Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Working… Day 593 30JUN10

This morning Jarrod and I left early for work. I had to get to school for a meeting and he was going over to help my dad get ready for a dinner party he is having tomorrow night. They worked most of the day on getting the house prepared but mostly on getting all the food ready to be cooked on Thursday. Jarrod loves to work in the kitchen and he told me that they had  a lot of fun getting all the prep work completed. After dinner Jarrod came up and spent the evening with me in my class before we headed home.

 Meanwhile back at home Joshua and Renee got to spend a fun day together trying to conquer more of the LEGO Harry Potter game. I understand they had a great day and Joshua baked pretzels this evening.  The two of them  were both sound asleep when we got home tonight. So it was a busy but productive day and the boys both had a chance to do some fun and interesting things.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Running around… Day 592 29JUN10

We spent quite a bit of time today running around. In the mooring we dropped Joshua off at PA's to play with Taylor and Avery and then we headed to Sam's club to see about getting some new glasses for Jarrod. He has totally outgrown, like most everything else, his glasses and needed some new frames. We managed to find some the he like and they will be on his face within a week or so. we got back and had time to get a little lunch in our bodies before we packed up and headed to the Children's Cancer Center for a meeting and tutoring for Joshua.

While we were there we found our that we lost one of our kids on Sunday. He was 11 and had been fighting a brain tumor for several years. I know that he now has his angel wings but that does not make it any easier to deal with. Our hearts go out to his family. As I have said before "Cancer Sucks." I will exercise great self restraint at this point and not rant on about how unfair it all is...

The rest of the evening was about average.. We got home and I fixed some dinner for the family. We had one last errand to take care of afterwards. We had promised Renee a copy of the LEGO Harry Potter game for Mother's Day but its release was delayed until today so we went and got her a long overdue present. I am sure we will all enjoy playing it together.

Monday, June 28, 2010

A few extra… Day 591 28JUN10

We had a few extra kids today. Taylor and Avery came over and stayed with us until right before dinner.  Joshua started off the morning with his usual trip to the clinic for labs, this time Taylor got to go with him and see what it was all about. Jarrod and I stayed home with Miss Avery. Joshua's counts are good and he is holding steady which is wonderful. I think he has just been tired from all the great activities of last week.

The rest of the day was filled with the wonderful sounds of kids playing. Taylor and Avery are a joy to have over and are really easy to take care of. We enjoy having them around.

Renee was making some sweet potato chips this afternoon and managed to run her finger across the very sharp blade of the slicer. She took a good slice off the side of her thumb which definitely hurts. We got the bleeding to stop and got her bandaged up. I finished the chips which tasted really great. Too bad she had to sacrifice part of her skin in the process.

We had a quiet dinner and then all relaxed around the house for the rest of the evening while we got a really good rainstorm. Every little bit helps :)

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Waffles… Day 590 27JUN10

When I got up this morning I decided to make Belgian waffles for breakfast so I got out all the stuff and got started. First waffle out of the waffle iron I offered to Joshua. He said, "I don''t like belgian waffles, I want a Mickey Mouse waffle." Sooo I got out the Mickey waffle iron, plugged it in and made him a Mickey waffle with the same batter. He loved it.

 It is the kind of thing that makes you chuckle as a parent. You kind of want to explain that it is the batter not the shape that makes it Belgian but prudently decide to let it slide. It would be really hard to explain with a straight face anyway ;)

Before lunch we dropped Joshua off at Pa's and headed up to IKEA to brave the Sunday crowds in order to get a shelving unit that Renee saw advertised. It was dramatically reduced in price today only. We managed to escape in a relatively short amount of time with our new shelving unit and a reading light for my office in tow. When we got back Jarrod put together the shelves while Joshua handled the light. Both of them did great and Joshua's work was very illuminating.

After I whipped up dinner the boys went across the street to get a swim in and I ventured out to get the back yard mowed. I managed to get it mostly done before a big mass of black clouds swept in and we got an hour or two of rain. We could use a lot more than that.

The rest of the evening was pretty quiet. Tomorrow is clinic and the start of another week. Joshua was pretty tired later today and got kind of cranky so I am going to be interested to see what his counts are. Hope they are holding steady right where they belong.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Catch up day… Day 589 26JUN10

We spent today catching up on our rest. Joshua and Trent were up bright and early and decided to play quietly for a while. Joshua really enjoyed having a friend over for the night and we were glad to have him. The boys played until lunch time when it was time for Trent to head home. The rest of the day we spent resting and doing odd chores around the house. Jarrod spent most of the day working on  LEGO motorized conveyor system that we had designed driving back and forth to camp. It turned out really nice. Later in the evening he helped me get the front yard mowed and a few weeds relocated to the garbage bin. Afterwards we had a nice dinner and took it easy. Both the boys were pretty tired from their week at camp and didn't even need nudging towards bed this evening.

