The signs of fall

When the county fairs start rolling around, I know fall is coming. I never paid much attention to fairs until I married Brad. Now I look forward to taking the boys to see the animals, walk through the projects, ride the rides and sign up for the tractor pulls. I'm sure this along with the fact that I shop for John Deere apparel and spent time with my kids reading John Deere books contribute to the fact that I might be a redneck.

It all began when Trent was little and would drop what he was doing and run across the yard as soon as Brad fired up his Model 'B' or even his John Deere lawn tractor. When he was 4, Brad took Trent to a farm store special event where he participated in his first kiddie pull and won. Since then we have participated in the kiddie tractor pulls at our local fairs. If, like me, you are unfamiliar with these events, basically they pedal a little tractor pulling a sled with weights. The sled gets heavier as you pedal.

Trent has been a natural at these since he was four and we have a shelf full of trophies. It didn't take him long to learn to pedal. I remember when, at three, he bought his first bike with a gift card. We came home, I got it out of the car, put his helmet on, and he rode the bike. When he was four we took the training wheels off and away he went. Simple as that.

This summer Ian is three and a half and we have been working on pedaling since the snow melted. I know his legs are strong enough, but there is something about pushing backward on the pedals to get the brakes that just doesn't click for him. So when August came around I had my reservations about putting him in a kiddie pull. The kiddie pulls start at age 4, but Ian was so excited about participating I told Brad we would put him in the 4-year-old division so he could try. For his first tractor pull, Ian proudly marched up to the tractor, hopped on board, looked over at our family, pedaled maybe twice and hopped off. Trent went on to win in his 7 & 8 division and was able to proudly display his trophy beside his others in the family room. Trent was proud and Ian didn't seem disappointed so I considered it a success.

At the next fair I again signed Ian up for the 4-year-old division. But this time something clicked. He got on the tractor and started pedaling. He continued all the way to the ending block and in the 'pull-off' ended up with a third place trophy! He was so excited and Trent was so happy for him! Trent placed first in his class and they were both happy to add their trophies!

Now Ian is so proud that he can pedal his bike right beside Trent! It is always fun to master another skill. And now we are ready for fall!

The first day of 1st Grade!

It's probably the same for every parent. Each school year marks the turning of a page, the realization that your child has advanced to the next grade, and memories of yourself at their age. Last week Trent started first grade. He was a little hesitant to give up our relaxed summer schedule, but as we entered the school you could see the excitement mount in his eyes. He led me straight to the first grade classrooms where he entered Sister Margaret Ann's room and found his seat. On a side note: Sister Margaret Ann was also my brother Scott's first grade teacher. We put his school supplies down and looked around the room. Then he said the words that I've been waiting to hear on the first day of school for four years, "mom, can you stay for a few more minutes."

Let's back up to Trent's first experience with school. He was three years old and was going to preschool two mornings a week. On the first day without parents there were tears running down faces before they opened the doors. Tears for most of the kids, but not for Trent. He put his book bag in his cubby, gave me a kiss, and went right into the classroom. I just stood there totally dumbfounded. The aide looked at me and said, "OK mom, he's fine and you can go now." I remember looking her straight in the eyes and saying, "but he didn't even say goodbye." I remember that moment like it happened today. And for every first day of school since then it has been the same. Until this year!

I guess it is wrong of me to feel some sort of happiness that he asked me to stick around. But I'm just being honest. Of course I stayed around for a few more minutes then kissed his head and left. I had to laugh when Ian kissed his head too and repeated, 'have a great day honey.' He did have a great day. I did too, but I really missed having him around!

The results are in!

So I got an e-mail from my physician's assistant last week and my scans showed no change! She did mention that sometimes the elevated blood levels are a sign of things to come. But, for now, my oncologist and P.A. agree to leave me on my existing drug and keep monitoring the blood levels and pain. I am thrilled for several reasons. First of all, although there never is a 'good' time to start chemo, I was really dreading starting chemo as school was starting. Secondly, all of my organs are completely clean! And, finally, it still means that I have one aromatase inhibitor between me and chemo! I was hoping to talk to her on Friday to figure out how soon to have blood work drawn and schedule follow up appointments and my next Zometa drip. But, as things go sometimes, we never caught up with each other!

Trent starts first grade tomorrow! He has Sister Margaret Ann as a teacher. The same first grade teacher who managed to make it through a year with my brother, Scott, who will turn 30 this fall. Best of luck to her!!

School Days

Well, it is almost here. Trent and I have checked the school supply list twice to make sure we have everything he needs. His school has open house on Friday and on Monday he will start 1st grade. Last year I spent this week beating myself up because of all those summer plans I had that never happened.

This year I asked both boys what one thing they wanted to do with the last weeks of summer. Trent wanted to go to a local park and ride Go-Karts with Brad. Ian wanted to go to the beach. So, last week the boys went go-karting while I took pictures. Then last Monday my friend Meg and I took our boys to Greenbriar State Park where there is a lake and a sandy beach.

I feel like we have been able to do a lot of different things this summer. The boys spent a lot of time swimming, we camped out, we went to the beach, Trent went to day camp, we played outside, played in the park, did fireworks, caught lightening bugs, had cookouts, went to gymnastics open gym, had swim lessons, and had time to just hang around the house and play. We even cleaned out a few closets this weekend! On Sunday we will make ice cream and cook hot dogs and smores over the fire in the back yard. (That was my pick!)

It has been a very hot and dry summer for us with temperatures in the upper 90's and low 100's since mid-July. Brad has only mowed the grass once since Trent's birthday party on June 19th. In that respect I am looking forward to some cooler crisp air. I will miss our more laid back summer schedule, but I know that we will settle into the routine quickly. I am also looking forward to the best part of fall. Football Season.

Some days you get the bear and some days....

I went to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore today to see my oncologist and get my Zometa drip. I had blood work drawn last week both to check my liver function and so she could check on my tumor markers. The good news is that my liver is great. The bad news is that my tumor markers were less than stellar. Basically the tumor markers are a way to monitor the progression or stability of my cancer. Currently one that normally should be around 32, is now 77. The other one is elevated as well. I was kind of expecting that though becuase I haven't felt the greatest lately.

These are the days when I love my oncologist and I know that if she moves to a hospital half way around the world, I will follow. She told me that although the numbers seem high for me that they can go much higher. She has one more aromatase inhibitor in her arsenal of drugs that we can try before looking at chemo, but she wants to see the 'full picture' before selecting just the right drug that will help me out. She is always calm, never making promises, but always hopeful. And, let's face it, on September 19th she will have gotten me through seven years of breast cancer. Not too shabby!

She sent me home with two scripts: one for a CT Scan, and one for a Bone Scan. These scans are nothing new to me and I'm looking forward to seeing the radiology staff at City Hospital who now know me by name and recognize my face. The scheduling staff is very accommodating so I'm going to call tomorrow and try to get them done next week because I'd like to get them out of the way before school starts. They send the report to Hopkins and then we will pick a course of treatment. If the counts are high because existing lesions are 'acting up,' then I will be changing to an aromatase inhibitor given monthly via shot. If there are new lesions, depending on the amount, I will begin chemo. So time will tell.

Since I was pretty much expecting news like this and it was presented to me by my favorite doctor of all time, I'm OK. I took advantage of the hour and a half ride home by myself to have an impromptu concert, rocking it out to Brad Paisley and Lady Antebellum. All the while thinking about the great hair day I was having and the fact that I am wearing brand new underwear today. Then, we ate dinner and canned a half bushel of peaches. That's just how I roll!