Summertime Fun

Last weekend we went to my husband's native town to visit with family and have a relaxing time together. It ended up being a short trip, but the boys had a blast with their grandparents, uncle and hopefully soon aunt ;) They played hard, took walks, sprinkler fun, and did other outdoor things!

Today we went to the aquatic park for the first time here. Michael has gone swimming with the grandparents earlier this summer, but Kayden and I did not. We met up with our neighbor friend who has a boy the same age Kayden is. They all had a fun time playing! Kayden was scared at first of the water and the little green frog slide but eventually went down with Mommy over and over again! Michael wanted to go down the bigger slide and on the lazy river so we did that too. It was a fun afternoon and went home after the boys started getting cranky. They are both still napping so they must have used up a lot of energy!

We have a playdate scheduled with our neighbor friends again tomorrow morning and are looking forward to that! I'm glad it's been a normal summer so far. Kayden is slowly making more and more progress with doing normal things and is exciting to see him having fun!

Enjoyed playing at the park!

Michael was just recovering from the stomach flu last night and woke up feeling well this morning. This morning we went to a different park they normally don't go to, and the boys enjoyed the slides, swings, climbing rocks, and even played hide and seek. I sometimes forget that the boys need their outdoor time to run around, play, and enjoy the sunshine! I often get caught up in chores, projects at home or other things on my "to do" list. Here are a few pics of the enjoyment we had today while we played hide and seek!

Found you, Kayden!

 Can you see Michael hiding?

Kayden found Michael!

Wedding planning!

Today I woke up early. Actually, it was very early for me as Kayden is not been sleeping the best during the night. At 5:30 to be exact. Well, I started off by making a DIY exfoliating body scrub using coconut oil. It was really easy actually. I used 1 cup of coconut oil, 1 cup of sugar (recipe calls for organic), 1/2 cup of sea salt and 1 T of lavender oil. I omitted the lavender oil as I did not have any on hand. All I can say is, WOW! I rubbed it on all over my body in the shower and came out silky smooth! I have really been into using natural ingredients lately probably since Kayden had cancer but the results always seem to come out so much better than something you would purchase in the store! And did I mention cheaper too?
Speaking of DIY, I found a DIY laundry detergent recipe on Pinterest and made a BIG batch of detergent!

If you like visuals, here's one!

This is a 5 gallon bucket and 3/4 full! I still haven't added the last ingredient!

So I titled this blog 'Wedding planning!' yet I haven't even discussed weddings! Maybe it needs a new name? No, I am excited this day is about planning for my little sister's wedding! We are going to try on dresses today, and I told Rachel yesterday that the focus will be on her today. It is important that she finds her dress first. She recently got engaged to her boyfriend of 3 years about a month ago and the wedding is sooner than they were planning for next spring. To me that's quick because I was engaged for a couple years before my husband and I were married. We were also only dating for about 7 months before Kerry proposed. Back to Rachel and her fiance Blake. The two young lovebirds have a lot to plan and a lot going on for them right now. Rachel is in the radiology program at the university here and going into sonography. She is taking summer classes right now so she is always busy with something. My almost brother-in-law is getting ready to start college next fall so he is trying to decide on a major and also busy working. Oh, I didn't mention that he is in a band too! He has some amazing skills! He is the lead singer and plays the guitar. He has always been a family member to us since he and Rachel started dating. They have the date, church, and reception booked so are making some progress! My little sister who is 16 is the maid of honor with my older sister and I being bridesmaids. Since my older sister and I are the married ones, I think we will be the ones giving advice from our experience! 

Here is a picture of my Rachel, Blake and I at Blake's high school graduation party.

Yes, we are all matching! Rachel is on the right and she and Blake did plan to match :)

One of my dear friends is also getting married next year, and I am her matron of honor! She has her dress and the bridesmaids dresses figured out, but there is a lot of planning there too! Looks like I will be a busy bee next year with these two weddings and wonderful people in my life that I am honored to share their days with! Here's to happy wedding planning!

Kayden is CANCER FREE!

Yesterday my youngest, Kayden, had a CT scan and MRI to look at his liver. He was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma Stage III (liver cancer) late last September and has been treated with multiple rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the tumor and had surgery in April for a liver transplant. We were overjoyed to hear during surgery that they could remove the tumor and the transplant wasn't needed! For a more detailed understanding of his treatment, please follow his carepages website: http://www.carepages.com/carepages/kaydenskampaign. After the radiologist and oncologist reviewed the scans from yesterday, it was confirmed that our little fighter Kayden is done fighting! There was no evidence of the tumor and some regrowth of his liver! My baby is cancer free! He is done with his treatments and will be having his port removed in a couple weeks. He has to take Bactrim, an antibiotic, for 6 months to help prevent the chances of him getting a certain type of pneumonia since his immunity to fight off infections is suppressed. He will be checked every 3 months in the clinic at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City for two years to be monitored in case the cancer comes back. It was a bittersweet ending yesterday as his oncologist and team threw a party to celebrate the end of Kayden's treatments.
Today, we have been having a restful day at home. Michael was at his grandparents when we were in Kansas City, and they all come over this morning. Kayden is still recovering from his last round of chemotherapy but for the most part is happy and keeps busy at home!
We have a lot planned for this summer from family swim time to home improvements and then a trip to Texas. Kayden will get to celebrate his birthday at the end of summer and will have a party next month to celebrate him being cancer free. There is a lot to be thankful for, and we are hoping for the best year!

Kayden holding his award of achievement for finishing treatment and being cancer free!!

Update: Carepages removed their page and so Kayden's posts are no longer accessible. I did receive a copy of the posts I made so if anyone has ANY questions related to his treatment, care or in general, please just ask!

My boys the other day before a lunch date! L>R Kayden (2 1/2), Michael (4)

A New Beginning

A lot has happened since I started blogging a couple years ago. I am turning over a new leaf! Even though life had so much meaning to me then, I have a whole new outlook on life. My 2 (almost 3) year old is just finishing up treatment of liver cancer. He was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma Stage 3 late last September. I will discuss more of this in depth in another post. Let's just say he had surgery a couple months ago and is now cancer free! It is a big weight and relief off our shoulders! If you wish to follow Kayden's journey, you can sign up to follow his carepages site at http://www.carepages.com/carepages/kaydenskampaign. To all you bloggers and readers, I hope you find some insight and can relate to posts where I discuss my life as a mommy including the joys, struggles, challenges, and everything else that life throws at me!


Update 9/20/18: Carepages has closed their website; they were able to send me all of my posts that I plan refer back to for future posts! If any questions related to him and his journey, please don't hesitate to ask me!