So... another year has gone

Another year has gone almost... we are now nearing the last two days of december.. it seems like yesterday it was january.. i remember saying to my mother in law.. all i want for chrismas is for lora n justin to have a baby.. we had already started giving presents for the baby.. after they got the go ahead for the waiting game.. i guess none of us figured it would happen so quickly.. but god knew ... april 23rd miss zoe grace was born and she has stolen all of our hearts.. her smile melts our hearts each time she smiles.. she really seems like the most perfect angel perfectly hand picked for lora n justin... so i guess that is why this year maybe christmas didnt seem like christmas.. well it did but i was already fulfilled with my wish of what i wanted for them... it was great to have everyone one with a family all together enjoying the holidays... i think zoe has been the ray in the light with my dads cancer.. i surprisingly have coped fairly well with everything since it has brought up the memories of my mother being on chemo... seeing my dad bald was different.. of course he was the same dad but you know it is something that happens suddenly.. and then everyone has always said my dad never looks his age.. always saying he is 20 yrs younger then what he is .. yet it seems now he has lost 10 yrs and only looks 70 not 80... i hate to see that happen... but tis is life.. god has blessed us very much and has provided and guided us thru all the struggles and happiness this year.. and i am thankful for this year .. even if it has flown by very very fast.

Christmas at lele's and poppie's

So i am dividing up the christmas post into 4 different posts so i can include alot of pics from christmas. our first christmas get together was on christmas adam at lele and poppie's house. We had alot of fun all together. Nathan was sick unfortunatly so he didnt stay all nite like the rest of us. We had alot of fun watching the kiddos make reindeer cookies. Here is some pics of the fun...

They all had a blast doing this and got a good sugar high licking their fingers of the chocolate. The rest of the nite we just chilled and relaxed until uncle justin got there and then we opened up the presents. The kids all loved their gifts. Ava and Greta both got a trunk full of dress up stuff. And hunter got a new joker cave to go with his bat cave he has now. Sam got some cute cowboy boots too. The kiddos really got into opening gifts this year it was fun watching them just rip into the gifts instead of prompting them and helping them along the way. Cant wait till next year when miss zoe grace will be jumping right in with the rest of them. This year she just got to sit back and watch but man she sure was doing her best to rip into the gifts also. I think it was finally 2 am when we all went to bed. Then we all got up the next morning and ate a wonderful breakfast together before the next round of festivities began. It was a great time and we all had alot of fun.

Excited!!!!!!!!

Alright... i am so excited!!!!! my uncle will be arriving at the airport in 6 hrs !!!!!!!!!!!!! this is my mom's twin brother and yesterday was their birthday.... i am so happy he is coming for three weeks to visit me and my dad... hunter is excited to go to the airport this evening to pick up unkie... even ava is saying unkie too!!! So now i have voiced it i can wait to post on fb about it lol... nice thing about having a blog no one really reads hehehe so the drama doesnt start... yet lol... love my family but ya we all have it ... anywho... so let the countdown to 5pm begin!!!!

miss ava

Ava is now 25 months old... i cant believe it that it has been 2 yrs already. Ava is learning so much .. she just started Early Arts this year and loves going to school alot. She just recently last week stopped using the pacy and also has over the last month potty in the big potty!!! She is into everything on a daily basis... i believe if she could she would crawl back inside of me lol. Here are some pics of my lil princess. 

 me and ava chilling one nite at midnite... she woke up and i decided to watch a movie and eat some popcorn with her. 

 Ava on thanksgiving day playing with a christmas ornament on the counter.

 kinda blurry ... but ava showing off her hello kitty shirt she got for her bday from aunt jessie

Ava modeling her nails that were just painted... As i am writing this ava is looking at her pics saying aba ... it is how hunter for a long time said her name.. he just recently started saying it right... Also ava has made a name for hunter since she cant really say it yet... she calls him abbott his middle name... Ava is saying alot of words and definitly voices her opinion all the time.

ava,cassidy,savannah and mckenna modeling

Today i am gonna share some pics i have of my daughter ava and one of my friends daughter cassidy modeling the tutus i have made. There is also a pic of two lil girls i made tutus for they are Savannah and Mckenna. I will post a blog later on with more pics of the stuff i have made for other ppl. At the moment i have lots of orders for tutus and trying to get them all done before christmas arrives. Here are the pics let me know what yall think.....

 This is miss cassidy... isnt she a cutie.. she is modeling her christmas tutu and matching bow!!!

Ava wasnt a real happy camper for the camera .. this is a pink and orange tutu i made.

And this is Savannah and Mckenna modeling two of the tutus i made for them.

