Perking Up

Well thank goodness by Tuesday it was obvious that Jeremy was perking up. His coloring came back and he didn't have to lay down to take a nap. He rested a lot, but didn't have to lay down and sleep. Tuesday was a great day because Jeremy's aunt and uncle brought his Grandma Dean for a visit. We had a great visit. Carter was a little under the weather, but other than that we had a great time. We laughed, cried, played with the boys, and visited until about 3:30. Then it started getting a little late for Grandma because it is a 4 hour trip back home and she had a little baby calf that had to be fed before dark! Just tickles me every time I think about her having to get home to feed this little baby calf that she is not going to name, however anytime she talks about it she calls it Baby. In my book she has named it, but don't tell her that! :) After they left we hung out around the house and had a lazy evening.

Jeremy and his Grandma Dean

The boys and Jeremy with Uncle Larry and Aunt Carolyn

Yesterday Jeremy went in to see Dr. Bradford for a follow up appointment. The appointment went well however the waiting you have to endure for these appointments is terrible. We had to wait about an hour and a half before getting called back and then after we got called back we had to wait about 45 minutes. Now please don't think I am complaining because I am definitely not complaining because the Dr. is very good and spends as much time with each patient as necessary. However my husband is not the best "waiter' in the world. I pray for the poor man's patience everyday! He reminds me so much of my dad in that manner because he is not the best "waiter" in the world either(I know that my stepmom is smiling as she reads this!). If Jeremy learns to do nothing else through this he will become more patient because honestly he has no choice in the matter. Dr. Bradford really hated that the chemo was so tough on Jeremy, but he said that this will be pretty consistent all the way through. He said that with this type of chemo your same symptoms seem to follow like clockwork each time you have treatment. Now many of you know that I am a planner and a list maker, so in my planner I wrote down EVERY symptom he had everyday, neurotic I know, but I want to know what to expect each time. Jeremy's blood test to check his therapeutic levels did not get finished because the blood they drew and sent off apparently was not packaged cool enough and by the time the blood got to the lab it was too warm. They are going to run this test again next week before they take his pump off. However his blood counts yesterday were all good. He is scheduled for his next chemo next Wednesday and will wear his pump until Friday morning. Eventually he is going to get his chemo on Tuesdays that way by the weekend hopefully he will be through what seems to be the worst of it. Then he will be able to work on Saturdays, go to church on Sundays and spend time with the family on Sunday afternoons. I hope this schedule works out because I know he has really missed this weekend time.

After the dr appointment we came back to pick up Ian and Carter because they stayed with Pa and Ma. We got home and about an hour later their Aunt Lori picked them up to spend the night at their house! The boys were so excited! All Carter wanted to do was see Ozzy(their bulldog) and Uncle Bo's motorcycle. Ian was so excited about getting to stay the night with his cousin Carli. They had a great time and were so excited because they didn't even have to brush their teeth! Gotta love it!

Well today was their day. They got to choose anything they wanted to do. Their first pick was Fun City. We got there when the doors opened and stayed until about noon. From there we went home so Carter could catch a nap. After naptime we went to Target where Ian got to buy whatever YuGiOh and Pokemon cards he wanted, he had earned money at our annual garage sale a few months ago and had saved it for our vacation, since we didn't get to go anywhere he begged to go to Target. After that we went to Hibbett Sports and bought back to school shoes and I got a cute Southern Belle t-shirt(thanks to Kelly for telling me they had them!). After that we just walked around what we call "the outdoor mall" a.k.a. Promenade. Now remember this was there day so went to the Candy Craze and The Cookie Factory and yes they both got stuff at each place.....their day remember :). Then we went to ride the carousel which is new to the mall. Ok so had a little taste of how big Ian is getting because we got up in line to buy our ticket and it was only Carter and myself, I look over to where Jeremy is sitting and there was Ian and I mouthed to Jeremy is he not riding and Ian looked at him and said no I am NOT riding. My heart broke! My baby, my first born did not want to ride the carousel and not only did he not want to ride, but he did not care at all that my heart was broken. Sure it saved me 2 bucks, but I would have paid 10 for him to ride with Carter and I. Oh so many more times like this in the road ahead. Makes me think of the day that Jeremy called and him and Ian were eating at McDonald's and Ian decided he didn't want a Happy Meal he wanted a value meal. Of course Jeremy was so excited and I was on the phone practically bawling.........what no Happy Meal...........he's only 7 I want him to order Happy Meals at least until he moves out for college. Ok so I have just had some pretty clear pictures that Ian is growing up and getting too big for things I never thought he would be too big for. The joy of your children growing up, but the heartbreak of learning that you can't keep them little forever.


