Let's Celebrate!

Yes!  So much good news the past week, it's almost too good to be true!

 

First of all, who can resist the charms of this little brown-eyed, blond-haired boy?!  Not me!

Since the new chemo drug is more tolerable, I buckled-down and got this kid potty trained.  Finally.  And completely.  Kind of.

We're still working on being able to independently take himself to the bathroom.  He struggles with pulling his own pants up.  But I am just reveling in the fact that I no longer have to change diapers.  The thought of him going to pre-school still in diapers was giving me monster anxiety.  So, this development has been a relief.

I still worry about his poor linguistic skills, and his short attention span.  But if anyone can get him on the right track it's SAINT Miss Jolynne, the preschool teacher!

Beyond that, chemo is still chemo.  It sucks.
The taxol drug isn't as bad to take, but it still has it's yucky side effects.  Nick coined the phrase "butt urine" while he was on his LDS mission in Ecuador (I'll let you guess why?), but it perfectly describes the state of my bowels while on taxol.

The steroids are still making me puffy.
And my feet hurt.  A lot.

But I've been able to get out a bit more.  Nick and I finally made it out on a date!  We went for sushi, and it was great!

 My cousin Mike, and his wife, Sophia, made a trip to Fillings and Emulsions, and then went completely out of their way to deliver me a blueberry lime scone!

Also, I want to give a huge SHOUT OUT to MOMS CLUB OF TAMPA WESTCHASE!  Someone (that I highly suspect has a name that starts with Kath, and ends with -erine) nominated me to receive the monthly donation they endow.  I was the August 2015 recipient!  I was so touched when I opened the envelope that housed the letter and a check.  It was a total surprise.  Again, and again; I am being hit with kindnesses coming at me from all directions.


Beyond that...
I met with the General surgeon, and the Plastic surgeon.
The general surgeon said I'm not even a candidate for a lumpectomy, because the malignant calcifications in my right breast were so widespread.  She also recommended that we take the left breast too. I was totally prepared for this news.  It didn't phase me.  Sayonara sisters!
I need to get my genetic test results back, before a decision is made about a hysterectomy.

The plastic surgeon said that I have enough tummy tissue to make me two "B-cups".  I'm cool with B-cups.  I still have plenty of time to decide between DIEP reconstructive surgery, and implants.  I won't be able to have the reconstruction surgery until June.
My double-mastectomy surgery is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 4th.

Let's see...  My lovely neighbor, Bev took me to round 6 of chemo.  The awful "betrayer " took me to round 7.  And made me realize that I will only be asking family and friends that are like family, to take me to chemo from now on!
And Jill took me to marathon round 8!  She spoiled me by bringing baked goods for us to snack on while I sat in the infusion chair.

For the taxol chemo, I only meet with my oncologist every 3rd week.  So, round 8 was an appointment with Dr. Buys.  She measured my tumor, AND (WAIT FOR IT!)- the tumor has gone from 11cm by 9cm; to 5cm by 2 cm!!!!!
Also, my lymph nodes aren't inflamed anymore.  At all.  Dr. Buys couldn't find a single one!  That means that there's a good chance my lymph nodes are cancer free.  They're still going to be removed when I have surgery.  But it just goes to show that the chemo is working!

On the flip side... I developed a very painful UTI.  However, they put me on antibiotics, so hopefully that clears up relatively quickly.

I'm close to being halfway through with chemo, and I've been able to maintain the four goals I set for myself.  Sort of.
I've kept up on the budget/bills, grocery shopping, and laundry.
I wanted to be able to maintain the ability to run a 5k throughout chemo, but that has been easier said than done.

My gorgeous friend Rebecca, recruited me to run a 5k with her a few weeks ago.  It was a fundraiser for the local high school cross-country team.
I ran (very slowly) for the first two miles.  And then I had to walk.  Rebecca stuck with me, but I know she could have easily finished the race ten minutes faster than me.

