Cancer Tour 2007

tubes and tubes
owwie

feeling tired

Mom and Tony at the end of the bad day.

Coming soon to a waiting room near you
We go to oncology, we go to radiation, we wake up and do it again the next day... For my mom some days are good, and some days just SUCK!!! She survived round one of chemo relatively well - you know other than her mouth feeling like she ate sandpaper and everything she drank tasted like windex. The hardest part of the whole process has been her Groshong catheter - two tubes that just about go straight to her heart. The site of the catheter needs to be covered in a dressing to keep germies from heading to her pumper - the problem is she is extremely sensitive to tape - tape actually becomes one with her skin - so much so that when we have to change it every two days both the tape and her skin come off. Its a real pleasure - the doctors are toying with the idea of breaking protocol for her and letting her go dressing free if she absolutely swears off public places. Its an interesting decision to make - exposed catheter or no skin. hmmmmmm
Aunt Beth is one week post tonsillectomy and is hating life too - the general idea is if you ever think you will need your tonsils taken out - go back in time and do it before preschool starts.
So for all of you with big extended families in good health thank your lucky stars. My family is tiny - thats it on my side folks my crew, Meg, my Mom, and my Aunt. So for two to be down and out kind of stinks.
So on to the silver lining...
Ella is a trooper. She has been patient from the get go - She loved the plane ride here. She has been a doll in each hospital waiting room. Tonight she gets back from Sesame Place with Ryann and her family. I am so grateful she could go and have a mini-vacation. Thanks Ryann and Terry!!
The other trooper in my life is Kyle - he may just be trying to make me feel better but he says he is doing ok without me and Ella. He is making it to work before noon ;) The kids are adjusting to day care (if you don't count constant runny noses), and the house is standing. Love you babe!!!
I miss Benjamin and Maiya - Benjamin prays every night that the cancer will heal soon so I can come back. Maiya is beginning to talk on the phone a little to me - but mostly she just sings me something that vaguely sounds like the ABC's.
Well give a shout out to the big guy for my mom - and here's to hoping that chemo and radiation are opening a HUGE can of whoop-ass on the cancer - no pun intended.
Just so you know I packed everything but the cord to upload my pictures so the cancer tour fans will have to wait for the photo gallery to appear at a later date.

Its finished

I am done. I finished Harry's adventures last night. It was sad - and no that is not a spoiler, it was just sad to close the book and know its over. Now I anxiously wait until the kids are old enough to become fans. Forget that, I think I am going to put the books on CD on my Christmas list and start them now.
You can be a snobby brit -but thanks for the long and fantastically engaging ride J.K.
For those non-fans out there - avoid the movies like the plague - read the books; its a universal truth especially poignant for the Harry Potter series - THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER!!!

Fort Worth

Meg, the awesome sister that she is offered herself for the weekend to watch the kids - so off we went to a romantic weekend in Fort Worth - It was so much fun.
Friday we went to the coolest Italian restaurant - rarely do you mix "nice" restaurant and graffiti - but this place encourages it - they remind you to bring your sharpie marker! Each booth also has its own doors you can shut for max romantic time and there is live music and a dance floor. For my local pals check it out - The Italian Inn in Ridglea
Saturday we went to see the Ron Mueck sculptures at the Modern Art Museum - unfortunately you can't take pictures - so this is the link to see some of his work - it was breathtaking!!!
Mueck
It was a wonderful weekend - now time to get busy with packing and family time before Ella and I leave.

Kyle the graffiti artist
Secret agent man... my camera has night vision - cool!!

Hallie did you leave a lover in Texas??

Street PR - be interesting if someone commented that saw it at the restaurant

I don't get it?

Inside a huge echo sculpture at the Modern

One piece we could take a picture of -at least there weren't any security guards stopping me

Looking up in the sculpture

cool pic of random couple

Another random pic -LOL - the chef watering the plants - or is that water??

Another hysterical one from onion...

Housewife Charged In Sex-For-Security Scam

Rodeo

We had so much fun yesterday!!! The lake was closed due to flooding. Which in case you are wondering we have weathered all of the rain just fine - just a soggy yard. So since we couldn't go there we spent the day letting mommy do her picture thing. I found that park on a local website that list great places to take outdoor photos. It was in the center of the Highland Park area of Dallas - one of the most expensive places to live around here - It was a beautiful park and a fun drive around million dollar estates. Then last night we took Maiya over to some friends (Thanks again Meredith!) so we could pay close attention to the RODEO!!! We had so much fun. Usually when we take Benjamin and Ella to events like that they are thrilled the first thirty minutes then start bugging us - but they were completely enthralled the whole time! I got to scoot over to Kyle and hold hands while they stayed mesmerized. The only sad part of the evening was Ella didn't get her name drawn to do "Mutton Bustin" - kids under 55lbs can ride a bucking sheep - too cute. But both of them did get to do the Calf chase. So come visit us everybody so we can have an excuse to go again.

Pony Rides

Mutton Bustin - this was the only kid who didn't immediately fall off.

Cowboy poker - each guy puts 100 in - last one still in his seat gets the money.

This guy was one of the best - scared me, first I thought he was stuck then I thought he was going to toss his cookies - but then he walked off like he was just chillin the whole time.

Photo shoot

Learning to take better pictures... Maiya is officially the world's most difficult toddler to photograph -- she absolutely hates being posed - the best thing to do is just zoom in from 50 yards away for her... oh well this is the flicker account http://www.flickr.com/photos/momofoz/ - to check them out, there were over 60 photos that I liked, a little too much for the blog. Click on the Prather Park 2007 set then view as a slideshow - I think that is the best way anyway. Grandma, Nana, and Aunt Beth tell me which ones you like the best and I will email you the pictures to print or I can print them for you.

This quote of the day cracked me up --

The wages of sin are death, but by the time taxes are taken out, it's just sort of a tired feeling. - Paula Poundstone

I hate being grown up sometimes

Its days like the Fourth of July that you miss being a kid. Props to my mom and the Brooks for being soooo cool about fireworks. I remember bags of fireworks, hours of semi dangerous play, and never once a thought about the legality of it or homeowners insurance. Those were the days. They have had signs up for about two weeks all around town reminding us that our town is a "Fireworks Free" town with promises of seizure and a 2000 dollar fine. sigh... so we planned to go to the local park, pay five bucks and fight the crowd to see fireworks. But we have had so much stinkin rain around here they had to cancel - too muddy to park cars. Off we went to the next county over to buy fireworks.. he, he, he...
Teaching our kids early to skirt the law... We bought low key stuff and had a blast! The Ragers came over - we made fajitas on the grill, and smores over the fire. We enjoyed almost all of our illegal fireworks until the cops pulled up - we almost all crapped our pants, including Benjamin. They stopped to lecture the neighbors first - there had to be seven of us doing the same thing on the street. Then they moved on, we breathed again and went inside...bummer man.

Roman candles were the hit of the night

Games at the neighborhood barbecue
I like this picture - you can see the party in Kyle's sunglasses

Benjamin and his friend from church that just moved into the neighborhood

mmm...smores

Strike a pose