LindseyAnn.net

 June 9th, 2008

 May 30th, 2008

Our baby is 3!

Happy 3rd Birthday to our beautiful little Princess! 

 May 19th, 2008

Results are in!

Well it has been a very busy couple weeks!  This past week was wonderful!  On Monday Lindsey and I went to sprout studio to meet the Backyardigans.  We waited for a couple hours and were 4th in line to get our picture taken with them, only to find out there was a mix up and they were not going to be there until Tuesday.  So we were right back there on Tuesday morning.  This time we were 66th in line, but that was ok with us.  Lindsey got to meet Pablo and Uniqua.  She was not too sure about them.  She didn't want to walk up on her own, but was ok if I went with her.  Then on Tuesday night we went to the Tennessee Theatre to see the Backyardigans Live Show.  It was awesome!  She had so much fun.  This is the first time I have taken her to a show, I didn't know how well she would do.  She loved it!  There was a lot of crowd interaction and she was enjoying every minute of it.  She was laughing and smiling the entire time.  Then on Wednesday we picked up Aunt Michelle from the airport.  Thursday morning was testing bright and early for Lindsey.  We checked in at 8:15 am.  She had an ultra sound and a check x-ray.  I have no idea what they are looking at on those machines.  I always think I am pretty prepared for these tests, then I get in there and every little thing makes your heart skip a beat and your stomach start doing flips.  They had Lindsey flip over on to her belly and did part of the ultra sound on her back.  They have never done that before so of course that makes me wonder why.  Then we go to the chest x-ray from ultra sound and they do that different then they have before so I am thinking they have found something.  Oh it is just an awful feeling.  Then from x-ray we are back up to the clinic for some blood work.  Lindsey did pretty good.  She was blowing bubbles as they drew her blood.  She just cried for a minute.  Then the doctor came in and said the x-ray and ultra sound look fine.  We will have to wait until Monday for the AFP results.  We have been pretty busy this week so it helps keep my mind off the tests and the upcoming results.  I can't change them anyway.  I just pray for true and accurate results.  I do pray that it is God's will that she is forever healed. 

Then on to Thursday night.  It was Casey's graduation.  I have had a hard time believing that Casey is graduating.  Boy does time fly.  It was wonderful.  Only a couple times did I get teary eyed.  My little boy is growing up.  It is ever harder to believe that he will be 18 in just a few short months.  Wow! 

Happy Anniversary to Jeff and I today.  We spent the day at our Church Carnival.  Lindsey had a blast.  She enjoyed the bounce house, the games, the food and most of all the music.  She was out there dancing away.  We ran into Lindsey's oncologist.  He said it was nice to see Lindsey running around laughing and talking, and having a good time.  She usually doesn't have a very big smile on when we are in the clinic.  Lol. Hopefully this upcoming week is not as busy and I will get a chance to post some new pictures.  Have a great weekend and I will update with the AFP results as soon as I hear something. 

 May 2nd, 2008

Another allergic reaction

Well it has been awhile hasn't it.  Sorry about that.  Last time I updated I was talking about how we "lost" Lindseys pacifier.  I am happy to report that we are "nuker" free.  It worked out great!  Lindsey did so much better than the boys did as far as no longer having a pacifier.  We also got Lindsey a toddler bed. It is a princess bed and has a canopy. It is so cute.  I thought maybe she would sleep in the pretty bed.  No such luck.  Other than that, little miss is just keeping us on our toes like usual.  Last weekend on Saturday she woke up and said her ear hurt and complained a little.  Jeff ended up taking her to an urgent care and she had a very bad ear infection.  The doctor was asking how long she had been complaining and Jeff told him just a couple hours, he told Jeff that her ear was pretty bad.  So they prescribed some antibiotics and suggested we take her in to her doctor towards the end of the week to make sure it was all clear.  He said that many kids that have been through what she has, have a higher tolerance for pain. I guess this could be a good and bad thing, it was bad in this case since her ear was so bad.  Poor little girl.  So I took her in yesterday and her ear is clear.  She went in a 1:00 pm.  We were at Riley's baseball game and I took her in to go to the bathroom at about 7:30 pm and as I was pulling her pants back on I noticed a red mark on her left cheek on her bottom.  We were in a port a potty so I stepped outside for better lighting.  Her entire left cheek was one huge hive.  So I picked her up and ran to the car.  I took her to Jeff and we looked her over, she just had a couple other small hives.  I called the doctors office and got the after hours and left a message.  They called me right back and said to watch her breathing for 2 hours and make sure she did not have any breathing problems and make sure the hives did not keep spreading or change in color.  We could also give her some benedryl and should take her to her doctor in the morning to have them check her.  (I woke up and thought about when I was taking her to the bathroom at the baseball game.  I have some Dora seat covers that I attach to the potty and I remembered that I did not even take it off the seat before I ran off.  So to whoever used that bathroom after us, I am soooo sorry!)  So when Lindsey woke up this mornign the hives were all over from head to toe.  (They told us not to give the benedryl first thing this morning so the doctor could see the hives.)  So off to the doctors office again.  We determined that she had another drug allergy.  So we can now add zithromax to the list of drug allergies.  So she is taking benedryl and steroids to help her.  She is doing pretty good with it but is very tired and itchy.  Other than that, she is doing great.  We are getting ready for her upcoming tests on May 15th, I promise to post results as soon as I get them! 

I guess I didn't reallize that it had been so long since I updated.  I have not even put an Easter pictures up.  Wow.  I will have to find those and put them on here.  Lindsey had so much fun coloring eggs and hunting for eggs.  She looked so pretty in her Easter Dress.  The Easter Vigil at Church was awesome!  Jeff was baptized, received his first communion and confirmation!  I will have to post some pictures of that as well.  I was also confirmed.  It was a wonderful day. 

We made our first trip of the season to Dollywood.  It was a beautiful day and Lindsey and the kids had so much fun.  Aunt Michelle, cousin Matthew and cousin Melissa also went with us.   What else have we done in almost the 2 months since my last update?  We have been pretty busy with Casey's soccer games, Riley's baseball practice and baseball games and getting ready for Casey's graduation.  I can not believe that Casey will be graduating in less that 2 weeks.  That really blows my mind.  We are also getting ready for Lindsey's 3rd birthday.  I can not believe that either.  Wow.  So as you can see we are staying pretty busy.  We also started a group through our church called "Renew" and we meet at our house once a week.  It is pretty awesome! 

