learn best from one another and as a facilitator, it is up to me to find ways to enhance this learning. Providing children with a diverse environment will open their minds to the surroundings all around them.

The students are the number one priority to any teacher. In order to make this a success, the teacher must develop meaningful relationships outside the classroom. Team members, principals, and other staff members are an important part of a teacher’s life. It is important to remain positive, understanding and open to others in the group. A support group is vital to any success.

Teaching is a privileged position. It is about hearts and minds and changing lives for all those involved in the process. It is important to make a daily effort to grow and become your best. As a teacher, I will continually grow and become a life-long learner. Not only will I teach my students, but my students will constantly be teaching me new things.

Weddings, Weddings and More Weddings

2010-03-08T00:14:00.013-06:00

Okay so there weren't THAT many weddings. But two weekends in a row = a very stressed mommy and two tired babies. Last weekend Reagan was in my cousin Jennifer's wedding as the flowergirl. She was precious of course. They had a blast at the reception. Kaden was showing off all his moves on the dance floor. It was hilarious! Here are a few pictures from that wedding. This past weekend was my cousin Kelli's wedding. I was actually the flowergirl in her mom and dad's wedding so it was pretty special that both Kaden and Reagan were in her wedding. We started Friday night off with the rehearsal. No matter what we bribed Kaden with, he DID NOT want to walk down the aisle. Reagan, being the pro now, took his hand and said, "Come on honey, it will be okay. Come with me." Still, he did not want to go. He finally went crying all the way. We just knew we were doomed on Saturday. Here are pictures from Friday. So Saturday came and I have to say, I was pretty darn proud of our kids. Not only were they absolutely adorable, but they did AWESOME walking down the aisle. Kaden was a little nervous around all the girls, but when the doors opened up to go in, he let it all go. He was ready to walk down. Him and Reagan held hands all the way down the aisle and even made it to the stairs and sat down. We planned for them to just make it down the aisle and then find us and sit down. We never thought they'd make it all the way to the front. We were amazed! I was sooo proud. They had a great time at the reception. This time, Reagan was a hit. She was dancing like crazy. It was so cute. Here's a video of her dancing. Sorry it's sideways. We forgot our video camera and I used my camera. Unfortunately, I taped it sideways...duh! It's still cute though.
And another...

Here are more pictures...

Updates

2009-10-04T12:18:00.004-05:00

It took me about 2 minutes to type "update" because I think it's quite possible my fingers may be frozen. Wade likes the hospital room cold. When I say it's cold, I mean I am shaking if I don't have a blanket. And my blanket is not nearly as warm as his. Man!!!

Anyway, as you can see, he's back in the hospital for round 2. He did great recovering this last time at home. He finally started feeling more like himself Thursday after he got out. We went to Creed last week. It was awesome. We had great seats! We tried for the pit (which was where we were last time they came), but we were happy with what he had. The weather was nice and it was great to just be out together.

Okay, so now back to the present. Wade was admitted to the hospital Friday (after he took the kids to Pump-it-Up). They have decided to double the dose on the chemo. Their reasoning is because he bounced back so quickly this last time and he handled it so well, they wanted to attack the tumors more aggressively. So during one day, he does 2 treatments. Each treatment lasts about 2 hours. The doses are stronger. I believe he will be getting 7 treatments. The first one started Friday evening and his last one should be Monday night. After this round, they will do some tests to see if there's been a change in the tumors. If it looks like the tumors have not been affected, then they will add adriamycin to the ifosfamide. This is the medicine they did the very first time Wade did chemo. It is a lot more aggressive and harder on him. It had a lot of side effects. So we will just have to wait and see. As of right now, he's doing pretty good. He's on his 4th treatment as I type.

Other GREAT news...my brother went in for his last surgery. They determined that the blood in his eyes (from vomiting after surgery) was the reason why he was not getting his eye sight back. They went in and vacuumed the blood out and after a few days he was able to see! The last few days have been cloudy, but today he said he woke up and it was clear! Praise God!!! I'm so very happy for him. I know he is relieved. He's been so worried, as we all have been. Goes to show you how powerful prayer is.

Well, I'm going to cover up and enjoy this rainy day with the love of my life (even though football is on). I'm preparing for a long week with a field trip on a Monday. CRAZY I know! But at least we have off next Monday! Have a wonderful, blessed week!

Wade's Home

2009-09-20T20:15:00.002-05:00

Wade came home Friday morning. He's been pretty groggy and a little out of it. Today though he's doing great. The kids were super excited to see him. That night, Reagan layed down with him and fell asleep. Kaden played with him and fell asleep next to him on the couch. I took the kids to my parent's house yesterday just to get out. They had a blast. I thought I'd give Wade (and the in-laws) some quiet time . We ended up staying home last night. The kids love home and I love my bed. But I missed Wade too much and we came back today. So we're at Wade's parent's again. We will probably stay here for a few days and then maybe head back home for about a week. We're going to see Creed on Friday! I'm pumped. Plus it will give me and Wade some alone time that I am dying for. Anyways, bottom line, Wade's doing great and he's very happy to be "home". Nothing like a real bed and real food! He's going for bloodwork tomorrow so that will be his first real day out. More to come in the next few days! For now, it's time to get things ready for the most dreaded day of all...Monday! Happy New Week!

A Good Wonderful Day

2009-09-17T20:19:00.006-05:00

Oh what a great day it has been. My kids at school were on a roll today. I was so proud of them. Today was the first day that I felt a little less stressed out. It's been a crazy start to the year. We still don't even have a break for lunch if that says anything. I'm ready for a lunch break (even though it will be at 10:00 this year!!!).

But the best news of all is that WADE IS COMING HOME TOMORROW!!! His mom is with him right now. I just got off the phone with him and he added yet another restaurant to the list. He said he wanted Red Lobster because they have all you can eat shrimp. Yum! He said he still felt rough but he sounds really good to me. The kids are so ready for him to come home. I am too...I get so lonely without him here.

My parents took JR to the doctor today in Dallas. There wasn't much they could do for him today because he had a lot of blood behind his eye (???) and they were unable to get in a see anything. They said it was caused from him vomiting after his surgery. They want him to come back in a week and they are going to try again. The pressure in his eye is 11 (it's supposed to be between 10 and 20 if I remember correctly). They said he really shouldn't be having a whole lot of pain. So, we'll find out more soon.

More good news...TOMORROW IS FRIDAY!!!! YAY!!! I LOVE Fridays! And Wade coming home makes it even better! Here's to a wonderful, relaxing weekend!

100th Post and Wonderings...

2009-09-16T23:59:00.003-05:00

This is my 100th post! Wow...it took me a little while, but I made it. As I was in my car today, I had so many thoughts running through my head. I've had a lot of "me time" in the car since I drove to the hospital and then back to Spring. So...

I wonder...

- why my daughter always has to eat her ice cream cone from the bottom to the top. She always goes for the cone first and then it gets EVERYWHERE!

- why the people who beg for money at street lights have to do tricks with a hat to get some attention. It always makes me giggle.

- why the hospital parking garage must charge people so much to park. Shouldn't the garages be paid for in full by now? I don't mind paying if it's somewhere I want to be (like a concert).

- if anybody read the above comment and wondered why the garage charges you and not a person. (it's late!)

- if I scared the girl that was driving in front me tonight. We were on the freeway and she was driving a very dark blue SUV and she did not have her lights on. I was driving next to her and behind her to get her attention. I was flashing my lights at her and trying to wave her down. I was so concerned that I even ended up having to go a different way home. She braked a couple of times. She eventually turned them on. Scary! I'm pretty sure I freaked her out!

- what it is about having your windows down while you're driving that seems so relaxing. Add the smell of burning leaves and I'm almost in a coma!

- is it strange to like the smell of skunks?

- why some parents don't realize how much their kids learn from them and why they aren't better role models.

- why as adults we lose our ability to feel free like kids!

- why people are afraid to look at you when you're hooked to an IV pole with A LOT of meds attached. I wonder what they're thinking. Are they curious why you're in the hospital and are they wondering if what you're doing is working?

- why even though something seems to turn your world upside down you realize how great you really have it and how wonderful your life is.

- why you feel a connection with complete strangers in a place that you never thought you'd be.

- how it could be possible to love your kids anymore than you do? Is there such thing as more because the love you have for your kids is off the charts?!?!

- what it must have been like for Jesus to die for our sins.

- how I could ever explain to Wade how truly grateful I am to him for being such an amazing fighter and a wonderful dad. How blessed I am to have my kids look up to an unbelievable man!
(this song reminds me of Wade -

Here's an update on Wade and J.R.

- Wade finished his last treatment this morning. They are still running Mesna (a drug used to protect the bladder and kidney from side effects of chemo) through the IV and then all he has are the regular fluids. One doctor came in and said he would go home Saturday and one of the nurses said possibly tomorrow or Friday. They're mainly trying to regulate his blood sugar. He looked good tonight and said he felt better than he did yesterday so that is good news. We're all VERY ready for him to come home. For some reason, all he talks about is food. We have a HUGE list of places we have to go when he gets home. I think next time he needs to leave the TV off so he can avoid all of those commercials.

- I just saw J.R. today for the first time. I'm not going to lie and say I'm not worried because I am. I just pray that his eye heals and he comes out of this stronger than ever. Currently he cannot see. He told me all he can see are blurs of movement. They're going back up to Dallas tomorrow to see his doctor because he's been having a lot of pain in his eye. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

**Side Note**
Open House was a success! The kids did great! My students loved my kids! Reagan was the calm one of course. She would sit down and color and read books. Kaden on the other hand...at one point all you could see was his legs hanging out of the block container. He dumped out a bunch of buttons (and Reagan cleaned up after him) and played with a lot of my math manipulatives, but he had a blast. They both did! Plus, I enjoyed showing them off because of course they're the cutest kids EVER!!!!

So, here's to another 100 posts...hopefully 100 more full of good news!!!

September 14th Update

2009-09-15T00:15:00.002-05:00

I just got home from visiting with Wade at the hospital. If you ask him how he feels, he says he feels like "poo poo". Nice huh? He has completed 3 days of chemo and will begin another at 5:00 in the morning. He's beginning to get dizzy and he has the shakes. However, he has taken his guitar and he continues to play as much as he can. At one point he stopped playing and the nurse came in to make sure he was okay!!!! :) I always try to get him out of the room as much as possible. Tonight we went to the cyber room to get a few movies. We weren't out very long and he was ready to get back to the room.