Cancer sucks part 10

So it has been a lil bit since my last post and alot has happened. Last sunday i dropped the kiddos off at lou and macs and they got picked up later on by lele and poppie to go on a fun vacation to gatlinburg. The kids had a great time from what i was told. They went to the aquarium which hunter and ava both loved alot especially the sharks. They were able to have a fun week while i was busy with my dad at uab. So early monday morning we left for uab and arrived about 430am ... which ended up really sucking since they had a prior surgery that was having some  longer then expected surgery time and my father didnt get in till 2pm. Only reason why i say it sucks is not having or being able to eat or drink after midnite and waiting that long sucks big one. Anyways.... they started surgery at 3pm and about 430pm he went into recovery. At first i got confused with what they had actually done but they dr visited the room around 8pm and we found out about the surgery. They went in with the intentions of removing the upper right lobe which is where the cancer is. When they got in they started to have some problems with rerouting the airways and it was going to have to be a whole lung removal to remove the cancer. Luckily they got good results on the biospies of the tumor and THE CANCER IS DEAD!!!! So in the end run nothing was removed. My dad is recovering good. Tuesday was a ruff day for him.. he had a really bad problem with dry mouth and then everytime he tried to stand he was getting dizzy. By wednesday he was feeling much better and started eating more... he walked one and a half loops. Thursday was much better and he managed to walk 2 times and also it helped that by then all the tubes were removed. So we are now recovering and waiting for the post op meeting on jan 5th to find out how many if any more treatments we have to do since apparently there is no more cancer. I am so happy that the chemo worked and did its job. Thank you everyone for the prayers they have definitly helped alot. I will update again about the post op meeting in January.

Cancer Sucks part 9

Ok sorry i havent updated since the last one it has been very busy with the holidays. We havent had the major surgery yet. On Friday they went in and did a biopsy of his lung wall. They cut a wedge out to make sure that the cancer had not spread into the lung wall. So far all biospies have come back negative which is great news. My dad did very well with the procedure and he only had to stay one nite in the hospital due to the drainage tube. He was back to his normal self by sunday. At first the news was that on Dec 8th he would meet with the lung surgeon and have a ct scan and do the surgery on Dec 20th but they called this morning and changed the surgery to Dec 5th. Which makes me happy because now my father will be well and get to enjoy the christmas holidays. So what they are doing is major surgery. They are not going in lyposcopicly (spelling?)... they will be cutting my dad open in his chest and taking the cancerous tumor out and we believe at this time that they will also be taking out the benign tumor that is in or around his bronical tube. Which makes us both happy because might as well get rid of it before it turns bad on us. They said that my father should be in the hospital for no longer then five days and then he will have a two week recovery time at home. My dad is a lil disappointed that it will be the harder surgery but we both agree that it needs to be done the best way possible to make sure everything is taken out right and done the right way the first time so we can put this lung cancer behind us. So please pray that the surgeons have an easy time doing the work on my dad that needs to be done and that my dad gets thru the surgery great and that he recovers well. My dad will be going down on thursday for pre op stuff and so if we find out more on exactly what will be happening i will update the news, otherwise i will not post again until after my dad comes home. Thank you again for all the prayers everyone.

Tutu's

So I have started making tutu's along with making bows for ppl. I have been having alot of fun with it and it has been very stress relieving. I just completed five tutu's and I still have five more to make. I am hoping I can get three of the five done while waiting in the hospital on my dad's stuff. So I just wanted to show you some of the recent tutu's I have made. Hope you like them.

 Next blog I will post some new pics of ava and her showing off the tutu I made her.. she loved it alot.. have a great thursday everyone!!

Cancer sucks part 8

Ok this will be a quick update on my dad. Atm the surgery to cut the cancer out is on hold. But we do have to go down friday morning for another procedure which will cause him to have to stay a nite at the hospital. Alright from the beginning. Tuesday my dad had to drive down to UAB for an ultrasound on his lymph nodes in his chest. Well found out he should have had someone to take him down there. But it all worked out due to no fluid showing up around the lymph nodes they were looking at. Today we left at 3am to go down to UAB. Today they made a small incesion right under where his neck is to draw some lymph fluid from around those lymph nodes in neck and to do a biospy of them. The biospy came back negative. No word on the lymph fluid. They also went and looked around my dads brochial tubes. And this was the kicker kinda. ( Back in July we were told there was another tumor but it was benine in his bronical tube) Well the dr took a biospy of that tumor cause he seemed surprised by it. If that has become cancerous the surgery can not proceed to take the cancer out of the lobe area in his right lung. We are hoping for a negative. So on Friday we are going down for my dad to have an incesion made i believe on his right side so the dr can get the lymph fluid and a biospy of the lymph nodes that they did an ultrasound on tuesday. Also he will look around ... and hopefully pending all tests can do the major surgery. So here is hoping. My dad did good today. He did have a weak spell but we were smart and had already decided we werent going to leave until my dad felt good. So he waited for over four hours almost and then we made the trip home without any problems. So here we are waiting for Friday and waiting for good news. So until then hope you all have a great weekend and ty for the prayers.

