This week has been very full. We went on Monday and had Ammy's three month MRI check up. These days are always hard and I am so thankful that I have a great big sister to come with me. Ammy is scared of the iv she has and wakes up confused and thinking she just had another surgery. It is hard for her to not be able to make her arms and legs move right away because she knows very well the feeling of being paralyzed! Then we had to wait a full day to get back the results of the test. Ammy was very confident of the results this time, her mom was fearing the worst. The good news is that we had another scan showing no cancer growth. The bad news her body has produced an excess amount of fluid which can cause the same symptoms as her tumor did. We will continue to watch this spot to see if we need to do surgery to remove the fluid. We look forward to even more action this week as we celebrate christmas. I will make sure to post some great pictures.

Today has been a bit of an emotional day today as we remember my dad. He passed away eight years ago today from cancer. It is hard to believe that it was so long ago, I miss him just as much today as I did the year he died. I do feel that I am so blessed to have been raised by such an amazing man. I am thankful to have had the oppertunity to have learned so many life lessons from him.

1 year anniversary

One year ago I learned some new things and reminded of even more...
just how precious life is, how your world can change within a moment, Just how an aunt and mom explains cancer to a child, how heart breaking the words we will just have to wait and see can feel, just how a pat on the back or a smile from a stranger can give you just a moment of hope, how awesome the family of God is, how friends and family can carry you when you feel like you are falling, how to celebrate the little things, how the human body is a million miracles happening each moment, God hears the prayers I can't even speak out loud, that courage and bravery are found so strong in the young, the ins and outs of a children's hospital, compassion!, never give up hope, you don't have to say the right thing sometimes the right thing is to just say nothing at all and give a hug, no matter your age your heart can feel broken too, the power of a friend, so many other things but the biggest one is My Hope is in Christ Jesus!!!!

corn maze

Ammy had no school on Friday so she spend the day with me (aunt Michelle) and her cousins. While at the corn Maze she asked if I would take her picture. I swear that is all she ever ask me to do. She loves to model and why not she is a natural at it! We had so much fun together that day. So as promised Ammy her are the a few of the pictures I took. I love you!

We had so much fun at the Candlelighters Family camp this weekend. One of the first activities we did was to sign Amethyst up for horseback riding lessons. When Ammy was up at Dorenbecher she told us that the one thing that she wanted to be able to do was to ride a horse again. This was her first oppertunity to do so since she just had her restrictions lifted so we are so excited to share this picture with you all. Besides horse back riding Ammy enjoyed bumper boats, go carts, mini golf, and swimming in the rain. I was lucky enough to win a ten dollar gift card while playing bunco. All in all it was a very good time. Amethyst also had the oppertunity to do some projects to auction off at the harvest of hope in October. She is now worn out and we are ready for early bed times and school tomorrow!

I just wanted to let all of you out here know that we had another clean MRI scan on tuesday! That makes it six months cancer free. There was a spot that they had been watching. They thought that it was possible a scar or whatnot but it is now gone! We are heading down to a candle lighters camp today and i will be posting lots and lots of pictures from all the fun when we get back.

It has been almost a month since my last post so I thought I should update everyone!! Ammy and I have been having a great summer! The timing of Ammy's last MRI made it so that I was unable to get a job before they were all filled for the summer. I was dissappointed with that, but have had such a blast staying home with her this summer. We have been able to spend time with friends, and enjoy all the fun and free things going on around town! A few days ago Ammy was able to do the almost impossible. She broke her leg braces which are made of carbon, The strongest material they make them of. Her therapist was really impressed and when we took them in to get them replaced the receptionist said that she has never seen braces that worn. Good job Ammy for playing hard! She is loving not having to wear them, but should have new ones by the beginning of the week.

Yesterday we spent some time with my sister in law and two of my neices. We went to the free movies put on by regal and then played in the fountains. They all had a great time, but by the end we had some cranky girls who were exhausted!

We have our next MRI date set. She will be going in on September First for the MRI and then on the second we will meet with her oncologist for results and plan of action. We are sad that we will not be seeing the very talented Mr. Guillium, but happy that they do not see surgeries being necessary in her near future. A few days after that we will be heading off to the candle lighters family camp which we are really excited for! I will be posting pictures!!

alright so the following format is borrowed from my sis's blog which she borrowed from someone else. It seems like the easiest way of letting you all know what is going on in my life!

I am... tired. Hot weather and too many fun nights have kept me up far too much!

