Cute Little Toes

Tuesday morning Brooklyn went to preschool again. I was very interested to see how she would do since the week before her teachers said she got tired before the day was over. They said she was great all morning though so I was so happy. It made me feel better about her going to school and not worry as much that it is too much for her to handle. When I picked her up, we went straight down to the infusion room to get her blood drawn. Since the day before was Labor Day, our home nurse hadn't come out so we had to go to the infusion room. They said it would take about an hour to get the results back so we went over to Jamba Juice to have some lunch. It was a pretty day so we found a table to sit at outside and enjoyed hanging out together. She was so cute - she said, "This is my best day eder Mom." How many people can say it's their best day ever when they have to get blood drawn and then go in for chemo? She continues to amaze me. It is so funny because Mike and I have said lately that it is easy for us to forget that she's sick because she is doing so well and usually feels so good. She is spunky and fights with her brother and sisters, but is also the sweetest little girl you've ever met. It is weird when I glance at a picture of her hanging in our hallway with her hair long because I am so used to her not having any hair now. She really looks great without hair! But I am reminded regularly that she is sick since we are living in a new neighborhood and the kids are at a new school. So many families at our old school knew us and knew that Brookie got Leukemia in January and would always ask how she was doing when I would pick up Braden. It is weird to be at a new school and have her with me all the time because I know people look at her and wonder why she is bald or what is wrong with her and it's not like I just walk around with a sign saying "she has leukemia." The people that I have told have all been very nice and concerned for how she is doing with her treatment, but it is always a little strange to know when the right time is to explain it. I think we are so used to living with our new schedule and treatment and doctor's appointments, that we don't stop to think - oh my gosh, she has leukemia. It is really sad if you think about it. You never want anything bad to happen to your children and you never think your child will get cancer, so it is pretty shocking that it has all happened so quickly. I think having a schedule drawn out for us and having good doctors and nurses has helped us get through these first few months, but I also know that our strength comes from God. He lifts us up on those days that seem extra hard and carries us through til we are okay again. Tuesday turned out to be a long one for us. After our lunch, we went back to the infusion room for her chemo, but had to wait awhile for it to come over from the pharmacy so we didn't leave to go home until 5:00. The next day, we ran some errands, went to a doctor's appointment for Kelsey, and then had soccer practice for both Kayla and Braden and I could tell that Brookie was tired. The next morning she was supposed to go to preschool, but as soon as she got up and came downstairs, she threw up, so she didn't go. She was so sweet because at about 11:00, she said, "otay mom, I want to go to 'tool' now." She has been singing 'Jesus Loves Me' since she started school and it is so cute because she doesn't know all of the lines yet so when she was singing it in the car the other day she sang, "Jesus loves me in my toe, tor the Bible tells me so." :) I think I might start singing it that way now! We had a pretty mellow weekend. My mom stayed with us because Mike and my dad both went on the men's retreat with our church. The kids love having GaGa here and it was fun for us to get to hang out for a couple days together! The week ahead shouldn't be too busy, so hopefully Brooklyn will feel good all week, all the way from her head down to her toes.