Updates

On February 23, we had our first MRI without chemo and it showed no evidence of tumor growth. Gavin weighs 31 pounds and is holding his own. On February 25, he turned 2 years old and he is definitely in the "terrible twos". He is exhausting, but soooooo adorable. He calls me "Mommy" but if he is feeling silly, he calls me "Brut" (Brooke) or "Feethar" (Sweetheart) and he calls Daddy "Honey". He sleeps almost every night all night in his bed now that we got bunk beds for the boys' bedroom. Garth Lee has the top bunk and Gavin has the bottom. We lay down with him until he goes to sleep. He likes to have his back scratched and he will tell you "up, up, down, down, yea, ri dere". He is all boy with scars or bruises on his chin, forehead and eye from falling into walls, doors, tables and fireplaces...the boy has no fear.

Garth Lee is doing so well in school. He still has straight A's, but his true love right now is the PS3 game, Skylanders. That kid can talk about that game for hours and he loves to play, especially with Daddy. They recently beat the whole game, but he doesn't mind starting over, plus some harder levels are coming out in August which is just in time for his 8th birthday so he can hardly stand it. He does Jiu-Jitsu 2 nights a week and karate 2 nights a week. It is pretty intense for him, it gives him a good work-out and he likes it. He is getting much better, right now he is still a white belt, but he has 3 stripes and should get his next belt after the next competition.

Garth is still working nights in Pediatrics at the hospital and he really enjoys it. He also likes playing Skylanders with Garth Lee. When I am working, Garth is the caretaker of the kiddos and he does such a great job. He really is impressive with the kids and they respond very well to him. I notice they are more well behaved, but that just may be because I haven't spent the whole day nagging them. Yesterday, Garth decided for some reason to shave his head. Grandma is livid with him for doing it. He has the thickest, nicest head of hair but he just got aggravated with it being in his face and he was trimming his facial hair and just went wild with the trimmers and now has about a millimeter of hair all over his head. I'll have to get a picture and post it. At least he has a nice shaped head and thankfully his hair grows fast.

I recently went back to work 3 days a week instead of on call like I have been for the past 2 years. I only work on days that Garth is off so we will always have one of us home with the boys. I have still been struggling to get back into the groove of life and living it since Gavin's diagnosis and this cancer roller coaster. I think having work to ground me is going to be a really good thing for me and help me move on. I really enjoy working and I enjoy the people I work with.

We have a few trips planned in the next month and this summer. Next week is spring break for Garth Lee and we wanted to get out of town. We are going camping in the Guadalupe mountains for a few days and one of the days we are going to drive the 45 minutes to Carlsbad Caverns. We have all been there before but we haven't done it together. The Grahams are going camping with us too and we are all really looking forward to it. At the end of the month, Garth and I are taking Garth Lee with us and we are making a flying trip to Salt Lake City, UT to see a session of General Conference live. We are going to the Sunday morning session which means we will also get to enjoy the Mormon Tabernacle Choir special live too. I'm really looking forward to it and the time that I will get to spend with my husband and oldest son while we drive. I actually love road trips...minus little kids, those road trips really stink! Also, in late July/early August, we are all heading to Hawaii to help Sarah G and her kiddos move and settle in and say goodbye (for a little while). We are all going out for a week and after one week, when Garth has to go back to work, he is going to fly home with Gavin but Garth Lee and I are going to stay for another week to help them get settled. It will be all of our first time to Hawaii and we are all really excited to experience it together. I'm trying to just think about the fun of it and not focus on the saying bye part of it, but the closer it gets, the harder that is. I will really miss my friend very much but I'm going to do my best not to dwell on it and enjoy the time we have left! I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to go on all these trips and that my family is healthy enough for us all to experience them together.