Ok so a few years ago.........let me rephrase that to 7 years ago, felt like a few...I went to what is called the ESL(English as a Second Language) Academy. It was grueling and rewarding at the same time. It was 2 weeks long even weekends, 12 hours a day, and meals all provided there. So basically it was hard core, but from it you walked away with an endorsement to teach ESL, 12 graduate hours, many new strategies, a wealth of information, and new friends. Well I can remember how nervous I was the first few days of the Academy. I really didn't know anyone that was going and a lot of the teachers were from Springdale. Well who knew I would meet a very good friend of mine, Reba. We spent ALOT of time together those 2 weeks. I forgot to mention I had just had a baby 2 months before so I was struggling being away from Ian.......yes he REALLY was a baby then :). So Reba was my support she knew it was hard leaving him with him being so bitty. We ate all our meals together, ran to her house to check on her kids, ran to Sonic, sat outside to get warm, and really just developed a great friendship. Well over the years Reba and I of course lost touch, but I knew where she taught and she knew where I taught, but then when we both discovered the wonderful world of Facebook we found one another and from there we found each others blog and have reconnected. Well Reba and her kiddos brought us dinner the other night and it was so GREAT to see her. I told her when she came I would probably hug and hug her and not let go. Reba has a faith that amazes me and spirit that you can only pray to have. She has 4 kids and they are so very blessed to have her as a mom. She is so calm and never appears to be frazzled. I know she is at times, but she handles herself with such grace. Jeremy knew how excited I was to see Reba so he took our picture! Then I had to take a picture of the meal she brought us, I had never had it before but it was so yummy. She brought mostaccioli, which is penne pasta with an alfredo sauce on bottom and a marinara sauce with hamburger meat and cheese, delicious! For desert there was a chocolate eclair desert in a pan and it is heavenly. I enjoyed your visit Reba and meeting Maria and Joshua and seeing Hunter and Lauren all grown up. I look forward to our next visit...........we just can't let it be so long next time!


Well I have babbled long enough, I knew I had some catching up to do, since I hadn't posted since earlier in the week. I will be consumed in my classroom the next 2 or 3 days trying to prepare for my precious little kindergartners that come next week. Some of you have asked "Are you ready?" and my answer to that is honest and true, no I am not ready not emotionally or physically, but I will be by the time they come through that door, I am praying for strength and motivation everyday.

Thank yous:
*Thank you to Reba for a WONDERFUL dinner and a SUPER visit
*Thank you to LaDonna for a DELICIOUS dinner, I can only wish I was half the cook you are! I also enjoyed our visit and your wonderful pep talk, you are an inspiration to me.
*Thank you to Melissa, Sharon, and Angela for helping me in my classroom. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. This has definitely been the most stressful year in getting my room ready and the 3 of you have helped make the process much smoother.
*Thank you to Bubba and JoAnn for the sweet card and gift. Jeremy was so touched when we got it in the mail.
*Thank you to Pa and Ma for keeping the boys while we went to Jeremy's dr. appt.
*Thank you to Carolyn and Larry for bringing Grandma up, we appreciate it so much and enjoyed seeing all 3 of you.
*Thank you to Linda, Melissa, and Mike for the YUMMY dinner tonight. It was so good and I had plenty of the coconut pie(I won't tell you how much :)
*A big thank you to Aunt Lori for taking the boys for the afternoon and overnight, so I could work in my classroom. They enjoyed it so much. It mean a lot especially since Uncle Bo had to work and you wanted to keep them anyway. They are SO lucky to have you as an Aunt!

