Weekend Update

There's a farm in the middle of town. Target has built across the street from it, Sports Authority down the block from it, and restaurants galore surround it. But the farm remains with it's big red barns, horses that look at you (wondering why you were at Target again), and a little unassuming house with it's porch light on most days and nights.

Caeden fell in love with the old Combine sitting on the property, and every time we would pass it, he would wonder outloud about the Farmer. "Mom, do you think he will drive the Combine today? Mom - Mom. Moooooooom! Where is the farmer? Do you think he'll let ME drive the Combine?"

On and On.

Then one day he said, "Mom, how about you take my picture with the Combine?"

SOLD! I drove our SUV down that Farmer's dirt road, past the horses (who clearly thought I was lost - Target is across the street, lady), and up to the house. No one was around, so I left a note, asking pretty please to have permission to photograph Caeden on their property.

And in my excitement, I left Wayne's phone number instead of mine.

He was irritated by that, but whatever. Details, details.

So, after Farmer Joe called back and said no problem! we went back out and took some pictures.

He had neat old gas pumps, too. Which I couldn't just walk by.

And that was how our weekend ended.

It started pretty good, too, but I don't have pictures of anything else. Short and sweet:

1. Mom and Dad (Donna and Dave) arrive from Rapid City and stay for the weekend.
2. BBQ at Mom & Ken's house. We ate ah-maz-ing steak, salad, & potatoes. Most everyone drank too much (except for 2 lame-o's: a certain someone who has a baby to put to bed and a certain someone with no hair who had to drive certain parents home).
3. Uncle Jim & Aunt Marlys stop in to visit on Sunday ...

And poof! The weekend is gone.

Bathroom Ideas

I fear these pictures are so dang little that you won't be able to see this, but photoshop keeps shrinking everything down into this itty bitty size and I am tired of trying to fix it. Sorry about that! *Edited to add* Just click on the picture - it comes up normal sized.

For the same price as a cherry double vanity (which is what we have in our other bathrooms), I can have 2 pedestal sinks and beadboard put up in the bathroom. I love this style so much, so I am going to swap it out. This bathroom is going to be so dang cute that we may just have to relocate our bed/bath to downstairs.

I'm only half kidding.

So, the mirrors in the bathroom picture are from Pottery Barn. I love the shelf that is under the mirror for perfume or a place to put a candle.

The sconces are from PB, too. They are $5 more than the ones at Home Depot and are so much better looking. I just love a deal.

The sinks I am debating between are both from Kohler at Home Depot. The square one, which I LOVE or this one ... which I like, too - it's more vintage.

I'm doing white subway tile and a hexagonal white tile on the floor.

There are no windows, so doing my best to make it light and bright.

Also.

The closet in the bedroom is HUGE. I don't think it's practical. Trying to work up the courage to tell my old-school contractor that I want him to change it: Push the closet to one side, and then have him build a little desk area for a guest's laptop, etc.

Wayne is getting some blood work done this morning to see where his counts are. If he needs a transfusion or things are looking worrisome, I'll post an update.

Finally, I'll leave you with this story emailed to me by my friend Kellie. She's a teacher and always has the best stories! Take it away, Kellie:

So I needed a good laugh today, and got one so I thought I would share.

One of my students is a cute little cowboy..cute as a button...small, with stories galore and actions to go with them. He loves to talk and LOVES school...very involved, loves to help the other kids and I team him up with my Down's Syndrome boy and he is patient...everything you could ask for in a student. Everything he says and does revolves around his life on the ranch. He is so cute, I could just gobble him up.

So today, we were discussing similes. You know...The man was as mad as a hornet....type of stuff. He raises his hand and tells me to please come read his similies...He is soooooooooooo excited! I get over there and peer down at his paper. About this time, my eyes start trying to focus on the paper cuz I really don't know that I am actually seeing what I think I am seeing. He starts to read, "Listen to this, Mrs. Burns....The bulls balls are as big as a basketball." I stand there, trying to think of another explanation to his sentence....I am thinking "Do bulls play with balls like dolphins?"...trying to come up with ANY other reasoning other than what I think might be the true meaning. So he goes on, "Oh, and look at this one: Carter's bull's balls are as big as the moon". By this time, I am trying to hold it in. I say, "Now Blake, are you talking about the boy parts on a bull?" And he looks up at me, so proud with rosey cheeks and says, "Yes! And they are HUGE, Mrs. Burns! Me and my dad....." I stop him. I say, "Um, Blake, it looks like you understand similes, and I am happy that you do. However, this is something that we really can't write about at school." He looks up at me in disbelief, then hangs his head, drops his shoulders, and says, "But why not? They are!" I tried to explain why, but how do you get that point across when "the bulls balls" are a constant topic of conversation in his life? I thought I was going to die laughing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I needed that A LOT!

