M is for...

So, here's how it went...

At dinner, Rachel asked me what we were bringing to the church picnic that started with M. She had heard the pastors say that we were supposed to bring something based on the first letter of our last name. Hee, hee, hee. We explained to the kids that it was actually A-L brings one kind of dish and M-Z brings another. Oohhhhh. They understand now.

But for fun, Sam suggested that we come up with some fun things we could bring that started with M. So all of the kids were yelling out different foods that started with M...meatballs, mangoes, marinara, m&m's...at this point Tommy says, "No, that starts with "e." The rest of us said, "Huh?" "Em-uh-Em's--it starts with 'e'." Luckily I had a package on hand so he could see what the name really is. He still says em-uh-em's though.

So, we continued with more M foods...Milky Ways, milk, macaroni & cheese, and then "Machos!" from the Tommymeister. "Machos?" "Yeah, machos." "What are machos Tommy?" "Nachos." "So, they are the same thing and you can call them both names?" "Yep." "Okay, Timmy."

More foods...mochas, mashed potatoes, meat, milkshakes, "Peas!!!" 1 guess as to who said that. At this point Sam and I were laughing hysterically. He said it with such excitement, so sure he had come up with a great one.

So, we told him that we love how he makes us laugh. I said, "Tommy, you give us big laughs from down in our belly." "What? How? You don't eat me!"

No, but we really wish we could bottle you up and sell you. We'd make a fortune.

Newest Tommyism

Tommy keeps saying "You snooze, you lose." So I finally asked him what he thinks it means.

"You know," he said, "when you go 'achoo,' then you lose."

Farewell Fall Break

Fall break is on the verge of being over and while I have enjoyed getting to hang out with the kids, it is clearly time. It started on Friday. The day was still and quiet. There was an ominous feeling in the air. I could sense it coming, and sure enough by 10:00 a.m. there was nothing to do. I was torturing them by not having something fantastic planned for the day and so they were sucked into the vortex of boredom, that horrendous black hole that sucks the joy out of any possible activities that mom suggests. It wasn't pretty. I don't know how, but somehow we all survived.

Tommy is anxious to get to school to show everyone his new glasses. And how he puts them on. And takes them off. And puts them on. And takes them off. And puts them on...You get the idea. Those poor glasses clearly won't have a long satisfying life helping a young boy to see. Their days are numbered. And I'm confident it's not a very big number.

Noah gets to kick off the first day back with his birthday. He will be ten tomorrow. Sigh. His treat of choice for his classmates is oreos on a stick, dipped in white chocolate. Cupcakes are so yesterday. He spent today at Castles 'n' Coasters with his best friend Ryan and his dad. They just called on the way home and it sounded like it was a great day. He wanted to do that in lieu of a party which worked perfectly for me. Let's see, your dad takes you out for the day and thereby keeps you out of the vortex of boredom and I don't have to plan activities and prepare food for 8-10 strapping young boys...put me down for yes. Didn't take much thought on my part.

So, tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. the quiet resumes around here. Maybe I'll just sit around all day whining to myself that there is nothing to do.

Day One

Well, day one of Fall Break hasn't even come to a close and yet it has been action packed.

We started the morning early. Very early. Noah's best friend Ryan slept over and they, along with Emily, Katya and Rachel, slept in the tent in the back yard. So, they were up early giggling and talking very loudly. Something I'm sure the neighbors were thrilled about since I was so excited to be awakened that way. (I neglected to mention that I had already been awake a couple of times before that since Noah woke me at 4:00 to tell me he was freezing--although the shivering and chattering of teeth gave it away before he even spoke. He warmed up in our bed and then went off to get sweats on--why that didn't occur to him in the first place I have no idea. And then Sam left for the airport at quarter to five for an early flight to Florida waking me with a jolt when he leaned over to kiss me goodbye. Mom Radar was apparently still on from our 4 a.m. visitor. Lots of sleep for me last night.)

