Sunday, May 30, 2010

If you build it they will come… Day 562 30MAY10

Today was just another summer weekend day. The boys played inside mostly and outside a little. The heat during the day is a bit much to be running around out of doors for very long. This afternoon Joshua was thrilled to discover that the squirrel restaurant he opened yesterday was already drawing in clientele. The squirrels obviously appreciate his contribution and the smile on his face as he watched was worth any effort required to turn his thought into a reality.




Later in the evening we played a little hockey out in the street before it got dark. Jarrod came in afterwards and whipped up a tantalizing batch of chocolate and peanut butter cookies. They are marvelous. Tomorrow instead heading to clinic we get to stay at home and celebrate the service of our brave men and women. We are proud of you all.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Day with dad… Day 561 29MAY10

Joshua and I have had an appointment scheduled for the last week. Saturday afternoon was entered on the calendar as his special day to spend alone with me. He has reminded me of its approach every day since we picked Saturday. He made sure I put it in my iPhone calendar. Well our day finally came around and here is how we spent it.

I got a call form Joshua just before lunch time and he asked me to come pick him up at Renee's parents house. He had a great time and all the kids managed to sleep the whole night out in the tent. We helped get everything taken down and then headed home. Joshua has wanted to build something with me for quite a while so today we decided on a squirrel feeder. We were watching one of our backyard squirrels eat some sunflower seeds Joshua had left on the deck and the idea sprang up. I drew some quick plans and he agreed to the design so we headed out into the shop to get started. He picked out the wood and we got to work. He helped with every part and got a chance to use a few tools he has not used before including a drill. He was very pleased with the results and as soon as the glue was dry we took it out and mounted it to one of the posts on the deck. He carefully added sunflower seeds and got it ready for the squirrel's to use as a newly opened buffet.



After a little break he decided he wanted us to bake chocolate chip muffins. So we did. They were almost just muffins, we realized as they were going into the oven we had neglected to add the chocolate chip part. The situation was quickly fixed and they turned out deliciously.

Our next adventure was outside to play some street hockey. Joshua hit a slap shot so hard he split his stick in half! He is turning in to quite the little hockey player. We taped his stick up and continued to play for quite a while. Finally we came inside and took a little break.

Next stop was the grocery store to pick up a few things including more sunflower seeds :) We came home, had a little dinner and then settled in to watch the first Stanley Cup game. He was asleep before it got finished.

It was a great day and I had a lot of fun doing all the things he wanted to do. I am going to have to schedule another one real soon.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Slumber party… Day 560 28MAY10

Joshua and Jarrod both worked hard on getting their school work done this morning so they could go over to Grandma and Pa's house this afternoon for a slumber party. They were excited about hanging out with Taylor and Avery and setting up the tent that they are going to try and sleep in. We will see how many actually make it through the night.

Renee and I got a chance to go out and have a quiet dinner with just the two of us which is a rare occurrence indeed. We spent a nice evening at home catching up on stuff on our DVR which may meltdown if we don't start watching more. We are about two months behind right now :)

The rest of the weekend we plan to spend hanging out safe and sound at home.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

No Naps Today!… Day 559 27MAY10

Today was a very busy day in and out of the house. The boys started off with school. Joshua worked very hard with his teacher and he seemed to do fairly well. Jarrod has started on his final exams and is know down to two.

After lessons, the entire family headed to downtown to help Florida Blood Services with another blood drive kick-off party. The kick-off party is for the Tampa Police Department and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Joshua and I spoke and Joshua got to meet our Chief of Police, Chief Castor. Even though we had a sprinkling of rain, it didn't keep the people from donating!




