The Best-est Day

Today was a great day!  We started the day doing chores around the house - really exciting, I know.  After we finished all the chores we loaded the kids up and headed over to my awesome parents' house to spend the afternoon.  The kids had a fabulous time swimming for HOURS!!  When we first got there David and I got the kids into their suits and then ditched 'em.  We left all the kids there with my parents and headed over to a wig shop.  I tried on only 4 wigs and found 2 that are totally opposite of each other but both fantastic!  See for yourself:

This one is more conservative and more like my natural hair.

  

This one is more fun and sassy.  I have always wanted to try red hair!  What do you think?  Which one do you like better??

After we got back to my parents' we did a photo shoot and my kids thought that it was awesome.  Then David and got our suits on and David joined the kiddos in the pool.  I am such a wimp and thought the water was way cold, so I just sat around the pool and took some fun pictures.  It is too hard to upload all of them here so if you want to see more pics of our fun day, go to facebook.com and I will upload them there.

We left their house around 6:30, stopped at Wendy's and loaded up on their Dollar Menu.  The kids ate dinner and then went to bed.  It was such a fun day and now I am super tired - but it was sooooo worth it!  I need more days like this and we will have more over the last few weeks of summer.

5 days down - 13 to go

I survived my first week of radiation with no side effects.  I am so excited that there is something that I am doing to fight this thing that isn't taking so much out of me...I just hope that it works!

This week has just flown by and I am kinda sad that summer is already more than half over.

Tonight we took Vilate to her basketball game and it was awesome!  She did a great job.  There is a boy on her team that is really a great player and he made most of the points for her team.  She was getting a little discouraged when all of a sudden she got the ball on a rebound and ran all the way down the court.  She made it to the basket for her team and looked at David.  He said, "shoot it!"  and she did.  She made it!  According to David it was the BEST play of the entire game.  And what was I doing while this amazing play was being made?  I was chasing Nephi - he had run onto the court and then to the other side of the gym and was screaming for me to hold him up so that he could drink from the water fountain.  Yup.  I missed it!  SO LAME!!  But regardless of my missing the shot, Vilate was so proud of herself.  It was way cool! 

The kids are now in bed and I am heading that direction myself.  Tomorrow we are planning to clean this messy place in which we live and then go swimming.  We have 2 birthdays next week in this house, so David and I will be getting things ready for that.  I am excited, I love to celebrate the kids' birthdays.  It gives me an opportunity to make sure that the kids know that they are special and important to us!  I love making them feel like a VIP.  

Just Pluggin Away

Things around here have been busy.  Since last Monday and continuing on for the next 5 weeks I have a doctor's appointment everyday.  That keeps us on the go.  The good news is that the majority of these appointments are only 5 minutes.  In fact the annoying thing is that it takes us longer to get there and back than the actual appointment time.  

Yesterday I started my radiation.  I was nervous, just because it was a new procedure.  The great news is that it is really fast and really easy.  I lay down on a table and they put this mask on me.  The mask holds my head in place.  Then they administer radiation to the right side of my head for 40 seconds and then the machine moves to the left side and they do the same thing there.  So, in less than 5 minutes I am done.  It doesn't hurt or even feel like anything, it is just like getting an x-ray.  Pretty easy - I am sooo glad.  The side effects of the radiation can take up to 6 months to show themselves, but hopefully they will be minimal.  Either way, the benefits outweigh the risks, so we proceed.

The kids are doing well.  We are trying to keep them busy with playdates and keeping their rooms clean.  Faith just started a drama class last week that she is enjoying a whole bunch.  Nephi is now going without naps during the day and that seems to be helping the nights go smoother.  All in all things are good.  

I have been reading in my scriptures more and more and I am enjoying the peace that I feel when I read the words of the prophets and the Lord.  I love reading about when Christ was on the earth and about His interaction with those people that were alive at that time.  I love to imagine myself in those places at that time.  I love to think of what Christ would say to me.  As I read these accounts I learn more of Him and who He is and who He wants me to become.  I see that there is much for me to do to be what He wants me to be.  I am determined to be who He wants me to be.  It will take patience and study, but I will become what He wants me to become.  There is no other good option.  As I become what He wants, I will be a nicer person, I will be a better neighbor, friend, mother and wife.  Isn't that what we should all be striving for?  It is what I am striving for.  

Thank you all for being my friends and great examples to me.  I love and appreciate all of you and your support for our family.  We truly are blessed and I will never take that for granted.  Please know that you mean so much to me - this trial of ours would be impossible to maneuver through without your love.  So, thank you, thank you, thank you!

G-R-R-R-reat News!

Yesterday was a busy day.  We started the day with a doctor's appointment with my Oncologist.  Thanks to my good friend Sarah for coming over and hanging with the kiddos.  About a week and a half ago I had a CT Scan done and it was time to get the results.  Dr. Cen came in and read us the radiologist's report.  The report wasn't that great.  The radiologist reported that there was a slight change.  So, Dr. Cen said, "Let's look and see."  We looked and guess what?  There wasn't a slight change, there was a GREAT change.  He said that the radiologist isn't an oncologist and they tend to err on the side of caution and since it is still wide spread they probably didn't want to say too much.  We looked at my liver and before I had more cancer than liver.  Now I have more liver than cancer!  YAY!!!!!  I am super excited.  There is still a lot of cancer, but the tumors are shrinking.  It was great to see that.  I also asked if we could have 4 weeks, not 3, between this week's chemo and the next round of chemo because we were going with my family to the beach for a weekend in August.  He said that I must want more energy and he thought that it would be fine.  YAY!  Another victory for me!!!