I will close with my favorite verse for Lindsey.  I have said it before, but I wanted to share something with you.  One of my weekly goals for my Renew class was to memorize Matt 7:7.  So as I was trying to remember if Knock or ask or seek came first I found a way to help me remember.  I took the first letter of each word in the order they came, first is ask so I said A, next is Seek so I said S, then it is Knock so I said the letter K.  If you take all 3 of those you get A.S.K.  How cool is that!  So my new saying is going to be along the lines of Nike's "Just Do It", mine is going to be "Just A.S.K. (Ask, Seek, Knock.).  Hope that makes sense.  Sometimes it is pretty hard to put thoughts into writing.  Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you.

Please keep Lindsey in your thoughts and prayers as we overcome this newest allergic reaction.  Also please think of her and say and extra prayer on the morning of May 15th when we go in for her 4 month check up.  Also if you can keep Casey in your thoughts and prayers and he finished up the last couple weeks of High School and prepares for the next step of his life, college.  Thank you all so much!

 March 11, 2008

Life is Good!

Lindsey is doing wonderful!  Enjoying life and making up for lost time!  She never ceases to amaze me.  She is always such a happy little girl and can always bring a smile to my face.  She has a mind like a steel trap.  She always comes up with the funniest things.  I have to tell you about the other night.  She was in my room and looked at my bed and said "Ma ma, remember when I went BLAT BLAT (how do you type a vomiting noise? lol) in your bed, I'm Sorry!  She just kept saying it over and over.  It was pretty funny.  She was talking about a couple weeks prior when she got sick and got it all over my bed.  She ended up with an ear infection but luckily it was not the flu.  She is feeling great now.  She has a heart of gold.  She is starting to talk so much and her hair is growing more and more every day.  It is in her eyes now and I am trying to use this to my advantage, but it is not working too well.  I tell her that I can use a clip and get it out of her eyes, nothing doing!!  I think our record is maybe a whole hour with a clip in.  We are working on it.  Last night we "lost" her pacifier and can not find it anywhere in the house.  Papa said that mama is mean and that we should "find" it and give it back. She went to sleep last night with out it. When she asked for it, I told her that we lost it.  She just said ok and picked up a toy off the floor and said that would be her "nuker" (her word for pacifier).  I was shocked!  No screaming?  Throwing a fit?  Keeping me up all night?  We really could not find one last night, but I decided since she was so easy going it might just be "lost" for good.  Knock on wood.  I might be speaking too soon.  We will see.  Other than that we are doing great and waiting for some warm days to we can go play outside!  Thanks for checking in on Little Miss. 

I hope that our anonymous donor checks Lindsey website.  We received a wonderful gift yesterday and want to say THANK YOU! You know who you are and we just want to send out a great big thank you!  You are too kind and one day we hope to be in a position to "pay it forward".  Thank you for reaching out to our family.  Hugs and kisses from all of us to you and your family!  We will speak a hugh prayer of thanks to our Father, as he is the only other that knows your name.  Thank you from the bottom of our heart! 

A little note: There is a link on the links page to the scrapbook stuff that I starting selling.  If you are a scrapbooker be sure to check it out.  The company I am an independent consultant for is Top Line Creations.  It is awesome.  Right now it is only $20 to sign up to be an independent consultant, and you get a $20 coupon and a 10% off coupon.  It is almost like paying you to sign up.  Your only requirement to stay active is to place one $25 order in a 6 month period, if you are a scrapbooker, you can do that without blinking an eye!  Plus you get all sorts of benefits.  They encourage hobbyists as well as business builders.  Plus this month they are giving consultants an extra 10% off.  (This is on top of your consultant discount.)  You can sign up right on my website, or you can contact me for more information.  The website is www.topline-creations.com/scrapnow  This is a great month to sign up!   

I will close with Jeff's wonderful words.  Jeff wrote this March 10th, 2008 and I wanted to share it with everyone.

KNOCKED TO MY KNEES

You love me so, that you humbled me
Knowing weakness you knocked me to my knees
I came crawling back so that I could plead
And I knew at once you'd be there for me

I knew that, come what may, your love is true
In my time of need, you'd see me through
I knew that in your arms I would find
Your sweet embrace and your words so kind

Into your outstretched arms I go
And you carry me through the pain and woe
Like the love, of groom and bride
We sail arm and arm through the raging tide

You place my feet back on the ground
And mother earth keeps spinning round
Now I walk again and I have so far to go
But you are there and this I know

My faith renewed that you are there
To carry me through my dark despair
Your love is there to light my way
Though I truly hope to never stray

If I lose the path I have no doubt
That you'll be there to help me out
And if those signs, I don't understand
I pray I'm knocked to my knees again.

--Jeff Long--

 February 18th, 2008

A Busy Month!  1 Year Anniversary for Lindsey!

 Well I don't even know where to begin.  As you can tell we have been pretty busy.  It usually doesn't take me this many days to post an update, especially since we just celebrated 1 year in Remission.  Actually I do know where to start.  February 14th, 2008 marks one year since Lindsey went into remission.  I have to start by pointing you back to a post I made on November 25th 2007 about trying to find the perfect picture to go over our fire place.  I will quote that day here so you don't have to search for it.

From November 25th 2007 post:

"One more thing before I say goodnight.  I have to tell you about this picture I found.  First I will tell you that Jeff and I have been looking for a picture to go over the mantle in the living room.  We have seen quite a few and think they are nice but we know they are just not the "one".  I keep telling Jeff that we will know when we find the one.  Well I found it on Friday.  I went to the Christian Book store looking for a Veggie Tales movie for Lindsey.  When I walked in I glanced at the pictures on the wall.  My eye caught one, so I went to get a closer look.  When I saw it, I started to cry.  Really!  I don't just mean a tear ran down my cheek, I mean full tears.  Wow.  I don't even know how to explain it.  But when it caused that much emotion I knew this was the picture.  I sent Jeff a picture of it with my cell phone.  He really liked it too.  It is a picture of a little girl, she is about maybe 4 years old or so.  She is holding a doll by the arm and is standing at a great big door with her hand on the handle, and peeking in a window on the door.  It says "Seek and ye shall find, Knock and it shall be opened" Matt 7:7.  When I saw this right away it made me think of Lindsey standing at God's door during the last year.  It just touched my heart.  I know the people at the store probably thought I had lost my mind.  I explained to the cashier how much this picture meant to me, she understood.  She also took all Lindsey's information down and said at their store meeting in the morning she would talk about Lindsey and they would pray for her.  How awesome is that!  By the way, the Veggie Tales Movie was sold out, but I don't think that was what I was doing there anyway.  Our God is awesome!"

