Tuesday, January 31, 2012

A little school and a little hockey… Day 1171 31JAN12


Joshua did school work most of the morning and got a pretty decent chunk out of the way. He is still quite a ways behind but still plugging along. The balance of the afternoon was mostly playing until right before dinner when we headed out to skate and play hockey for a bit. We got dinner on the table and then got cleaned up and ready to go watch some hockey. We got 4 tickets from the Pediatric Cancer Foundation to watch the Bolts take on the Capitals and we got together with Renee's dad to go watch the game. We had a great time and the game was fantastic with our Bolts coming out on top in overtime! The boys were pretty beat by the time we got home and headed straight off to bed. We had a fun evening together!

Monday, January 30, 2012

High flyers… Day 1170 30JAN12


Renee had to go to an appointment up by USF so she and the boys left early so that they could visit MOSI for a little while. The boys wanted to do the ropes course again so Renee sat firmly on the ground while she watched them scurry around close to the edge of the atmosphere for a little bit. They had a blast and according to the boys they were "terrified" and wanted to know when they could do it again :)




Ania was nice enough to come over and pick up the boys so they could play with Wojtek instead of sitting in a waiting room with Renee. After she was done Renee stopped by and picked them up and they all headed for home. 

Later in the evening Renee cut a deal with Joshua… she would trade him hockey practice time minute for minute for him working on his writing for school. Joshua agreed and he got to work, and afterwards he got his stick and pads and stood in front of the door blocking pucks for the same amount of time. Not sure if he will ever go for the same deal again but it worked this time around ;) 

It is back to clinic for Joshua in the morning to get all his counts checked to make sure he is recovering from whatever put him in the hospital last week, we are hoping that everything has stabilized and he is on the mend.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Got results… Day 1169 29JAN12


Renee checked before she left for work to see if any results had come in and they had. Joshua came back negative for walking pneumonia which is a relief. He still has a little cough but otherwise is doing fine. He will go back to clinic in Tuesday to get more blood work done to check and see how his counts are doing, they are also keeping a close eye on his liver enzymes which were very high when he was in the hospital. We are not sure what is causing this to happen and neither are the doctors, could be chemo related or something to do with whatever Joshua has been fighting off this past couple of weeks. He spent most of today resting and just hanging out at home. We ran up to the grocery store before the All Star game started and other than that we stayed here. The game was fun to watch and we all enjoyed seeing all the players doing what they do best. Tomorrow is back to work and school and we hope continued improvement in Joshua's cough.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Still waiting for labs… Day 1168 28JAN12


Renee checked several times today but the lab results from the tests Joshua got on Friday still haven't come back. His cough is not getting any worse and he has been feeling okay so we are just going to keep an eye on him and wait for results. Joshua got some school work done before lunch time and then spent the afternoon resting. Renee and her mom painted some wine glasses for an upcoming CCC charity event and Jarrod and I went to help Renee's dad with getting the boat better situated on its trailer. So it was a full afternoon for all of us and we were all ready to relax after dinner and watch the skills competition for this years NHL All Star game. We enjoyed watching all the players compete and Steven Stamkos won the shootout challenge which made everybody happy.

Today was our good friends Wojtek's last day of treatment!! We are all so happy for him and his family!

Friday, January 27, 2012

Waiting for labs… Day 1167 27JAN12


Joshua and Renee headed in to the clinic this morning to get him looked at by the doctor. They drew blood and did a really thorough going over. The doctor drew extra blood and sent it off to be checked for walking pneumonia which is one of the possibilities that they want to rule out. We will not have any results until tomorrow so we are going to keep an eye on Joshua's cough and wait until we hear back form the hospital. He is feeling fine and came home after clinic and jumped right into his school work. The rest of the day was pretty standard and everyone was curled up on our bed watching a show on the tele when I got in from work. I made it home in time to help tuck the boys in and wish them good night which is unusual on the nights I work. Our weekend is pretty open and we will probably just do stuff around the house. 

