Christmas Morning

The kids opened up their gifts from Santa. They must have been pretty good this year!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Christmas has come and gone in the blink of an eye. Sometimes we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays that we forget to stop and reflect on the true meaning of the season and what matters the most. Mike and I are both blessed with wonderful families.

We spent Christmas with Mike's family on Dec. 23rd. We had our traditional "Christmas Breakfast" and opened gifts.

Mike, Josh and I flew out on the 24th to Georgia to visit my family. After leaving an hour and 30 minutes late, we finally made it to Atlanta and to my sister's house around 9:00pm. Everyone was there. It was great to see my family! I hadn't seen most of them in a year.

Here Comes Santa Claus!

The last day of school was a blast. My class competed against another 3rd grade class in the 1st (and Last) Annual Winter Olympic Games. My class was very well-behaved, but unfortunately we didn't win any events. I was still very proud of them! When we returned to class, we had a surprise visit from Santa! I even got to sit on Santa's lap. (I was terrified I was going to break his leg!!!)

Austin's soccer

Austin's soccer was a lot of fun to watch this year. He is a very good player with a lot of speed.

Fun at the Sun's game

We went to the Sun's game for Janeille's birthday. It was a great game and Janeille got to see her favorite player(Grant Hill) in person for the first time. JJ enjoyed the game and noises but I think he enjoyed playing games himself even more.

CONGRATULATIONS JOSHUA

Joshua is currently a Junior at the University Of Arizona. Today, the University of Arizona and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences recognized Joshua as a Magellan Circle Scholar. With this recognition, Josh received a scholarship which will certainly come in handy. Josh was selected along with 37 other scholars from several hundred applicants. He was recommended by two of his professors. Way to go Josh! I'm so proud of you.

History in the Making

I recently went on a field trip with my class to the American Heritage Festival. It was a very interesting and educational experience. We were able to talk to various people from the past and see artifacts as well as authenic dress from various time periods starting with the American Revolution all the way up to the Vietnam War. I was impressed with the knowledge these historians shared with the kids in ways they could understand.

TRICK or TREAT!!!!!

Happy Halloween.......all the Grandkids came by to do some "Trick-or-treating". Austin and Ashlyn were soooo scary! Carter was a Ninja Turtle and Hadley was a little cutie Rainbow Brite! Jeremiah and Kaylee were both "hoppy" to be enjoying the night. One was a frog and the other was a bunny. I gave a Tootsie Roll to Kaylee and found out she has a sweet tooth...or will have one day!

KIDS AGAIN

On my fall break, Mike and I went to Disney Land. After everything he has been through (and me as well) we decided we deserved some fun! We only spent one day, but we had a great time going on the rides and taking in the sights. I can't wait to go back with SarahBeth!

I'm Back!

It's been a while since I last posted anything! There is a good reason. My new job has been keeping me VERY BUSY! I am currently teaching a 3rd grade class at a charter school called Burke Basic School. I have 33 students. Some days I love my job, and other days I think I must be crazy for taking the position! Although I have been in the education field for 28 years, I feel like a first year teacher again. These are my students that received recognition on awards day.

GREAT NEWS!!!

Mike met with his doctor today and received great news. The tumors are GONE! Mike celebrated by "Ringing the Bell" and receiving a Certificate of Achievement for successfully completing the Comprehensive Chemotherapy Program. We are so thankful for all the support and prayers of family, friends and strangers. We are also very thankful for his great doctor and nurses that helped get us through this tough time. Now Mike just needs to worry about getting stronger and getting back to his old lifestyle.

It's Hard to Say Goodbye

SarahBeth left today to go back to Georgia. Many tears were shed! I already miss her so much!

SarahBeth-

I LOVE You and I'll always be here for you!

Mom

We'll Miss You SarahBeth

We had a "Going Away" Party for SarahBeth. She will be flying back to Georgia on Wednesday. Everyone will miss her!

Grandpa's Home!

Jeremiah and Hadley were glad to see Grandpa feeling better after his stay in the hospital. Hadley already has Grandpa wrapped around her "little finger".

Meet MAX and MAGGIE

Max and Maggie are my two black labs. I have had them since they were puppies; they are now 5 years old. We had to have the pool drained, but before all the water was pumped out, Max and Maggie got in (with a little bit of encouragement from SarahBeth). They had a blast! I think they thought they were back in Georgia in the lake behind our old house!

MIKE is HOSPITALIZED

Mike was put in the hospital on Tuesday, July 8th, when his fever spiked to 103.1. After doing blood work, it was discovered his blood count was down to 7.5 which should have been between 10 - 12. In addition, his white blood cell count was 3x's higher than it should be. His weight was down to 160 lbs as well. Mike was given 2 pints of blood to help bring his count back up and placed on antibiotics to fight any possible infections. Although an infection was never found and Mike thinks it was a waste of time being in the hospital, his blood count is normal again and he gained about 7 lbs. He looks much better! Mike was released Saturday evening, July 12th. He will be starting his third cycle of chemo on Monday. He is halfway through!

Kaylee's Blessing