With that being said.  Lindsey and I started off her Remission Celebration on February 14th at morning mass.  Well guess what the gospel reading was for Lindsey's anniversary?  You guessed it Matthew 7

Matthew 7: 7 - 12
7 "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8 For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
9 Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
12 So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

I can't even begin to explain how I felt when I heard the gospel reading that day.  I had to share with everyone at mass.  Everyone was so touched by how this all tied together.  Father Michael gathered us all together and gave an extra special prayer in thanks of Lindsey's one year Anniversary and for our wonderful faith.  It was amazing.  Purely Amazing!

So to me that was the best part of the day!  So after mass Lindsey and I headed to the hospital to hand out Valentines.  Lindsey had fun giving all the candy out.  We got to see all of our wonderul friends.  After the hospital we met Papa for lunch at Ruby Tuesday's.  Yum Yum.  Then it was off to one of Lindsey's favorite places.  I think it is becoming a little tradition on Lindsey's anniversaries.  That's right, we were off to Build A Bear.  Lindsey got a new puppy and she insisted on naming it Lindsey.  So I just added a few words to it and it's "registered" name is Lindsey's 1 Year Anniversary.  We had decided to go out to dinner, considering it was Valentines Day we thought most restraunts would be pretty full. So we decided on Chuck E Cheese, I mean who wants to spend Valentines Day at Chuck E Cheese?  Apparantley half of Knoxville!  It was pretty busy, but that was ok, Lindsey still had a blast.  I think her favorite part was giving away free games.  Well I doubt she knew that was what she was doing, but she just enjoyed walking around putting tokens in all the games.  Grandma made Lindsey a very special Remission Cake, it was a beautiful butterfly.  Lindsey then opened her presents and then we headed home after an exhausting day.  It was wonderful to say the least. What a great milestone, 1 year down, and 4 to go until we can say Lindsey is CURED!   

While we were handing out the valentines at the hospital there was a little girl in the waiting room, she was 16 months old.  I could not believe that Lindsey was that small when she was diagnosed with cancer.  It seems like yesterday, but a lifetime ago.  We must be having fun, because time is just flying by. 

Then on February 15th it was off to the Ronald Mcdonal House to serve dinner.  Grandma worked very hard on the main dish and I think I got the easy part.  We served Chicken Mexican Casserole, Salad, Corn, Cupcakes, Cookies and Fudge.  This RMH is definitely smaller than the one in Cincinnati.  It was a little different than the one in Cinci.  I guess maybe because the one up there was so much bigger and had so many families they did things a little different.  In Cinci we had a set time to eat and the people serving had to do all the clean up.  We expected to serve most the families, but I guess most were still at the hospital so we really just had to set up all the food and they would come and eat when they had the chance, then someone at the RMH would put everything away.  So now we know!  It was still a great night and we did meet a couple families.  We hope to do it again soon.  It is a wonderful experience, and if you have a RMH in your area you should think about getting a group together and doing it. 

Well I think that about sums it up.  Oh wait, I guess I never posted about some other exciting news!  We got a call from Mr Buck at the Lighthouse Family Retreat.  We have been accepted to return to the Lighthouse in June!  We are so excited and we are all looking forward to it!  (By the way I did add some photos from the last week - Be sure to check out the new photos Lindsey received a beautiful outfit from Sue & Wendee - Thank you so much!  Wendee's website is SeaminglySweet.Etsy.Com)  Until next time! 

 Just a quick update.  We had to answer a question recently about what it has been like for our family living through childhood cancer.  Jeff as we all know is the writer, so I left it to him.  We have had many people ask us if they could post this on thier webpages as well.  He did such an excellent job that I thought it deserved it's own page.  Please see the new page Titled "It's like a tornado."  We would love to hear your feedback on it.  For those going through childhood cancer, I think they can relate, for those not in this position, I think it can give you a pretty good picture.

In 13 short days we will be celebrating Lindsey's 1 year in remission!  Wow. 

I am finally posting some new pictures.  Check them out under "More photos", and our new family Picture under the link "About Us".

Today is 11 months since Lindsey went into remission.  Happy Anniversary Lindsey! 

Yesterday was  a lot of fun.  We went to lunch and then went bowling.  Lindsey had so much fun bowling.  I will have to put some pictures up from that.  All in all Brodey had a wonderful Birthday. 

I finally called to get the results of the AFP test.  My heart sank when I called and the nurse said they are in but she will have to have the Doctor call me with the results.  I thought that meant bad news.  I told her that since he is out of town he told me that someone would give me the results.  She said she would check with one of the other doctors.  They gave her to ok to give me the results.  Lindsey's last AFP was 1.5.  Today it is at 3.1.  That is perfect and Lindsey is still in remission!  Yippeee!  Thank you God and all our wonderful prayer warriors!  We are now going to sail by that 1 year mark and her chances of relapse will go down!  Thank you again!  I will get some new pictures posted soon. 

 First we have to say Happy 12th Birthday to Brodey!  We are going to have a fun day celebrating.  He wants to go Ice Skating and wants to have lunch at Quaker Steak and Lube.  Happy Birthday Brodey!

As I said on Thursday I could have called Friday to see if the AFP results were in. I wanted to, but I didn't want to.  I really thought I would give in and call.  I probably would have been if we had not been so busy running around finishing up applying for a college scholarship for Casey that was due on Friday.  It is really setting in that I am going to have a son graduating from High School.  Wow.  It seems like I was just in High School.  Well back to the AFP. I realized at about 5pm that I had not called.  It was too late by then.  We are having a great weekend and we are not even going to worry about the AFP.  Her last AFP was so low that I don't know if we will get one that low again.  I know if it goes up at all, even if it is still in normal range, I will want to talk to her doctor and not anyone else.  Have a great weekend!  I know we will.  I will post when we have the results. 

