Big Girl

Brooklyn did great with her chemo on Tuesday. Her dosage was increased but she seemed to feel fine with it again. She was a little tired afterward and had a great toddler meltdown at the BeachHut Deli when I stopped to get a sandwich on our way home because she wanted to play one of the video games and I didn't give her a quarter. She fell asleep within 5 minutes in the car and was much happier after her cat nap. :) Yesterday, we had a nice morning at home and then played with our friends at the park. She took a four hour nap yesterday afternoon, which never happens! She was darling last night because she was obviously not tired at bedtime, so she came downstairs after we got everyone in bed and we let her watch American Idol with us. She was only happy when she was right in between Mike and me and each of us was holding one of her hands. It was so sweet because she just wanted to curl up and be close to us. One of my favorite things she does lately is when she hugs me and says "You're my best Mommy eder (ever)". She sure brings a smile to my face. Today we had a great day at home. We made cupcakes for Kayla's school tomorrow and played outside for awhile. She continues to amaze me with her determination and character. She wore undies all day today and did amazing! It is difficult because the different medications she takes can either constipate her or give her diareahea, so potty training isn't something I have pushed because I feel like she has so much else to deal with. She showed me once again today how she is growing up so fast and doing so so gracefully. I am so proud of her and how well she is handling everything she has to deal with. Mike's mom is having surgery on Monday so he is flying down to be with her for a couple days. I know she will do great through this process too. Brookie and her Grandma are strong cookies! :)

Rejoice!

What a wonderful weekend to celebrate Easter. The weather was nice enough to play outside & we were all healthy & enjoyed spending time with family. Saturday we got to take family pictures finally! My friend Tina came over and took pictures of the six of us, and hopefully there will be one where we are all looking at the camera with a smile. :) Sunday my parents and aunt and uncle went to the early service at our church and then took Brooklyn and Kelsey home while Braden, Kayla, Mike and I went to the late service. We really wanted to all go to church together on Easter, but just figured that there would be too many germs to expose Brooklyn to on such a busy Sunday. One of the things our pastor said was that because of Jesus' resurrection, we have hope out of hopelessness. I have always known that, and found strength in Him, but it resonated with me especially during this time in our lives. When Brooklyn was diagnosed with cancer, when Mike's mom was diagnosed, when my cousin was diagnosed - we didn't feel hopeless, but we did feel somewhat helpless, scared, uncertain, worried, sad. It is so reassuring to have hope in a situation that can be so scary. It is also helpful that Brooklyn is doing so well. She is eating great (in fact she just tried to get out of bed claiming she is hungry - she is good at coming up with excuses to not go to sleep!), she is feeling great and is so much fun to be with. We had a great afternoon playing bocce ball, watching golf and looking for eggs at my parents' house and also celebrating my uncle's birthday. We go back in for chemo tomorrow morning and they are increasing her dose again, so I am hoping it doesn't make her feel sick. We have so many reasons to rejoice and we are glad.

The Monkeys

"School's out, school's out. Teachers let the monkeys out. One jumps in, one jumps out, one jumps in the sauerkraut." My mom used to sing that song to us whenever we had a school break or we got out for summer. Can you tell she's from Wisconsin? :) Or maybe everyone sings about sauerkraut... I don't know. We have had an awesome week. Monday we had a great day just relaxing at home. We made egg shaped rice krispie treats on Monday - which took all morning between washing the eggs, mixing the krispies, decorating them and washing the eggs again. Phew! It was great though because the kids had so much fun. Then we surprised them and went to the drive in that night to watch "Hop". The kids had a great time but we found out that the back of our car doesn't fit the 5 of us. Kelsey was a rock star and slept through the whole thing and Mike ended up falling asleep in the front seat because there wasn't room for him in the back. We need to plan a little better and bring chairs or something next time. :)  We got to play with friends at a couple different parks Tuesday and Wednesday and visit Mike at work for lunch one day too. It has been such a great, fun family week. I haven't been bummed that we can't go anywhere this week, in fact, I feel like it has been better being home this week than any trip could be. It has been so great to just play and enjoy time with the kids without the craziness of our regular schedules and busyness. Brooklyn has been feeling great and has a ton of energy, but I can tell her chemo has increased because she is losing more hair again. You can see it on the couch cushions or your shirt after holding her. It is still long, but it is really thinning. It is kind of sad because it is a reminder that she is sick, even though she seems so healthy. We are so thankful for how great she is doing and that the chemo is keeping her cancer away. I stopped by our nurse Wendi's house today and visited with her for awhile. Zach, her son, has started his treatment for Osteosarcoma and it is a much tougher course than Brooklyn's. Please continue to pray for them as they are still adjusting to this sudden & drastic change in their lives. We hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend with your families and friends.

