Cal Poly Football!

Cal Poly is in the Big Sky conference.  This is great for us, since they play a lot of teams within our driving/flying range.  Each year we try to catch at least one (sometimes two) games.  This year Kevin and Kendall flew up to Eastern Washington to watch them play the Eagles. 

 

Kendall happened to be in the right place at the right time, as she got to high five the starting quarterback for Cal Poly as he ran onto the field.  It is a high five she will always remember.  Unfortunately, it did not give them good luck.  They lost the game, but a good time was still had by all.

 

Fraternizing with the enemy...

 

Before catching their plane home on Sunday, they met Uncle Billy Bob and Aunt Marilyn for breakfast.  Uncle Bill gave Kendall a ride in their fancy convertible.  Kendall is certain this is what she wants for her first car.  I am certain that she better start saving now!

 

The moment we dropped them off at the airport, we headed to the mall to get Sidney's second ear piercing.  She had saved some of her birthday money and was excited to get them pierced.  She was super brave.  I half expected her to chicken out, but no way!  Not a tear was shed, though she did take them up on the complimentary lollipop.

While we were there, she purchased two pairs of stainless steel earrings.  She picked out these awesome dream catcher earrings to wear in her first holes and a pair of beautiful triangle studs to wear in her second hole, once they have healed.

Sidney is obsessed with Albertsons chocolate muffins.  I must admit they are pretty good, but I get concerned with how bad they might be.  We found this amazing double chocolate muffin recipe online and gave it a whirl.  They are equally delicious and probably only a smidge healthier. 

Sidney wore me out that weekend between golf, movies, lunch, ice cream, ear piercings, shopping, sewing and cooking.  Phew!  I was ready to go back to work.

Onion Rings, Old Lady Glasses and the Boise Open.

The girls and I try to get a bit of one on one time occasionally.  One such occurrence was on a recent Saturday afternoon.  Sidney was going to her friends for the evening, so I asked Kendall if she wanted to hang out.  To my luck, she said yes.  We decided to grab a bite to eat.  We mulled over all of our usual suspects before deciding to give a new 'old' place a try.  BK (before kids), Kevin and I used to eat at the Boise Ranch clubhouse.   I remember it being delicious, as far as bar food goes.  Kendall and I decided to give it a try.  She has turned into an onion ring connoisseur.  The Ranch did not disappoint.  After our delicious dinner, we stuck around to hit a bucket of balls and have a putting competition.  It was a marvelous way to spend a Saturday evening!

My eyes have decided to take a turn for the worse the past few years.  It was recommended that I try a pair of progressive lenses (AKA granny glasses).  After much deliberation, and a year of procrastination, I have in.  The verdict is still out, as I have not mastered transitioning between the three different focal points.  That being said, every time I take them off, things look much worse.  As it turns out, Sidney and I both selected the same frames.  She got them in black, while I opted for navy blue. 

 

The girls and I volunteered to help at the Boise Open this year.  We worked on Sunday, which was absolutely gorgeous!  By the looks of the picture below, we had as much fun playing as we did working.  I will definitely volunteer for this again next year.  It was a very well run event and family friendly.

 

Sidney has turned into our chalk art ninja.  She can occasionally be found decorating our driveway with her creations.

I went to a crafty yard sale several weekends ago.  There was nice young college student selling doggie bandanas.  I purchased a lovely tie-dye one for Bailey.  After seeing how cute he looked, we decided to make him some more.  Actually, Sidney decided to make him some more.  We bought a few fat quarters and went to town.  Sidney is now making some for the other dogs in our family.  From the looks of it, Bailey really appreciates his new bandana.

Day 40.

This is really an update on how Kevin is doing.  Last Monday, Kevin woke up and asked me if I knew what day it was?  I racked my brain trying to think of what significant event I may have forgotten (anniversary, birthday, dentist appt???).  After I gave up he replied, "It is my 40th day of radiation."  Yep, not exactly a milestone you want to reach. 

The protocol they have been following, which seems to work well in knocking down his tumors, is 13 consecutive days of the maximum dose to a very targeted spot.  Kevin and the oncologist jokingly refer to this as spot welding.  He received a spot weld to his esophagus when he was first diagnosed.  At that time, the radiation effectively shrunk the tumor in his esophagus such that he was finally able to eat and drink again.  That was the first miracle!

Last Christmas, they discovered a new tumor in his thyroid.  They hit it with 13 days of radiation.  After a short time, that tumor began to shrink.  At Easter, they found a tumor on his adrenal gland.  Thirteen more days of radiation, bringing the grand total to 39, which brings us to last Monday. 

A few weeks ago, they did a scan and found some growing tumors in his lungs.  They mapped his body and determined that they would be able to 'spot weld' the area without overlapping previous radiation treatments.  Monday he received Day 1 of 13 days of radiation to his lungs.  At the end of these next couple of weeks, he will have had a total of 52 days of radiation.  It is a miracle that he does not glow when we turn the lights off!  All the while, he continues to go in every other Friday for IV infusion of an immunotherapy drug.

Aside from the lung tumors, everything else has remained largely the same.  It is truly a miracle.  Though it does not always feel miraculous.  There are days that we get very discouraged.  I was commending him on how strong he is the other day.  He replied, "It is not like I have had a choice."  I reminded him that there is always a choice and that he has fought, and continues to fight, a very big battle.  One day at a time.  One foot in front of the other. 

Cross Country.

There are only a couple of sports that the sixth graders can go out for.  Kevin tried to talk Kendall into wrestling (not exactly).  However, he suggested it with such a politically correct tone I had to giggle.  Sidney was mortified.  Her only comment was, "That is just weird.  I would not want to have my head in someone else's pits." 