2 year olds miss nothing

Through this process who really knows how much Carter realizes and how much he doesn't. I mean I have told you how he is fascinated with daddy's owies and medicine, but beyond that I have been wondering how different life really is to him. Well this morning it all became a little more clear to me. He was laying in bed with Jeremy and I this morning, well actually he got in bed with us about 5am:), but luckily went back to sleep! Then we all slept until 8, so we were laying there cuddling with him and listening to him sing and talk. All of a sudden he gets up on his knees and turns to Jeremy and says, "I miss you" and he said it with the most honest and sincere voice. First it of course broke my heart and I had tears, but then as I thought about it as the day went on I realized even though he doesn't realize the details and the actual illness itself, he realizes daddy is sick and that things are not normal in his life right now. Of course as a mom that is hard because you want your children's lives to be perfect even though you know that life is not perfect, but on the flip side I am so glad that we have been open and honest and that a small part of his young little vulnerable mind does understand.
The last couple days have been difficult and I can honestly say we are all very tired and getting by on strong faith and prayer. Unfortunately Jeremy has continued to be very uncomfortable and sick the past few days. However the good news is he has been able to rest, so sleep has definitely been his best medicine. Today the sick stomach hit, but he was a trooper and made it through. His energy level was up a little today, but it is still going to be a rough week for him. I think the most stressful part for the both of us is knowing that his body has to do it again next week. We go see his oncologist on Wednesday for a follow up for his first treatment. Hopefully after going over the side effects that he had maybe there are some meds that would be an option for him. I mean there is nothing that you can do about the tired lethargic feeling, but hopefully knowing how he did as far as being very achy and sick there is something that can make him a little more comfortable.
Please direct your prayer towards this because we both had planned on returning to work next week and now are both questioning this decision and how it will work for either of us. We know it will work out and we know that God has a plan for us, so as we have stated before we are taking it one day at a time and each day is different and has different answers for us.
We are very excited about our special visitor tomorrow! Jeremy's Grandma Dean is coming tomorrow and if it gives you any idea the equivalence of how excited Jeremy is about her visit it would compare to Barney showing up at the front door to see Carter or Pujols showing up to see Ian! Jeremy and his Grandma are very close and have been since he was little, so he is very excited that his Uncle Larry and Aunt Carolyn are coming and bringing her for a visit. It will just be a day visit, but could be some of the best medicine for Jeremy.

Ok so before I go I have to share one funny story, ok funny now, but wasn't funny about 4 hours ago. Tonight I was picking the house up and cleaning up after dinner and Jeremy was in our bedroom(yes the one he did not want me to move :) all kicked back and we both heard this giggling coming from the bathroom.....Carter.......Jeremy said what do you think he is doing I of course had no idea so we tiptoed to the door and the giggling turned to full out belly laughing. When I peeped through the door I didn't know if I should laugh or cry! Carter had our dog Bella's favorite giraffe(which Carter calls a cow!) that is a stuffed animal and he was slinging it into the toilet and then slinging water EVERYWHERE! I ran into the bathroom and said HOLY (not sure what I was going to finish with could have been cow, crap, moley, I was pretty mad so use your imagine if you wish) and Carter starts going HOLY COW HOLY COW HOLY COW. So I look back because Jeremy WAS behind me and I am thinking ok daddy step in I know you don't feel good but honest to goodness I was about to bust a gut from laughing. Well my backup was GONE and I am sure you can guess why........he was doubled over in the recliner because he was laughing so hard. Much help......I think not! So I realize I am going to have to pull myself together and send Carter to time out, I mean I do not want him to think he can just take anyone's things and play in the toilet water. Well believe you me I pulled myself together real fast because I looked down and realized that Ian had just gone to the bathroom and yes you already know the rest of the story.................he did NOT flush. Ok so my laughter stopped I was mad and disgusted because all that supposed water everywhere.......... The story ended with Carter in time out saying I sorry I sorry I sorry, Ian helping me clean the entire mess up(bet he will flush from now on!), and all 3 of us taking showers. Needless to say everyone was showered and quickly put to bed! What a day!

Thank yous:
*Thank you to Kasi for the yummy dinner that she surprised us with on Sunday. We were planning on eating leftovers and Sunday was such a rough day so it was such a nice surprise.
*Thank you to Pat for the great dinner tonight and to Linda for delivering it.