Later in the day Lee headed off to work, I headed off to a meeting regarding Cancer kids going back to school and Joshua and Jarrod went to attend their first Rowdies Soccer Game.  My dad called early and said their was a game and he wanted to take the boys. I quickly said...I know someone... let me call him. Ryan with FC Tampa Bay Rowdies came through for us with tickets. The boys were completely excited and Taylor and Avery were also there which was an added bonus. Growing up in Tampa I remember going to the Rowdies games with my mom and dad. I am grateful that my children were able to share the same experience with their grandparents. They didn't have quite the same crowd or the same playing field but the excitement was still there. Joshua was even able to meet two of the original Rowdies players, Doug Wark from the very first team and Craig Fosset who played for them later on.




For those of you who grew up with the Rowdies....remember the song?
The Rowdies run here, the Rowdies run there, they kick the ball around.....
I'll leave the rest for you to sing!
Thanks Ryan....they had a blast and the Rowdies won making it even better!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Staying home… Day 558 26MAY10

Joshua was going to have a play date today with Wojtek at the hospital but he didn't get to go. Wojtek woke up with a cough and we all decided it was best if we stayed home for the day. I left right after the kids woke up so I can only relate what I heard about their day. Joshua worked on his school work with Renee for quite a while this afternoon. He didn't really get much actually accomplished but he made a little progress. This has been a tough week for him as I have mentioned. The rest of the day was divided up among running errands and playing inside and outside the house. His teacher comes in the morning so I hope his head clears a bit and he can concentrate on getting done with his work.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Just visiting, thanks… Day 557 25MAY10

The day started off with Joshua's teacher and school. He was struggling today to stay focused and get work done, looked like a pretty foggy day for him. He didn't do as good as he has been doing on spelling but has been struggling all week. After school was finally over we had some lunch and then headed in to Tampa for lots of different stops.

First stop was at the Children's Hospital to visit Ania and Wojtek and take them some home made bigos and a loaf of bread that Renee baked this morning. Wojtek and Joshua had a good time riding around the floor on big wheels and hanging out. We hope he gets better and can get out as soon as possible.

Second stop was the Children's Cancer Center for tutoring. Joshua did reading and did pretty good although his retention was a little spotty. While he was working on reading we took JArrod over to my Dad's house to help him work on the sprinkler project the two of them started earlier in the week. Jarod did a great job and the sprinklers he put in worked exactly as planned. Renee left and brought Joshua back for some lasagna and a little visit.

As we were headed home Renee's car all of a sudden started making a terrible racket. We pulled over on the side of the interstate only to discover her serpentine belt was coming apart in chunks. I took a quick look and decided we would try and limp home stopping on the way to get a new belt. As soon as we got home I changed out the belt and it works fine now. Not sure what is going on with all the mechanic work lately as I spent the morning putting Jim's boat engine back together. Hope this finishes all the work for now.

It was a busy day but we managed to get a lot done and spend time together which is what it is really all about.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Hoping it's not going around… Day 556 24MAY10

Joshua headed off to clinic early this morning for his weekly labs. His ANC came back at 1003 which is a pretty big drop from steroids week last time. While he was at the clinic Renee found out that Wojtek had been admitted on Sunday with a staff infection. We have been there before and it means a mandatory 10-14 day stay with lots of meds. We are all hoping that he feels better and being stuck doesn't drive them too crazy. We will make sure and visit a bunch. After they got home Renee heard from Tiffany and Preston is running a low grade fever. Looks like their Wednesday play date may be at the hospital :(

Most of the afternoon was school work for Joshua and Jarrod. Joshua had a play date with his good friend Hayden after he got out of school . He had a great time and was really glad he finally got a chance to hang out with Hayden. The rest of the evening was going along like normal until I got a call to go help Jim work on the engine in his boat so the boys and I loaded up some tools and headed over for a bit.

Joshua must have been pretty tired because he was asleep before his head hit the pillow. Hopefully everyone will stay well and out of the hospital.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Definitely time to rest… Day 555 23MAY10

Everybody slept in this morning.

