Pictures, pictures and more PICTURES!!

Starting with Theron's Spiderman 3rd birthday party, Bethlehem Revisited, then Lukas 2nd Super Lukas birthday party and finally Christmas! Enjoy :) (132 pictures!!! And that's scaled down!!)

Theron's 3rd, Lukas 2nd, Christmas 2008

Let's Party!!

For anyone reading this, consider yourself invited to Lukas' 2nd Birthday Bash!

When: Saturday December 13th from 5-8pm
Where: Stake Center, 1019 Big Stone Gap, Duncanville, TX


He doesn't need any presents, just come and help us celebrate him making to his SECOND birthday!! This is a big deal for us after this long year!!

I will have my camcorder up and would love to get everyone that wants to record a quick message to Lukas. I will put the videos away and when he's older let him see them. He will be able to see the people that prayed for him, supported him, cared for him through what is possibly going to be the hardest time of his life!

I really hope to see everyone there that can make it. We'll have cake, ice cream and music!

Interesting...

So Debbie has been looking for baby names for Chelsea's baby. Looking through baby name sites she found this:

THERON:
The name Theron is a baby boy name. The name Theron comes from the French origin. In French The meaning of the name Theron is: Untamed.

Hmmmmm.... Good to know he lives up to his name!! Hahaha!!

Happy Birthday Theron!!!

Today Theron turned THREE!!! Holy cow!! I can't believe my baby is three years old now. Just crazy how fast he's grown. Nana made him a chocolate cake for to celebrate today, but she's making him a Spider-man cake for his actual party on Saturday. Yes, he will be in his Spider-man costume. :)

Just one year ago...

So weird that this was only a year ago... a lot has happened since then.

TWILIGHT!!!!

AAAAAGGGHHHH!!!! I feel just like a teenager again! I'm SOOOOO EXCITED TO SEE THIS!!!!!

I'm making Kurt take me to the Midnight showing. My brother is going to come stay with the boys while we go!!! I'm GIDDY!!!

Oh, Edward...

Where did the time go!!??

Wow! I didn't realize it's been so long since I've updated my blog! I guess there has be a lot that's happened in the last month.

We just finished our Golf and Walk this weekend. Not the best outcome, but it was our first time and I think we learned a lot! Our next golf tournament will be GREAT!

We enjoyed Halloween. Theron was Spiderman, it's all he could talk about these last SEVERAL months! He's going to have a Spiderman birthday party too in a few weeks. Lukas was Clark Kent. I made his shirt with the super "s". Pretty proud of myself! Everyone started calling him Super Lukas during his treatments, so it was a perfect fit for him.

Man, don't know what all else has gone on, a lot of work on our foundation. We've been working hard to get our name and mission out there.

Anyway, here are some pics from the last few weeks. Enjoy.

Theron and his Baby Sam (he picked the name out)

His "I didn't do anything..." face

Spiderman with chemo gloves!

Hamming it up for the camera! He was SOOOOO excited to have this costume! He's worn it for 3 days straight as of this picture (yes it's been washed).

Super Lukas, also known as Clark Kent

Can't get enough of the hot dogs! (huge step for a boy who hasn't touched red meat since finishing chemo!)

Of course his shoes and socks were off as soon as he got buckled into his car seat. It's a fight to keep them on, so if he's happy and it isn't cold, it's a fight we choose to avoid!

Theron saying "mommy no more pictures!" Ha ha! I'm horrible!
He LOVES being outside!

Lukas, not so much. Outside has a lot of new noises and it's hard to figure out his surroundings with all the new textures. I think it's sensory overload for him.

1st Annual Golf and Walk Classic!!!

Some relief...

3 month scans were still clear! www.caringbridge.org/visit/lukasmacdonnell

Feel a little better now. Going to bed :)

Number 8

Lukas is picture #8 on this BOSTON news blog! (Picture by the talented Melissa Fullmer).

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/childhood_cancer_awareness_mon.html

Look at the pics and leave a comment thanking the journalist for doing this photo story. It's a HUGE step in the right direction if you ask me!

$700 Billion or $20,000

That's the difference between a greedy Wall Street Idiot and a child fighting cancer.



Need I say more?