Ladybugs

So I have always heard stories of ladybugs. What I think is odd is that the past couple of days I have been seeing alot of ladybugs. I am wondering what does this mean? Only because my father is fixing to have surgery. Well I looked up thru google and found this article , which back when Maddie passed ( baby girl to the Staatsblog) I was googling ladybugs because Kelli had said that after Maddie passed she saw alot of ladybugs all over the place. Well here is the article that I have now stumbled across twice.
 

Ladybugs - What Do They Mean When You See Them

Posted February 1st, 2008 at 8:53PM

After my mother died, each of my two sisters and I saw a multitude of ladybugs in our houses around the same time.  Since it was in the middle of winter, that was quite an odd and unusual coincidence.  We all felt that the ladybug must hold a message for us.  Below is the information which I gathered and share with my sisters.

The ladybug is a member of the beetle family. They are found in nearly all climates. They are hemispheric in shape, have short legs and are usually bright colored with black, yellow or reddish markings. The females lay eggs.

Their life cycle requires about four weeks, so several generations are produced each summer.  This cycle ties the ladybug to the energies of renewal and regeneration. Those who may have this totem are usually family oriented with strong morals and social values.

The name lady bug finds its origins in the middle ages when this beetle was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and called the "beetle of our lady."  This name links the ladybug to spiritual ideals and religious devotion. It also holds a link to mothers. 

Past lives associated with religion or the church are common for those with this animal totem and some form of daily meditation or prayer is recommended.

This tiny little beetle brings with it a powerful message. Because the life cycle of the adult ladybug is short it teaches us how to release worries and enjoy our lives to the fullest.  When it appears in our life it is telling us to "let go and let God."

An adult ladybug can consume several thousand aphids and other scale insects within a few months. Since aphids & other insects can be harmful to crop production, farmers and growers have long considered the ladybug a good omen. Because of its diet, the ladybug often has parasites and people with this animal totem need to take care of their digestive system.

The ladybug is also one of the few beetles that are well liked by humans. Unlike other beetles, the ladybug brings a feeling of joy to us. Its small size signifies a delicate and loving nature. It portrays the energy of harmlessness and can show us how to stop self harm.

The shell on its back protects it from predators. Its wings fold against the body serving to protect its soft underside. Ladybugs have sharp instincts and feel vibrations through their legs. This allows them to sense energy of whatever they touch and is another form of protection. In spite of the ladybug's size, it appears to be fearless. 

Seen often as a messenger of promise, the ladybug reconnects us with the joy of living. Fear and joy can not co-exist. We need to release our fears and return to love  - this is one of the messages that the ladybug brings to us.

Ladybug teaches us how to restore our trust and faith in the great spirit.   When the ladybug appears, it is telling us to get out of our own way and allow the great spirit to enter into our lives.

Cancer Sucks part 7

So here is the lastest update on my dad. He went yesterday to UAB to get his stress test done and another CT scan. Both looked good but the surgeon wants to do one more procedure before we have the go on surgery. So next wednesday my dad has to have a procedure done to draw the fluid from around the lymph nodes to double check on if they have been infected by the cancer or not. The reason why this has to be done is because the area does light up on ct scans but the previous biospy when they did the tk bronchioscopy didnt show anything so they are doing this as a safety net procaution. If all turns out good with this then my dad is set to have surgery nov 18th. We are hoping this can be done liapscopic (spelling?) instead of them having to do a major surgery. If they having to actual do a major surgery then he can be in the hospital up to two weeks due to the recovery time and also the physical therapy on his lungs he would need to receive. If they can go in there liapscopic then he will be out of the hospital in five days. Also my dad did speak with the surgeon about what happened with him convulsing. They said that vercet is actually called a twilight drug, meaning it doesnt actually knock you out. They stated they believe that due to the chemo he is on and the drug vercet it caused him to have this reaction so they will not be using it again. My dad is doing really good and is excited and hoping this surgery goes off. He actually canceled his last chemo treatment today due to the surgeons suggestion of not wanting it to wear him down before the upcoming procedures. So here goes hoping and praying that everything works out. Thank you again for all the prayers they are much appreciated. Just keep my father in your thoughts as we are leading up to this surgery that everything will go right and he will come out of it great. I will update more next week or after the surgery depending on what news we receive. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Hunter and Ava's 4th and 2nd bday

So on Oct 30 my son Hunter turned 4 yrs old... I cant believe that he is that old already.. it seems like yesterday he was just born and now he is writing his name, counting to 30, and saying his abc's. Ava turns 2 on Nov 12th and she is just growing up way too fast. It has seemed that she is growing up faster then what it took Hunter to get to 2. She is a mess but I love her soo.. she is constantly voicing her opinion. She is such a demanding child unlike Hunter. This weekend we did a joint bday party for them since it worked out easier with my inlaws having their christmas sessions all next week and sales the next week. This year we decided to do a Chuck e Cheese bday party. It went great!! Hunter invited some friends from school. Everyone from his class showed up except for two ppl. All the kiddos had a great time playing the games. When it came time for Chuck e Cheese to come out Hunter was a lil apprehensive at first but he warmed up to him almost immediatly. Ava of course had this heck no and did the death grip on me lol. But Lele ended up getting her to hug and kiss him by the end. The kiddos racked up on presents, you would almost think it was Christmas lol. One of their biggest presents they got was a swing set from mama lou and daddy mac. Nathan and Mac worked hard yesterday and then me and Nathan finished it up today. Here are some pics of it. 

