Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Last day of school… Day 928 31MAY11

We took off after breakfast to drive over to All Children's Hospital for Joshua to get his DEXA scan. The drive over was really nice and the hospital itself is quite attractive. The scan only took a few minutes and we hope to have some results tomorrow sometime. We got home right at lunch time and took a little break before Joshua's teacher showed up. She arrived for his last day of school with a cute furry little helper named Harley, her new puppy. The boys enjoyed playing with Harley and he was quite content to get a nap in under the table while Joshua finished up his school year stuff. So summer break officially begins today. We took a quick skate a little later in the afternoon and then got cleaned up to go see the Bulls practice up at the rink. Joshua was delivering the trophy to the next member of the team who will then pass it on until al the team has had it at home. The practice was fun to watch and it was a nice cool break from the heat of the afternoon. Afterwards we took Joshua out to eat to celebrate his being finished with school, he decided he wanted his favorite crab legs so we obliged. Dinner was great and we were all full on the drive back home. The rest of our evening was rather quiet and the boys headed off to bed to get some rest for the first full day of summer tomorrow.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Memorial Day… Day 927 30MAY11

We had a fun Memorial day with family. The morning we spent resting to catch up for our busy weekend. Right after lunch we headed over to Renee's parent's house for a surprise graduation party for Jarrod. He was completely surprised and had no idea that anything had been planned. A huge part of that belongs to Alecia who loves planning parties and did a great job on the decorations. There was lots of yummy food to be had and the kids had so much fun swimming in the back yard. Mary Ann had blown up the pool and I was pretty sure that the kids would have sprouted fins and gills if they had stayed in the water any longer. We had a great dinner and then all sat around talking and watching the kids playing. It was a great day of rest for all of us and the first time we have really taken a day off in quite a bit. Tomorrow morning we head over to All Children's Hospital for Joshua's bone density scan, not sure how long we will have to wait for results.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Bulls rock!… Day 926 29MAY11


We got up extra early today and left the house to head down to watch the final half of the hockey tournament that the Bulls were playing in. Joshua spent both games on the bench with the team and we really enjoyed watching them play. The boys played great and won both of their games today as well as taking first place in the tournament. During the awards ceremony Joshua stood out on the ice with the team and much to our surprise the coach called his name out and had him come up and receive a medal just like the rest of the team. It has amazed us how this hockey team has taken Joshua in and made him a part of their team. They are truly a great group of young men and we are very proud of them all. As we left we were told that every player gets to keep the trophy a couple of days and Joshua was picked to get it first. It barely fit in our trunk but made it back to the house safe and sound. Joshua was really excited and had a wonderful weekend. Thank you Jr Bulls! You guys Rock!


Saturday, May 28, 2011

Ice day… Day 925 28MAY11

Joshua and Renee got up before the sun this morning so he could be at the Bulls hockey game at 7:15 down in Ellenton. He had a ton of fun hanging out with his buddies on the team and watching them play hockey, so much fun in fact that we are all going to go down at the crack of dawn tomorrow for two more games. Jarrod and I got up a little bit later and had a fun morning together which included some ice skating at the rink in Brandon. We all convened back at the house in time for lunch. Afterwards Renee and Joshua got in a little nap while Jarrod and I puttered about in the garage. Joshua and Renee were good and rested when Wojtek came over with his parents for a little cookout and play time. We had some yummy hamburgers on the grill and spent the evening visiting and having fun. Wojtek is doing great and he is a bundle of energy, which is pretty evenly matched by Joshua. They were all over the house doing different things and I am pretty sure they never really sat still at all. Everybody is heading off to bed early so we can get up to go watch some more hockey in the morning.