I took Tommy to the eye doctor this morning and found out that he needs glasses. Yippee. So, we ordered two pair in anticipation of him losing and/or breaking them. I'm just as much of an optimist as the next guy, but I'm thinking a dose of realism is necessary in this situation. He is cute and funny and keeps the adults in his life on their toes, but one thing he is not is responsible. So let's strap something breakable on him and just tell him to be careful. I'm sure he'll be fine. For the first week. He is the poster child for "don't give me anything expensive." So, we got 2 pair of cheap Wal-mart glasses! I didn't look at anything other than the cheapest ones they had. I drew the line at geeky though. I would have been willing to pay up if the cheapos were all nasty, but we found a couple of pairs that he liked and I liked. He was funny when he was first trying them on. He kept saying he didn't like any of the ones he tried. Then we finally figured out that he didn't like them because they weren't helping him see better!! Once he finally understood that we were looking for a pair that looked good we were able to find some quickly.

Soon after we got home we discovered that our dog Macy is the Welcome Wagon representative for the block. The neighbors next door are dog sitting and Macy, who takes her responsibilities very seriously, went over and above to greet the new dog. And I mean over and above literally. She jumped the cinder block fence without much difficulty and made a new friend with Joey. I was thrilled to have to go next door and retrieve her. She obviously didn't finish informing Joey of all the ins and outs of the neighborhood amenities because at her next opportunity she bolted out the back door and attempted to vault over the fence again. Katya threw herself at Macy and pulled her down off of the wall just in time. Macy is back in WW training on the proper way to greet a neighbor (the front door is the Welcome Wagon way). Let's just say she'll be spending more time in her kennel until Joey heads back home.

(Somewhere in here I discovered that a certain child had left their tooth under their pillow last night. Guess what happened? Nothing. Someone (me) dropped the ball. Now it's under the pillow in the tent. Brilliant. How am I going to do that with that many kids trying not to sleep?)

So then a little while later, the kids were playing monkey in the middle with the football and I received a phone call from one of the nurses at my oncologist's office. She was telling me my blood counts from last week (which incidentally are pretty good--white count is at 3400 and red is in the normal range). Raynham (the nurse) is also a Christian and was very sweet to me while I was in chemo five years ago. So we were chatting and catching up for a few minutes and she was asking how the kids were doing. I could see them running around the back yard and didn't think anything of it while I chatted. Tommy came running up with a freaked out look on his face but seeing I was on the phone he went back outside without a word (good job Tommy on not interrupting--but this time maybe you should have!). A minute later I looked a little closer at who was running. Katya was chasing Noah around the yard. Hmm. After a couple of more laps, it occurred to me that he was not holding the football. When I looked closer it was obvious that Katya was out for blood. Yikes! So I got off the phone and stepped in to stop the potential bloodshed. It turns out Noah was a little too rough in his attempts to get the ball during monkey in the middle and Katya grew tired of it and snapped. She had no idea what she was going to do when she caught him, but it clearly wasn't going to be a hug. I'm sure Katya was confused by my response, but I couldn't help but laugh after it was all settled. I mean, this was totally out of character for her and totally comical. If there is one person in this family that you would not want to go after it is Noah. He has a streak of anger and if he had gotten mad this could have been really ugly. Praise God he found much humor in it and just wanted to save himself from the wrath of his sister. It's also a good thing he is a fast runner and that she was crying and not able to run faster! The whole thing looked like a scene from a sitcom or a Baby Blues cartoon with them zigzagging across the yard. It still makes me chuckle when I think about it.

And that is just the happenings as of 3:30 this afternoon. What lies in wait for me tonight??? Or the rest of the week?? One thing is for sure, Macy will be in her kennel. We also have Ryan and his sister Cassie sleeping over tonight for round 2 of the Tent That Doesn't Sleep. Maybe I'll slip a little Benadryl into their hot cocoa...

Happy Anniversary to me!

Five years ago today I received "the call." The official phone call from my doctor with the results of my biopsy. I had cancer. So, today is my official anniversary.

Five years means that I have "officially" forotten many of the details of my surgery and treatment. At the time all of those details were swirling about in my head and I knew every drug name and every procedure's purpose. Now it is a past event that I remember in generalities (like nausea and baldness--that part I remember with great clarity!).

Five years is a big one for breast cancer. "Survival rates" go up significantly after five years. (Although I have to laugh at the statistics--God doesn't work in the business of statistics. They do not restrict Him in any way!) The funny thing for me though is that, having been diagnosed with CML last spring, it's sort of an anti-climatic anniversary! You can't really celebrate being cancer free when you have a new kind of cancer! So, we'll just say that it's my anniversary of being breast cancer free. The absence of any kind of cancer is cause for celebration I suppose.