National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

We are halfway through the month and have yet to see any news or ads or anything honoring this month for our kids other than families and groups that are directly linked to childhood cancer. The only two exceptions I know of are Chili's (eat there Sept. 29th, profits go to St. Jude's for research!) and a Top Rated Article on Forbes, and only because the writers daughter is battling osteosarcoma.


Our kids don't know they don't have cures for most of these pediatric cancers, don't know that one of their 5 cancer friends will die of cancer. People turn away when they hear "childhood cancer" because they don't want to think about the devestation it brings to such young children. Yes the bald heads are cute, but that's all they want to see, not the bone thin skeletons walking around because they are too sick to eat from the poisonous chemicals we are using to kill the poisonous tumors in their little bodies. It's a tough world to live in. Before Lukas was diagnosed, cancer to me was my grandmother's breast cancer, her sister's breast cancer, their other sister's thyroid cancer, my aunt's lung cancer (brought on by decades of smoking), and my dad's throat cancer (and he doesn't smoke!). That was it, my vocabulary didn't include CHILDHOOD cancer. Older people got it. One of my good friends in KS had Melanoma, she's my age, but they caught it and cut it out. Beyond that, I never knew and was pretty much oblivious to children getting cancer and absolutely beyond oblivious to BABIES getting cancer! November 18th changed my life and the way I see the world now..... Kurt and I were told Lukas had a tumor in his head that had most likely been there for months, MONTHS!!! We were rushed to Cook Children's and after agonizing hours in the ER there, moved to our now second home on the 3rd floor-Hemotology/Oncology unit. (Hemotology is for blood disorders, Oncology is for cancer). Since then I have been introduced to the lack of funding and treatments for Lukas and all the other babies and kids battling cancer every day. Here are the cold hard facts.



September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

*Each school day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer.

*On the average 12,500 children and teens will be diagnosed with some form of cancer each year in this country.

*One in 330 children will develop cancer by age 20.

*Although the 5 year survival rate is steadily increasing, one quarter of children will die 5 years from the time of diagnosis.

*Cancer remains the #1 disease killer of America's children - more than Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Asthma and AIDS COMBINED!!

*In the U.S. almost 3,000 children do not survive cancer each year.

*Over the past two decades, only ONE new cancer drug has been approved for pediatric use.

*Currently there are between 30-40,000 children undergoing cancer treatment in the U.S.

*As a nation, we spend over $14 BILLION (that's with a B!!!) per year on the space program, but only $35 MILLION on Childhood Cancer Research each year.

*There are 15 children diagnosed with cancer for every one child diagnosed with pediatric AIDS. Yet, the U.S. invests approximately $595,000 for research per victim of pediatric AIDS and only $20,000 for each victim of childhood cancer.

*Research funds are scarce as most money is diverted to well-publicized adult forms of cancer, such as breast and prostate.

*Right now, this second, somewhere in America, there are 7 children fighting for their lives who won't live through the day.

Sorry, this is a little old...

Lukas has spent the last 2 Sunday's in NURSERY!!! How cool is that? Now I get to go to my classes! Don't get me wrong, I like our empromtu Mommy time in the foyer with the other moms that can't get their baby's to fall asleep so they can go to Sunday School or Relief Society, but man it's so NICE to be able to sit through those last 2 hours and actually get something out of it!

