Tuesday, September 27, 2011

B Y Shirt!

We went to Utah last weekend and enjoyed watching BYU win!
We didn't go to the game, but in our shirts we sure feel like we are there ;)
 When we watch BYU games, Jack and Brooke are always cheering for "BY Shirt!"  I have no idea why they don't say the "U".  So I thought we better get a picture of all of us in our BY Shirts!

Any trip to Utah is a good reason for family pictures.
My parents have the most amazing yard, and we have someone there to take the pictures.
Right before surgery 2 years ago I made Vince pose for family pictures too.
I give him the, "What if I don't pull through" speech and convince him that we need a family photo.
Half joking, half not.
But at least it gets him to agree to pictures.

The kids were up to there usual shenanigans.
 What's more fun than being dragged around on a blanket?

Saturday we headed up to Park City.
My Dad let Jack mow the lawn at the cabin.
 He sure thought he was pretty big stuff.

Scooter rides anyone?

 The helmet is about 3x too big for Brookie, and it makes me laugh every time.
Vroom, vroom!

I happened upon this moment when we waiting for Jack and Grandpa to return from their ride.

Which made me decide that we needed another family photo.
Vince was thrilled.
At least you can't see the face he was making.

Here is the whole reason for our trip.
To meet Liz's new arrival, Isabella.
Ivy 2 months, Isabella 10 days

I can't believe how big Ivy is! Isabella arrived about 10 minutes after my sister went into labor.
And I thought my labor was quick!
It's a good thing they live around the corner from the Hospital because they literally barely made it.

All three babies are here! I can't wait to get a picture of all them together.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Mine

It just hit me,

I have THREE children.
 When did I get old enough to have 3 children?

This one is growing like a little weed!
 The cutest weed in the entire world!

 She is developing the sweetest personality. 

And she has discovered the world of toys.
 And believe it or not, she is actually getting better at sleeping. Hurray!

And don't even get me started on this guy.
 When did he get old enough to build things with legos?
He would still be building towers with the Duplo Legos if his Grandma hadn't intervened!

And Vince has informed me that these two are too old to be showering together.

So one last photo of them together.

 I love days when they play well together. They are few and far between.
And I know that Ivy is just itching to be a part of the program, and not just a slug  on the floor.

And Brookie.
Before I know it, she will be 16 and hating my guts.

Children of mine, you have my permission to stay little.

Friday, September 16, 2011

It's Baaaa......aaaack!

*This post is personal and detailed for my records, since this blog is my journal. Just in case you were wondering why I am sharing all these specifics.*

I went in and met with my cancer Dr. 1 month after delivery, just for a follow up/check up.

And we found out some very bad news :(

On August 17th my Thyroglobulin (cancer counter) went from .6 in March, up to 13.6! Meaning cancer was growing again. That number had gradually been going down since radiation 2 years ago, and now it went up.

That's bad!

So he ordered a neck ultrasound to check for any lumps.

On August 18th I had an Ultrasound done. They found one very small lump and decided to biopsy it. Which included me getting into a gown, getting painted with an alcoholic solution, laying on a table freaking out, as they stuck a needle through my jugular vein and across my carotid artery 6 times to get sample of the bump. I couldn't move, speak or swallow during the procedure.  It was so freaky! I was afraid they were going to hit my artery and I was going to die. But alas, I survived it.

The biopsy came back inconclusive if it was cancerous or not. It is just irregular tissue. Still not good. A woman with a history of neck cancer shouldn't have weired tissues growing in her neck.

On August 23 we met with my surgeon to discuss removing said bump. He decided to get another test done to see if we could find where this cancer was for sure growing.

On August 30th I had a PET Ct Scan done. It is a scan that is supposed to show metabolic active areas in your body, pretty much cancer growing anywhere.  This included me getting into scrubs, being injected with a radioactive glucose solution, having to lie still in a reclining chair in a bathroom sized room all alone for 45 minutes as the solution traveled through my body. Then I went into the machine and it scanned me for 20 minutes. As I was still radioactive for about 10 hours, I could not hold Ivy or get too close to my kids.  REALLY BAD DAY! It is a miracle that my mother had come up the day before to stay with us, because I have no idea what we would have done with Ivy! It was so hard to watch someone else try to calm her down when she was screaming (which is what she does ;)

The PET scan came back negative, meaning there were no huge spots of cancer growing, A REALLY GOOD THING! Only problem was that we still didn't know for sure what was causing my blood count to go up. We decided to take out the lump and see if it was causing the problem.

We scheduled for surgery September 15th. I also met with an eye Dr. to get my tear ducts fixed at the same time, you know, while I am asleep why not get everything fixed.  If only they would let a plastic surgeon in to fix a few things too if you know what I mean. But no, that will have to wait :)

Two days before surgery I get cold feet.  We had decided to run my blood test one more time just too see if things had changed.  Sure enough, after 2 different lab errors in trying to get the test, the Thyroglobulin had gone down to .4! I figure it was a miracle and I didn't need surgery!  WRONG! 
My sister Liz had her baby that day, and my mom was a little busy down in Utah, so we cancelled the surgery.

My cancer Dr. referred me to a specialist in SLC since I was so nervous about everything, and after speaking to the SLC Doc over the phone, we decided that I still need surgery. Now we just need to decide where to have it done, and who is going to do it.

Option #1  Do it here in Idaho with my Surgeon who did it all 2 years ago. I love him, and he is wonderful.  It would be so much easier to have it done here for a variety of reasons.  Especially getting my eyes done at the same time.

Option #2 Have it done by one of the #5 Thyroid Specialist's in the world, in Utah. Not knowing what to expect, but having the best of all do it.  It would be a lot harder to have it done down there, especially for follow ups.

My cancer Dr. says that he thinks there is no reason that I NEED to have the specialist do it. My Dr. here is fabulous and would have no problems doing it.

Now I just have to make a decision, get it scheduled, and enjoy having another scare going up the other side of my neck.

Yippee.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Daddy

Our Daddy is the bestest!


He found this in the yard last week. And decided to torture me with it.
 They liked it, oddly enough.
 I'm sorry, but anything that's not a human and is bigger than a potato bug is not welcome in my home, or yard for that matter.

Since Mommy is super preoccupied these days, he even took the time to paint Brooke's nails, as she has been whining to get it done for days!

I found her "drying" in this position.
 What a Dad!

He also set up the tent and slept in it with these two hooligans.

He took us all to the fair on Labor Day!

 Where we saw big cows!
 and even got to milk one
 and we ran into Ivy in the Photo Building

On the morning of Vince's Birthday, Jack asked me who was coming to his party.
When I informed him that we weren't having a party, he broke down.
Everybody needs a Birthday party!
So the kids went to work.
 Vince's parents joined us for dinner and the party.
These two couldn't have been more excited.
You would think it was their Birthday!

This little lady sure enjoyed herself!

We finished the evening with "Fire Cake", as they refer to Birthday Cake.
It was actually a pie, Vince's fave Chocolate Pie to be exact.

32 years old.  Happy Birthday Daddy!