I feel like I've been demoted from "runner status".  This morning I ran a mile in just over ten minutes.   And then I had to walk.  I've been doing mostly walks, in the morning, for exercise.  It's kind of funny, because I've been walking three miles, faster than I can run them!
But I'm not too down on myself about it.  More like, wistful for days gone by.

And really, who can complain?  With this much fortune smiling on me, I'm a happy girl.

Starting School.

I wasn't dreading the start of the 2015-2016 school year, as much as I have in the past.  Elsa was SO excited to start kindergarten! 

In fact, she has been disappointed that she doesn't have homework every day.  I have been having to find homework pages for her to do.  Where did this child come from?!  I love it!

 

The Saturday before school started, I had a rough recovery from chemo.  I had wanted to take the kids on a hike.  But I wasn't feeling up to it.  We settled for a family dinner at Costco.

And then, they were off!  Reagan headed to 2nd grade, in the morning she is with Mrs. Johnson in Special Ed.  And in the afternoon she is with Mrs. Sullivan's mainstream class.
Elsa has afternoon kindergarten with the amazing Mrs. Carr.

The two weeks before school began, Reagan really started acting out.  Literally, there are days that I have no idea how to make it though?  Dealing with cancer, and an autistic child is SO hard!

I told the social worker, that helps me out at Huntsman; that my assessment has been: that I can easily think "three steps ahead" of Reagan, when I'm healthy, to be able to avoid the typical triggers that make her freak out.  Having chemo brain has made it so that I am not very good at this right now.
And we've all been paying the price.

Poor Reagan.  Sometimes I wish I could get inside her brain to just experience what it is like for her, so that I could better know how to help her!

Reagan has been really violent with us.  And especially with Elsa and Cohen.  Something set her off, the other day, and she bit Elsa.  Fortunately, Reagan only got Elsa's clothing in her mouth...  But she yanked so violently that one of her teeth came out!

Another day, Elsa was listening to the song Shut up, and Dance by Walk the Moon.  Reagan heard the lyrics, and if you know Reagan, you know that she thinks words like "Shut up, Stupid, and Hate" are all four-letter-words.  Well, upon hearing that song, Reagan freaked out.  She was crying, and saying that it was a bad song!
She started throwing dishes off the counter, in sweeping motions, and she broke a bowl.

There have been incidents like that every day, and then some!

School started, and I was hoping that getting back in to a routine would help.
It wasn't the greatest week.
2 of the 5 days at school, Reagan had emotional outbursts that lasted ALL DAY.
There's been talk of putting Reagan in special ed. full-time.  It hurts my head to think about it.  I love that girl so much.

I wish Reagan could be immersed in an environment where she excelled!  She is an amazing swimmer:

You should have seen her at swimming lessons.  She dived in to the pool, and did the most beautiful freestyle stroke from one end to the other!

As is...  At least Sunday's have been better.  At church, the incomparable Emily Smith has been partnered with Reagan to help her make it through the two hours she is away from me, in class; and it has been fabulous!

I have been scouring the internet trying to find extracurricular activities in Davis County, that kids with ASD can be involved in.  And I am turning up completely empty handed!  There are programs in Salt Lake, and Utah county.  But nothing in our neck of the woods.  That I can find?
Anyone out there privy to information that could help me?  I'd love to hear it.

Happy Birthday, Elsa!

My Elsa.  She had birthday #5!

She had a hard time with the fact that she was not getting a "friend party" this year.

I talked her in to going to Thanksgiving Point Animal barn with cousins, and she was happy with that.

Reagan was having a rough day, so we only stayed at Thanksgiving Point for a short time.

 

Brian and Jenny took Elsa to Scheel's, after we left Thanksgiving point.  I think it made her feel so special!

I have to admit, after pulling off Reagan's birthday party (three weeks prior); my mind wasn't really "in the game" when it came to doing anything for Elsa.  Poor middle child!

