Fun in the Sun

We took advantage of the nice weather and had lunch at the park. Other than the nasty scrape Payton got on his stomach, the kids had a good time playing outside. Did I mention that I am loving this weather? Winter in the 70's...Gotta Love it.

Fun and Games...

The kids loved all the fun games that Grandma and Grandpa brought and played with them. Payton really bonded with "his Papa" this trip.

Christmas Morning...

A few pictures of Christmas morning… Savannah was thrilled to get a Nintendo Wii and electric piano…Payton got a Lightning Macqueen Bike and Speed Racer toys. We had an extra special day since Grandma and Grandpa and Kelsey were here with us. The kids were so excited to finally have Christmas here. Payton has been asking for weeks "is it Christmas yet?"

Christmas Eve

My parents and younger sister came to Texas for Christmas. We were thrilled to have some family come and spend the Holidays with us. We went to Southlake Town Square on the 24th and enjoyed the neat Holiday decorations and lights. The kids played outside and thoroughly enjoyed running around since it was such amazing weather in the upper 70’s. We shopped a bit and just really enjoyed being together. That evening we went back to my sisters where the kids got matching pajama’s, played Christmas games provided by Grandpa and Grandma, and Aunt Jenn helped the kids with a Nativity Scene. We also enjoyed yummy appetizers and French Dip Sandwiches with Cheesy Potato Soup. It was so neat having my parents and sister here to enjoy this special time with us.

The North Pole Express

The last day of school before Christmas break I got some free tickets to The North Pole Express Train Ride in Grapevine. I took my two along with my sisters little boys. We were rushed to get to Grapevine on time since tickets were for the 4:00 train ride. The kids had a lot of fun…They had it snowing as we boarded the train and had music playing from The Polar Express Movie as well as a visit from Santa. The kids enjoyed it and I enjoyed watching them just as much. One of the workers made a comment that made me think…She said just enjoy this moment because you will only be in this very moment once.

Savannah's 2nd Grade School Christmas Party

I am a bit behind on my posts due to preparations of getting ready for Christmas. This was Savannah's School Christmas Party and her last day before Christmas Break. It was so much fun to go and participate and to see her in a school setting with her teacher and her friends. I am so glad I took the time and feel like I need to do this more often.

Payton's Results..

GREAT NEWS…Payton’s scans were all clean. What a relief…I make myself sick worrying about this and am so relieved we have another clean scan behind us. It was a typical, crazy day at the clinic, lots of kids, no rooms, and a long wait. After waiting two hours Payton and I were ready to go home and now we can face what’s ahead of us with this great news. We are looking forward to Christmas and my parents flying in on the 23rd to celebrate with us. My mind is now at ease (for another 3 months anyway) and I can focus on getting ready for the Holidays. Thanks to everyone for the prayers, love and concern and thanks to Lisa watching Savannah and for dinner last night, it was great not to have to worry about coming home and cooking after a long day.

Payton's 9 month after treatment CT/MRI

Today was Payton’s 9 month after treatment MRI/CT. Payton did well and everything went smoothly. After we were called back to pre anesthesia I took Payton to the bathroom and he asked me to sing twinkle, twinkle little star with him. It always amazes me how music can relax Payton. We arrived back and after filling out the appropriate papers and answering questions, we were asked if Payton would be able to do the CT scan without anesthesia. It has something to do with the breathing and getting better results, so I told them that we could try. While waiting for our turn Payton fell asleep on my lap, so I was able to carry him back to do the CT scan. They strapped him down and I prayed that he would stay asleep fearing that if he were to wake up in the machine strapped down, he would freak out. My prayers were answered and I was so relieved that Payton stayed asleep through the process. After the CT scan I carried Payton back to pre-anesthesia where they messed with him enough that he awoke. The anesthesiologist arrived and Payton was put under for his MRI, not my favorite part. The day went as smooth as it could and Payton did well coming out of his anesthesia. Now is the hard part waiting until our 10:15 appointment with Dr. Bowman tomorrow to hear results. We are grateful the day went well and are all exhausted tonight. We are nervous, but very hopeful.

Disney on Ice...

Chad and I took the kids to the Disney on Ice show the night before Thanksgiving. The theme was Disneyland Adventure and it was phenomenal. Tickets were a great price through our Entertainment book at only $10 each and we had great seats as well. It was a blast and by far the best show that I have seen Disney on Ice present. Payton was so excited since this was his first Ice show. Savannah was so sweet and kept whispering to me the whole show “Thank you Mom for taking me, I love it.” It makes you want to do more for your kids when they are so appreciative. I couldn’t help but think about how great it was being there instead of what we were doing last year at this time, since Payton spent Thanksgiving in the hospital.

Thanksgiving Day was great, we had my sister and her 3 kids over and it couldn’t have gone better. The food was wonderful and it was a nice peaceful day. We have so much to be thankful for this year. Hope that everyone had a wonderful day as well.

A Wish With Wings Christmas Party...

Today was a fabulous, unbelievable day. Payton is registered with the A Wish with Wings Foundation and today was their annual Christmas party. The party was held in downtown Forth Worth at Del Frisco’s. When we arrived we were greeted by all the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders which spent time walking around and talking with all the kids. Savannah got the chance to dance with the cheerleaders and they wanted to talk to her about how they are dancing with Jonas Brother on Thursday. It was followed by the arrival of Santa, Mrs. Clause, Elves, Frosty, Fire Trucks, Herbie, Spider Man, Clown, and guy walking around playing Christmas music on the flute and a great lunch. The kids received various gifts including a wood rocking horse for Payton. I had debated whether or not to take Savannah out of school but was so glad that I did. Chad stayed home as well and it was an awesome family outing since we have not all spent a full day together since our vacation to Utah in July. One of us is constantly gone. What else can I say other than it was an awesome way to spend a fun family day. I’m amazed at the effort these wonderful people took to organize such a neat event, thanks A Wish With Wings!