Miles 4 Megan

Oct. 9, 2010, Travis and I will be participating in a fund raising event called Miles 4 Megan. It's a Walk-a-thon that is benefiting Megan Smith, a friend of ours who found out in July (while in labor with their first baby!) that she has leukemia. If you'd like to read more about her story you can visit her website here, http://prayersformegan.com/ . Of if you want to see more about the event you can visit here, http://www.miles4megan.com/ . If you would like to help, we are collecting pledges ahead of time. You can sponsor us for an amount per mile or name a maximum amount that you are willing to contribute. Anything would be great!

Be Careful What You Wish For....

I'm afraid its been no secret that I've felt a bit burned out from Young Womens. I think the calling, in and of itself, is exhausting, but add on a few more factors from my particular situation and I'm lucky my blood pressure is still in check. 

Well, a couple weeks ago, I received that fateful call at 9:45pm, Saturday night. "Hi Stephanie, this is Brother Benson... would you be able to meet with me tomorrow morning right before church?"

My heart may have skipped a beat as I assured him that I could indeed fit him in. 

Trav told me not to get my hopes up. You never know what it could be about. Pishha! I was about to be released! And better yet, he didn't ask for Travis to accompany me the next morning, so it didn't look like I was going to even get another calling right away. They were giving me a break!! Travis just rolled his eyes. No chance, he said.

I hate when he's right. 

I had had a suspicious feeling even before the words came out of Brother Benson's mouth. A sort of ominous, foreboding, pit in the bottom of your stomach type of feeling.

And for good reason.

Have you guessed it yet....?

I did.

Sunday School Teacher.

(I imagine a collective groan is appropriate)

Yes, Gospel Doctrine teacher. And what is the current text this year? Admittedly, I wasn't sure at first. Remember, I've only just been reintroduced to what the 2nd hour of church should religiously entail. So if you're struggling here, let me help you- Old Testament (dun du duuuun!)

Is there possibly a calling I could be less qualified for? Maybe you think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill here, but I feel like I was rightfully terrified.

I mean, I'm no scriptorian. Sadly, I've never even made it through the entire Old Testament. I tried once, years ago, and got to maybe Kings. Then I just couldn't take it anymore and retreated to the Book of Mormon (which, I know, I know... I should have reading all along).

I dodged this calling once before, but call it karma, it came back to get me. When I was in the Countryside Park singles ward with Travis, he happened to be the executive secretary and therefore was a part of all the bishopric meetings. Well, I forget specific details, but I think I knew I was up for a new calling. Trav and I were dating and I told him in no uncertain terms that I did NOT want to be a Gospel Doctrine teacher. (awful, right? I probably shouldn't even be admitting this) Well, shortly after, Trav informed me that my name did indeed come up for the new Sunday School teacher and all seemed on board with the decision. Now I imagine poor Trav (maybe afraid I'd break up with him if he didn't... I don't know) meekly interjecting, that actually I didn't really want that calling. And I was spared. How embarrassing. And completely against all that I was taught about accepting callings. Maybe I felt justified in the fact that I wasn't exactly turning a calling down, I was just preventing the calling from ever being extended. Nope, still doesn't justify it. And obviously, it didn't last forever.

So back to present day. Last Sunday I gave my first lesson on none other than the Isaiah chapters. And you know what? It wasn't too bad. When you're handed a manuel with everything spelled out for you, it takes a lot of the unknown away. And I actually learned a few things. I guess that's the general silver lining to being a teacher... you learn the most. The time flew by and I didn't even get to cover 1/2 of what I had prepared. And about 15 minutes in, I started to relax and kind of enjoy myself. I'd forgotten how fun teaching can be. So, wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, I think I may actually like being a Gospel Doctrine teacher. I don't know... ask me again in 6 months :)