My diagnosis coincidentally happened during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. That meant that no matter where I went there was a pink ribbon staring me in the face. I couldn't get away from it!! It was like a scene from the Twilight Zone with me running down a dark hallway with pink ribbons floating after me with malicious glares on their little pink faces! They don't bother me any more though, they are just a reminder of something I once had, like an ingrown toe nail or something. They've lost their power. HaHaHaaaa! Take that you evil little ribbons!

So, celebrate for me today. Have a latte, take yourself to lunch, have ice cream for dinner. Just don't buy anything with a pink ribbon on it!

One of these things is not like the other

Somehow this seems appropriate.

Crazy Hair Day

Real, untouched photos from Crazy Hair Day.

Pink Power!

I hope the color pink doesn't cause anyone to have seizures or you'll have to stop reading this blog until:

A) You provide me with a doctor's note proving that pink is hazardous to your health
B) You get pink filtering eyeglasses
C) I get the urge to change it again

Thursday on the go

Well, the energy honeymoon is over. Sigh. It was nice while it lasted. The good news is that if I can have two days filled with energy then maybe there are more in my future!

Tomorrow I'll be so busy it won't matter if I have any energy. I'll be so busy going from one place to another that I will be forced into a state of awakeness.

I am helping in Tommy's class at 10:00. The kinetic energy of those 20 first graders is enough to keep anyone awake and on edge. After spending a few days volunteering in there, I am absolutely convinced of his teacher's sainthood. How she stays patient in the face of WAY more questions than even my kids ask is beyond me. And she has Crazy Man (aka Tommy) keeping her on her toes as well as several other crazy men that are in Tommy's posse.

After a quick break for lunch I get to go to Rachel's third grade class to help put together armadillos out of paper plates and toilet paper tubes. I have no idea WHY they are making armadillos, just that they are and need help because a hot glue gun is involved. The alternative to having parent helpers is not a pretty picture: 21 eight and nine year olds running loose with hot glue guns. The nurse would have to set up a triage in the hallway.

Rachel then has a birthday party at 3:30 followed by an activity at the school library for the whole family. We'll just call it "bedtime stories for mommy" and they can just roll me out on a TV cart after I curl up in a corner and succumb to the inevitable.

Who's on First?

Tommy recently asked me "Is the Slussers coming?" (The Slussers are our friends and former neighbors).
"When?" I asked.
"When they come."
"When do you want to know if they are coming?"
"Right now."
"No, I mean, you're wanting to know if the Slussers are coming but when do you mean?"
"When they come."
After several more rounds we finally determined what his question really meant. But I think I have a small bald spot as a result of the conversation.

A Sunday full of energy

I have had a great day physically today! Yahoo! Of course, it might be that I didn't take my medicine yet. And at this point I am waiting until bedtime because I don't want to ruin a good thing! I have had more than enough energy, which is good because the kids apparently had a very high quota of questions to fill for the day. Oy. They haven't stopped. See how God gives us the grace (and energy) we need for the moment? He knew they were going to be filled to overflowing with thoughts that needed answers. Example from Tommy: Is it possible to scream so loud that a whole state could hear you? Answer in my head: Keep asking me questions and I think we'll get to test that hypothesis.

Tommy also decided that it was a good idea to rub his forehead against the carpet in his room while he played with his cars. And then he discovered an odd thing...it begins to hurt after you do it for too long. It is already a lovely scab. Thankfully there aren't school pictures this week.

I even had enough energy to rearrange Katya and Rachel's room. (Just in case you thought I wasn't serious about having energy!) It looks pretty cool now. And I'm still not exhausted!

Sam is on his way home. He, on the other hand, is very tired. He was up way too late reminiscing with his high school buddies and has had nonstop time with his sisters and mom for 3 days. I'm guessing he is snoozing at 35,000 ft. about now.

Time to go tackle another project!

(P.S. White count update: My white cells are at 3100 this week. Up from 2500 two weeks ago--which is good news. It's supposed to be between 5,000 and 10,000. When I increased my gleevec dosage back to 400 mg a few weeks ago it dropped, but it seems to be on it's way up.)