 

All joking aside, Kendall did decide to go out for cross country.  It has been a great experience.  The cross country season is only five weeks long, so it is a perfect entry into sports.  She is learning to work hard, compete and try to beat her own personal record.  We are proud of her for putting herself out there!

Back to School.

The girls are back in school.  After the lazy days of summer, sleeping in and staying up late, getting back to school was a struggle.  Kendall started middle school this year.  It has been a huge change for her.  She was excited to start, but I think it has been challenging on many levels.

We took the customary first day of school pictures.  Kendall is in sixth grade this year.

 

Sidney is in fourth grade this year.

Here is how they really felt about going back.  As much as the girls enjoyed the summer, they were ready to get back to school.

The Interview "1-0".

As Sidney turns the clock over to a new year, we will do the "interview".
 

What is your favorite color?  Teal.
What is your favorite toy?  My sketchbooks.
What is your favorite fruit?  Watermelon.
What is your favorite tv show or movie?  Heartland.
What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  Popcorn Chicken.

What is your favorite game?  Sorry.
What is your favorite snack?  Hummus and crackers.
What is your favorite animal?  Koala.
What is your favorite song?  Have it All (Jason Mraz)
What is your favorite book?  Junie B Jones.
Who is your best friend?  Eva.
What is your favorite cereal? Crunch Berries.
What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Run.
What is your favorite drink?  Gatorade.
What is your favorite holiday?  4th of July.
What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  Monkey.
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Eggs.
What do you want for dinner on your birthday?  Tri-tip.
What do you want to be when you grow up?  Teacher.
I am very proud because….I do well in school.
If I were President I would….I would not let anyone sit in time out (go figure!).
I am afraid to….lose my dad.
Name one thing you do really well?  Basketball.
Describe what it means to be a good friend. Being honest and kind.
What is your favorite time of day?  Nighttime.
Describe your favorite hobby.  Drawing.
Climbing trees is….fun.
I wish there were a law that said…kids could take dogs to school.
What makes you feel sad?  When I get yelled at.
What makes you feel happy?  Chocolate.
Pretend that you can fly whenever you wanted. Where would you go?  To the candy store.
If I could choose a different name, I would choose…Emily.
Where do you want to go on vacation?  Canada.
What is your favorite thing to do with Mom?  Snuggle.
What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?  Play basketball.
What is your favorite thing to draw?  Cats and daffodils.

And, that's a wrap!

Sidney turns double digits.

Sidney turn the big '1-0' this year.  She is a pinterest fanatic, just like Kevin.  She decided that she wanted to be in charge of decorating, both the party and the cake.  I was out of town for her actual birthday, and sadly, she came down with the stomach flu that day.  However, that did not hamper a week of partying.  The Sunday before I left for Texas, we hosted family over for a party.  The Saturday after, she had a party with her friends.

Here she is with a few of her pinterest inspired decoration.

 

I absolutely love this creation.  She picked out all of her favorite pictures and put a 'timeline' of her life above the hanger. 

 

We had about 30 balloons blown up (thank goodness we have a balloon pump).  Here  are just a few. 

 

Grandma Terrell helper her make this emoji cake.  She took a picture of the cake and photoshopped "Happy Birthday Grandma" and sent it to my mom.  They share the same birthday.

 

Sidney had set up a photo booth with props.  Jeremy was the first to jump in!

 

Valerie, Bridget, Kendall and Jackson joined in on the fun.

 

Kevin and I decided to give it a go as well. 

 

 Both of the girls always love making a wish and blowing out their candles.  They take this wish very seriously.  I often wonder what they are thinking.

For her party with friends this year, she opted to invite only two friends and do something a little more extravagant.  She decided to go and get a 'real' mani-pedi.  She put together these, pinterest inspired, unicorn spa jars.

For snacks, she helped me make 'nail polish bottles' out of cheese and pretzel sticks.

We went by Small Cakes on the way to the nail salon.  I packed a candle and matches, in the hopes of mortifying Sidney by singing Happy Birthday in the store.  I think it worked!

The girls were so quiet when we got to the salon.  I am not sure they knew what to expect.

Here they are drying their toes and fingers and trying to check out each others designs.

In the end, they had a great time.  There were lots of giggles and comparing of stories.

Then it was back home to party!

The Last Bits of Summer.

This summer zoomed by.  At the beginning of the summer, the girls had asked us not to schedule them for any specific activities.  Well, I would say they had the summer of fun.  Vacations, summer camps, bowling, swimming, kayaking and sleeping in.  We had Hannah over for the last weekend of summer.  Kevin drove us up to Arrowrock and we went kayaking.  The girls decided to go to the other side of the reservoir and hike the hills.  Naturally, I had to go with them.

 

The next morning, we broke out the slip and slide and doggy pool.  While they were wet, they decided to give Bailey a much needed bath.  Bailey loved the attention.  The girls had fun soaping, rinsing and cringing when he decided to shake.

While Sidney was gone this summer, I decided to organize her room...go figure!  She has been getting rid of a lot of her toys and moving into an older room.  She was so happy with the job that I did that she decided to create a fort underneath her bed.

We used the silhouette machine to create some wall decals.  By 'we', I really mean 'Sidney'.  She knew exactly what she wanted.

Kendall picked up these cute little bowls from a garage sale this summer.  They have inspired the girls to eat more yogurt and fruit.  Who would have known?  If I knew it was that easy, I would have bought them myself, years ago.  This is an example of Sidney's breakfast of champions.

I am sad to see summer end.  It was a good one.  However, there are new and exciting things on the horizon.