Bailing to Bagdad...

Every once in a while we get to accompany Morgan to Bagdad for a work trip and the kids LOVE it! They love to see our old house (we even stayed the night there which was a combination of awesome and weird), and they especially LOVE to see the people there that we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

Thank you Pacheco's for hosting all 6 of us with a smile on your faces!!

 While the menfolk were at work, we got together with a bunch of friends at the Bagdad park and had a picnic lunch. These cute girls were hanging out in the giant willow tree. Tori, Cassidy, and EmmaLee.

 These monkeys were hanging all over the "yellow death" park toy. Landon, Andrew, Will, and Jazzlyn.

..And my, how Eric has grown!

 
 The Hulse twins and their little brother up above.

The baseball boys!! Connor, Lund, Taylor, and Canyon.

 
 And look at this tree monkey!

 And these boys were racing on their reliable horses... Will, Andrew and Camden.

 Crazy group: Brody, Canyon, Wyatt, Stevie, Sarah, and Haylee

 I love this picture because it shows what Bagdad really looks like. A park and baseball field right next to the wide open desert.  Oh, and Connor and Lund are pretty awesome too!

 Then we headed to the Bagdad pool. And these two are always trouble together. Hannah and Will

  Friendly faces: Stevie, Delany and Sarah.

Oh boy, these two had MANY adventures together before we moved. Wyatt and Sarah!

It is always great to see friendly faces and get a break from the heat. We sure do love Bagdad!

Wahoo summer is here.... Wait, who are are these chores for?!!

The kids just finished the school year and they were sooooooo excited! The first day of summer we celebrated...I let the kids invite one friend over and we ate McDonalds chicken nuggets and then went swimming and had fun on a surfing simulator we love at the nearest junior high pool. Then we rented some movies and hung out. Pretty much it was pure heaven for the kids....

 
 
 
 Oh, yea. the day was great. But this is what they woke up to the next day....

 Each of those notebooks contain their "New Summer Chores" and the charts are for the library reading program. And each day I write the schedule on the blackboard. Oh baby, summer is here....

And here are the next three months of our life. We will be pretty busy with girls camp, boy scout camps, cancer camp for my kiddos, and of course chemo twice a week at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. So we will be really busy and all the grandmas might get tired too. Happy summer to all!!!!!

Diamondbacks game to cap off Memorial Day...

Morgan had some tickets to the Diamondbacks game on Monday night. I haven't been to a game in a while because I have just been too busy, or not feeling up to it. I decided to go with them. And I was truly amazed at how close the seats were. In fact, I was a bit nervous that a foul-tip might knock our heads clean off. Never fear, a couple sat in the row in front of us, the only row it front of us seperating us from the field, so it was their heads at stake.

 I was having "lens-envy!".

 See how patriotic bobble head Randy Johnson is?

These are the crazies that sat next to me! I know what your thinkin' but their assigned seats just happened to be next to mine! What can you do???!!

 Snuggle up with them, I guess!!!!

 Lund wanted to snap a few pictures too.... so he did the two pitching pictures. Pretty good for a 10-year-old!

Oh and this is what we took to the game...... our new Nissan Titan truck!!! Our huge van is gone... a tear! (Not really). It was hard to drive around the valley and even harder/close to impossible to park in the hospital parking garages. Will says that his favorite color is now red!!!

Memorial Day Re-cap...

 We started our patriotic day with a new patriotic flag on the house.

 Then, in Johnson tradition, we walked to breakfast. (Correction: Will and I drove there... so we cheated.). We ate at Bruegger's Bagels and it was yummy!

 Will was very patriotic....starring at the neighbors flag for about 15 minutes straight. No matter that we had a flag on our house around the corner... he preferred the pole kind.

 Can you find Waldo?

 Will performed a few tricks for  us before his dad decided that he was ready for two wheel riding sans the training wheels.

 I sat outside with the ER on speed dial, as his dad guided him through his first ride...

  I guess sometimes in life we have to let go and see what happens...

  Even if this is the end result..

 But usually it all works out o.k. Will was riding like a champ in a few minutes flat. I was astonished!

 And, while Morgan headed out to a car dealer (that story later), the boys and I went swimming. The girls were playing with friends.

 There were snorkles....

 And slam dunks....

 And dolphins carrying Lund around the pool....... So basically, a lot of fun!

Then if that wasn't enough, the boys spent the afternoon on the trampoline throwing water balloons at me and Will. I would say it was a successful holiday. Stay tuned for the next chapter of Memorial Day, called.... Memorial Night!

Summer plans at the Johnson house..... also known as.... A mother of four, working around a cancer schedule.

Here is how my week has gone on the cancer front. I know you all know what is going on with the kids, etc.... but here is a cancer update to top you off.

Monday: I had a PET scan and an MRI on my brain to see if things have changed or gotten any better, etc.

Tuesday: The next day was my surgery day.

Wednesday: I tracked down my PET scan results and MRI results so I would have them at the Mayo clinic the next day. I also spent the day on pain pills sleeping and resting.

