Crusin' Carter

This is our Chunky Monkey! He is so sweet!
Thanks Aunt Nicole and Uncle Joe for my cool car!
Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for my cute red outfit to match!

Christmas Morning

Carter's First Christmas.

Brad made the boys a kitchen and Logan got some food and was SO excited. Thank you Fellers!

This was one of Tate's favorite presents (from Carter)...it is a six foot long race track. It is so much fun! And yes, Tate's eye is STILL sewed shut.

I so enjoyed this Christmas more than I normally do. I loved just sitting back and watching my boys, so thankful that I have all of them and that they are healthy.

I think this is the only picture I managed to snap of Brad. He is such a camera hog!

Snow Day #2

That was in the middle of our cul de sac. Our neighbor plows a huge mountain in the middle that lasts forever. The kids love it. Church was once again canceled. The snow really didn't stop all week.

School was canceled all week. Tate was ready to play! Eye was still sewed shut but he didn't seem to mind.

Eye Patch Off and GOOD NEWS!

Last night was a rough night for us. Tate was going in to see his surgeon and he would take his bandage off, if it had not fallen off already. We thought that it would be better to do it the night before. Tate was really upset. I think it was comforting to have that on. After meeting with the surgeon (everything looked great), we ran into Tate's doctor. He had just received a call from pathology telling him that Tate did not have retinoblastoma...it confirmed that he had Coats Disease. We could not have asked for better news!! I guess Tate's eye was in such bad shape that he was really surprised that it had not started causing him pain. Tate does still have a stich in his eye that should disolve soon.

Fun, Messy Activity

Because we had so much snow outside, we decided to play with "snow" inside. We used shaving cream on cookie trays and drove all of our trucks through it. I know that this was messy, but SO much fun. Clean up was actual pretty easy.

Snow Day & Freezing Eyes...

Church was cancelled because of snow and Logan could not wait to get outside. This was only three days after Tate's surgery and he didn't want to try and go outside because he thought his eye would freeze.
So we set him up downstairs in our master bedroom next to the sliding glass door.

Logan was freezing...it was so windy.

Brad made Tate a snowball...

Then he wrote his name in the snow. I had to turn the camera sideways to get it.

Brad again made Tate a snowball and of course Tate threw it at him.

Tate's MRI and Surgery

Tate's MRI. He did great as usual. He is amazing with the doctors and nurses. Tate was pretty excited about getting pictures of his eyes and brain. He thought that it was really cool. They first put a numbing solution on the tops of his hands and wrapped them. This is so they can insert the IV in there without him freaking out. He once again had a cocktail and off to sleep he went. The MRI took about two hours. Brad and I ate a nice meal (they have good food at OHSU) and then sat with Tate as he woke up.

December 10th.
We received great news today that his optic nerves look great which means, if it is cancer, it has not moved into the brain. They confirmed that there was a build up of calcium which often means cancer but they will not know for sure until pathology comes back.

December 11th
This was one of the hardest days I have ever experienced. I did fine before his surgery but having him wake up and be in so much pain was horrible. I could barely hold it together as Brad sang to him to try and calm him down. His doctor came in and asked him how he was doing and he gave him the thumbs up. He has such a good attitude.

In the next few days, it was really hard as well. The pain meds hurt Tate's stomach so he was throwing up all the time...or at least trying. Once we got that under control he seemed to be doing fine. He actually liked visitors. I thought that he would be shy, but once he realized he had a patch on and people couldn't see his eye, he was okay with it. Under the patch, his eye was sewed shut and for 2 or 3 days he wouldn't open his other eye. I don't blame him though! Everyday got a little better. Brad's mother had come out for the baby blessing and ended up staying an extra week to help out. We could not have made it through without her! I cried when she left overwhelmed with what would lie ahead.

Carter's Baby Blessing

Just getting Carter ready for his big day!

Family picture...I love my boys! And yes, I know Brad looks stoned but he looked that way in all of the pictures. This was the best one.

Our sweet baby!

