11 things about my 11-year-old son~

My little baby boy turned 11 on Friday and although I am tempted to make him do 10 again so he won't grow up too fast, I feel I am out-voted by Father Time. So, in tribute to Lund turning 11, I will tell you 11 wonderful things about him.....

1.  He is very appreciative! His older sister, Cassidy, make him his cake and he was so gracious saying it was the best cake he had ever seen, etc.  He is always very gracious and appreciative when other's give him something or do something for him.

 2. He is a bit crazy! he will try almost anything, whether it is a fresh jalepeno challenge from Morgan's garden or trying to catch a water balloon that his dad shot 200 feet into the air. He is ALWAYS game for anything!

 3. he is very artistic! Here he was working with potter's clay, but he also is a great artist and his sketches are simply amazing!

4. He loves to get mail..."snail mail"! That is why the girls and I "sent" him some of his birthday presents this year. His face just lit up as he came back from the mailbox!!!! He is really wanting a pen pal, so if you have any boys his age, let me know, I think it would be really fun.

 5. He is ALWAYS the first one ready for church on Sunday. This gives him more time for his putting practice.
6. That kind of leads into the fact that he is ALWAYS the first child awake in the morning. He just does his own thing and loves hanging out with his dad before work. He is just my early bird.

 7. He is always wanting to have fun, even and especially at the expense of himself......

                                                                         End result!!!!
8. He can do math problems faster than I can, and more advanced than I will ever be. He actually studies and checks out physics books from the library and is the only kid I know who knows about the Fibbinacci code and has memorized pi.
9. He is NOT embarrassed to tell his mother that he loves her often, and in front of friends if need be.
10. He picks up any sport like a fish to water. Tried surfing: stood up on the board in the first half hour. Tried out for Majors baseball: Was on of the youngest ones to make any of the teams. Tried football: Did great and became an amazing reciever and quarterback. Also picked up golf and tennis like a pro.
11. He is the most sensitive 11-year-old that I know. He will give you his shirt off his back or his money or his food if he sees someone in need!!

That is just 11 of the many reasons why we love our 11-year-old son!!! Happy Birthday Lund!

Hooray! We finished reading the book of Mormon as a family...

After three years of nightly scripture reading as a family, we finally finshed!!! And to celebrate, we went out to dinner. Morgan's parent's have told everyone in the family that they will pay for dinner for anyone in the family that reads the Book of Mormon. So, we excitedly started..........three years ago! Since then, Cassidy and Lund have become much better readers and Sarah has joined the reading ranks within the last year and she is reading wonderfully. So, we have a feeling that this next time, it will take a lot less time to reach our goal. Maybe only one year?....

Will's rib basket was a big hit!!!

Behind the Scenes.....(the mind of a cancer mom)

So, I know when you read my blog you always get the impression that it is honkey dorey at my house and I am just in oblivious la la land about my condition etc. So today I will give you a bit of a background to what goes on sometimes in my house and mind....the real stuff!
          I have been really tired this week, so I am trying to fit in time with the kids AND fit in naps or rest periods throughout the day. Here is the problem with that....
                    1. When I "lie down" the kids think I am out of the picture, even  though I rest in the downstairs guest room, and they run rampant and chores/responsibilities are halted/reversed.
                    2. When I "lie down" my kids think I am "sick" and they get worried. Some more than others.
                    
2. I have a very sensitive son, Lund, who is ALWAYS worried about my welfare. Everything he buys or find, for example, his golf glove this week is Breast Cancer Awareness. He is CONSTANTLY asking me how I am feeling and he is very cuddly with me and tells me he loves me ALL the time. (Some of these things aren't too bad).  Problem is: He doesn't like to go "play" very often, for fear of leaving my side. And I can ALWAYS see the worry in his eyes. I just want him to be an 11-year-old boy, not the caregiver to his mother. he is cursed with the sensitivity of both of his parents.

3. My youngest child, who was doing so great during preschool, has reverted in many ways. He has "accidents" all the time and if he doesn't know what the schedule is for the day, he is a mess. He also has a new summer habit of TORMENTING his brothers and sisters. Not just teasing, TORMENTING!!! He can make them cry with his persistent pestering and he can get very hurt when they get mad and explode. And then you don't know who to punish.

4. this week, I had a bit of a depression wave that hit me and it all started like this....... Sarah is snuggled up next to me on the couch and we were watching a family friendly movie that had a sentimental moment. She started to cry and I told her that it was o.k. She turned to me and said, "Your not going to be around when I get older, because you are going to be dead." Tears flowed from both of us.... And it sent me into a downward spiral until I talked my way out of it with help from Morgan. Here is the theory Morgan and I have.... Cancer may take my life someday, I also might die of choking on a piece of really yummy chocolate cake. the point is.... If I give into the depression, then the cancer has already beat me. 