Last day of camp… Day 588 25JUN10

Today was the last day of camp for Joshua and Jarrod. It has been a busy and exciting week for both of them and neither one wanted it to be over.

Jarrod finished up his week with final competition of several robotic challenges. His team "Robot Crashers" had to configure and program the robot to do several challenging tasks. He did such a good job that he won the "City Canyon" challenge which put a big smile on his face.

He joined forces with another team for the afternoon's competition and they did very well in figuring out how to navigate the courses laid out for them. The entire experience was fantastic and had a very positive impact on Jarrod. He definitely thinks robotics are amazingly cool and is already making plans to attend the advanced camp next summer. It gave him a chance to see how all of the things he studies in math and science can be applied to do some amazing things and has sparked a new area of exploration for him to continue to pursue. I know he will remember the experience for a long time.



Joshua spent the day bowling in the morning and at the movies watching Toy Story 3 in the afternoon. We all met at the Children's Cancer Center for an end of camp party and had a wonderful diner from the Columbia Restaurant. Joshua and his friends had a wonderful week and were all smiles. We got a chance to see some old friends that we haven't seen in a while. All the campers received special awards and the parents got a chance to view a special DVD with pictures from the entire week.  Joshua ended his week by having Trent, Emma's older brother, come over and spend the night!


Thursday, June 24, 2010

Xmas in June… Day 587 24JUN10

Joshua had anther exciting day at camp. Today they celebrated Christmas complete with presents and all the trimmings. They also got a chance to go to MOSI for the afternoon and check out all the neat exhibits. Joshua really liked the CSI area a lot.

Jarrod had another great day as a robot technician and did very well on his challenge today. He is looking forward to going back tomorrow for the final challenge.

We had  a little bit of a scare this morning when we realized our air conditioner was not working all of a sudden. We were fortunate enough to get our A/C guy BIll to come out early this afternoon to take a look. Thankfully it was a minor issue and he managed to get it fixed and running again in a short time.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

A Gold Medal day… Day 586 23JUN10

Joshua had anther exciting day at camp. Today they celebrated Halloween complete with trick or treating and costumes. Joshua decided to be the main character from The Last Airbender and spent the day with a blue arrow painted on his forehead.

Jarrod had another fun filled day in robotics land which included a maze challenge and his favorite activity so far, a field trip to a local company that uses lots of robots. They have two printing presses as well that are one of a kind and were especially manufactured just for them. He really liked the company visit and told me he would love to work there someday. Tomorrow they get to work with making the robots produce sound.

This evening Renee and the boys attended a special event at the Tampa Tribune for the LLS TNT (Team in Training). Joshua was chosen as their Honored Team member and Renee got up and shared our story with all of the participants. Joshua was given a special medal from the TNT people. The host for the night was Alicia Roberts from channel 8 and the the special guest was former Olympian Brooke Bennett. She won 3 gold medals in the Atlanta and Sydney games which she brought with her and let Joshua hold! I understand they were very cool! Brooke holds the record for the 800 meter freestyle event and lives in Brandon. It was a special treat for Joshua to get to meet her.



Tomorrow is more camp and I am sure another great day of fun for both of the boys.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Camp Day 2… Day 585 22JUN10

Both the boys got another early start and headed off for a day of fun. Joshua went swimming today and had an Easter Egg hunt. Each day they are celebrating a different holiday as their theme. He came home with his basket of candy and a big smile.

Jarrod had another exciting day of robotics and LEGO's. Today's challenge involved getting the robots to travel across the room and stop before hitting a water bottle on the floor. He is really enjoying the experience and took a few picture so of what he has been working with. He also got to work with a 3D printer that they will use to prototype some parts with during the week.




Tomorrow is more of the same :)

Monday, June 21, 2010

Kites and Rockets… Day 584 21JUN10

This week both Joshua and Jarrod are doing separate day camps. Joshua is attending Kite Camp at the Children's Cancer Center and Jarrod is going to a LEGO Mindstorm Robotics camp at HCC in Brandon. It was an early start this morning for all of us but we got everyone where they needed to be when they were supposed to be there.