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Slow start… Day 1166 26JAN12


Joshua and Jarrod got back to their normal routines today for the first time this week after our visit to the hospital. Renee said Joshua had a little trouble getting going with everything, he is still struggling to catch up. Afterwards the boys went to the grocery with Renee before coming home to settle in for the rest of the day. After I got home and had a bite of dinner we all sat down and watched a bit of tele before bedtime. Joshua still has his cough and low grade temperature so Renee is taking him in to the clinic tomorrow to get checked out.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Catch up day… Day 1165 25JAN12


Joshua slept in pretty late this morning because I am sure he was exhausted after his hospital stay and all the activities we had yesterday. We all spent most of the day catching up on things including our rest. Joshua did some school work after he had breakfast and then we boys spent a good chunk of the afternoon working out in the garage while Renee did stuff inside. It was nice to be back to normal and have everyone at home. Joshua still has a cough and we are a little concerned about it, if it has not improved by tomorrow Renee is going to take him back to the clinic to get checked out just to make sure. His temperature has been running a bit high but not at the level where we really get worried, just at that level where we will touch his face or forehead frequently to check and see how he is doing. So far so good. Amazing all the little things that you worry about and fuss over when you have a kid with cancer, I wonder sometimes if we can ever go back to the way we were before his diagnosis… I seriously doubt it.

Back at home… Day 1164 24JAN12


Joshua got discharged from the hospital this boring and made it home before lunch. It was great to have Renee and Joshua back at home where they belong. We spent the afternoon resting and doing stuff around the house. 

Today is our wedding anniversary so we took the kids out to dinner at the rester aunt Renee and I went to on our first date and then headed off to the hockey game. We had gotten tickets a while back from the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and had planed to go for our anniversary. We go to meet a lot of the people that Renee works with and even take the kids to the desert bar to get some treats. Our seats were in with several of our cancer friends and we had  good view of the ice. The hockey game was great and the Bolts won the game for our anniversary ;) 

Afterwards we headed down to see Coach Raymond since he had left passes for us. He came out after a little wait ad we had a nice visit with him before heading for home. Not a terribly conventional anniversary celebration but it was just perfect for us.

So for now we put away the suitcase and hope that this was our last stay in the hospital and get back to "normal" in the morning.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Still waiting for discharge… Day 1163 23JAN12


Joshua woke up this morning feeling much better but still running a low grade fever on and off. His lab results continue to come back normal and he has been staying busy and playing. I dropped Jarrod off at the hospital right before lunch on my way to work and popped in for a quick visit. The boys played together all day and even got to take part in a Gasparilla parade inside the hospital which they both enjoyed.
Beads at gunpoint... Arrrrr

Jarod driving a bulldozer around

Our newly found daughter Joshualyn ;)

 Joshua got to be untethered today from his IV and only had to be hooked back up to get his meds. We are hoping that they will let him out tomorrow if his fever stays away through the night especially since it is our wedding anniversary. So far we have spent two out of the last three anniversaries in the hospital, hoping to spend this one together at home. Guess we will find out after rounds in the morning. He and Jarrod were playing on the computers in the teen room when I arrived after work to visit and pick Jarrod up. We got Joshua tucked into bed and said our goodnights and then headed for home to get some rest ourselves. It has been a long week so far...

Sunday, January 22, 2012

364 days… Day 1162 22JAN12


Joshua woke up this morning vomiting and running a fever of 101.4 which earned us a quick transition into gypsy mode after a call to the doctor. It has been 364 days since he was last admitted to the hospital and we are all sad that we almost made a whole year only to miss by one day.

His counts are good and so far all the tests including a chest X-ray have come back normal. His fever has been cycling up and down and was 100.5 tonight and he will likely have to stay in hospital unit his temp is normal for 24 hours. Not sure what is causing the fever, he started with a cough on Friday but was feeling fine and had no fever at all until this morning. We are hoping it is just some kind of viral thing that will clear up quickly. Thankfully his lungs are clear and the doctor didn't seem overly concerned about the fever. He is hooked up to fluids and getting antibiotics just in case it is something bacterial, we will have blood cultures in the morning which we hope will be clear like everything else.

Jarrod and I headed up to the hospital later in the day to visit and deliver a few things. As I walked around and visited with the nurses we know it struck me how although we have not been in hospital for almost a year it still feels the same, like we never left. I know we are all looking forward to the time that feeling is a distant memory. My dad stopped in for a little visit and we left together to head back home. So Jarrod and I will live our home gypsy lifestyle while Renee and Joshua do the hospital version. With luck it won't be long before we can all fall asleep in the same place. Until then we will keep each other close in our thoughts and hearts. 