Friday, May 27, 2011

It's over :(… Day 924 27MAY11

Joshua got an early start with his teacher this morning and he did pretty good on his school work. The rest of the day was pretty normal and he even got a small amount of time in skating with Jarrod. His foot is doing really well and he has no complaints so far. The big event of the evening was Game 7 for the Lightning which we all gathered around to watch and cheer for our Bolts. It was a complete nail biter and was scoreless until the very end when Boston got the one and only goal in the game. Joshua was disappointed but he was also quick to say the his Bolts had an amazing season. We are so very lucky to have been a small part of their season and we are so grateful for Coach Raymond and all he has done for Joshua and the family. We will count the days until next season and as always, Go Bolts!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Cast off!… Day 923 26MAY11

Joshua and I left this morning to go get his cast removed which he was thrilled about. It came off without putting up to much of a fight and his leg finally saw the light of day. The doctor took and look and said it all looked good , we will go back for a follow up in two weeks. We scrubbed all the leg goo off and got him cleaned up. He was very happy not only to be able to get the cast off but also that he could FINALLY scratch his leg :)



Next stop was the orthotics place to get Joshua's new leg braces fitted. They will help stabilize his ankles and help correct for the drop foot that is caused by the chemo drug vincristine that he takes. The braces are pretty neat and Joshua got to choose the design when he got his cast put on before they were made. He chose to have the Lightning logo on the back and blue straps for the Bolts as well.



We stopped and grabbed him some lunch on the way home and then headed for the house. It took us a little while at home fussing with his leg braces but we got them comfortable and he wore them for most of the rest of the evening. He will have to wear the braces for quite a while but if it keeps him from getting any more stress fractures or damaging his ankle anymore that will be a blessing. Joshua takes all of these changes in stride and deals quite wonderfully with all the bumps and curves that cancer throws at him. Renee and I both worry about how all of this will affect him over the long term and wish every day, just like Joshua does, that he could just be a "normal" kid again.

We ran up to the ice rink in Brandon after dinner to pick up some stuff at the pro shop and Joshua ran into a bunch of his hockey buddies. He told me that they all thought his braces were cool because they had the Lightning logo on the back. Joshua had fun playing with them for a bit before we headed for home. His teacher is coming right after breakfast and it is only a matter of days before he will be done with the school year.

Hockey Night!… Day 922 25MAY11

Joshua was feeling a lot better this morning and his cough seems improved. His teacher came over after lunch and he worked with her for a bit. Right before dinner Renee got an email form Coach Raymond saying that he had four tickets for tonights hockey game and he was wondering if the team's good luck charm could attend the game so they got ready and left shortly thereafter. I met them at the game after I got out of work and we started cheering our Bolts on. This was Game 6 in the Conference finals and a must win for the Bolts, and win they did!! It was an awesome game and we had so much fun! After the game we went down to see Martin for a little bit before we headed for home to put our very tired boys to bed. While we were waiting for Coach to come out the man that is responsible for keeping track of the game pucks stopped to talk to Joshua and reached into his little cooler and gave him an official playoff puck, that was a special surprise for sure. Once again the people associated with hockey have proven how wonderful they are. It was a wonderful evening and a great night of hockey. Go Bolts!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Rough night… Day 921 24MAY11

Joshua had a rather rough night last night, he coughed most of the night and didn't get much sleep in the process. He was up and awake at 6 this morning and after a while the cough finally subsided. His teacher arrived after lunch and he worked with her for a bit while Jarrod and I were at an end of the school year bowling party with his virtual classmates. Jarrod loves to go bowling and had a fun time. Right after his teacher left Joshua laid down on the couch in the sunroom and crashed. He slept for the next 6 hours not waking up until almost 9 tonight. We are hoping that he is through the worst of the coughing and can get a good solid night of sleep tonight. Jarrod started not feeling well this evening and he went to bed with a sore throat and the general blahs. Looks like whatever has been working its way through the family finally made it to Jarrod. If he can get a good night's rest maybe he will feel better in the morning. So it has been a rough start to the week so far and we haven't even made it to the halfway mark yet. It will be nice to get everyone well again and not have to worry about who is going to get sick next.

