Our Summer is Flying By!

Well...if anyone is even still checking at this point, I wanted you to know that we are all alive and well! My recovery is going very well, and I continue to make trips to Houston every 2-3 weeks for checkups. I am looking forward to the day when I can journal without mentioning anything medical!

Our boys have been very busy, and have all enjoyed learning how to swim this summer. Levi has been busy securing visits from the tooth fairy, and is working on losing yet another tooth in hopes that she'll visit before school begins again.

Isaac celebrated his 5th birthday in May, and Owen just celebrated his 10th birthday this past weekend. I LOVE HAVING BOYS! For Isaac's birthday, we celebrated by visiting the zoo with his cousins Sloan and Brody. It was raining, but...NEWSFLASH...boys love puddles, and everyone was equipped with an umbrella, so a good time was had by all (with perhaps the exception of baby Brody!).

For Owen's birthday we took a few of his friends and both of his little brothers to a local rock climbing gym. HUGE fun! Absolutely will go back...hopefully soon. Those little guys were scaling walls that went to the ceiling of the warehouse, then repelling back down again. There was also a huge rope swing in the middle, and with harnesses secured, they could swing from one end of the gym to another. EXTREMELY fun...especially for the littlest ones. And...it was challenging enough that the 10/11 year olds never got bored, and were still going strong at the end of our allotted 2 hour visit! Massive success on my part as I usually fall short of planning the perfect party. Then the guys returned home for a swim and nachos for supper, and finally a little Tim Hawkins comedy video before heading home. Way big fun for 6 boys!

Since the party season is over, I have rearranged my kitchen...don't know what I've been doing for the past year! It was a mess, and now we are enjoying easily accessible snacks and less back breaking lifting of the crock pot from the cabinet. Big deal for me! I also tackled 2 years worth of accumulation of papers that have been hibernating in my bedroom since October 2007. I have successfully whittled it down to a manageable pile of envelopes, which I plan on going through today...perhaps!

Next on the agenda is moving my desk out of our bedroom so the aforementioned papers never again accumulate around my bed and dresser! Major project, but I will get it done. I am determined...and armed with a can of Pledge...which may be empty before the day is done!

Add to that a season of Little League baseball, cousins' birthday parties, parents birthdays, a trip or two to TX, tending a garden, keeping the grass alive (without an in ground sprinkler system), and watching my mom do all of my housework for the past month, and I'd say we've been pretty busy! Oh! And we raised some chicks that we promptly gave to Grandpa Coach.

I apologize for the awful pictures of Owen's party. Jeff has the memory card with him, so I'll get some pics off of that when he gets home...if I can still get to the computer!

Hope your summer is going well. Blessings to you all.

Jeff, Leslie, and 'da boys

Brief Update

Just checking in. I had surgery on Tuesday at 7 am. The procedure lasted about six hours (or so I'm told). This was the first procedure in a series that will reconstruct what was removed last May. My surgeon is excellent, and assured us that everything went perfectly in the OR. I am still in the hospital, but should be discharged tomorrow if everything looks good. Thank you for your prayers. I hope to be feeling somewhat normal again by Father's day, but we'll see!

Again, if you need to get ahold of Jeff or me, our email is davis-clan@hotmail.com.

Thanks for checking in. Love you all,

Leslie

Good Advice

Good advice. Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland ,Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends andparents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck..

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journeyis all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is upto you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no foran answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don'tsave it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, willthis matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did ordidn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'dgrab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

A Favorite Summer Poem

Bed In Summer

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer, quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see
the birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people's feet
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?

Robert Louis Stevenson

Anybody there?

Hello...just checking in so that you know I'm still alive and kickin'. We've been so busy lately, that I don't even know where to begin. I need to get a lot done today, so real quickly I'll just leave a few prayer requests, and then hopefully later type an update on the family along with a few pictures.

Prayer requests:

1) For my newest new insurance to be agreeable to my continuing treatment at MD Anderson. They are contracted on paper, but their front line customer service associates haven't found that yet, and we are back to square one in that area...with a surgery pending in June! Umhmmm...sounds crazy, but really...whatever happens, it's no big deal. I don't mind putting a surgery off for awhile! HOWEVER...it would be nice to get it out of the way, and get back to whatever normal is.

