Update on Mom

Mom got out of surgery Wednesday (16th) afternoon with the news that there was another lump that they hadn't noticed before. So, we are thankful that they decided to take out the entire thyroid gland. It will be another 5 1/2 weeks before the doctors scan mom to see if they were successful in taking out all the thyroid. If there is still some in there, she will have to drink a radioactive drink to kill what remains of the gland. At this point they should also let us know about the cancer and if treatments have to be undergone. Mom is sore and sometimes a bit numb, meaning she is low on calcium. She has had to go into the hospital once since the surgery to receive more calcium. Please pray that mom heals well and that the doctors were succesful. Please also pray for patience as she waits and recovers.

That's a big bathtub Daddy!

It was really fun showing Liam the ocean for the first time. It took him a few moments to used to the sand. Once that introduction took place there was no stopping him. Surprisingly enough there wasn't much in the diaper that night. :) Liam didn't really appreciate us dipping his feet into the cold ocean water but us landlubbers gotta do these things...it's tradition. Emma, now a pro with all things sand and ocean, showed Liam how it was done and they had a great time.

Fun in the Tub

Why is it that we parents run for the camera when it's bathtime? Is it that we hope to come up with some good shots to show at a future wedding reception? Or is it just that we think our little people are cute when wet? Either way, we had a good time watch Emma and Liam play in the tub. Most of the time was spent trying to keep Liam from drinking the water. Something that also might work well in a wedding reception setting. :)

Liam, what does a dinosaur say?

That was the question when we pulled into Drumheller, AB during our trip. Liam definitely knows what a lion and tiger say but we had never tried dinosaur. Maybe it was the big teeth or the big eyes staring down on him but after a few minutes he came up with, "ROOOAAAARRR". We found out that day that for $3/each people can walk up the inside of Mr. Rex and take a peek from inside his mouth. We decided to wait for the next time we drive through, just in case it would be too much for our little man. That, and we didn't feel like paying $9 to walk up a flight of stairs. :)

I guess it's John Deere!

Spending time at the zoo or on the Peter's deck, it was John Deere all the way.

News about Mom

Recently my mom found out that she has thyroid cancer. At first this news was very overwhelming for all of us but since then we have learned more about it. This type of cancer is a very slow growing cancer which means that it is very unlikely to spread to other parts of the body. The cancer looks like it is completely contained in the lump the doctor found but they decided to take the whole thyroid out. They did that yesterday (Wednesday, 16) and she is doing well. It hurts to swallow of course and the next 6 weeks until they can scan to see if they got everything, will likely be difficult. Our family would appreciate your prayers regarding healing and comfort. There is a possibility that they won't need to administer chemo or radiation, which would be great. I talked to mom the morning of her surgery and she was doing very well emotionally. God has given her a lot of peace and I am so proud of her.

Oregon here we come...

From WA we travelled south to Oregon and began a one week visit with Jeff, Alysun & Emma Peters. I met Alysun at Briercrest and we became friends right away. Through the years we have had many fun times together. This latest trip was no exception. We traveled to the coast, spent a night at the coast, went to the zoo, ate ice cream, laughed, watched movies, laughed some more, fed cows (one of Liam's highlights) and enjoyed some great food. Over the days ahead I hope to post some more about our trip out there so that you can see what we were all up to.

Gig Harbor

We then traveled to Gig Harbor, WA to visit with my Great Aunt Jo & Uncle Gordon. Spending time with them is always a treat. If you find you have a moment as you read this, our family would appreciate your prayers. Aunt Jo has breast cancer and is awaiting the details regarding Chemo and Radiation treatments.

Spending time in Canuckland

Our first night of holidays were spent in Calgary (not Canuck land, but Flames land) and there we spent a great evening/night with our friends Ryan & Sheila Meikle...and little Meikle, yet to be officially met. We enjoyed a great BBQ with them, lots of laughs and even some hockey. Go figure, Lindsay would want to watch hockey on his holidays. They have two cats and Liam had a blast playing with them. I think Tigger and Bailey were offically freaked out and ready to have their house back without a curious toddler. From Calgary we drove to Kamloops and then on to Abbotsford to visit the Leppingtons. Now we were truly in Canuckland. We were thrilled see them again and had a great visit. That Mark & Joni in the pic with Liam. Mark & Joni used to work at NBI. Mark was the one I assisted as Exec Assistant and Joni was the Dean of Women. Such an awesome couple. We were also able to visit with the rest of the family that lives out there, including Danny who was Linds' roommate in first year.