We were all tuckered out and spent most of the day just relaxing and doing things that we each find enjoyable. The past ten weeks of fund raising for LLS has been a great time and we have been fortunate enough to be able to contribute in our own small way. The people we have met have been nothing short of amazing and I know that my life has been enriched by spending time with them. Now we get to slow down quite a bit and go back to our "normal" activities, clinic, school, and the like.

This afternoon we had a great visit from my dad. He came out to the house to spend some time with us and the boys got to show off their scooter tricks. Joshua also got to demonstrate his hockey skills before were treated to  a nice dinner at Alpha's Restaurant which is a wonderful part of the history down here. They make a great pizza and nobody left the table without a full stomach and a take home box. Renee had whipped up another great smelling batch of bigos today so she sent some home with my dad. If it tastes half as good as it smelled he is in for a treat. I know the boys enjoyed having him visit.

Tomorrow it's back to clinic for our regularly scheduled visit. Just a finger stick and labs this time so Joshua should be home by lunchtime.

GALA!… Day 554 22MAY10


We started out the day kind of slowly. Lee and Jarrod went to go work on Jim's boat and Josh and I ate a wonderful breakfast of French Toast Sticks that Joshua made! After the boys played outside, swam at DJ's and took their scooter's for a spin, it was time to get ready for the Gala. We were very fortunate to have one of the candidates, Doug Hoppe, donate a car to pick us up and take us to and from the event. Thank you Doug!
The entire event was very exciting. Joshua, along with Madison, had their pictures taken about a thousand times and both acted like true professionals! We are very proud of our Joshua! He was amazing throughout the entire event.



He was given a very large gift basket filled with lots of Star Wars memorabilia and a very large trophy! We celebrated the Man & Woman of the Year Winners, Erin and Justin, and we can not wait to see all of them on the billboards in a couple of weeks!
Thank you to everyone at Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for giving us this wonderful opportunity to share our child with your wonderful organization.  It has been an amazing experience for our family and we are grateful for everything that LLS does to help children like Joshua and Madison!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Summer day… Day 553 21MAY10

Joshua and Jarrod got a little practice in today for summer time. They rode their scooters, took a dip in the pool at DJ's, and took a long bike ride. After a long day of school work it was the perfect way to wile away the late afternoon and evening time. After dinner we all spent a little time relaxing and watching a few things on the DVR. Tomorrow we have a few projects to get done before lunch and then it will be time to prepare to attend the big gala tomorrow night which has us all excited. It should be a great time.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Riverview High .… Day 552 20MAY10

We started off our day messing around boats, which is  a pretty good way to start any day. Jarrod and Joshua went to help me do some work on Jim's boat so he can get it sold. It was hot but fun and we were back home before lunch.

Renee and Joshua left soon afterwards to visit Riverview High School and support their blood drive that was happening today. Renee gave blood and got registered for the bone marrow donor program which is something she has wanted to do for a while. I need to get registered as well. Joshua came back all smiles with a hat and a neat pin he had received from the principal.

For the afternoon part of our day, I left to go teach and Renee got the boys ready and headed out for family night and dinner at the Children's Cancer Center. I am bummed that I can't attend for a while because I have a class Thursday nights. The kids had a great time like they always do and came home pleasantly tired.

The rest of the evening passed by quietly and everyone was sound asleep by the time I made it home. Tomorrow is a light day in our schedule before we attend the gala on Saturday.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Play day and a tux.… Day 551 19MAY10


Joshua had  a play day today over at Wojtek's house. Preston and Hannah were there as well. From what I was told they had a lot of fun and got some serious playing taken care of. Renee even managed to fix Ania's freezer, glad I married a woman with mechanical skills :)
Later in the day Joshua went in to have his final fitting for his tuxedo that he will wear to the Man and Woman of the Year Gala on Saturday. Renee said he was really enjoying checking himself out in the mirrors at the store. He is quite handsome and definitely suave is his outfit and I will have some great pictures this weekend I am sure. The rest of the day they spent at home catching up on school work and playing a little street hockey with Renee.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