Joshua had a great first day and came back all happy and full of energy. They decorated cupcakes, played, and spent the afternoon at Gameworks in Ybor playing video games. He is a member of Team Firecracker and has already made several friends.

Jarrod was really excited about his day learning about and programming LEGO robots. He is learning all about robotics and how to control them. Each day he and a team member have a challenge to complete and they must design, build, and program their own robot to complete the test. They do all their design work on the computer and then upload it to the robot. Jarrod has already decided he wants to go back next summer and attend the advanced session of camp.

The evening was quiet and we finally got some rain… Yeah! Too bad it had to come with a pretty intense pyrotechnic component. But we are thankful for any rain we can get right now.

Tomorrow we get up early and deliver our campers to their respective locations. Should be another fun filled days for both of the boys.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Father's Day… Day 583 20JUN10

Today was a great day to be a father. Actually in my book every day being a father is a great day. I am lucky to have the love of four very different  and very special young men and I can think of nothing else that I would ever want to be besides their father.

My day started with a special breakfast prepared by two of my favorite cooks who prepared belgian waffles for us all. They were quite yummy!


For lunch we headed over to my dad's house to see him and were joined by Christian, Jamie, and Miss Allie. This is Christian's first Father's day and he was part of three generations of Gandy fathers at lunch. That is a special thing! We had some great Alabama style barbecue that my dad found at a local BBQ place and man was it good. After a little time digesting and playing with the kids we headed home for a bit.


This evening we had dinner with Renee's dad and were lucky sought o get to spend even more time with Miss Allie. Sally, Cameron, and Jayden also came to dinner, unfortunately Jim had to work tonight. We had a wonderful batch of pork chops that Ed coked ion the grill along with a bunch of other great treats courtesy of Renee and her mom. I may not have to eat again for several days :)

On the way home from Tampa Jarrod spotted the first billboard with Joshua on it! So after some crazy U turns we made it back to take a picture. It is on a road I drive every day I work so I will get to see it often. It looks fantastic and we were all thrilled.



It was a great day and I enjoyed every minute of it. A Happy Father's Day wish to all the dads I know out there!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Dynamo… Day 582 19JUN10

The boys had a great time over at grandma and pa's last night and this morning. Joshua called right before lunch and said they were ready to come home so I went over and picked them up. When we got back it was time to get a few chores done around the house and then play games for a while. We had a relaxing afternoon just hanging out inside, still a little warm out of doors. Joshua wanted to get some hockey playing in so we made a date for after dinner when it would be a little cooler. He is such a little dynamo, hard for me to keep up some times. We had a good time playing and Jarrod got a bike ride in while we were at it. A round of showers and we settled in for the evening to watch a little TV.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Play time… Day 581 18JUN10

Joshua had a play date today with Cameron and Jayden over at their house. They got a chance to cool off in the pool and then play inside when the weather turned nasty. We got a bit of rain but boy could we use a bunch more. After they got back home they packed up a few things and headed over to Renee's parents to spend the night. I am sure they will have a good time visiting with grandma and pa.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Too hot… Day 580 17JUN10

Today was another in a string of scorching days. Joshua did manage to get out and swing for a few minutes but it was short-lived.



The rest of the day was spent in the relative coolness of inside. The boys and I ran a couple of errands together before I had to go off and tech. We always have fun doing simple stuff like grocery shopping with each other. Renee is still feeling a bit under the weather and the boys helped this evening ,while I was gone, to take care of things around the house. Tomorrow is more of the same except they have a play date with Cameron and Jayden up at the pool. I know they are both looking forward to that!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Just another… Day 579 16JUN10

Joshua spent a quiet day at home today playing inside with Jarrod. I was gone all day at work and when I talked to Renee she said the day was just about as average as you could ask for. She was feeling a bit under the weather this evening so we are hoping that she is much better in the morning. We don't need anybody in the house to be sick. When I got home Jarrod and Joshua were quietly watching the best of Mythbusters before trudging off to sleep.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Not as busy as we thought… Day 578 15JUN10

We thought we were in for a pretty busy day. Turns out we misunderstood a key date and all of a sudden our day opened up quite a bit. Jarrod had a check up at the doctor this morning so Joshua and I stayed at home and relaxed a bit. When Jarod got back we ran a few errands and stopped at the meat market where an amazing thing happened. We were standing in line when a lady turned to me and said, "you must be Linda's son". Turns out she is a good friend of my mom's up in Virginia and has a house down here as well, what an amazing coincidence that I would run into her at the meat market. She and her husband had just come down from Virginia and she reads Joshua's blog everyday. I am always amazed at how cool it is when something like that happens, it certainly left me with a smile on my face.