Sweet dreams bug, Jarrod and I miss you.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Only have to unlock it one more time… Day 1161 21JAN12


We will only have to take the lock off of the monsters cage one more time after this round of steroids! Joshua finished up his pulse last night and although the effects are still lingering a bit he was already coming out of it this evening. The weather was pretty nice today so I spent a good portion of it getting some things done outside with a little help now and then from the boys. Jarrod helped me fix a tire and Joshua helped get some yard work done. After dinner we had a little campfire out in the backyard before the hockey game started. We all watched the game together and the Bolts won another one on the road which was great. Everybody was pretty tired by the end of the game and headed off to bed to get some rest. 

Friday, January 20, 2012

End of the week… Day 1160 20JAN12


Jarrod and Joshua did really well on their school work today. Joshua finished twelve lessons in total and worked hard all day. After they got finished the boys and Renee headed in to Brandon to get a game that Jarrod had been saving for and to look for winter gear for our upcoming trip to Maine. Renee found Jarrod a new pair of snow boots for only twenty dollars. He really likes them and they are definitely going to keep his feet warm and toasty. They headed home after shopping and I found them all glued to the tele watching the hockey game when I got home. I made it home in time to watch the last two periods and help cheer the Bolts to victory. It was a late game since they were playing in Dallas so the kids were already yanking before the game was over. Good thing they can sleep in a bit tomorrow morning :)

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Family Night at the CCC… Day 1159 19JAN12

 The boys did their normal school route this morning and did okay from what I heard. After work I headed over to the CCC to meet Renee and the boys for family night. We had a relaxing dinner visiting with our cancer family and found out that we have quite a few families going to Maine the same time as us which is exciting. It will be awesome to share the experience with people we know so well. While the kids played downstairs all the adults headed upstairs to help paint wine glasses for an upcoming fund raising event. As always we enjoyed spending time with our extended family and hearing how all the kids are doing, with most of the reports being positive. One of our little friends is in PICU right now and having a hard time with the intense chemo regimen she is on as she prepares for a bone marrow transplant. Several other kids are getting very close to their end of treatment dates and we rejoice that their journey will soon be over. We were all pretty tuckered out by the time we got home and it didn't take any convincing to get the boys in bed and off to sleep.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Better school day… Day 1158 18JAN12


Joshua did much better on his school work today, the fog seems to have lifted a bit and he was able to focus. Renee worked with him in the morning and then I got to do mythology and geography with him a little later while Renee helped Jarrod with an assignment. Later in the afternoon Jarrod and I took off to run some errands and on a whim we took a lap through the Goodwill store to see if we could find anything interesting, boy did we. Buried in the way back corner of the store JArrod found a really neat rolling drawer unit the was perfect for LEGO storage and it was only $8! He was thrill sand we rolled it up to the front, paid for it and rolled it through the rain to the car. We got it home and took it out into the shop to clean it up before bringing it inside. I think it will work out nicely for the boys and I am sure they will make goos use of it. To finish off our evening we all watched the last Harry Potter movie together and then it was off to bed for everybody. Tomorrow is back to work for me and then family night at the CCC which is something the boys always look forward to.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Bacon and Fanta… Day 1157 17JAN12


This is the face of steroids first thing in the morning, bacon and Fanta orange soda for breakfast :)

Joshua loves bacon when he is on a steroids pulse and will gladly eat a pound and a half at one siting if we don't keep an eye on him. So far he has been doing okay with only one semi-major eruption today. He did much worse today on school than yesterday thanks to all the chemo and had a hard time staying focused. Tuesday's have always been challenging for him…

The rest of the day was pretty laid back, Jarrod and Joshua worked most of the afternoon and early evening on building a LEGO creation and that kept them occupied which is code for not fighting ;) After dinner and before the hockey game started we went out in the backyard and had a little campfire to get rid of some old wood that we had laying around. Boys love anything to do with fire and our two are no exception so it was a fun thing for them. We settled down afterwards to watch the Bolts play and were rewarded with their first win of 2012! The boys headed off to sleep after the game was finished and tomorrow we will see how much better Joshua can do at school, I have a feeling he will be much improved.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Good counts… Day 1156 16JAN12


