I'm Baaaaaack!!

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

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

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

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

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

Praying real hard!

Wade's Check-Up

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!