Health Update

Here is the latest that Mat sent out today.

"We met with the surgeon again yesterday and here is what we know. The ampullary mass is malignant. However, on the positive side, the tumor is a GIST. The GIST appears to be localized and is less likely to spread (in the short term) than other types of tumors. We have been referred to an oncologist at KU Med and will meet with her next week. The doctor is hoping that chemo treatment will either eliminate or shrink the tumor so they won't have to perform the Whipple procedure to remove it. We are starting the process of seeking a second opinion from Johns Hopkins and M.D. Anderson. Thank you for your fasting and prayer. We have been truly strengthened by them."

Thank you for your love, prayers and concern. We truly feel bouyed up and anxious to get this beat and behind us.

Christmas 2009

Christmas didn't turn out as expected. We'd had plans to go to Houston and spend Christmas with Mat's family. When I ended up in the hospital they didn't want me traveling with the unknowns of the tumor, etc. Since my sweet Mom had come out to help she stayed for Christmas (unfortunately my Dad wasn't able to because of the weather). We had a fun Christmas Eve with the John's, dinner, the nativity and the Night before Christmas. I have never seen Derek go to sleep so fast...he didn't even want a story. That night we got dumped on with snow, it was awesome! Christmas morning we saw Santa had come and brought some special things. The kids got an easel, Derek got a green remote control airplane, Will got rocket from Little Einsteins and Sophie got a tickle me Elmo. Mat and I got the kids a 8 foot trampoline for the basement that is 2 feet off the ground. It has been so much fun. We had a fun few days putting together trains, hot wheels tracks, etc. It was so nice having Mom here with us. A new family favorite was the Disney 30 min movie they had on tv called Prep and Landing. This was watched almost every day at least once. We were all quoting the lines. We decided our theme for Christmas was the line the reindeer said as they were trying to make their way through the storm "Laughing all the way my friend, laughing all the way".

Our family at Union Station.

Seeing Santa again on Christmas Eve

D, decorating himself as a gift.

Building a ship with Nana

The boys loved to put boys on Sophie

What a cute Miss Claus Sophie makes!

After church, unfortunately Will was asleep.

Nana and Sophie

Derek, Will and Samantha ready for the Nativity

Will as Joseph, Sammy as Mary, Derek as the shepherd, Bailey as an angel and Sophie as the new baby Jesus (not so happy about it).

Reading of The Night Before Christmas

Christmas Eve pj's

The snow as we went to bed Christmas Eve...so fun!

Christmas breakfast

Christmas Morning

Our three kiddos

The boys seeing the tramp

D, jumping away

Where to begin...

The last couple of weeks are a blur. For the last month or two I've been feeling really exhausted. Needing naps, sleeping in later, no energy to get things done. I felt like I had just enough umph to get done the bare minimum. I'd had people start telling me I looked pale, tired, etc. I just chalked it up to being a Mom of three little ones and a busy Christmas season. It was all I could do to get to the grocery store, Costco, etc. to get things for cookie plates, bread, etc. Every time I walked up the stairs the back of my head would throb and I was short of breath. I stopped working out because I didn't have the energy. I just figured I was getting out of shape, etc.

By Tuesday, the 15th I was on the couch and did not feel like I had the energy to get off. I called my Dr. to see if I could get in and made an appt. for Thursday. That afternoon we had a presidency meeting here and they all were very concerned as to how pale I was etc. I called my Dr. to see if I could get in that day for blood work. I thought I was probably low on iron, etc. My sweet friend Sue wouldn't leave until she took me to get my blood work done and Jill and Heidi took my kids. Wednesday morning I called the Dr.s office a couple of times to talk with the nurse and see about the results. About 11:30 the Dr. called and told me my hemoglobin was a 4.4 (it should be about a 12, anything below 8 is dangerous) and I needed to get to the hospital immediately for a blood transfusion. I ended up in ICU that afternoon, they gave me three bags of blood then did an endoscopy the next morning to see if they could locate where the bleeding was coming from. Much to their surprise, and ours they found a tumor on my Duodenum and a small mass in my stomach. They later gave me an additional bag of blood and did a colonoscopy Friday afternoon. The colonoscopy came back clean. When they do these tests you are under conscious sedation. I don't remember anything but Mat told me after my colon came back clean I kept saying "clean colon, high five doc, high five nurse, I've got a clean colon". Wow...frightening the things you say and do semi conscious. They discharged me and scheduled an appt. with a surgeon at KU Med. We met with him Monday and found out we need to do more testing then we have probably three options.