After a brief respite at home we loaded up to take Joshua to tutoring at the Children's Cancer Center. After he was done we headed to a photo studio in Ybor City to have Joshua be a part of the new ad campaign for the CCC. He did pretty good and afterwards we all posed for a family picture. It was a fun evening and we got to see several of our friends we have not seen in a while.

The squirrels are still enjoying Joshua's "squirrel condo" that he built :)

Monday, June 14, 2010

Mild Monday… Day 577 14JUN10

Clinic this morning like all Mondays. Joshua's counts are throughout the roof thanks to our old nemesis Prednisone with his ANC at 4959. So at least for a few days he has a pretty normal immune system. Too bad it won't last. We spent part of the day without water while the county guys fixed the water main just next door. We are on a boil notice until further notice which will hopefully be tomorrow. Other than that little tidbit of excitement it was a pretty quiet and normal day. We stayed indoors for the afternoon and didn't venture out until early evening. I got some much needed yard work done withJoshua's help and after dinner the two of us got a little hockey time in while Jarrod rode his bike.
For our evening entertainment we all watched Alice in Wonderland which Joshua had wanted to see. He enjoyed it although I am not sure any of us really understood all that we watched. It was a good movie nonetheless. Tomorrow is a long busy day for the family with lots of different stops to make as we journey around.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

More cookies… Day 576 13JUN10

Joshua was kind of worn out today so he decided to take it easy. We all decided that this was a prudent course of action and followed suit. It has become too hot to even think about being outside during the middle of the day, much better to stay indoors. Joshua and I played several different games this morning and we all spent the rest of the day pretty much just doing our own little activities. After dinner Jarrod and Joshua decided to fire up the cookie lab and whip up a batch of highly addictive oatmeal scotchies. Will the madness never end…

The cookies were great as usual and now we have a great sugary temptation for all of us to enjoy for the next couple of days. Tomorrow is clinic and another summer day for the Joshua.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Family time… Day 575 12JUN10

Our morning started out like most days, pretty routine. A little while later our numbers grew quickly as Jamie, Christian, Allie, Bella, and Spike came over to spend the day with us. It was great to see them all as we have all been busy and not able to get together for a while. Allie continues to grow in leaps and bounds and is just on the verge of crawling. She already has four teeth in her little mouth and if course is adorably cute.

Christian got a chance to show us the new car they just got last week. I never thought I would start seeing my kids choosing "family" cars :) They got a good deal and it is a nice car that should do great for hauling them all around. The rest of our day was filled with the sounds of kids and grandkids running around and having fun.

Music to our ears.

Joshua made a cute fish that he hand colored for Allie to put in her room and he was very proud of how it turned out.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Parent's night out… Day 574 11JUN10

We had another busy and fun filled day. Jarrod and I left before lunch for Tampa, I had to go to work and I dropped him off at my dad's to help him get some yard stuff taken care of. Joshua had a day with Mommy and they had fun shopping a little and hanging out together. We all converged on the Children's Cancer Center this evening for a parent's night out. The CCC watched the kids and we got a chance to go out. Not a bad deal. We spent our evening with our good friend's Glen and Lisa and had  wonderful dinner at Bonefish grill and spent some time quietly perusing Border's before we went back to get the kids. The kids had  a pizza party and played while we were gone. Both Joshua and Jarrod said they had a good time and enjoyed the evening. I know we enjoyed ours.

Jake sent me some pictures from their adventure at Sea World yesterday so as I promised here are a few.




Jarrod had a great time and has described all the roller coasters they rode in great detail to me as we traveled together today. This trip was the last thing that he and Jake will do together as a part of the big buddy program. Hard to believe a year has passed already. We could not have asked for a better friend for Jarrod. Jake was wonderful and we look forward to continuing our relationship with him.

Tomorrow we rest up a bit and try and get a handle on all the chores around the house.

Bowling and Roller Coasters… Day 573 10JUN10

Joshua and Jarrod had separate days today. JArrod left early this morning with his big buddy Jake to go spend the day at Sea World in Orlando. He was particularly looking forward to riding the roller coasters although he was a little apprehensive  about the Krakken. Joshua spent the morning hanging out with me and playing a little hockey out on the back deck before he left to go spend some time with his buddy Wojtek and I left for work. First stop was the bowling alley where Joshua helped teach Wojtek how to bowl. They both did great and each got a 96 on their last game according to Joshua. He got two strikes and had a great time. Next they all went to Lettuce Lake park to enjoy a little nature walk and then headed over to Wojtek house to play for the rest of the afternoon. I understand that Ania sent home a few polish treats for me to try and I can't wait.