Monday, May 23, 2011

A little low… Day 920 23MAY11

Joshua headed off for clinic this morning, he has not been able to shake his cough and he has looked run down and rather tired the last few days so Renee took him in. His ANC has slipped to 756 which is pretty low for him, much lower than it has been in a long while. The doctor said his lungs are still clear and is sending him to see his ENT to check out his deviated septum, which is caused by the chemo, to see if that is part of the cause. She also put him on a new round of antibiotics to see if we can get this sinus/cough thing under control once and for all. After they got home and rested for a bit Renee and the boys headed up to find some new shoes for Joshua, he needs a different pair to accommodate the leg braces he will get on Thursday when they remove his cast. They managed to find a nice pair that Joshua liked and then headed for home. Tonight was game 5 so we all huddled around the tele to watch the Bolts play in Boston. The game was another nail biter but they lost in the end, now it is back to Tampa for game 6. We will continue to pull for our Bolts and hope for the best on Wednesday.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Party time… Day 919 22MAY11

We started off our day like most others. A little before lunch time my parents picked us up so we could go to a graduation party for one of my childhood friend's son. We had a great time at the party and it was really nice to see some of my oldest and dearest friends. It's hard to imagine that Dawn and Julian's eldest son, Joel has graduated from high school and will be attending the University of Florida. He is a remarkable young man with a promising future ahead of him. I know his parents and grandparents are very proud of him. We are proud of him too! Congrats Joel and Good Luck! Don't worry Dawn and try not to cry too much. Love you!

The rest of our day was spent relaxing and playing with the boys. These days seem to go by slow sometimes but in reality they fly by. Cherish every minute of every day!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Day full of hockey… Day 918 21MAY11

We all got up extra early and headed up to the ice rink to watch the Bulls play. Joshua sat on the bench again and got some great tips from the goalie Ty. The game was really fun to watch and we enjoyed it. We headed home for a bite of lunch before heading out again to go see the Lightning play game 4 against Boston. We also got to take Grandma and Pa which was a real treat. The game was awesome and we won 5-3!! THe Bolts played really hard and Joshua and Jarrod really enjoyed the game. They went crazy every time we scored and it was a lot of fun to be a part of. Afterwards we met up with Coach Raymond for a bit to visit. We headed home to get some dinner and then headed out to skate for a while with Joshua on his bike. He did much better this time and no rescue mission was necessary. Needless to say the boys will sleep really well tonight. It was a great and fun filled day full of hockey and family.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Jarrod's happy… Day 917 20MAY11

Jarrod finished the eighth grade today! He turned in his final assignments, took all of his finals and is officially done for the school year. Renee and I are both very proud of all his hard work and all that he has accomplished. He has really blossomed in virtual school and we are sure he will continue to do great.

Joshua rested today and didn't really do any school work. He still has the nagging cough and is running a low fever on and off. Thankfully not anywhere near the level where we have to "make the call", but it is still quite worrisome. We will continue to keep an eye on him as he weekend marches past.

We are all going to get up early and go watch the Bulls play hockey which should be a lot of fun and Joshua will enjoying seeing his friends again.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Better day… Day 916 19MAY11

Joshua had a much better day and although he is still coughing a bit was feeling mostly better compared to earlier in the week. We spent a good chunk of the day outside enjoying the nice weather while we have it. Joshua was working on keeping his lizard catching skills in good shape although the lizards were definitely on their game this afternoon and kept Joshua at bay. We grilled some chicken for dinner and then the boys and I took off for a little exercise. Jarrod and I skated while Joshua led the way on his bicycle. He got tired out after a bit and we called in Renee for a pick up, she whisked him back home with his bike while Jarrod and I followed behind. He bounced right back afterwards so I think it was just to much bike riding that caught up with him. We came in after a bit and settled down to watch game 3 which was played here at home. The Bolts played hard but couldn't get on the board and ultimately lost. They still have a big chance to win and we will keep cheering for them. Tomorrow is more school and work for me so today was a nice break.

