Perspective

I just read the blog of someone with a 10 month old baby that has neuroblastoma. She was diagnosed around the same time as Eric and has undergone 4 chemo treatments, just like Eric. It is heartbreaking to think of a baby just one month older than Paige undergoing the same awful treatments Eric is going through. There was quote on their blog that I loved, it said....

"I know God will not give me more than I can bear, I just wish He didn't trust me so much." -Mother Teresa

There's perspective for you...

Trouble

There's trouble in our house - and her name is Paige. We had forgotten what trouble 9 month olds are. She's constantly unloading things like folded laundry, dishes from the dishwasher, books from the bookshelf, clothes from her drawers, etc. But how can you get upset at a face like that?
The other day I came into the kitchen and found her sitting in a pile of Cheerios. She had pushed open the cupboard behind her (it is a rotating lazy susan type contraption) and chosen her favorite cereal. She was quite proud sitting there eating Cheerios off the floor! Good thing she was looking cute with her new hairdo and stripey tights (and drool covered T-shirt) to document her naughtiness. Does anyone with a 3-4 month old baby want to trade for a couple days? This one is wearing me out!

Boarder

I know this is hard to see, but that little body in the yellow vest is Mason snowboarding! Eric took him up to Powder Horn (the resort 40 min from our house) for group lessons and he ended up being the only kid in the class. Can't beat a 2 hour private lesson for the price of a group lesson! Eric said he did great, but purposely crashed every time he picked up a little speed. I guess he was a little nervous. But he went on the chair lift by himself and learned to stop by turning on his heels. He was so proud when he came home yesterday and can't stop talking about when he can go again. I wish it wasn't so expensive - ahhhh! Next time I'm taking him up so I can see him in action. I can't believe our little guy is a boarder now, when did he get so big?

Third time's the charm!

Eric is currently in Big Springs, NE on his way back from a doctor appointment at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. We decided to seek a third opinion to put our minds at ease after receiving the second diagnosis at the Mayo Clinic. We questioned the second diagnosis after coming home from Minnesota and reading information about the disease that didn't seem to jive exactly with Eric's symptoms. So, instead of always questioning whether he really is receiving the right treatment, we decided a third opinion was the best course of action. The University of Nebraska does a ton of lymphoma research, so it seemed like the place to go next. The pathologists there concurred with the Mayo Clinic - Eric has LP Hodgkins Lymphoma. I can finally say that with confidence now that it has been double checked. So, the third time's the charm - I'm finally at peace with the diagnosis!

Whoever thought I'd be able to say I'm at peace with a cancer diagnosis????

Ice Lashes

I went running the other morning and came home with eyelashes looking like this. The temp was somewhere around 7 degrees. Maybe the ice lashes are a sign I shouldn't be running when it is so cold!

"Now this is what I call a fun day!"

That was what Mason said when we went sledding New Years Day morning. I guess Sea World and the beach and playing in beautiful California don't count. I don't know why my boys won't convert to California living, they are their dad's sons for sure. Paige better be my little California girl when she gets older and we will leave the boys in this frigid snow to freeze their buns off looking for animals (or whatever they do) while we live it up in the California sun! Okay, enough of that rambling, we really did have a good time sledding.
Logan was so lazy! He would sled to the bottom and then lay there on the sled refusing to hike back up. We all got so tired of waiting on Logan to bring the sled back up that we started skipping his turn. It's really not as mean as it sounds, he was too busy playing in the snow to notice.
Paige was bundled in an 18month snow suit that was way too big, but she was snuggy warm!
But after a while she got bored, so we went in the car to "drive." Such a happy girl!
Happy New Years!!!