Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
christmas randomness
A mix of random pictures I've been meaning to share leading up to Christmas. And here we are, just a few hours from the big day.
My mom came to watch Elliott's Christmas program at school and they had a mean game of Twister going on afterward.
Wrapping, wrapping and more wrapping. I'm ready to have my table and space back. I may even pack everything back downstairs tonight!
Nothing says Christmas quite like a Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar.
Elliott with lots of other 3rd graders at their Holiday program earlier this month. I think he was laughing because he had been hit in the head during one of the hand motions.
Finally getting around to getting the past two years of Christmas pictures/cards into the scrapbook. I thought I was doing really well when this picture was taken. Amber even helped me when she was here. I haven't done anything since, so I'm still a year behind. Oh well.
Sitting with friends at another friend's orchestra Holiday performance.
Does everyone watch the Dawgs play while putting their Christmas tree up or is it just us?
Gertie took her first trip to Illinois for the first Christmas get together of the season. We didn't want her to keep rolling around, so the boys and I strapped her in. I'm sure a few heads turned on the way over.
My favorite part of decorating - the tree. It got a new spot this year, and I really like where it is.
visit with santa
This is the pose I get from Ethan now with Santa, I guess. This was after a ride on Little Toot last weekend near my mom and dad's house. At least Elliott looks like he was enjoying it.
christmas music
It's probably no secret that I love Christmas music. I try to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to start playing it, but I often listen to it in the summer or spring or just whenever I get a craving to hear it. But I love it this time of year - just makes me happy. Cause they're pretty much all happy songs, right? Mostly celebrating the birth of Jesus, and even the ones that are more secular are all about people being nice to each other and a happy ending. Much like those Hallmark movies that I am glued to this time of year, also :)
I do, however, get tired of hearing the same songs over and over again, so I try to find a few new songs every year. I haven't even looked for any this year, but I found new ones last year so they're not old to me yet. I'll share the titles/artists below, but this one by Point of Grace is one of my favorites right now. I was listening to it the other morning on the way home from radiation and just really like what it says.....
I do, however, get tired of hearing the same songs over and over again, so I try to find a few new songs every year. I haven't even looked for any this year, but I found new ones last year so they're not old to me yet. I'll share the titles/artists below, but this one by Point of Grace is one of my favorites right now. I was listening to it the other morning on the way home from radiation and just really like what it says.....
You say come to me, wait no more
I give you all you're asking for
Forget the lies this world has told
I'll wrap your life in linen gold
I'm more than just only
one night that's holy
I'm your star, and I'm your wish
cause I am both the giver and the gift
First of all, I have to say that I have been singing "I'll wrap your life in red and gold" instead of "...linen gold". Hate when I get the lyrics wrong! Linen gold never occurred to me. I'm not even sure I know what that is.
Second of all, I just really like what it says. We get so excited about Christmas and all that it means. I often feel just a bit disappointed on December 26th when all of the excitement is over. The Christmas Eve sevice is over, the presents are open, the food is eaten, the family is visited. I love everything about Christmas and hate to see the day pass by. This line in the song is such a good reminder for me
I'm more than just only
one night that's holy
It's about Him. About celebrating His birth. But He truly is more than just the excitement of this season. So so much more! I love that someone very talented put that into such simple words.
I had started this post a few weeks ago and had intended to post it but never got back to it. So I apologize for the lateness in the Christmas song suggestions. Here they are though, in case you want to continue the Christmas music season up to the new year or save them for next year or forget about them. Just wanted to share some of my new faves. Again, I have no idea how to link to the iTunes store, but that's where I found them so I'm sure they are still there.
He Has Come for Us (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen) by Chrystina Lloree Fincher
Album: North Point Christmas
Everything Changed by Eddie Kirkland
Album: North Point Christmas
Do You Hear? by James David Carter
Album: North Point Christmas
All Creating Sing (Joy to the World) by Seth Condrey
Album: North Point Christmas (Deluxe Edition)
Christ is Here by Todd Fields
Album: North Point Christmas
The Giver and the Gift by Point of Grace
Album: Home for the Holidays
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
meet BOB
Isn't he so cute?? He mysteriously landed on our doorstep this evening. And even more mysterious is how he knocked on the door to let us know he had arrived! I can already tell that he is going to be a quick and clever little elf.