I did manage to pull it together, and I ordered a few presents online.  But the most touching thing was an anonymous gift that was left on our porch, for Elsa.  Someone gave her several new outfits from Gymboree.  It was so thoughtful.  And I was grateful. 



Getting It Off My Chest.

Disclosure: This post will be heavy on the "breast talk".  If you don't want to read the intimate details about my chest, stop reading now.

 



In April Stephanie and I had decided that the next destination for our annual girls-trip would be Portland, OR.  We were planning on going on September so that we could run the Race for the Cure.  I was looking at the race registration, and one of the sections it wanted you to complete was the name of someone you knew that had, had breast cancer, that you would be running "for".  I made a weird face when I saw that.  I didn't know of any close aquaintances who had suffered through breast cancer?
The joke is on me, I guess?
Obviously, Steph and I had to put our trip on "hold", for 2015.  But we WILL be meeting up in 2016.  And this time I will be able to sign up (and get a discount!) as a race participant that is a breast cancer survivor.
I may get a shirt made that has my face emblazoned on it!
Or, I may try to get a shirt like this:

So, next week I meet with my general surgeon to discuss the surgery I am having in December.
This past week, I met with the genetic counselor at HCI.  I should have had my test results ages ago.  But, HCI thought that McKay Dee had done them (they hadn't).  Go figure???
The genetic counselor asked me if she need to put a "rush" on my results?  In case I wanted them, to help me make a decision about what kind of surgery to opt for.
I've had time to think about it.  And the genetics isn't going to factor in to things for me. At all.
Granted, I want to see if I carry the BRCA1, or BRCA2 genes; or one of the other high-risk genes; entirely because I want to know if my daughters will have to worry about this!
There isn't a history of breast cancer in my family, but because I got breast cancer at such a young age there's a higher risk of it being genetic, for me.

Back to the story about my boobs...
I'd say that any thought of mastectomies/breast cancer first popped up on my radar about ten years ago when I was working for TCBWA.  One of the relationship managers was a breast cancer survivor, and had, had a double-mastectomy.
I remember thinking, "it's a no-brainer!  of course you have a mastectomy".
It's really easy to say that, when it's someone else's "lovely lady lumps".

When it is your own set of jugs "on the line", it's a lot more difficult to be nonchalant about chopping them off.
In fact, the first thing I panicked about, after I found out that I had breast cancer, was the potential loss of my bosoms.  They are a huge part of my emotional sexual identity.
I've always been proud of my bra-stuffers.  36C is the perfect size, and that's me.

Even through the first round of chemo, I wasn't certain about what I wanted to do with my ta-ta's?
Before I started chemo, the tumor had changed the appearance of my right fun-bag.  It was pretty disfigured.  My nipple had even started turning in on itself.
After that first round, my hooter went back to a somewhat normal appearance.  But I did notice a nasty puss-like discharge from my nipple on one particular day.  Gross.

I was doing as much research as my chemo-brain could handle!  I was talking to other survivors, and listening to their suggestions.  One lady had a lumpectomy, and her cancer came back afterward!

By round 2 of the chemo, I knew I NEVER wanted to do this again!
It also helped that I found a reconstruction procedure called a DIEP.  Essentially, they give you a tummy tuck- and then use that tissue to rebuild your melons!  Sign me up!

I had made a decision.  And my ideal scenario was: to get a bi-lateral mastectomy AND a hysterectomy (I'm going through menopause, and I have become OK with not having any more kids- so clean out all my "girly-parts" in one fell-swoop!).  And then to have immediate reconstruction via the DIEP.

Unfortunately, I am not a candidate for immediate reconstruction.  Since I have to have radiation I cannot get re-built right away.  Ho-Hum.  I still want the double mastectomy.

I have not yet had a consultation with the plastic surgeon, and I know there's a possibility that I might not have enough of a "spare tire" to use to make two new peaches out of.   But this is one time that the fact that I carry most of my excess weight on my tummy, works in my favor.  I'm also not as sad that I've put on 15 pounds since I started chemo.

