For Her.

This is the hardest blog that I know or hope to ever have to write because it is about my best friend. My Mom. I hope that she does not mind me writing about her, but I feel compelled to let people know just what a great woman she is and how brave she is through this difficult time. And I chose to discuss this now after many people have already found out and it is not a big secret, and because I am asking people to keep her in your prayers.

A couple of weeks ago, my mother told me that she had found a lump on her left breast and had a mammogram. The mammogram showed three small masses and calcification along a duct. She told me that the following Tuesday she was going to have a biopsy to see if it was cancer, but that she did not have a bad feeling about this and that she would probably have to have a lumpectomy. It was quite a big shock and though I was worried, I also did not have a bad feeling about what was going on. I was saddened that my mother did not want us to know this until she knew the diagnosis for sure, but I was so glad she told us because I probably would have been a little more upset if she had delayed telling my brother and I.

So the following week she had a lengthy biopsy and the next day it was confirmed that she did have breast cancer. Two of the masses were two centimeters in size, the third one smaller, and three centimeters apart from each other which I guess is a little more serious because it could mean that the cancer is spreading. The calcification could also indicate this since cancer is spread quicker through lymph nodes and ducts then into the blood stream. Only one of the masses indicated infiltration into the breast tissue while the other two did not. So what does this mean?

A mastectomy.

When they perform the mastectomy they will run a test to see if the cancer has spread to more than one lymph node which will indicate that the breast cancer is metastatic and whether she will need chemotherapy or more aggressive treatments.

Once again the news was shocking. I think the next day the news really sunk in and for a couple of days I could not help but cry when I thought about my mom. I mean, she has spent most of her life helping others and working so hard as a nurse and nurse practitioner. For the Big C to happen to her was heart breaking for me and I felt that she did not deserve this. My mother is the person that people call in the middle of the night if they need help with an illness or any other issue and my mother, no matter how little sleep she has had, will get up and spend the rest of the night helping others just to go to work in the morning and not complain about it. Every week she works hard with Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, being the medical personal at every football game, and helping special friends recover from illnesses. She is just an amazing woman. I was scared and heartbroken and I wanted so much to take this disease away from her.

I continue to turn to my Heavenly Father in earnest prayer to please help my mother get through this and to be healed completely. I realized that this was in a way a blessing for our family. I feel already that it has brought us all closer and to cherish the moments we have together. It has also forcefully made my mother think of herself and hopefully realize that she also needs to take care of herself and that so many people want to help her. It is really hard for my mother to except service, but there has been an out pour of love from her community and she in the prayers of many people and many churches. While I was home this last week, I encountered a lot of people who let me know that they have been worried about my mother and are thinking of her. Some of them had tears in their eyes while talking about her. I hope my mother realizes just how many lives she has touched and that by taking care of herself will give her the opportunity to care for people in the future.

As my mother continues to let people know about her diagnosis, she still finds ways of trying to help others become more healthy. She is currently using her diagnosis to teach woman and men about the importance of doing self examinations and getting a mammogram. To put in my two cents, October is Breast Cancer and Get Your Mammogram awareness month.

So on Thursday is the big day that my mother will have her mastectomy. Tyler and I will be driving down tomorrow to be with her through this week. She will then spend at least three weeks recovering as long as the test results are good.

I ask that you please keep my mother and my father in your prayers this week that the surgery goes well and she recovers fully. This is a challenging time for our family, but I know that the Lord will be with her and bless her.

Precious Time With Grandparents.

Tyler and his mom(me) had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time at my parent's house this week while dad was busy going to school. Let me tell you, when it comes to grandparents, Tyler sure knows how to put on the charm. He was such a great little guy and had a break from some of his usual stinker behaviors. Grandma made sure to smother him with kisses and hold him as much as she could. We also spent time with his great grandparents and it was so great to be able to let them see him in this stage of his little life. I get really home sick sometimes when I think how far away I live from my family and wish that they can see Tyler more. I cherish these moments we spend with them and hope that my grandparents are around long enough for Tyler to remember them.

While we were there, it was my parent's anniversary and they really wanted to go the beach before life became to busy. We went to Pismo Beach so they could see what a little fish Tyler was. He proved this right. The first thing he did when we hit the sand was try hard to run to the water. My dad grabbed him and off they went. Of course not without me nagging my dad to bring him back to change him into his swim clothes and not get his pants wet. And of course, he did not listen to me. We were finally able to pull Tyler away from the water and dress him, then he flopped back to the water. He would run into the waves at first as far as he could go. Then after falling a couple of times, he realized that he did not like the water in his face and when the wave came he would run away from it squealing with delight at his accomplishment. If he had the choice, I'm sure he would live right on the beach.

There was one point where an older little girl in a blue bathing suit was running around by us and caught Tyler's eye. He seemed drawn to her and when she ran away to meet up with her mom, Tyler decided to run after her. We just laughed then realized, Hey, he is too young to be interested in girls. He didn't seem too heart broken when she did not come back.


The best part of the day was when both of my parents were playing with him in the water. I just wanted time to stand still and hold that feeling of happiness. When it started to get colder, Tyler cuddled up with grandma, laid his head on her shoulder and soaked up the love he was receiving. Of course, grandma was also soaking up the rare moments that Tyler showed his love.

I hope to have many more trips with them and grandchildren. It was truly a memory I hope will stay forever.

The Terrible Ones.

Tyler has been on a rampage lately, starting not the Terrible Two's or Three's, but the Terrible Ones. He has been taking everything off the shelves, getting toys out everywhere, making every attempt possible to get into the dogs water bowl and splash around, rolling around and screaming when you are trying to change his diaper, especially the poopy ones, throwing tantrums when he does not get his way, randomly screaming at the top of his lungs and sometimes for no apparent reason other than to hear himself, throwing food off his high chair to let you know he is done, and other things that I did not know a one year old would do. At times I feel like I want to pull my hair out and hire a house cleaner, but most of the time, it is pretty funny to see how much destruction a little guy can do to your house in a short period of time. This is probably a phase and for you experienced parents out there, you are probably laughing at me and saying, " Just wait. This is nothing compared to what is to come."Other than that, he is a really happy boy who will turn on a smile for anyone who looks at him. His happy times are spent cuddling with mom and dad, reading a book, trying to snuggle with Daisy and roll around on her, playing tug-a-war with Daisy, walking around outside, or getting a bath, which is the highlight of his day.

There are so many emotions to being a parent and it is amazing to see the thought process that a little child has and how they try to explore and figure out the world. I still cannot believe how fast the time flies and I want so badly to freeze it so that I can really enjoy Tyler and just give him so much love at this stage.
Here are some pictures and videos that grandparents have been begging for. Today was the first time that I cut Tyler's hair with scissors. It took a good hour to accomplish and I still did not totally finish. Eric held Tyler on his lap while Tyler intently watched Sesame Street. He did really great for his age at sitting still and we stopped when he had to get the wiggles out. I had to admit that I did a great job for my first time and did even better than those who had cut Ty's hair in the past. Now we can save $15 on his hair cuts.
Ty's haircut while he is glued to the TV.

Ty loves wearing his sunglasses. He wore them around the house for entire hour until it was getting too dark and I had to take them away.


Ty giving Daisy some snuggles and rolling on top of her. Sometimes I feel for Daisy. She usually just lies there and takes the abuse.

Here is a video of Ty and Daisy playing Tug-a-War. Ty take a little bit of a beating from it, but he actually loves to be pulled by Daisy and sometimes dragged across the ground.