The boys have never asked about the Elf on the Shelf until this year. They have both been enthralled with their friends' stories of the antics that their elves play and have been asking why we didn't have one. So they were beyond excited when BOB showed up tonight! Brian read them the story right away, we tossed around some name ideas, and then they wasted no time registering him as BOB at the North Pole.
He looks so sweet and innocent there in his box. The boys are so worried that he will not be able to get loose from the ties keeping him in the box tonight. They wanted to cut them so badly, but we wouldn't let them cause the book said that you can't touch him. I'm sure that this clever guy will find a way out - we'll see how much mischief he can stir up in the next few days!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
let it snow!
First snow of the season this morning.
The boys were excited, thinking that maybe they would get a snow day.
It only flurried, so no such luck for them.
Beautiful huge flakes I had to catch in a photo.
Would love to see this again on Christmas morning!
is it tomorrow yet?
It's been pointed out to me by a few people that the "tomorrow" that I promised in the last post has come and gone - by almost 3 weeks - with no new post. Not even one single word or picture! I might have an issue with time management. Actually it's just that it's really busy around here (sounds familiar at your house, too, I'm sure), and by the time I sit down at night to blog I just don't have the energy to really put my heart into it. But it's been long enough.
So I'm in my 3rd week of radiation now. It is truly a piece of cake - especially compared to chemo. I know that may change a little - the effects are cumulative, so the worst of the fatigue/skin irritations will come more toward the end of the treatment period. Only in the past couple of days has my skin started looking a little pink and feeling a little tender, but that's really all and really not that bothersome.
The whole radiation experience is interesting, I think. It's a very exact science with lots of math that I do not understand. Yet something I think I would enjoy if I understood it. Everyday, the whole process, from the time I park until the time I get back in the car, takes only about 20 minutes. I think the majority of that time is usually getting me lined up exactly right on the machine. The actual treatment is less than 5 minutes. I really don't mind it. I enjoy talking to the therapists. I think the huge machine is actually very fascinating. And I continue to be amazed at the thickness of the door when going into the room (it's got to be at least 6 inches thick). Brian calls the room "the bunker". I guess there is a good reason why everyone leaves the room when they actually start shooting the radiation :) And because I've had to be in Chesterfield everyday, I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done now. It really could be so much worse!
When they were doing my CT scan and then also when I went for my first radiation treatment, I remember thinking how different I felt compared to when I went in for surgery over 6 months ago. Six months ago I was anxious about all that was before me. The surgery, the anesthesia, the dye insertion and the chemo beyond that. Now it didn't bother me to be doing any procedures or not know what was going to happen next anymore. It's odd how you learn to just go with what you're given and trust that God has your back. It's actually not odd - it's peaceful.
I've gained a lot of energy back. Just in the past couple of weeks I've started to feel really closer to what "normal" was before chemo had its fun with us. I can now climb the stairs without feeling like I've just run a marathon, and much to my family's relief I am able to cook, clean and pretty much keep up with the laundry - although I have a feeling they were enjoying everyone else's cooking a whole lot!! I am so thankful to everyone who helped keep things running around here the past few months, and I am almost just as thankful to be able to do all of those tasks again myself.
And my hair is growing back! It's just a little peach fuzz right now, but it's there. Ethan prayed hard for it to grow back red, but it looks like I'm going to continue being a brunette. Unfortunately, the hair on my legs is also growing back. I thought I could at least be rewarded with not having to deal with that anymore, but looks like that answer is "no". I've also noticed some eyebrows growing in. I never lost my eyebrows. They thinned out and new growth stopped, but they were always there. Now my eyelashes are a different story. Just two weeks ago we were in Kansas City for a little family getaway and I was counting how many eyelashes I had left (cause that's my form of entertainment these days) and as I touched the ONE I found and started to say "Hey I only have one now!" it fell right out on my finger. So ZERO is the big fat number of eyelashes I have left now. And apparently they take the longest to grow back. I don't mind it except that without them my eyes seem to water more, and eyeliner doesn't stay on very well so I often look really pale and ill. That's okay, though. Now I'll just start counting how many are growing back for my winter entertainment.