School day.… Day 550 18MAY10

We spent most of today doing school work with both the boys. Joshua had his teacher here this morning and he did pretty good, he got a weeks extension on his spelling words in order to get alittel more practice in. He is working on those weird words in our language like "does"  and "there" vs "their" which mess up most adults. Jarrod had a bunch of algebra to get through so I worked with him this afternoon while Joshua was getting tutoring at the Children's Cancer Center. We also worked on his world cultures class which is at least a little more fun than algebra :) Afterwards I got some yard work taken care of and took a short break before it was time to get dinner going. Renee and Joshua got home right on time to eat and then take it easy for the rest of the evening. All in all a productive day for all of us.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Flying High.… Day 549 17MAY10

The day dawned dark and dreary. We woke up to a dark rainy morning and after a quick breakfast we all went in separate directions for a bit. Joshua and Renee left to head for the clinic. Jarrod and I left to help Jim move his boat from where it was moored to a new location. Joshua's ANC was over 4000 thanks to the steroids he just finished taking, we'll take it…

Jarrod and I had fun messing with the boat and the rain stopped right after we left the dock so we stayed pretty dry. After we got done we headed home to get some school work done while we waited for Joshua and Renee to get back from clinic.

The afternoon was muggy and hot due to the rains so we stayed inside for most of the time. Jarrod worked on science with mom and I worked on spelling with Joshua. We took a few breaks in between assignments to go out and play a little hockey, Joshua really enjoys it and is doing quite well. For a little guy he has a pretty quick snapshot.

This evening the kids worked on art projects for the Children's Cancer Center  and then we watched the original version of Willy Wonka. I found it by accident on TV and sat down with the kids. It is, we all agreed, the better version.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

A little rest.… Day 548 16MAY10

We spent much of today at home doing different projects around the house. Renee and Joshua worked on getting his room better organized and purged of old toys. He now has most of his LEGO creations on display around his room and a large contingent of stuffed animals was put out to pasture.

Jarrod and I worked out in the garage cleaning and organizing in the never ending quest to actually be able to find stuff when we need it. We still have a long way to go :) The rain came in heavy later in the afternoon and we took a little break before running a few errands. The evening was rather quiet as we all just kind of lazed around. Perfect.

Tomorrow we start yet another week of our journey with clinic and school work.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Day off?.… Day 547 15MAY10

Renee and I got up rather like normal and had our caffeine and breakfasts of choice. How did we spend our morning with the kids gone? Doing yard work of course. We spent the better part of the day out in the front yard pruning, cutting, chopping, mowing, hauling, stacking, and raking. We did a ton of work and got quite a bit accomplished and were both pleased with the results of our labors.

We rested a bit after we got cleaned up and then got ready to go and  watch Gabriella get baptized. She is the daughter of our friends Chris and Irene. The baptism was held in the Greek Orthodox Church that they attend over in Clearwater. The church itself was quite ornate and beautiful with lovely woodwork and paintings. The service was fascinating and very interesting to watch. We were glad we could be a part of such a special celebration.

 After the service we went over to the kids apartment and picked up Joshua and Jarrod. They had a great time hanging out and got in a bunch of swimming and play time with Miss Allie. I finally got to see Christian's new salt water fish tank and I must say it is pretty cool.

We stopped for a little dinner on the way back and then trudged on home. Needless to say we should all sleep well tonight.