I just love this swing set!! Hunter is enjoying it too.. he has said several times today mommy i just love this so much.

Ava immediatly went to the swing.. the whole time while she was swinging she was saying weee weee wee mommy. The swing set has two swings and monkey bar type swing, a slide, a rock climb like ladder and then a lil cubby hole up top, and it also has a pinic like table. The first thing Hunter said once it was completed was mommy can I eat some lunch on my new table please mommy. Of course I couldnt say no. All in all I would say this was an awesome present for them. Other stuff they got was some cute clothes, colors, stickers, cars, batman cave, two cabbage patch dolls, barbie mermaid doll, cars 2 , princess and the frog, toy hair accesories, and some other things. I thank all my family and friends that came out to the party and made it such a great success. Now I just gotta wait to get the pics from my mother inlaw cause I was such a busy mom that day making sure all went well that I did not get any pics myself. So in another blog I will post pics of the day when I get them. Hope everyone had a great weekend like we did.

Cancer sucks part 6

So here are the newest updates on my dad. Currently he is on his last round of chemo coming up to the possible surgery. He has been doing really well thru all the chemo sessions. Yesterday we went down to UAB to have a TK bronchoscopy. What they did was go down thru his throat with an ultrasound device and used it to do a biospy of his lymph nodes around his sterum area. We should get the results back in 2 to 3 days of the biospy. The procedure went great but it was afterwords I had a scare with my father. We were on our way back from UAB on hwy 157 and he started feeling faint. I offered to give him something to snack on since he had not ate due to the procedure except for a few crackers when he was in recovery. As I was reaching around for the snack my father laid back in the seat. When I said here you go dad there was no response. When I looked at my father he had blacked out and was having a convulsion?? his head was tilted back and his eyes were rolled back in his head. He was shaking and gurgling. I immediatly pulled off the road and lifted his head and called 911... by the time the person said hello what is your emergency my father had snapped back into his old self and was asking what happened. We had the emt's come out and evaluate him on the side of the road. He did throw up before they got there. They said he didnt have a stroke or a seizure. Since his vital signs checked out good the ambulance ( which luckily one of my friends from highschool was the emt on the ambulance) followed us back to his house ( we were only 30 mins out). My father got sick two more times but finally got some sleep after 9pm. This morning he woke up good like nothing had even happened at all. Last nite after talking to some of my emt friends we think that due to the chemo, plus having to wait so long not to eat due to the procedure (it had been 14 hrs) plus the vercet they used to put him under, and the being in a moving car and cool air blowing on him is what cause the episode. It is possible he could have had a TIA. I have finally convinced my dad to speak with the drs about it... at first he was worried this would set him back on surgery but I told him that this would prolly make them use a different drug to put him to sleep. It was a scary moment when it happened and it seemed it lasted longer then the 80 secs. I am just so happy he snapped out of it and is better this morning. Next thursday he will have to go back to UAB for a CT scan and a stress test. Hopefully they will speak more on the surgery and so far there is a tenative date set for Nov 18th for them to proceed with the surgery. So this is all I have to update for now. Please pray for my dad that everything will go smoothly and we can find out what caused yesterdays episode without it hurting his chances on having the cancer removed. I thank everyone that has been praying for my father. Your prayers were definitly heard yesterday.