Our ward is on the 1-4 schedule this year and for some reason, we seem to be cutting it WAY close every week to get there on time! Nice, huh?! Anyway, our usual routine is to go to church and then go home and get changed and head down to Debbie's for the rest of the day. Well, Kurt didn't have to work last Monday (Labor Day) so we spent an extra long time down there this weekend. We were playing our weekly game of Boom Blox and by the time we realized what time it way, it was already midnight! If you have ever come over on Sunday's you know how competitive and crazy it gets. Anyway we packed up really fast, got the boys loaded in the truck and head out. When we got to the light at 67 off ramp and 1382 the light was red so we sat there. This girl came speeding up to the light and then slammed on her brakes and almost went into the intersection in the left turn lane next to us! Yes, I made a rude comment about her being drunk... And then the light turned green. We were in the middle lane (turns left or goes straight) and we turned left, we didn't even make it into the turn before that same girl t-boned us.... GREAT!!! She hit us going pretty slow so we were all fine, just frustrated, so we pulled onto the shoulder and waited for her to pull over. Instead she straightened out and started driving off! So Kurt got behind her and I called the police. This was about 12:30am. She proceeded to drive away through neighborhoods and we followed with the police dispatch on the line. About 10 minutes later she finally pulled over and got out of her car. Another car was behind us, he had witnessed the whole thing and had followed with us. He came over to our truck and the girl started apologizing and saying she was upset, just broke up with her boyfriend. I wanted to jump out the window and tackle her, but I just said (yes very mean toned) that we weren't talking until the police showed up. 4 cruisers pulled up behind us about a minute later and the circus started. They took Kurt, the girl and the witness and started questioning them while the other 3 police checked on the cars. I had just gotten out when our cop came to check on me, I told him we had babies in the car, you could tell he was upset about that! He was really nice, Theron was so excited to see a police up close! And, of course everyone stares at Lukas scar on his head, so I had to explain that. He stayed with the boys and let Theron chat him up for a bit while I went over to talk to the cop questioning Kurt. I had to tell him the whole story in my words. I heard another cop ask the girl if she was intoxicated while we were talking and then a minute later heard the cuffs clink! Nice... I went back to the boys and the cop with them. Theron was telling him all about baseball and his Marimo (mario) game and anything else the cop would listen to. I got called back to Kurt a minute later and they asked us if we wanted to press charges because she had failed her field sobriety test miserably. Yes we are pressing charges. The rest of the next couple hours was getting insurance info, victim (us in the truck) info and witness statements. We didn't get home until around 3am. The girl got hauled off to jail for a hit and run and DUI or DWI, not sure which one... They guy that followed us was really nice, he stayed and gave his witness statement. And the poor cops, Cedar Hill cops, had all been working overtime and had already had a really bloody drunk driving weekend. We were VERY lucky to have gotten out of this with little damage to the truck and all of us intact! If she had been driving any faster, with her car so low, she would have flipped the truck and this wouldn't have been such a good outcome.

Before we left the cop staying with the boys said that the drunk girl was put in his car and she was throwing a pity party for herself and he told her to SHUT UP and get over her princess pity party, she could have just killed a whole family in one blow, he told her Lukas, a baby, had just gotten done fighting cancer and she could have just killed him, and she shut up right away. He was a really great guy.

So that was a nice start to our Labor Day! Thankfully the rest of our holiday was nice. We went to the Currier's, had some pasta and grilled chicken, played some Super Mario Slugger and then got to go outside while Ethan and Theron played T-ball for the rest of the evening. Let me just tell you, those two have some talent. For them to throw and hit the ball as well as they do, so young, I can't wait to see them in a few years!

So here are some pics, enjoy!

This guy says it perfectly!

He's like my missing Hallmark card that says everything I don't know how to say!

What will really make me happy?

Grace

Yes, it's my favorite name... Grace Isabelle, yes, that's what I have always planned on naming my little girl, my little "Gracie Belle", but that's not what I'm talking about.

Heavenly Fathers Grace.

Grace is the help or strength given through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through the grace of God, everyone who has lived will be resurrected—our spirits will be reunited with our bodies, never again to be separated. Through His grace, the Lord also enables those who live His gospel to repent and be forgiven.

I went to today's (Saturday's) session of the Women of Faith Conference with my Grandmother, Aunt and Mom. It was good, there were a couple of ladies with some good thoughts and amazing voices. I just really appreciate what I have more today. I was taken back to 8, 9 years ago when I was missing something but I just didn't know what it was and, honestly, I really didn't comprehend I was missing something as desperately as I was. Getting to see that after I found what I was missing was more of an eye opener.

