STOLEN

While driving away from Couer d'Alene, my radio station faded into another and to my horror I heard this country cover of one of my all-time favorite songs, the namesake of this blog, the Dream Academy masterpiece. However, when I arrived home and googled the cover, I decided to forgive Sugarland because (a)who can resist covering such an awesome song? and (b) even the country cover gave me chills. Enjoy the cowboys:



And for good measure, one of the Dream Academy's dreamiest videos, covering the Smith's from the Ferris Beuller soundtrack. Usually great songs stay great, huh?



"Haven't had a dream in a long time, see the luck I've had could make a good man turn bad."

"It's Friday, I'm in Love"

First things first: Happy 6th Birthday, Raef Walker Hamlin! We had so much fun with you and we hope you have a grrrrreat birthday!

Second things second: We made it home! We are all still getting used to being here (Heidi is still overtired and crying about finishing her dinner as I type), but the journey was relatively uneventful, yea, even nigh unto pleasant. This time I drove 800 miles in 12 hours and 37 minutes (turns out it's much easier to travel northeast through Kennewick than southwest), and I had Marshall and Abby to help me pass out snacks & drinks and herd kids at rest stops. I left Vancouver at 9:09am (it was 8:09 in Vancouver) and arrived home at 9:46pm. It was sunny and beautiful and I decided if I ever come into money, I will have a vacation home along the Columbia River Gorge OR on the lake in Couer d'Alene (in addition to my Tucson and Livingston homes, of course)--it was STUNNINGLY beautiful driving along the river and later along the lakeshore (and all the kids were sleeping as I drove from Post Falls to Wallace, ID). Rich had the whole house and yard just perfect, the fridge stocked with our favorite things, and lots of love to pass around to the weary travelers! YAY!

Mom says her hair is falling out--they said 21 days, but it was 13. It won't be long until it's all gone, so send your cute hats now! :) I love adn miss her already, and I envy the peace adn quiet that Jill and the G'rents are enjoying.

I have to run, but I'll have more details later.

"Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home!"

***

Vancouver, uhhh...what day is it?

Ah, yes, thirteen. And the Grandparents have arrived. Mom got up and got dressed this afternoon and we had quite the nice day getting ready for los abuelos. We did a bunch of chores and errands and then Jill and I bought dinner and other groceries at Fred Meyer right about the time the Grandparents' plane was landing. We made a yummy dinner of roasted chicken, green salad with poppyseed dressing, fruit salad with huge strawberries, and a yummy baguette. For family night, we watched home movies and ate cranberry-walnut oatmeal cookies.

Sara, we miss you!

It has been a lovely day and it was so nice to see my mom up and around. She is so adorable and we are so thankful she felt better today.

We can feel your love and prayers on her/ our behalf and we thank you so much. Your comments and notes and phone calls mean so much to mom and to us. This could be so lonely and hard (Geo, I think of you everyday...how did you do it???), but there is definitely an outpouring of love buoying us up. Thank you, awesome family and friends...

This comment and post from Jess sum it up quite well; again, thanks EVERYONE for your comments! (Jess, I love you and I wish you well in your own health challenges...you're so brave!):

I'm so sorry this hurts so much! I'm crying for all of you. I don't know who has it worse, your mom going through it or her children watching her go through it. Life is a beautiful thing, especially in our extremities. God does not always give us what we want, but he sure gives us the strength to endure. You and your family are amazing. You will get through this and be stronger, more united, more refined. I know this is awful for you right now, but I think its also beautiful in a way. The love, its palpable in what you write. Thanks for sharing it. (((hugs))) We're praying for you.

No Words

Can we do four months of this?

I suppose if I get my mom back at the end, it's worth it. But we've got a long road ahead.

UGH.

She Got Me

I cried about my mom for the first time today.

I went to check on her late this morning and she said her chest hurt/burned really bad and that she'd suffered terrible intestinal cramps all night.

"I had a really bad night," she said. "I wasn't sure I was going to make it."
"Aw, mom. I am so sorry we have been so noisy this morning while you're trying to sleep..."
"It's not the noise that's bothering me, babe," she said, her eyes filling with tears, "it's the pain."

She put her left arm around my neck and pulled me close and said, "Thanks for working so hard and taking care of me." She put her right arm around Sara and hugged us both. "I have the best kids in the world." And then she was really crying, so we all joined in.

"I'm only doing this once," she added. "If the cancer comes back, that's it."

"I know, mama," I squeaked. "We wouldn't ask you to....but thank you for trying this time."

We made her call the nurse at the cancer center and the nurse told her it was side effects from the contrast dye on her CAT scan yesterday and told her what to do for relief. She is now trying to get some rest and I am trying to start dinner and get all that laundry Sara folded put away. The kids are playing in the sprinklers again, eating cheese crackers and gummi cars and ice water, splashing, fighting over toys, tattling, laughing, screeching through the cold water in the sun with their cousins. Jill took Sara to get some new pants and they took James and Kaylee. Life is still so good...pray for mom's comfort.