Joshua and Renee headed off to clinic this morning and the results are pretty normal with his ANC siting at 1624. He got accessed and got his vincristine push and then waited around a bit to get his breathing treatment before playing a little with the volunteers and then heading for home. They made it back right before lunch time and Joshua spent the rest of the afternoon banging out his school work. He worked well with Renee and they got it all done. Jarrod and I did some projects outside while they were working to keep things quiet in the house. Later in the afternoon we all went out in the street and put the goal down for a little hockey practice with Joshua tending the net. Dinner was eaten and then we all settled in to relax a bit before bedtime. The steroids are already coursing through Joshua's system and we had a few minor eruptions but nothing major, amazon how fast the drugs affect him. We are all hoping for a relatively quiet week and we will keep our fingers crossed.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Write, skate, play… Day 1155 15JAN12


Renee had to leave extra early this morning to go work a matinee hockey game so I got up with the boys and we got our day rolling. First up was getting Joshua's grammar assignment finished which involved him writing a paper, not his favorite thing to do. We had a  little bit of a rocky start but managed to get past his writers block and before you know it he had written almost two full pages! I was very proud of him and we took a picture to send to Renee so she could see how great he did. 

We all had a quick bite of lunch and then jumped on the road to get a little ice time in at the rink. It was really busy but we all had a great skate and Joshua did really great, he never got tired and kept skating hard the whole session. We hurried off the ice and got out of our gear and back on the road so we could pick up Joshua's prescriptions for next week at the pharmacy before they closed for the day. We made it with time to spare and now we have a full supply of steroids on hand so he can start tomorrow… yeah. 

Not long after Renee got home Taylor called and asked Joshua to come over to Renee's parents house to play so she drove him over while I was getting dinner ready. I went back to pick him up at 9 so he had several fun hours with his cousins. We got back to the house and us boys watched a little tele before it was time to tuck them away for the night.

Joshua has clinic in the morning which means labs, vincristine, pentam, and another cycle of steroids this week. Going to be fun :)

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Kevin and his band… Day 1154 14JAN12


We all got up early this morning and headed in to downtown to attend a special concert that the CCC was hosting. The event featured a guy named Kevin Sharp who is a country singer and cancer survivor. He shared his journey with all of us and we got to listen to a bunch of good music from him and his band as well. The event wrapped up around lunchtime and we headed home to get some chow and take a little break. Renee had to be at work at 3 so she left early in the afternoon and the boys and I spent the ret of the daylight time playing hockey outside and just hanging out. Jarrod helped me fix some dinner and then we all cuddled up on the sofa to watch a little Doctor Who before bedtime.

A bit more winter… Day 1153 13JAN12


The weather started off cooler this morning and is expected to continue to cool off as the day progresses, nice to get a little bit more "winter" down here. Joshua jumped into his school work after breakfast and managed to get it done before Renee had to leave for work. Jarrod spent most of his morning taking his semester exam in algebra, which he passed :) Play time at grandma and pa's was the next order of business until Renee picked them up and we all met back at home. A rather busy day for all of us. 

Friday, January 13, 2012

Writes… Day 1152 12JAN12


Joshua had to do his Writes testing today which is where he gets a prompt and then has to write about the prompt. He didn't do very well this time and had a lot of trouble staying focused and coming up with anything to write down. We are still not sure what the root cause is but we will continue to try and figure it out. The rest of the afternoon was rather quiet until it was time for Renee to head in to work. She dropped the boys off at her mom and dads and I picked them up after I got done and got them home in time to watch most of the hockey game. We lost badly so that was a bit of a disappointment, a wish for better luck for our Bolts next time… As soon as the game was finished it was off to bed. Joshua is still having pretty major anxiety issues about Renee being gone and tonight was no exception. He wound up waiting for her to get home with me while I got some work done in my office. Poor little guy… too much stress for one so young :(

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Unusual day… Day 1151 11JAN12