2)For our past insurance to figure out what in the world is going on. They pay some claims as in-network(08), then forget what they were doing and reject the next batch (pay out-of-network) (09). It's a quagmire, as Jeff would say! Gonna take a lot of phone time, and that is something I'm rather low on! Especially with the boys out of school! It will work out...it's just highly frustrating.

Basically...those are the 2 main worries right now. Kinda nice for a change, eh? In light of the past year and a half...it's laughable. Just got to keep things in perspective.

Blessings to you all!

Leslie

Rules of the Universe

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
2. Don't worry about what people think; they don't do it very often.
3. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than standing in a garage makes you a car.
4. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
5. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
6. A person, who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person. (This is very important. Pay attention! It never fails.)
7. For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.
8. If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
9. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of cheques.
10. A conscience is what hurts when all of your other parts feel so good.
11. Eat well, stay fit, die anyway.
12. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it. Embrace your differences. Love each other.
13. No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes.
14. A balanced diet is a chocolate in each hand.
15. Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.
16. Opportunities always look bigger after they have passed.
17. Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.
18. There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
19. Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
20. By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
21. Thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator.
22. Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world.
23. It isn't the jeans that make your butt look fat.
24. There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness.'
25. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
26. You should not confuse your career with your life.
27. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
28. Never lick a steak knife.
29. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.
30. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.
31. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.
32. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.
33. Your friends love you anyway.
34. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.
35. How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are.

Happy Easter!!!

Prayer Request

Hello again! Hope everything is well with you and your family, and that you are enjoying the beginning of a beautiful spring! We are all doing great, and enjoying our life that amazingly seems much richer this year!

I never dreamed when I was involuntarily plunged into membership in the cancer club how my life would be changed. It seems like daily I am learning of friends, family members, and acquaintances who are newly diagnosed...young, old, in between. People just like me, who have no history or risk factors, "don't smoke, don't chew, don't hang around with those who do..." type people who are just blindsided by the news. It's alarming, really.

Case in point...our teaching pastor from Fellowship Bible Church. Phillip was just recently informed that he "might" have cancer. Still awaiting the results of a biopsy. He was told that it might be lung cancer, lymphoma, or...an infection! I told him Sunday that I had never before prayed for my pastor to have an infection, but that was exactly what I've been doing. Although we are members of Calvary Baptist, we just recently began attending Fellowship again. Fellowship was our home church for many years, and when we introduced our friends to it last fall, we felt the urge to go back. So...we've been "visiting" for awhile now.

Anyhoo...all that to say that maybe this is why. I had a wonderful visit with Phillip in the hallway last Sunday, and we understand one another on an entirely different plane now. I hope his diagnosis comes back to say that our camaraderie is short lived, and that it is truly an infection. Either way...God is good.

When you think of it, would you please pray for Phillip and his family? What a blow...even if temporary. I can say from experience that it takes awhile to recover from the initial news...and he and I both agreed that if someone were to say, "Well...looks like we made a mistake! It's just an infection!", we'd kiss 'em on the jaw and run out of the room!

You can read about his updates on the church website here. Just click on "Phillip's Health" on the left hand side.

Thank you for your continued prayers for me and my family. I had a great doctor's visit on Tuesday here in town, and had another Herceptin treatment. Life is good!

Blessings to you all!

Leslie

20 Answers from Levi

1. What is something mom always says to you? Do this.
2. What makes mom happy? When we're good to her.
3. What makes mom sad? Being disrespectful to her.
4. How does your mom make you laugh? Being funny.
5. What was your mom like as a child? I don't know.
6. How old is your mom? Are you 34?
7. How tall is your mom? 38 feet or 60 inches
8. What is her favorite thing to do? Play with me.
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Cry!
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Being a movie star!
11. What is your mom really good at? Cooking.
12. What is your mom not very good at? Riding bikes.
13. What does your mom do for her job? Take care of children.
14. What is your mom's favorite food? Shrimp?
15. What makes you proud of your mom? When you play with me.
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Fat Albert!
17. What do you and your mom do together? Go to Silver Dollar City
18. How are you and your mom the same? We have the same skin color.
19. How are you and your mom different? We don't have the same color hair.
20. How do you know your mom loves you? You hug me.

Picture of the Day

Last May...at the beach with one of our favorite cousins!