Friday, May 14, 2010

Fun times.… Day 546 14MAY10

Joshua and Jarrod got a little change of scenery today and went to spend the day/night with Christian and Jamie along with the lovely Miss Allie. Renee had to leave this morning to go help her mom out with a house down south of here and I had to go to work so Christian and Jamie offered to keep the boys. Needless to say the boys were pretty excited about going over to their big brothers place to play video games and go swimming. The boys rode in to work with me and Christian came and pick them up. Last we checked they were having a great time and even got to spend some time with Grandpa Gandy who was over helping Jamie repair some damage that Spike had inflicted on the corner of the wall.
Josh never even missed a beat when Allie tried to get his full attention :-)


The missus and I enjoyed a quiet evening alone. We had a nice dinner of bigos and some home made bread that Renee baked yesterday followed by a nice Lambic while we watched a little hockey. It was a very pleasant evening. We will pick up the boys tomorrow afternoon after we attend the baptism of my best friend's new daughter. Until then we will enjoy being just the two of us for a bit :)

Children of our future.… Day 545 13MAY10

Joshua and I got up way too early this morning. It was well worth it! We, or should I say Joshua, had another engagement for LLS Pasta for Pennies Program. We were asked to go to Randall Middle School for a breakfast and presentation. Randall Middle School students are amazing. This year they raised over $6000 for LLS. What an awesome job! Joshua also received a special surprise. Two actually! First, he was given cards from every student at Randall. We brought home two huge boxes!!!! Joshua’s second surprise was from a student named Reece who heard Joshua liked the Lightning. He gave Joshua his old Lightning Jersey that had been signed by many of the Hockey Players. He also had some pucks that were signed by the first owners of the Lightning. Joshua was totally thrilled.
These are the children of our future. These children that show amazing compassion and caring for a child who has cancer. These children that are willing to part with their money and their possessions to make an eight year old happy.  Thank you to all the students at Randall and to their parents as well. What an great job you are doing raising your children!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Day with Grandpa.… Day 544 12MAY10

Joshua and Jarrod did their school work this morning and then after lunch headed over to spend sometime with Grandpa Gandy. I understand that they had a great day and didn't leave until after dinner time when they were nice enough to bring me some dinner at work. I unfortunately had to work until late tonight and didn't get to be a part of their day. I was glad that they got a chance to hang out with my dad for a bit and help him get things done around the house. Tomorrow morning Joshua and Renee will be gone early to another event at a local school. Details tomorrow :)

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Donate Blood.… Day 543 11MAY10

Joshua did awesome this morning on his spelling test getting 21 out of 21 words right! We were thrilled that he did so well. Unfortunately he pretty much shut down after that and had  award time getting through reading. Good times.. Bad times… That is the nature of things. So far he has been doing good on the steroids and our least favorite monster has not made any grand appearances yet. After a little play time we loaded up to head into Tampa to the Children's Cancer Center. Joshua had tutoring with Zack and got a little math homework done. As soon as he was finished we split into two groups, Renee with the kids headed to Riverview, I headed to substitute teach a class for a friend. They went to Riverview HighSchool to support Florida Blood Services during their awards presentation. Riverview High has had amazing blood drives and are leading the state! Renee got up with Joshua in front of over 400 people and gave a short speech about the importance of donating blood to help kids like Joshua. She is turning into quite the presenter here lately. Everybody was resting quietly when I got him and it wasn't long before they all conked out for the night. They have earned a good rest :)

Monday, May 10, 2010

Clinic, chemo, and a tux.… Day 542 10MAY10

Joshua started off the day with a trip to the clinic. Matter of fact we all started our day that way. His counts were steady at 1350 and everything else looks good. He got his finger stuck for labs, a pentamadine treatment, and his port accessed for vincristine. That was all before lunch… We left the clinic and made a quick stop for a little food, did I mention that he also started another round of steroids this morning, before heading to Brandon to get him fitted for a tux. The tux is for him to wear to the final Man and Woman of the Year Gala in a few weeks.


He is such a ham…

After his fitting we stopped at a few sporting goods places to pick up a new set of Crocs for Joshua and look for some street hockey gear. It would be easier to find lost treasure than a hockey stick in Florida. We finally found a few reasonable sticks and picked up a few balls/pucks.