His blood sugar was so high this afternoon that it didn't register on the machine. This means it was above 500. They just started a long lasting insulin tonight. The endocrinologist came in and talked to him for a bit. Of course it didn't help that Wade had Oreo cookies sitting next to him and a few cokes (which really weren't all his). The doctor kept eyeing the cookies and told him to leave those for the visitors! I took home all the goodies I bought for him a couple of days ago. I bought mostly candy and sweet snacks. We kind of figured this would happen since it happened last time too. They call what he has steroid induced diabetes. When he was home, he wasn't taking anything at all.

Other than that, things are moving along. He moved to room 1014 today. Apparently he was in a high tech room that had a lot of monitors. Another patient came in today who was in bad shape and they needed that room so they moved Wade (then they saw the stash of candy we had hidden in the drawers!!!!!).

I've been staying at Wade's parents house. It's always so hard to be away from Wade and then so hard to be away from the kids. We try to get the kids to talk to Wade on the webcam as much as possible. When Wade was on it the other day, he made his face look like a werewolf. It freaked Reagan out! She kept calling it a tiger and she backed far away from the screen. Then both of them thought there was a werewolf at the hospital with Daddy. Crazy kids! In the next few days, I know Wade won't feel like getting on much. Kaden is always asking, "Why is daddy in the hospital? To get better?" It breaks my heart. I know they both miss him, but it's definitely been hard on him.

I have Open House tomorrow night and I am being adventurous and taking the kids with me. This should be interesting! Kaden's not one for staying in one place long so we'll see!

Thank you so much to everybody who is thinking of us and praying for us! It means so much to us. More updates to come!

Timeline

2009-09-13T18:03:00.010-05:00

This is our life in the last 12 years or so. I really did this for me. Many people ask when certain things have happened. This helps me remember.

1997 - Wade has a back injury after lifting incorrectly when working at UPS.

1998- He has another back injury in the same spot.

August 1999 - Wade and Katie meet for the first time but are only friends; Katie begins college at Sam Houston.

2000 - Wade began working at AVR.

September 2001 - Wade and Katie begin dating.

December 2002 - Wade had been complaining for a couple of years that his back hurt. After many doctor appointments he is finally referred to get an MRI. The MRI indicated a football sized tumor in his back.

January 2003 - Wade went to MD Anderson for the first time where they begin all the tests. We find out he has synovial sarcoma; Wade begins chemotherapy.

May 2003 - Wade completes chemo.

June 2003 - He begins radiation. He goes everyday at 5:30 in the morning for a month.

July 2003 - Wade completes radiation. The doctors want to try an experimental trial where he is required to do a little radiation and a little chemo. He stops after one round.

September 17, 2003 - First surgery to remove the tumor in his back.

December 3, 2003 - Katie graduates from SHSU.

December 24, 2003- Wade proposes to Katie!!!!!!!

December 18, 2004 - Wade and Katie get married!

February 2005 - Pregnant with Kaden.

November 3, 2005 - Kaden is born!

May 31, 2006 - Wade starts working at his current job - Freeman

September 2006 - Pregnant with Reagan!

January 20, 2007 - After his first yearly checkup (they previously were either 3 month or 6 month check-ups), tests show the cancer moved to his lungs. He begins to think of what to do next.

February 28, 2007 - Second surgery to remove the tumors in his both lungs. They go in through his chest (Sternotomy).

May 26, 2007 - Reagan is born!!!

???? - Tumors are back! Time to prepare for another surgery.

October 2007 - Wade has a third surgery. This time they go in through his back on the right side. They remove the tumors in his right lung only.

November 2007 - Wade has a benefit. We were extremely blessed to have so many friends and family come out to support us!

January 2008 - Fourth surgery. This time they go in through his back on the left side and remove the tumors in his left lung only.

April 2008 - The tumors have returned AGAIN! This time chemotherapy is recommended.

May 9, 2008 - Wade begins chemo.

August 2008 - Completes chemo. It is successful...the growth stopped!

May 2009 - The tumors in his lungs have grown a bit. They decide to watch them for a bit.

August 2009 - The tumors (now 5) have grown a very tiny bit. However, because they are continuing to grow, they give Wade the option of a clinical trial that only has a 5% chance of working, or do chemo where it will have at least a 50% of working.

September 2009 - Wade decides to do chemo.

September 10, 2009 - Wade prepares to have his CVC port inserted. After, the plan was for him to be admitted and begin chemo that night. However, due to complications, they were unable to insert the port. They tell him to come back the next day and they will try again.

September 11, 2009 - They try for a second time. They finally get it in and do an X-ray. Wade is admitted into the hospital. They return with the x-rays and it shows that it still was not in all the way.

September 12, 2009 (midnight)- More people come in to try again. Success! At 5:30 a.m., he begins his first round of chemo!

Good News and Bad News

2009-09-10T18:55:00.004-05:00

Bad news first...

Wade went to get his port in and they were unable to get it in. It took them over an hour and as he put it, "They were digging" in order for it to cooperate with the vein. They had to do an X-ray to make sure there was no damage from it. All was good. So he goes back tomorrow for another try. He was supposed to be admitted to the hospital after the port was inserted. So if all goes well, he will have the port in and then he will start chemo that same day.

Good news...

He gets to spend one more night with us. :)

One more thing...

My brother has been having a hard time with his diabetes lately. You may have read previous blog entries from this. One of the negatives about diabetes is that it can affect your eyes and possibly cause you to go blind. Unfortunately, JR has had many days when has not been able to see. That is why he has undergone so many surgeries. His most recent one was yesterday. He was so sick afterwards that he was constantly throwing up. This obviously is not good since there is so much pressure on the eyes when you throw up. So he's been sick and in a lot of pain. Please, please pray for him as he endures this battle!

Things

2009-09-08T22:13:00.003-05:00

Well, we found out today that Wade will be starting chemo on Thursday. He goes in for his orientation and then he gets his port Thursday. Then he will stay at the hospital for the chemo. We've been dreading this!! It's going to be much harder this time...I think. The kids are a little bigger and older so they are picking up on what's going on. Wade's mom and dad have already offered for us to come and stay with them. Of course we'd love to stay home, but it just makes more sense to stay with them. They help with the kids and they live so much closer to the babysitter. It saves me about an hour a day on the road. Of course there will be more to come on the situation.

I found a few pictures on my phone that I'm going to post. I'm still working on posting a few videos. Until then, enjoy the pictures. They're mostly Reagan today. Getting a picture of Kaden is nearly impossible!

**Nevermind on the pictures. I'm having a hard time posting anything. I will post them later!**

First Day and an Update on Wade

2009-08-24T20:44:00.006-05:00

Today was the first day of school! I'm sort of short on words. All I can really say is I am exhausted and my feet HURT! My back was good until the end of the day. And even then, it wasn't horrible. I have a pretty good class. So far I only have 14 kids though I'm sure that number will grow. More to come on school.

I've been meaning to add an update on Wade. Several weeks ago he went to the doctor for his check-up. He currently has 5 tumors in his lungs (he did have six!!!) Two of them have grown since the last time he went. So the doctor explained that there was a possibility of doing a new vaccine that has had a wonderful outcome in some patients. It could stop the growth of the tumors. He had to have something in his blood that allowed him to take this vaccine. Unfortunately, he didn't have this special something. So, the doctor (who is EXTREMELY smart) is looking into other clinical trials. Usually when you hear this, you think the worst. This is not the last resort. The doctor knows how much Wade hates chemo and is looking for other options. Of course if he HAD to, he would do this again.

Wade is amazingly optimistic and feels really good about everything. So more to come as we hear more. Please keep praying for his healing.

On a brighter note, our friend Brandi took some really good pictures of the kids when we went to their house to hangout one night. I LOVE them. Check them out here.. http://www.flickr.com/photos/brandibakerphotography/sets/72157622058370324/

I'm Baaaaaack!!

2009-08-23T16:16:00.013-05:00

It's been way too long. I thought I'd blog more being off all summer. For some reason, I didn't get anything done this summer.

We had a wonderful summer. We decided not to have Kaden's tubes taken out of his ears. We actually cancelled 3 times. He did so good that we hated to mess with a good thing. Maybe they fell out on their own. We will have to make an appointment soon to see.

At the beginning of the summer, we stayed at Galveston for a week. It was great. The only bad part was that somebody was sick everyday. I was sick at the beginning, then Reagan and then Kaden. Not to mention Wade got a ridiculous sunburn the first day at the beach.

The kids LOVED the beach. Reagan was scared at first, but then she warmed up to it. It was hard to keep them out of the beach. It was during our vacation that we discovered how well Kaden could swim without his floaties. This led to an amazing time in the pool this summer. He's one crazy swimmer. He's able to dive down and get toys at the bottom of the pool. Of course it makes us crazy nervous and we're always right there, but man he does awesome.

This summer we...

Stayed cool by playing outside in the water...

...enjoyed 4th of July fun and fireworks at Joan and John's

...made rainbow cakes

...cleaned (well, some of us)

...welcomed Baby William

...painted with Daddy

...and just had fun!

Now summer is officially over and school starts tomorrow. I was at work all last week with the exception of Friday. I just so happened to pull a muscle in my back. I couldn't stand up and I could barely walk. It was horrible. I was terrified that it was going to be something more serious judging from the pain. I heard/felt it pop. We went to the ER as soon as it happened. So, I missed Friday and missed meeting my kids. I was so upset. Plus, I am nowhere near where I want to be. So much still needs to be done. I can hopefully get in early tomorrow and get the basics ready. I'm pretty sure you never really can be fully prepared for what the first day brings. I'll just pray for the best.

More on how the first day goes as well as Wade's doctor appointments to come. I will also be posting some of the most adorable videos ever on here. Be looking!!!

Happy Birthday My Sweet Little Girl

2009-05-26T23:46:00.004-05:00

Reagan,

Today you turn two. It's so hard to believe. You have changed so much. You have become quite a big girl. Your personality is really taking shape. I've noticed that lately you do a lot of the same things and facial expressions as your brother. You put your own little twist to them though.

Every person you come across is instantly drawn to you. You have a way to make people melt. You sing non-stop. In the car ride home, it's constant singing. Your favorite is "Old MacDonald". And on his farm, all he seems to have are cows. You LOVE Baby Einstein and beg to watch it every night before you go to sleep. Just what we need...a bad habit in the making.

We just started swimming again for the summer. You HATED it at first. You cried hysterically and layed your head on daddy's shoulder the first time in. Now, I know you don't remember, but you LOVED the water last year. However, this past weekend, you finally opened up and we had a hard time getting you out. I can't wait to watch you all summer long in the pool.

