Goofballs

The boys got to stay up to see the ball drop on TV which was fun. Then we took some goofy pics before bedtime. :)

Happy New Year!

More snow fun!

After a lazy lunch and hanging out at the cabin, we headed to the Northstar Village to meet up with some friends who are also in town. We grabbed hot cocoa for everyone and hung out freezing our butts off while the kids ran up this hill and slid down, over and over again. They had a blast, but it was SUPER cold! So after a couple of hours we walked around a few shops and then headed back home.

We had a huge dinner and now we're looking for some NYE celebrations to watch on TV to ring in the New Year (if we can make it - ha!!) :)

Sledding fun

The kids played outside for a bit, until the Dads got cold and called them back in. ;-)

A successful day!

Jon and I had loads of fun out on the slopes. Even still, I was thinking about (and worried about) the boys all day today.

Look at these cuties that we picked up at the end of the day tho!! They already look like pros! (And they had a great time - phew!!)

Some shots from the mountain

The first one I took while riding, it was so gorgeous today!

Like riding a bike!

Eric and I, taking a quick selfie while we try to find Jon, who was always running off ahead of us! ;-)

I'm sore, but had such a blast today!! It's been about 4 years since I was last out. Dang.

On the shuttle to their lessons this morning

First time at Ski & Snowboard school

Woohoo!!

We made it!

Our host, to greet us, on the top deck. :)

Tahoe!

It's been a couple of years but we finally made it back up to Tahoe! Looking forward to spending some time outside, and on the mountain, with my kiddos this week. :)

His "healing" phase

Before shooting more fireballs. 😎

Building a new computer

Daddy and Logan spent most of the day building a new computer (for Logan to play Minecraft on). They took a break to go see Star Wars (yes, again!) and will be back at it again tomorrow. ;-)

Callum is such a ham for the camera

I hope that never changes. 😜

Going to have to frame this one

❤️❤️❤️

Merry Christmas!

The boys were already well into discovering their stuffed stockings by the time I got up and joined them. I wasn't quick enough with my camera to capture the fist pumping shock and joy from Mr. Callum as he showed me a new toy that he had really wanted, and that Santa surprised him with.

So, this'll have to do. ;-)

Learning a new game

Callum got Logan some new little figures where you load them into your iPad (via camera/scan) to play a new game. They were so focused, learning this new game last night.

Merry Christmas Eve!

The boys got to open one present tonight (because we're softies!). We love their excitement this time of year. :) Jon surprised me with a new coffee mug of my (and Callum's) favorite guy, BB8. Here he is, holding a bunch of "diamonds" for me, as I try to figure out how to string them up for a garland on our new tree. Nothing like last minute decorating! Ha! :)

Merry Christmas Eve to all!

The young teaching the old

Taken the other night at my parents' anniversary dinner. My brother Zane, Logan, and cousin Tim - comparing notes and sharing tips on how to master the game Clash of Clans (which Logan is currently OBSESSED with right now!). The older two were impressed with how much the younger one knew and was teaching them. ;-)

Wow, I can't wait for my birthday...

Logan, tonight: "Mommy, back in your day, did they have color [on the TV]?"

Me: "What?! How old do you think I am?!"

Logan, shrugging: "I don't know. What about voice, did they have voice back in your day?"

Brother. *sigh*

Another milestone

This is of the different sort tho! Yesterday was our regular monthly check up for him - as always they look at his blood counts (his numbers were great), decide whether to change his chemo dosing (at home) or not, examine him, and give him his monthly dose of pentamidine (a breathing treatment that'll ward off a nasty strain of pneumonia).

During his poke, Callum decided he'd sit on his own (up until now he's always sat in my lap with me holding him). You can see him wincing with his eyes closed, and he pulled back his chest a bit so it actually made the poke a tad scary for me and the nurses :) but otherwise he did great all on his own. My little guy is really growing up!

What a big milestone!

Just had a delicious dinner, celebrating my parents' 40th anniversary. I love that these high school sweethearts are more in love now than they were when they first met. ❤️

Love you Mom and Dad! 😘😘

Signs of a successful play date

Phew!! :)

Backseat Conversation

While driving home this afternoon:

L: Santa is fake.
C: Santa is real! You're just jealous!
L: Someone that fat can't get down a chimney.
C: Santa is real!
L: How does he fly with reindeer?
C: With magic dust.
L: There's no such thing as magic.

Now it's time to rest

The piñata was, of course, another big hit. It was super hard to break tho, I guess since it was basically a square box!

We had way too much food and candy as usual. We had a tense and very competitive bingo game, cake and presents, and lots of running, laughing (and crying) and squealing and generally great fun. :)

Now this popped out Mama is going to take a Percocet (my back is killing me!) and try to relax with some hot tea and a good movie tonight!

Another birthday party success!

Today was Logan's big birthday party. I was MUCH more disorganized and late to the ballgame than I've ever been before. I guess a move to a new house, while still remodeling, and things like ER trips in between, will do that to you? Jeez.

Anyway, there I was, vacuuming and hanging back ions and streamers, literally 10 minutes before the party was supposed to start! Yikes!!

Thankfully, the kiddos didn't seem to notice and really liked my little Minecraft touches throughout the house. One of the bigger hits seemed to be the "Craft Your Own Goody Bag" table with these mini licorice TNTs. ;-)

Gingerbread House making fun!

Callum has been fever free for over 24 hours which means he got to return to school today. The big activity of the day? Gingerbread houses!! :)

My how time flies

I asked Logan where he wanted to go for his birthday dinner tonight. He said "ice cream!!" So, ice cream it is. :)

I've loved watching Logan turn into a big kid this last year - with all of his attitude, sensitivity, love and sarcasm.

I can't wait to see what the next year (and on) bring.

Happy birthday buddy! We love you! ❤️

Bed Head

My pics never quite show the depth of craziness that Callum's hair gets, but I tried!! This was Callum's crazy hair (and silly mood) after waking up this morning. :)

For some reason (he was in a fantastic mood yesterday with no signs of illness), Callum spiked a fever in the middle of the night (1:30am - ugh!). So, he and I loaded up the car and headed over to the ER (poor guy threw up halfway there too - tho I think that had more to do with me driving fast down the windy hill than him being sick).

Luckily, his counts were good, so after some Zofran (to calm down his nausea), Tylenol (to cool off his fever) and fluids, they sent us home. We got home around 4:45am, where Callum was surprised that it was still dark outside ;-) and the two of us immediately climbed back into bed to crash.

The rest of the day we were both in a bit of a zombie state - so we mostly just hung out on the couch watching movies. He was up and down with how he was doing - he spiked a couple more fevers, but as soon as the Tylenol kicked in, his spirits would lift again.

Now we just sort of wait and see how he does. I'm going to try and catch a little sleep in case we have a repeat performance tonight....wish us luck!

Dissimilar Last Names

Not only do I love that the boys' school prints a directory of all kids, grades, and family emails and addresses (which makes it SO MUCH EASIER for me to now get in touch with parents to invite their kids to Logan's birthday party and/or send them a Christmas card!), but I'm REALLY loving the "Dissimilar Last Names Cross Reference" section of the book too.

Because, as it turns out, I'm not the only crazy mother who kept the name she was born with! ;-)