AA

So the coming weeks/months will be very nerve racking for us and it was truly heartbreaking what happened yesterday.

I was so proud of AA not having gone into Bankruptcy after Sep. 11, 2001, as so many Airlines had and I was counting on the fact that the 30% - YES 30%!!! cut in pay we all took 8 years ago would help save the company and keep it going. I thought that was the promise we were given so all of this just truly broke my heart and also makes me want to hyperventilate to think we are now faced with more loss in income but also Insurance Coverage but most importantly Ron's Retirement. Without that we are going to be in serious trouble.
Now I know AA will pull through this Bankruptcy just fine in regards to all it's customers. They still have some money and are in better shape as the other carriers were when they went in. I also know to be competitive it will help AA to slim down but it is a hard pill to swallow if you gave your professional life to them and now realize it did not mean much at all.

On to better things here, we are having a wonderful time with Niki and Harlow who are visiting us, and it has been very precious all around. The boys adore Harlow and we had a fun trip to see Santa at the North Pole.
Tomorrow I am heading to Dallas to pick up Oma and Opa and we are going to be ready set and go for our Christmas Season to start :)

Hugs tonight to all our AA friends! We survived 9/11 and a 30% pay cut and let's hope we can survive this one with out to much more sacrifice...

R A C A

Gearing up for Christmas ...

I can not believe that we are as good as done with setting up our Christmas Decorations for this year! It has been a busy last two days but the best part about them was the fact that we never left the house! I am not to eager to head out to any stores but unfortunately my refrigerator and pantry are asking for a trip down the mountain ;)

I did read a blog entry today from Hopes Mom and how it is not possible to feel all joyful over any Holiday once you loose a child. Yes, there is still gratitude towards others but the pain over shadows it all. I wonder how many of us think about this when we hear all the time how thankful we all should be .... Reading her blogs always make me so sad but I know I am wiser and my eyes are more open do to reading them!

Thank You to the Stenzel Family for the remark under my last post! I tried to respond but the blog would not let me so I am posting here instead! Connor is adjusting really well to the change from the injections to the oral Methrotrexate and we have not tapered any more on the Prednisone. Dr. Soep figured we take on one battle at a time :) He has been complaining about some knee and leg pain lately but only after he goes to bed, never during the day. So this has us wondering a bit as we think he might just likes to push back bedtime.
How are the three of you? Hoping Emma is doing great and that the Holiday Season will be a fun one for you all!

To my friend Trudi, I am so thrilled for you and your new toy! I know many people say that true happiness can only come from within but I tell you I feel such joy and happiness each time I pick up mine ;) you know what I am talking about and I am not mentioning the name because I am sure most reading this blog are tired of my fan club towards one company. Hugs and enjoy!

So I am off now to put our two dumplings to bed. Alexander has been under the weather all day with some diarrhea and we hope he will bounce back tomorrow.

Good Night!

Hugs,

R A C A

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing all of you precious Friends and Family a wonderful Thanksgiving!

So this year I am definitely not tempted at all to join the shopping frenzy that started today and lasts until the 24th of December. I could skip all the Christmas Shopping at this point and I am readjusting my thinking all around. I have no cravings or needs at all and we already got the gifts for the boys.

Yesterday Ron watched our boys and Alexander while I helped Clare to load up the U-Haul she rented and close up the house. It was a heartbreaking time to work side by side and then see the house all empty and knowing this will be my last time there. The whole process took longer then we thought and instead of heading towards Lake Tahoe yesterday we were lucky to see that Clare decided to spend the night with us and then head out this morning. The boys were in heaven having a sleep-over and Ron and I got the precious treat of having some time with Clare before she would leave Colorado for good. I wish I could put into words what it felt like seeing them leave this morning but all I can say is that it was a very sad, sad feeling. I moved so many times and had to say Goodbye to so many dear friends and family over the years but it seems to get harder the older I get.

Today has been a nice and quiet a day for us relaxing and playing some Basketball and Football with our dumplings. Ron and Alexander also enjoyed watching Football and Connor and I got to watch a movie and then work in the kitchen. I love that my husband is in charge of the Turkey, which was smoked this year and turned out wonderful.