A lot less fuzzy… Day 915 18MAY11

Joshua was a lot less fuzzy this morning and had a much better time with his school work. He worked well with his teacher and didn't have any problems. The rest of the day he spent doing what he normally does, watching TV and playing around the house. In a week he will get his cast off which I know he is looking forward to and then he can get back to being a true two legged child. The cast seems to be bothering him a lot less this time around and he has adapted quite well. Let's hope this is the last cast he will ever need. So things are pretty quiet for now and we hope they stay that way.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

A little fuzzy… Day 914 17MAY11

Joshua was a little fuzzy this morning thanks to his chemo from yesterday. We tried to do math homework this morning after breakfast, we were siting out on the deck and he just couldn't get the old brain engine firing on all cylinders. We gave up after a bit and just left it for a better time. He did okay with his teacher but was having a hard time in the second half of the hour staying focused. The rest of the day was rather normal. We sat outside a lot since the weather was so nice today. Jarrod and I got a little skating in after dinner which was a lot of fun. The rest of the evening was devoted to hockey watching the Bolts play game 2. At one point when they were trailing behind Joshua was wearing five different Lightning shirts trying ot get them all the mojo he could muster, unfortunately they lost by one point.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Clinic again… Day 913 16MAY11

Joshua spent the better part of the morning and early afternoon at the clinic. His counts are fine, his ANC was over 6000, but he has had a nagging cough for weeks so the doctors decided to check him out a little more. Off they went to X-ray for a chest shot to see if there was any congestion in his lungs. After a bit of a wait Renee got the results, no congestion, lungs clear. So it may be viral or just allergy like stuff going on. Afterwards they headed for home and spent the rest of the day hanging out there. Joshua is doing much better today and only spent part of the evening on the heating pad which is a good sign. Tomorrow is back to school work with his teacher on his heavy chemo day so we will see how well he can focus come morning.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

A little achy… Day 912 15MAY11

Joshua spent most of the day on the heating pad because he was pretty achy and feeling kind of blah. This happens frequently when he comes off of a steroids pulse and although it causes Renee and I to worry a bit we are mostly used to it. His appetite is still going strong and we shoveled food into his little furnace most of the day. He should start getting back to normal pretty soon which I am sure is good news for the pork industry who certainly have been concerned about shortages of ham and bacon in our area. The rest of us spent the day resting mostly, Jarrod got the yard mowed and I did a little yard work and worked out in the garage for a while. Tomorrow is a clinic day for labs so we will see how Joshua's counts are holding up. I expect that they will be rather high thanks to the steroids.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Play time and hockey… Day 911 14MAY11

Joshua and Jarrod took off this morning to go hang out with Taylor and Avery over at Renee's parents which left Renee and I with a free afternoon. We got some errands taken care of and then came home since Jamie and Allie were headed our way. They arrived and we spent a fun and rainy (yeah!) afternoon together relaxing. We headed over to Renee's parents for a nice dinner and a chance to visit a little before heading back for the hockey game. The bolts started their conference final bid tonight and we all cheered them on to a decisive victory against the Bruins. Go Bolts! It was a great day to cap off a fun family filled day!

Friday, May 13, 2011

IVIG again… Day 910 13MAY11

Joshua got up early and got his port ready an took his pre-med in preparation for his IVIG transfusion. Mis Caroline showed up and got him accessed and hooked up to the pump. It went well and other than making him pretty tired he was okay. He did run a little bit of a fever later in the afternoon but it cleared up and he felt fine afterwards. His teacher couldn't make it because she had a sick child at home so he didn't have to contend with school work while hooked up which was nice. So we can put yet another IVIG treatment behind us and hope that it keeps doing its job of helping to boost his immune system.