Top of the Morning to You!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Not that we do anything to celebrate, but happy day anyway! Did you know that my children didn't even know about the whole pinching thing? I tried to make them wear green today so they wouldn't get pinched, only to be informed that pinching was against school policy, and no one would pinch or be pinched today or they would get in serious trouble.

"How about I just draw a shamrock on your knuckle just for good measure...in case someone didn't get the 'no pinching' memo?"

"No thanks...Mrs. S. won't allow anyone to pinch."

"Neither will Mrs. M! We're good!"

Well...alrighty then! Guess some things are just outdated!

Hope you are having a great week so far. I am loving this weather. Isaac and I are headed to the park to look for leprechauns!

Blessings (Irish and otherwise...),

Leslie

Photos from Radiation treatment Last Summer

Product Recommendation

From one mom to another:

I am a generic girl. Especially on dishwasher detergent. However, I just tried this for the first time, and I LOVE it! Our dishwasher wasn't working so great...lots of residue on the dishes. Jeff picked this up while browsing at Lowe's, and we love it. Caked on casserole dishes come out sparkling clean. No more grit in the glasses! It does a wonderful job, and I thought you'd like to give it a try!

Leslie

Checking in...

Good morning! I have a thousand and one things I need to be doing, but I thought I'd check in and let you know how things are going in our neck of the woods.

We have been so busy with livin' lately that very little else has gotten done. We all fought off colds or endured springtime allergies these past two weeks, and I'm glad to report that everyone is breathing much better now.

We finished off basketball season, and are going full steam ahead into baseball season. Owen will play this year. Levi wants to, but we'll see about that. I hesitate to get them involved on a team until they BEG for at least a week. Then I know they're serious. There'll be YEARS of organized sports in my future, and I don't see any reason to rush into it until I have to!

Jeff's work is keeping him busy, which is a good thing given the number of people we know who have recently lost their jobs. We are so thankful for God's provision for our family.

Our van is pushing 200,000 miles, and we have enjoyed getting it back from the repair shop SEVERAL times this past month! She keeps running, so we'll keep driving her! Can't seem to find another one I like any better anyway!

I completed another round of "chemo" yesterday...just the regular Herceptin treatment I get every 3 weeks. The Outpatient Oncology staff at Cox are wonderful, and I have felt very comfortable getting my treatments there. They are CLEAN...which is all I want! AND...even better...I don't have to travel 12 hours to get a treatment. I went in yesterday, and still had dinner on the table for my family last night! Woohoo! It's nice to be back to normal, or a resonable facsimile thereof!

I hope you and your family are enjoying some warmer weather. Here at our home we have a severe case of Spring fever, and are anxiously awaiting Spring Break in a couple of weeks.

Blessings to you and yours! Thank you for your continued prayers for our family. We so appreciate it!

Love,
Leslie

Win A Wii!!!

Ever consider buying a Wii? Here is a way you can win one for as little as $10 AND help our friends Bryan, Kim, and Jenna bring their new family members home from Ethiopia!

We are selling raffle tickets to win a Wii...and the proceeds go toward the purchase of plane tickets to bring everyone home from Africa. It's a wonderful cause, and a great way to win a Wii for a small contribution. Visit their blog at A Blissful Heart to purchase tickets. You can even help them sell tickets! The person who sells the most can win $50! You can't beat that! (by the way...I'm not in the competition to sell the most tickets, in case you were curious!)

I hope you'll stop by their website, and if you are able, make a contribution toward the purchase of a plane ticket. Wii would be very grateful!

Blessings,

Leslie

How's it going?

Well...I'm slacking again on keeping my blog updated. We seem to get progressively busier as the year goes on. I had a herceptin treatment here locally this week. I was pleasantly surprised at the wonderful care I was given. Big shout out to the Outpatient Chemotherapy dept. at Cox. They were top notch. Why wasn't I offered that as an option last year? It was very clean, which was a wonderful thing.

Yesterday, Isaac was battling a stomach bug. He finally won the battle this morning around 2am when he woke me up and announced he was "Verwy verwy thursty." Ice chips only, buddy...momma's not into middle of the night surprises! Before I got to the kitchen this morning at 6:30, Owen had already fixed Isaac a bowl of Life, and he was munching like there was no tomorrow. Will it stay down...time will tell!

