What is Next?

A bit of an update on Kevin's treatment.  After we took the kids to Southern California, he went in for a CT scan and visit with his oncologist.  The CT scan showed that the tumors had not increased in size.  This was very good news.  The oncologist wants to give Kevin some time off this summer to enjoy family and do some of the things he loves.  The Doctor was originally  hoping to give him three months off, but would rather start back up in two months.  He does not trust the cancer.  When Kevin starts back up, he will be on a new chemotherapy regime.  It will be a combination of Taxol and Carboplatin.

For now, we are living life to the fullest.  We have been on a dream vacation with the girls to So. Cal.  Now, we are on a second honeymoon in Pensacola, Florida.  I will tell you more about that later.  My sister in law, Sherry, has dubbed this Kevin's song Fight Song.  Now every time we hear it, the volume goes a whole lot louder!

A Dream Vacation!

A few months back, our good friend Valerie organized a vacation for our family.  Honestly, Kevin and I were both very overwhelmed by the idea and a bit unsure.  However, last week, the dream vacation became a reality.  We were able to escape from the realities of life for a bit and enjoy some awesome family time!  We were doubly blessed that my sister and her family were able to join us.

 

We are so very thankful to the staff at Vallivue School District, Our Friends, Our Neighbors and Our Family for making this vacation come true.  Following are pictures (scaled down to be sure) showing all of the great things that we were able to see and do during our time in Southern California.

 

The girls passing the time at the airport.

 

The view from the balcony of our two bedroom, two bathroom condo (thank you Valerie). 

First stop, Kansas City BBQ where we visited one of the filming locations of my all time favorite movie, Top Gun!

Next stop Mission Beach.  Steph and Hallie were able to join us the first day.  Dylan and Jason flew in a few days later.

Kevin (yes, I am blaming him) talked Kendall in to trying her first "big" roller coaster.  This picture was taken just before she decided to shut her eyes for the whole ride.  I do not think she will be riding any more roller coasters for awhile.  The rest of the vacation, she was leery about trusting any of our ride recommendations.  Sidney on the other hand, turned into a crazy daredevil!

After the ride, Kendall still looking a bit suspicious.

All of the kids took right to the ocean.  Kendall loved boogie boarding.  In fact, she enjoyed it a bit too much for my comfort.  The ocean is a beautiful and powerful force. 

The girls!

We went to Coronado Island to check out some of the sights.  The girls had their first taste of Cold Stone Creamery.

We took a walk on the pier and were lucky enough to see this young man reel in a sting ray.

I have told the girls how I used to take the train from San Luis Obispo to Carlsbad to visit Kevin right after September 11th.  They have always wanted to ride on a train.  So we boarded the Surfliner at Old Town San Diego and rode it up to Oceanside for the morning.

Here is the man of the hour relaxing on the beach in Oceanside while Uncle Jason took the kids for a walk along the shore line.

While we were in San Diego, we went to visit our good friends, the Reed's.  They have a beautiful ranch in Poway.  We swam, BBQ'd and relaxed on the patio.  Gail introduced us to a fun game that resulted in Kendall winning $27 which she used for "mad money" on the trip.  My sister got this great shot of Sidney and I deep in conversation poolside.

We visited Disneyland.  We got there right when it opened and jumped in line for all of the "big" rides first.  Our longest wait time...15 minutes.  WooHoo!

We met Goofy.  Although to the girl's dismay, I keep trying to call him Pluto.

We found a roller coaster that was much more to Kendall's liking.  She refused to ride on it the first time, until Sidney reported back to her that it was not terribly scary.

The whole gang posed for a shot with Mickey Mouse.

Tea Cup "selfie".

Kevin made a side stop at Torrey Pines.  It is a beautiful course.

We toured the aircraft carrier, the USS Midway.

The girls were fascinated that I had been a mechanic on the F14 Tomcat.  Did I mention that it was the best fighter jet...EVER!

Kendall giving the launch signal on the flight deck.

Sidney sitting in the jump seat on the H46 helicopter.

Sidney posing with the cardboard flight deck crew.

And for my personal favorite, SeaWorld!

The girls were in awe of all the ocean animals.

They had a pet show with cats, dogs, and even a kangaroo.  Both of the girls were able to pet the kangaroo after the show.

The girls ran to get front row seating at the shows.  They were in the middle of the soak zone.  We found great seats just behind the soak zone.

Kendall down in front giving the Orca the splash signal.

Sidney sweet talked Kevin into taking her down shipwreck rapids.  They both walked out soaked and smiling.

The last day, we went back to Mission beach to relax and play in the sand.

The kids dug a very deep hole for Dylan to stand in.

This picture of Sidney sums up how the vacation went...SMILES.

The only time they seemed to slow down was in the car.

It was an absolutely wonderful time!  Again, a huge thank you to all of you that helped to make these memories happen!

Moving On Up.

Sidney had her Kindergarten graduation ceremony.  We were all so proud of her.  She overcame her "stage fright" and sang with her class like a champ. 

 

Her teacher passed out the graduation certificates.  Sidney reached in for a hug.  Mrs. Williams has been an awesome teacher and managed to make it through the school year with only eight more days until her second baby is supposed to arrive.   

 

Sidney was so proud and gave her cousin Kami a big high five as she walked out with her class.

 

Afterward, Sidney said goodbye to her teacher.  She then proceeded to find her teacher for next year and introduce herself. 

Grandma Terrell made her an amazing doll cake and prepared Sidney's favorite dinner, pizza and chicken nuggets.

 

Sidney was so excited to get balloons and have a celebration.  She even passed out cake and ice cream to some of her neighborhood friends.