On the downside, after thinking I wanted out of YW for so many weeks, my wish was granted and now I want to take it back! For my last mutual, the YM and YW had prepared talks to give to the bishopric in preparation for what it would be like to speak in church. They did amazing. I cried in every talk. These girls beyond astound me. They are up against it all and still stand as witnesses of Christ every day in their families and schools. I really don't think I had their courage at their age. Heck, I don't think I have it now. It doesn't take much to love these girls. They've become my friends... not just on Facebook... but for real :) I want them to succeed SO BAD. I want them to be happy SO BAD. I want them to stay active, contributing members of the church.... well, you get it. The hardest part about being an influential part of a child or teenager's life is when you aren't that influential anymore. At least, you're not as big a part of their life as you used to be. It's a little disconcerting. I don't want that relationship severed. In the past two weeks, I've gotten random text or Facebook messages from two of my former 5th grade students, just asking how I am and telling me they miss me and loved me as a teacher. *heartthrob* I can't imagine feeling any better than when I got those messages. There is a Beehive from my former ward that I was only a leader for, for maybe a few months and yet she still emails me occasionally about what's going on in her life and to see how I'm doing. Seriously, these kids are amazing. And it just goes to show that you make an impact, even when you think you're not. It makes being a youth leader so fulfilling. I think the greatest rewards come after you've put your heart and soul into something or someone. And maybe you don't see it right away, or maybe you won't ever "see" it, but the difference is still there. Needless to say, I will miss Lizzy, Pam, Rachel, Lorali, Cortney, Chelsea, Magaly, Whitney, and Bonnie.

 

Life with Collin

Yes, there is a reason this blog is titled { The Collin Chronicles }... and this post illustrates why. My life revolves around this guy. I don't think blogs should always be roses and rainbows, because real life isn't, and so I'm going to try to describe the past couple weeks as they have really been. Hard. 

It occured to me at the R.S. Retreat (when we were discussing journaling) that it could be a good thing for a teenager to read his mother's journal. I don't think anyone really understands the trials of parenting (hello, not even me yet, I'm only 18 months in) until they become a parent, but maybe reading about what your mom and dad went through, in their own words, when things were hard, might bring a little compassion into the picture. Because, generally speaking, children and teenagers tend to mostly think about themselves. They aren't really concerned about what their parents are sacrificing or feeling. It's all about them. As my mom would call it, they are "acting their age". Well I certainly don't expect Collin to understand what I'm feeling yet (except for when he hits me in the face with his diaper cream and it leaves a mark and I want to scream, STOP, THAT HURTS! And maybe I do yell it a little.) But maybe when he's an ornery 15 year old, he can read some posts like this one and feel sorry for his mother. Just a little. :)

This kid wears me out. I'm not sure why they call it the Terrible 2's, because I think it starts at 18 months. He doesn't really talk and he's mostly given up on signing, so he just screams and points when he wants something. I feel like my whole day is spent playing the game of trying to figure out what he wants. If I'm laying on the couch and ignoring him, he'll grab my hair and pull it as hard as he can. It certainly gets my attention. He wants food all day long, but only eats maybe 40% of what I get for him. He wants to go outside, but the second he hits the driveway, he's off running and we don't have a fence. So I follow him around the neighbor's yards as he throws their rocks and tries to pick up their ceramic lawn ornaments. He HATES going to the store. Literally the second I walk into Wegmans, Target, JoAnnes, he starts whining... loud. I even succumbed this week to pushing him around the grocery store in the cart with the car attached to the front. I swore I'd never do that. It was like driving a bus. I even ran into a little old lady's cart, turning a corner. Worst part was, it didn't even keep him happy longer than 10 minutes. Then I had to bust out the sucker. I tried teaching him how to color, which was great at first, but now he want to color on everything. Our brick has sidewalk chalk scrawled on it and our living room got graffitted with crayon. He spills my bag of buttons all over the floor and then giggles and laughs like he just did the best thing. As pictured below, he can't hold still for a hair cut, so while I'm cutting his back hair line with clippers, he jerked backward, and won himself a bald spot. This was 3 hours before our pictures were taken. He must have snacks at the store or in the car and when I pulled him out the other day, he had Kix all stuck to his pants. Ok, so that was kind of cute.

 After a particularly bad day, I put him in the tub and decided he could use a real bubble bath. I'm glad I did, because it reminded me of how cute he can be.

 First, blowing the bubbles.

 Then tasting them. You'd think after one taste, he'd learn they were no bueno. But no, he liked them.

 Mostly, I'd just say that describing him as {busy} is an understatement. I've had mulitple people comment to me things like, "Wow, he just never stops." Or, "My goodness, he as got some energy!" And these are people with young children of their own, not older people who have forgotten what it's like to have kids.

Granted, he has gotten some molars lately and I think some more are on their way, but in general I'd just say he is not content. He won't just play with his toys or watch a show for too long without me next to him. He always wants to sit in my lap. He really just wears me out. By the end of the day, I am exhausted. And he's just ONE CHILD! So not only do I feel frazzled and spent, I feel incompentent, because I can't keep up with just one kid. How am I pregnant?