The only hiccup I had today was watching the news. I am loosing my nice streak at times but I find it very ironic to listen to how bad our Economy is and how high the unemployment rate is but then watch the frantic shopping spree happening right now and continuing on tomorrow. I did not realize that big screen TVs, Computers and Game Station qualify as a need and necessity. Oh, and all these poor and starving families who are receiving free food, none of them looked like they were starving to me. Yes, I am getting my hands slapped for saying this one!!!! - all while our obesity rates are going up! I identify starving with different pictures but not what they showed me today. Then there was this family who said how very grateful they were to receive all this free food while right behind them on the wall in their home was a huge big screen TV hanging! and how about the iPhone in your hand??? maybe you don't have money for food because you are paying close to $200 a month for your cell phone service! oh well, it is all about priorities. Am I the only one that thinks this is all a sham? When the news are showing me empty stores and people laying on the street starving as they are in other countries then you can ask me again to show sympathy and change my attitude. All this worries me!

Oh, I also almost called off sending Christmas Cards this year as well but after some thought and talking to Ron I did select to send out a few. I guess I am not turning into a complete Grinch ;)

Hugs,

R A C A

Methrotrexate, the Boys and things to be grateful for :)

In our JDM news I am very happy to report that we are now on week two of Connor's switch to the oral Chemo treatments and it seems to be a success. No side effects that we can tell and he is a trouper when it comes to swallowing 8 pills at once. Compared to the 0.8 ml injection of the Methrotrexate, he thinks it's the best gift ever and I believe him as it is a huge relief for me to not having to inject him every week!

Connor and Alexander are doing very well at Theater Class as well and have memorized all their lines already. They were so proud when the teacher told them how happy she was with them and I admit I knew they would do well as I think they are born entertainers. The challenge during Theater Class has been the fact that not only do they want to act but they also want to direct the play and constantly offer their advice on how it should play out, once again a lot of credit to them having patient teachers ;)

Right now the boys are in German School which they love and I just finished my errands of shipping two packages and shopping for Thanksgiving and also for our Goodbye Dinner for Clare and Alexander. Their house sold and they are heading to Lake Tahoe on the 23rd to join Shelly. We are sad to see them go but also very happy that their new adventure is all falling into place. I mentioned it in an earlier post that I thought their house would sell fast and it did :)

Today I am grateful for places like Starbucks and McD's who offer free wifi for the downtimes I have once I finish my errands on Saturdays. Great business sense if you ask me :) I admit I am fascinated lately with the facts why some businesses still make money even if the economy is down. My believe is you do well as long as you offer either a superb product or if you offer exceptional Customer Service. Perfection is when you offer both as in my all times beloved Apple Products. So should you need gift ideas head to an Apple Store and you can be guaranteed to make someone happy in a consumer thinking world - haha.

Oh, and most importantly we also received wonderful news this week as in the results that Connor and Alexander's friend does NOT have a brain tumor! Now they are still looking for a diagnosis but we are thrilled that this one was ruled out!

Happy Thansgiving week!

R A C A

Bella

So this week it was our precious Bella's turn to have surgery as she got spayed and all her needed shots on Monday. I am happy to say all went well and we were thrilled and happy to have her back home on Tuesday after her spending the night at the Clinic.
The boys were pretty upset about her being gone for one night and there were some tears. Now that she is home and recovering the challenge is from keeping her from jumping and climbing for one week as this is something she loves to do. So for now her home is in a controlled area as in the guest bedroom :)

We also have great news about an upcoming visit from Niki and Harlow. They will come and spend some time with us towards the end of November and if all goes as planned then my parents should be able to see them as well as hopefully they will arrive on the 1st of December.

As far as this week is going it has been as busy as usual and I am looking forward to catching a break next week for Thanksgiving. Have I mentioned yet that we are as good as done with our Christmas Shopping for the boys???? So no matter how many Advertisements enter our home I am done with shopping - I hope.

Oh, and I finally finished my book 'Steve Job's' and highly recommend it if you love Apple. As to me I think I dislike PC's and Microsoft even more now that I read the book and I did not think that was possible - haha.

Hugs,

R A C A

AA Boeing 777 - Congratulations Captain Ron Smith

Congratulations to my husband who was just award his bid to the Boeing 777.

My favorite Airplane all around! As of now it looks like his Base will be Miami so some beach time should be around the corner :)

I am so thrilled, happy and proud!