1. Treat the tumor with meds (not likely b/c I am young and healthy and they want to get it all)

2. Treat the tumor with chemo meds to shrink it then do a labroscopic surgery

3. Do a whipple surgery (cut from stern to stem)

The unfortunate part is the tumor is in a cruddy spot where it affects most of the GI tract. We have a Pet CT scan for tomorrow and and Endoscopic Ultrasound on Tuesday to get a better biopsy of it and get a better picture as to its location, what it is touching, size, etc. They believe it is most likely benign but need this additional biopsy to be sure. We'll meet with the surgeon most likely the 4th of Jan. or the 31st if they get the test results back in time. We are starting out 2010 with a bang. I am so thankful for the prayers and concern of so many. I truly feel peaceful and confident that everything will be ok and know I have been strengthened by the prayers of so many. Thank you for your love and concern. We'll keep you posted as to what the next steps will entail.

All I want for Christmas...

Derek..."a green remote control airplane"

Will..."a remote control rocket"...uh oh

Sophie...my first front tooth....Santa made an early stop by our house. Soph's first front tooth broke through yesterday 12-13-09 on her 7 month birthday. Yeah!

This adorable picture was when we went to Crown Center. Morgan and Avrie Nalder went with us. It was so fun to see how excited the kids were. Love how intrigued Sophie was with that beard. Merry Christmas!

Stuffed or not?

Tawna and I went to go check out the Great Wolf Lodge for a potential spot for a reunion. Derek came with us. Inside the Lodge are lots of stuffed bears and wolves. I was explaining to D how they weren't alive but were now dead and stuffed with stuffing. A few minutes later we happened to be walking past a couple of women who worked there that were standing at a restaurant podium. One of them was a little larger and had very fitted pants on. As we walked by D reached up and slapped her rear! Whose child does that? She was super cool and said, "are you trying to give me a high five?, etc." We walked away and I said "Derek, why would you hit her rear, we don't touch other people's private areas." He responded by telling me "Mom, I wasn't sure if she was real or stuffed." That kid kills me!

A fabulously frightening Halloween

Feeling the love, all three kiddos. Will as Woody, Derek as Buzz Lightyear and

Sophie as a bumblebee.

Halloween was great, Max Cooper was baptized, it was neat to be there. We spent a couple of hours at the park raking and jumping in leaves and playing on the playground. A relaxing afternoon then trick or treating, yummy chili and cornbread and a fun firepit in the driveway. I love smores! If only our little Soph had been feeling better. She had a nasty cold and was so stuffy, bad coughs and yucky eyes. The boys made a pretty good haul on the candy. I seriously get nervous before they go out and think they have to get started early. My sister and I decided it goes back to our halloween as kids. We were candy hoarders and ran to get as much as possible. I think also because my older sisters would go through ours and take what they wanted...cruel! Early to bed for Sophie but the rest of us enjoyed a late night and daylight savings.

Sophie, swinging at the park

The boys throwing leaves and Jill having fun!

Will feeling the affect of Derek's push

Will trying to take down D.

The kids raking and making a great pile!

Loving their sis!

Dad and the kids

D and Will ready to go and hit the streets for candy.

Fall has arrived

What a fun October we had! We were able to have lots of family visit which made it special. My brother Ryan and his family came first. The boys were in heaven with three other boys to play with. While they were here we were able to go to Shatto Dairy, which we LOVE! They have the best chocolate milk ever! I think it just won an award for 3rd best in the world (I'd love to taste the #1 and #2 that beat them out). We also did Kaleidoscope, Oklahoma Joe's, Sheridan's, D's soccer game (where he scored his first goal...woohoo, unfortunately I was taking a picture of my brother holding Sophie when it happened) and the pumpkin patch. It was great!

Then my sister Tawna and her family came in town. It was so fun having more cousins to play with and getting to do more fun things around town...Deanna Rose, Kidscape, Sylas and Maddy's, etc.

My Mom then came in town the next week and the boys were so excited to have Nana here! She was able to be here to for D's last soccer game, when he got his medal, did a fabulous Halloween party for the kids and also saw Derek's first primary program. We loved having her here. The leaves have been beautiful and now they are all falling fast so lots of raking and fun piles to jump in. Here is our picture journal from October.

Nana and Sophie

Dad and Derek won the make a mummy contest

The cool punch!

Nana and Derek eating creepy spiders

Nana and Derek eating dirt and worms

a bloody hand in some foaming punch at Nana's Halloween party. Here are Buzz and Woody.

high fives all around

D showing Nana his medal

The Dragon's final team cheer.

Nana and Sophie at D's soccer game

The foaming pumpkin at science city...it was so cool!

D and Will driving the helicopter at Science City (in costume)

D with his cousins Ella, Brooke, Kate and Isaac at Deanna Rose

Soph's first ruffle butt tights...I love them!

Brooke and Kate entertaining Sophie

Ry and Austin trying to stay warm while picking out a pumpkin.

The older cousins at the pumpkin patch.

The boys mesmerized by an ant farm we had just dropped the ants into. It was so cool!

Crazy cousins!

Ryan and Sophie at D's soccer game (the picture I was taking while D scored his first goal)!

Derek, Tanner and Tyler at Shatto Dairy

Sophie, all bundled up and ready to go.

D now loves to ride his bike on our family walks.