Jarrod will be getting back late tonight so I will share all of the details of his day tomorrow. I hope they took lots of pictures :)

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Third Grader… Day 572 09JUN10

Joshua finished second grade today! He is an official third grader now!

We are very proud of him and I know it has been a tough year for him to get through. He spent the afternoon reading a book and catching up a little on his rest. He did manage to get mom to play a little hockey with him since I was at work all day. I am sure we will try and play a little tomorrow before I leave for class in the evening.

Renee said he was pretty restless before I got home but he calmed down right away, we cuddled a bit and watched the Stanley Cup game go into overtime and he fell asleep pretty soon afterwards. Joshua will be very happy in the morning when he hears that the Blackhawks won the cup in overtime. He was rooting for them to win although he wished the Lightning had been there instead... Maybe next year.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Tuesday travels… Day 571 08JUN10

We spent the morning at home trying to keep Joshua interested in doing his homework. We were mostly unsuccessful. He has a hard time concentrating right now and the steroids are just a ticking bomb waiting to go off. So we do what we can and we will worry about the rest some other day. After lunch we headed in to the Children's Cancer Center for tutoring. Joshua did okay but was mostly interested in coloring and not really doing any worthwhile learning stuff. He took a long nap on the way home primarily because the steroids make it really hard for him to sleep at night, he turns into a little restless insomniac for the week. The nap seemed to do him some good and he was a little more energized when we got home. After dinner he wanted to play hockey for a while so we did. There was a nice breeze and the sun was on its way to incinerate the other side of the planet for a while. Tonight was Joshua's night to bake cookies and he did a bang up job on making some sugar cookies. We are going to have to play a lot more hockey if the kids keep baking cookies...

Monday, June 7, 2010

Monday overhaul… Day 570 07JUN10

Joshua got up early this morning and headed up to Apollo Beach Elementary to help thank them for doing an outstanding job raising money for Pennies for Pasta. He went by every classroom and thanked all the students. As soon as that was finished we all loaded up and headed to the clinic for his overhaul. He got his port accessed followed by his pentamadine treatment. Next came his vincristine and then he got his port de-accessed so we could wait for lab results. His labs are still looking good and his ANC is at 1325. We also got to invite our favorite monster back to stay with us for a week. That's right he started prednisone again today. He had several good meltdowns this time and was pretty emotional over tiny little things. After a little while sulking he would bounce right back and rejoin society as the sweet child he normally is. Looks like it is going to be a fun week this time :)

Jarrod filled the house with good smells tonight when he baked up a batch of oatmeal scotchies. YUM! He is really a good baker and enjoys every minute of it, especially the taste testing part.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Sunday = rest… Day 569 06JUN10

We rested most of today. None of us got up very early and although we did a little work around the house and played outside in short bursts we didn't do much else. We were all still pleasantly tired from our fun day yesterday. The heat has already become oppressive and we can only be outside for short periods before it catches up with you. The boys come in from riding their scooters with beet red faces and soaked shirts. Working hard to keep them hydrated. Joshua and I played a little hockey after dinner but we gave up after about fifteen minutes and came back inside. Tonight we watched Game 5 and worked on Joshua's homework. He has quite a bit to get done by Tuesday. Tomorrow is a busy day especially the clinic part. Joshua is due for pentamadine as well as vincristine tomorrow so we will be there for a bit.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Hanging with our clan… Day 568 05JUN10

Today was a play day for the whole family. We puttered around the house until lunchtime when we headed out for Tiffany and Nate's place. We were joined by Ania, Lukash and Wojtek. We spent an incredibly fun day in the pool, cooking out, laughing, and gorging ourselves to capacity. Renee, Tiffany, and Ania whipped up a table load of goodies and the grazing was plentiful and delicious. As always we counted on Nate "The Grill Master" to take care of getting the meat cooked and he did not disappoint. We spent most of the afternoon in the pool where the thermometer under the edge of the roof hovered right at 100 all day. You would never know those three boys were fighting cancer in their little bodies. Their energy, it seems, is boundless and the laughter and smiles are infectious. We ate dinner and played for a while before heading back to the pool for the remainder of the evening. In the fading light we said our goodbyes and each headed off for home. I know that the boys will all barely touch their heads to a pillow and they will be fast asleep tonight.