This Week (mostly today) In Photos

Here's Abby doing some pre-game fielding on Monday night.
Marshall, Abby, Addie, Brady, Raef, Heidi, and James eating dinner Wednesday night.
James & Nana, at it again.
Kaylee snuggling her Nana Tuesday night.
***

Today we picked up Aunt Jill and took a detour to Multnomah Falls.
Here's Aunt Jill and Kaylee...


The gang at base of the Falls

Cousins at the Sign
Cousins on a bench by the bridge: Heidi, Addie, Brady, Raef, James, and Kaylee
Cutie Punkins!

James & Kaylee, sweet baby cousins
My Sunny Lynners
Brady & Raef
Sara & Jill getting hosed on the bridge

The Falls from the bridge
Heidi on the bridge
Jill, Me, and James (freshly misted)
Sara, Kaylee, Me, and James

Brady, Raef, and Heidi head for the snack bar
Heidi's all smiles!
So is Raef!
Kaylee is a sweetie-punkin!

Heidi sharing ice cream with Kaylee
Check out Addie's giant popsicle!
Adorable Brady and his treat

Me-n-my-Adeline
James and Aunt Jill work on his popsicle
Sharing is fun!
Maybe three of us can finish it off?...

Kaylee devoured her cone!
A train passed over just as we went in the tunnel to the parking lot--YIKES!
Melin Kids after a fun adventure

***

Now Jill has taken Abby to her ball game (Heidi and Kaylee went, too), Mark is stuck in traffic, Nana is home from the doctor's (her tumor has shrunk and her blood is fairly healthy--YAY THAT), and the cousins are playing in the sprinklers. Sara has worked her tail off today, folding about 7 loads of wash and cleaning up the downstairs--HOORAY for helping hands! (I just took a nap with Heidi, then started blogging--LAY-ZEEEE!). Have a great weekend, all y'all. More updates to come!

Vancouver, Day Nine

I don't have much to say about day nine yet, as it has only just begun. But it's off to a good start seein's how I slept all night in the same bed without kids laying all over me. YAY THAT.

So far plans for today include picking Jill up from the airport at 9:30am, perhaps driving her down to Multnomah Falls, then coming back home to eat lunch, put kids down for naps, and then take Mama to her second radiology appointment. Mama had her first radiology consult yesterday, for which she got up and dressed and accessorized (she looked awesome). Sara went with her and they did a little shopping afterward and brought home some Baja Fresh for lunch. Mom has to go back today and get her radiology tatoos so they can shoot her in the right spots. She is doing really well. I can tell her daily meds are still wiping her out, but she is feeling much better, more like her regular self everyday. I am still trying to feed her good whole foods so she will be ready for her next round, but now we know the whole process will knock her out for about a week. I hope the two in-between weeks are good and she gets to enjoy time with all the loved ones that will be here with her.

Going to the cancer center was a cool experience. It is such a nice, comfy place with all the amenities for the patients AND their guests, but I kept looking around and feeling totally mixed emotions. I eavesdropped on conversations ( a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary after meeting in the Navy, etc) and realized that ALL thos people in there are special to their loved ones, and each patient represented a family that was getting rocked as much as our family is. It made me momentarily sad--I told mom, "I feel like crying--I can't believe we're here." But then I watched her be brave and watched her cool nurse take such good care of her, I just felt grateful that the treatment exists and there are professionals who are so gentle and who know how to guide her down the path to recovery. I am excited that teh grandparents and Lisa and Sam and Kris will get to go there, too.

Anyhooo--kids to dress, breakfast to make, etc. Maybe tonight we can post some pix of our adventures. Check out the six cousins in the tub pix at Sara's blog! :)

An Update, finally.

We have been INSANELY bust around here since Sunday, with Nana's Rituxan treatment on Monday, followed by Abby's game, and then lots of errands and getting ready for Sara to come on Tuesday (she came! no pix uploaded yet, but she's here and it's fun!). But mom has been pretty sick since the rituxan with a lot of body aches and fatigue. We're trying to keep her nourished and allow her to rest (so we are taking the kids to Smal-Land at IKEA again today).

So here are some pix of our activities:

LOTS of sleeping (James and Nana last Saturday)
Lots of mischief with Crazy Nana
Silly James!
Now he sticks everything up his nose!
Funny Nana!
Lots of SNUGGLING
Monday we headed back to the Cancer Center...

For more of this...look at my cutie mom!
We hung out for 4 hours waiting fro the Rituxan to drip in (what has the humidity done to my hair?!?! THAT is why I got it cut, right after I put mom to bed on Monday)
There's the yucky stuff that's made my mama so sick.

But we love it because it's KICKING CANCER'S BUM!

(she also got a $6,000 shot of Neulasta at them end of Monday's treatment...

Holy cow, cancer is expensive in so many ways!)

