Gearing Up...

The summer always seems to fly by...I find that during the last few weeks I have a strong desire to get the house, the kids and my classroom ready for the start of a new school year and also cram as many fun activities in before we shift from the lazy days of summer into a jam packed schedule...

Castle Park with Aim, Katie, Robbie...revisited later in the week with Me-Ma...

FOOTBALL!!

Knobels Park with Alex, Kaz and Izzy...

and the POOL!!

...back to work this week, I am already looking forward to Friday and the long holiday weekend...

A Busy Thursday

Leaving at 6 am for a opthalmology appointment at CHOP, we returned home at 10:30 pm exhausted from a fun filled day at Franklin Institute and the Grange Fair. This was the first visit to the Franklin Institute for the boys. They both loved the hands-on activities and Joey especially liked the Pirates exhibition. We left the museum after twice feeding the meter (6 hours!!) and to meet Me-ma, Great-Dad, Uncle Chris, the Johnsons and Sigafoos' at the Grange Fair. Always a fun time...I look forward to it every year. The chicken dinner...checking out Stockburger cars...tractors...the farm animals...and of course the rides and funnel cake. As a kid...and now as a teacher...it has always signified the bittersweet end of summer. Having to go into school yesterday for a meeting and to set up my classroom also really makes it sink in. I am just hoping it gets a little warmer so we can get to the pool a few last times.

...oh...Owen's appointment was again pretty frustrating. They deemed him uncooperative (AGAIN) and we need to go back in 6 weeks. The doctor thought he would do better...he just doesn't get that when you put a sticky patch on one of Owen's eyes you are not going to get him to "perform" ...he is going to just fixate on the patch like any other 14 month old would do! Agghh!

Finally caught up!

Okay...I think I feel caught up now. Feel free to just drag down and look at the pics...four entries in one morning probably isn't how you're supposed to update your blog but last week was crazy!

one cycle down...seven to go...

...that makes it sound better! Owen finished his first cycle of Maintence yesterday. So instead of thinking he has 28 treatments left, and we will hopefully be finished next July, I am going to count down the cycles. So he has only seven cycles left. Woohoo! As usual he was an angel yesterday. Everything went well, just another long day. It took us 2 1/2 hours to get down to CHOP...I hate those roving work crews on 95 I do not know how I always seem to be on the highway when they are roving...and the pharmacy was having issues so we had to wait a LONG time for his drugs to be ordered. It is an interesting process. I would think that since he gets the same treatment every time he has an appointment that these things would be "ready" for us when we are scheduled to be in. But they can't order up his medicine until his blood counts are checked because if his counts are under he can't get treatment. But as always he handles it in stride.

I met a nice family yesterday. Joey plays video games with their son while we are in the waiting room. Turns out this six year old boy also has NF1 and was diagnosed around the same age as Owen. He is getting chemo treatment for a tumor in his hypothalamus. I have to admit it made me catch my breath, just the realization that NF will always be a part of Owen's life and we will never know what he will go through next. This is not something I worry about on a daily basis but I guess that is why this race I am participating in is so important to me. I know that it is important for Owen's future that a cure is found. Okay...so that should be enough motivation for me to get out there and do that 7 mile run tomorrow. I hope this is just my week eight rut because as I was running at 5am yesterday I thought this is killing me...seriously killing me!

Football Season Has Begun

-Eagles training camp

-Joey in pads

-Wearing a sweater last night at practice and still shivering...

I do love the fall, but I am still hoping to get some time in at the pool before the summer is over!

Eagles Fly for Leukemia

Through CHOP's oncology department we were invited to attend the Eagles Fly for Leukemia event at the Philadelphia Zoo on Saturday.

What a nice night.

Boys Update

Owen's treatment went well on Monday. He had to sit for an extra hour in the big blue chair to get one additional medication. He seems to have had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic we were giving him orally twice a week to prevent against a type of pneumonia. The doctors decided to switch to another type of antibiotic, one that is given once a month through his port. It is a one hour drip and his blood pressure was taken every 15 minutes (which really annoys him-he tries to get the cuff off his leg.) But as usual, he was such a good boy. He played with Joey and his toys for a little over an hour and then napped for about an hour. Next week he has one more treatment in this cycle and an ophthalmologist appointment and then we are off for three weeks.

Joey started football on Monday. Tackle football! He has practice Monday-Thursday, 4 days a week from 6-8pm. This week he practices with just helmets (conditioning), next week full pads (contact). It will be a transition for all of us...a lot of work for him and a total commitment for us...I am just glad he has stopped crying when he takes his helmet off...

It is going to be a long season!

Wild Weekend

* Playing at Me-Ma and Great Dad's house


* Trip to Northlandz to see the longest model train display in the whole WORLD (not sure this is a fact but it sure felt like the longest display...but the kids, Uncle Chris and Great-Dad seemed to love it!)


* Splashing around at the pool (I took some great shots but Me-Ma and Great Dad were in every picture and Mom would kill me if I posted a picture of her in her bathing suit...which I totally get)


* A wild and funfilled weekend with 4 silly, energetic boys and two exhausted grandparents! Thanks Mom and Dad!