More bad news...Tate's Eye Exam #3

I just wanted to let you know how today went. In the last three months Tate's eye has gotten a lot worse. There are a lot of calcium deposits which could be from retinoblastoma (cancer). Tate will be having a MRI on Tuesday (it was on the 15th but they have moved it up) to look for any tumors and to take a better look at his optic nerves to make sure they are the same. No matter the findings, Tate will have surgery. The retina is damaged beyond repair and it will soon start to cause him pain because of the excess fluid in there. Tate has no idea yet and has recovered today better than the two times before. I have a lot of hope and I know that our Heavenly Father will not give us more than we can handle or that Tate can handle. We love you and appreciate all your love and support.

Tate's Transformer Power Ranger Party

Things NOT to do at a five-year-old's birthday party...have a scavenger hunt for the "ALL SPARK." Why?? Because, everyone wants to find the next clue, everyone wants a turn, and feelings get hurt and then the crying starts! Won't repeat that one! (Picture of the All Spark below...which contained the goodie bags.)

Things TO DO at a five-year-old's birthday party...have Dad make the coolest Transformer cake ever! We have nicknamed Brad Martha Stewart=) Oh, another side note...buy enough "wheels" (ding dongs) for all the kids to have.
Another great thing to do...PLAY SPIN THE BOTTLE...no really!! We had all the kids sit in a circle, holding their own present, and Tate spun. Kids loved holding their presents and giving them to Tate and no one crowded in. Great game!!

One last thing that we did that was a success, we made mini pizzas...bagel pizzas that is. We let the kids make their own. It was so cute and they were excited to eat their own creations.

Happy Birthday Tate!

I can't believe that my baby is five! This is his school picture from preschool.

Family Pictures

We had family pictures taken. We love how they turned out and wanted to share them with you. You can look at her blog to see a few or you can go to her website (the link is on the blog) and see all of them. Enjoy!

http://www.jennipricephotography.blogspot.com/

Dad's Slumber Par-tay!

Brad made a deal with boys that if they earned so many stickers by doing chores and such, that they could have a slumber party upstairs on the blow up mattress. They had a blast!

Happy Seven Years Brad!

It's hard to believe that it has been seven years. I wouldn't change a thing!

Tate took this picture of us...he thought it was so funny that I would jump on Daddy's back.

And just for a trip down memory lane...plus I really like using my scanner (it's for work so it isn't perfect for pictures, but it's still fun)

Brad, you amaze me. You are my greatest support and strength. I love you.

Tate's Camera Obsession

You'll have to tell me if you kids do the same thing, but Tate wants to capture everything he does. It started out with him always asking me, "Mom, can you remember this?" This would be every time he moved his Power Ranger into a different position. Now he wants to take a picture of everything. Below are some that he has taken. I guess he just doesn't want to forget anything!

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

I found it ironic that my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in breast cancer awareness month. She had a mastectomy on Halloween and is doing great! Her margins were clear and she will not have to do chemo or radiation. We feel so blessed. My Dad was also diagnosed this summer with lymphoma. His was caught very early and after only one treatment, they have shrunk significantly. They are so amazing and I feel so lucky to have them in my life. They truly inspire me. My Dad has a blog about his journey. He has some fun stories and a great outlook on life.

Carving Pumpkins

Random Halloween Pics

The boys are making "bugs" for our Family Halloween Party. Mound candy bars were the body. We used chocolate frosting to put on any kind of small candy (nerds, etc.) and then pretzels for the legs. It was so messy, but so much fun. I don't think anyone ate any either!

And here is Batman and Robin...thanks Aunt Jannah for getting our costumes for us! As Tate would say, "They are totally awesome!"
This picture makes me laugh because, with Tate's disease and no vision in his left eye, he really only has to make sure the mask is center over his right eye.

Here is everyone that dressed up for the party. My mom crack me up! Nicole in the pink was an over worked, under appreciated mom...she has a bottle of NyQuil in her pocket.

My brother Joe always makes the Root beer....made a little too much.