For a better 5th grade, vote Adilade

That was Addie's slogan for her campaign for President. She worked hard on her speeches and handouts and it paid off because she won!!
I was so anxious for her to come home from school yesterday to ask her. I was tempted to go to the school to see how it turned out, but I held myself back. She was so cool and collective (something she did NOT get from me) she just strolled up and I asked if she won and she just smiled and said she did. With an even bigger smile when I came to give her a big hug. She really wanted this.
I am so proud of her (even if she hadn't won too) because she took it seriously and it has helped her set goals and accomplish them. Plus she hates getting up in front of people but she did it any way!!
She is already picking out her VP, Sec. and security guard (?) what ever that is.
Awesome job Adiladers!

Chloe won her election as Pres. of our home. I resigned for now. I just really need a break and can't handle the pressure of being a maverick that our house hold needs. And she is sure a maverick! So chlo if you could be in charge of the laundry, dishes, bathrooms, changing Rhen's diapers, putting Elsie to bed, getting your weekly meds together, hooking up your space ball,cooking dinner changing your dressing....that would be great, thanks. :)

School by Webcam

The elementary was finally able to find some software that would work to get video and sound back and forth through the webcam so that Chloe can participate in her class. Chloe has been really excited for it, but when it finally worked and she could see her class doing flash cards she just started sobbing. Not a regular cry but the really, really broken hearted kind. She just wants to be a normal kid in class where she can read the flash cards or what the teacher writes on the blackboard. We thought it would be a happy morning, but it turned out to be a sad one. Hopefully it will get better the more she is able to use it. We'll have to figure out the best times for her to tune in when they are doing something she can see and do with them. She's getting a little tired of having to stay home while everyone else is at school. Having to start over on a full dose of steroids didn't help either because it pushed her return to school even further away. That, and she is not herself. One of these days she'll be all over this...

October

October went by really fast. A couple of weeks ago we went out to Avon to pick up some pumpkins from a local famer's place. Stacie scored some fresh apple cider from the orchard next door and bought some "gourmet" popcorn from a really polite young boy scout. She just couldn't so no to him he was so nice.

Chloe lost $5 she had in her pocket somewhere in the pumpkin patch. So if any of you people in Avon see an Abraham Lincoln blow by in the wind, snag it will ya? She was pretty sad about that since she just got it that morning.




















The next thing we knew it was today so we decided to carve and paint the pumpkins. The kids prefer to paint them since it's hard for them to carve and they like to do things themselves. Plus the pumkin lasts longer on the porch.

First, our little pumpkin head.













Elsie and her black beauty. She just layers on the paint until it turns black and would really prefer not to have any help or guidance. We let her express herself because she needs an outlet.












Chloe is trying to outscare her pumpkin.














Here is Addie and her pumpkin with big dark eyes and pretty eyelashes - just like Ads.

Addie For President

Addie spent all night last night preparing a speech for her candidacy as class president. She thought of several issues she thought needed attention in her class and throughout the school and presented her solutions to the problems in her speech. She said her speech was the longest and the kids must have liked what she said because she won the primary election. Ads is now running against two other girls for the Presidency. She called me at work as soon as she got home from school to ask me for some ideas for her speech on Monday. She is really excited about it and really wants to win.

Tonight we were hanging out in the home office with Addie at the desk (she looked so presidential in her blue and white polk a dot jammies) discussing some different things she could talk about in her speech on Monday. She really wants to come up with some good ideas that the other girls won't think of so the kids will vote for her. Her slogan is "For a better 5th grade, vote Adilade." After throwing out lots of ideas for issues to address Chloe finally says, "I know! why don't you pass out some boondoggles?" and then laughed with her cute little cackle.

Since our discussion, Chloe has decided to run for president of our home since she can't run at school. She wants to start preparing a speech tomorrow. There is a good chance she will win since Stacie has served 3 terms, the other girls are at school and Rhen can't talk yet. Not to mention Rhen's recent questionable behavior which you may have read about in a previous post.

I'm hoping Chlo will keep me in my current position as secretary of the treasury, although Stacie does the shopping so I may lose that position - ironically because of her pork-barrel spending which is a benefit to the kids. Actually, i'm the one that spoils the kids, so that might be a good move come to think of it. Either way, Chloe is a maverick in our home and despite suffering years of what some might consider torture, has remained steadfast in her principles. She is young and charismatic, and even though she hasn't written any memoirs I think she is well qualified for the postition.

some people couldn't stomach it

Well Rhen found the toilet: It was gross,enough said.





I had a whole post about what he did when he found the toilet but Jake couldn't stomach it so he wanted me to take it off. (so sorry to kelly, who had the chance to read it).

A day to celebrate!

Happy 1 year Remission day (for the second time) to chloe!!

Today of last year, she got a bone marrow aspirate, which told us that she had no more cancer in her blood or marrow, that she could go forward with her bone marrow transplant. She is such a brave girl to fight cancer twice, but today was important last year because if she didn't get into remission, she couldn't get her transplant and that would not be a good thing. Chloe wants some of megan cochrans carmel brownies to celebrate (yum yum, we are so greatful for that recipe, because they are soooo good). We are so happy she has made it this far, she is such a strong girl, when we asked her what was the hardest part for her this year, she answered that living in the apartment was the hardest (I don't think she remembers most of the hospital visits). I will agree with her, that was hard.