Thank you for the continued prayers we are so appreciative of you all. Sending lots of love and hugs to you all.

Chemo #1 Complete but Recovery is Hard

Just a quick check in with everyone to let you know that Jeremy did get his pump off this morning about 10. They were able to do the blood work and get it sent off, but we won't get his results until next Friday. This afternoon and evening has been really rough on Jeremy. Even though you know it's coming it just doesn't make it any easier once it gets here. We knew there would be some sickness, discomfort, etc. but seeing him uncomfortable and hurting is very hard. His stomach is bothering him, but it is more of a queasy feeling. He is having lots of body aches and is very flushed. Beginning to get sores in his mouth. All normal, but all make for a very uncomfortable situation. He is in our bedroom with all doors shut and lights off. He has taken some meds, so I pray that they help him relax and rest. I don't have much new today just wanted to post and update and ask for prayers for his healing and comfort. I know tomorrow is going to be hard and he is going to be tired, so I pray that he cab rest and relax until his body is ready to be back up and running again. I know the hardest thing is going to be with his treatments only 2 weeks apart, he is never going to feel like he completely recovers.
The boys have been SO wonderful tonight and have played downstairs so daddy could rest and I could take care of him. They are so sweet! Hope you are all having a good weekend. We are hoping to have a special visit from Jeremy's Grandma Dean this Tuesday and he is SO excited and the kids and I are too! I hope and pray everyone stays healthy so Larry and Carolyn are able to bring her up.
*Thank you to Pa, Ma, and Carol for watching the boys today while we went to have Jeremy's blood draw done and get his pump disconnected.

Chemo #1 Underway

Well shame on me for not updating last night or this morning, but can I just tell you I crashed. I was SO tired. Jeremy and I have not slept well all week and then the night before his first chemo I don't think either of slept at all....nerves I am sure. We both slept great last night and then when Carter laid down for his nap today I fell asleep on the couch for over 3 hours. I feel so much better and Jeremy does too.
So yesterday morning we got up early because I had a dentist appointment before Jeremy's treatment. Unfortunately his premeds made him a little sick, so he had a little trouble right off, but once we got there he was doing ok. They accessed his port and began by giving him his premeds for side effects, nausea and his stomach, from there he began his folfox treatment. They started the treatment at about 9:45 and we were there until about 1. We couldn't have asked for a nicer nurse. Her name was Linda and she was wonderful, she was very thorough and went through everything she did and explained what it was and why she was doing it. It was quite obvious we were both nervous. Jeremy and I chatted, read, and watched tv through the process. At the end of his treatment there she hooked him up to his pump of 5FU that he wears home for 2 days. Jeremy and I both expected a small pump and of course he had hoped for something that he could hide under his clothing, but when she brought it out, it was much bigger than we both expected(like the size of a large cordless phone or maybe bigger!). I mean it has to hold enough medicine for 2 days so I guess it can't be too small. Finally after much convincing Jeremy put the pump in a pack that he has to wear around his waist(not too happy but he embraced it after a few hours). Sleeping and showering have both proven to be a little difficult with the pump, but we know that he will get more used to it as time passes. Had trouble covering where the pump tubing goes into his port for his shower, so if any of you have any great ideas of how to cover it so it doesn't get wet, we would welcome your suggestions. We hang the pump bag on the shower door and that works well.
Of course both boys are pretty intrigued by the tubing and the medicine that is hooked up to daddy. Every 10 minutes I hear Carter ask daddy to see his owie! I explained to them that daddy is taking medicine and it is kind of like a bunch of army men going in and taking care of all the bad stuff in daddy's body and protecting him. Ian seemed to get it and was good with that explanation so all was well in his world.
Tomorrow morning we go back to the Oncology clinic where Jeremy has to have a panel of blood work done while his pump is still running. The nurse said that this is a new test and is actually still considered a study, what they do is they draw his blood while the pump is still running and check his therapeutic levels, this lets his dr. know if they are treating him right in his range or if they need to lower or higher his dosage. She said it is a very new test and very helpful in setting dosage levels. Weird thing was no chocolate the day before the test! Not a problem for him, but would have been for me. As long as he can still eat Judi's strawberry cake he is happy :). The day we got back from his chemo nothing really sounded good to him except for her cake and that night I found him back in the kitchen cutting another big piece of cake! The nurse said that it would definitely curb his appetite, so eat what sounds or tastes good.
Another side effect he is already come across is the numb mouth and needles in mouth and throat. This is apparently a very common side affect. When we got home that first day he fixed a big soda with ice and the next thing I knew I heard him making this crazy sound in the kitchen and he said it was just like needles in his mouth and his lips were numb, so today he has stuck to room temperature water. I can't even imagine how this would feel, but I could tell it was very uncomfortable. So in Jeremy's words he doesn't necessarily feel "normal", but doing ok. We spent all of last night and today resting. He will get the pump of tomorrow and I know he is so ready. I will keep you posted on how the treatment continues to affect him.
By the way he is enjoying the new bedroom and the boys are LOVING the playroom and I LOVE that the toys are all downstairs, it is wonderful.
Well that is all for tonight, hoping and praying for a good nights sleep for all of us.
Thank yous:
*Thank you to Larry and Mary for the delicious spaghetti dinner and the very sweet card. I enjoyed our visit when you came.
*Thank you to Brandy for the no bake cookies, that didn't even have peanut butter so that Carter could eat them!
*When Jeremy had his first treatment Melissa offered to keep the kids and I can't thank her enough! Not only did she keep the kids, but she took them to Rick's for breakfast, McDonald's for lunch, played kickball, Playstation, and Monopoly. I think the kids were hoping we had to go back today just so they could stay with Melissa! From the bottom of our heart thank you for all you have done for our family. You have to be the most giving person I have ever met and we love you bunches.
Looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend. No plans maybe a trip to Target to get a few things we have on our list, but mainly just more resting and relaxing because we know soon that will all end and work will soon be upon us.