And yet, even as I'm writing all this, I miss him. (He's napping) I don't even know what it would be like to fix dinner without him at my feet, pulling down my pants. He has finally learned to give kisses and it's my favorite. When we go on walks and he sees a squirrel, it's like Santa just scurried by. And when a dog starts barking, well forget it, that's just the most exciting thing ever. He points and leans forward, so happy, and yaps right back at the dog. He is obsessed with my teddy bear and his doggie (hot pink, by the way. I got it on Valentines Day from a student and am too cheap to buy a boy colored stuffed animal for him) He hugs them and presses them to his face. While he won't do what I say most of the time, he always faithfully obeys when I tell him to come get his "spray" (The spritz of hairspray on his mohawk). I don't know why he likes it so much. Truthfully, I can't imagine my life without him. I guess that's how it always goes.

We had a little scare two nights ago with him that kind of put things in perspective for me. Thursday evening he had his 18 month check up. I knew they were going to want to give him the flu shot and I thought it over and for some reason wasn't that concerned about it. Maybe I just wasn't up for the "fight" with the doctor over it. I talked to Trav and he agreed it was probably fine. Well, we got there and I found out that it was a mix of swine and regular flu in the shot. For some reason, I got the worst feeling. I said a quick prayer and just couldn't shake the feeling. So the doctor came in and did the exam and was really nice and everything checked out fine and he said Collin would be getting 3 shots and having his finger pricked. And for some reason, I just went along with it. The whole procedure was completely awful of course. Collin was screaming and I had to hold him down and he was so panicked his whole body was shaking and quivering. But once the episode was over and the Twix had been consumed, all was well again. Until 1am when he woke up screaming. I had heard him cry off and on up until then which isn't normal, but when I went to get him, he was scortching hot. I took his temp and it was nearly 103 and he was shaking again. My stomach just dropped. Why had I let him get that d@*# flu shot! Even if it wasn't a reaction to the flu shot, how would I know? That was the whole point to him being on alternative vaccination schedule. So that if there was a reaction, I'd know better what it was related to. I stripped him down and gave him Tylenol and Trav gave him a blessing while he screamed. I felt like an awful mother. I had had a bad feeling about something and did it anyway. I will never do that again. I just held him and rocked him and cradled him on the floor. Eventually we ended up back in our bed and he slept most of the night (what was left of it) on my chest. He still ran the fever the next day, but I think today its gotten better. I hope that nothing more serious follows. But of course, I was imagining the worse and completely terrified of it. What would I do without my Collin? I would fall to pieces and never be the same again. He's worth everything and anything. So again.... life in perspective. I'm grateful to be a mother.

However, our awkward sleeping postition may have been what triggered my latest back "episode". Yes, I'm currently living life as a crippled 70 year old. Not only do I look like I'm perpetually on the look out for spare change, its nearly impossible to pick up Mr. Collin. At least it's the weekend and I have Travis here to help. It is wonderful to be married. When I'm a wreck and crying because I can't handle my 18month old or when I'm a wreck and crying because I think I killed my 18month old with a shot, Travis is steady and calm and willing to do whatever is necessary. He loves me and soothes me and listens to me when I think I should probably be committed to a mental institute. Being married is good. :)

As for last weekend, we headed out to Becker Farms to do some apple picking with Trav's dental class. Only, we didn't really do much more than say hi to some of them, then head to the orchards.

Here's my cuties while we wait in line for the tractor ride.

Really good illustration of every day life.

 This guy went to town on an apple. I'm not a big apple fan, but my, these were good! Especially the Cortland ones.

 After a while of eating, he stuffed his mouth and I think it was too much to chew or swallow. We tried to get him to spit it out, but he refused. He probably remained in chipmunk status a good 15 minutes until it all came spewing out in the car. Lovely.



FaMiLY PiCTuReS 2010

Last Monday the stressful day had finally arrived... family picture day. It really shouldn't be that hard with only one little creature, right? Wrong. This kid was a menace. He had woken up too early, taken too short a nap, not eaten very much and was a cranky monster. And that made Mom an even crankier monster. I couldn't even handle him- poor Trav had to do most of the work... along with Megan. I may be smiling, but I wanted to pull my hair out. While we were driving away, I felt like it was all a waste... how could even one picture turn out? Well, Megan worked her magic and now for the even harder part... which ones to print? Help!

