Spring Break

Mike was laughing at me last night because I had just told him that I think this last week was the best week ever. He said, "I think you like spring break more than the kids do." It might be true! I love being on our own schedule and getting to do fun stuff together, and getting to sleep in a little bit too! Monday, Brooklyn had her monthly appointment with her oncologist, and it was the first time all of the other kids have come with us to her appointment. The doctor said she was looking good so then we headed over to to the infusion room. I wasn't sure how it would work there because they only allow one family member in while she is in there, but Mike had a lot going on at work, so he couldn't make it to the appointment, so I had all 4 kids with me. They were really great about it though and put us in one of the isolation rooms. It was so cute because Braden and Kayla were really into watching the nurse draw Brooklyn's blood and give her the chemo, and they kept saying how brave she was. Brookie was loving showing them how she could help with everything from cleaning her port to flushing it and helping shake up the blood. It was really sweet because the nurse took Brooklyn into the other room to pick a prize when she was done and she came back with a present she had picked out for each of the other kids. I took them out for frozen yogurt after we were done because they were so good during both appointments. Tuesday morning we woke up and got on the road to head to San Francisco for the day. I thought it would be fun to take the kids to the SF zoo because Mike and I had been there one other time when Braden was really young and had loved it. It was a really fun day and we loved seeing all the different animals and hanging out all together as a family. After we were done there we took the kids down to Pier 39 to see the sea lions and have dinner. The weather was perfect for us all day and it was so much fun to take a little day trip. Wednesday the kids got to play with some friends while I ran some errands to get ready for having bunco at our house that night. They really wanted to stay up and watch all of the moms roll dice, but they were all pretty tired from our big trip the day before. Thursday morning we got up and went to horse camp. We have been to this same camp a few other times, and the instructor is great with the kids and our kids love being around all the animals. I stayed with them because I wanted to make sure that Brooklyn was doing okay since she was one of the younger kids. They got to hang out with chickens, bunnies and horses and the older three all got to ride on a beautiful white horse named Stella. They also got to play on the trampoline and ride the zip line and finished the morning with an Easter egg hunt. They had a lot of fun in just three hours! Kelsey loved playing with everyone too, and even got to sit on Stella with her big brother. We had lunch and played at the park with our friends after camp and then rushed home for Kayla's t-ball practice. We were all pretty tired that night! Friday we had lunch at our favorite pizza place with some good friends and the kids spent every quarter we had in the game room. Going out to lunch and to the zoo and horse camp are new adventures for us since we haven't done a lot of that for the last year. It still freaks me out to have Brooklyn touching everything and sitting or laying on the ground, but I just try to wipe her hands with wipes as often as I can and hope that she doesn't get germs that will make her sick. She was on steroids again all week, so she had a few temper tantrums each day, which would usually end up with her crying on the floor, wherever we were. I know she wasn't feeling 100% so we tried our best to have extra patience with her during those times. Saturday, Braden's team had a scrimmage against another team so we all went out to watch. It was really fun and the team looked great! Coach Mike was really proud of them. :) After the game we ran some errands and then came home to work on a project Braden has due for school this week. Yesterday we woke up at 4:00am and 5:45am to Braden in our room wondering if it was time to go hunt for eggs yet. A little before 7:00 we all finally got up and came downstairs to find the Easter Bunny had visited our house! The kids had a wonderful time looking for eggs and we had a fun morning at home. We then went to a wonderful service at church and then headed over to my parents' house for the afternoon. My aunt and uncle were there and my parents' good friends the Shaffers came over for dinner too, so it was a wonderful day. We ended the night eating ice cream sundaes around the fire pit, two of our favorite things at Gaga and Papa's house. The kids actually had today off from school as well. We were a little more mellow today since they go back to school again tomorrow. My mom and the kids and I went to a park for a memorial picnic in honor of my friends' father. It was good to see her and spend some time with a family that I was so close with growing up. I took the kids to a playground after we left because they thought they were going to get to "play" since we were going to a park, but they didn't have much chance to while we were there. There was only one other little boy at the park, so we pretty much had it all to ourselves. I love watching the four of my kids play together, their laughter and happiness bring such joy to my heart. I pray that they will continue to be friends as they get older. When we got home I asked Brookie if she was feeling okay because she wasn't looking great and she said, "No, I don't teel good." and then ran outside to play with her brother and sister. She always seems to get a little swollen during her week on steroids, and I don't know if it's from eating more, or just from the drugs or if she holds more water, but her cheeks fill out and her belly gets a little more round. The next three weeks, she always slims back down, but then she starts them up again. I don't know if she's just not feeling great because she just finished steroids Saturday, or if her chemo is making her stomach upset or if she's just tired from our busy week. It could be a combination of the three I suppose. She still amazes me and although her moods may change as quickly as the weather lately, I know her feisty-ness and determination are what are helping her through this tough time in her life. I am so thankful for her strength.