Today turned out to be a rather unusual day full of surprises that were for the most part good things. Out of the blue yesterday the realtor that we had worked with last year trying to short sale the house called and said she might have an investor interested in purchasing our house. This morning she came over with said investor and they took a look around and then left. This was a particularly odd day for this to happen since this afternoon we were to meet with the Judge to set a sale date for the house. So Renee and I got dressed and headed to the court house to attend the hearing, we sat down at the table with the attorney from Bank of America and the judge and we told him about the potential to possibly short sale the house and I asked for an extension of the sale date which the judge granted immediately. This gives us another 90 days to try and work something out with the house and the possibility exists that we might be able to lease the house from the new owner if everything works out. We left the court house a little frazzled but relieved that we have a little extra time to prepare. When we got home we got a call from the realtor to let us know that the investor had actually made an offer on the house and she was headed over later to start the paperwork. We don't know what the offer is yet and we still have a long way to go to get the bank to approve everything along with a ton of details that have to be worked out but it is a start. If all of this had not happened we would have lost the house by the middle of next month, now we have until at least the end of April. So a day that we have been dreading actually had a bit if a silver lining for our family. We will keep our fingers crossed and hope that things start working out for us, sure would be nice...

Hockey tonight… Day 1150 10JAN12


The boys did their school work this morning and did pretty well getting things done. We spent the rest of the afternoon just doing different things around the house waiting for this evening to arrive since we got tickets to the Bolts game from the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Renee was working the game so we took her dad along to enjoy the game. We had a great time and enjoyed the game immensely, unfortunately the Bolts lost in a shootout but they played well tonight. After the game was over we got two special treats, first we got to visit the TV control room at the Forum. A former student of mine works there and she gave us a tour of the facility which was pretty neat. Secondly, Coach Raymond left us passes to come down to the bench after the game and he came out and visited with us for a bit. We headed home after that and got the boys into bed so they can get a little sleep before school starts up again in the morning.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Testing day… Day 1149 09JAN12


Joshua spent the boring and a chunk of the afternoon getting through some required school. He did okay but not as well as we would like to see him do. We are not really sure right now what is causing him to struggle in certain areas, we think it is probably chemo related but will have to wait until he is off chemo to really know for sure. The boys spent the rest of their day with Renee at home since I was off teaching until late. I am sure they had a fun evening and everybody was sound asleep when I got in tonight. Tomorrow brings more of the same as we start working our way towards the end of the week.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Skating with a friend… Day 1148 08JAN12


Joshua and Trent got up early in time for Trent's mom to pick them up and take them off to church. Renee had to get ready to go work the circus one last day and Jarrod and I spent the morning puttering about in the garage. Joshua and Trent got back right before lunch time and since we had planned to go get some ice time in up at the rink we took Trent with us. The boys all did great out on the ice and we had a fun skate together. Afterwards we headed home and Joshua and Trent got some playtime in until Trent's dad came over to collect him. Those two had a great weekend together and I am glad that Joshua has a good friend to spend time with. After dinner we all collected on the couch and watched a little tele until Renee got home and then she joined us for a bit more. Everybody was pretty tired so no arguments when it was time to head off to bed. Normal school day in the morning, no clinic this week...

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Giggle twins reunite… Day 1147 07JAN12


Joshua got his wish today and Trent came over to spend the afternoon and then sleepover. The two of them had a blast playing all day alternating between inside and outside while Jarrod and I did some stuff out in the garage. Renee was working all day so it was just us boys around the place, but they behaved very well. The bolts played the Habs tight so Jarrod and I watched the game while the giggle twins played on the computer. We lost the game but the boys never lost their smiles.

Once again… Day 1146 06JAN12


Joshua got up early and got ready for Miss Caroline to arrive since it was time once again for his IVIG transfusion. She got him accessed without a hitch and the countdown to be free of the IV pump started. He got finished early afternoon and did fine although he got pretty tired later in that afternoon. He had enough energy to head over to Trent's to play for a bit before Renee dropped him and Jarrod off at her parents so she could head in to work. I picked the boys up later after I got finished and we headed for home so they could get some sleep. A busy day for all of us.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Back to work… Day 1145 05JAN12


I had to go back to work starting early this morning so I was gone before the boys woke up. Renee got them going and did school work with Joshua until after lunch time. The boys spent the rest of the day playing and were still going strong when I got home. The circus is in town so Renee will be working the next couple of days. I got a bite of dinner and then we settled in to watch the Lightning take on Ottawa, they lost although they had a ton of shots. The boys trudged off to bed after the game was over and settled in for a good nights rest. Tomorrow will bring more of the same and just a little warmer temps outside.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