Blessings!

Today was Jeremy's dr. appointment to get all his scan results and plan for his treatment to start. Dr. Bradford said that Jeremy's PET and CT scan both looked good! There was only one little spot that lit up and it was in the general area where the cancer was found, so they are unsure if it is a lymph node that is inflamed or a lymph node with cancer. However no other part of his body lit up, PRAISE GOD!!!!! Finally good news, this is exactly what we have all been praying for. They are going to watch this spot, but it will not affect his treatment in anyway because of the location of it. So he will have about 6 rounds of chemo and then they we will do another PET scan and see what it looks like from there.
Chemo starts tomorrow. Can you believe it? Seems so fast, but we are both so ready to get the ball rolling. We will be at the clinic at 9:00am tomorrow. We will be there 3-4 hours and he will have blood drawn, pre meds put into his port, nausea medication, and then begin his chemo. He will do the first couple hours of chemo there and once he shows no sign of reaction he will bring the chemo pack home with him and wear it for 2 days. On Friday we will go back and they will remove the chemo pack. From there we will wait until the following Wednesday and see Dr. Bradford again and discuss how Jeremy felt during and after the chemo. This will allow the dr. to check Jeremy's blood levels and side affects to see if anything needs to be adjusted.
Then the next week the process will start over again. Until he has 12 rounds done.
One of the main things the doctor talked with us about today is the type of treatment that he will have done and the side affects of the treatment. The chemo that Jeremy is getting is called folfox, it is a combination of 3 different medicines. A few of the side affects he may experience are fatigue, queasiness, loss of appetite, and sore mouth/throat. The main side affect that is the most common with this treatment is neuropathy, unfortunately all patients tend to suffer with it just on different levels and different times throughout the treatment. He said that Jeremy will experience tingling of the hands, fingers, feet, and mouth. He will also be very sensitive to cold, so during his chemo or after his mouth could feel like needles anytime he drinks or eats something very cold and when he goes to grab a cold door knob this winter it could be very uncomfortable. I see some good gloves in his future :). Before we left the clinic they sent us to their on site pharmacy where Jeremy got 7 prescriptions filled, now keep in mind this is a man that never goes to the dr let only the pharmacy......I had to giggle at the irony of it. He got premeds for his chemo, the night before and morning of and he also got nausea meds and antibiotics to have on hand as he needs them.
We were very pleased with his appointment today and very nervous and anxious about getting started tomorrow. Jeremy of course asked if he could be released to go back to work, but dr said not yet. He wants Jeremy to be off work for at least one week after his first chemo and see how he feels and how his body reacts and then hopefully after that he will be released to go back to work. So we will both possibly be returning to work on the same day. Knowing that we will both off work off and on all year, but luckily we both work at amazing jobs and they have been so supportive during all of this.
Jeremy and Ian decided they needed a little father son time tonight, so they went to the Naturals baseball game. I was so glad they went, I think it will be good for both of them. Carter and I stayed home and vegged out in front of the tv all night! No complaints from either of us for not getting to go!
I will post tomorrow night and let you know how the first day goes. Thank you for the continued phone calls, emails, cards, and support. I don't know how we would get through all of this without all of you.
Continue to pray for strength especially tomorrow as we head into his first treatment. I know that we are both going to need it especially after how hard it was sitting in the chemo suite the other day for 15 minutes and then tomorrow we will be there for 3-4 hours. Dr. Bradford was very good today though about discussing how normal this anxiety was and that it is ok for us to be nervous the first few times and eventually we will be pros at it. He said it does make it much easier when someone is there with him and I told him not to worry his #1 cheerleader would be there every time!
Thank yous:
*Thank you to Chris and Kasey Bare for the yummy dinner we had last night. The kids and I had ribs everywhere, they were delicious!
*Thank you to Judi for the wonderful down home cooked meal tonight! Even my own pan of cheese grits all to myself, I was in heaven! *for the record I do love grits....esp Judi's cheesy ones :)
*Thank you to Nana for coming back to stay with the boys during Jeremy's appointment and of course not leaving until our house was spotless.
Well gonna get everyone in bed, we have an early day tomorrow. I have a dentist appointment at 8 and from there we will go straight to Jeremy's chemo. We have been lounging in bed in the mornings, so all of us up and ready by 7:30 could be an adventure for sure!