You are extremely spoiled. You rarely get in trouble. And when you do, you cry so hard that you begin gagging. It's as if you are about to throw up. A little dramatic I know, but you really do get this honestly I must say. ;) Daddy can't stand to hear you cry. Mommy's a lot stronger at making you stay in time out than Daddy. However, I melt too once you start yelling "Mommy, I'm sorry!"

I love when you wake up in the morning. You start out by quietly calling me. I love to wait though because it gradually turns into a yell. This is only something you can laugh at if you've heard it. It's impossible to describe.

You had your first haircut May 9th. Suzanne cut your hair. She gave Kaden his first haircut too. But the best thing is that she also gave me my first perm when I was 3 years old. She's also done Nina and Granny's hair for nearly 30 years. We were all there...including Papa and Grandad. It was a big day. It was a 4th generation day!!! You were such a big girl and barely even moved. Once it was cut, you looked like such a big girl. It made mommy a little sad. Where did my little baby go?

You love your family and friends. Kaden is your best friend. You truly look up to him and he is always looking after you. You have an amazingly big heart. You always make sure everybody is okay. I'll never forget walking in the door after work and hearing you say, "Hi Mommy! I missed you today!" It made my heart melt. And of course the "I love yous" are indescribable.

You love your daddy. At night you always tell him, "Daddy, let's wrestle." You're so fragile and "girly" that it makes me so nervous when you rough house with the boys. But you hold your own. You're getting braver every day.

You still have your moments of being scared to death of things. I'll have to post a YouTube video of the night two birds got in our house. You were so scared. Afterwards though, you made everybody think you weren't scared at all. Too bad it was all caught on tape.

I can not begin to tell you how much joy you have brought into our lives. You are the little girl I always dreamed of. You're way better than my dreams. It's not even a close race. I will never forget the day when we found out we were having a baby girl. It was surreal. I will never forget the day you came into our lives on this day, 2:03 p.m. How blessed we were and are. You have made me a better person. I love you sooo very much sweet baby girl. Happy 2nd Birthday!

Sick Babies

2009-04-26T23:21:00.012-05:00

Here are pictures from last night and today of my two sick babies. Reagan is feeling MUCH better. Kaden is still not feeling well. This last hour is the first time that he's been acting like himself. We will see how tomorrow goes.

This is Kaden last night. He was saying, "I'm siiiiick". He was playing with a new playdoh toy. Notice the busted blood vessel in his eye.

This was Reagan last night. She was already feeling better. After all, she was a princess.

Kaden not feeling so hot this morning.

Kaden trying to sleep and Reagan making sure he's okay.

The Things You Do For Love

2009-04-25T17:32:00.002-05:00

Oh what a wonderful start to this rainy day! Both kids are sick! I'm talking throwing up and the other if you know what I mean. Well, Kaden has both. Reagan just has the other one that "you know what I'm talking about". I knew that Reagan wasn't feeling like herself Thursday when I picked her up from the babysitters. She cried most of the way home and was very whiny (more than normal) and had a very sleepy face. However, once we got home, she was fine. Friday morning I drop the kids off and come to find out, there are three kids that are sick. Of course this is not a good thing. The doctors were telling them this is VERY contagious. The day goes on...

That same night (yesterday evening), Wade picked them up and he said Kaden was acting a little strange. He didn't want to eat much and he kept saying his was tired. He wasn't lying...it wasn't long after that and he was sleeping. Oh, forgot to mention, he had the "you know what I'm talking about" twice before he went to bed.

Long story short, Kaden threw up all night long. I felt so bad for him. It's been a very long time since he's been this sick. He's running a fever. Reagan's slept most of the day. She has a little fever and a very empty look. The only time Reagan has ever been sick was when she was 6 months old. And even then, she only a fever and that same look on her face. I guess that look she has will be the look she has when she gets sick. Who knows. We had an accident in the bathroom. That was exciting. After Reagan slept for a few hours, she woke up feeling much better. She's sleeping now. Kaden's awake and he's not feeling so good.

So, I am anticipating a lovely night. Hopefully they will sleep at the same time tonight. Today they've been taking turns. We will see. Whatever the case, I'm all about cleaning up puke and poop. Isn't that what moms do?

Email

2009-04-23T22:42:00.000-05:00

This is the email I sent out yesterday...

Ironically, for the past two days I've had many people asking me how Wade is doing. He had all of his tests Monday and Tuesday (yesterday) he went to the doctor to hear what she had to say. Unfortunately, they found two new spots (tumors) in his left lung. They are extremely small. They are so small that even if they wanted to do surgery, it would be almost impossible to find them. He already had two spots. These spots stayed the same size throughout chemo and the last 8 months, but they have now grown about 1 mm each. It's not the best news I know, but as the doctor said, "In the cancer world, they're growing slowly". So that is a huge positive to it all. We will now wait three more months as they will continue to keep an eye on the tumors. There's not a lot that can be done right now.

Wade is feeling well. His words on Facebook said, "You will witness a miracle". It's never something you want to hear, but we're making the best of the situation. All we can do is rely on the Great Physician above and pray for Wade's healing.

On a brighter note, we're very excited that we will be able to enjoy the summer by swimming with our kids. Last year he was unable to do this because the catheter that was used to administer the chemo could not get wet. So, keep him in your prayers and I will continue to keep you updated.

Praying

2009-04-20T21:18:00.001-05:00

Praying real hard!

Wade's Check-Up

2009-04-19T14:30:00.002-05:00

Wade will be going to the doctor this week for his check up. He is supposed to have all the tests tomorrow and then see the doctor Tuesday (although this could have changed to Thursday). I don't remember if I ever wrote about his last check up. They said the two spots that are in his lungs "could have" grown, but it could have just been the way the CT scan sliced it. So, here we go again. For the first month after he went, I was relieved. Then I knew the next check up was getting closer and I start to get a little nervous. Well, "a little" is an understatement. So, all I can do is pray for Wade's healing and know that God has a plan that is out of our hands. If you read this, please pray for Wade over the next week. I will keep everybody updated as we get more news.

Also, I will posting Easter pictures soon. I am sooo lazy!

Random Pictures for Random Thoughts

2009-04-13T10:25:00.004-05:00

Random Thoughts

2009-04-08T21:18:00.004-05:00

As I sit here, I can't help but think how incredibly blessed I am. Kaden is up way too late eating peanuts on the couch watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I'm telling you, he gets cuter and cuter with every passing minute. He's amazing. He says the funniest things. I wish I could just carry around a tape recorder to record it all. The other day, the cat was trying to come out of the door and he says, "Come on my little darlin'". Or when he found out that his candy had peanuts in it he says, "Hot dog there's peanuts!" He's just genuinely excited about so many things. I love taking him and Reagan to watch the airplanes. He is so amazed by them! I changed the way that I go home every day. I used to take 45 home, but now I take old Hardy since it right next to the trains. You are guaranteed to see at least 2 trains. I don't really mind...there's not much of a time difference. It can actually be faster some days. He is so polite and has such great manners. He always says thank you, no thank you, you're welcome, bless you, etc. The other day I had just put on my shirt for the wedding we were going to. It was black with white flowers. He looked and me and said, "Awe, so cute! Flowers!" He of course attempted to smell my shirt. He then was practically rolling on the floor because he knew he was being silly. And he adores his sister. Now Reagan...

She's a crazy little thing. Wade and I were just talking about how fast she's changing...looks and all. She is such a girly girl. She is afraid of so many things, but tough in her own way. It's amazing to see her play with her dolls. She's like a little mommy. She swaddles them and cleans them and pushes them in her stroller. She just started saying, "Oh my gosh!" It's so cute to hear her say it. She loves pickles, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, and fruit. Well, there really isn't much she doesn't like. She loves to wear my jewelry and walk around with my purse. She LOVES shoes. Okay, she's a little obsessed with shoes. One night when we were at the mall, she stopped and stared at the shoes in the window displays. She would yell, "Shoes!" and then just check them out! She has sooo many shoes. She walks around with my purse and keys. She's incredibly smart. She sings everytime we get in the car. She is always singing. She's not too into TV or movies. She's a little clingy but that's okay. One day I will only be able to look back and remember moments like this.

The big news with Reagan is that she pee peeed in the potty! She's done it a couple of times. We're so excited, but I think she's even more excited! She's so proud. Of course she really likes the "towels" aka toilet paper and flushing the most. Man, I can only imainge what it will be like to be done with diapers!!!!

These are just random thoughts I know. I'm just having one of those days when I just can't help but love my life. I have two beautiful babies and an AMAZING husband that I get to share all of this with. Life is great.

As I was looking through my camera, I found some random pictures so be looking for those soon.

Rodeo and Other Things

2009-03-18T21:04:00.010-05:00

We went to the rodeo on Monday. It was a blast. We literally spent the entire day there. I didn't think we'd stay so long. We went to the livestock show first. It was neat, but the kids didn't care too much for it. Reagan was terrified of the cows of course. I have to say though, they were pretty loud. We knew she was already scared of cows, so this just made it worse. So, the petting zoo wasn't exactly what she wanted to do either. Kaden loved it.

We pretty much spent the day out at the carnival. I was really surprised how well Kaden did. There wasn't much for Reagan to ride, but she was happy as could be. Kaden liked the little kid rides but then wanted to do the bigger rides. He was so excited.

I adore my kids. Nothing makes me happier than watching them together. They are truly amazing together. Kaden is such a great big brother. He always makes sure Reagan is included. Reagan is just incredibly loving. She always makes sure he is okay and happy. I love it. Her big thing is, "Are you okay?" in a very high pitched voice. As she says it, she pats you and says, "Ok?" and then answers herself with another "ok". I love it.

Aside from the rodeo, here are a few cute things about the kids:

- Kaden came in and told Reagan he had a boo boo. She replies with, "Awe, you okay?" He says yes and asks if she will kiss his blood. She says yes and kisses his blood. Now that's love.

- Reagan pushed the button on Buzz Lightyear and Kaden tells her, "Oh Reagan, I'm so proud of you!"

- We went to the playground at the mall yesterday and even with a million kids running crazy, Kaden and Reagan always managed to check in with each other every 5 minutes or so. Kaden found a new friend that he declared to all, "he's my best friend!" Reagan found a little girl about her age (who spoke only Spanish), and just attached herself to her. She would clap for her when she slid and tell her, "Good job!". At one point, she even helped her out of a play boat. If the little girl fell, Reagan would help her up and ask her if she was okay. Of course every kid she ran into, she'd tilt her head and ask them if they were okay too. So cute. You'd have to see it to really see how darn cute it is.