Of course, I'm not thrilled with the idea of walking around entirely flat-chested for months on end...  But seriously, I cannot do this again.

Since I've run out of nicknames for knockers, this'll be a good place to finish off my blog post.  All good things must come to an end.  Apparently, this includes my bazooms.  For obvious reasons, I think I'll start referring to them as Thelma & Louise.  They're certainly going out in a blaze of glory!

More Lucky than Cinderella!

My time at the ball lasted 48 miraculous hours! 

Plus, it's pretty awesome that I have kept my eyelashes and eyebrows, and some of my hair.  That's a far better than the deal Cinderella got.  Pshaw, a glass slipper.  Who wants something like that, really?

After the 1st round of the new chemo drug they gave me I felt very much like normal.  It was due to the large dose of steroids they administered to me during chemo.  And I have to say that all of the time I spent on my knees begging God to make things a little easier, had a lot to do with it too.

 

I was pretty wired after chemo, and didn't feel THAT great.  Nick and I came home and watched Interstellar.  I doped myself up on sleep meds, and went to bed.

I woke up the next morning and felt nothing short of spectacular!

I went for a run.

The morning after chemo!

Granted, I'm still slow.  But it felt so good to be logging some mileage.

My hands weren't shaky.  So, I pulled out my sewing machine, and worked on some mending.
I was giddy about how well I felt.
I wanted to shout it from the rooftops.

The following day I went to church.  Still feeling strong.
We had lunch with friends, and by the time I made it home I was pretty tired.
I took a nap and slept for 3 hours.
The moment I woke up, I knew that the clock had struck the proverbial "midnight".  My hands were having perma-tremors again.

But I wasn't depressed, or sad.  I was very grateful.  So glad that I was able to experience a period of normalcy.

Monday thru Wednesday, I was pretty wiped out.  With Wednesday being the most difficult day.  But they were nowhere near as bad as the time I experienced while I was doing the AC chemo.

Tuesday, during the week, I consumed a TON of caffeine.  I had been invited to MOMSTOMP, and I really wanted to be awake enough to go!
So fun.
I went with some girlfriends from my neighborhood and we had a blast!  It was worth staying up late for.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the fact that my oncologist, and her NP were practically celebrating in the exam room after they evaluated my tumor...  That #4 treatment of AC (the one I was practically having a mental breakdown about going in for) really did a number on my tumor.  It literally smashed it flat.
My tumor is still measuring the same, lengthwise.  But it has gone from being round and hard, like a lemon; to flat and pliable like a pancake!
Also, I don't have to have neulasta anymore.  Yay!

Of course, with the good comes the bad.
Nick's new work schedule started this week and it just plain sucks.  Three 9AM to 9PM shifts one week, and 2 another.

I spent 12 hours at HCI my last chemo day.  Things started out with another echocardiogram, then I had my port accessed and labs drawn.  But that took longer than normal because my port wasn't cooperating (it was clogged with proteins).  After which, I had an EKG, and then met with my Oncologist, before heading to the infusion room.
I told my doctor that I feel like my 20/20 vision has gone away.  She said that chemo can give you blurred vision.  Nice.
My labwork indicated that my platelets are low, and that I'm anemic.  When my doctor was discussing it with me she said something along the lines of, "it isn't bad enough to warrant a blood transfusion.  Yet".  It's comments like that, that turn my head/startle me; and remind me that I really am in a serious fight for my life.

Because I was starting a new chemo drug, I wasn't in-and-out of the infusion chair very quickly.  To the tune of 7 hours!  They would administer a drug very s-l-o-w-l-y, after which I'd have to wait an hour to make sure I wasn't going to have a bad reaction to it.
I tried to refrain from using the restroom for as long as I could, but at hour 5; I finally had to drag my bulky IV pole in to the bathroom with me.