I also wanted to add that Lindsey was so excited about the new Veggie Tales movie on Friday.  I thought there was an early show, so her and I were going to go.  I guess since it was the first day in theaters, they didn't have any early shows.  I had told her we were going, before I realized this.  She talked about "The Pirates who don't do Anything" all day and to anyone that would listen.  She had to wear her Larrybob shirt. (Yep, that is what she calls Veggie Tales - Larrybob)  Finally the movie started at 7:10pm.  She also talked about pop pop all day.  (Popcorn - she knows you can't watch a movie without popcorn!)  She loved it!!  It was so cute.  Hopefully not to ruin the movie for you, but the princess is taken away and the pirates try to rescue her. When she was taken Lindsey said "Poor Princess, get her pirates."  It was so cute.  Then they got her back and Lindsey clapped her hands for about 5 minutes and kept repeating "Good Job Pirates, good job."  Then at the end of the movie it was more clapping and her repeating over and over "That was a good movie.  I like that movie."  It was too cute!  Thats all for now!  Thank you for your continued prayers!   

 January 9th 2008

Testing Day

Today marks the 1 year anniversary since Lindsey's life saving surgery!  One year ago today that awful cancerous tumor was removed from her little body.  It was an emotional day.  Just thinking back to where we were 1 year ago.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  She was taken from my arms just after 7 in the morning and I did not get to hold her again until after 4 that night.  Thanks to a wonderful surgeon Dr Tiao and all his team the surgery was a sucess.  I now sit here one year later with my beautiful baby girl on my lap helping me type.  (So excuse any typo's).  Today is a reminder of how far we have come in so little time.  It is hard to believe her surgery was a year ago.  We had no idea what the future had instore for her and as a matter of fact we still don't know.  We just know that she is cancer free and pray she remains that way.  Through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe Lindsey is here and doing wonderful!   I say extra prayers of thanks to our Dearest Mother for watching over Lindsey during surgery and continuing to watch over her.  Today will always be a very special day for us.  As we were going through all these things with Lindsey I had told myself there would be no tears for what could happen, we were going to be strong and take it day by day.  Well I guess I am catching up with all the tears now, because thinking back to the unknown, what a scary feeling.  Did we really go through all that?  I think I was in robot mode or something.  I have people tell me all the time that they don't know how I did it and that they would never be able to handle something like their baby getting cancer.  Well to tell you the truth, I would have said the same thing.  It is something that I thought I would never have made it through but you do what you have to do.  I am no stronger than the next mother.  It is something that I wish no mother ever had to go through.  We must find a cure!  

The first of the month was the Lighthouse Christmas Party in Atlanta and it was wonderful!  We had a great time and Lindsey was so excited to meet "Christmas".  (That is what she calls Santa. It is so cute!  Whenever she see's Santa she says, "Look, it's Chritmas."  I love it!)  She actually sat on Christmas's lap and he gave her a present.  What a great way to introduce her to Santa, I mean "Christmas."  She thinks Christmas is very nice and he gave her a beautiful baby doll. We had a wonderful time at the party.  Lindsey enjoyed all the crafts and goodies, and the boys all enjoyed visiting with their friends. 

The candles sales are over and went great!  Thank you so much to everyone that helped out.  We sold 151 candles and made just over $1000.  Thank you again to everyone that helped make this years candle sales a great sucess! 

Lindsey has not been feeling too well for the last few days.  I believe she had a little virus.  She kept saying her belly hurt.  It is so hard but I have to tell myself that it is just a virus.  I don't know how long I will have to remind myself that it is not the cancer coming back, it is just a virus.  She also complained of her ears hurting.  We took her to the doctor and her ears are red.  Now after a couple days of antibiotics she is feeling a little better.

Thanks be to God and Our Lady of Guadalupe for another wonderful day with Lindsey Ann and we pray for a million more!  Hope you all have a wonderful day and thank you for checking in on our little angel.            

Hello everyone, it's Lindsey's Papa Jeff.  (It melts my heart each time I hear her call me her Papa. :) )  Anyhow, I've had a few people that I work with ask about setting up the website so that they could make donations through the site.  So, we got the set up today so that people can donate via Credit Card or thier PayPal account online.  Here is a link to that page.

Thank you all for your continued support and God Bless.

Candle sales are in full swing.  There are 15 different scents, in 3 different sizes

26 oz 22.00 + tax & S&H = $25.14 (burn time 175-200 hours)
16 oz 18.50 + tax & S&H = $21.14 (burn time 120-140 hours)
 8 oz 14.50 + tax & S&H = $16.57 (burn time 50-65 hours)

I am looking for 15 people this year to help out.  If you think you can sell 10 candles, please contact me asap.  We will close this on November 20th so we can get them delivered by the first week in December.  Just in time for Christmas.  So far I have 1 helper, and 2 people that have purchased a candle.  Please help if you can.  These candles sell themselves and this is an awesome fundraiser.  Please email me to help sell, or if you would like to purchase any.  Here is a list of the scents:

APPLE SPICE
Spicy and delicious. Baked apples sprinkled with cinnamon, nutmeg and rich vanilla.

AUTUMN WALK
Take a fragrant walk through the enchanting colors and fragrances of fall – colorful leaves are embraced with cooling musk and light florals.

CHRISTMAS PRESENCE
The nostalgic Christmas aromas of apples and oranges, accented by clover, nutmeg and ginger.

CINNAMON VANILLA
Genuine cinnamon and natural vanilla creamed together to create a combination of sweet and spicy.

CLEAN SHEETS
The warm feeling of crisp, clean sheets captured through a breezy blend of fruits and florals with touches of musk.

COZY CHRISTMAS
Curl up to the spicy blend of cinnamon, clove, apple, and orange.

CRANBERRY ORANGE
A unique blend of tart cranberries, fresh citrus orange, blackberry and warm spicy cinnamon bark.

DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
Awaken to the memorable blends of pear and apple cider accented by seasonal fruits and spices.

HOLIDAY WREATH
Fragrant Siberian Pine and balsam fir mixed with raspberry and vanilla.

MULLED CIDER
Add warmth and ambiance to your home with simmering tart cider enveloped with green apple, pineapple and spices.

SUGAR COOKIE
Sweet cream, butter, sugar and vanilla baked to a golden perfection. A customer favorite that you must experience for yourself!

POMEGRANATE
Experience this best selling fragrance of fresh pomegranate – a fusion of peach, strawberry and green apple scents.

SWEET PEA
A fusion of sweet fruits – pineapple and nectarine – softly layered around a heart of organic sweet pea and lilies.

PUMPKIN PIE
The perfect aromatic combination of pumpkin, spices and cream, reminiscent of a warm pumpkin pie being pulled from the oven.
 
VANILLA
The simple and wholesome fragrance of sweet vanilla beans. Always soothing no matter the time or season.

Remember 40% of the profits go right to Lindsey.  Thank you so much for your help!  I look forward to hearing from you.

