Look How Far We've Come in 11 Months...

• If you need a refresher from where we were 11 months ago, block out an afternoon to go back and catch up...I need to blog an update but my "to do" list doesn't seem to be acquiring any check offs and that is in the top 3 right next to finish laundry and mop!  And so much has happened in our household since last I posted.  WE passed 2nd grade, there was never any doubt.  Neely came to me the week before school was out and told me she thought she needed a math tutor...so she's enrolled in Math Camp at the end of summer to prepare for 3rd grade math.  Eli passed with flying (yet some lazy) colors into 5th grade.  His teacher said something at the end of school that I knew but didn't resonate with me until she said it, "it has to be important to him and he has to want to work for it..."  That's the problem most everything is easy for him and he doesn't have to work at it and right now it isn't important to him.  I'm hoping 5th grade he's really going to want to play football and be in the school play so he's REALLY going to have to want to work hard to EARN his A's!
  
  Enough about my little bundles of entertainment and strife and joy and worry...Trevor is doing REALLY well. He will have his last PET scan in August. His previous scan in March showed no active cancer growing. His doctors have said that he is cancer free but they won't say remission or "cured" until after his last PET. He has returned to work and works 8 days and is off 6. We're going into his 4th week of working a complete shift (7-5/6ish) and complete 8 days. Today (Thursday) was his first day back on after being off for 8 days. On his last set of days off before this last week (7/3-7/10) he: Thursday & Friday cut trees down and loaded them for the dump for some doctors he works for at the hospital.  His nephew helped out A LOT.  I didn't realize how much Jerrod did until he had to go to his real job that pays for his future with his fiancee until I volunteered to help. 
  
  We were supposed to go to Big Sandy for the weekend and get Eli from his overnight camp experience.  (which one of the greatest things my son LEARNED was how to put crawdads on people's nips while they were sleeping! one of lots of great things he enjoyed was swinging from a 5 story swing!)  The best thing about the camp was that he got to experience other kids and counselors that were outdoors men and hunters that were Christians and professed their relationship with Christ.  He was at camp with 10 kids he know from school and baseball but he got to experience other grown men (strangers) professing their faith and thanksgiving to God for where they are in their own lives.  Totally different experience than his mama and daddy teaching it, praying it and living it then sending him off to school where other families are seemingly doing the same thing.  I also got a new appreciation for him as my son.  From the time I dropped him off Neely never stopped talking and she talks and sings randomly.  I never knew how much he translates or buffers for me until he wasn't hear.  My boy is going to be a great man simply for the fact of the tolerance he has for Neely and her random questions and conversations! LOVE HIM!
  
  Anyway, I volunteered for Neely and I to help him finish cleaning one doctors yard up, picking up leaves and stray limbs that didn't make it to the trailer.  Of course he's working in the hottest week yet this summer.  I told Neely there is no way we can complain or whine because Trevor has been outside doing this for 2 days already and not complained about heat, about himself getting too hot, his clothes sticky or about how "bored" he is doing it.  She and I work for 2 hours, I have to go home and change my bra and panties while going through Sonic to appease my little princess.  I thought if we helped we would get out of Jackson sooner, he would appreciate what he does for our family and love me even more if that's possible (I may get some sort of bonus out of this in the end like a mani/pedi).  I was also trying to alleviate the burden of hard work from him and to show him I am capable.  So after I put on jeans and long sleeves (it's 175 degrees outside with a heat index of 300) I go to help.  Neely bailed she went to my aunts to do anything but be outside.  We fill one trailer full of tree limbs and branches in like2 hours.  He takes that load to the dump, I go home and change into cotton panty #3 and a new athletic bra.  I just knew I had lost at least 12 pounds and was so looking forward to fitting into shorts that don't include elastic...WRONG! The job got done and was over but I didn't do audible complaining. 
  