***

...So all is well, relatively. Thanks for caring. I will write some more details when another quiet moment comes up. For now, naps are over and it's IKEA time.

XO

Bet Your Bottom Dollar

It's Sunday, so of course the sun came out today. On the Sabbath, the day we don't "play." The kids were NOT happy about that. But now that it's evening and relief has arrived in the form of Uncle Michael (HOORAY! He's gaining on you, Brent, for the Charles In Charge title! ;)). I am letting them enjoy God's creations in the back yard with Michael and the dog.

We attended mom's ward today, all three hours, and the loving care of everyone really touched me. In the sacrament closing prayer, her friend Pam said something like, "Father, there are sick among our ward family and we ask a special blessing on them. Give them the courage and faith they need to face their treatments...comfort and strengthen their families and guide their doctors..." It was really sweet. She is doing pretty well--nauseated, but adorable in her housecoat and snazzy hair. She got up for a while today. Two priesthood holders brought the sacrament to her, and the Relief Society is bringing another meal tomorrow after her "R" treatment and chemo class. Michale and Tegan are taking all the kids to the zoo tomorrow while Mark works and I go with Mom to the cancer center. My heart is happy for the way we are all working together--it's such a kindness and such a relief that Michael came today!

My favorite thought from Sacrament Meeting: "It's not foolish to give up that which you cannot keep for that which you can never lose." Good stuff. Much like, "Sacrifice is giving up something good for something better" or "Do not sacrifice what you want MOST for what you want NOW." Chew on that while I go serve up some dinner and tame the wild ones...mucho amor!

Vancouver, Days Two & Three

Greetings from the seventh circle of Heck! Just kidding, but it is pretty much my nighmare to be caring for 5 kids, rainy day after rainy day, trying to keep them quiet and keep them from torturing the poor dog. It's awesome. I just keep telling myself, now mom knows how much I love her!!!! ;)

As you probably read on Mom's blog (Mark is guest blogging), Mom successfully completed her first round of chemotherapy yesterday. She has been remarkably well--I am sooo proud of her! I don't know what I was expecting--I guess my expectations have been tainted by shows like "Dying Young" and "Crazy, Sexy Cancer." It's different for everyone, but I expected it to be worse for her. Of course, after giving birth to eight children and knowing all too well how to deal with nausea and discomfort, she is a total pro!

I am so glad Mark was with her yesterday. He is long gone now, and I hope she isn't feeling too bad. My kids got up at 6am--I have no clock in my room, so I got them dressed, got in the shower myself, and made up a bunch of french toast when I looked up at the clock and it said 7:11am. I was NOT happy about that, especially since we woke up mom in the process. I think I am going to make them do some chores and then we are going to IKEA--I will check them in to the play place and pick up some stuff for mom (a clip line from which to hang all her well-wishes in her room--I thought that would lift her spirits) and some lingon berries and meatballs for dinner. Then we will all get a needed break--me from KidChaos, mom from noise and interruptions, and the kids from boredom and distracted adults. Sounds like a win-win.

Yesterday was cold and rainy, and today looks like more of the same. We did a little shopping yesterday while mom was at the cancer center--we will be celebrating Rich's bday and Father's Day a little late when we get home, so I want my van to be like Santa's sleigh for Rich!;) He is so supportive and awesome--taking care of an open house at our house tonight, helping me get here to be with mom (he said as I left, "You take good care of my mother-in-law!"--so sweet), and being cool with having extra kids at our house all summer. He rocks in so many ways! Anyway, we did get a nice nap yesterday, and the RS brought pizza for dinner. The kids had a movie night, watching "Night at the Museum" while Nana rested, Papa worked, and I snuck in a little reading (I bought David Sedaris' "Naked" and it's just as funny as "Denim and Corduroy"--I am thinking about splurging on his new book--it will be good, light reading for the chemo room on Monday). Life is so good, and we are all being blessed in so many little ways, moment to moment. I just pray for mom's comfort--I have accepted the trial, the challenge, I just don't want it to be any hareder on HER than it has to be, ya know??? I feel bad for her because without her meds, her arthritis is probably worse than the cancer or chemo. I wish I could give her my tub!!!

On that note, I think I am going to take these kids away for a while! Leave me some comments--I'll need them by day's end! ;)

Vancouver, Day One

Okay, so I totally drove through a blizzard near Butte yesterday morning (and in rain for most of the way), stopped for potty breaks a million times, and drove 820 miles in 14 hours and 14 minutes (I got lost and used up about 40 miles going the wrong way in Kennewick--seriously, is that not the most confusing place?). But we got here safe and sound around 9pm and it has been so fun to be with Nana!

She had her "PowerPort" put in at the surgical center today--we just got home and she's going to rest and take a pain pill. All is well, she is great spirits, her sunny self--it's great to be with her, I am sure everyone is going to enjoy their visits--what a great opportunity to be with mom and show her love and support!

Thanks, Richie, for letting me come! More soon, I have to go pick up the kids from the RS President's house.