Nothing in this world has brought me more joy than watching my two kiddos together. This age is by far (so far) the most fun. They are amazing to watch grow. I've said it before and I will say it again, us having them close in age is one of the best things we have ever done. God has truly blessed us.

Now Spring Break comes to an end and I am soooo sad. I've enjoyed spending time with the kids. I just wish I could spend this much time with them always. So, back to work I go. Knowing that summer isn't far away will help me pull through these last 9 weeks. I think I can, I think I can...

Spring Break

2009-03-17T10:57:00.007-05:00

Well, we have officially made it to spring break! It is a well needed break for all. It's been quite eventful for us. Friday night we celebrated Wade's mom's birthday. Saturday was our lazy day, but only because Kaden had another ear infection. We had to miss a birthday party. He had an ear infection in his left ear. Usually his right ear gives him trouble. It always seems to drain. We finally took him to the ENT (who we love and is awesome with Kaden) and the doctor gave him some awesome drops. That ear cleared right up. Saturday morning (2:30 - 5:30) Kaden was in horrible pain. He was yelling about his other ear hurting. He woke up with a 102 fever. So we started giving him drops in that ear. He had another appointment Monday. Everything was fine. We just have to keep giving him drops and bring him back to the ENT in a month. We're hoping his tubes will go ahead and fall out on their own. We will see.

Sunday we went to the zoo. Call us crazy I know. It was pouring down rain all the way there. We had planned to go and thought if it wouldn't work, we'd just go to the Children's Museum. But things could not have worked out more perfectly. We got the very first parking spot and while it was sprinkling when we got there, it stopped once we were in. It would sprinkle a couple of times, but we'd just go in the tropcial bird house where we were covered. But really, it managed to clear up while we were there. The kids loved it. Reagan of course loved the monkeys and Kaden loved the elephants and fish (Dory and Nemo of course). All of the animals were out and we didn't have to push and shove other people to see things. It was awesome. We saw the new giraff, Miles. He's so cute. We bought some popcorn on the way out and decided to feed the birds in the pond. We were bascially attacked. Reagan didn't want anything to do with the birds. It was great...so funny. The second we got in the car, it starting pouring down rain. We couldn't have timed it better. We went to the Rodeo yesterday. More on that to come!!!

25 Things About Me

2009-02-15T17:40:00.001-06:00

I did this on Facebook a couple of weeks ago. Just thought I'd add it on here.

1. I’ ve been married to Wade for 4 years. We’ve known each other since 1999 and actually liked each other then. Problem was, he had a girlfriend. We stopped talking for about a year but then reconnected at a Matchbox 20 concert in 2001. I knew he was the one the moment he touched me and I had butterflies.

2. My parents are still together and are still so in love. They are great role models! I am EXTREMELY close to them. I talk to them everynight. If I don't, they think something horrible has happened.

3. Both of my brothers have Type 1 Diabetes. They’ve both had it since they were 12 and 18 months old. Somehow, I was skipped. I love my brothers to death and I am always worried about them. I pray every night for both of them.

4. I believe with my heart and soul that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and I long for the day I will meet him face to face. I know it’s getting closer. The most precious thing is listening to my babies pray and end with a strong Amen!

5. Most of my best friends have moved away…and far! I miss them soooo much!

6. I feel most accomplished as a mother and a wife. God has blessed me with an amazing family. Cuddling, hugging, kissing, singing to, loving, praying, laughing, and even crying with my babies is something only a mom can understand. It makes me understand my mother so much more and appreciate all that my parents have done for us.

7. I love when the kids do things that remind me of myself when I was little. I love when my parents say, “He/She looks so much like Katie when she was little.” I love watching how excited our parents get when they see our kids. Wade and I have such great families. We are blessed that so many people love our babies.

8. I have to have EVERYTHING ready the next day before I go to bed. This means having my clothes ready, the kids clothes ready, lunch ready, knowing exactly where my purse and keys are, etc. If I don’t have these things done, I am a mess in the morning! Plus I have the same routine every morning. If I do something out of order, I’m sure to forget something (like putting on deodorant).

9. I have lived in the same house for 28 years. Funny thing is, Wade’s only lived here for 4 years and he has way more clutter than me. You’d think he was the one that’s lived here longer. My parents moved out right before we got married. We’ve since had it remodeled. We still have some work to do.

10. I love TV. I love reality TV. I am a sucker for all of it. American Idol, The Bachelor, Real Housewives of Orange County/New York/Atlanta, Wife Swap, The Hills, The City, Real World, Survivor, Big Brother, Amazing Race, True Beauty and I am sure a million more. I of course love my other shows like Grey’s and Private Practice.

11. Kaden was conceived on Valentine’s Day (is this TMI???? Probably!!!)

12. I love my job..most days. There are many days I am extrememly tired and irritated, but compared to the positives, it is so worth it. It’s so hard to believe how much these kids learn. I get so irritated when people think my job is easy. Kindergarten is not like it used to be. Not only are we showing these kids how behave socially, but we are expected to have them reading and writing at the end of the year. No people, we’re not playing in centers and coloring all day.

13. I admire Wade for all he’s been through. I would do anything to switch places with him. I constantly fear losing him. I can’t imagine life without him. He’s my best friend in the whole world!

14. I still drive the same car from when I graduated high school. Maybe that’s not too crazy. It’s only been what, 10 years?? Crazy..I’ve been out of high school for 10 years. Oh…back to the car….hey, it’s paid off. I think I’m making a wise decision. I will keep her as long as I can.

15. I miss one certain person in my life. However, I realize that things would never, ever be the way they were before. I am a completely different person from 7 years ago. Again, so weird how fast time flies. No, it’s not another man!

16. I am sooooo afraid of staying home by myself. I have this huge fear that somebody is going to break into my house and try to kill me.

17. I have issues with kidney stones. We’re in the process of trying to figure out how to keep them away. I just had surgery for the second time 2 weeks ago.
The first time I ever had kidney stones was on our honeymoon!!!

18. I love the beach. I love the snow too. I love vacations!

19. I sleep with the ceiling fan and another fan next to the bed every night. I have to have the noise.

20. If you plan on playing any games with me (board games, sports, etc.), be prepared. I am HIGHLY competitive. My 7 year old nephew just taught me how to play speed stackers and within 10 minutes, I was kicking his butt. Did I mention I stole a DVD player from my grandmother during a white elephant game? And as far as catching the bouquet during weddings, I sort of lose track of who's around me...no matter the age. I didn't care about what the meaning was behind it, I just wanted to win. I can be friendly, I promise. I just WANT to win!!!!

21. I love weather. I love the weather channel. I could leave it on there all day. I love rainy days. I love cloudy, cold days. I love fires in the fireplace. I love knowing all about the weather!

22. My real name is Stephanie. When people ask me what my middle name is, I tell them Kay. They then say, Katie Kay? Then I have to explain my name and why my parents are so crazy. I swore my kids would go by their real names and so far so good.

23. I love my grandparents to death. They have done so much for us and love us no matter what. I have an AMAZING family! We had a wonderful chlidhoodl full of so many memories.

24. We are about to take Reagan to get her first haircut. I’m trying to arrange it to where my mom and grandma can both go. The lady that will cut it is the same lady who cut my hair, as well as my mom and granny. She gave me my firm perm!!! She did my hair for prom, homecomings and my wedding. She also gave Kaden his first haircut. I can’t wait to have us all together. It’s kind of a big thing!!!!!

25. Christmas is the most magical time of the year. It gets better every year as the kids get older. Watching the kids get so excited over every little twinkle and every little present makes me feel like a kid all over again. The snow this year was amazing…watching their reactions can not be explained. It was just magical. I can’t wait for next year already!!!!

Praise God

2009-02-13T17:20:00.002-06:00

A while back, a lady from my mom's work was asking about J.R., my brother, and how he was doing. Again, he has Type 1 Diabetes and was declared legally blind. Her and her husband are young adult pastors at their church. Well, they invited J.R. to their church and we went with him. It was an AMAZING experience to say the least. I can't even put into words how God was felt that day no doubt. This is a HUGE thing for my brother. He went to the front for the alter call and had a pastor pray for him. Before we knew it, we were surrounded by many people praying over him. He had tears in his eyes. I can't explain the feeling we all had. Well, since then, J.R. went back up to Dallas. He had surgery on one of his eyes. After a few weeks of healing, he is able to see again. His eyesight in the eye went from 2300 (yes you read it correctly) to 20/50. Amazing huh?

Unfortunately, in the last week, his has had 2 pretty bad reactions to where the ambulance came and EMT had to and give him an IV. We wonder, maybe this is God healing him???? Maybe he's giving himself too much insulin when he doesn't need it????? It's not normal for him to be having so many reactions. We will see. For now, we pray and praise! Amen!!!!

Funny Things

2009-02-12T20:06:00.002-06:00

As my kids (school kids) were coming into class the other day, a few of the kids were bringing me things like bears, candy, etc. Well, I guess one of the little boys felt a little left out. He told me, "Well, you know what, I'm going to make you some beef-a-roni!" My reply was of course a giggle and a "Yummy!" He told me his momma makes some good beef-a-roni. Let's hope I find tomorrow is a love filled day without the meat!

Another kid comes into my class during dismissal. She's not one of mine, though I wouldn't mind claiming her. She was out for several days in row (like the millions of others that have been out). I asked where she had been and she replied, "I had the flute." That of course made me giggle too. I love 5 and 6 year olds. They're so funny!

Still Alive

2009-02-11T20:55:00.003-06:00

It's been forever I know. I've just been super busy and extremely overwhelmed. Long story short, I had surgery to remove a kidney stone (the size of a large almond), and ending up having all sorts of issues. What was supposed to be an outpatient surgery ended up with me in the hospital for 2 nights. This was after I survived the weekend. I went 6 days without eating and hardly drank anything. I was miserable. I could barely keep anything down. They admitted me because my fever was over 103 and they wanted to make sure there was no infection. But all is well now and I am feeling MUCH better.

Wade went to the doctor the Tuesday before I went to the hospital for his checkup. They said that there are no new spots and that it is possible the two spots he has have grown VERY little if at all. It could have been the way the CT scan was "sliced". It was good news though. We will take it. He goes back in April. All we can do is pray for his continued healing!

The kids are wonderful! They're growing up way too fast. I wish I could just freeze time. The things they do just crack me up. Kaden's still doing the potty training thing. He's doing pretty good. We're just working one dirty thing if you know what I mean. He does love us "to infinity and beyond" and I mean really...you can't beat that. I can't think of a love any stronger than that!