How it sucks you in

The internet. Am I the only one who sits online all night after the kids are in bed? How embarrassing to admit! But there are things to DO, people.

Like. Look for bathroom ideas (for the basement). Which leads me to a site that leads me to a site that leads me here: Farm Chicks. To this fab idea:



Which, of course, has NOTHING to do with bathrooms but has everything to do with cute and practical.

And now it's 10:30 and my eyes are burning and I still have no clue on bathroom fixtures.

But I do have a great idea for knives.

8 Things

1. Basement is being framed. Pictures to come soon!
2. Caeden spent the night with Mimi and brought home homemade food and slime.
3. Claire will not nap. Will not nap. Will not.
4. Wayne's white blood count is almost zero.
5. Creating a digital workflow that I will follow every.single.time so I am not up until 2am editing pictures.
6. Need to mow the back yard (only got to the front and ran out of: time, energy, good weather)
7. Joined the gym (again) last week and still haven't been there. I see all the Mom's in their cute workout clothing, dropping their kids off at school, and I think "Yeah, right. You aren't going either. You are just a better faker than I am."
8. Ran into a teacher at Caeden's school that stopped me in the hall. She asked me how we were doing, and what she could do to help. I promptly burst into tears. Her genuine kindness took me by surprise. It shouldn't, but it did.

Tired.

Wayne is tired. I am tired.

More tomorrow. Hopefully after some sleep...




And some coffee.

Sweet Baby Session

I had the privilege of photographing this sweet, darling little honey earlier this week. I couldn't sleep for two days because I wanted nothing more than to work on her images. Such a beauty and so, so sweet. I have a gazillion favorites. Can't wait to see what her parents pick out as theirs.

I started a photography blog to showcase my sessions, but really, I link it from here anyway, so I'm just going to post them here. A little business, a little personal. It's all good, right?

Day 5

Wayne is done. And is doing fantastic! We're watching his blood count and making sure he rests, but he made it through without getting neurotoxicity. Such a blessing.

Our basement started today. I have been scheming about the kids' playroom that will be down there and love this:

(Land of Nod)

1. I like the wood floors, which forgive paint, glue, and glitter much easier than carpet does. On a budget friendly note, anyone have any experience installing a Pergo-type floor? I was thinking we could do it ourselves...? Is it as easy as it looks? I am sucker for HGTV and think I can do anything with a few nails and glue.

2. I like the frame wallpaper. It's absolutely genius. Not only for the kids, but for anyone who visits us. I am specifically asking for a smooth drywall finish in the playroom for the purpose of this wallpaper.



3. The kids have a table and chair set, and lots of colorful props/organizational stuff. It won't take much to make their playroom super fun and gender neutral.

Well, that's the playroom. More inspiration coming soon.

Day 4

We did a little of this ...


And a lot of this ...


And some of this, too...

While we waited for Wayne to come home from chemo. He is still doing great! He is tired and chemo'd up, but he isn't toxic. Each day I breathe a little easier, thinking that if he does OK then they will do round 7. Each round is so important.

Here is to staying strong ... and those who root him on.

P.S. Photographed a sweet honey of a girl last night. You can take a peek on my new photography blog here: Sneak Peek

Day 3

Wayne is doing fantastic! He is still eating, has no toxicity, and took his laptop so that he could work today.

You cannot believe what a blessing this is. He is tired, yes, but he is lucid! :)

More news ...

We are finishing our basement and it starts today! This is exciting for us because we have run out of room (my office is in the dining room and Wayne is in the loft which doesn't give him the privacy he needs to work during conference calls). We're adding another bedroom and bathroom, a family room, office area, and a huge storage room filled with built in shelving to store everything else (Am I alone in the fact I have 50 Christmas boxes filled with ornaments?).


This also means when our family is here, they have a comfortable place to stay. Should take 2 months to finish ... just in time for the holidays!



I am being way to liberal with exclamation points. Time to lay off the coffee.

Day 2

Wayne had a great day yesterday. He took his laptop to the infusion center and was able to work. Today he ate breakfast, talking all morning about how he is feelin' fine.

Such a relief!

Dave is here and they left together this morning for Day 2.

So far so good.

Day 1 of Cycle 6

Wayne is at Skyridge Hospital this morning. Chemo day 1.

He felt so good this weekend and it was hard to take him there this morning, knowing he's done feeling good for at least 2 weeks. It just sucks.

Dave will be here tonight. I am so thankful he is coming. Even if Wayne doesn't have toxicity and is feeling better than last time, it is wonderful for him to have company during his treatment. He's there all day, and they don't allow children, so ... that means he's alone unless his parents come.

I'll keep you posted on his progress. We just hope his experience is not like last time (which I didn't really talk about, I know, but it was really bad). Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Tragic Accident

The Havens' are our dear friends from Overland Park. We were next door neighbors, vacation buddies, BBQ buddies -- you name it. We love them dearly.