I didn't get to update before we left for Florida.  Sorry about that.  We had a pretty good flight home from Las Vegas.  We flew from Fresno to Las Vegas, then Las Vegas to Knoxville.  In Las Vegas they would not transfer my bags from our Fresno Flight to our Knoxville flight.  So in Las Vegas I had to get off the plane, gather the stroller, the car seat, Lindsey, the diaper bag and our carry on and proceed to the tram which would take us to the terminal and to baggage claim.  There I would collect our 3 very large suitcases put them on a cart and try to push the cart as I pull the stroller with Lindsey, the car seat, the diaper bag and our carry on.  From there I would need to go to the ticket counter and check in for the Knoxville flight.  I arrive at the counter about 30 minutes before the flight was to leave, (sweat dripping from my head) only to hear the words that they are no longer checking anyone in for the flight.  My mouth about hit the floor.  Well they could tell I was a little upset so the called and asked if it would be ok if I still came through.  They got an approval.  So we checked the 3 bags, ditched the cart and proceeded through security and back on the tram back to the gates.  We arrived as they were getting ready to shut the doors.  Lindsey and I were the last on the plane and out seats were not together.  A very nice gentleman gave up his seat so Lindsey and I could sit next to each other.  Lindsey did excellent on the plane and slept most of the way home.  We then arrived at home and were so happy to see Papa.  We then went to collect out baggage only to find that one of the bags had quite a few tears in it.  So then it was back to the counter to file a claim for the suitcase.  Usually they like to try to argue with you and say what happened to your bag is not covered etc.  Well the supervisor just looked at my bag and said, "Let me get a form." Anyway, we made it home safe and sound.  We then caught up on some much needed sleep on Monday, did laundry and got ready to leave for Florida.

We left for Florida Wednesday after Jeff got home from work.  We made it to Greenville Alabama.  The next morning we got up and drove the rest of the way.  We had a wonderful time in Florida.  The houses were just beautiful.  They were right on the beach.  What a view!  I will post pictures soon I promise.  The water was beautiful.  Last time we were down the water was very rough and Lindsey wanted nothing to do with it.  On Thursday the water was so calm and beautiful that she actually got in a played around for a while.  It was wonderful!  The water was so clear I saw a jellyfish swim right up to me.  That is when Lindsey and I got out of the water!  The boys had a great time playing in the sand, laughing in the sun!  They went up and down the beach looking for Sand crabs. They found buckets full.  The also helped some of the adults catch some Blue Crabs.  They saw lots of jellyfish, a baby hammerhead shark, lots of crabs, and a stingray.  Saturday evening Lindsey started to get sick.  This went on for the rest of the night.  It was going to be a long drive home.  Jeff and I did not get much sleep as she would get sick every hour or so.  She felt a little better on Sunday morning.  She slept most of the way home on Sunday and only got sick one more time.  We arrived home, safe and sound at about 8:00pm Sunday night.  To read more about the wonderful Lighthouse retreat please go to www.lighthousefamilyretreat.org  .

Then as instructed Lindsey was to be sleep deprived for the Baer (Hearing Test).  I had to put  her to bed at midnight and wake her at 4 am.  This was not fun, let me tell you.  So back to reality.  Back to the Cancer world of tests and all that fun stuff.  We arrive at the hospital at 8 am in outpatient registration.  We were told that we need to go to the Oncology Clinic to register.  I get to the Oncology Clinic and I am told Lindsey has an appointment with them at 9:45 am.  I knew nothing of this appointment.  Well that is just fine since we are there anyway.  So we check in and then head off to get her hearing test.  We arrive in Neurology and they tell us that she is going to be sedated.  I am confused.  I thought they were just going to try to get her to go to sleep for the test that is why I had to deprive her of sleep.  I didn't think it was going to work in the first place, but still followed their instructions.  Well a long story short, they don't know who sent me the paper work telling me to deprive her of sleep but it was not necessary.  Then they tell me that she has to go to radiology to get sedated but Radiology does not have her on the schedule.  (this has been scheduled for over 3 months.)  Ugh.. Poor Lindsey is about to fall asleep standing up.  They told me they could probably fit us in the schedule in about an hour.  I said that was fine as long as Lindsey could go to sleep.  So she took a little nap and then they came and sedated her and did the hearing test.  All went well.  They took the blood that the clinic needed while she was sedated so we wouldn't have to mess with her anymore.  Then it was off to the clinic for a check up.  Lindsey slept through the entire visit.  The doctor said it was no fun with her asleep.  I told the doctor that I didn't even know we had an appointment today, he said he didn't know that either.  Guess they made the appointment while he was out of town and forgot to tell us.  So anyway I guess it worked out.  I did not have to worry about the upcoming AFP test.  They took the AFP today and we should have the results in 2-3 days.  We should have the BAER results in 3-5 days.  We pray that the AFP is accurate in showing Lindsey is still in remission.  We pray that the BAER is accurate in showing that Lindsey has not suffered any hearing loss.  If we get all clear then we are free for another 3 months.  Lindsey will continue to have a hearing test every year at this time.  I didn't realize that she could still have some hearing loss from the chemo in the future.  I will get some pictures together over the next week from our busy past month and try to get them posted.  Thank you for all the continued prayers! 

September 24th, 2007

We are home!

September 20, 2007

Rest in Peace Summer

How does time get away from us so fast?   We have had another very busy month.  It was big brother Casey's 17th Birthday on August 25th, and it was big brother Riley's 9th Birthday on September 4th.  Then on September 5th Lindsey, Grandma and I headed to Las Vegas.  I wanted to make Lindsey's week a wonderful one.  Looking back to one year ago, she was not having so much fun.  It is hard to believe that it has been 1 year since we found out Lindsey had cancer.  It comes with very mixed emotions for me.  I was not sure how the day would be.  Am I happy because they found it before it spread, am I sad because I wish she never would have had cancer at all?  Do we celebrate?  Do we feel sad?  So with the mixed emotions I just decided that we would celebrate life and that is what we are doing.  We arrived in Vegas on the 5th.  We spent it visiting with family and friends.  On the 6th we went to Build-a-bear at Plant Hollywood on the Las Vegas Strip.  We heard they had an exclusive Las Vegas animal.  Well the exclusive was a white tiger and Lindsey was not impressed.  So she got a little white and pink poodle and dressed it in an exclusive Las Vegas shirt.  It wasn't until we were leaving that we realized her pink poodle had a pink shirt, and a jean skirt, as well as Lindsey.  It was adorable.  I will be sure to post pictures as soon as I can.  After build a bear we went to the outlet mall so Lindsey could ride the carousel horses.  I think she rode about 4 times.  We heard the Flamingo Casino has a penguin display so on the 7th we went to try to find it.  We did see the flamingos and some very large fish, but no penguins.  We found out that they had moved to Texas.  So we decided to go over to the Mirage Casino and see the dolphin exhibit.  Lindsey had so much fun.  (Me too, dolphins are my favorite!)  They had a baby dolphin that was only 3 months old.  It was so cute!  We got to see the trainers feed and exercise the dolphins.  They were right in front of us, and at one point the trainer had the dolphin move its tail and splash us with water.  After we left Lindsey called papa and told him all about the dolphins.  She also told him that the dolphins splashed her, it was so cute!  September 7th 2006 was the day we found out something was wrong with Lindsey's liver, we just didn't know what.  It was the longest day of my life.  