Reagan is so funny. Her new thing is saying, "I'm gorgeous" while putting her hands on her clothes and blinking those eyelashes! Those two together are incredible. On the way home the other day, Kaden asked to hold her hand. She replied with "Ok" and they held hands in the back seat. They refuse to go to bed unless they get a kiss from one another. Of course they have their moments. Like tonight, he was trying to take something away from her and she bit his finger. Yes, this is a whole other story. She's into biting...just one kid (and Kaden) and it's ALWAYS on the finger! Anyway, you would have thought she was the one hurt. She came out screaming and saying sorry over and over. She came up to me and she knew she was in trouble. I'm not sure what this thing is. She's done it maybe 6 times in all, but still...6 times too many. She is a sweet girl no doubt. She's always worried when people get hurt and is so, so loving. She's our cuddlebug.

So, other than just staying super busy, things are the same as always...GREAT! By the way, I'm on the second book, of the Twilight series. I LOVE these books.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2009-01-10T01:41:00.002-06:00

(The following blog is a little long. It's late and I had a lot of scattered things on my mind. Again, it's late...ignore any errors in my typing. Enjoy!!!)

Okay, so we're now 9 (well, 10 since I'm up so late) days into the new year. Christmas was amazing. We so many places to go but with it was spread out over a couple of days so we got to enjoy ourselves everywhere we went. Kaden and Reagan were so much fun to watch this year. They got so many fun things. Of course Reagan got her girly things such as shoes, play makeup, purses, dolls, dolls (did I mention dolls???), stroller, baby bed, etc. Kaden got movies, cars, cars (did I mention cars????) and the best was his Lightening McQueen power wheel. That thing is awesome I have to say. When he saw it, he looked at us and had this face like, "Is that mine?" Together the kids got a kitchen which is amazing. Those things have come a long way. This one has a grill. According to the box, it appears that this is for the macho masculine guys since on the box the boy is by the grill and the girl is on the phone cooking in the kitchen! Crazy. Kaden and Reagan like both. The grill is so neat though. It lights up red and makes cooking noises. The stove makes tea and boiling water noises. There's even a play ice maker in the fridge. You twist a knob and plastic ice cubes come out. And of course there's the microwave, dishwasher and oven. I've gotten lots of macaroni and cheese from Kaden and cake from Reagan. I love watching them play together. I'm amazed at the imaginations!

Most importantly, we got to spend quality time as a family and with our families. Unfortunately there's been some devastating news that has affected my older brother J.R. (he is 11 1/2 months older than me). Just recently, he's been having several surgeries to correct the vision in his eyes. He is a Type 1 diabetic and has had diabetes since was 18 months old. It just so happens that both of my brothers have type 1 diabetes. J.R.'s eyes have gotten worse even with the surgeries. His eyes are hemorrhaging and this has caused him to presently be labeled as legally blind. He just went in this week to get shots in his eyes that will prevent the bleeding from occurring. Then they will go in and do surgery to correct the damage.

You never really know how important your vision is until somebody close to you loses it. He has cried knowing that one day he COULD completely lose sight and never be able to see his boys grow up. He can't give himself insulin, drive, watch TV, or read. Even things such as crossing the street is a challenge. So the day after Christmas he thanks my parents for supporting him and being there for him. It was very emotional. You would have to know my brother to know this was a huge thing for him. He has always said that he believes there is no God. How could God give me diabetes and make me suffer like this is what he has asked. This was devastating to me and to my parents. The last thing I want for my brother is to suffer and hurt, but even more, it hurts to know that my brother's future and eternal life is in jeopardy.

So, imagine now that my brother wants to go to church on Sunday. He, on his own decided this is what he wanted to do. There's more to this story but for confidentiality reasons I won't go too much further into this, but he just recently said that he has prayed and he knows without a doubt that God exists and he wants Him in his life. Wow! It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. Now I pray that J.R. is strong in his journey to find Christ and understand the Love He has for us. I'm anxious to see how this transforms.

Okay, so I got off a little, but it was worth with though now wasn't it? On another side note, a couple days before Christmas I went to the doctor to get my results from my blood work and CT scan. Fortunately, my blood work came back and it showed I did not have hyperparathroidism (which is what they were looking for). My kidney stones are calcium stones so somehow my body is producing more calcium than normal. So, bad news is that I have an 11 mm stone in my kidney. Doctor says it should stay there and not travel down to block anything (which is good). However, when I asked if it could come out on its own, he kinda chuckled and said not highly. So he gave me two options. There's a procedure that uses shockwaves and another that uses a laser. The shockwave procedure will only have about a 70 % chance of working. It "could" break it up, but it could also leave fragments in my kidney causing the possibility of pain and blocking of the kidney. Then there's the laser where they will "knock me out" and go in through my urethra and laser the stone. I will then have a stint put in place to remove any possible pieces left behind. He said this had a 95% chance of working. I actually had this procedure last time. I HATED the stint!!! I was 6 months pregnant as well. He said this time I would only have it for 2 days! When I asked him what he would to if he were me, he wouldn't really answer me, but you could tell he was leaning more towards the laser. So, I will be having this procedure on Friday! I will just be glad to get this thing out. He said it shouldn't be causing pain, but IT IS!!! It makes me wonder if he's ever had a kidney stone..how would he know?????? They will monitor a few things after the surgery to try and figure out what's causing the stones. Then maybe they can give me medicine to prevent them.

Okay, so I've gone on and on again...to bring this to an end...it is a new year. It's already started off as a crazy one but it's only going to get better. I just know it. School's back in and we're trying to get back in the groove of things. I'm going to end with just a few prayer requests..

- Wade: We continue to thank the Lord for healing Wade. Please pray for positive results on his upcoming appointments.
- J.R.: Pray for his journey to find the Lord and for the pain his eyes have caused him to cease.
- Kahla (cousin by marriage): Her and her husband Jeff are trying VERY hard through IVF to become pregnant. They've hit a few bumps in the road in the past and we're praying for a successful pregnancy.
- Wendy (Wade's sister): she's had a really bad staph infection in her finger. Please pray for her healing.
- Courtney (friend): she just found out she is pregnant. She found out she had thyroid cancer when she was pregnant with her little boy (he's 2 now). We thank God for her healing and pray for a healthy pregnancy.
- My surgery: Pray for a the doctors who are so good at what they do and for them to perform a safe and productive surgery.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T10:24:00.006-06:00

It is Christmas Eve and we just returned from our yearly tradition of going to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. It has been a wonderful Christmas season. The kids LOVE the lights and decorations. I'm not sure what they're going to do once we have to put it all up.

We went to Santa's Wonderland in College Station last weekend. It was so neat. The kids loved it! It was a little crazy at first. We had to walk about a mile just to get there (and we forgot the stroller) and it was a little warm. We then had to wait in line for the hayride for nearly 2 hours. Not much fun with two kids under three. One of us had to stay in line. But once we finally made it to the hayride, it was so worth it. A big cold front moved in and it was cold. The hayride was so quiet and peaceful. It was so magical. Did I mention the kids loved it? They impressed some of the passengers when they would yell, "Merry Christmas" or sing "Will Will Rock You."

Once we were off of the hayride, it had cleared out A LOT! It was cold and the huge fires gave off so much heat. It finally felt like Christmas! After buying a few things here and there (the kettle corn is AMAZING), we went to the petting zoo. The kids were so cute. Kaden saw a baby goat and yelled, "Awe, a reindeer!". Reagan was a little freaked out by some of the animals. She took of running as soon as any of them got near her.

After the petting zoo, we decided to go ahead and visit Santa. We had planned to take them this week to the mall (so glad we didn't...2 hour waits!), but we decided since there were only 3 people in line, why not? We were a little hesitant. I just knew Reagan would freak out. I wondered if Kaden would too after last year.

We walked in and the kids were drawn to him like a magnet. Kaden wouldn't stop smiling. Reagan kept checking him out. He was an awesome Santa! Kaden didn't want to leave. We were so glad we decided to go ahead and do it. They turned out to be so darn cute.

We definitely will be going back. We plan on making it a new tradition. However, we will go much earlier...not the weekend before Christmas. http://www.landoflights.com/

So tonight we head to Wade's Aunt's house in New Waverly and then we wait patiently for Santa. I can't wait to see their faces this Christmas! We have a VERY busy next few days! I wish a VERY Merry Christmas to all!

Four Years and Counting

2008-12-19T00:20:00.005-06:00

Today (or should I say yesterday), is our 4th anniversary. What a journey it has been. I can say, that with every passing day, I love Wade more and more. He is truly my best friend. To try and explain how much he means to me is impossible. If more couples had what we have, this world would be such a happier place. Wade is an incredible husband, father, son, uncle, brother and friend. He is an AMAZING person. He has had to go through things that some people never have to face in a lifetime. Because of this, he sees things differently. He doesn't take things for granted. To watch him with our kids is indescribable. I always say I have three kids. He has a true bond with both of them. He is Kaden's best friend and Reagan is his little girl. Being a father is what he was meant to do. And how blessed am I to have this amazing man as my husband? He surprises me everyday. Not one day goes by that he doesn't tell me he loves me a million times. He makes me feel special and is always there to comfort me.

I always try to tell him that when I'm not talking to him, I am thinking about what I am going to tell him. Of course I don't remember half of it, but I have good intentions. I am always wanting to share every detail of my life with him. I am always thinking of him and loving him. We have been through so much together and we have so many wonderful memories together. I love that I will spend the rest of my life with him. I love that my best friend is the love of my life. I love my husband with all that I have.

I love you baby! Happy Anniversary!!!!!

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-11T21:52:00.005-06:00

Last night was amazing. We were shocked at the amount of snow that was dumped on us. It was "pouring" snow. It snowed 4 years ago here, but not quite like this. Kaden loved it! Reagan was just cold. She said she wanted to touch the snowballs, but when she did, she didn't want anything to do with it. We couldn't keep Kaden away from the snow. We'd stay outside, come in and sit by the fire and then we were out again. We did this like 3 times. There is nothing sweeter than seeing your children so happy they can barely stand it. What a wonderful night it was.

SNOW!!!

2008-12-10T17:35:00.002-06:00

It is snowing at this exact moment. I'm so cold though that I can't stand the idea of going out there. I mean, it is SERIOUSLY soooo cold! I'm waiting for Wade and the kids to get home. I'm sad I didn't get to see their reactions when they first saw the snow. It's a first for both. I was told Kaden was screaming, "It's snowing!" and sticking out his tongue to catch the snowflakes. So now I wait...in my warm, cozy, Christmasy (I know, not a word) house with a beautiful fire blazing. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!! YAY!!! I love this time of year!