Baseball Baseball Baseball

We have done so much since my last post! Thursday night Braden had a game and we all went and enjoyed the evening. The girls got cold and ended up watching a movie in the car, but that was fine because they aren't that interested in actually watching the game yet. :) I brought Kelsey's little stroller along and she did about 8 laps pushing it from one side of the field to the other - she is a little mover! Our team lost but Braden got a couple hits and was player of the game for our team, so that was exciting! Friday Brooklyn had her chemo and everything went really well. It only took about an hour and a half & she was happy to watch a movie while she sat there, and got a chocolate milk from her Papa when she was done. I was joking that we weren't there long enough for me to go through everything that I brought with me! We had an easy night at home Friday and then had baseball again yesterday morning. Braden's team played well but didn't pull off the win. I was worried about how Brooklyn would be feeling since they increased her dose of chemo this week, but she was great again. She was running around and dancing and playing like she always does. I think the 24 hour dose of anti-nausea medicine really helps her. Today was the best day we've had in awhile. Our good friend is a coach for the Single A team in the Diamondback organization and they were playing the Stockton Ports this afternoon. We took two of our little friends with us and headed down to Stockton for the game. We definitely got some looks at the stadium walking in with six kids, but we loved it! The stadium was great and it was such a beautiful day. The kids had a blast and ate tons of snacks and sweets and each one of them got a ball to take home. After the game was over, the kids got to run the bases and then they had a mini-concert with these two girls who are up & coming singers. The kids got to sit on the field and listen to the concert and it was great. Brooklyn wanted to dance with her dad so they got up and she did some twirls and spins; I almost started crying watching them dance together. It was amazing to see how happy she was.  Mike and I were talking after the game about how wonderful it was to all be together and out doing something we would "normally" do. We have to be especially careful with her to ensure she doesn't get sick, and it is always in the back of our minds that she has cancer, but for this afternoon - to just enjoy the sunshine and fresh air and the ball game, it was like we could forget about it for a little while. We are truly blessed.

Learning every day

We have had a good few days. We have been having fun playing at home and running around picking up the kids from school. I was thinking yesterday that the things I am talking about now, I knew nothing about 3 months ago. So, I included these pictures so that you could see all that we have to take care of and you know how tough Brooklyn is. Her Broviak is the line where she has blood drawn and she receives chemo, blood transfusions and any medications for her surgeries. It is great because she never has to get poked, especially during this time when she has so many surgeries, blood tests and all of that. However, it is also a lot of responsibility for us. It is basically a direct line to her heart, so that is why it is so important that everything is so sterile when we are cleaning it. We have also been super careful with her lately because she has all of her energy back which means she is all over the place; so I pin her taped tubes to her shirt every day to make sure that she doesn't get them caught on something or yank them out as she's flipping over the arm of the couch over and over! "Flushing" it every day means we are putting heparin in the lines so that her body doesn't form a blood clot around the tube that is in her chest. That along with changing the caps on the tubes once a week and changing the dressing every 2-3 days can make your head spin. But we have kind of got it down. It is really crazy to say that, but we are used to it and so is she. She knows we need to do it every day, and she is so patient and always helps. I was thinking about it today as I was doing laundry. Apparently I didn't take a kleenex out of one of our pockets, so there was little pieces of white lint on every item of clothing in the washing machine. It is the same way with what we are experiencing with Brooklyn's cancer. It has affected all of our lives, we are all touched by just this one thing. But we are getting through it. Everything came out in the dryer and was just as clean as it should be, and I know we will be there soon too.  We just need to tumble around for a couple of years first. :)

Mini Getaway

Wasn't it Bill Murray in "What About Bob?" that said, "I'm taking a vacation from my problems!" :)  Mike and I got a little chance to do that this weekend. We were thrilled to go to Napa to celebrate with our friend Suzy at her beautiful wedding to Jonas Greenberg on Saturday. It was so good to see some of our very best friends from college and just visit and catch up. It was the first time we have left Kelsey overnight and the first time we've left Brooklyn since she was diagnosed. I was excited that we were getting a night away, but also nervous about leaving. My mom and dad and aunt and uncle all came and stayed at the house to take care of the kids, so the kid/adult ratio was 1/1! We knew the kids were in good hands so we didn't have to worry about them while we were away. We were also so thankful that Brooklyn didn't get a fever or need to go to the hospital while we were gone. We totally missed the kids and were so happy to come home, but it was like stepping back into reality which was a little tough after having a day away. We are also asking for more prayers for our family going into this next week as Mike's mom, Diane, was just diagnosed with Breast Cancer on Friday. It feels like cancer is taking over everywhere we turn, but we know that God is in control. Especially during this Easter season, we are so incredibly thankful for God's amazing love for us, and although things may seem down at times, we know that it is just a temporary season that we are going through and that He is our support and comfort and strength every step of the way.

