The Royal Ball

HopeKids Utah presented the Royal Ball. We decided to leave the boys with Grampa and Gramma Tec so Lizzy and Emma could enjoy some special time with Mom and Dad. It was a fun evening. The girls got their nails done, their makeup done, and posed for pictures with so many famous royal personalities.

They colored with Rapunzel, a true artist.

They learned some steps to a Scottish dance with Merida. Lizzy broke her arm a week previous and didn't get her cast until the next day, so here she sports the splint and wrap style.

They chatted with Snow Whit and Prince Charming

They discussed Beauty tips with the evil queen and then met Maleficent to discuss magic.

They met Belle and her nameless Prince.

They listened to stories told by Aurora and Phillip.

Lizzy beat Gaston in an arm wrestle, and then he took on both girls at once.

Thanks, HopeKids and Ellie Tucker who put together such a delightful evening for our kids.

Active Summer Fun

Grandpa and Grandma helped us put jewels and lace on her beautiful purple cast. Emma is busy walking all over that fiberglass foot.

Lizzy got to spend an entire week at Camp Hobe - a super great summer camp for kids with cancer and for their siblings. She LOVED it. She made friends, learned campy camp songs, swam every day, did the ropes course and zip line, and had fun all week. Emma got to attend two days of Day camp the following week, and she LOVED it, too.

While Lizzy was at camp, we went to the zoo with Grandma and Grandpa Reeder and cousins Lily and Emily.

We have year-long passes to the water park, so we met up with cousins Zoey and Paisley. Emma tromped up the stairs to the waterslides three times. I got tired, and I don't have a cast.

Busy busy busy! All this is going on in Maintenance is awesome.

Tales of a Broken Arm

Emma started out with a bright pink cast after she broke her arm in April. It was cute and she had people sign it. After a few days, it started to annoy her.

 It was the night of the hockey game when we were getting ready to go that Emma slipped her cast off. The next day we got a replacement cast - this time a purple cast that went up over Emma's elbow so that she could not get it off.

Also, a picture of Emma's Bricks of Hope. So many cancer families start nonprofits in honor of their children. Bricks of Hope collects Lego and Mega Block and other building brick toys each year, and they donate them to the cancer patients. Emma got a box big enough to share with her sister and brothers. In this photo, the castle is a hospital and all the little lego people are constructed without their hair... because obviously they have cancer. The girls' idea, not mine.

Hey look, a great photo of three of my kids. After church on Easter. Emma in cast and with Kitty Cat ears. Yes that's how she went to church. This was just about her first showing after a winter of not attending much. It sure is nice to go all together again. By nice, of course, I don't mean relaxing.

Emma's picture for a slideshow supporting a hike for cancer.

And just after the cast came off her arm. Hey-Presto! All the best of the broken arm photo coverage.

Grizz and the Mascots

This goes back to April, which I said was uneventful; but here are pictures of an event.

Perhaps this post should be about Bumble and the Mascots since it was the Bee in the picture. But it was Grizzbee's game.

Let me explain. The Mascot Miracles Foundation is a nonprofit organization that is run by professional, collegiate, and corporate mascots. They do stuff for kids with cancer. They showed up at BMX races and spotlit the cancer kids. They hold charity events and they fundraise to help kids and families.

They have been pallbearers more than once. 

Grizzbee is Mascot for the Utah Grizzlies hockey team, and he invited all his best friends to the last home game. That includes all his best cancer buddies and all his mascot buddies. The mascots did half time shenanigans and during the game they were visible.

Bumble came by our section and Lizzy and Emma went to the stairs to give him 5 and get a picture; but because it was during play, the usher sent us back to our seats. Wanting to be good guests, we shuffled back; but Emma was very sad.

Bumble went down several rows, came into the section, then climbed over empty chairs and worked his way up through the section to get to Emma.
He also gave Tommy a big soft Mascot kiss on the head. Either that or tried to eat him... you look at the picture and judge.

And here's Emma later that night, sporting her rub on tatoo. Generally I am not a huge fan of the temporary tattoos; but this one is cool. Not pretty; but then again, cancer isn't pretty.

We will run into mascots more over the summer; they will be at some events that we don't want to miss.

SIBS

Each year Primary Children's Hospital puts on a workshop for Super Important Brothers and Sisters, SIBS. Lizzy went and had a marvelous time. She was happy and played with other kids who have seriously ill brothers and sisters.

She painted and she made a life-size Lizzy portrait of what she will be when she grows up. She wants to be a Mom. Lizzy enjoyed it. I'm so glad that Primary Children's puts so much effort into the non-medical healing for children and their families.

Positive

I like to stay positive and share the amazing great inspiring stories, because there are a lot. An overwhelming amount of kindness is directed at us.

Even so, this is a bit hard. We are struggling to find a balance for things that we were not good at: teaching the kids chores, fitting in music practice, individual time for the kids, a controlled budget, daily 20 minutes of reading and the addition facts that we gotta know in second grade, potty training, personal study time, yardwork... These are things that I was struggling to balance and take care of consistently.

Life, in short, is not simple. Parenting takes a lot of focus and effort.

Throw in a medium grade crisis, and my plates stop spinning.

I call Leukemia a medium-grade crisis. It has a cure, and we will very likely get that cure. We don't have a lifetime chronic thing, and we're probably going to get out without having to bury any children. It isn't a huge, giant, life-changing crisis. My heart weeps for the parents and spouses that get those, and for the people who live through them.

For those that don't know us very well, Leukemia is our third medium-grade crisis. In 2011 Lizzy had heart surgery for a congenital heart defect. It was corrected with surgery and she's good to go for life. In 2012 Tommy, at one year old, had a cataract removed from his right eye and his doctors say we averted certain blindness in that eye.

These are examples of medium-grade crises. At the time they throw our plans out of balance; but we lean on friends, we pray, we take one day at a time, and we get through. Hopefully a bit stronger and more able to handle the next bump in our road.

We can do hard things. We can figure out what things are most important, and we can take the daily steps to meet our goals. We can adjust for events out of our control and we can take a moment to scream or cry and then get back to winning.

I can take joy in the times that Emma needs a snuggle. I can let the excersise be less important and my lap can have room for more munchkins to get some mommy attention. We can gratefully accept the help that we need. We can see the hand of God in the actions of those who are holding us up.

We have so much to be grateful for. I have so many more stories of goodness that have yet to be written, and some that I won't share publicly. We are going to get through. I am sure. I am positive.