Saturday, January 31, 2009

Results




Hello everyone. I cannot thank you enough for your thoughts and prayers through this trying time in our lives right now. Ian's MRI results came back from the Radiologist here at FMH. They said that the tumor/lesion is still there, in the same spot, the same size! So for right now we are in the clear. I still have to send the films up to Seattle for the Neurologist and Neurosurgeon to review - but I am sure that they will say the same thing.

Ian this time around was a little bit more scared. I think he knew what was going on. Once again my good friend Renee was working that day and was the OR nurse for his case. So a familiar face was great for him. She said this time he really didn't talk much and sat there and look scared - you could tell. So next time, should be 6 months from now, I may have to use versed or some oral anti-anxiety. The anesthesiologist wanted to use it this time, but I said no because I knew he would be ok. And plus as a Peds Nurse I have experienced not so nice things when kids are waking up from having some versed. Let me just say this: They are possessed by Satan for a little bit and are VERY hard to manage. I did not want that happening to Ian.

I couldn't have asked for nicer nurses, and care. Since I work there I know a majority of the staff, and they were more than accommodating and making sure I was ok and comfortable. Which I am sure they do for all patients, and not just treating me extra special. People popped in and wished nothing but the best for Ian's results. I am truly blessed to have such a great supportive "hospital family". FMH will always have a special place in my heart.

So here are a few pictures of Ian on the morning of the MRI. We are waiting to go to MRI room.


In the wagon, ready to go!

Im nice and cozy in my warm blanket!


No more pictures mom, lets get this over with!




Sunday, January 25, 2009

Horsing Around.

A blog that I check out every now and then is hosting a give a way for this awesome rocking horse... 5 mins for giveaways ...check it out and vote for Ian!



Picture I am entering...this is one of my favs of him. He thought the diaper cream was lotion. He is always: "Horsing Around!" SO if you like my picture, please comment on the 5 min of giveaway and let them know that Ian should be a finalist! :) Thanks.



Saturday, January 24, 2009

Lots going on.


Long story short. Army sucks, Tricare sucks, getting approval for an MRI sucks! After much calling, and spoon feeding the idiots on the other end of the phone, and me about to hyperventilate - Ians MRI scheduled for the 22nd DID not happen. It will be happening on the 29th. I hope to have good news as I update you all on his results. We are hoping for no change/no growth. If there is any change at all we will be going to Seattle to talk to the Neurosurgeon to see what our options are at this point in time.

ON a happier note here are some silly pictures of the kids this week!






We have success standing up!! Woo Hoo! Only a accident here and there.



Brotherly love


Aren't they adorable?

Hmmm who am I going to call. Blake loves to wear his boots EVERYWHERE

Mom and her boys!


Crazy Hair Ian.
Ians New Trick. He did this while I was in the shower. He thinks hes part kangaroo!



Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Pick a lane...any lane. Driving the other day after a fresh snowfall.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Boys



Here is a cute picture I took (with my phone so its not the greatest) the other night while we were all cozy on the couch enjoying some wonderful cartoon just before bed!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Break out the Bikini!

Its +43 outside. Im dead serious. It was about 40 below on Sunday, now its positive 43!!! Great weather. No gloves, no snow pants, no heavy jackets! Its lovely. I actually shoveled my porch today because the snow as melting. The only bad thing about this nice temps - makes for some creative driving. Slushy roads makes for bad drivers, more wrecks so you have to be 10 times more careful. The dogs are loving it, I am loving it - we can get outside to breath and freeze our snot and play for a change in stead of play in the house!

Ive been lazy and haven't charged my battery to the camera I have - and cant find my iPhone charger to the computer to download the pictures Ive taken.

Ian has been great with potty training. He has been good for 2 weeks about with only maybe 3 accidents. Im so proud. I have been teaching him about standing up to pee pee because he saw one of his good boy friends at school do that. So we tried it out today...lets just say - Ian likes to get creative and "swirl it all around". Now the one time I wish I had some 'male parts' so I can show him not to spray his pee everywhere. haha. Maybe I can borrow one of my friends husband from work. How do I go about asking that!? That could make for an awkward question! haha. Totally kidding, you should know!

Blake is doing great. Repeating, or at least trying to say everything I say. He calls Ian something I can't quite repeat - its his own little word.I know hes trying to say Ian. We are working on - so very cute. I love the bond they have. They sit and play and get along so well - the otehr times he is pulling Ians hair and trying to bite him.

I will upload pictures too.

I Have a valentines craft to do - might not get done since its so warm out...