Beyond all of that, most of the side-effects from this new chemo drug haven't been as bad.  With the exception of the mouth sores.  They got worse.
I've still been tired.  I've still had the lava diarrhea. And the aforementioned "shakes".  But all of it has been so much more manageable.

I'll take it.

Things That Make Me Laugh.



My fingernails have been growing like gangbusters through the AC chemo.  Ironic, considering that they aren't supposed to fare very well once I start the Taxol.  Apparently, Taxol makes your nails brittle and dry, and lots of chemo patients have reported that their nails fell off.

 

So, maybe I'll be ahead of the curve, going in to this new round of chemo, since my nails are currently so healthy? 

Last night, Nick asked me when I was going to trim my fingernails?

I told him, I'd get around to it eventually.

He said, if I didn't do it soon, he was going to come up with a "stripper name" for me, and start calling me that.

I took a picture, before I trimmed my fingernails today.

Here's the second thing that makes me laugh:

I think, my entrepreneurial friend, Jacki, would call this a "bargain blunder"!
I am a total fruitcake about shaving my legs.  Pre-chemo, I shaved my legs every day.  Never fail.  And whenever I have a good coupon for razors, I buy a pack.
So now, I have 81 razors in my drawer.  I guess, if the apocalypse happens any time soon, they'll be something I can use as currency, right?!  Either that, or I'll have the smoothest legs of anyone still walking around in the post-apocalyptic world!

This one next picture is specifically for my childhood friend, Katie.  Who has been making fun of me for years (about many things, but the overabundance of Pantene in my toiletry cabinet, in particular).

Yes, that's 13 bottles of Pantene conditioner!
If I didn't still need it for my girls' hair, I'd be seeking out a 12-step program to help me stop buying it!
I won't be lacking, when my hair eventually starts to grow back in.

So, obviously, I'm in a lighter mood today, and that's a nice place to be.

Shallow Thoughts.

Because I'm no longer capable of deep thoughts, these days....

 

I put my big-girl panties on, and forced myself to do my 4th, and final round of AC.  It also marked the last time I should have to get a neulasta injection.  Yay!

Stephanie came down from Seattle, to be with me for two weeks.  She took me to chemo.



Since I was scheduled to have chemo on July 24th (a Utah holiday), I had the appointment with my oncologist on 7/23.  They accessed my port on Thursday morning, to draw labs.  I had to walk around, and sleep with my port accessed/a tube hanging out of it; all day and all night Thursday.  It was not fun.
The nurse that "detached" me from my port after round 3 of chemo, was unusually rough.  My port bled a lot directly afterward, and was bruised for a few days.  I went in to round 4, worried that maybe something was wrong with my port???  But the phlebotomist was able to easily access it.  Phew!
As uncomfortable as it is, to have a piece of plastic implanted near my collar bone, it has been very convenient.  And accessing it, hurts a lot less than when I have to have my veins accessed via my arm.

Bouncing back after round 4 has not happened.
At my appointment with my oncologist, I told her that I felt like I was suffering from low-blood-sugar-like symptoms: permanently!  ie- I feel shaky.  My hands shake uncontrollably.  Between that, and my lack-of-brain; playing the piano has been impossible for me.  And it makes me sad.
I also told the oncologist about my general feeling of anxiety, especially where my kids are concerned.
She added another med to my, already long list of them.  An anti-depressant.  She kept re-iterating that it is only temporary.  That all of these symptoms are only temporary.

She can say that, all she wants.  But, good heavens, I'm having a hard time internalizing it.

If anything, after round 4, the shakiness has increased.  I hate it.  It's a feeling like I've had way too much caffeine!  I sat in church with my fists clenched, because it was the only way I could keep my hands from shaking.
Also, I think something is going on with my vision?  My eyesight is not as sharp as it used to be.
I hate, hate, hate this.

I realize that I have gone from a decent conversationalist, to a crappy one.  It is the worst.  I can't focus.  I can't verbalize.  If I seem like I'm brushing you off, don't take it personally.  My brain just isn't working.