What a stink face, huh?! He just perfected this scowl maybe a week or two ago and I've been trying so hard to get a picture of it... to no avail. I was so glad when Megan chose this one as one to edit. I'm sure she had plenty to chose from :)

Women's Retreat

Last weekend our stake hosted a Relief Society Retreat at Seneca Lake. It was the first time I'd participated in something like this and I must say it was well worth the drive. Although I had to make a crack at the sign... not very {scrapbooky}, ladies. Just kidding, actually it's signs like this that remind me there are other "normal" Mormons out there. :)

After dinner we had a skit night where every ward came up with a skit that described "who they were". It must have been indicative of the demographic of our ward, that we were just about the only ones who did a silly skit. We had three {scenes} that are common to our ward. Here are Tiff and Carolyn demonstrating yet another craft night making headbands for the babies. Tiff is wondering if her flower is too big for her baby's head :)

Rach and I did a skit where she was "Elder Shaw" calling me up Sunday morning to see if we could give some investigators a ride to church... but then I find out there are 7 investigators. I stammered that we only have one car with 2 extra seats... but ok, we could make it work. Then she mentioned that the Elders were sure getting hungry and if I wouldn't mind having them over for dinner. Okaaaay... I guess. Oh but wait, one Elder doesn't like fruits or vegetables (and yes, this describes exactly one missionary in our ward) and the other is watching his weight, so no chocolate. Etc, etc.

The other skit was the Compassionate Service Committee discussing the 17 babies born the past week and the need to get meals out to all of them pronto.

Well we got some laughs, which was good, and of course these were exaggerations, but still pretty funny that this is exactly what it feels like to be a part of the Buffalo Ward. Gotta love it! :)

After skits and a fireside, it was time for dessert and GaMeS. This is the beginning of the group...

And this was the end. We'll blame it on the fresh air.

During a rousing rendition of {I have never...} we learned lots of fun tidbits about each other. Maybe more than we cared to know... or share for that matter. We didn't do too bad... only stayed up til 2am, and I was a happy camper because I got a group to play Ninja. Even Lynae, who is 8 months prego, was in on Ninja. I was impressed.

I had to get Natalie in her hair net! When I heard the menu, including salad bar and pulled pork sandwiches (you know me) I wasn't too thrilled, but my goodness, it was delish. I ate WAY more than I should have (It's for baby Duff, right?) and loved every bite. Especially those brownies... way to go Nat!

The next morning we had a couple of workshops and I was remotivated to start journaling thanks to Rachel! This girl has at least 5 different journals she keeps going all the time. I used to be good about that, but not so much after blogging. Time to get started!

Then we were able to do a session in the temple, which was long overdue for me. So fun to be sitting in the Celestial room with friends. We are truly blessed.

Well, Rach and I just couldn't pass up an opportunity to go to H&M in Rochester on our way home (that's of course after missing our exit and having to drive 20 extra minutes just to turn around... and then getting lost amongst toll booths and junctions...darn thruways!). I scored on a bunch of great maternity stuff and felt our {girl trip} was finally complete. Thanks to the hubbie for taking care of the screamer while I was away! I sure missed my boys while I was gone.

Testosterone Brewin'

I wasn't expecting it.

Apparently no one else was either.

But at 2:39pm today we found out we are having another stinky boy!

And we are ExCiTeD!

To be honest, I was surprised just to see a baby on the screen.

Not that I thought I was really having a burrito, but until you see it with your eyes, it doesn't seem real.

My {practical} side is relieved.

No sewing, no bows, no shopping for pink.

I will be excited when that time comes, but for now our student loan wallet has avoided a blow.

He is measuring right on schedule, so about Feb. 4 (or Feb. 18 if he follows in big brother's footsteps) we will be having little Mr.{fill in the blank}

That is the main problem... I am not good with boy names.

Any suggestions?

Weston Travis is a possiblitly.

We'll mull it over for 4 more months.

Widdle fingers

And widdle toes.

Pickin' Berries and Flyin' Planes

Labor Day stayed true its name for the 3rd year students studying for their Pharm test. So Rach and I decided to drive to Brown's Berry Patch for the morning. We had no problem filling the hour drive, there and back, with our chatter. It's a large farm thats been around for over 200 years and sits near Ontario Lake. It was a perfect {fall} morning *contented sigh* and the boys had a great time riding along in the wagons meant for produce. As you can see, Gavin had a tipping problem, fixed handily with clunky bags.

We started with the raspberries and Collin caught on real quick.

