Of Thanksgivings Past

I made two pies and they have both been eaten. 

The turkey was moist and the cranberries were heavenly. 

Chad does such a good job on both. 

Our Thanksgiving dinner was superb this year. 

My mom made her famous potato rolls. 

My niece made her famous cheese ball. 

Before the meal Gigi made us go, one by one, around the table to say what we were thankful for. 

It's good to have the young around at holidays because they seem to keep the meaning of the day in check.

People were thankful for pie, stuffing, good health. 

Zoe was the last to have her say. 

And she's thankful today for her family. 

Those that sat around the table with her. 

Her dining room table in her home. 

And my mind went back. 

Back in time. 

To Thanksgiving 5 years ago. 

When we weren't at home. 

It was a routine procedure she was to have for her chemotherapy treatments. 

She was 5 years old and had to have two injections in her thighs the day before Thanksgiving. 

Our friends were driving down to visit with us from Northern Illinois. 

They would continue on after visiting, traveling farther south the next day for turkey. 

She had had this procedure twice already. 

No biggie. 

A drug called PEG-Asparaginase would be injected into the muscles of her thighs. 

One nurse on the left thigh. 

One nurse on the right thigh. 

It took only seconds. 

It hurt like a bitch.

And then...

And then she said "my throat feels funny."

I yelled to the nurses standing just outside the door "HER THROAT FEELS FUNNY!"

An allergic reaction. 

She immediately started vomiting. 

The two nurses started giving her more injections. 

To counter-act the reaction. 

And then the hives appeared. 

All over her body. 

Then the hives disappeared. 

But not for long. 

Then they only covered her face. 

Then gone. 

Then her feet. 

Then gone. 

Then her hands and arms. 

Then gone. 

Over and over and over this happened. 

For the next three days, in the pediatric ICU she sat. 

Getting enough Benadryl pumped into her little 48 pound body to knock out a 300 pound man. 

And the hives wouldn't relent. 

And she wanted to go home. 

And she wanted her sister. 

And she wanted to see her friends who hadn't been able to visit, but instead kept driving to their destination. 

And the doctors had never seen this reaction before. 

And it was Thanksgiving. 

The doctors on call for the holiday weren't letting her eat anything. 

For fear that the vomiting would come back and she would aspirate. 

The cafeteria was serving Thanksgiving dinner for those stuck at the hospital for the holidays. 

Hospitals are open every day of the year. 

Never opting to close for a holiday because sickness takes zero days off. 

So, my husband went down to the basement. 

Got a plate of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and a roll. 

Ate it by himself. 

Sitting alone in a room full of strangers. 

Others doing the same as he was. 

Everyone was there for a different reason.

A sick parent. 

A sick spouse. 

A sick brother or sister.

A sick child. 

When he returned to her ICU room, I went down. 

Down to the basement to get my styrofoam plate filled with American cultural favorites. 

A faint smile and a Happy Thanksgiving to those serving me. 

I headed down the white hallway to the elevator. 

It's a right, down a ramp, and then a left to the elevator that takes you from the general hospital area and cafeteria to the children's hospital. 

I got on and pressed 5 on the buttons. 

I was alone. 

Alone in the hospital elevator with my plate of food in one hand. 

The clear plastic lid was steamed up. 

I had a plastic fork and knife in my other hand that was holding a piece of pumpkin pie. 

Drinks came from the vending machine down the hall. 

Zoe was asleep when I entered her room. 

But soon awoke after smelling my food.

She hadn't eaten in a day and a half. 

"No food" said the doctor on call. 

"Whatever" said the mom feeding her daughter hospital turkey on Thanksgiving. 

Because that's what family does. 

They take care of one another. 

Each Thanksgiving I am now grateful for my daughters. 

That they are both at the table with us. 

Because that one Thanksgiving, when we were separated and we had to eat next to an iv pole, we became who we are today. 

Stronger. 

And forever thankful. 

 

Another Year Ending

It's the last day of the year. 

It's the day that you are supposed to reflect on the ups and downs of the last 364 days. 

Well, I still didn't exercise like I should have. 

And I did eat more than was necessary. 

But, I have begun drinking more water. 

That's a plus, right?

My kids got a year older. 

And so did I. 

But I managed to keep up with them on an eight day trip to Disney World. 

This mama can ride coasters till the cows come home. 

Speaking of cows, I have bought and cooked more beef this year than I have ever in my life. 

Nothing fancy like T-bone steaks. 

Are T-bone steaks fancy?

I don't know. 

But I know I have loved eating beefy nachos for dinner. 

I got a job this year. 

The first one since Zoe was born nine years ago. 

And Zoe has had a great year with less medical issues. 

Chemo is done and she's just had blood draws. 

Her hair is long and dark and she won't cut it. 

Gigi had a year of firsts. 

She began kindergarten. 

She's very bright and loves to learn. 

She struggles almost daily with anxiety, though. 

She began playing the piano with lessons at Millikin University with Professor Sam. 

She flew on an airplane for the first time. 

She said next time, she wants to drive to Florida. 

She wasn't a fan of high altitude ear popping. 

She went to sleepover summer camp with Zoe in July. 

A week away from mom and dad at a camp full of kids who have had cancer, who are currently in treatment, or who (like herself) are a sibling of a childhood cancer patient. 

Our car didn't fall apart. 

That's always a plus. 

We got chickens. 

Eight chicks were brought home from the farm supply store in the spring. 

One turned out to be an asshole rooster. 

He became dinner. 

Another drowned in the water trough. 

So, we have six gals who give us fresh eggs everyday. 