Psalms 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
Praise God he heard each and everyone of us cry out to him. Praise God for good PET scan and CT scan results!!!!!!!!

The Real Deal

Ok so today was the PET scan and all went well. Of course no results until the appointment with Dr. Bradford on Wednesday, so now we wait. We both were doing really well until we got there and then we walked into what they call the chemo suite(classy isn't it :) and it all became real to both of us, but especially me. There were people everywhere with needles and bags and tubes. I think Jeremy thought I should walk out for a minute because I got a little flushed and hot, but no way was I leaving him in there alone. Luckily we had a very nice nurse who accessed his port for the first time and drew blood. She had this super duper numbing spray so he didn't feel a thing, by the way we got a prescription for that spray! From there he went downstairs for his scans. When they came and got him they said he would be gone about 2 hours, I could lie and say I was Superwoman and took it like a champ, but no reason to lie to all our fans. When he walked behind that door I had a mini meltdown, now for those of you that know me well know that I am a cryer especially if it is something like this and I am extremely emotional. It's not that I don't have faith in our Lord and Savior and it's not that I don't have a positive attitude its just that when sitting there in that chemo suite I looked around and thought to myself these are things you read about, hear about, see in movies and at that moment it all became very real. I guess I wished that I could be going through this instead of him, I never thought what had always been my healthy husband would be sitting in this chair. I know we will get through it and I know we will persevere, but I also know that it is going to be hard and today for me was hard. Now had I know I would have so much time to think I would have brought my dad because he is always offering to come and sit with me, but I had no idea. Well I called my Superwoman Melissa and had a mini breakdown and within probably 10 minutes she was walking into the waiting room I was in with a large mango tea just for me. I got the rest of my tears out and then we visited until Jeremy came out. I know when he first walked out he thought how bizarre that Melissa is here at the oncology clinic, but soon he realized his support needed support today too. From there we went back up to the suite and they took the stuff out of his port and we were well on our way by 5. His appointment is this Wednesday at 1. At the appointment we will get the results of the scans and start date for chemotherapy.
Now in the meantime we haven't seen our boys since Friday, but they were stuck in a monsoon with Nana in Alpena. After she picked them up they hit a huge storm and all the cars were pulled over on the side of the road because it was raining so hard. Both boys were petrified and kept wanting to know when they were going to see mommy and daddy and Carter just wanted to be held. So pitiful! When they got home Tata(who also helped me through my mini breakdown today) took them for some fun time and then we got to see them about 6, we were SO excited and so were they! However they were both exhausted and ready to crash in their beds by about 9. I know you are wondering if they liked the new playroom and of course the answer is yes! They loved it!