Next we moved on to the blackberries, but being accustomed to {red}, Collin enjoyed many a bitter, red, blackberry.

Finally, we hit up the apples, but didn't go too crazy. Just a couple for snacking.

I have big plans for blackberry cobbler, Chocolate Raspberry Torte, and jam, but we'll see if it materializes. Even if it doesn't, we still had a berry good time. ;)

 On Tuesday, Collin was nearly driving me bonkers when we got an invite to go watch the planes land and take off at the airport. I can't believe I didn't know about this place! It's on the east side and right next to a runway. They have benches and lots of grass to run around on and even a couple of play helicopters.

Crescent's little girl, Maia (4 years old I think), became our photographer. And not a bad one at that! It was nice not having to use the self timer.

The planes were exciting for a little while, until this tractor showed them up.

So, I've been quite jealous of all the kids going back to school. The YW complain, but I think it's exciting. New clothes, notebooks, schedules... what's not to love?! I want to go back to school. But alas, it's not to be. So instead I was welcomed {back to bunco} for a new year by Rach! I was pacified for at least a night. :)

She even went through the trouble to find {school milk}. And how adorable are those apple cake pops?! And for prizes, she went "back to school shopping" for us. To die for. So while I may not be going back to school, I still got a new accessory, did some math (haha), and made some new friends!

Hot Turning Cool...

A week in review....

It has been nasty, hot this past week... like {90} degrees. I know my AZ friends are rolling their eyes, but it really is warm when you add the humidity. Too warm to go outside during the day, unless you have some agua to cool off in. Unfortunately, I had to throw away our slimy pool that killed the grass and bred mosquitos. Pity. So Wednesday afternoon I had the lightbulb idea to dump Collin's toys and use the bucket as a {pool}. And I scrounged up the screw- on, play hose that we found at a garage sale. I'd say he quite enjoyed it. And got some great speed on that wet diaper going down the slide.

And not long after, we had some friends show up!

Well, the next day I decided to splurge at ToysR'Us and buy one of the big, hard plastic pools. It was on sale for $13. Why not? I had to have someone help me get it out to the car, then fold down two seats and {taco squish} it in. I filled it right up so it could warm and he could play in the afternoon. Except we ran out of time. And then the next afternoon it rained. So I poured out the water and let it dry against the garage. Must have looked really enticing. Because the next morning it was gone. Granted, it was a windy night, but I'm just not sold on the idea that it literally {blew} away. It was just too heavy. Darn our non-fenced-in backyard. Everything is just ripe for the taking I guess. I'd like to be one of those positive people that just thinks "Well they must have needed it more than I did". But unfortunately I'm more vindictive. I'd prefer that they get a nasty sunburn the first time they use it. OK, well not their child,  just them.

On Thursday I participated in my last {mommy panel} session at Fisher Price. In a town about 25 minutes away, there is a massive Fisher Price center/factory/ what have you. It's really a quaint little town called East Aurora (check your Fisher Price toys- maybe it says East Aurora on it!) and then you turn a couple corners, and bam, there is Fisher Price... security check-in and everything. I went to 4 sessions total (we were out of town for 2) and they were once, every other week. I would join about 6 other moms in a room with a double sided glass wall and multiple cameras and sound devices. Every 15 min., for an hour and a half, a new researcher or designer would come in with models, blueprints, and ideas to show us and get our opinion on. Sometimes we'd fill out surveys or explain which packaging we liked better, why a certain playpen was more appealing, etc. and they would just hang on every word. To be honest, it was kind of nice. You felt important for being a mom in a whole different sense. And we got paid! I didn't mind the candy bowl they passed around either. :) If you're interested in doing it, just call Fisher Price and see if they have any spots open. Once you do a 6 session group, you can't do it for 2 years, so that's it for me, but it was kind of a fun, unique experience I'm glad I got to do!

Thursday night, I hosted Book Club at my house (I was going to take a picture, but then chickened out). I think I'll do a book review soon in a different post... don't get too excited :) But what was really nice, was Trav took Collin to a UB football game that night while I was running around, trying to get ready for the book clubbers. :) When he walked out the door, I thought it probably would be a disaster, with Collin being fussy or running around the whole time, but I was wrong! Trav said he loved it and did awesome. Just sat in his lap the whole time, watched the game, clapped when everyone else clapped, and grooved to the happenin' tunes of the marching band. Woohoo Collin!