Friday, January 9, 2009

Why do I live in Fairbanks...

I mean, the Army sent me here (we switched someone for Ft Drum to come here)... but here is an article in the Daily News-Miner the other day about why we live in Fairbanks. I ask myself the same reason...why did we switch? This is quite funny!! ENJOY!

Cold Snap makes you wonder: Why do we live in Fairbanks
by: Tim Mowry

Why do I live here?

That was the question a hitchhiker I picked up on Chena Hot Springs Road last week posed as we descended down the Steese Highway into the cloud of ice fog that has been disguised as Fairbanks for the past 10 days.

Even after more than 22 years in Alaska, I didn’t have an answer for him.

Cold snaps like the one we have endured for the past week and a half are really the only time that I wonder what I am doing living in Fairbanks.

What am I doing living in a place where you have to cut your way through the ice fog with a chainsaw?

What am I doing living in a place where thermometer watching is considered a spectator sport?

What am I doing living in a place where I have to dress up as if I were skiing across Antarctica just to drive to work?

What am I doing living in a place where I spend half my time hauling, cutting and stacking firewood in the summer and the other half time unstacking, hauling and burning it in the winter?

What am I doing living in a place where I have to fill and haul five-gallon jugs of water at 45 below?

What am I doing living in a place where you’re happy when the weather forecast calls for a high temperature of 35 below.

What am I doing living in a place where you can’t see a stop light that’s 10 feet in front of you?

To be honest, I’m tired of it.

I’m tired of fighting my wife, Kristan; 10-year-old son, Logan; and three Labradors for space around the wood stove.

I’m tired of seeing nothing but two dashes on my indoor/outdoor digital thermometer, which “only” goes down to 30 below before the dashes appear.

I’m tired of wondering when the only one of our three vehicles that is still running will break down.

I’m tired of bolting upright in bed every time the furnace comes on in the middle of the night, which is my Pavlov-conditioned cue to go stoke the wood stove because the temperature in the house has fallen below 50 degrees.

I’m tired of wearing bunny boots for slippers because the tile floor in our house is so cold you’d frostbite your toes if you didn’t.

I’m tired of letting my car warm up for 20 minutes only to climb in and find the seats as stiff as plywood.

I’m tired of not going skiing because it’s so cold I can’t muster the motivation to do so, even though I know it won’t be that bad when I get out there.

I’m tired of watching movies from Blockbuster because it’s too cold out to do anything else.

I’m tired of wearing polypropylene underwear 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

I’m tired of having square tires every time I park somewhere for more than an hour.

I’m tired of waiting for the renters who live in my old cabin to call me and tell me their water pipes are frozen or the Monitor oil heater stopped working or the door is frozen shut or some other cold-related problem that I will have to try and fix.

I’m tired of everyone you talk to on the phone who doesn’t live in Fairbanks asking what the temperature is.

Most of all, though, I’m tired of people like me griping about the cold and wondering when the cold snap will break.

This is Fairbanks and for some crazy reason we choose to live here.

I’ll let you know when I figure out why, but first I’ve got to go start my car to let it warm up, assuming it will start

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Just plain Cold

Greetings everyone for about the 10th or so day that we've had that the temperatures have been at least 40 below. There have been a few outings in which the temp was 50 below. One of those times I had to go grocery shopping. I was lucky enough to have one of my friends come over to watch the kids while I was gone for about an hour or so. Made shopping a whole lot easier. It would have taken me 30 min to bundle them up and 30 min to undbundle them!

Ian is potty training. Today is day six of forever! This is the third attempt at trying and third time is a charm so far. Day one was fabulous, he told me every time he had to go. He didn't have a poopie that day though - I was prepared for the worst day two. And boy was it awful. He woke up dry and then proceeded to pee his pants the whole day & do a number 2. Not fun at all. We had gone to the store to pick out a toy for when he was a "big boy" and had a few accidents. Well, he wasn't to please that it was sitting in the bathroom and he wasn't able to play with it. Well, he now has his toy. He is such a big boy. We even went to Drs checkups and he told me had to go, went to preschool and told the teacher he had to go! By, Golly I think hes got it!! Now on the teach Blake..Im starting him way early. I want to be diaper free.........

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Giveaway I would like to win!

So I love my DS - I like to play while the boys are sleeping... relaxes my brain and takes me "away for a bit" I love Brain Age. This game here looks pretty neat. I have entered her contest and if I post about it I get addionital entries... here is to some good luck in 2009! Zen DS Giveaway at Loving Heart Mommy.