To the Moon

We have had a good last few days. Brooklyn has felt great, which makes me happy. They gave her a 24 hour dose of anti-nausea medicine when they gave her her chemo on Monday, so hopefully that spared her from feeling sick. They are going to increase her chemo dosage each time she goes in for the next couple months, so hopefully she will not feel bad afterward. Mike and I have gotten a little bug however, so we haven't felt good most of the week. We are on the mend though & hoping to feel even better tomorrow. And, we are happy to announce the El Dorado Hills AA Reds are undefeated. :)  Braden had his first game Tuesday night and it was so much fun to go - the girls played with other little sisters and the Reds came back in the bottom of the 4th to take the lead. That's right - we only played 4 innings in 2 hours. There were a lot of walks. :)  But they did great for their first game & Braden did great at catcher, pitcher and shortstop. Yesterday I had to run to Target for a couple things so I loaded all 3 girls in one of those giant shopping carts and we were off. They wanted to get out and walk but I wiped down the whole cart and said they all had to stay buckled in because we were in a hurry. Right before we were going to checkout, this nice gal came up to me and said she had 3 daughters all about the same age as my girls & told me their names and ages. Then she said she thought it was so funny because her middle one was the chubbier one too and her oldest and youngest were skinny. I thought, she is just trying to be friendly, and so I told her I was sure her middle daughter was getting ready to go through a growth spurt soon. I didn't think I needed to tell her that my middle daughter is "chubby" because she has leukemia and has been on steroids. It didn't matter, she didn't need to know that, I know it would've just made her feel bad or awkward. My girls weren't paying attention at all because they were too busy picking out what new bandaids they wanted. Going through this process with Brooklyn has definitely made me try to be less judgemental of others. We never really know what is going on in someone else's life. Brookie has been especially whiny this week when we've been home - super fun times. :) Today I looked at her and said, "I'm gonna send you to the moon Brookie if you keep whining."  She looked up at me with her big blue eyes and said, "You go to the moon with me Momma?" She melts my heart. She brings everything back into perspective and I am thankful for that. I would go to the moon and back with her.

Mixed Emotions

Today was a bit of a bag of mixed emotions for me. Brooklyn & I got up and out early to get to the infusion lab at 8:00 so she could get her blood drawn & get her counts back right away. Then Mike met us and we met with the oncologist. Everything is going according to schedule and she is in the "Interim Maintenance" stage. We got the schedule for the next two months and we go in for chemo every ten days. The good news is that she only has one spinal tap during that time and we don't have to do anything other than her antibiotic at home. Yea! It seems like a break after having to give her yucky medicine every single day. And, the other exciting thing is that two years from today, if everything goes according to plan and we don't have any setbacks, she will be done with her treatment! It seems crazy that it is two more years, but since we learned that it would be that long when we were in the hospital, it is exciting to get the news that we are now on the countdown! Brooklyn felt great all day. She was super hyper at the doctor's office and the infusion lab and I had to keep telling her to sit down since she was connected to the IV. She felt pretty good the rest of the day too, and even ate a little better. I am so happy that things are going well with her and that she is feeling so good. However, I was also very upset today because our home nurse that we love so much found out this afternoon that her son has cancer. I am so sad for their family. We are praying for them especially during this initial, scary, questioning time and I know they would appreciate your prayers too.

It's a great day

We had a great weekend again. Yesterday, we went to Braden's picture day for baseball and then to Leatherby's - or as Brooklyn calls it - "Wedabees". We went because Brookie went to the bathroom in the toilet last week and in our family, the first time that happens grants you a trip to 'Wedabees' to get ice cream as big as your head as Mike likes to say. :) We took a walk around the neighborhood when we got home and visited with some neighbors. It is so nice to be able to go outside and visit and enjoy the sunshine. Then, although it wasn't warm enough, I got bullied into going into the pool. I think we are just so excited that we have a pool now and that it is finally sunny outside, we are over-eager to get in. I was in for a total of about 45 seconds! It was freezing! But, Mike was quick to remind me that the pool was 15 degrees warmer than when he went in last time. We need to wait til it gets a little warmer. :) I was listening to the radio tonight as we were playing outside and Travis Tritt's song came on with these lyrics: "It's a great day to be alive, I know the sun's still shinin' when I close my eyes. There's some hard times in the neighborhood, but why can't every day be just this good?" There was nothing special about this weekend that made it better than any other day, but I am so very thankful for every day, for our beautiful kids and for our times together, that song reminded me of all of that. Tomorrow morning we meet with Brooklyn's oncologist again to get the schedule of treatment for this next month. We are hoping that everything is going according to the plan and that her body is reacting how it is supposed to be to the chemo. She has been so tough through all of the different medicines she has had to take and surgeries she has had to endure. She is an inspiration.