Saturday morning, our ward had a service activity at the ward building that centered around spreading new mulch where all the soil was. Luckily, they had a nursery, so Trav and I both could help. It was great weather (even on the chilly side) and it felt great to do some manual labor. Not this sissy dish washing or laundry stuff I do all day. I was spreading manuer! haha. It took a couple of hours, but it felt great to be outdoors and working with our other ward members to help take care of our building. It's true what they say, service really brings people together!

(And yes, that is our church building in the background... not your typical looking LDS chapel on the outside)

Sunday brings great news. Fabulous news, really. Collin went to his first day of nursery!! Hip hip hooray!! He was a week early, but we fudged. Trav dropped him off and he didn't cry or really blink an eye (our child loves us dearly). We went to Sunday School together for the first time in... I can't remember how long, and it was amazing.

On our trip home this summer, my younger sister made a comment (as we sat out in the foyer with our kids during Sunday School) that she couldn't wait for a baby to take care of during church that would get her out of boring classes. Shelley and I just looked at each other knowingly, then I gently broke it to her that actually, you MISS going to class, and would much rather NOT be taking care of a toddler in the hallway. You would have thought I told her that Matthew McConaughey did not in fact have bulging biceps. It just could not be true. She will find out soon enough.

Well, everything was going great, until I got pulled out of opening exercises in the 3rd hour. I assumed he had a poopy diaper. Not so lucky. Apparently he had been doing great, until he ate a crayon, then threw it back up, all over himself. But she assured me, that he was doing wonderful before that, loving "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes and the Wheels on the Bus" and playing with toys. Well, that was a relief. I had no spare clothes, so I rinsed his shirt in the sink, best I could, then took him back. When I picked him up, she handed me his coloring page. I was so proud of him. I might be a nerd.

Right after church, Rach and I went over to Roswell to visit our friend, Megan. Sunday was her birthday. I've attempted blog posts before about Megan, but was never able to finish. They never seemed adequate. I'll try once more...

At the end of July, Megan went into the hospital to have her first baby and subsequently found out that she has leukemia. I really cannot even fathom it. Literally in labor and being told you most likely have a life threatening cancer. She had to leave her baby, just hours after she was born to go to Roswell, the cancer institute in Buffalo. I cry every time I think about how we found out. They had texted us that Megan was in the hospital and would probably have the baby that day. By the end of the day, we hadn't heard anything, so I checked Facebook, to see if any news was posted. Instead, I read a heart wrenching plea from Megan's mom, begging anyone in Buffalo that was friends with Megan and Ryan, to please go be with them. She said that they thought Megan might have leukemia and of course their family wasn't near, so she just wanted someone to help in some way, since she knew they wouldn't ask for support themselves at the moment. Trav and I were able to go down to the hospital for several hours that night and I was priveleged enough to spend the next day with sweet, baby Rylee. Since then, its felt like a rollercoaster of events... at one point, not given hope by the doctors that she'd make it through the day. I can't imagine how Megan, Ryan and their families have dealt with all of this. It's faith and strength I've never seen before. Megan is truly amazing to me. It's humbling to watch all that she has to go through with the chemotherapy and treatments. It's a reality check for me. How quickly life can change. How fragile it is. How much we rely on our Heavenly Father. How He is in control and we are not. How powerful faith and prayer is. And also, how trivial some trials become when everything is put in perspective.

While we were visiting, the nursing staff came in singing Happy Birthday, bringing balloons and hugs. I instinctively sprang into action, digging my camera out. I kind of felt dumb afterward, but now I'm glad I have the pictures.

Megan is scheduled for a bone marrow transplant near the end of the month and then should be able to come home the end of October. We can't wait!

If you want to know more about her story you can visit http://prayersformegan.com/ 

                    HaPPy BiRtHdaY MeGaN! I hope 27 is a good year!

And as a finishing touch, for your viewing pleasure... I introduce you to a little boy who gets very upset when he doesn't get what he wants.

First he runs through all the {signs} he knows, which don't mean what they are supposed to... they all just mean {I WANT! FIGURE IT OUT!}

But my favorite would have to be the supposed {water} sign..... three fingers bounced on the chin. Only he pulls his whole face down with his fingers, smooshing his nose and exposing the insides of his eye. It cracks me up.

I took this a couple months ago.... doing the {more} sign so that he looks like a ballerina. Otherwise, he presses his fingers together as hard as he can, looks at them with consternation then back up at me, like... Hello?! I'm doing the SIGN!!!