5. I have to eat a certain diet and a lot of times, that STINKS!! I am on an "Anti-cancer" diet and I am really glad that I found the diet and admitidly, I am feeling better as a whole and hopefully the cancer is feeling it too. The problem is, it is a pretty restrictive diet and sometimes I just want to shove a piece of cake in my face and laugh at the diet. And then my guilty mind goes to the fact that one piece of cake could be the reason I died of cancer.... I know, silly. But, that is the routine my mind plays out.

6. Lund had a birthday this week. Today, actually. And he said to me earlier this week, "When are we having my party?" My mind just sank....I'm so tired and it is sooooooo exhausting to have a party.....the invitations, the planning, the gift bags, and the list goes on. I just couldn't do it. So we had a compromise. Last night, I told him to invite over some buddies and we had daddy launching water balloons (which was a HUGE hit) and all the boys went out in the couldesac and tried to catch them. And we played some easy games that didn't require any research. Cassidy made the cake and I forgot to buy ice cream. No big deal. It ended up being a really great time and I hope Lund realizes how much he is loved. Also, Lund was checking the mail everyday to see if anyone had sent him any birthday cards. This always breaks my heart when they don't get one each day, so this year I enlisted the help of Cassidy and Sarah and we made a bunch of birthday cards and I wrote checks from my check book in each one. Just small checks that would equal his birthday amount and we placed them all in the mailbox. He was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited when he got the mail on Wednesday and there were cards for them and they were early. The trick: I postdated the checks to the 24th of June so he couldn't use them until his birthday. And it would have worked really well if I wasn't such a soft hearted fool that gave him the money early anyways. He bought himself a new skateboard, helmet and "skater shoes".

7. My visiting teacher found me a great video online about cancer and I watched it this week and it seems like this guy out in Texas has the "cure" for cancer, and as long as you are willing to pay 100,000.00. You can live a full life and grow old etc. no guarantees of course. it was actually an informative video and I am not scratching it off of the "last chances" list, but the stress of it all always gets to me. I think I will stick with my study I am doing at Mayo right now because it is free and it seems like they are onto something here too.

So that, plus much more is what has been going on in my mind this week.....

I do want to capitalize on one awesome thing I did this week.......Yesterday I didn't want another day of mom not feeling good and the kids watching tv when they got their chores done... you know the routine. So I told the kids right before lunchtime...."We are going to a movie. Judy Moody and the not Bummer Summer." Cassidy groaned. "I don't want to see that one mom. And I don't want to go anywhere." I told them. "Too bad, I already called your friends and invited them and we are leaving soon so get ready." So I FORCED them to have some fun with me, but it ended up being a wonderful afternoon. My favorite part was when I hid some peanut butter M & M's in Wills popcorn. About a half hour later he exclaimed, "HEY, THERE ARE M & M'S IN MY POPCORN......YESSSS!!!!" Definitely worth every minute!!!!

Words of wisdom about our dad.... (A bit belated)

Sit back everyone, we are going to tell you a little bit about our dad to celebrate Father's Day.....

   Dad's favorite thing to do:
Mom says: Play daddy gorilla on the trampoline with the kids. Sometimes they play Belly Ninja too, which is HILLARIOUS to watch. They each run at daddy's belly and bounce off in various directions all over the trampoline. He he he! Except if Morgan keeps losing weight, "Belly Ninja" might just be a fond memory. Lund: he likes to golf.
Cassidy: he loves to go camping.
Will: he likes to play with remote control helicopters.
Sarah: I'm guessing golfing.

Dad's favorite past time:
Mom: Breaking the "creamy barrier" while making thick and creamy mac and cheese, Walmart brand. He can only break the "creamy barrier" with the exact Walmart brand and the kids expect this delectable meal EVERY Sunday right after church.
 Lund: still golfing.
Sarah: Daddy gorilla

Dad's favorite color:
Mom: He is pretty found of his new red truck. So, for now, probably red. He also is man enough to wear pink occasionally for his wife, usually every Thursday is pink shirt day for dad.
Lund: I think it might be orange.
Cassidy: Green?
Will: I Think his favorite color is pink.
Sarah: I am guessing black or green.

What does dad want to be when he "grows up"? .....
 Mom: Daddy loves his job in the copper business, but maybe if he were dreaming, he would like to be a college professor someday. 
Lund: he wants to work in a mine.
Cassidy: he wants to be a balloon artist that makes lots and lots of money. Or maybe a real artist.
Will: I think....ummmmm....aaaaaa....fireman.
Sarah: He is already grown up. Maybe a doctor

Something daddy does better than anyone we know: 
Mom: Daddy has a REALLY green thumb when it comes to gardening and cultivating the Earth. He can make ANYTHING grow and then, he can cook with whatever he grows. That leads us to the second thing he is really amazing at....Cooking!!! He can grill, marinate, saute, fry, or whatever is needed to make AMAZING meals. And his secret: He never uses a recipe! 
Cassidy: balloon animals.
Lund: Daddy gorilla
Will: work really hard to fix stuff and make stuff.
Sarah: Daddy gorilla!

