Our Beach Trip

How David boogie boards . . .

How Dawson boogie boards . . .

What happens when the 2 collide . . .

It was a little while before Dawson went back in the water. We also explained to David how to TURN the boogie board.

More waiting

I have really enjoyed this week off from chemo. We went to the beach earlier in the week with Dave's parents. My pain was pretty bad and my tolerance for the heat/sun didn't last as long as the boys', but we had a great time. We came home to no phone or internet service and it just came back today.



I had an MRI yesterday and will find out late next week the status of the brain tumors. We are praying that they are gone and never to be seen again. In the meantime, we are gearing up for David's first day of school on Monday. His teacher is the one he wanted and he is very excited.

I was showing the boys some different videos on you tube and showed them some of Michael Jackson's dance moves. It made me think of Weird Al and I tried showing them the parody videos. I was the only one laughing in the room. I asked them if they get it and both said no. Maybe in a few years.

Boy, am I glad I read this article AFTER David came home from camp.

I had my third round of chemo yesterday and am really feeling green today. I had to go to Christiana for the Neulasta shot which will boost my white blood cells, but also comes with some bone pain. As I was putting the kids to bed tonight, Dawson asked if I would sit in there for a minute. My reply - "No, I have to go puke." Dawson's reply - "Well, when you're done, can you sit in here for a minute?" It made me laugh.

Camp Stories

I thought after David had some rest, he might start spilling stories from camp. He told me about a girl, Audrey, that was in his age group and he had a crush on her. He informed her father of this at the ending barbecue and also told him that Audrey has told David that she doesn't like him. He told David that he thinks she is just playing hard to get. David still had to ask him what meant.

The other funny one was when I asked him if he had any problems with anyone at camp and he told me about one of his bunkmates, Jake. He said, "Jake has an aversion to making friends." (Obviously not something David came up with on his own.) He told me that is what Jake says about himself. But, by the end of the week, Jake signed David's shirt, "Best Friends." Some hard life lessons are learned at camp. First grade should be fun!

David's back!

Well, we aren't at home yet but we are in NC and picked up David at lunchtime today. He was eating some lunch and I snuck up on him and he was so surprised. He squeezed me so tight and I just kept hugging him and didn't want to let go! I got a little weepy but Dave has told the boys, "girls cry when they are happy sometimes. It's weird." We have been asking him a million questions and we asked when was the last time you had a shower. He said they all had to get one last night or the parents might not let them come back next year. Robin and I got the joke - he really thought it was true. He doesn't get the sarcasm thing yet. Thank you to all of you who sent him e-mails - he really loved them.

Someone on Facebook asked me about the post camp laundry. Robin gave him a dirty laundry bag so he wasn't putting on the same clothes each day and some clothes ended up in the bag but so did wet bathing suits that sat in a dark, humid, tent -like structure. Robin is sparing me the smell of that bag and is on a mission to remove that lovely smell from the clothes.

How did this happen??

Well, my son is officially off to camp. Aunt Robin dropped him off about an hour ago and all was well. She said he was very excited and she met his counselor and then he was off. We can email him and view their Camp Kesem blog (just click on the link under "Blogs I Follow") to see what the camp was up to that day. I am so glad Robin dropped him off and not me. I don't know how long it would have taken me to leave the parking lot! I might have just sat in my van for a week until he was done!

I am planning on surprising him the last day of camp. There is an event scheduled for the families and David thinks we aren't coming. We haven't said so for sure just in case I can't get there.

Sesame Place

Dawson and I went to Sesame Place on Monday. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, and I only had to keep track of 1 boy! We arrived around noon and left when the park closed at 8 and had a blast. My physical setbacks became apparent when Dawson climbed to the other side of these ropes and I had to quickly get over there before he did. I honestly didn't think he could do it, but he proved me wrong. I ran over to the other side and up 3 flights of stairs and got there just as he did. But, I couldn't catch my breath. I stood there forever just trying to breathe. So, next time, he climbed back on his own.





The only things he asked me to buy for him all day were a soft pretzel (shaped like Elmo's head, of course) and an ice cream cone.

I start chemo tomorrow. I have had trouble sleeping at night either due to pain or breathing difficulties. I pray that this dose helps relieve some of the problems I have been experiencing.

More tests

I have now been home from the hospital for almost 2 weeks, but went in for some testing this past week. While I was in the hospital, I developed some serious pain in my right shoulder that seems to be radiating from my lower neck. I thought maybe it was a different bed but the pain is still there and I am taking pain meds round the clock to keep it tolerable. I wasn't scheduled to see my doctor until next week but went in on Wednesday to see one of his partners (my doctor is on vacation). The pain could be related to my port, or some bone mets that is pressing on a nerve, or residual pain from the shingles. (The pain is near the path of the shingles.) When I return for chemo on Thursday, I should have some more answers.

I am ready to get back on this chemo. Sounds funny, right? I have started experiencing symptoms again - coughing, shortness of breath and lower back pain. The chemo might wipe me out but at least I feel better.

David went to visit his Aunt Robin in North Carolina last week. He will be gone for another 2 weeks. The last week in NC, he will be attending Camp Kesem, a camp for kids whose families are coping with cancer. He is very excited about it and I know he will be okay there - it's me who isn't okay! Dawson and I have enjoyed our time this past week, just the 2 of us. Today, we were listening to a CD David brought home from a VBS he attended. I really started missing him today because he was always singing with the CD and dancing with it. Right after I started thinking about him, his aunt sent me a photo of him in a pirate costume. He is with her at Bald Head Island, NC for a pirate weekend. I miss my baby.

Some have asked how Dawson is doing without David. He asks where he is everyday, even though he already knows the answer. One morning, I saw Dawson climbing the ladder on their bunk beds and I asked him what he was doing. "Just checking." He was making sure David hadn't snuck in during the middle of the night. We talk to David every night on the phone and Dawson always wants to talk to him, too. One day, they were just making silly noises at each other. We had a good laugh. Some things never change.