Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a blast yesterday at Jeff's folk's house. Just 2 doors down they were livin' it up with a potato gun, daredevil jumping into leaf piles, bow shooting, and as this video shows...go cart riding! Isaac had a blast! Just testing my luck with posting videos...if this works, I'll add another! Happy Thanksgiving! Leslie

A Little Maxine Humor

Gotta Love It!

Well, I returned from Texas with a stomach bug that held on for an entire week. I wasn't alone, though, as my mom brought a stomach bug of her very own back as well. We've both been sick since last Sunday, and although I'm feeling much better, as of last night, she is not. Hopefully a real "day of rest" will do us both some good.

This week, Levi celebrated his 6th birthday! I am so pleased with the sweet little boy he is still. He loves to make us laugh, he loves to read, he loves anything with wheels, he has begun to collect baseball cards, and he joins his brothers in wanting....really, really wanting...even longing for...a dog! (We have no fenced yard, and we're not the indoor pet type people, so we settle for buddying up with our friends' pets, and keep hoping for a farm of our own...)We celebrated Levi's day with a trip to Jump Mania (a room full of inflatables) with the Parker family and the Glenn family. Big time fun. Then we had dinner, and came home to birthday cake and presents. Levi is still recovering from staying up til nearly 9 o'clock! Party animal!

The weather is much cooler here this weekend. We giggled with excitement as we watched the first few snow flurries float to the ground yesterday. The boys are aching with anticipation to use their barely used sleds that Santa brought them 2 years ago. This was also opening weekend for deer hunting here in Missouri, so we've all enjoyed hearing the updates from our friends and relatives as they bring home their bounty (or lack thereof).

I have some good news on the medical front. I have found an oncologist a bit closer to home where I can receive my "every three week" (tri-weekly?) doseage of Herceptin. This oncologist was actually recommended to me by my Dr. at MD Anderson as a physician he has worked with before, so hopefully everything will transition smoothly. I am still scheduled to be back in TX in January for more tests and treatments as well as reconstructive surgery.

I am looking forward to being close to home during the holidays, though, and we are all enjoying the holiday preparations. This past week, we enjoyed attending Owen's school Thanksgiving program, where they sang songs with titles of "Give Thanks" and "Count Your Blessings", themes very near and dear to our family. This coming week, Levi has his Thanksgiving program, as well as a "Friendship Feast" in his classroom. Sounds like a party to me! Then, next week, Owen has his "multi-cultural, non-denominational, can't call it Thanksgiving" feast in his school, and then we're all off for the Thanksgiving break! YEAH!

Thank you for checking in on us still. We are very appreciative of your prayers and your notes of encouragement. Thanks for all you've done to help me in the past year. What a whirlwind that was! You have no idea how wonderful this Thanksgiving/Christmas season is and will be to me and my family, and it's because you kept us in your prayers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Have a wonderful week, and I'll write again soon!

Love,
Leslie

Right now...

I am unwinding after helping Owen finish an "Election 2008" poster, complete with a thorough description of the duties of our President, which candidate we feel is most qualified, and why...all in easy to explain third grade language. Give it a whirl...it's more difficult than you might think!

I am needing to clean my kitchen, as our supper of cocoa puffs and left over BBQ is still sitting out on the counter top. I have yet to eat...

My children are snuggled into their beds, having crashed from their weekend-long Halloween sugar high. The trick-or-treat buckets are securely (ha!) out of reach on top of the fridge. All candy has been dutifully sorted into chocolate, bubble gum, sucker, and chewy-fruity groups (for easier consumption I'm told!).

I am needing to get ready for this week. School, elections, and another trip to Houston await me, and I should be home again, resting in my own bed by Friday night.

I still need to write a letter of reference for my friend Kim. It's written, in my head. Now I need to get it onto paper.

I need to prepare for two separate child care orientation trainings that I'm doing in the next two months. Ought to brush up on those since I took a year off.

I need to send cards...lots of cards...I've missed birthdays, thank you's, and who knows what all. I'm spinnin' a lot of plates here, ladies, with a chemo-tainted brain! Better stand back!

I have enjoyed a wonderful 3 1/2 day weekend with my children and husband. Thursday night I visited with girlfriends around a fire pit...quite relaxing (even if I did come home smelling like a smoked ham!). Friday...friends, food, and candy! Lots of fun! Saturday...garage cleaning and reminiscing with my husband as we dug through all those boxes I blogged about last week. Lots of wonderful memories we've shared. And what fun we've had...and what a pretty bunch of little people we've made! Life is good! Sunday...Sunday School with breakfast casserole and cinnamon coffee cake, then off to meet Jeff's folks and Granny for her 88th birthday celebration lunch. A couple of pairs of jeans for the boys from the outlet mall, and we're back home in time to gather our thoughts for next week.

I'd love to have time to blog about everything I "write" in my mind. Someday...someday! Right now, I'm trying to spend more time with the boys...and Jeff...so I'd better go sit by him in the living room. I'm sure he's missing me terribly! (Ha!)

Thanks for your continued prayers. Thursdays appointments are lengthy...concluding with an MRI at 7 pm. I am praying that everything looks as healthy as it did in May!

Blessings,
Leslie

Furthermore...

It has been brought to my attention that I was a bit harsh about Halloween in an earlier post, and I'd just like to say, for the record, that my aversion is to the ghoulish decorations being right in the entry. I just think they could sequester those things in an area of the store that you could visit if you wanted, but preschoolers would not have to walk through, that's all. Levi is still afraid to go to Wal-Mart, even though I've assured him that it's all Christmas-y now. Hopefully, time will heal his frazzled mind, and we can shop in blissful harmony again, soon (as if...).

Okay...that's all I have to say about that!

Leslie