Hugs Captain Smith!

R A C A 

My love for Sundays!

I have never appreciated Sundays as much as I have for the last month or so. This past week was way to busy for my taste and I was happy to see it come to an end. I know I said it before and I repeat myself but for a Stay at Home Mom who is Home Schooling I was in my car way to much this week. We were on the go from Monday to Saturday adding way to much milage to my precious car and today I promised I would not even step out of my PJ's and as of 2:30 pm that still holds true ;)

I wish I could list all the things we did this week but it was such a blur that I can hardly recall the beginning of the week and since I completely changed everything to iCloud on my computer and iPad last night I now find myself faced with a Calendar that has been erased. This is almost funny as I my heart used to sink looking at our busy schedule ahead and now I am looking at clear weeks ahead with nothing planned. Not seeing my old schedule should have me upset but instead I find myself laughing because I love the freedom I see even if it is a deception. However, should I miss any event I was suppose to make an appearance at then I am hoping you got to read this blog and you know why I am a no show :)

One thing I do remember about last week was the boy's Sankt Martin's Parade with their German School on Friday night and it was very precious. It was actually a very big turn out and we walked the streets in Old Colorado City between 6 pm and 7 pm with lots of different home made Lanterns and singing four different German Songs. I actually had to laugh then as well, as I pictured what the people in the neighborhood must have been thinking seeing so many Kids and Adults walking through the dark, singing songs in a language they probably did not understand. At one point my mind got the best of me when we stopped and sang a song and the light in the house next to us came on. I was counting down the minutes to see if someone with a gun drawn would jump out and think they got invaded by Germans ... I know I have a sick sense of humor but knowing how gun happy people can be I was a bit anxious at times. However all went safe and sound and it was fun. The four of us ended the night with Dinner out and a late night to bed when we had to face an early morning for another drive down the Mountain for the boys Saturday School.

So I am  hoping all is well with all of you and we are keeping once again some kids in our minds who we care so much about. May the MRI for Grant bring answers tomorrow in a good way! and also sending hugs to little Ren who is facing another surgery for her Adnoids.

Now that my schedule is clear even if it might be only in my mind, my MacBook Pro and iPad ... I might run with it and start with a new slate of focusing on school here at home, shipping some promised boxes and getting this house cleaned. Yes, I will remember to take the boys to school on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday and to Theater Practice on Friday but that's it ... hey, wait ... looks like I am booked once again for 4 days out of my 6 day work week ... I better stop while I am ahead and feel the guilt to add more.... Haha!

Hugs!

R A C A

Steve Jobs ...

So I am working my way through this book and I am loving it. Very eye opening and I am now hopeful that our dumplings extreme confidence and drive to be different then the masses might not be so far of the track when you compare how challenging some of the brightest minds in this country have been as children. Very willful and then the added influence with LSD and Acid ... Followed to dropping out of College (Bill Gates as well but without the drugs).
So no matter how crazy some people think Steve Jobs might have been, he made me a fan and I truly do smile each day I pick up my ipad2. I also love my ibookPro. Beauty and perfection on one place .... Best of all he was inspired by some German Engeneering and owned a Porsche 928, BMW Bike and Mercedes. All beautiful with style and power. So I m grateful for this book to give me glimpse into his life.

Now I have to figure out how to tune our dumplings towards the technology sector for their future ... Haha. Nothing sweeter then having a product that makes you smile :)

As to JDM news, Connor took his 8 Methrotrexate Pills this afternoon and we are hoping he will have a good night and all goes well. I loved my break from giving a shot.

Hugs!

R A C A

Aftermath of IVIG ....

As to JDM news it was a very rough two days for Connor following his Infusion Day. He dealt with a low grade fever ranging from 99.8'F to 100.2'F, which would have been not so bad but he also dealt with some raging headaches that kept him crying. He felt better came Sunday and our oh so cherished day off. I think the culprit was due again to the faster infusion speed. So Sunday went well but today Connor was battling some Attitude behaviors and also a very low tolerance when trying to control his frustrations. He is very lucky that the person his frustrations aim at is taking it in stride and more or less ignores his older brother. So while C was a challenge most of the day, A was the polar opposite today as in being focused and attentive. If C was still on high doses of Steroids I would point my finger there but we are down to o.5 ml a day so hardly worth mentioning it. So possibly this is just a normal growing pain and he will be my little Angel again tomorrow while A gives us a run for the money ;)

The boys loved making Lantern's at the German School on Saturday and are very excited about the Sankt Martin's Parade on Friday night. I was happy I talked myself into taking a run while the boys were in school and enjoyed the beautiful trails and scenery at the Garden of the Gods. It was a cool morning so I did add some calories afterwards of having a Hot Chocolate at Starbucks to warm up.