School and play time… Day 1144 04JAN12


Joshua again had a busy day of school work and he managed to plow right on through it without any problems. He did an online session with his teacher this morning and then worked with Renee until early afternoon. A little after 2:00 Trent's mom came by and picked up Joshua to go over and hang out at their house for the rest of the afternoon, he was thrilled and had been looking forward to going. Joshua arrived back before dinner and after we ate we all settled in to watch a little tele before bed time came around. It was a productive and fun day for Joshua and I am glad he has good friends to play with.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Winter finally got here :)… Day 1143 03JAN12


The temperature fell through the floor over night with really strong winds that pushed the cold air in. It finally feels like winter time here in sunny Florida. Joshua got a bunch of school work done today and did really well working through some of his more difficult subjects with Renee. After he got finished we got together and took down all of the Christmas stuff and got it back into the boxes and stored until the next time we need it. Before dinner time I put on my skates and went out to get a little practice in and was soon joined by Joshua and then Jarrod. It was refreshing to be out in the cold air and we had a lot of fun playing together. Our last task before it got dark was to get the plants in and make sure that the turtle was safely cuddled up in his house. Our after dinner time was spent watching the Lightning play up in Toronto, who unfortunately beat them rather soundly. Tomorrow is another day of school as the schedule around here returns to normal until the next round of holidays. 

Here is a picture of the countdown creation that Joshua and Jarrod created to track how many days of treatment Joshua as left, nice to see it in double digits :)

Monday, January 2, 2012

First clinic of the new year… Day 1142 02JAN12

We all got up and had a little breakfast before heading off to the clinic. Once there Joshua got his finger poked and the waiting began for results and a visit with the Doctor. His counts are looking great with his ANC at 1540 and he is cruising right along with no complaints.

We headed out from the hospital to go have a bite of lunch over at my dad's house. He had offered the boys very favorite pizza for a treat and there was no way they were going to turn that down. While we  were there Jarrod and Joshua helped him put all of his Christmas stuff back up into the attic and get a few little projects squared away. We had a nice lunch and then headed for home so the boys could get started on school.
The weather is turning off much colder as the day has progressed and it made for a good time to be indoors. We did take a break in the late afternoon to watch the Winter Classic which is always fun and we always like a little hockey.

The evening slipped by and before we knew it the boys were off to bed to get some rest. School begins in earnest tomorrow as they work towards getting this school year completed.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Change is coming… Day 1141 01JAN12


A new year is upon us and many new challenges await us in 2012. This will be the year that we finally reach the end of the long journey we have been on, the year we lose our home and must find a new place to begin anew, the year we will embrace a new normal and come to terms with what it means, this will be a year of change for all of us.

Beginning yesterday we started counting down the days to Joshua's end of treatment date of 10MAR12, the boys built a LEGO countdown that they change every morning when they get up. It is a daily reminder to all of us that the end of chemo is drawing nearer every day. It still feels to me that it is a long way off, the journey has been hard.

We spent our day playing and working around the house. Joshua had Taylor and Avery over for a good while and they enjoyed hanging out with each other. I worked out in the garage and Jarrod did his own thing mostly. Renee had to go into to work for a bit but was back in the early afternoon. She prepared a great rib roast for dinner and we invited my dad over for a visit and some supper. It was a nice meal and we enjoyed the time together. 

The rest of the evening was just us relaxing and spending a little time together. Joshua did get a call from Coach Raymond to wish him a Happy New Year and to say that he would see us all soon. It is lots of fun to watch Joshua talk to him on the phone, he is so cute :)

In the morning we get up and head in to the clinic to get Joshua's counts and see how he is doing after all the holidays, it is also time to fire up school again and get both the boys back to work.

End of 11… Day 1140 31DEC11


Tonight we bid goodbye and farewell to 2011. As I look back over the events that have transpired in this past year I am grateful. Grateful for no days in-patient, for Joshua continuing to soldier on day in and day out, for all of the wonderful memories from last year we have as a family. The boys both tried to stay up for the ball drop… only Jarrod made it this year :)

A Happy New year to all of you who keep tabs on our brave little warrior. May 2012 bring you all happiness and peace and love.