So, that's me.  Being a big boob.  Ha, ha, ha.  I couldn't resist.

Other things that have been bringing me down, lately:
Nick's work schedule changes this week.  He is going to be working 12 hour shifts 2-3 times a week.  I have been having a difficult time processing this change.  I wrote his new schedule down on my calendar.  But this is the absolute, worst time for a major change like that to be entering my life.  I really bothers me that I won't be able to have his new schedule memorized.

Dealing with Reagan's Autism has been hard.  And the thought of her starting school in three weeks has been giving me anxiety attacks.
Even when my brain has functioned at full-capacity, thinking three-steps-ahead of Reagan is exhausting.  But it is less tiring than doing something that will "trigger" her.  These days, I have been failing miserably at thinking ahead.  And she has been having a lot of meltdowns.  It makes me cry.  In my prayers, I have been begging God to give me back some of my energy; when I start the taxol chemo.  Because the responsibility of getting Reagan fed, and ready for school, and physically to school, and standing in line with her until the teacher takes her in to the school...  will be my primary responsibility.  And it scares me.

I paid bills, and did the budget two weeks ago.  Included were many, many medical bills.  I managed to pay them all, but it definitely wiped out our savings.  I was actually feeling gratitude at the fact that we wouldn't have to go in to debt to pay for my cancer treatment.  We were going to make it, by the skin of our teeth.
Literally, the day after I wrote all of those checks...  Elsa got a sharp rock and "drew" all over the side of (Nick's brother) Nate's car!  So, we get to pay for that to be fixed now too.  The Catch-22 in all of this is that it's the one time in my life, when I don't have the energy to give Nick the "OK" to work overtime shifts.  When his time is done at work, I want him to come home and take care of me.  Sigh.
And, if that wasn't enough "pouring, because it's raining"....
Our basement flooded, from the 4 inches of rain that Fruit Heights received yesterday.

I was on the phone with my sister, around 1PM, and went in to the basement laundry room, because the rain was coming down pretty hard, and the water had already soaked the rug near the door.  I hung up the phone, and started bailing water, via my carpet cleaner, and shop vac.
Jenny came over to help me, and so did our saintly home-teacher, Nic.
Just when we thought we had things under control...
An even bigger downpour started!
My sister drove up to my house, and Nick took off from work early.
The kids were having a great time running around like crazies, declaring what a disaster this was, and looking out the window at the river of water that was pouring down the sidewalk in our backyard, and accumulating in a pond, on the grass.

I should have taken pictures, but I was too busy trying to keep the flood contained.  It was insane.
In the end, we were very fortunate.  Every fought valiantly, against the water, and only a small portion of the carpet in my basement got wet.
Multiple neighbors stopped by to help, and one neighbor brought over an industrial-sized fan to dry the carpet and pad.

And therein lies my saving grace.
As much as I gripe...  There are so many good things going on too.

One day, I called Jill, and asked her to come up to take me to run errands.  She dropped everything, found a sitter; and hightailed it to my house; just to make sure I had lunch, and could do a return at Old Navy.  And I know she'd do it again.

My Aunt Karen came up, in the evening, last Friday.  She tended to my kids, and me.  She made us dinner.  Bathed my kids, entranced the girls with a bedtime story, and did my dishes!  I know a lot of it has to do with the fact that I am her favorite niece...  LOL (I would wager that all of her nieces probably feel like they are the favorite!).  It was just a wonderful evening.  I have always loved hearing what Karen has to say.  She is amazing.

Miss Jolynne, the kids' pre-school teacher, has taken them for playdates TWICE, and brought in the most delicious freezer meal.  I tell you, providence put that woman in my life!  And I am very grateful for it.

My neighbors are still taking my kids on daily play-dates.
Dinner's are still being brought.
I love getting texts and visits from well-wishers.

I have no idea how other people make it through something this awful without such an amazing support system?
Thank you, to all.  Especially Nick.  He deserves a medal.