Hungry boy… Day 909 12MAY11

The steroids really kicked in today and Joshua was constantly hungry. I lost count of the times he wanted something to eat starting early this morning and going all day long. It has been a while since the steroids have affected him like this. Otherwise it was a pretty normal day, Jarrod did school, Joshua did a little school and practiced his hockey skills. Tomorrow morning Joshua will get another IVIG transfusion which will take all morning, his teacher is coming as well so he will have a full day and hopefully there will be a little bit left to eat at the end of the day for the rest of us:)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

A little cranky… Day 908 11MAY11

Joshua was a little cranky today as the steroids really begin to take hold for the week. He did school with his teacher and then headed over to Renee's parents for a little while so she could run some errands. The rest of the evening the boys played at home and they were watching a funny movie when i walked in from work. So all in all not a bad day just a few snarls from the monster that's all.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

A little rough… Day 907 10MAY11

Joshua's started out the day a little rough, he was having a full on chemo episode. He stood in the kitchen for almost twenty minutes trying to decide what he wanted to eat for breakfast and finally gave up for a bit. His brain came back online after a little while and we not only got some breakfast in him but also got some of his school work done. Renee was gone this morning so it was just me and the boys for a change. Jarrod did great working by himself studying for his upcoming exams in school. After a break for lunch Miss Angela arrived to do school with Joshua, she arrived a few minutes after he had a pretty rough meltdown because Renee wasn't back home yet. We managed to talk him out of it and got him going again by having him show his new hockey gear to Miss Angela. After that he did really good and got through school without any more issues. Renee arrived home shortly after school was finished and we all settled in for the rest of the day. Joshua got some practice in front of the door blocking some shots from me while Jarrod finished his school stuff. After diner we watched the Mighty Ducks which the boys had never seen, they both really liked it a lot. I had forgotten what a good and funny movie it was. Tomorrow will be a better day for Joshua I hope and he can get some time in on school work with Renee at home. There are only a few weeks left before they are both finished and summer break can begin.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Start of a long week… Day 906 09MAY11

Joshua had a long day at the clinic starting early this morning. His ANC is a little high at 4704 and he is still battling a cough. He got his port accessed and then the waiting began for vincristine and the pentam treatment he was due. The doctor took a look at his foot and has ordered a bone density scan as soon as his cast comes of so we can get a baseline and see if his bones are weaker than they should be. They can't give him any supplements to help with the calcium loss because they negate the chemo drugs so we will have to wait until he is off of treatment next year. After they got all finished up Renee and the boys headed home to get his steroids started and get going on school work. The school year is drawing to a close and both the boys have just a little bit more work to get done. The rest of the day passed with only a few squabbles amongst the brothers and they were watching a movie together when I got home tonight. Another week of steroids means a chance that the monster might visit, I am hoping that he stays asleep the whole time :)

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day!… Day 905 08MAY11

Today was a time to celebrate the wonderful mothers in our lives. We started off with a morning at home with Renee, just after lunch we headed over to Carly's house for her birthday celebration. The boys got to get in the pool and have some serious fun while the adults ate and chatted, my dad even got in on the party. We headed home to get ready for the rest of the family to show up. We had a full house for dinner and four of the mothers in our family in attendance: Renee, Mary Ann, Alecia, and Jamie. Brandon is in town for some classes and he was here as well. We all had a nice dinner and a chance to be together as a family. After everyone left we all collapsed on the couch and watched a little hockey. Joshua has a full service appointment tomorrow at the clinic so a good nights rest will do him good.

From all of us guys a very special wish to all the mothers in our lives, the world is a much better place because of you! Happy Mother's Day!!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Hockey Surprise… Day 904 07MAY11