What we love about daddy:
Mom: He is super nice to everyone and he always plays with his kiddos and talks to each of them. He really loves us!!!!
 Lund: he is fun to play with like a squeky toy.
Cassidy: he is always nice to us and always has time for us.
Will: He loves us.
 Sarah: Cuz he is part of our family!

The end of the beach tales...

Let's finish up our memories from the beach so we can get back to our 113 degree warm spell here in Phoenix....

 Next time you go to the beach with a five-year-old boy, bring along some old fashioned army men. Hours of fun. Of course, my army never won because Will let me know that his army men live forever. Dang! I guess I was on the wrong side.

Morgan and Lund love to dive against the waves in various fashions.

 Cassidy enjoyed playing with the yobe on the beach.

 Lund just enjoyed getting dirty all together.

 And we LOVED looking for animals and shells.

 Here is Cassidy with her little hermit crab. It actaully walked right out of it's shell and freaked Cass and I out. (they look really strange without their shells. Don't we all?!)

 Morgan and Sarah with a live starfish he found and a pretty decent size shell with an occupant still living inside.

 Will enjoyed playing with the twins.

 They were quite the 3 Amigo's. Thank you Short family for coming with us.

 I made him take this picture cuz he is so stinkin' handsome!!

 And their little Ella was adorable!!!!!!

 The boys also loved playing football in the waves...

 And showing off with the assistance of a local starfish

                                                     Adorable!!!!

Since it is my blog, I get to decide how many pictures of Morgan make into the line up. And I decided that we needed this one too!!!!!! he is just that great!!

Dolphin Days!

Last Saturday, we went to Newport Beach with some friends from high school that live nearby. We had a wonderful time, but I can't put it all in just one blog. So, I am dividing it up and tonight I am writing about the awesome experience dubbed, "swimming with dolphins"

 These dolphins swam right near our swimming area. I couldn't believe they were brave enough to get so close to the beach and humans. But they just kept playing and jumping through the waves.

 See how close those fins are to Sarah and Cassidy....

Seriously, isn't that insane?????? I was worried that Sarah was going to try catch one and bring it home! What a memory for the girls!!

Surf City, Here we come!!!

This was the first trip to California that we let our kids "surf" instead of just using their boogey boards. Lund has been DYING to surf everytime we go to Cali. This time he had his own money, so he rented his own board. Cassidy decided to do the same and they had a LOT of fun.

 Will wanted to try it too. Morgan got him out there....

 
 ..............but after one huge wipeout, he was finished!!  I can hear that scream from here!!!

 Here are Cassidy and Lund getting ready to try their hand at hanging 10.

 Lund took to it like a fish to water. After a few minutes, he was up on his board!

 This is my favorite!! He is sooooooo proud of himself, and he should be for his first surfing experience!

 He loved waiting for the perfect wave.

 And then he would pop up on his feet.....

 And ride it all the way to the beach.

Me and my boys.

 Cassidy enjoyed the experience of the surfboard, but wasn't as daring as her brother.

She loved to get up on her knees though. Great effort from both kids!!!! I LOVE that they tried something new!

....stay tuned for more!

p.s. My first trial study chemo session went well. Did you know that only about 20-80 patients in the whole nation get to trial this med?  I feel really blessed. Plus, Mayo has been running the study for over a year, so they have ironed out all the "bugs". Awesome! And NO side effects!!!!

San Diego Family Vacation

So, we just got back from our family vacation to San Diego, and the kids had a tremendous time!!! It is going to take me a few blog posts to get through it all... so be patient. Plus, I got sick the second half of the trip and I am still not 100% yet, so again.......be patient. (I am used to being (a) patient!he he)

We went to San Diego from June 8th thru June 13th and when we got there the first day, it was already dark, and very cold.....

 But did the kids care?!   Nope, they went straight into the freezing surf.

 The next morning, we started early. It was cloudy and cold most of the time on the trip, but the kids didn't ever seem to notice.  This picture is Will trying to figure out the boogie board...

 Sarah loved boogey boarding, even though she looks like she is screaming. Those are shouts of joy!

  Morgan took a candid of me at the beach. I am the chicken in the sweatshirt!

 Lund rented a surfboard with his own money....and we will show you the surfing pictures on the next blog....see...patience! he he

 We also had tons of fun looking in the tidepools when the waves were far away.

Now you have to wait for the next installment......
 Just to give you a glimpse......there will be dolphins, surfboards, sand, starfish, and even sunshine....yes, sunshine folks !
 When I am at the Mayo clinic for my four-hour chemo tomorrow, I will try to catch up on some more blogs.