  We went to his parents house and he helped his dad do the exact same thing, took Eli fishing and the icing on the cake...He watered skied! He hasn't skied in 2 years because of the deer stand altercation. It was funny watching his scrawny tail ski on 2 skis, he has always slalomed. He said it was even awkward trying to get up on 2 so he ended up dropping and skied across the wake like he used to.  I was so proud of him and got to see a glimpse of his old sexy physique...biceps bulging as the boat was pulling him, quads firm as he was crossing back and forth across the wake...OMGOODNESS, if his parents hadn't been in the boat and our babies sitting right there, I may have made some colorful remarks...I refrained for embarrassing myself again.  And then he was done, he let go and got back in the boat, exhausted but rejuvenated and encouraged that he has now accomplished everything he did prior to cancer and deer stand altercation.
  
  We just returned yesterday from the Redneck Riviera as one of my brother's refers to it, Destin.  Trevor took off work last Wednesday, we left early and returned yesterday (Wednesday) late afternoon.  It rained the first couple of days but I so enjoyed being away.  Rain there is totally different than rain at the beach.  At the beach it's still vacation!  We all used good tan management, although since Eli is a water baby his sunscreen kept getting wiped off every time he took his goggles off.  His nose is already pealing but his hair is blonder and it makes his eyes look bluer.  Princess overcame so much on this trip.  She got into the pool and swam underwater.  She ordered all of her meals on her own when speaking to strangers (servers) she played in the salt water and even got her hair wet! She also is brown as a biscuit.  We did practice tan management with Trevor, but I think his skin is still sensitive.  His belly has 3 red stripes from where he was sitting in the beach chair Friday morning while the sun was still hidden behind the clouds.  So we used total coverage with sunscreen from then on.
  
  We loved eating the great fresh seafood.  It was more difficult for my man to eat because he still has dry mouth from the radiation.  He ordered extra butter or ranch to eat with everything.  We did learn Mahi Mahi is a firmer fish and harder for him to swallow whereas the Grouper was more tender and easier to swallow.  It was a great trip with great family.  We brought home lots of sand, lots of shells and lots of natural vitamin D.  Trevor went back to work today after being off for 8 days instead of 6 but he started his day by having to go get blood work done to see his chemo-oncologist.  He found out that he would be seeing the nurse practitioner and decided he wasn't going to go, it would be a wasted trip.  The nurse practitioner last time really couldn't do anything without Kauffman's approval.  He called to reschedule, no way no how they were going to let him.  So he gets blood work at the beginning of the day.  He proceeds to get to work late to treat patients, has to leave early to go see nurse practitioner.  His blood work comes back A-OKAY!  Dr. Kauffman has discharged him, no more chemo doctor!  Trevor has one last PET scan in August (I mentioned that in the beginning in case you were skimming and didn't catch it) and when that comes back clean, we can start a new book...WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!  Can a sister get a "PTL!" or an "AMEN from the back"!
  
  As our family sat down for dinner it was a realization of being truly blessed with family and friends that have fervently prayed for us and with us and prayed for complete healing for Trevor and for our family  It's funny that we get a love note from God through all of this with your continued prayers, random messages, kind words, words of accountability.  1 Peter 5:10 appears..."And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore (done), confirm (reaffirmed us), strengthen (done with our family and marriage) and establish you." Can I get a witness?! God is so good to us and blessed us immeasurably! Thank you so much for your prayers...
  
  (BTW...our next chapter in this story will not be riddled with random illness.  Probably be more along the lines of how my son will play 5th grade football while he also wants to be in the elementary production of "Huck Finn".  Also be about my princess' randomness and her love of piano and dogs (that she won't pet) and her tumbling experiences.  Right now she's as limber as a 2 x 4 but very determined.  She makes me SO proud in her thoughtfulness in wanting to try new things and following through.  Whereas, her brother throws caution to the wind...(that's one reason we meet our insurance deductible quickly!) 
  
  Love you all for your dedication in continuing to keep up with us, laugh and cry with us but most importantly pray with/for us!