St. Patrick's Day and Hockey Tourney

 We love to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!!

It not only is a fun holiday, but it is Auntie ALLI's Birthday :)

 Auntie Amy ran in the Get Lucky Race again this year.

She stopped by our house on the way :)

I can't wait to do it with her again next year,

as I still can't get my heart rate up since my surgery.

 Sean and his VERY FIRST TROPHY!!

He is so pumped!! It has a very special place on his dresser :)

 What fun is St. Patty's Day without eating something green?!

 Green Jello...a favorite :)

 Sean's team at Dairy Queen following their last game.

Bittersweet, as the kids were awesome and so were their parents!

 Isaac cheering on Sean as he got his trophy!

 Sean in action...he is now officially a better skater then his dad and me :)

 It was fun to have Molly, Nick, and Rylan up to watch his final game.

 He can't wait to start spring league in 3 weeks!

Team Shot at the end.

Thanks Coaches!! You made this so much fun!

 

We are so thankful for our families and friends, new and old. Thanks for all your support :) 

Fire Trucks and Birthdays :)

Sean's school had a carnival the day of my cousin Katie's wedding in January. So we quickly went and did a few activities, stopping by the raffles to see what we wanted to try for. The ONLY thing Sean wanted to try for was "lunch with a fireman..." So we bought ONE ticket. Well, I think I am going to start having him buy our lottery tickets, because he WON!! Not only did he take him to McDonalds, but he picked him up in his fire truck!! and took him to the fire station to show him around!! From the mouth of Sean, "This was the BEST day of my life!" Graham got to relive his youth and go along...Awesome Day!

 

 Now he only wants to play "fire fighter" at home with his brothers and friends :)

 

His birthday has been a lot of fun and has lasted way too long ;)

Since I had surgery right before his birthday, we put things off for awhile to make sure I would be up for party planning. So we have been celebrating this sweet boy for a few weeks! This past weekend, we had our family and close friends over to watch him play hockey and celebrate at our home. We all had a blast!

 (oops...fire truck picture :)

 Amy made the most amazingly disgusting snake cake ever!! Tasted good, but I am so glad it wasn't real! Yikes!!

Too sweet not to share...his Thank You to Fireman Joel...

Crazy Little Life...

It has been an eventful few weeks to say the least!

It all started back in August when I felt a lump on my neck under my ear. I just thought it was an enlarged lymph node, but it never went away. I went to the doctor in October, and he put me on a strong antibiotic thinking it was the same thing. He told me not to worry, as a lot of people have enlarged nodes and are totally fine.

When I went to my annual with Dr. Taylor in December, I mentioned it again, as it was still there. He saw it was bugging me and wanted to put my mind (and his) to rest and ordered an ultrasound. That lead to 2 different biopsies and many more appointments before I was referred up to the University of Minnesota to Dr. Yueh.

Dr. Yueh told me that I had a Schwannoma Tumor, and he ordered CT Scan for that day to map it out so he could better plan for my care. That lead to a MRI as the scan showed it to be bigger and deeper than initially thought. My tumor was studied by many top doctors at the U of M (with Dr. Yueh being in the top 1% in the nation - how lucky was I!), and it was determined that the best treatment would be to remove it as it would keep growing. There were many risks with this surgery, but he came up with a good game plan that put my mind at ease. I had total faith in him and his team.

I had surgery on Valentine's Day. He was able to remove a benign tumor the size of an egg from the base of my skull. Crazy to think that such a huge thing could be growing inside me without me knowing, but as I look back I can find a few clues...light-headed-ness is something I have dealt with for awhile. It make sense as this tumor was completely compressing my jugular...crazy!

I am officially 1 1/2 weeks post surgery and doing really well! I do have some side effects that I am hoping will heal with time and others that I will have to live with. I am just thankful that it is out and that I am fine! One of Dr. Yueh's orders was to not get my heart rate up for 4+ weeks...this is hard, as I have been loving going to the Y every morning and taking an exercise class. I have adjusted and take long walks on the treadmill instead, but I am excited for that day I get his approval :) I am still going to the doctor every few weeks for check ups and tests.

I have had so much support from family and friends, and I am absolutely humbled...Amy came and cared for me and my family for days. My mom cooked and cooked and cared for us, too. Julie watched my kids, made meals, ran to the store...and more. Cathy made meals and continues to check up on me. Graham was Superman and continues to doctor me :) I got many visits, cards, texts, emails, and calls. I really kept it quiet, as it was a scary time and we weren't sure what to expect. Now I feel like everything is going to be fine and I just wanted to say...Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!! I am so blessed!

March is going to be another crazy month, as Graham gets matched into a Residency Program! We will find out all the details on March 15th...until then, we wait! Yikes!! We are saying our prayers and crossing our fingers.

Happy 6th Birthday, Sean!!

 

 

Happy Birthday, Sean!!

We are not sure where these 6 years have gone!

He loves Kindergarten and has made some great friends, along with learning some basic skills :)

He isn't afraid to try new things like Hockey and touching pumpkin guts at Halloween :)

He is kind-hearted and caring :)

He is his brothers' hero :)

He is my biggest helper :)

He still loves to snuggle and read books :)

He has a love for life that is contagious :)

He is sensitive and loving :)

Happy Birthday to our first baby who is growing up way too fast!!

We are enjoying every second!!

Wow! December!!

 After about a million pictures and several different nights of trying...

we finally got this shot! Love my little guys!!

 Sean did a school project on our family holiday traditions...

we had fun searching through magazines to find pictures of special things!

Christmas tree, Freddy our Elf, stockings, cookies, spaghetti, Santa, presents, gingerbread houses, Angry Bird (the ornament he picked this year), and more :)

 Good Morning from our big boy seats!!

 This is what happens when the gate finally comes down and they have the freedom to explore the house...

Sean and Andrew helping Daddy with the tree.

 Andrew and Isaac making it their job to hand off the branches.

 Andrew hanging his new ornament.

 Isaac hanging his ornament.

 Sean hanging his ornament, too.

 Freddy our Elf returned bringing new pajamas and lots of fun!

He isn't "hiding" as much this year. Seems he likes to make a big mess for Mommy.

The boys love him!

 Looking back...

Halloween morning fun :)

 Enjoying the spooky breakfast.

 Fun Halloween Party with our friends, The Fellings :)

 Candy snack break!

 SNOW!! They all love the sled!

 And jumping, eating, falling, playing...for hours on end!

 Sitting in their big boy seats for the first time!

 My birthday was spent cuddling sick kids.

Sean and I were the only ones who stayed healthy!

 Sleepy Isaac...

I got to catch up on some shows.

Snugly Andrew...

Just needed mommy hugs.

 

We are all doing very well and trying our best to stay healthy. Sean is loving school and hockey this year. The twins keep me busy throughout the day, hide and seek, tornado mess, king of the mountain...all in the house...you get the idea ;) Graham is finished with rotations now until after the New Year. We have some little house projects that will keep him busy in the meantime...new carpet, back splash, touch up painting (thanks, Isaac)...I am enjoying this time of year with all my guys.

 

We are saying lots of prayers for the families in CT. It is such unimaginable horror. Please hug your babies for me today, as I will be keeping mine extra close. God Bless the all the Children and Teachers.