Then September 8th.  One year anniversary of Lindsey's diagnosis.  It was a fun day for Lindsey.  We took her to Chuck-e-Cheese.  She had a ball.  She really picked up quick on the games.  There was one that was a spider game, and it had lights that would light up and you would have to step on the lights, like they were spiders.  Lindsey really liked this game, she must have played it 15 times.  As soon as it was over she would run to the table and say "More money".  She ran around and had a wonderful time.  I enjoyed every single minute of it.  She had such a big smile on her face.  What a great way to spend the anniversary of her diagnosis, just seeing that beautiful smile.  One year ago I had no idea what was on the road ahead.  I had no idea how many more times I would be blessed with seeing that beautiful little girl smile, laugh, sing, dance and just overload my heart with joy.  So as I said we are just spending this month in celebration of life.  We never know where life will take us, we just have to sit back and enjoy the ride as God is our pilot.  Sometimes the road will get very bumpy and take lots of sharp turns, but with God behind the wheel and our seatbelts securely fastened we will make it through all those bumps and turns. 

We left last Vegas yesterday and headed down to Palm Desert.  We will be here for a few days and then head up to Bakersfield.  Today is my little brothers 30th Birthday.  We were able to celebrate a little with him while we were in Vegas.  I hope he has a wonderful birthday today. 

We hope everyone is having a wonderful month.  September is Childhood Cancer awareness month.  Please do all you can to support and spread awareness this month.  At Build a bear, in September, in honor of childhood cancer awareness month, all donations for the purchase of purple satin hearts will be distributed through the Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation to childhood cancer research and awareness programs!  So if you make a build a bear this month be sure to purchase the purple satin heart to go inside your bear.  Chili's will be donating their profits on September 24th to St Jude Children's Research Hospital.  If you have a Chili's near you, please plan on this for dinner on September 24th.  Just another little way that you can help.  Check out www.createapepper.com for more information.  Another way to help is sending a note to Congress, visit http://capwiz.com/curesearch/issues/alert/?alertid=10267161&PROCESS=Take+Action for more information.  It has a letter all ready filled in, all you have to do is add your name and click send.  Please do this for Lindsey and all other children fighting cancer.   

I will leave you with some Childhood Cancer Facts:

  Each school day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer.
  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 number one disease killer of America's children - more than Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Asthma and AIDS combined.    

Just a year ago

Well, we are going against the norm today.  Papa is updating the site instead of Kristen so please excuse me in my allocution.  Well...  I am not sure how to start this message.  It nearly beings me to tears reflecting on it to be honest.  It has been almost exactly one year since I got a panicked call at work from Kristen while she was on her way to the hospital to have tests done on our little Lindsey Ann because her liver was enlarged.  My beautiful wife did such a good job of fighting off the fear and the tears while she tried to explain what the doctors had said, all while enroute to the hospital.  I left work and headed to the hospital trying to remain positive but deep down I knew something had just turned my world upside down...

It is so strange...  It seems like yesterday and years ago...  I am writing this as an update to those who have been supporting us so much through all of this, our angels in the flesh.  I am also writing this to those that might've just found our page after being diagnosed so I apologize if I get a little too intense for some.  I want to make this a reminder to all of us and an inspiration to those just now visiting.  Think of this as a September 11th anniversary for our friends and family.  We had effectively just been destroyed and we were stumbling through the smoke, rubble, and confusion trying to make sense of what had just happened to us.  For the most part, when we were told that there was a mass in our little 15 month old girl we knew in our hearts what it was though we were loath to admit it.

So, the time came and it fell from the mouth of the man whose job I'd never want to have, we were told by a doctor that our little angel had cancer.  From there it was a whirlwind.  For those that have lived through a hurricane I've never really done it but I'd bet we could share a lot of the same feelings as this hit me and my family.

If you are just visiting and newly diagnosed I know you are here searching for answers.  I can only say that my family prays for yours and we truly hope that you overcome and that everything works out for you according to your plans and according to the will of God.  That is where the answers are found.  They are found through a relationship with the true healer in Jesus Christ not in man.  Pray and pray hard.  Reach out and ask the world to lift up your child in prayer to the healing that can be had in faith because we are all powerless to intercede on behalf of our children.  Give it over to faith that things will happen as they are meant to happen according to the will of God.  There is nothing more that you can do except to do what he has asked you to do since the day that you were born...  Give all things over to him and know that his will shall be done.

I can not begin to express my gratitude God and to the people that have helped us through all of this and I can never give enough praise to the Lord for allowing us to keep our little Lindsey Ann among us here on earth for another year.

So, we have one year down and four more for a true "cured" sign to be placed in her medical file but we continue to pray that a "Cured" has been placed next to her name in the heart of our lord Jesus Christ.

Bless you all for your support, and if you are searching for support please contact us and we will do all that we can to help you through this troubling time.

Thank you and God bless you all.

August 15th, 2007

Lindsey's Candle

I guess it has been awhile.  Sorry about the delay.  First I was to say Happy Anniversary to Lindsey.  Today marks 6 months since I received the call that my baby girl was in remission!  It is a wonderful milestone.  I can't wait until we are saying Happy 5th anniversary Lindsey!  So please join me today to say Happy Anniversary Lindsey and to say an extra prayer of thanks to our Father in Heaven for answering our prayers! 

Next we want to wish Auntie Barbara a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!  We hope you have a wonderful day!  We will see you soon!