When we got home it was all about school work. Jarrod had plenty and so did Joshua including studying for his spelling test coming up tomorrow. He did really well and nailed his entire list on the first try. I was mightily impressed at that. Hope it sticks for in the morning. After all the school work was finished we all headed out into the street to get a little hockey time in. The boys had a blast and it is really good exercise for all of us. I may, unfortunately, be unable to walk in the mooring due to extreme soreness :) But it was worth it to spend some fun time with the family.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

A day for Mothers.… Day 541 09MAY10

Today is the day we celebrate our Moms! Without them not only would we not be here but we would not be who we are. A Happy and Wonderful Day to all of the Moms in our life. Mom, Nonna,  Mary Ann, Renee, Alyssa, Alicia, and Jamie. The world is truly a better place because of your love!

Joshua slept in a little this morning and I puttered quietly around the house so as not to wake him. Jarrod and Renee had left for church and it was just the two of us. He awoke after a while and we worked on trying to decide what he wanted for breakfast. After a bit of debating he settled on a doughnut. Not exactly healthy but sometimes you just have to look the other way.When Renee got home the boys presented her cards to her and we all had a good laugh over the card Joshua had picked out. It was very funny and Renee really liked it. Renee decided to spend her morning doing a little Polish cooking and was busy preparing her first batch of bigos. It turned out really good! Not sure what the wine was for but it had Julia Childs feeling going on.
Not long afterward Scott arrived with Taylor and Avery for a little play time. Taylor wanted to hang out with Joshua since they did not get to play yesterday after church. The kids had a lot of fun and burned off several thousand calories in short order. Next to arrive were Jamie, Christian, Allie, Bella, and Spike. Add to that the fact that Scott had brought Tornado with him and we literally had a full house. Jamie is enjoying her very first Mother's Day and she is a wonderful mother to our precious little grand daughter. Jamie and Christian brought mom a nice cookie cake. After everybody left I ran a few errands while Renee rested and then worked on fixing the CD changer in my car. It decided that the last round of CD's I fed it were quite tasty and it did not want to give them back. In the end… I won. The rest of the evening was quiet and just easy going.  We got a nice late visit from Renee's mom after she got off of work. Tomorrow we crank back up for another week.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Whew.… Day 540 08MAY10


Wow! What a busy day we had today. It started this morning when we left the house to attend Taylor's first communion service at St. Stephens. We still had Allie with us so we loaded up all her gear as well s ours and headed to the church. The service was nice and Taylor was very handsome in his tie. We left as soon as the service ended and headed to event # 2 which was Hannah's birthday party in Plant City. It was a great party and we got to spend some great time with The Zink clan. The boys swam and ate and then swam some more. The weather was a little hot but hey that's Florida. Much sooner than the boys liked we had to pack up, change clothes and hit the road for event #3, a fundraiser dinner for the LLS over in Dunedin. It was a long drive over but we made it on time. Joshua was one of the the honored guests along with Madison and the Mayor of Dunedin. We all sat together at a table with Joshua sitting right next to Mayor Eggers and his wife Becky with Madison and her family on the other side.



The dinner was held at the VFW Post 2556 and the members of the post were absolutely wonderful. The food was delicious and we got a chance to meet a bunch of great people. We were honored to be able to help support their fund raising efforts on behalf of the LLS.


 Jamie and Christian came by to pick up Miss Allie. We really enjoyed having her with us all day and showing her off. After that we headed home, another long drive. We were all pretty beat by the time we actually got back and it didn't take long for most of the family, save your resident night owl, to fall fast asleep. Days like today are hectic but we are glad that we can take Joshua to soo many wonderful events and let him be a part.

Friday, May 7, 2010

IVIG and golf.… Day 539 07MAY10

Joshua spent his morning hooked up to an IV pump getting his IVIG treatment. He did just fine with no side effects or any complications.