Today I have been not felling well and have to Thank my husband for letting me take a long nap again and also him taking care of the boys and I for lunch and dinner. I am so so so grateful to be able to stay low today as this week will have us on the go everyday from morning to night until Sunday. Just thinking about it makes me tired but then on the flip side your brain has all those thoughts and ideas to plan and one might wonder when good sleep will be a part of our life again. I admit I belong now to the couple of Million of woman (according to ABC World News) that take sleep aids daily, in my case Ambien or Stillnox is my drug of choosing;) Those little pills keep me sane for the night because without them I sit up for up to 4 hours thinking of all the worst scenarios that could happen to all of us and how unprepared I feel. Once 7 am comes around all looks bright and clear again so I am saved again for another 13 hours before I feel the need to worry ;)

Today we are sending some thoughts to a friend of a friends daughter (Chandler) who is going in for some sever and intense surgery. This is very scary I am sure for a little girl but also so heartbreaking for her Mom and Family. Connor and Alexander's favorite older friend Grant is also scheduled for an MRI on the brain to look for a tumor and this has been on our dumplings minds daily. This exclusive club you are part of ... no worry that your best friend might move away to another State where you are still able to Skype, txt or FB ... no the friends you make on the Oncology and Infusion Floors may be faced with a different move and one that makes keeping in touch a lot harder. So my sweet Alexander, after hearing about Grants MRI started crying and saying he does not want to loose his best friend. So our conversations in the car are not about music or school events but about different kind of tumors and different types of treatment options. You 7 year olds are learning about Statistics which you as the Parents hope more then anything that your child will be the exception.

I am in complete awe at the exposures my son's are having when it comes to diseases and battles kids are fighting all around us. I am convinced this imprint will make then the people they will be when they are Adults. Connor and Alexander told me frequently that they want to adopt children when they are ready to have kids, they also tell me frequently that they love the fact we as parents don't push our believes on them and that they can speak their mind freely even if it is not the path we would choose. So no surprise for me but some other people present during Theater Class to hear my youngest speak up loud and clear that he does not believe in Jesus or God (Yes, he is playing in a Christmas Play and wants to participate). The director asked me if this would be an issue and I answered no, Alexander loves acting and he is playing a role so she will get his best focus. The part that touched my heart the most was later on when we were finishing up and Alexander looked at me and said "Thank You Mommy for letting me have my own opinion". He is as proud as me, as confidence and as outspoken and I still think he will rule the world someday if he would just focus on learning to read and write - haha

Wishing you all a pleasant week ahead ... and no more Earthquakes for my OK Family!!!
and below here are some pictures I took during my jog through the Garden of the Gods ... I am sure hoping all the Rattlesnakes know it is time to hibernate right now!

Hugs,

R A C A

Correction to last Post

So sorry about all the spelling mistakes and grammar in my last post below this one. I was typing it at the Hospital on the iPad and then accidentally entered it but could not go back to correct it .... yeichs.

Never less, we are home now and I added more to the last post plus some pictures so please go back to the blog and reread!

Hugs,

R A C A

TCH IVIG ... 4 1/2 hours turn to 9 hours...

