From time to time I let my children use my camera - this was one Eli took tonight?!?!

Wow I am almost a month out - time flies. Eli is beginning week three of treatment tomorrow. Week one was good two not as much today was better just in time for his shot tomorrow. He also has blood work in the morning so it will be interesting to see how it all comes back...

Cardboard fun. Eli had fun helping create some armor for himself last night and then decorated it. I would have to say that one of the best Christmas gifts I got for my kids this year was the Mellisa & Doug sticker books. I do not remember how much they were but I know they were under $10 and my children have gotten hours of play out of them. They have gender specific ones and the girl one has stickers to set up tea parties and dress babies and the boy one is more rescue, farm, knight things. Fun stuff.

Everyday I am reminded of how much we have been blessed with and how little I sometimes appreciate it...

Brian, Eli, and I just got back home from a quick trip back to Rochester and Mayo Clinic. Last Thursday after a short phone call with Eli's GI doctor there she felt that it would be best to come up. So we left Monday and arrived home tonight (praise God for a short trip).

Despite all the snow that we have been having the roads were fine and we did get to see several industrial sized snow blowers blowing snow from the middle of the road across the road and into the ditch. Eli referred to it as "a massive snow rainbow" Once in Rochester we were again blessed to get into the Ronald McDonald house. They are amazing there!!! Eli left with another new blanket (race cars this time) and a book that a child from the public schools wrote and illustrated for the kids at the house - each child got a different book - it was really neat. This house truly is an amazing blessing for children who are being treated at Mayo and their families.

Eli's visit went fine. His blood work is out of wack as usual but not significantly worse which is good news however not improving either. We are starting him on injections and a couple of other supplements. I will now be giving him injections once a week and he will have blood work every other week. Then we will head back to Mayo in about 8 wks. His new med is a stronger drug w/stronger side effects. It is a chemo drug and will lower his immune system so infections are one of the main concerns. We would appreciate your prayers that he will take the injections ok, that they will not make him to nauseous, and that we can avoid infections.

This trip to Mayo was a little different than the last. Your first trip there can defiantly be overwhelming to say the least. It is easy to get tunnel vision and not notice everything and everyone around you. This time I felt more comfortable, I had been there, knew the doctors and facilities and was able to take in a little more of everything. We have been truly blessed and if you ever start to doubt that just take a look around...

The snow here has been crazy - I do not remember ever having so much... I was in TN for about 6 years but still. After Brian spent 3 1/2 hours digging out our driveway (the first time...) and the roads were cleared we ventured out to discover that a little small city living was brought to our little town. They installed temporary round abouts in many of the intersections. I did not get a picture of the really big ones - these were two days out from the snow...

I have never really been one to do the whole Santa thing and have always just followed my kids lead on this. So this year Eli seemed to be into it a little more. We had our little family Christmas on Christmas Eve day and thanks to the meter reader and a neighborhood cat Eli was convinced that Santa came to our back door w/his reindeer. He seemed excited so we went with it...

So I just got finished listening to a 4 year old's dissertation on why it would be perfectly practical for him to sleep in his sisters room followed by a 2 year old's unequivocal support of the proposal... Got to love my children.

As I did dishes this morning Kiley found the Fall decorations and redecorated for me...apparently the Christmas ones were not enough for her taste. I walk into the living room as she is finishing and she says, "OK, there!"

Eli just came back out of his room and says, "I do not think that I know how to fall asleep." Really?! It is amazing how quickly one masters the art of staling.

Yesterday the kids were playing and Eli comes to me and says, "Hey mom I went to the store and got you something, come and see." They were both pretty proud of themselves.