Friday, June 4, 2010

IVIG again… Day 567 04JUN10

Joshua spent most of his day hooked up to an IV pump getting his IVIG treatment. Once again thankfully he had no adverse reaction to the drug. He had a pretty good amount of energy afterwards and took a bike ride with his brother on the golf course. We got in a little hockey playing after dinner when the sun was sneaking down and it wasn't so hot outside. The rest of the evening was spent watching game 4 of the Stanley cup. Jarrod crashed on the couch just after 9 and Joshua fell asleep laying next to me on the couch shortly afterwards. They were both pretty tuckered out and they each got an early start this morning. Jarrod went over to help Grandma Peters do some canning and Joshua got started 7:30 with his pre-med. Tomorrow we are supposed to have a fun play date with our extended family now that everybody is out of the hospital.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Play day… Day 566 03JUN10

Joshua had a fun day today. Jayden and Cameron came over this morning to spend the day and were soon joined by DJ. We had a full house of boys who remarkably played quietly and nicely together the whole time. I had to go off to teach a class but Renee and the boys got  ready after resting for a bit and headed in to the Children's Cancer Center for family night. They had a good time and she said the boys basically disappeared as soon as they walked in and had  a lot of fun. When I got home tonight Joshua was asleep in our bed and I noticed he had a lighting bolt on his forehead. I came out and asked Renee if Voldemort had attacked Joshua this evening :) Joshua didn't think I would notice that he had a large blue lightning bolt across the front of his head… Tomorrow is another round of IVIG so Joshua will be hooked up for most of the day.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Allie bell… Day 565 02JUN10

Joshua had a great day today. We started off the day slowly which was a good thing. Everyone was worn out and we all needed our rest. Lee headed off to work and before we knew it Jamie and Allie arrived with Bella and Spike in tow. Allie gets bigger every time we see her. She was all smiles for Uncle Jarrod and Uncle Joshua. She is almost crawling…any day now. In the afternoon we headed off to my mom's house. She went picking fresh tomatoes and was in the middle of canning them. Everyone helped out including Allie. She was fascinated with the entire process and I'm glad that my mom is passing down tradition to the kids.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

CVS Celebrity Pro Am… Day 564 01JUN10

Joshua started his day with school and his teacher. He did well and has been improving, apparently the fog has lifted for now. As soon as she left we headed out for clinic. Joshua's count's are holding steady and everything looked good. We had a visit with Ania, Wojtek, Tiffany, and Preston who are still stuck in the hospital for now. Hope they get sprung real soon. Next stop was my dad's house for a little lunch from Ceasar's Pizza which is some of the best ever. After a little visits it was back on the road to the Children's Cancer Center. After we got done there we headed over to Innisbrook Golf Resort to attend the pre-party for the CVS Celebrity Pro Am Golf Tournament that will start tomorrow. Joshua was asked by the Children's Cnacer Center to speak along with Patty the CEO before the audience watched a video presentation about the CCC. He did a great job and was a celebrity for the rest of the night.
Joshua spent the rest of the night hanging out with James Taylor Curtis and his band. Joshua even went up on stage and strummed a little on JT's guitar. He was a total rock star! James Taylor Curtis is awesome….go buy his latest albumn!!!!



He was also invited by Big Nasty and his partner J.C. Nasty to attend an upcoming Buccaneers game this fall. Front row with The Biggest (and scariest!) fans for the Bucs! Joshua will even get to have his face painted. We can't wait to see his face on the jumbo-tron at Raymond James Stadium.
Joshua also got to meet a lot of other "celeb's" at the party but we just couldn't get everyone's names fast enough. He was really working the room!  That's our Joshua! Tomorrow we shall rest up for a little while before we get a wonderful visit from Jamie, Allie and the puppies!


Memorial Day… Day 563 31MAY10

We had a quiet Memorial Day at home. In the morning we cleaned house a bit and took care of  a few other chores. In the afternoon we had a picnic inside with my dad who brought hot dogs and fixings to go with them. We had a nice visit and the boys got to show off their street hockey skills for a little bit before the heat got to them. The evening was quiet and unassuming with all of us watching game 2 of the Stanley Cup.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day with lots of different activities planned. We will be on the move most of the day and will probably not make it back home until late. I hope that clinic in the morning shows Joshua's counts are up as most of his friends are in the hospital right now. We don't want to join them :)