Happy Saint Nicholas Day

2008-12-05T16:37:00.004-06:00

So tomorrow is "Saint Nicholas Day." We've celebrated this for the last 3 years (that I can remember) at our school. All pre-k, kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders listen to The Legend of Saint Nicholas. (http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=745)They then walk back to their classrooms to find the special gifts Saint Nicholas left for them. There were backpacks FULL of toys...balls, jump ropes, funny glasses, Frisbees, xylophones, crayons, etc. Saint Nicholas' helpers were Administaff. They are amazing to do something like this. The kids love it!

To celebrate Christmas at our school we do a door decorating contest. Kids bring canned foods in and use them to vote for their favorite doors. Here's a picture of our door. My kids love the book Chicka, Chicka Boom, Boom! so I couldn't think of a better way to decorate the door. Of course the kids help! Santa's climbing our tree and hoping there's enough room for him too.

On a side note...I've gone to the doctor twice this week to have tests done. They're trying to figure out why I keep having kidney stones. I had kidney stones horribly bad when I was pregnant with Reagan. I felt better for about a year or so. But lately I get these pains in my back. I can handle some days better than others. Either way, I have to get it taken care of. My stones are 88% calcium phosphate so my body may be producing too much calcium. It has a name but I don't want to go into it because I may not even have it. Why worry when you don't need to? I had blood work done for that and a CT scan done today to check out my kidney function. More on this as we find things out.

New Job

2008-12-04T23:50:00.002-06:00

So I've decided my new job is going to be a radio personality/DJ. Okay, so not really. But I was on the radio this morning. I called into 104 this morning when they were talking about teachers and the wonderful gifts they get for Christmas from their students. Or course my take on it all was the gifts I get are "it's the thought that counts" gifts. They love to give you whatever they can...even if it's a rock they found on the ground that has a special glow. There was one person that called in that was talking about getting something like $2,000 in gift cards. I mean really? I'm not sure that it would be appropriate to accept something like that. Who knows. Ryan was VERY nice. He said some really nice things about teachers. A few people heard me on the radio. Crazy!!!!

Parade of Lights

2008-12-02T22:03:00.005-06:00

We made it to our annual Christmas parade tonight. It was a little over an hour long. I think that I could have stood it to be a little shorter, but hey, they loved it. And I must add, the kiddos were more than adorable. They loved the police cars, band, firetrucks, horses, lights, lights, lights and of course Santa. My dad bought Kaden one of those lights...you know, like the glow necklaces kind of thing? Kaden loved it. We met a co-worker of mine and her family there. Her son is almost exactly a year older than Kaden. They had a great time! Afterwards, we walked back to my grandparents' house and ate soup. It was delicious. Here are some of the pictures...

Love this Picture

2008-12-01T00:20:00.003-06:00

This was a picture of the kids with Papa at Gran and Pops' house. We celebrated Thanksgiving there on Saturday. They love it there! Four wheelers and a million miles to roam!

Christmas Time

2008-11-30T21:21:00.003-06:00

It has been way too long since I've written. Honestly, I have been so darn tired that I don't feel like thinking about my thoughts and writing them down. Does that sound crazy? It's been a great month. Kaden had his birthday party and it was a success. It was the easiest party yet. I'm all about not having to do much. We've always done the parties at our house and it's just insane. So it was a nice change.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. It's always so great to see our friends and family. We were busy as always but it is always worth it. The food was yummy! We're were thankful enough to go to three places for Thanksgiving! Food, food and more food! We played SingStar at Wade's parents. It was so much fun! If you haven't played, it's a must!

It's so much fun to listen to Kaden get excited about all of the Christmas lights. We were driving in Old Town Spring the first week of November so Kaden could see the lights. It just happened to be the way we were going home. So you can imagine his excitement when he sees them on more and more houses. I love it too. This time of year is sooo magical. Right now we have the windows opened (though not for too much longer) and the fire going. We have our tree up (it's even more beautiful this year) and the stockings hung. We still have to put up the lights outside but I think either tomorrow or the next they will be up. We have an adorable Mikey snowglobe blow up in the yard that blows snow. It has Mickey ears! It's so cute!

We're going to the parade in downtown Humble Tuesday night. It's been a family tradition for years on my mom's side. It's even more special that my kids are a part of it now. We all go to the parade and then go to my grandparents house down the street for soup and laughter. Last year Wade was sick and Reagan ended up with a crazy fever when we came back home. So hopefully this year it will be better.

We took pictures of the kids next to the tree in a rocking chair. We weren't doing it for any reason other than just to do it. They weren't dressed for anything special and Reagan had actually been eating a chocolate chip cookie (some was on her face still). The pictures we took were actually pretty cute and I decided to go ahead and try to use them for our Christmas card. I went ahead and ordered them and they will be ready in a few days. I can't wait to see them. I just keep thinking, "This will probably be the one and only time they will both sit still long enough to get a picture." Seriously, Kaden doesn't sit still long. So we will see. I'll post some pictures soon.

Happy Birthday Pumpkin!

2008-11-03T21:22:00.004-06:00

I can't believe that 3 years ago at 7:07 p.m. we welcomed Kaden into this crazy little world of ours. Where oh where does the time go? I know I am extremely partial, but he is such an amazing boy. Everywhere we go, he makes people laugh. He is a people person for sure. He is well mannered, funny and extremely loving. He loves to cuddle and his laugh is contagious. He learns more and more every day. Watching him love his sister and play with his daddy makes my heart melt a little more everyday. Unfortunatly today he went to the doctor for an ear infection. He woke up complaining that his ear hurt. And sure enough about noon, Ms. Sharon was calling saying how bad he was hurting. So to the doctor we went. Of course this was after he opened his presents and had cupcakes with his friends at Ms. Sharons. He made all of the poeple at the doctor's office laugh. He took his new Lightening McQueen toy with him and showed it off of course. He was such a good boy. When we got home (after a stop at Nina and Papa's) we got his presents out of boxes and ate some cupcakes.

I can't believe how fast time flies. It makes me sad but proud at the same time. Having kids was the best thing that EVER happened to us. I can't imagine life without him.

Happy Birthday to Me and Happy Halloween

2008-11-03T20:58:00.004-06:00

So another birthday comes and goes. I love my birthday I have to say. There's something so magical about it. I love Fall and then it's so close to Halloween. I always remember having Halloween birthday parties growing up. So naturally, the month of October felt very much like my birthday...all month. But as I grow up, things change (a little). I still love my birthday very much. But things have changed since I've had kids. Halloween is all about them and then Kaden's birthday is only 5 days after mine.

When I woke up this year, Wade brought the kids to me to love on me before they left. They wrote me a note and left it taped to the TV. I had so many phone calls starting at midnight. It just so happened that we went on a field trip that day to The Children's Museum. It was so much fun. It had Halloween decorations all over the place and all of the staff dressed up in costumes. My kids were so excited that it was my birthday. They most have told me Happy Birthday a million times. That night we went out to eat with my parents. It was just a really good day. I think having kids makes it that more special. They are so excited to sing and eat cake. I'd have a million birthdays just to watch them.

And on to Halloween...it was so much fun this year. Kaden is finally at the age where we can actually trick or treat and enjoy it. The weekend before Halloween, we went to a Halloween party. Kaden was Buzz Lightyear and Reagan was Wonder Woman. They were adorable. She won 1st place in the costume contest. For Halloween he was the same and she was a lady bug. We went trick or treating in my mom and dad's neighborhood. It was amazing how many people were out there. There was a haunted house next to one of the houses. Anyway, here are some pictures from that night.

Refreshed

2008-10-25T12:59:00.002-05:00

For some reason or another I stayed up super late Thursday night. I didn't go to sleep until 2:30. Kaden came into our room and woke me up at 3:30. And then I woke up at 5:30. Now anybody that knows me knows that is early for me. I usually get everything ready for the next morning the night before and then I rush in the morning (like 30 minutes) to take a shower, get dressed, put things in the car and then get the kids up and in the car. Well, yesterday morning, Wade was taking the kids to the sitter and I STILL got up at 5:30. I was able to relax in the morning, do my hair and makeup, stop at the bank, get a mocha from Starbucks and then I got to work around 7:00. We have to be there at 7:30 and the kids come to the room around 7:55. Every minute counts in the morning people. It was nice to just come into my room and not rush for once. I feel like I am ALWAYS rushing.

Did I mention I did my hair and makeup? Sad, but as I picked up all kindergarten kiddos from the cafeteria in the morning, they were in awe of how I looked. They kept telling me how pretty I was and how beautiful my hair was. One girl told me I looked like a teenager!!! It was just a really good day. I really enjoyed spending time with my students today and kinda of stepped back to connect with them more. Again, it's always me feeling rushed to get things done and do as much as I can. We cleaned out our pumpkin, who they named "Pumpkin Pie". This was so fun for them because some of them have never even seen the inside of a pumpkin. Every one of them stuck their hands in to grab seeds and clean it out. They loved it. One girl told me she was telling her mom to buy me a gift and another told me her daddy was going to buy me a dress. Of course I had to tell that little girl that I didn't think Wade would like that too much (and of course she didn't get it!!!).

I think I just realized that I really need to slow down! I need to slow down and stop taking things for granted. I need to take time to get up in the morning and enjoy that precious, quiet time. Time for me. It's time to make some changes. A happier, refreshed me is a lot more fun to be around and a lot more laid back. It's time for change!

Fun Times

2008-10-24T00:34:00.004-05:00

My nephew came down from Dallas a couple weeks ago and the kids had a blast playing together. Jordan and Kaden are only 9 months apart and they're best buddies. Reagan had fun with the boys too. We can't leave her out. Wade had the blower out there blowing it on them while they were jumping on the trampoline. Check out Reagan's face. Poor baby looks a little creepy!! Here are some pictures from that night...

Wade's Check-Up

2008-10-22T20:31:00.000-05:00

This is an email I sent out today...