Summer Continues

For the most part, I have not felt like I've been missing out on the summer.

Our winter was so mild, that it didn't leave me anxious for the warm weather, the way it has in the past.

And the fact that we got that California vacation in, right before I was diagnosed, was perfect.  I've been content to think back on those happy memories.  It hasn't bothered me to see other families taking summer vacations.  Surprising.  And a Tender mercy, to be sure.

 

Garrett and Katie came up from NM, and stayed with us for a few days.  A lot of fun was jam-packed in to that short amount of time.

 

I didn't accompany them, the first day.  I stayed at home, in bed.

 

They made a trip to Provo.  That included lunch at J-Dawgs, a trip to the creamery, and a stop at Fillings and Emulsions.

Of course, they spent a lot of time on the BYU campus too.  Go Blue.

The second day they were here, I was feeling a bit better.  So, Katie and I went shopping; while Garrett and Nick took the kids to the treehouse museum.
We all met up for lunch at Blue Lemon.

One evening we drove up to the LDS Bountiful Temple.  The grounds were closed, while the temple was going through it's annual cleaning.

We took pictures just outside the fence.

It didn't take mischievous Cohen very  long to figure out that he could easily slip between the bars...  And he was off and running!  Of course, an adult can't fit through.  So, every single one of the other kids EAGERLY volunteered to squeeze between the fence, to chase him down.  It was not awesome.  We promptly went home after that.

On August 1st, Fruit Heights held its annual "Founder's Day" celebration.
It's a holiday I look forward to every year!

I felt like I had a little energy, so I hauled myself out of bed, and went down to run the 5k, that the city puts on in the morning.
The course was not the same as the one they have done in the past.
I hated it.
I'm slow enough, as is.  But the 5k, this year, wasn't "road running"; it was all on grass/trail.  It made me even slower.
My BFF, and former running partner, Stephanie, ran it with me.  She kept telling me how awesome I was doing.  But it was depressing, to be pulling in 12 minute+ miles.
Whatever.
It is, what it is.  And considering the fact that I've got cancer, and am going through chemo...  I know Steph is right.  But it doesn't keep me from wishing that I could run faster.

It was a Saturday that Nick had to work.  So, in the evening my Mom and I took the kids down to the festivities.
Cohen was shockingly well-behaved.  To the tune of, sticking close to me the entire time, and waiting his turn in the lines.
Reagan was less-so.
But we still managed to have a good time.

Reagan and Cohen start a week of swimming lessons, next week.  Elsa insisted that she does not want to do them anymore.  I wasn't going to fight her.
I tried to sign Reagan up to do another week at Hunsaker Swim School, so that she could have one more round of private lessons.  However, they never responded to my email.  I truly fear that the lessons Reagan did in June will be the last she will have there. :(  I feel like Hunsaker is winding down.
So, I signed Reagan up to group lessons with some of her friends.  I am really worried about how it will turn out?  Fingers crossed that she surprises me, and performs well.

Reagan Turns 7

Reagan celebrated a birthday on July 19th.  She turned 7.

 

This girls is complicated.  And yet, very simple at the same time.

It was her year to have a "friend birthday party".   It took a little smooth-talking, but I managed to convince her to have a party at Chuck E. Cheese's.
Not the most glamorous option.  But it made my life so much easier.
All I had to do was design, and deliver invitations.

The employees at Chuck E. Cheese's took care of everything else.
Included in the birthday package was: tokens for all of the kids, pizza, unlimited drinks, ice cream, a special cape, crown, and a trip in to the ticket blaster- for the birthday girl.  And most importantly, setup, and cleanup of the party.  It was divine!
I held Reagan's part on a Thursday afternoon.  And for the bulk of the 2 hours that we were there, we had the place to ourselves.

I was also really grateful that my sister, and Gail's Mom (Barbara) came to help.  Mrs. Robinson also stayed the entire 2 hours!
It was the best-case scenario!  And the fact that all of the party guests had a blast, was icing on the cake!