August

The month of August was very interesting.  We managed to take a day vacation for our anniversary on August 9th.  We went for a drive along the Nebo Loop with the kids though we miscalculated the amount of time our scenic route would take.  We had to rush the last bit of it but managed to get some nice pictures.  James was great but didn't like stopping, getting out of the car every few minutes and then being forced to get back into his car seat.  Next time we'll pack a lunch and take our time maybe in the next few weeks when the leaves start to turn.

Karen is the smart one, she grabbed her hat.  I like blinding people with my head.

Nice photo bomb Karen!

James is done with pictures...

We dropped the kids off at Karen's sister later in the day and went on an afternoon date.  We grabbed lunch at PF Changs (gluten free all the way for Karen) and then ducked over for a movie (Guardians of the Galaxy) which we agreed was better than we thought it was going to be.  Groot totally stole the show.  While waiting for the movie to start we headed over to a nearby shop and grabbed a new music CD to listen to on the way home.

It was a great day since, thanks to Karen's sister, we were able to spend some time together and enjoy each other's company without worrying about shopping or rushing to a doctor appointment.

Rebecca decided it was nap time instead of tummy time.

Becca 'watching' a movie with mom and dad.

I will find the comparison picture and post it so you can see how much Becca has grown.

At the end of August, Rebecca had her 6 month checkup.  She is 24.25 inches and 12lbs 7.5oz.  With her adjusted age of 4 months she has caught up to most of her peers on length but is on the low side for weight.  It looks like she is taking after Karen instead of me which I think is a very good thing.

Braden

July 30th (belated)

Karen's immediate family had a reunion over the 24th of July weekend.  Everyone takes turns hosting it and this was supposed to be the year Karen and I hosted it at our house.  Since December her family was fairly sure that we wouldn't be able to take our turn due to Karen's pregnancy.  In February it became very clear we wouldn't be hosting it due to the cancer diagnosis.

As part of the reunion they have some fun and games for the kids (big, little and adult ones) and a service project.  To help us out they did the fun stuff at her brother's in Salt Lake and then the service project at our house.  Karen's parents came down the week before to help out and her dad helped me look around and see what we wanted to work on in the yard and do some prep to make things go a little faster.  We took out three dead tree stumps (we found a fourth with everyone here) and figured out where to put the lava rock we were going to take out of the flower beds.

The morning of, and before anyone had shown up yet, a couple of neighbors helped me out by grabbing a load of top soil and then one of them used his little tractor to move the dirt into the backyard and a into a few other spots.  That sped things up quite a bit for us later on.  Everyone arrived in the early afternoon and we had lunch and then started working.  The bigger kids and guys worked on the flower beds in the back and the younger kids and a few of the gals worked on the one in the front yard.

Everyone worked really hard and we ended up getting a lot more done than I had hoped for.  We did have one casualty though.  Our niece's husband lost the nail of his big toe.

All in all it was a great experience and we are very grateful for all of the help we have been given.

Braden

Technical Difficulties

August has been full of adventures and struggles. James broke the screen of my tablet and since my computer is downstairs, on the other side of a baby gate (both of which are bigger obstacles than you might think), I was not able to get to a computer to post anything. Braden has since bought me a laptop to replace my computer and as soon as I get a free moment and be able to think straight at the same time (also harder than you might think) I will get the blog updated. Until then know that I am still here and still fighting.

Thanks for your patience,
Karen

August 2

It is now August and almost 6 months since our lives took a very unexpected turn. During that time we have been richly blessed. Becca is doing great. She is still off of the oxygen, she has started to roll over, she sleeps for 6 hours straight most nights, and cooes and interacts with us more everyday. James is cutting molars but is still the cute, lovable little boy he has always been. He is a good big brother to Becca; he tries to play with her and comfort her when she cries. Braden and I are working hard to make life as normal as possible for these two amazing children. We could not do it without all of you and the support you give us.

I just finished another round of chemotherapy which went well. We changed one of the meds I was receiving and I was more alert than usual. Braden has been working on the yard and with the help of family and friends has made a lot of progress.

This has been an interesting experience, but with all of you standing behind us, we will make it.

July 23

Today Home Health Care came and picked up Becca's oxygen supplies. She has been off oxygen for a month now and is doing great. It just took us a while to get all the ducks in a row to get the supplies picked up. We are very pleased with the progress she is making. She is getting chubbier by the day and is already starting to roll over. She cooes and laughs and has us all wrapped around her little finger. When she cries James tries to comfort her by bringing her a blanket or a sharing his toys. He is a wonderful big brother. Now if we can just keep him from stepping on her when he tries to play with her toys.

Karen

July 15 (CT Scan #4)

On July 14 I had another CT scan to see how the chemo is working. Today we got the results. The largest tumor in my liver was 13 cm long to begin with. The scan in April showed that it had reduced to 8 cm long. It is now 4.5 cm long. The spot in my lung is now 2 mm long. So they are thinking that the tumors have shrunk by almost half a second time.

We both feel that this is because of the prayers and support you all have given in our behalf. We would like to thank you and hope that you will continue. We wouldn't be able to do this without you all. Thank you again.

Karen

July 17

It has been a busy few weeks for us between a holiday, a family reunion and a couple of chemo treatments for Karen.  The Saturday before the 4th we did a trip to see how the kids would handle a long car ride.  On the way back both of them fell asleep.

We had a good time over July 4th at the parade though James did not like the loud sirens.  After that we went to a get together at a friends house.  James was even able to have his first horse ride.

Karen had a chemo treatment a few days after the holiday.  She bounced back from it well and the next week we were able to spend a few days at her parents' while we attended my family's reunion.  We also spent some time catching up with friends and relaxing.

James had his first experience on my parents' 100 foot water slide.  He seemed more interested in watching other people go down it.  It was nice to catch up and be around family but it was also nice to head home.

On the way home we stopped by Karen's brother's house for a short afternoon visit.  Between there and home both of the kids fell asleep.  Once we got home James decided he wanted to go for another drive but this time with him behind the wheel.

We got back home a few days before Karen's latest chemo treatment.  She is currently recovering from it.  Little Becca is doing well and is even getting a little chubby.  She is holding her head up very well and usually sleeps 6 hours a night and sometimes even more.

Braden