Back on the Wagon

Don't worry I'm not talking about "that" wagon, (not yet anyway) but the Blogging Wagon.  I've got good and bad excuses as to why I am so far behind, (9 months--I used to have a baby in that time and now I can't even squeeze in a blog post?) in blogging.  Valid excuses or not, I am catching up, turning over a new lef, pushing onward and upward, because I want our daily triumphs and trials to be remembered.  And if we are depending on my memory, they won't be.  Let's just take it month by month folks.

FEBRUARY:
Already talked about Samantha's sweet sixteen, but did you know Miss. Zoe turned 10 in February?  It's true she did.  And this year I outdid myself on a gift.  It cost NOTHING and was her favorite birthday gift ever.  EVER.  Are you intrigued, I thought so.  I arranged for Zoe girl to have a day as a Vet's assistant.  She got to watch 3 surgeries and help clean a cats teeth, or something equally gross.  But this is about her wishes not mine!!  She talked about it forever.  I'm hoping I'll be inspired next February because that "day with a vet" will be the unreachable high gift and she is only 10!!

Zoe and Dr. Prickett

                                            Watching a surgery at the Vets office.

Getting braver and closer.

 

MARCH:
March brought the official grand opening of our Extreme Pita Restaurant.  Lots of hard work and not nearly enough time in the day.  We were exhausted when the weekend was over.  It was worth it when we broke Grand Opening records though.

 March also brought another visit to Dr. McClain in Houston at the Texas Children's Cancer Center.  Jackson had been warned that Dr. McClain was leaning towards not taking him off chemo, but switching the chemo drugs.  Dr. McClains reasoning was that Jackson had such a brief 18 months remission last time and  then the lesions came back more aggressive and serious than ever before.  We were trying to help Jackson come to peace with the idea, and he was having none of it.  He kept telling me, they have had 3 chances and my cancer just gets worse, so now I'm saying no.  Several times it would bring me to tears.  Michael kept telling me to let it go, and just let Jackson absorb the idea.  McClain walked in, he hugged Jax, and we exchanged some pleasantries and then he turned to Jax and said "Jackson what do you want to do?"  Jackson started to cry and said, "I want to stop chemo and play football and have a normal senior year".  Dr. McClain said "O.K. then that's what we will do".  I was shocked.  I must have looked worried because he said, "don't worry Mom and Dad I wouldn't do this if it was going to hurt Jackson in the long run".  Quality of life is important and Jackson's body could probably use a break he said.  So we happily took a tour of his lab and did our "spit for a cure" spitting.  I discovered that I am a slow and non-talented spitter.  Jackson and Michael filled their test tubes 5 times faster than I did.    I won't be adding spitting to my resume. 

APRIL:
April brought Spring Break and that just brought working at the restaurant to give our Manager a break.  Lots of driving and long days.  Not what the kids had in mind.  However since Sammi had 2 softball games during Spring Break (grrrr) we couldn't have gone far.  April brought doctor appointments for Jackson also. He needed to have new x-rays done and pre-op appointments for his arm surgery.  (remember 2 years ago he broke his arm in weights class, had it casted TWICE and it still hasn't healed?---yeah I thought you would remember) and trying to coordinate it with his port removal.  Plus he had another day at Seattle Children's to get his monthly IVIG infusion which Dr. McClain thinks we should continue to do each month.  April also brought our 20 year anniversary.  We got up extra early that morning and ...... drove to Tri-Cities to do inventory at the restaurant!  Romance has always been our strong point.  Still, it felt like a mile-stone--- 20 years, guess we're growing up.

MAY:
May---from a school teacher stand point May is rough.  From a Mother's standpoint May is ROUGH. It seems like everyone is panicking that the end of the school year is approaching, so it seems like the whole month is class projects, big tests, and concerts, performances and Prom.  Sammi and Jackson's first Prom season in fact.  Jackson was old enough last year but we were in Utah for Mindy and Nate's wedding and he missed Prom.  So this year I had a 16 year old daughter who had been dying since February to go on her "first date" and that hadn't happened yet,  and a 17 year old son who was ready to celebrate no more chemo and  partaaay. So, one weekend in May, Heather Jenks and I took Sammi, Jax, Brittany Jo, Seila, Becca, and Jacob to "Mormon" prom in Wenatchee.  They loved it!
For Royal High Schools Prom Sammi was asked by Chase Christensen, in a Chase vs Justin Bieber way that was very cute, and included flowers!  Jackson asked Brittany Jo Hebdon in a cute puzzle in balloons way that was also fun.  The prom was held in Ted Christensen's airplane hanger that was decorated amazingly by Jackson's Junior class, Tanner of course being the master decorator!  The end of May brought Jackson's arm surgery and port removal.  He was pretty uncomfortable for a couple of weeks waiting to get his hard cast on (had to wait for swelling to go down).  The surgeon that took his port out ended up being the same one who did Aftyn's bronchial cyst surgery!  Small world.  The ortho surgeon had to put in donor bone and 2 wires and a band construct to try and heal Jackson's arm.
May also gave us the abrupt, no notice given, quitting of our restaurant manager.  So staring then, I drove to Tri-Cities 4 days a week, worked 10 hour days and drove home and Michael did the same thing 2 days a week.  It changed our family dramatically. 