So many people have been asking about Wade and how he is doing. Well yesterday he went to the doctor for his checkup. He hasn't been since his last chemo treatment at the end of August. The lovely hurricane kind of pushed everything back. He got WONDERFUL news! The two nodules in his lungs have stopped growing and they feel they are "dead". The spot on his liver that they have been concerned about is NOT cancer!!!! They said it is a fatty deposit. Praise God indeed. Yesterday he got his catheter taken out. He's had it since his first round of chemo in April. He will go back in 2 months for another check up. We are beyond thrilled and relieved. Prayers have been answered no doubt. We will continue to pray for Wade's healing. Thanks as always to all for your support and prayers.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

2008-10-16T20:12:00.004-05:00

So yesterday I went to pick up the kids from our babysitter's house in Spring. When I left work I almost went home to use the restroom real quick and to get some sippy cups for the kids. But for some reason, I turned around and decided to head on and get them. At the time it was barely sprinkling. So I get them and we start to head home about 5:00. I went south on the Hardy Toll Road, exited at Beltway 8 and stayed on the feeder until after JFK. I decided not to get on the Beltway yet because it was so backed up. The weather was a little bad at this time. It just started lightening and thundering, but nothing too serious. So I finally got on the Beltway and as I reached the ramp to get onto 59, I freaked! It was raining so hard I could barely see. I was hydroplaning all over the place. As I am exiting, I am seeing cars on the feeder going through a ridiculous amount of water. I'm even more nervous now. I can barely see where to go and I find myself in the super high water. So I get to Rankin and turn right. I notice a few cars in front of me have on their flashers. One car is just sitting there. I start to back up to go under the over pass and "wait" it out, but there were cars behind me and I could barely see. So I decide to keep going straight. The water was sooooo high. I am following another car and at this point my hands are shaking. The car in front of me stops. I am yelling (like they could hear me) for the car to move. I don't know if it was in my head or if it was really like this, but I felt like my car was lighter and on the edge of floating. I was just waiting for water to come in my car. All I can think about is the kids and wanting to keep them safe. I finally make it to the railroad tracks and see cars struggling to get much further. I turn into a neighborhood and then quickly turn into some stranger's driveway. The car that was behind me kept going straight through the neighborhood and stalled. I am watching car after car try to get through this water. The water was halfway or more up these trucks. My car NEVER would have made it. I had no idea what the bayou looked like and was scared to even attempt to keep going. I sat there for 2 hours. Wade couldn't get to us because our neighborhood was flooded and really his car is almost as low as mine. The house next to ours had water in the garage and two houses down the road had water up to their houses. It was crazy. So speaking of crazy, I talk to my dad and he decides to come get us. I did not want him getting out in the mess. I'm sure he was thinking I was crazy because he said it was barely sprinkling at their house. We wait patiently. The kids did pretty good under the cirumstances. Thank goodness Kaden loves lightening. Reagan was a little antsy towards the end. They both drank a water bottle that I had from work. Of course they both wet their diapers. The lightening and thunder got a little ridiculous though. It would strike and then instantly thunder.

So Dad, Mom and Casey call and say they are there. They had to park way away from us and walk to us. As they are walking to us, a car turned and began driving down the sidewalk. It was crazy. So Dad takes Reagan to the truck and then comes back for Kaden. Reagan acted a little strange and unsure of things and Kaden was just Kaden. Mom said as they were sitting there, a van opened up its doors and water poured out! So sad! We finally made it home! I know Wade was relieved to see us. I'm glad it was us stuck and not him with the kids. I would have been a nervous wreck. I'm also so glad that he came home from work early. He was supposed to go back that night but obviously he could not get out.

Remember how I said I almost turned to wait it out under the overpass? Well, I am so thankful I didn't go that way. On the 10:00 news they showed that exact spot and all of the cars that were on an "island". I wouldn't doubt it if water got up there too.

So, we are safe and sound and that's what counts. I am thankful my babies made it home safe to their daddy and that my parents came to save us.

Going Bananas

2008-10-02T22:34:00.003-05:00

It's been a little while since I've written. Since then, I went back to work. The kids were surprisingly wonderful. It was as if they didn't miss a day. Of course now they're back in the swing of things. They just really like to talk. Now I have this one kid...God love him...he usually brings his lunch. However, all of the kids have been given free lunch for 10 days after the hurricane and he bought lunch for the first time. Now, anything out of routine for him can be a challenge in itself. But he did good. He got more food on his tray than any kid I've ever seen go through that line. One of the things was a banana. The kids love the bananas but sometimes have a hard time peeling them. Well, apparently for my little friend he wasn't going to let it slow him down. He took a bite right out of the middle...peel and all. Yummy huh? I figured maybe he would have spit it out, but when it was nowhere to be found, I asked him if he swallowed it. Of course his answer was yes! Interesting I know.

As far as me, I'm just exhuasted and so ready for the weekend. I'm very thankful though. This morning Wade took the kids to the sitter. Well, he was going to. When he got on the Beltway, there was a fatality wreck and he was already running late. Because his mom works right there, she said she'd take the kids (it takes about 30 minutes on a good day to get to Ms. Sharons). So Wade took the kids to her. When he got there, he was tickling Reagan, she was upside down laughing and he saw something on the back of her tooth. It was apparently a very big gray spot. It was as if she had a dead tooth. His mom saw it too. Of course he calls to tell me about it. A couple of weeks ago, Reagan did fall and hit her tooth. Her mouth was full of blood. So I just knew it was from this. It was all I could think about it. It worried me all day long. Wade called the pedatric dentist and they said it was possible that it was a bleed or something to do with the roots. However, it would be nothing permanant because it's just her baby teeth. But, visions of her future pictures and starting kindergarten with a black tooth was just killing me. I don't mean it to sound like I'm worried about my kids looks and that's all that matters. I just don't want her to hurt or worry about something like that. So long story short (is it too late for that?), when I picked up the kids, it was the first thing I wanted to see. And praise God, it was gone! Must of been something stuck. Wade swears it was something more. Who knows? Her tooth is perfectly white!!!! I can only pray for my babies to be healthy. I know God holds them in the palm of His hand and He takes care of them and loves them more than I will ever know.

So, the weekend is almost here. Fall has arrived and my goodness how I love it. I love to roll down the windows and breathe in the smell of burning leaves as I drive. Is there any better smell (besides that sweet baby smell)? There's something so peaceful and calming about fall. It's going to be a good holiday season. I feel it!

Home Sweet Home

2008-09-23T20:56:00.002-05:00

Oh how I love our home and our fluffy, comfy bed. We just got power back Sunday evening. We stayed with Wade's family for a week and stayed this past weekend with my parents. We are so thankful we had a place to go. Wade's parents didn't get power back until we did so when we stayed with them there was no power. They had a generator with an ac unit so it was better than having nothing. We were there, his parents, and his sister's family was there. It was a little packed. At the in-law's house, two of the bedrooms are next the pool outside. When the wind blew, it blew the water into those two bedrooms. The carpet was wet about a foot from the wall. So everything was removed from the rooms as well as the carpet. So, we all slept in the living room. Well, all but Wade's parents. It was very interesting. But having the cool front was such a blessing. We tried to get out with the kids as much as possible. We of course went to our house to check out the damage the Sunday after the storm. We were extremely blessed that our house did not suffer from the heavy wind and rain. When we pulled into the neighborhood, we saw trees and limbs everywhere. It's amazing the strength of this storm. I mean it literally blew HUGE roots right out of the ground. Hundred year old trees were completely out of the ground and even on many houses. Our neighborhood is full of giant trees so I was a little worried. When we pulled into our driveway, it was completely covered with leaves and tree limbs. Miraculously, the only thing that happened was parts of our fence broke from the limbs. The next day, which was an unbelievably cool day (for us anyways) me, Wade and my dad cleaned up the yard. The kids played outside all day. It took about 5 hours to clean up. It was great just go be at home. We opened the windows and let the kids take naps in their own beds. Plus we got a little rest as well.

We were out as much as possible. There was no way we could keep the kids inside. The weather was way too nice anyway. We loved being outside. One day I took the kids to a place where you can watch the airplanes land. Oh my gosh...Kaden loved it!!! He loves airplanes anyway but to see them that close was a whole new thing for him. Now Reagan on the other hand was a little terrified. She would not let me put her down. Here's a video of Kaden watching the planes. Sorry for the quality, it was on my phone. It is hysterical!

So I go back to work tomorrow. I'm a little sad to go back, but my kids at school are desperately needing to be there. We have lost so much instruction. I just hope it won't be like starting all over. Tomorrow is a work day for teachers and the kids come back Thursday. It would have been nice had the power been on a lot sooner. It could have been like a little vacation. But it wasn't it and that's okay. We are very fortunate that our family and friends are safe and sound and everybody made it through Ike. We could not thank our families enough for taking such good care of us and putting up with us. It's not an easy task I'm sure of it. I hope and pray that Galveston and other surrounding areas pull through this. I pray that the families there find peace as they continue to fight the aftermath of Ike.

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-11T22:28:00.003-05:00

We are now preparing for this lovely storm that is heading straight for us. It's all that is on the TV. It's a little annoying. I can't help but wonder if when we wake up it will have made a shift away from us. That was what happened with Rita. Of course I am all for having off a day of work. However, I can't imagine the electricity going off with two little ones running around. Plus the heat alone can drive somebody crazy. We're going to stay with Wade's parents. Our roof is not the best and we have some big pine trees as well as many other trees all around (maybe the wind will knock the darn squirrels out of the trees so they will stop leaving their left over pine cone pieces all over the ground!). Wade's mom has a generator so that will be nice. It's just so crazy how this storm seems to have taken over everything...gas, sanity at the stores, TV, work (though that one's not bad) and so much more.

The most important thing to me is that my precious little babies are protected. I pray for the safety of everybody through this storm. That's the main thing. Objects can be replaced.

Random Pictures of Reagan

2008-09-07T15:45:00.003-05:00

We always have so many pictures of Kaden, but when Kaden sneaks away, we managed to snap a few of just her for once. Here are a few...
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Beautiful

2008-09-07T15:18:00.010-05:00

A beautiful day yesterday morning with my beautiful babies. They spent most of the day outside. They are so cute together. Kaden walked up to Reagan and said in the most adorable voice, "You're so sweet". Here are some pictures of them from yesterday.

After Kaden kissed Reagan, she put her hand to heart and said "Pitter, Patter".

One More Down

2008-09-05T20:58:00.004-05:00

So, week 2 is officially over. It feels like it's been months. Here's a conversation I had with a kid today...

Girl: (squeezing glue) Mrs. Baker, does glue come from cows?
Me: (trying hard not to laugh out loud) What makes you say that?
Girl: Well, it looks like it would. It doesn't taste like it though.
Me: Honey, we don't eat glue.

Here's another...

Girl: Mrs. Baker, do you like "Skrimp" (aka shrimp).
Me: (again, laughing on the inside) Skrimp?
Girl: Yeah, you know, like fish and "skrimp"?
Me: Oh, yes, I love SHRIMP!

A magic trick was performed in class today. He thought he was a real magician...

He puts some coins in both hands and shakes his hands. He then takes the coins in one hand and makes a fist. The other hand is out straight like I'm going to give him a five. He says, "The money has disappeared" (note that I am hearing the money clinking together in his other hand). So I act surprised. "Oh my gosh, where did it go?" He says "it's gone!" Then, he puts his hands back together and he says, "here is is". That sweet baby really thought he was doing some magic. In his mind, he was!!

