An Afternoon at the Park with Aunt Chelsea

Emmy and Brenner like the park.  Scratch that.  Emmy and Brenner LOVE the park.  They are such outdoor people.  Anything to do with outside, they are all about it.  All I have to say is, "Wanna go outside?"  And they start running around like wild scrummaging through the house for their jackets and shoes.  They would be outdoors well after the sun goes down if it were up to them.

The allergies are so, so bad in Texas during this time of the year.  The cedar is out of control.  Just ask my dad.  He spent Christmas Eve in the hospital receiving breathing treatments and a shot of epinephrine and steroids along with a prescription for more drugs.  Cedar affects some people that bad, but for the rest of us it's an occasional headache, sore throat in the morning, a cough and stuffy nose.

We've limited our outdoor time, but with this wonderful day beckoning me...  we had to escape.  The weather was beautiful.  Spotless, rich blue skies, temperatures in the high 60s...  And two kids with more energy than they know what to do with.  

I need to think of a better way to wrap things up.  As soon as you mention the word "car."  Or start grabbing little hands to start in the direction of the car... game over.  Enter melt-down.  Ugh.  Yes, parks are fun.  Getting a nice preview of glorious spring weather... also very fun.  Having to say, "we have to go home," not very enjoyable.

Good-bye slides.  Thank you for your fun little ride that Brenner oh so enjoys.

Good-bye swings.  Thank you for taking my Emmy high into the skies.

Good-bye jungle gym.  Thank you for letting us feel like we can touch the tops of the trees.

Good-bye park.  It's always fun visiting you.  We have to go now.  But we'll see you again.  Very, very soon. 

Happy Birthday Dear Mom, Happy Birthday to You!

The day after getting her port removed, we celebrated my mom's birthday, even though she claims she doesn't believe in celebrating her birthdays.  And well, that's just crazy.

Today was a celebration of many sorts.  A celebration in honor of being done.  Heading through that finish line.  The "bump" is removed and she can get on to better days.  And then the celebration of her and all that she is.  A supermom who is also a superwife and a superfriend.  She teaches and guides me and without her, I'd be lost.  I celebrate today and reflect on how wonderful and miraculous our God is.  How blessed I am to have her as my mom.  Today, she was sore and tired, but always wore a smile.  Because that's who she is. 

Crystal and her two little ones came over in the afternoon and brought a yummy chocolate pie.  So we found some candles, sang happy birthday, served it up... and the girls were all smiles.

Mom, I'm so glad I was here to celebrate with you.  May this next year bring peace and calm into your life.  Happy birthday.  I love you and all that you are.

The girls

Chelsea, Mom, and Austin

The lovebirds

Dad, Mom, and Chelsea

Adios Port. You Will Not Be Missed.

My sister, Chelsea, took our mom in today to get her port removed by Dr. Anderson.  She had anesthesia when they put the port in, but won't have any while taking it out.  So she was very nervous about the whole thing.  Her one requirement while going into uncomfortable situations such as this... her nano.  Ipod's are amazing.  As the music crescendos, it acts as a switch that triggers mom's brain cells to chill and relax.  I'm so glad Chelsea could go with her.  She's been taking care of the 5 childcare little ones while my mom has time to get better, so she was unable to attend chemo treatments.  I made her promise to take pictures.  And that she did.  

The port was surgically inserted back in August.  Ports are used to hook up IV's directly to the vein so that she doesn't have to get IV's stuck in the arm every 2 weeks.  It's just easy access for blood work etc...  And it has been a constant source of pain and discomfort, especially as she has lost weight and there is very little skin where the "bump" is and you can only imagine the feeling.

We knew this day would come in the future.  The day it would no longer cause discomfort.  But we didn't know when.  And now that we can close these chapters of chemo, we can take out that last remaining item that says, I had cancer. 

She did it.  It's done.  The side effects are slowly dissipating.  A few still linger.  But it will only get better and better.  Things are looking up.  She had a blood marker in December and it came back normal.  Praise God.  She'll get blood markers every 3 months for the next 2 years.  She is one strong woman.

The port

 We have a lot to be thankful for.  I want to thank everyone.  Thank you for thinking of my mom.  Thank you for lifting her up in prayer.  We feel the love and support of our friends and family.  We are blessed beyond belief.   Adios nasty port.  Adios dreadful chemo visits.  Adios cancer.  You will not be missed.

My mom.  My hero.

Randomness

Just a few random pictures of our time in Texas...

Mom got a new vacuum, and boy were the kids obsessed.  Not a bad obsession, if you ask me...

Brenner loved dressing up.  He found this little number in the dress-up bin.  Interesting combo Brenner Man.

Making music on the stairs.

This laundry bin is a game the kids LOVE to play.  Whenever my brother, Skylar, brings his laundry bin out.  Emmy will say, "We want to play!"  And they'll hop in, get slid and tossed around the living room.  It's hysterical.

Mama got her hair done!  Ooo La La! 

Did you know that Brenner also surfs?

Emmy and Dad baked up a storm of goodies.  They made lemon bars, chocolate chip cookies, triple chocolate cookies... and had a fun-filled pizza party.  Whenever she saw my dad in the kitchen she would scream with flailing arms, "I wanna bake!  Can I help??"  And she'd scoot her chair next to the kitchen island, and start grabbing and tossing things around.  Brenner would even join in on the fun.  Chef Emmy... those pizzas were DELISH!  I'm seeing a pizza biz in the future... 

Sprinkling the cheese was probably her favorite part.

There is quite a science to the placement of pepperoni, in case you didn't know.