Last night was our tax appointment. Ordinarily, I do our taxes at home. However, with all our medical and travel expenses this year, I opted to pass the baton to a professional. Found out what I can and cannot deduct. Evidently you can't deduct meals/food while traveling for medical care. Hmmmmm....didn't know that. Thinking about getting a 2nd opinion on that one. Anyway...glad that Jeff took everything in and let me stay home with Isaac. I wasn't looking too super by 5pm last night. Come to think of it...I'm still not!

Owen has his last ball game this Friday night. Those little guys are un-undefeated! They haven't won one yet...so hopefully this one will be THE ONE! They don't lack for enthusiasm, though. Oh, to have the energy of a 9 year old boy!

Jeff is super busy at work. He didn't get home before 7 or 8 any night last week, and probably won't the rest of this week either. I am always reminded of a comment made by a sweet lady at Fellowship Bible Church. As she listened quietly to a room full of young mother's complain about how their husbands can't put the dishes in the dishwasher, or their clothes in the hamper, or how they always work soooo late, she just smiled. When everyone had vented their frustrations, she spoke up.

"For years, after my husband left me and my children, I got up every morning before dawn, made breakfast, rushed children off to school, worked all day, and came home just in time to feed the kids and put them back in bed. Now that I've remarried, I thank the Lord every morning that my husband is willing to leave the house to go to work to provide for us. I get to sleep in until 6, I know my bills will be paid, and I am glad to be able to cook and clean for him. I don't care where he puts his dishes...he takes care of me, and that is such a relief! You should always remember what a blessing it is to have a husband that works to provide for your family. Many aren't so blessed." The attitude of the class was never the same. And...I am very thankful for Jeff working for our family. He's able to do that and remain pleasant...WOW! Am I loved or what?!

I hope you are having a good week. And I hope you are able to find a blessing amidst all the chaos that's going on in your life today.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever!"

Blessings,

Leslie

Wouldn't you like to be here...?

Picture of the Day

Isaac at Aunt Anita's enjoying hot chocolate! Ummmm Ummmm Good!

Honestly....

I haven't been posting about Can We Talk Bible study because, frankly, I haven't done it for a week or two. I've just been so hit and miss with it that I hate to post anything about it. I've been slacking! I want to...really, I do. I just get busy and then I get tired and then I put it off...again! I'll catch up soon...now that the boys are well, the van is repaired, and my taxes are...oh, dear...my taxes! Gotta go...I knew I was forgetting something!

Leslie

The Latest Good News!

Hello again! We made it home from TX...3 days later than planned, but home none the less. There was a terrible winter storm the day after we left, and although we were fine and dandy in Houston, the weather and roads at home wouldn't allow us to return. So...we roughed it in 60-70 degree weather for a couple of extra days! We even ran down to Galveston to have a look at things post hurricane Ike.

Thank you for all your prayers and phone calls while we were on the road. I received excellent reports, and have put off any upcoming surgeries until the boys get out of school. I think we've all had enough disruption for awhile! I was also given the all clear to once again pursue treatment locally, so I'll be going to the oncology department 10 minutes from my home instead of traveling to Tulsa! Yeah!

I questioned the physician on this, and his response was that although he once thought I was too complex for the promised nurse practician here in Missouri, he now thinks I am just fine to continue my treatments here. His words were..."You remember when you began this treatment and I told you that technically you were incurable? Well...I think we may have cured you anyway!" WOOHOO! Sounds good to me! The first day home I called the local office, and already have an appointment for my next treatment this month!

I'm still a little uneasy about not going to TX, but my nurse assured me that this is a normal feeling for cancer patients who are through with treatments...you feel a bit uncertain about going back to your regular doctor. "Leslie," she said, "let's not make this any more complicated than we need to. This cancer has already taken up enough of our time. Let's get on with livin'." Well...alrighty, then! Sign me up for livin'!!!

Since my return, I've been dealing with rescheduling appointments, preparing for our tax appointment (or not), taking our van back and forth from the repair shop (seems as if someone has worn out the brakes this past year...as well as a few other things), shuffling kiddos to and from school, ball games, and practice, cheering for the Cardinals...and just plain getting back to life.

I hope your past weeks have gone well. Leave me a note when you can. I love hearing from you all.

Blessings,

Leslie, Jeff, and the boys