And it keeps raining LOL

So it just keeps raining i guess the saying goes lol... You know when one thing happens and then it just keeps going until finally it stops. I guess it started with my ruff weekend and at first it was just busy. We have family pics on Sunday which is also my son's 4th birthday too. So Monday wasnt too terribly bad other then some bad news on a job for Nathan. He was hoping to get on the I&C shop but it seems like he may not get that interview. Which we are fine with it just isnt where God wants us to be atm. That day went ok other then that. Kids had their pictures made together and finished up Ava's two year session. And I was able to go and get a massage from a friend. But the next day changed into a busy day after a somewhat busy monday nite lol. So on Tuesday I was running all over town trying to find a brown shirt for me and the hubby to wear for pictures. I literally went to every store and didnt find anything that I liked for me. Was lucky and found something right off the bat for my husband. So I ended up giving up and picking the kids up from school. Just to have ava not feeling well, I think she is teething. Then we had to go to the studio for the kiddos to try on clothes for the pictures ( with ava in a bad mood). Of course that day was stressful cause I was waiting for my dad to call and let me know what the lung surgeons plans were. ( that will be talked about in another post). Anyways that day ended and I thought wednesday for sure some rest would come. Well this morning I had to get together their art order for school. And it went from there ... to a 3 hr round trip in the car with two kiddos.. they did better then I thought but man I was so happy when I got home. We went from their school dropping off the order.. to my dad's to unload some stuff from his car.. to decatur to pick up their birthday shirts I ordered for them and then we also picked up these cups I ordered months ago. So that round trip tired all of us out. So I thought when I got home surely tomorrow will be a good day to rest. Well at 2pm my dad called.... the fuel pump went out in his car ( which thank God it didnt happen when he was in Lousiana this past weekend driving by himself). So the hubby gladly picked my dad up and now tomorrow i am having to take him to his chemo treatment. So another long day on the road LOL... maybe friday will be a day of rest???  I havent had a week this busy with driving around in forever and man does it tire you out. So now that i vented about my busy week so far I am gonna head to bed... gotta get up early early to get kids taken care of for school and dropped off and the long drive to get my dad... ya you get the picture hehe... so hope everyone has a great day tomorrow... will blog later about the new update on my dads cancer... goodnite

Ruff weekend

So this weekend was a ruff weekend.... I finally had my obgyn appointment on friday to see why I am having pelvic pain .. the dr decided to put me on an antibotic for two weeks and i am supposed to go back on the 4th for an ultrasound. I was also supposed to have my mammogram but when i got there they were worried my insurance wouldnt pay since I am only 30 so we didnt do it. Come to find out my insurance doesnt care and will cover it so when i go on the 4th to see my obgyn i will get the mammogram done that day also. Well I started the antibotics on friday and had no hiccups ( i am allergic to almost all antibotics lol). Well it was short lived I took my dose Saturday morning and within an hour I was in the bathroom vomiting nonstop, having sweats and then chills. Finally after an hour of this my husband took me to the er. Found out I was having an allergic reaction to the med. So I got fluids and zofran and phenogren in an iv. Finally I was able to go home but still had the nasea feeling well into this morning and the stomach cramps. I think I slept for over 16 hrs cuz as soon as I got home i just crawled straight into the bed and didnt emerge until 9 am this morning. My husband and kids were wonderful during this time. Hunter stayed in the room with me petting my head asking if I was feeling better each time i woke up. Ava watched football with Nathan and was a very sweet girl. Our friend Jacob was awesome he was the one who came over and watched the kids while we went to the er. And then that evening my inlaws picked up the kiddos and they wont be back till late tonite. I am so thankful for everyone that helped out yesterday. It was aweful, I think that was the worst I had ever felt in my entire life and I do not want to have to go thru that again. So tomorrow I get to call my dr and let him know what happened. Reason why he wanted to try antibotics is that he thought i had an infection around my uterus causing my pain so now I dont know what we will do since I can not take any type of penicillin drug ( i turn pink and swell on it). Hoping here soon we find out what is causing my pain. I am thinking more then likely surgery will be in the future which since I already had my tubes tied I am really not worried about having everything taken out. So we shall see what the dr says we may just wait till my next appointment and talk options on surgery after the scan is done. Well gonna go back and lay down and rest up before the kiddos get home. Hope everyone is having a better weekend then what I have had.

Cancer Sucks part 5

So the newest news is that my father will have a break in treatments. The oncologist decided that since they are unable to do radiation treatment until my father speaks with the surgeon that it would be best. He said had the radiation treatment been a go the next few weeks it would have been a reduced amount of chemo. So my father has a week off and then he has 3 more treatments for the 4th round. So we are now just waiting to speak to the surgeon. My father has to have another pet scan and also another lung capacity test before he meets with them. Otherwise my father is doing good. All his counts have remain pretty much the same. He still hasnt had any naseua .. so we are just trucking along. In my next update I should have news from the surgeon. So until then everyone have a great weekend.

Painting with Hunter... Silly Pumpkins

Today Hunter went and painted silly pumpkins at Lucy's artsy place. He had so much fun last month that I made sure I signed him up again. We were the only kid there, so a big thankyou to Lucy still having the thrilling 3's .. luckily Hunter will be four by next month so if she doesnt do the 3's anymore he can show up on the wednesday night one for the 4,5,6 yr olds. Hunter was really excited all week about painting and the excitement didnt slow down today. He chose his colors and really did great expressing himself and doing the painting on his own. He chose the colors of orange, yellow, and green for his pumpkins. He also made the stem and leaf green. He chose to make the funny faces in blue which i think was really cute and brought out the picture. And he painted the background chocolate as he calls it with red circles that when we outlined everything looks like neat swirls. Here are some pics from his painting day. 















Hunter is also doing very excellant on staying in the lines for the most part. I almost thought he would have just painted everything one color but he actually did a great job for his age on really working on this picture.

