Happy Birthday, Dad!

So my dad's birthday was two weeks ago but we just had his party on Saturday (due to legitimate delays).

We went to a really fun restaurant called the White Fence Farm. The food is so good--homestyle fried chicken and there is a playground, petting zoo, giant slide, great gift shop, and many other attractions to distract you during the 2 hour wait to be seated.

Jesse and Nana

The birthday boy

The uncle and nephews.

He was quite kind to let them play with his brand new i-phone...Zac and I thank him for introducing them to a whole new world of technology, games, and entertainment. Maybe you can get them one for Christmas :).

My cute sister-in-law and niece (who turns one on Thursday!).

Baby shower!

Some very kind friends from church hosted a baby shower for me on Saturday. We all had such a wonderful time and we were truly blessed by everyone's words of encouragement and very generous gifts. A few people even threw out some name suggestions...

Yes, this little guy could be here in just over a month and we still don't have a name.

It's funny that after already having 2 boys there were still some things we needed. :) Some of the stuff you can't really use twice (pacifiers, burp cloths, etc), but also a lot of the things the boys have used were handed down to us by families of boys who had already used them multiple times. Our swing is on it's very last legs--this baby would be the 7th to use it (and Joel swung the equivalent amount of at least 3 kids)--and someone gave us a new one..and it even matches our decor!!

I'll have to post pictures later...my mom was the photographer so I need to get them off of her camera.

What to do?

This is the first morning that I have both boys in preschool, and I have nothing on my agenda that I have to get done!! Last week I went to 2 meetings and then frantically ran errands until I had to get them.

Not this time. I was trying to decide last night what I really wanted to do--something I can't do with the boys, and something very relaxing.

Here's my list: (I may not get to it all)

Take a bath
Get ready leisurely
Go to Starbucks and indulge in my favorite Pumpkin Spice Latte (although it doesn't feel like fall because it's still in the 80's here, the latte proves it).
Go to Barnes n' Noble and browse random book sections...stopping to read whatever I want.
Have lunch with Zac.

Sounds good to me :)

Our little men.

We just had the best morning so I have to share.

Zac and Jesse have both been sick for the past few days (fever and cold stuff), so Joel and I left them behind this morning. We went shopping at the outlet mall nearby with a good friend and her daughter, who is Joel's age. The kids were great, we found some incredible bargains, we went out for lunch, and even topped the whole thing off with some ice cream.

Joel was SO well behaved the entire time and it was such a treat to just hang out with him.

Meanwhile, Zac took Jesse on a quick errand and they also managed to pick up some lunch on the way. He also had a great time alone with Jesse. It reminds us how mellow Jesse really is when he doesn't have his little brother around to pester him.

It's nice every now and then to split them up and have this one-on-one time. I get it more often with Jesse when Joel is in preschool and it always amazes me how his little personality comes out. He and Joel really are VERY different and unfortunately, they don't always bring out the best in each other.

So, it's fun for them AND us to each get alone time with a parent. What a great morning!

Hair cuts!

So I am the official "hair cutter" around here. I do it by default and because it saves us a ton of money--not because I love it.

When Zac and I were newly dating I convinced him I knew how to cut hair and he bought it and it's been that way for over 8 years now.

Joel abhorred hair cuts for the first 2 years of his life--I'm talking extremely traumatic events for all of us.

Jesse has been the same way. Until tonight. When Daddy took over.

Zac decided that he was going to do the hair cutting, which means only one thing. Very short. But it's cute--he was right and I like it! I also like that I just got to sit there and watch and take pictures.

But the most miraculous of all is that Jesse just sat there and smiled like this is his favorite activity of all. Uh, are you the same child who cried so hard last time that the nieghbors probably thought I was torturing you? The picture I took of Jesse is actually the most irritated he was the whole time and it's because I interrupted him while he was doing his puzzle.

Oh, well. We've turned a new corner. He must like the new stylist better. :)

Prayer

I'm not sure exactly what to say in this post, except to reiterate the importance of prayer and the ability to enjoy life one day at a time.