GOOD JOB CHLOE!!!

dang GVHD

Chloe started having a flare up of GVHD this past week (limping on her ankle, stomach pain, rash and decreased appetite) so we are back at square one. Full dose of steriods and no tappering. We went to clinic yesterday and I voiced my concerns, and this time they agreed with me (which in that case I am glad, they know now the onset of her GVHD). Sometimes this is just a beast to get rid of and she has two things against her with GVHD, one, she had cord blood transfusion, and two, it is chronic.
I was really bummed out. Steriods change her personality and her appearance, so the set back was frustrating to me. She will be on drugs longer.
Her attitude is great and she is happy and rarely complains, so that helps me. It is just hard to see her different.
The web cam hasn't been working and we both are really frustrated with that. I don't know how to get that moving along. So we do school work at home. The camera was up one day and we could see them but couldn't hear them and that was it. Hopefully someday, because most likely this flare up gauranties that she won't be able to go back until next year (deep down I was hoping she could go back in spring).

Some pictures.

Nothing much happened at our house this weekend, so I thought I'd post a few pics. Here's the Rhenster getting cleaned up after an out of control bowl of oatmeal. He likes to take a bath.



Avery and Rhen. I'm not sure he knows what to think about her yet. He's probably wondering how Spence got so small because she looks just like him. Except a cuter version. Sorry Spence, but seriously she's just over 10 lbs, doesn't have hairy arms and just look at those cheeks - it all just makes her cuter. Is cuter even a word?

Rhen Multi-tasking. Laundry in the machine, dishes in the sink and Soccer in between. Stacie's training him young.

ohhh...only Elsie

I have to teach a lesson on health and word of wisdom. I was looking online for effects of meth and drugs on a person and I came across a picture of your teeth after doing meth, they where gross. Rotting, falling out and black. So I was showing Jake them this morning and Elsie had a look at them. She said that they were gross teeth and why were they like that. So I told her it is the effects of drugs, so that is why we say no to them. She then said, "Well what if I say no and they pull out a gun?" Then we told her that it usually is a friend trying to get you to try them and you should just say no. Well Jake went to work and she kept referring back to the teeth over and over to Addie and Chloe, so I said ok enough with the teeth. She snickered a little bit and smiled with her shoulders up to her cheeks and said, " I don't know why but I kindof want to take drugs so I can have teeth like that." I said, "What?" She laughed and said, "oh just kidding." Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that cute little head of hers.

uneventful...but look at all that hair!

We've had an uneventful week, which is great! Chloe gets more energy everyday, it is fun to see her so happy. Clinic this week was great, she still has a gvhd rash which we have to treat but other than that she is great. When we go down to the hospital we always meet someone who is struggling with something, and my heart goes out to them. I know a lot of people who are struggling with things and I wish I could take their pain away. We know how hard it is to be so busy with hospitals and running around, I just want to say our prayers are with you.
The mom that I met this week wanted to see how fast hair grows back after transplant, and she was surprised to see how fast it does come back. It comes back a little faster after transplant than it does when she had maitenance treatment in the begining, cause she was on chemo still.

My sister in law took our family pictures and they turned out great! We get a lot of complements on them! Thanks Kel!

Wyo

Elsie Jane and I went up to Wyoming for a daddy daughter overnighter. She's a great travel companion because she has so much to say about pretty much everything. She told me all about school and the boys in kindergarten that are trying to be her friend. We were able to listen to all kinds of High School musical songs on the drive. It was difficult for me because my head was in the game, but my heart was in the song. Anyone who has 3 girls knows what i'm talking about.

One great thing about Elsie is she will tell you exactly what she is thinking. While visiting grandma and grandpa she emphatically told Grandpa that I am super fast at tying shoes but he is not because he is OLD!

We made a run up to Cottonwood lake because it seemed like the right thing to do. I was wishing i'd brought some form of small watercraft to go out on the water. The fall leaves made for excellent scenery as you can see.

A few weeks ago coming back from WY saw a couple of sheep hit by cars. Apparently the shephard down at Alred Flats doesn't realize it's a baa-ad idea to keep all his sheep right there by the highway. There were again several graphic casualties and the scene was less than desireable.

tender mercies are everywhere

It was nice not to have clinic yesterday! Going another week without it will seem like we haven't been there for a month.
I had a mix up with her steroids and it ended up being a blessing in a way. In all the confusion of her meds I was giving her half the dose of steriods they prescribed, I was in a panic and called the docs. They said her levels have been good so she has done well on half the dose for the GVHD. I was sick to realize that I made that mistake, but they assured me that is will be ok, we just won't tapper for another 2 weeks. I am so glad her GVHD didn't get any worse with half dose, I don't even want to think about it.
Last night I had young women to go to so Jake watched the kids and told me that Chloe complained of a sore throat last night, and this morning when she woke up I asked her about it and she casually said that last night she prayed that is would go away and as soon as she did, it went away. It made me feel so good to know that through all this, all the praying we have done to help her get better has become a habit for her. I remember lots of times, me and her praying together at night to help her feet not itch, not have bad dreams, or not having a bloody nose for 2 hours. She has a lot of faith and I am glad for answered prayers.