While Mom is away...

As I was leaving for work yesterday afternoon, I handed the camera to Jeremy and asked if he could get a few shots of the boys for "Wordless Wednesday".



Wordless Wednesday; Anatomy 101

....For Aunt Kelly who "suggested" that I add another video to the blog.



His father's son

I came into the living room the other day where Jeremy and Ben were watching television. I noticed that it was a game and Chicago was listed.

Mom: "Are you watching the Cubs win?"

Ben: "Mom, we're NOT watching baseball-it's basketball."

(In my rather weak defense, the game wasn't actually being played at the time. I can normally tell the diference between the two sports.)

While on a walk with the boys on Thursday, Ms. Kim drove by in her minivan. Ben wanted to know where her car went. I explained that the car was fast and by walking, we couldn't keep up. Shorlty after a white corvette drove past.

Ben: "Mom, that's a fast car. Not Ms. Kim's."


While walking out of a store last night....

Mom: "Oh, look at the pretty flowers."

Ben: "Yeah, but they make me sneeze."

Needless to say, Jeremy was proud of his boy on all accounts.



Wordless Wednesday; Keep Rolling



Play Ball!

We've been enjoying the hint of spring that has finally come our way. We've had the garage emptied of ride-ons, balls and dump trucks several days this week. I'm surprised that no one has stopped to see if we were having a garage sale!

It was an exciting day as our friend JT learned to ride his bike without training wheels. Ben promptly told me that he didn't need his training wheels any more either, because he's a big boy too. Ben had been riding his bike for the first time with training wheels all of one day. I convinced him that maybe we should leave them on for at least a little longer.


Jeremy got the boys a T-Ball set for Easter and they've been excited to play. Owen is so cute when it's his turn. I can tell he understands the concept of hitting the ball with the bat and it's so funny to watch him try. I just hope that they end up with better hand eye coordination than their mom.



Happy Birthday Aunt Sherie



Wordless Wednesday; All Ears



The Hunt



They like to move it-move it.

Some things you can only get away with at Grandma's.



Easter Eggs

Ben and his cousin, Spencer, colored Easter eggs on Saturday at Grandma Guthrie's. They were quite the little artists and were very proud of the finished product.



Early Easter

Whew, what a whirlwind of a celebration! The Easter Bunny found us early on Thursday morning. The boys went downstairs to find baskets stuffed full of goodies. Ben was very excited that he received the movie that he had been wanting and some gummy bears. Owen is still entertained by the small things. He had a blast opening and closing the plastic eggs.

We made our way to Springfield, IL once again for a quick overnight stay with the Burgin's later that evening. Jeremy was very taken by little Miss Maya and was able to get in some good snuggle time while the boys ran themselves silly. The next morning the boys woke to quite the surprise. Aunt Kelly had "hid" easter eggs all through the house for them to hunt. They quickly found them all and were so excited to discover that they were full of jelly beans and skittles. We left shortly after with our loot to finish our journey to Manteno to Grandma Guthrie's.



Wordless Wednesday; Story Time



Aunt Jules

I don't know of anyone whose family hasn't been touched with cancer in some way.

My sister in law, Julie Uebinger, is once again fighting Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Ryan and Julie have been married for almost 8 years. Julie has been a part of our family for so much longer than this. I think they started dating when Julie was 17.

I went to a party with Ryan while I was home from college. I was ready to leave but apparently Ryan had been trying to work up the nerve to "go see about a girl". That "girl" was our Jules. They have since been blessed with two beautiful children. Hannah, who just turned 5, is sweet, stubborn and way too smart. Wade, who is 2, is absolutely adorable and loves being outdoors more than anything else.

Their battle with Hodgkin's began the second time shortly after Christmas. The initial treatment plan consisted of two rounds of chemo then a stem cell transplant. She has received two aggressive rounds of chemotherapy at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. It was discoverted after her most recent PET scan that there had been no change in the size of the tumors.

The doctors have suggested another round of chemo before the stem cell transplant. Last week she underwent a series of neupogen injections to increase the number of stem cells released from the bone marrow into her blood. Julie is currently undergoing pheresis as an out-patient at BJC to collect them from her blood this week, the target being 8 million cells. The doctors may need to use an experimental treatment to help her body produce the required amount. She has agreed to be part of the drug trial if needed.

Once the pheresis has been completed she will undergo the another round of chemo. The process for the stem cell transplant will begin a few weeks after and will include a 4 week stint as an inpatient at BJC. The cells collected during pheresis will be reintroduced to her body.

This all sounds very technical and straightforward because I can't fathom how painful each process must have already been. She has undergone two bone marrow biopsies, had her port (which is located in her chest) moved at least twice and has been hospitalized for infections involved with the port site. This doesn't even include the pain, nausea and fatigue associated with the chemo and the neupogen injections or what's to come during the transplant.

Through all of this, Jules has kept her positive attitude. I've never once heard her complain. Julie truly is the strongest person I have EVER met. My heart breaks for what their family is going through.

Thank you for all your care and concern and please continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers.



To the rescue!!!

Viking Owen and Bat Man Ben
Who is that masked man?
Ok, so this is how you fly...



Wordless Wednesday; April Fools