Another great week...

The kids did well going back to school this week. It was another beautiful week with temperatures in the upper 60’s. We spent a couple days at the park after school and I finally taught Payton how to ride his bike (with training wheels of course.) For some reason he has had a really hard time with balancing pedaling and steering. All it really took was for him to see his friend Conrad across the street riding his bike and he was determined to finally do it. Payton rode his bike to the park and it felt wonderful to get out and get some exercise.

Payton’s teacher Mrs. Beasley told him that he could bring one of toys from Christmas for show and tell on Friday. Payton had decided that he was going to take a couple of his Star Wars Figures and he could hardly wait for Friday to show the kids. My kids are at such great ages and are so much fun.

Savannah really loves her teacher this year as well. She has a phenomenal teacher, Mrs. Neal, which has really taught her to have a desire and love for reading. I have been really impressed with my kids’ teachers this year. Savannah is looking forward to her Birthday this week and will turn 10 this coming Saturday.

As for me, I spent the week packaging up the Christmas stuff to put back in the attic. Where does the time go? I can hardly believe that Christmas is over. I have been working on getting the house back in order and also lined up Payton’s 6 month Radiology and Clinic Appointments. He will have his scans on Thursday, March 10th and his Oncology Apt with Dr. Bowman will be Friday, March 11th. It has been a good productive week. We have enjoyed having Chad home during the evenings a little more since TCC is still out for Winter Break. It will be hard to get back into that routine again.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

We had a great Christmas and New Years. I have had so much fun spending time with the kids over the winter break. The first couple days of our break the weather was absolutely beautiful in the upper 70’s and low 80’s. We spent a couple days at the park, went to putt putt golf and let the kids ride go karts. We hit a couple movies, took Payton to the lego store in Dallas, had lunch together, but the best part, was that we got to spend some quality time together. We have had such a good time. It is going to be really hard to face the real world again tomorrow and get back into a routine. The kids are not thrilled about going back to school tomorrow.

This cold weather is returning. I was actually getting used to the warmer temps, even if it only lasted for a couple of days.

The kids are staying healthy except for Payton still has had his same persistent cough that he started in with several weeks ago. I decided to take him into his Pediatrician over the Winter Break and she said that he might have a mild case of asthma. Savannah has a mild case of asthma as well. Payton’s Pediatrician prescribed him some Singulair with an inhaler. We will see if the cough gets any better and if not, she will send us to get some x-rays done on his sinuses. There is never a dull moment with Payton.

We are looking into 2011 with much HOPE for a continued HEALTHY year.

Payton's Kindergarten Class Mrs. Beasley

I am Payton’s room mom at school and although it is a bit time consuming, it is very rewarding. I have so enjoyed getting to know each of the cute kids in his class and volunteering my time to help. Here is a picture of the kids at his Winter Party. It turned out to be a hit and they all had a great time. We did 4 Rotation tables; 2craft tables- Making Necklaces and Ornaments, a Cookie decorating table and a snack table. What a bunch of cute kids.

A few pictures of the kids with Santa.

Savannah with her friend Mckenzie

You think you will always remember the little things...

I wanted to take a moment and jot down a few cute things that Payton has been saying lately. The other night Chad was laying down with Payton in his bed and Payton told him “Dad, You have to find someone else to marry.” Chad thought for a minute, maybe mom had gotten mad at Payton today and so Chad replied, “Why is that Payton?” Payton responded “because I am going to marry Mom and so you have to find someone else to marry now.”


Several months ago, Payton came home from school, I noticed that he hadn’t received his stamp for the day and so I asked him what had happened. Payton’s response was “Mrs. Beasley needed a volunteer to move their clip to red to make sure that the clips were working right, so I told her that I would volunteer to move my clip.”

Payton is always doing sweet little gestures. I was taking Savannah to a Birthday Party and we were running a few minutes late, so I ran out the door without my coat. I asked Payton if he wanted to walk with me to the door and he jumped out of the car. While we were walking, I noticed that he had taken off his coat. I turned to Payton and said “why did you take off your coat?” Payton was handing me over his coat and said “Mom, You forgot your coat and I didn’t want you to be cold, put it on, he replies.”

Payton is a big Star Wars fan these days. He is always chasing us around with his light sabers and sticking his hand out pretending to use Jedi Powers.

A few weeks ago Chad called me on the phone and announced that he had run over our pre-lit Christmas tree in the garage. We had taken the tree out of the attic and were waiting for the weekend to bring it in the house to decorate. The night before, Savannah decided to get out a table and several items to set up a hot chocolate stand. Chad was trying to dodge the table, forgetting that we had pulled the Christmas tree out of the attic. When I received the call, my first reaction was to get mad. We don’t have money to go and buy a new tree just weeks before Christmas. And then it dawned on me what was my biggest concern last year. It was almost a year to the date when we took Payton into his Oncologist for a routine MRI and CT Scan and learned that he had a spot on his liver that was growing. The tree was of minimal concerns. I could get mad or say something that I would regret, but it wouldn’t bring my tree back. It would only cause tension between us. I then recalled the feeling I felt when Payton’s Doctor told me that he would have to undergo another major surgery, that there was a chance that his cancer had reoccurred and I knew in my heart that if this had returned that there was a good chance we would lose him. The tree then meant nothing in comparison to our little boy. I have recalled several times over the past year wanting to get upset about something so little and reminded myself what a real concern is.

Today marks that one year mark. I cannot express my gratitude enough for my family; for my husband, for my great kids and for my sweet little Payton. I am grateful for the clarity that this has given me. I try not to take things for granted anymore and try to remember the things that matter most. Today I am extremely thankful for friends and family that put their arms around me and carried me through that time. I want to take this opportunity to wish my friends and family and very Merry Christmas. I love you all!

I wanted to get some fun fall pictures of my kids while the weather is still nice, so we headed to the park and it turned out to be a beautiful day.