Today is Connors Infusion day and it was heartbreaking to watch how excited he was about today due to it also being our 'Date Night'.
Last night Connor picked out some of his nicest clothing and also asked his Dad if he could borrow a bow tie. He asked me to take money out of his piggy bank so he could take me to a Movie and Dinner today (of course I did not raid his piggy bank;)
All went well this morning as the two of us left at 6 am to arrive at The Children's Hospital just a tad before 9 am. Traffic was horrid but we still arrived at time and Connor was in his room and hooked up by 9:30 am. All was going very well and Connor was even trying to not act nervous even thought he was on edge that he got a nurse he did not know. I was happy because with a 4 1/2 hour infusion time we should be on our way to C- Springs and our Date just a bit after 2 pm if you include the Methrotrexate.
So with 9 min left on the Infusion timer I texted Ron that we are as good as done and then things started to get interesting. His nurse came in and ended the infusion and pushed through the Methotrexate. She left and shortly after another nurse came in to unhook him. She looked at the bags on the pole and then excused herself. Shortly after that she came in with our original nurse and the talked a bit and then informed us that this morning the clamp for the IVIG was not released and that Connor has been getting just Saline for 4 1/2 hours. Which meant the bag with the IVIG was still hanging there full. So the only solution now was for us to stay another 4 hours to get Connors medicine in. This was a shock for all of us. Connor started crying non stop, my heart sank because I knew this would be heartbreaking for him and also I kept asking myself why I did not look at the bags at all after the infusion started. The only excuse is we never had this issue before so I just did not expect this. Of course our Nurse felt horrible as well and she tried to comfort Connor with gift cards to McDonalds or a Gift card for Target. Connor being upset of course told her he des not like McDonalds nd that he does not shop at Target so No Thank You ... I on the other hand told him if he takes the Target Card he can get himself a small toy, so he did end up taking it in th end. It was a good lesson however for Connor to learn that people will make mistakes and that you have to accept the things you can not change. I pointed out to him that the Nurse was feeling very bad and that due to this she is unable to head home to her 2 year old son and now had to stay four hours longer then scheduled. As it turned out we left the Hospital at 5:50 pm and we were the only people left on the Infusion Floor, the two of us and our Nurse. No one else ... even the cleaning crews were gone by the time we finished up. So we had to postpone the movie but we still had Dinner at Connor's favorite Mexican Restaurant in Woodland Park :)

Once Connor settled back down in the Hospital he watched the movie Hook for the 4th time. I can see why he loves Peter Pan so much ... I know there are days I would prefer to not be a grown up... :)

We also got a lovely surprise from Ron and Alexander once we finished our Dinner. The stopped by after a busy day in the Springs of shopping and a movie. Now I have to take Connor to the movies tomorrow so he can have his full date experience.

I left some of the best news until the end. Today might have been Connor's LAST IVIG Infusion!!!! Dr. Soep said we should give it a try and while his Bloodwork is not all perfect it looked stable:) Also, Connor begged Dr. Soep to please stop the Methrotrexate Shot's but she said he will still need his weekly Chemo Therapy but she will let him try to take them Orally. My goodness you should have seen Connor's smile! Of course there are factors to this so we are keeping our fingers crossed. For one Connor in the past did not have as good as an absorption with Drugs when he took the orally therefor all the Infusions and Shots. Also he is on 0.8 ml of the Chemo Shot so that will translate for him having to take 8 Pills! a lot to swallow for a little boy but he says he can do it!

Signing off with some Pictures from Date Night :)

Hugs,

and signing off after realizing Connor and I had now a 16 hour day, 5 of those in the car during 30 mph bumper to number rush hour traffic ... oh the joy! Sleeping Day tomorrow so NO early phone calls will be allowed ...

R A C A

Snow Day, Nov 2, 2011

So last week we had our first Snow for this Winter Season (yes, we somewhat skipped Autumn :) and the School District delayed the start by two hours but today we woke up to 5 inches and I was greeted by an e-mail and txt message that the whole School District was closed. This was really great news for me for several reason's. One it gave us time to relax and catch up on school at home, two it got us all outside for some fun in the snow, right after we finished school and last but not least I did not have to drive my car to WP. Timing as always is very interesting as Ron scheduled a maintenance service plus a tire change last week. The day for all this to happen was today so Ron took the car to C-Springs very early this am and of course the roads were not the best. I would have cancelled the appointment but Ron is much more comfortable driving in snow on Mountain roads so off he went.
This afternoon the roads were clear and I am very happy about this as Connor and I are heading to Denver early tomorrow morning for his Infusions, of course now that I have wonderful new Winter Tires on my car snow should not be an issue ;) Plus I look forward to my Date with my oldest son tomorrow ... The movie Puss in Boots is on the menu :)

Hugs,

R A C A