Outside my window... Ammy and the neighbor kids are all congregated unaware that the window is open and I can hear their cute conversations.

I am thinking... That summer break was always more fun as a kid.

I am thankful for... The ability to have perspective. I have had a horrible week complete with puddles in the passenger side of my car, broken computer (I'm now back to my extremely slow laptop) a stolen bike, and yet I can still see that life could.. and has been worse.

From the kitchen..... I am looking forward to making homemade bread on sunday when it is supposed to be a little cooler.

I am wearing... my staple. Jeans and a comfy shirt

I am creating.... I am starting in on some of my christmas gifts for this year by trying to make Calleigh a sweater. I am also working on a project for one of my sister in laws for their birthday.

I am going... to the beach on saturday with Ammy and my friend Hilary.

I am reading... the last book in the twilight series. Maybe when I'm done i'll actually be able to get some house work done!

I am hoping.... That I can find a job for the next couple of months

I am hearing... Ammy is now next to me asking how she spells teacher becky's name as she is inspired to send her favorite sunday school teacher a note.

Around the House... The normal clutter of toys.

A few plans... this week is to have fun. also to get my office organized for the upcoming school year.

A picture I would like to share.......Just a little something to remind you to make your wishes come true!

Ammy had quite a busy day today. Her tutu (grandma on her dad's side) called and asked if she could come and play this morning so she was off to grandma's for the morning and I got a good 4 hours to myself which of course i spent with my new obsession reading the twilight series. After that we went to my old High school to watch some great fireworks. Ammy had a great time! She got to sit on a police motorcycle and enjoyed the fire trucks as well. Her favorite experience however was looking at the life flight helicopter and knowing that she almost got to ride in one! I have included several pictures. There's even a few of me which is probably a first for this blog!

picking Blueberries

picking berries and spending time with friends

just look at those eyes!

MRI UPDATE

Great news! MRI was clear. They are watching one spot but when she had surgery the amazing and talented Dr Guillaume said it looked like scar tissue when he saw it during surgery. It looks better from the last MRI as well. So the doctors diagnoses for this last MRI is no new cancer growth.
Also they have changed the type of cancer tumor she had. It is a long story to explain but they have kind of gone back for on the first biopsy due to the nature of the situation which type it was. After the last surgery in March the biopsy showed it was a different type than we thought. The point... this is a much better type to have -less likely to come back, more options for treatment, and less aggressive. I am sure you are wondering what the name of it is. Well I don't remember ... I will get the info from Beth and let you know soon. Sorry it was a really long day and I can't remember every thing :)
Stay tuned for a funny video and maybe some pics from the adventures of yesterday.
Thank you so much for your continued prayer and support.

at the park

Today Ammy enjoyed the morning at the park playing in the fountain with friends and some cousins. Is was nice to see her play and even for just a moment forget about her MRI and doctors appointment.



If you have a chance please be praying for her on Wednesday as she has her MRI and DR's appointment. I will post sometime tomorrow night with an update. Her appointment is not till early evening so please be paitent I will let all of you know as soon as I can.

Summer vacation is finally here!! This week Ammy and I both finished school and were fortunate enough to start the summer with fun weekends. I went on a women's retreat that was a lot of fun. The women planning it put in so many extra touches and just made it a wonderful time to build new relationships and grow in our spiritual walk. If you look at my sister's link you will see some of the amazing projects she undertook for us all. Ammy was picked up from school by her Tutu and got to spend friday and Saturday with her before she went with her Dad. I love to see how much Ammy enjoy's her time with Tutu. It reminds me of all the special times i spent with my own grandma. We are all growing nervous as Wednesday marches forward. Ammy will be having an MRI on Wednesday and then we will meet with her oncologists. We will hear then what the next three months hold for us. We are all hopeful that the news is good, but scared also of what might be ahead. Please pray for us as we go to ask the hard questions, even though the answers are not always the most pleasant!!

This weekend we had the privelage of taking Ammy and her cousin to Omsi. They had such a blast. The pictures here are of their favorite thing they got to do that day!! Unfortunately I did not get any more good ones of Little Mister. He is way too used to having a camera around and was just too fast for me. The kids loved all of the science experiments and got along so well. It was a fun day. We were all a little worn out by the end!
Ammy is very excited to be finishing with school in two weeks, but is a little nervous because she knows that her MRI is coming when school is out. She is very excited that she will not be needing summer school. For a while we were worried about her with all the school that she has missed but she was moved up into an advanced reading class and is doing math at level, so she will not have to miss out on the summer fun!! Thank you all for the comments from the last blog. It is so wonderful that she has so many people in her life to encourage her and help her to see all the fun things that she does have.