JUNE:
June brought the panic of the approaching bike-a-thon for histio heroes and the end of school, loads of company at our house for the bike-a-thon and camp casey for Sierra, fieldtrip for Carter, football camp , volleyball ,camp and scout camp. Also at some point in June there were two trips to Seattle Children's for Jax, one for IVIG, one for the arm. I think I will upload pictures relating to February-June at this point. I'm in Texas right now (Irrigation convention time=catch up blog time).  Since I loaded the pictures in no particular order, I can't figure out how to get them in chronological order---what can I say, this is not a professional blog.   But stay tuned for July-November here are some teasers for you, Zoo, Andersen Family reunion craziness, Jax turns 18 and someone announces a pregnancy.....du-du-dum!!

The inside of the airplane hanger decorated for our high school prom

Teenagers visiting during the bike-a-walk-a-thon Jacob, Sam, Kai, Jax and Becca

Back of Sammis hair for Prom

Brittany Jo, Becca, Seila, Sammi mormon prom

                                                         Bode after a hot bike-a-walk-a-thon

 Carter decided one day that he needed to "practice" more stuff with his left hand in case his right hand ever got hurt. I don't even pretend to keep up, I just report what I see and hear.  This belting of the right hand is his solution to that problem--wacko!

We call this Carter swag.

 

Even Cougar had to help at the Grand Opening.  Note the balloon he tied to his belt loop, if he loses any more weight we might lose him!

 

Carter, Dylan, and Detton and the two D's baptism.  Three peas in a pod.  Jackson has Tanner, Carter has two of them!

Chase and Sammi humoring me before Prom

                                            Courtney doing Sammi's hair for Prom.

Easter 2013

Did I mention the basement flooded AGAIN!

On a day when I was home, and Michael was at the restaurant.

 Luckily, Kale and Hadley came to help.  Then Tyson and Bishop Jenks happened upon us and made the job go MUCH faster!

Grandma and Courtney helping Sammi get ready for Prom 

Because I'm NOT a photographer I took this picture of Jackson's prom group on the ugly side of the house? WHY BECKY WHY?  Left to Right:  Kayla Benson, Tanner Christensen, Quincy (?), Carter Allred, Becca Lee, Peyton Stakkeland, Brittany Jo Hebdon, Jackson, Hailey Worsham, Collin Christensen

Jackson and Brittany Jo

Sammi and Jackson at High School Honors night where they were "honored".  Why does Jax look like he towers over Sammi in this picture?

Tanner visiting the sick and afflicted.

 

Jackson when the hard cast finally got put on.

The Knight Ninjas before their debut performance in the Red Rock talent show. 

Carter, Braxton Huss, Dylan Allred, Detton Jenks, Jared Lee, Tanner Callahan, Seth Carlson, Lance Allred, Benson Jenks

Michael being interviewed by a local news station about his weight loss and opening Extreme Pita.

Grandma Louise stepping in to help Brittany Jo with Jacksons lapel ( I put lapel because I have no idea how to spell boutinaire, boutenaire, bootinair)

The kids before the Mormon prom.

 

                                                 Prom wear makes for crowded car rides.

Chase brings the prom asking questions and flowers to our door--sadly he found her little sister.  Sammi wasn't home.

Included in her answer was a toilet plunger (new I promise), almond joy candy bars, and (you guessed it) balls.

Sierra and I were suppossed to go to Camp Casey together, alas the restaurant manager quitting took me out of the equation.  Hard to believe but she and her group had a blast without me!

After surgery not feeling so hot.

Before surgery he was all smiles.

With Grandma, he kept us laughing before he went in.

Right out of recovery, he was "druggy", but not in pain like he would be within the hour.

Carters fieldtrip to the hospital in Othello.

Courtney doing Sammi's hair for the RHS Prom.

Mormon prom

 

If you hung in there for this post, you deserve a treat.  A video treat.  Not only is it funny, when you see Jackson's determination you feel like if he can just manage to ge that food in his mouth to prove his Mother wrong, then you,  most likely a person without brain lesions and two good arms, you can conquer anything!