The only really prevalent annoying side effect that is lingering around from chemo is the neuropathy in my fingers. It's annoying. It's difficult to button anything, certain textures feel horrible on my fingers (unfortunately fabric is one of them, so folding clothes honestly hurts my fingers - and I promise that's not an excuse to get out of doing the laundry), and the cold weather is making it seem worse. My fingernails continue to bend and peel, also. But if I have to keep some side effects around, I'll take these over almost any of the others that I have experienced in the past few months!
Okay, hopefully this makes up for the 3 weeks of silence - at the very least my husband has something to read at lunch now :)
So I'm in my 3rd week of radiation now. It is truly a piece of cake - especially compared to chemo. I know that may change a little - the effects are cumulative, so the worst of the fatigue/skin irritations will come more toward the end of the treatment period. Only in the past couple of days has my skin started looking a little pink and feeling a little tender, but that's really all and really not that bothersome.
The whole radiation experience is interesting, I think. It's a very exact science with lots of math that I do not understand. Yet something I think I would enjoy if I understood it. Everyday, the whole process, from the time I park until the time I get back in the car, takes only about 20 minutes. I think the majority of that time is usually getting me lined up exactly right on the machine. The actual treatment is less than 5 minutes. I really don't mind it. I enjoy talking to the therapists. I think the huge machine is actually very fascinating. And I continue to be amazed at the thickness of the door when going into the room (it's got to be at least 6 inches thick). Brian calls the room "the bunker". I guess there is a good reason why everyone leaves the room when they actually start shooting the radiation :) And because I've had to be in Chesterfield everyday, I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done now. It really could be so much worse!
When they were doing my CT scan and then also when I went for my first radiation treatment, I remember thinking how different I felt compared to when I went in for surgery over 6 months ago. Six months ago I was anxious about all that was before me. The surgery, the anesthesia, the dye insertion and the chemo beyond that. Now it didn't bother me to be doing any procedures or not know what was going to happen next anymore. It's odd how you learn to just go with what you're given and trust that God has your back. It's actually not odd - it's peaceful.
I've gained a lot of energy back. Just in the past couple of weeks I've started to feel really closer to what "normal" was before chemo had its fun with us. I can now climb the stairs without feeling like I've just run a marathon, and much to my family's relief I am able to cook, clean and pretty much keep up with the laundry - although I have a feeling they were enjoying everyone else's cooking a whole lot!! I am so thankful to everyone who helped keep things running around here the past few months, and I am almost just as thankful to be able to do all of those tasks again myself.
And my hair is growing back! It's just a little peach fuzz right now, but it's there. Ethan prayed hard for it to grow back red, but it looks like I'm going to continue being a brunette. Unfortunately, the hair on my legs is also growing back. I thought I could at least be rewarded with not having to deal with that anymore, but looks like that answer is "no". I've also noticed some eyebrows growing in. I never lost my eyebrows. They thinned out and new growth stopped, but they were always there. Now my eyelashes are a different story. Just two weeks ago we were in Kansas City for a little family getaway and I was counting how many eyelashes I had left (cause that's my form of entertainment these days) and as I touched the ONE I found and started to say "Hey I only have one now!" it fell right out on my finger. So ZERO is the big fat number of eyelashes I have left now. And apparently they take the longest to grow back. I don't mind it except that without them my eyes seem to water more, and eyeliner doesn't stay on very well so I often look really pale and ill. That's okay, though. Now I'll just start counting how many are growing back for my winter entertainment.
The only really prevalent annoying side effect that is lingering around from chemo is the neuropathy in my fingers. It's annoying. It's difficult to button anything, certain textures feel horrible on my fingers (unfortunately fabric is one of them, so folding clothes honestly hurts my fingers - and I promise that's not an excuse to get out of doing the laundry), and the cold weather is making it seem worse. My fingernails continue to bend and peel, also. But if I have to keep some side effects around, I'll take these over almost any of the others that I have experienced in the past few months!
Okay, hopefully this makes up for the 3 weeks of silence - at the very least my husband has something to read at lunch now :)
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