He also loves using the blowdryer. He was just a shaking away at it. The next pic is blurry sry but it is the only one i have with the stage of just the pumpkin colors with the background added. He was currently shaking the blue paint bottle and his head LOL to mix up the paint.






































And here is my lil man with the finished product. He was so proud and is already talking about how he wants to come back and paint another one. Looks like i may have a lil artist on my hands! I really hope there is more classes like this each month. I think it is a great thing to take ur kids to and to enjoy a day with your child also. I cant wait till ava is old enough to start doing things like this. But I do enjoy having this quality time with my son watching him paint a picture.

Cancer sucks part 4

So here is update number 4 on this cancer sucks series. My father went back to the dr yesterday for his 2nd treatment on this 6 treatment cycle. After his treatment he got to meet with the radiologist on what to do about radiation. Well the radiologist said that sometimes doing radiation on ur lungs can damage the tissue making surgery harder. So now on oct 25th my father has to meet with a lung surgeon in birmingham on what his opinion of radiation is and if it needs to be done or not for surgery purposes. So since this treatment plan had the radiation part scheduled for the 4th week which would be next week we dont know at this time if the whole treatments for six weeks will continue or not. The dr may say ok we will  make this into a two part session again. Which me and my father both agree that we should stay with the six week treatment whether radiation happens or not so that maybe  the tumor will shrink faster. So this thursday when my father has treatment we should hear from the oncologist on what the plan is for the moment till my father speaks with the lung surgeon on the 25th. So I dunno if this is a setback or what. I am looking at it hopefully this is the way we should go and that they will just keep giving my father the chemo for six weeks instead of breaking it up if the surgeon says no radiation. So we are on the waiting game again... fun fun .. but at least we know the cancer is shrinking atm so I am happy with that.

Hunter, Sam, and Greta meet the animals

A couple of Saturdays ago Lele told us about this couple who had a lil farm i guess is what you would call it. Anyways Lele and Poppy had photograph the couples daughter for her senior session and told us that they had a baby lamb that lived indoors with them and also told us about the donkeys, mini horses, and pig that they also had. So one saturday afternoon Lele, KK, greta, sam, hunter, mawmaw and me (ava was at home already napping ) went to go see the animals. The kids had a blast feeding them apples and climbing on the hay bail in the barn. Also they found a tadpole in a bucket of water and proceeded to poke it with a stick LOL. Here are some pictures of them enjoying the lil farm.  

Hunter really was a pro at feeding the baby lamb a bottle. All the kiddos got to take turns. This lamb lives indoors?!! I dunno if I could have a lamb as an indoor pet but from what I was told it wears diapers hehehe.

It was a great day and we all had lots of fun spending time with the animals. I wish ava would have been able to go but I am afraid she would have ran away from the animals since she is so finicky with alot of things lol. 

Cancer Sucks part 3

So here is the newest update on my father's cancer. So far he has had two sessions of chemo which have gone very good. He hasnt had any nasea at all and so far no bad side effects from the treatment. Also all of his blood counts have been in the normal range for a person that doesnt have cancer.. which i think is excellant news that his blood counts have remand in a good area. So he had a lung scan redone and we have found out that the tumors have shrunk by .2 . This is great news even though we would have liked it to have shrunk more. But this lets us know the cancer is not growing and it isnt spreading. So the new treatment plan is for my father to have chemo for a continuous six week with no break what so ever. With the first two sets of treatment he had a week and a half break in between. This time no break. He is also waiting on the radiologist to call. He has to have radiation also this time. The radiation schedule would be five days in a row so we are waiting for the call to know if this is going to be every week five days in a row or just a few times during the six weeks on a five day schedule. So confusing on that atm since we havent heard from them yet but we should hear something this week. The dr is hoping that with both the combination of chemo and radiation that the tumors will shrink faster. If they shrink small enough the dr is hoping that surgery can be done to remove the tumors. So here goes hoping and praying that with this plan the tumors will shrink even more and we can get this cancer taken care of. I just want to thank all my friends and family for all the prayers and support. It means alot to me and my dad. And all the prayers definitly have been working. Continue praying that the tumor will keep shrinking and soon this will just  be a distant memory.

day 3 of quitting smoking

Short bog cuz I am needing to get stuff done and plus getting a headache ( lack of nicotine prolly ). Well on Friday I bought my last pack of cigs. It lasted  all weekend till last night. Which I thought was really good cuz it lasted between two .. yes TWO ppl. My husband and I are both trying to quit. Of course today he is having a slightly harder time then me since he is at work with guys that smoke. But hopefully once we cross out a week we will be fully on our way to no more smoking. We got the lozengers which are ok. I dont care for it much due to the slightly burning sensation it gives off while ur having to not suck but let it dissolve on each side of ur cheeks (swapping sides) also u cant swallow the salvia (i just spit LOL) cuz of the stuff in it. Yesterday I used two and so far today I havent used any. I am hoping this time I can fully quit and never start back. I should have stayed quit after my first pregnancy and even after I had ava but I guess I wasnt strong enough yet to say no to the cigeret. But this time I am working hard to quit and stay quit. Well off to do stuff round the house. Hope everyone has a great week.