So what have we been up to?  Well we have been enjoying each and every day.  I don't even know if I remember everything we have done.  My last update was right before we headed to Atlanta.  That was on the 20th of July.  We spent the weekend in Atlanta and had a wonderful time.  The Cure Childhood Cancer Family Picnic was wonderful.  We had a great time.  They had lots of games and food.  We got to see some of our friends that we met at the Lighthouse in June.  They had pony rides, and Lindsey wanted to ride.  There was a pretty long line and Jeff didn't think she would ride it and didn't want to wait in the line if she was not going to ride.  We kept asking if she wanted to ride and she said yes.  So we waited in the line.  Well Lindsey absolutely loved the pony.  They had to take her for 2 rides because she would not get off.  She had a great time.  We spent the weekend with one of our family partners from The Lighthouse.  We thank her so much for opening her home to our very big family.  Thank you so much Ann!!  We also went got to see some of the other volunteers from the Lighthouse.  It was wonderful.  On Sunday we went to mass at Northpoint Church with our other family partner Kim and his family.  Thank you Kim!  This was absolutely amazing.  We enjoyed each and every minute.  We thought we were at the mall.  The parking lot was so big that it was almost intimidating.  There were so many people.  It was a wonderful experience.  Then we went to watch Ann play polo.  Lindsey had a great time watching the horses and she and the boys got to sit on them and pet them.  It was a great weekend. 

Then the day after we got home my sister came over from North Carolina with my niece and nephew.  We had a great visit.  We went to Dollywood on July 24th, and it rained for most of the day, but we still had a good time.  We then went out to grandmas house on the 25th and stayed the night. On the 26th it was Grandma's birthday, Happy Birthday Grandma, we got up and made grandma breakfast and spent her birthday with her. 

On the 31st we went to Dollywood again.  We watched the Veggitales show again and Lindsey loved every minute.  This time she got to meet Bob and Larry after the show.  She liked them from a distance and was not too sure about the large tomato and cucumber that were trying to take a picture with her.  I will have to post some pictures. 

On August 1st Lindsey had her 2-year check up with the pediatrician.  We had to wait until we were 6 months post chemo so she could catch up on some of her shots.  We switched to the pediatrician that found her tumor.  He said she looks great and I told him that he was a big part of that.  We are so thankful that he was at work that day back in September.  We were so glad that he did not just look in her ears and send us on our way.  We are so grateful that he saw Lindsey that day.  We are so thankful that he is such a wonderful doctor.  She had to catch up on some shots and was not a very happy girl.  She weighed in at 28 lbs and 33 inches tall.  She is in the 75% for her weight and in the 25% for her height.  We have noticed that she is a little shorter then most kids her age, but I think she will catch up.  She is doing great with her weight if you ask me.  She was right around 22 lbs throughout chemo.  She gained 3 lbs in the few months after she stopped chemo.  So she has gained an additional 3 pounds.  She is starting to eat a wide vareity of things.  Some days she barely eats enough to keep a bird alive and other days I don't think I have enough food in the house to feed her.  I guess it will all even out.  But overall the doctor said she looks wonderful.  I think so too!

Then on the 7th we had company from Las Vegas, Casey's Godmother, Yolanda and her daughter Andrea.  We had a great visit.  We went to Dollywood again on the 8th and it was very hot!  We still had fun though.  We went to the movies and saw Meet the Robinsons.  I forgot to say that we found this awesome movie theater on August 5th.  The movies were $1.50 each person.  It goes up on Fridays and Saturdays to $2.00 a person.  They show movies that have recently left the theaters but not available on DVD yet.  We saw Shrek 3, it was really cute.  This is a great theater especially with the size of our family.  We went to the movies again yesterday and saw Surf's Up.  It was another penguin movie, I don't think Lindsey liked it as much as Happy Feet but she did enjoy it.  We also played miniature golf yesterday.  Lindsey had fun picking up all of our golf balls and throwing them in the water, and if we were lucky she would put them in the hole.  We had fun and that is all that matters.  Then we had to take Yolanda and Andrea to the airport.  Lindsey spent the rest of the night saying "Andrea where are you."

So I think we are caught up now.  I just need to put up some new pictures from our great adventures.  I forgot to say that the boys all started school last week.  Casey is now a big bad senior at the High School, Brodey just started middle school and is in 6th grade and Riley is on the "big kids" side at the elementary school in 3rd grade.  That is right 3 boys, in 3 different schools, this is going to be a fun year.  We hope to spend the next couple weeks relaxing and getting ready for our next vacation.  Lindsey, Grandma and I will head to Las Vegas on the 5th of September.  We just could not pass up the $7 flight to Las Vegas.  Lindsey is doing absolutely wonderful.  She is talking so much and is so active.  I hope everyone is enjoying what is left of summer and living each day to its fullest!  We sure are!  Thank you for your continued prayers and support.  We are so happy to be celebrating 6 months in remission.  I just might have to go out and get Lindsey a cake, or make her a cake today!  She loves chocolate!  Maybe I will make a chocolate cake with M & M's all over it!!!  Happy Anniversary baby girl!  You have come a long way and have a long way to go.  We will all be here every step of the way, holding your hand.         

June 24th, 2007

 We are now back in Bakersfield California.  We had a great time in Salinas visiting with friends and family.  Everyone is having a wonderful time.  We had to go to Castroville and get some deep fried artichoke hearts.  They were so yummy.  Lindsey really enjoyed her first deep fried artichoke heart, she can even say artichoke, it is so cute.  We had some Jamba Juice thanks to Aunt Mary and Uncle Mark.  They were so delicious.  The boys asked if they would build a Jamba Juice in Tennessee.  We spent one day with Aunt Mary and family at the dairy.  Riley got to help cousin Seth feed the cows and he even got to milk the cows.  He also feed one of the calves a bottle.  He wanted to go back the next day.  Lindsey got to pet the one of the calves and she thought that was great.  We went to the Monterey Bay one afternoon and rented a Surrey and rode along the bike path.  Lindsey sat in the front basket and rang the bell.  It was beautiful, we rode right along side of the Ocean.  We were going to head back to Bakersfield on Thursday but then we found out it was Relay for Life on Friday.  So we stayed an extra day.  Lindsey got to walk in the survivor lap.  I will post some pictures when I get back home.  She thought she was a little princess.  Everyone was clapping as the survivors walked their lap, you could tell Lindsey thought they were all clapping just for her.  She had such a big smile on her face the entire lap and she was doing a queen's wave to the crowd.  She is such a little ham.  All the survivors received a medal and a purple shirt and wore them on the survivor lap.  I had a couple people come up to me and say that she was too young for a purple shirt.  The kids spent most of the day yesterday in the swimming pool.  The weather is great.  We will spend the week here in Bakersfield visiting with Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie and Family.  We will then head back to Las Vegas the end of this week.  We are on standby for our flight home.  The seats are filling up fast.  We hope there will be enough for us to get home on Tuesday since Lindsey has her check up a few hours after we arrive home.  Her doctor is leaving for a mission trip and this will be his last day in the office for over 3 weeks.  We hope we are able to get on that flight.  Please continue to keep Lindsey in your prayers that her follow up test will show that she is still in remission.  Thank you again! 

