Vacation

We made it home from our vacation. It was a much needed time to relax. It was great to spend time with my dad and enjoy his pool. The weather could have been a little warmer but the kids didn't seem to mind. They had a great time going off the diving board, making up games and having all kinds of fun.

We did have to come home and back to reality though. It is always tough to recover from a vacation. We are working on that now. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of how our week was spent. I also posted a video of some of their games on Facebook if you want to look there.

This week we have been getting back into the swing of things and quickly realizing how fast school is approaching. Wow, where did the summer go? I am not sure if I am ready for school. The kids will go to register Thursday. They will find out who their teachers are and all that fun stuff. It should be an interesting year. I hope I am ready for it.

Today we were supposed to have a checkup but I think Dr. T is on vacation (at least that is what I was told) so we won't go until next week. I can't believe it is time to go already, I guess I have already lost track of our schedule being just 2 months off treatment.

This weekend when we were driving, I had Tyler alone in the car with me and we had several good conversations. It was a 5 hour drive after all! I asked him how he was doing and if things seemed different for him now that Mikayla was off treatment. I worry about Brenden and Tyler so very much, I know it effected them a lot. I was surprised by his response. He said "It isn't really all that different, except now it just feels like Mikayla is on steroids everyday instead of once a week" Ouch, that hit me. But I know what he is feeling. We have been really trying to crack down on Mikayla and curb some of the attitude she has but it seems to be worse. It is almost like she is on steroids all the time, but we don't have those to blame anymore. This is something we will work on.

I will say I love that Mikayla is off treatment and that we made it through those 2+ years. But it also doesn't feel like the end, even though to everyone else it seems the end. Those fears are still there, the effects are still there, and actually the emotions seem to be more raw now than ever. I don't know if we didn't allow ourselves to feel it before but going off treatment has brought a flood of emotions, today is one of those days.

I will post an update from her next doctors visit. I am anxious to see how much her blood counts have rebounded in 2 months.

Christie