Hmmm

So lets see ... where do I start... well I guess at the beginning is better.. this is my venting since I really dont have much traffic to this blog unless i advertise it on fb so this is a better time then any to post my thoughts of the past week. Well I had to have a CT scan on my pelvic area.. I have been having some pain and other issues so the doctor decided to do this first. The scan turned out showing nothing was wrong so we did an ultrasound the following week to see what else we could see. Still nothing major or serious but no answer to the pain other then possible scar tissue issues from previous hernia operation. Which in all was my thought all along.. especially after having my tubes tied and finding out how bad the scar tissue was and how it had already covered up part of my left fallopian tube. The only problem was that came out of the CT scan was that a small portion of my lung showed up on the scan and it warranted a CT scan on my lungs. Well found that result out tonite. I have a 6mm non calcified (scar tissue)?? This was not the news I was hoping for at all. What a way to go into your last days as 29 and begin your year of 30. Especially with the fact my father is fighting lung cancer at this time. Of course I have no one to blame but myself for the shape my lungs are in. I can breathe perfectly fine , dont cough up anything but I am a smoker. So ya it is my fault for this to come up. I guess I just wasnt prepared for this to happen at the age I am at now. I figured I would be much older when I would start having issues. So... now I have to have a follow up CT in 6 months to check the progress of the spot... but I am gonna take some advice and even the dr stated due to the fact of being a smoker and my dad's problem atm I should go see a lung pulmonologist. So I guess we will see from here. I am trying not to freak out and just think positive. I of course read online about non calcified spots in lungs and it did say these are the ones that can become malignent ( not what i wanted to read) but that it just depends on how it grows ( reason why follow up CTs have to be done). So .. I go from here... fixing to be 30 and I might have to stare cancer in the face for myself .. or in the future from my mistakes .. my stupid choices... I just hope and pray that my children never smoke. Now if any family reads this and i havent talked to you .. pls just call me or msg me on fb instead of bothering my father.. He has enough on his plate then to be answering questions about me. So ask me ... if no one reads this then guess what you will know when i tell you.. Until i see the lung dr i felt that i could just type it here in virtual space to just say it to say it ... i have had so many responses today some i figured and some that made me think wow this is what you think interesting.. but i dunno.. i am just kinda numb atm and just trying to wrap my head around what lies ahead or not.. after this weekend though i am just gonna go with it.. cause there is nothing i can do to change what has happened so now i must go with the flow and see where god takes me. so having said what i wanted to say tonite i will say goodnite

A day with Hunter

So today was mine and Hunter's day together. Last month I had signed him up for the Thrilling Three's class at Lucy's Artys Place. This morning Hunter had his first painting class. It was really fun and exciting to watch him concentrate so hard on painting. The painting was really easy. There were only two kids total. Which surprised me I would have thought there would have been more. But Hunter had a great time anyways with a lil girl named Lilly. So here are a few pics of what he did.  

As you can see it was just 4 squares  that they could color in with whatever color they wanted. Of course I figured blue and green would be Hunter's picks of his first two colors. The boy is definitly my child. Blue and green were my favorite colors as a kid. It will be interesting to find out what Ava's favorite colors are as she gets older and can start voicing her own opinions. 

It took a fews times to tell him to actually pick up the brush and paint back in forth. I'm sure in his mind he was thinking my mommy thinks i dont know how to color LOL. But I am very proud of my lil man. He did such a good job and was very independent on how he wanted his picture to turn out as. After they got all the squares colored in Lucy told the kids that they could add any design they wanted to add in the squares with the colors they had used already. Hunter was on a mission from then on out. He knew exactly what he wanted to do in each of his squares. Even though to us adults it looks like chicken scratch, Hunter told me what each thing he was drawing was. 

In the corner with the blue background ( yes i know it is auburn colors, for some reason no matter how hard u dont try to combine them they seem to always show up together in a color scheme LOL) anyways lol it was a smiley face first then hunter drew a hat and then he colored in the face. My thoughts were it is frankenstein hehehe... The green background is just some shapes as Hunter said... The orange background has green worms.. and the red background has what i thought was a bunny but hunter says the small area that isnt colored in with blue is its teeth hehe.. Such an imagination he has already. Hunter is very proud of his art work.. Daddy and Ava both loved it also. When we got home I asked him where he wanted to hang it .. after alot of thought and consideration he decided it should go in our bedroom right by my side of the bed. 

I think it is beautiful. I always love looking at the drawings Hunter makes up on his own. I have always wonder what type of things go thru his head on a daily basis and it is always fun to see his ideas and thoughts drawn out when he has an idea in his head. I am hoping to get him back in again next month when they have another day set up for the three year olds. And definitly next year I will get ava to make some paintings of her own. 