As I thinking several days ago about what sorts of medical things I need to do in the near future to continue following up with the cancer and my eye, I was led to do a little more research about my specific type of cancer--ocular melanoma (OM). I knew it was extremely rare and am familiar with the treatment options (obviously), but have always struggled with where to go from here--post-treament but still needing regular cancer screening and follow-up, to make sure nothing is spreading.

My eye doctor basically said the standard follow-up tests are annual chest x-rays and liver function tests every six months (it's just a blood test). The reason for these 2 specifically is that the cancer would most likely spread to the lungs or liver first. So, I went to see an oncologist several years ago and had never heard of OM until I sat down in his office. Not very comforting.

Shortly after that I got pregnant with Jesse and put off any other more invasive tests (CT scans, MRI's etc.). A year and half ago, though, I had what appeared to be an abnormality on my chest x-ray so a CT scan was ordered. On the scan, they saw a "concerning" area on my adrenal gland, so a PET scan was then done. Turns out, they still aren't sure what the spot is but it's very small and hadn't grown so the plan was to just watch it. Honestly, I'm not really concerned about that anymore--this is all sort of a side note.

I have since been referred to a new oncologist by my eye doctor who is actually familiar with OM and works closely with my eye doctor. I will see her in a few weeks. As I was researching online, trying to decide if I needed another CT or PET scan, I came across a lot of information.

It turns out that there is a fairly high chance (anywhere from 15-40%) chance of it spreading to my liver. The liver blood test only catches 60-70% of the times that it has spread and so those other 30-40% are living with undetected liver cancer. What makes it tricky is that this type of melanoma is much MORE agressive and quite different from regular melanoma, making it very difficult to treat. It is often fatal, in a very short period of time (under a year). There are several clinical trials going on right now that are researching different treatments for this type of liver cancer, but nothing conclusive has happened yet.

So, where does that leave me? Somewhat shocked. Quite thankful that I have some new information to go off of. And armed with a huge list of questions for the oncologist. I won't bore you with all of them and some of it gets pretty technical.

All I do know is that scans are recommended, along with the blood tests and x-rays, every six months, at least! If there's any chance of beating this, the earliest detection possible is necessary. I am sad that I haven't ever heard a doctor say this but everything is so rare and the research is so new that I'm also not surprised.

This also gives me a chance to get on my knees in prayer--a lot more. God knows my days and has them planned, but I can still pray for health and a long life. I will not live in fear--I don't want to live with any regrets about the life that I have been given and how I lived it. This just gives me yet another opportunity to refocus on the things that are important and not stress about those things that are not (see my previous post about our car woes). I will now get new tires and not even think twice about.

I'd rather spend that time and energy playing with my kids, or hanging out with my husband, or having coffee with friends.

So, if those of you reading this would again join with me in prayer, I would be so grateful.

Pray for wisdom for myself and the oncologist.

Pray for correct and accurate information.

Pray for clear readings of the scans I will get, as soon as the baby is born.

Pray for peace for me and Zac (who wants to face the possibility that your spouse could die--I know everyone has this chance--but it seems to be hitting extra close to the heart right now).

Pray that insurance won't deny the necessary testing (the necessity is very subjective).

And most of all, pray that I will remain cancer-free, by God's grace, for the rest of my life!

We serve an awesome God who is so much bigger than we can imagine. For that, I am so thankful.

Zoo

We took advantage of a BEAUTIFUL fall Saturday last weekend and took the boys to the zoo! It was so much fun. The weather was perfect--not too hot or too cold. We rode the carousel and train and got to see so many animals. Our favorites were the snow leopard cubs (6 weeks old), the giraffe baby (2 weeks old), and the howling wolves.

Did you know that a giraffe's gestation period is 22 months?! And the baby was 162 pounds at birth. Yikes!

We packed our lunch and had a picnic there to top off a wonderful morning. I think what helped make it so special is that Daddy was there! Believe it or not, this was Zac's first time at the zoo (even though we've had a pass for 2 years). He really enjoyed seeing it and it was very helpful for me to have an extra set of hands solely dedicated to attending to our children (because usually I go with friends who are dealing with their own kids, not mine). He lifted them up so they could see all of the animals and was the official stroller pusher--this is not an easy feat, mind you, when you are pushing 65 pounds worth of kids.

A great trip.