Joshua received a wonderful surprise today from a great group of people. Several weeks ago Renee and I met a couple, Sal and Olivia, who's daughter, Whitney, and her husband are involved with youth hockey. Their son plays on a local team at the ice rink not far from where we live. Sal and Olivia thought that maybe Whitney would have some old hockey gear that Joshua could use so they put her and Renee in touch with each other. Before we knew Whitney had gotten the whole team involved and they rallied together to get hockey gear for Joshua and welcome him into their hockey family. So today right after lunch we headed up to the rink to meet the team and watch them play, Joshua had no idea that anything else was going on, he just wanted to meet them and watch the game. When we arrived the team greeted him and Whitney took him over to an area in front of the ice where they had assembled a huge pile of gear. The team and their parents had donated and entire set of goalie equipment for Joshua to have. They even had a custom jersey made for him and he is now an honorary member of the Bulls hockey team. Needless to say we were floored and Joshua was amazed. What a wonderful and generous group of kids and adults. The manager of the rink even gave Joshua free skating lessons once his ankle and foot are healed and ready for it.
The team!

Whitney and Joshua

His own Jersey!



Joshua loved the helmet

Two fellow goal tenders who donated some of their gear

Joshua on the bench



Afterwards they invited Joshua back into the locker room while they got suited up and then he sat on their bench during the game. Before long he was opening and closing the door onto the ice and giving the players high fives as they came off the ice. He had a really fantastic time and loved every minute of it. For us to watch Joshua run around with the other kids and be made a welcome part of their team was incredible. They played a great game and won a decisive victory which made Joshua even prouder to be a part of it all. Words of thanks just can't convey how grateful we are to all of the families and especially to Whitney for all of her hard work on Joshua's behalf. Thank you all!

When we got home Joshua immediately began figuring out how to put on all his gear and before you knew it he was standing in front of the door while I threw a few shots at him. We had to talk him out of wearing his helmet to bed :)



An amazing day for all of us to say the least.

Friday, May 6, 2011

BIRTHDAY GIRLS!… Day 903 06MAY11


We have three birthdays to celebrate between yesterday and today. Renee's birthday is today and Mary Ann and Jamie's was yesterday. Amazing how they all wound up bunched together like that. Here's hoping that their birthdays were happy and the boys and I wish each of them a special day! Renee and her mom had a nice girls day out yesterday to celebrate, not often that they can find time to go out and have fun together.

Unfortunately I had to work all day until late so I wasn't home to be with Renee and the boys. They left early this morning to go in search of a cast shoe for Joshua. They found a neat one in Brandon and made it back home before the first rain we have had in many weeks started to fall. The rest of the day was about normal with school work and the like. We have a busy weekend planned and it should be a fun one and of course we have Mother's Day on Sunday as well. Jamie and Christian along with Miss Allie have been a little under the weather but we are hoping they are well enough to come visit this weekend.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Not happy… Day 902 05MAY11


Joshua was not a happy guy today. We went to an appointment with his orthopedic doctor because he was still having some pain in his right foot. The doctor took a look and ordered x-rays which revealed that Joshua has a broken bone, his second metatarsal, in his right foot. So he is back in a cast for three weeks.

The fracture was most likely caused by a combination of the steroids weakening his bones and the effect the vincristine he gets has on his tendons which causes him to walk on his tip toes. The break was a stress fracture and not caused by a specific injury. We are not sure how long he has been walking around with a broken bone is his foot but it has certainly been that way for several days at least. I shudder to think how much he has walked these last few days at the zoo and the hockey games.

He was definitely not a happy camper when he found out he had to have a cast on again. He gets very sad when things like this happen, things that are out of his control and make him not a "normal" little boy. It hurts me to watch him struggle with the sadness that he endures because of his cancer, it is so unfair. He just wants to be able to play hockey and skate , climb trees, run around, ride his bike. His cast is, of course, blue for his Bolts and waterproof like the last time so he can get it wet anytime he wants. We still have to find him a cast shoe because they didn't have any at the doctor's office.