I have it all now, not materially, definitely not physically!, and maybe not emotionally, but I sure have it spiritually! I have all the missing pieces as one lady described it a few years ago. When I met Kurt, I was in love, I knew without a doubt he was my "it". I just didn't fully comprehend how full he would make my life. He was a Mormon... ooh.... scary! Really? I didn't really see anything wrong with that, my family did, but I didn't understand. I grew up with kids that were Mormon and they didn't have 6 fingers or 19 toes, didn't have tentacles that I could see, they seemed pretty normal, happy, they all hung out together, what I perceived as a "click" then, but they weren't snobby, they were my friends and seemed to genuinely like me, so, I had not problems with them. Kurt being "one of them" didn't bother me. He wasn't weird, he was friends with some of my friends. Nothing strange. Luckily, and I say that with all sincerity, our relationship progressed and we started getting into deep discussions. I had just graduated from high school a few moths before I met him and I was trying to find my place in the world. It was nice to get to talk to someone about my fears, wants, hopes, dreams. He got me. Learning more about each other brought us to religion, naturally. I didn't know anything about his and he didn't know much about mine. This was a really great discussion for us, we talked about it all the time. There was a lot to learn on both sides. We decided to make a trip to each others churches so we could see the others religion in practice. Now THAT was interesting, we were loud and roudy, and his was quiet and subdued. Big difference, but something was happening. I liked it. I'm not a big, flashy person, I've never liked the showy, loud and in your face things. I liked this quiet and to the point thing. It felt comfortable, the only thing I would have changed was playing the piano a little faster, say with the recommended tempo... (yes, some of you are laughing with me on that one!) I always had questions in my heart that were never answered from anyone, family, firends, pastors. Lots of deep questions that lingered and finally I just pushed them away, because everyone else seemed happy and fulfilled, so why wasn't I? I'm a difficult person, I just wrote that off as such. But along comes Kurt and his thoughts a beliefs, and answers. I was getting answers I had long stopped asking. He had valid answers to things I wasn't even sharing out loud. I was gaining insight that I never thought I'd have. My family hated it and fought it. I didn't understand why. I was starting to feel whole, on the inside and out. This led me to want to move away so I could have that peace and fulness I wanted so badly. I found answers to every question my heart ever had in those pesky Mormons! Who knew!? I joined the church and I have never looked back and NEVER regretted it. I have all the peices to my puzzle now and I'm never going to let those go.

Now if I could just start sharing those pieces with everyone else... that's a whole other issue and topic. I'm not a very eloquent speaker, my thoughts are clear but they come out jumbled and backwards and upside down. I'll leave that to the professionals! You can reach them here.

I'll just tell you what I know, yes, KNOW. I know that Heavenly Father loves me, he sent His Son to die so that I could come back to live with Him some day. He knew I couldn't make it on my own, so He provided a way for me, He loves my that much. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and that we have a living prophet today, Thomas S. Monson. I didn't just hear the story and think, gee, that sounds good, I think I'll go with that one. It was a trial for me. I prayed and prayed and cried and prayed some more. My family was completely against me, the tried relentlessly to make me not believe how I felt. It was agony for me. I knew in my heart that it was all true, but how could I hurt my family that way? But, to me, it's life or death. Literally. Do I go back to my family and not listen to the truth in my heart or do I accept it, knowing that all will be well if I just believe? I chose to believe. I knew it was true and I accepted it, yes there was contention, yes there still is sometimes, but none of that will matter when I'm dead and answering to Christ as to why I did or didn't accept the gift he gave me. The Holy Spirit, that still small voice testified in my heart and soul that it was all true. That's it and that's what I chose.

You don't have to believe what I do, that's the beauty of choice, but if you ever want to know, just ask. But be ready to bear with me. Like I said, I'm not eloquent, if you only knew how long this post has taken me to make the words coherent!

Enough babbling, that was just what was on my heart today. :)

Boxes, Surgery Scars, Farmers Market and Pizza

Mish-mash for sure! Have some new pictures for your viewing pleasure! I'll leave the ones of me out of it...

Give a boy a box and he'll play for a while.... teach a boy to box and he'll have the box all to himself... Ha ha!!! Just kidding, I don't condone violence.... much.

Dr. Bass went above and beyond! She cut his dressings out into hearts before she put them on after putting in his new port! How sweet was that!

Good old Farmers Market! We went this last Saturday and the weather was PERFECT!! Breezy and kind of cool, even with all the people around!
Lukas loved it!
Ethan wasn't too sure about the big crowds...

I looked like a wet dog...

Jake, Becky, Ethan and baby boy Currier!

Best friends and bike racks!

And last, but certainly NOT least.... OLD CHICAGO PIZZA!!!! You're right, there isn't one anywhere in TX! My wonderful husband bought this before he left OK last week and brought it home for me! This is our favorite pizza in the world!

Double Deckaroni- two mouth-watering, piles of peperoni and cheese with tobasco sauce mixed in with the pizza sauce. Yes, sounds gross, but it's DIVINE!!! 8 slices of Heaven!