I really need to write down more of what they say. They are so funny! I'm so excited about my group right now. I have 15 kids and they are all so different. I have some that are already writing. I have a smart little group! I can't wait to see where the year takes us.

As far as my family, Kaden has been pee peeing in the potty often. The other night, he went 9 times!!!! 9 times in like 3 hours. Oh yes, it was a fun night! He went a Ms. Sharons's 4 times that day so it was a busy day for him.

Wade is doing great. He did go to do bloodwork the other day and went to ask when he could get his little port in his chest out. They told him they will probably want to leave it in because he may do more chemo. That sucks! I know he's exhausted and was really hoping that last time would be the last. We'll just keep praying about it.

How was your day?

2008-08-25T18:22:00.003-05:00

Oh how I could have so many interesting answers to this questions. My natural response is, "Well, I survived and I am still standing". Of course I think, my feet hurt, I haven't had time to eat, I barely sat at all, I have a million (well 13 as of now) new personalities to learn, I have so many things to tell these kids, but most importantly, I made sure my kids made it home the right way." Now, there's always that call from the front office that goes:

Office: Mrs. Baker?
me: yes?
Office: Is Sasha (changed) still with you?
me: long pause because I'm thinking, "Oh God please help me remember how that kid got home. Calm down and just think. In panic I scan the room (knowing good and well that all my kiddos made it home safely. So I finally reply, "No, mom picked her up" (finally remembering!!).

Then there's this:

Office: Mrs. Baker?
Me: Yes?
Office: Did Michael get on the bus?
Me: Long pause again. Seriously? I'm panicking again! Finally, I reply with a proud yes.

Now you have to know me. You have to know that my main priority on the first day is to make sure my kids make it home (and in one piece I might add). Then the rest follows. I check a million times through the day. Maybe it's a little OCD? I guess I could look into that????

Did I mention that one of the other teacher's kids came into my class during dismissal today? She just happened to be one of the kids that cried ALL day long. Well, see, I have this crate in my room. It looks like this...

Okay, so do you see the smallest hole? Well, this girl (the girl who cried all day), stuck her little finger in it. All I hear is a scream and "I'm stuck!!!!" Then crying. Oh my, my! What to do? Here all the parents are waiting outside and I'm stuck in here with a lovely little girl (and about 30 other kids) and her finger is in a tiny hole and it is turning PURPLE!!! So we get soap all over her finger. She scratched it either going in the hole or trying to get it out. So any time she would barely move it, she would scream. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, we got it out. Of course I laugh now, but I kept thinking I was going to need somebody to get some kind of tool to cut up this bubble crate. But the good thing is...she got her finger out and it is still attached to the rest of her hand!!

I just forgot how much I have to teach. I forgot that I have to show them how to do every little thing from lining up, sitting down, washing hands, putting things away (20 times) and all the while show them patience and a very loving teacher. I always have to stop and think in a couple of weeks, this will all be worth it. I know it will be. I have some super sweet kids and many seem extremely bright. I'm anxious to find out more about these kiddos. I just wish I had an extra set of feet!!!!

Mom's Home...Wade's Not

2008-08-22T20:27:00.004-05:00

Mom's surgery was very successful. She of course is very sore and tired but she is doing well. I pray she will feel so much better after this. She's been going through so much the last couple of months.

Wade left for the hospital this afternoon. I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye. He left before I got home with kids! :( I'm going up there tomorrow, but still, I was a little sad.

I had to work all day. Unfortunately, I woke up yesterday and my ear was a little achy. I felt like I had a ball in my throat. Very strange. So the more the day went on, the worse my ear felt. By last night, the pain was ridiculous. And this morning it was even worse. I had to leave a meeting so I could go to the doctor. It was of course an ear infection in the ear canal...basically swimmer's ear. I knew the other night after I took a bath that something was going to happen. Ahh!!! I just had to go to the doctor with Wade going into the hospital and then school starting Monday. So hopefully I'll soon stop hearing my heartbeat pound in my ear and I'll start feeling a little better.

I'm not too worried about me though. I'm just glad mom's surgery is over and Wade's on his last treatment!

Wade's Dr. Appointment

2008-08-21T21:13:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Wade had a CT scan and chest x-ray. He had to drink barium since they were scanning the stomach area in order to get a good view of the liver. They really want to keep a close eye on the liver since they found that spot. He went in today to get the results. It was all good news!!! The two tumors in his lungs are still there, but not growing. And the best part is that there are no new spots. The doctor said that the spot in his liver may not even be a tumor. It could be a cyst. This is good news. Whatever the case, the chemo is continuing to kill whatever it is.

Wade goes in tomorrow for his last round of chemo...finally!!! It seems like we've been doing this for years. He will probably be there for close to a week. Prayer is powerful no doubt. We continue to pray for Wade's healing.

Busy, Busy and even more Busy

2008-08-18T23:04:00.002-05:00

So today was my first official day back to work even though I went last week to work in my new room. Thank goodness I did that or I'd be working day and night this week. I changed rooms to get a fresh start. I am determined to make this a good year. Wade is doing his last round of chemo starting Friday. So while it starts off a little crazy, hopefully this will be it. Besides, it seems like this has become quite the norm for us. Needless to say, the first week the kids are back to school, I may be a little more stressed than normal. But hey, what is normal this days?

Wade will go in Wednesday for CT scan. This time they're going to get more in depth and really zoom in on his liver to watch the "new" spot. He will go in Thursday to talk to the doctors. I pray for great results as usual! Mom is also going in Wednesday for a hysterectomy. See previous posts for details on this. I will be going up there as soon as I leave work. Please pray for a successful surgery.

So, it may be a weird way to start the year and a busy one at that, but it's just going to get better...I just feel it!

Where's Weagan?

2008-08-16T21:33:00.005-05:00

So last week I went to work several days. I was kind of back in the morning routine. I usually get ready first and then I get the kids ready. When I came into the living room, I turned on the big light, and then went to the laundry room (which is on the opposite side of the hallway from Kaden's room). I turned the hall light on. I suppose this woke Kaden up. It was still a little dark outside. Anyway, when I came back into the living room, Kaden comes out of his room. He has the most adorable sleepy face. He asks me, "Where's Weagan?" I tell him, "Well baby, she's still sleeping." Thinking he was going to stay awake, I was getting ready to put on The Backyardigans and when I turned around I see his door shut. So I assume he went to his room to play with his toys. Oh no...he went right back to bed and covered up. After I got ready, I went in to get him up and asked him, "Where did you go? I thought you were getting up." He just started laughing. It was so cute! I guess since he didn't have Reagan to play with, he decided he should just go back to sleep. He loves that little girl!

Speaking of Reagan, here are a few funny things she did this week...

-the first thing she says in the morning is, "Hello". I wish you could hear it. It is so funny!

- She is extremely fascinated with shoes. She finds them in places I didn't know we had shoes. She found one of Kaden's crocs and literally walked around with it all night. It didn't bother her at all that she didn't have the other one.

- She loves when you tell her she's so pretty. She lifts her dresses up a bit and twirls them. Give her a purse or a headband and she's even more beautiful!

- She's learned to take her diaper off. The other night, we went through 3 diapers in like 5 minutes. I'd look up and see her playing with her shirt on and nothing else. It's like she would rather prefer it this way!

- Apparently my daughter does things the opposite way. Who says you have to eat an ice cream cone from top to bottom? Nah! Reagan eats the cone first. Oh yes, imagine the mess.

- She started singing Old MacDonald Had a Farm. If you sing the first part, she says, "E I E I O". She then tries to make a pig noise by growling! Oh and she now says Q, R, S in the alphabet song.

- She loves puppies! She is always walking around with a puppy book saying "Puppy" over and over. She then barks.

- She has such good manners...saying thank you after her big brother gives her something. She even says sorry if she does something to hurt him or his feelings.

- She is a little bossy. If we're telling Kaden to do something, she gives her opinion and lets him have it. But she loves him dearly! She's just looking out for him.

New House

2008-08-11T00:50:00.003-05:00

Mom and Dad are moving into their new house and we went to check it out today. The kids were CRAZY! They still had not brought the toys so they were toyless. It didn't stop them from finding things to do...like playing in a pile of newspapers (that the glasses were wrapped in). The funniest was watching them run from my dad. They would take off running from my dad and he would hide. When they came out to find him, he would scare them. Of course they would take off running the other way. But little Reagan...she just screamed as loud and high as she could. Her little feet were practically off of the floor she was running so fast. She followed Kaden everywhere. They were adorable! Reagan finally got to the point to where she would put her hands over her eyes. She really thought it made her invisible.

The new house is nice. The best part is they are so much closer. It only takes about 10 minutes to get there. And the good thing is the kids like it as much as us!

You're a Pwincess

2008-08-08T15:20:00.003-05:00

Kaden: (puts toy on my head) Mommy you're a pwincess!
Mommy: Awe, I'm a princess?
Kaden: Yeah, and Weagan's (Reagan) a pwincess too!

Oh so sweet he is!

Wade came home today! Yay! He seems to be doing good right now. He didn't come home yesterday because they were trying to get his blood sugar under control. They sent him home with insulin that he has to take 5 times a day. More updates later.

Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away

2008-08-05T13:57:00.005-05:00

Oh how I love the rain. I just wish Wade was here with me to enjoy it too. We really needed the rain. It has been so incredibly hot! Not only do I love the rain, but I was supposed to have a workshop today and it was canceled! Yay!!! It's was a 3 day workshop and now it's only 2!!! It feels like I'm back in school and I just got a "rain day". That's how excited I was. I love how the news channels are dying for it to be so bad and then they get so let down. So funny. So, soon the kiddos will be down for a nap and I'm hoping to be down too! I love rainy day naps!!!!!

Here are some pictures from the Wiggles. Kaden LOVED it...at least the first 40 minutes. After that, he was tired and ready to go. No attention span at all! But we still had a great time. Note in one picture, Lightening McQueen was way more interesting at the time.

The Wiggles

2008-08-02T23:32:00.003-05:00

My friend's husband won tickets to see The Wiggles yesterday on 97.1. I was so excited for them! They have a 3 year old son, Carter. Well, she called me this evening and said her husband didn't want to go and wanted to know if Kaden and I wanted to go with her. Of course there was no hesitation...ABSOLUTELY!!! So, we are going to see The Wiggles tomorrow at 5:00. I wish so badly that Wade was able to go, but I know he would never want Kaden to miss out! Pictures to follow!!!! :)