So we spent most of the day at the hospital getting his cast done and getting molds made for the new braces that the doctor has prescribed for him to wear after he gets his cast off, they will help keep his feet more upright and stretch his tendons to counter the effects of the vincristine. After dinner the boys and I cuddled up on the couch and watched a movie and tried to forget about the earlier part of our day.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Sweep!!… Day 901 04MAY11


Joshua got to attend the fourth game of the Lightning playoff series. Coach Raymond called early in the day to say he had two tickets for tonight's battle. I was the lucky one who got to go with him and we had an amazing time! That is two hockey games in a row for Joshua and I think you could have powered a small city off of his smile. Joshua's Bolts won the game 5-3 and swept the Capitals in the series 4-0. After the game was over we met Coach Raymond downstairs and he took Joshua back into the locker room to congratulate the players. Joshua, who is their biggest fan, was all smiles and high fives. It was great to walk around and shake the players hands and congratulate them on their hard earned victory. Coach Boucher was happy to see Joshua and gave him a big hug. A huge thanks again to our wonderful friend Coach Raymond!! You have done so much for Joshua and we are eternally grateful. I am pretty sure both Joshua and I will be quite unable to talk tomorrow :) we did a lot of screaming tonight!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Birds and pucks … Day 900 03MAY11

We got up early this morning and had a quick breakfast before heading off for a family trip to the zoo. We had received passes to Lowry Park Zoo last year and were waiting for a good time to go. We had a wonderful day walking all around the park and enjoying the animals. The boys really liked the birds and we had a chance to feed them a couple of times. Once you get over the quick flashes of the Hitchcock film by the same name the birds are really neat and a lot of fun to feed. The boys rode the rides multiple times and Joshua even got a ride on a camel named Mongo. By the time we left in the afternoon we were all ready to stop walking and rest a bit. Wouldn't you know it though that not long after we had all gotten a shower and were thinking about dinner Coach Raymond emailed and said he had two tickets to the playoff game tonight. We quickly decided that Renee and Joshua would go and cheer the Bolts on in person while Jarrod and I did it from home. Without wasting much time Renee and Joshua got ready and headed off to the rink while Jarod and I got started on fixing dinner. The game was awesome and they won 4-3 which puts them up 3-0 in this series of the playoffs. Joshua had a wonderful time at the game and really enjoyed the opportunity to cheer his Bolts on to victory in person, Coach Raymond has been wonderful to our family. So it has been a full and fantastic day, I am sure we will all sleep well tonight.

Here are a bunch of pictures from our day at the Zoo:

I feel like a scarecrow...

A bird in the hand...


We think that this is a new world record for most birds in one hand.



Camel Rider. Joshua and Mongo.

The flume ride

The boys after the flume ride ;)



Renee talking to her new friend.

Cool colors!


There were 300 birds in the aviary with us.

Joshua the bird whisperer :)

What it is all about. That smile...

Monday, May 2, 2011

New plan … Day 899 02MAY11

Joshua didn't do his normal Monday clinic run today. We are now only going to the clinic every two weeks, this is because he is the phase of treatment where things usually just roll along without many bumps in the road. This is new for us and frankly is a might freaky. We are so used to getting weekly updates as to his counts and we have based so much on that number for quite a long time. It will be a learning experience for all of us to deal with less information than we are used to having, but as we draw closer to the end of his treatment I guess this will help ween us off of being at the clinic so frequently. One day we will only go every once in a while and then finally not at all. That still seems like a long way down the road for Joshua.

After waiting more or less patiently for a week to expire and strictly following doctors orders Joshua was able to get out and skate a little today with Jarrod. He did fine and his ankle is no worse for the experience. He has promised that he will take it easy for a week or two and build his strength back up gradually. IT is nice that he can start doing things he likes to do again after his injury, it was hard to watch him not be able to be as active as he likes to be.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Rest and hockey … Day 898 01MAY11

Joshua spent the day relaxing around the house. Renee cleaned out Jarrod's closet and I worked out in the garage. Just our normal and very routine kind of Sunday. The boys did take a bike ride later in the evening after it cooled down a bit and then we all settled in for game 2. The Bolts played well and won it in overtime which mens they have a 2-0 lead coming back home. I am sure they heard us yelling next door when the final goal went in :-) and that about sums up our day. Nice to just stay home and be normal…