Our hearts go out to them because they lost their best friend yesterday in an accident coming home from Snowmass (Aspen).

The article can be read here: Tom Murphy and Family

The Havens' and the Murphy's were vacationing together in Snowmass. The Havens' left before them, because they wanted to stop and see us. The Murphy's left yesterday, and while Tom was driving, a boulder the size of a suitcase smashed through the windshield - hitting Tom.

His wife Jennifer is a hero. She shifted the SUV into neutral and steered the vehicle to a stop. Jennifer and her 3 boys were not serisouly injured, but Tom died in the hospital shortly after.

We are saddened beyond belief for the Murphy family and for the Havens', who have lost such a close friend. Tom was like a brother to John - we cannot believe this happened and are in shock.

Please keep these families in your prayers. Jennifer and her boys are going to need all the strength they can get. Such a horrible tragedy. I do not have the words for our heavy hearts.

Into the weekend

How could I not love to cook in such a cheerful space?

Wayne is feeling fantastic. Eating, joking, taking Caeden to school, being wonderful. Really wonderful. He even got our taxes done today! I remember when he had his open heart surgery, right around the tax deadline, and I was just paralyzed on what to do. File an extension -- who knew??? I plan on delaying everything I find unpleasant or daunting. It works really well!

Chemo starts on Monday and extends to Friday. We are hoping neurotoxicity is kept at bay. Please keep Wayne in your thoughts this week. I think I have said this before, but while NO chemo cocktail is pleasant or easy, Wayne's is especially harsh. We are hoping for him to be able to get through all 5 days (which is round 6).

Caeden's first week of school is complete. He loves it. He is not napping on school days. This I do not love.

Claire is having fun scaling the stairs. Still no teeth.

I have 2 shoots this weekend and a house that still needs some serious attention.

And yes, the picture has absolutely nothing to do with this post. Just a little eye candy (well, my kind of eye candy, anyway).

First Day of Pre K.

(Politely overlook that this all took place on Monday.)

Not really nervous.
Liked wearing his backpack.
Was cool as a cucumber until he saw his friend Tyler, and had to run over and give him a big hug.
Brought a 'crush cup' of yogurt for his snack.
Didn't look back as he entered his new classroom to play with the kitchen set.

Wayne and I did not cry like we did last year, but man, I missed him so much that day. I am still not ready for him to be in school - I loved our summer days since I've been home again.

However.

Considering he wants nothing to do with the alphabet, counting, or anything remotely academic when I am around, school time is probably a good thing.

The Kitchen

It's where we spend most of our day. Cooking (well, using the toaster at the very least), cleaning up, folding laundry on the island ...

Today I used it to rinse green beans straight from Mom and Dad's garden. Then I used the peeler to peel the best cucumber I have ever eaten. Crisp and sweet. Also from the garden.

These little things are big things to me because I didn't know where my cutting board, peeler, or good knives were for ages. I can even bake again with measuring utensils. Oh, I know, living on the wild side.

But back to the kitchen.



Besides laundry & food related items, it also now serves as a bathing area. Funny thing is, we are looking at the possibility of finishing our basement for an extra bedroom, bathroom, and family area. We'd love to have Mom and Dad be more comfortable when they come to visit.

If all goes to plan, and we have a family room downstairs with toys, a TV, and everything else ... our poor kitchen will be awfully lonely. But, at least it will have the toaster.

Taking Flight

Wayne is in Houston today. I am home with the kids. Dreaming of having boxes unpacked, the floor mopped, and laundry done.

What we (meaning Caeden) did instead: Jumped on the bed (which I NEVER allow), had eggs for lunch, and is skipping his nap in favor of playing outside.

It makes it easier not to think about chemo next week when there is so much laughing and rule breaking going on.

Here's to better days, Caeden style.

Weekend Update

Mom & Dad got to town Friday night ... hauling a trailer full of our stuff. Two grills, more clothes, Caeden's sandbox ... & tons more.

So we unloaded more boxes. And my house is again full of boxes calling my name.

...But I am pretty good at ignoring them.

Saturday was spent re-arranging the garage, rearranging furniture, hanging shelves, pictures, and my glorious pot rack in the kitchen.

Wayne grilled green chili cheeseburgers ... and everything was going great.

Until.

I backed the truck out of the driveway and smacked our neighbors' car that was parked on the street. I cried most of the night until our neighbor Jody brought over a huge pitcher of margaritas. I drank too many too fast. I quit crying and remember laughing about a "Boobs" joke that Dave made. Except it wasn't a joke, which made it even funnier.

Bless that sweet Jody. She knows just what a girl needs.

I got up at 4 am Sunday morning and began working on {in the moment} photography stuff. My goal was to finish up all my client forms. Really what I was doing was killing time until Paula got to town.