Playing in the gym with the guys

Often Liam and I will head over to the NBI gym to work out some energy. On this occasion our friends, Kepler and Theo, along with their mama bear, Darlene joined us.

Sharing a moment

Liam and Brad in the back of our car on a recent trip from Saskatoon back to Nipawin. Liam is tired from playing all weekend with Pappy. Brad is tired from the late nights and the knowledge that he maybe should have read his textbook instead of watch that movie with us. Where is the fun in that?! These guys are just two peas in a pod.

Sharing a moment

Liam and Brad in the back of our car on a recent trip from Saskatoon back to Nipawin. Liam is tired from playing all weekend with Pappy. Brad is tired from the late nights and the knowledge that he maybe should have read his textbook instead of watch that movie with us. Where is the fun in that?! These guys are just two peas in a pod.

Winter Fun

This is what happens when I don't blog enough. Even though I have talked about Spring already I have to go back and highlight our winter. We were able to take Liam out when Craig & Jen came for a visit. We enjoyed our annual Sleigh Ride and Chili Feast. We didn't end up staying for the chili because our feet were frozen but we did have fun going through the beautiful woods, all covered with freshly fallen snow. The only thing that wasn't beautiful was the horse that was pulling us. The poor guy must have had some bad hay 'cause we were smelling the effects of it that day. :) Anywho, the snowmobile pictures were taken on a Sunday afternoon in March. A family from church invited us to come to their house to have some fun. It was a great time of fun and fellowship. I think Liam really liked it.

Liam after his nap...

This is Liam trying to survive another "he just woke up from his nap" fiasco. He can't get through the day without his one nap, which he takes in the afternoon but it does take him a while to wake up and be happy. This makes supper preparations really fun. This time out of pure defeat he decides to just cry it out. I'm sure it didn't help his situation that I started giggling and running for the camera. The poor guy is going to have a complex. The way I see it...I either laugh or start crying along with him. :)

LIAM IS WALKING!

Yes, it's true. On March 5th Liam took his very first steps. Three to be exact and after I practically screamed in delight, he took some time to recover and took another three. Since then he has been practicing more and more till now when he walks a lot more than he crawls. Crawling is still saved for first thing in the morning and after his nap. But can you blame him? How many mornings have you felt like literally crawling to the coffee maker? So it's hard to capture walking in a picture but here's one of him "walking" through a huge puddle in our front yard. Saskatchewan says hello to spring.

New Year's Eve

We spent the evening at Chris & Sam's house watching the Green Bay Packers game. When it got late, we went back to mom and dad's and rang in the new year together...it's just sparking apple juice in case some of you are worried. :)

Liam's Birthday party...in Saskatoon

Yep this guy gets to party. We had a big get together at my parents house on the 22nd. My grandpa's birthday is the 22nd so we celebrated them together. It's amazing we were able to fit everyone in.

Christmas with the Skeldons and Witters!

This year we were blessed to have my mom's sister and her family come for Christmas from Wisconsin. My mom had no idea what we were planning and we were actually able to pull it off. Dad came home early that day and asked mom to come outside to the garage to see a Christmas present he bought for her. Out they went and behind the Anderson van we borrowed was the Witter clan yelling, "SURPRISE". After my mom stopped shaking, we began a great 10 day visit. These pictures are some of our favorites.

Christmas at the Andersons!

As has now become tradition, Lindsay, Liam and I spend Christmas day with the Anderson family. We had a great time this year. Joining us for the first time for Christmas was the newest addition, Brooklyn, Ian and Danille's beautiful little girl. We visited, opened gifts, ate a wonderful turkey dinner (way to go Mom...it was delicious) and played some games. Thank you everyone for the great day and the wonderful gifts.

What Happened....!?!

Did they move? Did their computer jump out of Lindsay's office window one day when he wasn't looking? Did their digital camera explode while taking one too many pictures of Liam? Did Amanda lose all her fingers in a sewing accident and it's just taken her this long to type out this message with her nose? Did their lives become so boring that they thought their friends wouldn't want to hear from them? Sadly, although any these excuses would probably do the job fairly well, the reason I haven't blogged in ages is not quite as exciting. In fact it's really stupid. It has been harder for me to find the time because we don't have internet at home and the times that I have gone to the office to do other things I have forgotten the pictures to download. And then...it had been so long that I forgot our password. You know you need help when... So, here I am. Sitting in Linds' office on a Saturday afternoon hoping that you will forgive my for my negligence and am asking that you will come back a visit three p's in a pod now that I am committing to have more there for your visits. While you're busy deciding if you will forgive me or not, I'm going to get busy with some posts...if I can remember how to do it. :)