Thursday: Thursday came and four of us headed off to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. The car included Morgan and I and both our moms. When we got there, just like we had kind of assumed, Mayo hadn't recieved my records like they were supposed to. So, we handed over our hard earned copies and watched the doctor try his hand at radiology as he looked at my head and PET scan on his computer in front of us. What we learned: He is DEFINITELY not a radiologist. He tried to read the results and conduct the visit at the same time, but all we eneded up learning is that I am going to be in the Mayo study that I qualified for. Which of course, is good news. The bad news is that we didn't learn much from the tests. I did get a brief call from my other oncologist and he did tell me that he thinks he sees additional cancer in the liver. Gee, thanks for that. Oh, but he could possibly be wrong... awesome!!!  And they can't quite tell if the brain tumors are getting better.... they don't seem to be getting worse though.....hummm.

I'd have to say that I don't feel ultra informed at this time. Especially because I had to track down the records myself even though the daignostic place was supposed to send them to the doc's. Enough of my frustrations with the healhcare system...

So, back to the story.... Mayo wanted to start me on the study next week, but we are going on a family vacation, so I told them that they can wait until we get back. I am sick of putting our lives on hold because of my cancer. And my kids are sooooooo excited for our trip to California.

 Oh, and things got a lot better when I got back and saw this in my front yard.....

How cute is that????? You probably can't see me... I am hiding in the V. My good friend in the ward, Leann Brock and her daughter made this for me. She said it is better than a card. How true!!!!! It is now saved in my garage for a day when I need another pick-me-up!!! thanks Leann!!

Upstaging the talent show..... Otherwise known as... A day in the life of Will!

This past Friday was the talent show at Cassidy and Lund's class. I really wanted to see it, and so I came with my camera and my five-year-old boy in tow and we sat in the back of the class. Well, Lund and Cassidy are in the same class. It is a 5th/6th combined class and all the kids are at the age where they don't want to stand out or do something different. I was soooo proud of my two kids in the class who both decided to be in the talent show, considering only 2 other kids were brave enough to be in it.  Lund went first and did a routine from a Brian Regan comedy sketch and he did a great job. I recorded it, but I didn't do a very good job. I am still learning how to work this camera stuff. Cassidy also was very brave and sang a Selena Gomez song tremendously!! Again, I goofed with the camera recording thing..........sooooooo a big sorry there.

About the time I got the camera working, the talent show was over. All the kids were still kind of staying to themselves and being scared pre-teens, and one of the kids said, "Hey Will, you should get up there and sing a song!" I thought for sure Will would hide under his chair.... but alas.... see the proof of what happened next.....

Thank you Lund, for being willing to be the backup dancer for your brother!!

Then, it was such a big hit that they all wanted a oncore and some additional back up dancers!!!! I was agahst, but laughing so hard that I could hardly film him. What a ham!!!!!!!!!!

Meet Oophy!

It is tradition that when I go into a surgery, I know that Morgan will be waiting with a new stuffed animal for me on the "other side". This week, after coming out of my surgery, I was awarded with an adorable old-fashioned looking pink pig, that we comically refer to as "Oophy!" (Due to my oophorectomy). I have quite a few stuffed animals now that I have collected: Bosom Buddy, Sad Dog, Ardie, Arnold, and Hair Bear (which is actually not a surgery bear, just a loss of hair bear).

So welcome to the ranks Oophy! I hope you like it here.

This is Oophy and the flowers that my mom brought over. They make a cute pair! Also, my mom brought over a to-die-for taco soup yesterday that was a big hit and my Visiting Teachers brought over an amazing dish tonight that was again, all the rage. Maybe I should just stop cooking because the kids seem to like everyone else's meals much better than mine. Hummmmmm.....that's a thought! Smiles!


Now, i would like to write a letter to pain meds....

  Dear pain meds,
 I think that you are wonderful at stopping pain. I just wish you weren't so wonderful about "stopping" everything else. Like my brain cells from functioning correctly. Like my eyes from staying open. And like my bowels that have come to a full and complete halt. thank you for your loveliness.
 p.s. I do still need you for the pain though, so don't be too offended!
                    From, Your faithful user for a day or two more.

And A Letter to Bill Cosby.....
    Dear Bill Cosby,
 I am sooo glad that your Cosby show is on netflix and that I will have the opportunity to watch all 201 episodes from the comfort of my own couch. I am currently on 29, but have learned a lot of life lessons thus far, such as....... Dads can actually be fun and nice and respected by their children, Children can show their parents respect and realize who is in charge of the house. Grandparents love being involved in their grandkids lives.  And working together as a family is funny and also fun.
        P.S Please send this letter onto the Disney Channel, because they seem to have lost ALL concept of family and respect in their shows.
        p.s.s. Luckily I have over 150 episodes left to go....so my kids are learning about true comedy and respect and maybe some of it will wear off on them.
    From, A grateful mom!