June 18th 2007

Vacation

Home from Florida!

Getting Ready for Vacation!!

 Yesterday we went to Splash Country for the first time this summer.  Lindsey did not like the water at first.  It was very cold.  Her brother took her on one of the little waterslides and she did not like it.  Then after a bit she finally warmed up to the water and was enjoying it.  We played in the wave pool and she really enjoyed the lazy river.  She even fell asleep on the lazy river, just like she did last year.  It was a great day!

As you know we were selected to go to the Beach in Florida with the Lighthouse Ministry.  You can view more at www.lighthousefamilyretreat.org.  We are all so excited!  We are to leave everything behind, including computers and cells phones and all our worries.  So I am sorry but you won't get any updated until we return.  We also just found out that we are going to go to Vegas and California when we return.  This time the boys will come with us.  Unfortunately, Jeff doesn't even have enough vacation time for this trip to the beach, so he will not be able to join us in Vegas and California.  We must say thank you to my brother Toby who was able to get us some airplane tickets.  We also thank Grandma Carol.  We are looking forward to a family reunion at the lake in California.  Well I must pack and get everything ready for our trip.  Thank you again Marie for giving us the information about the Lighthouse!  We are so excited!

Our baby is 2!

 Happy Birthday precious little girl.  I cannot believe she is 2 years old.  We started the morning at church giving thanks for this beautiful little girl that is celebrating her 2nd birthday.  Then we had a get together will some of her little friends.  We had an ice cream cake (Thank you Ann, it was delicious) and some rice crispy ice cream cones.  It was all delicious.  The kids ate and bounced in the bounce house and sang Happy Birthday to Lindsey.  We then went and had her pictures taken.  She didn't cooperate too well, but I think we got some good ones.  She just wanted to do her own thing, imagine that.  Then she played at the Burger King play land after dinner and then it was home for more singing and opening presents.  We are so thankful for this little girl.  We thank you for all the cards and presents that you have all sent.  She enjoyed each and every one!

The first year of Lindsey's life I wrote to her each and every month just to give a little update on what she had done that previous month.  I was looking through it the other day for the first time since she was diagnosed with cancer.  It really brought tears to my eyes.  I would like to share a little about what I wrote to her on her 1st birthday, one year ago.  I started it off by saying " Well it's a good thing you can not see the tears rolling down my face as I write this.  How on earth has it been 1 year since we were blessed with you, our beautiful little angel!  How wonderful this past year has been.  You are the greatest gift I could ever ask for."  Then I talk a little about her eating and sleeping habits.  I write about how we thought she was just going to skip crawling and go straight to walking, but that she finally decided to crawl at just over 11 months of age. Then I talk about her first Birthday.  "What a great way to celebrate your first birthday.  To shower you with gifts as you have showered us with love.  Like I said I cannot believe my little baby girl is 1.  Wow.  It has been the best year of my life.  You have made it so special for me.  There were so many wonderful moments throughout the past year, but I will have to say that the one I cherish the most is the first moment I held my little dream come true in my arms.  You will always be my little girl.  I love you so much princess.  I look forward to all the wonderful years yet to come.  You bring such happiness to my life. I hope you grow up to be a wonderful, happy, and beautiful person.  I hope all your dreams come true.  I hope you look back and always remember our wonderful years together during your childhood.  I hope you always remember how special you are and how much I love you.  I hope you succeed in whatever you try to accomplish.  But most of all I hope you are always happy and always have that beautiful little smile.  I will cherish this first year of your life forever!  I look forward to all the new memories we are going to make in the upcoming years.  My pretty little princess is growing up so fast.  I am so happy that I get to watch you grow and learn.  I am so thankful that I got to quit work and stay home with you.  That made it so much more wonderful!  I love you so much my precious little angel.  Thank you for being such a wonderful little girl."

Now it is one year later and my precious little angel has just turned 2.  They say time flies when you are having fun, that means we had the greatest year yet.  I didn't even think it could get much better than that first year, but her second year was absolutely fantastic.  Even though Lindsey was diagnosed with cancer shortly after her 1st birthday, it was still a wonderful year.  Lindsey is such a precious little girl.  I thank God each and every day for blessing me with this beautiful little angel.  This last year has been so special.  I didn't think I could love her anymore than I did that first year, but my love continues to grow each and every day.  I feel like my heart is going to explode it has so much love in it.  She can always bring a smile to my face.  She is a true blessing.  Her hair is starting to come in, and she woke up one day and decided she was going to talk.  She talks all the time.  She says, "I sorry" if she steps on your toe, she says, "Scuse E (excuse me)" if she tries to get by you, she says "Bless you" if you sneeze and she says "Your Welcome" when you tell her thank you.  She will blow you a kiss when she is saying goodbye.  But most of all she will melt your heart with her beautiful smile.  Lindsey loves to sing and she loves to dance.  She has very "happy feet".  We will have her first check up next month since going into remission.  It is a little scary but we look forward to hearing wonderful news.  Lindsey fought a long hard battle and we pray that she never has to do it again.  We are looking forward to a relaxing week at the beach next week.  Thank you again for all the cards and presents for Lindsey and for helping us celebrate her 2nd Birthday.  As always we thank you for your continued prayers and support! 

Here is a poem that Jeff wrote to Lindsey for her 2nd birthday.

My little Lindsey girl, you gave me quite a fright.

I never thought I'd see so many sleepless nights.

You were a bit of a wake up call, a don't forget.

A bit of life's been good, but it ain't over yet.

The lord knows, I know that now, I won't forget!!

And he knows no matter what, my mind is set.

I know that he is much greater than I,

But I'll fight for those that I love, till the day I die.

And don't think for a second, if that day comes to call

That you'll be here without me, don't think that at all.

For I'll be always with you, you, your ma, and your bros

Because the see of me is in you, and it always grows.

Birthday Party

May 22nd, 2007

Home Sweet Home