Thank yous:
*A BIG thank you to the wonderful lunch ladies at my school-Joy, Susie, Laura, and Connie-they stocked our freezer with all kinds of goodies, so that when we need a quick meal on the go it is there and ready for us. Miss Susie also made us the most delicious pie I think I have ever tasted!
*A THANK YOU to Melissa who didn't want Jeremy and I to have to cook this weekend while the boys were gone so she stocked our fridge with chicken salad, pasta salad, soup, fruit, crackers, and brownies. It was such yummy stuff to munch on all weekend.
*Thank you to all the guys at Kent Dobbs Hyundai for just being themselves and always taking care of us.
*Thank you to the Foshe family for the wonderful Mexican dinner they brought us tonight and the great visit. I don't know who enjoyed it more us or the kids or Bella!
*Thank you to Nana for going through to pick up the boys today which not only gave us one more night to ourselves but also saved us a drive to Harrison.

Super Duper Weekend

Well I have been a little lazy about posting this weekend, but that is because Jeremy and I had the whole weekend to ourselves. Melanie(Jeremy's sister) offered to take the kids for the weekend and we of course let her! We met Melanie, Noah, and Mallory in Harrison on Friday evening. I would like to say the kids held onto my neck and cried because they didn't want me to leave them, but I would be lying if I told you that. The truth of the matter is they jumped right in Melanie's ride and waved good bye. So Jeremy and I got back into the van and decided to brighten our spirits with some TCBY(since we don't have one in NWA anymore).
When we got home we went to a softball celebration at Ryan and Cheyanne's house. Jeremy's softball team that he has played on for about 5 years won the championship. They have been waiting for this forever! They were so excited, so of course a celebration cookout was in store. Pictures are from the cookout. We had a really good time. Jeremy sat on their back deck and visited with all the guys and I got some good girl time in.
Saturday morning we slept in and then decided to head out to a new restaurant we had been wanting to try called Mojito's, we really enjoyed it. Then later in the afternoon we went to a movie, now let me say that my husband can't stand going to the movies, he prefers to watch them at home on his own couch! So the last movie we had seen together was with Ian when we took him to see Cars! We went and saw The Hangover and I have to say we both belly laughed the entire time, it was hysterical! We were still laughing when we walked out of the the theater. Best medicine ever!
Now you are probably wondering how the kiddos are doing at this point and let me just say Ian has already told me by Saturday morning that he is not ready to come home! They took the kids roller skating, to the creek, visit with grandparents, feed the fish, ride 4 wheelers, eat pizza, and of course lots of playtime. Pictures to come of course! The boys are actually still there, but will home Monday afternoon. I can't wait to hug both of their necks and give them lots of kisses! I don't know how we can ever thank Mike and Melanie enough. Jeremy and I needed this weekend more than anything. Not only did we relax and veg out, but we also got some things done around the house that I just can't seem to get done with the kids here. Tonight we got take out and had sushi and fried rice while we watched Big Brother, it was so NICE! So a HUGE thank you goes out to Mike and Melanie for not only giving us a weekend to ourselves, but also for giving the boys such a memorable time with their cousins.

Well before I sign off for the night I wanted to remind everyone to send up prayers for Jeremy's PET scan and CT scan tomorrow. We have to be there about 2, so they can access Jeremy's port for the first time and then he will begin prep for his scan. They said that we will be there for at least 3 hours, so it will probably be a pretty long day. Please pray that the PET scan will bring some good results our way and we can get this chemo started. We will not get the results until Wednesday, so as soon as we know something I will post an update.

Good friends!

Much needed girl time!

and of course guy time!