After we saw the doctor we went home.  Then my wonderful sister, Jenny, and her kids came down from Woodland and hung out with my kids so that David and I could go back to Kaiser and get my port put in.  That was a scary procedure.  They put in a port so that the nurses wouldn't have to do I.V.s anymore.  It is a little thing that they put under my skin above my right breast that has a catheter that goes directly into the upper chamber of my heart.  The nurses have a special needle that they just plug into the port and it directly puts the drugs into my bloodstream.  It is a neat little contraption, but it was scary for me to get it put in.  I was awake for the procedure and would have preferred it if they would have knocked me out!  But - I made it through.  And now I have a port so they don't have to poke me again while in search of a good vein.

I also got to speak with a doctor from the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City.  The doctor, John Ward, said that he was sorry about my cancer, but that they would be doing the exact same thing that Kaiser is doing.  That was good for me to hear.  I am glad that they came to the same conclusion.  It was nice to have someone else concur.

We came home from Kaiser and had a good visit with Jenny and her way cute kiddos and then we had the world's greatest pizza for dinner (thanks Carrie).  Round Table Pizza's Maui Zaui with Polynesian Sauce minus the red onions is the best there is!!  YUMMY!!  I LOVE that pizza!!  It was so good that I ate 3 pieces.  David was shocked and very pleased that I was eating!  I went to bed after Family Home Evening and was asleep before 8 o'clock.

It was a busy and great day.  I am so happy that the cancer is getting it's butt kicked!  I am so grateful that I have the port now.  I am lucky to have such great family and friends that are always so willing to help out with kids and dinners.  I am blessed to have good doctors and live in a time when things have been discovered and invented for my well being.  Things are good.  Life is great!!  And I am happy to be living!!!!!!!

Last week's adventures....

We left around 7 am on Monday morning for Yosemite. It is a little under 200 miles, 187 to be exact, to Yosemite to our front door. The kids were excited and the van started out running great. As we approached Yosemite...it was the beginning of the end. We got about 30 minutes out of the park entrance when the "Check Engine" light came on. We stopped, checked fluids and everything seemed okay, so we continued on. About 15 minutes later the light started flashing - not a good sign. We pulled over, had no cell phone service and wondered what to do. We said a prayer and felt like it was okay to continue, just at a slower pace. The light wasn't blinking anymore and within 10 - 15 minutes we arrived at the entrance to the park. David spoke with the ranger and she said that there was a mechanic shop in Yosemite Village. So, we decided to continue on. We made it to the campsite and were very relieved! The kids got their swimsuits on and headed over to the beach with Grandma and their Aunts and Cousins while all the boys helped David put up the tent. We unloaded the car and spent the rest of the day visiting with the family. David went over to the mechanic shop and talked with them and they agreed to look at the car. *****side note: I might get the order of these things mixed up, so if I am a little off, please forgive me.***** The good news of all of this is that we made it there safely. The kids were excited and we got to see our family in a really beautiful place.

On Tuesday the whole family wore our cool new family shirts (thanks to all that worked so hard on these) and went to Lower Yosemite Falls on the bus (my kids love riding the buses in Yosemite) after taking some pictures. When I find my camera I will post the pictures that I got. We had a great time looking at the waterfall and David took the kids up to climb on some rocks. Ted and Megan took me back to camp and David stayed a while with the kids and then they rode the bus back. Things were great. Then the fever hit. I started in with the chills and knew that this was not a good sign. I took some medicine and the fever went down and we decided that with no car (by then we had found out that there were major engine problems and it couldn't be driven home, but had to be towed - thank goodness for AAA) and since I was feeling better we would stay the night. The next morning I felt okay, but soon the fever came back. After a few hours and a rising fever, David's wonderful Mom and Dad hatched a plan to bring us home. Thanks Ted & Megan and Tami & Brent for the use of your cars and thanks to Mom & Dad for helping us drive everyone. While I got myself ready to go all of David's family was packing our stuff and taking down our tent. By the time I was ready to go, everything else was ready too. It was amazing to me. The Cox Family is AWESOME!!!! We really appreciate you guys and all the hard work you put into getting us out of there!

We left Yosemite around 5:15 and pulled into Kaiser's ER at 10 pm. After waiting for 14.5 hours in the ER I was finally admitted to the hospital with a white blood cell count that was off the charts (the opposite problem from last time). After many tests and many hours of waiting they finally diagnosed the problem, got me on the right antibiotics and I was on the mend. I was released from the hospital yesterday (Sat) afternoon. Thank goodness for modern medicine.

As for the car: David has spent hours talking with several different mechanics and they have determined that it needs a "Full head job" - at least I think that is what it is. Basically the top of the engine needs some major work. The car goes into the shop on Monday and it will hopefully be done on Thursday. We just cannot survive without a car and it is our only one. Starting on Monday I have appointments everyday - Monday thru Friday - for 5 weeks. We NEED a car. So it will be fixed.

So in a nut shell: We had fun for the few days we were in Yosemite, we are home safely, I am out of the hospital, the car goes into the shop on Monday and life doesn't look like it will slow down anytime soon. While things didn't go as planned, they are working out. I wish we could have stayed longer in Yosemite and that the car wasn't a problem, but it was beautiful and we loved being able to see family that we haven't seen in a long while. I am one lucky girl with a great extended family. All of you are great - Cox and Morgan. We are very blessed to have all of you in our lives and I love you all very much. Life is great and I am determined to enjoy it, rollercoasters and all. I am hoping for a less eventful week this week....stay tuned!