Crib Bumper Ban in Chicago

Chicago has BANNED crib bumpers!!!

Mayor Rahm Emanuel's City Council approved an ordinance Thursday to ban the sale of crib bumper pads in Chicago.

Ald. James Balcer (11th) and Ald. George Cardenas (12th) sponsored the ordinance, which also passed a City Council panel this week.

"If we can help save a baby's life, it's so important," Balcer said. "If you listen to the testimony, there are folks who have lost their newborn children. ... We as a city council have to take that responsibility, and if it's endangering the lives of constituents, you have to do something."

Crib bumper pads, designed to protect infants from a crib's wooden slats, have come under fire for the dangers of suffocating infants.

Balcer said it's the job of the Council as a legislative body to protect people, but some members criticized the proposed ordinance, saying it's the parents' job to choose what's right for their children.

Cardenas said the potential danger of the bumpers was reason enough to bring it to a vote.

"We still have a responsibility at the end of the day," Cardenas said. "We're not regulators, but we feel it's our responsibility to let parents know that it's an issue, and in the city, we're going to take action."

Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Crib-Bumper-Pad-Ban-Goes-Before-City-Council-129448818.html#ixzz1XPAeYeRa

Cancer Sucks part 2

So I havent posted anything on my dad since my first blog. Today was his fifth treatment and I am happy to say that so far he isnt having any really bad side effects. He has had no naseau what so ever. Now he is losing his hair it started after the third treatment. After we got back from the district meeting in Mobile my dad decided that it was time to shave his head. So I did in front of the kiddos so they wouldnt freak out seeing my dad with no hair. It actually suits him very well. And Hunter loves it. He keeps saying he wants his hair cut like his Peepops. All of my dads counts have looked good each week. He hasnt been below average at all so far in his counts. So that is great news. On the 29th of this month he will have another CT scan to see if there is any shrinking of the tumor. I pray that it is gone even though i know that is asking too much. But at least hope there is some shrinking happening with the tumor. The only minor set back he has had is that now he is on cumadin. He had a small clot form in his sub veins in his arm. It wasnt life threatening at all but they wanted him to go ahead and get on the thinner just in case. He has been on it for a week now and it looks like he may have to be on  it for a lil longer. Hopefully this will be short lived. So that is the update. I am glad it isnt much since everything is going good. After the 29th I will post again on what the newest update is. Hope everyone is having a great week.

Labor Day Weekend

Well this weekend was great. We had our friend renee come down from Minnesota with her mom and her two kids. The above pic is of ava and makayla enjoying an icie together. We were a pitstop on their way to South Carolina to see her oldest son Curtis graduate from bootcamp. Unfortunatly we didnt get to do much of anything since it rained the whole time they were here due to Tropical storm Lee. But it was great visiting with them. Ava had a ball with Wyatt and Makayla. Renee's kids are awesome . Nathan met his match in wrestling. Wyatt kicked his butt since Nathan didnt want to get too ruff with him LOL. But we all had a great time and enjoyed the visit. We are definitly going to have to make sure to go up and visit with them very soon and meet everyone else. While Renee was here I made Makayla a tutu and an awesome hair bow. I didnt get a pic of the bow ( it was a cute halloween one) but i did get a pic of the tutu. Makayla wouldnt model it for me since she has been not feeling well due to cutting her teeth but here is a pic of it . I totally love the colors. 

Hunter had a great weekend to himself also. He hung out with his Lele and Poppie most of the weekend.
Today was also a busy day other then our weekend . Ava and Hunter started back school today. Ava did awesome on her first day, she didnt even cry when i dropped her off. I guess it is because she knew that her brother would be there and she wanted to be big like him. Hunter had a great day also. He now goes three times a week. Cant believe in two years he will start kindergarden. They do grow up too fast. 
So I have gotten back on my kick of making bows. I am excited this time about doing it. I have actually already had 2 sales from my bows and working on an order atm. My sister in law talked me into making a page for my bows. Here is the link if you want to check it out. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Avabugluv-bowtique/254426194588083
Here is some pics also of my latest bows i have made. 

This was the Halloween bow I made for my 26 likes drawing for my page. My son picked out the ribbon and the spider part for the bow. 

This one is one of my fav. It has already sold too was one of my first sales. I love the sparkly ladybug piece on the bow.
If you get a chance like my page. I really dont keep up on who reads my blog or not I just liked to blog once in and while and share things that are going on in my life and also it is a good venting area when you need to vent. I hope everyone had a wonderful labor day weekend. I am now going to work on my page for my bows. I already got to work on an idea for a stand at my inlaws portrait studio. They have asked me to make some bows up and set them up for sale at the studio, which means more plain bows then design fabric but that is fine with me. Laterz everyone.