They are out in the pasture and yard eating all sorts of great things. 

Their egg yolks are amazingly neon yellow. 

It's like a sunburst in each shell that's opened. 

We had a duckling for about a week.

He was found by my niece and nephew in a car dealership parking lot. 

He was the sweetest thing and I don't really know if it was a he instead of a she.

The girls named it Rutiger. 

Gigi kicked him when they were playing with him outside. 

He died instantly. 

It was the saddest thing to see these sisters go through. 

Gigi running to me while scream crying "I KILLED RUTIGER!" 

He was a good duck. 

We spent quite a bit of time at The Field Museum in Chicago. 

My parents gave us a membership for Christmas 2013. 

Zoe loves anything Egyptian and Gigi loves the stuffed animals from all over the globe. 

This Christmas my parents bought us a Shedd Aquarium membership. 

We are heading there tomorrow to see the amazing water creatures it houses. 

We haven't been inside it's walls in 7 years. 

2015 should be just a regular year for us. 

Fingers crossed that cancer stays away. 

And that we can venture to see some Panda Bears as Gigi is obsessed with them. 

She wanted one for Christmas and asked Santa for a baby panda. 

She didn't seem deterred when I told her we didn't have any bamboo and that we would have to ask China first. 

Happy New Year to you!

May it be a generous, relaxing, adventurous, fulfilling year!

Sugar On The Floor

It's begun. 

It's that glorious time of year where my kids dress up and pretend to be someone else. 

This year they are channeling the island of Japan and dressing up for Halloween in kimonos and practicing saying kin'nichiwa to each other. 

And yesterday we went to the first of three events that we are hitting this Halloween season to get free candy. 

Because it's really all about the free candy. 

I'm not one of those 21st Century parents that's all like *candy is bad-eat fruit at Halloween-brush your teeth after each bite of chocolate-I'm a mean mom.*

I see people like that on the Today show. 

And we don't go to "safe" events where parking lots are covered with cars stating their candy is better because it's being passed out by nice Christians. 

We go to neighborhoods. 

And ring doorbells of people we don't know. 

Because the world isn't any more scary now than it was when I was growing up. 

There's just 24 hour cable news now. 

Telling us to be afraid. 

I ate candy from strangers as a kid. 

My husband ate candy from strangers.

My kids eat candy from strangers. 

But like everything we do, it's all eaten in moderation. 

That's my big disclaimer. 

So, yesterday my kids got their plastic pumpkin buckets filled with free sugar. 

And I'm finding it everywhere.

Wrappers on the kitchen sink. 

Chocolate crumbles on the side table next to my favorite chair. 

Nerds on the living room rug. 

Candy. 

Is. 

Everywhere. 

The dogs are super happy, though. 

And the kids slept well because once they came down from their sugar high they were exhausted. 

Halloween in America. 

Where witches and apples covered in caramel co-mingled with 6 year olds and strangers giving your kid sugar. 

It's pretty damn fabulous. 

A Week In Review

Sunday I made these green cupcakes in preparation for Monday. 

Monday, the day everyone wants to be Irish. 

St. Patrick's Day!

My husband is half, my kids a quarter. 

Me, nada. 

But, I can dance a jig pretty good. 

Monday, Gigi and I stopped off at this little pet shop on our end of town. 

Lots of aquatics, a guinea pig for $40. 

Rats, mice, hamsters, and pet supplies. 

Here's some of the aquarium highlights...

A white lobster...looks like a crawfish to me. 

 

Some poor little frogs someone injected with dye to make them rainbow frogs. 

They look sad.

I have no idea what this thing is. 

But it's big. 

A bunch of fish. 

Another I don't know. 

So strange!

Tuesday I was making a grocery list. 

I was looking through the fridge and yelled over to Gigi to write down that we needed salad. 

She did a good job adding it to my list. 

Wednesday-Gigi's "bones"

Thursday I was driving home from the south and saw this...

My house!

My barn!

Good thing this sign had been put in my yard earlier in the day or I would have been freaking out!

Friday. 

Today. 

I met some fab ladies for lunch at a new place downtown. 

Pretty yummy meal and pretty marvelous chatter. 

Year End Review

2013 is coming to an end. 

Here's our family end of the year review. 

In pictures. 

The girls bought three hermit crabs in January.  Today, there are two. 

 

Then they tried roller skating...

We now have an 8 year old and a 5 year old. 

And a 3rd grader and a second-year pre-schooler. 

We met Illinois State Senator Manar and the Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn.

Zoe got her ears pierced. 

Zoe cut the ribbon (again!) at the Midwest Charity Horse Show representing Camp COCO.

And she had a great time at her 3rd year of camp.

We went to a hockey game in Chicago. 

And to Ohio where the girls got to pal around with their cousins, Julie and Hunter, whom they had never met! 

We went to Hannibal, MO. 

And to Chicago, again. 

Zoe had doctor appointments and one more surgery. 

There were dance classes, piano lessons, carnival rides, and a trip to learn about Abraham Lincoln's life. 

Zoe and Grandma sewed. 

And we swam in our pool. 

As well as took swimming lessons at the public cement pond. 

We canoodled with our pets. 

And we canoodled with our cousins. 

We had family gatherings. 

We laughed with friends.

And Grandpa drove the girls in a parade.  

We celebrated holidays.

And said goodbye to my mom's brother, Uncle Jeff. 

We enjoyed a big snowfall in December. 

And are preparing for the spring. 

 

We have made much progress with our license plate campaign. 

We are excited to see what happens for us in 2014!