My dear friend Paula and I go back to our high school days. And a bit of college before we both moved on from BHSU. She hasn't changed a bit. Still as beautiful on the inside and out than ever. Love her.

Didn't take a single picture as I was too busy having a car accident, drinking margaritas, unpacking boxes, and catching up with a dear friend.

Wayne is on his way to Houston later tonight for more scans and a meeting with his Oncologist.

Caeden starts school today - most of his class from last year are still there together and I know he's going to love his teachers. One of them is from somewhere like Ireland ... I could listen to her talk all day. I hope he can, too.

Into the Weekend

Sorry for the blog delay. I had a virus on my Mac that google picked up; blocked me from getting online. Anyway, all better.

Vacation -- we are having so much fun researching all of the options that were left in our comment section yesterday. Thank you! We have narrowed it down to:

1. Hawaii
2. Bahamas

The Bahamas have cheap flights (gotta love Frontier) and ocean front homes (important to be RIGHT on the water so that napping children can sleep while we are still on the beach and not locked up in a condo or hotel room).

Hawaii has so much ... like Dan said, tons to do and see. And Caeden is really into volcanos right now, so it would be a blast for him.

Thank you again for all the suggestions!

In other news ... Wayne is feeling better each and every day. He is so excited about going somewhere special and is back to his normal self (energy wise).

Caeden met his new teachers today. He brought them pretty flower sugar cookies from our local bakery and got to see his new classroom.

Claire still has no teeth! Little sweetie is 14 months old and is going to walk before a tooth appears.

I am working like mad on my business. Client forms, marketing efforts, ordering samples, finding a custom framing company ... I am busy and loving it.

Have a wonderful weekend.

A Break.

It sounds like Wayne gets a break after his next round of chemo (next round starts August 17).
A break means, they will leave him be for 2 months. At the 2 month mark, they will re-scan him to see if the tumors have broken through. If there has been no growth, they will give him 2 more months of a break, and re-scan again. This will go on for as long as the tumors do not grow. Once they do, he will start a different protocol. We don't know what it will be, but we do know the harshest is behind us ... just one more round to go.

So, with a "break" hanging over us, we have begun to dream of a vacation. We talk about the ocean - taking the kids and building sand castles ... drinking too many mojitos, playing in the water, and celebrating the fact that he will be able to do these things.

The last time we have taken a vacation was when Caeden was 1 1/2. We went to the Keys with the Havens' (that's the picture above). We were eating breakfast at this great eatery that had chickens running all over the place. Oh, we had fun! But it has been almost 3 years and I tell you this, I will whisk Wayne away this fall, no matter what.

(Wait. We went to Napa with Nik and John awhile back. But the story sounds more dramatic when I leave it out.)

Did you know we are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary September 24th? Which just happens to be over his break. Beautiful, beautiful timing.

So, back with where to go. I was hoping you guys would have some good ideas. We've been to the Caribbean on a cruise, but never stayed anywhere too long. But it's prime hurricane season.

We've been to Hawaii and loved it, but worry the flight would be too long for the kids.

Any ideas?? Do not shy away. I am SERIOUS about getting something booked.

Reminders.

Claire & Caeden are the reason we keep putting one foot in front of the other. They are our everything.

Claire says "Daddy" all day long. She looks for him when she enters a room, and her body shakes with excitement when she sees him. She still puts her arms out for him to pick her up, although it isn't very often when he can.

Last night the weather was beautiful and all the kids were outside playing. Caeden was digging for a lost treasure in the empty field by our house, and Claire was trying to keep up with her friend Ella, who is walking.

The sun was warm and it felt good to be outside. And then ...

I turned around to see Wayne on the front porch. He was sitting in a chair, with his pajama pants on and a favorite t-shirt that is now 4 sizes too big. He was watching everyone play, but not able to take part. It is hard to get used to. I hate it. He hates it. And I know he thinks about it a lot more than we talk about it.

This morning he goes into the hospital for another blood transfusion. It makes him feel a lot better, and hopefully the rawness in his mouth will go away so he can eat.

Just one of these hardships would be enough to send anyone into a stupor, but it's the kids that always keep him going. Keep me going.

Having a baby say your name all day long is a sweet reminder to stay strong.

Daddy. Daddy. Daddy.

Weekend Update

Swimming pool.

Splashing and laughing and, "Mommy! Look at me!"

Farmer's Market.

Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers still wearing their dirt, peaches straight from the other side of the mountains. Colorado peaches are divine. Claire had one for breakfast and the juice drip, drip, dripped down her arms.

Dinner at Mom & Ken's house.

Fried chicken, coleslaw, mashed potatoes and gravy, & homemade ice cream with chocolate cake.

Enjoying summer. Enjoying every single bit.