After a little rest Renee and the kids headed off to the Zach Tucker Golf Tournament an annual event that benefits Giving Hope Through Faith. A wonderful organization who helps out families with cancer. They helped us tremendously and we are honored to be able to continue to help support their efforts. Joshua and Jarrod had a great time and Joshua got to drive a golf cart around for a bit. He loves driving!


When they got home they were greeted by me and Miss Allie who came over to spend the night so Jamie and Christian could go out and celebrate her 21st birthday. She was a little fussy but finally calmed down and went to sleep. She has reached that age where she realized after a little while that mommy and daddy were gone :)

Tomorrow will be a busy day filled with lots of activities and lots of road miles. We have three different events to attend: A first communion; a birthday party; and a fund raising dinner. Should be exciting.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Birthday and bowling.… Day 538 06MAY10

Renee's birthday was today! She is one year older although she doesn't look it at all :)

Joshua started off today with his teacher and schoolwork. He had a good morning and it was a fog free meeting which is great. As soon as he was finished Renee and the kids packed up and headed over to Wojtek's house for a play date. They had a great time playing with LEGO and hanging out. I crossed paths with the family at the local meat market on my way to work. Renee had stopped to pick up a few things and I stopped by to help choose stuff. The rest of my day was spent at work. Renee and the kids however got to go bowling at Splitsville in Tampa. It was a fundraising event for Man and Woman of the Year for LLS. Our friends the Cavanaughs were also in attendance and everybody was bowling up a storm.  Jarrod loves to bowl and from what I hear he had a couple of really good games. I am glad that they got to do something fun on Renee's birthday!


Tomorrow is another IVIG treatment for Joshua which means half the day hooked up to an IV pump. We had hoped we were done with the IVIG treatments but his numbers are still a bit on the low side so they will continue for now.

Cinco de Mayo.… Day 537 05MAY10

Today as everyone knows is Cinco de Mayo which also happens to be the birthday of two very special people. One is Renee's mom Mary Ann and the other is our daughter in law Jamie. A very Happy Birthday to you! We love you both!

Joshua started off his day with a celebrity appearance on the Morning Show at Apollo Beach Elementary which is his old school. He even signed autographs afterwards! I had no idea he was so famous at his old school but apparently he is. I think the kids really respond to his positive attitude and his bravery facing cancer every day.

The rest of the day was much less dramatic and was spent doing homework and getting some play time in at home.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Social butterfly.… Day 536 04MAY10

Joshua started off today with his teacher and did his spelling test first thing. He got 19 out of 20 right and I was thrilled. He managed to retain what we worked on and do well on his test. As soon as we were done with school we went with Renee's mom to get Jarrod some new shorts because his old shorts have mysteriously shrunk… We were also looking for some new Crocs for Joshua but could not find any in his size and choice of color. We will keep looking.

This afternoon it was off to the Children's Cancer Center for tutoring. Joshua worked on his spelling homework and did well. He seems to really like the tutoring so far which is great. Next we had to attend to his social engagements for the evening starting with drinks ands appetizers on the 42nd floor of the Bank of America building in the Tampa Club. It was an event sponsored by Max who is one of the candidates for Man of the Year. It was the highest that either of the boys have ever been outside of an airplane and the elevator ride up had both their eyes big. The view was exceptional and although Jarrod is a little afraid of heights he enjoyed looking at the "ant" people down below.
Madison and her mom were also in attendance both the kids helped MAx draw tickets for the raffle prizes of the evening. Next was a pretty good jaunt north to Odessa to support Erin's event at the International Beer Garten. If you like beer this place is totally beer heaven. Erin is a candidate for Woman of the Year. Joshua had pizza and then helped Erin draw tickets out for all the cool prizes she was raffling off.

He also got to listen to Julie Black who is a nationally known blues singer do her thing. In between sets he got an autographed copy of her latest album. After the evening's fun it was a pretty long drive back home but we were really glad that we could help support the candidates and be a part of their fund raising efforts.