Toad and Frog

Ammy had her school program on Thursday night where the retold the story of frog and toad. It was cute to watch her sing and dance. Ammy can not take PE at school due to some restrictions from the doctors so she has an extra music class each week. You could tell she knew those songs so well!

She posed for some pictures after her program. She loves the camera!!!


Also a special treat of ice cream for a great performance.


A side note and kind of funny story. Well you might think it is sad but keep in mind when it comes some things laughter has to what we turn to instead of sadness:) you need to know before reading this story Ammy has been put on a very low sugar diet due to the fact that cancer is known to feed off of it.
Ammy has taken a habit to sticking a piece of grass in her mouth while she is playing. Well I just read an article warning parents about all the pesticides that cause cancer in grass and how to be careful when your kids are playing in it. I told Beth about suggesting maybe Ammy shouldn't put grass in her mouth anymore. So Beth talked with ammy and explained that sometimes there could be chemicals on grass that could cause cancer so it is best to not put it in your mouth. At this Ammy starts to cry. Beth ask hers what is wrong and she responds " everything that is fun causes cancer!"
So we are on a mission to prove her wrong :)

It has taken me so long to upload photo's that now my little monster has both of her front teeth missing. She was so excited that she had both of her teeth out!

Here is her getting ready for her ballet class. She was so excited to go, but then wouldn't dance when it was time. She is so afraid that she will look different from the other girls that she doesn't not want to try. This was so sad for me since she has always loved to dance and was in dance classes since she was 18 months old. We decided to take a break for a while and try swimming since she won't have to have any balance, and people won't see her walk!

School for Ammy is going great she is having so much fun and is learning so much. School is going well for me as well. My school was shut down for a few days due to the swine flu, but everything is back up and i head back to my classes tomorrow after a five day weekend!!

I just got ammy's pictures back from dance from before she went into the hospital and i thought i ought to share. I have lot's more to tell you all about tomorrow, but for now here are some pictures.

Birthday partys rock

party details to come from Beth here are some pictures from me...

We have had such a busy week! Ammy and I both went to school full time last week and we are both pretty tired!! Thanks to my sister's ammy had an incredible birthday, which she seemed to have a blast at. We went with a rock n'roll theme, since Ammy's favorite person in the world right now is Hannah Montana. We set up a stage area and let the kids make paper guitars and rock out. Thank you to all of you who came to celebrate her 6th birthday! We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives!! I will be writing again soon to let you know about our easter fun. Also if you could all be praying for us on Friday. We have a meeting with Ammy's school about the 504 plan we have and some adjustments that need to be made. We are hoping that the school is cooperative. We really don't want long drawn out battles but we need to do what is best for Ammy!

Happy Birthday

Wow how the years are going by! I remember the first time I held you and how I knew then you had changed my life forever! You are such a joy and I love having you as one of my amazing little nieces. Here is a little birthday review. Sorry no newborn pictures I didn't have a digital camera yet. Hope you enjoy the memories...

Your first Birthday looking out the window after having butterfly cupcakes


Wearing your new gardening stuff from your 2nd birthday


You and Cousin K at your family 3rd bday party

You and princess Alyse at C.C.

I think I used mom's camera this year so I don't have any from you princess party. however I took this picture of you a few months after your birthday and it is one of my favorites.


You have grown so much just look at the pictures in the last post. I am so proud of the girl you are. You have blessed so many people with your courage, spirit, and love. Hope you have a great birthday!!!

more pictures

Here is three more pictures of Ammy taken by our very talented friend Kim of Blubel studio...

Tram adventures

Today Ammy went for a check up on her incision site. It all looks great. She invited us along so I could help mom with the parking garage( you have to admit OHSU is huge and very confusing) also so the cousins could ride the tram and see her doctor again. The kids loved being together and riding the tram...






Ammy is back at school half days. She got to meet her new step sister and is excited to help take care of her. She went to PT yesterday and practiced all sorts of things. she is improving everyday! She is looking forward to her Birthday coming up and being in school all day. She will have another MRI in about 3m and they will decided based on that what the next step is. For now it is to keep improving her balance and walking and enjoy being a little girl.